AN: This is a good one y'all. I'll love you forever if you leave a review !

like real people do – hozier

"i will not ask you where you came from

i would not ask and neither would you."

Sofia shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Her butt was starting to hurt from sitting for almost two hours straight. She rolled her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling, it was too dark to see any of the details on it very closely but she tried anyway. She just didn't want to look at the ballerinas.

She used to love coming to the ballet when she was younger. But now ballet was an activity that Sofia could only relate to her father, which meant she wanted nothing to do with it. She knew her mother and sister wished Sofia still enjoyed it as much as they did, and sometimes Sofia wished it too. She even thought she missed it sometimes. But even looking at pointé shoes made her get flashbacks to a happier time when Dad was still around and left her feeling with a sour taste in her mouth.

Which was a complicated situation since Natasha and their mother were still very much involved in ballet. Hence them being here right now.

"Is it almost over?" Sofia knew Natasha would get pissed off about this question, but Sofia genuinely wanted to know when her torture would end.

Natasha shushed her. "The Mouse King just showed up, what do you think?"

Oh, she was clever. Sofia continued to sulk in her seat. She did vaguely remember the plot of the Nutcracker, not nearly enough to know what that meant though. She closed her eyes. She'd be lying if she said she didn't still enjoy the music, Tchaikovsky had kind of gone off with that one. But she seriously needed to give her butt a rest from its confinement.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Sofia whispered to Natasha.

Natasha managed to tear her eyes away from the stage to glare at her sister.

Sofia ducked out of the hall as stealthily as she could. There was no one in the hallway, and Sofia leisurely strolled right through it and even went to the actual bathroom so she couldn't be called a liar.

A few more minutes passed, Sofia leaned against the wall. She had just started considering going back inside when footsteps approached and she spotted the absolute last person she would expect to see at the fucking Royal Opera House.

Sofia and Regulus stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds, both clearly trying to process the fact that they were seeing the other.

Sofia gaped at him. "What– what are you doing here?"

He recovered and his stoic mask was back on. "I should be asking you that."

"Hey, this is Muggle London, it's my turf. You're the odd one out here, bud."

He let out a small sigh that clearly indicated she was in the right. "My uncle likes... whatever this is. He forced me to come with him."

"Your uncle?"

"Alphard."

Sofia nodded, slightly surprised. "And does good old Walburga approve of you hanging out with someone she just recently blasted off the family tapestry?"

Regulus glowered at her. "I don't know, because she'll never find out about it."

Sofia smiled, amused. "Oooh, going behind Mummy's back, are you?"

Regulus looked at her with frustration framing his eyes. "I'm serious, Sofia. Don't tell anyone about this."

Sofia bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, so I'm just trying to figure this out... Am I Sofia when your friends try to cut me open... and when you're trying to get me to keep your secrets? And Bessonova... the rest of the time?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "What am I supposed to call you? Bess?"

Sofia cringed. It sounded wrong when he called her that. "You may address me in the Russian formal manner, Sofia Valeryevna."

He rolled his eyes again.

"If you keep rolling your eyes, they're going to get stuck that way."

He frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Do wizard parents not say that?"

"Not as far as I know."

Sofia thought for a moment. She really didn't want to go back into the hall. "Want to see something cool?"

Regulus stared at her, clearly torn by her question. "I thought you didn't want to..."

Sofia believed he was referring to their previous conversation about her not wanting to be friends with him. The truth was that... she kind of missed him. Although, she would never admit it out loud to anyone under any circumstances. She figured it didn't matter if she hung out with him here, where no one could see them, just this once. She could berate herself over it later.

She shrugged. "Do you want to see something cool or not?"

His eyes narrowed as if trying to put together a puzzle. "I guess."

She smiled and led the way down the hall and to a door marked 'staff only'. She walked right through it casually.

"Are we supposed to go in here?" Regulus asked.

"If anyone sees us, just act like you belong, it'll be fine."

"You don't exactly look like you belong to the staff though."

Sofia glanced down at the dark blue dress her mother had forced her to wear. She shrugged. "It'll be fine, trust me."

They went through a narrow staircase and climbed up and up. Sofia stumbled on a step and instinctively reached out and seized Regulus's hand. Then she dropped it like it was on fire. Why was her pulse escalating like she'd just run a marathon?

She said a quick thanks to Regulus and continued on. They finally reached the floor she was looking for.

There were people inside the lighting booth but Sofia silently crept up from behind a curtain that hid them. She motioned for Regulus to take a look as well.

