RotM: Breaking the News.
ooc and FYI regarding this fic... This is a scenario that I am NOT planning on doing any time soon. It was just an idea that latched on and wouldn't let go until it was written...
Prompt: Write a prompt of your muse interacting with another muse in their life, years from now, where your muse is telling someone something that they don’t want to hear.
Helplessness was one of the worst feelings a person could feel. Remus knew this well enough, and had learned that from a very young age. It never got any easier to deal with, and it would always leave him floundering while trying to figure out what to do and how to deal with the situation in hand.
Right now there was just nothing he could do while his wife dealt with the helplessness that she herself was feeling.
"There has to be something," she said as she kept looking into cabinets, moving things aside as she kept looking for something that he doubted she even knew what it was. It was just giving her something to do. "Maybe one of the ingredients I used wasn't strong enough. I swear, when I see that man I got them from I will give him a piece of my mind, and--"
"It was not that."
She didn't say anything. Remus watched her, silent as well, before walking to her and gently taking her hands in his. "Dora," he said softly, trying to meet her eyes, "the wolfsbane is just not working anymore." He could see it so clearly in her eyes, how his words cut straight into her but how she kept telling herself it wasn't true. How it couldn't be true. The wolfsbane potion was, after all, the only thing she could do to help him when it came to his transformations. Other than that she could only comfort him when he became ill every month, when his body would ache for days after the transformation, when the wolf took over and his self wouldn't exist anymore...
Now there was nothing that could help. There was nothing that she could do to help, and it was hurting her in a way that it was breaking Remus' heart, but he couldn't keep this a secret. She would start noticing when the transformations would grow more and more violent. She would start seeing him every morning after a full moon bloody and mangled because the wolf would insist on human prey and he would isolate himself in a way that the only solution for that frustration would be to bite and scratch himself.
She was going to live through the horrors he had figured - he had fervently hoped, actually - she would never have to see. It made him feel sick, but he didn't show it; he just remained calm. He had to. For her, and for their family.
Merlin, their children...
"You're wrong, Remus." Her voice was so small but so determined that something lodged itself in Remus' throat as she looked up to meet his eyes. Those dark eyes that were usually shining with happiness were now shining with something else, and how he wished he could just...change things. She didn't deserve to live through this. "Next full moon I'll prove to you that it was the potion. I must have done it wrong--"
"It has always been perfect."
"Then there has to be something I didn't add this time, or I didn't brew it long enough--"
"Dora. It was flawless... You know that." He caressed her cheek softly as his hand moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and it was his touch that made tears spring to her eyes even if she stubbornly refused to let them fall. "Love, you know that your potions are flawless."
"I could have made a mistake!"
"You could have," he conceded with a very small nod, his voice still calm and leveled, "but you didn't. My body simply does not accept it anymore. Perhaps this is something that happens after years of taking the potion." This was the hardest part to say. Which was hard to believe, after everything he had already said. "Dora, I am... For a werewolf, I have already lived many more years than I expected to."
"No."
He continued just as calmly, "It could be that my body is just...tired. Of the potion, of the transformations... And if it is that then we have to be ready--"
"No," she said as she pulled back, eyes flashing. "Don't you dare, Remus Lupin. That is NOT it."
Remus stayed silent again, leaning against the kitchen counter. It was no lie that he was starting to grow more and more tired and ill with each transformation. In his wolf form he was fine, but his human form was getting more and more worn out. Fighting wars had done that. Dealing with transformations throughout most of his life had done that, and now he didn't know how much longer he could endure more bones breaking and adjusting, and skin stretching, and just...everything month after month. Last night it had been a full moon and now, twenty four hours later, his body was not even close to starting to feel better. There was a pain all along his body that seemed to be bone deep, and part of him was starting to wonder if this was how it was going to be from now on. Until...
"How can you be so bloody calm?" Her question snapped him out of his thoughts, and he had barely gotten a chance to turn to look at her when she had already broken the distance between them and had taken a hold of the front of his robes. She seemed desperate to hear him say that he was lying. She seemed desperate to try to find another solution, because she could not be losing her husband. She just couldn't be. The thought of him dying while she could do nothing but watch made her blood run cold and the tears finally fell. "We have children, Remus. They need you, and I need you, and you sound like you've just...given up already!" She took a breath, trying to stabilize her voice. "There was the wolfsbane before; maybe there's something else now. There has to be something else."
For a moment he didn't say anything. He just gently wiped away her tears before he placed his hands on top of hers. "There might be, but if there is nothing then we have to be ready, Dora." His eyes started to sting then, but he continued as he braved a small smile. "You have given me more than I ever thought I would ever have. Our children are beautiful, and I have watched them grow. And all these years we have been together we have been so happy... For a man that once figured he had nothing left, and for a werewolf that figured he would never have a family, I have been very fortunate to have all I have right now. I don't like this any more than you do," he admitted as he gave her hands a small squeeze, "but we knew this day would come one day."
Dora seemed to crumble then, but she just let go of his robes and buried her face in the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms securely around her. "I hate this," she said suddenly, her voice muffled because she wouldn't move from her spot. "I will be with you, whatever happens, but it is not fair for you. You deserve so much better, Remus. You have already lived through so much..."
Gently kissing the top of her head, he tightened his hold on her a little but didn't say anything because she would not like it if he were to voice how he thought it wasn't fair that she had to be put through this. How it wasn't fair that she would have to live with his curse as much as he was. 'This was what I wanted to protect you from,' he wanted to say, but didn't.
