#i don't know what i'm saying here i'm tired and still kind of loopy from the dentist lol

[justalittlebluetiefling]

It's interesting because Taliesin is talking about how Ashton's class is high risk high reward and I'm thinking about this because I recently hit episode 26 in my m9 rewatch, but that does seem to be how he enjoys playing. He's just very experimental and Caduceus may have been his safest character.

[psychangels]

Hi!! can i request a hfr fic? with the best sinlings peppermint and chai, maybe chais arm or music player is malfunctioning do she has to fix it and... idk maybe some deep convos happen !! thanks in advance 💕

this wound up being WAAAY longer than i originally planned. uh. whoops hehe. bc of that i'm gonna post it as its own separate fic to ao3, bc the reqs fic there is Specifically for the usual req length: ficlets

i hope u enjoy this very light angst ft. Slight backstory reveal

Peppermint yawns, stretching her arms up, over her head. As her arms fall, she grabs her iced coffee and takes a sip. Her eyes scan the lines of code in front of her. She's almost got this cracked...

A sudden knock from her door makes her freeze. Her eyes flick to the clock in the corner of the screen. 2:53 AM. Shit.

"Just lemme finish this, I've almost got it—then I'll go right to bed. Promise," she says as she hurriedly saves her progress, just in case.

Peppermint turns to see exactly who she expected: Chai. He's standing in the doorway. The expression on his face is unreadable. The best way she can think to describe it as is tired. 808 is hanging from his shoulder, her ears folded back. She hadn't even noticed her leaving her charging bed.

Usually, Chai would've said something by now. Or at least mumbled. But he's just...staring at her. His eyes glint in the light from her screen.

"Uh...Chai?"

Another moment of silence passes. Then, with a sigh, he walks over to her bed and sits down on the edge of it, facing her.

"I know you're, like, busy with whatever when you should be sleeping...but..." He trails off. His head falls forward, hiding his face from view.

"What is it?" she asks, turning her chair toward him.

Now that he's a bit closer, she realizes that he's trembling. He's breathing kind of heavy, too. Her brow furrows.

"I, uh...I think something's wrong..." "Did you—are you sick?" "No. Not, like, um...I don't think so." "Did you get hurt or something?" "No...but, er, my chest hurts..."

Peppermint's eyes widen.

"Your chest hurts? Where specifically?"

Chai tips forward, his head touching his knees. 808 whines as she hops off of him, moving to sit next to him. His hand moves to settle on his chest—probably in answer of her question. The problem is, she can't see where exactly it's at. Not from here.

So, she gets up, sitting next to him on the bed. She reaches towards him, but stops just short of actually touching him.

"Uh—can you sit up?"

After a moment, he complies. His eyes are shut. There's a sheen of sweat on his face. Most importantly, his hand is right on top of his core. Shit.

"Pull your shirt up and lie down," she orders as she gets up to grab her tools.

He mumbles some sort of affirmative.

When Peppermint sits back down, setting her toolkit next to her, she finds 808 curled up around his head. She's purring, her eyes squeezed shut. Peppermint frowns.

She must've felt that something was wrong thanks to their connection. Which means she likely woke him up if the pain didn't.

Turning her focus to the pressing matter at hand, she scrutinizes his core. It's not broken. All of the wires are still intact. Nothing is disconnected. So that means that the core itself isn't the issue. Which can only mean one thing...

However, Chai's player seems...okay. It doesn't look damaged. It seems like it's still moving around to the beat. But she wouldn't really know. And he seems too out of it to really explain anything.

Well. Only one way to find out what's wrong.

But she has no idea what sort of affect this will have. Maybe she should find a substitute or something first. But it's not like Peppermint just has MP3 players lying around, and she's not sure if her phone would work.

But...he seemed fine without it when he woke up after what happened in the LIFT tunnels a while ago. He was a bit loopy, but that was to be expected. Then again, though, they put it back in as soon as they could...

Peppermint sighs. She can't sit here thinking about it. He's in pain. She can—hopefully—fix that.

"I'm gonna have to take your player out. If you start to feel worse or something...tell me. Scream. Whatever."

"M'kay," he mumbles.

She carefully opens the core and removes it. The light inside dims a bit, but it's still glowing. She scans his face for any signs of...anything. He slowly opens his eyes.

