Regulus is going insane.
Hiding their relationship had sounded like a good idea when Barty had originally suggested it, mainly because they wouldn’t have to deal with backlash from their parents or the student body. Regulus doesn’t like being the center of attention, so he hadn’t hesitated to agree.
He hadn’t been thinking of how much of a menace Barty could be, but he definitely is now. There’s no escaping it, really, not that Regulus is trying.
Dating Barty is everything Regulus had expected it to be and more. He’d been a bit worried, not liking change, but they’re still them. They still make fun of each other when they get an answer wrong and shove each other out of their favorite seats. Regulus just gets to make out with him now, which is a definite plus.
The only real downside is that they have to keep everything private, but Regulus mostly appreciates that. It makes their time together sweeter, having to wait until they’re alone to act on their feelings. Barty is incredibly easy to wind up, and Regulus enjoys doing so.
Honestly, Regulus thinks it’s hilarious that Barty was the one to suggest them being a secret, given how horrible he is at keeping them that way. He’s always trying to touch Regulus and he’s incredibly possessive–even worse than he was when they were friends, which was already bad.
He’s lucky that Regulus finds it hot.
Well, he does most of the time. At the moment, while he’s just trying to talk to Fabian? It’s quite annoying. Especially since Fabian has clearly caught onto the tension, if the smirk on his face is any indication.
Regulus is going to murder the both of them.
He’ll get away with it too. Evan wouldn’t ask any questions before helping him with the bodies. He’s good like that.
“I knew you’d make captain.” Fabian says warmly, gesturing to the Quidditch Captain pin on his chest before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. The action is clearly for Barty, who clenches his jaw from next to Regulus, but his words are genuine. Regulus can’t help but smile up at the older boy, always fond of Fabian. “It’s well deserved, love.”
Regulus barely gets time to smile before Barty is on his feet.
Fabian has clearly predicted this response, since he’s already backing away, laughing heartily. He waves at Regulus, who waves back, before disappearing into the castle. Regulus bites his lip, fighting to maintain his poker face, not wanting to start laughing and ruin it.
“What was that?” Regulus asks when he faces Barty, making himself look confused. It’s a look he has perfected over the years, with the friends he has.
Barty bristles, narrowing his eyes at Regulus, who has to force himself not to grin. It’s harder to keep the innocent act up than it normally is, but he has enough experience that he’s certain he won’t break.
“What was that?” Barty repeats, his voice hitching higher. “I should be asking you that! What, are you dating Fabian?”
Regulus rolls his eyes at that, taking a step closer to Barty. They’re alone in an alcove, no one around to interrupt them, which is nice. Regulus would prefer being in the Room of Requirement, but Barty had wanted to be outside: he’s surely regretting that decision now.
“You know who I’m dating.” He says with a raised eyebrow. The reminder causes Barty to grin helplessly for a moment before he starts scowling again.
“I thought I did, yes, but now Fabian fucking Prewett is calling you love and congratulating you!”
“Oh, I’m dating anyone who calls me love?” Regulus questions, letting himself smirk ever so slightly. Just enough to make Barty’s eye twitch. “I should go let Madam Rosmerta know, she’ll be thrilled.”
Barty snorts at that, looking frustrated by his own amusement. Regulus isn’t sure what he expected: he’s always been funny.
“No, but you two used to date. . .” Barty trails off, mumbling something under his breath. Regulus looks him over, forcing himself not to make any of the jokes that immediately form for him. He’s quite sure that the time for joking has passed, and doing so will make Barty shut down. Regulus does not want to be the cause of that.
“Used to, Barty.” Regulus reminds him, his voice going soft in the way it only ever does with Barty. That used to scare him, but now it warms him. He likes that he can be soft with anyone at all, and he’s glad that he’s learning that with Barty. “We barely dated. We lasted a month and barely saw each other. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Barty bites his lip, looking conflicted. Regulus sighs quietly, taking the last step so that he’s in Barty’s space, looking up at him. Barty looks genuinely worried, which was not what Regulus wanted when he chose to play along with Fabian.
“He didn’t make you hide, though.” Barty says so quietly that Regulus almost doesn’t catch it. Impressive, seeing as they’re sharing the same air.
Regulus frowns, realizing that that’s what this whole thing is about. He’s sure Barty would be jealous no matter what, that’s just part of his personality, but if he’s been worrying about this–it’s no wonder he feels threatened. Regulus would too, and he’d be worse about it. He probably would have stormed off by now. He definitely wouldn’t be hearing Barty out.
“It’s funny that you think you can force me to do anything.” Regulus says first, because he knows it’ll make Barty laugh, which it does. He looks incredibly fond: Regulus doesn’t deserve it. “Fabian and I didn’t hide, but we weren’t open, either. We didn’t have anything to hide, Barty. We only ever saw each other at parties and Quidditch matches, and we were just having fun.”
