Title: Comforting Burrito
Team: Caerphilly Catapults
Position: Chaser 1
Round: QL Daily Finish the Lyrics Competition
Prompt: Fearless
Additional Prompts used: NA
Bejewelled II: Obsidian
Prompt: (dialogue) "Why did you scream like that?"
Geek Pride Gaming: number 7 Don't Starve
Prompt: (prompt) afraid of the dark
Gotta Catch Em All: Dark- number 1 Umbreon
Prompt: Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle Jr
Gather Your Party: Bard number 10
Prompt: (action) confessing something
Scamander's Case: Murtlap, male
Prompt: (Weather) Thunderstorm
Easter Special: how a garden grows, caring
Prompt: (weather) rainy
Writing club: Quotations number 20; Founder says- Rowena says number 4; room of requirement number 8
Prompt: (Dialogue) "I punched myself because the thunder made me jump. I don't know how it happened." – Bex; "I knew I shouldn't have left my bed today."; (dialogue) "You do trust me, don't you?"
Word count: 1509
Betas: Lily
A/N Set in an AU where pairings and even family trees may be massively different. There is no evil Voldemort in this universe and therefore none of the prejudice present in canon. Allow your imagination to run wild with this series of tales.
Barty Crouch Junior and Tom Riddle Junior were very much in love. They were so sickeningly in love that they had even made anagrams out of each other's names. Tom Marvolo Riddle had become 'I am Lord Voldemort' or Voldemort, which Barty had recently taken to shortening to Voldy. Bartemius Crouch Junior had become 'Caro Jim Eunuch Burrito' which Tom liked to shorten to Burrito. The two of them were perfect together. They both preferred just to be in each other's company, which had started as the perfect friendship and had gradually become something more than just friendship. There was only one major problem. Well, Barty considered it a problem. Tom saw it as a healthy sense of self-preservation when he confessed to Barty what he was afraid of. Tom was afraid of the dark. And of thunderstorms. And dying. And most particularly of all, dying from being struck by lightning. Well, being afraid of dying wasn't that unusual, nor, he supposed, was being afraid of thunderstorms. Actually, now that Barty really thought about it, a fear of the dark probably wasn't that uncommon either. And he supposed that a lot of people had an irrational fear of something completely random. What was a problem was the way that Voldy refused to face any of his fears. And Barty had decided that enough was enough and he had to learn to face his fears. It was ridiculous that they still had to leave a light on at night because Voldy was afraid of the dark. Or that he would wear magical earmuffs whenever there was a thunderstorm. Barty was only afraid of one thing. That when the time finally came for them to leave this world that he would pass on to whatever came after and that Voldy, in his fear of death, would remain bound to the earth in a ghostly form. No, the time had come to do something about it because Barty couldn't bear an eternal separation from his beloved Voldy.
"Right!" Barty announced suddenly at dinner that night. "I know you think it's a load of rubbish, but I was watching the Muggle weather report on the television," Tom rolled his eyes, "and the weatherman said that there was a thunderstorm due tonight around midnight and despite what you say," Barty looked pointedly at Tom, "the Muggles are actually quite good at predicting the weather. They've got all sorts of fancy equipment these days and they can predict, even the ever-changeable British weather, with a fair amount of accuracy."
"Where exactly are you going with this?" Tom asked, trying to keep his voice steady and even and not betray any of the terror that he could feel rising up inside him at the thought of a thunderstorm tonight. Even though his Burrito knew all about all his fears he still hated to let anyone see his weakness.
"Well, tonight we're going to go out in the dark with the thunderstorm and face your fears," Barty said, carefully watching Voldy's expression.
"I knew I shouldn't have left my bed today."
"You do trust me, don't you?"
"Yes," Tom said, in a voice that was curiously high-pitched.
"It will be fine. I'll be with you. You can do this."
"Yes," Tom said again, still in that curiously high-pitched voice.
As it neared midnight, Barty Apparated back into their house.
"Right, I think I've found a good place to go for a thunderstorm tonight. Ready?" Barty asked, holding out his hand to Voldy. The power of speech seemed to have deserted Tom now that he was faced with going out to face his fear and he could only nod in response to his Burrito's question. "You do trust me, don't you?"
