Regulus supported his brother and his sexuality, to put it simply.
For one thing, it would be a bit hypocritical for him to have an issue with Sirius and Remus’s relationship considering his own leanings. Pot calling the kettle black, and all that.
He had also been one of the first people Sirius came out to. His usually suave and confident sibling had been a nervous wreck, assuming his brother would be just like their parents, but instead Regulus just patted his arm and told him he didn’t give a fuck. Most people would be a bit put off by that, but Sirius knew Regulus well, and it was the nicest thing he had ever said to him. And when Regulus began leaving little rainbow trinkets and pins for him without ever mentioning it, Sirius had immediately wrote a letter to Moony sobbing.
When Sirius’s relationship with Remus made it back to their parents, it was Regulus who came to his aid. His parents were speaking in his father’s study, giving him a small break before they no doubt returned to finish what they started. Regulus had snuck down and drug him to their fireplace and then placed the floo powder in his hand, telling him he had to get away. Later, after he recovered at the Potters and explained what happened, he laid awake at night worrying for his younger brother, wondering if his parents figured out what he did.
Sirius barely restrained himself from kidnapping Regulus when he saw him sit down in the Great Hall. As soon as he saw an opportunity as Regulus walked back to his common room, Sirius dragged him to an empty classroom. Immediately he wrapped the younger up in a tight hug, tears falling into Regulus’s curls as his younger brother held on just as tightly. Sirius barely brought him to be able to ask what happened. His heart broke again as Regulus shrugged and said, “the usual”, noting that his hands still tremored from the aftereffects of prolonged periods under the pain spell.
All of that to say, Regulus certainly didn’t have a problem with Sirius being gay.
His problem was that Sirius had absolutely no mental shields.
It was absolutely pathetic. Sirius had ignored many of his parents’ lessons, but couldn’t occlumency be the one that stuck? Regulus had always been adept at legilimency; as a child, he began doing it before he even realized he was picking up on thoughts only he could hear. It actually took him quite awhile to learn how to tune it out. Most days it didn’t bother him to be around other people (well, for that reason anyway; he also had many other reasons).
But like everything else Sirius did, he did it loudly.
He almost missed before Sirius and Remus got together. At least then, it was mostly pining and angst instead of what was basically porn. Again, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t his own brother. He knew plenty about Sirius; he didn’t need to know he had a serious praise kink.
And no one else even knew how filthy his brother and Remus were.
The two were curled up together on the couch in the Gryffindor common room one chilly November night. Sirius had made the excuse that he could feel the cold and damp weather even in the castle, although the common rooms all had warming charms to negate it. His head was lying in Remus’s lap, and the wolf gently ran his fingers through Sirius’s curls. Both were staring deeply into the other’s eyes, with the softest expressions, totally lost in their own world.
James was sitting on the floor in front of the chair Regulus reclined in, sorting through his parents’ recent gift sent to him of all kinds of candy. Every time he found chocolate, he would add it to Remus’s pile, and when he found peppermint he would wordlessly pass it back to Regulus. Ever since Regulus came to stay with the Potters after a particularly terrifying and painful night, James seemed to almost orbit around him.
He leaned back, bumping Regulus’s leg with his shoulder. “They’re kind of adorable,” he whispered. “Aren’t they?”
Of course he wasn’t privy to Sirius’s train of thought. ‘Fuck I want him to pick me up and throw me on his bed, hold me down and make it uncomfortable to sit for a week. His dick is so good, no one else has ever filled me up like that. I don’t even want prep, I want to feel the stretch and for him to tell me how pretty I take it-‘
Regulus almost choked on the air he was breathing. He wanted a bludger to hit his head and remove his memory for the last 20 seconds. He was sure he could convince Barty to do it for him.
He quickly gathered the candy James had separated for him and stood up. “I’ve got to start on my charms essay, James. I’ll see you later.”
As he speed walked out of the common room, he could hear James say, “You could do that here, you don’t have to leave yet!” But he was blushing too hard to turn around and face him. Instead he just waved as he left.
On the bright side, his pocket crinkled with his favorite sweet.
