Prompt: Suspect | Pairing: Jegulus | Word Count: 1079
Before he had time to reach for his wand, Regulus was grabbed by the wrist and pulled into an open door. He let out a loud, displeased sound of protest that went ignored. The rest of the students in the hallway, if they noticed the disruption, didnât say anything of it. The door shut behind him with a loud ungraceful slam. Regulus stumbled back in the tightly enclosed space, narrowly hitting his head onto the wall. His heart stuttered in the confines of his chest, but not out of fear, more so because of the person who had just pulled him in. The offender lit his wand, causing the room to illuminate and Regulus to get a decent view of the only person allowedâand stupid enoughâto handle him so recklessly.
 âA broom closet, really?â Regulus scowled, his arms crossing over his chest as James flashed one of his signature grins. âSince when have we become a clichĂ©?â
âBaby, weâve always been a clichĂ©.â James insisted, his grin only growing wider. Finding creative ways to be with Regulus outside of their early morning Quidditch meet ups, late night Astronomy Tower dates when classes werenât in session, and weekly Sunday evening supper in the Hogwarts kitchens, was the highlight of his day. He was satisfied with his relationship with Regulus, but it would be a lie to say he didnât want more. Sneaking around could only sustain someone like James for so long. He was bursting at the seams, ready to announce his relationship to the entire castle so he can rant and rave about the boy he loves. But he couldnât, and so he was doing his best to be patient. Probably why Regulus humored him and his antics for so long.
The sixth yearâs lips pursed to the side, his nose scrunched just the tiniest bit in a way that made James swoon from how cute he looked. âI donât remember signing up for that.â
âNot my problem you skipped over the full terms and conditions.â Â The Gryffindorâs shoulders rolled into a shrug, grin dropping just a little bit as he casted a quick nox and lowered his wand. They were engulfed in darkness again. Before Regulus could speak, he felt himself being turned around. âDonât distract me, Reggie. Thereâs a reason Iâm here. Youâre under arrest.â The tip of James wand was being pressed into the small of his back, but Regulus was moreso stuck on the words that fell from James lips. He always managed to catch him off guard. Regulus loved it. He assumed this was another one of James roleplaying games, that Regulus voluntarily played along with.
âMore like under duress.â Regulus murmured under his breath before humoring James. âAre you going to tell me the charges or read my rights? You do know I have the right to a fair trial in front of the Wizengamont, and I should be able to owl my family lawyer before answering any of your questions. If you arrest me youâre going to have a lot of paperwork. You already hate writing essays. I saw you trying to bribe Lupin to write your Charms essay the other day.â
James let out a sound between a whine and a scoff. âDonât get technical on me, baby. Youâre overthinking it.â
âSorry, sorry⊠carry on.â Regulus raised his hands in surrender, glad that James couldnât see the smirk on his face. Maybe he enjoyed these roleplay games just as much as the Chaser did, mostly because Regulus liked to test his limits. Â
âYour crimes are as followed: On the morning of February second, you sleepily walked into the Great Hall, sat down with your friends, prepared a cup of tea and proceeded to seek me out. We made eye contact for a solid twoâno noâthree minutes before you winked, causing me to lose my mind and flail, knocking Moonyâs hot chocolate all over table⊠but mostly all over Wormtail. And you had the audacity to laugh about itâall while looking cuteââ
Regulus almost laughed right then and there at the reminder of what transpired that morning at breakfast. He was able to keep his composure, however. Thankfully James couldnât see the way his grey eyes twinkled in amusement. âI think you have the wrong guy. I did no such thing.â
âAre you not Regulus Arcturus Black? Youâre the prime suspect.â Â The only suspect really, but details.
âWhereâs your proof? You canât make an arrest without proofââ
âRegulusâŠâ James lowered his wand, removing the point from Regulus back and tucking it into the pocket of his robes.
âI was there this morning. You know Iâm weak for your sleepy look and you used it against me. The wink was just cruel. Appreciatedâbut cruel.â
âIf I am guilty of anything, it would be my greatest crime: stealing your heart.â Even as the words left Regulusâ mouth he felt himself cringe at the cheesiness of it all. Was this a side effect of being in love? Spewing cheesyâbut truthfulâstatements at your partner.
Jamesâ released a soft laugh, butterflies fluttered around in Regulus stomach at the sound. He placed his hands on Regulusâ waist and turned him around so that they were facing each other. There wasnât much they could make out in the dark, but James had Regulus profile memorized. He pressed his forehead against Regulusâ as he leaned down, faintly brushing their lips together. âWhoâs being clichĂ© now?â
âDonât break script, Auror Potter. You havenât handed out my punishment.â Â
âTonight. Astronomy Tower. Youâll get your punishment.â James pressed a firm kiss to Regulus lips this time before releasing him and pulling back. As much as he didnât want to separate from Regulus, he couldnât afford to be late enough to get a detention, not when they had plans for the night. âPretty sure weâre late for class.â
This time it was Regulus who pulled out his wand to light the closet. Using his other hand to smooth out the front of James uniform and then straighten his tie. When Regulus was satisfied, he looked up to meet the Gryffindorâs hazel eyes. Regulus smiled fondly. âJames⊠soon, okay? Weâll tell everyone.â
âNo more hiding?â James didnât do much to hide the excited hopefulness from his tone.
âNo more hiding.â And Regulus meant that, leaning up meet James lips in a chaste kiss. They could afford to be a few more minutes late.