“Evan!”
The sudden call startled Evan out of his intense concentration on his stupid homework. Irritated, he spun around in the chair, just to see none other than Barty Crouch Jr. Oh. Almost instantly, the anger started ebbing away. “Bee,” Evan sighed in reply, unable to stop the growing smile on his face. Okay, so maybe he had a crush on his best friend. He was a weak man for Barty.
“Rose,” Barty continued, taking his own seat in front of Evan. Evan blushed at the nickname. “I have a game tomorrow afternoon. Will you come this time? Please?”
Evan hesitated. He had buried himself in his school work and other commitments, so he had missed most of Barty’s games. But he also knew that this was the final round and it was important to be there for Barty. “Is Reg going?” Evan asked, even though he knew Regulus would be going to support his boyfriend.
“Yeah, with Dora and Dorcas. So will you come?” Barty asked again, a slight pout forming on his lips already. As if he knew that Evan would reject him. A pang shot through Evan’s heart. He had regretted not going to Barty’s games, but every time, school won over.
And honestly, who was he to reject the sparkling, hopeful green eyes in front of him? “Okay, I’ll go to your game,” Evan conceded. A warm and giddy feeling rushed through him when Barty lit up instantly. It drew a smile out of him.
“Oh! You can wear my jersey! And it’s front row tickets by the way, you know James wants Reg in prime kissing area,” Barty said, rolling his eyes. Evan laughed. But wear Barty’s jersey? Regulus wore James’ jersey to his games. That would be like saying he was Barty’s…boyfriend. “I can give you my jersey later. The real one, not like the other fake ones,” Barty added, rather mockingly.
Oh. Right. There was a sinking feeling. Barty had fangirls. A lot of them. It could rival James’ before he dated Regulus. And that was saying a lot. Many of them had fake jerseys. Well, having the real jersey would certainly make him better than them.
Evan made a face at Barty. “Fine. As an apology. I’m sorry I had to miss so many of your games,” Evan said. Barty shrugged in reply and the sinking feeling came back ten times worse. “Really, Bee. I…honestly, I really wish I could have gone to more of them. I know they’re really important to you.” Almost unconsciously, Evan started picking at his nails.
“Rose.” Barty took Evan’s hands in his own. The more nervous Evan got, the more he would scratch away at his own nails, often drawing blood. It was a habit he picked up when he was at that house, and he couldn’t seem to get rid of it. Barty was aware of this, having been the one to bandage up Evan’s fingers most of the time. “It’s fine. You’re coming to one of the most important games. That’s all I care about.”
Evan took a deep breath, nodding in reply. He would be fine.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The stadium was loud. That was the first thing Evan registered as he walked in with Regulus, his twin, and Dorcas. Regulus had informed him that Sirius, Remus, Marlene and Lily were going to be there. Mary and Peter, unfortunately, couldn’t make it due to their work. Sure enough, Regulus had bought front row tickets. Marlene engulfed Dorcas in a hug instantly, and Lily gave Pandora a quick kiss. Sirius was sitting so close to Remus, he was almost in his lap.
True to his word, Evan had worn Barty’s jersey. It had his name and number stitched on the back, and it smelled like him. Like that soap he used that smelled like cedar. He had seen a lot of fangirls wearing fake jerseys, more than he expected. It had been rather unsettling. But Barty was hot, he couldn’t really blame them. But still. Evan ignored the ugly feeling, taking his seat next to Regulus.
Soon, the teams were announced. Evan searched for Barty, shielding his eyes against the strong sunlight. There. Jogging out, Barty looked beautiful. As always, honestly. The sun shone on him, making his dark brown hair seem lighter than it was. On screen, the camera zoomed in on Barty. The already very loud screaming became even louder. There was a determined set in his eyes. Evan’s pulse seemed to have tripled in speed. He looked so gorgeous. Evan flushed, even as he admired Barty.
