Coiled (Book 1 of 2)

The Gesture

It starts with a soft tapping at the window. Half asleep and splayed out on his bed with a half empty bottle of fire whiskey nestled in his arm, Barty's eyes flutter open.

More tapping, and more insistent now.

Sitting up and rubbing at his eyes, he turns and is met with the sight of Henry hovering right outside his third story bedroom window. Eyes narrowing, Barty huffs and curses under his breath as he scrambles up off the bed. Their eyes locking as he strides towards the window, Barty pauses for several seconds, glaring pointedly at Mulciber as he sets the bottle roughly down on the nearby table. As Henry blinks back at him, expression bored and unbothered, Barty reluctantly opens the window.

"What, Henry? What do you want?"

"Let me in. Let's hang out."

"I'm tired, Henry. And you've come too late. Go home."

Barty won't come right out and say it for what it is. He can't; it's far too exposing. But the fact of the matter is he's still quite hurt after the incident with Henry the other night. And now he's lashing back in his own way, determined to try his best to freeze Henry out.

Unfortunately, seeing him here like this ...

"Come on, Barty. Don't be like that."

Staring back at him coldly, Barty shifts from one foot to the other, "... Don't be like what?"

"You know what."

"... Do not."

"Let me in and we can talk -"

"- Go home, Henry!"

And with that, Barty scowls at him and quickly shuts the window. Rolling his eyes, Mulciber lifts his wand up in the air and waves it around.

A small pop, and he's apparated the short distance from out the window to Barty's side.

"... Why go through all the trouble of sneaking onto my property, levitating in mid-air in the middle of the night, and knocking on my window to wake me up if you're just going to apparate into my room anyway?"

Fighting back a smug smile, Mulciber brings both hands to his hips, "It's about the gesture."

"The gesture?"

"That's right, the gesture."

"... Always so bloody dramatic."

"You're one to talk! I'm not the one pulling faces and carrying on like a hurt girl."

Crossing his arms defensively at this, Barty leans towards Henry and hisses under his breath, "Will you keep your voice down? My parents are home."

For once.

"... At the other end of the house, yes."

"So?! If they ever heard -"

"- There's no way. It's too big a house. Even if it is a cottage compared to mine -"

"Watch it, Henry."

"Point is, they can't hear us. There's no way."

As Barty continues to glare at him, Henry sighs. Then, raising one eyebrow pointedly, he once again waves his wand, this time casting a silencing charm around Barty's room, "There. Satisfied? Now we can be as loud as we like -"

"- I was falling asleep, Henry. I'm exhausted."

Staring at one another, Henry suddenly shrugs and takes a step forward, pocketing his wand as he goes, "Well I'm awake."

Alright; here it is.

Stay strong -

Stay strong!

But Barty's hopelessly captivated with Henry, and he's finding it shockingly difficult to resist that attraction. 

And he looks unbelievably handsome right now, here like this -

Having reached Barty now, Mulciber stares at him knowingly as he reaches his hand forward and lightly tugs at the waistband of Barty's pyjama bottoms, pulling him closer. His lips now on his jaw, he whispers to him teasingly, "... Don't tell me you're actually sore about the other day, Crouch."

Breath catching, Barty struggles to keep his voice even, "No. Of course I'm not. Why would I be? We both feel the same way, we're on the same page."

"Then why the pouting?"

"I'm not pouting. No pouting."

"... Liaaaaar ..."

As he says this, he slips both hands beneath Barty's pyjama top, fingertips lightly tracing their way upwards.

God he smells so good ...

... Feels even better -

Though he bites at his lip to strengthen his resolve, Barty lets loose a soft whimper, his body instantly responding to Mulciber's touch.

"Come on, Barty."

"What?"

"Why can't we just have a good night? We've had so many good nights, why should tonight be any different?"

"I never said it'd be different. I merely said I was tired."

"Yet aren't you finding ..."

Pausing, he plants a soft kiss on Barty's neck, his teeth then lingering to nibble at him as his hands begin to trek lower, "... That you're less tired now?"

It's hopeless. Barty can't resist Henry.

He's just so damn sexy.

And it's not just the looks, though Merlins  -

It's the confidence, the arrogance, the manner with which he conducts himself;

It's the possessive touch;

... It's goddamn everything.

Eyes closing, Barty's own hands now betray him as they find their way onto Henry's sides, tugging him closer.

"Baaaaarty ..."

"Mmm?"

"I just asked you a question."

A soft moan from Barty as Henry now begins to slowly pull at the tie of his pyjama bottoms, "Repeat it for me once more?"

"You're not tired, right?"

"... I'm not tired."

"Exactly. Excellent. Now come."

And with that, Mulciber steers Barty back to the bed.