Unfortunately, it didn’t get better. He hoped that they would fuck it out after he left that day, but apparently Sirius and Remus got aroused just by hearing the other’s name. This time, it was on the last nice day of the year. It was certainly still chilly, but at least it was sunny and warm enough to be able to be comfortable outside with heavy robes and a scarf. The last class of the day had dismissed early to allow the students to enjoy a bit of sunshine, so the group planned to enjoy a snack outside.
They ended up at a picnic table near the Whomping Willow. Peter had refused to come along, saying he had something else he had to do. James had frowned, mentioning that the shorter boy was constantly making up excuses not to hang out with them anymore. Instead, Regulus and James sat together on one bench while the couple sat on the other.
The three were laughing and goofing off, but Regulus was too unfocused to join in. Because unfortunately, Remus and Sirius were playing a bit of footsy under the table.
At first, Sirius’s thoughts were decently tame. Mostly about how funny it was and ‘James and Regulus don’t even know’! At least then the only distraction Regulus had to deal with was how bright James’s smile was, and how he kept touching Regulus. An arm around his shoulders occasionally, bumping his own shoulder into Regulus’s, and at one point he even fiddled with Regulus’s rings. He didn’t even pay attention to Sirius then, so flustered by James.
It went off the rails when Remus’s foot apparently travelled a bit too high to be PG. Regulus had to give it to him; the boy was surprisingly risqué and had an excellent poker face.
Sirius also had a decent poker face, other than the light blush across his cheeks. If only he could contain his thoughts as well as he did his expression. ‘Oh Merlin, just a little bit higher. He’s so close, come on just a little harder Moony! Fuck right there! I could cum just from this, and the bastard is smirking at me. Fuck he’s so hot. I’m about to drag him out to that shack and-‘
Nope. Regulus did not need to know how this ended. He jumped up, brushing off some crumbs from his robes. James startled a bit, blinking up at him. “You okay, Reg?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Regulus replied. “I just forgot I need to see Pandora for a moment.” He waved goodbye, unable to look at Remus and Sirius as he hastily headed back to the castle. There was a bit of awkward silence in his wake, before the trio continued goofing off.
They paused again when they saw Pandora walking down to the greenhouse with Lily, a smile illuminating her face as she nodded at the redhead. For her part, Lily was almost bouncing with energy, eagerly telling the blonde something out of earshot. Regulus was nowhere in sight.
Sirius took note and frowned, his foot falling back to the ground. “I don’t understand…”
James looked back towards the group after giving himself a mental nudge. He expected it to hurt, seeing Lily seemingly infatuated with someone else, but he just felt a small sense of melancholy. Mostly he was just happy for her; now that James quit pursuing her, they actually became good friends. “Huh?”
Remus carefully wrapped his arm around Sirius, drawing him into a hug. “It’s okay, Padfoot. Maybe he just needs some time to come around to the idea.”
Sirius continued to frown. “I know,” he sighed. “I just thought he would be more supportive. He didn’t act like he cared when I came out, but have you noticed how uncomfortable he is around us?”
James added, “To be fair, he’s a bit uncomfortable around people in general.”
“It’ll be okay,” Remus whispered, kissing Sirius’s cheek.
Meanwhile, Regulus was lying face down in his bed with Barty and Evan sitting beside him. As soon as they saw him come in and drop face down on the bed, they circled him like sharks smelling blood in the water. “What’s got you so miserable? More miserable than your normal, I mean,” Barty smirked.
“Sirius.”
“What’d big brother do now?” Evan asked, sharing an amused look with Barty.
“You know how he’s with Lupin now?” Regulus asked, looking up and seeing them nod. “Sirius knows all about occlumency, but he doesn’t ever put up shields. His thoughts are always broadcasted, especially around Remus.” He dropped his head back down.
It took the two a moment to puzzle together what Regulus meant, but he knew they understood when they both burst into hysterical laughter. Finally, Evan pulled himself together enough to tease, “I’m guessing it isn’t about how he’s the love of his life and how they’re going to be together forever?”
Pushing himself up to glare, Regulus spat, “Oh yes, plenty of that. But too much other stuff. I don’t need to know my brother’s kinks. I never asked for that! How can I look him or Remus in the eye now? Everyone else thinks they’re just being adorable and I have to hear how much Sirius wants his dick.”