"Huh...that does feel weird," he says. "Does it still hurt?" "Mmm...nah. Feels, uh...funny?" "Funny like...?" "Like, uh...like...I guess...normal. My old normal." "Is that...good or bad...?" "S'fine. Doesn't hurt."

Peppermint relaxes a bit. Then, she starts analyzing the player. It doesn't take long for her to figure out the problem: it's low on battery. Almost dead low.

"Have you been charging this thing somehow?" "No...? Dunno how I would. Why?" "...It's almost dead. But it's lasted for months now." "Oh. Huh. Weird."

The battery must just be completely dying, then. Which makes sense. This thing is old as hell.

As she pops it open to get the battery out, she asks, "How long have you had this for?"

"M'player? Uh...high school. Wait, no...junior high." "And you never replaced any of the parts?" "I did, couple times, whenever it started acting funny." Her brows go up. "I thought you weren't a tech guy." "I'm not really. Just looked stuff up online." "...Right. Should've guessed."

Battery removed, she inspects it to see what kind it is. Not that she's likely to have another one around, but she probably has one with similar specs.

Getting up, she grabs a bin of batteries from her shelf. Peppermint digs through it to find a suitable replacement.

"Got it as a birthday present. Gram and Jas saved up enough to buy it for me," he says.

She pauses for a moment. "Who's Jas?"

All she gets in response is silence. She sighs. Then, she turns to look at him to make sure he didn't die or something.

Chai's still breathing. Actually, he seems to be breathing at a more regular pace compared to earlier. He's staring up at the ceiling.

808's moved. She's got her head on his shoulder. She's still purring; trying to offer what she can. Peppermint will make sure they both give her plenty of treats after this.

After finally finding a replacement battery, she gets to work on putting it into the player. She has to make a few adjustments due to this one being a different kind, but it doesn't very long.

"You still doing okay?" "Yeah. Tired..." "I'm sure. You usually aren't up this late." "Mmm...why're you still up...?" "'Cause of you." He huffs. "Before." "Work." "Mm...go to bed after this, 'kay?" Now it's her turn to huff. "I'm fine."

Not even a second later, she yawns. Chai shoots her a cheeky grin. She rolls her eyes.

New battery in, Peppermint seals the player back up. Then, she tests to see if it's working. It comes back to life quickly. So, she returns it to its spot in his core, then seals that back up. The light inside of it grows brighter and starts pulsing.

His eyes go wide. "Woah." "What? Is something wrong?" "No! Just feels...different. But like, not bad different." "...Alright. Good. Now get back to bed." "Don't mind if I do...but you better go to bed, too." She sighs. "I will, I will..."

[justakon]

[ 📲 sms: ] i'm so incredibly lucky to know you. knew you. know you. it's late and language is failing me. things look blurry. [ 📲 sms: ] i wish you were here with me. but that would either lead to uncomfortable silence, tears, indifference or screaming or staring at corners. not good for necks, brains or hearts. the physical organs, not the metaphorical concepts. [ 📲 sms: ] i can't sleep. i blame you. but not really. more myself and this head. i can't blame you. i don't are you well? i'm tired. the head is awful. waiting for the meds to take effect and the room to stay still. please thank the dept at your side that extracted the ouabain for us. [ 📲 sms: ] i'm really glad to have you in my life. have? had? had had? even if it's from a distance now. i hope when our heads are better, that base of friendship can be rebuilt. base? foundation? is it intact? looks intact but hard to tell with the shadows and everything spinning. [ 📲 sms: ] thinking a lot of things about you i can’t say… i hope you're all right. i'm sorry I didn't mend the hem of one corner of your lab coat. the stitches are coming loose and hklo;hjjjjd,,,,,

🐝  *  ―  𝑭𝑳𝑰𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑬𝑿𝑻 𝑴𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑨𝑮𝑬𝑺.

                                his phone was blowing up. good thing he had kept it in silent otherwise he would have gotten unwanted looks from the ones who were in the labs at this hour. since it wasn't usual hours. and most of the world was dead asleep right then. but when he saw who the messages were from he visibly stiffened. eyes narrowing as he read each one that came in one after the other.

                                wow. it really looked like she was loopy from taking something-- drink? no. he didn't think so. maybe medication. okay yeah, that had to be it. but one thing was for certain. she was definitely all over the place. and most certainly uninhibited.

                                no. he didn't think it was good for them to be together either. for all the reasons she mentioned. that last message though, wait what??? did she even notice the hemming of his lab coat?!

