rab: (beneath a dripping tongue)
regulus arcturus black. ([personal profile] rab) wrote in [community profile] marauderstower2016-10-15 12:31 pm

Poly-Marauders Torture Hell

TIMELINE: 2 mo after Find Out Pregs. Relatively soon after getting Remus to return from being a TRASH HUSBAND. Bun In Oven about 3mo along.

Regulus finds out about the plan before he knows he's even supposed to be involved. He finds out when he overhears Bellatrix talking about it and his blood runs cold. He slips away quiet and hidden to send off a panicked owl with what information he can give without being incriminated.

S.

Do not go home tonight. B going there. Will be V. BAD. Safe elsewhere.

R.


Each emphasized word is underlined twice.

He barely gets it sent off and goes back among the others when Bellatrix slings an arm around his shoulder and asks him if he's excited to go on the mission. He forces a smile at her, but he feels like he's going to vomit. It's easy to get there though, easy to get to the flat with Bellatrix's...methods. They're left waiting for Sirius to return home and Regulus is only barely not shaking. Bellatrix is draped over an armchair like this is a social call, leg hanging over the arm of it. Regulus is standing nervously behind it and looking at the door every so often.

"You know he's not going to change his mind," said soft. They're not wearing their masks tonight.

There's a silence before Bellatrix's voice slithers out from her perch where he can't see her. Her knife smile is in his mind. "That's not the point, darling cousin."

(Regulus isn't religious, obviously, but what he does now is something very like praying.)

WARNINGS: torture, violence, Mean Things Being Said, Bellatrix Lestrange.
effingsirius: (going mad)

[personal profile] effingsirius 2016-11-02 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
"No. No, dìdì, 's not-- your fault."

Another feeble struggle against the charms holding him in. The spells monitoring his vitals make a soft sound of concern as he gets more and more restless; nothing immediately life-threatening but honest enough given the state he's working himself up to. It's honestly a miracle he hasn't lost consciousness again.

And then Remus is saying those horrible words and he lets loose another sob.

"Please-- stop," he pleads with both of them, the room starting to spin again and his eyes shutting briefly to fight off the dizziness.
siriusno: (tired)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-02 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
He'd thought he was beyond feeling any more pain, but each of Regulus' words hits him like a blow. He takes every one of them in turn, though, head bowed and shoulders hunched, hands balled into fists on the floor, because he deserves them. He's the reason that Regulus is at this point, and anything that happens from here on, he's entirely to blame.

He's crying a bit more noticeably now, the silent tears having turned to soft gasps verging on actual sobs and he knows he's about to lose it. It's the flashes of bright color from the spells over Sirius' bed that spur him into movement, and he pushes himself to his feet, reaching out blindly for the wall to steady himself.

"I should... go. Find a–" His throat feels thick, and he can barely get the words out as he stumbles toward the door. "–Healer." He's very nearly through it when he pauses, head still hung so that his hair falls over his eyes and unable to look at Sirius or Regulus. His last words come as a barely audible whisper before he bolts from the room:

"I'm sorry, Reg."
effingsirius: (stay up late)

[personal profile] effingsirius 2016-11-02 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Remus--"

He starts to say something, but he doesn't even get the name of his friend out before the other man's gone. It's got another loose sob escaping his lips; has him reaching for Regulus before his brother even starts to move. Once Regulus has brushed lightly at his hair, he lets his unhurt hand reach up, trying to grasp at the young man's hand.

"I-- love you," he says, earnest despite the way he's struggling to keep his gaze focused on Regulus. He's very obviously getting woozy again, "So much, dìdì. Thanks for-- looking out f'r me."

His eyes slip shut again, stay closed for a moment, before he manages.

"Y'did-- good, Reggie."
siriusno: (sad 2)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-02 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
Remus still has the presence of mind to locate a Healer once he's left, wiping his eyes before motioning the green-clad witch down the hall towards Sirius' room. After that, he moves blindly, staggering away past rows of empty chairs until he spies a door opening onto a darkened room.

He breaks down again the moment he enters the empty hospital room, collapsing into a chair where he allows the events of the past twenty-four hours to hit him full force, shoulders shaking with the intensity of his sobs.

He'd ducked away not because he wanted to be alone, but because he didn't want Sirius or Regulus to see him in their path should either of them have cause to come this way. He's done enough for one lifetime – to the both of them – and the best thing (the only thing) that he can do for either of them now is to stay out of their way and let them get on with their lives.
effingsirius: (nothing at all)

[personal profile] effingsirius 2016-11-02 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
"'s long as-- y're careful," he mumbles, fumblingly managing to squeeze his brother's hand again. He may be concussed and on his way out of consciousness again, but he does still know his brother-- even if he's not quite catching on to the intricacies of exactly how distressed Regulus is.

