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After a year and a bit of living with James Potter, Regulus figured he had seen it all. He had returned home to utter chaos, to silence, to tears, and sprained ankles, and exhaustion, and excitement. He had seen James bounce off the walls and all-together forget the world. Each time was fine, and each time Regulus continued with only greater love for the other man, but each time, Regulus thought to himself that surely, he had checked off everything on the list of what he could possibly return home to.
Well, he was wrong, and honestly, at this point, he was beginning to think that the list would never end, after all.
What was it today, you ask?
Screeching. High, ear-splitting, purely terrified screeching.
Frantically, Regulus kicked his shoes halfway off and ran into James and his shared flat, following the sound so high he was surprised he could even hear it, and ending up in the kitchen. There, perched on the counter wielding a spatula like a vile of holy water, or something even more sacred then, was his boyfriend. Brows furrowed, Regulus took another step into the room, not yet seeing the problem, but worrying all the same. There were very few times when he saw James look genuinely scared, and this was one of them. Yes, the shrieking was nearly comical, but it had died away now to utter silence save for the slight hiccup in his breathing.
James was terrified.
"Jamie, love?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "What's wrong?"
For a split second, or maybe less, James glanced at him before his eyes locked on the wall in front of him (which was currently out of Regulus' line of sight) once more. His boy blink, nodded so slightly Regulus might have imagined it, and swallowed harshly.
All in all, it did nothing to quell his concern.
So, he took another step. "James? I want to help, dear, but I don't know what it is that needs helping."
A small whine escaped his boyfriend's throat as he (very hesitantly) raised his finger and pointed to the wall opposite him.
Slowly, Regulus moved about, and—ah...
There, perched on the wall like a spindly menace, was an awful, giant bug. It twitched and ticked and every once in a while it would scuttle a few centimetres here and there across the wall—which was then followed by a hitch in his boyfriend's breath.
Right.
Well...
Regulus glanced around the kitchen before his eyes landed on James. Calmly, he walked over, holding out his hand.
"May I have the spatula, love?"
With a small nod, James gave it the spatula, and only a few moments later, the nasty critter was very thoroughly squished and subsequently wrapped in a paper towel and thrown into the trash. Simple as that.
Only...
Regulus glanced back at James, who had eased a bit, but not much behind a lesser tension in his shoulders. He frowned, and wandered over, worry increasing at the shiny cast over his boyfriend's eyes.
"James?" he mumbled.
James glanced at him, then to the bin, then back to him. A minute passed before the other man exhaled—long and shuddering. "Hi," he managed with a weak smile.
"Hi," he returned.
James (slowly) hopped down from the counter and, taking quick and careful steps, left the kitchen.
Regulus followed, and, upon finding his boy seated on the couch, sat next to him. Promptly, James collapsed onto him.
"I hate bugs," the other man mumbled, nearly a whine.
With a hum of sympathy, Regulus ran a hand through his hair. In a different state, he might have teased the other, but then he remembered how genuinely scared James had felt, and every witty remark was stilled. He knew well enough what fear felt like—what panic felt like, moreover. No matter how 'small' others claimed it to be. It sucked, to put it oh so eloquently, and who was he to judge James when he had fears of his own?
"Hm, yeah. They are rather awful," he mused.
With a sigh, James glanced up at him, giving a smile. "You're a hero, Reg."
He scoffed. "Oh, don't. You'll give me an ego, and gods know Sirius has enough of that for my entire family."
The worried knot in his chest loosened and then fell as James laughed, peppering his face in kisses and singing praises for the 'almighty bug killer'.
Really, Regulus would be a liar if he said he didn't cave and share in his boyfriend's relief.