"You came" Regulus says as he slowly limps his way to Barty. Standing in the middle of a battlefield, Barty in all his glory, Regulus' favorite person, the love of his life, came for him.
"You called" Barty answered, walking torwards Regulus. Seeing the other was in pain stressed him out but they haven't seen each other in so long, medics can wait a bit longer.
"I can't believe you came, after all this time. How did you even-" Regulus stopped moving as Barty reached him, immediately engulfing him into a tight hug. Lovers reuniting, this could be a beautiful painted picture, Regulus already sees himself painting it and putting it on his bedroom wall for everyone to see.
"Of course i came, it's you." Barty's almost crying now. He's hugging regulus, he really is! And Regulus is alive, breathing, yes in need of medical assistance but alive and hugging back, that's all that matters.
"Bee...Bee i think..i think you're too late" Regulus starts feeling dizzy, he knows what's happening. He knew it would happen the moment he saw barty, his lover came to save him but it was too late. He slowly slips himself out of the hug and is met with the most worried look he's ever seen on Barty's face.
"What do you mean love? What do you mean i'm too late? I'm here aren't i? We're together now no? We can do this! We can finally do it reg! We can buy that cottage you were always talking about and move in together! Heck we can get evan and dora to move in too could be fun no?? Good old days??" Barty was panicking, what did regulus mean?? He wasn't too late everything was fine, wasnt it? He brought his hands up to cup Regulus' face and that's when he saw it,
the blood.
It was everywhere. All over Regulus' clothes and now his own. "Who...Who's blood is that?" Regulus only smiled and brought his own hand up to gently caress barty's cheek, tears in his eyes.
"it's ok."
"No no no what do you mean it's ok? What do you mean i'm too late reg? Who's blood is that? That's not your blood. That can't be your blood. You're regulus black for fucks sakes. you own the house of black, you're the most powerful wizard i know this cannot be your blood i refuse to believe it."
"Barty, it's ok. Just hold me until it passes, i love you bee you know? I always have. Ever since i first saw you." Regulus had a smile filled with nothing but sorrow.
"No no no FUCK! You can't be dying regulus stop fucking with me." Barty was hyperventilating at this point,
"Barty i-" Regulus' knee gave out on him and he almost fell down, Barty caught him with a gasp and gently lowered the both of them down to inspect the damadge done.
The cut wasn't big per say but it was deep and Barty knew as soon as he saw it, it was fatal.
Only fast magic could heal this and aparating in this condition would surely speed up his death. Regulus was going to die in Barty's arms, and there was nothing Barty could do to save him.
"No no darling you're ok, you're alright yeah? Here let's lay down a bit ok? We can cuddle until-" he had to calm down he could barely breath, how can you stay calm in this situation?
"Until the medics arrive yeah? Us two, against the world, once again how does that sound?" Barty knelt beside Regulus' fragile body, not knowing what to do or say anymore.
"Barty i love you. I love you, please say it back Bee please i want to hear it." Regulus plead looking into Barty's eyes. He wanted the last thing he hears to be Barty's love and not his sorrow, couldn't he at least have that? After all they went through?
"I love you. I love you so much reg, i'll save you ok? I promise i'll save you. You're just going to sleep nothing more. You'll wake up tomorrow alright and i'll be by your side," He grabbed Regulus' hand, " Just like this at the hospital. Rhe nurse will save you Reggie this is just sleep yeah?"
"Barty i lo-" Regulus started coughing, so violently his whole body was shaking but he managed to get a few words out, only a few; "love-"
"live for-"
"for me and evan"
"love you Bee" he let out a last couch and his body fell down against the broken stones on the floor, totally limp.
"No no no my love no!" Barty took Regulus' head in his hands, trying to find a sign he was still alive.
"HELP, PLEASE HELP ME PLEASE HES DYING HE CANT DIE PLEASE HELP ME PLEASE" He sobbed and screamed as loud as he could, how could he be so stupid.
He looked back down at the body of his lover, "I love you regulus i love you please come back please, tell me this was all a joke i'll forgive you i swear! I'll even laugh about it i promise please my love please, darling please open your eyes please." He kept looking at regulus' eyes, hoping they might twitch but deep down he knew it was impossible. He had heard the cries from his lover, he had hurried, as fast as he could, through the skies in search of him and yet.
He was too late.
Barty spent what felt like an eternity crying, holding the dead body of the only man he's ever loved until he heard the sound of brooms flying above. Scared, he took his wand out and casted very quick protection spells on Regulus' body, before turning around and trying to find the wizard flying around.