Regulus doesn’t like that Barty still doesn’t look convinced. He forces himself to keep talking, even though he would prefer to be doing anything else.
“We both made the decision to be a secret. It’s the best option for us, with our parents and the world the way it is.” Regulus pauses, watching as Barty finally meets his eyes, looking more confident. Regulus smiles back. “Anyway, aren’t you having fun?”
“Oh, you know I am.” Barty says, and that puts a proper grin on Regulus’s face. “I think Dorcas is starting to catch on, and Pandora definitely knows.”
“Pandora knows everything.” Regulus agrees with a laugh, because that’s a given. She hasn’t said anything about it yet, but he’ll likely end up confessing to her sooner rather than later. She has a way of getting information out of people without even trying. It’s terrifying, really.
“Well, I know you’re having fun.” Barty continues, reaching out a finger to poke one of the dimples forming at the corner of Regulus’s mouth. Regulus scrunches up his nose, making Barty laugh. “You really like hiding?”
“I’m good at it, so yes.” Barty rolls his eyes at that, even as his lips quirk up. It’s true, though: Regulus has always been the best at hiding. When he plays hide-and-seek, he’s always the last one hidden, having to get called out of his spot at the end of the game. That talent comes from a natural instinct to be alone, and a childhood of disappearing as much as possible. “It’s funny watching you get all jealous and try to hide it.”
“Funny, huh?” Barty asks, and Regulus is suddenly aware of a tension between them. His eyes widen, realizing that Barty is giving him a suggestive look. Right, that’s a much better idea. Barty is a genius, truly.
“Among other descriptions, yes.” Regulus mumbles, and then Barty’s lips are on his.
He stops thinking after that.
When they make their way into the castle for dinner, Dorcas takes one look at them and frowns.
Regulus instantly starts panicking, wondering what could be wrong. They checked each other over before coming inside, but it would be just like Barty to not fix his hair properly or something. He’d do it for payback, the bastard.
“Regulus, are you wearing Barty’s tie?” She asks, reaching over the table to tug at it. His hands fly up to stop her, and then he blinks down at the tie, which is definitely not his. It’s too long to belong to him, fuck.
“No.” He says weakly, batting her hands away. She raises an eyebrow at him while he wills himself not to start blushing. He chances a glance over to Barty, huffing when he sees the smirk on his face. Barty’s wearing a shorter tie than normal, but doesn’t look flustered about it in the slightest. “This is mine, Cas.”
“Did you grow for the uniform fitting and then shrink back down again?”
Her words make Regulus glare, because they are fighting words. Next to her, Evan is laughing, and so is Barty. They’re all way too proud of being taller than him, it’s aggravating.
“Obviously not.” Regulus snaps back, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. The movement blocks the tie from view, but the subject doesn’t change.
“Why are you wearing each other’s ties?” She questions, looking between the two slowly. Regulus blinks back at her, his mind suddenly blank.
Evan jumps in with some story about them getting ready in a rush, which Regulus is grateful for. He really does love Evan. He looks over to Barty again, wondering how he’s feeling, only to see him already smirking at him. He looks distinctly amused, which is what makes Regulus remember that Barty was the one to put the tie on him.
He planned this.
For a long second, Regulus just gapes at Barty, who turns to talk to Evan. Regulus narrows his eyes, because absolutely not. Barty does not get the last word.
It only takes a few moments to get some ideas, and then he’s certain his entire face lights up. Barty wants to play this game? Fine, Regulus is in.
He’s going to win.
They’re both giggling as they stumble out of the broom shed.
Regulus can’t help the laughter, not with how happy he feels. Not only did they win their first Quidditch match, but Barty had taken advantage of their adrenaline to drag him into the broom shed right after. It had been risky because anyone could have come in to return their broom from the match, or to grab one, and yet Regulus hadn’t protested.
They’d been grinning and laughing the entire time, just as they are now.
Regulus is certain that he’s never been this happy in his entire life.
He’s still filled with adrenaline, although he doesn’t plan on acting on it anymore. No, what he really wants is a mug of hot chocolate, and Barty seems to realize that–or maybe he wants it just as much. Either way, Barty is the one to snatch up his hand and tug him towards the school, Regulus still trying to smooth out his hair as he follows behind him.
Regulus feels himself relaxing as soon as they get to the kitchen. As much as he loves other areas of the castle, this room has been his safe place since first year. There’s no one in the room with them, so Barty goes to find all the needed ingredients as Regulus hops onto the counter next to the stove. Barty makes the best hot chocolate, whereas Regulus’s job is to sit and look pretty, since he’s capable of burning water.
When he’s done he nudges Regulus off the counter, since there isn’t room for both of them and he’s too tall for that. His boyfriend follows him over to their favorite booth in the back of the room and twists around on the bench so that he has a better view of Barty, grinning at him over his mug. Barty wiggles his eyebrows back, making Regulus snort. He pouts when the movement makes his drink slosh over the side, and Barty bursts into laughter next to him.
