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Best Friend’s Brother
Regulus hates his brother—this is fact—and as his best friend, Remus would never betray him by falling in love with aforementioned brother.
Sirius hates his entire family—this is also fact—and as his best friend, James would never betray him by falling in love with a member of it.
The problem is, none of them are even aware that it's happening.
Sirius hates his entire family—this is also fact—and as his best friend, James would never betray him by falling in love with a member of it.
The problem is, none of them are even aware that it's happening.
1199 pages, ebook
First published February 10, 2022
243 people are currently reading
2837 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
April 18, 2022
god how i love the black brothers (very moony and prong of me tbh)
September 11, 2022
OKAY OKAY SO THIS IS FUCKING GREAT
It’s so far the best fic I have read (of course ATYD doesn’t count because it’s basically the Bible ) .It’s just so perfect in everything ,characterization great ,romance wonderful,history telling amazing . I love every single character so much (of course not walp*rag or ori*n ) .This is the first fic that doesn’t treat regulus and Sirius as villains and actually treats them as kids go went through a lot . And the reference THE REFERENCE ,the ones to the source material were amazing and the two little two ATYD were absolutely heartbreaking and let me crying like I was dying ,the little two reference to taylor swift gave me life ,really all of the reference were great ,the one of dorian gray ,Helena boham carter ,Olivia rodrigo ,one direction ,Jane Austen ,friends ,euphoria ,etc were it for me . The romance is the greatest thing ever and I felt so fucking lonely while reading it (I continue to look for my Remus kinnie)
And now my favorite part ✨the quotes ✨:
•”Are you fucking serious right now ?” -“No ,that’s your job mate “
•”Of course ,that was before I found out you were fucking my little brother “ *it’s giving “it was before I found out you had sex with my brother “
•”Are you crying ? You fucked my little brother and kept it from me on purpose,and you’re crying ?”
•”Are you insane ?” - “My last name is black ,of course I am “
•”Would you have ? Waited forever ,I mean “ -”Sirius ,for your brother ,I’d be inmortal “
•”yes water . Because you’re versatile ;you’re the storm ,you’re the rain ,you’re the ocean and all the undiscovered mysteries within it .You’re terrifying ,and soothing .You drown ,and you cleanse ,and I’ve never felt more refreshed than when I’ve had any bit of you I can get .And there’s nothing worse than dehydration,love .I’ve been so fucking parched without you “
•”No art gallery in this world compared to your arms ,do you understand? If my hands fell off tomorrow ,I would find ways to carry on . If I didn’t have you ,I’m not sure that I could .At the end of the day ,it’s you .Art is in my bones ,but you monny ,you’re in my blood “
•”the thing is ,sirius has one thing he does with ease - and that’s love Remus ,he does so loudly ,and quietly .he does it where people can see ,and when no one is looking.he loves Remus so openly ,so shamelessly,so purposefully that there’s no denying what he feels “
•”because james is swaying all of them ,crooning low in regulus’s ear along the lyrics-something soppy about paper rings and picture frames and dirty dreams “
And finally
•”i miss you”
-“ I’m right here “ 😭😭😭😭
For finishing this I must say thank to the author They did a great job especially handling regulus being trans and I love them for doing it great . Also wolfstar and Jegulus getting married at the end >>>>>>>>
It’s so far the best fic I have read (of course ATYD doesn’t count because it’s basically the Bible ) .It’s just so perfect in everything ,characterization great ,romance wonderful,history telling amazing . I love every single character so much (of course not walp*rag or ori*n ) .This is the first fic that doesn’t treat regulus and Sirius as villains and actually treats them as kids go went through a lot . And the reference THE REFERENCE ,the ones to the source material were amazing and the two little two ATYD were absolutely heartbreaking and let me crying like I was dying ,the little two reference to taylor swift gave me life ,really all of the reference were great ,the one of dorian gray ,Helena boham carter ,Olivia rodrigo ,one direction ,Jane Austen ,friends ,euphoria ,etc were it for me . The romance is the greatest thing ever and I felt so fucking lonely while reading it (I continue to look for my Remus kinnie)
And now my favorite part ✨the quotes ✨:
•”Are you fucking serious right now ?” -“No ,that’s your job mate “
•”Of course ,that was before I found out you were fucking my little brother “ *it’s giving “it was before I found out you had sex with my brother “
•”Are you crying ? You fucked my little brother and kept it from me on purpose,and you’re crying ?”