A clear unobstructed view of the stage laid beyond them.

They watched for a few minutes before sneaking back out of the room.

"Cool, huh?" Sofia asked in a low voice.

"How'd you know about this place?"

Sofia shrugged. "I used to come here pretty often when I was a kid."

There was a noise from behind them and Sofia took Regulus by the wrist and pulled him a few feet down the hallway, to a small nook in the wall. They pressed themselves against the wall to avoid being seen.

Sofia turned to look at Regulus and immediately noticed how small the nook actually was. He was standing too close to her. Another step and their chests would be pressed together. Sofia's breath hitched but she tried her best to control it.

"I didn't cheat on Hunter," Sofia blurted out.

Regulus's brows raised, not expecting her to say that. "... okay."

"I did start dating someone soon after we broke up... but, I never cheated on him with tons of people or anything like that. He just... he said I had cheated on him because... well, he thought I had started seeing the person I dated after him while we were still together because we were close friends before, but there wasn't anything between us really and when I started having feelings for this person, I broke up with Hunter–" Sofia rambled.

"Will you slow down? I barely got a word of that."

Sofia sighed. She would have to tell him everything unless she wanted to explain the situation like he was five. Ugh, why had she even brought this up? "Well... basically, Hunter was pissed off that I started seeing a... girl after we broke up and he said that I cheated on him so he wouldn't have to tell the truth."

Sofia watched Regulus's expression closely but he gave nothing away.

"Well, I never quite believe what Eliana says anyway. She tends to be kind of gullible with rumours," he said.

Sofia smiled. "Yeah, I just... I don't really care if she thinks I'm a slut or whatever but I feel like I never got to say my part of the story." She knew that explanation made little sense unless she admitted she actually cared about what he thought. Oh well.

"She doesn't really think you're a slut, she's just..."

Sofia raised a brow. "Jealous?"

Regulus exhaled heavily. "I guess, yeah. Ever since my mother forced me to take her to the Winter Ball last year, she's gotten... weirdly attached to me."

"Yeah, I can tell," Sofia suddenly felt like she was treading dangerous ground. "Don't know what her issue with me is though. She can't really think that we..." She let out a small laugh.

Regulus didn't laugh, he just stared at Sofia kind of intensely. "Well, you made it pretty clear that I'm practically a troll to you, so... I don't think that'll be a problem anymore."

Sofia tried to hide her bemused smile with her hand. "I'm sorry, that was kinda mean." She looked up at him and his forever-grim expression. She wanted to... make him squirm. She had no good reason why. She just really enjoyed it when a feeling other than irritation or indifference passed through those eyes. "But come on... you and me?" She shook her head.

"So you genuinely think I'm the human equivalent to a troll, you didn't just say that to appease Eliana?" He didn't seem too upset, but genuinely curious.

Sofia shrugged. Her head tilted as she looked at him. His face was all angles, features fit for royalty. His dark hair neatly arranged and those brooding grey eyes piercing through her, as per usual. She needed to stop staring at him. Or she was going to get flustered."I mean... no, not really. But I don't know... I guess I don't really see you as..."

She spoke slowly and trailed off into another shrug. Regulus seemed at a loss. Sofia was having way too much fun with this. She hoped he couldn't see in her eyes the quickening heartbeat and the warmth in her stomach she'd been getting when he was near her lately.

His expression shifted into indignation. He was clearly bothered by Sofia's vague statements.

He took a step forward and before Sofia knew what was happening, he was pressed up against her, an arm around her waist.

His face was so close to Sofia's, their noses were touching. She knew he hadn't missed the loud hitch in her breath when he'd touched her.

Her heart felt like a hammer in her chest. Was it getting hot? She felt hot.

He brushed his lips against Sofia's ever so slightly and she seriously thought she might pass out.

Her pretending she saw him as a sexless troll was truly over now. She had given herself away, way too obviously.

She knew what he was doing. He wanted her to kiss him. He wasn't going to do anything until she finally gave in to her blatant lie.

She fought it, she truly did, but all her brain could think of were those lips. And how she wanted more.

He started to draw back, but he didn't get an inch away when Sofia pushed her mouth to his in a hard kiss.

He froze for a split second that felt like an eternity before responding. He tightened his hold on her waist and kissed her with a fervour she didn't know he had in him. Her hands found their way to his hair and very satisfyingly tousled up its neatness.

The kiss was all teeth and tongue and heat. Sofia felt like her entire body was on fire. She was snogging Regulus Black. In the Royal Opera House. On Christmas Eve.

