AN: Bambi is probably one of the most pointless movies I've seen in my life. What is this story about? I have no idea and neither has Tom. Written for voldemortsheart/Clarisse, using their prompt from tumblr. It's not exactly canon, because I had to put Harry in there, but I tried to keep them both as canon as possible. Enjoy!
In the dark cinema
"I hate this idea," Tom made it known to everyone nearby, sitting down in his plush-covered chair. "You know I don't like... Muggle places," he added a little bit quieter, even though the chance anyone could understand him was probably below zero. This place was so Muggle he could smell the ignorance surrounding him.
"You promised," Harry replied simply, sitting right beside him and smiling at the lady in the row behind them. "And you know how much it took to let Mrs Cole allow us to come with the children, she thinks you're some Jack the Ripper kind of guy, I have no idea why would anyone think so..."
Of course Harry knew exactly why she thought so, he was the one to stop Tom's psychopathic attempts in the first place. Before Harry Tom's life was a stable line of misery, dark plotting and envy, but after Harry showed up at Wool's orphanage and had to stay in Tom's room - A rather unlucky coincidence for the poor boy, Mrs Cole said back then, I wonder how long he'll last - things began to change at breakneck speed and from that day on Tom was never certain what was about to happen. He hated it then and even now it made him uncomfortable at times, but he had to admitt a bit of chaos Harry brought into his life made it a little less boring.
He promised to go to the cinema. How could he not if Harry refused to ask for any other gift for his birthday? The cinema was small, airy and way too Muggle, but if Harry wanted it, Tom simply had no choice but to come with him... and a bunch of children from the orphanage. Harry was reckless at times, but he knew well enough how would it look if they came to the cinema together. Mrs Cole would never let them do it t begin with, but the people around were a bigger thread. The war was still raging on, both in the Muggle and magical world, but it seemed people still had enough time to mind business that wasn't their own.
Love is a song that never ends, a voice sounded all around and Tom was reminded roughly where he was. Life may be swift and fleeting...
He cringed. Merlin, why did he say yes? Why didn't he offer Harry something better? He might have nothing, not much after he gave Harry his grandfather's ring for Christmas - not bothering to tell him how he get it - but maybe there were ways of persuasion he could have used to avoid this.
"You should be grateful I didn't take you to see Gone with the wind, it's way longer," Harry whispered in his ear, his warm breath making Tom ticklish. "I would probably cry a lot watching it, I've heard it's very tragic."
"I could comfort you," he replied, taking his eyes off the screen on which a bunch of forest animals was rushing somewhere. It seemed there was not much talking to be expected.
Harry chuckled, trying to hold back his laughter. A lady sitting in front of them glanced at Harry rather reproachfully and Tom felt a sting of anger, but she turned swiflty enough to be spared.
He looked at the screen once again. The animals were welcoming a prince, but the prince was a... baby deer? Bambi was a deer? Tom barely stopped himelf from sighting. He was stuck here for the next hour watching a movie about deers. Who came up with something so stupid?
"Tom, it's so cute," Harry smiled at him, seeing the small deer scared by an owl. A talking owl for heaven's sake! "We should have a pet deer one day."
"I wonder where you intent to keep it," he ignored the we part, though he felt the pleasant warmth spreading in his chest. "Maybe in your bed?"
"If you won't come by often enough, I may consider it."
Tom gave Harry a quick kick in the ribs, letting him know what he thinks about this idea.
Bambi was trying to stay on all four legs and once again Harry turned towards the screen. Tom had no idea what was so fascinating about it.
What was this movie about? The scenes went on and made absolutely no sense for him - Bambi greeting the animals, Bambi chasing the rabits, Bambi seeing the rain for the first time. Merlin, there was even a song about rain! Drip, drip, drop, little April shower, Tom was sure the tune won't leave him for weeks... And that irritating rabbit! Why were people laughing at its remarks? Why was this happening? Tom felt like a stranger coming to a foreign land. These people... They were crazy.
"Tom, he's met a girl!" Harry decided to inform him, as if Tom was unable to see the scene himself. "Doesn't it remind you of us?"
"In which part?" He hissed threateningly, not able to see any resemblance.
"I don't know, maybe the part when I brought some joy into your miserable life," Harry wondered aloud. "Or maybe when you acted like a lovesick fool for at least three years."
"I didn't..." He tried to deny, but the angry lady turned around once again to silence them with a glance. Harry giggled seeing Tom struggle to remain calm.
"You did." Once again Harry leaned closer and breathed against Tom's neck; a shiver run down his spine. "See? Bambi's father is coming."
There was nothing to do, but to look at the new scene. Bambi's father - named The Great Prince of the Forest, how original - came and went on, not even talking. Tom was done with this movie already, but it felt unfair to only name Bambi's father who didn't even speak a word and not his mother, who seemed a rather decent creature... Oh no, something was happening. Did Bambi get lost? Tom felt Harry's hand on his sleeve... For heaven's sake, there were people all around... Why was he always like this? Not worrying what might happen if anyone saw them?
The grasp on his elbow got tighter; it was winter in the forest and he too felt a bit colder. Why did they have to hide in the dark cinema to share this moment?
"Tom, his mom..." Harry's voice sounded somewhat off and Tom saw tears in his eyes. "I thought it would be a happy story..."
"Maybe we should have chosen Gone with the wind then?" He suggested, reaching for Harry's hand and hiding it under his jacket. He added in a rtarher theatrical tone: "Nothing would be more tragic than this."
"Why are you always ruining the moments?" It was obious Harry wasn't that angry at him; if anything, his spirit just got lifted.
"At your service," Tom smiled mischeviously, trying not to look at his companion. "Any time you need me."
Winter was over. Bambi grew up and fell in love, though it wasn't that easy. There was a rival he had to fight and Tom smiled lightly, remembering that one time Abraxas Malfoy tried to give Harry chocolates with Amortentia. He regreted it soon after.
"Would you fight for me?" Harry asked suddenly, his fingers digging into Tom's arm. There was something strangely serious in his voice.
"Of course I would," Tom replied simply; there was no need to discuss it.
"Would you die for me?"
"I'm not exactly a fan of the dying part," he tried to turn it into a joke, but Harry wouldn't give him peace:
"But would you die for me?"
"I'd kill for you," Tom whispered back, his thumb making small cricles against Harry's palm trying to reassure him, to ease the absurd fear. There was no way they could die. Not if everything went according to plan.
"I... I'd die for you," Harry said with a trembling voice, taking his eyes off the screen and gazing at Tom intently.
"I wouldn't let you."
The forest was burning now, flames scaring Bambi and his friends. For some reason Tom thought whether he would sacrifice himself in that flames if it meant saving Harry. The answer was simple enough - there was no way for him to die so easily now. Besides, he would never allow Harry near the flames in the first place.
"Did you like it?" Harry asked softly, when the ending credits were rolling down the screen.
"I hated it." There was no need to lie; Harry would know if he tried to. "But we could see that other movie if you want to. The cinema... It's not that bad."
He felt Harry's fingers on his own and he knew Harry was smiling.
"I wish it could last longer," his first and only friend sighted, looking at the lights turning on.
"It will," Tom reassured him with a certainty that made Harry tremble. "I'll make sure of it."