•”Are you insane ?” - “My last name is black ,of course I am “
•”Would you have ? Waited forever ,I mean “ -”Sirius ,for your brother ,I’d be inmortal “
•”yes water . Because you’re versatile ;you’re the storm ,you’re the rain ,you’re the ocean and all the undiscovered mysteries within it .You’re terrifying ,and soothing .You drown ,and you cleanse ,and I’ve never felt more refreshed than when I’ve had any bit of you I can get .And there’s nothing worse than dehydration,love .I’ve been so fucking parched without you “
•”No art gallery in this world compared to your arms ,do you understand? If my hands fell off tomorrow ,I would find ways to carry on . If I didn’t have you ,I’m not sure that I could .At the end of the day ,it’s you .Art is in my bones ,but you monny ,you’re in my blood “
•”the thing is ,sirius has one thing he does with ease - and that’s love Remus ,he does so loudly ,and quietly .he does it where people can see ,and when no one is looking.he loves Remus so openly ,so shamelessly,so purposefully that there’s no denying what he feels “
•”because james is swaying all of them ,crooning low in regulus’s ear along the lyrics-something soppy about paper rings and picture frames and dirty dreams “
And finally
•”i miss you”
-“ I’m right here “ 😭😭😭😭
For finishing this I must say thank to the author They did a great job especially handling regulus being trans and I love them for doing it great . Also wolfstar and Jegulus getting married at the end >>>>>>>>
January 13, 2024
i smiled, i cried, i laughed while reading this. my heart broke to bits and then got all glued back together. i fell in love with wolfstar and jegulus even more because of this. this is THE fic everyone. zeppazariel is amazing honestly.
July 4, 2024
had my heart ripped out, stomped on, destroyed, then healed :) one of the best HEAs ever
April 13, 2024
this was simply perfect. ❤️🩹
September 22, 2022
i love this fic more than i love myself
August 18, 2022
this literally ripped my already destroyed heart into shreds and then put it back together bit by bit and then gave it a big kiss at the end. what the fuck? this shouldn't be allowed people shouldn't be allowed to write SUCH MARVELS. LIKE THE HELL?? R U TRYING TO DESTROY ME??
ahem, anyways I honestly cannot put into words how much I fucking love this fic, so all I can say is, if uve read ATYD and are a jegulus shipper(don't speak to me if ur not), read. the damn. fic.
*churches I love u so much for telling me to read this <333
ahem, anyways I honestly cannot put into words how much I fucking love this fic, so all I can say is, if uve read ATYD and are a jegulus shipper(don't speak to me if ur not), read. the damn. fic.
*churches I love u so much for telling me to read this <333
March 15, 2023
The pure angst, miscommunication, and emotional damage had me on the brink of madness and then I was slowly pulled back with an exploration of family and friends, love, and pure happiness.
This was so genuinely hard to read at some points in the best way because I was so invested in the changes to the characters I already know from the fanon. It was a wonderful look into Sirius and Regulus' dynamic as brothers and what a modern worldview would be like without Remus having already met the marauders.
Everyone made mistakes and then they fixed them but not without hardships and depressing moments along the way. A great look at forgiveness as well as learning to accept things for the people you love.
P.S. While this stomped on my heart the fluff at the end is so so worth it I promise.
This was so genuinely hard to read at some points in the best way because I was so invested in the changes to the characters I already know from the fanon. It was a wonderful look into Sirius and Regulus' dynamic as brothers and what a modern worldview would be like without Remus having already met the marauders.
Everyone made mistakes and then they fixed them but not without hardships and depressing moments along the way. A great look at forgiveness as well as learning to accept things for the people you love.
P.S. While this stomped on my heart the fluff at the end is so so worth it I promise.
