Sirius didn’t seem quite like himself as he stood in front of James’s bed, a nervous look on his face. Normally he was laid-back and confident but now he shifted back and forth from foot to foot, eyes cast to the floor, biting at his lips.
“Always, Pads,” James replied, patting the spot next to him. “What’s up?”
But Sirius stayed where he was as he said, voice full of accusatory hurt, “When were you going to tell me about Regulus?”
James tried to catch his breath as he tried to think of an explanation. The truth was, he’d tried to think of a way to talk to Sirius about it. He really had. But every time he’d imagined a conversation, it had always gone like…well, like this.
“Padfoot, I-” he started, sighing.
“Just…how long? How long have you two been together and sneaking around?” Sirius demanded, betrayal clear in his face. “How long have you been lying to me?”
But now, instead of feeling sick with guilt, James was confused. “Wait. We’re not together!” he said quickly, waving his hands towards the furious Gryffindor.
“Oh, don’t give me that, Prongs. I see how you look at him!” Sirius scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Yeah, I’m blood mad about him!” James chuckled humorlessly. “But he doesn’t give a rat’s arse about me!” He frowned, self-pity washing over him. “It’s right awful, actually.”
And then, the shorter boy narrowed his eyes. “You’re…you’re serious?”
But Sirius was so shocked he didn’t let the joke land. “Prongs, he’s obsessed with you! Every time I look at him, he’s staring at you and he’s almost smiling!”
A grin slowly formed on James’s face. “I–really?” he asked, trying not to scream with joy.
But then Sirius seemed to realize what he’d done. His face grew pale. “Oh, fuck,” he murmured, covering his face with his hands. “Oh, shit, I’ve made it worse.”
James, however, was too busy beaming. “Hey, Pads? Hypothetically, how would you feel if I asked your brother out?” he asked in a sing-song voice.
“Fuck off,” Sirius mumbled into his palms, collapsing on James’s bed and groaning.