He's still fighting to stay awake when the Healer finally comes in, and there's a flicker in his expression when he notes her lack of accompaniment. She fusses over him, frowning over what the diagnostic charms are telling her and maneuver her way around the stubbornly still Regulus.

Soon enough she's got him downing a painkilling potion so that she can lift the numbing spell off of him. She's checking in to see how badly his head injury is making him feel. She's explaining that head injuries are delicate things and they try to avoid doing too much spellwork for fear of getting something wrong.

"We can take the edge off the symptoms, perhaps," she tells him, "But fully making them go away-- It's too risky. We already weren't entirely certain you'd regain proper consciousness and we don't want to cause that to be a threat again."

It makes sense, really. It's still got Sirius grumbling a little; irritated at having to stay in bed a little longer when he's clearly needed by his best friend and brother at least, if not the rest of the war.

"The more you rest now, the faster we'll be able to release you," the Healer chides back in response, "Really, counterintuitive though it may be, you ought to sleep more. The fact you managed to be awake for-- more than a minute is a good sign that you're out of the woods when it comes to going completely comatose. And you really musn't try to get out of bed just yet. The spell says you were clearly in a lot of distress while trying."

That earns a bitter snort out of Sirius as he hums his agreement. Satisfied that he's at least heard the words if not quite planned on listening to them, the Healer makes a few notes before bidding them both farewell.

Sirius slumps a little more back into the pillow, when she goes, the exhaustion he was trying to hide clearly visible now, as his concern for his brother. This time when Sirius squeezes his hand, it's a lot weaker. The flutter of his eyelids indicates he really ought to be heading back into sleep.

"...He d-didn't know," he murmurs again, softer now, "'nd everyone's on edge nowadays. Please don't-- hate each other 'cause of me. Or... blame y'rselves."
siriusno: (concerned)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-02 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
The worst of his uncontrollable sobs have subsided by the time Regulus finds him, still hunched over on the chair, his hair a wreck from pulling at it during his breakdown and his face pale and blotchy. He hastily wipes his eyes when Regulus enters the room, sucking in a shuddering breath and trying to collect himself as best he can. He had hoped perhaps that they would just forget about him or leave him to his shame and misery, but apparently luck is not on his side tonight.

It's with great effort that Remus forces himself to look up, and the gaze that he turns on Regulus is despondent. Broken. Like a shell that the real Remus had left behind long ago.

"How is he?" His voice is flat when he speaks, and he nearly winces at the sound of it. There's another question there, too, but he doesn't dare ask it, simply staring at Regulus – staring through him, more like – dead eyed and braced for whatever punishment comes his way.
siriusno: (surprised)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-02 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
Seeing Regulus like this is... disconcerting.

He knows that what he's seeing now is the the pureblood Slytherin as Regulus had described – the heir who was raised to exude an impeccable image and cater to the expectations of his station. It's there in the artful choice of what he shows and what he tries to conceal, in the very air that manifests around him and in the attitude that he affects with such precision.

Remus can see the spots where Regulus has frayed around the edges, however; he can see where the actual emotion is bleeding through, belying his calm and commanding exterior. He can see where the pureblood prince ends and where Regulus Black begins, and it's devastating to witness how resolutely Regulus is trying to keep the cracks from showing.

He's trying to be strong for the both of them.

And it makes Remus feel even worse.

He doesn't know what he can do (nothing, there's nothing he can do), but as Regulus approaches, he does make an attempt to sit up a little straighter. His breath catches in his throat when it looks like Regulus is about to touch him, his eyes betraying the tiny flicker of hope that the gesture lights within him before its so quickly snuffed out again by Regulus' retreat. He'd known it would be impossible for them to go back to the way they were, but to have that fact so blatantly paraded in front of him still hurts like nothing he's ever experienced.

"What can I do?" he asks, and there are so many levels of desperation packed into that question that it's almost laughable. Of course there's nothing he can do, not really. No way to salvage the trust that he's broken or the relationship that he's thrown to the dogs. Still, if Regulus is here – if he's come to him and is asking for help – then Remus can't refuse him. It's more than he would have expected, after all. More than he could have ever asked for.
siriusno: (unsure)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-02 09:36 am (UTC)(link)
It's a lot to take in, and Remus needs several moments to process all of the information that he's just been given. The magnitude of what Regulus has just told him – both the secret itself and the fact that Regulus has come to him with it – leaves him feeling floored. This information could be the break they need, could turn the tide of the entire war, if they act wisely. And if they act fast. The fact that the information is coming from one of Voldemort's inner circle carries its own heavy implications, the first and foremost being that Regulus has just made himself a traitor to the Dark Lord and defected to their side.

Which means that Regulus can clear his name with this horcrux lead, and never have to be regarded with suspicion again. He can be one of them.

The way that Regulus is talking alarms him though, several red flags popping up in his mind all at once. Brows drawing together, Remus finds himself moving to stand, but thinks better of it and remains where he is, leaning forward with a look of trepidation in his eyes.

