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James was almost completely asleep when the sound of tapping on the window roused him. It was the weekend, which meant he should be having a lie-in. It meant there should be no disruptions or interruptions or anything of the sort. It was his birthday for Merlin’s sake.
He was allowed this moment of quiet sleep with his husband tucked securely against his side.
James’ hand tightened against Regulus’ hip, and he let out a tiny groan as the tapping turned into a faint squeak. A bit like the window being pushed open. But he was still half-dazed and didn’t think anything of it because the noise had stopped and blissful slumber was drawing him back into its embrace.
There was a flapping motion though, a faint breeze ghosting over his cheeks. He peered one eye open, but being that his vision was nothing more than a complete blur—especially early in the morning—he couldn’t see what was hovering over him.
“Mmpfph,” he muttered, turning his face and was met with a tangle of black hair. “Reg?”
“No,” Regulus muttered, his voice gruff. He nuzzled his face against James’ neck. “Bloody early. Go the fuck to sleep.”
James snorted, and though he swore he felt something fall on his legs, he ignored it in favour of drawing Regulus close and nuzzling down. Regulus’ fingers dug into the side of his ribs gently and he let out a quiet, tiny sigh.
Then something happened. The thing that was lying across his thighs got hot. Really hot. Like it was aflame. Just before James could sit up and react, something exploded.
JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER. HAPPY SODDING BIRTHDAY YOU RIDICULOUS OLD MAN. I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE EVEN STILL ALIVE. AND WITHOUT EVEN HAVING A HIP REPLACED. SINCE I COULDN’T GET A PASS TO COME HOME, YOU HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH THIS.
“I’m going to kill him,” Regulus growled. “We can start over, can’t we? Make a new child? Just like him, right?”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,” came three voices James had learnt to recognise over the years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DAD (MR POTTER, JAMES), HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAY TOOOOO OOOH OOOH OOOH OHHHHHHH…..YOU. SEE YOU SOON, DAD (MR POTTER, JAMES). LOVE YOU!”
James blinked as the remnants of the howler dropped onto the floor, and through his hazy vision, he peered over to see Hedwig, Harry’s white, snowy owl perched on his desk chair which now sported several smears of owl droppings.
“He probably told her to do that,” Regulus muttered. “Shoo, you vile beast! That son of ours is disowned!”
Before Hedwig could fly out, two more owls arrived, both with parcels and letters from Evans and Marlene, and from Padfoot and Moony.
Regulus huffed and sulked until the birds finally left, and James decided he’d open the parcels later in favour of drawing his lover in close to his chest. “They were worse on your birthday,” James reminded him.
“Yes,” Regulus said with a huff. “Though they learnt that sneaking up on me in bed was not a good idea. And Harry was home for the hols so I didn’t have a bleeding howler ripping me from a dream. A rather nice one, if you don’t mind.”
“Take it up with him,” James said before burying his face in Regulus’ neck and snuffling along the hot skin there. “For now, I think there’s better things we can be doing.”
“Really?” Regulus asked, but his voice was a tad breathless now as James’ fingers began to draw down the expanse of his belly. “You think so?”
“It is my birthday after all. And I think I need to prove to myself that little demon we spawned is absolutely wrong and I am not an old man.”
With a smirk, Regulus pinned James down to the pillows, hovering over his face. “Hmm, I dunno. You do look a bit…more grey.” His slender fingers toyed with a lock of hair stuck out wildly near James’ ear.
“You shut your mouth,” James said, then proceeded to shut it for him with a searing, wanton kiss. Their tongues tangled together, needy and desperate. Regulus moaned against his husband’s mouth as James’ hands clutched him by the hips. He eased Regulus fully on top of him, settling him between his legs. “I am as gorgeous as the day we met.”
“When you were twelve and my idiot brother had the mad idea of bringing a blood traitor home for the summer hols?” Reg challenged.
James rolled his eyes. “I was dashing even then. You couldn’t take your eyes off me.”
Regulus palmed James’ cheek. “Well, I’d never seen a blood traitor for myself. I was curious. Fascinated.”
