Okay so I was reading a sunseeker fic (surprising I know lmao) and usually I relate Conan Gray to Regulus but Yours by Conan fit so well w this fic’s James that I’m honestly in tears.
I'm somebody you call when you're alone
I'm somebody you use, but never own
I'm somebody you touch, but never hold
And you're somebody I'll never really know
I know I'm not the one you really love
I guess that's why I've never given up
'Cause I could give you all you want, the stars and the sun
But still, I'm not enough
So this verse. James and Regulus have been having a something in secret, not technically a relationship but not not one, James doesn’t really know how Regulus actually feels about James and so he’s insecure sometimes. Especially because for months Regulus has been colder than he used to be. It seems once they’re done doing what they do (👀) in the Room, Regulus doesn’t stick around for long, and obviously James begins to notice it and it begins to fester in his brain like an infection; Regulus doesn’t like him anymore, he’s done something wrong, he’s not enough again. But James could never bring it up because what if it meant that he loses Regulus? He loses his star? No, he doesn’t say anything, but the hurt grows. So yeah while he knows Regulus probably doesn’t love him like James loves him, that Regulus is sticking around because it was the only way to get James to leave him alone, that Regulus doesn’t need or want him, he stays because while Regulus doesn’t feel that, James does
Oh-oh, all I really wanted was that look in your eyes
Like you already know that I'm the love of your life
Like you already know you're never sayin' goodbye
But I'm not yours
I'm not yours, I'm not yours
I want more, I want more
But I'm not yours
And I can't change your mind
But you're still mine
So tell me that it's time for me to go
'Cause you know I can't do it on my own
James finally boils over, his emotions slip thru the cracks of his mask and he hurts. He hurts so much that he feels it decaying his ribs, etching its way through his chest. Still, he could never end it himself. Eventually, eventually, Regulus sees that he’s hurting James but instead of realizing it was because James couldn’t tell he even cared for him, Regulus thinks it’s something else. So, he lets him go.
The only thing that's harder than sleepin' alone
Is sleepin' with your ghost
I should've known that it was dumb love
15 dozen roses
All the things that I've done for you not to notice
Can't believe I chose you over all my best friends
What the fuck did I do in the end?
Just to not be yours
No matter what James does, it always feels like he’s missing a piece of himself, that’s he’s being haunted by a lover that’s not even dead, by a love that may never have even existed in the first place. When did his dorm room become so cold? And when did his single size bed become so empty and large? How can he sleep when he can feel the weight of the heartbreak and guilt because fuck how could he choose Regulus over his best friend? Why doesn’t he regret it, he should regret it, but James could never regret getting to bask in the shine of his star, even if his star doesn’t want him and maybe never did.
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@jegulus-microfic | may 5 surface | words: 1,2k
part 2
hi, i had a bad day again and i needed to let it out somehow so here we are. idk if the trigger warnings are accurate but that’s what i was thinking while writing this so yeah idk where im going with this
tw: anxiety, self hatred, implied suicidal thoughts, implied child abuse, swearing, underage smoking
James Potter was always the cheerful guy, always willing to help and support others. The perfect son and friend. The motherfucking sunshine.
At least on the surface.
Inside his mind, though, there was a constant party. And it wasn’t even the fun kind of party with good music and fun people around—it was the kind of party you wanted to get out of as soon as you got there. He felt like he was a burden to everyone all the time. Any time he said something, he went over it in his head for the next ten minutes, wondering if he didn’t say anything rude or if he didn’t come out as dumb. His anxiety was suffocating, making him doubt himself every moment of every day. And the worst of it all was that he couldn’t show it to anyone, not even Sirius, Peter, or Remus, afraid they would start treating him like a lost child. So he was alone with his thoughts most of the time.
Until one night, when he met Regulus at the Astronomy Tower.
The younger boy was sitting against the stone wall, smoking cigarette after cigarette and writing something in a notebook.
James, not wanting to disturb him, took a seat several metres away from him, turning his head up and closing his eyes. He just needed to breathe for a moment after spending yet another day worrying if his friends actually liked him or just pretended to out of pity.
