Elvis Impersonators [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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January 13, 2029

”I’m hungry,” Juniper declared with a defiant whine as she drunkenly held onto Rhys’s arm as they walked in an unknown-to-her direction of London. It was almost one in the morning – late for the two of them at their age. Celebrating another week survived at work had started to become a trend. She could blame him for that. When single, she rarely went out. When whatever this was, her liver begged her to slow down. Juniper had never been able to handle the liquor like he had, which was probably why for years she felt like she was babysitting him frequently. With the roles reversed, or with them both in the same silly stupor, that annoyance disappeared completely. Then again, she couldn’t be upset with Rhys’s drinking these days; she had no sway in whatever it was they were to one another again. To say it wasn’t trending into what she (and quite literally everyone else) thought it would be a complete lie. At this point, it was either Rhys or no one. She chuckled to herself at this drunken thought, and it continued for a few seconds when she realized that she wouldn’t remember it the next morning.

”Can we stop somewhere?” she continued, tugging on his arm somewhat aggressively. They’d both need food anyways, because she was not prepared to wake up tomorrow with an insane hangover. The potion cures had long stopped working for her. ”They always have good late night take out.” They meaning muggles. There were too many around still at this hour to drop the infamous M-word. Breaking the Statue of Secrecy while five gin and tonics and an espresso martini deep on a cold Saturday in January was not on her list of things to do. But getting some greasy, caloric-rich muggle food into her stomach and then into Rhys’s bed absolutely was. ”Pleaaase?”

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys had been in quite the mood earlier that day and for the past week. Things with Sage were only getting worse, and every day, the frustration and panic grew within him. So, it was probably best that Juniper had joined him after a few drinks, if only to feel a little normal. Without work to distract him, Rhys was struggling to keep his head above water. After bumping into Sarah at the new year, Rhys found himself spending more time with her as they discussed their custody woes and wondered how they would both legally get their kids back. Naturally, it only made sense for some of their old relationships to return.

But he didn’t think about that for now. Juniper clung to his arm and said something about being hungry. Rhys’s thoughts existed in an easy haze. The calm he sought contrasted with normally sober and chaotic thoughts. And her presence near him added to that comfort. But thinking about her always left him smiling a bit to himself. ”Mmhmm.” Rhys grumbled. ”Wherever you want.” He tried his best to focus on his surroundings. Generally, he knew where they were. It probably wasn’t the best idea to apparate in any case, so walking would help them get to their ultimate destination—his flat. Or at least until they could see straight enough to apparate.

His phone buzzed several times in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, he saw through the bright and blurry light that there were messages from Sage. Rhys scoffed, now annoyed that she was back on his mind. Switching the phone to his other hand, Rhys slung an arm loosely around Juni’s shoulders before putting the phone back in his pocket. He looked at the girl by his side and muttered softly to himself. ”Why couldn’t it have been you?” Normally, he kept such thoughts to himself, but an unknown number of whiskeys always affected Rhys’s filter. ”Or we could get another drink.” Rhys responded normally as he spotted several pubs ahead. He needed to find a way to get Sage off his mind.

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Wherever she wanted? That was an impossible decision to be placed on her, especially in the state she was currently in. A million and one options lay available to them thanks to the muggles. Did she want burgers and fries? Chicken? A gyro platter? Juniper forgot that it was into the wee hours of the morning already, making her first thoughts of wanting Nando’s to go straight out the window without even realizing it. All this did was make her mouth water and her stomach growl. Thankfully, in the good way. With how much they had drank already, anything going in that wasn’t what she wanted was absolutely coming back up. That was why she needed food asap.

”McDonald’s is still open, right?” she asked Rhys as his hulk of an arm found it’s way around her shoulders. He was staring at his phone, the backlight of it bright enough to make her squint as she tried to read the time. It was futile. He posed the option of going to another bar, which only caused her to scrunch her nose up. That was fine with her, sort of, but only because pub food was greasy enough to fill her. At least she would know what she was getting too. Very little variation from pub to pub here on the muggle side of things.

