Muggle and War!AU. Not any (Muggle) war in particular. Warning for injuries and one swear word.


Waiting, in his opinion, is worse than everything. He can't do anything. He can't fight, he can't go outside; it's like he's chained to this chair. The cold porridge tastes like cardboard in his mouth. He forces himself to eat, spoonful by spoonful. His stomach wants to reject the sustenance, but he doesn't let it. Every part of him is tense, coiled like a cobra poised to strike.

Thunder crackles. Claws of lightning streak across the night sky. The wind screams as if it can sense Regulus' churning emotions.

He waits, watching the doorknob. Waiting for it to twist. Waiting for a click. Waiting for it to creak as it opens.

He waits.


When the door does open, albeit slowly, Regulus practically lunges for it, towards the figure standing on the threshold. He doesn't get a proper look at them, but he knows — running his fingers through thick, messy hair, trailing them down his face to his jawline, and refamiliarizing himself with the body he knows all too well.

(He's home, he's home, he's —)

"James," he murmurs, tugging James' head down so that their foreheads touch. James' body seems to fold in on itself, slumping against Regulus, and Regulus reacts. He catches James in his arms, lets James rest his head on his shoulder. They stand like that for a few moments, the only sound being James' heavy breathing.

Wait. Heavy breathing?

Gently, he adjusts his position so that he can help James half-walk, half-stagger to the chair Regulus had been occupying not too long ago. He helps James sit and in the bright, fluorescent lights, examines the full extent of his injuries. He sucks in a breath.

"I look like shit, don't I?" James rasps, apparently able to speak between breaths despite his state. "It looks worse than it is."

Regulus thinks he's lying. He'd been studying to become a healer when this blasted war had knocked on their door and they'd been shipped off to different sides of the world. He'd seen way too many wounded men, so he knows how to recognize one in pain.

But all he says is, "I'll be the judge of that." He goes and retrieves the medical kit from the cabinet, pops it open, and takes out a few packets of wipes. "What happened?"

James grunts. "Snape," he says, voice seeping hatred, and Regulus stiffens. "Him and his buddy tried to take me on. His buddy swung his sword at my chest. I got distracted. Stumbled right into Snape."

Regulus winces. "How did you get away?"

"I didn't. Sirius had to come to my aid. He fought them off."

His estranged brother. Regulus' voice is light as he asks, "And did he bring you here?"

"Yes, he did. Brought me to the hill. I told him I could make it here on my own. He left."

Regulus says nothing. He has nothing to say. His brother had walked out on him years ago, after a bitter fight with their parents and an even bitterer fight with Regulus. Regulus had tried to stop him from leaving, pled with him, physically blocked the door with his body. But all it had taken? One sorrowful, desperate look in Sirius' eyes that had compelled him to let him leave.

Since then, he'd scarcely heard from his brother. Sirius' letters are rare. He'd been placed in the same unit as James, his best mate, who he and Regulus had both grown up with. James, on his behalf, had written, detailing their exploits. Regulus had tucked each letter under his bunk in his tent, and now, they are in a box upstairs.

That's how they'd fallen in love. Because of Sirius.

"Are you okay?" James' voice jolts him out of his swirling memories. His hand has stilled and he quickly resumes his motions.

"I am." Regulus is careful not to betray his internal maelstrom.

"I know it still hurts," James murmurs. Regulus almost smiles; James had an uncanny ability to see right through him.

"No, it's not that." Regulus keeps his eyes lowered. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore. He left, I made my peace with his choice. But sometimes, I wonder what would happen if he'd chosen differently. If he'd stayed home and lived up to his title as Mother intended rather than going off to fight."

"That's natural. That's one of the big what-ifs." James sounds regretful. "I think if he'd stayed, he would've lost a piece of himself — the piece that makes him Sirius. You know how Mrs. Black is, she would've trapped him and worked him to the bone under her rules. He never would've gotten a taste of freedom."

Regulus had had this thought before. "I know," he says. "And I'd rather him be like this rather than what he could have been." A smile tugs at his lips. "We wouldn't have been together."

"That's one good way of looking at it."

Regulus refocuses on James' leg, but it's not long before his thoughts wander again. This time, though, it's not his brother that he thinks of.

"I'm glad you're okay," he murmurs, glancing up at James. James, who looks more alive than before. "I was worried out of my mind. Ever since they sent me home —"

"Hey." James can't bend, but he lets his expression do some of the talking. "I'll always come back to you. Even if I can't walk, even if my body is broken, I'll always find my way back to you." He smiles and Regulus melts. "Nothing could keep me away from you."

Regulus almost drops his wipe, feeling a slow, burning ache in his stomach, but he suppresses it. "Me too," he says softly.

Outside, the wind gradually dies and moonlight breaks through the clouds.


961 words

Assignment 5, Zoology Task 2 - Guanaco - Write a fic with no female characters.

Everyone Needs A Little Dash In Their Life - (dialogue) "I got distracted."