“Oh!” Regulus exclaims, startling Barty, a few minutes into them sitting there. “I overheard Sirius and James talking about a secret passageway into Hogsmeade. Want to try it?”
“Do I ever?” Barty asks dramatically, covering his heart with his hand. Regulus shakes his head at him in amusement, rolling his eyes fondly. “Are we bringing the others?”
Regulus thinks about it before shaking his head.
“I was thinking it could be just us for this first trip.”
This makes Barty beam at him, looking delighted at just the idea. Regulus smiles back, it growing when Barty tugs him into a kiss. They bump noses at first and they’re both smiling too much for it to be a good kiss, but it’s perfect anyway.
If Regulus thought he liked hot chocolate before, that was nothing compared to the taste of it on Barty’s lips.
It takes them a week to go down the secret passageway.
They’ve been too busy with their friends, since they refuse to be the couple that stops spending time with them as soon as they get in a relationship. Even if it wouldn’t be suspicious, they wouldn’t do it: they respect their friends too much to lose them.
Evan is the only one who knows about them dating, since they share a dorm with him. He’d been thrilled, admitting that he’d won a bet against the girls: not that he could cash in for a while, but it’s the thought that counts. He’d given both of them shovel talks, terrifying them both equally. He’s told them that if they ever need a diversion he would be willing, but they both like spending time with the group, and they don’t want to take advantage of him.
It’s better if he stays out of it as much as possible, because Regulus is certain that Pandora and Dorcas won’t be happy about being left out of the loop.
He’s honestly not sure why they haven’t told them: it’s not as if either of them would go running to their parents or anyone else. He just knows that the longer they go without telling them, the more nervous he is about their reactions when he does.
None of that matters now though, not when they’re facing a statue with excitement thrumming through their veins.
“Her name’s Gulhilda of Goosemoor.” Regulus whispers to fill the silence. Barty struggles to hold in his laughter at that, shaking from the force of it. “What? It is.”
“Of course you know that, you swot.” Barty snickers, nudging him. “Well, go on then. What’d she do to get a statue in this glorious school?”
“She discovered a cure for Dragon Pox, you twat.” Regulus hisses back, making Barty hold his hands up, still trying to quiet his laughter. It’s an impossible task, because Barty has the most obnoxious laugh Regulus has ever heard. He’s not sure why he likes someone with a laugh like Barty’s, but he’s clearly losing his marbles.
“My bad, I should’ve known.” Barty jests, and Regulus rolls his eyes, not wanting to give in to his amusement.
Regulus looks around, noticing that some of the portraits surrounding them are starting to wake up, and turns back to the statue. They need to leave before Barty’s cackle brings the entire school to them.
He thinks back to what Remus Lupin had told him, hoping that he isn’t pranking him. He’d seemed genuine at the time, but Regulus knows better than anyone what can hide behind fake earnestness. Remus is almost as good at it as Regulus is. If he ends up covered in pus, Remus will never know a day of peace.
He shuts his eyes when he taps the statue with his wand and whispers Dissendium. Nothing happens so Regulus cautiously opens his eyes, grinning when he sees the passageway. He’ll have to buy Remus a gift from the village because this is going to be fun.
He thinks that even if they didn’t make it there, it would be, just because of how excited they both are. Nothing compares to the feeling of breaking rules and hoping that they won’t be caught. It’s even better to know that there’s no real reason for them to be caught: Sirius had been bragging about no one else knowing about the passageway. Regulus thought that was pretty cocky, given how many students attended the school, but hadn’t bothered arguing over it.
“You want to go first?” Barty whispers, suddenly caring about his volume.
Regulus looks at him for a moment before shrugging, putting his wand back in its holster in his sleeve. Barty helps him get onto the slide with a laugh, making Regulus glare at him because he could have done it by himself just fine. He isn’t expecting Barty to climb on right after him, grabbing him by the waist, but he isn’t complaining.
Barty pushes off the wall, and Regulus grins into the darkness as they slide down. He’d rarely been allowed to go to parks as a kid, despite living right next to one: Walburga didn’t want her precious children being around Muggles. The only time any of the kids went was when they snuck out.
The slide is short, dumping them into a passage that Regulus can’t see the end of. He pushes himself off the ground, reaching out a hand for Barty, brushing himself off as he squints around.
“ Lumos.” Barty whispers, making Regulus smile his thanks at the light suddenly available to them.
“I wonder how far under the school we are.” Regulus whispers back, making Barty shrug, although he also looks intrigued by the topic. “Alright, well, Remus said that it would take a while, so. . .”
He gestures ahead of them, waiting for Barty to lead the way. Barty doesn’t move. He is frowning down at Regulus, who gives him a confused look.
“What does Lupin have to do with anything?”
