Work Text:
night – 260 words
Barty sits at the dorm windowsill, exhaling smoke into the night before stubbing his fourth cigarette out. A hand rests on his shoulder, causing him to jump, too focused on trying not to feel that he didn’t hear anyone come in.
“Talk to me, Bee,” Evan’s low voice sounds from behind him. He should have expected this, after ignoring everyone and shutting himself away all day.
He takes a deep breath, but he can’t control the wobble of his voice as he says, “It’s just impossible to make him proud. I try so hard; I’m the fucking smartest in the year yet I'm never good enough for him.”
Evan takes the letter Barty is holding and rips it. “Fuck. Him,” he says between tears. “You are amazing, Barty. So what if you never meet his expectations? You really want to be a carbon copy of him, with his boring job and a family who doesn't care about him?”
Barty looks at his friend over his shoulder, “That’s not the point.”
“I know, you just want him to love the real you, not his ideal version of you.” Evan looks into his eyes, trying to show how much he means his next words, “The real you is much better than whatever he wants you to be, because you'll be happy.” Evan gently caresses Barty’s cheeks with his thumb, “he doesn’t deserve you. No one deserves you.”
“Except you,” Barty breathes as he turns his body around fully and seizes Evan’s shirt, pulling them into their first but certainly not last kiss.
still – 190 words – CW: Needles
“Stay still , Barty,” Evan groans for the umpteenth time.
“It's kinda hard when you've got a needle in my face,” he bites out.
“You're the one who wanted your lip pierced.”
“Just get on with it.”
“Ready? One, two,” Evan pushes the needle into his lip and Barty grabs his arm, digging his nails in and breaking Evan's skin.
“You're supposed to do it on three,” Barty pouts when he is done.
“Well, you've got your piercing now.” Evan turns to face him, “You'd think someone with as many tattoos and piercings as you wouldn't be afraid of needles.”
“I like the aesthetic.”
Evan rolls his eyes and gives Barty his card. “Call me and you can buy me a drink to apologise for the bodily harm you caused me.”
Barty scoffs, “I hardly drew blood. Besides, you're the one who stuck a needle in me,” but he takes the card and fully intends to call him. As much as he is embarrassed about how he reacted to the needle, he is not going to pass up a date with quite possibly the most attractive person he has ever seen.
family – 431 words
Barty walks aimlessly around the castle, not caring about checking corners for professors or prefects, or keeping his steps quiet. Detention is no worry of his, not when all he can think about is his father’s disappointment in him and how his mother has grown tired of protecting him, though she will never stop despite the obvious toll it takes on her. He tries not to let this get to him most of the time, but he’s only human after all.
When he returns to his dorm after failing to distract himself, Evan is sitting up in bed, a quill in his hand and parchment spread before him. “About time,” he mumbles, not looking up from his work. “You ready to talk?”
“What’re you on about?”
Evan finally looks up at him, “You’re my best friend, Bee. I can tell when something’s wrong.” He gets out of bed and places a comforting hand on his arm – Barty ignores how his stomach flip-flops at the contact. “So, who do I have to kill?”
He looks down, grumbling, “My father.”
“What has he done this time?” Barty notices the barely contained anger in his voice, probably because Evan knows a thing or two about fucked up parents.
“Just…everything,” Barty starts. “He’s completely ruined my life, my mother’s life. He shouldn’t even have been a parent in the first place. I can’t believe I’m related to that arsehole. And after all he’s done, I still try to make him proud. I still try to make him love me.” Barty breaks down in front of someone for the first time in his life; he has always waited until he was completely alone to cry. Evan pulls him into a hug and, inhaling his scent, shower gel and coffee, feeling the warmth of his embrace, he begins to even out his breathing. He feels the safest in Evan’s arms than he has in his entire life.
Evan murmurs in Barty’s ears. “It doesn’t matter who you are related to, Bee. Family is what you make it. You, me, Regulus, Dorcas, Pandora. We’re your family. We love you for who you are, unlike that arsehole who couldn’t even be bothered to raise you. You don’t have to change yourself for us. You’re perfect, Bee.”
His words make him cry even more, this time in a good way. When they finally part and go to sleep, they pretend this moment of vulnerability between the two of them never happened. But in years to come, Barty will never forget the love and kindness shown to him by his family.
castle – 367 words
This is the last time Evan will listen to one of Barty’s idiotic ideas. A little bit of fun and chaos is not worth the two weeks detention when they get caught. And get caught they did. Honestly, fuck him! But as they walk back through the castle to their dorm, Evan realises how uncharacteristically quiet Barty is. He hasn’t tried to apologise since McGonagall told them off. He hasn’t even tried to catch up to Evan’s long strides.
