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Regulus was happy, it was cool in the dorm, the curtains were shut, he had turned Barty's radio onto a nice calm channel that was playing senatra, it was dark and comfortable.
He was curled up on Evans bed, it was the farthest from the window, the closest to the radio, and the one that smelled nicest.
A perfect nap was lined up in his near future. And that was cause for great joy, regulus could hardly ever sleep as of late, some mix of his parents and Sirius’ expectations, as well as a paper for potions, made it nearly impossible to get a good rest.
Just barely hanging onto consciousness, thinking something about Evans cologne, how it was pleasant and light and sort of minty, the squeak of the door opening ripped him from his peace.
“Kitty, I'm back from the trenches~” Bartys loud, singsongy voice, the beat of his boots against the wood. Sometimes it was welcome, a distraction from all the bad. But now, it was a hand grabbing him by the tail and dragging him away from a perfect nap.
“Go away shithead,” Regulus knew he sounded whiny, and he didn't care. “And turn off that light-”
“Aw, did i wake you up, la mia luce stellare?” Barty teased, but he did turn off the light as he was told to.
“Mhhhhph,” was Regulus’ only response.
He felt a hand go to his head, the dip of the mattress beside him, and suddenly he was purring.
The fucker had started petting him. Well that wasn't fair at all.
“Micio carino, ti ho rovinato il pisolino?” Barty spoke softly, his fingers scratching behind regulus’ ear.
Regulus pushed bartys hand off of his head, and rolled over to face him, “you’re an awful, horrible, absolutely contestable human being.”
“Sorry, kitty, i didn't know you were asleep,” Barty sat up, and began to take his shoes off. Evan hated when people put their shoes on his bed. “Plus, now you get to hear me talk about my detention with Binns, it was so boring, but i got to change his notes and make a bunch of them wrong-”
Regulus closed his eyes, curling back up into a ball. Barty put his jacket over regulus, it was fleece lined and leather, more cigarette burns than was probably okay for a sixteen year old to have on a jacket.
“I'm going to bleach my hair tonight,” Barty spoke idly, getting off the bed to change out of his school clothes. “Do you want me to do streaks in yours again? I should have some leftover bleach when him done.”
There was a rustling that meant Barty was taking off his shirt, and that was motivator enough for Regulus to open one eye, just to look at Barty's bare back, the tattoos and remnant scratches from two nights prior.
Barty turned back to regulus while pulling on a t-shirt. “Welllll?” He drew out the last syllable, and stepped forward to stand at the edge of the bed.
“Uhm, yeah, please,” Regulus murmured, one eye still shut.
Barty scooped regulus up into his arms, well, more over his shoulder.
“Kill yourself.” Regulus scowled, dragging the jacket with him.
“Later,” Barty responded, setting Regulus down on his bed, he wrapped the jacket around Regulus' shoulders and stood between his legs, leaning down, “you look beat stella.”
“I was having a lovely nap,” Regulus’ ears flattened and his tail wrapped around one of bartys legs, “until you ruined it.”
“Oh i ruined your nap, did i?” Barty smirked, reaching up to rub regulus’ ears in soft circles with his thumbs, “does that mean you’ll sleep a proper amount tonight?”
“No,” Regulus, swatted at bartys arm, though barty didn't really care enough to remove his hands from his hair.
“Too bad, you’ll have to lay next to me all night, awake and staring into the dark, cause I'm not going to be letting you go for a second tonight.” Barty leaned down to catch a kiss.
Regulus accepted his fate, kissing Barty back.
Barty eventually let Regulus alone, and got out homework stuff.
"Can i turn on a light, stella?" Barty asked, sitting down next to Regulus, "I cant write in the dark."
"fine." regulus wrapped his tail around one of bartys wrists, wanting to touch without getting too close.
Barty leaned over Regulus clicking on the light on his bedside table. a warm tint went over the cool toned room, the shadows got deeper, but Bartys face was suddenly so much prettier. His dark blue eyes suddenly held the sea in his irises, and death in the pupils.
