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The rink was bitter, a cold frosted bite in the air that would be enough to make anyone catch a cold. However, the heat of one's body counteracted it, and in my case, would become greater than the cold. Every hit on the shredded ice sent electric currents up my body, turning my blood into fire. The sound of the blade hitting the ice and scratching it, further enthralled my focus, every atom of my being becoming consumed with tunnel vision of the ice I destroy with every dig of my toe pick.
“Again.”
She demanded after every fall. Every moment I stood back up felt like an eternity. Push, glide, push, glide, cross, cross, push, get faster, get faster, get in position, make your entry, and..
“Again,” Narcissa yelled with a scoff and pinched the bridge of her nose before checking her watch and looking back up at me. As if I was wasting her time, she fidgeted with her black nails, chipping the gel polish with that hard stare she always carried like some permanent feature. The lights rested a starch pale white, reflecting on the metal of the blades, highlighting the small slices on the thick ice.
“Regulus, how many times do I have to tell you that your orientation is off? When you jump you slant, and it throws you off when you land.”
She checks her watch for most likely the fourth time. The ache in Regulus’ legs is nothing compared to the amount of frustration built up within himself and whatever the hell the white and black-haired woman had stuck up her arse. He's done a double axel before, even a third, yet for some reason he is finding today extra hard and can't do his routine properly. She doesn't even have to tell him what to do, training with her for seven years, since he was fourteen. Never has he regretted her teachings, she was probably the best coach Regulus has had since he was four. Although she never skated competitively herself, she studied the art of figure skating very closely and managed to point out and aid Regulus in his mistakes just by her extended knowledge of the sport and points. She came into coaching a while later in her life and was able to properly prepare him for competitions by some miracle. Retaining information and putting it into action was hardly ever an issue for Regulus, therefore, she stuck around and was probably the main reason other than her being his cousin and tolerating him.
Regulus brushed off the shaven ice off of his legs and huffed with a push. Standing in the middle, he waited for his cue to begin, as the first beat thrummed through the speakers he began to push back with fervour. The throb in his hip and sore feelings in his legs eventually were drowned out by the focus of the music and his pivots. Every sharp edge and switch of the blade painted patterns on the ice, small circles here and there, a trail of lines as he twizzled and turned, the picks digging into the surface and pushing off leaving small divots.
Push, Cross, Push, cross, get in position and… land.
Every jump sent adrenaline pumping around his body, every small extra lean being pointed out by Narcissa from across the rink, every off-beat jump being written down in her notebook and etched into Regulus’ mind as a reminder as he catches her in his peripheral vision. As soon as it started, the three minutes ended and left regulus heaving. The lights are a stark white, it hurt to stare up whenever he had to do a layback backspin. The dizziness and slight headache he got after the spins he knew all too well. At times Regulus even learned to yearn for that feeling, the breeze hitting his face, the empty and chaste surroundings, the sound of blades carving the ice. His body was on the verge of breaking down and collapsing right then and there on the ice. He bent down and placed his hands on his knees, supporting his body to stay up. There was a moment of silence as the speakers stopped playing music except for the sound of Regulus’ faint pants and shallow breaths.
Narcissa tears off a page from her notebook and waves it to be taken. Regulus skated back at a moderate pace, slowing down as he reached the penalty benches where she sat and watched. He grabs the sheet observing the plethora of notes on his performance and feedback written in detail.
“Our time is up. The rink is reserved for a hockey game in a bit after another event thing. I expect you to practice this until our next meeting, yes?”
Regulus nodded as he took in everything she was saying. He got off the rink nodding as she kept talking with a twitch in his lip from frustration. The dark-haired boy skimmed the page for what seemed like the tenth time as he sat and took off his black skates.
“I assume that it will be whenever you text me again?” The grit in Regulus’ voice is evident from hours of nonstop practice and frustration.
“In two days or so. But I expect progress before we practice together again, Regulus. The competition is in three months and it
will
be perfect.” She accentuated the word ‘will’ with some extra force to further prove her point. She left with a final nod, letting her heels clack with every step she took as she walked out the exit doors. People were walking past her, taking a quick look back or giving a confused look at her urgency. Regulus huffed once more as he looked at the rink which was now being smoothed by the Zamboni. The national championships are in such a short time, three months till he loses or wins, three months to prove his mother wrong, and three months for him to prove that he can go to the Olympics again. He didn't win last time, made it second, and the fear he received after that night was something he never wanted to experience again. The feeling of being such a disappointment, letting everyone down, and “Un jour, ton ambition te détruira. Tu est têtu, Regulus. Tu es une Black, et notre réputation peut changer avec vous.” her voice rang in regulus’ ears like a constant bell. He grabbed his bag and walked to the changeroom quickly. He entered the changerooms and immediately set the duffle bag down, looking for his black jeans and sage jumper. Regulus picked out his outfit again and decided to get rid of his compression shirt. He grimaced as he stared down at his bruised figure, he walked to the mirror and idly counted the bruises, skimming his torso and arms briefly with a groan. A scowl spread over his expression by thinking of what his legs and hips looked like if they were the parts of him that
actually
hurt. He walked back to his locker and items, sliding the jumper on before taking off his ice skating pants and immediately regretting taking a look at his legs and hips
“shit.”
He hissed with irritation as he stood back down and looked through his duffle bag for an antibacterial, band-aids, and bandages. He opened the cap of the bottle, placed the cream over the chaffing on his lower left shin and took care of it by wrapping a bit of bandage over the top of it. soothing arnica cream was smeared over the bruises on his hips and legs. The white lotion covered the marks with a lighter tone. Ultimately, Regulus decided there was no use for band-aids and discarded them back into the bag with the rest of his supplies before putting his jeans on and keeping the leg warmers before putting on his black Converse. He took a look through his navy phone and the reverie of messages from a few friends and his mother before shoving it down the black jean pocket. The gray-eyed boy picked the duffel bag up again and walked out of the changerooms to the hallway next to the arena. A quick nod to the front desk ladies was given out of respect after being fairly accustomed to the workers of the arena now and made his way to the car. His legs ached and felt heavy underneath him as he sat in the driver's seat. The sudden rest made the pain more palpable for some reason, and the ache felt more intense than usual. Regulus sat back in silence as the thoughts of his practice swirled in his head, repeating his routine and his mistakes and faults on replay. He glanced at the time on the screen to his right and started the car with a turn of his keys, bringing the engine to a roar.
The drive back was quiet. The black-haired man had no motivation or energy to listen to any more noise than necessary. The Parisian buildings passed and the traffic was loud as usual, filling the trip to his penthouse with muffled sounds of the outdoor world that eventually changed to white noise which he eventually learned to tune out since moving to Paris. Moving to the busy area wasn't all different as he initially expected. Regulus decided to pursue his career in figure skating after certain coaches contacted him and wanted to meet him, and mates he wanted to train with lived in the area.
