Title: Maybe in Another Life

Pairing: -

Characters: Regulus Black and mentions of Sirius Black and Walburga Black.

Word Count: 1, 386

Prompt: Sonder - the striking realization that each and every passer-by has a life as complex as your own.

Regulus Black had been an intelligent child, an intelligent teenager and people that met him were convinced that he was going to achieve something as an adult. He was, unlike his older brother, calm and calculating. He was not given attention the same way that Sirius were, just by walking into a room, but after a while people gave it to him without him making much effort. The brothers were alike in that way but their likeness also showcased their biggest differences.

Sirius Black was loud, brave, insanely stubborn and guided by his principles to the point where he would do anything to follow them. He was given attention the moment he walked into a room and though Regulus believed that he knew his brother and thus could not be fooled by his charm he could see why that was. Sirius was a flirt, he was a master of using body language and only gave his full attention to a few number of people. He had that mysterious smile down to a tee and that alone would make people want to be in his presence. They craved his attention.

Regulus was not like that. He remained unseen until he wanted people to see him. He did not want the attention for the wrong reasons so he made sure that was never the case. During the few parties, he and his brother had been to as children Sirius would run around the room and earn the attention of men and women alike. Regulus would sneak inside and eventually find his way to the most influential person and only then would he put his charm on by giving that person a minor smile. Just big enough to lure them in and make them interested in what he had to say. He would listen actively to what they had to say and then without them noticing Regulus would have them in his grip. Sometimes he and Sirius would glance at each other from across the room and smile. They were the only ones who knew exactly what the other was doing. But that was before Sirius left. Before things went to hell.

Regulus stopped what he was doing. He had without noticing walked up the stairs and towards the room where no one had slept in years. There was dust, spider web and splints of wood coming from various places in the door from the many spells it had been hit with. Walburga had decided that the room and not only the door was going to be blast away from the house. Removing her son from the family three just wasn't enough for her. However, Sirius had made sure that other than somewhat damaging it no one was able to completely ruin the door nor the room. When looking back Regulus could see the fun in it.

He couldn't remember when he realised that he was the only person who could open the door. But it didn't really matter either. He could and for the first time he felt the need to see it on last time.

It felt like walking into a wall when he opened the door. Regulus wasn't surprised. The last time he had been there was the night when Sirius left. The memory was still very much clear in his mind unlike many other things of his childhood.

Sirius walked quickly around the room and Regulus had to bite his tongue not to tell his brother not to run because members of the Black family did not run as his mother would say. Regulus didn't tell his brother that because he knew that it just wasn't the right time to make a joke.

Sirius cheek were still red and there was a bruise forming underneath the swollen skin. He tried his best to hide the tears but failed miserably and after a while he simply stopped trying. He focused all his attention on putting clothes down into a bag as swiftly as he could without getting too much attention. Regulus knew what was happening. He just didn't know what he was supposed to do with everything. A part of him wanted to tell Sirius, no beg him, to stay but the other knew that wasn't possible. The other part of him knew that Sirius would die slowly and painfully if he stayed within the walls of their home. And Regulus didn't want that.

"Where will you go?"

Sirius stopped mid-movement. "I'll go to James." He answered before proceeding with his packing.

Regulus nodded. "You should wear your hoodie, the one mum hates, otherwise you'll get cold."

"I would if I could find it." Sirius said with a bitter tone in his voice but without being able to hide the smile on his face.

Regulus looked around and only jumped down from the bed when he saw the hoodie across the room. He took it from the floor where it laid hidden underneath a chair and handed it to Sirius who gave him a thankful smile.

"Thanks Reg." he said and continued his packing.

"Can you tell me about them?"

"The Potters?"

Regulus nodded.

"They're amazing. They're exactly what parents should be like Regulus. They care about me. They care about you too you know." Sirius became silent. "You could always come with me if you wanted to."

Regulus shrugged. They both knew it wasn't going to happen. "Maybe in another life."

Sirius snorted. "In another life…" he affectionately ran his fingers through Regulus hair. "When did you start sounding so much like an adult?"

Regulus could almost hear the sound of his brother's laughter when he sat down on the bed. He could hear the sound of feet's walking around in the room as he collected the few things he wanted to bring with him into his new life. His new life. Regulus hadn't realised it before but his brother had his own life. A life that was as complex as his own. That realisation by itself made him smile. Regulus had been taught to hate his older brother and he had not until recently realised that was another bullshit lesson that he should not have learned.

Regulus wanted to tell Sirius that. He wanted to be able to meet his brother again and tell him, face to face, that he was sorry and that he wished that he would have never allowed himself to become brainwashed by their parents. Because that was truly the only way of describing what their parents had done to him. Regulus wished that he had been stronger, he wished that he had never made the mistake of learning the many lessons that his mother had gotten into his head. Regulus wished so many things and he knew that thinking about them would do him no good. He hadn't taken the chance to make things right when it had been given to him and now it was too late. It was over.

Regulus took another look around the room. "Maybe in another life."

He was certain he could hear the sound of his brother laughing as he left the room and that was all it took for Regulus to straighten his back and walk with pride towards his destiny. Maybe he wasn't meant to have a life, just like he wasn't meant to be anything other than a villain in his brother's and in society's eyes and a hero for all the wrong reasons in his parents. Maybe he was never meant to be forgiven by his brother. But in that moment, it didn't matter. Because Regulus realised that Sirius had a life as complex and vivid as his own and Regulus had been part of the reason why he had been given a chance to live it. At least he liked to think that the sacrifice he did for his brother didn't go unnoticed.

And who knew, maybe in another life he would have a relationship with his brother. Maybe in another life he would be given the life and the family he wasn't given in this one. Maybe in another life…

The end