✺ (3/10) ✺ @jegulus-microfic prompt: sugar — 1,146 words (jegulus dads ft. harry; when the five year old is on a sugar high)
Immediately upon getting home from his meeting, Regulus is aware that things have not gone to plan. James was meant to pick up Harry from his mums’, and the two of them were supposed to decide on dinner and their entertainment for the evening. They usually have a movie night together, the three of them, when Harry first comes back to theirs again, but it seems his husband and his son had other plans upon coming home.
Because they’re out in the backyard on the trampoline.
Regulus hears Harry’s loud laughter carrying from the back screen before he even has to check. Setting his keys aside, he makes his way to the door to the backyard. He stands there inside for a moment, helplessly fond as he watches where Harry sits cross-legged, looking up at James, waiting.
James bounces gently in place a short distance from where the five year old sits before launching himself to land on his feet closer beside him. It flings Harry a few inches off the trampoline’s surface, his little limbs flailing as he shrieks excitedly. He flops flat onto his back afterward, lost in a string of giggles that ends up turning into ‘again, again, again!’
Two peas in a pod, James laughs with him, then reaches with both hands to tow Harry back up in his previous position. Before James can properly send him bouncing as he had moments prior, both of their heads whip in the direction of the sliding screen door when Regulus opens it to step outside.
“Papa!” Harry smiles widely, waving over at him with both hands. “Papa, watch this! Daddy can make me fly.”
“Oh, he can, can he?” Regulus smirks, coming off the patio onto the grass near the trampoline.
Harry nods and looks up at James. “Show him, daddy.”
Despite the fact that he’d just witnessed it moments ago before joining them, Regulus plays along, pretending to be awed by the way James jumps and causes Harry to bounce up off the trampoline. Again, Harry giggles for several seconds, cheeks rosy and smile unrelenting as he rolls from being flopped on his back onto his belly.
“You gotta try it, papa,” Harry tells him. “Daddy’s been doing it for ages now and it’s so fun every time.”
Regulus chuckles with a slow shake of his head. “Where’s all this energy coming from, I wonder?”
“Cookies!” Harry answers immediately, squirming up onto his knees.
One dark brow arches, Regulus’ eyes shifting to James who has the decency to look momentarily sheepish under the questioning look.
“Cookies before dinner?” He asks pointedly.
“I can explain,” James starts.
“Mama was making a whole bunch of them and mum sent me here with a big plate to share with you and daddy,” Harry explains for him.
“So, really, that look should be reserved for Pandora and Lily, my love,” James chimes in.
Regulus smiles tightly, head cocking to the side. “I’m sure you’d prefer that.”
James grimaces faintly and clambers off the trampoline, out through the zip-up mesh opening that keeps the edges screened in, to come to Regulus’ side. A large hand falls at his waist, Regulus still managing to look sternly up at him even when James leans down to kiss his cheek. He clearly has been humoring their son for a while, because he’s flushed and a little sweaty, slightly out of breath and so warm at Regulus’ side.
“You know how hard it is to get him to settle down when he’s had too much sugar,” Regulus points out.
“I know, I’m sorry.” James smooths his hand along his lower back in a continuous motion.
Regulus hums, gaze drifting to where Harry half-runs, half-bounces around the full circle of the trampoline. “How many did you let him have?”
“Just one, I swear.” James follows his line of sight, stepping even nearer to him to curl his arm around his waist. “But he did mention that Pandora had been letting him help in the kitchen, and you know that means—”
“Licking all the spoons.”
“And handfuls of chocolate chips. Ah, and some of them are frosted, even, so uh… icing taste tests, too.”
“Great.” Regulus shakes his head. “This has to be some kind of payback for when we brought him and Luna back to theirs after all that cake and candy at Ron’s birthday party.”
James chuckles and squeezes gently at his side. “He’ll crash soon enough, surely.”
“I assumed that’s why you brought him out here in the first place,” Regulus says.
“It was either that, or his suggestion to build a pillow fort pirate ship in the living room. I felt this was less jarring for you to come home to.”
Regulus watches as Harry does a quick somersault only to spring back to his feet, bounce twice in place, and purposely land on his bum with another bounce. He laughs breathlessly, adjusting glasses knocked askew by the impact, and Regulus can’t help but huff a quiet laugh of his own. Hopped up on sugar as he may be, Harry’s joy is never a thing Regulus takes for granted. Even in the silliest of moments —if not especially then.
“You’re going to sleep like babies tonight,” Regulus comments.
“Probably true.”
“After a solid bath time because you’re both so gross right now.”
James snorts, giving a tilted nod of his head in agreement. “Fair.”
“Have to figure out dinner still, too.”
“We could order a pizza to make things easy?” James suggests. When Regulus nods in reply, he nods, too. “I can stay out here and help him run off some more of the sugar high if you want to go ring it in?”
“No, I’ll watch him. You go inside and get yourself some water before you pass out or something,” Regulus teases.
“I’m fine, thank you. I’m in excellent shape,” James scoffs. Lower, just for him, he murmurs, “A fact you’re very well aware of, my love.”
He punctuates the playful remark by nipping gently at the edge of Regulus’ jaw. Regulus bats him away, lips twitching upward in a smile that couldn’t be held back even if he tried.
“Heathen,” He mutters.
“That’s me. Your heathen husband.” James smacks an overdramatic kiss to Regulus’ cheek this time before separating.
Harry hops up closer to the trampoline’s edge, hands braced carefully on the outside net to ask, “What’s a heathen, papa?”
Regulus hears James laugh loudly behind him on his way inside.
He shakes his head, grinning fondly as he looks back at Harry. “Don’t worry about that, darling. Why don’t you show me how your cartwheels are coming, hm?”
Harry brightens immediately, nodding and leaping backward. “Okay! Make sure you’re watching the whole time!”
Nothing else in the world seems more worth Regulus’ time than watching their boy be so happy. Riled up on sugar or otherwise.
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