bug - @rosekillermicrofic - word count: 250
The question came from literally nowhere as Barty and Pandora walked up to the castle from their Care of Magical Creatures lesson; the only lesson they had together without the others.
Shocked, Barty turned to Pandora with a furious expression. "What the fuck? No!"
"Evan thinks you are," Pandora shrugged, looking completely comfortable with the decidedly uncomfortable conversation.
Shame and anger seeped through Barty's veins. "Why?" he asked softly, already knowing the answer.
"You won't be around him when he's with Alan. When they're kissing or holding hands, you get mad, Bee. He thinks-" Pandora started, eyes empathetic but beseeching.
"It just bugs me," Barty grumbled, looking down and kicking at a rock. "They're so..."
"Gay?" Pandora supplied, tilting her head to the side.
"No! It's not that!" he fumed, turning away.
He was quiet. Because he knew the answer, but to say it out loud made it real.
The honest truth was that it wouldn't matter who Evan was kissing. It mattered that Evan was kissing someone that wasn't him. And he didn't want to admit how mad it made him.
But of course, Pandora was as annoyingly perceptive as usual and quickly interpreted the silence.
"Oh?" he asked grumpily, cringing internally.
"Barty, you should know...Alan wasn't his first choice," Pandora said gently.
It took him about five seconds to realize what she meant. But when he did, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to get back to the castle.