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act one part two
No one could have prepared Regulus Black for the arrival of his brother at the hufflepuff common room a week into term.
Bleary eyed and grunting with annoyance, a sleepy Nando had swung open the common room door after hearing an insistent knocking for the past five minutes.
Rubbing his eye with his jumper covered fist, he stared with a glare at the three boys who smiled back at him, "It's two in the morning, get to fuck—" "Please, I need to talk to Reg."
Between a rock and a hard place, Nando looked back to Regulus — sprawled across 'their' sofa, his jumper riding up so far his chest was on show and a hand stuffed down his pyjama bottoms — who was fast asleep and blissfully unaware that he wasn't laying down with Nando's thighs on either side of his torso.
"He's asleep."
Nodding, Sirius gave a weak smile and was going to turn around when, "Well wake him up then!" Remus let out exasperatedly, towering over Nando as he stepped into the common room, dragging Sirius with him as James trailed behind.
"Sorry about this." The bespectacled boy whispered to Nando as he passed by, clapping his shoulder with a large hand.
Shaking his head, Nando shut the door over and pushed by the three, taking a seat down beside Regulus and placing a hand on his chest, "Reggie, wake up for me love."
Of course Regulus heard it, Nando was the only person who ever could wake him from a deep sleep. Humming inaudibly, the small grin that tugged at Reggie's lips as a hand rubbed his chest made Nando smile and lean down to kiss his nose.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sirius Black was fuming at the sight — his baby brother so taken by another person, replacing Sirius without a second thought. He knew Reg and Nando had been friends for years and it didn't bother him but after leaving Regulus in Grimmauld alone and having no contact with him since, he felt his guilt swallowing him even more whilst watching Regulus turn to his side and nuzzle his face into Nando's thigh. Finally he had someone to look after him properly and Sirius wasn't needed anymore. It broke his heart.
"There's someone here to see you Reg." "Tell them to go, just want you Nando."
Wiping the tear that fell from his eye, Sirius crossed his arms and looked at Nando with a raised eyebrows. "Reg — Regulus it's me, we need to talk."
Eyes flying open as he shot up, Regulus eyed Sirius with distaste, "You have a cheek, it's been ages, why do you want to talk now?"
"I know you're a.. death eater."
Like his heart had dropped to the sole of his feet, Regulus shuffled backwards into Nando's arms as he feared Sirius was going to either kill him or leave him significantly injured.
"I had no choice." He murmured, voice cracking the same time a hand landed in his hair and fingers dug into his scalp. Regulus' mouth fell open as he fell further into Nando's hold, he kept his composure however as his brother was still looking at him, Remus was glaring and James was staring intently at Nando with a hint of a smile.
"I know you didn't."
That was all he had to hear, Regulus was always ready for Sirius to go crazy over him taking the mark. He knew Nando wouldn't treat him any differently, and of course he didn't but his big brother was a whole other level, Sirius resented death eaters and Slytherin house.
Reaching out tentatively, tears formed in his large doe eyes as Sirius' hand took his, "I'm not angry Reg. Just worried that's all."
Nodding, he let out a laughing cry and looked back at Nando who just smiled and cupped his cheek. "All that panic's over Reggie, no more worrying yeah?" And he nodded, softly making Nando grin and smack a kiss against his cheek.
"Can we help you Reggie?"
Furrowing his brows as his boy done the same, Nando and Regulus looked up towards James in unison as he stopped talking with a weak grin.
James didn't know Regulus, knew of him but he didn't comfort the boy when he cried, hold his hand when they went to Hogsmede so he wouldn't get lost or lay with him in bed wide awake until the early hours of the morning, telling him all sorts of stories to lull him to sleep. Nando done that all. Regulus was his Reggie.
"Anyway.. I don't know to be honest, I can't get rid of this," Regulus pulled up his jumper sleeve before pushing it back down after a split second, "We've tried but nothing works, it's a tattoo but worse."
Nodding solemnly, Sirius tried to wrack his brain for a solution but like his brother, he couldn't think.
"I could have a look in the library for a book on that stuff, dark magic ones might help?" Remus suggested, still reluctant as ever to let Regulus back into his beloved boyfriends life after watching it be destroyed by his family.
"Nando and Panda were there yesterday, they found nothing.." Regulus trailed off, accepting the hand that Nando put in his.
The previous night, Pandora Waterstone had dragged Nando alone to the library in hopes to find a solution to Regulus' dark mark. But alas, they found nothing which left Nando to tell his boy in the morning with grave disappointment.
Maybe there wasn't a way, but they would continue to try anyway.
"Shit." James sighed out.
"Exactly." Nando responded, still cautious of the older boy who's eyes hadn't left him pretty much the whole time.
"Can he find you? Control you? How does it all work?" Sirius asked, mind ticking over with all sorts he imagined could happen to his brother. "He can summon me, it burns a lot and then I'll apparate to him."
"Do you have to?" "No."
"Well that's good, maybe you can come and stay with us over summer? He wouldn't find you, Effie and Month have all sorts around the house protecting it so—" "If he's staying anywhere over summer it's with me, we live in a muggle village no one would find him."
"I don't think that's a good idea mate, our house is safe honestly—" "Well I never asked for your opinion Potter!"
"Just shut up all of you!" Regulus barked out, eyes wide as he stared them all down, Nando blushing with embarrassment under his dark gaze.
"We'll talk about this another day, I want to sleep, please."
Surprising to the pair left, the three older boys left without any hesitation and a silence fell over the common room.
"I'm sorry, you know I love you right?" Nando asked quietly, letting himself fall back against the pillows as Regulus continued to stay seating upwards. "I know you do. You make everything in my life better Nando, I would stay with you over anyone else you know that.. don't fight over me though, sometimes I just want my brother to like me again."
"I won't act like that again Reggie I promise." "Good, I love you." "I love you more." "Not possible."
authors note !
the way nando would DIE for regulus
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