The worst part? Juniper, in her drunkenness, was convinced that she could have another drink. That sounded like a great idea to her, as long as she got her food. ”Fine, but I want food too,” she agreed. She had completely missed what he had said before that, preoccupied with kicking a sludgy, half-melted brick of snow with her boot. It splattered across the sidewalk into a dozen pieces in front of them. She hated this time of year. What little snow London did get, looked horrible. Nothing like the fresh blankets she used to wake up to in Hogsmeade or Hogwarts. ”Because if I don’t,” she continued as she took a swing with her foot at another clump of snow, ”You don’t get anything later either.” She whiffed, leaving it behind them as they quickly approached a pub.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Food wasn’t at the forefront of Rhys’s mind. Which would have been odd had alcohol not already been replacing his normal consumption of calories these days. Throughout his life, Rhys had never turned down food. Maybe it was the metabolism of a werewolf? The idea of McDonald's caused Rhys to make a face. It was not his favorite, and he’d really only eaten there out of necessity rather than a craving. Plus, the last thing he’d needed was Amelia to grow an obsession with Happy Meals and their various toys. Still, since Juni was the one with an appetite, he wouldn’t resist the choice.

Before Rhys could decide on their next stop, he looked incredulously at Juni. He hardly noticed the bit of snow that came back at them as their boots kicked whatever was on the sidewalk. ”There’s no need for threats.” He responded. Although Rhys was typically the one who would get ‘hangry’, as they say, it didn’t mean he didn’t take Juni’s threat seriously. Rhys spotted the sign for another pub ahead, but he slowed them down. Fortunately, it wasn’t too crowded. ”Had enough of those lately…” He said, mostly thinking aloud as he recalled the messages from Sage.

A wave of undecipherable emotions washed over him for a moment, which in Rhys’s mind, he either needed to numb it or distract himself, which both seemed to be in the works. Unintentionally, Rhys slowed and turned to face Juniper. Gently, he pushed her chin up so he could look at her while leaving his hands lightly resting on either side by her jawline. Her eyes hadn’t changed since he’d first looked at her like this all those years ago. There was a lot he wanted to say in that intimate moment, but even this far gone down a bottle of whiskey, his brain was mainly trained not to let him share too much for risk of ruining it. ”Let's get you some chips or something.” He spoke before kissing her and hanging his arm around her shoulder again. At least the pub wasn’t far, and Rhys easily pushed the door open with his free hand and spotted a free table in the corner.

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”It’s not a threat. Just a fact,” Juniper answered cleverly. Mostly because if she was one-hundred percent full of alcohol, she was going to be passed out cold by the time they made it back to either of their places. Couldn’t really get up to anything at that point, now could they? Because once she was out, she was out. Not to mention the hangover that she wasn’t even thinking about anymore. Food would partially solve that problem, but feeling totally miserable and sick on a Sunday morning? It was a horrifying prospect now that she was thirty.

She had no idea what he meant by having too many ‘threats’, though she did know things hadn’t been particularly smooth with Sage as of late. Juniper, obviously, had no say in how that arrangement worked, and also didn’t feel like she should speak about it with him unless he prompted it. Not having a child, and only working with ones that could think and speak for themselves, she found it difficult to really understand what was going on. All she could do was push herself closer into him as they walked, hoping that he would get the wordless gesture. It was hard to tell though when she had been leaning heavily on him all night.

They slowed to a stop and Rhys cupped her face, the cold and warmth of his two hands leading to a strange contrasting feeling in her cheeks. He leaned down and kissed her, stating they’d finally get her some food. Grinning cheesily up at him as they returned to how they had been only seconds earlier, she let him lead the way. ”And you need more whiskey,” she said in response. He didn’t taste like it anymore when he had kissed her.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys’s friends would never describe his relationship or connection to Juniper McGonagall as consistent or stable, and neither would Juni or anyone who knew the pair. But Juni and Rhys would have to admit the physical side of things was not only the one consistent aspect of their relationship but also consistently good. So, the magnetic attraction continued, barring obstacles such as physically being apart. Rhys knew that Juni could very well withhold sex from him, but he also knew her well enough that she’d fall asleep in her chair if they kept drinking without eating anything. And that was simply knowledge picked up from experience in the past.

At the pub, Rhys snuck a few chips from Juni’s basket as she was distracted for the moment. Despite her inebriated state, she was as watchful over her food as Dahlia was when they went out to drink. Not that Rhys minded; he wasn’t particularly hungry, but it was more about pushing her buttons. The playfulness of such interactions always made him smile or laugh and let him forget about everything in the real world that threatened to bring him to a knee. As Rhys went for more, the basket suddenly moved. Rhys furrowed his brow to feign annoyance. ”If you ever loved me—you’d share.” He said before drinking the remaining contents of his glass.

