#wait toby's so you love so much that's why you find it so hard LEOS FAITH IN HIM OH MY GOD

[meganwritesfanfics]

Fresh Bruises (Josh Lyman x Reader) Part 1

WARNING This story contains mention of domestic abuse

“The speech was amazing Mr. President.” Y/N said as she walked next to her boyfriend her arm linked with his. 

“Thank you Y/N, but the credit really goes to Sam and Toby.” President Bartlett said as the whole entourage made their way through the halls of the hotel. 

“I would sir, but I wouldn’t want them to get a big head.” Y/N laughed.

“You know you two are really made for each other.” CJ laughed as she walked next to Josh. 

Josh smiled as he kissed the side of Y/N’s head. 

For a moment everything seemed to be going fine. The speech had gone amazing, everyone was feeling good about it, people were happy, including Toby. That was until Leo, who had been on the phone turned around to look at everyone, a worried look on his face. 

Quickly Josh turned to look at Y/N. 

“Go, I will stay back here with CJ.” Y/N said as she reached out and straightened his tie. 

“I love you.” Josh said kissing her cheek before he headed up to Leo and the President with Toby and Sam following quickly behind. 

“It’s probably nothing,” CJ tried to soothe even though Y/N knew otherwise. Leo and Josh were very similar in the sense of when something was really wrong, it was pretty easy to tell. “I can’t believe you gave up working in the White House just to date him.” She teased, pointing towards Josh who was having a hard time not glancing back to look at Y/N. 

“I loved working at the White House, don't get me wrong, but I have always wanted to be a family law practitioner. Plus I love Josh and he... “ Y/N started when suddenly she saw a man standing in the hallway to the side. It was a face she hadn’t seen in a long while. 

“Y/N?” CJ asked, looking at her questioningly. “Is everything ok? Do you know him?” 

“He’s an old...friend.” Y/N said with disdain. “I will catch up with you guys.” 

CJ smiled hesitantly before she walked away. 

By the time they had made it outside both Sam and Toby were on the phone. Leo was talking to Bartlet and Josh had finally broken away looking for CJ and Y/N.  Through the crowd he could make out  CJ but he couldn’t see Y/N anywhere. 

“CJ!” He called as he made his way over to her. “Where is Y/N” 

“She saw someone she knew inside and stopped to talk to him.”

“Him?” Josh said a slight bit of jealousy in his voice. 

“Yeah, I recognized him but I couldn’t figure out why, but something felt really off about the whole situation.” CJ started and suddenly a knot formed in Josh’s stomach. 

“CJ, what did he look like.” Josh said as he grabbed onto CJ’s shoulders firmly and in such a way that scared CJ.

“Josh, I don’t know I just saw him for a moment he…” She started when suddenly her focus shifted to behind Josh. “Like him Josh.” She pointed as Josh quickly spun around. The knot in his stomach grew, so much so that Josh felt like he was going to throw up. The man he saw was one he had not seen in two years and one he had hoped he would never see again. 

“You are a giant brat you know that right.” Y/N said storming into Josh Lyman’s office. 

“A brat wow I don’t think I have heard that one since the 3rd grade.” Josh smiled looking up from the report he was reading. 

“You cannot just invite me to go with you to the gala. And you especially cannot ask Donna to ask me.”  Y/N exclaimed however there was no anger in her voice only amusement. 

“Well I couldn’t be expected to trudge my way all the way to your office just to ask you to go to an event you should have been invited to in the first place.” Josh laughed. 

“If you couldn’t be bothered to come to my office then why should I be bothered to go to the gala with you.” Y/N stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Oh don’t act like you are not stoked to be going to the gala. Donna said you haven’t been able to stop talking about wanting to go, so I figured I would help you out.” 

“Oh thanks for the pity ticket.” Y/N said her voice changing slightly as she turned to leave his office. 

“Hey wait.” Josh quickly said as he stood up rushing towards Y/N grabbing her wrist. 

Quickly Y/N instinctively flinched away pulling her sleeve down trying to hide the bruises. 

Josh took a step back, lowering his head slightly. “It was not out of pity.” 

Y/N reached out taking Josh’s hand. “Thank you Josh, but I can’t go with you. I’m with Henry.” 

Josh let go of her hand quickly running it through his hair as he made his way back behind his desk. “No, yeah, I know that. I was just thinking we could go as coworkers, and friends.” 

“I would love that, but I don’t think Henry would see it that way.” There was a silence between the two filled with tension. “I’m sure there are plenty of girls who would love to go with you.” Y/N said looking down. 

“Are you sure, I could always talk to Henry.” 

“No, please don’t do that, if you talk to him, I can’t have you, he won’t…” Y/N said completely flustered. 

“Hey, hey, hey” Josh quickly said rushing towards Y/N but being cautious not to grab her, not wanting to scare her. “It’s ok, I won’t talk to him if you don’t want me to.”  Slowly he placed his hand on her arm. He looked down at her hand seeing the bruise around her wrist that couldn’t be hidden by her shirt. “Y/N. Are you ok? Does Henry…” Josh couldn’t find the words to say just exactly what he was thinking without upsetting her more. 

“Does Henry what?” A voice said causing Y/N to nearly jump out of her skin. 

Both Josh and Y/N quickly turned to see Henry standing in the doorway, arms crossed. 

“Henry!” Y/N gasped jumping back away from Josh. “What are you doing here honey?” 

“Well I came here to see if you wanted to get lunch.” Henry said with almost a growl. 

“I just… Josh was…” Y/N said panicking and Josh could see the fear in her eyes. 

“I had a legal question, Y/N was just helping me out.” Josh quickly said trying to come to her rescue. 

“Ah, I see.” Henry said quickly changing his focus from Y/N to Josh with a wicked glare. “Y/N can I speak with you in your office.” 

“Yeah of course. Josh I will.” Y/N gulped. “I will see you later.” 

Josh knew he should have said something, he knew he should have done everything in his power to stop Y/N from going with him. But he didn’t. He thought they were in the White House for god sakes, Henry wasn’t that stupid. Plus Y/N’s secretary would be outside her office, she would hear if anything was happening. That was what Josh kept telling himself. But he couldn’t focus on anything but wanting to head to her office. 

“Donna!” He finally yelled after about an hour of rereading the same sentence. “Will you call Y/N’s assistant and set up a meeting.” 

“Celia said that Y/N gave her the rest of the day off.” Donna called back immediately, sending a knot into Josh’s stomach as he quickly stood up heading towards Y/N’s office. 

“Josh, Josh where are you going?” He could hear Donna call but he was on a mission. 

“Josh.” Toby quickly said as he walked by Josh, noticing how pale he was. 

“Follow me.” Josh said not even stopping. 

Toby quickly did as he was told, catching up to Josh who was nearly sprinting down the walls of the White House. 

“Josh what is going on, what is wrong?” Toby tried to say but Josh was too focused, too scared about what he was going to find when he got to that office. All that came to a screeching halt when he saw Henry. Josh froze causing Toby to almost collide with him. 

“Josh what are we…” Toby started as Josh threw up a hand to shush him. They watched as the nervous man came out of Y/N’s office, looking around frantically when suddenly he made eye contact with Josh. Instantly Josh knew, he knew what had happened. As Josh took a step forward, Henry took off. Instead of focusing on the man who ran, the two men bolted inside the office. 