“Oh, you two are fucking pathetic,” Dorcas announced from Evan’s left. Evan glanced at Regulus, who was nearly drooling at the sight of James. Evan really hoped he didn’t look as obvious as that. Turning, Evan shot Dorcas the finger, and she burst into laughter.
“You’re no better, Meadowes,” Evan said, gesturing between her and Marlene. Marlene was half on Dorcas’ lap, and Dorcas was playing with her hair. Dorcas eyed him, flipping him off.
The whistle blew right then, signaling the start of the match. Evan occasionally watched soccer on the television with Barty, but it wasn’t quite like watching it in real time. The tension was high in the air, and the crowd cheered for their team.
Evan found himself rather absorbed in the game. His eyes trailed after Barty most of the time, watching him play. And just like that, forty five minutes flew by, and the whistle was blown yet again for half time.
As expected, James ran up to them instantly, leaning over the barrier to kiss Regulus, who had already been on his feet and waiting. The crowd went wild, with a few whistles thrown in. Barty came jogging after James, looking quite wiped out.
And Evan found himself falling even deeper into the rabbit hole, if that was possible. Barty was teasing Regulus, and his laugh was the most beautiful thing Evan ever heard. His hair was damp, and it was clearly raked through a lot. Evan had also seen him pour water on himself (he almost drooled) to cool off. Maybe he had a thing for that. Or maybe he just had a thing for everything Barty.
“Ow!” Evan whirled around as something hit his head. It was Lily. Evan had grown quite close to the redhead and Remus after getting to know them, what with their shared interests. And they knew all the best gossip around.
“You’re staring,” Lily said gently.
“Like an awestruck fan,” Pandora added.
Evan sighed at the couple. He was quite aware of it, and it was rather painful. Yes, Barty flirted with him, but he did that with everyone. He would often touch Evan, his wrist, his hand, his waist. And Pandora had told him that Barty liked him back. But the risk of ruining their friendship was much too high, and Evan couldn’t live without Barty.
“Rose, rose. You actually wore my jersey!” Barty exclaimed, sounding rather like an excited little child. Evan smiled, flushing slightly, because how could he not?
“I told you I would Barty. I don’t go back on my promises,” Evan replied. The jersey was rather big on him, but Evan didn’t mind at all. He turned back to where Regulus and James had started making out again, and he made a face.
“Oh, love of my life, kiss me now, or I shall fall to the ground and die,” Barty sighed dramatically, light heartedly mocking the couple, as he put a hand to his forehead like a sick person. Evan laughed, as Regulus flipped him off.
“Bring me a win first, then I’ll do it,” Evan teased. It wasn’t often he did, because it was like throwing gasoline into a fire. But he was feeling strangely bold now. Maybe it was the adrenaline.
Barty stared at him with wide green eyes, and for a moment Evan was sure he had fucked up. Evan watched closely. First, Barty swallowed, then took a breath. “Fine. I’m holding you to that, rose. You always keep your promise, don’t you?” Barty replied. Gone was the nervous boy. Now, Barty smirked at him, tilting his head lazily, challenging him.
Evan’s breath hitched. It was as if someone lit his heart on fire. It was picking up speed, and there seemed to be a storm of butterflies flying around in his stomach. He was sure that he was blushing. Somehow managing to hold Barty’s gaze, he gathered all the strength against this man he had left.
“Don’t get cocky now, Bee. You’ve still got half a match ahead of you,” Evan said, smiling slightly. Barty eyed him, before grabbing James and walking off.
Evan stood there for a moment, pondering his life choices. Could he really…be Barty’s boyfriend? The blush on his face intensified even thinking about it. He really should not have done it. A larger part of him protested. He’s had a crush on Barty since they were younger. He had been waiting for this moment.
“Oh Evan,” Regulus sighed. Evan didn’t bother glaring at him, slipping back into his seat, covering his face. The nerves were hitting full force now. Pandora instantly slipped her hand into his, gently rubbing circles in his palm. Grateful, he gave her a half smile.