Before he knew it, he was hit with a spell he didn't see coming and his whole body couldn't move anymore. "FUCK!!" Well, at least he could scream. "FUCK YOU!! FUCKING COWARD. SHOW YOUR FACE ILL FUCKING KILL YOU."
One, two, three,four...Seven? Seven wizards? He's sure he only heard one broom fly..
He couldn't see their faces, they weren't wearing masks so it was probably some kind of spell and their voices were distorted too it was all very weird, one thing he knew, they weren't happy he was here that was evident.
One of the wizards approached regulus and barty swore his finger moved despite the curse he was under, "GET AWAY FROM HIM. DONT YOU DARE TOUCH HIM, IF YOU EVEN BREATH IN HIS DIRECTION I WILL CUT YOUR FUCKING ARM OFF GET THE FUCK AWAY." But the wizard didn't listen, they knelt down and tried to tuck a piece of hair behind Regulus' ear which didn't work thanks to the spells Barty casted but still, that's fucking weird.
"what the fuck.. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? I JUST SAID GET AW-" the mask fell, he saw the wizard.
The curse he was under was lifted and he was met with 7 faces he knew very well, and the one kneeling by regulus, he knew better than any other. "Dorcas?"
"Hi Barty..Sorry for the um..Curse." She really looked sorry.
"Dorcas," He stood up slowly feeling his bones crack, effect from said curse, "Is it really you?"
"It's me Barty, what happened, i can't touch regulus he's under some sort of spell what is going on?"
Barty stood up and ran to Dorcas, something that apparently was seen as aggressive which caused one of the other wizards to cast the curse again, "FUCK- PLEASE" He's crying again, shocked to see he has more tears.
"Please." Hes ugly sobbing, he should be embarrassed but his lover just died in front of him and some asshole isnt let him hug one of his bestfriends, "Please let me hug my bestfriend please just that you can kill me after actually, please kill me after right next to him alright ? And, and bury us together he'd like that. Please just, just let me hug my bestfriend." He begged and cried.
It was Dorcas who took a step --more like ran-- towards Barty and engulfed him in a hug as the curse was lifted once more.
"Barty no, we won't kill you, you gotta tell me what happened" Dorcas said as she hugged barty who was now sobbing on her shirt.
"He's dead Dorcas he fucking-" A loud broken sob echoed from Barty, "He left me he's gone and it's all my fault, i was too late Dorcas i could've saved him and i didn't it's all my fault i should die please kill me please i don't deserve to live after what i've done." Barty was holding onto Dorcas, making sure she won't let go.
"Oh Bee.." She hugged him closer and put a hand in his hair, "That's not what regulus would want Barty you know that. It's ok i'm here, Evan is here yeah? We can go find dora too we can all be together" Dorcas started crying too.
"Hey Cas? I think we have to go, i can hear people walking this way" Remus' voice came through almost like a whisper to Barty, too busy holding onto his bestfriend. Dorcas only noded but didn't move. Remus turned to james and both of them slowly walked towards regulus' body, not really knowing what to do with it.
James bend down to pick him up and as soon as his hand touched regulus, a curse was casted and his entire body was thrown back.
"You stay the fuck away from him you fucking cunt." Barty somehow gathered the strength to, not only move from dorcas to james but also curse the other when five minutes ago he was almost unable to move from the exhaustion.
"Oi oi, we're taking him back to camp alright, get him a proper burial. You're in no state to pick him up just get on Dorcas' broom and me and James will fly with Regulus alright?" Remus tried to sound as calm as he could, he didn't know Regulus, at all. But Regulus looked so much like Sirius he nearly had a heart attack when they landed and he was still shaken, also, how was he going to tell Sirius and how would he make sure Sirius won't see the body when they land? Those questions were running free in his mind but he needed to stay calm for Barty, so he did.
"No the fuck not. Potter is not carrying the man he betrayed absolutely not." Barty turned back to James, "Do you even know? How many nights i woke up to him crying because of you? You don't do you? You think everything is sunshine and rainbows don't you? Fuck you, you arrogant piece of shit. Don't ever get close to regulus again i'll fucking kill yo-"
Barty fell. He just fell. boom. on the floor, limp, unmoving, almost like he fell asleep mid sentence.
James stayed where he sat on the floor looking at Barty, not knowing what happened.
"Was that any of you?" Dorcas asked and almost immediately 6 no's echoed. "Is he...Is he dead?" She asked, holding her breath.
"No. Fainted i think." answered remus firmly, "Let's just go back to camp, Marlene you're the fastest, go ahead and make sure Sirius stays in his room i don't want him to see this when we arrive." Remus started giving everyone instructions as soon as Marlene left, making sure they could get the two lovers back to their camp safe.