As soon as the door opened they could see the destruction. There were papers tossed everywhere, chairs were knocked over, books had been pulled out of the bookcase and were now on the floor. 

“Oh my God.” Toby gasped.

Josh didn’t have words as his eyes suddenly landed on the form of Y/N who was laying on the floor behind her desk. Quickly he ran to her noticing the bruises and the bloody gash on her forehead. “Call someone!” 

Toby left, leaving Josh who had scooped Y/N into his lap as he assessed the damage. Y/N had a busted lip, her nose was bleeding potentially broken and the gash was bleeding through the cloth Josh had ripped from his shirt and placed there. 

“Y/N, wake up ok, I need you to wake up.” Josh pleaded, looking up to see Toby standing in the doorway again. 

Suddenly Y/N woke up gasping as she looked around the room. For a moment she didn’t remember what had happened, that was until she looked into Josh’s eyes. 

“Y/N, are you ok?” Josh quickly asked and Toby ran over to join Josh kneeling next to them. 

“What, oh yeah, I uh… I just fell. I must have hit my head on the desk. I’m so clumsy sometimes I…” Y/N rambled sitting up not looking either of the two men in the eyes. 

“Y/N, stop.” Josh said forcefully, causing her to look him in the eye. 

“I just…” Y/N tried again but tears had started to form in her eyes. She couldn’t do it, she didn’t have an excuse, she didn’t have anything she could hide behind. When she looked at the two men before her, she knew that there was no more hiding it. “Josh.” She cried as she began sobbing. 

“Hey, shhh” Josh said wrapping his arms around her. “It’s ok, he’s not going to get away with it. We are going to call…” 

“No!” Y/N quickly exclaimed grabbed Josh’s arm tightly. “You can’t call the police. You can’t.” 

“Y/N, Henry just beat the living crap out of you. And I take it this isn’t the first time.” Josh said, causing Y/N to look down at her bruised wrists. 

“Josh, you don’t understand he works for the police. He is the police.” Y/N said looking back up at Josh, whose heart broke seeing how damaged she was. 

Josh hesitated for a moment, all he wanted to do was see that son of a bitch burn, but he knew that he couldn’t force Y/N to do anything she didn’t want to. 

“Ok, we won’t call the police but I’m not letting him near you again.” Josh growled protectively holding onto Y/N. 

“Josh, I live with him all of my stuff is at his place I can’t…” Y/N started again but Josh shook his head. 

“You can stay with me until you find another place and Toby and I will go pick up all of your stuff Y/N. You don’t need to be afraid of him anymore. I won’t let him hurt you again I promise.” 

“I don’t want him to hurt you guys.” Y/N cried leaning into Josh more. 

Josh smiled slightly as he gently kissed the side of Y/N’s head. “Don’t worry Y/N we will be careful.”

“Thank you Josh.” Y/N smiled at him as the paramedics came into the room. 

Josh was true to his word, he hadn’t let Henry near Y/N again, at least not alone. He took care of her and let her stay at his place. She never found a new apartment though because it wasn’t long before the two began dating. Y/N had quit working at the White House because she knew it was a conflict of interest to be on the legal counsel for the White House and to be dating a White House Staffer, but more importantly, she really wanted to work in family law. Their life together wasn’t perfect but the two wouldn’t ask for it any other way. And after more than a year and a half of dating Josh knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Y/N. 

That’s what made seeing Henry even more terrifying for Josh. And as he looked at the man and looked into his eyes. Josh saw the same look he had seen two years ago in the White House, but this time Josh looked down to see a knife in Henry’s hands. 

“Y/N!” Josh screamed as he took off running back into the hotel. CJ followed quickly behind him leading Josh back to where she had last seen Y/N. 

Josh felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. As he ran through the halls he prayed to every god he could think of that he would find Y/N and she would be fine. But as CJ stopped in the hallway pointing to where she had last seen Y/N, and as Josh saw a single high heeled shoe, one that matched exactly the kind of shoes Y/N had been wearing he knew that the likelihood of her being ok was slim. 

“Y/N!” Josh screamed again as he ran in the same direction of the shoe. 

At this point Toby and Sam had made there way into the hotel, after informing the secret service that they needed to get the president away, they didn’t know if there was an immediate threat but they knew something was wrong.

“Josh I saw Henry what was he doing here I thought he moved out of D.C.” Toby said as he followed after Josh. 

“I don’t know but he had a…” Josh started when suddenly he looked up to see a bloody handprint on the wall. 

“Oh God.” CJ gasped, her hand instinctively going over her mouth. 

Josh bent forward feeling as though he wanted to throw up. He knew that he needed to keep looking for Y/N, that he needed to find her, but he was so scared, so terrified of what he was going to find that his body wouldn’t move. 

“Josh, Josh we need to keep going.” Sam pleaded with him gently laying his hand on his back. 

Josh nodded straightening back up as he continued down the hall following the bloody handprints and pools of blood that trailed their way down. Toby had made his way a few feet ahead of them and as he turned a corner following the blood he quickly backed up as he turned white. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Josh could barely say his voice cracking so hard the words were barely audible. He quickly ran over to where Toby was looking down the hallway, and when he saw it his knees gave out as he fell to the floor. “No, no, no” He cried as he began to crawl to the body of Y/N who lay unconscious on the floor surrounded by blood. “Y/N” Josh cried as he pulled her into his arms. Her face was beaten and was already starting to bruise and as he looked down trying to assess the damage he saw the source of the bleeding, a giant gash in Y/N's stomach. “Oh god!” He gasped trying to take off his jacket but Toby beat him to it, placing his jacket on Y/N’s stomach applying pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “Baby, please wake up, I need you to wake up. Y/N I love you please.” Josh pleaded as he kissed each bruise on her face, his tears mixing in with the blood. 

“Josh, she has a pulse, but it’s faint we need to get her help.” Sam said. 

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine my love.” Josh said as he picked up Y/N walking as fast as he could out of the hotel where he found a slew of secret service waiting. 

“What happened?” 

“Where did the suspect go?” 

The questions came at lighting speed and Josh knew he should answer them but his mind was only focused on the woman in his arms. A woman who he couldn’t imagine living without. 

Toby quickly jumped in answering as many questions as he could as Josh made his way towards the ambulance that was waiting. 

He could hear people talking to him, but his mind couldn’t process what they were saying. All he could do was stare down at Y/N’s face, watching as his tears fell hitting her cheek. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” He cried. 

He felt someone reaching out to grab Y/N and he instinctively pulled away. 

“What is your name,” A voice said and Josh finally looked up to see a kind paramedic looking at him her eyes soft. 

“Josh,” He spoke softly, his voice broken. “Joshua Lyman.” 

“Ok Josh, I need you to let us help her ok. You can stay right by her side but I need you to let us take care of her.”  

Josh hesitated for a moment before he nodded and handed Y/N over to the paramedics, his hands shaking. 

“Good, now tell me about her,” The paramedics continued as the other began to strap wires to Y/N and began bandaging her up. 

