Prompt: write about a character or characters dealing with, coming into contact with, or otherwise engaged with some form of mental illness.
Word count: any multiple of 100, to the nearest 15 words above or below.
)O(
She stumbles backwards, squeezing her eyes shut as excruciating pain spreads around her head and her vision goes brighter, too bright–the green walls of her parlour burn her eyes and her eyes are wet with sudden tears.
Maybe if she digs her nails–talons–into the palm of her hand, the pain in her head will go away.
It doesn't.
It never does.
She finds it really rather humorous that even though Sirius is one of her least favourite people in the whole horrible world–her cousin has never been fond of her, and the feeling has always been mutual, but she must admit that their arguments entertain her–he's the only one who notices that she's about to go into one of her episodes. He's the one whose eyes widen and who holds her wrists, whispering soothing things to her. He's the one who cradles her when she starts hissing nonsense things; things about missing dreams of a snake man, and missing her home, and missing the light. He's the one who very nearly sheds a tear seeing her like this.
Sirius shushes her, telling her that there is no snake man, that she's in her very own quarters, that her life's always been in the dark. He tells her that she's never known the light–none of the Blacks are given that privilege.
She's got tears soaking her face and bloodshot eyes, but she's still beautiful. He comments on this, he comments on her beauty, madly hoping it will stop her from crying. But all she does is slap him and tell him she hates him, she really does.
He smiles and even though she's mad, mental, she sees the slight sadness in his eyes as the corners of his lips turn upwards.
"I know," he says.