~Sirius POV~
I wake up with a crick in my neck. The wind outside is still howling and reg is awake now, once again shaking. Fuck.
"Hey, little one, it's alright" I coo.
~Reg POV~
~flashback~
My head hits the concrete ground, I'm in for it this time. My father's hand closes around my throat, rough enough to bruise.
"What have I told you about hiding behind your brother?" Orion growls. I can feel his hot breath against my face and smell the alcohol he's been drinking.
"Makes.. Me... weak" I choke out, now fighting to breathe. The grip lessens on my throat and I breathe deeply. I've never been so grateful for air. A door bangs open, catching father's attention. Mother walks through, holding my big brother by his forearm.
"Siri.." I whimper.
"Reg, oh buddy" Sirius breathes. He's slammed roughly to the ground beside me, being held down by out mother. Father leans over me again and my breath quickens. I'm prone to panic attacks, and I can feel my hands shaking.
"Reg, snap out of it. Calm down" Sirius' calm, soothing voice says beside me. I let my body relax, going limp against father's rough hands.
"There you go, good job, kiddo" Sirius praises. I long to have his comforting arms around me. My father slaps me across the face. I don't make a sound, knowing my punishment will be worse if I resist. Father draws a blade from his pocket.
"ARE YOU INSANE? HE'S TEN FUCKING YEARS OLD!" Sirius wails.
"Siri... Stop" I mumble. Wait, I can still move my arms. I reach out and grab my brother's hand.
"I love you" Sirius whimpers.
"I love you too" I whisper, closing my eyes. I feel a sharp pain in mg side and I breathe in sharply, digging my fingernails into Sirius' skin. I don't make a sound. My breathing is ragged and heavy as the blade moves against my skin. Sirius does his best to comfort me, rubbing circles on my hand. I'm sure he's talking but all I can hear is the ringing in my ears. The blade digs into my skin further and I feel father's breath on my face again.
"The next time your weakness gets in the way of our lives, I'll do more than carve the word into you, brat" Father growls. He leaves on last slash on my skin before getting up and walking away. He had been holding my head up by my hair, so I let my head fall back, against the cold concrete. By breathing is heavy, every breath hurts. I hear mother release Sirius. A door bangs closed, resembling thunder. I feel sirius' hands on my face.
"Reg, come on kiddo. Talk to me" Sirius breathes. I can hear the panic in his voice. I slowly open my eyes, the effort is almost to much.
"Can't... Hurts" I manage to mumble, the words using up the rest of my strength. I close my eyes again, the pain still sharp on my side.
"No, don't go to sleep. Stay awake, little one" Sirius says, standing up. He runs somewhere, his footsteps thudding against the concrete. He runs back to me, dropping to his knees.
"This is gonna sting, but it will feel better in a minute, alright?" Sirius says. I nod my head, not being able to get enough strength to speak. I feel something cold against my skin. The pain is a bit different, but not as bad as before. Sirius finishes cleaning the wound, framing my face in his hands again.
"Can you hear me?" He asks. I nod my head.
"You, are not, weak. Reggie, You are so strong, and brave. Don't ever let anyone say that you're weak" Sirius says softly. I feel my strength slowly returning to me, and I very slowly open my eyes. Sirius is crouching over me, his face panicked.
"M' alright" I mumble, my voice hoarse. I try to sit up, but Sirius pushes me back down gently.
"Don't, it'll hurt worse if you do. Give it a few minutes" Sirius instructs. After a few minutes Sirius grabs one of my hands.
"Can you try and sit up? You don't have to if its too much" Sirius says. I brace myself with my other hand and let Sirius pull me up. I whimper softly, laying my head against his shoulder. Sirius runs his fingers through my hair, soothing me slightly.
"Take it easy, you're okay" Sirius whispers. I look down and see a small pool of blood. Fuck, that's freaking horrifying.
"Fuck," I breathe. Sirius turns my head so I'm not looking at it anymore.
"Don't look at it, it'll make you pass out. Trust me" Sirius murmurs. I can feel more of my strength returning. I shiver, scooting closer to Sirius. He wraps his arms tighter around me, rubbing my shoulders.
"Let me see your neck" He instructs. I pull slightly away from him. Sirius runs his fingers over the bruises on my neck. I wince.
"Sorry," Sirius mumbles. He pulls me back into him. I relax into his arms, basking in the warmth. I think I might be able to stand now.
"Help me up" I mutter.
"Are you sure, little one?" Sirius asks.
"I can handle it, Siri" I chuckle, making my side sting with pain. I ignore it. Sirius stands up, holding out his hand. I grasp his hand with mine, pulling myself up. I whimper at the sharp pain coursing through me, laying my forehead against my brother's chest. Sirius rubs by back, whispering soothing words to me.
