Chapter Text
They chose the one stormy night in June to run away. How ironic, two boys, beaten and bloodied, running through the rain and wind, getting as far away as they could from their once called home. The most they had were their phones, even though they were shattered to bits. The younger boy didn’t even have shoes, he was running in mud soaked socks, holding tightly to his brother so he didn’t fall. The oldest dragged him through the city, through streets filled with umbrellas and people who didn’t bat an eye at the disheveled boys. He wouldn’t stop until he reached the house he was determined to get to, to the house that he had memorized over the years.
The oldest looked back at his brother, who was slowly falling behind. His porcelain cheek was cut open, dark blood standing out against his pale skin, rain and tears smearing messes around his face. His hair was messy, having been chopped on by his brother just moments before their parents stormed into the bathroom, yelling and screaming, hitting and throwing things, freaked out that their daughter wanted to be a boy.
That’s when Sirius lost it.
Sirius tugs on his brother's arm, signaling that they were almost there, the house is just up the street, just run a little further, don’t stop . Sirius could see the brick country home, the porch lights reflecting off the wet street, guiding a path to the front door. Being the only home for a mile both ways, the light from the home was the only way to know where they were. He tightened his grip on his brother, dragging them up the steps, before banging on the front door. It wasn’t late, only around 11 o’clock at night, but the family could still be asleep.
Sirius needs them to wake up.
He rang the bell, watching as his brother slumps against the doorframe, his breathing heavy and staggered.
“Your inhaler,” Sirius coughs, hitting the door again. “Where - where is it?”
“H-house.” His brother coughs, bending over.
“Fucking hell, James, open this fucking door!” Sirius groans, ringing the bell again.
Feet pound down the stairs, and a body slams into the door before the locks click and the door swings open. James stood there, fixing his glasses before he realized what was happening.
“Sirius?” He asks, “What are you…you’re bleeding, your face - and…Reggie?” He asks, looking at the smaller Black. “Oh, fuck, you’re both bleeding.”
“No shit, Sherlock, let us in, Reggie needs your inhaler.” Sirius grabs his brother, pulling him inside the house. James pointed to the living room before he ran upstairs, going to find his inhaler.
“James?” Effie asks, walking down the hall. “James, what are you up to? Who was at the door?”
“My inhaler, have you seen it?” James asks, opening his desk drawers, moving stuff around. “Sirius and Reggie, they’re downstairs, I think - aha!” He found his inhaler and ran out of his room.
“You think what, James?” Effie asks, quickly following him. “James Fleamont, you answer me.”
“I think their parents beat them, I don’t know, they’re all bloody, but, Reggie can’t breathe, she needs this, so,” he says, running downstairs.
Effie huffs and follows him, finding the two Blacks sitting on the floor, soaking wet with rain and blood. “Oh, oh you really meant…”
“Yeah.” James nods, holding the inhaler up to Reggie’s mouth. “Breathe in, yeah, like that.” Effie disappeared, running off to find the first aid kit.
“James, he can use it, he knows how.” Sirius says, pushing his hair back.
“He?” James asks. “Reggie is -“
“A boy. Reggie is a boy.” Sirius says sternly, instinctively wrapping his arm around the younger. “My brother.”
James quickly nods, looking at Reggie. “Cool, can you breathe okay?”
Reggie nods, glancing up at James. “Thanks.” He mumbles.
“Can someone please explain what has just happened?” Effie asks, kneeling down on the ground. She pulled out bandages, creams, and turned to the brothers.
“Our maman’s a bitch and a half.” Sirius spat, wiping blood off his lip.
“Sirius,” Effie warns, but didn’t bother saying anything else.
“She wasn’t happy to have two sons, she beat the shit out of Reggie, before I could step in.” Sirius says, flinching when Effie raises a hand to wipe his face with a cloth. “Sorry.” He mumbles, and Reggie holds his arm tightly.
“That’s alright, let me clean you up, James, go get the guest room ready.”
“They can sleep with me, mum.” James nods.
“Guest room, James.” Effie says, wiping Sirius’ cheek.
James nods and runs back upstairs, bumping into his little sister. “Mills, what are you doing up?”
