Monday came before either of the boys felt ready to face it, but they soldiered on anyway, driving straight to the Emporium after breakfast with Ed’s dad.

Sunday had been laid back but still filled with a lot of worrying about all of the things that had happened in the past two days. Sebastian didn’t sleep easy, or at all really. He tried to catch a quick nap here and there, but he was too scared of returning to that nightmare to properly rest.

He tried to assure Edmund that he’d be fine but he was quite unsuccessful. So, once they arrived at the emporium, Ed went straight to Persephone and asked, “Do dreamcatchers actually work, and do you have any?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Having trouble with nightmares?”

“No, but Sebastian is.”

“It was one bad dream,” Seb interjected.

Edmund gave him a flat look. “You have had three off-putting dreams over the last three nights, I would not just call the last one bad.”

“What are the dreams about exactly?” Persephone inquired with a frown.

“Well, the first two were more like actual things that happened to Eddie. When he found the wolf that first night and then when he shifted under the full moon.”

“Okay. What about this third one though.”

“I-” Sebastian flinched as the memories resurfaced. “It was a lot.”

Persephone nodded with a concerned look. “I’m guessing that whatever you saw is still very clear in your mind then?”

“Yeah. Is that... bad?”

“Not necessarily. I’m not good with dream interpreting, but I know someone who is.”

“Could we talk to them?”

“Well, they’re currently doing business somewhere. I should be able to contact them by the next full moon.”

“The next- that's a whole month away,” Edmund exclaimed.

Persephone sighed. “I know. Maybe Hayden or Lydia would know something.”

“What would I know?” Lydia asked as they walked out from the back. “Hey, guys. I wasn’t expecting to see you this early. No school or something?”

“No, we have school in a bit, but we came by to get something from Hayden,” Edmund explained. “Can you interpret dreams?”

“Ah, no. Sorry.”

Sebastian shrugged. “It’ll be fine. I don’t think we really need an interpreter.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll remember to contact my friend, and in the meantime, I’ll get you a dreamcatcher,” Persephone stated.

“I’d also suggest writing it down while the dream is fresh in your mind. Just in case” Lydia added.

Sebastian nodded. “You really don’t look like a ghost.”

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Lydia tensed then laughed awkwardly. “Where'd you get that idea from, kid.”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. Ed and Seb know about the supernatural now.” Persephone explained.

“Oh,” Lydia nodded and relaxed. “You finally figured it out then.”

“I had to get turned into a werewolf first actually,” Edmund replied.

“Wait, what?”

Persephone grimaced. “I’ll explain everything to you later. You boys can go upstairs, Hayden’s there waiting for you.”

Sebastian and Edmund nodded then left the front room. Upstairs, they found Hayden was indeed waiting for them, with a rather exhausted look about her.

“Morning boys.”

“Uh, hi. Did you not sleep well or something?” Sebastian inquired.

“No, actually I spent most of my time since you left, awake and working on this.” She explained, holding up what looked like a regular can of deodorant.

Edmund frowned. “Is that healthy? Especially since you’ve got to see to patients today?”

“Oh, it’s really not healthy. But I have a special something for times like this that will give me the energy I need to get through today.”

Seb perked up. “Is it some kind of spell or potion?”

“It is a potion, actually. I call it Sunrise Burst. Gives me enough energy to get through my day as if I had a full night’s sleep.”

“Are there any side effects?”

Hayden shrugged. “Only that you instantaneously fall asleep once the sun sets.”

“Cool. Do you think I could have some?”

“Huh? What for?”

“He didn’t sleep last night,” Edmund explained. “He had a really bad nightmare Saturday night.”

“Oh. I guess I could give you a small dose. That way, you won't just pass out at sunset like me.”

“Will I be awake enough for classes though?”

“Defiantly. I'll fix something for us right now.”

“Uh, could you explain the neutralizer for us first?” Edmund asked.

“Huh? Shit, my short-term memory is near useless as you can see. I almost forgot that I had this in my hand. Here you go.” She handed him the canister. “Basic explanation, it’s like a deodorant that you apply once every six hours.”

“And it works?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll burn my hat.”

Sebastian frowned. “Do you own any hats to burn?”

“And isn’t the expression that you’ll eat your hat?”

“My point is, it works. Just keep a low profile on your new skills and you’re golden. Or maybe not golden. Then you’d be more noticeable.”

Edmund raised an eyebrow. “I think you should make that potion now.”

Hayden nodded in agreement and went off to the kitchen.

“So, you going to put it on now?” Sebastian asked, eyeing the can.

“I guess. How do we know if it works though?”

“Um... oh! Persephone could tell when your scent changed slightly, maybe she’ll be able to tell.”

“Maybe. If this doesn’t work now, we should probably skip school.”

“We?”

Edmund shrugged. “Well, you have my smell on you too, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Sebastian paused. “I... I smell like you?”

“Partially? I mean, we’re always physically close, so it’s easy for our scents to mingle.”

Sebastian thought it over for a moment then shrugged. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation getting to him, but the thought that they were genuinely so close that their scents intermingled was almost overwhelming. Sure, they shared clothes from time to time and weren’t shy about hugs or cuddles or touching and whatnot, but the idea that even their individual smells mixed had never crossed his mind before. He wasn’t even sure if he’d noticed Ed’s specific smell since it was just Edmund in his mind.

“So, can you smell yourself?”

“Uh, yeah, but I wouldn’t be able to tell if I was a wolf or not.”

“I know, I was just curious if you know your specific scent. Like how you could tell me that I smell of leaves and berries.”

“Fallen leaves and blackberries. Like the forest at the height of autumn and a handful of ripe blackberries.” Edmund specified. “I can kind of smell blackberries on me too, and um, mist?”

“Like an early spring morning?”

“Yeah...”

There was a moment of silence before Hayden returned to the room. “Alright, I have a regular coffee for Ed and a sunrise special for Seb. Drink up.”

The boys gratefully accepted the mugs and enjoyed their coffee before they had to head off to school. Effectively ending their conversation, though not silencing either of their thoughts about it...