CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: PEACE

Over the following days, Flora noticed that Remus started to visit more often and never for any particular purpose. He would bring her things—food, sweets, magazines—and never stayed longer than an hour. He sometimes went upstairs, checking the rooms, she realised—checking Regulus' room, to ensure he was still living in it. Fortunately, Regulus still did frequent his own room. If he wanted to nap while Flora was downstairs, he went to his own bed, and there had been a few times Flora had joined him. So the changing of bedding continued to rotate, proving some semblance of normalcy to Remus. It didn't take Flora long to realise what he was doing, as his gaze always found Regulus, and besides checking the house, he began to take an uncommon interest in everything they had been doing.

He took Flora to Diagon Alley not just once, but twice, in the same week. His offer sounded almost casual the second time—"I'm going to get some floo powder and stuff," he said vaguely, "do you want to come?"

Flora of course said yes. She had been sitting at the kitchen table counting Knuts and Sickles and Galleons from her last visit, wondering when she would get to spend the rest of it. She loved visiting the Wizarding side of the world even to do the most mundane things. With both her parents being muggles, the only time she got to visit Diagon Alley was when Remus went to buy his new Hogwarts' robes and books. She'd had no reason to visit since he'd finished school and therefore knew very little of it.

She thought of Regulus during these latest visits, for it was wholly his world and she felt like she was seeing it with fresh eyes. She wanted to know his world and be part of it. She entertained a fantasy in her mind as she moved from shop-to-shop with her brother, pretending she was a witch, imagining she was just like the other magical people meandering around the cobbled street.

She bought a tarot deck. These of course existed in muggle shops, but Flora wanted a "real" set to dabble with and ignored Remus' objections in it being "a waste of time."

"Well, have I anything better to do?" She'd countered, at once silencing him.

Remus had to talk Flora out of buying beautifying potions in the apothecary ("You don't even have acne,") but was unable to persuade her out of buying an extortionate amount of cosmetics.

"This is way better than Boots," she said, sampling a cream blush on her cheeks that at once adjusted to the most flattering shade for her complexion, as well as giving her a very natural, healthy-looking glow.

Remus was beside himself with boredom. "Let's go to the teashop," he suggested.

"In a minute."

She wandered away, standing a few feet away from some girls about her age who were looking at lipsticks. She eyed them sidelong, curious as to what teenage witches talked about—Have you read Gilderoy Lockhart's new book? Voyages With Vampires? He's so brave… so handsome. Should I get this lipstick? Do you think I need eyebrow tint?

Apparently it was very much the same as teenage muggle girls. They passed by her a moment later and Flora had a sudden longing to be their friend, remembering suddenly her old friends and all the times they spent looking at makeup, not buying anything, and then going to the nearest phone box to listen to the latest hit record.

Her friends thought she'd gone off to Cambridge already. That was what she'd told them, and that's what Remus told her to say, but she worried they may have tried to contact her and discovered there was no student by her name currently enrolled at the university. She wondered also whether any one of them had tried to visit her house at some point and been unable to find it. It was like she didn't exist anymore, which was a jarring thought, for Flora had once been quite popular. She was always at the centre of things, always invited out.

She wished she had her friends now so she could talk about Regulus. It gave Flora a jittery feeling in the pit of her stomach every time she thought of Regulus being her boyfriend. He was her first serious relationship, the one she was planning to lose her virginity to, and she desperately wanted their advice and insight. She certainly couldn't talk to her brother, and she wasn't sure she could talk about it with Sirius.

Her eyes trailed along the shelves as she moved further away from Remus, and her eyes settled on fertility and contraceptive potions. She'd thought about this matter already, though more along the idea of condoms, for she didn't know what witches and wizards used. Knowing that Remus was observing her, however, she quickly moved away and went to look at the lipsticks instead.

"Flora, let's go," Remus came up behind her a few seconds later, making her jump.

"Why don't you go somewhere else?" she replied irritably. "Go look at a nice cauldron or something."

"Just hurry up," he groaned.

