Tangled Web: RegRab
Word Count: 423
Regulus supposes he should feel out of place. The park is a Muggle one, and, at fifteen, he is much older than most of the others who frequent the place. At least it's mostly empty, except for a mother who glares suspiciously at him as she ushers her two children quickly away.
Regulus shrugs and plucks a cigarette from his pocket. He fits his lips around the filter and lights up, breathing in the smoke.
"Why do you like this place so much?"
Regulus glances up to see Rabastan standing before him. He inhales again before breathing out a cloud of white-grey smoke. "Dunno," he answers before pushing himself back and swinging forward. "I'm young. Young people like parks, yeah?"
Rabastan steps out of the way, chuckling and shaking his head. "You're something else."
Regulus can't help but smile at that. Others might mock him for enjoying a place like this, but Rabastan doesn't seem to care. It's just another reason he likes the other boy.
Rabastan sits on the swing beside him. Regulus skids to a stop and sighs.
"Feels weird to pretend the world is normal, doesn't it?" Rabastan asks.
Regulus takes another drag of the cigarette, frowning. It seems like he can't go anywhere without talks of war seeming to find him. If he's honest, maybe that's why he likes the park so much. The Muggles he's meant to hate don't know anything about the storm that's been brewing, about the chaos that's slowly breaking out. They don't know that he's been bouncing between the hope of making his parents proud and the fear that makes him want to save himself.
Still, war always finds him. It's another reminder that he has to pick a side eventually.
But not today.
"Give me a push on the swing," he says, crushing out his cigarette.
Rabastan laughs. "Why should I?"
Good. At least he accepts the change of subject. That makes it much easier.
"Because I'm cute." He offers Rabastan his brightest smile. It works, of course. Sirius had taught him to play the wanton, and Regulus has become quite good at it. "And you love me."
Rabastan snorts, but he hops off the swing and moves behind Regulus. "You're an awful lot of work," he says, gripping the chains and pulling back but holding Regulus in place.
Regulus laughs. "But worth it," he says.
Rabastan kisses his neck gently before releasing him.
And as Regulus swings higher and higher, it feels like maybe things can be normal for just a moment.