“He’s the one who told me about the passageway.” Regulus says, although he is so confused it comes out as more of a question.
Barty huffs, suddenly sullen. Regulus just blinks at him, still uncertain about his change in mood.
“Of course he did. He probably wanted to bring you down here himself.” Barty grumbles, and Regulus can’t help the way he gapes at him. He’s seen Barty be jealous before, on many occasions, but it’s never felt as ridiculous as it does in this moment.
“Why would he want to bring me down here?” Regulus asks instead of anything else he’s tempted to say.
“Really, Regulus?”
“What do you want me to say?” Regulus snarks back, because he doesn’t understand what Barty wants from him. He can feel himself bristling and he really doesn’t want that to be what today becomes. Not when it was supposed to be so much more than that.
“You said that you heard about it from Potter and your brother.” Barty responds, sounding put out, and Regulus releases a long sigh.
“Yes, but they were talking about sneaking away butterbeer. They didn’t go ‘Hey, don’t you love going to the one-eyed witch statue and using the password Dissendium .’” The mocking words make Barty narrow his eyes at him, although not with the normal heat to it. Regulus would know, having seen Barty practically light people on fire with one glance.
“How does Lupin relate to that?”
“He’s their best friend? He’s also my friend. A little bit of blackmail and he was telling me everything I wanted to know. Also, I told him I wanted to bring my boyfriend, so I don’t think he’s waiting around the corner to whisk me away.”
The image makes Barty fight back a laugh. Regulus smirks at him like he knows exactly what he’s thinking, and when Barty succumbs to his amusement, Regulus laughs with him. It’s exactly what they need, leaning against each other as they end up in tears and clutching their ribs. Looking at each other only makes them laugh harder and it takes them a long time to calm themselves down.
This time, when Regulus gestures down the path, Barty leads the way.
The trip to Hogsmeade takes an hour.
An entire hour that Regulus spends whining. When Remus told him it would take a while, he didn’t think he meant the longest walk of Regulus’s life. This isn’t even worth any stolen butterbeer: why do his brother’s friends do it as often as they do? How does Remus do this, since he chain smokes constantly and never exercises?
Regulus is going to have to ask him as soon as he gets out of this architectural nightmare.
“Oh, fuck me.” Regulus whines when he stumbles over yet another rock. Barty laughs from up ahead and Regulus takes great joy in flipping him off while sticking his tongue out.
“Remus said that it would take a while.” Barty mocks him, Regulus huffing.
“Don’t use my own words against me, bitch.”
“I’ll do what I want to, Chienne.”
“Don’t steal my insults!”
“It’s a whole different word!”
“It’s bitch in French, Chienne.”
“Oh, now who’s stealing insults?”
“Shove off!” Regulus huffs out, only to fall into Barty’s back a second later. He splutters, pushing himself back and rubbing his face with a grimace. Barty mumbles out an apology for his sudden stop before pointing up to a trapdoor.
Regulus forgets about his annoyance in favor of grinning and motioning for Barty to open it. Barty does after they both listen for any noises from the other end. They enter into Honeydukes’s stock room, which is exciting on it’s own.
“We should steal something.” Barty hisses, his head whipping around as he tries to take in every inch of the room.
Regulus rolls his eyes, looking exasperated even as he also peers around them.
“I’m sure everything has jinxes on them, idiot.”
“Before they get on the sales floor?” Barty questions, because he doubts it. He smirks at Regulus, knowing that he’s tempting him. “Only one way to find out.”
He’s barely gotten the sentence out before Regulus is stalking up to the closest shelf, his nose turned up. He ignores Barty snickering behind him, focusing on finding the candy he wants, shoving other options to the side.
The look on Barty’s face when he whips around with two items in his hand is worth the disgust of holding a blood pop. Barty beams at him, bouncing over to grab it from him. Regulus wrinkles his nose at the happy noise he makes, distracting himself with the chocolate frog in his hand.
He absentmindedly hands the card to Barty, who collects them, before biting into the frog before it can jump away from him. He’s lost way too many chocolate frogs by not acting quickly enough. Nothing happens to them, just as Barty predicted, making him look infuriatingly smug.
Regulus scowls back at him, hating it when he’s right about anything. Barty smirks back.
“Where do you want to go first?” Regulus asks before Barty can start singing out his I-told-you-so’s. He knows that Barty would do it.
The distraction works immediately, and Barty immediately starts listing off places: The Three Broomsticks, Zonko’s, and the Shrieking Shack among them. Their normal haunts, which Regulus is happy with–he loves routines.
Being a proper couple in the village is exhilarating.
They don’t have to worry about stumbling on any students they know, and none of the adults care about them in the slightest. To them, they’re just another couple on a date, and it fills Regulus with hope for their future. Maybe, if they can just get away from their parents, they could have a lifetime of these moments.
He wants that more than anything.
