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She laid awake in their shared bed, awaiting his return as she has been doing for the past three months they’ve spent as newlyweds. It must have been around 2 am, but the concept of time was lost on her as she spent yet another sleepless night worrying about the state of him. It’s not that he’s a bad husband, it’s just that he’s been so caught up obeying every command of that inky mark on his left forearm that little time is left actually spent sleeping by his wife.
The protective enchantments around their small flat pulsating stirred her from her thoughts, immediately sending her up from the comfort of the sheets and straight to the dresser to retrieve her wand.
Upon seeing her husband’s fatigue-ridden figure shedding off layers of his clothes in the living room, the tight grip on her wand relaxes and she wastes no time in approaching his now bare back to wrap her arms around his middle. Like magic, he relaxes in her touch.
“Hi Reggie,” She says softly.
Voice like honey to his ears, he turns still in her hold and wraps his own toned arms around her shoulders, stroking her hair.
"Hello my love,” He says, evidence of exhaustion evident in his voice.
“Tired?” She asks, already knowing the answer.
Pulling her petite figure into his chest he answers, “Just a bit”
“Alright, you stubborn git” She rolls her eyes, “no point denying it”.
Chuckling lightly he slips his hands down her arms, enlaces their fingers, wedding bands glistening in the moonlight. “Okay okay, let’s get you to bed”.
Reaching up to kiss his cheek, she retreats--barely picking up her feet--to the bedroom and slips into the covers waiting for his warmth to encompass her. Like clockwork, he takes 5 minutes to brush his teeth, strip down to his boxers, and shuffle in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Sinking into his chest, she places her hands on his tightly wound arms, noticing the unusual force in which he’s holding her tonight. A sign of a bad day.
“Baby?” She coos.
“Hm”
“Are you..erm...I-is everything okay?” Turning in his arms to look up at him, she observes as he inhales sharply and his eyes flutter open.
Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and threading her fingers through it, hoping to bring some sort of comfort before the dreaded conversation, she looks him in the eyes once more. The young man closes his eyes for a moment before opening them once more, finding her concerned eyes looking straight through him. He nods.
Mildly frustrated, she drops her forehead to his bare chest with a groan. “Reg, we’re a team. I-i know it’s not the easiest for you to talk about or for me to hear, but I’d be the worst person and wife on earth if I let you suffer through this for the sake of my own comfort. You can talk to me about this, always.” She looks up once more once she feels him sit up a bit.
Staring at his hands, and playing with his wedding band to avoid her gaze he replies, “They...they made me use the cruciatus curse again, and i-i had to, you know that”
Reluctantly, she nods and holds his shaking hand in between her small, warm ones. Kissing his ring, she looks up at him, urging the continuation of the story.
Not wanting to relive the memory anymore, Regulus clenches his eyes shut and shakes his head vigorously. “I-i-i saw her.. She was so young….I knew he-I KNEW her..”. Continuing on with unintelligent rambling, the new house of black mistress understands and goes to take him into her arms, rubbing soothing circles through his back.
For only the third time in the three years they had been together, her young husband begins to sob. He sobs and sobs and holds onto the oversized jumper she as on with all of his might, refusing to let go on the off chance she may not be real.
“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay my love. It’s alright darling you’re home now, I’m here” She whispers into his ear, heart breaking at the sight of her husband disheveled and...fractured.
After about 10 minutes of him wailing and her whispering sweet nothings into his ear, Regulus removes his head from the crook of her neck and just kisses her. He kisses her with so much passion and force, she’d think the world was ending in just a couple of seconds. The couple say nothing, and she simply lets her husband pull her into his chest once more, wrapping his arms tightly around her small figure.
“I love you” he whispers into her hair, pressing his lips to it for at least 30 seconds.
“I love you more Reggie, get some sleep now”.
And so, they sleep, knowing full well the exact same thing would happen the very next night.