There was no possibility of getting rid of him for even two minutes. They left and went to the teashop for a warm drink and cake. Flora thought how nice it would be to come here with Regulus, giddy with optimistic thoughts of all the things they could do together once the war was over.

"Flora."

Flora.

"Flora?"

Flora Black—not the first time she'd imagined this tag to her name, but it gave her a new sort of thrill this time.

Mrs Flora Black.

"Flora?" Remus said a little more sharply, eyes narrowed on her from across the small table.

Flora broke out of her reverie, blinking. "What?"

"Oh, you've not gone deaf?" He said with mild amusement.

Flora straightened up, looking at him sulkily. "What then?"

"I was saying I should take you home after this," he replied. It had already been a grey day, but now evening was drawing in and it was almost completely dark. "I have some things I need to do for the Order."

Flora had a cup of hot chocolate, which looked down at and stirred idly. "Alright."

"What were you thinking about just then?" Remus asked. "You were miles away."

"Nothing," she shrugged.

She glanced around the tearoom, observing the older witches and wizards talking together over fancy teapots and colourful arrays of cakes. There was something just lurking under the surface of Wizarding society, Flora noticed, an indistinct tension or fear. Remus always hurried her along past the newspapers and magazines, never giving her a chance to look closely at the headlines. But she saw them, however fleetingly, and was beginning to build a mental picture of just exactly what was happening and what Remus was doing his best to protect her from—muggles and muggle-borns being attacked, killed in their own homes. Her bitterness diminished somewhat and she felt sudden, desperate love for her brother.

Flora came home in a quiet, pensive mood. Regulus had been sat on the floor in front of the fire, flipping through one of the encyclopaedias about muggle inventions. He put it aside when he heard Flora come in with Remus and stood up to greet her.

Remus didn't intend to linger for once, ready to rush off.

"Please be careful," Flora implored, hugging him tightly around his middle as he was heading for the door. This resulted in Flora being pulled a few staggering steps along with him.

Remus was slightly taken aback by the sudden clinginess. He smiled and squeezed her back tightly.

"I'm just delivering something, Flo."

"But be careful," she repeated firmly.

"I will. I'll come see you tomorrow."

She withdrew and watched him leave from the doorway. He gave her a short wave and then was gone in the blink of an eye. Regulus sidled up to her as she closed the door.

"Good day?" He asked, glancing over at all the parcels and bags she had left in a pile on the kitchen table.

"Hm," she shrugged.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to be a witch."

He hadn't expected this answer, and even though she looked so deeply forlorn, he couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face.

"What?" He laughed gently.

"I want to be a witch," she repeated gravely, then huffed when she noticed he was smiling. "No, don't laugh. I'm being perfectly serious."

"Why do you want to be a witch?" He pushed her hair back behind her ear so he could see her face more clearly.

Her eyes were swimming with sadness and resentment. She opened her mouth to answer, then sighed and closed it again.

"Flora, what's the matter?" He said.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I just feel so useless," she said finally.

"Useless? What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone I care about most—apart from you—are fighting, risking their lives, and I'm just here."

"Well, that's technically because your brother won't let you go anywhere else," Regulus replied calmly.

"He might if I were a witch," she countered.

"Flora, I doubt it. It doesn't matter that you're not a witch," he said. "And anyway you're not useless."

"How am I not useless?" She replied, disbelieving.

"You're keeping me safe in your house. Stopping me from doing anything stupid."

"I've never stopped you from doing anything stupid," she drew away to look through her shopping. Regulus looked over it all with her as she opened paper packages, boxes and bags.

"Did you buy up all of Diagon Alley?" He said.

"Nearly. And don't touch anything," she smacked his hand away as he reached for the Sugarplum's Sweets package. "Some of it is for you."

"No, Flora, stop buying me things," he groaned, encircling her by the waist and kissing the side of her head.

She smiled and turned around to face him, leaning in to meet his lips with hers. "But you're my boyfriend," she said meaningfully.

