Blinded by the Sun

He screamed and ripped away from his captors, breaking the bonds that previously trapped him. He ran to the man to his left first, a quick punch to the jaw followed by the groin and he was out of commision.

The men who had been standing around him suddenly dropped into a fighting stance. He did too, silently becoming them to come closer. 

The ones who were holding James stayed there, holding him tighter if anything.

The men circled him before he got into the zone. As much as he hated his mother she had been good for one thing, she taught him how to fight. And win.

He quickly ran to the first man, jumping up as he did, wrapping his thighs around his neck, after he knocked him down the man next to him came at him, landing a punch to his jaw before Regulus hit his groin as well.

Another down, only six to go.

He got grabbed from behind as one came up right in front of him with a taser. He kicked out at the man's hands, knocking the taser to the ground and using his momentum to flip the dude holding him. He grabbed the taser and quickly stabbed the men on the floor with it.

He swiftly went under the next man's arm and tased him. He did that to the next man also, until the taser went out. He hit it before cursing under his breath when it stayed dead. He headbutted that man, hard. It disoriented him slightly but he knew he had to keep his head in the game. So he ignored the steadily dripping blood from his newly broken nose.

The next man seemed to grow some brains and wait before attacking. He threw Regulus over his shoulder like a rag doll and rammed his back into a wall. Regulus grunted and started hammering the blunt side of the taser into the man’s spine, the man dropped him before quickly punching him in the jaw. Regulus spit out the blood pooling in his mouth from the hit to the jaw. 

The man gave a quick punch to his ribs before Regulus rapidly punched his ribs several times. Ducking another hit and driving the dead taser into the man's stomach. He doubled over and Regulus took the opportunity to punch the man's exposed neck. Before he could land the hit he was tackled by the last man.

The man drove his knee into Regulus’ groin area. A chuckle escaped Regulus as the man got confused, “Balls of steel motherfucker,” He said, grabbing the man's head and slamming it into his knee. 

He ran over to the last man standing and punched his jaw with all of his strength, the man teetered, not quite falling, and Regulus kicked his kneecap, knowing from experience that the force would dislocate it.

The man fell.

He turned to James, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead down into his eye, and numerous other bruises and cuts on his body. He squared up to the men around James, letting the blood drip from his nose, resisting the urge to wipe it off.

One of them brought out a gun and held it to James’s head. 

shit 

He was backed into a corner.

“Go over there and put the handcuffs back on, or we will shoot pretty boy,” The vile man grabbed James’s cheeks roughly, squishing them together and forcing James to look at him, he leaned in closer, close enough that James could probably feel his lips as he whispered, “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Resisting the urge to throttle the man with his bare hands, Regulus walked over to the handcuffs in the corner. He clicked one cuff onto his wrist before saying, “I can’t put the other on, I think one of your men broke my wrist.”

The man jerked his head to one of the men. He walked over and grabbed the wrist he presumed was broken and tightened his grip.

Regulus screamed and sank down on his knees slightly, before abruptly jumping up and slammed his brow into the man’s jaw. He quickly put the sharp end of the cuff to the man’s jugular.

“It seems we are at an impasse,” He smirked, “ Tom. ”

Tom growled, tightening his grip on James’s hair. Regulus watched as James’s eyes tightened in pain, still not letting any sound out.

“Look, I beat your best, Mculiber. Malfoy, both LeStrange’s, and here I have your right hand man,” He shifted the cuff,” Barty. ” He saw the pain in Riddle’s eyes. The same pain he was sure was in his own. The pain you have when the man you love is in danger.

“I don’t know what you're playing at Black.”

“Oh I'm sure you don't, Riddle, but you would be a fool to think I don't know about this ,” He said alluding to the complicated relationship between Barty and Riddle, “And you would be more of a fool to think I wouldn’t exploit it. So, give me mine and I’ll give you yours.”

Barty spoke for the first time, “Don't do it Marvolo, don’t-” He was cut off as Regulus shifted the cuff tighter into Barty’s neck, making a trail of blood leak from the pressure spot.

