𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝐌𝐄

“wait, who are we hitting again?”

.

“lucy, who else? why? is there someone else dumb enough to drag their feet asking you out?”

"i can only hit the man so many times before I cause permanent damage .. he may just be an idiot.”

@reg-arcturus​

it was a conversation that needed to happen. not that she really wanted to. or well, she did want to. the fact that she could actually say she and reg were together was something she wanted to all but scream from the rooftops. yet the one person she was not thrilled about telling was her brother. not in a bad way. or well, kind of in a bad way. she was never sure where manu and regulus stood with each other. she hoped that it was good? she hoped more than good now, considering the fact that this wasn’t going to change any time soon. she was sure her father had told manu about the note she had left when she collected her things from their house. it would make sense to check with him, really. her brother was an obvious choice to go to. but well, she went to reg. obviously. she had thrown on one of her dresses, insisting reg look nice too. they had to look together considering that more than once the couple had been caught by manu. she appriated them to his front door, taking reg’s hand before knocking. “okay,” she said as they waited. “it won’t be too bad. he’s not going to be mad. he can’t be mad. i won’t let him. trust me, okay?” 

.

he was doing this, but he didn’t want to be – regulus had nothing against emanuel, he really didn’t, it was just that ..... emanuel was georgie’s brother, and because of that, manu was never going to be a fan of his. not while he was dating emanuel’s sister, anyway ... and sleeping with her. still, though, georgie had asked, and here he was, dressed, and waiting on the doorstep of her brother’s home, waiting to be glared at. and whether he was or wasn’t (he wasn’t) excited about being glared at, or, possibly, being on the receiving end of anoher vaguely threatening if nonspecific rant about how important family is – as If he weren’t already aware – he was glad that georgie was happy; to be here, to see her brother, to tell him the news. he wasn’t unhappy about any of that, either, to his credit, only the anticipated reaction. brothers were brothers, after all. “i’m not worried about him being mad, i’m not worried at all. I just don’t want to hear the lecture again,” he admitted, and he laughed a little as he squeezed her fingers.... and positioned himself behind her – even as small as was, she was the perfect human shield to put between reg and her brother and he wasn’t even a little sorry about it – without breaking her grip on him. “the more people we tell the fewer chances you get to change your mind, i’m all for it, I just wish we weren’t starting here.”

»       CLOSED   STARTER    !            @reg-arcturus     :

    ❛     𝑟𝑒𝑔 ,   ❜       sirius   raps   his  knuckles  over  his  brother’s   open   door ,   taking  it  as  just  as   good   invitation  to   come  in   as  any .     it’s  helped   nothing   for  his  mood  being  home  to  consider  that   regulus   —  his  usual   only   source  of   non - hazardous   communication   over   the  summer   —   had  been  mostly   attentive   to  their   guest  .    whose  situation  was .   tragic ,    sure .   whatever .    sirius  would  likely  feel  an   ounce   more  sympathy  if   everything  else   didn’t  come  with  it .    namely ,   a  lack  of  attention  he  can’t  fathom  his   own   hypocrisy  in   creating .    still   —    he   is   standing  here ,    smirk  on  his  face ,    hand  behind  his  back ,    with  a    purpose .      ❛     not  too   busy   in  there ,    i  hope ?    ❜

he wasn’t busy – and normally, that might have been a good thing during the summer. he hadn’t seen much of sirius at all since they’d been home, by his count (and meals didn’t) but between not even knowing that his door was open while he wandered around with a book in his hand, or the fact that he could only see one of sirius’ as he paused his pacing and looked up from his pages at the sound of his name. “no....” his answer trailed off as he hesitated, unsure if he even wanted to know what had brought his brother to his room at this point – it might have just been better to go back to his book. but it was too late, and regulus knew it; he’d already given sirius his attention. “not really, si. why? did you need something?”

—

“I did miss you,” she said as she tugged him back onto the bed. “And now I find out you went flying without me? I like watching you fly. You usually take your shirt off after a while.” She leaned up so she could kiss him. It had been too damn long since she had been able to do that freely. “I’m not sure if I should be offended that you have energy this morning or not.” 

.

georgie doesn’t meet any resistance from regs, though he hovers over her a little so he won’t crush her. “mm, then I guess you should’ve gotten up with me, hmm?” he asked her, but he was still teasing, and the grin was wide as she came in for a kiss, something for which he was only too happy to oblige her. “i vote not, because it’s your fault. besides, i kept my shirt on so you wouldn’t miss out too much. see? thoughtful.”