“Her name is Y/N Y/L/N she is my girlfriend.” Josh continued his eyes staring at Y/N his breathing getting more and more rapid. 

“We are going to take care of Y/N, don’t worry ok, but I need you to stay calm ok, I think you are going into shock.” The paramedic continued. 

“I just…” 

“Josh!” A voice screamed and he turned to see Toby running up to the ambulance with Sam and CJ following behind. “We will meet you at the hospital, I’m going to call Leo and tell him what happened.” 

Josh just nodded his eyes were wide and everyone could see that he was extremely pale. 

“It’s going to be ok,” Sam said trying his best to be positive about the situation. 

“Alright Josh, we have to get going ok,” The paramedic said. 

Josh nodded again and as the doors began to shut to the ambulance he watched as Toby looked at him, tears in his eyes, as he placed his hands on his heart.

[claudiasjeancregg]

for the fic title ask I went to my doc that’s “taylor swift lyrics I think would make good fic titles” SO I’m gonna give you a couple options lmao

-some to throw, some to make a diamond ring

-i’m still a believer (but i don’t know why)

-women with madness, their men and bad habits

-the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up

OH MY GOD taylor and tww are my two weaknesses thank you very much for this. i’m going to do all of them because i can’t decide!!

“some to throw, some to make a diamond ring” was surprisingly hard!! i’m in love with the use of stones as like... negative and romantic and everything in between, so this could possibly be a proposal fic with flashbacks to other moments in that couples life. that specific juxtaposition and the whole “opposite ends of the emotion spectrum” thing makes me go back to donna/amy, and the emphasis on how everything they clash on at first is what brings them together and makes them so good. idk!! my mind is a mess i just love them.

moving on to “i’m still a believer (but i don’t know why.)” okay this is the easiest one- mirrorball is probably the taylor swift song, and the song in general, i have the most cj emotions about. if you ask me why you’re signing up for a 500 word essay i’m happy to give!!!! just giving you a warning. this fic is the character study i’m dying to write about women in politics and how hard and exhausting it is to keep fighting when you’re given nothing back. this fic would be mainly cj but also cj and amy, comparing their fights and how cj compromised and bent more than she ever wanted to in order to get a seat at the table, and amy stayed stick-straight and stubborn as all hell in order to make her own way (to get her own table, i guess.) I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WHAT THE FUCK. yeah this would 100% be the title of the fic i am determined to write about how and why cj stays after everyone goes, why she comes on the campaign in the first place, why it’s so important that bartlet is a good man and why she believes toby when he says he is.

“women with madness, their men and bad habits” is so good. just. SUCH a good song and such a raw lyric!!! i cant think of anything original for this except a focus on abbey, probably, and why her flaws are what make her so good. OOH WAIT this as the title for the jed/abbey/leo epic makes my heart so happy. thoughts, everyone?

okay and last- “the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up.” i’m not going to lie i sang this as i read it, i love this lyric SO much. i’m thinking a cj/toby/andy fic with emphasis on ~trauma~ because why not. i don’t necessarily think cj and andy have much trauma, but i think both of them (mainly cj) have less than ideal coping mechanisms and habits in relationships. cj holds on too tightly and andy lets go too easily, this title would actually be perfect for an exploration of why these three (or two if it’s just a cj/andy fic, which i also love) are very messed up and how they find their way back to each other.

this was super fun and i actually like most of these ideas, so thank you for inspiring me!!! i’d love to hear your (and anyone else’s) interpretation of these lyrics as titles because there’s so many directions you can go and that’s the best part about it.

[kpop-zone]

Blackpink reaction to coming home from world tour and finding their s/o napping with their pets

A/N: Ok so I wrote Rosé’s part with the dogs of her family, but I have no idea if they’re still alive lol

Jisoo

Jisoo had been bouncing her leg nervously during the whole flight. As much as she enjoyed being a singer, she couldn’t wait to finally come home after the world tour. She decided to head straight to your apartment, instead of going to the dorm first, because she knew that her little family was waiting there for her. Dalgom had been staying at your place while she was gone, because in the meantime he was almost as clingy with you as he was with her.

Silently she opened the door to your apartment with the spare key she had and was surprised to not see anyone. She made her way to your bedroom and immedialtey started smiling brightly when she opened the door. You were sleeping on your bed with Dalgom right next to you, who lifted his head when she entered, immediately running up to her. You woke up because of the movement but couldn’t process what was happening at first. That’s why Jisoo picked Dalgom up and sat beside you on the bed, pressing a kiss on your forehead.

“I’m so glad to have you two back.”

Jennie

You knew that Jennie would be coming back home today, so you made an effort to clean and decorate your apartment to surprise her. You had hung up letters saying ‘Welcome Home’ and had inflated balloons. You had worked all morning, so you were feeling exhausted and decided to lay down on the couch for a bit until your girlfriend would come. Kai and Kuma, who had been with you while Jennie was gone, immediately jumped on the couch as well. Kai sprawled out on your chest while Kuma rolled up into a ball to your feet. Soon you began to feel your eyes getting heavy and without wanting to, the steady breathing of Kai on your chest lulled you to sleep.

When Jennie came into the apartment, tears immediately started to form in her eyes. She loved the decorations, but even more she loved the sight of you napping on the couch with her dogs. Kuma immediately made his way over to her, while Kai stayed on your chest, wagging his whole butt. You woke up with a start, wanting to be awake when Jennie came, but when you turned your head, she was already crouching right next to you, scratching Kai behind his ears.

“I missed you so much, jagi.”

She whispered before kissing you softly on your lips.

Chaeyoung

After the world tour, Chaeyoung decided that she needed a little break. So instead of going back to Seoul, she decided to go visit her parents in Australia together with you. You arrived earlier than her and decided to take a nap, because you were exhausted from your flight and knew that your girlfriend was excited to show you her home. As you laid down in Chaeyoung’s room, the family dogs Max and Tobi suddenly made their way into the room as well, not hesitating to jump on the bed. You couldn’t say no to their cute faces and fell asleep right away.

You woke up eventually because you heard a loud gasp. When you opened your eyes, you could see Chaeyoung standing in the doorframe with her hand covering her mouth and teary eyes. You wanted to greet her, but she stopped you,

“Wait! That will be such a cute picture.”

So she snapped a photo with her phone, but then immediately jumped on top of you, wrapping her arms around you and peppering your face with kisses.

Lalisa

You loved Lisa and you loved her cats, but you were glad when she would finally be back home from the world tour. Taking care of four cats was hard. One of them was always getting in some kind of trouble and they liked to play in your whole apartment, not caring if they broke something. Therefore, when you sat down on the couch and Lily and Louis laid by your side, while Leo and Luca were lounging in one of their cat houses, you didn’t dare to move a muscle. You were just so glad that you finally didn’t have to chase behind them. But hearing their soft purrs, made you quite sleepy and although you wanted to stay awake until Lisa returned, you fell asleep.

When Lisa opened the door, her eyes began to sparkle at the sight of you taking a nap with her cats. She just wanted to snap a photo, when all hell broke lose again. The cats were happy to see her, all running up to her to receive some love. You woke up because of the loud meows and immediately got up to leap into your girlfriend’s arms. Your greeting was cut short, however, because her cats definitely thought that they were more important than you and started to scratch your legs for attention.