Half an hour later, he parked and made his way up the steel and gold elevator. Thankfully, his parents managed to like him enough to pay for his luxury apartment and send extra cash monthly from Britain. The door opened with a click of his keys and he entered. The view was rather beautiful, with an overview of the city and its people. Alongside a lake which regulus would sit on the balcony and read while watching the water stream. He tossed his keys on the marbled counter of his cream, black and forest green kitchen. Plants were scattered around and gold accents were carefully designed and picked out for a luxurious vintage fashion. Shortly after arriving, he immediately paced to the fridge and began taking out ingredients for a green juice. Regulus mixes the ingredients and blends the vegetables into a concoction before sealing the drink into five clear bottles and organizing it in the fridge. He rearranged the fridge into the order of the week and studied some older food before placing the stuff he wouldn't eat at the bottom two rows and shutting the comically large gray fridge. Every day has a schedule and a set goal, which means that around this time he should be doing some pilates or stretches. With no wasted time, he quickly walks to the living room and grabs a black yoga mat, setting it down and doing a few stretches before moving to a visvamitrasana pose. He shuffled into new poses every few minutes, testing his strength and tiring himself out the more he carried on. Has it been ten minutes? Fifteen? Twenty? It didn't matter, all he knows is that he's training his strength and stretching, which are two things he wants to improve further if he can.
“You look wrecked.” A man points out as the sounds of shoes turn to a halt a few feet away from behind Regulus. Regulus’ steely pale gray eyes pierce the darker-tanned man, eyeing his relaxed earthy toned outfit and taking notice of his newly bleached and twisted locs. Regulus lowers himself slowly with control and sits on the mat with a cross of his arms
“Fancy seeing you, Evan. Thought you'd still be at work or the gym, why are you here?” The blond man burst into a few laughs, feigning offence, and raising an eyebrow to his blunt and sharp question.
“If you wanted to kick me out you could've been nicer about it. What's got you so tense, man?” Regulus huffed and went straight back to whatever sort of pilates or extreme yoga he was up to, practically turning into a contortionist (in Evan's eyes.)
“No, I'm not kicking you out, I'm just wondering why you’re here earlier than you’d usually be.”
“Ah, I'm disrupting your routine, hm? I was just visiting a friend. I came back to grab an extra cigarette packet that he really wanted because I forgot it” He pointed down at the cigarette in his hand and the box beside himself. There was a brief awkwardly quiet pause as the two both glanced in the direction he pointed at. Evan looked over at Regulus again and noted the skater's skeptical look. As if knowing exactly what was going through his mind, he sighed and elaborated. “I took a day off from work, I said I was sick and they believed me so..”
Regulus immediately cut into his small explanation with a scoff. “You're insufferable-”
“-You love me.” Evan interrupted as he fitted a cigarette between his lips and lit it with his forest green and teal lighter. He shoved the cigarette box into his back pocket. The taller man sat on a burgundy velvet accent chair next to an open window which Regulus leaves open practically all the time. Evan named it the ‘everything spot.’ The two would do quite literally anything on that couch. Smoking, reading, working, watching movies, talking, eating, etc. Hence, it became the ‘Everything spot.’ The living room was elegant, with the walls painted black and the couch a velvet green. A black coffee table sat closer to the side of the sofa from Regulus creating space to practice his..whatever it was.. a small chandelier hung above their heads and plants were sprawled around the room, adding extra greenery and colour to the room.
“Okay, but seriously, what's up with you? You're hardly this tense usually- well, you are, but not to this extent most times. Reg, you look like you went through war.” He snickers with a small cough of smoke.
“Don't know. Just need some coffee.” Regulus answered sternly without wanting to say much more of anything. The last thing he needs is a conversation on his insatiably terrible practice which is followed by insatiably terrible bruising.
“Alright man, if that's what you say” The blond shrugs with a puff, turning his attention to the phone in his hand after a small chime rung out of it. The competition was soon, too soon, and Regulus felt the stress and anxiety crawl up his neck every time he thought of it. It had to be perfect, it had to be the best yet. And with his parents and god knows who else watching, it had to be stellar. With a grunt he stood up off the mat, ultimately making the decision to do some other exercise and practice off ice spins instead.
“You're gonna end up broken and in a hospital, if you keep this up, or worse, turn into Britney Spears and have a meltdown on live television.”
“So you're saying that having a small meltdown is worse than ending up hospitalized?” He scoffed with a hint of annoyance and amusement as he set a mini speaker.
“With you, yes. Honestly, the day you snap the world would end and you’d end up dead. “C'est drôle que chaque fois que tu te rendes fâché, ton monde commence à briser et s'effondrer.” He mocked with a laugh, followed by the gray-eyed boy's glare. Evan ends up standing and walking to the keys again, which Regulus finds odd since Evan hardly got home. He took the noisy and metallic chained keys in hand and picked out the house-specific ones, moving them apart from the others, pinching them between his fingers and nodding towards the directions of the black front door. He shook the green adorned key chain which caused an unusually loud cluster of sound to enunciate through the kitchen and living room.
“No.” Regulus immediately responded with a slight furrow of his brows. He opened his mouth to retort again, however was interrupted by the other.
“Yes. I have to get back to my friend and I have suspected that you haven't eaten anything yet, which means you're being bitchier than usual and we need a cafe, stat.”
“I'm not bitchier than usual. I am just not in the mood for bullshit and I have to do some training.”
“Mate, you train every day, and if you're not, you're still at the rink watching others or doing your side…ballet.” He answered with bite and slight concern. His eyes glinted with a slight annoyance and his angel-bite lips quirked down into a slight frown. Evan gaited with a slight stiffness towards Regulus and stopped beside him, eyeing him down a little. “We're leaving. You look like you're in pain anyway and you have a slight limp.”
“What's in it for me?” Regulus questioned with a slight attitude and sass to his tone. Another dime of silence permeated the air, followed by a huff of annoyance by Evan as he rubbed his temples for a moment without speaking. The blond shifted his weight on a leg and leaned against the island. His dark eyes looked into Regulus’ tired ones. It's apparent how much the smaller boy is stressed and lacks sleep. His eyes are slightly red-rimmed and his eyebags are dimly
coloured with shades of purple, grays, and a slight pink from god knows what. Crying? Maybe. Eventually, he spoke up, knowing just how stubborn Regulus can get when he's set on something.
“He has ties with some folks who work as judges or are friends with judges for Nationals…he's a hockey player for a university, and was drafted into the NHL a few months ago. He's a smart motherfucker with a smartass mouth, so don't flip out at him.”
“what team?”
“Ravenclaw.”
