Word Count: 922

Team: Puddlemere United

Position: Seeker

Prompt: 1940: I'll Never Smile Again — Tommy Dorsey (which btw, would not work with me at all)

i'll never smile again

"Promise me that you won't take needless risks," Bartemius Crouch holds his boyfriend's arms next to Regulus's body. Regulus had just to him of his intention to visit the have cave he found. The very cave that hides the Dark Lord's horcrux.

Barty maintains his pose, his blue eyes making contact with Regulus grey ones. "Promise me, that you'll be careful, that I'll get to see you again after this."

Regulus desperately wants to nod and agree—there is nothing he would like to do more at this moment—but he is too honest to do that. So instead of lying to his boyfriend, he sighs.

"You know quite well that I can't promise you that." Regulus shakes his head. "That I'll return, I mean," he clarifies. He frees his arm and reaches up to stroke through Barty's long, straight hair. "Of course I'll do my best to survive, but I simply cannot guarantee it, not matter how much I wish I could."

"I still don't understand why you won't let me join you on this mission of yours," Barty replies, pushing Regulus away slightly. Regulus can't recall him ever doing that before and he feels his heart crack a little bit more—it hasn't been whole since Sirius left.

"It would make one hell of a lot more sense than you going there without me, you have to admit," Barty demands. It is obvious what he wants to hear, but that is unfortunately the very thing that Regulus is not comfortable with.

"It's too dangerous," the shorter of the two—by half an inch—attempts to explain, but Barty cuts him off.

"Then you shouldn't do it either," Barty argues and crosses his arms. "If it's too dangerous for both of us, then it most definitely is true for you alone as well."

Regulus adjusts his ponytail, as he always does when he is nervous. "I don't want to drag you into this," he attempts a second strategy. He needs to convince his boyfriend to let him go alone, he needs to. Letting him go along would mean…

Regulus shakes his head slightly to dismiss the thought.

Of course, Barty is not willing to accept this either. "I'm your boyfriend, any mess of yours is mine by default. I'm not letting you do that alone."

Why does he have to make it so difficult? Honestly, a part of Regulus regrets ever telling Barty what he is planning to do.

"I will not be alone, though," Regulus points out, even if he is pretty confident that it will do nothing to persuade Barty. "Kreacher is coming with me."

Barty shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Kreacher? Kreacher doesn't fucking count! He's a house elf-"

"And able to pass wards as well as perform magic we cannot," Regulus inserts. It's a fair, point and forgotten way too often.

"- who you will probably order to save himself instead of you if something happens!" Barty runs a hand through his short hair. "Don't even try to deny it, Reg! We both know you will."

As much as he would like to deny it, to prove Barty wrong and denounce his point, Regulus just can't. He shuffles his feet a bit as he stares at them for a second.

"See? I am right. Let me join you! Maybe together we have a chance!"

Barty is begging at this point, Regulus realizes with a jolt. Actually begging. He had not done that...ever before. In fact, the taller man had once told him that there is little he despises more than that.

"I don't want to watch you die! Or have you watch me die!" That is the true reason, even if Regulus himself is only aware that it is the case when he speaks the words. The things he had thought were his reason before are nothing more than excuses, that much is clear now. He wonders how he hadn't grasped this before, but he shoves that thought aside to look back at Barty.

The distance between the two of them is smaller now; Barty must have taken a step forwards in the second Regulus had distracted himself.

"But, Regulus," he whispers, his voice just barely audible. Which again poses a stark contrast to Barty's normal behaviour. Barty has always been loud and out there since Regulus had gotten to know him.

"If you were to die, it doesn't matter if I see it or not," Barty admits. "I'll go insane either way. Sweet Merlin, I'd probably manage to make Bellatrix look sane if something happens to you, especially if I have the opportunity to prevent it beforehand. Please, let me help you!" This isn't simply begging anymore. It has progressed into tearful sobbing and if there is one thing that Regulus has no idea whatsoever how to handle, this is it.

Regulus closes the space between them almost completely and wipes the tears that managed to escape his boyfriend's eyes away.

"Alright," he breathes, letting their foreheads touch each other. "Come with me. Help me steal a horcrux of the Dark Lord. You know the consequences as well as I do."

"Most likely death," Barty nods. "Either by a trap or because we're caught. But it doesn't matter as long as I'm with you. If you died along, I'd never smile again until I am reunited with you in the life after death."

And Regulus cannot do anything but pull Barty in these last few centimetres and snog him until they have to part for air.