Work Text:
Regulus crept down the hallway, his hand curled delicately around the pair of shears he had stolen from the kitchen after dinner had been served tonight. He was careful to avoid the loose floorboard that always creaked to his brother's bedroom. Regulus knew that his brother was probably asleep, but he hadn't been able to find any time all week to speak with him when their parents weren't looming. He didn't bother knocking and instead silently turned the knob and pushed through the door, being careful to avoid bumping into the door frame as he slid in through the narrow opening.
He tiptoed to his brother's bed and crawled onto the plush mattress next to Sirius' sleeping form. Sirius woke immediately, sitting up and rubbing away the sleep from his eyes.
"Hey," Sirius whispered. He had grown so used to Regulus sneaking into his room late at night that he never startled anymore. "We have to wake up early tomorrow to catch the train. What are you doing awake?"
"I want you to cut my hair," Regulus said as he presented the shears to his brother in his open palms.
Sirius' eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"I-I'm not a girl. And I'm sick of looking like one." Regulus bowed his head in shame, too afraid to see how his brother would react to the admission. "I don't want to go to Hogwarts for my first day looking like a girl," he murmured.
"You don't look like a girl if you're not a girl," Sirius said carefully. "But yeah, sure. Whatever you want." He reached out and plucked the shears from Regulus' hands, snipping at the air a few times for dramatic effect. "I'm gonna give you the best haircut of your life."
Regulus looked up at his brother and smiled, feeling—for the first time—truly seen. Sirius had always been the only person who had understood him, but Regulus had feared voicing these thoughts for so long. If Sirius hadn't accepted him, who would? If his brother hadn't understood how he was feeling, then he had vowed to keep it a secret to his grave. He let out a breath in relief, unaware that he had been holding his breath in the first place.
"I'll lie and say I did it myself," Regulus said softly as he sat himself on the chair at Sirius' desk. "You shouldn't have to get a beating for this too."
"Oh, come off it. I'll take full responsibility. Tell them I cut your hair in your sleep as a joke." Sirius strode to the bureau and grabbed his comb before making his way back to where Regulus sat. "They won't beat me too bad anyway. Can't have the headmaster see bruises when we get off the train, right?"
"I'm serious—"
"No, I'm Sirius. What's your name?"
"Huh?"
"Well, do you want a new name too? To go along with this fantastic haircut?" Sirius combed through Regulus' hair, giving him time to process the question asked of him. He hadn't really thought of using a new name. He had been so preoccupied with the limitless outcomes of this conversation that he hadn't thought once about what he might prefer to be called. He certainly didn't want to keep the name his parents had given him at birth, the name far too feminine to ever be considered gender neutral, let alone masculine.
"I hadn't really thought about it," he admitted.
Sirius scoffed then walked towards his bookshelf. He scanned through the titles until he found the one he had been searching for, pulled the book off the shelf, and plopped it into Regulus' lap. The Book of Stars and Constellations.
"Flip through that until something speaks to you while I cut your hair."
They sat in silence, both fully absorbed in their tasks. With every cut of the shears, Regulus felt lighter and more like himself than he had ever thought possible. When he flipped to the page covering the constellation of Leo, he froze.
Regulus.
"Found it," he whispered, timidly breaking the comfortable silence that had stretched between them while they worked.
"Hm?" Sirius hummed in question.
"Regulus."
"The heart of the lion?"
"Do you like it?"
"I love it," Sirius said. "It's perfect. You're my brave little lion, Regulus."
Regulus beamed, full of pride for himself for the first time that he could remember. "Maybe when I get sorted tomorrow, I'll be in Gryffindor like you."
"Maybe," Sirius said softly. "But it's okay if you're not. You've seen how awful Mother and Father treat me because of it, Regulus. It's okay to want to pick an easier path. Choosing to be your authentic self will already be hard enough, yeah?"
"But I don't want to lose you."
"You won't." Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Go look in the mirror. Looks great, if I do say so myself."
Regulus stood up and walked over to the mirror, looking down at his feet as he went. When he could no longer avoid looking at his own reflection, he shifted his gaze up to meet, for the first time, a reflection that reflected…him.
"You like it?" Sirius asked from across the room.
Regulus played with his short hair, tossing the curls this way and that, and nodded adamantly. "I love it. Thank you."
"Any time, Reggie."
Regulus scrunched his nose in disgust at the nickname. "Don't call me that."
"Too late," Sirius taunted playfully. "You can be Regulus to everyone else, but I get special brother privileges to call you annoying nicknames."
Regulus rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to his brother. "Fine. But only you. If any of your stupid friends call me Reggie, I'll stab them."
Sirius covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. "I believe you, actually."
"As you should," Regulus smirked. He threw himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. He buried his head into Sirius' chest and reveled at the feeling of his brother hugging him back and feeling safe within his arms. "Thank you," he whispered.
Sirius squeezed tight. "Thanks for trusting me, Regulus. I love you."
"I love you too," Regulus whispered back.