“Lame”
Evan scoffed and nodded towards the door as he led Regulus out of the penthouse in silence. The walk was short lived with the steps being cushioned by the red and white carpet and the occasional pass of the other residences. Eventually, they manage to get into Evans' gray car and drive through the city. Halfway through the rather quiet drive, it started raining and the pattering of raindrops dropped from the windows. At least this was able to drag Regulus out of the slight annoyance. He tapped the middle compartment with his pampered nails before turning his attention to Evan and studying his complexion under the stormy film around them. It was almost therapeutic watching one of his best friends so calm and almost in an uplifted state. It was evident in Evan’s soft eyes and the microscopic tug of a smile that played on his lips. He was oddly astonished with how quickly Evans' own annoyance seemed to dissipate. Ever since Regulus was small, he was always rather good at reading expressions and picking up on almost non-existent body language. It was something that made him a bit strange to be with. He would never show much of his own emotion but was oddly remarkable at reading others. During his ballet classes growing up, they always painted him as a mysterious figure and it eventually crossed over into his skating performances when he was eight. “A little black swan” they would call him, which was ironic considering his last name and people would joke about it. “Regulus Black was made for the darker parts.” The funniest part was that they weren't that off at all. Regulus was always rigid and serious in his work and play growing up, which was something his brother notoriously failed at, and Regulus would soon envy. The way he came home so carelessly happy, with wild tangled curls and a dirtied face full of dirt and grass stains. The way Sirius would keep him up just to talk about school and ‘John’ … ‘Jerome’ …. ‘James’? It doesn't matter, it never did. All he knows is that growing up, they never were alike apart from some of their features and the fact they both did ballet, skated, and grew up in the same damned house. In fact, Regulus doesn't even know if he still does ballet or not, but he does know something. He knows that Sirius Orion Black still figure skates and that Sirius is below him.
Eventually, the car came to a halt a few blocks away from a sketchy part of France and Evan took the keys out of the ignition. The two walked down the slanted street with the shorter boy trailing a bit behind the taller blond.
“trying to kill me, Rosier?” Regulus asked with a little bit of joking curiosity and Evan laughed in response
“Well, I may have lied about going to the cafe. We're going to my friend's apartment only..it was only to get you out of there.” Of course, Evan would pull such a thing, The gray-eyed man rolled his eyes with a scoff. It was a little annoying but he couldn't stay mad at his friend for long. They turned into an alleyway and the sound of their shoes became sticky with the dirt slowly turning to mud from the showering rain as they strode through the dim narrow alleyway. Eventually, Evan took a turn to the left in front of a small slightly beat-up green door with the number ‘42’ in gold nailed on the front. He raised his hand and knocked on the door in an odd pattern, which Regulus found weird but let it slip from his mind a little. As soon as he knew it, the door was opened by a scrawny tattoo and piercing-littered man. His jeans were ripped into oblivion and his band shirt was cropped barely below his belly button with the words ‘bite me’ tattooed on his abdomen. And of course, he had the shaggiest haircut in the universe with the worst most choppy faded green highlights. Evan and him hugged tightly and fist-bumped before he let them go in. The apartment was smaller with a malodorous stench of cigarettes and pot. The top of the ceiling was lined with purple led lights and it had a bit of a weird mix of maximalism and a punk tang to the space. Evan took a blunt from a corner of a bookshelf and they sat on black sofas. It didn't take long before the unknown figure began.
“so… let me guess.” The messy-haired man drew out as he stared at Regulus with a hyena-like smile. “Regulus…Black..?” Regulus nodded with an exasperated and captious gaze. Eyeing him and his living space.
“Correct. And you are?” He interrogated sharply with a small cross of his arms.
“Bartemious Crouch Jr. You can call me Barty” Regulus scoffed with an incredulous eye roll. Of course, this happened to be the guy Evan would talk about constantly, all the pieces were falling in place. He didn't think he'd spend his evening with “Barty”, who happened to be Evan's “best friend” but what did he know about the two?
“So you’re Evans' friend that followed him when he said he'd be moving to Paris?”
“Yeah, and you're the preppy figure skater who hates life.”
Regulus wanted to strangle him and his faux confidence right out of his lousy voice. He turned to face Evan with a “
help me
” look and the blond immediately acted upon seeing him. Evan stood up and patted Barty on the shoulder. The two left for a couple of minutes and came back with some whiskey and three cups. He observed the glasses and the brown liquid before trailing his eyes up to the two.
“don't you have to drive, Rosier?” Regulus asked, which was more of an observation than a question if anything. A quick moment of silence passed over the three except for Barty’s obnoxious snort as he poured himself some of that golden brown liquor.
“Not if I'm stayin' over I suppose” Evan replied with a smile that seemed like he was repressing a small laugh as he held his own cup towards the man beside him. Regulus was tired. He didn't even like whiskey, and he knew he had the definition of a connoisseur of liquor and food, which was something he, unfortunately, picked up from his mother. However, it didn't delve too deep into whiskeys and vodkas. He stared in slight disapproval as he watched the brunette take a swig of his glass.
“Let me guess..” Barty spoke up suddenly “I only cherish my time in drinking the finest champagnes and wines! Reds have to be finely fermented into a fine texture with a slightly bitter-sweet taste on your tongue.” He mimicked regulus’ voice terribly which was followed by Evan finally laughing. The dark set of head rolled his eyes and watched the two banter since he couldn't exactly defend himself against the obvious. He was going to keep observing until he remembered something.
“He has ties with some folks who work as judges or are friends with judges for Nationals…”
Regulus shifts on his uninjured side and crosses his leg over the other as he fidgets and toys with an empty glass cup. His slender pale hand wraps around the glass with the pampered yet slightly chipped nails, tapping on the object slowly. He takes this time to observe Barty.
Thinner than your average professional hockey player, but I assume he sacrifices strength for another. Evan said that he knew Barty from a public rink when he accompanied his sister, Pandora. NHL, and ties with judges...
“Barty.” Regulus’ voice cut through the two chattering and his gaze remained unsettling and unblinking as he studied the messier man.
“Yes?”
“I've heard you are being drafted into Ravenclaw. Congratulations.” His voice remained monotone but with a hint of curiosity amidst the intense gaze. Barty glanced at the further relaxed blond beside him before turning his attention back to Regulus. He leaned closer with his elbows over his knees and that same hyena-like smile.
“Thank you.” He replied with no other words as if waiting for Regulus to continue, which he did without hesitation.
“I have also been told that you may or may not know some information or…people.. in figure skating nationals? Am I right to assume that is correct?” Barty laughed, his face practically shining with amusement as he quickly readjusted his lip ring and licked over the skin.
“Why? Want to win so badly you'll practically bribe?”
“Bribing is for weak people who have no actual place in sports and never deserve the wins anyway. If you want to win, you have to shed sweat and blood for it. No amount of training will save you once you become scum, and I
am not scum.
