Written for the 'Valentine Drabble Collection Competition' on HPFC by Cheeky Slytherin Lass.

Pairing - Barty/Bellatrix

Prompt - Red

Rating - T

Warnings - Violence

Seeing Red

There was nobody in the entire world that Barty Crouch Jr adored more than Bellatrix Black.

The way that she talked to him, the way that she moved towards him, the way that she looked at him with her maniacal black eyes. She was the most frightening woman he had ever met, but he found himself enjoying the thrill of being in her presence.

He'd always been the type of person who could stand up for himself. He was a leader rather than a follower. But being with Bellatrix… he'd do absolutely anything to please her.

He knew that his obsession with Bellatrix was unhealthy, but she was an addiction. He found himself drawn to her like a magnet.

They were on a Death Eater mission together – just the two of them. Embarrassingly, Barty couldn't keep the grin off his face. Their mission wasn't anything exciting. They were only observing a group of Order of the Phoenix members, trying to listen out for anything that they could report back to the Dark Lord.

"I'm bored," Bellatrix drawled, leaning back against the wall and rolling her eyes. She studied her fingernails as though looking at them would ease her boredom.

Barty swallowed and stood up straighter – was he not interesting enough for her? The thought of her finding him boring made his heart ache painfully in his chest.

"We should do something, then," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He watched her peer over her manicured nails to look him up and down emotionlessly.

"Like what?" she demanded, almost mockingly. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"What is your favourite thing to do?" he asked. Her face cracked into a grin and she moved towards him. His breath hitched in his throat. Was she going to kiss him? He hoped so…

Bellatrix giggled softly into his ear and breathed hotly against the back of his neck. "I love torturing people," she whispered.

Barty moved his head so that he could see her face. He'd never seen her look more alive than in this moment. He felt an intense desire to please her.

"You should… show me," he replied quietly, keeping his eyes on hers.

"Let's find an unsuspecting Muggle, then," she said eagerly. Barty grabbed her wrist hard, digging his nails into her skin.

"I want you to torture me," he murmured, dropping his gaze to her lips. She bit her lip seductively and smiled.

"You don't know what you're asking for," she said.

"I want to make you happy," he replied, pushing her backwards and dropping to the ground in submission. He wasn't sure why he was asking her to do this, and he wasn't sure why it turned him on so badly, but he just knew he needed it.

He watched in silence as she reached for her wand. A smirk danced on her lips as she raised her wand and pointed it towards him. "You're more fun than I thought, Crouch," she purred.

Those words were what he'd been waiting to hear. He smiled back at her menacingly and readily awaited the coming pain.

"Crucio!"

All he saw through the excruciating pain was red. It surrounded him, engulfed him, drove him crazy. He was finally content.

~The End~