𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 - regulus black

chapter twenty-two

Ariel and Regulus were sitting on the stairs, outside of the house. Both of them had a cigarette between their lips and were looking up at the night sky. They didn't seem to mind the cold even though it was snowing, or at least they were preventing themselves from getting frozen on spot by sticking close to each other and enjoying Ariel's warming charm. They could hear distanced noises coming from Muggles partiers on this last day of the year.

"She confessed. And tried to kiss me," murmured Ariel after a while, sighing.

Regulus turned his face to look at him, watching as he looked straight to the front, a frown drawn on his features, cigarette between his lips. He didn't know what to say. Hearing this felt so unexpected. He would have never thought mannered girls would be like that but he remembered how egocentric they could be sometimes.

Their short instant of calm was interrupted by the door opening, followed by a shrilling voice.

"So that's where you were hiding," said Bellatrix.

They both turned around at the same time, almost in synch, still having their smoldering cigarettes in mouth.

"You smoke too, now?" asked Narcissa who was by the side of her sister.

"Sometimes," shrugged Regulus.

"Ariel, they all want to hear more of your stories! And Reg you made a great impression on those girls!" told them the blonde girl.

"Aw, our little Reggie charms all the girls. And before we can notice he'll be married to one of them," continued Bellatrix with a cynical laugh as they reentered the house. "Anyway Ariel, have you made your choice regarding a future spouse?"

"No Bella, not yet. But I'm not in a hurry," calmly said Ariel, glaring a little at her back as he walked. He had always disliked her. She had always been mean, even when they were young.

"You're never in a hurry when it comes to that kind of things, being a baby and letting Daddy deals with the formalities," she snickered before letting out a high-pitched laugh again.

Ariel groaned in response and Narcissa replied before him, "Bella stop being like this with him. You know how Ariel is, he focuses on his studies to pursue a good career."

"Well, this isn't supposed to be his priority, he's already a Death Eater that should be enough," she answered.

The two sisters discussed this as if Regulus and Ariel weren't behind them.

Coming back in the drawing room still as crowded, both boys took separate ways. Ariel going for a glass of champagne while Regulus followed his cousin as she dragged him towards another girl.

The party continued and Ariel had to talk more and more, no matter how exhausted he was feeling. He was seriously fed up with these people, sick of this life even and for the first time ever he wished he was living another life. It felt like he wasn't even conscious of his surroundings. His mouth was talking but his brain was turned off. Nothing was clear anymore, he was just acting. It was mechanical. He felt lost, he was losing himself. He needed to find reality, he needed to be himself again.

Ariel walked and walked around this room. Everything felt blurred. He was looking for clarity, he was looking for his senses, he couldn't bear the listlessness anymore. And there he recognized his silhouette, tall, slim, elegant and his beautiful raven curls. He took a hold of his wrist.

Regulus got surprised and turned around to face the older boy. "Ariel?" he asked in confusion.

"Can we... go?"

The boy was starting to feel worried. Ariel looked really tired, devoid of any emotion.

"Yes we can... but the guests..."