” His words are punctuated with a small bite within the monotone attitude. A fervor of some sort of anger or recourse thrummed through his silk voice.
There was a beat of silence as if the air in the room was momentarily vacuumed out. The two opposites of the skater stared back into his brutal gaze. The sound of Regulus’ nails tapping on the empty glass created a never-ending ‘clink’ noise with an occasional pause once four fingers tapped, almost like a clock ticking. Barty shifted in his own seat. Predator and predator in the same room, of different areas of their own worlds, staring at each other.
“One of those, huh?” His voice was laced with amusement and interest over Regulus’ peculiarity. “wouldn't surprise me, Black. You're a fan favourite, hardly any falls in competitions, more first places than one could count, and your usual tricks are, well, flawless. So tell me, what would Mr. Perfect like to know?”
“Who will be the judges?”
Barty studied Regulus’ neutral face, observing the intense look in his eyes, a hope that flashed behind his expression.
“I could write you a list of their names. I can say, however, that two of them are cheats. I've heard from…someone..that they have a tendency to pick favourites, pleasing certain crowds, and flipping the system. This won't be a normal competition, Regulus,” His demeanour rested playful, almost as if he’d take pleasure in watching Regulus fail. A pure sadist.
“It never is
normal.
”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The dim lights in the room slightly flickered. No one moved too much, just trying to breach for any sort of response or topic that could continue. Barty observed carefully, eyeing Regulus’ slightly bitten lips and the rigid fidgety movements he repeated. A mantra of dominance in his weird own way.“Tell you what, Reg-”“Regulus to you.”
He cut Barty off harshly with a cool to his voice, partnered with a stern stop of his tapping fingers. His eyes crystalised and stared down the grunge man with a look of challenge. Barty scoffed with amusement and continued. His tattooed hand running through his green highlighted hair with nonchalance, obviously not threatened by Regulus’ rough attitude.
“You'll get used to it, Reggie. I happen to have a game down in London against the Gryffindor team next week. Here's the thing, the ISU judges might be there since some of my teammates are actually related to three of them. It’s not much, but it's something.”
The sharp man leaned back on the sofa, giving it some calculative thought. Regulus continued his obnoxiously persistent tapping as he thought of the pros and cons. On one hand, he could possibly sit near the judges and listen for some intel or at least catch a glimpse of their personalities. On the other hand, he wanted to practice his skating routine and he sure as hell can't do so unless he has the keys to some sort of rink and it had to be a private session. If not, he needed a public time but it had to be somewhat empty which would most likely come close to impossible. The other two across from him waited with interest.His face was still glued to the glass as his eyelashes fluttered with every blink. The thoughts of how, when and the reasonings weigh on him as he comes to a decision. He hesitantly looked up at the two, glancing from Evan back to Barty a couple of times before Evan slowly spoke up with a softness.
“I'm still going with Barty. I’ll get a hotel room and stay there for five days or so, and I'll be practically going to watch their practices and the whole game. So if you want to go, just stay in the room with me. I don't know yet if he will be rooming with me or get his own room with another person from his team, but it wouldn't be an issue.” The blond added with a calm soothe to his voice as if luring him in slowly. “It might do you good to rest. But-”“I'm going. My parents live in Richmond, but I need to actually practice my routines and programs. If that's not possible, I won’t go” Regulus added quickly without much hesitation. He was in no position to skip a full few days just for the sake of a few judges, which he has no idea who they even are. Usually when the pamphlets and booklets were handed out with information, he would skim and study the system but didn't pay too much attention to the judges involved unless he was at a disadvantage. He was stressed out enough with his earlier session with Narcissa that morning, everything hurt, and now he had to think of a possible trip back to London. Regulus wasn't fond of his parents, let alone fond of the house in general, and it was gnawing at him but if it would help with a possible tip of scores, then he’d consider it. Then again, he could stay with Evan but something about it feels off, Or maybe it just feels off in general because of the fact that he’s going back. With a huff Regulus reached over the coffee table, avoiding the miscellaneous amounts of empty glass beer bottles, shot glasses, cigarette buds, random two candles, a pen and sticky notes, and random other objects.He took the wide whiskey glass in hand carefully, eyeing it and reading its contents. It would taste the same no matter what, equally as terrible and dry but he’d rather do anything but think. He couldn't help but think of the possibility of how his father might've used the glass of whiskey as a thought blocker. It seems like every memory Regulus held of his father carried a glass of wine or whiskey in his left hand, or at the very least, lingered around his environment. He slowly poured the liquor into his empty glass, filling the bottom of it with that dark umber shade. Barty shifted with a thoughtful expression. His ankles crossed as he poured himself some more and Evan lit another blunt. Barty watched Regulus take a chaste sip of the drink with a small lick of his top lip. He wore a small look of dissatisfaction but pursued the liquor anyway, silently relishing the drink despite the obvious distaste.Barty couldn't help but feel intrigued by the grey-eyed figure skater sitting in front of him. Sure, he’s heard rumours or comments about his attitude, or the way he carries himself but now having him in the same room felt familiar in an opposing sort of way. It wasn't unknown how pretty he was, even just watching Regulus sip from the glass felt satisfactory, the way his torn lips wrapped around the edge, or watching his cold and calculative gaze linger wherever he looked was compelling. He certainly had a sort of assertive and professional aura to him, the apartment felt uneasy, as if something would happen but would never come. I guess you could say having such a presence around was a little fun. Barty certainly was at least, he wondered just how many conversations it would take to start seeing some true personality peek through the raven-haired boy. He couldn't help but poke a little fun at him.“A perfectionist are you?” He teased with a quirk of his lips. Evan leaned against Barty, slowly succumbing to the tiring fumes of the rolled drug. In return, Barty wrapped an arm around him, making sure he wouldn't slip too far down. “You should talk more. What would be the harm in that?” He mused with amusement and a slight tease. Regulus adjusted his crewneck for a moment, every thought was on display. Although Regulus would’ve liked to portray himself as unreadable, every flicker of emotions ruptured through his grey eyes like waves. Sometimes it was stronger than most, but it was always there. Of course, Barty decided not to say anything and he assumed that Evan doesn’t a lot of the time either. Barty observed the flicker of softness across Regulus’ features before he spoke.“There's not much to talk about,” Regulus mentioned calmly as he finished the whiskey in his glass rather quickly.“Sure there is, it doesn't always have to be on topic you know.” Barty carefully encouraged. “How about you tell me about…how you and Evan met, Hm? That would be easy.” Evan perked up at the topic but remained quiet, the blond turned his attention to the two again and Regulus softly pulled the corners of his lips into a smile.“I met Pandora, Evan’s sister first. It was an ice skating competition and his sister also does figure skating so she was my opponent. She congratulated me afterwards and I would be lying if I said she didn't just draw me in, so we started hanging out and-”“You dated his sister?” Barty interrupted with absolute shock and confusion. His body leaned in further with the need to appease his surprise and listen to his explanation. Regulus’ eyes widened a little at the sudden comment and he scoffed with a stifled laugh.“Hell no. As much as I love her, I think we’d make a terrible match and I never liked her in that way before and probably never will. I’m fine being her best friend.” Barty visibly relaxed and laughed once he understood, Evan couldn’t help but let a small titter fall from his lips. Even if it was slightly awkward, the atmosphere relaxed a little and it felt friendlier to get to know the curious dark-haired man in front of him. Regulus continued his small story with a smile“Anyways, we hung out a lot and eventually I officially met Evan in high school. We were in the same Physics class but I didn’t talk to him until I saw him at their house. We had our first conversation in the living room because Pandora left to get something and Evan walked in and it was too awkward to stay quiet.” Evan laughed a little more at the memory and nodded with glee as he recalled the memory. He took a drag of the blunt and clouded Barties figure subtly with the smoke. The lights reflect the cloud with a soft hue of colours.“So, your life kind of revolved around figure skating?” Barty questioned as he blew the smoke away from his face.“No, well- yes, but it was something more of my choice to revolve my life around.”“Why’s that?”
