Barty Crouch Jr. hates uni. Well, he hates his boyfriend attending uni. Exam season Regulus is a monster. A caffeine-induced, exhausted monster. Barty hates watching his boyfriend destroy himself over exams. She knows that Regulus doesn't want to disappoint his parents, knows that if there was anything Regulus could do to get away from them without disappointing them, he'd do it. Which is why he kills himself studying because if he gets a good job, he can pretend he's too busy to be married. To have a child. To visit. Too busy to show that he's been dating a Crouch since they were in Year 7. He just has to pass first.
Barty hates it. Hates the sleepless nights Regulus goes through, the bitterness in his tone that Regulus doesn't notice, how skinny he gets and how dark his eye bags are. Barty absolutely despises Regulus' parents for making him act this way, not that he'd ever say anything.
What he doesn't hate, however, is the endless fun that is provided with distracting Regulus from his studies. They don't do it often, usually only towards the end when Regulus is reaching a burn out and just needs a pick me up or a reminder as to why he also needs to care for himself. A reminder that someone is there for him, someone loves him, and someone isn't going to leave if he isn't perfect all the time.
Regulus doesn't even flinch when Barty slams the front door of the flat closed. "Honey, I'm home!" she sings, striding into the kitchen and leaning over to press a kiss to Regulus' head. He hums. "Hey." Barty grins. "What do you want for dinner?"
Regulus doesn't respond to the question, continuing to pour over whatever overpriced textbook he's already memorised. ". . .Right. Good talk baby." Barty mutters, taking the shopping bag to their bedroom.
Barty changes quickly, smiling at his reflection as he quickly applies a bit of makeup and touches up his hair. It's not a big difference, but she automatically feels prettier, and knows Regulus will enjoy it.
Once they've finished touching up her appearance, Barty flounces back to the kitchen. He smiles at his busy boyfriend, gently reaching over to pull the book off the table, tossing it onto the counter away from them.
"Say my name and everything just stops-" he sings softly, making Regulus roll his eyes. "Barty-" he looks up, mouth hanging open when his eyes fall on his partner's outfit.
"I don't want you like a best friend. Only bought this dress so you could take if off. . .take if off." Barty continues, grinning wickedly as Regulus stands, grabbing their hips and pulling him closer. "Hello."
Regulus tilts his head down, kissing the side of Barty's mouth softly. "You're so gorgeous." Barty giggles. "You just technically quoted Taylor Swift you know that?" he asks, kissing Regulus sweetly.
Regulus groans, rolling his eyes. "No, I did not. Shut up. Just. . .Silence, love. Shush. Isn't the next line, something about carving a name into bedpost? Let's do that." Barty snorts, kissing his boyfriend again. "No more studying?"
Regulus glances at his watch. "Not until tomorrow. You clearly need attention, darling." Barty leans over, slamming Regulus' laptop shut. "Damn right, lover."