June 20, 2022
this shit altered my brain chemistry
March 4, 2023
annoyingly relatable - emotionally constipated - black brothers, james people pleaser potter and remus my twin lupin, learning to love and allow to be loved.
this fandom makes me unbelievably sad, lonely and comforted simultaneously
Zeppazariel i adore you. the DEPTH of the characters every fucking time
this fandom makes me unbelievably sad, lonely and comforted simultaneously
Zeppazariel i adore you. the DEPTH of the characters every fucking time
April 26, 2024
4 stars for atyd reference
"I miss you."
"I'm right here."
Choking back war flashbacks fr
"I miss you."
"I'm right here."
Choking back war flashbacks fr
October 3, 2023
“Who would have thought?” James says breathlessly, “Can you imagine us getting here from the day I came in from the storm that led me right to you?”
“Do you want to know something really nice?” Regulus asks, lips twitching.
“Go on,” James urges, ridiculously eager.
Regulus’ eyes sparkle, and he leans in like he’s telling a secret as he whispers, “I fancied you the moment i saw you.”
“I like that you call me love, and I like that you're the sun, and I like, most of all, that you're mine."
"Hello," James breathes out.
"Hi," Regulus replies, lips twitching.
"Sorry I threw you off the bed."
"You know, if I'm honest, I was into it."
“It stays steady. Like them. Like a storm, a lightning strike; like the sun, and the moon. Like four people who love each other so very much in such different ways, who worked so very hard to get the chance to, and they'll keep doing it.
It's a choice they'll all keep making.”
AHHHH ZAR DOES IT AGAIN.
James and Regulus make me genuinely giddy it’s insane, I love them so much. And Wolfstar omg omg omg.
I consumed all of the angst it was so good, I love when they’re so angry with each other, and the penicillin prank omg. The whole porridge thing and tossing Regulus out of the bed. When James matched his order to whatever tie Regulus was wearing had me giggling.
I loved all of the characters friendships with one another and the groupchat😭There was only a little bit I didn’t like which was that no one ever lets James be angry he’s always got to be the one apologising. Let my man be angry and petty!!
It was so freaking cute and fluffy as well my heart🫶🫶. Gonna take me ages to move on from this🥲
Edit- 2nd reread and it filled my heart with joy
“Do you want to know something really nice?” Regulus asks, lips twitching.
“Go on,” James urges, ridiculously eager.
Regulus’ eyes sparkle, and he leans in like he’s telling a secret as he whispers, “I fancied you the moment i saw you.”
“I like that you call me love, and I like that you're the sun, and I like, most of all, that you're mine."
"Hello," James breathes out.
"Hi," Regulus replies, lips twitching.
"Sorry I threw you off the bed."
"You know, if I'm honest, I was into it."
“It stays steady. Like them. Like a storm, a lightning strike; like the sun, and the moon. Like four people who love each other so very much in such different ways, who worked so very hard to get the chance to, and they'll keep doing it.
It's a choice they'll all keep making.”
AHHHH ZAR DOES IT AGAIN.
James and Regulus make me genuinely giddy it’s insane, I love them so much. And Wolfstar omg omg omg.
I consumed all of the angst it was so good, I love when they’re so angry with each other, and the penicillin prank omg. The whole porridge thing and tossing Regulus out of the bed. When James matched his order to whatever tie Regulus was wearing had me giggling.
I loved all of the characters friendships with one another and the groupchat😭There was only a little bit I didn’t like which was that no one ever lets James be angry he’s always got to be the one apologising. Let my man be angry and petty!!
It was so freaking cute and fluffy as well my heart🫶🫶. Gonna take me ages to move on from this🥲
Edit- 2nd reread and it filled my heart with joy
June 23, 2024
i only got to page 1400 out of 1500 but i cant bring myself to finish this sadly😔
October 10, 2025
6 ★
IM CRYING THIS WAS SO GOOD 😭😭😭
IM CRYING THIS WAS SO GOOD 😭😭😭
January 7, 2023
Dramatic Black Brothers, lots of love, wholesomeness, angst, a heavy focus on mental health and salvaging relationships through communication, Remus and Regulus are best friends...
