Nyota & Regulus Black Afternoon | Blake Park | Mentions of Death

Putting down her tablet, tears were threatening to escape as she read the exchange between the two brothers. A stab in her heart hit her not unexpectedly as it made her think about her own brother, the arguments they used to have, the bickering, but the love that they were filled with. Pushing the thoughts down, she left her tablet at her workstation. She muttered she was taking a small break.

Walking through the hall, she smiled at everyone and said her hellos, but that threat of tears was still there, ready to escape. She thought about the time he brother teased her for crying when her favorite toy went missing, and even though he’d teased her, he was the one to spend an hour looking for it. The conversations about how she was an overachiever wanting to learn all the local dialects, her teasing him. Teasing. Teasing and knowing that no matter what, they had each other's backs. She missed that. Nyota missed her brother.

Without really realizing it, she found herself sitting on a bench in Blake Park. It was one a little removed from the trail but not so far she was out of sight. Sitting there she blinked doing everything in her power not to let the tears fall and knowing she was probably going to fail at any moment.



Regulus watched Nyota leave her workstation with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't be certain, mostly because he hadn't really spoken much to her in the short time he'd been here, but something told him he was the cause of her distress. With a quick word to their superiors, Regulus gathered his things and followed after Nyota — just barely managing not to lose sight of her as she hurried on ahead.

What would he even say when he did catch up, though? Regulus' thoughts were racing — whether it was polite to ask for clarification, whether she would want company at all. He hoped they could sort this out because he truly thought Nyota might have grown to be a friend. She was warm, and kind, and funny, and encouraging, and it upset Regulus to think he'd hurt her, even unintentionally.

She was sitting down. Thank Merlin.

Taking a second to catch his breath and try to slow his racing heart, Regulus approached tentatively, clearing his throat once he was only a little ways away. Oh, she was crying. This was awful. "May I sit with you?" was what he went with, because asking if she was alright seemed silly and useless. Regulus wanted to offer some comfort, though he was woefully unfamiliar with this sort of thing, having so few friends growing up.



Looking up, Nyota smiled softly at Regulus. She felt horrible that he was the one that found her but also she had a feeling he’d tried to find her after she’d left. Nodding, she patted the seat next to her but didn’t say anything just yet. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d release too much of the pain, and she wouldn’t be able to bottle it back up again.

Using her right hand, she whipped away the tears that had fallen and could practically hear her brother's voice in her mind telling her that it was okay, everything was going to be fine, and she should buck up and stop crying. Of course, she also knew he’d have given her a big hug and been kind about it, too.

“It’s nothing you or your bother said,” she said, getting a feeling that Regulus might be worried it was because of his brother. “I was reminded how much the bond between siblings is special and something that holds its own kind of magic.” Nyota offered a few more tears falling, threatening to escape her eyes.



Oh.

Oh.

Regulus was quiet for a long moment, processing what Nyota had told him. This was clearly related to something with her family — or her past, rather, since the memory of her brother appeared to be stirring up painful memories. He could understand that much. As privately grateful as he was to have Sirius around again, their relationship was deeply complicated, tangled up in old scars that would never quite fully heal. But how much of that was similar to her situation was still a mystery.

Deciding not to bring his own history into all this, Regulus glanced away from Nyota for a moment, trying to offer her a little privacy. “Do you have siblings?” He asked instead, leaving the proverbial door open for her. He wouldn’t push if she didn’t feel like sharing, and he wouldn’t judge her for keeping that information close. Regulus could hardly blame anyone for their secrecy — he, too, could be reserved.

But he did want to help, and he was hopeful she might feel better if she talked about it.



“Had,” she corrected softly. “I had a brother.” Her heart clenched as she said the words. It’d been a few years, and yet every time she said it, it felt just as hard as the last time she did. Part of her knew she should be over it, but she couldn’t let it go.

