breaking bones.

emmett had to remind himself to remain calm, that am was only doing it because she cared, because she was worried. after he could count to ten without feeling like he was going to snap, he looked up at her, the softness of her features melting him a little. “i was there,” he admits, something he wouldn’t openly share with anyone else. “only because i had to be. my dad thinks if he keeps trying i’ll sway from being neutral.”

“em..” the smaller bones child was not prone to confrontation. and yet, around emmett, that’s all that she seemed capable of. “you know i have to ask..”

“ works for me, ” he nods, grateful for her decision-making skills and their general superiority to his own. the pink in her cheeks is noticeable, but reginald’s brain automatically files it away as due to the cold. her smaller hand in his is both familiar and strange, but he squeezes her fingers tight for a moment, a reassurance that he knows he’d need if the initiator were reversed. 

Finally moving his gaze to meet hers, he inhaled a sharp breath. It really did feel like someone was stabbing him, was attacking him from all ends. “I could never hate you” he whispered, nodding to his own words. 

god, he was beautiful. her insides were twisting at the sight. “and i could never regret kissing you..” she admits, swallowing her pride as best as she can. “i’m sorry, river.”

a soft chuckle left him, partnered with shaking his head at her state. whoever she was with clearly didn’t realize how little she could actually drink and let her go back alone. he was glad it was at least him who found her. without really saying anything, he went over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, carrying most of her weight for her. he’d only ever seen her mad at him, or frowning about the common room and he couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault, this new form of coping included. “let’s get you back to the common room, yeah? how much did you have to drink?”

the familiar feeling of his arm around her waist sent shivers up her spine. but all she could think about was getting to a place she could lay down. this was a stupid decision, and had only sent her spiralling further downhill. little miss perfect was losing it. “yeah..” she mutters, looking up at him with sad eyes. “i.. i dunno. four, maybe?” the longer she looked at him, the more her heart ached. she missed him. not that she’d ever say that to his face. 

He could feel tears form in his eyes, actual tears. This had been weighing down on him ever since their fight. The words she said playing on repeat in his head, he couldn’t even sleep because all he saw was her whenever he closed his eyes. “It really hurt.. you know?” he whispered, nodding to his own words. 

“i know..” she whispers. how it had even come out of her mouth was beyond her. thumb running sweetly along his knuckles, she tries to find his teary eyes. “i’m so sorry..” it wasn’t enough, she knew that. “i just.. want to fix things. but.. i understand if you hate me.” i hate me.

a smile breaks across his face as she kisses his cheek, his hand resting on the small of her back for a second as to keep her stable while she’s on her tip toes. “ good, ” he nods, “ we can really do whatever you want. ” he clears his throat before he starts walking, eyes trained on hers. 

the truth was, emmett didn’t hate being a prefect. it was cool he got to do it with millicent, but what made it even better was the little bit of leeway it gave him. sure he had to do rounds from time to time, but he could extend his curfew a little bit and no one could say much of anything. in this instance, with the match coming up emmett had taken up a spot in the room of requirement, essentially going over the plays ellie made on a large chalk board and eventually laying on the ground, tossing up a quaffle and catching it over and over again. when he finally had enough, he decided to get up and head back to the ravenclaw tower. heavy footsteps rang through the hall on his way back, someone who had for sure been drinking the night away. the voice that called out made him sigh, stopping momentarily before he brought her into his line of view. “had fun tonight?”

of course. of course it would be emmett that had found her. her luck truly seemed to be running out these days. head and heart pounding, she let’s her head fall back onto the wall behind her. “no. i feel sick and worse than before.” she admits, eyes closed to avoid his gaze. drinking had been an attempt to escape, to forget. she couldn’t even think straight. “i’m an idiot, em.” everything was so vivid in her memory, emmett, river, reginald. she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do this again... yet here she was, acting an absolute fool and having the stumble to show for it. 

He had avoided her and he had done a pretty good job at that. People had helped him, kept an eye on her and told him when he could enter a room and when not to. He just couldn’t look at her, couldn’t hear her voice without it feeling like someone was stabbing him repeatedly in the heart. So when he felt the gentle touch and heard her voice utter his name, he tensed up. 

he wasn’t even looking at her. she’d let her temper get the best of her once again and said something she didn’t mean. “i miss you.” she admits, the words sending shivers down her spine. it was hard to be so honest, but he somehow managed to bring out the best and worst of her all at once. “i.. i didn’t mean what i said.. i’m sorry.”

she’d waited, god she’d waited. she’d expected him to cave, to come back to her side as quickly as he’d left. but he hadn’t. not this time. she would be a fool to admit she missed him, and yet here she was. stepping around the tables like a fool so he wouldn’t see her and walk off. sitting beside him, she quickly takes his hand to stop him. “river.”

if there was one thing amelia bones truly wanted. it was to fit in. and with the assistance of a... not so good intentioned ellie, the drinks had just kept coming. it was late, the castle was cold, and everything was beginning to look the same. what hope did she really have of making it back to the common room? footsteps. groaning softly, she couldn’t even begin to care if it was a prefect looming around the corner. “hello?”

the feeling of shock is slightly delayed, her words still sinking in seconds after they’ve come out of her mouth. “ you do. ” he confirms, mostly to himself. “ i figured we could go somewhere in hogsmeade. wherever you want. just hang out, or something. ” he nods slowly, still unsure if this is a friend date or a date date. “ –– whatever, you know. ”

“ super lame. ” he repeats after her, nodding a bit. “ i guess. if you want to hang out with just me on valentine’s day. ” reg finds himself unable to simply say yes. at this point, if he asked his best friend on a date and she said no, he’d probably drop dead of embarrassment.