#bartylus microfic

regulus and barty who’ve been academic rival since freshman year. it started out one-sided- regulus of course started it- barty had no idea why this victorian looking emo kid seemed to despise him. when he figured it out it was like he suddenly had purpose to his life. barty had one goal and one goal only, keep regulus’ eyes on him and only him.

they go back and forth with grades. they’re head to head gpa wise- 3.97. it’s awful, but mostly annoying. it was that fuckass teacher who apparently had it out for “snobby rich kids” and refused to give them A’s even though their performance in class was impeccable.

it’s senior year. they’re maxed out on AP and early college classes in order to get a 4.0. barty almost considered letting regulus have it, he never envisioned himself putting this much work into school. it had the unintended side effect of his father paying attention to him. god forbid a guy just want to participate in some friendly competition.

their grades are identical. the school doesn’t know what to do about valedictorian. split it? most likely. regulus won’t stand for it. barty hates it bc regulus hates it. the school doesn’t care.

regulus confronts barty and demands he tell the school he doesn’t want valedictorian. barty couldn’t give less of a fuck. he stopped listening to regulus’ rant 5 minutes ago. truthfully he’s been staring at his lips.

would he be mad if i kissed him? does he taste like the cherry chapstick he uses?

the thing about barty is he’s always been scientific at his core. he needs to know. he’s making observations and hypothesis. he has to test it. there’s no other way.

regulus is still going, he’s even started using his hands. barty decided this is the perfect time to test his hypothesis.

there’s nothing gentle about the way he grabs him. he grabs regulus by the collar of his shirt and slams him into the wall. this it seems, is enough to shut regulus up. barty leans in, his breath mixing with regulus’. their lips haven’t touched. he won’t close the gap. refuses to really. it has to be regulus.

barty doesn’t wait long. 5 seconds is all he needs to wait before regulus leans in. soft. warm. the kiss is gentle- at first anyway. then they’re biting at each others lips, teeth colliding. all the tension from the last four years is being poured into the kiss.

they should’ve done this ages ago. it would’ve solved all their problems. regulus breaks the kiss just to say he won’t give up valedictorian. barty doesn’t care and pulls him back into the kiss.

Barty grins as he enters the Slytherin dorm, raising his eyebrows at his friends lounging around. “Well?” 

There’s a stunned silence for a moment before he is bombarded by a million questions. 

“Don’t you have any dignity?” Regulus asks, though he can tell that he secretly loves this. He better, he looks fucking hot with his freshly dyed black and green hair. “I mean, neon green? You could have at least used a nicer, darker shade.” 

“That would not be as dramatic or a big enough statement.” 

“It would not piss your dad off as much,” Pandora states. 

“Exactly.” 

“You do know you’re probably going to get detention for like a month, right?” Dorcas exclaims, always having been the most level-headed out of the five of them, though that isn’t exactly a very high bar. 

Barty shrugs as he flops down onto Regulus’ bed, stealing one of his chocolates. “What?” he says at the glare sent his way. He pulls the other boy in for a brief yet searing kiss. “I taste better after just having it?” 

The blush that spreads across his boyfriend’s cheeks makes him smirk. “Piss off, Crouch.” 

“Oh, you love me really.” 

“I love it when you’re not around,” Regulus retorts. 

“But then you wouldn’t be able to stare at my new look, and don’t you dare try to deny that you would do that. I know you too well, I know you like it.” 

He rolls his eyes and runs a hand through Barty’s hair before crashing their lips together yet again. 

“Ugh, get a room,” Evan mutters, pretending to gag. 

“This is my room,” Regulus replies. “I am allowed to kiss my boyfriend. If you don’t like it, leave.” 

Their friends share a look then leaves the two of them alone. “Fuck, you’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days, Crouch. Why do you have to be so…?” 

“So what?” 

“Hot.” 

Regulus eyes widened slightly, when he saw himself and James on the screen that flashed "Kiss Cam" at the Bulls games. He glanced at James a bit shyly, but expectingly. What he didn't expect was James moving away and crossing his arms in an "x" shape, shaking his head no.

He didn't peg James as the shy type, after all the loud declarations of feelings he would do during thr lunch hour. Regulus felt embarrassed but he kept a smile on his face, when suddenly he felt a big pair of hands cup his cheeks from behind him, tilting his head back slightly as a pair of unknown lips pressed against his.