He visibly coloured with pleasure. "But I can't get things for you," he replied. "I mean, I'm planning to ask Sirius to go and—"

"Regulus, I don't care."

She kissed him quickly.

Remus continued to visit through the daytime over the following week. Sirius also frequented the house, bringing things for Regulus and staying for tea or coffee if he had a spare hour. But the evenings were entirely for Flora and Regulus.

Now that Flora had told Regulus she wanted to have sex, there was no further discussion of the topic. It felt too awkward to bring up, and Flora didn't want to feel as though her loss of virginity was planned. Planning it made it feel almost clinical. She held hope that Regulus knew what to do by way of contraception, for surely he would have told her to buy something if it was necessary. Perhaps there was a spell, she wondered. She wondered over it silently until it occurred to her that she had seen condoms in a box in Remus' old bedroom—now Regulus' bedroom—and she went in to find them while Regulus was in the shower.

There was a box in the wardrobe filled with odds and ends—a half-empty cigarette box, cigarettes themselves that had rolled out, old shoe laces, stale jelly beans, pencils, quills, and five unwrapped condoms. Why Remus had condoms was a mystery to her, knowing now what she knew about him and Sirius. Perhaps he had had a girlfriend at one time. Flora quickly checked the date on the back, found they were just barely still in date, and took them away to her room. She put them in her bedside drawer for safe keeping.

For days after her period ended, nothing more than usual occurred between them. Regulus was waiting for Flora to initiate something, willing to take her lead, and he was happy to wait for as long as she felt necessary.

"What do you think of this dress?" Flora asked one evening in her bedroom. She had just gotten ready for bed but had become distracted when she opened her wardrobe, which was almost leaning with the weight of clothes stored inside it, and was presently rooting through it. She held a maxi dress with bell sleeves against her body.

Regulus, who was stretched out on her bed doing nothing but watching her, folded his hands behind his head and shrugged.

"It's nice," he said.

Flora hung it back up. "It's a bit out of fashion, but I don't want to get rid of it."

"So then don't."

"I've had it since I was thirteen."

"And it still fits you?" Regulus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, I think so," she took it out again to demonstrate. "The top is elasticated, and it actually used to be a little big on me."

"It's nice," he said again, unsure of what else to say.

Flora sighed a little and yawned. She put the dress back and closed the wardrobe.

Regulus sat up a little as she came towards him, at once gathering her in his arms as she settled down beside him. Flora wrapped her leg around his hip to get closer, and Regulus' hand automatically moved down to her behind to hold her in place.

His looked at her for such a long moment that Flora felt inclined to ask why he was looking at her so intently. His only thought was that she was more beautiful than any of his fantasies could have ever procured.

"What?" She said, self-consciously touching her face.

"Nothing," he smiled. His eyes didn't leave her face.

"No, what?"

"You're beautiful."

"Oh," she looked warm with delight. "The most beautiful girl you've ever been with?"

He smirked, squeezing her closer. "You're just fishing for compliments now."

Flora laughed lightly when he pulled her on top of him, so her legs were on either side of him. His hands slid up her bare thighs, just under the edge of her nightie.

"But yes," he went on. "Yes, you are."

His eyes held her gaze for a long moment. She was beautiful, and Flora looked back at him with equal admiration. She didn't think she'd ever even looked at Sirius with such intense longing. Sirius was handsome in a general, pleasant way. Everybody thought he was handsome. But Regulus was striking, almost intimidatingly handsome. Regulus possessed a Byronic sort of beauty that made one want to keep looking out of fascination.

"When did it start?" She asked. She wasn't sure he would understand, but he at once grew thoughtful and evidently understood what she was asking.

"You mean," he began slowly, "When did I start to…"

"Yes."

He again paused, considering. "I don't think it was any particular moment," he said finally. "It just built up. It was little things you did and said. I realised I may have had feelings for you when Sirius danced with you at your birthday party, and because I knew you preferred him."

"Oh, so you were jealous?" She teased.