Letting the words sit in the air, almost dangling in front of her, she took a deep breath before explaining a little bit. Noyta never hid what happened to her family but that didn’t make it easy to say what happened either.

“He and my parents died in a shuttle accident. It was sudden,” that was an understatement. It also changed her direction in life completely. Instead of studying in Nairobi, she ended up at Starfleet. Nyota was pretty sure she wouldn’t be sitting where she was right now having this conversation.

“He was a really good brother,” she smiled sadly. “We fought sometimes and teased each other, but he was a good brother.”



“I’m so sorry.” Regulus’ voice was quiet when he replied, hushed, and he glanced at her with nothing but warmth in his eyes. He couldn’t truly understand her pain, but he knew what it was like to worry — rather intensely — about his brother’s safety, fearing every day that he would get news of Sirius’ death amidst a seemingly never-ending war. It was easy to be the one to die first. He hadn’t had to deal with losing a sibling. Not like Nyota.

Listening in silence, Regulus glanced at her again, a small frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Was he older than you?” He asked at length, hoping it wasn’t impolite to prod a little further. He wanted to hear more about Nyota’s brother — what it was like for them growing up, how they interacted, what sort of things they did together. Even if it broke his heart to imagine the pain she must be in now. Pain that he had reminded her of.



“Yeah, he was older, and I was the annoying little sister who idolized him and pushed all of his buttons.” She laughed sadly. It was weird talking about her brother like this. She’d shared a lot with Hemmer, and she knew other crew of the Enterprise knew the basics, but they didn’t all know the details. The good and the bad that colored her life. They knew she’d lost her family, but not the deep cuts that shaped who she was becoming.

“You and your brother? You argue as though no time has passed, but it seems like there is something more?” She asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping, but there was something unique in the way they’d spoken to each other and the emotions they both made her feel.



Regulus knew exactly what Nyota was describing. He smiled despite the sadness of the topic, easily able to imagine the two siblings that way — challenging but loving, supportive in their own unique way. “I’m sure he enjoyed that,” he teased, though his voice had softened considerably. “It’s the youngest one’s job to keep the older one on their toes.” It had always seemed logical to him growing up with Sirius, and he was pleased Nyota seemed to share that much with them.

His smile faded, though, when she turned the question around. Glancing down at his hands, Regulus was silent for a long moment, contemplative. “It’s ... complicated,” he said at length, voice a bit strained. “Our parents were very strict. They made us compete with each other. It didn’t leave an awful lot of room for bonding.” He was surprised he was opening up this much about something he’d never told anyone before, but Nyota seemed like someone he could really trust. And maybe it would help her in a small way, too.



“It is the responsibility of the youngest,” she agreed with a soft smile. Her expression turned worried as he started to tell her about his own upbringing and the strict nature of their parents. She’d been lucky with fantastic parents but she was aware that wasn’t the case for everyone.

“Maybe being here will give you both the chance to figure out the bond you were always meant to have, but that maybe situations and people made it difficult for you at home. It’s clear you both care about each other. That’s the best place to start.” Nyota reached over and gave his forearm a light squeeze. “You have a chance to connect with your brother now, and that is a miracle.”



Regulus couldn’t help but smile when Nyota spoke of her responsibility as the youngest child, and the smile only grew warmer when she seemed so confident in their ability to mend what he’d long assumed was a broken relationship. “You make me want to believe that,” he replied softly, his smile turning a little sad. He knew she was right. Her statement was perfectly logical — if this wasn’t the perfect opportunity for a second chance, what was?

“I’m not sure how I’ll be able to manage it, but ... I’m willing to try. If you think I should, that is.” This time, when Regulus glanced at Nyota, his expression was brighter than it had been before. There was a bit of teasing still, but underneath that was something softer — something hopeful, even. “Thank you, Nyota,” he added, voice a touch warmer. This time, Regulus was the one to reach out, bumping their shoulders together lightly. “I’m very glad we met.”