I'm so happy, I'm so happy.
note: if anyone asks you about your allergies you must know there are two scenarios as to why they did that.
1. They care about your physical well-being, they don't want you to 💀 while eating lunch.
2. They're asking for curiosity purposes and they might use that information for evil in the future.
Trust people with your allergies but never regulus.
I'm so happy, I'm so happy.
note: if anyone asks you about your allergies you must know there are two scenarios as to why they did that.
1. They care about your physical well-being, they don't want you to 💀 while eating lunch.
2. They're asking for curiosity purposes and they might use that information for evil in the future.
Trust people with your allergies but never regulus.
December 6, 2023
the way i love them is eternal 🥹
reread: za słaba jetem na to
reread: za słaba jetem na to
July 10, 2023
I’m trying to read the marauders classics, but they do be long as shit
counter-argument: jegulus <3
counter-argument: jegulus <3
February 26, 2024
I giggle most of the time reading this one, but really who can blame me?
«You're sunshine, you know. You're the sun, James. So bright. So warm. The center of it all. Around and around I go.»
«You're sunshine, you know. You're the sun, James. So bright. So warm. The center of it all. Around and around I go.»
November 4, 2022
DNF at 57%
i’ll start with positives because i have a lot of critiques and I dont want to make aang too sad when she reads this.
first, i can tell that Zar really cares about these characters and thats great. I think its lovely to have strong interest and passion in characters, and its cool to see a trans Regulus because thats a first for me. It wasn’t a surprise to me, i think i figured it out a chapter or two before its revealed, but still, nice buildup to that reveal although i think its a little weird to have a trans character be “revealed,” like its a secret. i dont entirely agree with that sentiment. its such a huge aspect of one’s identity and i find it difficult to grasp why regulus falls so quickly into trust and love with James, telling him first about his trans identity, but not his best friend that he’s known for several years longer.
Wolfstar is a fun ship, and I can appreciate a soulmate trope if done in a nice way. I don’t really think there is anything special about THIS version of wolfstar. I found Remus to be a pretty condensed version of who he is generally accepted as in fandom, but I guess he isn’t the main character of this fic so that’s fine. Sirius is also the same as how he’s generally represented, motorcycle and all. Again, nothing special, and imo its not strongly written enough to read this fic solely for the wolfstar.
its also nice that Zar handles sensitive issues in a sensitive way. ie: snape’s description, regulus being trans.
I can also tell that Zar has experience working in a retail/food position. Im like 98% sure that he works at Starbucks. Maybe its because I worked there and I have a radar, but I get that vibe.
anyway onto the negatives : )
i hate with a vengeance the miscommunication trope. its not a substitute for plot. honestly, this story has like 5% plot, 95% relationship with very very little buildup and its grating. Things tend to just happen because the author wants them to, which is fine if you like these ships or dont care about plot but i really dislike Jegulus and the Wolfstar isn’t that compelling to me either.
The plot we do get is flimsy and hinges on Regulus’ trans identity and on an overdrawn lack of communication between several characters. To put it nicely, its unrewarding. It’s not fun to read 100k+ words for scraps of plot…. plot is not just characters meeting other characters, and whole chapters are spent doing just that. or characters making out or having sex. i cannot count how many times i rolled my eyes when i saw paragraphs and paragraphs of overwritten narration about how deep their feelings are for each other despite going on one date and not having more than three conversations with each other.
dialogue is repetitive and characters love to give a monologue every chapter. the way people talk in this fic is so unreal it breaks the 4th wall REALLY badly for me. It feels way too tumblr-y. i don’t know how else to describe it. Also dislike the narration style because it gets preachy? for example, narrative sentences that start with “See,” “The truth is,” etc. Things are told to you rather than shown to you constantly, and personally its just not how i enjoy a story being told. i dont want to feel like im being talked to, i want a story to be carved out and for me to enter the place where it’s happening, experiencing what the characters are seeing, smelling, hearing, etc. So this doesn’t feel like a story, it feels like someone is just talking about their story and it was disappointing to never see this change in any substantial way.
