#not ship ofc

they could see london’s dim lights from the lampposts, giving grimmauld place an old, almost haunted look.

in the cold air of december nights, nobody dared to go outside. it was terribly cold, freezing even, and still, neither regulus nor sirius was dressed well as their feet dangled from the edge of the windowsill of the older brother’s room.

a cigarette dangled from their fingers, and they threw its butt down, sending it down slowly, blown away by the wind.

he looked at them with big, doe eyes, and they looked away quickly, a single tear slipping quietly from mercury grey eyes.

“you’re leaving.”

it wasn’t even a question anymore. it was a statement. regulus knew sirius was going to leave someday. he knew they wantedto.

they weren’t to blame, really. their parents had never been the best, his heart broke while admitting it, while it sunk in slowly, a truth regulus didn’t want to admit, and his older brother had always been the one to take the blame.

sirius invited him to come with them. he said no, bitterly. they needed an heir.

and sirius couldn’t be the heir they wanted,

so naturally, it was regulus who had to be the son they wanted.

“yeah.” sirius’ voice was hoarse with emotion. he avoided regulus’ eyes with determination, their eyes fixing on the void under their feet. “yeah. i’m sorry, but you heard them, you know what will happen if i don’t, i-”

“yeah. you don’t have to say anything.”

they sat in silence for a while, and when they looked at each other again, they looked not in each other’s eyes, but through the other.

they realized that they had slipped further than they had ever been before.