Title: Go Stumbling to the Sky
Pairing: Regulus Black/Barty Crouch Jr
Summary: I didn't know you were the one for me, I couldn't see, but you were waiting
Notes: Written for Mallory.

The snow was falling steadily, sticking to the ground in thick piles of soft white fluff. It seemed hell bent on giving the students of Hogwarts a white Christmas, the way it had been going on for days, never stopping long enough to allow a significant amount to melt away. It looked so beautiful, so calm, Regulus thought. Untouched snow for miles, and-- hey.

That snowball had a rock in it!

"Barty!" Regulus yelled. "That one hit me in the head!" He rubbed at the spot and scowled, looking around for his friend. He found him crouched behind a tree, laughing and getting another pain-inducing snowball ready to fire. "Oh no you don't!" Regulus picked up a large bunch of snow and threw it back at Barty, who lost his balance and fell over in the snow, still laughing.

"Not cool, Reg, I was preparing that snowball all special for you." He got back up and brushed the snow off himself, and began looking around for his pile of rocks. He'd selected the largest, sharpest, most deadly rocks he could muster up, and he was quite put off that they had been scattered about in the snow when he fell. Much to his dismay, Regulus gathered up quite a few before he could get to them and then took of running. "Regulus, no, my rocks!" He took off after him, dropping the few rocks he had managed to get back by the tree, so he could be faster and stuff.

Not that it was really helping him, because Regulus was ridiculously fast when he wanted to be, but he was oh so close, and really, Regulus would get tired or slip on the snow sometime. Or, maybe one of the rocks would fly up into his face-- oh yes, there it went.

"Ow!" Regulus faltered for a moment as he lost grip on one of the rocks and it flew up, hitting him square on the nose. Barty took this perfectly perfect opportunity to pounce on him and tackle him to the ground. The rest of the remaining rocks scattered around them, and Barty felt a few jab into his back and sides as he rolled around in the snow with Regulus.

"Barty, no, ow, rock in my face." Regulus' voice was muffled by Barty's chest, as Barty was currently on top of him with his arms wrapped around the other boy's head in a most undignified fashion. Not that Barty ever did anything in a fashion even remotely dignified, thank you very much. The two boys rolled out of the way of most of the rocks, and right into some first years, who did not see it coming at all. Serves them right, really, standing right in the path of two screaming, laughing, and rolling teenage boys. After the first years had fallen over them, gotten back up, and run off in fear of being eaten by Barty (those children told the strangest rumours, honestly), the rolling stopped.

Regulus lay underneath Barty, breathing heavily and rubbing the now forming bruise on his nose. Barty gave him a grin and picked up some snow, shoving it on Regulus' nose.

"No, why," was all Regulus got out before his mouth was also invaded by the evil clumps of frozen water.

Barty laughed and started playing with Regulus' half frozen hair, making the wet bits stick up into little spikes. "It's to heal your injuries, Reg, duh. I'm just being a nicely sort of friend." The injuries were mostly his fault, but who was really paying attention to that?

"The injuries were mostly your fault, you know," Regulus said. Right. He was obviously paying attention.

"Hey..." Barty stuck his fingers into Regulus' mouth and looked around. No snow! "Where'd it all go? You shouldn't be able to talk right now, mister."

"It melted, Barty." Regulus laughed as he grasped Barty's hand in his own, taking them out of his mouth. "My mouth is far too warm for snow to keep frozen, you know."

"Lies, I think your mouth is secretly a freezer, and you just don't want me to know." Barty leaned down closer to Regulus' face, so that they were lying chest to chest. "You're hiding your ice cream keeping potential, how very rude."

"'M not." Regulus squirmed under Barty. He could feel his friend's breath on his face, his heart thumping opposite his own, the stark contrast between the cold snow under his back and the warm body above him, the... mouth drool on his fingers. It was all very romantic, really, holding the hands of somebody whose fingers were covered in your saliva. Truly the stuff love was made of.

"I'll just have to see for myself, I think." Barty closed the gap between them, bringing his lips to Regulus'. Not one to take things slow, Barty impatiently pried Regulus' lips open with his tongue (not that Regulus really minded, he found). Regulus most definitely had anything but a cold mouth, most assuredly not good for keeping frozen objects, but Barty needed to make sure. For another few minutes. It might have changed temperatures, you know, to fool him. That throat-noise Regulus made definitely needed to be checked out, maybe a few more minutes would be needed.

The kiss was, unfortunately, broken apart when Barty's nose decided to ever so rudely interrupt them with a loud sneeze. Regulus pulled his face away, their lips making a highly attractive smacking noise as they were parted.

"Well then," Barty began, sitting up so that he was seated on Regulus' legs. "I suppose you are right, your mouth is an extremely unsafe environment for snow and other frozen items. As president of the Frozen Goods Society, I officially declare your mouth unfit for storing said frozen goods."

Regulus laughed. "I'm sure that is exactly what you were checking for, Barty."

"It was!" Barty replied defensively, poking at Regulus' lips again. "The snow has a right to know that going into your mouth will ultimately lead to a burning, fiery, painful death." Barty paused for a moment. Why were they laying on the ground in the first place…? He looked around for a clue, his gaze finally resting upon one of the forgotten jagged rocks, and he let out a maniacal laugh before jumping up and snatching it. "Victory is mine, Reg, I got the rock!" He gathered up some more snow and prepared another of his demon snow balls.

Regulus jumped up and ran, laughing as he was once again pelted with the rock-infested snow balls, sending quite a few of his own flying back at Barty.