Chapter Text
Neither James nor Sirius expected to find Regulus collapsed on their doorstep that night.
But they did.
Scars, old, from his previous years of trauma, and new, so fresh that they could’ve only been done this morning, all littered his skin.
That was only his visible skin. There were more, lots more, on his chest and down his legs.
However, James and Sirius both knew that they were there. Sirius, from having almost identical, with extras, on his own body, and growing up with the boy.
And James... Well, James knew because he and Regulus had gotten closer the last year.
Closer, meaning not as friends, but as boyfriends. Well, technically they weren’t boyfriends, as neither one of them wanted to bring up that conversation, and weren’t planning on bringing it up anytime soon.
They’d shared closed-door kisses, longing looks from across the Great Hall, and had even hooked up, only once. That was before they left for the summer, knowing that they wouldn’t set eyes upon the other until the start of September.
James didn’t expect his lover to turn up announced.
Regulus was holding his arm tightly, as if he was losing blood from that arm, which he was. But, as soon as the door opened, his head went all dizzy, and he fell onto the doormat.
“Oh, fuck!” James cursed, as he saw the boy. He immediately kneeled down next to him, and panicked. He had no idea what to do.
“Mum!” He called out. “Sirius!” Sirius was the first to come running down the stairs, after hearing the distressed call of his best friend.
He caught sight of his brother laying on the floor, and ran to the doorway.
“What happened?” Sirius asked James, as he kneeled beside him too.
“I don’t know, I opened the door and he collapsed.” James explained. “Mum!” He yelled out again.
“She’s at work, remember.” Sirius reminded him.
“Shit, yeah.” James cursed under his breath, then turned to his best friend. “What are we supposed to do?”
“We should probably start by getting him off of the floor, and checking if he still has a pulse.” Sirius suggested, trying to keep himself from panicking and ultimately, breaking down.
“You’re right.” James nodded. They gently picked up the young boy between them, and carried him into the living room. They set him down on the sofa, noticing the scars that was also on his face now.
“Cruciatus.” Sirius stated. He knew what they’d done, they’d done the same thing to him when he refused the join the Death Eaters, and that same night he turned up on James’ doorstep. “They’ve done the same thing they did to me. He didn’t want to join them.”
James put two of his fingers to the side of the boy’s neck, and breathed out a sigh of relief. “He’s alive.”
“Boys? Why’s the door-?” Euphemia Potter entered the house, and stopped dead in the tracks when she saw the second Black brother laying on her sofa, unconscious, just like the first one.
The two looked at their mother with worrying eyes, convinced that Regulus might not make it.
“Take him to James’ room, I’ll be there soon.” Effie told them, before running off to get her equipment.
James and Sirius both looked at each other, before they picked the young boy up between them, and carried him up the stairs.
They layed him down on James’ bed, just as Euphemia came back into the room, and ushered them out.
James and Sirius were sat outside the door for an hour and a half. Until Euphemia came out of the bedroom.
James and Sirius both stood up, needing to hear that he was okay.
“He’s fine.” Effie told them, and the two breathed out a sigh of relief. “He’s exhausted. You can go sit with him if you want, but just let him sleep.”
So they sat next to his bedside, for a while. Neither of them wanted to leave, just in case he woke up while they were gone.
But, when Sirius eventually left, as Euphemia and Fleamont were both out for the day, and he had to make their lunch, Regulus awoke.
“James...” Came his quiet voice. James’ head shot up to look at the boy, only to see his grey eyes staring back at him.
“Hi.” James started.
“Hi.” Regulus smiled back. “Where’s Sirius?”
“Making lunch. He hadn’t left until then, but I convinced him to.” James informed him. Regulus nodded.
“But why didn’t you go, you don’t care about me.” Regulus stated, and James immediately felt a pain in his chest.
“Of course I care about you, you’re my boyfriend.” In realising what he’d just said, James put a hand over his mouth, and stared at Regulus with the same wide eyed expression he had.
“Boyfriend?” Regulus questioned. That definitely wasn't what Regulus was expecting to come out of his and James' relationship. He expected to be dumped as soon as Lily Evans agreed to go out with him, and he'd accepted it. Now he was having second thoughts.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” James returned, even though he was terrified for Regulus’ reaction. He didn't want to be the first to bring it up, and risk their whole relationship going out the window.
“You want to be my boyfriend?” Regulus questioned, still slightly confused to why James would want that. James simply nodded in response, very, very nervously. “Okay.”
“Okay?” James questioned, with a hint of hope in his voice.
“Okay.” Regulus confirmed, nodding. “I’ll be your boyfriend.”
James smiled at him, and hoped that Sirius didn’t come into the room to ruin the cute moment.
“Now, as your boyfriend, what do you want me to do for you?” James asked, happily.
“Nap... please. Nap with me?”
James smiled at him again, and nodded.
When Sirius came back into the room with food for him and James, he found his best friend on his bed, with his arm around his brother, both sleeping.
If it were a regular day, James would be dead. But, Sirius wanted to leave them alone for a while. He could kill him when they woke up.