“Because I have to be the best.” Regulus riposted matter of factly. Barty scoffed and laughed lowly with the glass of whiskey hovering gently against his lips before he took a small sip.“You can get better, but no one is perfect, Reg. Even if you were “the best” you’d
still probably want to get better at something.“No, being the best is perfection. There are many ways to do it. No point deductions, no slip-ups, no under-rotating, just perfect jumps, perfect artistry, and you become a perfect skater.”
Barty considered it and set his now empty glass with a thud on the brown ash-dirtied coffee table with a sigh. His dim eyes scanned Regulus’ frame, observing his crossed legs as he leaned on the armrest with his left elbow. His right leg was hooked gingerly over his left knee, gently bobbing with a steady pulse. It was quiet once again, something that Barty would've had to get used to with the man in front of him. ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ The rest of the day went as normal, Barty being overly curious and chatty while Evan sat and watched him with a blunt between his lips. By the end, Regulus decided to come along. Regulus went online and paid for his stay with his own room. (He didn’t feel too comfortable yet with Barty sharing a room with him. He’d rather be dead than caught with sharpie all over his face in the morning.) Although he could have stayed with Walburg and Orion, he shivered at the thought of the cold house again. The memories of the dim dark corridors and quiet atmosphere were enough to put anyone in an uneasy state. Therefore, he settled on his own hotel room, preferably on a different floor but it wouldn’t be too bad if they were in the same hallway. The plan was relatively easy, firstly, go to Britain, get a room, and lastly, get keys to an ice rink. If that plan didn't work our, he’d find dates and times to go daily in public skating times. Regulus stood from the couch and waved a small goodbye as he walked out of the apartment to the taxi. Evan kept his word and decided to stay over, most likely way too inebriated to drive, let alone stand properly for a few minutes. Evan getting high and drunk wasn’t an unusual thing. The blond did it whenever he was stressed and he was not a calm person in general. Whenever the two were in the apartment, Evan was mostly seen with a sort of substance. His main choices seemed to be some sort of rum in a glass, or a blunt in between his teeth as he did his usual day-to-day things. Regulus obviously cared, and he told Evan to give it a break on multiple occasions, but of course, it was countered with Evan telling him he was being “hypocritical” which wasn’t far of a stretch at all. Since the last time, Regulus just kept eyes on his friend and took care of him in his own subtle ways. He believed the nervousness of it derived from watching the adults around him be so casually co-dependent on substances and he didn't want Evan to follow their steps. But he knew Evan well enough to know that he wasn’t like them. Tonight he was feeling uneasy, he trusted Barty to know how to care for someone inebriated, and it seemed that he would take care of the blond properly considering how close they seem, but couldn’t help but worry anyway.
When he returned to the penthouse, he took a deep breath of fresh air and took in the scent of mahogany and musk. He decided to save one of the green juices from the rest of his homemade batch and separate it from the other side of the other juices. Evan wasn't the type to return home and take his time to cook for himself or at least put in a lot of effort. Regulus wanted him to return home and have at least something in his system. He took a sticky note and wrote on it.
“Drink the juice I set for you on the left fridge door. It’s fresh and will do you good but do it or I'll actually end you.”
He stuck the note to the fridge handle and quietly walked upstairs to his bedroom. He skimmed his fingertips over the gold railing whilst eyeing the illuminated black wood steps under his feet. Regulus dragged himself across the cold dim hallway and opened the door to his room. It was usually cold and dark, the walls were painted a dark sage with all his furniture black or a deep fonce brown. His bookshelf was adorned with as many classics as possible and poetry. He had a few plants here and there and made sure to keep the dark green, brown and black scheme consistent throughout the room. Despite his room being well decorated and just solely a peek of who Regulus is, the room was empty. Not literally empty, but a type of empty that felt like there was barely any life or movement. Dust collected in some corners here and there while the place remained relatively the same throughout most days. Tidy and organized. Regulus sat on a small accent chair as he slowly removed the fabric layers over his body. He walked in front of his floor-length mirror and made that same scoff from earlier at the rink. The bruises were swollen and looked rather horrific in some way, it clearly got worse. Regulus eyed his injured figure momentarily, taking in his scraped shins, bruised knees and elbows. Small marks scattered across his figure over his thighs, hips and back. The dark ripple of purple that stretched over his left hip looked worse than yesterday. The colours of broken skin contrast his pale frame like a canvas, painting his frame in colours not meant to be made. He eyed and studied the injuries, pinning every bruise and scrape to a mistake and creating mental notes of how he ended up with them.
“Triple lutz, quad flip, fly spin… damned weird complicated step pattern… and-” Just as he was going to continue with the listing, he realized his lip was slowly dripping crimson. He walked closer to the mirror hissing slightly as he touched the small gash on his lip.“Note to self, stop biting your lips.”