“Who’s here?” She yawns, rubbing her eyes.
“Sirius and Reggie, but you don’t know him. But, don’t go downstairs, okay?” James asks, opening the door to the guest room.
“Are they gonna have a sleepover?” Amelia asks, her blanket dragging behind her.
“Yes, but not a fun one.” He says, grabbing a fluffy blanket. “Go back to bed, mum won’t be happy if you’re awake.”
“But you’re so loud, Jamie.” She whines. “I can’t sleep if you are noisy.”
“I’m sorry, Mills, I didn’t mean to be.” He says, ruffling her hair. “Go lay down.”
“I wanna see Siri…” She says, holding onto his pajama shorts. “Can I say hi?”
“Tomorrow, not tonight, he’s hurt.” James says, and Amelia whimpers. “But he’ll be okay, yeah?” James picks her up, her small body resting on his hip. She just turned four, but he likes to baby her. “If you go to sleep, you can see him faster, and you can meet Reggie, too.”
Amelia was placed in her bed, and James pulled the covers up to her chin. “Goodnight, Jamie….” She yawns.
“Goodnight, Silly Millie.” James smiles, placing a kiss on her forehead. He snuck away, closing her door behind him. What was I doing? Oh yeah! He heads to his room, pulling out pajamas that the boys could use. He was taller than both, but shorts and shirts fit everyone, so he didn’t see a problem. He laid them out on the guest bed, then went back downstairs.
Effie had managed to clean both boys up fairly well. Sirius ended up not needing any bandages, but Reggie had a bandage across his cheek where something had cut him. James didn’t know if he wanted to know what cut him.
“Hey.” James smiles, trying to lighten the mood.
“Hey, Prongs.” Sirius weakly smiles back, and Reggie keeps his eyes on the floor. “This isn’t very punk rock of me, huh? I don’t even have my leather jacket.”
“Nah, running away? The most punk rock thing ever.” James smiles. “We’ll get you a new jacket, one that’s even cooler.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to.”
“Nonsense,” Effie pipes in, “tomorrow we’ll go shopping and get you boys new clothes, assuming you don’t want to go back to your house?” They both shook their heads. “Well, you’re here with us now, so, new clothes and school supplies.”
“Ew, school.” James gags, making Sirius snicker a bit.
“James,” Effie warns. “Well, you two go up to your room, and feel free to take showers if you need.” She nods, getting up. “We’ll discuss more tomorrow, okay?” She asks, kissing both of their heads. Reggie flinches away, but looks apologetic when Effie gives him a sad smile. “We’ll have to fix your hair too, Reggie. This cut is a little messy.”
“I did my best.” Sirius tiredly smiles, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Regulus.”
“Hm, dear?”
Reggie took a deep breath, his eyes flicking up and down. “My full name is Regulus. That, that’s what I would like to be called, please.”
Effie smiles, “It’s your name, love, of course that’s what I would call you.”
Regulus’ breath catches, and before Sirius or James could register what was happening, Regulus had his arms wrapped around Effie, and Effie reciprocated the action. “Thank you.” He whispers.
“You’re welcome.” Effie whispers back, and Regulus lets go. “Go get some rest, all of you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The three nod, and James took their hands and led them upstairs. “So, this is the guest room, my room is next door, and then Millie’s room is…that door, and there’s another room, but mum thought you would want to stay together, but you can sleep in there, or in my room too!” He nods, showing them around. “Sirius and I usually have sleepovers, but I can skip out for tonight, but I love sleepovers, so we will be having them.”
“James, slow down, mate.” Sirius says, patting his back. “One thing at a time.”
“Right, sorry, I haven’t had my meds since this morning, and like, well with all the events that just happened, my brain is going so fast, which is usually okay, because no one ever sees me like this, but now you are seeing me like this, and it’s probably overwhelming for you, I mean -“
“Prongs.” Sirius puts his hand over James’ mouth, pulling away when James licks his hand. “Oh, ew! Fucking disgusting, James!”
“Shh! Millie is next door, and if my mum hears you swear, she’ll bop you.” James says. “Also sorry, I didn’t know I would do that.”
