When the Sun and Stars Unite (Jegulus Oneshots)

Ice Cream

When Regulus' date doesn't show up, James steps in to save the day.

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"Reg! Just ask him out!"

"What if he has a boyfriend?" Regulus asks, shaking with nerves and almost spilling the drink in his hand. "He's probably not even gay, and even if he was, a guy like him would never go out with someone like me."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius rolls his eyes, sick and tired of his brother always putting himself down, especially when it comes to dating. "Go on, go talk to him before he leaves."

"I can't," Regulus objects, feeling uncomfortable with the pressure his brother is putting on him - even if he's only trying to help.

"Want me to ask him for you?" James asks, a teasing grin on his face. "I'll do it, if you don't go over there right now."

"Don't you dare!" Regulus quickly says, his cheeks flushing. "Fine", he sighs, as he sets down his drink. He knows he's only going to embarrass himself by trying to talk to the guy who had caught his eye as soon as he had come into the bar, but from the growing grin on James' face, it's obvious that he's not going to let this go. And if James goes to talk to the guy instead, he'll probably only end up embarrassing Regulus even more.

He takes a deep breath, his palms already getting sweaty. But he knows that his brother and James won't let him back out of this, so he goes over to the guy, and he tries his best to flash a smile.

"Hey," he begins, but the guy is busy reading a book, and he doesn't even notice Regulus. Regulus is ready to give up and return to their table, but when he sees the others glaring at him, he knows that they would only drag him back here. So he tries again, and this time the guy looks up, and he flashes a friendly smile.

"I was just wondering if maybe... ehm..." Regulus mumbles, his voice shaking with nerves.

"Yes?" the guy asks, the book still in his hands.

"Would you like to go out for a drink with me?" Regulus blurts out, and the guy seems to be taken aback for a moment, but then he smiles again.

"Sure. I'm a little busy at the moment, though, so..."

"Another time? How about tomorrow night?" Regulus asks, ignoring how the smile on the guy's face seems to get more forced by the second.

"Yeah, I think that will work for me."

"We could have dinner at the Italian place across the street?" Regulus suggests. "Around seven?"

He is trying his best to make it seem like this is something he does all the time, but the truth is that he has only tried to ask someone out twice before. The first time he was rejected, the second time went a little better, but only because James had stepped in to help out. Making the first move, and seeming confident to do so always seems to work for Sirius and James, though, so it could work for him too, right?

"Seven is fine." The guy nods, before looking back at his book. Regulus feels like he should say something else - perhaps mention that he's looking forward to it - but the guy seems to be busy, and Regulus doesn't want to bother him any longer, so he flashes a smile that goes by unnoticed, before heading back to the table, where his brother and James are waiting to find out how it went.

"And?"

"We're going out tomorrow," Regulus says, trying to replay the conversation in his mind. He was so nervous that he already can't remember the few words they exchanged, and he wouldn't be surprised to find out that he got the wrong end of the stick. "I think..."