Hey, people, I'm back. I know it's been awhile, just had to get the creative juices flowing, you know? Anyway, on to the disclaimer so this story can get started. I don't own Harry Potter; if I did, the pairings would be waaaay different...

Previously...

"On three?" Sirius asked Narcissa, who nodded. "One..." he supplied. "Two..." Narcissa smirked, and just as they were about to cry "three", a weak voice asked, "Sirius?"

Sirius whipped around quickly upon hearing his name being called.

Regulus was sitting up, rubbing his eyes sleepily and wincing. The brothers stared at each other; two pairs of silver eyes, both wide with shock.

"Reg? Are you okay?" Sirius demanded, hurrying to his brother's side. Narcissa immediately turned to the other side of Regulus' bed, silvery-blue eyes concerned.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief; they weren't going to curse him, at least not now. Now if he could just sneak out the door before their attention went back to him... Creeping towards the door, he almost made it had it not been for Regulus' sharp eyes.

"Severus? Where are you going?" the younger Black boy asked, and Severus turned, inwardly cursing his luck.

"I was going to get something for you to drink," Severus lied cooly.

Immediately, Reg's face brightened. "Really? Thank you, Severus!" he said, offering his usual sunny smile.

"Er, no problem..." Sighing, Severus walked out of the Hospital Wing. Now he had to come back since he had promised to bring him a drink.

"I should've just said I had to finish homework," he scolded himself, but at the same time, he knew that would have been wrong. After all, it was his fault that the boy was in the Hospital Wing right now instead of sleeping soundly in his own bed.

Guilt squeezed his heart as he recalled the cry of pain that had burst from Regulus' lips when the potion spilled all over him. The purple liquid had splashed everywhere, burning holes through the Black boy's robes and showing bits of silky green fabric that must have been his boxers... Severus shook his head furiously.

Why was he thinking about Regulus Black's underwear? He just had to go get the boy's juice and see how bad his burns were now... With a jolt, Severus realized that the potion had hit the walls, too. What had happened to them? Severus began to sprint to the potions room. He had to assess the damage first, then get Regulus' drink.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Severus murmured to himself, eyeing the room. The purple potion had dried and was now sticking to nearly every surface; nothing a good Scourgify couldn't solve.

Most of the books had been in the cupboard, only his book lay out, and he could fix it. The walls weren't even that bad, just covered with some potion and easily fixable holes. "Good. I can fix this." Before leaving, the teen scrawled a quick note briefly explaining what had happened and assuring that he would clean it up.

Severus returned minutes later with a cup of pumpkin juice in one hand. His other hand was curled in a ball underneath his robes, clutching his wand handle in case Sirius or Narcissa attacked him.

But he needn't have worried; the two didn't even notice him. They were too busy talking and laughing with Regulus. Regulus looked the happiest Severus had ever seen him; even though his skin was blistered and peeled away in many parts, his cheeks were rosy red as he laughed and smiled widely.

Severus stood back, unsure of what to do. He had never been close to anyone except Lily; seeing others interact with each other so easily made him self-conscious and even a little jealous.

Regulus interrupted Severus' thoughts by asking if he had juice. Shaking his head, the older boy nodded and handed the cup to Regulus, who drank eagerly.

"You're so cute, Reggie," Narcissa cooed, and Regulus turned bright red. "I'm not a baby anymore, Cissy," he muttered, but Sirius laughed, "Yeah, you are! You'll always be the baby of the family, Reg." Regulus scowled at the thought and pouted, "I'm fourteen, I'm not a baby."

"Compared to us, you are," Sirius pointed out. "No! You were fourteen!" "Yeah, well-" Sirius broke off when he caught sight of Severus; he had ignored the other boy when he had brought Regulus his juice.

"So..." Sirius changed the subject, voice light. "What happened that got you like this?" Regulus squirmed and muttered, "Had an accident." "How?" the older boy sat on the edge of his brother's bed, eyes on him.

"You know, being stupid..." Regulus tried to laugh, but it came out shaky.

"Not funny, Reg. What happened?" Sirius demanded; the lightness had left his voice, replaced by an edgy, demanding, anxious tone.

"I threw a book at him and the potion exploded," Severus said suddenly. He might as well; it would eventually slip from the tongue.

"You WHAT?" Sirius grabbed Severus by the collar and shoved him against the wall. Severus' heart leapt. "Sirius!" Narcissa cried, though she didn't seem very concerned.

"Sirius, don't!" Regulus cried at the same time. Sirius ignored them both and took out his wand.

"How dare you hurt my brother," he snarled.

"Sirius, please!" Regulus had gotten out of bed now, and was tugging on his brother's arm.

"Reg, get back in bed, you're hurt."

"Not until you let go of him. Please, Siri..."

Hearing the old nickname made Sirius freeze; slowly, he released his grip on Severus, growling, "You're lucky Regulus wants to protect you." And with that, he said goodnight to Regulus and stalked out of the hospital wing.

"I think I'll be going to bed as well... Good night, Reggie," Narcissa kissed her cousin's forehead and hurried out of the room. Now it was just Regulus and Severus sitting in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry about Sirius," Regulus finally said. "He gets very protective."

"I could see," Severus snarled, but he wasn't really angry.

"I'm sorry."

There was a long pause, and Severus sighed, "It's alright. I should be the one apologizing, actually."

"Don't!" The sharpness in Regulus' tone made the older boy look up, eyebrow raised.

"You actually helped me. I haven't talked to Sirius since he left home. I've been wanting to hear from him so badly, but it always seemed like I didn't exist. But he does care. He came down here and tried to protect me. If it hadn't been for the accident, I don't know what I would've done. But it healed the tear in my heart, just a little. Thank you, Severus."

Speechless, all the older boy could do was watch the other play with the tips of his fingers, head bowed. Finally, the taller boy mumbled a "you're welcome" when he found his voice. Regulus looked up and smiled softly. "You always seem so lonely, Severus."

"I'm not!" Severus snarled immediately, but Regulus wasn't stupid.

"Will you be my friend, Severus? I need a friend, and I can tell you do, too." His heart was racing wildly; this day which was ending so perfectly could be destroyed or become one of the best in his life depending on the answer. His eyes were fixed on Severus' thin lips, waiting for words to come out.

The older boy's lips moved, as though he were deciding, then, in a low voice, he murmured, "Alright." Regulus' heart soared. With a grin, he hugged Severus happily. This was probably the best day in his life.

I know, I know. It was short AND it sucked, but I'm not in a Harry Potter mood right now. I promise I'll work on it. And review answers... Now!

Infinite Nosferatu: He really does, doesn't he? Maybe he needs a good luck charm (Regulus Regulus Regulus) :)

RiverPhoenix: Why thank you! Definitely see what you mean about the spacing; it's way too much, I'll fix it soon... Thank you!

haraguro-tan: Yeah, he most likely did :) Thank you very much, and you all are right about the spacing, thank you for telling me! :)

Hot-Emo-Athiest: Okay, I'll keep working at it :)

Miss Spesh: Sorry that it's been awhile, I'll work on having chapters out sooner :)

AliceFae: I know, right? There's never enough Severus/Regulus... I'll keep trying to update soon, just gotta get some ideas...

shyfoxling: Definitely, the first chapter is a mess with the spacing...

mellys-girl: R-Really? :D Thank you! Yeah, they were giant word blobs...

By the way, y'all, if you have any ideas feel free to tell me; I'm interested in what you guys think, and while I may not use them, I would definitely appreciate it... Okay, well I'll see you soon! :D