Regulus coughs, and the older two look over. “I would like to go to bed, please.” He says quietly, holding the pajamas James laid out against his chest.
“Oh! Yeah, sorry.” James smiles. “I will leave you alone, um…bathroom is at the top of the hall, feel free to use anything, um, yeah, I will let you sleep.”
“Thanks, Prongs. We’ll see you in the morning.”’ Sirius smiles, and James gives him a quick hug. “Love you, mate. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Padfoot.” James smiles, ruffling Sirius’ hair. “Okay, bed, yes. Good night.” He backs out of the room, giving a two finger salute, then turns to go to his room.
Regulus let out a breath, rubbing his eyes. “He talks a lot.”
“Yeah, he does that, ADHD and all that.” Sirius says, grabbing his pajamas. “You’ll get used to it though.”
“I don’t think I want to. That was annoying. He’s annoying.”
“Oi, that’s my best friend, Reggie. Leave him be, he just let us into his house.” Sirius scolds, but there was no anger behind it. “I’ll change in the bathroom, yeah?” He says, walking out of the room, the door closing behind him.
Regulus picks at his lip for a moment, before pulling off his soaked clothes, struggling a bit as they stick to his skin. He took a moment to look down at his bra, not wanting to take it off, but it was wet, and his skin was getting itchy. Quickly, he pulls his bra off, pulling on the large t-shirt James had given him. It’s a David Bowie shirt, and Regulus looked at the odd picture for a moment before climbing into the bed, waiting for Sirius.
When his brother did arrive, he was wearing a very old Queen shirt, and he looked very happy about it. Sirius dumped his clothes on the floor, before climbing in bed. His leg foot touched Regulus as he was moving around, and Regulus kicked him back.
“What was that for?” Sirius groans, rubbing his leg. “I didn’t touch you!”
“You did, stay on you side of the bed.”
“Are you really going to be like this? After all the shit we just went through, you’re going to be a prick now ?” Sirius asks, turning to his brother. “Bloody hell, Reg, and I thought we could be friends now.”
“We are friends.” Regulus whispers quickly, suddenly looking like a scared child. “I didn’t mean to be - I just - I’m sorry.”
“We’re not friends, Regulus.” Sirius says, folding his arms. “We’re brothers.”
Regulus nods, and he quickly breaks down in tears. He’s held it this long, and he didn’t mean to break, but, well he was just kicked out of the only home he knew, his parents, who weren’t the kindest people, but he still cared for them, called him a disgrace, and they never wanted to see him again. At almost 15, that shit hurts.
Sirius quickly wraps his arms around his brother, and before he knows it, both boys are crying, curling up together in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, in a house that was only unfamiliar to one boy. Sirius held his brother against his chest, trying to protect him from things that couldn’t harm them anymore. At this point it was just instinct, Sirius is the oldest, Sirius has to watch out for Regulus, no matter the circumstances. That’s how they lived, that’s all they’ve known.
Regulus didn’t know what he was crying about after a few minutes had passed, but he knew that it just needed to happen. Maybe it was running away, his parents screaming, Sirius yelling back at them while pulling Regulus behind him, the scissors that his mother threw across the living room, cutting into his cheek quickly. Maybe he was crying for Sirius, who yelled that he’s gay, that he likes having sex with boys, trying to take the heat off of Regulus, only to get hit hard by their maman’s hand, their father standing there, watching, not saying anything. Just watching.
Slowly, as the night went on, the cries in the room quieted, and the two fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. Even in the stickiness of June, they held one another, afraid that letting go meant they would never see the other again. Sirius meant to stay up and keep an eye out for anything that could harm them, but his eyes drooped, heavy and swollen from tears. The Potter’s were good people, nothing could harm them here. They were finally safe.
— - —
James Potter considered himself a reasonable person. Sure, he had some flaws, like his overbearing ADHD, his FOMO problem, and his asthma. Well, he says he doesn’t have asthma, but when he plays rugby, you can definitely tell this boy has asthma. The asthma is not the point of this tangent, though.
The ADHD is self explanatory, no need for an introduction to that problem.