Still unable to summon the power of speech, Tom merely nodded again and took Barty's hand. Barty gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before turning on the spot pulling them both into the crushing blackness. Just as they felt they could no longer draw a breath, they found themselves standing on a road in the dark. The air was cool and fresh. It was very dark and Tom gripped Barty's hand tightly and felt the reassuring pressure of Barty's hand as he squeezed his hand back. They must be near a lake. Tom could hear the gentle lapping of little waves as they broke on the little beach. The sky above was almost completely covered in a thick blanket of dark angry clouds and Tom could feel the occasional drops of rain on his face and hands. There was a small break in the clouds in the distance, through which he could see the light of the waxing crescent moon that glowed eerily on the surface of the lake that Tom could make out between a break in the trees that surrounded the lake.
"There's a little path just over there," Barty pointed off to their left, "that leads down to the loch. It should help calm you to listen to the sound of the loch washing onto the beach." Barty turned and smiled at Voldy as the rain became heavier.
It didn't take long until they soaked through to their skin. Tom took several deep, steadying breaths and nodded. Barty led the way towards the little path to the loch as they heard the first rumble of thunder, causing Tom to flinch but he allowed himself to be led by Barty. They were almost at the end of the path when the first flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed almost immediately by a loud clap of thunder. A little involuntary whimper escaped Tom's lips, which had been tightly pressed together.
"It's okay Voldy, love, I'm here. Come on, you'll be fine. It's not that dark. There's a bit of moonlight peeking through a gap in the clouds and the lightning will light everything up too. There's nothing in the dark to be afraid of."
There was another couple on the beach who turned around as they heard Barty and Tom approach the beach. Barty in the lead, holding Voldy's hand tightly, who followed, rather reluctantly, down the path.
"Evening," Barty greeted, nodding at the couple on the beach.
"Evening," the other couple replied, nodding their heads at them.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" one of them asked as they passed by.
"I think so," replied Barty. "But this one," he tilted his head back in Voldy's direction, "is afraid of the dark, thunderstorms and dying. With a particular fear of being struck by lightning, of all things. So, we're out to conquer our fear, right?"
Tom made a high-pitched non-committal noise, wishing he was anywhere other than out in the dark of night, during a thunderstorm.
"Strictly speaking," the red-headed man said, "the odds of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million."
"See? Nothing to worry about," Barty said, then turned to the other couple. "Enjoy your evening."
"And you," the first man said as Barty led Tom along the beach a little way past an old tree, of which the roots were mostly exposed through erosion, as a loud clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning struck nearby.
"Burrito, please? Can we just go home?"
"It's alright Voldy, love. We're okay. Nothing bad is going to happen."
There was an ear-splitting clap of thunder as lightning struck the nearby old tree and Tom let out a blood curdling scream, rubbing his nose.
There was a crunching sound as the other couple came hurrying towards them.
"Is everything okay? We heard a scream," the first man said as they came to halt beside them.
"Oh yes," Tom said, his voice had that strange high-pitched quality to it again.
"Why did you scream like that?" the red-headed one asked.
"I punched myself because the thunder made me jump. I don't know how it happened," Tom replied and Barty burst out laughing.
"Well as long as you're both okay," the first man said. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Barty replied as the other couple disappeared into the darkness again, before he burst out laughing once more. "I can't believe you punched yourself because of the thunder."
"Shut up, Burrito!"
"I'm sorry, but it was funny and maybe now you'll have a funny memory of thunderstorms and won't be so scared. And you weren't struck by lightning and you're still here," Barty said, pulling Voldy in for a tight hug. Tom wrapped his arms around Barty and held on tight as there was another loud crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.
By the time the two of them left the loch half an hour later, when the thunderstorm had passed and the rain had eased slightly, they were both very cold and very wet. They wandered slowly up the dark path back towards the road.
"Thank you, Burrito," Tom whispered in Barty's ear.
"You're welcome, Voldy." Barty pressed a light kiss to Tom's temple as they wandered along the road. "But I think we should go and get warmed up now. I'm soaked…"
SPLAT…
