Chapter Text
To say that Regulus was 21 years old and didn’t know how to deal with himself was an understatement. He was a mess. A bloody, drenched fucking mess.
“Reg, we’re both going to be late if you don't get your arse moving!” Dorcas grumbled, barging into his room.
Oh yeah, Dorcas Meadowes. One of Regulus’ best friends .
Dorcas was one of the best people Regulus had ever met, she was strong and fearless to say the least and Regulus admired that. He might have also been a little jealous.
Regulus and Dorcas met when he was in sophomore year, when Regulus and Sirius weren’t on the best of terms. They had one of their many fights, but this one was pretty bad. Long story short, Dorcas and her crew basically adopted Regulus.
Her crew being Pandora, Evan and Barty.
Regulus grumbles and kicks the covers off. "J'arrive" , fucking hell Cas.”
He finds Dorcas standing at his door with a proud look on her face. She walks out like nothing happened.
Regulus untangles himself from his covers to make his way to the bathroom. He looks in the mirror and wants to smash it. Get rid of himself. Disappear. Drown. Anything to get rid of the displeasing sight of himself,
He looked like a mess. Was a mess. Is one . Mother wouldn’t be proud of him. She never was, never will. Ever since the day he left, or the day he announced that he wasn’t a girl, but a boy. Mother was disappointed. She always was. She-
Shut up.
His hair was matted and tangled from running his fingers through it. He had bags under his eyes that clearly exposed how he hadn’t slept the night before. Or the night before that. Or-
Shut. up.
He scolded himself. His reflection scolding back at him.
Regulus took a breath and started to get ready, slowly despite Docras’ groans and pleads for him to hurry up.
He threw on an old sweater Pandora had knitted for him for his 19th birthday. It was dark blue with silver stars patched on it. It was old and almost too small for him, but it was still one of Regulus’ favorite sweaters.
Regulus threw on some black pants while stepping into his beat-up Doc Martens, covered his fingers in rings, grabbed his bag and headphones and made his way out of his room.
His cave .
His void .
“I'm ready Cas.” He mumbles to a bored looking Dorcas sitting on their couch.
“About time!” Dorcas practically jumps off the couch, grabbing her own bag as she and Regulus make their way out the door.
★
“...Okay so, I’m thinking after our classes are over and your shift at M&M - we could just call the gang over and order pizza!” Dorcas rambles, typing on her phone as she drives.
Regulus swats the phone out of her hand and Docras gasps. ‘Please do not call Moonlight Magic ,M&M’. And pay attention! I want to get to class alive please.” He grumbles.
Dorcas pouts, “Rude.” But she pays attention to the road, pulling into the university's parking lot and getting out of the car. Regulus returns Dorcas’ phone to her as he gets out of the car as well and she kisses his forehead. “See you later my little Reggie. Have fun in Flitwick's class!”
Regulus mumbles a “see you later” and with that Dorcas is off to her classes.
Regulus sure does hate being left alone, but he’s gotten used to it. He doesn’t even mind it anymore.
He unlocks his phone and sees a message from Sirius.
Sirius
(8:32 am) hello Reggie! hope you have a great day, love you <3
Regulus almost smiles and replies back to him.
(8:40 am) Hello brother, you do the same.
Him and Sirius tried to talk every day, even though they were on speaking terms and fought sometimes, but they wanted to maintain their relationship, and it was going well Regulus would say.
Sirius would send him random memes or invite him over to hang out with him and Remus, but in his text, he would always say that he loves Regulus.
When Sirius first put that outstanding statement, Regulus wanted to laugh because loving Regulus? Ha! That was a joke.
Sometimes Regulus would say that he loves Sirius back, sometimes he wouldn’t. Sirius knows that Regulus loves him either way.
Taking his mind off of the fact that a human being able to love Regulus is a straight up joke, he opened up Spotify and put on Mitski to drown out his thoughts as he walked to class.
Mitski was saying something about staring in a dark room and Regulus was so engrossed in the lyrics, that he didn’t notice another body collide with him until he felt a warm liquid soak through his sweater. He almost fell down to the ground before the person Regulus believes collided with him, reaches out to steady him.
“Woah!” A deep voice brings him back to life as Regulus removes his headphones and places them around his neck, shouldering his bag. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
The man was about 5 inches taller than Regulus. He had warm brown skin with circle frame glasses and unruly dark messy hair. It resembled a bird's nest , Regulus thought. The man had a camera around his neck and a bag almost like Regulus’, but red instead of green.
The man looked at him with knitted eyebrows and shock on his face. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention because I was so caught up in a message my friend sent me and - oh gosh I’m probably late for class!” The man looked at his watch and then at Regulus. “Oh shit! I’m sorry about your sweater! It’s really nice, fuck now it has coffee all over it I-”
Regulus interrupts the man’s rambling because someone had to. “It's fine.” Regulus nods.
The man clears his throat, “Er, I’m James.” The man - James, extends his hand.
Regulus stares at it for a while and then shakes his hand, not saying anything.
James stares at Regulus and then his now coffee-stained sweater.
“Is there something you want to say?” Regulus deadpans, a little annoyed.
James blinks like he’s just woken out of a trance. “Would you like me to help you get it off?”
“Get what off?” Regulus eyes James.
“The coffee of course.” James chuckles.
There's a weird feeling in Regulus’ chest when the man laughs, Gross. Don’t think like that, Regulus. His mother would say, It’s bad enough you changed your name and now we have to call you something else! Was “Rhea” not enough for you? You ungrateful child. Now you’re getting butterflies over a man. A man! You are such a disappointment. So disgusting. I’m ashamed to have raised you R-
“Er, it’s fine.” Regulus looks down at his sweater. Coffee was all over him and now he sure was going to smell like it.
But James isn’t satisfied. “Please? I feel awful!”
Regulus can tell James is a people pleaser, always shining brightly and making sure people like him. He probably doesn’t even have to try. Bastard.
Regulus sighs, “Okay.” he turns on his heel and walks back to Dorcas’ car, fishing out her keys.
He turns around. “Are you coming?” He sighs at James.
James splutters, “Oh! Er- yeah!” and follows Regulus into the parking lot.