James has FOMO (fear of missing out). He doesn’t quite know why, maybe because he is always the leader of all the things he and his friends do. He has always been the leader, having the most energetic and outgoing personality, he was good at talking people into mischievous adventures, or even just movie nights. He does just fine on his own most days, but there is always this creeping feeling that bugs him, that worms its way into his mind, telling him that all his friends are together without him, hanging out and having fun, leaving him behind.
Now, he knows this isn’t true. He doesn’t care if his rugby team hangs out without him, they weren’t his close friends, they were just…friends. It’s his best friends, along with the girls, that he frets about most days. Even now, as Sirius and Regulus are still sleeping in the room next door, he feels left out. Yes yes, they need to sleep, and they need each other for right now, but he wants to be in there so badly, sitting with them, chatting, telling jokes to make them feel better.
Remember when James considered himself a reasonable person? He’s starting to doubt that.
It was just barely seven in the morning, no one awake, except for Monty, who left for work at five. James did his little exercise routine, keeping an eye on the clock. He didn’t want to miss a moment of anything, now that his friend - plus Regulus, was Regulus his friend now? - was here, staying with him, for the whole summer. The moment he hears noise coming from the guest room, he’s going to burst in there and spend time with them. He doesn’t want to miss a moment.
As time passed, James watched the clock turn from seven to eight, keeping his focus on the other side of his door. A door opened and he perked up, but from the sounds of it, it was only Effie, probably heading downstairs to make breakfast. She made the best waffles, and since they had guests, James knew, he knew they were getting waffles and eggs and fruit for breakfast. Now he was begging for Sirius and Regulus to wake up, so they could hang out before breakfast, and they could go downstairs together, and James could show them around a bit more (even though Sirius knew the house front to back). Oh, and Regulus can meet Amelia, which would make James very happy, he wants them to meet, Regulus seems like he would like kids, right? Technically he is still a kid, but that’s not -
Another bedroom door opened with a loud creak, and James jumped off his bed, knowing that the only door that creaked that loudly was the guest room door. He tipped over a pair of shorts, stumbling into his door before swinging it open, panting heavily. He pushed his glasses up, smiling wide.
“Morning, mate!”
Regulus stood there, frozen in place. He was looking a little scared, like James just caught him stealing. The younger quickly recovered, his face going stoic, an eyebrow raised.
James stands up straighter, running a hand through his untamable hair. “Did you sleep okay?” He asks, bouncing on his toes. “I like the bed in there, it's quite comfy, sometimes I sleep in there, cause my bed is hard as a rock, and I keep asking mum to let me switch mattresses, but she says that the guests deserve a good bed, which makes sense, but -”
Regulus shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts before walking away, closing the bathroom door in James’ face, because the chatty 16 year old would have probably followed him in there, which is why Regulus quickly locks the door too, just in case.
“Right, sorry. You can just tell me to stop talking, I know I talk a lot, once again, I haven't had my meds yet, I wait until I can eat to take them, otherwise I get a stomach ache, which is not fun at all.” James says, leaning against the door. “But as soon as mum say it’s time for breakfast, I’ll -“
“James, I would like to use the restroom by myself, please. You don’t need to hear me piss, bloody hell.” Regulus groans, leaning against the counter. “Go away.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry mate, I guess I’m just used to -“
Regulus hit his fist against the door, and James took a step back. “Forgot, sorry! I’m leaving now, walking away, I’m going…” James quickly moves away, making his way to where Sirius was slightly snoring. James smiles at his friend, thinking about how peaceful he looks, before jumping onto the bed to get on top of him.
“Fuck, James…” Sirius groans, pushing on James’ cheek, squishing up his face. “I’m sleeping, mate, get off.”
“You aren’t sleeping now, you’re awake.” James smiled, sitting on Sirius’ side. “Hey, Millie is very excited to see you, she tried to see you last night, but I told her no, so I’m sure she will be all over you when she wakes up.” He nods, fiddling with the sleeve on Sirius’ shirt. “Mum’s going to make a lovely breakfast since we have guests, I am so hungry, are you?”
“Not really.” Sirius mumbles, closing his eyes. “Sleeping, remember?”
There was a groan behind them, and James turned to see Regulus. “How are you everywhere?” He mumbles, “I want to sleep longer, out.”