How could he not, when he has Barty swinging their hands together in-between them and bouncing as he walks? They’re both so clearly excited, fighting to pay for each other, running forward to beat the other in opening doors, and Regulus never wants it to end.
They end their trip at the Shrieking Shack, leaning up against a fence. They need to get up and start heading back to the school but neither of them is willing to make the first move. Regulus certainly doesn’t want to make the walk back. Part of the problem is that he had such a fun time, but it’s also due to him not wanting to have to hide again.
Now that he’s experienced the other side, hiding isn’t as exciting.
Regulus wakes up as he’s falling.
It’s confusing as much as it is terrifying: he doesn’t get to process what’s happening before he’s on the ground, tangled in a blanket. For a long moment he lies there, in a haze from sleeping, gaping at the ceiling.
Barty does not wake up. Evan does.
“Wha–?” Evan’s sleepy mumble comes right before he pokes his head out of his bed curtains, staring down at Regulus. Regulus waves back. “Why are you. . .?”
He trails off, clearly noting the context clues: Regulus is proud, really.
“Did Barty push you off again?”
“No.” Regulus says flatly, trying to glare up at Evan. He’s so tired that it’s definitely more of a squint, but he tries. “I just decided to lie on the floor.”
“That’s some weird shit you’d do.” Evan says with a nod before smirking, likely due to Regulus’s growing annoyance. Evan’s always been able to read him too well.
“Shove off.” He grunts out, starting to unwrap himself from the duvet. How did he get tangled in it so badly? When he finally stands up, Evan bursts out laughing, making Regulus snap his head around to him.
Evan laughs even harder at the look on Regulus’s face. It’s not even a decision to grab a pillow from Barty’s bed and whip it at him–it’s instinct. This makes Evan snort, throwing his hands up in surrender when Regulus grabs for the duvet, planning to strangle Evan with it.
“Relax, lover boy.”
This makes Regulus narrow his eyes–Evan only pulls out that nickname when he’s making fun of his relationship with Barty, which has nothing to do with the situation.
His confusion makes Evan’s face light up, before he’s leaping out of bed and dragging Regulus behind him to their bathroom. Regulus is so tired that he stumbles twice, only remaining standing because of Evan, who laughs every time. He doesn’t have the energy to fight him off, allowing Evan to position him in front of the mirror and turn on the light.
His eyes immediately widen.
It’s no wonder that Evan laughed at the sight of him. He’s never looked this disheveled in his entire life. Between the countless hickeys and his mussed up hair, it’s obvious what he’s been up to. That’s not even getting to his lips–bitten, red and swollen. He looks debauched.
“I can’t believe Barty did this to you and kicked you out of your bed. Cruel, really.” Evan cuts into his thoughts, giggling behind Regulus. Regulus flips him off in the mirror, before running the same hand through his hair in hopes of calming it down. He is not successful.
“How am I supposed to cover all of these?” Regulus whines, his other hand coming up to thumb at a larger hickey at the base of his throat. Now that he’s looking at them, he can feel them. He’s sore all over, which shouldn’t be doing anything for him, and yet. . .
“Oh please.” Evan snorts, reaching out to flick Regulus on his forehead. Regulus hisses back, which only amuses him further. Regulus misses when that noise scared his friends–Barty is the only one who still reacts to it. “I think the point is for you to not cover them.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because your boyfriend is ridiculously possessive? Also, you find it hot.”
Regulus opens his mouth but shuts it again without responding. Evan is right, and Evan knows he’s right, so there’s no point lying to him. No one ever gets away with doing it.
Evan pats him on the shoulder, fake sympathy painted on his face, before turning him back out of the bathroom. Evan has no issue falling asleep, is likely gone the moment his head hits his pillow, but Regulus is not that lucky. He’s always struggled with insomnia, and now that he’s thinking he knows that there’s no hope of him sleeping.
For a moment, he hovers by his bed, looking down at Barty. His mouth is hanging open as he snores, his body uncovered since Regulus took the blanket with him to the ground. Regulus considers leaving him without it, seeing as he’s the cunt who pushed Regulus off the bed, but decides to wait until he’s awake.
Payback isn’t fun if Barty sleeps through it.
Slughorn throws a ridiculous amount of parties, but Regulus certainly isn’t complaining about it now. Not when it gives him an excuse to dress up and let loose, and does the same for his friends, and his boyfriend.
Honestly, Regulus is surprised that he was let in looking the way he does, but maybe he shouldn’t be. Slughorn likes a scandal, that’s part of the reason he loves his Slytherins the way he does. Anything for the drama, and no one does drama like his snakes do.
He gets let in and immediately makes eye contact with Barty across the room, who drops a glass when he sees Regulus.
All eyes are on him because of the noise, but Barty doesn’t seem aware of that. He doesn’t thank the witch who banishes away the mess, or the wizard who puts another glass in his hand, or react to Evan and Dorcas laughing next to him. He only has eyes for Regulus, which is exactly how Regulus likes him.