                                dammit isane. why do you have to be so nurturing. he was annoyed.

                                ' i can take care of it myself, thank you. been doing it all my life. and you're not my mother. '                                 he mumbles at his phone with a scowl. but a part of him did appreciate her kindness. miss it even. and he wondered when things were going to be less how they are like right now. he knew it would take time.

                                with a long drawn-out sigh. he decides not to reply this time. and deletes every single one of the messages without thinking too much about it.

[tottymatsuno]

Who You Actually Are: Ichimatsu 1/2

Author: Roro (halfeviltotty)

Fandom: Osomatsu-san

Pairing: Ichimatsu x reader

Category: trauma recovery fic

Rating: T

Summary: fucked up cat boy gets locked in the looneybin

Word count: i dont count

Warnings: forced hospitalizations, forced sedation and realistic depictions of psychiatric wards.

Commentary: editing it now <3

Tch, those bastards finally did it. Ichimatsu knew this day was coming for years and was long overdue. It was just one public outburst too many, huh? Now he's in the crazybin with all of the other fuck ups.

Ichimatsu remembers attacking a few people and screaming nonsensical curse words but all in all it was a regular Thursday night in the city to be honest.

He'll be out very soon and when he goes home Ichimatsu is going to kill those idiots.

That's his first thought after he wake up two days later with the sedatives wearing out of his system.

"What's your name and date of birth?" Ichimatsu opens his mouth to bark out the answer at the scrawny piece of shit doctor and even tries to bite that sonvabitch for good measure. Within a few loud and violent minutes Ichimatsu is back off to empty dreamland.

This repeats a few times until they strap Ichimatsu down. Ichimatsu doesn't get it though, he thinks when he wakes up the 4th time. Ichimatsu's family doesn't react that way, his brothers knows he's actually harmless.

What kind of cat would he be if Ichimatsu didn't lash out when overstimulated?

"I'm just playing around why are they treating me like I'm dangerous?" Ichimatsu stares at nothing for hours in a blank room until someone comes in with a tray and cocktail of pills. There's a level of distance between Ichimatsu and this large and intimidating man.

"Please take these." Ichimatsu decides to cooperate this time because he finally understands being here isn't like home at all.

The person leaves right away without another word.

This happens a few more times over what feels like forever, the worst part is Ichimatsu is so fucking out of it he can't tell heads or tails how long it's been going on. He feels so loopy and tired, every now and then Ichimatsu is given food and then he sleeps and takes his pills and then eats again.

Finally another doctor comes in this time with three men who seem to be ready to sedate Ichimatsu again at a moments notice.

"Good morning, I'm Dr. Sato. Can you tell me your name please?" The doctor has a notepad and pen out.

"Matsuno Ichimatsu." Ichimatsu manages to slur out.

"Your birthday?" Dr. Sato nods and writes down some things.

"May 24th."

Ichimatsu manages to answer all of the questions and Dr. Sato seems very pleased by this.

"So Matsuno-san, I'm going to tell you what's happened since you've arrived. You were admitted on June 14th involuntarily due to a psychotic break. After that you were deemed still a danger to others so we have had to sedate you a few times. You've also been on a steady regime of Seroquel and Gabapinten which is why you're so sluggish right now. It should be taking it's maximum effect in a few days. Very soon we will be switching you from rapid to extended release to ensure your stability. And in a few days we will up the dosage according to your needs. If you could sign the consent forms for the continuation of your treatment here."

Ichimatsu's hands tremble as he grasps the papers. "Isn't this going a bit too far? Where's my brothers?" Ichimatsu is handed a blunt marker.

"You've had some visitors but as of yet we haven't determined if you can be seen by others. We'll see how you do in a few days, okay? Besides you should focus on getting better right now, don't you agree?" Dr. Sato says like he's speaking to an impatient child.

Ichimatsu signs the papers quickly and hands them back. "Ah, thank goodness. I didn't want to have the judge extend that order."

Ichimatsu pales and doesn't want to know what that means.

"Alright, since you're doing well right now we're going to do a few supervised trial runs to see if you can integrate with the other patients. If you behave we can let you out of solitary. Does that sound good to you?"

When did he start to sweat so intensely? Ichimatsu rapidly nods and the switch to his normiesona is switched back on. Ichimatsu has to pull this off carefully, he can't just force himself to act like a regular human being out of nowhere because that'd be suspicious. But he can't continue his regular behavior either.

