Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ouch" Regulus hisses, dropping the knife he'd previously been using to cut bell peppers onto the cutting board and wrapping his uninjured hand around his bleeding finger.

"Reg?" It's James who's by his side first, though he was the farthest away, and he peels open Regulus's fingers to look over the gushing cut with pinched eyebrows. It's not a terrible wound, though Regulus worries the blood dripping from it could stain the cutting board or get on James's clothes. "Shit- Remus can you grab the first aid kit?"

"It's fine." Regulus protests, it's only his third week here and he'd really like to not be a bother for once his life. "I just need to rinse it and- James!"

Before Regulus can truly make a case for handling his wound on his own, James is guiding his finger under the faucet and rubbing the blood away with gentle fingers, then patting it dry with a paper towel. The taller man applies a bit of pressure to the wrapped wound and nudges his crooked glasses up his nose with a gentle smile.

"It's not too deep, so it should only need a band aid." The alpha hums, squeezing Regulus's finger twice playfully. "We have My Little Pony print, love, your fingers are going to look so cute all wrapped in cartoons."

Regulus is busy blushing from head to toe when Remus sets the small first aid kit on the counter next to James and Sirius clears his throat from his own spot perched on the counter next to where Remus was stirring some kind of delicious smelling sauce. He glances away from James to meet his brothers curious gaze and raised eyebrow, which only makes him blush more and pushes him to look back down at James's careful ministrations to his finger.

First, he runs a disinfectant wipe over the small cut, apologizing the entire time for the sting that Regulus can barely even feel. Then it's the Neosporin, and arguably, Regulus would suffer a thousand more slices from a knife if it meant having James's thumb spread on the white paste as gently as he does just one more time.

He almost laughs when James wraps a Rainbow Dash band aid around his pinky finger, he'd though the man was joking about the printed band aids since it's not a very sophisticated 'alpha' thing to have patterned band aids especially if they're My Little Pony ones.

Though, Regulus does suppose that nothing about these three men is very sophisticated, despite being alphas, James and Sirius don't act like any alphas Regulus has ever met. Their easy smiles, gentle touches and caring words are things that Regulus has associated only with the omegas from TV shows. He's surprised by how much he likes it, by how many times he's had to catch himself right on the edge of a purr or a giggle.

He knows his laugh is dusty at best- heinous at worst, and his purr is broken, so he does his best to spare the other men from both.

"I think Rainbow Dash totally suits your vibe." James explains, smoothing the band aid over before crumpling the trash in his large hands. "You give me competitive vibes so hard, like I think you'd win a marathon out of spite."

Regulus opens his mouth to debunk James's theory but accidentally makes eye contact with Sirius who has both his eyebrows raised in a challenge, making him remember the kind of omega he used to be, which was definitely a competitive one.

"Reggie bit me to win a game of Twister once." Sirius says with a shit eating grin and Regulus has never wanted to punch his brother in the face as badly as he does right now. "He was totally about to lose so he bit the shit out of my ankle."

"I did not!" Regulus gasps, he would never go anywhere near his brothers disgusting fucking feet. "I bit your shin, and I was not losing. Besides, I didn't even bite you that hard."

"Didn't even bite me that hard?!" Sirius says loudly, incredulously and pulls up the fabric of his sweatpants to show a faded circle shaped scar roughly the size of seven-year-old Regulus's mouth. "I needed stitches!"

"And yet, you demanded a rematch." Regulus turns his nose up with a sniff, this banter with Sirius is easy, familiar.

"You wanted a rematch?" Remus asks, glancing up at Sirius with a confused expression. "Why in God's name would you ever do something so stupid?"

"I couldn't let my baby brother best me in Twister." Sirius grins, sliding down the leg of his pants as James throws the trash away and packs up the first aid kit. The small smile Regulus shares with his brother is something he'd missed dearly, and he files the memory away to pull out later when he's curled up in his bed so alone.

"I think we have Twister." James muses, zipping up the kit, not at all realizing the bomb he's just dropped on the kitchen as Regulus's back straightens and Sirius perks to attention- the two brothers staring each other down behind James's back. "I got it from my abuela a couple Christmas's ago when we all started living together- what's going on here?"

"After dinner-" Sirius starts, Regulus cuts him off with a sharp nod. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

"You fucking wish." He snaps back, stepping forward until he and Sirius can do a very firm handshake to solidify their individual plans of domination at Twister.

