Breathe

Friendships and Crushes

As it turned out, Sirius couldn't do anything to get control of Regulus treatment plans. Nothing that could be done within the span of a year, and well, Regulus wasn't even sure if he had that much time. Regulus hesitantly told Sirius that he could tell his friends about his illness. He threatened his brother that if it got out then he'd poison each one of them.

Something that Regulus wasn't expecting was Remus's sudden friendship. He did cherish their connection, but it had felt sudden at first. Remus was now so very important to him however. James also had insisted on hanging out with him and was being adamant that they would become friends.

Regulus's health had other plans for him however as only a month after their big Hospital Wing visit, Regulus's health seemed to be declining quickly. He woke up with more mucus than normal one day then the next he practically couldn't breathe at first. He had begun getting incredibly shaky as well. He felt as if he needed help doing everything now, even holding his own wand!

"And Sirius had said that James really needed to get a grip-" Regulus accidentally cut Remus off with an abrupt cough. "Oh, hey. Are you okay?" And it began.

When Regulus couldn't stop coughing, Remus looked as if he had begun to panic. Regulus couldn't say anything, nothing would come out. Regulus just gestured to the Gryffindor dormitory bathroom, and Remus quickly began helping Regulus that way. Regulus's legs almost collapsed under him as he stood at the sink, so Remus slowly lowered him next to the bathtub.

Remus gently rubbed his back as Regulus spit up mucus after mucus, and it began feeling like it would never end. Regulus was shaking so badly that his body felt like it was rattling. He had been continuously coughing for a while when Regulus began seeing spots in his vision. He tried telling Remus what was happening, with no luck. Before Regulus knew it, he was blinking up from his new spot, laid out on the ground. Remus ran his fingers through Regulus's hair, and he looked so worried. Remus gently lifted him back into a sitting position. Regulus's coughing mostly went away, but he just felt like he was going to throw up now.

"Hey, love," Remus whispered. Regulus smiled at the platonic pet name. He had begun saying things like that about a week before this.

"Mm," Regulus hummed, watching Remus as he began moving around. He watched as Remus squatted in front of him.

"We need to get up," Remus stated quietly. Regulus extended his arms out to Remus, and he slowly bent his legs up under him. He had to hold back the urge to throw up. "On the count of three, okay?" Remus looked at Regulus. When Regulus nodded, he started counting.

As they stood, there was the sound of the dormitory door closing. Regulus was focused on getting up, so he didn't process it or Sirius shouting for them. Remus was watching Regulus closely as they finished standing up. Remus brought Regulus to his chest. "We're in here, Sirius!" Remus shouted. The door opened seconds after. Regulus wasn't facing the door, but all noise stopped after the door was opened.

"Ill- I can take him. What happened?" Sounds of Sirius walking filling the room. Regulus tried turning around, but he felt exhausted. He knew he couldn't walk in his own anyway, his whole body felt weak. He felt his brother's arms wrapping around him.

"He started coughing really bad, and he ended up passing out. He didn't hit the floor or anything, so that's not a problem," Remus explained. Sirius's arms tightened around Regulus.

"We're going to the Hospital Wing," Sirius whispered to Regulus. He nodded against his older brother's chest. He felt Sirius bend down, and suddenly, Regulus was off his feet. He wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck. He looked around, and he saw Remus chewing on his lip, looking away.