He can vaguely remember the circumstances that lead him to be sedated multiple times, despite Ichimatsu not taking it seriously in those moments it's clicking into place that he might not be able to leave this facility unless he cooperates. The infringement on Ichimatsu's freedom starkly reminds him that being considered actually crazy and dangerous isn't fun like he thought it'd be.

He can't bathe, can't wash his hands with soap, they haven't given him a toothbrush or really any hygiene products. Ichimatsu is barely able to interact with anyone, he's all alone and purposefully isolated from the other people. Ichimatsu can't talk to anyone, can't vent, can't breathe, can't scream, can't walk around, can't eat what he wants, can't drink what he wants or when. Ichimatsu is at their mercy in this hospital.

Ichimatsu has to get the hell out.

Ichimatsu stresses over this conundrum the second Dr. Sato leaves. "Ah, thank you." Ichimatsu is then handed more pills by a large man, Ichimatsu instantly downs them. The cup of water goes ignored until a new voice speaks loudly, "You have to drink the water as well." Ichimatsu does as he's told without question.

The man then sticks his head out of the door and shouts something. This turns Ichimatsu's insides into knots because he took the pills?! Who's he calling over and why?! Ichimatsu is complying, he swears! Ichimatsu sits rigid as a male nurse steps into the room. "Hey, how are you?" This new interloper asks casually. "Good..." Ichimatsu forces a painfully fake smile like he's in high school again.

"Good to hear! I'm doing alright myself." The man from before is just standing there acting like he's not watching every move Ichimatsu makes as this new guy approaches him with an easy-going grin. Ichimatsu can feel the anxiety radiating off of the nurse though. "Alright, can you do me a favor and get undressed down to your underwear?"

The nurse places down something flat and blue on the bed Ichimatsu just awoke from. "You can get changed into these when we're done, don't worry this isn't anything weird. It's just standard procedure." Ichimatsu doesn't even know if he's still breathing when he takes off his hoodie. It's not as if he hasn't been in worse states lf undress before but the lack of choice makes Ichimatsu's skin crawl. Ichimatsu has never been forced to take off his clothes by himself, in uncomfortable situations Ichimatsu is one of a set.

Ichimatsu doesn't protest though. The two hospital workers watch with bored expressions while the nurse writes some things down on the clipboard Ichimatsu hadn't noticed until now. "Turn around please." Ichimatsu does just that. A few more things are jotted down before the nurse announces Ichimatsu is good to go and leaves. "You can get dressed now." Ichimatsu doesn't have anything else to say.

"Group starts in 5 minutes if you want to join." This man doesn't even know Ichimatsu and yet sounds irritated by his existence. Ichimatsu shrinks up and nods, "Yes."

"Alright, let's go." The man takes the small cups back and throws them away.

Ichimatsu trails behind the man as he looks around. The first real thing he notices is the groups of people standing around awkwardly, another he realizes that his clothes are different. Ichimatsu has never seen fabric this thin, "So these are paper scrubs?" Other people wear gowns but Ichimatsu has these scrubs on.

He asks this question to himself.

"Yeah. This your first time in a hospital?" The man asks while Ichimatsu drags his feel across the linoleum tiles. The grip on the socks makes his skin crawl.

Like he's being slowly choked out.

"Yes." It's dawned on him before but now it's upon him again that this isn't a game. Ichimatsu feels the severity but its not dramatic like he expected, instead it's surreal. It's depressing and he feels terrified. But he can't outwardly express that terror so he swallows it down with each gulp. Ichimatsu's labored breathing catches the attention of the man.

"That's right, just breathe in and out. Don't freak out." The words are spoken harshly but their meaning is kind. Ichimatsu doesn't understand any of this.

Ichimatsu thinks that movies didn't prepare him enough for this. It's not horror movie scary, not really. Ichimatsu enters the group therapy room and sees mostly adults older than him and only two other young people.

It's something else much worse.

The older adults Ichimatsu sees are clearly unwell and he trembles as he walks past them because Ichimatsu is judging their covers and the contents of these books are not something he can stomach.

There's an open seat next to you and Ichimatsu isn't surprised you don't make eye contact mostly because he refused to look and see in the first place. All he perceived was the shape of someone less threatening, and a plastic chair with no ass in it.

