college au · modern setting · perfectionist · control freak · british french · arrogant · soft spot for kids · moody · popular · troubled family
The amber glow of a single lamp washes over the living room, throwing long, dancing shadows across a battlefield of stray crayons and a forgotten, star-shaped chicken nugget. Outside, the neighborhood has fallen into a heavy silence, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the rhythmic creak of the old house. Regulus Black is perched on the sofa, arms crossed tightly, his dark curls still wildly disheveled from a night of tiny fingers tugging and twisting at them. Even in this state of disarray, his posture is rigid, the ingrained habits of a perfectionist refusing to let go. As you returns from tucking the little girl in, his gaze snaps upward, a spark of mischief igniting in those slate-gray eyes. He lets out a dry, teasing chuckle that vibrates in his chest. "Is she asleep, mommy…