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Being born female and having three elder brothers was a blessing to you rather than a curse. You were royal, a princess to a wealthy kingdom yet you would never have to carry the burden of being the heir. When you were only five years old your parents had shipped you away to be raised at court in another kingdom. It was a part of an alliance with the noble house of Black, your family hoped that one day you would become a Black by marriage and secure said alliance.
You were around the same age as Prince Sirius, just six or so months younger, and from the minute you arrived the two of you were inseparable. Best friends instantly, always sneaking away from your lessons to play together and cause mischief. Everyone assumed you would marry one day. It seemed only natural that you two would fall in love, after all you were two peas in a pod. But that was exactly why you weren’t in love. You loved Sirius, of course you did, and he loved you. But it was a deep platonic sort of love. You were far too similar to see one another in a romantic light, you’d drive each other insane in a marriage.
“I’m going to get a drink, do you want anything?” Sirius shouted over the noisy ballroom. You’d always liked the balls the house of Black threw. They were much more fun than the stuffy uptight ones your kingdom held. These balls were full of laughter, dancing and wine. You shook your head no, indicating you were going for some fresh air before taking off and slipping from the ballroom.
The balcony leading off to the parlour was empty and you leaned gratefully against the cold stone wall, closing your eyes and enjoying a bit of fresh air away from the stuffy ballroom. Despite being a prince Sirius danced like a lunatic and you were glad for a breather after being dragged around the ballroom by him for the better part of an hour.
“Hey princess” a smooth voice said behind you and you smiled, opening your eyes and turning to see Regulus.
“Hey stranger, fancy seeing you here?”
He grinned at you and you wondered how for so many years you’d failed to notice just how handsome he was. You grew up in the same castle but you and Sirius had always been off in your own little world never paying him much attention. Then one day you’d blinked and realised that just as you had become a woman, Regulus had become a man. A man that could make butterflies swarm in your stomach with a mere smile and your cheeks warm with just a touch. “You’re late,” he said mock sternly.
“Your brother insisted on dragging me about for two extra waltzes” you explained then you lifted the hem of your dress slightly showing off your scuffed shoes “you’d think all those years of dance lessons he was forced to take would make him capable of dancing without stepping on the ladies feet but alas, no.”
Regulus laughed, steepling his fingers on his chin in pretend thought “if I remember rightly” he said “Sirius used to sneak out of dance lessons so he could annoy you during your etiquette training.”
“Ah” you nodded “I believe you’re right, where were you at the time?”
“Dance lessons” Regulus said “Sirius wouldn’t let me sneak away, he said babies weren’t allowed in your little club.”
You laughed at how ridiculous the younger versions of yourselves had been. Regulus was less than 6 months younger than you and only a year younger than Sirius, it was a miniscule age gap but it had seemed bigger when you were kids. “Well how sad for little Regulus” you said, a teasing glint in your eye “but how very fortunate for the ladies of the kingdom, should they want to dance with a suitor who will not trample their toes.”
“Not ladies” he clarified “lady, just the one.”
“Who’s the lucky girl?” you joked “do I know her?”
“She’s a royal pain in the arse” he teased “but she’s my royal pain in the arse” then he was holding his hand out to you, sweeping into an over dramatised bow “may I have this dance, your highness?”
You giggled, taking his hand feeling the warmth radiating from him even through his gloves “you may” you responded with a slight courtesy. With the skill of an expert he immediately swung you out into a spin, causing you to shriek and then giggle as he perfectly pulled you back in.
Regulus waltzed you up and down the balcony, in time with the faint music you could hear drifting from the ballroom. When you’d danced with Sirius you’d felt like you were being dragged around and you were ever conscious of your surroundings, constantly worrying that you’d bump into a table. But when you danced with Regulus you felt like you were flying, the rest of the world faded away until there was only you and him.
Every move he made was effortless, fluid and made you feel like you were floating with the stars just visible in the inky black sky. You were breathless, not from the effort of dancing but from being so close when he’d spin you back to his chest and you’d stare into his soft grey blue eyes. They shone almost silver in the starlight and looking into them you felt like you were home.
“So” Regulus said as he twirled you out “mother’s been doing it again.”