He can feel Barty’s eyes on him as he turns away and mingles with various people he has no real interest in. He doesn’t care about any of their careers or anything about them except the way they look at him. They all want a piece of him, want to be important to the heir of the Black fortune, want him to make their lives easier.
That’ll never happen for them, but he finds it fun to toy with them. It’s easy enough to do–their mother may have taught Sirius how to act dignified, but Regulus has always been a natural. It’s not hard to act disinterested when people rarely manage to capture his curiosity, after all.
As enjoyable as it is to have these people eating out of the palm of his hand–is it amusing or pathetic that they’ll trip over themselves for a mere quirk of his lips?—Regulus has more plans for the night. If he keeps this up too long, Barty will either get distracted by something else or come over to join Regulus, and he doesn’t plan on letting either happen. Not this early.
He makes his excuses to leave, ignoring their disappointment, and then lets his eyes scan the room discreetly over his champagne flute. It takes a moment for his eyes to land on Theodore Nott, and then he lights up before making his way directly to him.
Theo sees him just before Regulus reaches him, and then Regulus is being swung into a hug, hiding his smile in the crook of Theo’s shoulder. He’s forgotten how much he missed Theodore, who took him under his wing when Regulus was sorted into Slytherin. It’d been nice to have someone other than his direct family making sure he was okay, especially when his relationship with Sirius started falling apart.
He almost doesn’t want to let go when he’s released, but he makes himself anyway, for the sake of decorum.
“How are you, Reg?” Theo asks, grinning at him. They’re the same height, which is a nice difference for Regulus. He likes not having to look up to have a conversation.
“I’m great, now that I’ve seen you! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He can’t help the slight whine to his tone, but he’s missed Theo so much. He was so upset when he graduated and he’s thrilled to be seeing him now.
Slughorn’s dinner parties are always a long event, with Regulus sneaking away after he drinks enough to not notice. Now, though, he has every intention of staying for the whole night. Theo will have to knock him out so that he can leave without him.
“I wanted to surprise you! It was worth it for the look on your face.” Theo says with a laugh, and Regulus can’t help his smile. It’s nice to know that he hasn’t been forgotten. They write to each other every month, but Regulus sometimes worries that Theo only does it out of obligation. “How’s the season going? I never doubted that you’d be captain, I’d worry about Sluggie’s sanity if he chose anyone else.”
This is the best compliment Regulus has ever received. Theo is an amazing Quidditch player, and he taught Regulus quite a bit in first year, so hearing him say that means the world to him. Neither of them believe in empty words when with friends, so Regulus knows he truly means it.
“Thank you! It’s going great, but let’s not discuss my season, I want to hear about yours! How is it, playing professionally? Tell me everything!”
Regulus gets lost in the conversation, making Theo describe every match he can remember from the last two years. Theo entertains him, doing impressions and voices, and Regulus laughs so hard he chokes on his drink when Theo does a death drop right then and there.
“Theo, theo, stop–” He gasps out, leaning against him when he pops back up, a wide grin on his face. Regulus can’t breathe, he’s laughing so hard, and he needs some stability before he falls over himself. “Merlin–you didn’t–”
“Oh I absolutely did pass out in a match. There’s a picture of it, actually, I’ll have to send it to you. Anyway, I hadn’t been feeling good and that match lasted six hours, I couldn’t help–oh, hello.”
Theo’s voice goes startled as he blinks over at Barty, who’d suddenly appeared right next to him. Regulus doesn’t get the chance to even stop laughing before he’s being tugged away from Theo, right into Barty’s arms.
His laughter abruptly stops as he remembers where he is, and then he blinks up at Barty, who has his left arm wrapped around Regulus’s shoulders. Barty’s jaw is clenched, his eyes blazing as he glares at Theo, and Regulus almost chokes on the tension.
He’d completely forgotten about his plan for the night, but it appears that he managed to make Barty jealous in the end.
His plan had involved more teasing glances from across the room as Regulus flirted with everyone in attendance except Barty, but this works just as well. Better, even, because Barty knows that Regulus holds Theo in high esteem. He’ll also have been able to see how genuine all of Regulus’s actions were, which is likely the cause of him separating them.
“Barty, you remember Theodore Nott. Theo was just telling me about his Quidditch matches, he’s got some great stories.” Regulus hides his smile behind his glass while examining the way Barty’s jaw ticks.
“Only the best for you.” Theo gives Regulus a charming smile, which is new.
Not the charming part: Regulus always finds him charming, always has. They’ve just never flirted before, seeing as they see each other as siblings. Theo looks mischievous as he meets Barty’s stare, and Regulus decides to play along, interested in how this will play out now.
“Regulus does deserve the best.” Barty agrees, his voice strained, and Regulus bites down a grin. His tone makes it very clear that he doesn’t consider Theo to be on that level, which is amusing. Partly because he knows that Barty likes Theo when his thoughts aren’t being clouded.
