can't even run, can't even walk
Barty tossed and turned under the dark green quilt, hating the noises that echoed outside, hating the anxiety that was stirring in his stomach, and hating how embarrassed he was. He just wanted to sleep, and leave the horrible thunderstorm behind.
"Barty," hissed Regulus. "You're going to have to keep still. I don't want my mother finding out you're here."
It was the summer holidays of their fifth year at Hogwarts, and due to Barty's constantly failing relationship with his father, Regulus had agreed for Barty to stay with him at Grimmauld Place. The only problem was his parents—or more specifically, his mother. She wouldn't allow strangers into their house, even if they were a close friend. So Regulus had sneaked Barty into the house, promising that he could stay so long as he stayed in Regulus's bedroom.
Regulus would bring him food he squirrelled away from the table and keep him company through the day. No one else in the house was any the wiser.
"I'm sorry." Barty's voice was thick, and he kept his back to Regulus.
They'd got over the initial awkwardness of sharing a bed in the first week. Barty had offered to sleep on the floor, but Regulus wouldn't hear of it. They were just friends, so what was the harm?
It was comforting to Barty, to feel the heat of another person beside him, to hear the soft noises Regulus made when he slept, and to wake up with another person smiling and saying good morning. It was like nothing Barty had ever experienced.
But all the comforts in the world didn't seem to be helping him at that moment.
"Are you crying?" whispered Regulus.
"No, don't be stupid," grumbled Barty. As he spoke, the downpour outside thrashed the window even harder, and the dark bedroom was suddenly illuminated with a flash of lightning. A whimper escaped Barty's throat as a groan of thunder echoed outside.
They were quiet for a moment, the rain splashing against the window the only sound. Barty's breathing had sped up, and he had pulled the quilt over his head.
"It's the storm," Regulus said softly. "You're scared of the storm."
Barty said nothing.
"It's okay, you know." There was another crack of lightning, followed by an even louder rumble. "To be afraid of it."
Barty pulled away from his head, glaring at Regulus through the dark. "It's easy for you to say," he hissed. "It doesn't bother you."
Regulus propped himself up on an elbow. "Just because the thunder doesn't scare me, doesn't mean that other stuff doesn't."
Barty rolled so he was facing Regulus properly, but didn't reply.
"Do you want…" Regulus paused. "Do you want me to help you fall asleep?"
Even though it was dark in the bedroom and he could only vaguely make out Regulus's features, he knew that the other boy was blushing. He could hear it in his voice. "What do you mean?" Barty whispered.
"Just…" Regulus shifted nearer to Barty. He pulled Barty towards him, wrapping both of his arms around Barty's shoulders. Barty's cheek was pressed into Regulus's neck.
"What are you...oh…" Barty murmured.
"Just...be quiet, yeah?" Regulus whispered. His voice was unbearably close to Barty's ear, so that he could feel the heat of his breath on his skin. It made his stomach flutter.
"Yeah." Barty was prepared to keep his arms at his sides, not wanting to overstep too much, but when a particularly loud rumble of thunder reverberated through the bedroom, he flung his arms over Regulus's waist desperately, pulling him nearer.
"It's ok." Regulus's voice was barely even a whisper. He threaded the fingers of one hand through Barty's hair, and used the other to trace gentle lines up and down Barty's bare back. "You're safe with me. I promise."
Barty gasped as he tried to steady his heart, keeping his face pressed firmly into Regulus's neck, breathing in the soapy smell that lingered there. His hair tickled Barty's cheek, and the fingers on his back made him shiver pleasantly. He tried to focus on those things, the things that were making him feel comfortable.
After a while, the thunder didn't make Barty jump as much as it did at the start of the night. Sleep still seemed a distant way away, but he didn't mind. Even after the rumbling was far away and the rain had been reduced to a gentle pitter-patter on the window ledge, Regulus didn't let go of Barty.
Barty hoped he never would.
Written For:
- August Auction Day 10, Auction 1: (location) 12 Grimmauld Place
- Assignment 3/Mindfulness & Meditation Task #4: Write about someone having trouble falling asleep.
- Summer Quarterly, Sides: 10. Watermelon Feta Salad - (trope) sharing a bed
- Writing Club/Showtime: 14. (plot point) Making a promise
- Writing Club/Film Festival: 11. (colour) Green
- Writing Club/Amber's Anime Adventure: 13. (emotion) anxious
- Writing Club/Artist Appreciation: 20. (weather) Downpour
Word Count: 752