Tom glanced at Barty with a quick grimace as his eyes followed the blood until it was hidden by the shirt. 

Tom flicked the safety back on. And released James’s hair from his grasp. 

“But my Lord-” Bellatrix started.

“Shut up Bella.” Tom said shortly.

“Wha- you can’t seriously care about Barty,” She said with an incredulous laugh.

The gun was cocked before anyone could even blink. The shot made James flinch from where he was still frozen in the chair. 

Regulus didn’t watch as Bellatrix's body slumped to the ground, making a dull thud.

Tom roughly shoved James off the chair and James immediately ran over to Regulus.

“Hay baby, I'm going to need you to stay behind me.” Regulus said as he dragged Barty to his feet and slowly walked to the entrance of the warehouse. As soon as he was out the door he let Barty go and he grabbed James’s hand and ran.

When they had gotten three blocks away and Regulus’s ribs were aching too much to breath they stopped in an alleyway.

James shoved him roughly against the brick wall and lightly pressed his lips on the cuts on his face, butterfly kisses. When he finished he stared into Regulus’s stormy grey eyes. He pressed his lips against Regulus’s. 

It was less of a kiss and more like a smother. Regulus responded in turn though. Pressing himself roughly against the other man, reassuring himself that he was here, he was safe, he wasn't going anywhere. 

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When they finally stumbled back to one of the numerous safe houses Regulus had all over London Regulus started running his hands all over James’s body. Looking for any injuries that happened when he hadn’t been there.

He quickly found the collection of lashes on James’s stomach. He collapsed, curled up on the floor shaking saying I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry in between sobs.

James quickly bent down to get level with Regulus, wincing as he curled over his wounds.

He took Regulus’s face gently in his hands, mindful of the scrapes and bruises on his face.

“Hey, hey look at me,” He waited unti Regulus lifted his gaze to meet James’s eyes, “You did nothing wrong, you saved me, you are the reason I don’t look worse.”

“No!” Regulus yelled, “I am why you are in this position in the first place, if not for me you woudln’t have been there.” He rose up.

James rose with him, “I love you, I would not have sit idly by as you got kidnapped, that is not who I am and you know that Regulus.” 

“No- but if-”

“Don't-” James cut off the weak defence Regulus was going to make, “I knew what I was getting into when I became friends with Sirius and I knew what I was getting into when I aksed you out, I love all of you Regulus. I am not going to cherry pick the best parts of you ansd leave the rest out. You are mine, all of you. And I am yours, and if you think for a second I would leave you without a fight then you obviously don't know me at all. Now come on,” He started walking to the bathroom, where the medical supplies were, “You can patch me up first if you want.”

Regulus looked hesitant, curled around himself, the not yet dry tear tracks on his face glistening in the moonlight. Eventually though, he moved, walking over to James’s outstretched hand and grabbing onto it like it was his lifeline.

James led him over to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat and watched as Regulus methodically pulled the first adi kit from its spot above the sink. 

Regulus pulled out the antiseptic and dabbed some on a cotton ball, he kneeled down between James’s legs and looked up at him slightly in an apology. He pressed the antiseptic to the wounds and flinched when James hissed. He quickly finished and pulled the gauze out. He stayed in the same position on the bathroom floor as he slowly wrapped the gauze around James’s torso. When he had finished the last wrap he leaned in and kissed the wound lightly. 

James stood up and gently pulled Regulus up with him, He softly pushed Regulus down onto the toilet seat before removing his shirt, muttering a quick sorry when the shirt tugged n the already scabbed over wounds that had dried on the shirt. He teared up when he saw the extent of the wounds, and grabbed the antiseptic and dabbed it over the wounds still sluggishly leaking blood. Regulus didn’t even so much as hiss when he no doubt felt the sting that should have come.

James softly asked, “Do I have to stitch anything up?”

Regulus seemed to take a moment to internally scan his body before nodding his head, he turned around to show James a long gash on his back. It would no doubt leave an ugly scar. James grabbed a needle and stitches from the kit. It was so well equiped he was sure that Regulus had raided a hospital to get these kinds of things. 