[leo-blackwood-rp]

Character Interview II: Growing Up

UI: Alright, are you ready for the second part of the interview, Mr. Blackwood?

Leo: Yeah, let’s get started. And please just call me Leo.

UI: Okay, Leo, you mentioned that your parents, Ellis and Laura, their jobs and what they were like generally. How do you think they were as parents specifically?

Leo: They have been great parents, to be honest. I know being in the industry there’s always a lot of talk about how famous people might spoil kids too much or not be around a lot; I think there’s no way to fully know what you’re doing, it’s not like there’s a manual of how to raise your kids. But I have to say my parents did a great job balancing their work with having a family and a normal routine for us.

UI: Were your parents strict?

Leo: Not really. I mean they were strict enough with generally normal things; keeping up with school, having good grades, being a good kid. They definitely made a lot of emphasis on making both me and my brother that we are very lucky and privileged and know that all of this takes hard work; they didn’t want neither me or my brother grow up to be, you know, the typical rich spoiled rich kid.

UI: Which of your parents dealt with bad behavior most often? What did they prefer when it came to parenting?

Leo: Probably mom, I mean they both did in different ways but mom was… I guess you can say the first one who would take action if we ever got in trouble; she would be the first one to give me a lecture and ground me. While my father is generally the quiet, calm one; he would wait a little bit before he talked to me alone to make me understand whatever I did wrong.

UI: Did they ever get psychical with you or your brother?

Leo: No, never.

UI: Did you get in trouble a lot?

Leo: Not really, I mean I’m not perfect; I was a teen, I’m sure I was stupid at some point but it was never something huge.

UI: Okay, we’re doing the same dynamic we did before; can you close your eyes and tell me what the earliest memory that you can remember is?

Leo: Oh I don’t even need to close my eyes, (smiles); it’s the day I got to be in one of my mother’s films, I was about six years old I think and my mom was in this film and they needed a kid to play her kid and immediately she thought who else would be more perfect than her own kid. I remember reading lines with her, I didn’t have many dialogs; I didn’t even think it was a real job, I just though “Oh cool, I’m playing with my mom.”

I remember watching her perform as the camera started rolling, I had a seat next to the director and I just remember seeing her… and thinking how amazing she was, how graceful. The director glanced at me and let me see the screen he was looking at; you know to see his perspective and I remember feeling important; in my head I thought I was directing for a minute. And when her scene ended she looked at me and gave me a big smile as she walked towards me and called me her little director. I didn’t know then I would end up exactly that… she still calls me that some times.

UI: Can you list all of the schools that you went to? What was each like?

Leo: Sure. I went to Brentwood School for all my basic education from Elementary to High School; it was a normal school really. It’s one of the best private schools in Los Angeles area, my parents thought it was the best choice for my safety and everyone else. Being the child of famous actors can be difficult, so my parents thought it was just the best to be in a school that were more used to these things. It was a nice school, I can’t say much really; school is school, kids hate being stuck in a classroom for the most part. But I made good friends and had all the normal experiences a kid can have at school. It was good. (Laughs).

UI: What was your favorite subject in school? Why?

Leo: Other than the arts workshop, I took a course we had in school for photography and obviously that was my favorite thing in the world but I feel like that’s an obvious answer. Other than that I would have to say English and literature, I love reading; I tended to create a movie in my head for every book we had to read or every essay we had to write.

UI: What was your least favorite subject in school? Why?

Leo: Biology; it’s not that I hated all of it but I dreaded the times we had to dissect frogs and stuff like that. First of all, that’s animal cruelty and second of all I’m kind of squeamish with animal’s insides. (Chuckles)

UI: As a kid, how do you think people would describe your personality?

Leo: Generally nice? (Laughs) I don’t know, I mean I had friends, I loved to run around all the time and joke but I wasn’t like a class clown; I suppose people liked me for the most part, I never had issues with anyone that I can remember at least.

UI: As a teenager, how do you think people would describe your personality?

Leo: Well I won’t most likely to bright up your day in High School, does that help? (laughs) As narcissistic as it sounds, I swear I’m not trying to, (chuckles), I was a popular kid; I liked making friends and helping people when they had issues if I could.

UI: Would you say you were the most popular kid in school?

Leo: Uhm… I suppose I was somewhere in that area.

UI: Did your class voted for you on that? Were you prom king or anything like that?

Leo: Yeah… (laughs) This is weird. I don’t mean to sound like an asshole.

UI: You’re not (laughs)

Leo: Okay, great. (chuckles)

UI: How did you do socially in school? What ‘cliques’ did you socialize with?

Leo: I was never like a clique type of a guy or at least I didn’t care too much for it; I was in a sport’s team so I got to hang out with the jocks, I was also in arts so I was around artsy kids obviously. Generally, I just like to be friends with people I shared things in common and you know, I could get along with. I did hated people who thought were bullies or liked to make others less; I went to a good school though where people got along, there were one or two people who liked to create issues but it wasn’t as bad as other’s schools could be.

UI: Who were your friends as a kid?

Leo: Toby Jenkins was my best friend from like Elementary school up until now really; we’ve been great friends ever since we were kids, our parents are in the Industry and they are actually friends so we grew up to be like brothers. There was this other kid called Samuel Hill, we were really close up until we were like twelve years old because that’s when he moved to Japan because of his father’s job and we kind of lost touch. Emma Moore was also a good friend of mine, she moved to New York when we were around thirteen or fourteen; we still keep in touch, Toby used to have the biggest crush on her (laughs).

UI: Who were your friends as a teenager?

Leo: Toby, obviously. Aaron Wood, he moved from Canada when we were around sixteen, we got along pretty well; we’re still pretty close. I was also really close to Danielle Avery; she was a student at my school and also and actress, she was a friend and we dated in High School.

UI: Are you still close to Danielle?

Leo: Not really, sometimes we run into each other but we don’t have a really close relationship anymore; it just happens with relationships but it’s not something dramatic.

UI: What did you think of school generally speaking?

Leo: I don’t really have much thought about it. Of course, it’s important to get your basic education and that’s kind of a way you learn to socialize; it’s the place where you start trying to find out who you are, I suppose. I had a general good experience; I made great friends and gathered great memories. But I won’t lie and say that I loved sitting for ours during class every day. I was a normal kid. (Chuckles)

UI: What is your worst memory from school?

Leo: I don’t really have any sort of traumatic memory or experience from school, I think I was lucky enough to not get bullied and even if someone tried I was the type to not let people mess with me. So yeah… if anything a sad moment I believe would be my first heartbreak which was me breaking up with my first girlfriend, I was fifteen and she basically decided she liked basketball guys instead of football so she dumped me for another guy and that hurt. Teen years man (chuckles).

UI: What is your best memory from school?

Leo: Prom and Graduation for sure; that sounds so cliché I know but It was probably the best part of it; you know after studying hard so many years you finally are over with that part of your life, I was so eager to start with my life and going to college to prepare for something I knew I loved. Seeing my parents proud and obviously celebrating that with my friends, it’s just a wonderful experience.

UI: What did you think that you wanted to be while growing up?

