Bastards & Heirs

1 - Ink & Appearence

note ; this story is originally published on my AO3 , and all updates will be there before being transferred here . you can find my original publication of this story under the same name on AO3 , or on the AO3 account ezraisangry . special thanks to mal for making this story possible .

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Sirius always found his own little ways to rebel - this was just one of many. The wayward prince was sitting alone on his bed, shirtless, working on his tattoo sleeve. His chest and both arms were covered in designs from his imagination and from the emblems of neighboring kingdoms, all things he had inked into his own skin. Sirius rarely got time alone, so when he did, he would take full advantage of it. Those moments never seemed to last long though.

"Have you gone mad?" a voice hissed from the doorway. Sirius looked up from his arm to see his younger brother staring. "It's like you want to piss off mother as much as you can". Regulus marched up to the older prince, snatching up the tools that were on the bed.

"Don't take those, I'm not done!" Sirius snapped back, "I swear, if you say anything about this - "

"Actually, I think you're done. And if I told anyone about this, you'd be dead. Now you need to get ready, we have a meeting later"

"I am not done" he huffed, "And do I really have to go?"

"Yes, you really have to go"

Some days, Regulus felt like he was a babysitter to his big brother. Sirius still acted like a child, even though he was nearly 18 years of age.

"I hope you like wearing long sleeves for the rest of your life, idiot," Regulus huffed as he looked through Sirius's... colorful closet. He wasn't sure how his mother hadn't thrown out his entire wardrobe by now. He then pulled something out, laying it neatly on the bed. "Wear this"

Sirius muttered something under his breath, getting off the bed and making his way towards the draw that his tattoo tools had been put in.

"When did you decide being a dumbass was the best way to do things? Put it on. Do you not remember the last time you dressed yourself for a meeting?" Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose, following Sirius and standing in front of the drawer before he could get to it. "Will you act like you have sense for two minutes? This meeting is important and you have to be there".

"What purpose do I even serve, hm?"

"You serve the purpose of the first son of the Lady of Astraea. Now change"

Sirius did as told, returning shortly, this time dressed in the outfit Regulus had picked.

"There, happy?"

"I would be if you could do it right..." Regulus mumbled, adjusting his brother's vest before ushering him to sit, "I need to fix your hair"

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"You don't do anything with it. Sit"

Sirius sat in front of his vanity in defeat, staring in the mirror as his brother braided his dark hair. That was one of the big differences between the two. Sirius's hair had remained dark.

Walburga, their mother, was obsessed with dark magic. She used it constantly, for her own means, and taught it to her sons - or at least tried to. Sirius was a stubborn bastard, refusing to partake in dark magic. But as the golden child, Regulus complied. Dark magic was known to take parts of the user's soul, causing physical changes to manifest. For the Black family, this meant the user's hair turning white. Walburga's hair was completely white, while Regulus was beginning to have white bangs. Sirius never got this - all he had was one small strand of white hair. This wasn't from his own use, however. It was a result of the dark magic being used on him.

Regulus worked silently, pinning back some loose curls with small star hairpieces. Sirius's hair was one of the few things their mother seemed to like about him, his dark waves and his appearance when they were made into something nice, such as the braids Regulus had done.

"Okay. Now we can get it over with..."

Sirius ghosted his hand over the braid finished before getting with a sigh.

Neither Sirius nor Regulus truly didn't know what the meeting was for. Their mother was very strict about making announcements, and she preferred to do so in the most public and formal way she could. The only times that Regulus had one-on-one time with Walburga was through sparring or stargazing. Sirius, on the other hand... if he was alone with their mother, it was never for a good reason.

"Act decent," Regulus reminded his brother, which only earned him an eyeroll in return. He shut the door behind Sirius as they left the bedroom, and Sirius tried to focus on anything but the anxiety these types of meetings brought him. The clicking of his shoes as they walked down the hall proved to be a good distraction from his fear of the unknown yet near future.