My Dearest
Chapter fifteen
"See this one is my favourite because-" Romeo continued his whispered rambles to Remus as the two of them sat quietly in the back of the library, behind the muggle literature-filled shelves, hidden from the rest of the world.
Just the two of them and their subtle smiles as they looked through the book of plants in the Hufflepuff's hands, skimming over the pages and images, telling Remus all his favourites and fun facts.
Remus could sit for hours, just listening to the fascination that Romeo held in his voice as he gushed about the different properties that each plant had, the colours, and even the different leaf patterns.
Slowly growing soft as he watched the boy's eyes light up with excitement as he read the tiny notes he wrote in the margins of his textbook, Romeo stopped abruptly and looked over to see Remus in a state of concentration, truly listening to the boy's interests.
Remus' heart thumped loudly as Romeo held his hand under the table, fiddling with the ring that was on Remus' thumb.
The Lycanthrope couldn't get the dopey smile to wipe off of his face as he got lost in the softness of the gentle boy's voice, like clam waves crashing on the shore, swooning at how Romeo effortlessly spoke with such passion.
Plants were never something that Remus took interest in, but if it meant he could listen to Romeo adoringly share all of his thoughts and sentiments, then plants were going to become his favourite thing in the entire world.
Romeo looked over awkwardly to the other boy, blush tinting his dimpled cheeks as he shut the book, "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you to death" he laughed rubbing the back of his neck as a smile danced on his lips.
"Continue, please. I like listening to you speak" Remus whispered hopelessly, blush now furiously tinting his cheeks all the way up to his ears as Romeo's face turned into a smirk. The two stared at each other, awkward silence filling the gap between them.
Remus' hand remained in Romeo's soft ones, his fingers gliding again the soft flesh of the boy's palms.
"I'm sorry, that was desperate-sounding," Remus covered his face in embarrassment and shook his head, chuckling as tried to hide the redness that covered his face.
"It was sweet" Romeo mused as he took his hand from Remus' grasp and removed the hand covering the boy's face, "you're too pretty to hide your face, you do know that right?" he shamelessly flirted gaining another embarrassed chuckle from Remus.
If Romeo could live and breathe off of the heavenly laughs that erupted from Remus, he would.
The sound was like a drug, no dosage was big enough to keep him content, Romeo was a feign for Everything about Remus. Even just one glimpse of his smile could take the air straight from your lungs, one interaction and you were addicted.
"It's almost like you're trying to make me as red as a tomato" a shaky breath left Remus's mouth as the other boy's hand found the soft wool of Remus' jumper, his fists balling up as he took a heap of the material and pulled the scar-covered boy closer to him.
"Maybe I am" the boy taunted making the flush return to the Gryffindor's cheeks, Romeo lived for these moments, ones where the lanky boy was speechless from just his words.
"I really like you," Remus said with a little more courage, and a lot more clearly as he look down at Romeo with a smile, "like, an unhealthy amount"
"The feelings are very mutual" Romeo again mused making Remus let out a sigh of relief, letting go of the jumper, Romeo's hand found its place on the boy's bicep, grasping onto anything to make them feel closer.
"You make it very hard to be serious," the Gryffindor said with a grin as he looked over at the boy's brown eyes.
"I like you a lot as well Remus"
"Good," he said with a smile as Romeo intertwined his hand with Remus', his smaller one fitting perfectly in the hold of the taller boy's calloused fingers.
"What are we?" Romeo daringly asked, his free hand playing with the pages of the shut textbook in front of him. The Hufflepuff's smile lit up like a Christmas tree as he looked back over to remit who stared at him with a look of adoration.
"Whatever you want us to be."
"How about boyfriends, is that too much for you?" Romeo asked, his voice sincere gaining a sense of firmness, not wanting to overstep.
Romeo sat frozen waiting for an answer, what only had been seconds felt like millennials. Remus pretended to be deep in thought, a cheeky grin pulled at his lips as he watched Romeo grow less confident, getting back at him for the endless moments of teasing that he had put him through.
A small laugh erupted from his lips making Romeo tense with nerves, "I'd like that" he mused at the now relieved look on Romeo's face.
"Good," Romeo said letting out a shaky breath, he brought his boyfriend's scarred hand up to his lips to place a kiss on his knuckles.
"That was payback, tease" Remus taunted.
"You're mean."
Remus took his hand from Romeo's grasp, placing it gently on Romeo's face. Slowly directing his face to Remus', and a smile on Romeo's face as their lips softly collided, like the stars aligning. Remus chapped ones on his boyfriend's soft ones, a perfect mixture of lust and comfort as Romeo's hand roamed up into Remus' sandy brown curls.
This was one of those rare moments these Remus had only experienced a handful of times, the ones where Remus felt at ease, the moments where life felt worth experiencing. The darkness that normally crowded his thoughts cleared out, letting him feel content in his own skin.
It was easy with Romeo, he liked how they complimented each other.
It wasn't complex or intricate like it had been in the past, they flowed nicely.