Leo: Uhm… I know when I was really young like five or six I wanted to be Spiderman, you know he’s very strong and can climb buildings and he loved taking photographs so it kind of checked all the awesome boxes for me. (Laughs) As I got older I thought I wanted to act like my parents but soon I realized I didn’t have the heart for it and realized I was really interesting in photography and filming, It didn’t take me long before deciding I wanted to be a director.

UI: What was your favorite thing to do as a child?

Leo: I loved playing video games and running around outside, I started loving photography pretty early on, I think I was seven or eight when  I got my first camera and I carried that with me everywhere I went.

UI: What was your favorite thing to do as a teenager?

Leo: Hanging out with my friends and girlfriend, video games and photography. Nothing changed much (laughs)

UI: Do you think that school properly prepared you for your job? Why or why not?

Leo: I mean… I guess it might have given me some basic tools for it but it was really me learning on my own cuz I loved it and also when I went to college that was like the real in depth learning process for me.

UI: Do you think that you got most of your skills or abilities from school? How so, if so? If not, where did you get them?

Leo: College definitely thought me a lot but I’m also a very curious person so I taught myself a lot of things simply because I liked to do research on things I was curious about or saw other directors or photographers doing when I was around my parents’ jobs.

UI: Who did you look up to while you were growing up? Why?

Leo: My parents, they are very passionate about their work but acting is not the only thing they did; they knew how privilege they are and they always made sure to use the platform and the voice they had to create change and give to people who are less fortunate; I just think they are amazing human beings and that’s exactly the type of person I want to be.

UI: Who do you think from the past had the most influence on you as a person now?

Leo: Uhm… that’s a hard question to answer. I think every single person you came in contact with through your life leaves you a lesson; good or bad, it helps you shape into whoever you are today. If I had to pick anyone it would be my parents for the same reason I mentioned in the previous question.

UI: You’ve talked about your immediate family. Is there anyone in your extended family that you were in contact with or were close to? Why or why not?

Leo: I have an uncle, brother of my mother who’s a photographer; he’s won awards for it and he shared his passion with me when I was a kid. We got really close because our common interest. He’s always around all the time; he’s always been there for us.

UI: Is there anyone outside of your blood that you consider family?

Leo: Love Bryant. We’ve known each other for a long time now, we’ve seen each other and supported each other in the best and worst moments of our lives; she’s like a sister to me.

UI: Have you had your first kiss already? If so, when? Who did you have it with? How did it happen?

Leo: My first kiss was with a girl named Jenny, when I was around eleven; it was during a spin the bottle game. A little awkward you know, we were little kids and it happened in front of a lot of other kids who kept teasing us. Childhood. (laughs)

UI: Have you had intercourse? If so, when was the first time? Who did you have it with? How did it happen?

Leo: Like most American man my age, yes I’ve had sex before.(chuckles). My first time was with my high school girlfriend, Danielle, we were sixteen or seventeen years old and my parents had to go away for a weekend and trusted me enough to look after myself for two days… Danielle came over to hangout, one thing led to another and we ended up losing our virginity that night.

UI: To close out now that you’ve looked at your growing up, how would you describe your childhood in general?

Leo: Happy, I honestly don’t have anything to complain about; I was… I am a lucky guy. I never lacked anything, I didn’t have any really terrible experiences; except for the way my previous relationship ended but I see those things as normal things that might happen in life. So yeah, I’ve had a good life so far.

[wellamarke]

all that remains

humans challenge, week 3, day 3: leotilda/first ‘i love you’

There is a girl in his room, but her hair is too dark to be Niska, and too light to be Mia. She faces him, and he sees that her eyes are brown, not green. She is human, like he was. Like most of him still is.

“Hello,” he says. He tries to sound friendly. Either she is a nurse, or she’s someone he ought to know, and either way he should be kind, even if he feels like being sullen. This is something Max taught him. He wonders just how sullen he was, before this happened, for Max to have to say that.

“Hello,” says the girl. A woman really, but young. Just a little younger than his body is. He isn’t sure how old his mind thinks it is at the moment. It’s been chopping and changing to whatever takes its fancy. “How are we today?”

“Fine,” he says. “The bits of me that are here, anyway.” He gives her a rueful look, somewhere just below a smile. “Have I seen you before?”

“I came yesterday. We had a good chat.”

He nods. “Sometimes I forget things.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

They regard one another; him curious, her sad. “Why do you keep coming?” he asks suddenly. “It can’t be fun for you, when I don’t even remember your name. And it’s not…”

He doesn’t want to say, it’s not helping me either, but in a way perhaps she ought to know. There’s no need for her to torture herself on his account. Whether she’s here or not, his brain gives and takes what it chooses.

“I don’t always do things because they’re fun,” she says, enigmatically. “Besides, if you were going to say it makes no difference to you, we don’t actually know that yet. Doctor Morrow’s been running tests. She says there’s still some activity in the hippocampus, so there’s still a chance we could trigger something.”

He sniffs. He hadn’t known. “Nobody tells me anything.”

“Sometimes we do, it’s just…”

He leans forward a little. “Am I going to die?” he asks, bluntly. “Is that why everyone’s being so careful?”

Her eyes widen. “What? No. You’re healthy. Actually you’re better than ever, because Athena made you a proper charging port.” She gestures at his side, hidden by the bedsheets. He doesn’t glance down. He knows it’s there. It sits in his skin, sealed and smug, as if it’s always been part of him. Interesting, then, to know that it hasn’t.

“No more infections in that big open… gash-thing,” she continues. “And you’ll be up and about soon. If people are careful around you…” She trails off, then comes back to herself. “Maybe they’re just scared of making it harder on you. We kind of— me and Max have this thing where we vent to each other, so none of it gets to you. Which,” she raises her eyebrows, “I realise that I’m kind of breaking by telling you there’s a thing, but, y'know. Don’t want you sitting there thinking you’re on death row.”

He’s oddly touched. “Thank you,” he says, somewhat gruffly.

She shrugs. “S'alright. Max has a great joke about the word hippocampus, by the way. You should let him tell you it.”

“I’ll try and remember.” A joke of his own. She smiles in acknowledgement.

“Have you thought about writing stuff down?” she asks. She shifts, pulls a bag from her shoulder, and unzips a compartment on the side. “At least you’d know what you’ve known on other days, even if you don’t know it all at once.” She takes out a slim, black notebook, with a pen clipped over the cover, and holds it out to him, looking suddenly self-conscious. “Thought it might give you some practice with your motor skills, too.”

He takes it from her, runs his fingers over it. She’s right, they’re clumsy, and will appreciate the workout. “Again. Thank you.”

She just gives a short nod. Her eyes have clouded.

“You’re good to me,” he says. “The person I was before, he…must have meant something to you.”

“You do,” she says, soberly.

He notes the change of pronoun, wonders if he’ll remember to try and refer to both his selves as the same person when she’s around, in future. He hopes so. He’s not out to hurt her.

He’s not out to hurt anyone. But he manages to, again and again, every time one of them comes to see him. He doesn’t always remember the specifics from day to day, but the general impression remains. A heaviness on his heart. He is pain, to all of them. It’s tiring.

