Playing with fire

1

Love sucks sometimes

10 days ago

"You have to tell him, he's your brother" James tells Regulus, who he had been dating for a little over a month. "You're his best mate, you're the one who tells him everything" Regulus argues back, refusing to be the one who tells anyone in his family.

"You truly are insufferable. You have to tell him. He is your brother. Merlin, I can't believe you haven't already. How can you keep something like this from him? I'd hate to have a brother like you. Merlin, you're a coward. You should have stayed with your family, you're just like them!" James yells at Regulus, forcing Regulus to freeze and James instantly realizes what he said but it was too late. "I'm INSUFFERSBLE!? Vous Tête de noeud Blaireau! Va te faire foutre!" Regulus yells at James before pushing him out of the apartment he shares with Sirius. Once he's through the door he slams the door hard enough that it shakes the windows. After he locks the door he sits against the door crying to himself.

Present Day
Regulus' POV

I haven't been alone with James since then, I won't let myself. He tries to talk to me but I won't. I can't. We had been fighting a lot that week so I guess it was the straw that broke the camel's back. He knows how hard it was for me to not only leave my family but to accept who I am. How hard I have been trying to be a good brother. I can't believe he would say what he did. We both know that we weren't actually fighting over telling my brother we were together.

Remus and Andromeda are out getting the band as many gigs as they can. Peter and James are Merlin knows where while Sirius and I are at our apartment working on music and spending time together. I sigh as I put down my pen and look up at Sirius. "Are you finally going to tell me what happened between you and James?" Sirius asks, not looking up. Of course he knows something happened. "I wasn't planning on it. I just want to ask something," I begin before continuing when he looks at me "am I truly like our family?"

Immediately Sirius grabs his wand, despite swearing he wouldn't use it in the muggle world. "Who told you that?" Sirius demands an answer. "That's n-" I begin but the look on Sirius' face scares me. I've only seen that look on him when he found mother and father punishing me for speaking back. I know that if I don't give him some answer that he liked he would be angrier. I also know that if I tell him the truth then James would be on the receiving end of the Crucio curse or worse. So, I do what I know I need to.

"Mother, before I left. She told me that I would never change and always be like them. That I would end up crawling right back to them. I'm just worried because what if she was right? Everyone says that mothers know them best...what if she knew me best?" I tell him, it wasn't a lie but it wasn't the complete truth. Sirius' face drops, knowing he couldn't do anything to them. He quickly sits infront of me, holding my face making me look around him. "Regulus Arcturus Black, you listen to me and you listen good. You are nothing like them. You will never be like them. You will never go back to them, and if you did then I would be right there with you. You are a wonderful brother. You are a terrific person. You are everything that they are not. I love you but she did not. None of our family except me and Andromeda love you or have ever wanted what's best for you. I know it's hard to separate yourself from their lies so I'll always be right by your side to remind you. Okay?" He says, almost tearing up. I pull him into a hug but just as I do James comes in.

"Hey guys, what's up?" James asks as he plops himself down in a chair. "Reggie just told me that he's thinking about something Walburga said to him before he left so I was telling him that he's never going to be like her" Sirius says as he goes over and gets Regulus a beer. "Oh...well he's right, Reggie" James says, not looking at Regulus. "Don't call me that, Potter" Regulus snaps at James before sipping his beer. "Okay, sorry" James sighs before getting himself a beer.

Remus comes in and sits next to Sirius. "We have the next seven gigs set up. Andromeda is securing an eighth and checking out a possible tenth. The next one is a pretty surprising one but all I'll say is that it's a birthday party. And Sirius, you have a date tonight. Andromeda needs to work with Peter on his stage appearance. So that leaves Regulus and James" Remus says, not even trying to hide that he wants James and I to talk.

"Well I can plan something with my mother" James offers to me, having given up on trying to talk to me. Already. It has been 11 days. Not even as long as we dated. Despite him saying he loved me. I guess I understand it, but I didn't think it would be so soon. Although with me pushing him away it should be expected. "No, I think it's about time that we talk" I decide before grabbing his arm and dragging him to the roof of the apartment complex.

"Well if you're going to push me off the roof at least warn me first" James jokes which I struggle not to smile at. Always with his stupid jokes that never fail to make me smile. "Listen, what you said is unforgivable. However, I know that you don't truly believe what you said. We will never be what we were, it's been proven that we don't work together. But, for the sake of the band and my brother we must move past us" I say hoping that he'll agree.

"Oh...you want to just move past us" James whispers looking hurt.