⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

"You and Regulus?" Aquila asked, her jaw clenched. "I didn't know there was a you and Regulus," she said, her words directed toward Adrian but eyes trained on Regulus.

Adrian took small steps and backed away, only to be stopped by a tendril of magic fixing him to the stop, Aquila's finger pointing to him.

"You stop right there!" she said sharply, her eyes narrowing. Rowan relaxed and leaned on the doorframe, scooping up some crackers in his hands and looking closely at the drama unfolding in front of him.

"I was going to tell you," Regulus said, his voice placating.

Aquila chewed the inside of her lip as if trying to restrain herself from speaking something harsh. "Uh, when was that going to be, exactly?" she asked, gritting her teeth.

Regulus paled. "Soon?" he asked, his ears turning redder by the second. "I just-" he ran a hand through his hair, looking back at Adrian, who was staring wide-eyed at Aquila, "I just wasn't sure what you'd say."

Aquila opened her mouth to say something, but pursed her lips. She released the hold of her magic on Adrian and turned away from Regulus. "I-" she swallowed, gathering her coat. "I'll be back tomorrow after work."

She left, shutting the door softly. Regulus wondered if it would have been better if she'd slammed it.

Adrian turned to Rowan, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him on the wall beside the door. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Rowan gasped, but smiled through the lack of breath. "Why were you hiding, Adrian?" he sneered, breath coming out in short gasps as Adrian's grip around his neck tightened.

"You very well know why," Adrian snarled, feeling his fury rise up his arms and into his fingers as his fingers clenched tighter around his best friend's throat. To feel his disapproval, to feel Regulus' sadness at Aquila's reaction, it was too much for Adrian.

Adrian was thrown back all of a sudden, stumbling slightly as he felt magic hit him. Aquila stood in the doorway, with Rowan still grinning like a maniac by her side. "What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, setting a hand on Rowan's shoulder, tilting his chin up to look at the slight dark red marks on his neck. Rowan sneered at Adrian from the corner of his eyes, letting Aquila fuss over him, softly tracing her fingers over his neck, red light emitting from her hands, healing the slight bruises.

"What the hell are you thinking? Are you planning to kill him?" Aquila asked, her eyes frantic at the scene she had just witnessed, making Rowan sit on the sofa, his bruises still slightly visible.

Regulus darted forward and pulled at Aquila's forearm, tearing her away from Rowan. "He's milking it, Aq, Adrian barely touched his collar," he said, attempting to placate her.

"Barely touched my collar? Pray tell then, Regulus, where did the bruises come from?" Rowan said, pursing his lips, gingerly rubbing his neck. When Aquila turned around to face Adrian, Rowan shot a wicked grin at him.

"What're you doing back?" Regulus muttered, taking her coat from her, and yes, maybe he was fussing over her a bit more than usual because she was mad. Maybe.

"I didn't want you to think that I think any less of you," she blurted out, looking anywhere but at Regulus.

He felt elation in his heart, but suppressed it. No, he wouldn't allow himself to feel any joy until she said it clear. The Blacks were known to twist words until they meant something else.

"What-uh, what do you mean?" he stuttered, exhaling a huge breath.

The tips of Aquila's ears turned pink. "I- er, left all of a sudden, and I didn't want you to think that I, er, you know, disapprove or anything. Sure, I was looking forward to bonding with your future girlfriend or whatever, but at least with Adrian, there won't be any awkward tension. Plus, I feel like-" Aquila paused, looking at Regulus. "What? Why are you grinning like a maniac?"

Regulus let his happiness lift the corners of his lips. "Thank you," he said softly, his eyes shining with tears. "I just-," he inhaled, shaking his head. "Thank you. I couldn't feel anything from your side," he said, tapping his temple, "when you found out and I was so, so scared."

Aquila looked at him incredulously. "What I have to say in who you date hardly matters," she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Of course it matters," Regulus replied, looking at her weirdly. "Oh, and I still do like girls," he said, frowning. "I don't know, I mean, I like both girls and boys? Is that possible?"

Aquila scrunched her nose. "You think I know? Or care? Date whoever you want, it's not my-"

"IT BLOODY WELL IS YOUR DAMN FAULT!" Adrian's powerful voice echoed throughout the apartment, making Aquila flinch. "You knew what you were talking about. Stop trying to take the attention away from the thing on your forearm that ruins everyone's life," he snarled, looking at Rowan, whose lips were set in a firm line.

"Yeah, of course I had to get the attention away from me," Rowan responded, his jaw clenching. "Not everyone's a mama's boy hidden behind his mother's arms, and not everyone can pass on their sins to their brothers," he said, shooting a venomous look at Aquila.

"That's not fair," Aquila said, shaking her head.

Rowan sneered. "How isn't it? You passed this one to Regulus, poor boy must suffer now because of you and your cowardice," he spat.

Regulus furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you drunk?" he asked, his nose scrunched.

"No, I'm not drunk," Rowan rolled his eyes. "I'm just speaking the truth we've all been thinking for a while."

Adrian crossed his arms. "I haven't been thinking anything like that."

"Me neither," Regulus said, turning to Aquila, whose eyes were slightly red now. Uh oh. No one liked a crying Aquila.

Rowan smiled a smug smile. "Aquila clearly thinks so. Right, Aqikinns?" he asked innocently, his smile faltering a little when he took in Aquila, but returning with more force and more steel behind his eyes. "Aquila has been passing on all her mistakes to you, and you're back there, collecting all the change and hoping it'll be enough to pay for her sins," he went on, his words to Regulus but his eyes on Aquila, shimmering with a dark emotion she couldn't place.

"You think he'd stay with you if he had anywhere else to go?" Rowan hissed at her, making her flinch back. For all the cunning she was often praised for, she could not utter a single word in her best friend's face, her almost-husband's face, not for the sharp wounds his words were delivering, but rather the possibility of them being true.

Rowan scoffed. "Yeah, I thought so too. You know what? I quit. I'm quitting on you. I'm quitting on you and your brother, because you don't know how to care for anyone except yourselves. Don't get into this mess with him, Adrian, he'll never get out of this bubble these two have created for themselves."

"Rowan-" Regulus began, holding up a hand.

"Oh, pish posh, don't start with me, Regulus. I'm really glad I got out of this mess of Black siblings and I'm really glad we didn't get married, Aquila. God knows what my life would've been like," he spat.

His venomous voice and cutting words shredded the years of memories and moments, all those times Aquila and Rowan had started snow wars, plotted against different people while Adrian and Regulus laughed from the side, exploring through Doom's dungeons together day after day, Rowan laughing with Aquila slung on his shoulder after she had thrown her milkshake on him, smearing her robes with vanilla milkshake as well.

And in one look, all those moments shattered.

"Adrian, you coming?" Rowan asked with a final look over his shoulder.

With an apologetic look and a brief hug with Aquila and a light kiss on Regulus' forehead, Adrian followed after his best friend to possibly make another wrong choice.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

this gif is hurting my head

also, ugh, im sorry for the late update, but this is genuinely the last chapter i have pre written

and i am ~freaking~ out

check out my poetry book ! (song of the sinners)

and howd you like the new cover?