Chapter Text
-Regulus-
Regulus Black had always been good at disappearing.
Not in the dramatic sense.
Not the kind of disappearance that made headlines or caused people to search frantically through forests and train stations.
No.
Regulus disappeared quietly.
Gradually.
First he stopped answering messages.
Then he stopped showing up to things.
Then he stopped leaving his apartment unless it was necessary.
Eventually, people stopped expecting him.
Which made it easier.
Tonight the apartment was silent except for the rain.
It tapped gently against the windows in an uneven rhythm that made the place feel even emptier.
Regulus sat on the floor beside his bed, his back against the frame.
In his hand was a small orange bottle.
He had been staring at it for almost an hour.
The label blurred slightly as his eyes unfocused.
Sertraline.
Take once daily.
Funny how things meant to help could become something else entirely.
Regulus turned the bottle over in his hands.
The pills rattled softly.
He tried to remember the last time he had slept properly.
Not passed out.
Not drifted in and out of nightmares.
Actually slept.
He couldn’t.
His therapist said things would improve eventually.
Sirius had said the same thing once, years ago, before everything between them shattered.
Even James Potter had said it.
James Potter, with his stupid warm smile and stupid messy hair and stupid relentless optimism.
James Potter, who had no idea what it felt like to live inside Regulus’s head.
Regulus twisted the cap off the bottle.
The pills spilled into his palm.
Small.
White.
Unremarkable.
He stared at them.
His mind felt strangely calm.
That was the scariest part.
Not sadness.
Not grief.
Just exhaustion.
The kind that settled deep in his bones.
The kind that made every day feel like wading through heavy water.
He swallowed.
“Just sleep,” he whispered to the empty room.
Just sleep.
He tipped the pills into his mouth.
Dry.
Bitter.
They stuck briefly in his throat before sliding down.
He took more.
Then more.
Each swallow felt easier than the last.
Eventually the bottle was empty.
Regulus stared at it for a moment before letting it roll out of his hand.
It hit the floor with a soft plastic clatter.
His head felt warm.
Heavy.
The ceiling above him blurred as his vision softened.
He slid down until he was lying on the floor.
The rain kept falling outside.
Regulus exhaled slowly.
Finally.
Quiet.
-James-
James Potter had a bad feeling.
He hated that phrase.
It sounded ridiculous.
But it was the only explanation for why he was currently standing outside Regulus Black’s apartment building in the pouring rain at nearly midnight.
Regulus hadn’t shown up to class that day.
Which wasn’t unusual.
But he hadn’t answered his phone either.
Or Sirius.
Or Remus.
Or Lily.
And Regulus always answered Remus.
James told himself he was being dramatic.
Still, he climbed the stairs.
Three flights.
Two steps at a time.
By the time he reached the door his heart was already racing.
He knocked.
“Regulus?”
Silence.
James knocked again, harder.
“Regulus, open up.”
Nothing.
A cold feeling settled in his stomach.
He tried the handle.
Unlocked.
“Regulus?”
The apartment was dark.
Too dark.
Something was wrong.
He stepped inside.
“Regulus?”
His voice echoed down the hallway.
Then he saw him.
On the floor.
The empty pill bottle beside him.
James felt the world tilt.
“No.”
He crossed the room in seconds and dropped to his knees.
“Regulus. Hey. Hey!”
Regulus didn’t move.
Panic shot through him.
James grabbed his shoulders gently.
“Regulus!”
Regulus’s eyes fluttered weakly.
“James…?”
Relief slammed through him so fast his hands shook.
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.”
James reached for his phone.
“I’m calling an ambulance.”
Regulus’s hand lifted weakly and caught his wrist.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Please.”
James looked at him properly now.
Regulus was pale.
Too pale.
His breathing was uneven.
His pupils unfocused.
Fear twisted sharply in James’s chest.
“How many did you take?”
No answer.
“I just wanted it to stop,” Regulus murmured.
The words hit James like a punch
“You should have told someone.”
Regulus gave a weak, broken smile.
“I did.”
James froze.
The implication settled heavy between them.
He swallowed hard and brushed damp hair from Regulus’s forehead.
“Hey,” James said quietly.
“Stay with me, alright?”
Regulus’s eyes were already closing again.
“Regulus.”
“Mmm.”
“You’re not allowed to die tonight.”
A faint breath escaped him.
“Bossy.”
“Damn right.”
James squeezed his hand as sirens wailed faintly in the distance.
“Why did you come?” Regulus whispered.
James hesitated.
Because I care about you.
Because watching you disappear has been terrifying.
Because you’re important.
Instead he said softly,
“I had a feeling.”
Regulus’s grip on his sleeve tightened weakly.
Then his eyes closed.
-Regulus-
When Regulus woke again, everything hurt.
His head throbbed.
His throat burned.
The room smelled like disinfectant.
Hospital.
Of course.
For a moment he thought he was alone.
Then a voice spoke.
“You scared the hell out of me.”
James Potter sat beside the bed.
Hair messy.
Eyes red with exhaustion.
Clothes wrinkled like he hadn’t moved in hours.
Regulus blinked slowly.
“You stayed.”
James snorted softly.
“Obviously.”
Silence filled the room.
Then Regulus asked quietly,
“Why?”
James leaned forward.
His voice was softer now.
“Because someone should.”
Regulus stared at the ceiling.
For a long moment neither of them spoke.
Then Regulus whispered,
“I didn’t think anyone would come.”
James squeezed his hand.
“I did.”
Regulus squeezed back.
And for the first time in a long time, the quiet didn’t feel quite so empty.