The therapist walks in obviously phoning it in and Ichimatsu notices the man from earlier hasn't left, he's actually lingering closely near Ichimatsu and another man shows up to block the door. They're treating Ichimatsu like he's actually scum and a criminal. This makes him sweat even more because Ichimatsu didn't have a good life at home, it had its trauma and Ichimatsu has had his hardship but it wasn't like they took him seriously.

Ichimatsu has faced consequences before but not as scary as this... What if they lobotomize him like they did in that movie?! Ichimatsu begins to panic until he feels a hand on his back rubbing it in circles.

This grounds him completely and when Ichimatsu looks up it's you next to him.

"Just breathe in." You inhale, "And now out." You exhale. The therapist notices and leads the rest of the breathing exercises while the man from before removes your hand. "No touching other patients, remember?"

Your hand is let go and you nervously smile, "I know, he just..." The man shakes his head and you cut yourself off.

"That's very nice of you to want to help the other patients, but these rules are for everyone's safety." Ichimatsu focuses in on the therapist and the meditation exercises that are being said until he calms down.

He can hear you work on your own breathing, after five minutes when Ichimatsu is calm the therapist continues.

"Alright, so today we're going to work on processing a bit. Can anyone..." This drones on and Ichimatsu tunes out pretty quickly. So does everyone else, Ichimatsu can see everyone staring dead eyed around, completely checked out of reality and he feels frightened.

You sit next to him, attentive towards the group. Each person goes across and says their name, an introduction and what they were brought in for and what coping skills will they utilize from now on. Ichimatsu doesn't get it.

Why are we clapping? Ichimatsu thinks as he copies the crowds reactions.

When he listens in to the depressing mumblings of the other patients Ichimatsu knows for a fact he doesn't belong here. Not really!

But then it's his turn to introduce himself, Ichimatsu jolts and pulls his legs up in the chair to his chest.

"U-uhm. I'm Matsuno Ichimatsu, the fourth son. I'm here because..." Ichimatsu mutters quietly out his own introduction, "I was told I had a psychotic break... And I." He strains to continue, "I plan on practicing good sleep hygiene from now on." Ichimatsu manages to force out.

There's a round of clapping for him and makes Ichimatsu feel uncomfortable because he didn't say anything special.

Wait, didn't Ichimatsu just depressingly mumble out his intro too? Ichimatsu rapidly looks around and studies the faces of the other patients. They're all sad older adults, yes...

But.

On closer inspection, Ichimatsu doesn't fear them as much anymore. Everyone here must feel the same anxiety as Ichimatsu since they're all in the same state as him. Because of this Ichimatsu finds himself hesitantly interacting with this group of people more. He answers a few times a couple questions even if Ichimatsu can't find his voice loud enough to project out the answer the therapist seems more than happy to paraphrase it for the others to hear and expand on.

When group is over it's lunch time, Ichimatsu stays in his seat hugging his legs until the man from before taps his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

How is he feeling? "A bit better, thank you..." Ichimatsu half lies softly.

"You think you can go to lunch with everyone else or are you ready to go back to your room?" Ichimatsu doesn't hesitate to shake his head yes.

"I want to eat lunch with everyone else." This is the first time Ichimatsu has smiled, and the man seems to grin in return. "Alright, let's go then."

On the walk over the man says some words that do terrify Ichimatsu with a how much relief he feels. "Glad you were able to pull yourself together, was afraid I'd have to tranq you again. I'll tell Dr. Sato about this, but I think tomorrow you'll be able to get out of solidary if you keep this up." His words are good natured, his tone casual and without malice. Ichimatsu is still quaking though.

"I'm glad..." Ichimatsu whispers. "What's today's date?" This question has been on his mind for a little bit. The man pulls down his sleeve to check his digital watch. "July 5th."

Ichimatsu swallows down his reaction and nods, "Thank you."

He's got to get the hell out of here.

The lunch room is too bright and yet dingier than he'd expect. There's scuff marks on everything, scratches from age and the walls haven't been painted in years, the tile is yellowed from lack of proper maintenance... And yet the fluorescent lights burn Ichimatsu's eyes.

There's a vague assembly of people waiting on one side of the room and Ichimatsu looks up to his shadow for confirmation he could stand with the others. The man shakes his head no and Ichimatsu stays where he is. "They're bringing up your tray right now so please wait a bit." The man tells Ichimatsu casually.

Names are called seemingly out of order, and Ichimatsu watches you walk over nervously to grab your own tray. You take a seat and Ichimatsu secretly hopes that there will be one empty near you.