              ❝      and   i   think   if   you   keep   thinking   like   that   one   day   your   heads   gonna   be   too   big   for   you   to   get   your   broom   in   the   air   ❞         she   teased   with   a   playful   jab   of   the   tiniest   elbow   to   his   ribs   .         ❝      why   do   i   need   to   be   after   something   to   be   nice   ?      ❞

“confidence and cockiness go hand in hand, on and off the pitch,” he said with a laugh, shrugging, and, maybe, laughing a little harder when she elbowed him. “you don’t have to be, of course, but aren’t you? you’ve got that look on, that innocent one. besides, who’s being nice when you’re trying to pop my ego?”

CLOSED / @reg-arcturus​

          “rory, my little brother, is turning twelve in a few days and my mum asked me ta help make a cake for him an’ i asked him what kinda cake he wanted us ta make him an’ he said: pearl, make me a frog cake. so now i gotta narrow down what kinda frog ta make the cake look like. i do not fancy making a poor decision. wanna help?” 

“you say that like there’s more than one kind of frog to choose from. frog’s just a frog, same as any other.” he snorted, unable to help himself, and not realizing, for a moment, just how serious she was. when reality set in, however, he probably should’ve given his words more thought before opening his mouth. “oh, you’re serious? i mean, i don’t know. a green one, probably, right? nice and colorful?”

@reg-arcturus​

“You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“i did try and wake you up,” he reminded her, grinning. “what’d, you miss me or something? I was just flying, I haven’t even been gone an hour.”

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤.

@reg-arcturus​

         ❝      you’re   like   my   favourite   person   ,      maybe   ever      ❞

“personally, I think I should be everyone’s favorite person, but that’s just me. can’t win ‘em all, I guess.” still, he grinned, turning to billie with an eyebrow aimed skyward. “what favor are you about to ask of me?”

–

She was about to tell him off. Tell him how it was easy for him to say all of that. Men didn’t have the reputation women did, especially in their circles. How everyone always thinks pureblood women are emotionless and cruel and it was probably because they had no choice if they wanted to survive in this world. But it all flew out of her head the moment his lips touched hers. Even with veritaserum, she couldn’t tell you how long the kiss lasted. Minutes? Hours? It had to only be a few seconds but Georgie felt like she had lived every moment they had ever spent together once more. This wasn’t the first time they had kissed. Far from it. He had been her first everything. First kiss? Regulus. First person she ever slept with? Regulus. First person she said she loved and actually meant it? Regulus. The first person who truly broke her heart? This was a new one but another first she could add to the list. When she thought about it later, it would have to be the shock that kept her from breaking down in that moment. His hands kept her where she was and she knew confusion was written all over her face. Why wasn’t he letting her go? Why was he getting Kreacher to write a note? “Regulus….” She trailed off. She never called him by his full first name. It was only when she was upset with him about something when it wasn’t Reg or darling or love. “What are you doing?” She tried to move away but it was in vain. Not that he was hurting her or forcibly keeping here there. He’d never do anything of the sort. But she couldn’t bring herself to fully pull away. “If this is out of pity or some sort of guilt then I don’t need it, okay? I know I waited too long and was foolish back at school to think I could ever care about someone the way I care about you.” She didn’t even realize she said it. She had been so raw for so long it was like touching a nerve. She couldn’t hold herself back. “I can’t have you look at me the way everyone else is. I can take it from them. But I can’t….” She shook her head, trying her best to hold everything back. “I can’t pretend I’m okay if you look at me like that.” 

.

what was he doing? that was a very good question. the best question, the only question, really. the question of the summer: regulus, what are you doing? was he coming, was he going, was he going to ruin this friendship. with the moment previous, or with this one, here, with a wrong choice? besides nodding at kreacher, who did go and do as he was told, what was regulus doing? well, regulus was .... truthfully, he was watching her – in amazement, really, because the boy could not believe she still didn’t understand the words he said to her, no matter how many times he said them. for years, he’d told her nothing but the truth, and for years, she trusted that – unless it came to his feelings; in that she seemed to believe only in his friendship. he didn’t laugh, to his credit, but he did smile against his better judgement. it was ill advised, after all, to smile when a woman was telling you she was pretending to be okay – not that he wasn’t already aware of that; he was, painfully so. “i’m looking at you the way i always look at you, georgie, and i know i don’t see you the same way they do.” he’d never pitied her, though he’d commiserated with her time and again, and there wasn’t any guilt; not now, not really. timing could really be a hellish beast, it was never a good time, there was always something in the way, now. it hadn’t been this way even just a year ago; these days it was just one reason after another to pretend: pretend they didn’t care, pretend they didn’t hurt, pretend they were okay, pretend they were happy – there were lots of things to pretend about, and they’d always been good at it. “i’m tired of pretending, so how about we both just stop? i didn’t push, when you started dating that loser, because I thought you wanted him. i couldn’t push after, i didn’t want to take advantage. you can’t really believe i want anyone else, i’ve hardly left your side at all, and you know already that i don’t want to watch you with anyone else. i’m tired of pretending, doll, you hear me, but you don’t listen. how many times do i have to tell you i love you before you just believe me? i mean it, so why don’t you trust it?”