It was over way too quickly. He pulled away and already she ached for more. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly.

She was sure she looked red as a tomato, a mess, with her mouth still slightly ajar. But Regulus was aloof as ever, a smug but satisfied look on his face. "Still rather kiss the Giant Squid?"

He walked out of the nook and headed back down the stairs without looking at her.

She was still trying to catch her breath.

Sofia tried. She really did. She tried so hard to think about something other than Regulus Black's kiss, but it was almost impossible. She couldn't forget it, the press of his lips against hers and the way her entire body had melted.

In fact, she thought about it so much, she even forgot to be mad at her dad when she saw him for the holidays. Not to mention the fact that the man was making it pretty hard to stay mad at him, having brought his family over to Russia to spend the New Year with his extended family. And letting Sofia bring Sirius along.

So, currently, most of her brain capacity was being occupated by thoughts of Regulus Black and trying not to feel guilty about the entire thing when Sirius was around.

Sofia watched her siblings and cousins play around with their brand new toys from her spot on the couch.

If there was one thing that that kiss had forced her to realise, it was that – as much as she had been doing everything in her power to avoid it, and as long as she had spent trying to deny it to herself – she liked Regulus Black. She enjoyed their banter, and she liked teasing him and talking about potions with him and she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it at least a little bit when he'd said wouldn't let anyone hurt her. So, obviously, Sofia was in distress over the whole thing.

Why did he have to show up at the freaking ballet? That had been so weird. It had made her lower her inhibitions and act too impulsively.

The couch dipped as Sirius sat next to Sofia. "Knut for your thoughts."

Sofia's eyes widened. He did not want to know her thoughts. She didn't think he wanted a ten-minute long description of the softness of his brother's lips. "Uhh... I was just thinking about..." her brain came up empty, "nothing. Did you have a nice time at the Potters' for Christmas?"

"Yeah, it was alright. Mrs Potter knows how to throw a feast."

Sofia smiled half-heatedly. "Hey, do you... still talk to your Uncle Alphard?"

"Well, the man gave me a small fortune without minding being shunned by his family over it, so... yeah, I still talk to him sometimes," Sirius said.

"Hm," Sofia looked away from him, pensive. How did she even ask what she truly wanted to ask? "Was he always... I mean, is he the reason why you're not... like the rest of your family?"

Sirius looked at her weirdly. "A blood fanatic, you mean? I don't know, I don't remember ever discussing blood purity with him, but he did always say the rest of our family cared about blood a little too much. That was it though. I don't know, I never saw him much as a kid. My parents didn't like him, obviously."

Sofia nodded, she was thinking back to everything Sirius had told her about his uncle when he'd first run away. "Did you know he'd say yes when you asked him for help?"

Sirius's head tilted in thought. "Uh... I guess not, but I thought he was most likely to say yes, and even he didn't, it's not like he could make things worse, I was going to run away no matter what. He definitely gave me more than I thought he would though." He shifted in his seat. "Why the sudden interest in good old Alphard Black? I know you have some daddy issues, but Uncle Al's almost seventy, I think that'd be pushing it."

Sofia smacked Sirius on the arm, hard. He laughed. She shrugged. "I just... I'd like to know a little more about the man who helped you so much when you needed it. You've never really told me much about him."

"Well... as much as I'll forever be grateful to him and care about him... we're just not very close. He's always been a loner, I think he likes it that way."

"You didn't see him much as a kid, then?" Sofia tried to divert the conversation to where she wanted.

"No, not really. But he was always nice when we did see him, which is more than I can say for... most of my relatives. I think... he liked my brother more than he did me. I was always... a little too much for him. He's always been kinda mellow, so he liked Regulus better."

It seemed as if those last sentences cost Sirius a lot to get out. Sofia wanted to ask more but she didn't want to make Sirius uncomfortable by forcing him to talk about Regulus when the topic very clearly pained him. Not to mention, the weight that settled on Sofia's chest at the mention of Regulus. She should say something to Sirius. He was her best friend after all. She knew she had to. But she just couldn't get the words out.

There was a commotion from the dinner table as the adults realised it was less than a minute until midnight. Sirius stood up and pulled Sofia up alongside him. "Let's go, I've been practising for days for this moment."

Sofia's brows raised. "Have you?"

He grinned. "Sure I have. S Novym Godom, Sonya."

Sofia smiled, impressed. He'd learned to say happy new year in Russian. "Ty tozhe, spasibo, Sirius. Colour me impressed."

Sirius threw an arm around her shoulders as he led her to the table.