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Regulus didn't think he was popular. He wasn't outgoing like Sirius was or nice like Sirius was. He couldn't trick everyone into liking him by smiling like Narcissa could, he didn't exude warmth like Andromeda, and he couldn't command a room like Bellatrix.
At least that was what Regulus thought.
Everyone else in all of Hogwarts could agree that Regulus Black was the most popular of all the Blacks.
The shy smiles he give after answering a question right in class, the way he played with his curls when he was lost in thought, the way he whooped with joy when he caught the snitch.
It wasn't just the people from Regulus' year that loved him, but also the younger years had started developing crushes on him ever since he accidentally started a book club for them.
So, everyone loved Regulus.
"Reg!" Barty whined, throwing himself in Regulus' lap, who put his book down and sat more comfortably against the tree.
"Hello Barty, so lovely of you to interrupt me from reading," he said, glaring lightly at his friend.
"I knew you were just waiting for me to come and interrupt you!"
"Barty, are you annoying Reg again?" Evan asked as he took his place on the other side of Regulus and rested his head on his shoulder.
"Am I a couch to you guys?" Regulus asked, he sounded annoyed, but he was smiling and running his hand through Barty's hair.
"Yes," they both said at the same time.
"Are we cuddling Reg?" Pandora asked as she came over, curling up between Regulus' legs.
"I never consented to this," he lamented, "Why are you even doing this?"
"Mate," Barty started, "you are possibly the best cuddler in the world, if Evan wasn't my soulmate I'd leave him for you,"
Regulus let out a startled laugh, and then immediately started choking when Evan said "same" and high-fived Barty.
"Face it Reg, everyone loves you," Pandora said, and then they all laughed, not realising how true those words were.
James wouldn't say he was in love with Regulus Black.
He just had a crush on him.
A very strong crush.
A thinking-about-their-future-wedding-and-children strong crush.
A buying-decorations-for-a-house-he-doesn't-own-because-he-thinks-Regulus-would-like-it strong crush.
Okay, so it might not be healthy how obsessed he was with Regulus.
But how could he not? Regulus was literally perfect, with the way he snorted at the end of a particularly loud laugh, the fire in his eyes when he found the snitch, and the way his hands were constantly smudged from ink because he wrote with his left.
But it was manageable, he hadn't even felt the urge to gush about Regulus to Sirius!
...much.
What James was not ready for when he started crushing on Regulus, was to find out literally everyone had a crush on him.
"He smiled at me," a boy sitting beside James said to his group of friends.
James himself was waiting for his friends to show up for breakfast. He always made the quidditch team train early and most of them took a shower before napping some more to then go to breakfast, so he was alone for a bit.
"Regulus Black did not smile at you!" the girl sitting across from him said, hitting his arm.
"He did! I gave him back his pen in Muggle Studies and he smiled and thanked me!"
"What's a pen?" another boy asked.
"Muggle feather,"
Ahs erupted in the friend group as they nodded before continuing to gush about Regulus.
Now, James didn't consider himself a jealous person, when he had been crushing on Lily he had never felt Jealous when she smiled or helped others with schoolwork.
But maybe that was because it was so common for her, she was always smiling and helping others. Regulus didn't just smile at everyone, or at least, he had never smiled at James.
James scowled as he wolfed down his food, finishing in record time and leaving the hall. The voices of the group followed him as they laughed about how soft Regulus' hair looked.
This was just the start of what would become a very long day for James.
"Regulus is definitely the prettiest guy in school," one of James' classmates said, a Ravenclaw James hadn't actually spoken much to before.
"Which is why none of us will ever get a chance," the Ravenclaw's friend said.
"I at least thought me being older would entice him a bit, I'm even a prefect! I could totally smuggle him alcohol," the Ravenclaw pouted, and James had to hide his pleased smile. Good, he thought, he didn't deserve Regulus.
At lunch James was forced to listen as a group of second-year girls giggled and ogled Regulus, pushing at each other to "give him the letter".
James somehow managed to smash his glass in his hand.
"What's up with you?" Peter asked, looking at him weirdly.
"I'm just tired of listening to people talk about how hot they think Regulus is," James mumbled.
Sirius immediately started choking and making barfing sounds.
"Do you disagree?" Remus tried raising an eyebrow, but he hadn't mastered it yet and ended up raising both.
"I- what?" James sputtered, "you agree?"
"Of course, it's no secret the whole school thinks so,"
"WHAT?" Sirius shouted, turning to Remus with a scandalised expression.
"What?"
"I've never felt so betrayed by anyone,"
"Oh, come on Sirius, you know there is no one else for me." Remus pecked Sirius' cheek before turning back to James.
"Anyway, why does it make you so mad?"
James stayed quiet for a bit, playing with his food, before mumbling "no reason,".
James was tired of hearing people talk about Regulus, this had been happening for a week and he would probably kill someone if it continued much longer.
He took out the map, seeing Regulus alone by the river.
Perfect, James thought.
He practically ran towards him, coming to a stop right in front of him out of breath and sweaty.
Regulus looked up at him and raised a brow.
Right.
James probably should've thought of something to say.
"Some fifth-year Gryffindors are in love with you," he blurted out.
Definitely not the right thing to say, he wasn't supposed to tell Regulus about all of his other options! He wanted Regulus to pick him.
"Me too," James said, face heating up to a temperature that definitely wasn't healthy.
Regulus, who had been looking at him with an unimpressed eyebrow raised now changed facial expressions completely. James would've laughed at the way his jaw dropped open if he weren't so terrified of Regulus' reaction.
"Is this a prank?" Regulus asked.
"No, I- uh, you see," James scratched at his neck, "You're really pretty, and super smart, and whenever you catch the snitch you smile so bright the sun literally reflects off of your teeth and I kinda really want to taste your smile- wow, that sounds a lot weirder than I thought it would,"
He was rambling now, but Regulus was still staring at him with an open mouth, so there wasn't anyone to stop him.
"And your mouth is wide open right now so I kinda really want to kiss you, in the same way I kinda really want to suck a hickey on your neck so people stop talking about how hot you are. I mean, you're beautiful and true beauty should be appreciated, but I don't think I could take it if you got with someone that wasn't me,"
Now Regulus was blushing too, and he looked so pretty when his cheeks were all pink.
"Uh, okay," he said, finally closing his mouth.
"Okay?"
"Okay," Regulus sounded more sure now, squaring his shoulders.
"Oh," A dopy smile spread on James' face, "okay,"
They stood like that for a bit, James with his ridiculous smile while Regulus frowned a bit.
"Are you going to kiss me now or what?"
"Oh! Yes! Definitely!"
And then they were kissing, and James had his arms wrapped around Regulus' waist, swaying them back and forth as the adrenaline in his body tried to find release. Regulus kissed back, arms wrapped around James' neck and a small smile on his face as he let himself be rocked back and forth.
The next day, an angry Regulus stomped up to James and pulled his collar down to showcase the many hickeys now covering his neck.
"What? I warned you, didn't I?"