"too much?" Bartys eyes, those eyes filled with death and drowning and the inability to breathe met regulus'. Barty was almost never one for eye contact, Regulus on the other hand stared everyone down. But when he met Bartys eye, he felt all his walls and barriers crumble into themselves. All the expectations were gone, replaced by a sense of calm.
like he was dunked into a sensory deprivation chamber as soon as he saw bartys eyelashes flutter. nothing else mattered, just those lovely eyes, swimming in them, being dragged under the surface, into a peaceful afterlife. no pain or struggle, just a hand around his ankle, and then serenity.
"No," Regulus whispered.
"Good," Barty started writing. The sound of his quill on the parchment was soothing, mixed with the music and the sound of him breathing made a perfect background noise.
Regulus suddenly wasn't tired anymore, now he was thinking, thinking about everything. but it wasn't unpleasant, passing thoughts passed, they didn't linger, just passed through his mind like they were supposed to.
"what are the fancy chairs that people faint into called?" Barty asked, taking Regulus from his thoughts.
"do you mean a chaize lounge or a fainting couch?" regulus raised his head, "also what on earth are you writing about?"
"yeaahhhh! chaise longue," Barty grinned, then paused, "hows that spelled?"
"c-h-a-i-s-e l-o-u-n-g-u-e" Regulus sat up, keeping Bartys jacket around his shoulders. He leaned forward to read when Barty was writing about.
"Corsets don't count at muggle transfiguration of anatomy, they don't actually move anything permanently," he yawned, "they're solely cosmetic."
"i don't think professor patience cares that much." barty shrugged "cosmetic transfiguration is a thing, Evan does it to his wonky eye."
Regulus didn't bother to argue, barty was right, the muggle studies professor wouldn't care at all.
they sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Regulus listened to the radio, Barty wrote and pet Regulus' tail occasionally.
"you're quiet," Regulus eventually commented, "are you high?"
"nah." Barty shook his head, "haven't smoked today."
"then why are you quiet?" Regulus, leaned closer to Barty. he was warm, that warmth was inviting. that warmth was something Regulus hoped to anything above wasn't fleeting.
"you're purring, and i like listening, i don't want to talk over it." Barty glanced up, those eyes met Regulus' again.
"I'm not purring," Regulus mumbled, looking down. he couldn't blush, but he assumed if he was human, he would be bright red.
"you are so," Barty responded, like a child, "maybe you cant hear it, but i can."
"you're a pathological liar," Regulus forced his voice to be dead.
"yes, but I'm not lying right now." Barty rolled his eyes, pushing Regulus' shoulder lightly.
Regulus grinned like a Cheshire, "sounds like something a liar would say."
"You're trying to make me mad," Barty sighed.
"and its working," both of them spoke at the same time.
laughs, a hand on his knee, the setting aside of Bartys paper, and suddenly Barty was laying down and Regulus was sitting on his hips. Bartys hands were on his hips, under his shirt.
"you're nice to touch," Barty commented, "but i do think you could eat a bit more, your sharp-ass shoulders could kill a man."
"if i ate more i wouldn't be nice to touch," Regulus scowled, "I'd get ugly and heavy and fat."
"no you wouldn't," Bartys thumbs rubbed circles into regulus' hip bones, "eating more than a meal a day wouldn't do anything more than fill you out a bit."
Regulus' tail flicked, he was about to speak, when Barty cut him off.
"and. you couldn't be ugly, never. it doesn't matter how you weigh or if you have a tiny waist, so long as you breathe you'll be the most beautiful thing I'll ever see. and every time i see you I'll always have a new most beautiful image, whatever you look like in the moment," Barty looked Regulus in the eye again. very serious, it was almost scary how Bartys eye drew everyone's gaze.
Barty shifted Regulus off of him. so that they could lay next to each other. Regulus rested his head on Bartys shoulder, he closed his eyes as Barty wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.
And then, once again. Regulus was happy, it was cool in the dorm, the curtains were shut, Bartys radio faded into the background and mixed with Bartys breathing.
It was comfortable in the dorm, and a perfect nap was already gracing him and taking over his consciousness