That being said, there is very little to practically no development of environment / setting in this fic. It could take place anywhere to be honest, because of how unspecific it is. I’m really, really big on setting and I think its really important for any decent story so the fact that there is no descriptive setting here is a huge hindrance to me. There’s a coffee shop and people’s apartments and that’s about it? You don’t get any details into what these people’s lives are actually like or how they live, when it’s supposed to be sort of important to who they are. You’re telling me that Regulus stole money from Sirius to buy an apartment, works as a barista, and is able to live on his own? It makes no sense. I didn’t get any idea of how they actually LIVE, what their lives are like outside of their relationships. I made this joke with Aang about this not passing the gay Bechdel test, but it’s actually really true, lol, i dont think its representative of gay/trans identities if they are literally only existing within their relationships. It feels a little… fetishized. Even within Regulus and Remus’ friendship, I feel like I don’t have a clue what they talk about outside of their boyfriends. They literally have scraps of personalities and its really depressing and a missed opportunity.
I BADLY wish I could finish this because I hate not finishing works and I really did want to give this an earnest try despite my (lack of) feelings towards Jegulus. I’m desperately trying not to be an asshole in this review, so I’ll just leave it with this fic/writing style is really not for me.
i’ll start with positives because i have a lot of critiques and I dont want to make aang too sad when she reads this.
first, i can tell that Zar really cares about these characters and thats great. I think its lovely to have strong interest and passion in characters, and its cool to see a trans Regulus because thats a first for me. It wasn’t a surprise to me, i think i figured it out a chapter or two before its revealed, but still, nice buildup to that reveal although i think its a little weird to have a trans character be “revealed,” like its a secret. i dont entirely agree with that sentiment. its such a huge aspect of one’s identity and i find it difficult to grasp why regulus falls so quickly into trust and love with James, telling him first about his trans identity, but not his best friend that he’s known for several years longer.
Wolfstar is a fun ship, and I can appreciate a soulmate trope if done in a nice way. I don’t really think there is anything special about THIS version of wolfstar. I found Remus to be a pretty condensed version of who he is generally accepted as in fandom, but I guess he isn’t the main character of this fic so that’s fine. Sirius is also the same as how he’s generally represented, motorcycle and all. Again, nothing special, and imo its not strongly written enough to read this fic solely for the wolfstar.
its also nice that Zar handles sensitive issues in a sensitive way. ie: snape’s description, regulus being trans.
I can also tell that Zar has experience working in a retail/food position. Im like 98% sure that he works at Starbucks. Maybe its because I worked there and I have a radar, but I get that vibe.
anyway onto the negatives : )
i hate with a vengeance the miscommunication trope. its not a substitute for plot. honestly, this story has like 5% plot, 95% relationship with very very little buildup and its grating. Things tend to just happen because the author wants them to, which is fine if you like these ships or dont care about plot but i really dislike Jegulus and the Wolfstar isn’t that compelling to me either.
The plot we do get is flimsy and hinges on Regulus’ trans identity and on an overdrawn lack of communication between several characters. To put it nicely, its unrewarding. It’s not fun to read 100k+ words for scraps of plot…. plot is not just characters meeting other characters, and whole chapters are spent doing just that. or characters making out or having sex. i cannot count how many times i rolled my eyes when i saw paragraphs and paragraphs of overwritten narration about how deep their feelings are for each other despite going on one date and not having more than three conversations with each other.
dialogue is repetitive and characters love to give a monologue every chapter. the way people talk in this fic is so unreal it breaks the 4th wall REALLY badly for me. It feels way too tumblr-y. i don’t know how else to describe it. Also dislike the narration style because it gets preachy? for example, narrative sentences that start with “See,” “The truth is,” etc. Things are told to you rather than shown to you constantly, and personally its just not how i enjoy a story being told. i dont want to feel like im being talked to, i want a story to be carved out and for me to enter the place where it’s happening, experiencing what the characters are seeing, smelling, hearing, etc. So this doesn’t feel like a story, it feels like someone is just talking about their story and it was disappointing to never see this change in any substantial way.
