Written for the "Whose Fic Challenge" (Anniversary 2013) at daydverse . livejournal . com. Based on the DAYDverse by thanfiction.
Prompt: millennium celebrations, fireworks, future
His back ramrod-straight, Justin stood to attention as the first fireworks leapt from the London Eye to light the night sky, on this first night of the new Millenium. He stood perfectly still. An RAF officer cadet did not flinch at loud noises. A trainee Auror did not cower from bright lights. The Viscount of Reidhaven did not give in to panic.
It was all very well to say so, but in truth only a lifetime of control, and those phrases repeated like a mantra, held Justin in his place. He'd heard of shell-shocked soldiers suffering panic attacks when exposed to fireworks; nothing shameful in it. But he couldn't give in. He had no right to give in, not when he'd seen so little of the battle, of the war, compared to the rest of the DA. He had to stay strong.
He had to remember that these lights, these bangs, were not a sign of battle at all. They weren't hexes and curses, they were just fireworks. A celebration. A symbol of joy, of hope for a bright future. For the future that must surely be ahead, for both his worlds. The future he was working for, the future the DA had fought and died for. The future that he must help bring about, no matter what it cost him.
Justin took a deep breath, repeated his mantra once more, and stood - if possible - just a little bit straighter.