He winced with Regulus as the first stitch went in, in his opinion the first one was always the hardest. 

When he was halfway done Regulus spoke up, “You know, we could have just cauterized the wound.”

James sighed but didn't pause his stitching, “Reg, I'm not holding a flame to your skin.”

Regulus shrugged slightly before James flicked his shoulder, “What? I'm just saying.”

“Love my answer will always be the same, I am patching you up to cause less pain, I'm not practically setting you on fire, because that would hurt.”

“And I'm just saying I have a high pain tolerance, who knows, it might not hurt.”

“Babe, I’m not going to attempt to find your pain threshold. No more arguments.”

Regulus sighed but didn’t say anything more as James finished the stitches. He turned around so that James could deal with his torso. James grabbed a handful of bandages and a flannel  he ran under the warm tap.

He started going over the scabbed places with the flannel, putting bandages over them as a precaution. “You know that’s gonna hurt when I try and take them off.”

“Thet’s why you’re not going to do it, I will. I’m going to put you in the tub and gently remove them instead of just rip them off.”

When James made his way up to Regulus’s face he ran his hands through his hair, no doubt matted with blood, when he found no tender spots he pulled Regilus closer and kissed him. The kiss got heavier when Regulus put his tounge in James’s mouth.

James, always being the one who wanted the control, pushed back. He pulled Regulus even closer and tightened his grip in his hair. Regulus lightly bit James’s lip, which pulled a groan from the older man. When Regulus was running out of oxygen he slowly pulled back, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against James’s. 

James whispered, “I love you,”

Regulus responded, “I almost killed you.”

James laughed softly, “I don’t care. I will always love you, no matter what.”

A tear slipped down Regulus’s cheek and it was quickly wiped away by James, he repeated, “I almost killed you.” This time in a much softer tone, “And I can never forgive myself for that.”

“I forgive you, and I think that’s all that matters.” James lightly kissed him again, “Now hush, I have to patch up the rest of your face as much as I just want to kiss you.”

He pulled butterfly bandages out from the pile and slowly peeled the adhesive bandage from the sticky bit. He gently placed it over the injury on Regulus’s brow. 

He then dabbed the flannel on Regulus’s nose, the flannel quickly soaking up the blood that still dripped.

“There,” James whispered, lips so close Regulus could practicaly feel them grazing his lips, “All better.”

James leaned away as he put the med kit back in order and back into it’s position over the sink. He grabbed Regulus’s hands gently between his own and pulled him into a standing position, “Let’s get you to sleep, okay?”

Regulus nodded and followed James over to the bed. James traced a singe finger over Regulus’s lips before leaning in to place a quick peck on them, “You know today wasn’t your fault, right? There was no way you would have known that we would have gotten kidnapped, there was no way to know.”

“I could have protected you better, I could have-”

James cut him off, “Regulus, darling, I am capable of protecting myself. Yeah, you can fight better but that does not mean I can’t still fight. We both got taken, and we both fought them off the hardest we could. Now, let’s go to sleep and don’t worry. We’re both fine.”

But Regulus couldn’t fall asleep, he laid awake watching James. Running his hands over the gauze on James’s stomach. The guilt pooling in his stomach as his mind tried to construct what James had been through. The pain that James would have gone through as he got the long lashed that would surely scar over.

His hands traveled down to James’s hips. 

Where the tattoos were. 

Regulus traced the shape of the knife, dripping with blood on his hip. A tribute to the self harm that James had gone through when he was fifteen. 

He turned his attention to James’s arms, carefully going over every inch to make sure there were no more injuries. 

When he got to James’s left arm he stopped. There on the top of  James’s left bicep was the Leo constellation, and in it, was his star. The brightest star, his star permanently on James. 

Regulus tenderly kissed the spot before slinging his arm over Jame’s torso and breathing in the usual scent.

He quickly fell alseep, listening to the steady sound of James’s heartbeat.

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