That being said, there is very little to practically no development of environment / setting in this fic. It could take place anywhere to be honest, because of how unspecific it is. I’m really, really big on setting and I think its really important for any decent story so the fact that there is no descriptive setting here is a huge hindrance to me. There’s a coffee shop and people’s apartments and that’s about it? You don’t get any details into what these people’s lives are actually like or how they live, when it’s supposed to be sort of important to who they are. You’re telling me that Regulus stole money from Sirius to buy an apartment, works as a barista, and is able to live on his own? It makes no sense. I didn’t get any idea of how they actually LIVE, what their lives are like outside of their relationships. I made this joke with Aang about this not passing the gay Bechdel test, but it’s actually really true, lol, i dont think its representative of gay/trans identities if they are literally only existing within their relationships. It feels a little… fetishized. Even within Regulus and Remus’ friendship, I feel like I don’t have a clue what they talk about outside of their boyfriends. They literally have scraps of personalities and its really depressing and a missed opportunity.
I BADLY wish I could finish this because I hate not finishing works and I really did want to give this an earnest try despite my (lack of) feelings towards Jegulus. I’m desperately trying not to be an asshole in this review, so I’ll just leave it with this fic/writing style is really not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2023
i fucking love happy endings
March 11, 2023
‘The miracle of the earth rotating around the sun, and James carries that same miracle with him wherever he goes.’
March 14, 2023
«Like them. Like a storm, a lightning strike; like the sun, and the moon. Like four people who love each other so very much in such different ways, who worked so very hard to get the chance to, and they'll keep doing it.»
Muy bonito y confort 🥺🥺
Muy bonito y confort 🥺🥺
March 2, 2023
I was putting off reading the last chapter bcs I did not want it to end. I am not disappointed. 10/10 will read again. I have no words left. This fic has all my screams, in all ways. Beauty, if I’ve ever seen it.
Is this what they mean when they say something they‘ve read rewired their brain? I will never be the same. My standards for writing have been raised so high. Endless appreciation. Gigantic slay.
Is this what they mean when they say something they‘ve read rewired their brain? I will never be the same. My standards for writing have been raised so high. Endless appreciation. Gigantic slay.
September 18, 2023
its 300k im adding the fic to goodreads
hermanas....... buf BUF
hermanas....... buf BUF
June 27, 2023
2.5 stars: mainly bc i considered to dnf it so many times.
not my fav honestly which is a little sad considering i love zeppazariel/bizzarestars. the modern au was not doing it for me and coupled with miscommunication being the only plot, it didn’t feel like enough. the characterization was splendid per usual, but this character-driven story could have been half the amount of pages it is.
not my fav honestly which is a little sad considering i love zeppazariel/bizzarestars. the modern au was not doing it for me and coupled with miscommunication being the only plot, it didn’t feel like enough. the characterization was splendid per usual, but this character-driven story could have been half the amount of pages it is.
December 4, 2022
zeppazariel is modern day shakespeare and i stand by that
regulus i love you <3 sirius i love you <3 james i love you <3 remus i love you <3 and yes i'll add fanfiction that has 300k words to my year in books thank you very much
regulus i love you <3 sirius i love you <3 james i love you <3 remus i love you <3 and yes i'll add fanfiction that has 300k words to my year in books thank you very much
June 26, 2022
I love Regulus and Remus, their whole relationship along with the others r so cute. It got a bit weird with the whole poisoning and like going into offices and stuff but I liked it.
August 27, 2022
Nobody talk to me for the next 5 hours please. I have to process this masterpiece.
January 5, 2023
remus/regulus friendship is my religion. i’m pushing the moonwater platonic soulmates agenda until i die
August 17, 2024
it's by zeppazariel, of course it's 5 stars.
regulus and remus are so chaotic it's so entertaining.
idk it took me forever to read this, but i really did love it
regulus and remus are so chaotic it's so entertaining.
idk it took me forever to read this, but i really did love it
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