He took one deep breath in, held it, and let it out on a long exhale. Another one. And an—
“Are you okay?” A soft voice came from his right side.
James opened his eyes, turning to the other boy, who was already looking back at him.
He had a few options: pretend he didn’t hear him (rude), lie (as always), or tell the truth.
And still, to this day, he doesn’t know what made him choose the third option.
Taking another deep breath and letting it out quickly, James shook his head. “Nope,” he said, looking back up. “You?”
There was a moment of silence, and James instantly started scolding himself for being too nosy. But then, as soft as before, “Nope.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Do you?” Regulus asked, sounding irritated, at least to James.
“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to. We can keep sitting in silence, pretending we're not here together,” he replied, sounding exhausted even to himself.
Another bit of silence.
“Yeah, okay.”
And so they sat, pretending like they didn’t see each other. James could see the moon travelling through the night sky, meaning he sat there for hours, but he still wouldn’t move. The thoughts, even though they were a little quieter, were still there.
They don’t need you.
You’re too much.
You’re a burden.
He could feel the tears gathering in his eyes and started blinking them away as soon as one of them tried to escape.
Another series of deep breaths and long exhales.
Finally, after another hour or so, he decided he was too sleepy to keep sitting there. He stood up, dusted off his pyjama bottoms, and went to the door.
“Same time tomorrow?” James heard before leaving. It made him turn just to see Regulus smoking another cigarette and looking straight ahead.
After a moment of consideration, James answered with a quiet ‘yeah’ and left the tower.
***
They kept meeting like that for the next few weeks, each night sitting a little closer to each other, always asking if the other wanted to talk about their wellbeing, and always ending up pretending they didn’t see each other.
But one night, something changed.
James sat on the cold stone just half a metre away from Regulus, looked up at the sky, and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Nope. You?”
“Nope. Do you want to talk about it?”
The answer didn’t come right away as usual; there was a small pause before Regulus practically whispered, “Yes, actually, I do.”
“Oh” was all James could muster. That was new; he wasn’t prepared for that. But after all those years of being a shoulder to cry on, he knew the drill. “What happened?”
He could see the conflict in Regulus’ eyes when he looked at him, like the younger boy regretted his decision already. But to James’ shock, he started talking.
“You know about my parents, so I won’t talk about them, even though they’re the main reason I feel like shit all the time. You probably also know about my relationship with Sirius, so—“
“Yes, I know,” he interrupted, “but only from his perspective; you can tell me how you feel about it. If you want to, no pressure.” And Regulus looked at him like he had just grown another head.
“That’s strangely... kind,” he muttered, clearing his throat. After another pause, Regulus continued. “Yeah, well, I get that he’s mad at me because I haven’t left with him. And to him, it probably seems like I chose them, but I didn’t—you don’t need to believe me, but by staying with them, I chose him.” The boy took a long, shuttering breath, his bottom lip trembling a little.
“What do you mean?” James asked, stretching his hand out and laying it between them, giving Regulus the option to grab it if he needed it.
“I mean that if I ran with him,” he kept going after a long exhale, “they would try to find us and get us both home, which would probably end up with at least one funeral.” Regulus laughed humorlessly. James could feel his guts turn at the statement, the thought of his best friend's possible death making him sick. “And I knew if I stayed, they wouldn’t care about going after him because there was still an heir. They would give up on him, which meant he could be happy with Remus—yes, I know about them; they’re not really subtle, are they?—and have a normal life outside of this fucked-up family. So I stayed. After all he’s done for me, that is the least I could do in return,” he ended, whipping at his cheeks and sniffing slightly.
James wanted to reach for him, take him into his arms, and just hold, hoping it would soothe the pain a little. But instead, he just said, “You can run away and live with us, you know? My house is big enough to take you there, too,” which earned him a wet huff of laughter and a sarcastic ‘yeah, right’. “I mean it.”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Regulus retorted. “Now tell me why you are not okay.”
And so James did.
He told Regulus all about his fears and the never-ending party; how he’s afraid his friends only pretend to be his friends; how he always feels like he’s too much for everyone; and how he sometimes thinks they would all be better off without him.
When he was done, the other boy just stared at him with wide eyes.
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