They somehow managed to get both boys to sit still behind James and Remus, silent prayers Barty doesn't wake up and murder James mid air could be heard. On the journey back Remus couldn't stop thinking about how to tell Sirius, how would he even approach it? 'Hey babe darling light of my life, remember your brother whom you didn't see for almost 5 years?? Um yes well, he's dead and we have his body here.' Fuck. This was gonna be hard.
As soon as they landed they were swarmed by doctors and nurses, the lovers taken away into the medical rooms to be treated, even tho only one was still breathing.
"Hey darling, what happened? Marls was pretty agitated is everyone alright?" Sirius slowly aproached remus looking very confused and alerted, darting his eyes to every member of the order making sure they were all safe.
"Hey.."remus answered, he looked behind him and saw the crew he left with unpack and decided he couldn't wait. He had to tell him. "Sirius we um..we didn't find the stuff we set out for, all the crew is fine yes but um.. We stumbled on a battlefield and it was messy, i'm talking corpses everywhere, smoke from fire explosions it was very messy-" Remus was cut off, "Oh no, were you on seeing all that? Is that why everyone's a bit odd right now?" Sirius asked moving closer to remus and gently putting his hand on the others arm.
"No..No that's not, we um, we found one guy alive and he was trying to fight so we cursed him before he could do anything and um..Fuck," Remus had tears in his eyes, it didn't happen often but this was a long day, and he was about to break the heart of his lover, "It's your brother sirius, we," a sob blocked Remus' throat.
"My brother?! You found my brother! Where is he? Is he alright? Oh i should talk to him it's been so long. That's great news!" As soon as Sirius heard they found his brother a smile made its way to his face, Regulus, his Reggie, he was here! And he was alright! He turned back to Remus and-
"Remus... Why are you crying?" He saw tears in Remus' eyes, his smile fell and Remus broke down.
Remus was full on sobbing, in front of everyone too, he knew they were all staring now they had to be, no one but Sirius ever saw Remus cry, "He's gone sirius he's dead we found him dead there was nothing we could do, i'm so sorry darling i really am." Remus hugged Sirius before he could see the others face fully drop.
Sirius slowly pushed remus away after a few seconds, "What do you mean?"
"He's dead sirius. We found his body." Remus answered trying to wipe his tears away to look at sirius and when he did, he was terrified. Sirius simply had no emotions on his face. none. he was as pale as a ghost, his eyes had no spark and his speaking was monotone.
"Sirius..Do you need-"
"Where is he?"
"I don't think-"
"WHERE. is he?" Sirius insisted
"Sirius stop." They both turned to see moody walk over, "Your brother is dead ok. We can't save him we found him dead there's nothing we can do, there's nothing /you/ can do, nothing can be done. Just cry, scream, fuck for all i care. Don't start acting like a ghost or you'll become one." And with that, Sirius' bottom lip started quivering before he ran to his room followed by a sad Remus.
----
Lily was treating Barty's wound from falling when he woke up,
"Where-"
"Hospital, well no but, auror's hospital technically. Can you remeber who you-"
"Where's Regulus?" Barty asked not caring about her.
"Ok so you do remeber, Regulus is behind this curtain but i ask you to be respectful of the dead, and to not barge in while his wounds are being cleaned. I'll open the curtain up when i'm done cleaning yours and you'll see with the other nurse what can be done."
Barty laid still, letting her work, he didn't talk or answer her questions he only occasionally helping her by holding cotton pieces on his wounds. As promised, when she was done, Lily opened the curtain and there laid Regulus' cold pale body. The nurse on the other side turned to look at the pair and gave them a soft smile, "I was just finishing up." she put away her utensils and left the room.
"I'll be back in 10 minutes with water and a small snack don't move too much." Lily said before leaving the two alone, she didn't want to at first but James thought it could give Barty closure and the nurses agreed so she had no other options.
Barty, of course, did not listen to her, the first thing he did when she closed the door was get up and walk to Regulus. "See love? Just as i said. I'll be by your side," he took his cold hand in his own, "Just like this, in the hospital bed surrounded by nurses.." He started crying again, he heard the door open but didn't move until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up and Dorcas was looking at him with the saddest smile, trying her best not to look at regulus for too long.
"We'll be ok bee, we have each other." She engulfed him a hug and let him cry until he got tired. At that point she walked him to his bed and put him to sleep, when Barty would wake up the nest day, Regulus' body will be gone and Evan will be here at his side with tears in his eyes. They'll eat together and Evan will do all the talking.
Slowly but surely, Barty would be better again. He'll never be good, his lover died, but he'd be better, and that's good enough for now.
- fin -