Old memories
The cold, icy breath of death stroked his neck like a breeze meant to forever freeze his heart. Eternal sleep sounded so comforting and peaceful, compared to the harsh reality we call life. Blood ran down his face, feeding a stain on the rough ground, that grew bigger each time he dared to breathe. Robbed of the ability to scream he silently stared into the room, feeling his soul slowly leave his body. The pain got unbearable so his body turned numb. The pounding of his heart was the only thing reminding him, he wasn't dead yet. His vision all blurred and his body feeling so separated from his mind, felt strange yet...known. He let his eyes fall shut and only listened to his heart desperately trying to keep him alive. He didn't know how long he had been laying there, when his consciousness finally gave up on him, and allowed him to slip into the embrace of the void. The string that kept his soul bound to his mortal body felt like its been cut in half leaving his spirit to float into the unknown. The last thing he heard was a hard bump like something had been thrown against a wall. Then...he could let it all go...
Pain. Indescribable pain shivering through his entire body, coursing through his veins, reaching every little corner, ripping his thoughts out of context, rearing up inside his chest and leaving him feeling helplessly lost. His head felt like it might implode and despite better knowledge, he let out a hurtful whine, which immediately backfired and only led to the pain growing even worse, leaving him with a silent tear running down his cheek. Once the pain allowed him to think again, he slowly started coming back to the hard, cruel reality. He wasn't dead. He survived. Again.
He pressed his eyelids shud and prayed to be gone. To be somewhere else. Anywhere else.
The next thing he slowly started to realise is, that he wasn't on the cold floor anymore. The room looked different and he felt something soft under and over him. The lights were low but one single candle still attempted to light up the room in a warm yellow. The tiny, soft shine didn't fit the room at all. It was not very well decorated with little to no furniture, seemingly missing any sign of colour other than dark green and a few paintings on the wall, all looking rather unsettling. It felt like the room was covered by a shadow unwilling to leave.
Some people, probably everyone in their right mind, would have been scared waking up in such a chamber. He would have been too, hadn't he known nothing else through his childhood. Yea, if he grew up in a house full of vibrant colours and sunlight dancing through the windows, he would have felt like he had woken up in a horror movie.
But that wasn't the case. He knew this room and even though it might look unsettling and uncomfortable for everyone else, it somehow brought him a little comfort.
He heard the door creak and was immediately reminded why he hadn't moved for the past time he was awake. A wave of unpleasant feelings rushed through his nerve system, and he fought down the urge to vocalise his suffering, knowing it would only hurt more.
Steps. He knew how to recognise every person in this house, by their steps. And these ones relaxed his body more than he thought they would.
Even though it's been though for the two of them, somehow their relationship remained a caring one.
His little brother closed the door of his room behind him and walked straight to his bed. His eyes scanned over him and their eyes met.
"Sirius"
Even though Regulus remained in his monotone, cold voice, Sirius could hear how relieved his brother was. Despite from Regulus’ attempt to push away any kind of feeling other than pride, he could never manage to hide his true thoughts from his older brother.
Sirius didn't answer, he just closed his eyes and felt another wave of pain run through his body.
Regulus understood and just sat down next to Sirius, without touching him, just watching how every little ounce of the curse moved inside his blood, hurting his older brother.
After a while Regulus pulled something out of his pocket and started fiddling with it. Sirius opened his eyes and looked at his brother. It was a small vial, carefully corked, which Regulus was now opening up.
"Painkiller Potion. It'll help"
He moved closer to Sirius, lightly brushing over his hands to check if he could touch him without triggering the remainings of the cruciatus curse, that still wandered through him.
When Sirius didn't move or close his eyes he held the vial to his mouth and slowly started to pour the liquid down his throat.
Sirius clenched his eyes together as he swallowed the potion, attempting to swallow down the pain with it.
"Might tire you a bit. You can sleep here"
Regulus unfazed tone didn't match his loving behaviour towards his brother, but Sirius didn't care. Hearing Regulus speak, calmed him down, reminded him that he wasn't alone, reassured him that Regulus was with him and not with them. That at least he was safe. It didn't matter how cold and heartless Reggie's voice had become over the years, it was still Sirius's comfort sound.
Sirius allowed his body to fully relax, which led to an intense wave of pain but eventually it started to devolve and granted him access to the sleep the potion had gifted him.
Before he drifted of into the dreamworld, he felt Regulus climbing next to him, gently wrapping his arms around Sirus's chest and resting his head on Sirus's shoulder. Sirius was a bit sad he wasn't able to tell Regulus how much this meant for him, but he felt like Reggie needed it too.
Tomorrow they'd probably go back to having their distant relationship that had been fading and loosening so much over the years, never talking about this again, but for a moment... for this moment, they had each other again, just like when they were children. Always cuddling up whenever Reggie had a nightmare or Sirius got beaten up by their parents again. Always sharing a blanket, holding each other, reading stories and looking at the stars.
They would never have this relationship again. Too much happened to heal the wounds time left on them. They grew apart and they both knew it. But in that moment, all of it suddenly didn't matter. For one night,..one painful night, they were those kids again.
And for one more time, cuddled up with his little brother, Sirius fell into a healing, peaceful sleep.