Saving Each Other

Saving each other

(James Potter / Regulus Black ; Sirius Black & Regulus Black | 697 words)

For @jegulus-microfic prompt: Alive

CW: child abuse (Walburga and Orion A+ parenting)

It was a night James is sure he will never forget. The picture of Sirius, bloody, his hair mass and a hunted look on his face, with unconscious Regulus in his arms, firmly burned in his memory. It was a regular boring Wednesday until late at night someone frantically started knocking on their dorm. And everything changed.

James has never been this scared in his life. His hands were trembling when he wrapped them around Regulus to hold him. His voice broke when he called for his parents to help him when Sirius collapsed on the ground.

It's the morning of the next day. Sirius and James are sitting on the sofa in James’ bedroom talking in hushed voices.

“… after mother raised her wand, I don’t remember much,” Sirius says. James needs to know what happened, but he hates that his best friend has to live through it again. “I don’t know for how long it was happening, but they left me there on the ground in the end. That’s when Reg…” Sirius wipes his wet cheeks. “That’s when Reg came. He snuck out of his room to help me, but our parents heard him.”

James looks at the bed where his boyfriend is still sleeping. He hasn’t woken up since they arrived. But his parents and the healer say he should be alright, his body just needs time to heal. James would gladly take every curse instead of him. Just to spare him the pain. But he can’t. He just has to sit here and wait.

“He locked the door.” Sirius continues. “I could see the moment he made the decision. He pushed me into the fireplace the second our mother stormed in furious. Don’t you fucking dare to come back, Sirius. I got this. He yelled at me. He trowed the floo powder and called the name of an abandoned house we used to play in.”

James wants to burn the world to the ground. And most of all he wants to burn everyone who laid a hand on his best friend and boyfriend. He gave up a long time ago on trying not to cry.

“The last thing I saw was how the curse hit his body. My little brother. Screaming on the ground.” Sirius gets up to check on Regulus. He does it a lot. They both do. As to make sure he is still there sleeping. Sirius sits on the ground next to the bed. “I couldn’t leave him there, Prongs. I went back there in the middle of the night. No one expected me to, so they didn’t see us leaving. But they will know it was me. They will come for us. That’s why Regulus wanted to stay there. So, they would leave me alone.”

James slides down next to Sirius pressing their shoulders together. “You are safe. We will work this out. My parents are already talking to aurors.” Sirius gives him a sad look full of hopelessness that twists James’ stomach.

“I need you to take care or him, James. He will be mad at me when he wakes up. And he will need you.”

“Why would be mad at you?”

“Because I didn’t listen to him.”

“You saved him, he can’t be mad at you.”

“It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that he is here, alive.” Sirius closes his eyes like he has to repeat the last word several times in his mind to convince himself that it’s true. “Will you take care of him for me please?”

“Of course. I always take care of him.” Sirius knows this. But he still looks relief when he hears the confirmation. “I will go to call Remus.” He says and walks out of the room.

James sits on the other side of the bed. He doesn’t touch Regulus. For one he doesn’t want to wake him up, but he also knows it might scare the boy. So even if his arms are aching for him to wrap them around his boyfriend, he doesn’t. He settles for watching Regulus’ chest rise and fall. Each breath is a demonstration of the words: alive, safe, here with me.

New torture method: I lock you in a room and play the ‘touch a touch a touch a touch me’ scene from glee on repeat until you claw your own eyes out and die

i love tumblr fandom culture bc i see fanart and i can’t tell if it’s regulus black, nico di angelo, or keith from voltron

Barty, whilst high: Who even decided that skeletons are scary because personally I would be much more fucking terrified if the muscular system started walking around

knife. 354 words. @jegulus-microfic .

A few days before Regulus is due to get the dark mark he finds a kitten mewling on the steps of Grimmauld place. It’s a tiny thing, gray with little dollops of white on its chest and the tips of its ears. He hesitates before reaching down and scooping it in his arms. The kitten’s reaction is immediate violence, hissing and spitting and ripping scratches across Regulus’ arms with tiny daggers of claws.

Regulus hisses back at it and wraps it in the bottom of his shirt in an attempt to protect his own flesh.

He dashes up to his room, narrowly avoiding his father on the second floor landing before dumping the kitten onto his bed.

It yowls up at him, puffing up its tail.

He’s never going to be able to keep it. Nagini will swallow it down on sight.

But he can’t just abandon it.

He has to save it.

So he does the thing that’s been playing on the edges of his mind for weeks.

He throws some of his things in a bag, scoops the kitten back into his arms, and he apparates to James Potter's house.

He isn’t expecting to find the whole family sitting on the front porch, all sipping tea like some kind of perfect holiday card, but his luck has been pretty shit lately.

“Oh my,” Euphemia breathes.

Fleamont chokes on his tea

Sirius drops his cup.

“Regulus?” James says and stands from his chair. “Are you bleeding?” He comes charging down the steps, stopping only a breath away.

The kitten spits.

“Oh.” James looks at the both of them, eyes soft. “And who is this?”

Regulus gazes down at the kitten. “This is Knife.” He clears his throat and gestures with his bleeding arms. “They’re quite sharp.”

Knife growls in agreement.

“Well.” James takes a deep breath. “Is Knife here to stay?”

Regulus looks to the porch. SIrius is standing at the top of the stairs, his hand reaching back to clutch Euphemia’s hand. He’s clearly straining to hear Regulus’ response.

“Yes.” Regulus looks up into Jame’s wide brown eyes. “We’re here to stay.”

july 10. snitch. 215 words. @jegulus-microfic

James wakes up to a light tap on his bicep, and a whispered “Got it.” 

He grumbles, letting Regulus know he was awake. He’s expecting his boyfriend to explain why he tapped him, but instead, all he gets is another tap—on his hip this time—and a huff in frustration. 

“Reg, love,” he says, voice rough from sleep, “Why’re you tapping me?”

“Oh, did I wake you?”

He did, but James isn’t about to make him feel bad when he probably would’ve woken on his own soon enough. “No, I was already up. Did you need something?” He feels yet another tap on the back of his neck and a quiet cheer from Regulus. “Love?”

“Hmm?” 

“Why do you keep tapping me?”

“Oh, I like to see if I can catch your snitch tattoo under my fingers. It’s nice to watch it fly all around your body.”

A burst of warmth floods through James’ chest. He’s never said anything specifically, but he got that tattoo for Regulus. It was nice that not only did he enjoy how it looked on James’ body, but that he’d found a small joy in being able to try and catch it. It was moments like these that reminded James just how capable of childlike wonder Regulus still was, despite everything.