A/N: Hello! Sorry, looks like i'm back to slow updating, but i have a few exams looming and Christmas break is virtually over, so that's how it's going to have to be i'm afraid! nevertheless, i wrote a nice long-ish chapter for you all. i like this chapter actually, and Reg/Roe lovers should like it too :) oh, and it's been great hearing from new people the last few weeks! if there's anymore of you out there, speak up, review or PM me, it's lovely to hear opinions and ideas, and plain old fangirling :D
Disclaimer: I own nothing that JK Rowling does.
Chapter Thirty – Eight
Sirius was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and I was in the shower washing my hair. Over the sounds of running water I could vaguely hear music, and Sirius singing along loudly. And then, crack.
I wasn't sure if I'd really heard it, so I turned off the shower and opened the door. Grabbing my wand from where I'd left it behind the sink taps, I looked around the room.
Very quickly I realized how silly I felt, standing there dripping wet and naked waving my wand around. I put my wand back on the sink, and glanced at the mirror before returning to the shower.
Wait, what?
I turned back round to look at the steamed up mirror again. Written across it, like with a finger, were the words:
1am tonight. Make sure he's asleep. RAB.
Quickly I rubbed the words away, casting a wary eye to the locked bathroom door.
Excitement swelled in my chest as I got back in the shower, my mind already whizzing through all the things that might happen tonight.
The evening went tiresomely slowly, but soon Sirius and I were getting into bed, his arm around my waist and his hot breath on my neck soon turning to gentle snores.
The little clock on the bedside table ticked loudly, and I watched as it passed eleven, then twelve, then slowly came to one. I slipped out of Sirius' grasp and put on some clothes, then tiptoed to the bedroom door.
Regulus had stopped coming into the bedroom since a rather close call with Sirius waking up one night. I'd had to explain the fact I was dressed and about to walk out of the room by telling Sirius I couldn't sleep and felt like a late night walk to tire me out. Regulus had had to wait while I got back into bed, pretended to sleep, and waited for Sirius to fall asleep again while I made my escape.
I slipped out of the bedroom door, casting one last look towards the bed to check Sirius was still asleep. I almost smiled at the sight of his face pressed into the pillows, one foot stuck out of the side of the bed and his arms spread across my side of the bed.
I walked through to the lounge where Reg usually waited, and couldn't see him. On my way through to check the kitchen I found him, standing in the hallway looking at the wall. I switched on the light. I could now see what he was looking at. The photos on the wall of Sirius and I at Lily and James' wedding.
Reg turned to look at me when the light clicked on.
"Sorry…" he smiled sheepishly, stepping back from the photos.
"No, it's okay." I replied, walking over to stand next to him. He looked back at the photos.
"Beautiful dress…" He said, and I nodded.
"Yeah, Lily looked angelic that day."
"No, I meant you." He nudged me gently with his elbow.
"Oh."
We watched the photos of Lily and James being sprinkled with confetti, Janie and Remus kissing under a blossom tree, Gideon and Fabian pulling faces behind the bride and groom, Sirius and I holding hands but looking in opposite directions.
"Let's go." I said finally, switching off the light and unlocking the front door.
"Yeah." Reg followed after me, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Where are we going tonight?" I asked as we walked out into the cold air.
"Back to mine I suppose, it's a little warmer than out here."
"Yours?" I asked in surprise. I knew Regulus didn't have a permanent home, that he was constantly moving to hide from Lord Voldemort, but I never knew where he was staying.
"Yes, mine. Well, it is for now. Don't look so worried!" Regulus laughed at me.
"I'm not worried, I'm surprised." I mumbled.
"Right, sure…" Regulus continued to laugh at me. "Ready?"
"Yes." I nodded, and held onto his arm as we Disapparated.
We appeared inside a dark room, lit slightly by neon lights outside the windows. Regulus immediately moved away from me and turned on a light, a single lightbulb that hung from the ceiling.