He turns around to see his friend shaking, not looking where he is walking until he runs right into Evan. All anger he had at the other boy immediately dissipates.
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
“What’s wrong, Bee?” Evan asks, his tone as soft as he can muster. Barty just shakes his head and tries to walk past him. Evan places a hand on his shoulder and anger courses through his veins once again as Barty flinches. Not at him though, at his father. At least he has some idea about what’s troubling him. “Is this about your father?”
“McGonagall said she was disappointed in us,” Barty croaks, still not meeting his eyes.
“But she’s not like your father. She won’t hate you forever because you got in trouble once.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, Bee. I really do, and if I’m wrong, you can blame me, okay? Everything will be okay.”
Barty walks right into him again, this time on purpose. Evan wraps his arms around his shoulders and they stay there for a while; he’s not going to be the first to pull away, not with how desperately Barty needs the comfort.
“We should probably go,” Barty says after a few more minutes pass by, and stands back slightly, “before we get even more detention.” They walk back to their dorm, shoulders brushing occasionally, and by morning, Barty was his normal, annoying self – though Evan could tell it was fake. But his mood drastically improved after Transfiguration, and McGonagall didn’t treat the pair of them any differently than she usually would, constantly praising Barty on his exceptional display of magic. Maybe now Barty can start to learn that one small mistake isn't the be all, end all.
shards – 239 words
Evan stands by the door, watching as Barty throws his things around their dorm in a fit of rage. He knows he should probably leave, but forgive him for finding this hot. Barty is absolutely batshit, and he guesses that’s just his type.
Barty throws something at the window, glass shards falling to the floor. “Fuck,” Barty hisses under his breath.
“It can be easily fixed.”
Barty whirls around. “How long have you been there for?”
“Long enough.”
Barty sighs as he falls backwards onto his bed. Evan finally moves from the door to right in front of him, kicking slightly at Barty’s legs. “Get up.” He grumbles nonsensically. “Get. Up,” Evan repeats. Barty stands up, but Evan doesn’t back away – their faces are now almost touching.
“I should really learn to control my temper,” he mumbles, looking at the floor.
“Around other people, yes.” Evan grabs his chin and tilts his face until their eyes lock. “But with me? Go fucking crazy.”
Barty chuckles and steps closer to him so their chests are touching. Evan can feel how fast Barty is breathing, and he’s sure Barty can tell the same about him. “How crazy?” he whispers into Evan’s ear.
The air around them sizzles as Evan smirks and Barty fists his shirt, pulling him in, the kiss rough. That’s exactly how he likes it, and judging by the sounds he is making, Barty likes it just the same.
raven – 377 words – CW: Death
A raven lands in front of Barty sitting on a bench in their favourite park, chain smoking to try to calm his racing brain. It’s been days. Evan has never been away this long, and Barty can’t help but fearing the worst. They’ve been lucky, not being seriously hurt during the war so far. What if Evan got cocky? What if he’s not coming back home to him?
Barty shivered and wrapped his coat tighter around him, the early November breeze sending a chill down his spine.
“Can you believe it?” someone says as they walk past. “It’s finally over.”
“But how can a baby defeat He Who Shall Not Be Named ?”
What? The Dark Lord’s gone? They can live their lives now, together, without the risk involved in fighting a war. If Voldemort’s gone, then where the bloody hell is Evan? Has he been arrested? Barty would much rather that than what he has been thinking the past few days.
He rushes back home, and calls Evan’s name. No one’s here. Sighing, he plops down on the sofa and fights back tears. Where the fuck is his Rosie?
An owl taps at the window and Barty flicks his wand, opening it. It drops todays copy of the Daily Prophet into his lap and he places some money in the pouch on its leg. He scans the first page – Voldemort is indeed gone, defeated by none other than one-year-old Harry Potter. He flicks through the paper until his gaze snags on something a few pages in. A name. Evan’s name. On a list of confirmed Death Eater deaths.
This is a hoax. A nightmare. He is not dead. Barty would feel if Evan died, right? He would just know.
The tears he was holding back finally fall. Now that he thinks about it, now that he’s seen it in black and white, he just knows it’s true. His best friend, his soulmate, his Rosie is gone. Dead. Never coming back. He will never walk through those doors again. Never smile or laugh or roll his eyes at an awful joke Barty made. He will never get to look at, hold, kiss Evan again.