"Why can't you give him the message yourself? Why come to me instead of going straight to Dumbledore? Surely he's the one best equipped to help figure out what to do from here." Remus can see how the weight of the burden is wearing on Regulus, and it's all he can do not to close the few feet between them and take him in is arms, to offer his comfort and support. Like he always would have done. Before. "If you're the only one who's realized, then surely you should go to the Order. Let them protect you. Let us help you."
siriusno: (resigned)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-03 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
"I do." His voice cracks when he says it, a plea that verges on frantic. He sucks in a ragged breath and tuns his face away, covering his mouth, but it's too late: he's begun to cry again, and there's nothing he can do to stop it.

"I want you in the Order." He drops his hands and looks at Regulus again, ignoring the tears as they fall traitorously down his cheeks, eyes begging Regulus for all of the things that he can't give voice to. He knows that he has no right to even say such a thing now, after what he's done, but it's the truth. Whether he's there or not (and he has no plans to continue on with the Order now), Remus wants Regulus there, because it's where he honestly believes that Regulus belongs. Doing good.

"You can't stand there and say we're not already in danger, every one of us. We're choosing to put our lives on the line, so it only makes sense to let the Order help. To go off on your own is foolish. It's too dangerous, Reg."
siriusno: (sad)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-03 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Please." The tears are flowing faster now, and he can barely control his voice enough to speak above a whisper. He knows he's being ridiculous – he shouldn't be the one falling apart and Regulus shouldn't be the one staying strong for the both of them – but Regulus is saying goodbye and after everything, the thought of Regulus walking to his death alone is simply not something that Remus can handle right now.

Either he doesn't really hear what Regulus has said or he's ignoring it, because the words tumbling from his throat don't even acknowledge the idea that the Order could need him (nobody needs him not like this).

"Let me go, Reg, please. Tell me what to do and I'll go. It should be me." His eyes close as Regulus touches him. He doesn't dare move, for fear that Regulus will pull away. "I'm beyond absolution already," he whispers.
Edited 2016-11-03 06:40 (UTC)
siriusno: (surprised 2)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-03 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
Remus doesn't dare open his eyes – hardly dares to breathe – when those fingers trail down his neck and he feels Regulus' lips against his own. He does make a quiet sound in the back of his throat, however, something small and broken and containing all the pain that's tearing him apart inside.

It's so horribly, painfully unfair. They should have so much time. They should have the rest of their lives to make mistakes and learn from them and grow and live. But they don't. And Remus has never been more convinced that Regulus is right, and this is undeniably some sort of hell that they're living in.

The second kiss comes as a complete shock, and Remus isn't strong enough to hold still any longer. Fists clutch at the front of Regulus' cloak, dragging him closer and holding him there as Remus kisses back just as fiercely, pouring all of his regret and sorrow and desperation into the hot clash of lips and tongue. He hears another miserable moan and knows it's he who's made it, but he's beyond caring at this point.

"How? How can I do that without you? I can't, Reg. I love you and I can't... Please..."
siriusno: (sad 2)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-03 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
Breath after shuddering breath and Remus still feels like he can't get enough oxygen. He feels faint again and he's still crying and Regulus is going to die and the last thing he ever did was accuse him of the most horrible things and it's not fair.

He can't do this. He can't. He doesn't know how to let go even though he would be the first to admit that Regulus has every right to ask whatever he pleases of him. Regulus ought to hate him, ought never have even come to find him. But he did.

And now he expects Remus to let him go, just like that.

"I won't let you walk out that door." He means it, even as he clings to the heavy fabric fisted in his hands, his clammy forehead pressed to Regulus' and Regulus' breath tickling his lips every time he speaks. "There has to be another way. I won't let you die hating yourself when I'm the one who... who..."

But he can't find the words, because there are too many of them, instead squeezing his eyes tighter as fresh tears wet his cheeks.
siriusno: (tired)

[personal profile] siriusno 2016-11-03 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
He opens his eyes, finally, looking up at Regulus like his whole world is ending. Because it is. He stares into Regulus' eyes, hardly able to see clearly for the tears but needing him to see that he means every word he says.

"I don't. I don't, I swear I don't, Reg–" Remus chokes back a sob, hands finally releasing the front of Regulus' cloak to slide up his neck until he's got Regulus' face in his hands. His voice is strained with fear and distress and a hundred other emotions that threaten to consume him whole, but the words keep coming like water from a tap that can't be turned off.

"Please, Reg, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never should have said those things to you and I can't take them back or even ask for your forgiveness because what I did was unforgivable but none of it was true and I know you're different, Reg. I love you; I never stopped. You're a far better man than I am. You're good and you've done so much more than I ever could and I love you and and I– I'm so sorry, Reg..."

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