He added as a quick thought with an exasperated sigh as he wiped some of the blood off with the back of his hand, lightly coating his knuckles a blushed current red. He walked to the bathroom for some sort of med kit, skimming through the medicine cabinet and finding a box of bandages, amongst other materials. He groaned realizing the creams he needed were left in the sports duffle bag, which he left in the car. Regulus decided to drop it and just settle on wrapping the chaffing on his shin and applying a simple bandaid over deep scrapes on his knees. Once he was slightly bandaged he brushed his teeth and washed his face, ensuring his nightly routine was finished and well done enough to go to sleep with a satisfied feeling. He ambled to his bed in the dark and slid the sheets over himself. The stress of the day crashing down on him. He felt exhausted, his body humming with soreness tugging at his muscles and the overthinking making his head hurt. He should've taken a pain med, maybe it would help him sleep too. He stayed up staring at his window as it streamed a blue-hazed light into the bedroom, illuminating the area with a soft hue. The small dust particles glimmering white amongst the steady moonlight, the breeze with a soft bristle was gently humming through the open glass. A few hours passed with Regulus curled away in his black bed sheets, fluttering his weary eyes occasionally as to what his plan may ensue and other streaming thoughts. Eventually, the raven-haired boy fell asleep, his body slowly succumbing to the relaxation of the familiar mattress and the scent of faint eucalyptus and old books. ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ “Fix that slant. We went over this yesterday, and you're doing it again. If you don't fix it, you'll fall and your chances of winning or even being remarkably successful will vanish” Narcissa’s voice bellowed as she watched with a steady click of her pen.“I'm working on it.” Regulus retorted softly with a tinge of annoyance.“So keep working on it. Just because it's better doesn't mean it's fixed.”
Regulus sighed heavily as he did a quick spin in a spot, then flowed back to one end of the rink. He viewed the large space before him and huffed gently as he pushed forward. The wind immediately returned with the strong strides as he pivoted backwards and pressed against the cold surface hard and forcefully. The air turned colder with each glide of a blade. Regulus took a deep breath as he stretched out his arms into position and lifted into the air. Every spin repelled him forward out onto the ice, the world becoming blurry with the spins. one….two…three- and he landed too soon with a hard fall and a glide across the ice.“Under rotated, Regulus. Again.”
Regulus grunted and remained seated on the ice before he pushed himself off of the cold hard surface. His hip still hurt like hell and every fall prompted it to feel like he was being repeatedly beaten. With one hand he swatted the cold snow off of his side and held his hip with the other as he returned to the same side.“You can do a triple axel flawlessly, a quad flip and lutz, a quad axl wasn't much more of a feat for you. Pull yourself together, Regulus… and you know I say this because I care about you.” she mentioned lightly and continued, “Do it again. Fix the slant and jump higher, if not, at least don't fall.”
Her gaze followed him harshly as she paced a little in place impatiently.
“You've done it before. Get it together.”“Yeah, yeah. I'll get it this time… maybe.” He began once again, picking up velocity and preparing for the jump. His eyes narrowed as he thought of all his steps, making sure his body posture was straight, and his hips were aligned in a proper position. With a lift of his leg, he pushed off the ice into the air. One, two, three, fo- and he barely landed the under-rotated axel. The air was thick with silence for a moment as Regulus caught his balance.“Well…at least you listened to my advice.” Narcissa quietly disgruntled as she wrote down notes in her notepad. With a flick of her black and blond highlighted hair, she stared at the notes and glanced up at him. Regulus skated in her direction and glided off the ice onto the penalty box where she resided. He spoke sharply of frustration. His eyebrows remained in the usual pinched and angry look, with his head slightly downcasted, creating a shadow over his eyes.“I'll get it eventually. I'm close, and you know I’m not a quitter.”
Regulus sat beside her standing frame.“I know you will get it. But you can't lose the podium.”
A moment of her pen scribbled on the paper, Regulus fiddled with his thumbs for a moment before stopping his anxious motion and started to stand next to her. He leaned on the board and opened his mouth reluctantly before shutting it and staring awkwardly at the rink. Narcissa glanced to her left where he stood and watched quietly as his mannerisms remained quiet and nervous. She stared until Regulus felt the unignorable tension in the air and cleared his throat quietly.“Evan asked if I'd be interested in heading to London for a week or so…we worked out some details. We established that we’d get a room and stay for a hockey game.” Narcissa pinched her eyebrows together in confusion and deep thought. She knew Regulus never had eyes for that sport, let alone was ever interested in watching a game in general.“Why are you suddenly wanting to see a Hockey game? You've never liked it too much to even bother watching hockey at all. I would also like to add that you still have nationals and you're expected to practice every other day. How the hell do you expect to practice without me being there and not having keys to a rink? You need this, Regulus.” A thoughtful second passed between the two and Regulus sighed warily.“You could always come along…bring-” Regulus practically reeled before mentioning her husband. “Bring Lucius or whatever. I don't mind Draco either. just as long as we can continue my training over there I don't care. I just want to see the practice’s and the game.”
Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose like she always does when faced with a challenge. Her body stood idly in place without movement or a waiver in deep thought as the question and the rest of it were still processing in her head. Eventually, her attention turned back to Regulus and she gave a final slow exhale of air.“Let me see what I can do. I don't think Lucius will tag along, but if I do go I'm taking Draco with me and just know that you will be trained hard.” Her voice was firm and left no room for an argument. Regulus would have complained anyway.Just as long as he gets what he wants, life is worth living… or something like that. (in his words)He nodded a little more enthusiastically than he would ever want to acknowledge, but the thought of going somewhere else other than a place for a competition or just a place around Paris made it feel like vacation even if it realistically wasn’t. With a slight nod of his head, he hopped back onto the ice and skated happily back into place. His eyes glinted at Narcissa and gave a playful look in her direction.“I'm going to land that quad.”
His voice was consumed with an uncharacteristic amount of optimism as he skated a quick distance and settled into position. Regulus has landed a quad before, it wasn't unheard of for him to push himself to ungodly positions. However, for the past month, a quad seemed impossible, and he was sick of it. He straightened and aligned his body and torso before beginning to skate powerfully around the rink. All focused on his positioning, he counted his backcrosses before lifting his legs, pivoting slightly and with a big lift, launching back into that familiar biting breeze of air, letting the wind brush against his skin as he turned and tucked his leg in. The same blur fogged his vision and the small disorientation returned. If he was addicted to anything, it would be this feeling.
One…Two..Three..and four.
With a loud dig into the ice, he landed and skated back with excitement. The ice was practically destroyed in the same area from the amount of attempts he pulled to land it.
Narcissa sighed softly as she put her notepad down.
“A little under-rotated still, but yes, it would have technically counted.” She criticized flatly, tired from the day and straining her eyes to watch the younger man with such precision for such a long amount of time. Narcissa slowly put away her items in her purse and watched as Regulus skated back into position to practice all over again. Her red-coloured lips pursed a little as she watched idly, viewing his stoic enthusiasm with impassive interest.