"I was not," he said, scrunching his nose up as she leaned down to kiss it. Her lips moved to his and he at once captured them to deepen the kiss.

"Sounds like you were," she murmured against his mouth between breaths.

"I'm never jealous," he insisted weakly.

"Liar."

Flora was right though, of course: he was jealous. By falling in love with Flora, Regulus had entered a new realm he was not altogether familiar with. This was the realm of jealousy, and with that came doubt, terror, anger, and hatred. He hated Mark above everything else, hated the thought of him even looking at her.

Regulus' hands gripped her ass as their kissing grew more desperate, while Flora buried her hands in his messy curls. He wanted to possess her, to know everything about her.

"When did it start for you?" He asked.

Flora smiled softly, shrugging. "I don't really know… I think, perhaps, that first night we stayed up when we heard the werewolves outside. Do you remember?"

"Of course," he pressed little kisses along her jawline. "I stayed awake until daylight while you were asleep next to me."

Flora lifted her head to look at him. "You stayed awake? All night?"

"Mhm," he nodded. "Kept guard, I suppose."

"That's so romantic," she said wistfully.

"Your head is filled with romance," he snorted softly, his face a mask of amused attention. He felt a small glimmer of pride in his chest though, glowing at her praise of his most basic masculine instinct to protect her.

Flora sat up, grasping his hands where they lay resting by his head.

"I have to be romantic," she replied with a coy smile. "My life would be so boring without romance. And when things are already romantic, I have to make it more romantic. Even when I was furious with you, there was pleasure in it."

"I think you're genuinely mad, sweetheart," he said, amused. He suddenly pulled her towards him again and flipped her onto her back, so he was on top of her between her parted legs.

Their faces drew closer and they kissed again, sighing into each other's mouths. Kissing each other so freely had released them both from the reservations they'd held against one another for so long. Every grievance between them was forgotten when they kissed. Regulus kissed her throat, forcing her head back into the soft pillow as he nipped hungrily at her skin. He had once left a mark on her throat, a big purple bruise that he'd offered to vanish with the convenience of magic, and which Flora had refused. She covered it with a high-necked jumper and felt a kind of innate power in hiding such a secret from her brother when he'd visited her. It was her quiet rebellion.

The sighing noise she was making now made Regulus greedier. He pushed her nightie up to her navel and dipped down to trail his lips over the smooth skin of her stomach, hooking his fingers under the edge of her knickers as he did and pulling them off in one easy movement as Flora lifted her hips slightly to allow it. At the same time, he lowered his mouth to her inner thigh, planting rough, wet kisses all along her skin.

Apart from his underwear, Regulus was already undressed. He'd been waiting for Flora to join him in bed when she'd started going through her wardrobe. Partially under the duvet, covered to his shoulders, he stretched himself down on the bed and held her legs apart like a fruit he had just opened. His tongue stroked her cunt in one long movement, then came back up to kiss and lick her clitoris. Every gasp of pleasure she uttered, and every time she tugged his hair sharply, his arousal grew.

They'd done this plenty of times before by now, and Regulus knew exactly how to make her reach an orgasm. He knew where to put his tongue, with what pressure, and how to curve his fingers when he slid them inside her. They'd since found other ways to enjoy each other as well—Flora, grinding and rolling herself down over the length of his cock, had once made them both come undone very quickly. She presently sat up on her elbows and looked at him, her eyes shining with desire.

"I want to do that thing I did before," she said.

Regulus lifted his head, looking at her through his long eye lashes. His damp lips, glistening slightly, turned upwards in a small smirk and swiftly moved up to kiss her as he nodded and murmured an incoherent yes into her mouth. They swapped places.

Flora's hand moved to the waistband of his underwear, and Regulus quickly assisted by pulling them off and discarding them somewhere at the end of the bed. Flora sat astride him, his hard cock pressed between her legs, and pulled her nightie off, throwing it in the same direction, while Regulus sat up to kiss her breasts and take each nipple in his mouth. He loved caressing her breasts.