Others seem to ignore your table and gather around to have muted conversations about the food. When it's Ichimatsu's turn your table has one seat left.

[twoidiotwriters1]

June, 1976 (WITT One-Shot)

A/N: If you want to remain in the taglist pls interact with this one-shot even if you haven’t read book 4-5 yet. A like or a comment is fine, the people who don’t want to continue reading obvsly do not interact and I’ll delete from the taglist :) -Danny

Words: 2,590

Series’ Masterlist

Emily was tired, but she'd spent all day overthinking and she was done, it was time to grow up.

She could hear Lily Evans' voice ushering Severus Snape away, he'd been coming around for several hours during the day trying to apologize, but he'd finally crossed a line.

"It's not your fault, you know?"

Matthew's voice caught her attention, he'd stopped at the foot of the stairs, one hand propped on the wall.

"Snape and Evans have been fighting for months now, I think it's because of what he's been doing with the Slytherins... you know, the cult stuff."

Emily averted her gaze to the fireplace.

"I know..."

Matthew hesitated, he'd promised himself that he wouldn't go back to being Emily's therapist, but something was different this time, it wasn't her usual kind of sulking.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him over her shoulder and frowned.

"I'm not the one who got called 'mudblood' by a close friend."

"No, you weren't," He admitted. "Which is why it's so strange to see you all sad."

"I'm not sad."

"Is this about James?"

He didn't want to know, but alas, he'd asked.

"No," She made a face. "I don't think I care about him that way anymore."

"It's easier said than done," Matthew crossed his arms, his shoulder now leaning on the archway of the stairs.

"What do you want, Ruddy?" Emily groaned.

"I don't want anything from you," The boy replied. "But I have the feeling that you need to talk."

"I do," She said. "Not with you, though."

Matt nodded, he sighed.

"Good luck, then, have a good night."

"'Night."

Emily watched him disappear up the stairs, she didn't know why, but the memory of his burning gaze before he kissed her came back then, his intense determination as he held her closer... That moment Emily had found herself unable to move away, to say no. She wished she had his courage to just do stuff even when he was intimidated by them, she needed that kind of bravery tonight.

Lily Evans entered the tower two minutes later, Emily stood up abruptly and the redhead came to a halt.

For a moment none of them spoke, then Lily's face showed tons of fatigue.

"What now? Is it your turn to call me a stuck-up bore because I didn't agree to go out with Potter?"

Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Can we talk?" She asked shyly. "I promise it's not a trick... I'm sorry."

Emily's behaviour towards her was usually hostile, tonight her voice was gentle, and even a little afraid.

"You're sorry?"

"I don't expect you to believe me," Emily continued, lowering her gaze. "I know you and Snape were close — I don't understand how can you like him... listen I suck at apologies, can't you just say it's alright so we can go to bed?"

Lily crossed her arms, standing straighter.

"No, I think I want you to try harder."

Emily groaned, she sat down heavily and started to think her words carefully, Lily inched closer.

"Boys can be cruel when they're not thinking — Anyone, really... I've been brutal myself — Matthew and I almost stopped being friends a few months ago, because I don't like talking about my feelings," She laughed dryly. "I don't know what is it about today that it just... I don't want to be a tormentor my whole life, let alone to someone who is... tolerable. I'm sorry for making your life a living hell these past few years."

Lily sat down, although she kept the seat between them empty to keep some distance.

"You didn't make my life a living hell," She replied. "I... can admit you're a bit clever... even likeable — that last match when you threw Lewis a bludger after he called you a midget... it was kind of funny."

"The boys walked me everywhere that week, they thought Ernest was going to try and get back at me," Emily bit her lip, but she was now smiling. "I mean, I lived in fear for days! Thinking he would spike my drink at some point with poison or something... Until Matthew cornered him outside D.A.D.A. class one day, poor Lewis... he looked so small in comparison..."

"Anyone looks small next to Matthew, he's a giant," Lily grinned. "Well, if it's any consolation, I was planning on murdering you in a much classier manner than poison, but since you've apologized, I guess I won't have to kill you after all."

Emily snorted, her eyes lingered on Lily, who looked like she'd been crying for most of the day, and yet still had enough energy to sit down and talk with the girl she'd detested for the last four years.

"Why are you being nice?" She asked in annoyance. "I mean I'm glad you're kind of accepting my apology, but I thought you'd be a bit colder, walking away before I could even finish..."

