Chapter Text
James blinked once, twice, three times as he stared at the man in front of him like he was in a dream. He had to be. There was no way his ex-boyfriend was standing in front of him, looking at him with concern. An expression that rarely crossed Regulus' features when they were together. No, he was imagining it. This was a coping mechanism. Right? Maybe he never actually escaped, or Michael found him before he could get away, and now he was dead. That made more sense than what was happening at the moment.
"James?" Regulus, or the Regulus he conjured in his mind to cope with everything, asked calmly, taking a step forward with his hands up.
James flinched, seeing the threat as it was. He shook his head frantically as he backed up into the wall even more, the metal and brick digging into his back through his layers. His eyes were searching the platform, darting from one side to the other and back, looking for a way to escape. For a way to wake up from this dream, even if it was better than his real life. There was a crackle of a speaker and someone speaking, though he couldn't make out what was said. It was muffled as if he were underwater. The sudden noise made James jump back and hit his head... hard.
Hard enough to knock himself out as the concrete came up to greet him. Everything went black. His last thought was, 'Maybe I'm finally dead.'
**
Regulus rushed around the bench that had been between him and James and dropped to the ground quickly. He hesitated for only a second before leaning over James' unconscious – hopefully – body, to see if he was okay, to see that he was breathing. Regulus placed his hand on James' chest, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the tell-tale sign of breathing as his chest rose and fell underneath his hand. He didn't know why James had such a strong reaction to... what? Seeing Regulus after so long? Seeing Regulus' hands up in a calming manner? Him taking a small step towards him?
Regulus didn't know. It had been three years since he had seen James last, since he'd spoken to him. Their break-up wasn't mutual. There was a lot of yelling, mostly from James, who claimed that none of them loved him and that they never had. Regulus had tried to reassure him that he was loved by them and everybody else in his life, but James wouldn't listen. No, instead, James said the one thing that hurt more than the yelling. And even if it hurt to hear him say it, Regulus did love him; he still loved him to this day and hated that something happened to him. Something that took away his spark.
He ground his teeth as he thought about what could have happened and prayed that it wasn't what he thought. He would kill the person who did it if it were, and unfortunately, he had an idea of who it could have been. The same person who manipulated James into thinking he wasn't loved anymore.
James never should have had to go through the obvious trauma that made him this skittish. He should have still been the boy who brightened up the room any time he entered it. The boy who typically had a smile on his face and was always willing to help out a friend. Just from the small interaction they had, Regulus knew he wasn't that boy anymore, but he hoped he was still in there somewhere, and he planned on helping him find that person again.
Regulus sat next to James on the ground, running his fingers through his curls. They were no longer soft, no, they were dry and brittle as if he was using the wrong products, but despite that, James' curls were what Regulus noticed first, as he stood off to the side waiting for his train to go to work. Though it took him a minute to register that he was seeing who he thought he was, and it wasn't just from his sleep deprivation.
Looking around and back down at the boy to his left, Regulus sighed before pulling out his phone to call the others. Luckily, they either had the day off or were going in later. Either way, Regulus knew he wouldn't be able to move James or get him back to their flat by himself. And he sure as hell wasn't going to leave him here, unprotected and vulnerable to anybody who wished to do him more harm.
"Shouldn't you be at work by now?" Barty asked with a small chuckle in lieu of a greeting.
Regulus had to take a deep breath before he did something he would regret later.
"Stop being a dick," he gritted out as his finger got caught on one of James' curls.
He carefully dislodged it, trying not to pull too hard before taking another breath to calm his mind. He wouldn't be able to get James somewhere safe if he lost it because Barty felt the need to tease him this early in the morning. It was barely half seven.
"Oh, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?" Barty teased, and Regulus could hear Evan snicker in the background.
One. Two. Three. Four... Regulus counted to ten before opening his eyes again and speaking into the phone quietly.