“Doing what?” you asked, giggling as he expertly lifted you up for a spin.
“Trying to set me up with eligible young ladies” he said exasperatedly, then he rolled his eyes as he said “you’d think she’d take a hint but apparently not.”
“Oh” you said, suddenly focusing on counting the dance steps in your head to avoid revealing just how upset the idea of Regulus courting other ladies made you feel.
1, 2, 3, 4 you chanted in your head, looking down at your feet. Regulus frowned at your uncharacteristic silence. He thought you’d tease him about it and have a laugh about how ridiculous his mother was but instead you looked like you were blinking back tears. “Hey” he said softly pausing the dance to gently cup your cheek, the soft silk of his glove smooth on your skin “what’s wrong, my love?”
“Nothing,” you said, shaking your head slightly, “it’s nothing.”
“You do know” he said firmly “that those other girls they’re - they’re nothing to you. Yes they are remarkable young ladies with many talents and charms -”
You stiffened at his praise fearing the worst but he only titled your chin up so you were forced to look into his startlingly bright silver blue eyes. “But” he continued “all the charm, all the talents of the world couldn’t entice me because none of that makes them you.”
You couldn’t help the grin that slowly spread across your face as his words filled you with a light warmth. “Even if” he said with a teasing smirk playing onto his lips “your pianoforte skills are dreadful enough to make my ears bleed.”
You gasped theatrically, “how dare you” you said “I play mozart beautifully!”
Regulus raised a perfect eyebrow at you and you burst out into laughter clutching onto his shoulders. You both knew that you were perhaps the worst piano player the kingdom had ever seen, you blamed Sirius though as he had always burst in during your practise time wanting to play some game or other.
“Say” you said suddenly “do you remember the time Sirius was sick and you tried to teach me piano?”
Regulus’ eyes glittered as the memory washed over him as easily as fine rain. “Of course I do,” he said, “that was the day I developed my first crush on you.”
“Really?” you asked in shock. You thought back to that day. You were around 12 or 13 years old and sitting frustratedly at the pianoforte trying to practise your notes. Normally by this time Sirius would have come barging in and given you an excuse to abandon the task but he was terribly sick that day and stuck in bed.
You were just about to give it up as a bad job when Regulus came in. He caught you by surprise, yes you both lived at court but while you stuck with Sirius he was often with Lord Rosiers son, Evan, so you didn’t really interact much. “Regulus” you’d said, feeling your cheeks grow hot with embarrassment at him witnessing your shocking skills.
“Y/N” he’d said simply “You’re doing it wrong” and then he walked over and slid onto the bench beside you. He was not impatient or rude nor was he condescending. He simply attempted to help you. You clumsily stumbled over the notes and Regulus calmly instructed you. You remembered watching his long fingers fly across the keys, playing the most beautiful of melodies and you’d been surprised. Looking back that day was probably the beginning of the path that led you to being with Regulus now. That was the first time the two of you interacted completely alone and the beauty of the music he’d played entranced you.
From then on you paid a lot more attention to Regulus Black. So much so that Sirius had noticed, only he’d thought you were paying attention to Regulus’ friend Evan and had teased you incessantly on your supposed crush on the boy.
You’d never realised that day had been significant to Regulus too and you wondered what you’d done to make him develop his crush on you. “Why that day?” you asked him.
Regulus looked up at the stars for a moment, deep in thought, “You were laughing” he said “when I showed you the notes and you did it wrong you were laughing. I remember thinking that you just seemed so bright. So…radiant…even when things didn’t go your way. And then you stopped trying and let me play for a bit and we were sitting so close on the bench that you put your head on my shoulder and from then on I was gone. You stopped being just my brothers best friend - I - I noticed you.”
“Oh Regulus” you breathed “you played so beautifully that day it was when I noticed you too.”
Regulus leant forwards until your foreheads touched, his lips ghosting over yours as he whispered “well thank god for your dreadful, abysmal, piano skills then.”
“Oh shut up” you whispered back before closing the distance and kissing him. No matter how many times you kissed, every kiss with Regulus felt brand new. The fluttering feeling of happiness bubbling in your stomach never went away, you lost yourself in his soft lips and wished on the stars that your future would be filled with these kisses.
