[ducks down a little to look her more seriously in the eye, taking a deep breath like he’s about to confess some life-changing secret to her] Hey.  What the fuck are you on about.  What’s going to be shit?  I’m just having fun.

Do you or do you not remember getting flat-out rejected by the person of questionable moral character that you are currently ogling?

[stares at her for a good long second, eyes a little unfocused but still trying as hard as he clearly can, finally answering slowly] Um…  Quidditch?

No. I mean–– yes, that’s true, but...no. Work with me. [puts a hand on his chest for the sole purpose of trying to make him focus a bit] Self-respect. It was shit last time and it’s going to be shit next time if you keep barking up the same tree.

[blinks at her, just buzzed enough to really not know what she’s getting at] You what?  Are you… not having a good time? 

[catches him by the wrist and turns him so that Sirius is obscured from his line of vision, looking at him like he was equal parts truly insane and possibly messing with her] What do I always say is the most important thing?

[he’s about to respond immediately when a peal of laughter interrupts him from the other side of the room and he’s perking up to crane his neck and see the source - finding Sirius, of course, and the stupid heart-eyes induced glaze over his face has only increased tenfold when he looks back down at Emma, grinning as he takes another sip of his very alcoholic drink] Hm?  What look?

I don’t.....believe you. I don’t. I don’t know why I’m here. I think I’m actually going to upgrade you to horrifying.

[Remus is already fairly buzzed on punch, having come home an hour before expecting a quiet night with just a few friends to a bonafide surprise party that he genuinely hadn’t been expecting.  He’s got that dopey, dazed by his own happiness look on his face and a self-refilling glass of spiked punch in one hand as he wanders around the busy flat mingling] 

No, I was completely surprised!  That stupid look on my face was most definitely not for show.

That’s not the stupid look I was referring to. Pick your jaw up off the floor.

[fights against his instinct to lean into the touch and loses, but is able to shake it at her question. His expression falls back into the exhausted one that he had thought was permanent since people had started showing up, and he offers her a half-hearted shrug] Yeah. I guess I do.

[holds a hand down to help him to his feet, knowing that it’s both the least and most she can do for him in the moment] I find that things tend to fall into place when you’re doing what you have to. Let them be there for you. They mean well, and this is one of the only times that actually counts for something.

But the rest of the werewolves don’t deserve that attempt at getting to know them as people outside of one night a month?  You realize the only thing separating them from me was that Dumbledore managed to sneak me in and get me an education, yeah?

An education and the sheer fact that you’re not the one behind four families having to bury their children this week.

[he couldn’t be less phased by her reaction] Just trying to help, Vanity. Might want to get that looked at. You’re already in a hospital.

We’re in a hospital, so it’s probably pretty routine for people to cry out in pain, yeah? Nobody would come running right away if I started poking at your bruises?

[leans as far towards her as he can, staring intently at her forehead] I think I can just make it out. Oh wait- nevermind. That’s… I’m not sure what that is. [pulls back just to give her a look] I knew you wanted me out of here.

[Directly, and with absolutely no preamble] Fuck off.

[he shrugs and heads for the door, but pauses, hovering with a hand on the handle] Can you get home ok?

[waves a hand and waves away the question, looking tired and not realizing that it’s the first time in a long time that she’s not thinking of ‘home’ and ‘the townhouse’ at the same place–– and instead answers automatically as if he’d been talking about her parents’] They’re not expecting me there until eight but I’ll figure something out.

So it’s really weird. Did you shave part of your head or something to get it so it’d be covered constantly? [rolls his eyes] She’s my friend. She’d spare me. Just face it, you’re not gonna get to me in the hospital. 

It’s straight across my face in invisible ink. [looks put out and doesn’t realize the possible sentiment in what she says next] Fine. Well hurry up and get better, then. You have too much protection in here. It’s like a conspiracy.

[looking just about Done with everything] Right.  So you can see why I’m not terribly invested in your objective opinion on werewolves when you can’t even say with a straight face that you’re not afraid of me, your friend? 

You’re my friend. Doesn’t mean I’d pop over during the full and ask you to get a pint.

Certainly not what it sounds like. It’s got to be somewhere weird. [shakes his head] You’re forgetting I’ve got Miriam looking out for me. She’d never let that happen.

It’s not–– I don’t even know why you’d think that. It’s not...so weird. You’re the weird one. [scoffs] Miriam is tiny and cares about making other people happy and only speaks in soothing, chirpy tones. I could definitely convince her to at least shave your head.

There’s really not since I’m pretty I’m only bleeding in my eye and that might count as internal too, but whatever you need to tell yourself. [tries to dodge her hand, but it’s not like there’s a lot of places he can go] Too many concussions and you never know what’ll come out of it. [grins] Are you embarrassed? I swear I won’t judge… unless it’s a tramp stamp, then a little judging.

I am not embarrassed. I just think you’d have seen it by now if it was meant to be seen. [doesn’t even realize that she’s taking a seat next to his bed] In what universe do I strike you as the tramp stamp type? Hurry up and fall asleep again; I’ll bribe someone here to give you one while you’re out.