She ground herself down on him, very slowly and gently, but continuously. Her pleasure was rising quickly, and Regulus watched her face with heated fascination as he lay back against the pillow. His hands gripped her ass firmly, half guiding her rocking motion.

"Fuck," he sighed deeply, "You're so wet, sweetheart."

When she leaned down to kiss him, his mouth joined hers automatically, soldering himself to her. His finger had slipped back down between her legs and was torturously circling her clit.

"Regulus," she said breathily, moving her hand down to his penis. "I want to do it."

Regulus continued to kiss her for a moment, busy exploring her mouth with his tongue before he drew back slightly to fix his eyes on her. He'd heard her clearly, but couldn't find the words to acknowledge what she'd just said. It held the same weight as declaring she wanted to get married, or have a baby. His words stuck in his throat.

"I'm ready. I want to do it," she repeated, kissing his jawline and cheeks.

"Want to do what?" He teased. It was the only thing he could think to say. It was a little school-boyish, and he wished he'd said something else as soon as the words left his mouth, but Flora wasn't particularly surprised by it.

"Regulus," She smacked his shoulder lightly. "Stop being a wanker. I want to have sex."

"You're certain?" He looked at her now with full attention.

"I'm certain," she said breathily. "Show me what to do."

He sat up and hooked his arm around her waist. "You might be more comfortable if I go on top," he said, sounding suddenly more serious.

She nodded, and for the third time they swapped places. Flora, before laying back, turned to her bedside table and opened the drawer.

"I have—I have condoms," she said, rooting around for them impatiently. Somehow they had disappeared under all the stray, broken pieces of jewellery, old compacts, pens, and bottles of hand cream.

It had never occurred to her that Regulus would have no idea what a condom was. Remus had them, and he was a wizard; she'd assumed Regulus would have perfect clarity on the matter. But Regulus was looking at her curiously, and then with outright confusion as she finally held up a small silver packet.

"What's that?" He asked.

"A condom?" She frowned.

"What does it do?"

Flora blinked, surprised by his obvious bewilderment. "It prevents pregnancy and diseases."

Regulus reached out and took it from her, eyeing it suspiciously, then pinched the packet between his thumb and index finger to feel what was inside.

"It's a ring?"

"No, look," Flora sighed, snatching it from his hands. She carefully tore it open and eased the slippery condom out with two fingers, then held it towards him so he could see. "It goes on your…"

He looked back at her with horrified disbelief as she placed it on the tip of his penis, rolling it down slightly. She may as well have told him it was a claw trap with teeth for the speed with which he threw it off.

"I'm not putting that on my cock!"

"Iesu Mawredd, Regulus! It's not going to bite you!" Flora said, startled. "Stop being so dramatic. You won't even feel it when it's on."

"How would you know? You don't have a cock."

She watched him lean back to grab his wand just as she opened her mouth to question what the solution to the dilemma was.

"What are you doing?" She asked, now eyeing him with the same wariness he had just been eyeing her with a moment ago. She drew her knees up protectively when he suddenly pointed the wand at her abdomen.

"No! What're you doing?" She demanded with growing alarm.

"Contraceptive charm," he said, like it was a perfectly normal explanation. "It will cast a temporary infertility barrier inside you to prevent—"

"No!" Flora cut him off, eyes wide. "Just put on the condom and stop being stupid."

"Flora, it won't hurt you."

"And a condom won't hurt you either!"

Regulus knew he was spoiling things. Flora kept her legs locked together, ankles crossed, watching him as he considered his choices. After a moment's deliberation, he sighed and directed his wand towards himself, pointing it at the tip of his penis. Flora saw a faint, brief glow of pink light as he muttered some Latin incantation. He rubbed his hand up and down the length of his cock once, frowning to himself slightly.

"What did that do?" She asked.

"Same as it would've done to you," he replied casually, putting his wand aside and leaning back over her. "I've never done it on myself though. It feels strange…tingly."

Flora relaxed and unfolded her legs to let him settle between them. "You've definitely done it right?"

"Yes," he kissed her neck.

