quiet allowance.

your hair grew longer and healthier. your skin clearer than ever. the tension in your shoulders suddenly gone. everything in your life felt lighter—like it had been pushed away.

by your baby. your love. your past enemy.

Regulus Black.

yes, the boy who lived in shadows. the boy who was never seen but always there. the boy who used to be a spooky bastard always on your ass. and on top of that, you both had your own rivalry. blood-wise.

you were raised on warnings. on sharpened glances and lowered voices whenever the Blacks were mentioned. you learned early that Regulus Black was not meant to be gentle—not with you, not with anyone who shared your blood.

he was cruel. period.

but the way your body loosened around him felt like betrayal.

when he came into class late, your shoulders eased without permission. when you heard his quiet, whisper-like voice, your attention followed. what was worse was when he left. the quiet came back too loud. your breath shortened. you hated that your body noticed his absence before your heart did.

Regulus had inherited the same war you had. different side. same rules.

and still—his eyes lingered where they used to harden. your body stopped bracing before you realized why. when he held the door open for you, you hesitated—just for a moment—before stepping past him.

weeks turned into months, and the allowances continued. hands brushed in passing. he lingered near you in the library. sometimes, he just watched you from the corner of his eye and said nothing at all. nothing dramatic. nothing forced. but each moment chipped away at the wall between you.

it had been days of seeing each other back to back, trapped in torturous Death Eater meetings. long nights standing in the same dark room, breathing cold air, listening to your elders speak of blood and power like currency.

one night, the meeting ran too long. too heated.

you slipped out, head pounding, tension clawing at your chest. you stood in the dark corridor just to breathe—only to realize you weren’t alone.

Regulus stood by a tall window, posture stiff. your eyes met for a moment too long.

then he moved.

he crossed the space between you without a word. stopped too close. his gaze flicked to your forehead—blood, fresh and unbothered. nothing new.

you looked away.

and then you felt it.

a finger brushed gently across your skin, cool and deliberate, wiping the blood away like instinct. he didn’t rush. didn’t speak.

you didn’t pull back.

someone passed nearby. Regulus stepped away, distance restored.

but something had already broken.

days later, you found yourself alone on the astronomy tower at midnight, eyes on the crescent moon. then there it was again—that presence. you didn’t turn.

Regulus appeared beside you, quiet as breath. his hand tilted your chin upward, thumb resting at your jaw.

the warmth sent a shiver down your spine. you realized you’d been holding your breath.

you held his gaze.

then his lips pressed to your forehead.

a quiet promise. a devotion.

i’m yours, despite the hate.

present.

you sat at your vanity in a candlelit dorm, combing your long hair. clean. safe.

Regulus waited in the armchair behind you. gentle hands rested on your shoulders, tilting your neck as he pressed a soft kiss to your skin.

it was casual. effortless.

but to you, it carried all the love that had grown in the silence before.