@jeggyverses-jegulus-microfic June 11, Word count 668
An hour had elapsed by the time they made it out of bed and back into James’s flat. Sirius wasn’t up yet. James went to check on him while Reg started mixing the batter for the pancakes.
“Hey, Pads?” James asked as he knocked on the door. He didn’t get an answer, so he tried again. “Pads? Can I come in?” Still nothing. James opened the door and found a balled-up duvet on the bed and nothing else. “Sirius?” He called out, coming back out to check the bathroom, but that too was empty. Where had he gone?
James’s phone pinged, and he ripped it from his pocket. It was a message from Sirius.
‘Hey, sorry, I had to go. Work stuff. I tried knocking on Reggie’s door, but no one answered. See you when I see you.’
He’d gone? Sirius never left early, never. One time, Sirius stayed at James’s for a month longer than the one night he said he’d stay. Not that James had minded. He loved Sirius and would have lived with him if not for Remus coming along. He never would have met Reg if he hadn’t.
“Sirius had to go,” he told Reg as he walked back into the kitchen.
“Oh,” was all Reg said. James caught the flash of hurt on Reg’s face before he turned his expression into a scowl. “More pancakes for us then.”
Once they’d eaten and tidied up, they were at a bit of a loss for what to do. Reg seemed distracted, staring into space a lot.
“Do you want me to give you his number?” James asked. Reg turned on him.
“Why would I want that?” he snapped. “What? Trying to blame me for what happened last night? How was I supposed to know he was into puppy play? It’s not like I upset him on purpose. He could have stuck around, and we could have talked about it, but he did exactly what he always does when things get difficult. He got out of here as fast as his legs could carry him. He did it when I was fifteen, and he’s doing it again now. Suppose I’ll see him in another decade,” Reg scoffed and went back to staring at the wall, his jaw tense and his eyes glittering with unshed tears.
“He’ll be back, I promise, love. But for now…” James picked up Reg’s phone, held it up to Reg’s face to unlock it and saved Sirius’s number in his contacts. “It’s there if you want to message him, or delete it. It’s up to you.”
Reg took his phone back, let out a long uneven breath and started typing. James gave him his privacy, but once Reg was done and the whoosh of an outgoing message filled the silence, he moved closer to James and leaned into him. “Everything will be fine,” he said, wrapping an arm around Reg’s shoulders and pulling him even closer.
“I hope so,” Reg said in a quiet voice. “I didn’t mean to push him so much. He just brings out that side of me. We’ve always teased each other, but that’s the first time he’s taken it so badly. The first time I’ve ever gone too far.”
“You didn’t know, love. I didn’t know. I had no idea,” James sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand. “I’ll check in with Remus, just so he knows what’s going on, and if anyone can help him through this, it will be Remus.”
“Not you?” Reg asked, his tone curious.
“Sirius is my brother, but Remus knows him in a way I never will. Besides, if Sirius really is into, you know, then Remus either already knows, or it might be something he ought to know.” He didn’t know what else to say. They were all hurting, and he didn’t know how to fix it. He picked up the TV remote and turned it on, taking their minds off it all, at least for a little while.