Chapter 1
Barty awoke, voice hoarse from screaming through the night. He won’t mention it, he won’t admit how it has affected him. How he is certain he can feel the hands on him that have been there many times before. Swatting, scrubbing at his skin to try and remove the feeling.
Evan sits in the shower, scared to leave. Looking up into the cooling water plummeting down on him. Yes, he thinks, he deserves the feeling of the icy water hitting him relentlessly. After all that's happened there's not much else he can bring himself to do.
Barty has always been jokingly told he's crazy, he himself joked countless times how insane he is. Yet now, as he has to consciously grasp onto the last shreds of his sanity he realizes he did not yet know hysteria.
Evan had dreams, he had goals, ambitions, passions. Evan use to be the type of person that had fucking hobbies.
Barty now doesn’t know reality, this surely couldn’t be it.
Evan now shys away from the sun, there's no point.
January 3rd 1983
Regulus is awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. He gets up groggily and walks to the phone mumbling something meant to be a greeting.
“Reg,” Evans' desperate voice comes through the line. Worry washes over Regulus.
“Evan, where are you?” Their shared flat has been empty since late december, Regulus didn’t think much of it. Barty and Evan always go out after christmas to bring in the new year. Regulus decided he didn’t want to join their bender, why hadn’t he gone with them? Regulus berates himself in his mind thinking up a myriad of possibilities.
“I don’t know where he went, we were together and now we’re not, you have to help us Reg.”
“Who, Barty?!” Normally calm, normally detached Regulus can’t help but the dread leak into his voice. He clears his throat and gathers his thoughts. “When did you last see him?”
“Uhh, I’m not sure… what's the date?”
“Jesus Evan, it's the third.” Regulus knows Evan is beating himself up enough without Regulus but he can’t help it. It’s Barty. If anything happened to either of them Regulus would be crushed.
“Ok, we were at a new years party I think, there was some counting. Then we went to get pancakes the day or night after. We were at another party yesterday or earlier today.”
“Ok, thats good Ev, we’ll find him, I’m coming.”
Regulus arrives downtown at the location Evan told him their last party was. Evan is distraught. Muttering incoherrently definitely on something. Regulus scouts out the club going up to the bartender.
“Have you seen this man?” Regulus asks in his intimidating no bullshit tone. The lady bartending doesn’t seem to pick up on this.
“I dunno have I?”
Regulus is not having it. “Cut the shit, when did you last see him.”
“Probably 4am start of my shift, asked for 7 shots, was with a bunch of large guys.”
“Was this one of the guys?” Regulus asks holding up a picture of Evan.
“Nah, he spent the night in the corner making eyes at him though.”
Regulus left without so much as a thanks. Dragging Evan along with him they search for Barty. Where would Barty go. They walk along down the nearest alleyway finding an unmistakable sliver ring. Regulus and Evan both have matching ones and don’t take them off. The ring is next to a splatter of blood.
“Okay,” Regulus says “this is good.”
Evan looks as him like hes crazy, “good?! We basically got confirmation he was beat up.”
“Yes and where would a beat up Barty go?” Regulus replies. They walk along the street and sure enough theres a 24/7 diner a sign outside with a pancake special. Barty has a concerning tendency to have pancakes after pretty much anything substantial. Something about his Mother or something. They walk up to the counter where an older lady greets them with a large smile.
“Hey, have you seen this man?” Regulus asks with as much charisma as he can muster. Evan knows its not the time but if it were he’d mention how unsettlingly like Regulus’ brother he seemed.
Before the lady could respond theres a groan from the corner of the diner. Barty sits up from underneath a table bumping his head on the way. Groaning a barely understandable, “Regulus”
The lady speaks up drawing their attention back to her, “Hes been here since 6. Ate a few pancakes then tried to sleep on my booth with those bloodied clothes. He settled for the floor and since he wasn’t disrupting anything I let him stay.”
“Thanks” Regulus says with a tone that to a stranger would sound emotionless but Evan could hear the slight sincerity shining through.
They go over to barty and haul him outside.
“What the fuck!?” Evan says pushing Barty with a mock force. “What were you thinking?”
“Oh I’m so sorry me getting beat up was such an inconvenience for you!” Barty replies with as much pretend annoyance. They’d know if he was actually pissed.
“Well yeah, it fucking was, did you even realise Regulus is here.” Evan spits back. Barty looks around eyes landing on Regulus with shock.
“Regulus! You decided to come partying with us?”
Regulus merely scoffs “No, I came because Evan had a breakdown and thought you were dead in a ditch.”
Barty turns his focus back to Evan, “Aww Rosie, you missed me.” Evan laughs at this but swings his arm around Barty and Regulus’ shoulders as they walk home.