He hardly winced at the strong liquid entering his system, and he wondered if he wanted another or if he should at least make it back to one of their flats before drinking more. Feeling light and relaxed, Rhys let himself enjoy the ambiance. Something that would have annoyed him endlessly were he sober. Wasn’t he overdue for fun? And with the best company, he could imagine. As a waitress sauntered past their table, dropping off more drinks, she lingered to catch Rhys’s eye. He noted that, naturally, although his hand rested casually on Juni’s thigh, he wasn’t as interested as he might have been months before. The waitress continued on her way. ”You want anything else?” He asked Juni.

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Time passed in the slow-motion blur that only occurred while blinking through drunken sleepiness, fighting the urge to pass out while also wanting to stay up longer to eat. Juniper had a basket of chips in front of her – the thick cut kind that were a crispy gold while maintaining a starchy dough on the inside. She had opted to forgo any of the normal sauces used for dipping, and was shoving the steaming potato wedges directly into her mouth. The soft chewiness had brought her back to life slightly, or at least enough for her to realize that Rhys was sneaking one or two whenever she wasn’t looking. That had been met with narrowed eyes and by pulling the basket closer to her. If he wanted some, why couldn’t he order his own?

For half a second, Juniper contemplated going against his request, if only to see how he would react. But she was definitely drunk, and he was probably too, and such a silly squabble over fries didn’t deserve getting into a fight over what she once felt (and was sort of starting to feel again). Sliding it carefully towards him, Juniper grabbed one of the bigger fries and practically strangled it before gnashing away. She’d been eyeballing that piece of prime potato real estate for a while now, hoping he wouldn’t try to snatch it away from her. As she had suspected, it was still fiery inside, turning to a scalding simmer as she tried to cool it off with quick exhales despite it already being in her mouth.

While she did this, Rhys had seemingly finished his drink and ordered another, though she wasn’t sure if that was all him or the waitress trying to shoot her shot. Despite being plastered beyond belief, Juniper wasn’t stupid. She’d always seen it. For years, she had pushed it aside because she had already ‘won’. Now it felt like she was starting over again and had actual competition. As if some scrawny muggle girl would ever cut it for Rhys. ”Only for the beer wench to stop making googly eyes at you,” she said as she purposely dangled a potato in front of Rhys’s mouth. She could absolutely make a point about what was her territory, if that was how it was going to be.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

While Rhys’s attention span jumped from Juni to the happenings around him, she was intensely focused on her food. It didn’t surprise him in the slightest. Her ability to focus on her goals was always admirable and consistent, even if it was simply eating. And Rhys had learned long ago never to comment on the matter lest he risk retribution. At least in those days, they hadn’t quite started dating yet, which meant Rhys had probably commented out of annoyance or anger. That seemed the best way to pull honest information from him, not that he’d ever admit it.

The corner of Rhys’s mouth turned up slowly into a smug expression when Juni silently allowed him to select a few chips from the basket (although not the one that was as large as her hand). Not that he doubted her previous feelings for him, but the validation gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling nonetheless. Lately, when he wasn’t falling down a hole of endless thoughts fraught with fear about his parenting situation, he instead spiraled on Juniper’s place in his life. They had not spoken about it since the previous summer. Not that Rhys wanted to bring it up, fearing he would regret doing so.

Rhys picked up the glass the server had brought over. He had not ordered it, but who was he to decline the small gift from the universe? ”’Beer wench’ is a bit harsh, isn’t it?” He tried not to chuckle at her obvious jealousy. She never shied away from letting her feelings known sober, let alone as drunk as they both were. Juni offered up a potato wedge and Rhys set down his glass to grab it as delicately as he could manage. ”Thank you.” He sighed, glancing around for the server but he didn’t spot her. ”Am I supposed to pass up a free drink?” Rhys challenged Juni, determined to continue pushing whatever buttons he saw.

Picking up his glass once more, Rhys sipped and sighed while various thoughts escaped through the filters of his mind. ”You wouldn’t have to worry about ‘beer wenches’ if you shared your chips and, you know, stayed with me—“ He was finally reaching that slightly euphoric level of drunkenness his tolerance hardly let him reach these days. ”—Merlin, you went through the whole basket.” His brow furrowed as he inspected the basket at the crumbs left behind. Well, she couldn’t complain he hadn’t fed her at least. ”I suppose we should get more…”

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Juniper didn’t think any obvious comments, like calling the waitress a beer wench, were too much. Was that not what she was? Sure, she could have been nicer about it, especially because the only ‘claim’ she had over Rhys currently was the fact that they were sleeping together again and had been for quite some time. The muggle girl didn’t know, despite throwing free drinks Rhys’s way. If she hadn’t known for a fact that he was a werewolf, Juniper would have sworn years ago that he was part veela. It hadn’t been that way until the height and being fit came in though. She remembered what he was like before all of that. ”Suppose not,” Juniper said after a moment in regards to the drink. He didn’t have to be nearly as careful as she did with free standing drinks, and that was probably part of the reason it frustrated her as well. ‘Fuck-me’ eyes aside.