"Muggle London! The very backstreets of it. Who would ever look for me here." Reg grinned at me from across the room. The bulb cast just a little light, but enough to reveal a mattress on the floor, a radio on a little table, and two doors into what looked like a shabby bathroom and kitchen.
"I know it's not pleasant…"
"But it's not what they'd expect. That's a good thing." I said positively, looking around the room warily.
"However… There are a few things I could do here…" I pulled my wand out and headed through to check out the rest of the bedsit.
"Ew, Reg…" I complained at the pile of dishes, food wrappers, and half-eaten food piled in the kitchen.
"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly. I waved my wand and began to clean up, sending the dirty dishes into the sink to start washing themselves, and piling all the rubbish into a bin.
A few minutes later the kitchen was clear and the dishes were stacked neatly on the worktop. Another wave of my wand and a cloth began washing all the surfaces. Reg just watched in both amusement and surprise as I headed through to the bathroom to continue my cleanup mission.
Ten minutes later I flopped down onto the sofa I'd Transfigured, breathing a deep sigh like I'd finished a long day's work.
"Wow." Reg laughed, sitting down and admiring the room.
"Not bad." I shrugged, looking over my work. The room was still sparsely furnished and dark, but it wasn't so depressing, and certainly a lot more comfortable.
"Thank you." He shuffled closer and put his arm around me, laying a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"It needed a woman's touch." I smiled, leaning closer to his body subconsciously. "So how long have you been here?"
"Four days. I think I might try and stay here a while, it's too tiring moving around so often."
"Well you could for a while." I agreed, "It would be nice to be able to imagine you somewhere."
"What do you mean?" Reg looked down at me.
"I never know where you are. Now when I think about you, I can imagine where you are, where you might be sitting, what you see before you fall asleep."
"Do you think about me a lot?" He asked, his eyes glinting, a little smile curving his lips.
"Well I don't know about a lot…" I replied, fighting a smile of my own. Regulus laughed and his armed darted around my waist pulling me down so we were lying next to each other.
"It was you, wasn't it." I said quietly.
"What was?" he asked, the smile dropping from his face.
"You killed Rosier and Wilkes…"
"Oh. Yes, that was me." Regulus nodded, his eyes studying me for a reaction.
"Okay. Okay…"
"It had to be done. For one thing, it was revenge. And for another, they were bastards anyway." He said, his face smooth and blank. "I'm sorry…"
"No, no. I just, needed to be sure." I told him, leaning into his chest.
"I'm sorry I didn't get Avery too." Regulus continued his sentence that I'd interrupted.
"Oh." I realized what he was saying, then I laughed a little. "I heard you messed him up pretty bad anyway."
"I tried." Regulus said, half smiling, but half confused at my response. I shook my head slightly as if to say nevermind, and closed my eyes. His chest rose and fell gently and his shirt smelled of him. I could have stayed there forever.
...
"Roe." Reg's voice was distant.
"Wake up." He said a little louder. I opened my eyes and blinked. For a moment I wasn't sure where I was. I wondered if I was dreaming.
"We've got to get you home." He whispered, stroking my cheek gently. I blinked again and focused on his face, still lying next to me. I remembered where I was. The dim light bulb seemed unusually bright, and I closed my eyes again.
"Come on then." Regulus laughed, his chest rumbling. He sat up and his arm slipped under my knees, the other under my neck as he lifted me into his arms.
"I don't want to go home…" I mumbled.
"It's okay, go back to sleep. I've got you." He murmured, and the light shining through my eyelids disappeared as we Disapparated.
Regulus put me down in the chair in the corner of my room, and gently pulled my hoody over my head, my shoes and socks off, my jeans off. Struggling to sit up straight, I leant my head again his, and he kissed my nose.
"Goodnight." He whispered, lifting me up again easily and carrying me to bed. He bent over to pull the covers up to my chin, and I turned my face into the soft pillow.
"I love you." he murmured in my ear, and then he was gone.
A/N: that was cute, wasn't it? :) as i said, i love hearing from you, so don't hesitate to review! even anonymous reviews are cool, though i do like replying to you lot with accounts/who sign in!
-DaizeeG
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