She wrapped her arms around him and met his lips again. Meanwhile his hand slipped back down between her legs, rubbing her gently with his long, slender fingers. She felt the tautness of his penis against the top of her innermost thigh, just inches away from her core, and suddenly she felt afraid. She turned her head aside while he continued to administer little kisses down her throat and neck; as he drew near her chest, Regulus heard the rapid thud of her heart.

He lifted his head to look at her, damp curls hanging in his eyes.

"You're trembling," he murmured.

"I'm alright," Flora replied quietly.

He pressed his hand to her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her skin. "Flora, we don't have to if you don't feel ready."

"I am ready. I want to do it, just…" she glanced down at his cock, as though noticing for the first time how large it really was. It was all relative; knowing now that it was going to penetrate her, she was afraid of the pain. "Just go slow."

He nodded gently. His fingers were still playing with her, relaxing her. With his other hand, he held her face so she was looking at him.

"Look at me, okay?" He said. "If I hurt you, tell me to stop."

She responded with a singular nod. She didn't say anything, and kept her eyes on his face as he glanced down to see what he was doing. He removed his fingers from her and held his penis in his hand, guiding it to her entrance and gently pressing himself into her shallowly. He looked back at her face and pushed her hair back behind her ear.

"Okay?" He murmured.

She again nodded. "Mhmm… But what do I do?"

He smiled gently. "Nothing, just relax. Look at me."

She took a steady, deep breath that made her chest noticeably rise and fall.

"I'm going to push in a little more, okay?" He said, waiting for her a moment.

"Okay."

Her grip on his shoulders tightened slightly as she felt him push further into her body. He couldn't have pushed in more than two or three inches, but already she felt as though her whole body was opening to him, splitting down the middle. It stung. She squeezed her eyes shut and gasped out under her breath in discomfort.

Regulus quickly withdrew, sensing her body's resistance, and caressed her face and her hair to assure her he was in no hurry.

"No, keep going," Flora insisted. "Please keep going."

"I'm hurting you."

She shook her head. "It just stings a little. It's okay."

He kissed her softly, then sucked on two of his fingers before bringing them down between her legs, inserting them and moving them in and out slowly until he thought she felt ready again. He realigned himself with her and entered her with the same careful slowness, pausing when he was a few inches deep, and then continuing slowly. She kept her eyes closed, breathing deeply through her nose as he pushed into her. When he stopped moving, she opened her eyes and looked at him, then glanced down between her legs.

"It's in?"

"It's in," he said with a soft laugh exhaled through his nose. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. Now he was fully inside her, the sting had lessened and she was wondering over the peculiar sensation of being filled like this. She couldn't yet decide if it felt good.

"It feels…weird," she replied truthfully.

"But you're not in pain?"

"No."

He adjusted his position slightly. "Is it alright if I start to move?"

"Yes," she nodded, gripping his shoulders.

Her eyes watched as he slowly glided out of her and back in again. There was less resistance this time. The pain had decidedly ceased, but Flora's pleasure felt miles away as she could focus only on the new sensation—the heat, the size of him stretching her—she was feeling as he moved in and out of her.

This level intimacy was as new as the physical sensation she was experiencing. He was not just filling her body; he had entered and filled her with love, a grave certainty that she loved him just as he loved her without the need for words. Flora had expected it to hurt more than it did; she'd expected blood, tears, pain. But they were melting together, opening up their small, private world to a new kind of desire.

Regulus started to move a little faster, rocking his hips into her with desperate need.

"Oh, fuck…" he hissed softly, gripping the tops of her thighs. "Are you okay, darling?"

Flora nodded, wrapping her legs around him and then angling herself upwards to give him more access. She kissed him fiercely, pushing aside the discomfort that would not completely go away, and focused on the taste of his mouth, his tongue against hers. His kisses were becoming clumsy, travelling all over her face, and she could tell he was quickly coming undone.