She had quickly devoured the last few potato wedges that were in the basket as he talked about how mean she was being towards the beer wench and pushed the empty basket in front of him. All that remained were the crispy hard bits that had fallen off, a loose pile of salt, and the greasy wax paper they had been sitting on. ”Like I said, I was hungry,” Juniper said proudly. Though something more substantial than chips would have been better. At this hour, that was starting to get difficult though.

Rhys proposed getting more, but she tugged on his sleeve to keep him from doing so. ”I’m fine now.” It hadn’t quite sobered her up; no, that would take an inordinate amount of water, sleep that she could barely get these days, and a mixture of pills and hangover potions. But Juniper was ready to move on now. ”Once you finish that drink…” she motioned with her head towards the door.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

It wasn't that Rhys hadn't gotten this plastered recently, but he hadn't felt so light and relaxed on those occasions. Even with the random company he so easily found at any given pub, nothing could help his lingering thoughts or anxieties like Rhys had jumped into ice water and couldn't escape. At what point did he simply freeze to death? It helped explain this pull toward Juniper. Carefully, over the years they'd spent together as a couple, Rhys had slowly revealed the most hidden parts of himself. And much to his surprise, she had not run away screaming. Like the shame associated, those aspects, like his nightmares, lessened slightly.

Of course, many years had passed since then. And yet, Rhys couldn't deny how well they got on these days. And how he hadn't even bothered to try that hard in letting his emotions get involved. How could he not? Was this not the girl he almost asked to marry him? The sudden thought surprised Rhys. He'd thrown that far into the dark depths of his mind to be avoided. He sipped at the whiskey, pushing the thought aside again while Juniper reluctantly admitted her jealousy. Some things certainly hadn't changed, and Rhys had never noticed such things until his last couple of years at Hogwarts, which had been confusing, slightly annoying, but also a little funny.

She declined his offer of more chips. The empty basket had distracted him from finishing his initial thought. If they weren't simply close friends who were shagging like enthusiastic seventh years and perhaps revisiting that conversation from the previous summer, Rhys would try harder not to encourage the servers. "You sure?" Rhys turned his head to confirm with Juni. While he wasn't keen to step back outside into the cold, he also knew their remaining plans required privacy. Doing as he was told, Rhys drank back what was left, feeling a slight chill go up his spine while it all settled into his stomach. Those who didn't drink were missing out.

Rhys stood, although his balance lagged by a millisecond. He retrieved some muggle money from his pocket and left it on the table. The only reason he had it was for visits to pubs, or that's what it seemed like. Soon, they were back outside and walking a bit aimlessly for a few moments before Rhys stopped. "It's amusing when you're territorial." He smirked, bringing her close and feeling how chilly she felt. They should probably find a floo station. "You're cold." Rhys mumbled as he removed his coat to slip over her shoulders. Even inebriated, he noted how it didn't appear ridiculously long on her small frame. It was an old coat, perhaps still one of the ones she'd charmed in the past to shrink slightly when she wore it. The thought was heartwarming.

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For whatever reason, it was hard to admit that she was actually still hungry after devouring the basket of fries. There was no shame in it, she'd done it loads of times before. Mindlessly picking away at them versus what she had just done though? At least they held some substance as opposed to a handful of peanuts or the likes. The cool down period of not drinking definitely helped her as well, the silly drunkenness already starting to get replaced by the tired kind. All that was left was one last plunge into the frigid January air and then she'd be on her way to somewhere warmer.

"Yeah," she confirmed she was done eating and ready to go. That didn't stop her from giving the basket one last, longing glance. As if that might make another chip appear out of thin air. Maybe in one of their kinds of bars it would, but not here in a muggle one.

As Rhys fished out money, Juniper began the process of layering herself again. Her scarf, a thick wool that matched her old school Hufflepuff one without the logo, took more than a minute to wrap around her neck and face. And then came her jacket, the woefully inept one that wasn't meant to be worn in weather like this. She couldn't remember now why she'd grabbed it, though it was probably because she assumed they'd find one place and stay there the whole night. Bar hopping in the late hours was a lot harder these days...

