Truce

6

Jacob-

"How can you be in love with someone you just met?" Gene asked incredulously. The four were sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Gene was insistent on eating plum pudding for an unknown reason and he wouldn't stop complaining until he got it. He now sat with a comically ginormous bowl of plum pudding and was eating happily. Pandora sighed, glancing up the table to see Xenophilius reading a charms book.

"He looks so handsome even when he's reading," Regulus cast his gaze towards the boy and smirked.

"He's picking his nose, Panda." 

"Isn't he wonderful?" Pandora placed her head in her hands, sighing dreamily.

"Humanities' finest." Jacob deadpanned, flipping a page in his book. Gene raised an eyebrow, leaning over his bowl of pudding to stare at his friend.

"Did he kiss you?" Pandora choked on her spit, coughing like hell while Regulus swatted at Gene. Jacob rolled his eyes, offering Pandora water which she drank only to continue with her choking. "Reggie, stop it! I'm already bruised enough because of your dipshit brother!" The four all stopped the commotion and Gene's eyes widened.

"What?" Regulus asked, disregarding the fact that Gene had called him Reggie. Jacob's intense gaze also rested on the boy and he giggled nervously.

"What? You had a brother? So interesting," He laughed, burying his head in the pudding. Soon his words were garbled. Jacob and Regulus exchanged glances before Regulus pulled him up from his pudding. Gene gave a crooked grin, his face covered in the chunky delicacy. "Oh, you guys are still here? What a pleasant surprise," He offered one hand out to Jacob. "Long time no see, ey?" Jacob scowled, gently swatting down Gene's hand. 

"Have our brothers been picking on you again?" With a wave of Pandora's wand, the pudding was off of everything and Gene was able to open his eyes again. He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You both had brothers and never told me? Shame on you, absolute shame. Pandora? Let's leave these liars for hell." Pandora blinked, following the younger even though she was confused. 

"Are we going to hell or are we leaving them to hell," Gene blinked, ruffling his hair in confusion.

"Both," He nodded and was about to leave when Regulus grabbed onto the boy's wrist causing the boy to whimper and crash back down. The three all looked at their friend in worry, Jacob quickly running around the table to help Regulus support Gene. Gene blinked back his tears, not wanting to appear weak. The bullying wasn't too bad. His wrist was only hurting because James had grabbed it too hard and wouldn't let go. Gene wasn't used to physical contact so he had moved too much causing the pain to be unbearable. Remus was watching the whole altercation along with every other Gryffindor but had done nothing to stop him. By the time James decided he was finished, Gene's wrist felt like it was broken. He had gone to the nurse but she told him that nothing was wrong. Luckily, his wrist wasn't controlling his dominant hand which meant he rarely ever had to move it but he was unlucky enough to have Regulus as his friend. He supposed that Regulus could spot the bruising from a mile away which was why he grabbed onto his right wrist instead of his left. 

"Gene, why didn't you tell anybody that it was this bad?" Jacob asked, examining the bruise while Pandora diverted the attention onto herself. There weren't many students eating but there were enough to gawk at the group. Gene felt the stares and shoved Jacob away, his gaze turning into a rare sheet of ice. 

"It's not bad, Potter." He spat, standing up. He was embarrassed and when Gene was embarrassed he shut off all emotions. The three knew this but Jacob was still taken back by his tone. 

"Your wrist is badly bruised, Gene." Pandora laid a hand on the worried Regulus, shaking her head. Regulus sighed, letting go of Gene's arm and Pandora offered a warm embrace to the boy. 

"Let's go to our common room, okay?" Gene nodded, his shoulders slumping forward as he allowed Pandora to guide him away from others. Jacob and Regulus' anger resonated off of them and kept other students away from the pre-teens. Once they arrived, Pandora cheerily recited the answer to the riddle and the four all sat on the couch. 

"How long were you going to ignore the problem?" Regulus asked while watching Pandora bandage the younger's wrist. Gene didn't look up from his lap, his mouth frowning in shame. Pandora gave Regulus a glance of warning and Regulus sighed. "Gene, we're not mad-," Jacob laughed.

"No, we're not mad we're just about to plot a murder." 

"Jacob!" Pandora scolded as Gene winced. Jacob sighed, burying his hands in his eyes. He was going to absolutely kill James.

"I-I was going to wait until Christmas," Gene gave his friends a smile before twisting his wrist. It felt remarkably better. Jacob scowled, pulling Gene into a rare hug. 

"Although I may find you annoying you are still extremely important to me, Gene. Never forget that if someone is acting strangely, you have us to protect you," Gene sighed, standing up from the couch to get away from Jacob's affections.

"I don't need your help,"

"You don't need it or you don't want it?" Regulus asked, crossing his arms quizzically over his chest. Gene glared at the boy, his hands curling into tight fists. He hated looking weak.

"Both. I've lived thirteen long years alone and I wasn't planning on stopping any time soon," Regulus' eyes immediately softened and Gene scowled. He despised pity. "Look, we're friends. Good friends. We're mates. But you have to know when to let me survive on my own. I may not look tough but I taught myself how to do stitches when I was ten. I can live by myself. So stop treating me like I'm a dorky twat who doesn't know left from right." With that, Gene stormed up to his dorm leaving his friends on the couch.