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Lily raised a brow, with the orange light coming from the fireplace her green eyes looked far more intense than usual. "If I'm honest, you should thank Remus... he's tried to convince me that you lot are far better than you look..."

Emily sighed, when she was young she'd do mischief for fun, but now that she was older, and considering all the weird stuff that was happening outside the school, she was starting to think that maybe her group of friends were indeed changing for the best.

"I'm going to be honest with you too, Evans," The girl took a deep breath. "Being the only girl in my friend group is turning out to be pure torture. I'm in desperate need of a girlfriend."

Lily's mouth twitched a bit, but she didn't laugh.

"What makes you think I want to be your friend?"

"Oh, I don't think you want to," She raised a brow. "But maybe if we're on good terms I'd be able to ask you for a tampon without having to swallow my pride first."

Lily did laugh at this, she shook her head. "Holy Merlin, Sultens, you're loopy."

"You would be too if you were seated next to Sirius every day!" She paused. "So... are you willing to make peace?"

Lily examined her carefully, four long years of quarrels sat between them, but a lifetime of friendship could be ahead if Emily was truly sorry. She was a nice girl, and really smart too, she was annoying only when she was taunting Severus, and he was no longer her friend.

Lily stretched out her hand.

"Very well, but if you go back the deal is over and we'll be less than strangers, understood?"

"Sure."

She retreated her hand before Emily could grab it.

"Hang on — this is not Potter's idea, right? You're not trying to be my friend just so I date him later?"

"Lily, if anything I hope you and James never date," Emily snickered. "Nothing personal, you're just way too good for him."

"...Alright."

They shook hands, she'd meant what she said about it not being personal. James was a boy, a very silly one at that, and even though they were really close friends, Emily was no longer a blind supporter of his doings.

Funnily enough, this seemed to be related to Matthew, she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss! Merlin, he was a good kisser...

She shook the thought away, now was not the time for nonsense.

"I'm very honoured to be your acquaintance, Evans," Emily grinned.

"Call me Lily. Only Professors call me Evans... and Potter, but you know I hate that."

"Got it, Lils."

July 1996

"...I don't think this is right," Mel tilted her head. "Brownies are mean to be brown... not pitch-black."

"You burned them," Harry was standing behind them with his arms crossed, clearly upset.

"How could you burn them, Erick? They were in there for five minutes!"

"Are you sure..." Erick stabbed the mixture with a knife and made a face. "Ugh — they're still liquid in the middle!"

"How the fuck did you do this?"

"I thought it would work just the same if I doubled the heat and put less time," Erick sulked. "Ovens are weird."

"This is why we told you to stay out of it," Harry replied. "You don't know how muggle stuff work."

"I do know!"

"Then why did you burn the brownies?"

"Don't fight," Mel intervened, grabbing the platter and throwing its contents away. "Oh well, at least we ruined my birthday cake and not someone else's..."

"That's not okay," Harry frowned. "You should have a proper cake."

Mel looked at him and grinned. "I'll eat yours, then."

"How's everything going in here?" Emily walked in, behind her Lupin followed.

"Uncle Lu!" Mel rushed over to his side and hugged him, the man chuckled. "You came!"

"Well, hadn't been around for your birthday in a long time, I thought you'd like it," He said, lovingly patting her back.

"I do," She beamed. "We kind of ruined the cake, though, so we should buy doughnuts or something."

"It's a good thing I brought this, then," Lupin lifted his bag and placed it on the table, inside there was a beautifully adorned red velvet cake.

"You just saved my birthday!"

Harry and Erick shared a moody expression and grumbled complaints, Lupin laughed.

"The kids insisted on doing the cakes this year," Emily explained. "I told them it was not an easy job, but they insisted."

"Mel and I have done this before, Erick was the one who wanted to be in charge when he can't even make tea without magic," Harry glared at him.

"Muggles stuff are too complicated, alright?" He huffed.

"I don't mind," Mel said without paying attention to them, she was still beyond happy with her uncle's presence. "I wanted to give my mum a break, Leggie's been a bit hard to handle lately..."

"Is he?" Lupin looked at the little boy Emily was holding. "Is he ill?"

"No, he just cries a lot," The woman sighed. "Wakes us up every night."

"I thought that forcing my mother to bake when she's clearly too tired to be doing anything apart from feeding a baby was a crime," Mel stated. "So I took care of it."

