Assumption // Regulus Black

24

Thalia

"Hey," I said, observing Regulus in the doorway.

"Hi," the dark-haired boy said, walking from his point on the stairs. I watched his every movement as he moved from his place in the doorway towards me. He reached my seat and held out my ring. 

"Here I was thinking you were going to keep it," I said with a slight smile. 

"Not my taste," Regulus replied with the same expression. I took the ring from him and watched him sit down in his usual seat. "I figured since you already know there's no point in ignoring you now."

He still looked awful. Though, awful wasn't the best word. He'd always be attractive, but the green hue from the fire wasn't doing his skin any justice, making it appear nearly translucent. I wondered how much sleep he was getting. 

"What?" Regulus asked irritably, obviously nothing my gaze.

"You look like shit."

"Thanks," he rolled his eyes. I continued to stare at him. 

"Are you ok?" I asked. Those words were so foreign to people like us. 

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and shook his head, though he didn't actually say anything. Instead, he opened up his book. 

"So," I started.

"We aren't talking about it," he said while reading. My gaze didn't leave him. "Seriously, Lark."

"Ok," I said and reopened my book. If he needed a friend, I would be a friend for him. I would never call him 'fragile', but at the same time I didn't want to push him away.

It was his turn to stare at me now. I didn't even need to look at him to feel his grey eyes studying me. "What?" I asked in the same tone.

"You had a brother," Regulus said.

"Yes, I told you that," I remarked.

"So," he started somewhat awkwardly.

"We aren't talking about it," I repeated his words with a slight smile. 

"Yeah, I figured," he said. I looked back up to see Regulus reading again, scanning the page as though nothing had happened.

That was why our friendship (at least I think it was a friendship) worked. We coexisted. We maintained a mutual, neutral environment without needing to pressure each other for answers. And I feel bad because I had upset that balance when I confronted him a few weeks ago. 

But while I liked our neutral balance, I did want some answers from him. To know what I was getting myself into, sure. But also to know how he was and understand how he was feeling. 

"I'm sorry," I said abruptly and he looked up with a furrowed brow. "For confronting you. It wasn't my place to say anything, so I'm sorry."

"You're right, it wasn't," Regulus said simply, and I stared at him for a moment. "But I'm sorry too. About your brother."

I nodded.

"Did you know him? From, er-" I started. 

"No," he said, and I nodded. 

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" I set my book down. 

"Depends," he raised his eyebrows. 

"I just-I dunno- I guess I want to know what it was like for Roman because he always kept it so private." I didn't have to specify was "it" was.

Regulus studied me for a moment.