She put her hair into a high ponytail as she began to leave, the tapping of her heels echoed behind the harsh echoes of ice being cut. She raised her velvet voice enough for the raven-haired to hear.“Rest well, Reg.”The heavy metal doors closed with a swoosh as they swung back and forth with her figure disappearing behind them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Evan pulled his luggage down next to the front door before realizing that Regulus' luggage wasn't there. Usually, he was the first or already finished by now. He tilted his head subtly as he tried to make sense of it and he began to pad up the stairs to see if he was in his room. Once he reached the top, Evan glanced into the office with no sign of his raven hair peeking from the leather office chair. He mumbled a small confused "Okay?" before closing the door and walking to Regulus' room. He knocked and waited for a response."Yeah, come in." Regulus' voice muffled behind the wall and door. His voice was rather relaxed and had its usual flat tone. Evan turned Regulus’ handle and peeked into his room. He was on his bed, reading some sort of red book in a seated position with his knees up to his chest and his head lying on one of them. The window was open and a gentle breeze moved through the heavy black fabric curtains. The more he looked around, the more he caught a glimpse of the random clothing on the floor, random items scattered and an unopened suitcase lying in front of his dresser. Barty's brown eyes slowly grazed at Regulus' figure.“Are you packed yet?”Regulus took a few moments to finish his page before turning his attention to the blonde, a wry and sarcastic look glazed his figure.“No, Evan. I told you I didn't have time already, didn't I?”“Says the person sitting on their arse reading a book instead of packing.”He teased with a roll of his eyes. Evan then walked into the room, inviting himself in. He sat on the chaise lounge beside the open window and lit a cigarette. The two sat in their usual quiet, both understanding the comfort and the shared relaxation knowing how chaotic it might be later. Regulus finished his chapter after a few minutes and closed the book with a hand. He slowly stood up off the bed with a stretch and placed the hardcover book on the dark oak nightstand. Evan watched him with a haze of smoke daintily obscuring his view. He stood up and walked to Regulus with a gentle look.“Need help?”Regulus looked up at Evan and then back at the closet“I'm simply just taking some clothes and packing. I don't think I need help”“You look like you're about to collapse.”“Not.”“Are”Regulus strolled to his closet and skimmed through his shirts. He picked out a few and threw them over his shoulder before focusing on the pants. He hung his choices over his forearm and strode to his suitcase. Evan sat on the floor next to Regulus. He took the cigarette from his lips. His middle finger and pointer finger pinched the cig and he brought it to Regulus’ lips. Evan’s ring finger tapped Regulus’ bottom lip which was met with his parted mouth. Regulus then closed his lips around the gifted tab.Evan watched Regulus neatly fold the clothing and group them in their respective outfits. Eventually, he decided to help anyway and left to grab his bathroom items.Once the two finished, They rolled their items down to the cab outside and drove down to the airport. The area was bustling with families and people of every language and place. Security guards roamed around the area with simple outfits and a few items on their waist and crew members were seen occasionally riding the escalators.Regulus and Evan got through security and did all the necessary steps to get to their respective gate. To Regulus’ surprise, Barty was there.“He's coming with us?” Regulus asked with a small hint of disappointment to his curious tone as the duo strode towards him. Evan laughed softly and patted his shoulder. “Obviously. He had to hitch a ride with his teammates or drive and he heard we were going on a flight...because I talked about it while we were on call, so I invited him.” Evan looked back at Regulus’ face and his eyes softened a little.“Lighten up Reg…just give him a chance, y'know? It's not like he's competition, in fact, he's been helping you, hasn’t he?”There was a small moment of Regulus going into deep thought and he went over what Evan said. Maybe, just maybe, he could try.They reached where Barty was. He was already at their respective gate, sitting on a chair near the windows. Evan tapped Regulus’ wrist to get his attention and put a finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet as they were gradually approaching Barty from behind. The brunette was engrossed in his phone, looking over some posts about piercing mapping. The miniature snake tattoo on his thumb moved along with the movement of his swiping. Regulus stared at it before Evan lightly slapped the back of Barty’s head with a proud look. Barty turned around with an annoyed expression before his eyes softened as he realized who it was.“Christ, Rosie.” He huffed with an astonished laugh. “if it wasn't you, I would have murdered someone by now.”Evan nodded with his own laugh in return and sat down on the chair next to the hoodlum. Regulus followed and sat on Evan's right side, farthest away from Barty.“Yeah well, I gotta keep you on your toes, hm?”“Mate, even then I would’ve smacked the hell out of you by now. You’re lucky we're in a public setting.” Barty teased lightly as he put his phone in his back pocket and turned to the two. Evan slid his carry-on under the seat and Regulus watched, not knowing how to interact with the hazel-eyed hockey player.“Where’s your hockey stuff?” Evan asked as he brought a knee up and adjusted his grey hoodie.“In the car with my teammates. I told them I was going on a flight right when I put my stuff in the car.” He hummed with self-amusement and a shake of his head as he put his feet on Evan's lap, which prompted the blond to put his leg down to accommodate the weight. Barty’s chunky boots faced Regulus’ direction, slightly making him shuffle a little further away. Evan watched Regulus’ slightly uncomfortable demeanour and tried lightening the mood up.“Reg, you're awfully quiet.” He pointed out with a raise of his eyebrows. “Is something on your mind-”“Yeah, share with the class” Barty interrupted, now intrigued as he fidgeted with his industrial piercing out of habit. Regulus’ gaze flickered between the two before sighing softly and speaking up softly.“I need to figure out rink times and I need to know what my coach is doing because I might have a panic attack without her.”“You'll be fine without Narcissa for a day, you see her at every family function, every holiday, almost five days a week, you'll survive,” Evan explained with a deadpan face.“Or is it the ice rink you can't survive without?” Evan chimed in with a tease before his complacent face turned into pure confusion. “Wait, why do you see her so often? Is she like, your aunt?”Regulus shook his head and smiled lightly.“Nah, she's my cousin. She’s a hard ass but a true softie at heart. Super family-oriented and a lovely person overall.” Regulus added cooley“So it runs in the family?” Barty asked with a smug lilt to his tone. “ ‘A hard ass but a true softie at heart’ ” He mimicked.Regulus sighed with exasperation again “Sure, let's say that for the sake of my sanity.” He couldn’t help a small smile spread over his face over the absurdity of the situation and the fact that he had to learn how to work with this guy. Regulus was sure that Evan would practically cheer at the progress if they hadn't been in the middle of the airport. After an hour of waiting, they boarded the plane and all sat in the same row, all side to side. Almost immediately, Evan put on his headphones but had his left ear uncovered to listen to Barty’s rambling as they waited for take off. Regulus sat against the window and took out a book, his earbuds, and his items to annotate. The flight was relatively quiet, a baby was at the very front, but hardly any crying occurred. People spoke in low voices and the turbulence wasn't too bad. Unfortunately for Regulus, he was sitting a seat away from the chattiest person in the universe, but he didn't mind. It was kind of entertaining to listen to random facts and rambles about taxidermy and raccoons. He wouldn't have said it out loud, but he enjoyed the random remarks or unintentionally grim yet slightly funny comments he made, especially since Barty’s voice was quite smooth and clear. After an hour and a half-ish of Barty and Evan’s voices turning into white noise, the plane landed and there came the chaos of everyone getting off and almost suffocating in the lane. The trio picked up their luggage and strode outside as Evan made sure the reservations for the hotel room were correct. Barty waved for a taxi and the trio got into the back. The windows were down and the seats had a faint smell of cigarettes and an old man’s cologne. The taxi driver seemed to be in his mid-forties and had greying hair. He wasn’t much of a talker which was fine by Regulus. Before anyone could say anything, he asked to drive to the Ice Arena.