She was right, however. It wasn't fair.
But, then again, since when was a curse fair?
Prompt: Write a prompt of your muse interacting with another muse in their life, years from now, where your muse is telling someone something that they don’t want to hear.
Helplessness was one of the worst feelings a person could feel. Remus knew this well enough, and had learned that from a very young age. It never got any easier to deal with, and it would always leave him floundering while trying to figure out what to do and how to deal with the situation in hand.
Right now there was just nothing he could do while his wife dealt with the helplessness that she herself was feeling.
"There has to be something," she said as she kept looking into cabinets, moving things aside as she kept looking for something that he doubted she even knew what it was. It was just giving her something to do. "Maybe one of the ingredients I used wasn't strong enough. I swear, when I see that man I got them from I will give him a piece of my mind, and--"
"It was not that."
She didn't say anything. Remus watched her, silent as well, before walking to her and gently taking her hands in his. "Dora," he said softly, trying to meet her eyes, "the wolfsbane is just not working anymore." He could see it so clearly in her eyes, how his words cut straight into her but how she kept telling herself it wasn't true. How it couldn't be true. The wolfsbane potion was, after all, the only thing she could do to help him when it came to his transformations. Other than that she could only comfort him when he became ill every month, when his body would ache for days after the transformation, when the wolf took over and his self wouldn't exist anymore...
Now there was nothing that could help. There was nothing that she could do to help, and it was hurting her in a way that it was breaking Remus' heart, but he couldn't keep this a secret. She would start noticing when the transformations would grow more and more violent. She would start seeing him every morning after a full moon bloody and mangled because the wolf would insist on human prey and he would isolate himself in a way that the only solution for that frustration would be to bite and scratch himself.
She was going to live through the horrors he had figured - he had fervently hoped, actually - she would never have to see. It made him feel sick, but he didn't show it; he just remained calm. He had to. For her, and for their family.
Merlin, their children...
"You're wrong, Remus." Her voice was so small but so determined that something lodged itself in Remus' throat as she looked up to meet his eyes. Those dark eyes that were usually shining with happiness were now shining with something else, and how he wished he could just...change things. She didn't deserve to live through this. "Next full moon I'll prove to you that it was the potion. I must have done it wrong--"
"It has always been perfect."
"Then there has to be something I didn't add this time, or I didn't brew it long enough--"
"Dora. It was flawless... You know that." He caressed her cheek softly as his hand moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and it was his touch that made tears spring to her eyes even if she stubbornly refused to let them fall. "Love, you know that your potions are flawless."
"I could have made a mistake!"
"You could have," he conceded with a very small nod, his voice still calm and leveled, "but you didn't. My body simply does not accept it anymore. Perhaps this is something that happens after years of taking the potion." This was the hardest part to say. Which was hard to believe, after everything he had already said. "Dora, I am... For a werewolf, I have already lived many more years than I expected to."
"No."
He continued just as calmly, "It could be that my body is just...tired. Of the potion, of the transformations... And if it is that then we have to be ready--"
"No," she said as she pulled back, eyes flashing. "Don't you dare, Remus Lupin. That is NOT it."
Remus stayed silent again, leaning against the kitchen counter. It was no lie that he was starting to grow more and more tired and ill with each transformation. In his wolf form he was fine, but his human form was getting more and more worn out. Fighting wars had done that. Dealing with transformations throughout most of his life had done that, and now he didn't know how much longer he could endure more bones breaking and adjusting, and skin stretching, and just...everything month after month. Last night it had been a full moon and now, twenty four hours later, his body was not even close to starting to feel better. There was a pain all along his body that seemed to be bone deep, and part of him was starting to wonder if this was how it was going to be from now on. Until...
"How can you be so bloody calm?" Her question snapped him out of his thoughts, and he had barely gotten a chance to turn to look at her when she had already broken the distance between them and had taken a hold of the front of his robes. She seemed desperate to hear him say that he was lying. She seemed desperate to try to find another solution, because she could not be losing her husband. She just couldn't be. The thought of him dying while she could do nothing but watch made her blood run cold and the tears finally fell. "We have children, Remus. They need you, and I need you, and you sound like you've just...given up already!" She took a breath, trying to stabilize her voice. "There was the wolfsbane before; maybe there's something else now. There has to be something else."
For a moment he didn't say anything. He just gently wiped away her tears before he placed his hands on top of hers. "There might be, but if there is nothing then we have to be ready, Dora." His eyes started to sting then, but he continued as he braved a small smile. "You have given me more than I ever thought I would ever have. Our children are beautiful, and I have watched them grow. And all these years we have been together we have been so happy... For a man that once figured he had nothing left, and for a werewolf that figured he would never have a family, I have been very fortunate to have all I have right now. I don't like this any more than you do," he admitted as he gave her hands a small squeeze, "but we knew this day would come one day."
Dora seemed to crumble then, but she just let go of his robes and buried her face in the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms securely around her. "I hate this," she said suddenly, her voice muffled because she wouldn't move from her spot. "I will be with you, whatever happens, but it is not fair for you. You deserve so much better, Remus. You have already lived through so much..."
Gently kissing the top of her head, he tightened his hold on her a little but didn't say anything because she would not like it if he were to voice how he thought it wasn't fair that she had to be put through this. How it wasn't fair that she would have to live with his curse as much as he was. 'This was what I wanted to protect you from,' he wanted to say, but didn't.
She was right, however. It wasn't fair.
But, then again, since when was a curse fair?