husband of mine || [RODOLPHUS]

God damn it. How was it that the second his life started to calm down and make some sort of sense, with little to no drama, it got turned upside down again. OH RIGHT! He made a choice on his own! Rodolphus was beginning to think that if he were left to his own devices, he may burn down the planet by sheer bad luck. So was he dreading every second of the day right now? Yes. Absolutely, yes.

He was also scared shitless. There was no way he couldn't tell Bellatrix. They were getting married in a matter of months, he was not about to start lying to her. He couldn't begin to figure out what was going to happen between the two of them, but he wanted the best for Bells. He always had, and he always would. Which is what brought him out to the pitch when he knew she'd be out there pushing herself to the limits. She was lovely like this, and his heart ached over the impending news he was sure would hurt her.

Striding across the grass, hands in his pockets, he approached her. There had been no intention of sneaking, maybe he was just quiet lately. The glimmer of surprise that sparkled in the darkest corners of her face made him melt just a little. He gave her a soft smirk, leaning his arm on the top of her broom. When he spoke to Bellatrix, he often liked to be very close to her. Partly because he took pleasure in the way they came together, and partly because it gave her less room to find her wand and hex him in the balls,(which he was very afraid of at the time.)

"Must have been an awful big cat." Starting with light hearted banter was his chosen approach. Instead of making it seem like he was scared and nervous, Rodolphus swallowed down all his insecurities and put up his all too familiar mask of cockiness and insincerity. The more he acted how the world saw him, the more he could protect who he was inside. His truest self was for those who deserved and evoked it. "Hi, Wife." He'd gotten used to saying it in his head, and though their connection was a far cry from any normal relationship, they belonged to each other. And he'd wronged her. As much as he wanted Addie, she wasn't his, and he knew his proper place. "Hittin' the skies again?" He kept his face soft as his thumb brushed a bead of left over sweat from her brow. She was viciously beautiful, and he was a damn fool.

There was a sickening wicked grace with which she moved. Every little way she reacted to him and the world around them was fluid, as if she'd planned every twitch and every word months in advance. In the mere weeks they'd been cooperating together since the ball, Rodolphus had learned to care for her. He'd fallen into the familiar pattern of charm and flirtations he normally held with every random girl in the school. He was falling for her. And now he had to break hearts. Again.

It wasn't going to be easy to answer her question. He should have had a stock pile of excuses, and at the beginning of the school year he probably did. But now was a different story. Rodolphus had to be crafty about what he told her and how. "Ah, but I can get away with murder. Who on Earth would you tell?? It'll be you my darling who helps me hide the body." he smirked catching the towel she tossed his way and dropped it to the ground with the rest of her things.

Then she moved closer. Why couldn't she just stand at the other end of the pitch so he could yell it at her. Clearly, he couldn't decide if he wanted her near or far. Instead of worrying about it, he chose to play it cool and put his arm around her waist. In a careful motion he laid the broomstick down on the ground and returned to her, holding her close to him. The tall boy loomed over the girl with his hair draping his face and he sighed. "Our mothers have been conspiring. They stole away a lot of my free time with tux fittings. Our wedding is swiftly approaching." The smile on his face was only half genuine. He was happy to think that she'd be safe with him. Out of harms way, if he had any say over it. The other half of him knew his heart wasn't 100% invested in her yet. "But if Wife says to practice quidditch, and not plan our wedding, I guess Wife wins."

"Oh God no! I took one look at that thing and told her that if she left me alone with it, I'd set it on fire." He really wasn't kidding either. There was no way he'd e caught dead in it. "Luckily, my mother talked with yours and my brand new suit is at the tailors as we speak." Their mothers actually had a lot in common. Both were powerful women with dark hearts, and both had lost their husbands recently. While Bellatrix's father remained a mystery, Rod knew the truth in his heart concerning his own. Both Rabastan and Alice had gone on record saying Phraxos' fall over their staircase balcony had been a complete accident. Though Rabastan was a skilled liar, Rod could see it in Alice's face that she didn't believe her own words. He wasn't certain what happened that night but it wasn't what they claimed. Either way, Phraxos was dead, and the world was a slightly better place.

Rodolphus wasn't thinking much about it as her lips pressed to his. He could think of nothing but her. How could he do this to her? Rod felt horrible. All he could do was be honest. If he just told her maybe there was a chance she could understand and they could work something out. He didn't like the idea of a messy custody battle, but if it came to that to make his family happy, he'd stop at nothing. The last few weeks had shown him who Bellatrix was. She needed him and he was going to be there for her. But the baby needed a dad. And like it or not, that was Rod.