“That he does.” Theo says with a nod, before turning to look at Regulus’s glass. “Oh, looks like both of us need drinks. Regulus?”
His glass isn’t empty. He meets Theo’s stare, having a silent conversation. Part of him wants to stay just because Theo is asking him not to, but he decides it’s better to agree. He’s curious to know what kind of shovel talk Theo will give. Regulus told him in his last letter that he had a boyfriend, and Theo’s no idiot.
He gives a curt nod before moving over to the drinks table, being intercepted by Evan once there.
“Was that even more amusing close up?” Evan murmurs to him, making Regulus grin. He’s glad that Evan saw it all so that he can discuss it.
“Hilarious, actually. How amused were you?”
“Reg, you have no idea. He’s been fuming since the two of you hugged, you leaning into him was just the final straw. That wasn’t even intentional, was it?”
“No, not that.” Regulus admits, smirking as he starts filling the third cup, absentmindedly grabbing the brand that Barty prefers. He’s pleased with the thought that Barty has been watching him, even if he’d known it had to be true. The confirmation is nice.
“No, I thought not.” Evan says with a light laugh before reaching over and fixing Regulus’s collar for him. “This is, though. Clever.”
Regulus can’t hold in his laugh at that, because yes, he’d had fun getting dressed for the party. He’s certain he’s never looked this disheveled in public but he finds himself enjoying it. It’d been a last minute decision, deciding to not do up the top three buttons of his shirt or tie his tie, which is just hanging around his neck. He likes the looks people are giving him for the decision, particularly Barty.
Perhaps he should make a game out of it in the future.
“I’m coming back with you, everyone else is boring.” Evan declares as he grabs two of the four cups in front of them, making Regulus grin as they make their way over.
“I thought you wanted to cozy up to a potions master?” Regulus questions him, although Evan just laughs.
“Next time.” He dismisses the thought easily enough, so Regulus doesn’t push. He will be making sure that it happens for him at Slughorn’s next party though. Barty and Theo seem to be wrapping up their discussion, Barty looking aggravated as Theo looks determined.
“--if I hear otherwise,” Regulus hears as they get within range of the two, him and Evan both rolling their eyes at the clear threat. “Oh, Regulus, you’re back!”
Just like that, he’s back to being charming, grabbing his glass and holding it up to him in cheers. Regulus clinks their glasses together with a fond smile, turning to look at Barty. Neither of them get to say anything before Evan is greeting Theo.
“Theo, man, nice to see you! We’ve all missed you, haven’t we, Barty?”
Barty nods with his mouth in a thin line, and Evan laughs before turning again to ask Theo about his career. Regulus doesn’t get the chance to say anything to Barty before Slughorn is announcing that the food is ready, circular tables appearing throughout the room. He doesn’t give a warning, and people are shoved out of the way for them, making Slughorn chuckle grandly as he gives a fake apology.
Barty laughs from next to him, Regulus handing over his glass with a smile. Barty’s face lights up when he realizes that Regulus got him his preferred drink instead of what everyone else has, and Regulus feels so sickeningly fond. Not enough to stop messing with him, but enough to make his chest feel warm.
“C’mon, let’s go sit.” Barty says with a grin, and Regulus nods. He wants to grab a table before he gets left with people he doesn’t like, and he can see one of his mothers friends making a path toward him.
He quickly grabs a table with only four seats available, shoving Barty into one. He shares a quick look with Evan who gets a devilish look on his face before nodding, so Regulus lets Evan take the seat next to Barty. The other seats are on the other side of the table which is perfect for Regulus. He gets to continue his plan and spend time with Theo: what’s better than that?
The look of shock on Barty’s face is so amusing that it almost makes Regulus crack. To avoid laughing, he turns to his friend, who is already smirking at him. The sight makes Regulus smile: he really had missed Theo. He forgot how mischievous he could be at the best of times, and Regulus loves the reminder.
“Nice hickies.” Theo says with a smirk, making Regulus look down at the skin he is showing, all clearly marked. That’d been a conscious decision, after he’d decided to unbutton his shirt. He’d thought about concealing them for the party, but didn’t want Barty getting the wrong impression. It doesn’t matter who he flirts with tonight, because he’s belonged to Barty since the day they met, and these love bites are proof of that.
“Thanks.” Regulus says softly, pride clear in his voice, and that makes Theo smile. He looks happy for him and proud of him at the same time. Regulus hasn’t realized how much he needed someone other than his usual group of friends to look at him that way, but maybe that’s why he wrote that letter to him in the first place. Theo has always been good about being there for Regulus, even now.
If he spends the entire night flirting with him, that’s no one’s business but his own.
Barty makes it easy for him.
