The front door shut with a dull thud, and Y/N let out a slow, exhausted breath as she leaned against it. Her limbs ached, her head throbbed, and the weight of the day pressed down on her shoulders like an iron shroud. Work had been relentless—one thing after another, problems stacking higher and higher with no end in sight. All she had wanted, all she had needed, was to come home to her boyfriends and curl up in their arms, let them press kisses into her hair and murmur soft reassurances until she could breathe again.Instead, raised voices slammed into her ears the moment she stepped inside.Y/N stiffened, her stomach twisting with dread as she recognized them instantly—Remus and Sirius."...I knew you'd do this! You always do this, Padfoot, you never think!""Oh, that's fucking rich coming from you, Moony! Always acting like you're so much better than me, like you always know best—""I never said that! But maybe if you'd listen for once—""Oh, fuck off, Remus!"Y/N's hands clenched into fists. Not now. Not tonight.She forced herself to step forward, each movement heavy and slow, as if walking through thick, suffocating fog. The argument was coming from the living room, and the moment she turned the corner, her breath caught in her throat.Sirius stood with his arms rigid at his sides, eyes burning with fury, his jaw clenched so tightly it could snap. His hair was disheveled, falling into his face, but he made no move to push it back. His whole body vibrated with frustration, like a storm barely restrained.Remus was just as tense, his face pale with anger, his scars standing stark against his skin. His fists were curled, shaking slightly at his sides, and his mouth was set in a tight, bitter line. But his eyes—his eyes—held something deeper. Not just anger. Hurt.The room was thick with the weight of it.Neither of them had noticed her yet.Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to shake off the exhaustion pulling at her limbs. She needed to focus. She needed to fix this."What the fuck is going on?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but she didn't care.Both heads snapped toward her, and for a moment, there was only silence.Then Sirius scoffed, shaking his head. "Oh, great. Just in time for the fucking intervention."Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Intervention for what? What is this about?"Remus exhaled harshly and raked a hand through his hair. "Sirius did something reckless. Again.""Oh, sorry for not being a perfect little rule-follower like you," Sirius spat, his voice dripping with venom.Remus' eyes flashed dangerously. "It's not about following rules, Sirius! It's about not getting yourself killed! Do you even think before you go off and pull this shit?"Sirius threw his arms up. "Oh, right, I forgot—you're the only one allowed to be self-destructive, aren't you, Remus?"Y/N's blood ran cold.Remus flinched. It was barely visible, just the slightest flicker of pain across his face, but she saw it. Sirius saw it too."Sirius," Y/N said sharply, stepping forward, "what did you do?"Sirius rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "It's not a big deal.""Not a big deal?" Remus laughed, but there was no humor in it, only disbelief. "Not a big deal? Y/N, he—he went after a Death Eater. Alone."Y/N's breath hitched. "What?""It wasn't even that bad—" Sirius started.Remus' voice rose. "He let them goad him! He knew it was a trap, and he still walked right into it!"Sirius scoffed. "And I still came back in one piece, didn't I?""That's not the point!" Remus snapped. "The point is that you could've—" His voice broke, just slightly, and he swallowed hard. "You could've died, Sirius."Sirius' expression flickered—just for a second, something softer, something almost guilty. But then he shook his head, scoffing again. "Oh, spare me the lecture, Moony."Y/N stepped between them, forcing herself to stay calm even as her heart pounded."Sirius," she said slowly, evenly, "why? Why did you go alone?"His jaw tensed. "Because no one else was doing anything.""That's not true," Remus shot back."Oh, really? Because from where I'm standing, it sure as hell feels like it! Everyone just wants to sit around and wait, to be careful, while people are out there dying—""So your solution is to go and get yourself killed?""I was fine!"Y/N had had enough."No, you fucking weren't!"Both boys went still.Y/N could feel her hands shaking, her whole body trembling with exhaustion and barely-contained emotion. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall."I can't—" Her voice cracked, and she took a breath, forcing herself to steady. "I can't do this. Not tonight. Not after the day I've had. I just wanted to come home to you both. I just wanted to feel safe. And instead, I walk in on—on this."Sirius shifted uncomfortably, looking away.Remus' face softened, but the tension in his shoulders remained."I get it," she continued, her voice quieter now, rawer. "I get why you're upset, Remus. I do. And Sirius, I get why you're angry, too. But I can't—I won't—stand here and watch you two tear each other apart."Her vision blurred for a moment, and she swayed slightly where she stood.Immediately, Sirius' hands were on her arms, steadying her."Love, you're—" He hesitated, his voice softer, more hesitant than before. "You're shaking."Remus stepped closer too, his anger melting into concern. "Y/N, what happened today?"She let out a hollow laugh, running a hand over her face. "I don't have the energy to talk about it. Not when I'm already about to collapse. But I—" She swallowed thickly. "I need you both to stop fighting."For a moment, neither of them spoke.Then Sirius exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. He still looked angry—frustrated—but there was something else there now, too. Guilt."...I'm sorry," he muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "For worrying you. For—fuck, for everything."Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry too. I just—I hate seeing you get hurt, Sirius."Sirius bit his lip, then nodded, stepping closer.Y/N let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she felt their arms wrap around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.She let herself sink into them, her body exhausted but her heart aching less."Let's go to bed," Remus murmured, his lips brushing her temple."Yeah," Sirius agreed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "You need rest. And so do we."Y/N nodded against his chest.And for the first time that night, the weight on her shoulders felt just a little lighter.