"You did so good, kiddo. I love you so much" Sirius whispers.
"Can you stand on your own?" Sirius asks. I nod my head. He breaks away from me. I lean against the wall, glancing down at my side. The word 'weak' is cut there. I let my head fall backwards, laying on the concrete wall. Sirius comes back to me, carrying a hoodie. He helps me slip it over my head. The fabric goes halfway down my thighs. It smells like Sirius. I hug myself, basking in the warmth.
"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?" Sirius asks, placing his hand on my forehead.
"I'm alright" I whisper. Sirius wraps his arm around my shoulders, balancing me. We walk upstairs and Sirius lays me down on his bed, crawling in behind me.
"Mother and father will see, Siri"
"I'm not letting you out of my sight. Now get some sleep, little one" Sirius whispers, petting my hair our of my eyes. He plants a kiss on my forehead before laying his head on top of mine. I bury my head in his neck, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Reggie, come on buddy" I hear Sirius say. I can feel his hands framing my face as I become aware of my surroundings. There is thunder rolling outside and I'm wrapped in sirius' arms. My breath is ragged, and my hands are shaking. I lock my eyes with my brother's and I relax.
"Hey, there you are" Sirius says softly, poking my nose. I let my breathing slow, laying my head down on siri's shoulder. Thunder rolls and I whimper quietly, so I don't wake anyone up.
"Calm down, it's alright" Sirius murmurs, rubbing my side soothingly. The same side where my flashback just took place.
A loud, ear piercing noise sounds through the room, jolting everyone from sleep.
"Stay in your basements, this is a twin tornado. It is not a warning, this is not a test. Everyone get your children and yourselves to safety. Do not come out until you hear further instructions" A loud, booming voice says. I whimper and curl further in to Sirius.
"Hey, shh, it's okay" Sirius coos, rubbing my back.
~Sirius POV~
I rub regs back and glance at mum, giving her a 'what do we do now?' Look. Remus still has his arm wrapped around me.
"Alright, it seems like we're going to be down here a while" Mum says slowly. Remus shifts beside me, not full awake. I turn my head and spatter small kisses all over his neck. That wakes him up.
"Quiiit" Remus whines.
"Wake up you big lump" I tease, nudging his side.
"M' awake" Remus groans, his words slightly slurred with sleep.
"Well, stay that way" I giggle. A particularly loud crack of thunder makes reg whimper, shaking lightly.
"you're okay, kiddo" I say in a soothing voice.
"Is there anything that will help that, hun?" Mum asks.
"Excessive amounts of love and affection" I chuckle, pulling my brother closer to me. Katie walks over to us, sitting down in my lap.
"But, I thought you were mad at Reggie" Katie says.
"Do you ever get mad at Pete?" I ask. Kate nods her head.
"I know you don't understand this, but because reg is my baby brother I'm very protective of him. I'm never 'angry' with him. Just sometimes a little ticked off. But when he gets like this, my big brother protectiveness kicks into overdrive and I probably won't let him go for a while" I explain, trying to make the explanation simple.
"And I'm never mad at Sirius. I might tease him and taunt him, but at the end of the day he's still my big brother, and I love him more than anyone" Reg says softly, snuggling closer to me. I kiss the top of his head, wrapping my arms tighter around him. Kate leans over and kisses reg's cheek.
"There's nothing to be scared of. Pa'foot will protect you" I hear Kate whisper before getting up and scampering back to mum. I kiss Reg's forehead.
"She's a sweet kid" Reg sighs. I run my fingers through his slightly disheveled hair as thunder crashes again. Reg just hides his head in my chest. I rub his side.
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After a while the howling of the wind dies down, and the loud screeching noise is back.
"You may go back to your homes now. Be prepared in case another one of these storms happen" The voice says. Reg calms down significantly. I rub his back and stand up. He stands up beside me. We all walk upstairs.
"Let's go look outside" Remus says, walking to the door. I peer outside. There is obvious signs of wreckage. Oh my goodness is that a tree on top of a car?
"Holy shit" Remus breathes, wrapping his arm around me. I lean into him, still keeping my eye on Reggie.
We all retreat back into the house, making our way to the living room. Remus and I sit on the couch, side by side. Reg lays down, his head in my lap. I chuckle and run my fingers through his hair.
"Drained?" I ask him.
"Emotionally, and physically. Am I dying?" Reg questions.
"Get some sleep, kiddo" I chuckle. Reg closes his eyes and I watch him relax, he's out like a light. I lay my head on remus' shoulder and sigh.
"I love you" I whisper, intertwining one of my hands with his bigger one.
"I love you too" Remus whispers back, kissing the top of my head.
I know this is short. I just wanted to show a bit of reg's personality, for some character building. 🙂