“Were you now?” James asked. His hands went back, kneading either side of Regulus’ arse before curling round the insides of his thighs. His fingers drew upward, toying with the thatch of hair just a space away from where Reg wanted to be touched.
Regulus let out a moan, arching his hips a bit toward James’ hands. “Just a bit. I thought you were…barmy.”
“And now look at you. All needy and gagging for it,” James breathed against his mouth as one finger dipped into his husband, spreading round the wetness.
Regulus tried to sneer, but instead found himself moaning, head tipped forward as James’ fingers pushed in and out of him. He groaned, then shifted. “Want me to ride you?”
“Is that my birthday present?” James asked, a bit breathless himself as Regulus positioned himself above his lover.
“No. This is purely selfish,” Regulus said with a grin, then brought his hips down.
Fully sheathed, James growled with need, clutching hard to Regulus’ hips as his husband rode him hard. Regulus braced himself on the headboard with one hand, the other losing itself in James’ wild hair. His head was thrown back, pulse fluttering hard against the pale skin along his throat.
James could barely hold back, groaning, lifting his hips to meet his husband thrust for thrust. He wanted to close his eyes, lose himself in the feel of it all, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Regulus was gorgeous like this, debauched, wanton…open and vulnerable and so protected because James would tear his own heart out before he let another human being lay an unwanted hand on his husband.
He let his hand ghost forward, coming down along his belly, this thumb parting Reg’s folds to press hard against that needy, trembling mass. James rubbed Regulus’ clit, knowing it would bring his husband to a fast and hard orgasm, and as much as he wanted to draw this out, he also wanted to feel Regulus lose control.
Which he did. Only moments later. His head tipped forward and he slammed his hips down, and James could feel his insides squeezing and quivering as a warm wash of fluid coated him. James groaned loudly as his own took him, his eyes rolling back a bit as his body went stiff. He could feel Regulus collapse down, squeezing himself round James for the last vestiges of pleasure before it was over.
There was a long moment of breathing, breath panting against each other’s cooling skin, then Regulus carefully eased himself to the side, letting his forehead remain pressed against James’ shoulder.
“Happy birthday,” he muttered.
James laughed. “I thought this wasn’t my birthday present.”
Regulus snorted. “It’s not. I got you a muggle watch.”
“You’re not supposed to spoil it, you know,” James said, which was something he said every year—as Regulus spoilt his gift for James every year.
Birthdays had always been a quiet ordeal in the Potter-Black house anyway. Regulus had grown up having none of them, and although James wanted to go overboard in making up for that with wild parties filled with petting zoos and jumpy castles and clowns, he knew Regulus wouldn’t have appreciated it.
His husband was uncomfortable on good days, even round their mutual friends and family. So birthdays were quiet breakfast, dinners of their favourite foods cooked with absolute care. Birthday sex, especially now that Harry was at school and they could be as loud as they wanted. Birthdays were loving glances and snuggles on the sofa.
For Harry they were a handful of friends over, and heading to the cinemas or a trip out shopping with his parents. Sirius and Remus would come for dinner, sometimes Lily and Marls. It was the simple things, and it reminded James of how absolutely loved he was.
Turning on his side, he winced at a small pain in his hip. When Regulus raised an eyebrow, James huffed. “Shut up. I am not old.”
“You’re a bit old, you know,” his husband reminded him. “Older than I am.”
“By like twenty three months, you ponce.”
“Actually it’s fifteen months,” Regulus corrected. “And I’m not the one who pulled a hip during sex.”
“It’s not pulled,” James groused. “It’s just twinging a bit.”
Regulus snickered a little, his hand drawing down James’ ribs, then squeezing round his hip, kneading gently. “My poor darling.”
“Shut it,” James said, but the casual, sweet term of endearment didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. James went warm and fuzzy inside, and gently pushed his face forward, giving Reg a slow, easy kiss. “Mm, I fucking love you. So much.”
Regulus nuzzled his nose alongside James’ for a moment, his eyes closed, hands holding his husband tight. “I love you too.” When they pulled back, Regulus reached out, cupping James’ cheek. “Now, we need to think of a way to get our boy back for that sodding howler.”