“Can’t I stay?” James asks, turning back to look at Sirius. “Can I stay, Pads? I’ll be quiet.”
“Don’t say yes.”
“Um…let us sleep longer, James…it’s been a long night, we can hang out later.” Sirius mumbles.
“Right. Okay, um…” James got off of Sirius, making his way to the door. “I will let you know when breakfast is ready, and, I’m next door if you need anything, or if you wake up and want to come chill with me.” He nods, shooting little finger guns at them. Regulus gave him a glare, and he quickly closed the door. “Okay.” He whispers, going back to his room.
He sat down on his bed, lazily flipping through a comic book he had found on the floor. He know Sirius wasn’t actually angry with him, Sirius wasn’t even angry. James was just being a little too much, and it’s early, he should have known that Sirius and Regulus really just wanted to sleep.
So stop feeling nauseous, James.
Slowly, the smells of waffles drifted up the stairs, and James quickly headed downstairs. Somewhere in between bumping into Regulus and sitting in his room, Amelia had made her way downstairs, happily munching on raspberries. James smiled and ruffled her hair, then went over to where Effie was finishing up breakfast.
“Morning, mum.” James says, sitting on a stool. “Need any help?”
“Good morning, love.” Effie smiles, “I’m just about done, are the boys coming?”
“Um, maybe, they’re still asleep.” James says, tapping on the counter. “I think I made them upset, but I wasn’t trying to, I just got excited, and well, they told me to leave them alone, so, I actually don’t know what they’re doing.”
“Sometimes you can be a lot.” Effie says, turning off the waffle iron. “Especially when it’s this early.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m just saying, Jamie, you’re a lot to handle. Sirius and Regulus aren’t used to so much energy. Well, Sirius might be, but Regulus, I can tell he’s used to everything being quiet.” Effie says.
James sighs, resting his head on the counter. “Sometimes I hate being me, why can’t I be normal?”
“Because you are James, and you don’t need to be anyone else.” Effie placed a kiss on his head before setting everything out on the table. “If people can’t be around you when you are being yourself, they aren’t worth your time. Don’t waste yourself trying to please people.”
“Hm, yeah.” James mumbles, pulling himself off the stool.
“I like you, Jamie.” Amelia smiles, patting his arm as he sat down. “You play dollies with me.”
“Thanks, Mills.” James smiles, sitting up a little straighter.
“Will Siri play dollies with me? He’s good at it.” Amelia nods, picking out her waffles. “Mama, can you pour me syrup?”
Effie grabs the syrup, and James shrugs. “Probably, I think he enjoys it.”
“Jamie, go let them know it’s time to eat.”
“Okay.” He got up and jogged to the stairs, standing at the bottom, “Sirius! Reggie! Breakfast!” He yells.
“I meant go to them, James!” Effie says from the kitchen.
James shrugs and watches and Sirius and Regulus come down the stairs, whispering to each other. James bites the inside of his cheek to calm his nerves, reminding himself that they can talk to each other, he doesn’t need to be involved. “Morning, again.” He smiles.
“Morning, Prongs.” Sirius smiles, patting his shoulder. “Thanks for the extra hour of sleep, I definitely needed it, mate.”
“Sure thing.” James nods, leading them to the kitchen. “Reggie? Did you get some more sleep?”
Regulus gives him a slight nod, his hands shoved in his pockets once again. James gives him a smile, knowing that he doesn’t care for questions, or small talk. When they enter the kitchen, Amelia squeals, waving her arms at Sirius.
“Siri! Sit by me! Right here, sit by me!” She giggled, squirming in her seat.
“Okay, okay.” Sirius smiles, sitting down next to the giddy four year old.
Regulus looks almost hurt that Sirius chose to sit next to Amelia, and he doesn’t quite know what to do. James looks up at him, eyes shifting to the seat next to him for just a moment, before giving Regulus a small smile. Regulus huffs out a breath, walking over to sit down, keeping his head down.
“Hello, Reggie.” Amelia says, waving her syrup covered fingers. “I like your hair.”
Regulus arches and eyebrow, knowing that his hair was somewhere in between cut short, and still long. “Um, thanks.”