They were outside again once she was fully buttoned up, and Juniper already regretted expediting their leave. Something about the cold at two in the morning really hit the bones in all the wrong way. The fiery warmth of the whiskey she'd had earlier, before this pub, was gone. Now she was full of starch, salt, and sleepiness. "I m-mean, you had your hand on my leg. Clearly she was t-trying to exercise her assets too," Juniper said, her teeth chattering as the cold went right through her. Or the beer wench was hoping they were looking for a third. Juniper did not like sharing like that, or at all really.

Rhys definitely noticed her shivering and had removed his own jacket to add onto her shoulders. She felt guilty, because it was freezing out after all. Even with his macho man-ness and mass of muscles, he had to feel it too. To make up for it, she moved in as close as possible, hoping some of the warmth would radiate off. If she had been a little smarter and less drunk, she could have sneakily cast warm air charms around them. She sort of forgot about it in the moment though. "We can go to mine?" It was more of a statement than a request, and only because the disapparation jump was easier for her right now. Looking for a dark, deserted alley as they got further down the street and away from other people, there was surely a prime target somewhere nearby.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys, like any man his age, was not blind. So when the server had gone by, of course, his eyes had seen her—which had caught Juni’s attention. But as she said, his attention was truly on her. It reminded him of the night out his last birthday and the women who approached him with Archer’s encouragement. The scorn in Juniper’s eyes had felt stronger than magic. After putting his jacket around Juni, Rhys remained close. He felt the cold, though not as intently as her. The mix of whiskey in his system and werewolf genetics left him mostly comfortable.

”Mmhmm.” Rhys mumbled a response as instinctively he looked for somewhere private they could travel from. That was the tricky part of going through the muggle parts of London. Although this late, the crowds had thinned compared to earlier. After a couple of blocks, Rhys glanced down an alleyway that seemed like it would work. ”Here.” Slipping her hand into his, he slowly led them down. But before letting Juni magic them out of there, he stood close and faced her. These sorts of things he would have done sober, but whiskey let him hold back far less. ”I’m sorry I looked at any other woman besides you.” While he had nothing to apologize for, Rhys was feeling cheeky and just wanted an excuse for his next move.

He leaned in and kissed her deeply. They should have probably waited until they arrived at her flat, but he wasn’t thinking all that logically. After some time, he pulled back. ”Especially beer wenches.” The corner of his mouth upturned in a mischievous smile. While it was tempting to continue snogging in a dark and cold alley like they were hiding around corners in Hogsmeade for some privacy as teenagers, they’d likely freeze to death. ”You mind?” Rhys knew she was likely far more sober than him at this point and he wasn’t interested in either of them getting splinched.

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Traveling down the street a little longer, the cold became more normalized. Juniper was still freezing, but the extra warmth definitely helped for the time being. Eventually it would creep back in, ever pervasive and always present. Having grown up in Hogsmeade, one would think she would be accustomed to such frigid weather, and yet she absolutely could not handle it. Then again, every winter was spent in the confines of the house, only venturing outside when the sun was out and frostbite wasn't literally nipping at her nose.

Rhys lead them into an alleyway, prime positioning for a quick disapparition away to her flat. He started to apologize for the encounter (or maybe it was for all of them over the years, she couldn't tell because she was still slightly drunk), and she tried to cut him off. "You can't control what they-" she tried to say, before he pulled her in to kiss her. The issue had never been with him, and as far as she knew, he hadn't wandered off whenever they'd been in a relationship. And it wasn't his fault that he looked the way he did and drew attention. The beer wenches of the world were there to make sales, she wasn't stupid to think they wouldn't try to overstep boundaries to sell a couple extra drinks. Hell, male bartenders did that all the time with her too!

After a moment's pause, it seemed like Rhys was ready to go, putting it on her to do the transportation. She could have stayed here a little longer, hidden away from the world. Though it wasn't exactly romantic to be making out in a dirty London alleyway. They were long past the need to hide away due to lack of private spaces. "Hold on," she warned, wrapping her arms around Rhys's midsection to ensure a tight grip. Once she felt the same from him, they blinked out of existence and into the designated area for her building. While still outside, only another minute or two and they'd be warm and inside.