"I need you and Ev to come to the station as quickly as possible." Regulus took a quick look around the platform to make sure nobody was paying attention to them. "I don't know how much more time he has."
"Who?" Barty questioned seriously, his concern clear in his tone now as he picked up on Regulus' own hushed tone.
Regulus brushed back James' hair from his eyes to see a fresh bruise showing under his bent gold-rimmed glasses. "James," he whispered.
There was silence on the other end of the line. Barty and Evan were probably having a silent conversation to see if they heard Regulus correctly. Regulus' heart twinged as the memory of their break-up ran through his mind again.
"James?" Barty asked skeptically, but with a little hope in his tone. "As in our James? James Potter? That James?"
Taking a deep breath in through his nose and releasing it, Regulus looked down at James' sunken features and ran a gentle finger under his eye before he bit out, "Yes, Barty. That James. Now get your asses here and help me. I can't pick him up by myself."
"Okay, okay. We're coming, just..." Barty grunted, probably trying to get his boots on. "Just keep him safe, Reg. We'll be there before you know it."
Barty hung up after some more cursing and banging that Regulus didn't want to think about. He sighed as he watched James' chest rise and fall, his breathing steady. If he didn't know better, he'd think James was just sleeping peacefully, but he did know better. James was in pain; he just didn't know what kind of pain. Manoeuvring himself until he was above James, Regulus pulled James towards him until his head rested in his lap gently and started carding his fingers through his hair again.
Despite everything that happened three years ago, Regulus and the boys knew what was going on with James before the break up. They didn't know the extent of it, and Regulus regretted not trying to talk to him about it before everything blew up. But they knew, they knew that when James told them that he was done and didn't love them anymore, that he was in love with somebody else, they knew those weren't James' words or his thoughts. And they tried to get him to see reason, tried to get him to see that he was being manipulated, but he wouldn't listen. He was stubborn and always had been. Regulus just wished his stubbornness hadn't led him to this, even if he knew it only played a small part.
Regulus kept his eyes on James, grateful that he was the one who found him instead of somebody else. He honestly didn't expect to see James again, not with how manipulative his new partner had been. He had managed to turn James against everything and everybody who ever cared about him in a matter of weeks.
Regulus just hoped James hadn't been turned against his mum before she passed. Regulus had seen the news of her death and immediately wanted to find James to see how he was doing, but he knew he couldn't. They did go to the funeral, though, just not where anybody could see them, and they couldn't see James either. Even if they weren't with James when Effie passed, it still hurt to know that she was no longer there for him. Everybody loved her, and she loved everybody like they were her own son.
Ten minutes later, though it felt longer, Barty and Evan arrived at the station, practically running through the platform until they reached them. Regulus stayed where he was with James' head still in his lap as they skidded to a stop with wide eyes, probably noticing the fresh bruises on James' face. Regulus could see Barty getting red as he raked his eyes over James' body, though you couldn't see much with the clothes he had on.
"I'm going to kill the bastard," Barty hissed out angrily, trying not to draw any more attention to them.
He knelt next to James and held his hand out as if he wanted to feel the bruises, but he hesitated and looked at Regulus, pulling his hand back. Regulus glanced back down at James for a second, his heart cracking and wished he could take the boy's pain away before looking back at Barty and Evan, who had collected all of James' items that were scattered around the bench. Regulus would have picked them up earlier, but he couldn't reach with James in his lap.
"We need to get him out of here and back to the flat," Regulus replied quietly. "I don't know how long he was here before I found him, and I don't want to wait and find out what would happen if he stays any longer."
"Okay." Barty nodded, seeming to have controlled his anger enough to be rational.
Being the strongest of the three of them, Barty hooked his hands under James' knees and his back, while Regulus supported his head. He lifted him gently and cradled him close to his chest, making sure not to jostle James too much. James was still unconscious, but Regulus didn't know if the movement would wake him if they managed to hit an unseen bruise and freak him out even more than he already seemed to be. Regulus took a quick look around to make sure they grabbed everything as Evan kept his eyes on the platform.
