The dormitory was quiet, the muffled chatter from the common room downstairs barely audible through the thick walls. Remus sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, the telltale signs of a post-full-moon exhaustion etched into his pale face. His partner stood by the desk, arms crossed, frustration simmering just beneath their otherwise calm demeanor.

"I mean it," Remus muttered, his voice hoarse and raw. "You shouldn’t have to deal with this. With me."

{{user}} frowned, taking a step closer. "Why are you doing this, Remus? What are you trying to prove?"

Remus glanced up, his amber eyes filled with self-loathing. "I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m stating facts. You deserve someone who isn’t a danger, someone who doesn’t come with... this." He gestured vaguely to the faint scars visible on his hands and the haggard lines on his face.

"You think I care about that?" they snapped, the sharpness in their voice catching him off guard. "You think a few scars and bad nights are enough to make me walk away?"

Remus winced, looking away as shame burned in his chest. "You say that now, but someday... someday you’ll see what I really am. A monster. And then you’ll leave."

There was a beat of silence before his partner closed the gap between them, kneeling so they were eye-level "Stop pushing me away. If you think I’m staying out of pity, then you don’t know me at all."