She didn't mind. She was eager to feel him release inside her, to possess some part of him. His hand moved down to stimulate her clitoris but at this point it made no difference to her pleasure or pain; she was feeling both, trembling all over with delight. She gazed at the small muscles of his arms and trailed her hands over them, feeling their defined shape, and then shifted her gaze to his beautiful, blissful face. He paused in his movements to meet her gaze, conveying his silent, deep love for her.

"I want this to feel good for you," he said against her mouth as he kissed her.

"It does feel good," she exhaled softly.

"No, I want to make you come," he replied.

"I can't," she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I just want to feel you."

"I'm not hurting you?"

"No, you're not hurting me."

His climax was building rapidly. He thrust his hips into her with greater urgency, his rhythm growing erratic. The bed creaked under them quietly. He was still somehow incredibly gentle with her even as he started to move a little faster, looking often at her face to ensure she wasn't in any pain. She looked impassive, her eyes focused on the dip of his collarbone. He was tempted to jump over the edge of pleasure, which was approaching quickly, but he pulled himself back. He wanted to meet her at his climax, to share it with her.

"Flora…" he held her face with one hand, making her look at him.

"Keep going," she murmured, mirroring him and touching the side of his face. Her thumb rubbed over his sharp cheekbone, just under his eye. "I'm okay. Just keep going."

Flora shifted her position under him a little, widening her legs and arching her hips upwards. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and with a groan of unbearable joy, Flora felt him shudder and twitch inside her. He spilled into her; the sensation was hot and sudden, and with his cock still buried deep in her sex, he collapsed against her chest. Flora at once wrapped her arms around him, trapped under the gentle weight of his shoulders. His skin was slick with sweat, and she tasted salt as she trailed little kisses along the curve of his shoulder. She loved the way he smelled when he was in bed with her like this, the heat of his warm breath on her skin. She breathed him in as he gathered his scattered senses, drawing circles on his back with her finger. She had not orgasmed, but she felt an odd sense of joy as she lay under him in a semi-dazed state.

When he lifted his head to look at her again, he looked as dazed as she did. He kissed her forehead before he rolled off of her, withdrawing himself from her body. Flora felt the loss of his penis immediately, the loss of its warmth, and reached down to hold it in her hand. Regulus took in a small, sharp breath and pulled her to his chest.

"I'm going to make you come next time," he murmured.

Flora smiled, resting her hand on the expanse of his chest. Her other hand continued to lazily caress him under the sheets. It was losing its hardness, wilting, but twitching every so often in reaction to her touch.

"Do you feel alright?" He asked after another moment, inclining his head to look at her.

She nodded, sitting up now on her elbow. "It hurt a little, and then it felt weird…and then it felt nice."

"Next time will be better, I promise. We'll work out what feels good for you," he leaned up a kissed her on the tip of her nose, then drew back to look at her with the same intensity he had been looking at her with before. He seemed now to be searching her face.

Flora looked back at him, but she didn't ask this time what he was looking at. She simply waited while Regulus softly cleared his throat, swallowing thickly. It was raining outside, they both suddenly noticed, but even these outside noises couldn't reach them. They felt beyond the present, suspended in some dream without time or place.

"I—I'm really quite happy being with you," he said in a low tone of voice, as though telling her a very mortifying secret. "I feel ashamed when I think of the way I used to treat you."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Flora replied, quietly surprised and thrilled by this admission. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest.

"It does matter," he lifted his eyes. "Because I—I'm afraid I will do or say something incredibly stupid without meaning to, and that I'll lose you."

Her heart went faster. He looked at her with such longing and vulnerability, like he wished to say more but was too afraid.

"You won't lose me," she replied, offering her mouth to him as though to seal themselves together.

Afterwards, she lay with her eyes wide open while Regulus slept. She felt his semen trickling down her thigh, sticking to her skin, and thought over and over about how it had felt to have him sliding in and out of her. She turned her head slightly to look at his sleeping face—he looked angelic, almost childlike. He had started to look this way even when awake. His moroseness had left him and she instead sensed peace in him. Flora felt it too in herself, and nothing but love for him.