Brothers

[starfishstar]

BROTHERS

Summary: Brothers choose each other. Always.

Characters: Sirius Black, James Potter, Regulus Black

Words: ~400

Notes: Tangentially inspired by something huldrejenta wrote ("Brother") and more directly inspired by gracerene’s comment on that story.

Thank you to stereolightning for giving this a beta-read!

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Brothers protect each other. Always.

When curses are flying overhead, when the air is thick with smoke and shouts and lancing green light, when deathly foes in dark robes press in, brothers stand back to back, wands high, and shout their defiance. And then they battle their way out of certain danger, because together they are an unstoppable force, and they dare anyone to try and slow them down.

Brothers cherish each other. Always.

When one meets the woman who is the love of his life, the other gripes and moans and worries not-so-secretly that this is the great calamity, the end of all that was, but he never says no, and he never stands in the way, because his brother’s happiness is all that really matters in the end. So he agrees to be best man, and he only grimaces a little in the wedding photos, mostly for effect.

Brothers forgive each other. Always.

When one unleashes his callous cruelty, plays a trick that nearly ends both the life of an enemy and the reputation of a friend, his brother forgives him, because it doesn’t take long to see he’s breaking his own heart with remorse. And when a brother’s heart is breaking, the forgiveness that seemed so far beyond reach in the first angry aftermath becomes the inevitable and only option.

Brothers shelter each other. Always.

When family proves fallible, when tensions explode and a sixteen-year-old boy flings himself away from the prejudice of home, finds himself thrown to the pavement with little more than the clothes on his back, his brother opens his doors and takes him in, with no question or complaint. For as long as he needs or the rest of their lives, whichever one is longer.

Brothers choose each other. Always.

When Mother’s voice rises into a shriek and Father’s words fall to that terrifying, icy register, when protestations of hatred are flung like sabres that cut so deep the wounds can never be undone, when the choice is stay or leave forever, the younger boy watches in frozen horror from the top of the stairs as half a decade’s tension crystallises into the shouting match, the shriek of rage, the slamming door, and he knows that his brother has chosen – and it was never him.

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Updated to add: Chinese translation now available! 兄弟 Brothers translated by abloomedleaf

Comments

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Very powerful. Poor Regulus -- I'm so glad for Sirius that he found James to be his brother, and for all we know Regulus chould have tried a little harder to shake off the Black family legacy a little sooner, but ack, it's so sad thinking about Regulus as the one left behind.

[starfishstar]

Thank you very much! I do wonder sometimes if I'm guilty of romanticizing Regulus, since I seem to keep writing these little fics that cast him as the tragic hero of his own family story, but yeah, really heartbreaking to think of it from his perspective. No matter how twisted the family, when you're a kid your family is all you know, and that's his brother who's walking away...

[huldrejenta.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, poor Regulus! This was really beautiful and so very, very sad, despite the warmth of Sirius' and James' relationship. I've always felt so much for Regulus, and no less after reading this. Heartbreakingly wonderful, and I'm so glad that my fic and the comments gave you a little inspiration to write this! ♥

[starfishstar]

Thank you very much! Yup, between you and gracerene you definitely got me thinking about Regulus again...ugh, poor Regulus. His story would be pretty tragic even if he hadn't also turned against the Death Eaters, gotten killed for it, and never gotten recognition for what he did...

[reg-flint.livejournal.com]

Haunting. I write Regulus quite a bit, and I really like this take on him.

[starfishstar]

That is a great compliment – thank you!

[snegurochka_lee]

Oh, how perfect! I love the economy of words, and how that last segment is such a punch. :)

[starfishstar]

Thank you! This started as just an odd little idea I had, so I'm really pleased that it works. :-)

[gracerene]

Oh gosh, this is so wonderful! I love how much you manage to convey with so few words. Each little segment detailing James and Sirius's relationship, and how much the love and care for each other and how those emotions translate into their actions was just great.

But even better was the juxtaposition with that last section! God that was heartbreaking, seeing Sirius's choice through Regulus's eyes. He not a character I usually have much of a read on, but huldrejenta's fic and that line about brother really got to me, thinking of how Regulus would see that choice, and you captured my feels so perfectly here. God it's so perfectly heartwrenching!

Thanks for letting me know about this, hon! :D

[starfishstar]

Thank you so much! It's cool to hear that this ended up lining up with what you'd been thinking about Regulus, since your comment is what inspired this! I love when chains of inspiration like that happen, from huldrejenta's fic, to your thoughts about her fic, to a fic about the thoughts about the fic...

I also don't think about Regulus often, but it's odd and almost alarming how much I sympathize with him when I do.

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I like this very much, from the play on 'always' to the emotional punch of that last section. Impossible not to feel for the brother left behind, especially after seeing the power of the bond and enjoying the charisma of James and Sirius' relationship through his eyes. Poor Regulus.

[starfishstar]

Thank you! And Regulus... It's awful to get along with your parents so badly that you feel like you have to leave home, but it's awful to lose your brother, too. Might things even have turned out differently for Regulus, if Sirius hadn't left...?