Prompts: Write about your chosen Death Eater [Regulus Black] at home.

Additional Prompts: (dialogue), "If you don't eat your vegetables, you can't have any pudding.", (emotion) Anger, (word) Tomorrow

WC: 1,067

Chocolate Frog Card: Oswald Beamish: Challenge: Write about an interspecies friendship or romance.

There was only one thing in Regulus Black's life that remained consistent. Kreacher.

"Master Regulus is cute," Kreacher commented, tucking the blanket around young Regulus' small figure. "Master Regulus will grow to be a handsome man; yes he will," he continued, nodding his head and ignoring the way his ears flopped into his face.

"Kreacher?"

"Yes, Master Regulus?"

"Why are you nice to me, but not to Sirius?"

"Because, Master Regulus is nice to Kreacher, so Kreacher is nice to Regulus in return." Kreacher immediately appeared bashful, and he eyed the lamp next to Regulus' bed, as if he was contemplating bashing it against his head.

"I'll always be nice to you," Regulus mumbled through a yawn. "You're my friend."

"Regulus!" Walburga snapped, glaring at her youngest son. "Eat your vegetables!"

Regulus scowled at his plate, the chopped carrots and green peas proving to be a worthy opponent for his appetite.

"Regulus," Orion warned, as he picked at his own carrots. It was obvious where Regulus got his aversion to healthy food, whilst Sirius stuffed his down happily. He was similar to their mother in that regard, but if you ever commented on it to his face, you were sure to have food resting on yours moments later.

"Master Regulus," Kreacher squeaked. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you can't have any pudding." Regulus gaped down at his house elf, horror filling his mind; Kreacher had made treacle tart—Regulus' favourite—and he wasn't going to go without after being tempted with the smell all day. He immediately turned back to his plate and picked up his spoon, scooping a heap of peas into his mouth and barely grimacing at the flavour as he hardly chewed and swallowed it down quickly, before moving onto his next bite. Orion nodded thankfully at their house elf, whilst Walburga merely huffed and turned back to her own dinner.

"He hates me," Regulus moaned, his voice muffled through the pillow which he had his face buried in. "Kreacher, am I really that bad?"

"Of course not!" Kreacher defended, outraged that Regulus would ask such a thing. "Master Regulus is a wonderful example of a wizard, he is." Kreacher nodded, folding the clothes that he'd recently washed and placing them in the drawers. "Master Sirius," his lip curled with disgust, "Is not a good example of a wizard."

"Kreacher!" Regulus gasped, lifting his head and staring at the elf in shock. The house elf in question was looking extremely uncomfortable and slammed his fingers shut with a drawer. "Kreacher, stop!"

"Kreacher shouldn't insult a Master," he offered weakly, staring at his throbbing fingers which were being cradled by Regulus.

"Kreacher should know that I wasn't going to tell him off." Regulus looked at his door to check that it was shut. "If you ask me, Sirius is a bad example of a Pureblood wizard, but he's still my brother and I still love him."

"Kreacher knows this. Kreacher just doesn't like Master Sirius."

Regulus sighed, knowing that this was an argument he'd never win, since it was one that they'd had often.

Kreacher mopped the sweat off of Regulus' forehead as he quivered and moaned feebly with pain, his left arm red and black, uncovered since even the slightest brush of the softest material was enough to cause whimpers from his Master.

"Kreacher, am I a monster?"

"Of course not, Master Regulus," Kreacher protested, terror on his face at the thought. "Master Regulus is kindest wizard Kreacher has ever met."

"I'm killing people," he admitted in a whisper, resting his head on the window pane as he looked out of his bedroom and down onto the Muggle street, watching as an unaware Muggles went about their daily lives. "Innocent people that have done nothing but live their lives."

"Master Regulus is cleaning up the world," Kreacher commented proudly, puffing out his chest. "Master Regulus is—"

"Master Regulus tortured and killed a girl that is no older than twelve today because she doesn't have magic," Regulus snapped, whirling around to his elf. "I'm a monster and there is no point defending me and my life choices."

Kreacher cowered in front of the wizard, unnerved by the side of his Master that he hadn't seen before. Regulus noticed and sighed, running a hand through his hair and messing it up.

"I'm sorry," Regulus apologised gently, turning back to the window. "You're dismissed."

Kreacher didn't leave straight away, knowing that he was disobeying orders—but he was unable to leave his Master in such a vulnerable state. He moved closer to the wizard, resting a tentative hand on his trouser leg.

"If Master Regulus doesn't want to do it, Master Regulus should stop. Kreacher only wants Master Regulus to be happy."

Regulus rested his hand on Kreacher's head, stroking gently to silently show his thanks.

Kreacher's pale and quivering body rested on Regulus' body. The house elf was asleep and even then it was forced, with Regulus ordering the old elf to drink the potion and refusing to allow him to leave to his personal space.

Kreacher had just returned from his time with the Dark Lord and this was not the condition that he'd expected his servant and friend to return home in. It was despicable about how he'd been treated and how he'd been abandoned. He was treated like dirt and that was unacceptable in Regulus' book.

"It's okay, Kreacher," Regulus reassured, his anger diminishing at the pained whimper that had been released in his sleep. "We'll get you better for tomorrow, then we'll begin the process of getting back at him."

"No-o," Kreacher protested feebly, fighting the pull of the potion to converse with his Master. "Master R-Regulus mustn't d-do anything-g."

"Kreacher, I'm not going to let him get away with this. I've been having doubts from the moment I've got this stupid mark, now he's hurt you and he's hunting my brother—" Regulus cut himself off, trying to calm his temper and lower his tone. "I won't let him win, even if my life is sacrifice."

Kreacher looked around Master Regulus' room, recalling all the conversations that they'd had here. It hurt to know that this room would be empty until another inhabitant was to take it over, and in doing so, remove and destroy Master Regulus' things.

There was only one thing in life that Kreacher had ever loved. Regulus.

Thanks to Screaming Faeries for beta'ing.