“We’ll fix that up today before you go out, Regulus dear.” Effie smiles, sitting down at the head of the table. “Then, we will go out shopping today, get new uniforms and clothes, we can worry about books another day.”
“Effie?” Regulus asks, his voice quiet. “I um, I don’t go to the same school as Sirius and James, I’m not - well, I don’t -”
“I understand, love.” Effie says, “we’ll get you enrolled at their school, I’m sure they’ll understand the situation.”
“Thank you.” Regulus whispers.
“You’ll like our school, it’s super fun, and all our friends are going to love you.” James nods, pouring an unreasonable amount of syrup on his plate. “We have houses, you should try and get into ours, Sirius, Remus and I share a dorm, but I’m sure we could fit another bed in there. I need a friend anyways, since Sirius and Remus are always together, did you know that? They’re dating, it’s all sweet and stuff, but they do things at the most inconvenient times, like one time -”
“James, we do not need to talk about those things.” Effie says sternly. James looks over at Sirius, whose face is bright red, his eyes on his plate.
“Oh, sorry mate, I wasn’t…thinking. Sorry.” James says, his dark skin reddening. “Sorry.”
“All good.” Sirius tries, giving him a small smile. The table went silent, everyone eating and staying in their own bubble. Amelia made commentary here and there, talking about how she was going to go look in the garden for worms, then climb the tree in the backyard, then she was determined to have Sirius play with her, which he shyly agreed to.
By the time breakfast was finished, James and Sirius were given the job to clean up, while Effie took Regulus upstairs to fix his hair. Regulus was a bit nervous about being alone with Effie, well, Amelia was there as well, but she was occupied with a doll and hair ties. Effie is okay, though, she would never hurt him, and he has to keep reminding himself that while she holds scissors up to his hair.
“Now, I’m not a stylist, but I do have common sense. So, I will fix this, then we’ll go to a hairdresser and they can fix it up to your liking.” She smiles. “I don’t know much about cutting curls, either, so if you see me doing something wrong, just tell me.”
Regulus nods, keeping the towel wrapped around him tightly. Effie starts cutting his hair, humming quietly to herself, while he sat still. It was odd, being in this home. There wasn’t any yelling, there wasn’t distance between the people in the house, it was strange spending so much time with people that Regulus doesn’t even know. He doesn’t even know Effie, but for some reason, he feels completely safe with her. He’s never felt that way around a mother.
His mother. What were they going to do about that? They ran away from home, but they still belonged to their parents. They were told not to go back though, so maybe they wouldn’t care what happens to Sirius and Regulus? Would there be legal problems to deal with? They were underage, so they have to live somewhere, just not with their family. Would the Potters take them in? It sure seems like the family is already taking care of them, but maybe they’re just being nice, and then in a couple of days they’ll kick the brothers out.
Well, they’d probably keep Sirius, since he’s James’ best friend. If Regulus is lucky, Sirius will fight for Regulus to stay as well, but he might not be wanted. Who knows. He’s never really mattered to adults, he’s very good at going unseen. There’s a reason Sirius was named after the brightest star in the sky, you can point it out in seconds.
You have to search for Regulus.
“Is this okay?”
Regulus blinks, coming out of his thoughts. He looks up in the mirror, his breath catching. His hair was short, shorter than Sirius’, but longer than James’. His dark curls hung loosely around his ears, his bangs wear separated more, giving him a little fringe.
He looked like himself.
He nods, giving a small smile. “It’s good.” He whispers, touching one of his curls. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, dear.” Effie smiles, kissing his head. Regulus froze, watching as Effie just continued doing her thing, cleaning up the small mess she made. Regulus looked back in the mirror, his cheeks a soft pink.
I think they’ll keep me too.
— - —
James was very excited to go shopping. That can’t be too weird, right? Guys can enjoy shopping? Yeah, yeah they can, that’s normal. Well, he was excited to go shopping because he loves looking at things. He liked to test different textures of clothes, and see silly little figurines, but what he was really looking forward to was to help Sirius and Regulus feel normal again. They could finally stop wearing James’ clothes, and they could have their own things again.
