Power and the circle of life
Evan~
A week later and Barty was still asking about their conversation. Evan was growing tired of it, which he knew was exactly what Barty was aiming for. He was wearing Evan down, bit by bit.
“I’m mad for you!”
“What?”
“I said that, didn’t I?” clarified Barty eagerly.
“I thought you didn’t remember,” sneered Evan, being meaner than he needed too.
“I don’t!” insisted Barty, “It’s just bits and pieces.” Evan looked away, wishing this conversation would end. “I really am mad for you, you know,” added Barty in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
Evan slid his eyes over to meet Barty’s brown ones. What was he saying? It was one thing to blurt it out while high on fairy dust, but quite another to say it now, unprompted and absolutely sober as they made their way to dinner in the Great Hall.
“Don’t say that,” Evan replied eventually, repeating his line from when Barty had said it the first time.
“Why not?”
That wasn’t his line. He was meant to say it again. I’m mad for you, Evs.
“Just don’t,” responded Evan stubbornly.
“It’s true.”
“Shut up.”
“It really is true!” insisted Barty, “And I don’t just mean sex!”
“Oh really?” Evan cut back ruthlessly, “It certainly didn’t seem that way.”
“It didn’t?”
“You asked me for sex, repeatedly. Then you were upset when I told you no.”
“I’m sorry Evs, I didn’t mean–
“Just shut up.”
And for a brief, blissful moment, he did. But soon that moment was interrupted.
“I guess I just don’t understand,” he mumbled.
“You didn’t, no.” agreed Evan.
“If you like someone, then don’t you want to have sex with them?” he asked, and he sounded so genuine that Evan was taken aback.
“Not really,” he grunted non-committedly, “What makes you think I like you, anyway?”
“Well, don’t you?”
Evan frowned. How was he supposed to answer that question? Of course he liked him, he’d liked him forever. He was stupidly, completely and dangerously in love with Barty. He was so far gone it was embarrassing.
“What do you care?” he said eventually, but his voice was lacking any real coldness.
“I care,” replied Barty easily. Evan was having trouble breathing. Why couldn’t they talk about something else? Anything else? “I’m mad for you.” There it was again, the fateful words that kept torturing him. Barty didn’t mean them. He couldn’t possibly. “And you like me too.” Evan didn’t dare dispute it. “Why are you being so stubborn? I just want to… be with you.”
Now Evan really couldn’t breathe.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Yes I do.”
“You wouldn’t be happy,” Evan told him tonelessly, “You wouldn’t be satisfied. I’ll never have sex with you, or anyone else. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need you to!”
“Yes you do, Barty. Everyone knows you need to have it all the time. Merlin, you wouldn’t even stop asking me for it the other night. Or all the times before that. Just face it, you can’t live without it, Bats.”
Barty looked frustrated. They’d stopped walking now, standing opposite each other in the empty hallway.
“You’re not listening!” he accused, the words bursting out. Evan only looked away again. “I’d give it up for you.” You wouldn’t. The words were on the tip of Evan’s tongue. “I would,” continued Barty, “I’d do anything for you. I’d give up alcohol, and drugs, and cigarettes–
“I’d never ask you to do that.”
“You wouldn’t have to!” replied Barty quickly, “I’d die for you, Evan. I’d kill for you. I mean, Merlin’s beard, if you left me I’d kill myself.”
“If you left me I’d kill you.” snapped Evan.
“I’d let you.”
“What do you mean, ‘let me’, you’d never stand a chance.”
“Whatever Evs,” snapped Barty, “Can’t you see I’m being romantic?”
“You’re being psychotic.” quipped Evan.
“Psychotic for you, Rosie,” he cut back breathlessly.
“Barty–
“Just say yes,” he begged, “Please?”
Barty~
Barty carefully surveyed Evan’s face, searching for his reaction.
“I’m mad for you,” he added, quieter this time.
“Barty…” said Evan, equally quiet.
“Yes?”
“I…” Evan fell silent again, “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m bloody sure!” he returned.
“I wouldn’t want you to be with other people, you know. I’d be jealous.”
“I know.” The thought almost made him smile. All those time Evan had been watching him, his jaw tense and his brows closely knit, thinking Barty didn’t notice, that he didn’t revel in the attention. “I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.” he added.
He could see the uncertainty on Evan’s face. As if he didn’t quite believe it, and maybe it did sound almost too good to be true, that Barty would just drop everything and everyone to be with him, but it was the truth.
“Are you–
“Evan,” interrupted Barty, “Don’t you get it? I’d do anything for you. Anything you wanted, and anything you said. You’re the only one who could ever control me. You’re the only one I’d ever let control me.”
“I’d never want to control you,” replied Evan firmly.
“I know,” he assured him, “But you could.”
He let the words linger in the air, hoping they would finally sink in for Evan. It was a love confession that perhaps wouldn’t have made a lot of sense to anyone else, but he knew that Evan understood the gravity of Barty surrendering control to him. And really, that was all the proof they needed in his opinion. Evan Rosier understood him completely. He knew Barty Crouch Jr behind the flirting, and the posturing, and the crazy feats and the impulsiveness.
“Bats…”
Barty waited impatiently for him to elaborate.
“Merlin, I’m mad for you too, alright?” he huffed. Barty’s face broke into a splitting grin and he practically started jumping up and down.
“I fucking,” he leaned down and kissed Evan hard on the mouth, “KNEW IT!”
Evan rolled his eyes, but he was fighting a smile (and losing).
“I’m in love with you,” Barty blurted out. Perhaps that had been a little too soon, even for him.
“Yeah, yeah,” mumbled Evan, “Me too, you prat.”
Barty’s face-splitting grin somehow became even wider.
“Wonderful!” he exclaimed, grabbing Evan’s hand excitedly with both of his.
“Come on,” urged the other boy, pulling him along, “We’ll miss dinner at this rate. And I want pudding.”
“Of course you do,” he winked, and they carried on to the Great Hall.