He leans back onto his pillows. “Will you let me say I’m sorry, and not say ‘it’s not your fault’?” He addresses the ceiling, because it’s easier than her face. “It doesn’t make it any better.”

“Okay,” she says.

And so he says, “I’m sorry,” and hears his voice crack, and closes his eyes. She doesn’t shift. If she moves at all, he doesn’t hear. Eventually, sleep takes him.

*****

Mattie waits there for a while, then wanders out into the corridor. She speaks to a few of the new synths as she goes, giving Alice a high-five when she raises her hand. Toby’s taught all of them to do that by now, but some of them are more into it than others.

She walks along to the room where she left Sophie, and finds her little sister curled up in the book corner with Sam and Angel, one of those huge teacher’s-copy picture books spread across their three laps. Sam is reading to the two girls, over-expressing every word as if to make up for lost time.

Mattie waits for a page-turn. “Five more minutes, Soph,” she says.

Sophie looks up, immediately plaintive. “Oh! That’s not enough to finish the story. Can I have…” She looks at the pages left. “Twenty?”

Mattie sighs. “You’re terrible at haggling, titch. You can have ten, but only ‘cause I’m nice.”

Sophie switches her attention back to the book, satisfied.

“You’re welcome,” Mattie murmurs, and drifts from the doorway. She carries on to the charging room, finds Frankie and Tabitha there, sitting side-by-side on a bench. Both are connected to chargers, and they’ve gone into standby mode with their arms around each other, Frankie’s head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Mattie smiles. She’s just about to leave when Victor arrives, and tells her a riddle about six identical synths on an island. Victor thinks riddles are the same as saying hello, and nobody has the heart to tell him otherwise.

She admits that she has no idea how to tell which synth weighs more than the others, and Victor smiles and says, “Me neither,” which is another thing nobody’s told him about riddles.

Mattie continues along the corridor, giving waves and high-fives as she goes. There’s never a quiet moment here, which is good, because if there was, she’d end up thinking about Leo again, and she doesn’t want to do anything as stupid as that before she’s safe at home in her bedroom, texting Max in the dark. The thought reminds her that she hasn’t seen him around today, and she fishes in her bag for her phone, just to ask how the talks at Hester’s factory went.

She can’t feel it in there, and she takes her bag off her shoulder to look properly. No sign of her phone. Damn. Had it come out with the notebook she’d given Leo? She doesn’t think so. But she hasn’t used it anywhere since she arrived, and she’s barely touched her bag other than that. She steels herself to return to his room.

She finds him still sleeping - or rather, sleeping again. He must have been awake for some of the time between, even just for a few moments, because the notebook isn’t next to him anymore. It’s lying open, but face down, on top of his chest and arm. The pen is further down the bed, uncapped, drawing a tiny black line across the white bedsheets.

Her phone is also there, on the floor next to where she’d been sitting. She puts it in her bag, making sure it falls to the bottom this time. Then Mattie picks up the pen, and retrieves the lid. She leaves it on his bedside cabinet.

Then she goes for the door.

She almost makes it.

She tries to fight against the temptation. She didn’t give him the notebook as a way to spy on him. It’s supposed to help him. It’s a gross offence against his privacy, if she reads what he wrote for his own eyes only. He’d been asleep, anyway - so it was probably a dream. Either he’s written some gibberish that doesn’t even matter, or it’s something personal, and either way she ought to keep moving.

She takes another step towards the door.

Then she hears the creak of the bedsprings as he half-rolls over. The book falls to the floor with a thump, and most of the pages stay together. Only the cover flaps slightly open, bent near the spine where he’d opened it too fiercely.

She approaches slowly, like it’s a wild animal she might scare away. If he wakes up while she’s looking, it could… ruin any trust she’s reestablished here. It had been hard enough the first time around, and she doesn’t want to chance her luck a third time.

When she’s near enough, she bends and picks it up, planning just to return it to the cabinet, neatly. But the temptation overwhelms her, and she moves the cover just slightly aside.

Nothing. The page is completely blank.

She exhales, only realising now how much she’d built up her hopes. She puts the book down, next to the pen. Standing back from it, she notices that the cover isn’t the only thing that sits slightly apart from the rest - there’s a dent a few pages in. Maybe he hadn’t been too fussy about where he started writing. Half-asleep, it would make sense.

She’s come this far. She might as well. She’ll never speak of it to him, whatever it says, she decides.

She opens to the right place, sees five words scrawled there. His handwriting is scratchy and irregular, but she reads it like it’s fine calligraphy.

Mattie, it says.

Her name is Mattie.

[dmitri-smerdyakov]

Keeping an Open Mind (Part 2) - A Newt/Tina fic

Tagging: @pinkdiamonddolphin

You all said that you wanted more, so… 😉 Here it is!

Set in August 1945.

Phoenix – 14 (just finished 3rd year at Hogwarts) Linnet – 12 (just finished 1st year at Hogwarts) Leo – 10 Wren – 4

Toby – 15 (nearly 16) (just finished 4th year at Hogwarts) Daisy – 14 (just finished 3rd year at Hogwarts) Ruth and Abel – 11 (nearly 12) (about to start first year) Eli – 6 Lucy – 3 (nearly 4) Penny – 2

A/N: Lucy is the baby that Queenie was pregnant with at the end of Stitch by Stitch and Penny is a baby that Jacob and Queenie adopted – I’m going to write fics about these things later.

“I’m sorry.”

Tina frowned at him, fingers stilling on the buttons on her blouse; she had been getting ready for work, and she hadn’t even realized that her husband was awake. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Newt repeated, watching her carefully. “For last night.”

It took her a moment to realize just what he meant – and then she remembered their argument last night; she had understandably forgotten in light of recent events. “It’s fine. I’m not angry anymore.”

He sat up in bed, looking unconvinced; his arm was still bandaged from the incident with the Nundu the afternoon before and probably still somewhat painful, but he ignored it. “It’s not fine…I’m sorry, Tina, I really am. I…I wasn’t thinking,” He admitted. “When I approached the Nundu, I wasn’t thinking about the children – I wasn’t thinking about you – and that was incredibly selfish of me.”

Tina sat down on the bed, finishing doing up the buttons on her work blouse before looking at him again. “Maybe. I’m not really bothered about that anymore, Newt – there’s other things I’m worried about.” She paused, considering her words. “Having said that…I’m sorry too: perhaps I did overreact just a tad. I know that you have things under control in the case usually, but…but it scared me when I saw you covered in blood, especially when the children were crying and panicking.”

“I’m sorry for that too,” Newt muttered, and he appeared truly guilty. “I never want you to worry or be scared, Tina, not on my account. It’s my fault that Wren…” He swallowed, suddenly looking pained. “If I hadn’t been so irresponsible then we wouldn’t have argued and Wren wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed. I wouldn’t have triggered her.”

“Newt, don’t.” She reached out and placed a hand on his arm, much to his surprise. “Don’t blame yourself – if anything, we’re both to blame for arguing like that.” She sighed, lowering her head. “I’m just…I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. I mean, I know Queenie will know what to do, but…I kinda feel bad about bothering her about it, and…and she’ll feel awful when she finds out.”

