STARCHASER

I-

[Regulus]

"Come on, Reg," Barty whines from across the room. With a sigh, Regulus looks up from the journal in front of him to stare blankly at his best friend.

Barty is sprawled out on Regulus' couch in an obnoxiously shiny outfit. The black shirt is entirely covered in glitter—which Regulus despises, and threatens to kill him for every time he finds so much as a dot of it in his obsessively tidy apartment—that matches the shimmery makeup on his eyelids. The tight black pants he is wearing are a bit less dramatic, though the words 'eat me' are written in big bold lettering across the back of them and are bedazzled just the same.

"You haven't left this place in months," Barty groans. He tosses his hands up into the air to emphasize his statement. Regulus just watches the open family sized bag of pretzels on the couch next to him tip over before spilling onto the floor. His eyes sharpen into a glare as he looks back at Barty.

"Yes, I have," Regulus argues.

Barty gives him a look of disbelief. "You literally just Instacart'd groceries. From the store across the street."

Regulus sets his fountain pen down on the desk. It's a fancy one: a sleek black look, with elegant silver detailing. Sirius had gotten it for him for Christmas 3 years ago. Regulus used it every day after that. To vent in his journal, to scribble down a to-do list, to write one of his poems. It didn't matter what it was. He always used that pen.

"I don't even drink."

"Then just get a soda or something. Come on, it'll be fun. Evan and Pandora are already there."

Regulus knows he won't win this argument. He knew that the second Barty had brought up that he wanted Regulus to come with them to party at the bar down the street. Barty loves things like that: getting wasted in crowded places and dancing like he doesn't care who sees. It seems like his only goal on nights like these is to find the hottest person in the place and get them into his bed.

His sights had been set on Regulus at one point. Regulus let him try his best to win him over. He found it kind of funny, honestly. At some point, Barty must have come to terms with the fact that it was never going to happen. Regulus doesn't remember when exactly that was.

Regulus is the complete opposite of Barty, though. He's content to stay in his apartment all day; to enjoy his own company, to write his poetry or play the piano or read a book from his never ending 'to be read' list. Sometimes—like how he's been doing recently—Regulus will hide away in his apartment for weeks or months at a time. His friends only let it go on for so long before they drag him out. Whether or not he goes quietly or kicking and screaming is his only choice in the matter.

So when Barty barges in with a shopping bag from a local clothing store and drops it at his feet, Regulus already knows that he'll lose. That doesn't make fucking with Barty any less fun, though.

Regulus eyes the bag warily from across the room. "If I see even a speck of glitter-"

Barty rolls his eyes at the warning, seeming completely unthreatened. Regulus debates stabbing him just out of spite. "I know you better than that, Black. Now hurry up so I can put some eyeliner on you."

And because he's feeling generous today, Regulus listens. He grabs the expensive looking bag and takes it to his room to change. The shirt inside looks even more expensive. It's a silky ice-blue shirt that Regulus knows with one look will make his eyes look even bluer and more intense than they already do. The shirt is long sleeved with a high collar that lengthens his neck and makes him seem taller than he really is.

He pairs it with simple black pants that Barty also bought for him one time (that do wonders for his ass) and a black suit jacket. He debates trying to style his dark curls and make them less of a frizzy mess, but ultimately decides that Barty will probably knock the door down in the next 5 minutes if he isn't ready yet. He gives his reflection one last appraising look in the mirror before sighing and going back into the living room.

   The walk over to the bar where Evan and Pandora are waiting was pretty short. Apparently it was only a few blocks away from Reg's apartment, and had been popular for years. Regulus thinks for a moment that maybe he really should leave his house more often.

   That thought is quickly driven away the moment Barty leads him into the bar. The first thing Regulus notices is the intense mix of body odor and alcohol wafting around the air, strong enough to immediately assault Reg's nose and make him want to leave already.

   The second thing he notices is the bar itself. Hundreds of LED lights are flashing around the room in time with the trashy music that the people on the dance floor seem to be drunk enough to actually enjoy.

   Third, he notices that every other person in the room seems to be covered in some sort of glitter. On their clothes, in their hair or their face, around their glasses. It's everywhere, making his skin crawl at just the sight of it. Regulus half expects to see it floating around in the air. Thankfully, he doesn't.

   The fourth and perhaps the most startling thing he notices is not a thing at all, but rather a man. Specifically, a set of brown eyes so piercing he's almost sure the man can see straight into his soul. From the distance, Regulus can barely make out the shape of his body and the dark hair on his head sticking up in every direction possible. But his eyes locked directly on Regulus and the thin glasses framing them stand out clearly.

   What's even more startling is that as soon as the man realizes he's caught Regulus' attention, he smiles. Just a flash of white teeth in the distance as his lips quirk up. Regulus instinctively takes a step towards him.

   "Hey, I see Evan!" Barty exclaims, yanking on Regulus' arm. Regulus stumbles, turning to glare at Barty a little. Barty doesn't even notice, too caught up in staring in the opposite direction. When he looks back towards the man, he finds that he'd disappeared into the crowd somewhere. Regulus tries not to feel a little disappointed as he lets Barty drag him over to their friends' table.

   "Hey, Reg!" Pandora yells excitedly, almost body slamming him in her drunken rush to hug him. He returns it without nearly as much enthusiasm, and she rewards him with a quick kiss on the cheek.

   Evan nods at him in greeting Regulus dips his chin slightly in response, and that's that. Apparently the tray of drinks on the table is more interesting that he is, because that's all the other three focus on for the next twenty minutes. Pandora at least was sober enough to remember that Reg doesn't drink and to order him a soda. He nurses that silently as he watches his friends down countless shots and becomes louder with each drink.

   Eventually, they drift off to the dance floor and leave Reg alone at the table. Which would be fine, he likes being alone. However, some assholes drifted closer and all but seized his table, spreading their drinks out all over it and taking the chairs his friends previously occupied.

   Regulus isn't in a petty enough mood to fight with strangers over the place. He only grabs his glass, drains the last sip of the soda and makes his way over to the bar.

   There's an empty seat right at the end that Reg slides in to. He looks over and watches his friends dance for a while as he waits for the bartender to get a break. Barty looks happier than Reg has ever seen him dancing between Pandora and Evan in the middle of the floor. Regulus is almost jealous for a moment that Barty never looks that way around him. Nobody does.

   "What can I get for you?" The bartender asks, finally making it around to him.

   "I'll just have a-" Reg starts. He looks up at the bartender and his words immediately stall in his throat when he sees the man he'd noticed before looking down at him with a grin.