Not forbidden, just hard | Regulus Black

Chapter 25: It's snowing

short and sweet but also shitting crying and throwing up rn

anyways

ur welcome

It was after a prank. That's when she realized it. Paisley was right.

They were running from Filch through the halls. He had caught them filling shields of armor with green goo and charming it to explode with a timer spell set for the morning.

Running through the halls hand in hand as it was Everly who saw Filch first and grabbed Regulus's hand telling him to run.

They ducked into a closet somewhere on the forth floor. Breathing heavily from running, Regulus was pressed up against the door, Everly was somewhere in front of him but it was too dark to see.

"Ev-" Regulus stopped short, Everly had put her hand over his mouth.
"What?" He tried to say but it was muffled by her hand. Then he heard the footsteps in the hall.
"Where are you bloody children?" Filch was cursing outside

They stayed in the closet not moving until they heard his footsteps walk all the way down the hall and turn down the corridor.
"That was a close one." Everly said, removing her hand and stepping back. "Sorry 'bout that. I just didn't want him to hear us."
"It's fine." He laughed and ran his hand through his hair, glad the closet was dark to hide his flushed cheeks. "Let's get out of here."

That's when she realized. Watching him peek out of the closet and turning to tell her the coast was clear. She stood there staring at him for a second before snapping out of it and following him down the corridor in the opposite direction Filch had gone.

She practically ran back to her dorm bursting through the door and going straight to Paisley's four poster instead of her own.

"Paisley wake up." She said, shaking her awake.
"What Everly it's bloody late?" Paisley rolled over, not opening her eyes.
"I have a problem please Pais."
"Did you just get caught planning a prank?" She said sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Well yes but that's not the problem."
"Then what is? And hurry I'd like to sleep."
"I think I like Regulus." Everly looked down at her hands, she had been playing with the bracelet he gave her the whole time.

"Fucking finally. Sit down." Paisley patted a spot on her bed across from where she was sitting.
"What?" Everly had to sit down after that reaction.
"Eve love, you are the only person I think that didn't know you liked Regulus. I mean honestly."
"So there's no point in casting a silence charm on your bed huh?" Everly laughed nervously.
"Not really but we can if it pleases you."
Everly pulled her wand from her pant loop and casted it anyway. "What do I do?"

"Tell him?"
"No. No absolutely not." She was getting nervous just thinking about telling him. "He doesn't even like me back. I would have noticed."
"You know Eve, sometimes I want to hit you." Paisley said completely straight faced.

"What?" Everly questioned for the second time in their conversation.
"Of course he likes you back!" She practically shouted while reaching for a pillow and hitting Eve with it. "You are almost as oblivious to emotions as James is."
"I am not! I knew that you liked Mary before you told me-"
"Which I never did." Paisley interrupted.
"-And I know that there is something going on with Remus and Sirius-"
"Yeah tell that to Sirius who has been flirting up a storm with Mary." Paisley interrupted again. "And besides, these are other people's emotions towards other people. You are great at reading people, you can practically read minds. What I mean, is that you are oblivious to people's emotions towards you. I mean how long did it take for you to realize Jacob was flirting with you?"
"A while." Everly sighed. She had a point.

"Exactly. Reggie likes you, you just have to tell him how you feel. Because I'll bet galleons he doesn't think you like him back either." Paisley moved hair out of Everly's face. "Tell him how you feel. For me? Because I can't do it in my own life. I'll just live through you."

"Oh I'm so sorry Pais." Everly sat up on her knees and hugged Paisley. "Mary doesn't know what she's missing."

It was Saturday. More than a week after Everly had told Paisley she liked Regulus. She kept trying to tell him but she kept getting scared or there was an interruption of some kind. One time James and Sirius literally ran through them and grabbed their hands to run away from McGonagall because they were caught charming paintings to insult every Slytherin that walked by.

"Let's take a walk." Everly said to Regulus after breakfast that morning.
"A walk?"
"Yeah a walk. We can walk down to the black lake. There's nice benches down there."
"Eve it's bloody freezing out. It's practically snowing. What's going on?"
He could tell something was wrong, her cheeks went pink. "I love the snow, please?" She pleaded.
"Fine."

He was right. It was practically snowing, but it was perfect. Her nervousness was keeping her warm, and a little shaky but he didn't seem to notice. Or if he did he didn't comment on it. They reached the bench by the black lake in about ten minutes but neither of them sat down.

"What did you want to tell me?" He said, scaring Everly.
"What?" She couldn't look him in the eye. "How did you know I wanted to tell you something?"
"Because you're stressed. I can tell because the tips of your ears are red and you're hands are shaking."
"Oh. That could just be the cold though."
"Mon rouge, it's not."
"Yeah. It's not." She kept her head down.

Regulus moved to stand right in front of her. He lifted her chin up with his finger so he could see her eyes. She couldn't do it anymore.

She leaned in and kissed him.

Not like the kiss in midair in front of a whole quidditch game that was quick, with too many people watching for there to be any thought.

She kissed him with meaning, with feeling, for a long time.
And he kissed her back with the same feeling, one hand on her face and one on her back.

"Regulus." Everly said. They pulled apart. "I-I um. I didn't really think this through. I was going to tell you but I- I can't really think right now." She laughed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Everly. Look at me." He said. She looked up. His cheeks were red, he was wearing a half smirk. "Tell me." He pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Stop looking at me like that. I can't think when you look at me like that."
"Well you're going to have to get used to it."
"Regulus."
"Yes?" He tilted his head slightly.
"I like you." There, she had said it.
"I like you too." He smiled before leaning down and kissing her again. Short and sweet.

"But Reggie."
"But what?"
"Are we too young for this? For us?"
"No. I don't think so. And besides, since when did you care what other people think? Peter dated that girl in his 4th year. And Mary's dated at least 3 guys, two in her 4th year."
"We're dating?"
"Yes, Everly we are dating. Welcome to the conversation we are having." Regulus rolled his eyes.
"Oh shove off." She shoved his arm.

"Can we go inside now? It's fucking freezing out here."
"Yeah." Everly looked up. "It's snowing too." She smiled at the snow, then took Regulus's hand and started up the path back to the castle.
"Wait one more thing." He pulled on her hand making her stop walking. "Will you go on a date with me tomorrow to Hogsmead?"

It was definitely not the cold that made Everly's cheeks red this time, no matter how hard she tried to play it off when he wouldn't let it go. "Yes of course."

"I think I know why Paisley told me I was emotionally blind the other day." Everly said after a while.
"She called me that too." He laughed
"She really gets around doesn't she?"
"She does. You should tell her, y'know about us?" He squeezed Everly's hand.
"I'm fairly sure she already knows but I will tell her anyways."

"I do already know." Paisley's voice said behind them. She was standing with the girls seemingly on their way to lunch. "And they do too now." She smiled and pointed to the rest of the girls that were all smiles and squeals.
"I wish you luck telling your brothers though." Paisley winked and led the girls down the hall.
"Oh shit."