(Untitled)

[everseclusion]

Date: Monday, June 11th
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Hogwarts, Spinner's End in time
Characters Involved: Theodore and Juneau
Rating: PG for now

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[sightlesswolf]

Odds to evens, June decided, whether coming to work today had really been such a good idea.

On the one hand, she really hadn't wanted to remain at home any longer, with nothing to do but brood in misery. She'd needed to get out, be active, be doing something normal.

On the other hand, today had been... a trial, to say the least.

Trying to keep her mind strictly on the 'here and now', and not let it start straying down dangerous paths that might lead to bad things like breaking down crying in front of the students, had been a nonstop battle. She and Severus had scarcely spoken to one another all day barring whatever was necessary for class - hell, they'd barely looked at each other. Each knew what was foremost on the other's mind, and neither needed the reminder. So the entire day had been spent in a sort of a stuffy, awkward, painful fog. For his part, Severus had been twenty times harder on the students than usual, finding plenty of outlets for his anger in that direction regardless of House or family name. And June hadn't

[everseclusion]

Theodore looked up at the soft calling of his name, catched Juneau's gaze with his own, and a faint light of recognition appeared in his eyes. Instead of saying her name in answer, he walked up to her, slowly, looking down into her...

Her eyes, she had eyes, and even though she had told him not too long ago, the fact still completely caught something off-guard in his chest. A hand reached up to brush the skin next to her right eye.

"You realise blue is not intended to be a warm colour?" he murmured as he stared into her eyes, his own steely blue-gray. Colder, he knew without a doubt.

There were other changes, he absently observed, but none as striking as her eyes. The hair suited her, reminded him of pixies, playfully mischievous, and he smiled minutely at the thought.

Another second passed before he, quite suddenly, pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her hair, needing the sensation of being close.

"I've returned to a time of madness, haven't I," he whispered. It wasn't a question.

[sightlesswolf]

When his fingers brushed her face, June went still, much as she might had a butterfly alighted on her skin. She knew there was still scar tissue there, but she couldn't be self-conscious about it, not when it was so much less than it had been. She gazed back at him, wondering what to make of his comment - not feeling her usual self at all, or it probably would have warranted some sort of cheeky comeback.

Before she could come up with anything, he caught her off guard, pulling her close all at once. Being a naturally affectionate person, June was used to greeting friends with a hug, but this was different. Maybe because of the desperation she could feel in his embrace, almost clinging. Maybe because of the circumstances - because this was something that she needed so badly, after the horror of the last several days, after the stress of getting through today. Whatever it was, June felt something deep inside her... crack. Not quite breaking, but threatening to. And she found herself clinging to Theo as tightly as he clung to her

[everseclusion]

"Hush, valiant Juneau," Theo soothed, whispers lightly ruffling through strands of both their hair. Her shudder made him hold her a little tighter for a short, breathless moment, before he eased his harsh grip on her, wandering hands and fingertips over her back attempting to calm her.

And, at the same time, free her from the barriers she was holding high and strong so obviously. Ever sensitive to the feelings of those close to him, he could feel hers clearly, not as if it were a feeling of his own, but a layer over said feeling, a shadow of a mirror.

"There is no shame to be found in certain tears," he merely murmured into the air, quietly and gently urging her to let go. One of his hands settled in the low of her back, while the other found its way to the back of her neck, fingertips still softly moving.