-

If she didn’t know better, his words about her heart would be cruel. There was no way for him to know what she was feeling. The whirlwind of emotions she had been feeling for months had almost been enough to break her. She would have if it wasn’t for Regulus. There was no denying that fact. “My heart hasn’t done me any good,” she said into his shoulder. Like not being able to go throughout the day without the hole in her chest eating at her. Like realizing she couldn’t love anyone the way she loved him too late. Like knowing how in only a few days, this bubble they created for themselves over the summer would burst and, most likely, her own sanity with it. “All it’s done is make things worse.” Even more so considering what else awaited them back at Hogwarts. Her eyes met his and she wanted nothing more than to believe him. She turned once more, still beside him but now facing him fully. Her fingers gently moved over the spot on his ribs where she knew both of their initials were. It’s the same spot as hers. The ink that was the physical embodiment of the mark they had left on each other. Something only they and the witch who did it knew was there. “I can’t hold you to that. That was made before.” A half-broken smile crossed her face. Something that hurt more than it should. “This isn’t the world we were in when we promised forever. It’s not fair of me to ask that of you anymore.” 

.

though it was true he could never truly know how georgie was feeling, what was also true was just how much he hated to see her hurting, and that was something he’d had to do all summer long. he wasn’t an idiot; he knew that the pain she was experiencing wasn’t exclusive to the loss of her mother, some of it, little flashes in the eyes, he could recognize as pangs he’d felt the year prior, and knowing that while he was doing everything he could to ease her suffer he was adding more to it in each breath, well, that was a beast of its own. “how can you think that?” he asked her, and though the question is still soft, it’s serious as well, regulus reaching instinctively to tuck georgie’s hair out of the way when she turned to face him. “compassion never makes things worse. and you haven’t, either. don’t you dare let their heartlessness make you feel like you’re in the wrong for caring, not about anything. I won’t have that, not even a little.” he’d spent far too long watching her shine to let her dull herself now, be it the result of grief or the callousness of the rest of her family, or even pain he himself had caused. but regulus forgets himself with her touch, so familiar and welcome, with the way she looks at him; his instinct has always been to reassure her, to care for her, to protect her.  “time, geography, none of that means anything. i know what I said. i said forever, and I meant it.” it was a habit, he’d tell himself later, an accident, perhaps, if he felt like lying to himself; but before he knew he’d done it, he’d leaned in that little bit closer to press his lips to hers the way he’d done a thousand times. time and geography might not have changed the way he felt, but circumstances should have, and circumstances being what they were .. regulus had done something he couldn’t take back even if he’d wanted to, but he couldn’t call it a mistake. he didn’t regret it, but he still pulled back as he registered his own actions, he had to. but he was at a loss for words. he wouldn’t apologize – he wasn’t sorry – but he couldn’t continue, either; that was someone he couldn’t let himself be, not consciously. “it wasn’t really fair of me to do that,” he said, finally, “so I don’t think fair matters anymore. but I can’t...be that guy, not on purpose.” but regulus wasn’t going anywhere, either, keeping his hands on georgie like he could keep her there a little longer, and he hoped he could. “kreacher - i need you to send a note for me, and then get the fuck out of here.”

