Cracks [Regulus Black x Muggle]

Chapter Eleven: Lust

Eleven

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Clementine arrived the following day. It was early morning and Regulus had just drifted off to sleep when the two of them were awoken by urgent tapping on the front door. Flora had shifted in her sleep and was laying with her head nearly in Regulus' lap, a cover now wrapped over her and a cushion under her head. She blinked in sleepy confusion as she woke, at first not moving from her position until she realised it was Regulus' legs her arms were latched around and that Regulus' hand was resting on her head. She sat up abruptly, fixing her eyes on him with a confounded look. Regulus was barely awake himself; he rubbed at his face, breathed heavily like he was stifling a yawn, and then focused his sleepy, blurred gaze on Flora. The tapping at the door continued with impatience.

"Flora!"

Flora jumped up at once, taking the blanket with her. "It's Clem," she muttered under her breath as she hurried out of the room.

Regulus remained on the sofa, gathering his bearings. He found a strand of Flora's hair on his knee, which he picked up between his slender fingers and held up to the light for a moment, observing how it glimmered in the early morning sun. The birds were singing outside, the sky clear and blue for another uncommonly nice day. He wasn't listening to the conversation taking place in the other room as Flora let Clementine into the cottage; he was both too sleepy and too bewildered to care what was happening. He was thinking more about what had already happened, missing the warmth of Flora's body beside his. He was forced out of his reverie, however, when Clementine and Flora came into the front room. He straightened up, fixed his clothes, and looked at the two of them with the expectation of hearing something important.

Clementine gave him an odd look at first, eyeing him with what Regulus recognised as distrust and suspicion.

"Remus and Sirius will be here later," Clementine said without taking her eyes off Regulus but speaking only to Flora. "I just came to check you were alright."

"We stayed down here all night," Flora said. "Regulus said we were safe because of the wards. Is that right?"

Clementine nodded, looking now at Flora instead of Regulus. "The wards are fine. I checked them. The pack was close by but it's impossible for them to find the house."

Flora nodded wordlessly, looking slightly comforted now she'd been reassured by somebody other than Regulus. Clementine's eyes drifted back to Regulus, then to Flora. She seemed to want to say something but didn't know how or where to begin.

Regulus, irritated with the scrutiny he was under, stood up and skulked out of the room to go upstairs to the bathroom. The moment Regulus was out of earshot, Clementine turned her full attention to Flora and asked pointedly, "You slept down here with him?"

A blush crept across Flora's cheeks. "Well, um, yeah... we were awake most of the night and just fell asleep."

"How's he been lately?"