When you pulled away you carried on dancing, stomach aching with laughter as he joked about the guests at the party and spun you around.
Once you took a break and stopped to stargaze you asked him a question, something that had just occurred to you. “How come your mother only throws eligible ladies into your path?” you asked “Why does she not do the same to Sirius? He is the heir after all you’d think she’d seek to see him married most of all.”
Regulus looked at you incredulously for a moment. “You really don’t know?” he asked.
“Know what?” you said.
“She assumes, like everyone else I might add, that you will marry Sirius.”
“Me?” you asked a little startled “why me?”
“Because you two are so close.”
“But - but not in that way” you said “he’s my best friend he-”
Regulus cut you off “I know that” he said “Sirius knows that, but mothers are blind. Our mother loves you so much she’s especially blind - she wants you as a daughter too much.”
You scoffed “well she will be disappointed” you said, shuddering at the thought of marrying Sirius, he was like family to you.
“Will she?” Regulus asked and your head snapped up to stare into his eyes, noticing the sudden intense look.
“What do you mean?” you whispered and Regulus surged forwards taking both of your hands into his.
“I had it all planned out” he said hurriedly “and it was way more romantic and perfect than this but - but I don’t want to wait to know your answer anymore. Would you marry me Y/N? Would you make me the happiest man in the whole kingdom?”
You gasped, mouth falling open in shock and Regulus lightly squeezed your hands “I love you” he said gently “I love you so much I want you to be mine publicly, I want to be with you forever, there’s no one else for me. It’s you.”
“Oh Regulus” you said, feeling your face split open with a grin. You’d never known if he felt as intensely for you as you did for him but now you knew he’d choose you, always, just as you’d chosen him. “I’d marry you with no title and no fortune if I had to, for me it’s you and I love you too.”
Regulus’ anxious expression turned to one of pure joy as he surged forwards, cupping your cheeks and kissing you with passion and adoration. “We’ll announce it to everyone soon” you said as you pulled away “but let’s have one last week as just us.”
“Of course Princess” he said “I’m not particularly looking forward to Sirius finding out, he will be so dramatic about the fact we hid from him.”
“He’ll get over it” you said “it’s his punishment for forcing me to dance with him at every ball when he’s a terrible dancer.”
Regulus chuckled, “well soon you’ll get to dance with me at every ball, my love.”
“I can’t wait.”
As you’d been gone around an hour you briefly slipped back out to the ball, complaining of a headache and claiming you were retiring to your chambers for the night. Then - once your alibi was secured - you snuck back out to Regulus. He’d put a blanket down on the private balcony and you sat together on it - your back against his chest and his arms wrapped around you. You talked of everything and nothing, taking till dawn rose and you watched the sky bleed out into oranges and pinks as the sun awoke.
What neither of you knew was that Sirius had quietly followed you as you slipped away, watching the two of you for a moment. He smiled to himself, overjoyed at seeing two of his favourite people come together.
Sirius couldn’t wait for you to be his sister in law. You see, unbeknownst to you, Sirius had known all along. He’d seen the flutters of attraction blossom into full crushes, had teased you about Evan in the hope you’d admit it was Regulus instead. He’d seen the crushes slip into full on love as you grew out of adolescence and he’d witnessed the way you both started sneaking away as you finally came together. He’d seen the stolen glances, light blushes, secret signals - he knew everything.
Sirius knew it all and he felt privileged to have watched the love blossom between you two.
Although of course when he was finally told he pretended to be completely blindsided and betrayed at the secret, teasing the both of you relentlessly. He was still Sirius after all.
On your wedding day Regulus presented you to Sirius saying “I think, my lovely bride, that you ought to dance with my brother.” If looks could kill, Regulus would have turned to a pile of ash in seconds as you tried to get through a waltz with your best friend and now brother in law stepping on your toes. Regulus didn’t mind though, he was too busy laughing at you to feel the wither of your glare. As the dance ended Sirius leaned in and whispered into your ear ‘repay the favour’ and it was safe to say Regulus walked away from his next dance, with his new bride, nursing his sore toes. Although he wouldn’t dream of having it any other way.