The walk home took longer than normal, given the care Barty had while he carried James. He looked so small in his arms, and Regulus wanted to reach out and tell him everything was going to be okay now, that nobody was going to hurt him again, not if he had anything to do with it. Evan slipped his hand into his and squeezed gently. He had the same expression that Regulus was sure was on his face. Painful sadness around their love for the brunette.
Once they made it home, Evan unlocked the door, holding it open for Barty, who twisted and turned to make sure he didn't accidentally knock James into something. Regulus walked in after him and headed for the bedroom. He pulled the covers back on the bed, so Barty could lay him in it. Evan took off his red Converse and set them on the floor near the bed before taking off his jacket and hanging it on the chair next to the desk. After James was in the bed, Regulus pulled the covers over him and tucked him in.
They watched James for a few seconds before Evan tapped both Regulus and Barty on the shoulder and motioned to the door. Regulus nodded, though it was hard to take his eyes off James, and followed Evan and Barty to the living room, shutting the bedroom door quietly. They walked over to the couch and practically fell onto it. Regulus pulled his phone out two seconds before it started to ring, silencing the sound immediately before looking at who was calling, cursing under his breath when he saw it was his work.
He answered quickly, telling them he wouldn't be in today and that he was sick, before hanging up and putting it on silent. Barty and Evan did the same, before setting all three phones on the coffee table. Regulus sank back into the couch and closed his eyes for a second before glancing at the bedroom and praying that James would be okay.
"Did he say anything when you found him?" Barty asked, breaking the silence as Evan placed a hot mug of coffee in Regulus' hands as he opened his eyes.
"No," Regulus whispered, remembering the unrecognisable look on James' face, the look of confusion and then terror. "He stared at me, then freaked out when the speaker announced the train was boarding, before hitting his head and collapsing to the ground."
"Did he recognise you?" Evan questioned, taking a sip of his own drink.
"I think so, but I don't think he believed it." Regulus looked up for a second as he tried to remember everything. "He did say my name, or well, he said, 'Reggie' when I woke him up, but nothing after that."
They fell back into silence as all three of them looked back at the door, trying to see the boy on the other side of it. Regulus finished his coffee and set it on the table next to Barty's half-full cup. He was trying to think of how he could help James, how he could protect him from whoever he was clearly running from, but he couldn't think of anything. They would have to wait until James woke up and told them what was going on, if he was willing to tell them what happened, that is.
"Do you think it was the same guy who convinced him to break up with us?" Evan asked quietly.
He took hold of Regulus' hand to stop him from twisting them together, which he wasn't aware he had been doing, but apparently had been for a while, given how red they were.
"Oh, come on, Ev," Barty hissed. "Of course, it was the same guy."
Regulus snapped his head up to glare at him.
"We don't know that for sure, Bee. I'm pretty sure it was, but you can't assume that it was just because you want to go on a rampage and kill him," Regulus whispered-shouted, making sure he didn't speak too loudly in case James woke up.
"Bullshit, I can't."
"Barty," Evan said sternly, "if you go out there and somehow find him, you could lead him back here and he could hurt James again."
Barty deflated and sank back into the couch next to Regulus with a huff. "I didn't think about that."
Regulus set his hand on his thigh, rubbing gentle circles into it. "We know you didn't. That's why you have us to keep you from making stupid decisions that could get you in trouble."
Barty sighed before glancing at them with apologetic eyes. Regulus leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before getting up to make breakfast. He usually grabbed something on the way to work, but clearly that didn't happen. He wasn't upset about it, no, he was grateful, but he knew how he got when he didn't eat.
After making and eating a quick breakfast, Regulus, Barty, and Evan went back into the living room. They kept looking at the bedroom door as they tried to figure out what to do. They were desperate to help James. Regulus just prayed to a god he didn't believe in that James would let them.