He was holding Amelia’s hand, her other hand in Sirius’. She insisted that they swung her back and forth as they walked, which both boys were happy to do. They had to drive out to the city, and Effie made the mistake of letting Sirius choose the music.
She’s banned him from being the dj.
Now they were walking to the shops, Effie happily walking with Regulus, REgulus contently walking next to her, and James, Sirius, and Amelia ahead of them, giggling and jumping and swinging around.
“Boys, let’s pop in this shop first, we’ll get uniforms.” Effie says, guiding them into the store. It was a small shop, designated for uniforms and school books for their school. It was the largest private school in London, so of course they had their own shop in the city.
James and Sirius quickly headed to the men’s section, Regulus staying behind.
“You can go look, love.” Effie says, patting his back.
“I dont know how to shop for clothes, like…them.” Regulus whispers. “Like sizes, pant sizes, and, well I’m a stick, yeah, but, I have hips, and, guys pants don’t -”
“Alright, no need to fuss, Regulus.” Effie smiles, “We will find pants that work for you, don’t worry.”
“Okay.” Regulus nods, following her around. Sirius and James are heard laughing, and they both come over with clothes picked out.
“We’re finished, mum.” James smiles.
“You found clothes that will?” Both boys nod. “You can grow into the clothes?” They nod again. “They won’t be uncomfortable?” They shake their heads.
“Siri and Jamie have skirts, mama.” Amelia smiles.
“A skirt?”
“I want to wear one.” Sirius shrugs.
“Me too.” James smiles.
Effie sighs, shaking her head. “Okay, sure, just don’t be weird about it.”
Regulus pinches his lips together, unable to understand them. Why would they want skirts? Skirts are for girls, and they are boys. Are they taking their bodies for granted? Regulus can’t even find clothes that fit right on his body, and they want girl clothes? They’re stupid, that’s the problem, they're making a joke out of it, they’re trying to be funny.
“Regulus, go try these on.” Effie holds out a pair of pants, and Regulus numbly takes them, going to the dressing room.
“Do you need books, Sirius?” Effie asks, strolling over to the supplies section.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure what, I haven’t checked my classes.” He says, following her.
“Oh, mum, I need new rugby clothes.” James says. “The captain has to look nice, mum, everyone knows this.”
“Captain?” Sirius asks. “Prongs, you made captain? Why did you tell me! That’s bloody amazing, mate, yeah!” He laughs, jumping on to James.
“I was keeping it a secret!” James laughs, tipping over with Sirius on him. “Padfoot, I have no balance!”
“Too bad!” Sirius laughs, messing up his already messy hair. “My best friend is captain!”
“Yeah yeah, but that means you have to come to all the games, I expect you to be there for every single game.” James smiles. “And Moony. Moony has to come, and -”
“Moony! Oh, I haven’t even talked to him yet, my phone’s been smashed, I forgot to get back to him!” Sirius gasps. “I need your phone, Prongs.”
James felt his pockets, turning around. “Sorry mate, I don’t have it.”
“Ah, bloody useless, you are.” Sirius mumbles, biting his nail. “When we get back, I need your phone. The last thing I sent to him was something about my parents being angry, so…”
“You can use my phone, I don’t mind.” James smiles.
Effie walks over to them with Regulus and Amelia, Regulus carrying his new clothes. “Are we good to check out?” She asked.
Everyone nods, migrating to the register.
“Did you find clothes?” Sirius asks quietly, touching Regulus’ arm.
Regulus pulls away, his face screwed up in a scowl.
“What’s wrong?” Sirius mutters.
“Nothing.” Regulus mumbles.
“Okay, fine.” Sirius mumbles back, moving away from his brother. “Fine.”
— - —
The rest of the day was filled with shopping, and eating, the group moving around the city before heading back to the quiet country home of the Potters. Sirius and James made their own fun once they got home, playing rugby in the backyard, climbing the giant oak tree with Amelia, and chasing each other out on the rural street.
Regulus stayed inside, staying close to Effie. He helped her prepare dinner, then sat with her in the living room as she did some work on her computer. The Potters had a library, so he went and searched for a book, picking one that looked interesting, but ended up being really boring. Noted, don’t read Pride and Prejudice.
