☼✯?𝒟ℴ ℐ ℒℴℴ𝓀 ℒ𝒾𝓀ℯ ℋ𝒾𝓂?✯☼ JEGULUS/STARCHASER

✯☼2☼✯

✯ℐ 𝓁ℴℴ𝓀 𝓁𝒾𝓀ℯ 𝒽𝒾𝓂..☼

☼𝔽𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕤☼

The evening sky had already begun to fade into a muted purple when Regulus made his way to the Astronomy Tower. His fingers nervously brushed against the folds of his robes as he ascended the spiraling stairs, the cold air brushing his face, biting against his pale skin. It was the one place where he could escape—where the stars felt like a safe distance away from everything else.

Regulus had been walking around in a haze all day, caught between the bitterness of his thoughts and the sting of unwanted interactions. James Potter's face kept flashing before his mind's eye—his wide grin, his irritatingly bright laugh, his easy, carefree presence. It was unsettling, to say the least. Regulus hated how James made him feel, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

He only knew one thing for certain: it was easier to be alone.

It was easier to stand under the vastness of the night sky, watching as the constellations blinked silently above, reminding him of how distant everything and everyone truly was. Regulus had always felt like an outsider in his own family—his father's cold disdain, his mother's unyielding expectations. But it wasn't just them.

It was Sirius too.

Sirius had abandoned him.

Regulus clenched his fists, feeling the bitterness twist in his stomach. He had thought, for years, that his brother would be different. That their bond—whatever it was—would hold strong. But when Sirius had run away to live with James Potter, it had shattered everything. To Regulus, it had felt like a betrayal.

Sirius, who had once been his only real companion, had chosen them—the Potters. He had chosen James, who had so many people who loved him. He had left Regulus behind to be alone with the house that never felt like home, with the expectations that were impossible to meet, with a family that would never care for him the way they cared for Sirius.

Every time Regulus saw James, it was like a reminder of that abandonment. How his brother had chosen a family that had nothing to do with him over the one that was supposed to matter.

And now James was here—treating Regulus like he was someone worthy of his time, calling him "Baby Black," and acting like they were friends. Regulus couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand how easily James had slid into his life, how he had wormed his way into Sirius's place, as if their bond had never existed in the first place.

A bitter laugh escaped Regulus as he finally reached the top of the tower. He leaned against the stone railing, staring out at the stars.

Why didn't I go with Sirius?

The thought had crossed his mind before, but it stung harder now. If I had gone with him, maybe I wouldn't be stuck here.

But Regulus knew why he hadn't gone. He couldn't abandon his family, even if it felt like they had already abandoned him. He had stayed because he was expected to, because he didn't know how to leave everything behind, even if his brother had.

But the truth lingered, like a festering wound: Regulus couldn't let go of the idea that family meant something. Even if they were broken. Even if they hated him for things he couldn't change.

A soft shuffle of footsteps broke him from his thoughts, and for a moment, he thought it was just the wind playing tricks on him. But then the voice came.

"Hey."

Regulus turned to see James standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his gaze focused on him with that same unsettling kindness. He had appeared so quietly, like a shadow, but his presence still managed to fill up the entire space.

James was looking at him, but there was something different in his eyes now. Something less playful, less James Potter and more...real.

"I was hoping I could talk to you," James continued, his voice tentative but steady.

Regulus felt a flicker of irritation and discomfort surge through him. He didn't want to talk to James. Didn't want to hear whatever nonsense he had to say.

"About what?" Regulus muttered, barely managing to keep the edge out of his voice.

James didn't seem bothered. He just shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep the mood light but failing to hide the slight tension in his posture. "I get it. You don't like me. I can tell."

Regulus resisted the urge to scoff. Like? He didn't even know him.

"I don't not like you," Regulus replied, a little too sharply. "But I don't... I don't understand why you're so interested in me."

James raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the honesty in Regulus's voice. "What do you mean by that?"

Regulus stared at the stars, refusing to meet James' gaze. "Why do you want to be my friend? I'm Sirius's brother, that's it. That's all you care about."

James frowned, but there was no malice behind it. Just confusion, mixed with something else that Regulus couldn't place.

"I care about you, Regulus," James said quietly. "Not because of Sirius. Not because of the Potters. Just... because of you."

Regulus blinked, his mind trying to process the words. There was an awkward pause, as if James had said something he wasn't meant to.

"I don't want to be... like him," Regulus mumbled, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "I don't want to be Sirius's little brother."

The silence between them grew heavy. Regulus could feel James's eyes on him now, sharper than before, understanding sinking in. Regulus had always known, deep down, that he wasn't the same as Sirius. He wasn't the same person who could just run away and live a carefree life with James Potter and his perfect family.

Regulus didn't know how to explain it—how Sirius had left him, how much it had hurt, how much it still hurt.

James took a step closer, but he didn't reach out. He simply looked at Regulus with that same intensity, like he was trying to find the pieces of him that Regulus had kept hidden for so long.

"You don't have to be like Sirius," James said softly. "But I think you're already something great, Regulus. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Not to me. Not to him."

Regulus felt the sting of his emotions rising, but he swallowed them back down. He hated how easy it was to get caught up in his own thoughts, how his heart raced at the slightest hint of understanding.

But no matter how much he wanted to believe James, no matter how much the words made something inside him ache, he couldn't. Because Regulus knew what it felt like to be abandoned. To be the one left behind. And no matter how much James tried to make things right, the reality was that nothing could change what had happened.

Not even James Potter.

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