Buzzcut Season
Run.
Run.
Run.
Regulus awoke before the sun, gasping for breath.
It's been weeks since he moved in with the Lovegoods and while the serenity of the home and the bewitched runes down his spine helped in strengthening his bones and left him comfortable in his skin, his mind was another horror of its own.
It was the same recurring darkness. Sirius’ screams and a faint tinge of blood in the air. He always dreamt of the night Sirius had to leave, of the pain Walburga got off on while Orion sat simply watching his wife’s insanity.
He could still feel the skeletal claws of the spell she casted on him, sinking into his flesh and rendering him speechless and immobile. He remembered running, running, and running but she always appeared before him. Always caught him.
Pandora ran her fingers through his hair, humming under her breath softly whilst his breathing evened out as much as it could.
“I'm sorry for waking you.” Regulus croaked out sitting up to lean against her headrest. Pandora was adamant about keeping an eye on him ever since he arrived hence he was never out of her sight for too long.
Hell he couldn't even blame her with the state he showed up in.
“Stop apologising. You know you don’t need to do that here. Not with us.”
“I know.”
They stayed there for the rest of the morning whispering about nonsensical things, only moving to switch into a more comfortable position.
They watched on as the sun rose bringing forward a new month and a new guest. Barty was soon to be here.
Getting up, Regulus headed to his room to shower while Pandora got ready. They had a full day planned to go down to the beach and then into town to do some more shopping for Regulus.
He never thought he’d be so free.
–
“Reggie my love!”
“Fuck I’ve missed you!”
Regulus cursed as he was toppled over by Barty jumping on him as the door opened. He could hear Rosemary’s chuckle as Barty practically slobbered all over his face in mini kisses.
One would think he didn’t have a boyfriend the way he was. But then again Evan was just as touchy.
Reg groaned as Pandora suddenly tackled them both, joining the pile on the floor and landing on top of them.
“Can you please–...” His complaints were cut short as Dora and Barty squeezed him in a facsimile of a hug. Somehow he knew this was to suffice Barty’s inane need to make sure he was alive.
Perhaps it wasn't so inane at all if one were to dwell on it. After all, they knew of the times Regulus had come oh so close to death throughout his existence.
“Do get the fuck off of me now.” Reg huffed out, squirming his way out of their embrace. Raising to his knees, he looked down at his friends sprawled out on the floor with the front door wide open behind him.
His eyes softened to a lighter grey as he gazed at his little group. Of their own accord, his lips stretched into a smile as the duo grinned back at him.
“Fuck, don’t you look deliciously kidnapped! Did the Stockholm syndrome kick in yet?” Barty wiggled his eyebrows, looking from Reg to Dora who rolled her eyes and grinned back.
“Why Barty, jealous?” Dora poked him before holding her arms out for Regulus to pick her up to which he complied.
Barty cackled before grabbing onto Reg’s outstretched hands, “Don't worry darling we can share.”
With a wink Barty smacked a kiss on Reg’s cheek before going over to greet Rosemary who had wandered into the kitchen. With a dramatic bow and kiss on the cheek Barty greeted the mum in true Bartemius fashion. “You don't look a day over twenty Rosie. Did you do something with your hair? A new perfume? You seem even more radiant than the last time we've tangoed.”
‘Rosie’ rolled her eyes but a smile played on her lips as she reached out to pinch Barty’s cheeks, “Yes Barty, I've made strawberry crepes just for you, no need for flattery.”
Reg and Dora looked to each other before cackles of laughter filled the Lovegood household as Rosemary purposefully squished Barty’s face together and cooed at the boy who pouted, mumbling something or the other, Reg wasn’t quite sure around his fits of unrestrained laughter.
It wasn’t long before Rosemary sat them all down for breakfast before shooing them out of the house with sunblock and a grocery list in hand. With a faint and surprising kiss on the cheek she sent the three teens off with a smile.
“If you don’t come in yourself I’ll pick you up and carry you Regulus Black.”
“Try and I’ll fucking drown you Bartemius Crouch.”
“Reg pleaseeeee!”
“No.”
“Doraaaaa, starlight isn’t cooperating.”
Barty bounced on his heels as he stood over Regulus in just his navy shark trousers. His slightly tanned skin was sporadically splattered by tattoos, some he gave himself, others done by Garth when he came to see Dora.
Regulus could see his initials just on his right collar bone, Evan’s taking up the expanse of the left hand side of his chest. Without even looking he knew that the boy’s wrists held the girl’s initials on them. Barty was sentimental like that.
Reg sighed and shut his book. Laying on his elbows, he squinted up at Barty, his shades sliding down to rest at the tip of his nose. The grinning boy before him dropped to crawl over Regulus, efficiently caging him in. Pandora, who was still in her floral dress, was out by the shore looking for pretty rocks and shells, then happily came skipping over to them.
Plopping herself on the blanket next to them she lay on her side just as close to Reg as Barty was if that was even possible.
And here lies our codependency.
“What’s wrong darling?” Dora smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek.
“He doesn’t want to come swimming with us.” Barty grumbled as he came almost nose to nose with the boy. Pandora hummed watching her boys as Reg rolled his eyes and glared at Barty who scanned the white scar on the boy’s face.