Monty came home from work jut as the rest of the family sat down for dinner, and he didn’t even bat an eye at the two misplaced boys, he just immediately jumped in to talk about his day, then theirs, asking tons of questions and making jokes, like Sirius and Regulus have lived with them for years.
It felt normal.
Regulus liked that.
After dinner was finished, he helped Effie and Monty clean up, while James and Sirius ran off to go find a movie to watch. Regulus was tired, and he didn’t feel like watching a movie, so he headed upstairs to his room. As he moved down the hall, there were quiet hums and talking, small giggles and shuffling going on in Amelia’s room.
Regulus, unable to control his curious tendencies, stood by her door, listening to her talk. She seemed to be playing with dolls, and Regulus remembers something about how she was going to play earlier, and play with Sirius, but he didn’t end up doing that. Regulus didn’t have dolls to play with growing up, his mother thought they were a waste of time and money, even though the family had enough of both to spend on toys.
“Are you gonna play with me?”
Regulus looks down, Amelia holding a doll up to him.
“You can be her, she’s a good doll.”
Regulus takes the doll, glancing down at the four year old. She smiles, pulling him into her room. She had a whole set up going, with a dollhouse, cars, a swimming pool, and a box full of clothes and accessories.
“Um…okay…how do I play?” He asks, sitting down next to her.
“Your doll is friends with mine, and they have a party to plan. So your girl needs to tell my girl, her name is Emily, how well she does party planning.” Amelia says, holding her doll up.
“Um, okay…” Regulus says, “My doll is named…Bea.” He shrugs.
“Okay, now we play.” Amelia smiles, and the two start playing.
After two hours, Regulus can say that that was the strangest experience he has ever had with a child.
He’s never had other experiences with a child.
But now he was in bed, waiting for Sirius so he could fall asleep. It’s weird to think that before, he could fall asleep with no problem, he’d rather sleep by himself than with another person. Now he depends on Sirius being there so he could fall asleep peacefully.
He waited an hour, then two, then almost three, when Sirius was whispering outside the door with James, and a few moments later, stumbled into the room. “Reggie, you’re still up? It’s like…late.” He smiles, closing the door.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Regulus mumbles, folding his arms.
“Oh, sorry Reg, I didn’t know you were waiting.”
“Because you’re too busy with James. ”
Sirius starts changing his clothes, and Regulus looks away. “Are you jealous, Reggie?” He asks, pulling his shirt on. “You could have hung out with us, no one told you you couldn’t.”
“I didn’t want to.”
“Well then your mood is your fault.” Sirius shrugs, climbing in bed. “Don’t be a wanker, Reg. You can stop being so angry all the time, you can put your walls down. We’re safe now.”
“You don’t know that.” Regulus says angrily, his head snapping towards Sirius. “We still belong to our parents. We always will, and they could take us away. The Blacks are known all through England, they’ll do anything to keep their home life quiet, they will quiet us . They’ll realize that soon, and this life will go away.” He whispers. “The Potters won’t fight for us when the time comes. No one will fight for us, because we don’t matter . Spending time with James doesn’t matter, being loved doesn’t matter. You’ll see, soon enough. We’re nothing , Sirius.”
“You’re wrong.” Sirius whispers, tears brimming his eyes. “You’re wrong, the Potters care. They’ll help u-us.” His voice cracks, and he turns away to lay down. “You should care more, you should trust them. If you don’t think anything good will come from being here, then y-you can go back to maman and father. But I know they will help us, so I’m staying. I’m trusting them.”
Regulus turns away as well, his own tears spilling onto his pillow. They were quiet, both brothers upset, but unwilling to comfort each other. Sometimes they didn’t know how, and sometimes they were too stubborn to be the first to try. Welcome to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, where feelings are discarded and you don't matter.
The night slowly continues, and Regulus finds himself falling asleep, but he doesn’t remember when. Sirius snores lightly next to him, and Regulus matches his breathing to his brother’s, and even though he was still angry with Sirius, he still found comfort in having him sleeping right next to him. Even after everything, Regulus still loves him.
Wherever Sirius goes, so will Regulus.