Remus pulled away, his lips swollen and his breath shaky. He looked down at Romeo whose eyes were still closed but whose lips were pulled into a gentle grin, "not so mean now, huh?"
Romeo rolled his eyes and pulled Remus in once more
-
Athena stood hunched over the railing of the astronomy tower, her arms prickled from the cool air that blew on her shoulders, tickling her senses as she let out a frustrated
In her hands was the letter from her parents, thinking about its contents too much that nauseating feeling return in her stomach. Her fingers picked away at the crumpled corners, flattening out the bumps in the pavers from her angrily balling it up.
The large emerald ring now sat on her ring finger, the decision to wear it had not been her own, if it had been cup to her the ring would have been put in an envelope and sent right back from where it came from.
Earlier in the week Atlas made a comment about its absence, her hands now shaking as she stared at the ring, undoubtfully beautiful, but so vile all at the same time.
The cold breeze brushed against her face once again making a shiver trail down her spine, a layer of pink tinting her nose and cheeks. Athena's foot tapped on the ground as she stared at the Black Lake.
A boy emerged from the stairs, a pair of arms wrapped around her torso pulling her into his chest, feeling comfort from his warm embrace, melting into his arms.
A silent weep left her lips as she turned around and buried her face in the person's chest, her cold hands gripping their arm for some sort of support as her legs gave out from under her.
"It's gonna be okay," the deep raspy voice said taking the note from her grasp and skimming through the paragraphs, a feeling of guilt filling his chest as he stared down at her left hand, a ring that sat perfectly on her finger.
"You can't say it's gonna be all right, nothing about this is right!" she let out a sob, and his hands made their way to her face to wipe away the hot tears that rolled down her cheeks.
His touch was warm, Athena's fighting exterior washed away at the gentleness of his hands, "I can't marry him."
He stared down at her, tears rolling down her cheeks like a never-ending stream, was this normal?
Was the constant fight for your own freedom, to break out of the clutch for your own family supposed to feel like this?
Like drowning, desperately swimming to the surface. You can almost see the sun peeking through the murky water, just to be pulled under again. Water fills your lungs as you try to scream, but no one can hear you, was it meant to feel like this?
"We made that plan when we were younger, remember? We would get married and run away from all of this. Live in the woods away from anyone, just us and our cat that you would name Buttons" she nodded thinking back to the memory of the two of them sitting in her gloomy childhood bedroom.
The furniture was all black and the decorations a dark emerald green, the typical colour for a family that thrives on blood supremacy.
The two pre-teens, so sheltered from the world's problems, hidden from all the bad that their parents had done in the world. Sitting on her green comforter hand in hand as they each read their muggle classics charmed to look like textbooks.
"What if we were to get married?" A younger, much more innocent version of herself asked causing a laugh to leave the other's lips, "I'm being serious, we get married, and then we leave all of this behind" she whispered looking down at their intertwined hands, she leans forward and plants a kiss to the top of his nose causing a blush to form on her cheeks.
"I'd like that"
"We were just kids, it was a stupid and incomprehensible dream," she said with a frown, knowing that no matter the amount of effort that she put into this fight she would always end up unhappy.
"We are still kids Thena" the boy's voice was so cold that it was chilling, but his gentle touches were fuzzy and warm as his hand intertwined with hers, their hands still fit so perfectly together, "I wanted to ask for your permission to send a letter to yours and my own parents asking for your hand in marriage."
"You can't do that-"
"My family is the most powerful and well-known pureblood family in all of Europe, yours of Asia, the Rizzo family has nothing over the power that we would hold. Your parents will have to say yes," the words making goosebumps run down Athena's arms.
Power was not something she wanted to have, and not something she wanted a marriage to be based on, especially if it grew from prejudice. But if it would get her out of a loveless marriage with Atlas Rizzo it would be worth everything.
Her cheeks grew warm as she look up at the man towering over her, she'd never say it out loud but Regulus Black was her guardian angel.
He was her muse, she had known that since she was thirteen and he was twelve, she knew that they would end wars, he was her everything.
"Thank you Reg," she said pulling herself into his chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck as her tears rolled onto his Slytherin jumper.
A warm smile danced on Regulus' face as the nickname left her lips, he hadn't heard it in years. His hands found their way to the back of her head, fingers intertwining with her black hair.
"We'll get through this together, just like we promised," he said in a low whisper, a short kiss placed on her temple as she looked up at him.
Athena was his home in every sense of the word, as disgusting as that may sound, she was warm and loving, every word to describe a home embodied Athena.
She may have been cold at times, but she loved unconditionally and fought with her heart.
Regulus found shelter in her arms, refuge in the palms of her soft hands, and safety in even the shortest of glimpses. She was the constant in his never-slowing world, at moments of utter despair she had always been there.
It was his time to repay the favour.
"Together" she confirmed, giving him one last squeeze as her lips planted a messy but short peck on his cheek, a token of her unspoken love for him as she slipped the ring back off her finger and placing back into her pocket.