“I’ve always loved you Reggie. . . I don’t think I ever stopped.”
He didn’t say anything; just kept taking labored breaths as tears ran down his face. This was not how James wanted closure with Regulus to go.
It had been years too late. James had a beautiful wife and a kid brighter than any star you could find. What he didn’t have for most of those years was the man standing in front of him.
God, it’s hard to remember that they’re both men. Not the boys they used to run around school as. Already influenced by the war but not so close to be broken by it yet.
Regulus had moved on as well, dating Barty.
Well, not so much moved on, but rather moved forward.
“I guess you could say we were the right peo-”
“No, James, you’re wrong. And you wanna know how I know?” Regulus voice was nasally and raw.
James didn’t know how to respond.
“Because if I was so right for you, then the wrong time wouldn’t have mattered. So please, stop lying to me, and stop lying to yourself.”