It was the only game they'd ever been allowed to play as children, given to them as a gift from their Uncle Alphard, the only person their mother hadn't been able to say no to. He'd always made Walburga seems more human, her obvious soft spot for the omega proving to them that she was capable of care, that she could show them affection. The older they got, the less that this became a comfort.

Yes, Walburga Black could care which meant that when it came to her children, she simply chose not to.

Twister was their source of fun on those cold winter days when Regulus's bones couldn't handle playing in the snow outside. Sirius would sneak into the kitchens and make them both a steaming cup of hot chocolate while the other boy laid out the game.

Sometimes they'd make Kreacher spin the board and call out their positions, but more often than not, they'd decide their own positions, Sirius calling out where Regulus needed to place his limbs and vice versa. Those days, they'd complain about how hard it was to play with only two people and how they'd wished there was a third sibling like their cousins who never had issues playing twister together, but they both knew those wishes were empty.

Neither of them would ever wish for another child to live in that house, especially after they were told Regulus would be married off to the highest bidder with no say for himself.
Dinner takes longer than Regulus wants it to, though his baby is quite happy that the amount of food he's allowed to eat isn't monitored anymore, leaving him relaxed and full when he starts to clean the table for everyone else. The conversation was also nice, he'd found himself hiding a smile more than once at Sirius's goofiness, had tried not to blush every time James's socked foot nudged his ankle under the table.

James helps to clean, which is something Regulus is still getting used to.

All his life he was taught that it wasn't an alphas place to cook or to clean or be caretakers at all, he was under the impression that something in their DNA simply restricted them from being capable of it, but James continues to prove him wrong time and time again. He helps Regulus clean, he makes delicious pancakes in the morning, with cute little smiley faces made out of blueberries and Regulus is a little bit infatuated with him.

He's never met an alpha who didn't complain or get growly when the mention of chores was brought up, he's never even met another person who does the dishes with a soft smile and a gentle Spanish melody floating from his lips while his hips sway back and forth.

James Potter is the first alpha to succeed every expectation Regulus has, and it only makes him a little bit angry.

Not at James, never at James, but at every person who told Regulus that alphas were only ever going to hurt him and that he should just bite his tongue like a good little bitch to avoid a punishment that's going to happen whether he obeys or not. He's angry at every alpha who never bothered to curb the aggression, who never bothered to try to b as kind as James, the ones who think hitting their omegas, their betas, is justifiable.

Regulus has only really known James for a couple of weeks, but he knows for an undeniable fact that James wouldn't ever hit him. It would probably even be difficult for Regulus to get him angry enough to raise his voice, that's how amazing James Potter is.

"You should be careful, while playing." James says softly once he's closed the dishwasher and Regulus has finished putting away the food, Sirius ran off to find the game, dragging Remus with him to set it up. "Stretching too much could make your baby really uncomfortable."

"This early?" Regulus asks, setting his palm flat on his bump-less stomach, James is a nurse who started out in maternity but switched to pediatrics, so he's inclined to trust the man when he drops advice. "Should I be worried?"

"Not at all." James is quick to reassure, stepping close to set his large hand on Regulus's upper arm. "Just try not to put too much strain on your core and remember that Sirius is almost a foot taller than you. He's probably going to win."

"I'll bite him again." Regulus warns, though he hopes James can tell he's joking. "I swear to god, I will."

James's gorgeous laugh fills the air, wrapping itself around Regulus's cold heart like a warm blanket, making it thump harder, the pleased eucalyptus scent making Regulus feel lightheaded, causing him to sway closer to the alpha before reminding himself that James is still an alpha.

It doesn't matter how kind he seems or how sure Regulus is that the man wouldn't ever hurt him. He was pretty sure Lucious wouldn't ever hurt him too, and he'd had to run away from his own husband because of that mistake. He refuses to make the same one a second time, refuses to be lured in with bright smiles and a scent that makes him feel all warm inside because he is not stupid, and he will not allow himself to be ruined again.

Regulus steps back firmly and guides James's hand off his body, ignoring the flicker of confusion in his pretty brown eyes.

"Sorry, that was-" James starts, pulling his hand back, beautiful smile falling from his gorgeous face.

"Oh, Reggie!" Sirius's baritone voice singsongs from the living room, followed by a quiet thump and the rustling of plastic. "I found it- get your ass out here!"

James bites his lip and because he is stupid, Regulus hesitates, then offers James the closest thing to a reassuring smile he can muster up before turning on his heel and marching down the short hallway from the kitchen to the living room.

