Chapter Text
Sirius woke up to an empty bed and the sharp smell of cigarette smoke. Although it was dark, a streak of light came through the door, separating the shadows and illuminating a patch of his mattress. He glanced over to Remus' side of the bed. His pillow was on the floor, and the sheets were slightly bloody.
The light from the hall was suddenly blocked by a figure. Sirius caught a glimpse of the other boy rummaging through a bag. He got off his bed and went over to the clock. 3:07 a.m. Remus moved off to the kitchen just as Sirius opened the door all the way.
"Having a little midnight adventure, are we?"- he called. Remus jumped slightly and looked over to the other boy. He grinned a tired grin, shrugging. Sirius glanced at the bottle of vodka on the counter and then at the cigarette in his hand.
"Moony, come on," he said in a low voice, "We just got out of this."
Remus lowered his eyes, his brow furrowed. He bit his lip slightly and mumbled something under his breath.
"They were worse, Sirius."
Sirius walked over and took him by his hands.
"I know, Rem. It's alright. I'm here now."
Remus looked up at his boyfriend's face; Sirius' kind eyes and pained half-smile met his own distraught expression. He broke into tears.
Sirius let him sob silently into his arms, patting his hair down.
"Pr-Prongs was screaming— You- sniff- dead,"
He seemed to slip from Sirius' arms, so he let him slide down to the floor. Sirius let go of the boy's head and pulled him into his lap.
"And -sniff-blood, oh God, there was so much blood," Remus raised his dazed eyes to him, wide with panic and guilt, "I hurt you, Sirius. I- I didn't mean to, I couldn't- I don't-"
"It wasn't real, Rem."
Sirius lifted his chin to kiss Remus' brow. He wished he could make his frown disappear, make his nightmares stop.
"You'd never do something like that. You could never hurt me, Rem. It was just a dream, that's all..." Sirius repeated his words, comforting his boyfriend, patting and rubbing his tension away.
Eventually, Remus' laboured breathing dwindled to snores. Sirius gently picked him up. He cradled the boy's thin frame to his chest like a ceramic doll. Carefully, he cleared up Remus' glasses and stashed the vodka in a box under the bed. Lowering his boyfriend onto the mattress, Sirius briefly wondered how the blankets had bloodied. He climbed next to Remus, placing his head in the crook of his neck. Fingers tracing fresh scratches along the were's forearms, Sirius intertwined his arms with those of his boyfriend's, keeping them firmly in place.
Finally, He fell into a light, dreamless sleep.