Fluffy
"I see you are associating with my brother now" Sirius snarled, leaning against a wall. Charms had just ended and Remus was on his way to lunch, when Sirius had stopped him.
"Maybe I was wrong, maybe you are a monster after all. BUt you'll see how they'll treat you. They'll see you as nothing but a pet, even if you turn out to be just as gruesome as my loony cousin"
Remus fumbled for words but it felt as if his mouth had been glued shut. He desperately wanted to explain to Sirius that that was not what was happening at all, but he could not get a single word out. In return, Sirius simply scoffed.
“So silent all of the sudden? Pathetic”
Remus shook his head, eyes widened in horror. That was the last thing he wanted anyone to think of him. That he was pathetic. He wasn’t!
“You are a traitor, Remus. A bloody traitor. But if you want to be tangled up with them so bad, I better show you what it’s like. Because I know it, I have lived it, Remus”
Remus was barely able to process the words falling from Sirius’ mouth before he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his body. His head hit the floor and everything suddenly became dull, apart from the pain. He was writhing on the floor, trying to escape the horrible feeling. It felt as if his skin was torn apart and ripped through shreds while his body was pinned down by a tirade of knives.
It was unbearable. Remus screamed as tears spilled from his cheeks and he was almost relieved when he felt reality slip away from beneath him. Maybe he was dying. Maybe then the torment would stop.
He sat up, his eyes pried wide open, his breath shallow. He felt as if he was suffocating despite the wide open space of the room. He was trying his best to calm himself down, not wanting to wake anyone like he did yesterday, but it was impossibly hard.
It had all felt so real, the fear, the pain. Remus could have sworn that he still felt the ache of the curse in his body, but it couldn't be.
He barely registered the noise of the bedsheets or the movement of the curtains across from him and only noticed Regulus when he stood directly in front of his bed.
"What's the matter? You sounded as if someone was torturing you"
Remus flinched and immediately, there was a change in Regulus' face. He carefully moved forward, watching Remus the entire time, until he sat directly in front of him.
"Nightmares, eh?"
Remus hesitated to say anything. This was stupid. It had just been a dream, a stupid stupid dream of Sirius. How was he supposed to even begin telling Regulus about this? Tell him about how in the dream his brother had Crucioed him? He would certainly laugh at Remus and think of him as weak.
Instead of pushing it, Regulus just sat there, looking out of the window. He didn’t press or try to force anything, he was just there. It confused Remus but somehow, in some way, it made it better. remus didn’t even mind how close they were sitting.
One of them just had to reach out and they would touch each other. It was so likely and yet, in Remus' mind, it would never happen. Why would Regulus even want to touch him? Of course, it would probably be nice, a little comforting to feel the touch of someone who cared, but did Regulus care? Was he just being nice?
"I'm not expecting you to tell me" Regulus suddenly seemed much softer, smiling slightly.
He took one of Remus' hands in his and started something like a massage. At first, he was utterly confused, wanting to ask what Regulus was doing, but he soon felt himself relax. Regulus seemed to actually know what he was doing.
Remus could feel his skin tingle under Regulus’ touch as the blood started flowing properly. He did not dare to look at Regulus, instead tracing the pattern on the bedsheets with his eyes, trying to not pay too much attention to the way Regulus was taking care of him.
He did the same thing to his other hand and put both of them down on Remus’ lap, palms facing up. When he tried to pull them back, Regulus grabbed his wrists.
“Keep them there. I know it might seem silly, but keeping your hands open makes you vulnerable and suggests that you are not in danger. And if you can, fake a smile. Does the same thing.”
Remus wasn’t quite convinced and he struggled with himself for a moment. Was Regulus making a fool of him? Was this funny to him? No, a quick look at the younger Black’s face told him almost the opposite. Despite how crazy and embarrassing it seemed to him, Remus did exactly what Regulus had asked him to do.
Surprisingly, it helped. A great deal, actually. Remus could feel himself noticeably calm down, his pulse slowed, the rushing in his ears stopped. Gradually, even the phantom pain subsided.
“There you go.”
Remus wasn’t imagining it this time, Regulus was actually smiling. Truly smiling with a warm and soft expression on his face. The word that came to mind Remus did not dare to even think, so he pushed it far back in his mind.
Regulus grabbed a book that had been laying next to him the entire time. Remus was amazed that he had not noticed, but in his condition it was probably understandable. He was however confused as to why Regulus was still sitting here, in his bed, reading as if it wasn’t the middle of the night.
Remus carefully raised his head to look around the common room, but he was interrupted by Regulus’ voice.
“They are gone, probably passed out in a hallway or the common room, don’t worry. Now rest. I don’t think you have had proper rest since the incident with my brother.”
Again, this tone of voice that left no room for discussion and it made Remus comply instantly.
As he was laying down, his eyes closed, doubt started to creep into his mind. What the hell was he doing here? Hanging out with Sirius’ younger brother and his friends while being tormented with nightmares of his ex lover…this was wrong. It was all wrong. He was disgusting.