Regulus eyes widened in shock but the unknown person wasn't a bad kisser - in fact, he was attractive; he had a piercing on his eyebrow, and on his nostril, his hair a shade of brown/dirty blonde and small hoop earrings on his ears. Just as Regulus was about to lean into the kiss, it was done sooner than expected.

He glanced over at James that was shrugging nonchalantly, as if this didn't bothered him at all. As the shock of the kiss begin to run its course from Regulus body. He couldn't help the smug smile on his lips, as the camera still pointed at them three now. While James did a thumb up, leaning further away and the unknown guy was smirking and leaning back, legs spread.

Regulus bit his lip, as the camera focus on another couple. He turned half way around, "Do you make a habit of kissing strangers?"

“Barty?” Regulus called out as he stepped into the flat they both shared when they needed a break from their houses. “Are you home?”

“In the kitchen!”

The smile Regulus broke into was involuntary.

These past few days have taken their toll on him but the sound of Barty’s voice worked as an antidote to the curse settled deep within Regulus’ bones. Since he had last seen Barty, Regulus discovered the existence of evil that should never be allowed to exist. He knew that he had to die to ensure that the Dark Lord doesn’t succeed in his quest for immortality but the truth was that Regulus has been so, so scared and so, so lonely.

Not anymore. Not for now, at least. Not with Barty.

When Regulus entered the kitchen, Barty’s back was to him. He was cooking away over the stove and Regulus chose not to bother him much, simply walking over to him and wrapping his arms around his waist. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Barty chuckled, leaning back into him. “I missed you, Reggie.”

“I missed you, too,” Regulus told him truthfully, resting his chin on his shoulder. “What’s for dinner?”

stun  (march 13), @black-brothers-microfic — regulus & sirius black microfic — fluff,  implicit jegulus & wolfstar yearning, bartylus downgrade— word count: 461

“So,” Sirius said loudly, bursting the fragile bubble of peace around Regulus’s library table. He dropped into the chair beside his younger brother, shoving aside a carefully stacked pile of books like they were decorative clutter. “Are you two actually a thing?”

Regulus looked up slowly, clearly unimpressed. Sirius had a gift for showing up at the worst possible moments with the worst possible topics. He blinked at his brother for a few seconds before replying, as casually as he could manage, “I guess?”

Sirius’s face twisted into a tragic grimace, like Regulus had just confessed to dating a flobberworm. “But didn’t you have a crush on Jam—?”

“We’re just having some fun,” Regulus cut in, ignoring the mortifying churn in his stomach at the mere mention of that name. “And you don’t get to judge. You’re out here snogging every remotely attractive person at Hogwarts while being painfully in love with Lup—”

“I just don’t get why him,” Sirius interrupted loudly, pretending not to hear a word of that.

Regulus raised a brow, half-amused. “It’s not that deep, Sirius. I like him. He makes me feel... I don’t know, comfortable? What’s wrong with that?”

“He’s arrogant, irreverent, outrageous—and honestly, borderline unhinged!”

Before Regulus could respond, a smug, unmistakable voice chimed in from behind them. “Why are you describing yourself with such passion, Black?”

Sirius groaned without even turning around. Caught red-handed badmouthing his brother’s… situationship, he didn’t bother with subtlety. “I was describing you, asshole.”

Then the realization hit Regulus—hard and violently. Like a falling tower of Exploding Snap cards. Inevitable. Irremediable.

It was like a cursed mirror reflecting the same chaotic energy from two different angles. Same smirk. Same smug, too-loud voice. Same reckless charm. Same talent for being both unbearably irritating and disgustingly magnetic.

Oh.

Oh no.

“Did someone hit you with a Stun Spell?” came the familiar, too-casual voice of Barty Crouch Jr.

Regulus’s gaze ping-ponged from Sirius to Barty as his blood ran cold. His chronically annoying brother to his even more annoying… whatever-the-hell Barty was.

Salazar save me from my own goddamn taste. I have bloody brother issues, he realized, horrified. Deep, psychological, needs-to-be-unpacked-in-therapy brother issues.