Leading Rhys to her building's door, she unlocked it and proceeded to drag him up the stairs the three flights to her floor. Her apartment, for once, was somewhat clean. A rarity these days with how much work she had decided to give herself. "If there's anything in the way, you can just put it on the floor or something..." she said as she fiddled with her door's lock. There were definitely stacks of school work waiting to be graded. A never-ending cycle for her, unfortunately.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

we signal in a moonbeam

i beg you to follow me

January 13, 2029
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys happily interrupted her, and she let him for some unknown amount of time. He told himself it was just the whiskey letting him feel so good and everything feeling so right. Though he had a mind to at least get them out of this alleyway. Feeling her arms wrap around him, Rhys reciprocated before that inescapable feeling washed over him. It was bad enough sober, let alone in this state. But they arrived, limbs and all. Juni slipped her hand into his and pulled him up the several flights of stairs to her flat. He wondered why they couldn’t be apparent to the front door. Surely there was a reason, unless Rhys simply didn’t remember at the moment.

It wasn’t important compared to the other things on his mind. While she figured out her key situation, Rhys wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing softly behind her ear. Luckily, he heard the sound of the lock before he unlocked it himself magically. Not that he ever had or would do that to her flat without her explicit permission. In the back of his mind, he made a mental note to offer extra charms on her flat, much like he had done on his own. Now inside, he spotted the usual chaos that gave her flat its charm and made it very much hers. But Rhys didn’t waste any time after the door was closed and locked. They weren’t in some cold and dark alley anymore. Pulling Juni close again, Rhys kissed her as he’d done before.

---

Rhys jolted awake. He immediately touched the bed beneath him to confirm he hadn’t been falling. And as soon as he noted Juni’s head on his chest, he did his best to slow down his breathing. It was difficult, especially with how fast his heart was beating. What time was it? Was it morning? Rhys didn’t feel drunk, which meant enough time should have passed since arriving the previous night. As he lay there, focusing on relaxing, he closed his eyes. Merlin, when was the last time he’d had a nightmare? They hadn’t stopped since he was a child, but Rhys usually drank enough to handle his insomnia and force himself to sleep, which more or less kept the nightmares at bay most of the time.

Letting one arm softly wrap around Juni, Rhys let his other forearm lay over his eyes. He felt so tired. He couldn’t remember when they’d gotten to her flat, but they had stayed awake for a while after. Rhys thought through the events until he remembered something else vaguely. It was like one of those memories that felt recent but old at the same time. He remembered feeling scared, panicked, confused, and then suddenly sad. It was always the same, and yet it wasn’t. Rhys remembered trying his best to explain to Juni what in the world she had just witnessed the first time she’d had to try and wake him from a nightmare after moving in together. Merlin, he’d been scared. Not only because of the images fresh in his mind but also because he was afraid she would leave him.

But she hadn’t. While Rhys hated that he could never get rid of these dreams like some curse, she had been there to soothe him and tell him it was all right no matter how bad it got. After Saffron’s death, it had been particularly difficult for Rhys, and Juni had not witnessed the new low after his brother died. But that night should not have allowed for a nightmare, not with how much he’d drank. Feeling unsettled, Rhys slowly shifted so Juni could comfortably put her head on a pillow, and Rhys sat on the other edge of the bed, trying to remember if he had woken up in a panic attack or maybe he was just hungover and a less severe bad dream had left him feeling shaky, anxious and clammy.

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Being stirred awake happened with more frequency whenever she and Rhys spent the night together. It wasn't completely out of the ordinary for him, and never had been. She often forgot it was a thing - the jolting awake in cold sweat from night terrors - until her eyes were suddenly also wide open and trying to figure out what was going on. Rhys's abrupt returns from the dream world weren't always the coziest experiences to handle while barely awake and in the middle of the night. She understood why he drank as much as he did, though wondered at what point that had become ineffective and why he hadn't simply replaced it with a strong sleeping draught. Despite being known to cause long term issues in some users, at least it was safer than drinking oneself to sleep every night.

Tonight, it was a little different. She'd had enough to drink and was exhausted by the time they finally went to sleep. Thankfully magic had expedited the travel home, not necessitating any Ubers or shady cabbies. Her strange dream of surfing, with her bed as a surf board, was rudely interrupted as her eyes flicked open. Rhys was in the process of moving her head to a pillow, and she couldn't figure out why in her sleepy fogginess. She blinked a few more times as she pulled the pillow closer to her face. The chilliness of it was comfortable. Far different from how cold she had been earlier that evening.

With one eye half-open, a tiny slit fighting against sleep, she could see Rhys's back as he moved to the edge of the bed. Her brain didn't immediately comprehend what the reason for it was, but she had seen this before. "-time is it?" she asked into her pillow, throat dry and scratchy. She had no idea if he had even heard her.

rhys alexander greyback ● 314

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