He just shook his head, however, looking rather certain. “No, Tina; I mean, she might be a little bit upset at first – but she’s already had to deal with this with two of her own children, so she’s bound to know what to say to help…and I’m sure Wren could benefit from a talk too.”

“I…I don’t know,” Tina sighed, gnawing on her lip anxiously. “I mean, two of her own children have it, and I know that she felt so awful after finding out – but she’ll be so hurt if she thinks she’s…she’s to blame for Wren too.”

“Tina, Queenie’s your sister,” Newt insisted. “She loves Wren, and I know that she’ll want to help if she can…and she can, Tina. You know she can.”

He had a point there; even though she couldn’t help but feel slightly worried about asking her sister, it was sure to benefit their daughter – and, really, that was her top priority.

Queenie, of course, was immediately aware that something was not quite right when the Scamander family came to visit later that evening; whilst the older children settled in the garden to talk and the younger ones played with Jacob, Queenie sat down at the kitchen table with Newt and Tina, a serious look on her face.

“You’re both stressed,” She stated, and before they could argue she had flicked her wand towards the cupboard; three mugs floated out, and another well-aimed point of her wand made the kettle boil loudly. “Something’s wrong…with Wren?”

“Not wrong,” Tina said hurriedly, casting a look to the kitchen door in case any of the children happened to be listening in. “Just…we need to talk to you, Queenie.”

Her sister was silent as she finished the tea and coffee before sending it over to the table; she was clearly gathering what information she could from their minds as she took her seat – and then her face fell. “Oh. Oh, Teen…”

“It’s fine,” Tina assured her quickly, reaching out for her hand. “Honest, Queenie, we don’t blame you at all.”

“No,” Newt agreed sincerely. “No one’s to blame for it at all – it’s probably some kind of…of recessive trait, I’d imagine.”

“She had an episode last night,” Queenie murmured, looking deeply upset by the news. “That must have been awful for her.”

Tina’s eyes were sad, but she was clearly steeling herself to stay strong. “Yeah, it was. But we handled it just fine – and we’ll handle it even better if it happens again, now we know. Please, Queenie, don’t feel bad about this.”

“We wanted to ask you for some advice,” Newt added hurriedly. “After all, not only have you been through it yourself, but two of your own children have too. Neither of us really understand everything, and…and we want to do whatever we can to make sure she doesn’t suffer.”

His wife’s shoulders tensed, but she said nothing. Queenie sat back in her chair, eyes downcast. “I see. Poor Wren…it’s no fun, seeing and hearing everything about people. Not everyone’s so nice all the time.”

Newt swallowed the lump in his throat. “No. No, they’re not – which is why we really need your help, Queenie. I know it’s a fair amount to ask, and we don’t want to burden you-”

“Newt, honey,” The blonde interrupted. “I’d rather help than have her suffer – she’s only a little girl, and she’s gonna need as much support as possible. Of course I’ll help.”

“Thank you, Queenie,” Tina muttered, and she truly looked relieved. “Really, it means a lot to us.”

Queenie’s smile was only somewhat strained as she gave a nod. “I know, Teen. Alright…it ain’t easy,” She confessed. “It’s gonna be hard for everyone, really – I mean, you guys ain’t gonna have a lot of privacy anymore, not when she can read and hear everything you think or feel. As for Wren…well, like I said, it’s awful to have to put up with it all the time; you hear a lot of stuff you shouldn’t.”

“So what can we do to make things easier?” Newt questioned, watching his sister-in-law intently.

“Just…If she knows you guys ain’t mad at her – that you know it’s not her fault – then it’ll be much easier for her to deal with. She’ll get better at controlling it,” Queenie affirmed. “It kinda develops as you learn more and more magic…until then, you’ve gotta let her know that you’re not mad at her about it.”

There was a long silence in the air that seemed to stretch uncomfortably; it was only as Tina reached for her mug, looking rather thoughtful, that Queenie sighed.

“Teen, don’t think like that. I mean, you helped me, remember?” She put a hand on her sister’s arm, soft and understanding. “I know you were hurting a lot too when we were kids, but you was always there for me – you never got mad or tried to block me out. Really, Wren is so lucky to have you already.”

“Queenie’s right, Tina,” Newt agreed quietly. “I mean, you…you practically raised each other as children, so you already know what to expect – you know how to look after her.”

“See, Wren’s got two parents,” Queenie stated, and there was a hint of a smile on her face. “Two parents who love and adore her – she’s got me and Jacob, she’s got her brothers and sister, she’s got cousins…she’s got so much love and support already. I only had one person, Teen, and that was you.”

Tina slowly nodded, and she reached out to squeeze her sister’s hand; she knew that they had a point, that whilst Queenie had had only her, Wren would have so many more people to help her. It made her feel slightly better as she digested this information, though she still had her doubts.

“Wren will be fine, Teenie,” Queenie assured her comfortingly. “I know she will.”

And, truthfully, Tina found herself believing that.

“Hey, Wren!” Wren didn’t even look up as Daisy approached, gazing down at the sun-warmed grass beneath her skirt sadly; her older cousin sat down beside her, giving her a smile and leaning back. “How come you’re not playing?”

“Didn’t feel like it.”

“Alright. That’s fine. Are you okay?”

Wren shrugged, eyes still lowered. “Guess so. Mummy and Daddy were fighting last night, and it hurt.”

Daisy’s smile faded quickly, mouth a firm line. “I see. It hurt?” The four-year-old nodded. “That must have been awful. What were they fighting about?”

“Daddy got bit, and Mummy was upset ‘cause she thought he was hurt. She thought he was going away somewhere…I don’t know. It started hurting before I got it all.”

“Hmm. So…she was thinking this?” The older girl asked, and she frowned when her cousin nodded again. “You heard her thinking?”

“Her and Daddy,” Wren agreed. “They were both angry and it hurt…it really hurt, Daisy. I didn’t like it.”

Daisy softened, suddenly sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Wren. It’s not fun seeing what other people are thinking about, is it?”

“No. I thought everyone could do it,” She admitted. “But Mummy and Daddy started being weird, and I don’t think they can. I don’t think Linnet can either, or Phoenix and Leo.” She paused before finally looking up, eyes wide. “Can you hear, Daisy?”

“Yeah,” She admitted, smiling half-heartedly. “Me and Abel…we’re like our Ma, that’s where we got it from. I think you got it from her too.”

Wren tilted her head, clearly curious. “Auntie Queenie? I didn’t know that. And Abel never told me…wait, how come only you and Abel and me can do it, and no one else can?”

“I don’t know,” Daisy sighed, putting an arm around her. “But what you need to understand, Wren, is that it’ll get easier, I promise. Me and Abel, we’ve gotten used to it now – the headaches and hurting stops, I promise you.”

The two were silent for a moment, simply watching from afar as the other children played and chattered a distance away; finally, Wren bit her lip and gave a squirm. “How can I stop hearing it, Daisy? I don’t wanna hear it – I wanna be normal.”

“I know,” The older girl murmured, voice barely louder than a whisper; for some reason, her eyes had started to glisten. “I…I didn’t even tell my Ma and Pa, you know? I didn’t understand, and I was so afraid ‘cause I knew it wasn’t normal. I told your Ma before I told mine, ‘cause I didn’t want her getting upset…I thought it would make her real sad, especially seeing as Abel is one too. She was upset at first, but she said that she’d help me… My Ma and Pa have been real supportive of me and Abel – and I know yours will be too.”