Honestly, it’s almost embarrassing how easy it is to rile him up. Regulus barely even has to do anything: he’s sure that he could just sit and talk to Remus and aggravate his boyfriend. Unfortunately for Barty, Regulus never does things in halves. It helps that he likes Remus, so spending time with him is no hardship.
Barty looks a second away from carting Regulus back into the school or decking Remus across the face. Regulus is intrigued by both options.
Part of Regulus almost feels bad for doing this, but something needs to be done. Barty doesn’t get to dress him in his clothing and cover him in hickeys without some retribution. Regulus deserves to have fun too.
The perfect opportunity for that comes in the form of Remus Lupin, walking alone outside the school a few minutes ago. Regulus and Barty had been lounging on the lawn when Regulus had spotted him, and who was he to let such an opening go to waste?
The look of betrayal on Barty’s face when he called Remus over is worthwhile on its own. Their current conversation is a definite plus, since Regulus really is learning a lot. He’s never been able to focus on History of Magic, along with most of the students at Hogwarts, so Remus is doing a favor by educating them.
He’s also doing him a favor by making Barty grind his teeth and clutch the textbook with a grin so tight his knuckles turn white.
It’s amusing, really, to watch Barty struggle to hold himself back. The problem is that Remus isn’t doing anything wrong. He’s sitting with them and talking their ears off about goblin wars: not even Barty could justify being jealous about that, if not for Regulus’s actions.
It’s surprisingly nice out, for October, so Regulus can’t be blamed for shrugging off his sweatshirt, the same way he can’t be blamed for Remus’s eyes zeroing in on the multicolored love bites he’s decorated in. Barty is the one who left them there, so surely he wants people to see them–it’s just convenient that Regulus got warm while Remus was around.
Barty lasts longer than Regulus expects him to.
In all honesty, Regulus thought he would snap after only a few minutes, since he’d looked so upset about the concept of Remus joining him. Instead, they’d gotten halfway through a detailed description of the war before Barty put an end to it.
He’s been having fun. He’s utilizing the same strategies that got Fabian’s attention, and they’re working on Remus–swaying into his space, being interested in what he has to say, asking as many questions as possible in his softest voice. Remus falls for all of it, and Regulus sees his eyes dart down to his lips a few times, always looking caught when his gaze snaps away from him.
The action that causes Barty to snap is ironic, if only because it’s the only one Regulus doesn’t do intentionally. His lack of sleep combined with the subject matter make Regulus yawn, which then causes him to stretch, his arms going up above his head. Regulus doesn’t get time to bring his hands back down before Barty is launching to his feet. He grabs Regulus’s hand and tugs him up, Regulus stumbling with the momentum.
Remus looks lost from where he is still sitting, blinking up at them. His mouth is open from being in the middle of an explanation, and he raises an eyebrow at them. Regulus gives him a look back, hopefully portraying his own confusion, and Remus smirks at that. He’s a strange one: it’s no wonder he has befriended his brother.
He doesn’t get the chance to do anything else since Barty drags him back to the castle.
Looks like no one’s getting punched, Regulus thinks rather sadly. He can’t help that he finds possessiveness hot when it comes to Barty, no matter what it may say about him. He doesn’t have time to unpack this interest in respect to his childhood, and he doesn’t want to.
They end up in the Room of Requirement, which is an interesting choice. They don’t go there as often as one would expect a secret couple to, having been seeking the thrill of the situation. It’s not as much fun if they aren’t nearly caught, and this room takes away that risk.
Regulus is prepared for most anything Barty could suggest, but not for what he actually does.
To be fair, his boyfriend crowding him against a wall and lifting his shirt normally goes a different way. Regulus can’t be blamed for expecting this to be like all the other occasions, only to be let down when Barty just stares at his hips.
After a few moments of this, Regulus tilts his head down to look at his own body, and oh. He’d forgotten that Barty really had marked him everywhere. The reminder is a definite mood lifter, especially when Barty reaches a hand out and ghosts his fingers over the marks. Regulus hopes he’s remembering leaving them and planning on making more.
“We should stop.” Barty mumbles, his voice rough, and Regulus stares back at him. It feels like he missed a step, like he got doused in cold water, like Barty kicked him off the bed again.
Barty seems to sense his panic because his own eyes widen a moment later.
“Not us!” He says quickly, shuffling closer to Regulus, who tracks the movement with no small amount of relief. “Regulus, no. I just mean that I can’t hide anymore.”
Success tastes sweet.
There’s no other word for it: Regulus has won. Whatever happens next, that’s something that won’t change, because the whole point was to drive Barty crazy and make this happen. He’s glad that it finally has since he was getting close to succumbing himself.
He meets Barty’s eyes, seeing the determination in his gaze, knowing that it’s mixed with uncertainty. They’ll have to discuss this further, see if it will even be possible for them, but now isn't the time for that. Instead, Regulus surges up and smashes their lips together.
The kiss tastes like victory.