“He looks constipated,” Barty added cheerfully, waving a hand in front of Regulus’s frozen face.

“I need a bloody moment,” Regulus muttered, standing up so fast he knocked his chair sideways and left his books in a mess on the table.

“Are you going to the bathroom?” Barty asked with a wicked grin. “Do you need my help?” 

“Don’t be disgusting, Crouch,” Sirius said, utter horror written on his face.

Fuck my life, Regulus thought grimly as he stalked out of the library. I can never kiss Barty again.

“Your classmates are not your friends, they are your opponents. You must be the greatest,” Mother told him as she straightened his white linen shirt, which had become wrinkled on the way to school. “Always remember you belong to the Noble House of Black.”

Regulus had initially been thrilled to have the opportunity to make friends. He had imagined himself sharing his hobbies with boys his own age, laughing together in the dining hall and playing football on the fresh school lawn. He had dreamed of having a friendship like Sirius and James had, of being so close with someone that no words were needed to understand each other.

Nevertheless, Regulus pushed past his own desires and burned his mother's words into his head. Satisfying his parents was more important than making friends —or should he say 'convenient'? After all, he was terrified of getting the same punishments Sirius received for his rebelliousness.

Consequently, Regulus sat alone in class and ate by himself at mealtimes and watched his classmates in sorrow from across the dining table. During recess, he would hide in the library and sometimes in the bathroom, where he would cry silently for his longing to be with the other kids. He had always looked forward to Hogwarts, but now he just wanted to leave and never come back.

What's more, there was one boy in his class who made him uncomfortable. Regulus had caught him staring at him on several occasions, and the odd thing was the boy didn't even avert his gaze, but either stuck out his tongue or smirked at him. Luckily, the boy hadn't tried to talk to him. He wouldn't have known what to say. He wasn't allowed to socialise.

Regulus unconsciously began to watch him secretly as well. He learned that the boy's name was Barty and his father worked at the Ministry of Magic. He also soon noticed he was always accompanied by another boy in their class called Evan. Both were frequently in detention for pulling pranks on other houses' students. They were the kind of company his parents probably detested. He had to focus on his studies and not on silly pranks.

“It must be done in pairs.” Groans and shouts of delight were heard in equal measure as the History of Magic teacher explained the procedure for the upcoming assignment. “You must hand it in by next Friday. I will not accept any paper after the deadline.”

Regulus glared at his classmates as they paired off. He couldn't ignore the knot that had formed in his stomach. Maybe he could do the task individually, he could go to the professor's office and explain to him he didn't have a partner–.

“You have a partner?”

Regulus looked at whoever had addressed him and immediately became uneasy. It was Barty.

“No,” he said flatly and looked away, embarrassed he had been obliged to give such a ridiculously predictable answer.

“Well, now you've got one.”

Regulus dared to meet his eyes again, which were sparkling with excitement. His lips had curved into a wide grin too.

“Do you want to be my partner?” He shyly clutched the book he held in his hands.

Barty shrugged his shoulders.

“You don't want to?”

Your classmates are not your friends.

I'm sorry, Mother.

“Yes, I do.” He smiled for the first time in two weeks.

“Good!” Barty exclaimed and held out a hand as he smiled warmly at him, showing his sharp teeth. “My name is Barty.”

I already know your name, you idiot.

He squeezed Barty's hand softly.

“Regulus.”

@bartylusmicroficprompts

Regulus scowled at his reflection in the mirror, furiously rubbing the alovera sun gel into his skin. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, going out for ice cream, he just hadn’t accounted for the 30 minute walk it would take to get there. Now he was dealing with the consequences.

Behind him, the door creaked open, revealing Barty standing their with the same permanent smirk on his face. Barty took one look at Regulus before bursting out laughing.

“You look like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer,” he said.

Regulus only scowled harder. “Shut up, it’s not that bad.”

Barty only gave him a look that said, it is.

Regulus looked at his own reflection again, okay, maybe he did look a bit like a tomato.

Regulus loved dealing with his partner. Especially today, when Barty slammed the door open and stood in the doorway, his eyes sparkling in that dangerous way.

"What is that?" Regulus asked, standing in the hallway, his arms crossed. He was referring to the hoodie in Barty's arms, carefully being cradled.