Evan is dead. And Barty is going to make sure whoever is responsible suffers.
chain – 299 words
Barty finishes smoking out the eyeliner he convinced Dorcas to lend him, and stands back to look in the bathroom mirror. Fuck, he looks hot. This is going to become his entire personality now.
“Hurry up, Barty! We’re gonna be late,” Evan calls from their dorm.
He ruffles his hair, making sure it’s messy, just how he likes it, and goes to grab his jacket of his bed. Both of the boys’ breaths hitch when they look at the other, Barty with his eyeliner and Evan with a gold chain around his neck. Evan clears his throat, looking away as he says, “You look good, Bee. It suits you.” Barty grins, he’s never seen Evan this flustered, even with any of the girls he has short-lived romances with. “We should get going,” Evan makes his way to the door.
“Wait.” Barty steps in front of him, his hand resting on the other’s chest to stop him from leaving. He can feel Evan’s heart beating under his palm. Barty hasn’t done anything about his feelings for his best friend because he wasn’t sure if they were reciprocated, but Evan’s pounding heart suggests that he might feel the same. He isn’t sure whether if it’s the eyeliner making him more confident, or the damn necklace that makes Evan irresistible, but he slides his hand up his chest, wrapping around his neck. Barty leans in, whispering in his ear, “I can think of better things to do than go to a stupid party.”
Evan slams him into the door behind him and seizes his lips in his own. If Barty had any doubts about if his feelings for Evan are reciprocated, the way he licks his lower lip and groans as he slides his tongue into Barty’s mouth proves that they are.
towel – 282 words
Evan sighs from his bed before yelling, “Barty, hurry up! I don’t want to be late because you slept in.”
Barty emerges from the bathroom and Evan immediately sits up. He is not wearing anything but a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets fall from his hair, causing his chest to glisten in the sunlight. His eyes follow the drop as it trickles down over his stomach. Evan’s mouth has gone very dry as he looks away.
“Who decides to go out so early anyways?” Barty says, clearly not aware of Evan’s inner turmoil.
He clears his throat, “It’s not our fault your sleep schedule is non-existent.”
Barty turns to face him, now wearing trousers but his chest is still wonderfully bare. Evan blinks and he is standing right in front of him, clicking his fingers. “Earth to Evan.”
“What?”
He raises an eyebrow, “What were you staring at?”
“You.” Shit , he didn’t mean to say that. He can’t bloody focus while Barty is still shirtless. Evan smirks – Barty doesn’t need to know how much he is panicking right now. “You walk out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel and you expect me not to be bothered?”
“Oh, Rosie,” he says teasingly. “Are you attracted to me?”
“Obviously.”
Barty clearly didn’t expect that answer, but as soon as he gets over his shock, he’s fisting Evan’s top and their lips crash together, desperately trying to taste the other. Toothpaste . Barty tastes like toothpaste. Running his hands over Barty’s smooth, damp chest, Evan wonders why they didn’t do this sooner. Evan lies back on his bed and Barty climbs on top of him. So what if they’re a little late?
cold – 273 words
“I’m not sick,” Barty sniffles.
Evan rolls his eyes, “Stop denying it and get back in bed.”
“I don’t get sick.”
“Clearly, that’s not the case,” he says, bored of his friend's denial.
Barty stands in the middle of the dorm, not moving. They stare at each other, neither of them willing to break first. Evan knows that this is pointless, he is not letting Barty out of the dorm when he needs to rest. He’ll barricade him in if he has to, Barty’s too weak right now to do anything about it.
Evan sighs as he steps towards him, starting to undo the buttons on his shirt. “You need to rest. You’ll only get sicker if you don’t.”
Barty smirks, “If you wanted to undress me, you should’ve just said so.”
“As if I’d go near someone with a cold ,” he scoffs.
“You’re near me now.”
“Because you’re being a big baby and someone has to take care of you.” Evan removes Barty’s shirt and grabs a jumper from his bed.
Barty’s eyes flicker to the jumper and grumbles, “Fine,” and lets Evan put it on him. He guides him to his own bed and puts the blanket over him. When Evan is satisfied that Barty will not be trying to get up again, he picks up his bag and goes to head to class. “Wait,” Barty mumbles. “Stay. Here,” he moves to the edge of the bed, indicating that he wants Evan to lie next to him. He hesitates only for a moment before he snuggles up behind Barty. It’s worth potentially getting sick himself to provide Barty with some comfort.