His hand cupped her face as he swayed them a little. Rod was a very physically affectionate person, and when he cared for someone he showed it in every move he made. Kissing her again, the boy smiled a wide loving smile. "Well then Husband will be more than happy to come visit Wife more." This couldn't go on much longer. It was torturing him to keep her in the dark. "Actually... I really need to talk to you. And it's very serious. We promised to be in a committed and honest relationship. I fully intend to honor that promise. Even if it... upsets you." His heart sank as his smile fell. Though he was nervous and upset himself, he cradled her so carefully, for fear of breaking her, and so lovingly, to any bystander it my seem the pair were any normal over the moon in love couple. Too bad he was about to quake what little they did have, and likely break his own heart in the process.

[

There it was. That glinting darkness was creeping over her already and for a moment, Rod tensed up. Maybe just not tel;ling her was better. He could marry Bells and send Addie money for the baby. Rod would just claim to Bells that he was putting money into a charity. The only problem was that Rodolphus had made promises to both Adeline and Bellatrix. He had told Addie he would be a father; a good one if he had anything to say about it. And he'd promised himself and honesty to Bells. Rod wasn't too keen on going back on his word.

The boy, on the cusp of manhood, licked his lips nervously. This felt like staring down a dragon. His hands worked counter to what he was going to say, rubbing her arms to sooth her. "Back in February I had a fight with Joram and we split." That was putting it pretty lightly. "I was really angry, at everyone. At Joram, at my mum, at me... And at you. For reasons you have no control over. It honestly wasn't you, I swear." He deeply felt the need to clarify that. "I was more mad that I didn't have any choice. And while I really think I'm falling for you now, I didn't feel this way on Valentine's Day."

It was probably the most honest he had ever been with her. It felt good and horrible at the same time. Taking a deep break he looked down at her, all his emotions were plain on his face; pain, nerves, love, regret. His words were going to hurt even him, for a number of reasons. "I drank far more than I should have, and we all know something was wrong with that atmosphere in there at the ball."

Excuse after excuse seemed to come to his mind, but it didn't hide the fact that he'd made a mistake he couldn't take back. Rod had built the story up enough now. He needed to just come out with it. This was it. He was taking the plunge. Looking the woman in the eyes he took a deep breath. "I slept with someone else that night., and I got her pregnant." There was that feeling of vomit,climbing up his body again. When he'd found out originally, he's thrown up all over his brother. "Bells.... I'm so sorry." And he was. Rodolphus Lestrange was as sorry as he had ever been in his life.

Rodolphus would be lying if he said that Bellatrix didn't have the ability to scare the living shit out of him. Would he ever admit that to her or leave any traces of it on his face? Hell no. He knew how to stay alive in this world. His heart beat steadily in his chest as he watched her lips curl over the triplet of syllables in her name. A correction. Rod's jaw set tight as he looked at her. This was a step back. In the second and a half it took her to speak, Rodolphus could feel a crack bolt through his heart. It did hurt him a little to be upsetting her like this. It would hurt him more if she called everything off and left him. He was truly the biggest failure he knew.

He let her talk for a while, masking his hurt with a stony expression. Only those who deserved to see the truth got to experience the real Rodolphus. This was going to be yet another thing to crush who he was. He supposed it was a good thing he'd learned to cover up his feelings and act like all the other good little ducklings in their dark world. He could hide from her; he'd been hiding from her the whole time. Recently, he thought maybe he could be different with her; that maybe both of them could be different. But she wasn't always what he expected or wanted. Sometimes, Bellatrix was too focused on the impending blood war, or quidditch, or her image within their social circles. Rodolphus just wanted someone to pay him attention without emasculating him.

"We?" When he spoke, Rod tried hard to hold back any bias feelings he might have. But Adeline was carrying his child. A tiny infant, was in the making, and it would depend on him. His own father had been nothing to remark well on, but that seemed to be a pattern in the lives of dark wizards. No one liked their parents. Rodolphus was beginning to think he wanted to be nothing like them.

Her nail was biting into his skin, a little collection of blood droplets came to the surface as the young man gripped her wrist tightly. Could anyone really force Bellatrix into submission? He didn't think so. He sure as hell wasn't going to let her walk all over him though. What exactly her implications were with her inquiry, he could only guess; but it wasn't going to be good. Something instinctual bubbled in him as he sneered down at his betrothed. "I won't be above beating my wife if she touches my child, or the mother."

Rod was forcing himself to be calm now. He didn't want to threaten her like that. This was supposed to be clean and professional. They were adults now, not children. They had to use their heads. So why did everything he say come from his heart now? The darkness grew in his eyes, mirroring the sadistic smile Bellatrix wore, and he stepped just barely closer, leaning down right in her face. "I'm giving you a choice to accept me or walk away without a word. I'm willing to give you freedom. And I think that just might scare you."