“Morrison Arena-”“You can't be serious-” Evan interrupted with a small groan and an incredulous laugh.“No no, seriously, I'm serious.” Barty quipped before re-stating where he wanted to go to the taxi driver. Regulus joined the conversation, equally as tired and confused about everything.“Why the Arena?“Because we should skate,” Barty answered matter of factly. It honestly didn't even seem like he cared about whether or not they got to the hotel at the time they planned. Evan simply looked unimpressed but shrugged, knowing it was a lost cause with Barty’s impulsiveness while Regulus tried to process everything happening. What about the hotel? What about Narcissa? What about the plans? He blinked a few times before whispering.“Seriously?” He asked with confusion, and a bit of disbelief. The taxi began moving and everyone remained quiet. ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚The Arena was huge, with a large number of cars outside and people gathering and ready with skates. The building had a sort of dome at the top and there were banners of local hockey teams and professional players and figure skaters who were local to the arena before they made it big. The taxi driver parked outside of the front doors and all four of them stepped out of the car. The taxi driver waited as the three took their luggage, bags, and carry-ons from the back. Once the car drove away, the three of them stood awkwardly.“We look homeless in casual clothing and luggage.” retorted Regulus with a groan.“Nah, more like just tourists, or extremely eager to live at the rink skating fanatics.”The two stared at Barty as if verbalizing that none of those were any better.The trio got in and paid a nine-quid admission fee before being allowed in. The three passed through people and groups entering and leaving the area. Once they got to the benches, Barty immediately put on his hockey skates while Regulus mentally fought with himself over whether to put his skates on or not. He would, except it sounds like the rink is filled with hooligans laughing and the ice being shredded to pieces.“What? Not wanting to show off your fancy twirls or whatever?” Barty asked quizzically as he tightened his skates.“Uh, I don't know, it sounds pretty busy. I would practice what I would want, but, I kinda need a lot of space for that. Also-” He turned to glance at Evan, “he doesn't have any skates.” Evan watched their encounter before he put his hand on Regulus’ shoulder to reassure him.“Nah, don’t worry, Reg. I wouldn’t mind sitting on the bleachers on my own for a bit, it’s been a busy and exhausting day. I should probably give Pandora a call anyway.” Regulus listened attentively and went right back to thinking of what to do.“Well, I suppose I could skate in circles for a bit…” He answered thoughtfully with a slight ponder. He made a decision and sat down next to Barty with a huff. He took his luggage and opened it to take out his figure skates and put them on. Barty patted Regulus’ shoulder with a nod of approval. Evan took their items and told them he'd be on the far left bleachers but closest to the rink. Regulus felt odd wearing simple loose jeans and a sweater, but he wasn't complaining too much. At least he could maybe consider it as a bit of practice, and it might not be so boring with Barty around.The two walked into the arena and Regulus immediately groaned. It’s not that he hates hockey players or the sport, but he certainly doesn't appreciate how they all look to be racing each other and destroying the ice with spit, snow, and indents. Barty lightly elbowed his arm.“Cheer up, won't you? It'll be fine; no one is going to run into your fragile, small thin body” He teased lightly with a bit of care despite his outwardly rude statements. Regulus rolled his eyes, and the two stepped onto the ice. It wasn't as smooth as he wished it would be, but it was an ice rink nonetheless. Regulus glided with small pushes as Barty slid right next to him. Regulus studied the ease with which Barty skated but also took note of the sudden odd turns he made.“If you're that bored, go say hi to the other hockey players, there's like, a group of five right there.” Regulus subtly pointed at a corner of the rink amongst the other people skating around. It was a group of friends simply chattering and conversing about who knows what, however, just by looking at them you can tell they're already well experienced on ice. There were three girls and two guys. The majority of them wore hockey skates except for one girl with blazing long red hair and the other girl with cloudy chocolate hair. The other girl had short bleach blond in a single nubby braid and looked to be mildly…well… she looked like she could slam a big guy over a table with ease. The two guys you could hardly see since they were facing the three women with their backs turned from the duo. Barty observed the group as his smug smile widened a little bit and it didn't help since they were both slowly skating closer.“You know what? Yeah, I'm kinda bored. Let’s make some Brit friends huh?”“You are a Brit with many Brit friends, you moron.”“We gotta get with our people, Reg!” Barty nodded in the direction of the group.“We?” Regulus was honestly flabbergasted that he'd drag him into it. He wasn't too surprised but he couldn't believe the nerve. “You just can't chill, can't you? I am not speaking to random people.” There was a moment of silence except for the sound of people around them and the sound of blades against ice. It hasn't even been fifteen minutes and too much is already happening. Regulus would be lying if he said he wasn't getting overwhelmed already. As the two skated closer, Regulus held his breath without realizing and prayed that Barty wouldn't pull anything. Their voices became louder and their conversation of the red-haired girl's university assignments got louder. Just as they were going to pass the group and Regulus would've bolted away, Barty tugged the figure skater by a belt loop of his jeans and pulled him to the group with him. Immediately Barty cut into their conversation.“Hey, university? What university do you go to?”Regulus felt like a deer in headlights as the group turned to them. He was stuck between scolding Barty and tugging at his stupid green highlights or apologizing profusely. It honestly sounded like a desperate attempt at making friends or that he was slightly trying to flirt with the ginger. There was an awkward silence and just as the red-haired girl was about to speak up with a clear of her throat, regulus turned his head to Barty's with an embarrassed look, his cheeks slowly burning the same colour as her long locks. His grey eyes managed to somehow look up at everyone but caught eyes with one of the guys. He had curious eyes with nice lashes, his glasses were simple and suited his face just right, and his unkept hair kind of suited him, not to mention how well the red hoodie he wore suited his skin tone. The brunette adjusted his glasses and skimmed his eyes over Regulus, it wasn't malicious at all, it felt more like a soft acknowledgment and he felt his stomach do a flip at the sudden attention. Somehow, this made him feel even more embarrassed as He spoke quietly with frustration and humility.“I don't know him-....” Regulus blurted out softly and Barty immediately laughed as he put his arm over his shoulders, almost causing him to lose balance.“Hey hey hey now, I said we're gonna meet people hm? Look at what we're doing!” Regulus turned back to the group with a sheepish expression as he quickly spoke up a little more without hesitation and a mix of haste.“I am so sorry, uh-.. We’ll leave” And with that, Regulus pushed Barty away with him despite his refusal to leave. He slid farther from the group while Barty laughed hysterically over his reaction and mocked him occasionally.