“But I wanna stop hearing it,” Wren repeated, looking rather frustrated.

Daisy gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You can’t, not really – but it’s okay, Wren, I promise. It’s not that bad after a while – it gets a lot easier.”

The four-year-old looked rather put-out. “Oh.”

“You’re gonna be okay, Wren,” Her cousin promised firmly. “And if you ever wanna talk, then just let me know – even when I’m back at Hogwarts, just send me an owl and I’ll answer as soon as I can. Deal?”

Wren hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure – but then she smiled brightly, seemingly reassured. “Okay, I will. Thanks, Daisy; you’re the best cousin in the whole world!”

Daisy couldn’t help but grin to herself, a laugh bubbling out of her as she hugged her younger cousin tightly.

Put quite bluntly, Wren was rather disheartened by the realization that she wasn’t quite like her siblings – that she was somewhat strange and odd. She had noticed that her brothers and sister seemed guarded around her, that they were trying to protect their thoughts, and she felt even worse for it because she knew she was intruding on something that should be private but she couldn’t help it. It came like blinking, like hearing, and it wasn’t her fault – she just wished her family understood that.

It was a couple of weeks later, just after Phoenix and Linnet had both returned to Hogwarts, and the two younger Scamanders were assisting their father in the case. It hadn’t escaped Newt’s notice that his youngest daughter was more withdrawn than usual, sitting near the Niffler’s den and looking down at her skirt thoughtfully; once Leo was occupied with feeding the Mooncalves on the other side of the case, he made his way over to her.

“Hello, Wren.” She didn’t even look up when he knelt down in front of her, and he forced himself to smile. “You’re very quiet today – I suppose you’re keeping the Niffler company?”

Wren gave a small shrug, still avoiding his eyes.

“I see. Well, you’ll have to make sure he doesn’t get loose,” Newt mused. “After all, I don’t think Mummy would be too happy if he stole her things again.” She didn’t even smile, still not looking at him, and he found himself wishing he knew what he could say. “Wren, if something’s the matter then you can tell me.”

“No,” Wren mumbled, voice weak. “No, I can’t, you’ll get cross and hate me.”

“I could never hate you,” He said immediately, appalled by this. “And I promise I won’t get cross – I won’t. Come on, what’s so bad that you can’t tell me?”

She finally raised her head, clearly uncertain and anxious. “I don’t wanna hear anything anymore – it makes everyone unhappy ‘cause they know I can hear it. I don’t want everyone unhappy ‘cause of me.”

Newt sighed, sitting down beside her. “I’m sorry. I know that this is very difficult – we’re all finding it difficult.”

“Thinking is s’posed to be private,” Wren told him sadly. “That’s what Phoenix thought before he went back to school – but it’s not private ‘cause I can hear it. It’s bad for me to hear it…I’m bad.”

“Don’t be silly,” He dismissed, shaking his head. “You’re not bad at all – you’re kind and thoughtful and…and very compassionate, just like your Mummy. You’re far from bad. Hearing private thoughts, yes, is very inconvenient for the rest of us, I’ll admit, but it’s not your fault; we all know that you can’t stop it, and we don’t love you any less for it.”

She still looked very unsure, even a bit confused. “But…But…”

“I don’t mind you hearing, if that helps,” Newt informed her quietly. “I won’t get upset if you hear what I think…I can’t promise you I’ve got very interesting thoughts, but if you start reading what I think then I won’t stop you.”

He was still rather prickly about Queenie doing it, admittedly, but this was different; he knew Wren had no control over it, that it might take some time for her to control it, and he knew he could never get angry with her over something like that.

She seemed to read that he was being genuine about this, that he really meant it, for she suddenly embraced him and buried her face into his waistcoat. “Thank you, Daddy. I was scared ‘cause I thought you would…you wouldn’t…”

“Wren, I love you no matter what,” Newt murmured gently, giving her a squeeze. “Me and Mummy both love you no matter what, and nothing will change that. Alright?” She gave a nod, still nestled into him. “Now then – would a ride on a Graphorn make you feel better?”

Wren’s face lit up as she pulled away, clearly cheered up by this. “Yes please, Daddy!”

Perhaps riding Graphorns (even tamed ones) wasn’t the safest activity for children – but when she smiled like that, eyes bright, he knew he’d made the right decision really.

“You need to stop comparing the two of us,” Queenie tutted, shaking her head at her sister. “Honest, Teen, I dunno how many times I can tell you this but I’ll say it again anyway… You’re not a terrible mother and, yeah, it’s okay to be overwhelmed.”

Tina huffed. “Stop reading my mind.”

“Stop thinking you’re a bad mother,” Queenie retorted, but she was smiling fondly as she sat down. “And another thing: it’s okay when you tell me to stop reading your mind ‘cause I can take it – are you gonna say that to Wren?”

“No,” Tina answered immediately, trying not to go pink. “I mean, that’s different – she’s four, she can’t help it.”

“Neither can I,” Her sister reminded her good-naturedly. “But you’re right, it’s worse when you’re that little. Look, Teen, being overwhelmed about this doesn’t make you a worse mother than me – it just means you’re overwhelmed.”

Tina still looked somewhat guilty. “Yeah, but it’s worse for her than for me – she’s the one actually dealing with it.”

“You’re all dealing with it,” Queenie corrected. “It don’t just affect her: it affects you, Newt, her brothers and sister…when you’re a family, you share that kinda thing. She seemed happy when Newt brought her over yesterday – I wouldn’t sweat it, Teen, honest. You’re all doing a great job.”

They were silent for a moment as this sunk in; finally, Tina rested her head on her hand and looked down at the table somewhat longingly. “I still wish Mama was here, you know.”

“Oh, Teenie…so do I,” Queenie agreed, her smile now sad as she reached for her sister’s hand. “I miss Mama and Papa every day; I wish that they were with us to see our kids. They would have loved them, all of them, spoilt them rotten… I think that they would have loved Newt and Jacob too, you know.”

She squeezed her sister’s hand back, forcing herself to smile too. “Yeah, I think they would have too. Sometimes I…I dunno, I just wish I was more like Mama, you know? I mean, you’re just like her and I’m…I’m…”

“You’re just like Papa,” The blonde finished. “He would have been real proud of you, Teen, I just know it: becoming an Auror, doing all of these great things to help people… He and Ma would have both been proud.”

Tina didn’t want to get tearful at this, she really didn’t; instead she cleared her throat and looked away. “Yeah, well…I wish they were here, now especially – they would have known what to do.”

“Maybe. But I think we’re both doing okay,” Queenie decided positively. “Don’t think too much, Teen: you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit for all the wonderful things you do. Wren will be fine, I know it, because she’s got so much support. Don’t worry.”

Despite herself and the situation, Tina found herself grinning half-heartedly. “Worrying means you suffer twice.”

Guess who is tired and done with everything and life? (it’s me) There were probably things I should have added in this A/N but it’s 2am and I’ve stopped thinking properly.