Throughout the rant, the other two barely kept a straight face, but the last sentence decimated them. They were howling, leaning on each other. “Oh my fuck,” Barty wheezed.
“I’m glad you find it funny. I’m going to throw myself off the Astronomy Tower tonight.”
“Oh come on, can’t you tell him just to put his shields up?”
“No,” Regulus hissed. “Because then he’ll know that I know, and I’d rather die than admit I heard any of that.”
Barty finally just patted his head mockingly. “I’ll be sure to send flowers. Poisonous ones. For your funeral, I mean.”
Regulus just groaned and tried to suffocate himself in his pillow, ignoring his evil friends.
It was almost worse now that Barty and Evan knew, because if they saw Regulus begin to blush and shake his head, they would immediately tease him for it. Barty had even asked him to give them a running commentary, earning himself a smack. When they were in herbology, Evan had to keep Regulus from intentionally listening to the mandrakes. Deafness would be an easy choice after some of what Regulus learned.
Sirius broadcasted so loudly, Regulus could even hear him through castle walls. One memorable day, Regulus was in a classroom next to the class the Marauders were in. He was desperately clinging to focus. An exam was coming soon, and while his parents weren’t able to punish him anymore for a less than perfect grade, Regulus still took pride in his schoolwork.
However it seemed he would be asking Barty and Evan later for their notes, because Sirius was as distracting as usual.
‘Fuck he knows what he’s doing, nibbling that sugar quill like that. Merlin I want to feel that mouth go down on me again, with that tongue twist he does. Maybe tonight we can try that number thing he was talking about earlier-‘
Face beet red, Regulus hid it in his arms and rested on the table. He probably just looked like he was sleeping to the professor. Covering his ears didn’t help any, so all he could do was try to drown Sirius out in his own thoughts. Sadly, Regulus was always the quieter sibling.
Footsteps tapped as the professor walked towards him. “Are you feeling unwell, Mister Black?”
Hazarding a quick glance upwards, he muttered, “I feel sick, alright.”
The professor shrugged and walked away, returning to their lecture. He could hear Barty and Evan stifling laughs, so he kicked the closest one underneath the table. It did make him feel a bit better.
It all came to a head on the trip back home on the Hogwarts Express. It was going to be Regulus’s first Christmas with the Potters, as well as his first Christmas in general. Pureblood society never celebrated such a holiday. James swore it had its own kind of magic. Regulus was actually excited for it; he had even managed to sneak enough to get everyone presents. A patch for Sirius’s leather jacket, a customized guitar pick and a Quidditch book for James, potion ingredients for Monty, and a beautiful flower pendant necklace for Effie. He even got Remus some customized bookmarks.
Not even that excitement could convince him to spend the whole ride back in a compartment with Sirius, even though he would have liked to sit with James.
He wove in and out of people in search of Pandora, Barty, and Evan. Maybe sometime over break he could think of a way to bring it up to Sirius, but he wasn’t going to ruin the atmosphere before Christmas.
He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see James grinning at him. Merlin, that smile could power the Sun. “Hey, Reg! We’re going to sit in this compartment, if you want to sit with us.”
With a tight smile, Regulus shook his head. “Thank you, but I’d rather sit somewhere else.”
Regulus watched with a smidge of guilt as James smile dropped, and he awkwardly shifted back and forth on his feet. “Oh, alright. I guess I’ll come find you on the platform?”
Before Regulus could agree, he heard Sirius shout, “No, he’s not! He’s going to come sit in here and talk.” Sirius stormed into the compartment and threw his luggage on the shelf. Remus followed quietly.
James bit his lip, glancing between Regulus and the door. “You know, if you don’t want to be around us, I understand. But I wish you could hang out with us more.”
That sick feeling of guilt grew as he saw how despondent James had become. Regulus ran a frustrated hand through his hair. How could he express that he very much wanted to spend more time with them, especially James, but he was a bit distracted by his horny brother?
Deciding to get the confrontation over with, he shrugged as he stepped into the compartment. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Sirius was still standing, tapping his foot and scowling.
A bratty younger brother to the end, Regulus sat down and gestured for him to go on.
