Chapter Text
The glow of the screen cast a pale light over Regulus’s face, the dim blue of the phone clashing with the darkness of his room. His thumb hovered over the contact name—Sirius Black—his only connection to a life he had buried long ago.
It had been years since they’d spoken, years since the house had gone silent in Sirius’s absence. When his brother had left, Regulus was left to bear the weight of the Black family’s expectations on his own. For a long time, he convinced himself it was easier that way. Simpler. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
His body still ached from the last “conversation” with Walburga. This time, her fury had gone beyond words; the sting of her hand still burned on his cheek, but the hurt in his chest was far worse. It wasn’t just physical pain that drove him to make this call, though. It was the gnawing realization that if he stayed, he might become something unrecognizable to himself—a hollow shell of the boy he once was, molded into someone else’s ideal.
So, with a deep breath, he finally pressed the call button.
It rang only twice before a familiar voice filled his ear.
“Reg?” Sirius sounded stunned, and the rawness in his voice was almost enough to make Regulus hang up. Almost.
“Sirius… I—I need your help,” Regulus managed to say, his voice trembling.
There was a brief pause on the other end, as if Sirius was trying to process what he had just heard. Then his voice came through again, stronger, more certain.
“Reg, where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m still at home,” Regulus replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I can’t stay here anymore. I need to get out.”
“Okay, okay,” Sirius said quickly, the urgency in his voice unmistakable. “Listen, pack a bag. Just the essentials. I’ll come get you.”
Regulus hesitated, the old fears creeping back into his mind. “Are you sure? I don’t want to… I don’t want to mess up your life.”
“Reg,” Sirius’s voice was firm, cutting through Regulus’s doubt. “You’re my brother. You’re not messing up anything. I want to help. I’ve always wanted to help. Just… just let me, okay?”
Regulus swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. “Okay.”
The next hour felt like a dream. Regulus moved through the motions of packing, his mind numb to everything except the thought of leaving. He didn’t know what he was doing, only that he had to do it. The house, once a fortress, now felt like a prison, and he couldn’t bear the thought of staying another night.
By the time he heard a knock on his door, his bag was packed and his heart was racing. Sirius’s voice came softly through the wood.
“Reg, it’s me. Can I come in?”
Regulus opened the door, and there he was—Sirius, older, worn by life, but still undeniably his brother. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just stood there, staring at each other, the weight of years of silence hanging between them.
“Hey,” Sirius said finally, a small, tentative smile on his lips.
“Hey,” Regulus echoed, his voice trembling.
Without another word, Sirius pulled him into a hug. It was stiff and awkward at first, but as the seconds passed, Regulus found himself melting into the embrace, clinging to his brother like he was the only solid thing in a world that had suddenly shifted beneath his feet.
“We’re gonna be okay, Reg,” Sirius whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “We’re gonna figure this out together.”
Regulus didn’t respond. He couldn’t. The lump in his throat was too large, and his chest felt like it might burst from the intensity of it all. But as he buried his face in Sirius’s shoulder, he let himself believe, just for a moment, that maybe things really could be okay.
The drive to Sirius’s place was silent, the tension between them palpable. Regulus stared out the window, watching the city pass by in a blur of lights and shadows. Everything felt surreal, like he was watching someone else’s life unfold. But every now and then, he would glance at Sirius, and the reality of it all would hit him again.
Sirius had really come back for him. After all these years, after everything that had happened, he had come back.
When they finally arrived, Sirius led Regulus into a modest but comfortable house on the outskirts of town. It was nothing like the grand Black manor they had grown up in, but Regulus found himself feeling oddly relieved by that. The place was warm and welcoming, filled with a sense of home that he had never felt before.
“This is it,” Sirius said, almost nervously, as he led Regulus inside. “It’s not much, but it’s safe. And it’s yours for as long as you need it.”
Regulus nodded, taking in the cozy living room, the soft lighting, the faint smell of something cooking in the kitchen. It felt so foreign to him, so unlike anything he had ever known, but at the same time, it felt like a place where he could finally breathe.
“Thank you,” Regulus said quietly, his eyes meeting Sirius’s. “I… I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Sirius replied, his expression softening. “Just… get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning, yeah?”
Regulus nodded again, too overwhelmed to do anything else. Sirius showed him to the guest room, and after a few more awkward goodnights, Regulus was finally alone.
He stood in the middle of the room for a long time, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings. The bed was neatly made, the walls were painted a soothing shade of blue, and there was a small desk in the corner with a lamp and a few books stacked on top. It was simple, but it felt safe. Safer than he had felt in a long time.
As he sat down on the edge of the bed, Regulus felt the weight of the day finally catch up with him. His body ached with exhaustion, but his mind was still racing, thoughts and fears swirling around in a chaotic mess.
Would this really work? Could he and Sirius ever go back to being brothers after all the time they’d spent apart? Would he be able to build a life outside the shadow of the Black family, or was he doomed to carry that weight forever?
The questions were too much, too heavy, and before he knew it, Regulus was curled up on the bed, tears streaming down his face as he tried to hold himself together.
He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, lost in his thoughts and emotions, but eventually, exhaustion won out. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of the soft sheets against his skin and the distant sound of Sirius moving around the house, a reminder that he wasn’t alone.
For the first time in a long time, Regulus allowed himself to drift off to sleep with a small, fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, things would be different now.
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The next morning, Regulus woke up to the smell of coffee and something sweet wafting through the house. For a moment, he was disoriented, the unfamiliar surroundings making him forget where he was. But then the events of the previous night came rushing back, and he sat up, his heart pounding in his chest.
Sirius. He was with Sirius now.
The thought was both comforting and terrifying. Comforting because it meant he wasn’t alone, but terrifying because it meant he would have to face all the things they had left unsaid for so long.
With a deep breath, Regulus got out of bed and dressed in the clothes he had hastily thrown into his bag the night before. When he finally emerged from the guest room, he found Sirius in the kitchen, making pancakes and humming softly to himself.
“Morning,” Sirius said with a smile when he noticed Regulus standing in the doorway. “I made breakfast. I hope you like pancakes.”
Regulus nodded, the scent of the food making his stomach growl. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”
They sat down at the small kitchen table, the silence between them heavy but not as suffocating as it had been the night before. Sirius seemed determined to keep the conversation light, asking Regulus about his journey and if he had slept well. Regulus answered in short, clipped sentences, still feeling out of place in this new environment.
It wasn’t until they were finishing up that Sirius broached the subject they had both been avoiding.
“So… do you want to talk about what happened?” he asked carefully, his eyes searching Regulus’s face for any sign of how he was feeling.
Regulus stiffened, his fork hovering over his plate. He had known this was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“There’s not much to say,” he replied, his voice strained. “It’s the same as it’s always been. Only… worse, I guess.”
Sirius’s expression darkened, and for a moment, Regulus thought he might explode with anger. But instead, he just sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry, Reg,” he said quietly. “I never should have left you there. I thought… I thought you’d be better off without me, but I was wrong.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Regulus said quickly, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. “You had to get out. I get it. I just… I wish I’d been brave enough to leave with you.”
Sirius looked at him, his eyes filled with a mix of guilt and something else—something that made Regulus’s chest ache with longing. “You’re here now,” he said softly. “That’s what matters.”
Regulus nodded, unable to speak. The weight of everything they had been through was too much, too overwhelming to put into words. But as he sat there, with Sirius across from him, he felt a small spark of hope ignite in his chest.
Maybe they couldn’t change the past, but they could try to build something new. Something better.
And for the first time in years, Regulus allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he deserved that.