"Then Flint messed it up," Harry taunted.

"And then you fixed it, Uncle Moony," The girl smiled. "So there's no harm done, right boys?"

She looked over her shoulder, raising a brow as if urging them to stop bickering before they embarrassed her in front of Lupin. Both mumbled their agreement, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Lovely," Mel looked back at the adults. "Who wants lunch?"

Mel and Erick were in the kitchen talking in hurried whispers, she appeared to be upset, the young man too. Emily and Remus were in the drawing-room, Harry was upstairs changing Reg's diaper.

"Do you know why they're arguing?" Remus asked, staring at the pair.

"Dumbledore came by this morning before breakfast," Emily sighed, leaning her head back on the couch. "Talked about this mission he had for Erick — you know how eager to help that boy is... so of course the old man came and put his offer on a silver platter, and Mel won't let Erick go on his own, so being the generous soul Dumbledore is," She said sarcastically, "He said she could go too if she wanted to."

"Really?" Remus frowned. "Well... he's been giving her lessons for years, Mily, perhaps he knows she can handle it."

"I don't care," She said bluntly. "That's my daughter, my daughter. Matt's daughter. How can he continue to risk my family's life like it's nothing?"

"You know Matthew did all he that because he wanted to, Dumbledore had nothing to do with his decisions."

"I know," Emily took a deep breath. "But he's got a lot to do with Mel's... she idolizes him."

"You think so?" The man looked over his shoulder again, staring at his goddaughter.

"I don't see why else she'd be so keen to follow his orders..."

"Maybe because she feels guilty?" Remus offered. "After what happened in the ministry..."

Emily pressed her lips together, she didn't want to talk about that.

"That's not her fault and she knows it. I told her it wasn't."

"You weren't there," He said gravely. "She went out of control. I had never seen anything like it, her magic was dark— I mean that literally. All the spells she did came out pitch-black. Dumbledore was the only one who could put a stop to it."

Emily's eyes grew worried, she looked over her shoulder as well and her gaze landed on Mel.

"You think it could be the same thing that Ariana Dumbledore had? That disease?"

"No one knows what happened to her," Remus said. "Not even Matthew knew, and he was part of the family... but it could be. Maybe Dumbledore knows something we don't, maybe this will help her... perhaps she needs this."

Emily stayed silent for a moment, then she groaned.

"I hate that we're always meant to trust him blindly."

"He's lived a hundred years, he might be wiser than all of us, don't you think?"

The woman scoffed, she looked ahead, deep in thought.

"A hundred years... Matthew couldn't even make it to twenty-one! James and Lily barely did... Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban — But at least we all knew how the war looked like then, Remus. We fought for years... my daughter just turned sixteen, she still goes to school!"

"And yet she's already done her fair amount of fighting," The man raised a brow. "We didn't have the experiences she's gone through when we were her age. I stand with Dumbledore, she can do this."

"I'm not saying she can't," Emily grabbed the empty plates to take them to the kitchen. "I'm saying she shouldn't have to sacrifice her youth. Dumbledore asks for too much, I'm sure he's got someone else that could help him with the mission, but he's obsessed with making Mel his perfect copy."

Remus didn't try to argue back, little could convince Emily at this point, she'd never been a fan of Dumbledore, and after Matt's death it was no secret that she openly disliked him, but she still followed his orders, because she knew Dumbledore was the only chance they had to win this war.

Mel and Erick entered the room, neither of them angry, which made Remus think they had reached an agreement.

"I should leave," The man stood up. "Leon's been quiet, maybe Harry managed to make him sleep."

"Or maybe he's just playing with him," Emily stood up as well. "Really, I never thought Harry would get so attached to a baby..."

"I'll miss you, Uncle Lu, I hope to see you soon," Mel said, her eyes avoiding to look into Erick's direction.

"Me too, little Em," Remus hugged her tightly, he whispered in her ear. "Be good to your mother, alright?"

Mel looked at him with confusion, but she nodded anyway.

"So?" Emily crossed her arms. "What are you going to do?"

The young witch stared at her mother, Remus knew that expression. It was true and very strange, how she could have her dad's gaze even though her eyes were exactly like her mother's, but he knew that look, he'd seen it in Matt the last time they had spoken. Mel was done being a kid.

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @wlwmaximoff @reverse-hxlland @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​ @thelastpyle @hamiltonwc