Remus is sitting with his feet propped up on the coffee table, spinner in hand as Sirius lays out the plastic sheet and smooths out the wrinkles. Regulus slides his precious fuzzy black socks off, looping them together and setting them next to the mat, proud of himself for choosing shorts this evening and even prouder that he'd managed a full body shave the day before.

He rolls up the sleeves on his- Sirius's really, but the alpha had left it in his closet when he fled home at 17 so Regulus doubts that he even remembers it- tattered Sublime shirt because he does not fuck around about Twister. Sirius does the same to his pants, choosing to just shed his loose tank top and throw it in a pile next to his unmatching socks.

It's not unusual, they'd both used to play Twister shirtless when they were younger- clothes get it the way of victory- but Remus's eyebrows furrow and Sirius hesitates, glancing between Remus and his shirt on the floor.

"Is that okay, Reggie?" Sirius asks carefully, Regulus stretches one arm over the other and cocks his head to the side in lieu of asking a question. "That I play without a shirt."

Regulus almost scoffs, starts to, but realizes that Sirius means his question. Regulus just isn't sure why he wouldn't be okay with it. They're brothers. They used to share a room and a bathroom because Regulus had the most violent codependency issues when he was younger, and Sirius was an enabler because he thought it was cute.

It's nothing Regulus hasn't seen before, well, the tattoos are different, but they're kind of cool and he rather likes them.

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asks, shifting his feet. "We used to- I mean, if you're uncomfortable, that's okay. I know it's been a while but I'm- you know, we used to play like that all the time."

"I know." Sirius says, holding out his hands like he's trying to calm Regulus or keeping him from digging too far. "I just- I'm just trying to make you as comfortable as possible, that's all."

"Well, I am comfortable." Regulus says defiantly, he can feel the tension between his eyebrows and the three sets of eyes trained on his body like he might explode any second, makes an effort to take a deep breath and smooth out his face into something more pleasant. "Can we play now?"

"Yeah, Reggie." Sirius sighs, something like disappointment flashing in his eyes before it's replaced with that competitive fire Regulus is used to. "Let's play."

Remus flicks the arrow once both of them have stepped up to the mat, calling out right hand red and both brothers shoot like lightening to crowd into the others space, reaching clear across the board to do so in the most uncomfortable position possible. Sirius is taller, so it's easier for him, but Regulus has always been more flexible, even while staying mindful of his baby.

The game continues like that, Remus will call out their directions and both brothers leap into action to try and thwart the other, twisting themselves into the most unbelievable positions. At one point, Regulus's back is flush against Sirius's chest sideways, making an X over each other with his legs twisted behind him and his arms shaking with the strain to keep himself upright.

Sirius wins the first round and Regulus demands a rematch, which he wins, but barely.

James wasn't kidding when he warned Regulus that Sirius has a huge advantage now that he's a fucking giant and the omega is quite peeved about it, so he resorts to playing dirty. He picks positions that mean his elbows digs into Sirius's ribs, or 'accidentally' smacks Sirius in the face when he goes to move his left hand from red to blue. The older man narrows his eyes at Regulus twice but only seems to catch on once Regulus has him teetering on the edge.

"You're a fucking cheater!" Sirius gasps in offence as Regulus pushes his knee harder into his brother's thigh.

"A fucking cheater who wins." He whispers, low enough for only Sirius to hear.

And then he smiles, a giant, cunning smile that pulls at his cheeks and makes his jaw ache with how little he's used those muscles. He smiles because Sirius tips over and lands on the floor with a pained grunt, he smiles because he's just won best two out of three and claimed his title as the Twister champion.

He allows his arms to give out and pounces on his brother the first chance he gets, feeling a little bit playful from the high of his victory he lets out a little growl when he nudges at Sirius's shoulder. The older boy responds with a much deeper growl, and then they're rolling on the floor, limbs flying, chests rumbling and teeth gnashing only inches from the others face. No matter how much Sirius has grown, no matter how many years were put between them, Regulus will always know the feel of his brother's body.

He'll always know that the tensing muscle in his bicep means he's about to be flipped and pinned on his back, knows that playful growl that leaves his brothers lips when he collapses on top of Regulus to keep him down means that Regulus has won in the only way that he can- by tiring Sirius out.