Could he really have a chance? Did Barty really want him? There were so many others he could choose from. Why him? Was he really that special? No, he was riddled with flaws. Why would Barty ever want him? Could-
“Stop overthinking it. I can almost hear your thoughts, Rosier. Even Sirius could see that he fancies you,” Remus interrupted Evan’s thoughts. Sirius yelped, pinching his boyfriend. “Stop beating yourself up over it and fucking watch,” Remus continued, starting to play with Sirius’ hair, which calmed him down quickly enough. Evan observed this, quickly realising that Barty did the same thing when Evan played with his hair. Oh.
Evan turned back around, listening to what Remus said. The second half had already started. Evan’s eyes widened as he watched. Barty was playing even harder than before, and it was clear to anyone that he was putting his all into it. Minutes later, he scored a goal, to the deafening cheers of the crowd. The game continued, Evan in a half-dazed shock as he watched.
“Oh, Longbottom’s got the ball. Expertly gets past Lestrange. Passes the ball to Potter, who gets it beautifully. Halfway across the field now! Just forty seconds left of the game and the two teams are tied! Crouch receives the ball. Attempt to block by Malfoy! Crouch gets past it! Oh- Oh! And Crouch scores with five seconds left! He is on a roll! The Gryffindors have won the game! They have won the championship!”
Barty won. A giddy feeling washed over Evan as he and the others stood up. James ran over first, grabbing Regulus and pulling him into a passionate kiss that Sirius loudly gagged at. Evan laughed, getting drunk on the adrenaline high. He turned as Barty ran over and-
Oh.
Barty was kissing him.
Evan let his eyes fall shut, as he drowned out everything but the love of his life in front of him. His hands wandered into Barty’s hair, tugging on it slightly. A whimper slipped out of Barty, and Evan captured it immediately. It sounded fucking beautiful, and it could rival Barty’s laugh. Evan could listen to Barty speak, laugh, anything every second of every day and never get bored of it.
Barty broke the kiss, resting their foreheads together. Evan took that moment to catch his breath. He had done it. He had done it. Evan wanted to scream it to the world. Barty was his. He was Barty’s. Fuck. He shouldn’t assume that. Maybe-
“I’ve been wanting to do that since ages ago,” Barty mumbled. Never mind then. Evan smiled. An incomparable kind of happiness filled him, one he didn’t think he had been capable of.
“Me too,” Evan whispered back softly, finally lifting his head to meet all his friends’ gazes.
“Fucking finally,” Regulus burst out, shaking his head. “I had to deal with both of your bullshit for fucking years.”
“Not much better than you and James,” Barty shot back, lacing his fingers through Evan’s.
“Both of you are going to be making the front page tomorrow,” Lily sighed, but she was smiling.
Right then, Pandora walked up, leaning in to whisper something in Barty’s ear that even Evan couldn’t hear. A look of shock passed over Barty’s features, before he nodded. He’ll have to find out what Pandora said later then.
“Your fangirls are going wild Crouch. And you’ve probably crushed their dreams,” Marlene said. True enough, there was screaming from the crowd, and those around them had taken out their phones to record.
Barty shrugged in reply. “That sucks for them. Definitely not for me,” Barty replied. “My rose, wait for me yeah? I need go. Frank and coach has to give a speech or whatever. Oh and by the way, I couldn’t really say this, but you look hot as fuck in my jersey.” Evan flushed, squeezing Barty’s hand. The nickname was new. My rose. Well then, Barty was his bee. And the jersey. Evan had almost forgotten he was wearing it. “You looked like mine. Just mine.” Barty leaned in, kissing Evan chastely. It was sweet and Evan nearly melted on the inside.
“Just yours, bee,” Evan replied, smiling uncontrollably. He was really in love with Barty. And Barty loved him back. Maybe true love did exist after all.