“Does our lover even know how to swim?”
Regulus huffed as he watched understanding dawn on Barty’s face before he threw his head back and laughed. “Walburga decided swimming was a ‘senseless trade’ and didn’t force Sirius and I to learn it.”
“She’d have you learn fucking ancient Greek and the ‘art of tying knots’ but not swimming?!” Barty and Pandora looked at each other before another round of laughter took over. Regulus’ lip twitched into a smile.
His dearest mother was deranged like that.
“But you needn't worry. We’ll teach you right firefly?!” Barty grinned at Dora who nodded back enthusiastically.
Placing a kiss on the tip of Reg’s nose Barty stood, grabbing his arms and pulling Regulus to stand with him. Dora leaped up soon after and threw both her and Reg’s clothes into her bag
“Now the first thing a proficient swimmer must do…”
The sun rose to its peak but soon slowly fell as the three teens swam and splashed about. The beach was practically empty save for a few elders walking along the shore. Thus it was safe to say their shouts and laughter was unrestrained. They barely left the water, only pausing their swimming lessons for Pandora to grab her camera.
Evan would later receive a letter filled with pictures of his friends doing the most nonsensical but fitting things.
It was just as dusk came upon them when they returned home to the cottage. A high pitched squeal suddenly led to Regulus cackling and Dora giggling, her fingers to her lips.
“A-are you a-alright?” Dora gasped out between a fit of giggles as she watched Barty groan from her mum’s rose bushes.
It was just like Barty to be walking backwards gossiping about everything and anything under the moon when he tripped over the bushes. Regulus smirked as he grabbed Barty’s shirt and pulled him up.
“I hate the both of you.” Barty grumbled and pouted as his friends laughed again, “See! You’re both horrible to me, normal friends wouldn’t laugh at my misery. I’m gonna tell Ev how horrible you are. ”
“But B, who said we were normal?” Dora grinned the same time Regulus smirked and patted Barty on the head like a lost puppy.
“And don’t pretend like Evan doesn’t love me more.”
With that Reg took off, running into the house with a quick ‘We’re Home!’ to Rosemary and then into Dora’s room. Before he could even turn to lock the door, Barty pounced on him with Pandora in tow.
All three teens landed on the bed with a thud that thudded again with the breaking of the bed. Pandora’s eyes widened before she bursted out in full blown laughter.
“Fuck!”
—
They were all cuddled in Dora’s bed that night after a full day out. Tonight unfortunately for Regulus, he was forced between Pandora and Barty who claimed that this was a part of his detox from the abusive insanity of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.
Every year at Hogwarts Dora, Barty, Ev and Cas would climb into Regulus’ bed and simply hold each other. They all basked in the comfort of not being alone. Having someone to share their pain with even if it wasn’t the same for each of them.
But they never left each other.
In the end it was them against the world. It didn’t matter if Dora worried for her mum after her father left a gaping wound in her heart. It didn’t matter that she struggled to eat most days or that she strayed too far into her mind. It didn’t matter that Cas struggled with her identity and her parents hating her for having a girlfriend.
Pity they were blackmailed into letting her stay with them until graduation. It's a wonder what money and a name could do.
It didn’t matter that Barty’s father was mostly absent but hated him and was as mentally abusive as Walburga on a good day. It didn’t matter that Ev’s parents expected him to be perfect in everything possible and piled expectation upon expectation on him till not even the clouds knew the beginning.
It didn’t matter that Regulus was covered in scars that accumulated over the years. It didn’t matter that he hated himself on a good day and couldn’t bear to be alive on a bad. It didn’t matter that his brother ran away and left him in the house of horrors.
It didn’t matter because they healed each other.
“Ev says he’ll be here for the last week.” Barty mumbled into Reg’s bare shoulder, fingers tracing over the runes on his spine.
“How are they treating him this year? He wouldn’t tell me.” Dora whispered against Reg’s neck, legs intertwined with the boys’ own.
“His eldest sister got married. His parents were too focused on that to worry about his grades or getting him any more apprenticeship positions.” Reg murmured, shivering slightly as Barty sighed into his shoulder and Dora tightened her hold on him.
“And Dorcas?”
Pandora hummed, “She’s with Marlene and her family so naturally she's in heaven.”
Barty smirked and leaned over Reg to peck Dora’s cheek, “Naturally.”
“Speaking of demented families, I'm surprised the evil bitch hasn’t tried to get you.”
Regulus rolled his eyes but grinned, a look that would truly terrify anyone with sense, “I warded myself against trackers or any form of location spell or owl.”
Whistling lowly, Barty chuckled, impressed but not surprised. Leave it to Regulus Black to figure out how to ward a person and use it rather than simply use a charm.
“You think she contacted Sirius?”
Reg snorted at Dora’s musings before sleepily mumbling out something or another before drifting off, the last thing he heard was Barty’s voice,
“I think she’d rather slit her own wrists.”
—
The next morning on the other side of England in the Potter household, a distressed Sirius Black listened to the howler his very much estranged mother sent.
“What the fuck.”