It's this that he missed more than anything, more than the banter, more than the competitive games of Twister. He'd missed just knowing so much about another person, he'd missed to smell of tobacco and peppermint that will cling to his clothes for days as long as he doesn't wash it out. He'd missed being able to laugh breathlessly because now Sirius is nudging his ear with his nose and wiggling his fingers around Regulus's ribs in a very tame version of a tickle attack.

"Stop it!" He shrieks, trapping the loud giggle in his throat like second nature and squirming around, not actually trying very hard at all to get Sirius to stop. It doesn't hurt and he's still feeling a little bit playful when he bears his tiny fangs, Sirius will be able to tell from his scent when he's done playing.

Sirius opens his mouth to say something, probably to declare that this is Regulus's punishment for being a bitch and cheating at Twister as per the rules they'd made up after Sirius healed from Regulus's offensive bite. He doesn't even get a syllable out though because Remus is behind him, grabbing Sirius by the back of his neck and hauling him off of Regulus like the alpha weighs nothing- it's strange, feeling so exposed again when he wasn't ready.

The first thought he has is that he'd like Remus to give his brother back, please.

The second thought is that now he's laying with his stomach up in a room full of giant men that he's really only known for a couple of weeks.

Regulus shoots into a seated position and folds his arms over his stomach, cursing himself for allowing his heart to slip up like that. Sirius had signed up for a game of Twister, not a game of roll around on the floor while your little brother growls at you because he's acting like a fucking child. He can feel his cheeks heat up with embarrassment when James gets on his knees next to Regulus, the alpha definitely saw all of that, watched Regulus acting like a fool.

"What is wrong with you, Sirius?" Remus hisses furiously, and Regulus tries very hard to not whine at the tone. "He's pregnant-"

"We were just messing around-" Sirius tries to defend, glancing to Regulus like he too is confused as to why they aren't rolling around on the floor anymore and it makes Regulus feel a little bit better.

"It didn't sound like messing around, Pads." James huffs, sounding actually upset as he holds Regulus's left arm in his hand, seeming to check for injuries. "It sounded fucking violent."

"But we were messing around." Regulus protests weakly, swallowing when the weight of three sets of eyes is back on him, waiting for him to speak. It takes every ounce of courage in his soul just to keep speaking. "I was- it's my fault, I started it. I'm sorry, I know it's childish and- and stupid, I was just- I wanted to play. I don't know, I'm sorry."

James blinks at him and Regulus struggles to not reach out and push his slipping glasses back up his face. Remus's mouth falls open with a soft 'tch' sound, but he looks more surprised than upset as Sirius shakes his head back and forth, curls bouncing.

"No, Reggie, it was fun!" Sirius says, his voice full of sincerity and maybe even a little hope. "I missed that so much, you have no idea, and you can- any time you're feeling playful or childish or whatever, I'll always play with you. Being a little childish every now and then really isn't a bad thing- take it from someone who never really grew up-"

"That was play?" Remus interrupts Sirius, with all the ease of someone who's had to stop more than one unintelligible ramble, the question directed at Regulus. "You did all that and you thought it was... playing?"

"Yes?" Regulus says, realizes it sounded more like a question and clears his throat. "Yes, um, yeah. Isn't that- do you not play like that, Remus?"

"Not with alphas, no." Remus muses, tilts his head to Sirius contemplatively, though the angry tension seems to be ebbing out of the air steadily.

"You're not hurt anywhere?" James asks softly, lingering on the Rainbow Dash band aid with gentle fingers. "Other than here I mean."

Regulus shakes his head no; Sirius doesn't ever hurt him when they play like that. He's overly aware that if the alpha wanted to, he could, but ever since they were fifteen and twelve, when Sirius had accidentally broken his little brother's wrist because he wasn't watching his strength, they'd put rules in place. Sirius is careful, he keeps his touches gentle, his holds breakable and Regulus doesn't take advantage of that unless he needs to.

If there was ever a time when Sirius grabbed too hard, Regulus was told to bite his older brother as hard as he could and growl as loud as he could. Regulus hasn't gotten hurt while they played since he was twelve years old, because Sirius cares and even after seven years, he's still careful with his baby brother.

Regulus isn't sure why he feels so compelled to crawl towards his brother and wrap him in a giant hug, but the want is so powerful that he's already got his face buried in the crook of a strong neck before he can think that he really shouldn't.

"Thank you, Sirius." He whispers into his big brother's hair, and he means so much more than the Twister game, more than even just allowing him to run here when he had nowhere else to go, more than the kindness he's shown in the month Regulus has stayed here.

He hopes Sirius knows.