          “you can go now,” he said, rolling his eyes. “you might be a view for someone, but i regret to inform you that i prefer my view to not be so bland. be a dear won’t you and move. i’d love to finish this sketch for my boyfriend before i get wrinkles.” 

dismissed and disregarded – regulus, truly, had never been so insulted, so it was a good thing the words didn’t faze him. he only rolled his own eyes and stepped to the side, out of the way. “you could have just said please, and I would have moved. I may be a walking ego, but I have manners, you know.” but off to the side isn’t good enough for regulus; now he’s curious, so he moves completely out of the way, coming to stand near kaz. “who took you off the market then?”

closed for @reg-arcturus​​

finally he had gotten some peace and quiet to himself, tucked away in a corner of one of the quieter cafes in hogsmede. severus just preferred his own company, and the peace meant he could do what he liked. write, doodle, do some work, it was up to him. he was just settling into a comfortable position with his parchment and quill in hand, when he heard the front door open with a chime, followed by quick footsteps approaching him. 

geez, couldn’t a guy get five minutes?!

he sighed and looked up, raising a brow when he saw regulus black stood at the top of the stairs just across from him. “regulus? what are you doing here?”

regulus only had himself to blame for the decisions he made – georgie was off with cissy somewhere, and he could’ve taken the free time to go and see billie, he could’ve, but she wasn’t who he wanted to see today. he wanted to see severus. severus, who, regulus knew far too well by now was probably spending his summer all alone, quiet and boring, and dull. regulus hated the thought; truly, he did – a summer of the quiet nothingness his mate seemed to crave so desperately could never have kept the younger black sane. and sure, it took some searching, but, already, the hunt for severus had kept him amused, so, regulus was sure this trend would only continue. or he hoped anyway.

CLOSED / @reg-arcturus​

          “are you blocking the view on purpose so i can’t draw or are you just not paying attention?” 

it was the latter, but regulus had no plans to admit to that. “i am the view, mac cionaoith, careful, now, you’ll hurt my feelings if you’re implying otherwise.”

“they’re family they don’t count.” she said before rolling her eyes. “yeah, yeah, yeah, i get it. i’m not a male nor do i ooze charm,” just some raging bitchiness that most people didn’t want to put up with. “that sounds like a personal problem,” she says in a monotone, grabbing her cigarettes from her jacket pocket and putting on in between her lips. “okay, so what i’m hearing is that: both of them die.”

.

he rolled his eyes right back at her, shaking his head fondly. “i was going more for you’re a bitch, but hey, some people like that ciss, it’s probably fine.” with a sigh, though, the fondness leaves him, as does his smile. “no. i’d never let georgie die.” of course, it’s after he says the words he realizes the implication he’s made - but it’s too late to walk it back, even if he wanted to, so instead he lights the cigarette for his cousin. “those ‘brothers’,” and the word brothers is so bitter, so sarcastic, there’s no mistaking the distaste there, “of billie’s are never far, she’d be fine. i’d never hear the end, but she’d be fine.”

–

There were times where she wasn’t sure what she was going to do when Reg left for Hogwarts next year. Even now, she could barely deal with the idea and there was still twelve months. She curled in closer to him, letting her face hide in his shoulder. “Everyone acts like I should be okay. Everyone else is okay. My brothers are. My father is. And I just…” Somehow she managed to hold back her sob but that didn’t stop her shoulders from shaking. Her emotions were only truly shown to those she thinks as worthy. In her head, there is nobody more worthy than the man next to her. “You all will be around but I’ll have to share. It’s not going to be the same.” She pulled back just enough to look at Regulus. There were a few words right on the tip of her tongue but she knew she couldn’t say them. Not at this moment. Maybe not ever. “I’m going to have to share my time with you. I know it’s selfish but I don’t want to.” It was more honest than she thought she would be. “I’m going to loose you to everyone else and I can’t loose you. Not now.” 

.

he knew the summer had been hard for her - and hard, truly, was the understatement of the century - but even as she snuggled in closer, regulus knew, too, that there was truly nothing he could say or do to really take that pain away from her, though he’d certainly done his best anyway. “they don’t have your heart,” he reminded her, and the words were as gentle as the squeeze of his hand; regulus hated how badly she was hurting, and though he was also aware he was part of the problem, all he really wanted to be was a solution. still, georgie had fair points that she was presenting, and he was glad, for a moment, that she wasn’t able to see the guilt cross his face, letting his features fall back into the soft, if still sad, smile as he felt her shifting. “i know it’s not the same,” he agrees, refraining from reminding her that he’d had to try and accept that fate himself the term prior, because he knew there was no use calling it fair play; it wasn’t fair play, and he knew too well how hard the coming term would be. and it wasn’t just georgie it would be hard for; regulus had hardly seen his girlfriend at all - was she even still? would billie, again, change her mind about him, even after giving her blessing to dedicate, virtually, his entire summer to the woman beside him? could he blame her if she did? “listen to me, okay, dollface? you are never going to lose me. i’m not going anywhere, not now, not ever. no matter what happens, it’s me and you against the world forever, right?”