“Do you have some kind of problem with me and Remus?!” Sirius finally exploded. “You act like you physically can’t be around us. I know you’ve had a hard time adjusting to getting away from your parents and you didn’t seem to mind at first, but now every time we’re together you practically run away. Look, I love you, but I love Remus too. He isn’t going anywhere and I’m not going to ignore him to make you happy. So either get with it or just go back home!”
Remus reached out to grab Sirius’s hand after the last comment, seemingly to calm Sirius down. Regulus finally snapped. After everything he had sacrificed, all the pain he endured, and Sirius thought he could just tell him to go back to that? And he didn’t even have the facts straight!
Regulus jumped up, immediately leaning into Sirius’s space. “Fuck you.” James’s eyes bounced back and forth, eyebrows drawn together in worry as the siblings faced off, anger clearly rolling off both of them.
“Are you trying to act like you don’t have a problem with us? You can’t even be around us!” Sirius yelled, gesturing wildly, completely ignoring Remus trying to intervene.
“I don’t have a problem with you two dating,” Regulus hissed, stepping closer.
James finally jumped up, placing a hand on both of their shoulders. “Come on, guys, we can work this out-“
“No!” Sirius shouted. “There’s nothing to work out! He either accepts us or leaves!”
Regulus finally reached out to grab the lapels of Sirius’s coat and dragged him closer to his face. “You’re shite at occlumency!”
Confusion finally broke through Sirius’s rage. He blinked a couple times, head tilted as though he couldn’t understand what Regulus said. “What?”
“I don’t have a problem with you and Remus,” Regulus snapped. “My problem is that I can hear absolutely everything that you think!”
For a few moments Sirius just stood in stunned silence as he pieced together what Regulus was saying. Regulus could tell when it finally hit him, because his face quickly turned as red as his scarf. “Oh fuck,” he whispered, eyes wide.
In the background, Remus burst out laughing.
James still didn’t understand what happened, eyes jumping back and forth as though the movement would give him a hint. “Okay, I’m lost,” he admitted.
Rolling his eyes, Regulus let go of Sirius and turned to face James. “Sirius doesn’t block his thoughts, at all. I don’t like being around him and Remus because I can hear everything Sirius thinks of. With Remus.”
He could see James working through it, and when he finally got it, the shock turned into hysterical giggling. He was laughing so hard he had to sit down. “Oh Merlin,” he gasped.
Regulus turned back towards Sirius. “So either put up your damn shield or I’m going to another compartment.” After a moment, there was finally blessed silence. Regulus didn’t realize how much of a constant headache the noise was giving him. He let out a relieved sigh. “That’s better.”
“Regulus, fuck-“ Sirius whispered.
“Oh yes, that’s one of your favorite words, isn’t it?” Regulus snarked, finally sitting down next to James.
Sirius made a kind of gasping choking noise as Remus and James kept laughing. “I didn’t know!”
“I would hope so,” Regulus said. “I’ve learned way too much about your sex life, but exhibitionism wasn’t one I heard. Yet.”
As Sirius let out a last noise, similar to a dying whale, he curled against Remus. Perhaps Regulus would actually get a quiet train ride if Sirius was too mortified to speak.
At first, the ride stayed quiet as Regulus watched the scenery fly by. That was broken when James scooted closer. “I didn’t know you were a legilimens, Reggie.”
Regulus felt his heart flutter at the nickname, but at least he was better at keeping a poker face now. He nodded. “I was always open to thoughts. Ever since I was really little, I could pick up on it if someone thought…loudly, but I don’t think that’s the right word. I had to be trained quite young to start blocking it out. Unfortunately for me, Sirius is very loud. As I’m sure you’ve heard.”
James laughed.
The rest of the train ride, James and Regulus had an easy conversation. As awkward as Regulus could feel around others, talking to James always came so easily. Sirius didn’t rejoin the conversation until the end, although he still wasn’t looking anyone in the eye. “What happened here does not leave this compartment,” he finally said, hanging his head in his hands and closing his eyes.
“Sure,” Regulus agreed, with a sarcastic smile. “But if I have to hear one more thought from you, I’ll destroy you. You don’t even realize how much blackmail you’ve given me.”
Sirius gulped.