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Sirius blew his nose softly into the folds of a freshly washed handkerchief. It was soft on his chapped nostrils, and although he felt like he needed a stronger blow, Remus was sleeping right beside him on the opposite side of the couch, body curled almost into himself as a blanket was draped halfway around his shoulders. His mouth was hung open, head twisted at an odd angle as he tipped forward almost over the armrest. Dark bags showed under his eyes, hair tussled with a few strands sticking to his forehead. His chest rose and fell slowly, the peace of sleep the only time these days that Remus looked even the least bit comfortable. That was why Sirius didn’t want to risk anything to mess that up.
Problem was that Sirius wasn’t feeling his best either. Although he prided himself on having a stellar immune system, his late nights and long hours were beginning to take its toll. It had surprised no one when he came down with a bit of a cold, refusing to let that stop him from joining Remus on the full moon. That had done him absolutely no favors, so here he was day after Remus’s transformation, sicker than a dog while his husband dealt with having every bone in his body rearranged and forcibly put back together. Sirius could handle himself while Remus healed. At least, that was what Sirius thought.
“Oh dno,” Sirius began as his breath started to hitch. He had been holding back this itch for what felt like forever, doing everything in his power not to sneeze. His sneezes weren’t exactly quiet, and he couldn’t hold them back like Remus could. They would wake Remus up if they struck, which was the absolute last thing that Sirius wanted to do. Unfortunately for him, his ruddy cold didn’t care.
“HRHshsH! HRshshSH! HrsHSSH!” The final sneeze nearly had him falling off the couch as he lifted the handkerchief to his nose and blew. That dislodged the tickle for the time being, but as soon as he felt toes squirming, he knew that he had woken Remus.
“Hmmm, Siri,” Remus rasped as he sat upright, eyes clouding in confusion as he looked around aimlessly.
Sirius set the handkerchief aside and shifted over closer to Remus. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe here with me.”
Remus’s eyelashes fluttered. He turned over those words in his head, over and over until they became solid, something real for him to grab onto. His left hand reached out, practically trembling until it caught hold of Sirius’s loose shirt. A sharp yank brought Sirius closer into Remus’s clutch, Sirius’s head forced against his chest. Remus gasped in surprise as he buried his face deep into Sirius’s thick black hair. He took in his mate’s scent, and only then did his body take on a more relaxed posture.
“Told you it was me, love,” Sirius breathed softly as he traced his fingers over Remus’s thigh. He would’ve stayed there for the rest of the night if his body let him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t about to happen. A horrid itch spread through Sirius’s throat, one that would not be able to be ignored. He tried to push away from Remus, but Remus was having none of it. He only tightened his grip on Sirius, nose still shoved deep into Sirius’s hair as he drank him in. “Re…Remus,” Sirius started with a harsh sputter. “I don’t want to cough on you.”
Remus didn’t seem to understand until Sirius started hacking, attempting to turn into the back of his wrist so he wasn’t coughing on Remus. Clarity shown in Remus’s eyes as he released Sirius, who scooted back to his side of the couch and coughed into his raised elbow. It took almost a minute before the fit passed as Sirius was left with his hands on his knees as he fought to take in a truly deep breath, eyes watering, throat raw.
“Sorry,” Sirius apologized once he found his voice. It was raw, hoarse, and no doubt would turn up lost if those fits kept up. He could hardly tolerate the thought of not speaking, though, and not for the reason that many thought. For reasons that he couldn’t quite explain, Remus always seemed calmer when he heard Sirius talking, and he didn’t want to take that away from him.
Remus’s eyes screwed up in concentration, tongue darting from behind his parted lips to wet them. His mind took a few moments to catch up, almost like a record that kept on skipping. When reality dawned was when he felt the need to spring into action.
“You’re sick.”
Sirius looked up from his side of the couch, sniffling like mad as he rubbed at his nose. “Just a common cold. Nothing to dwell on.”
Almost before the words were out of Sirius’s mouth, Remus leaned forward and made an effort to stand. Sirius tried to reach out for him, to stop him before he could even set one foot on the ground, but Remus was surprisingly spry when he wanted to be. He reached out a long arm to grab a nearby cane that was set on the corner of the couch. Wrist extended, Remus used the cane to stand slowly, knees buckling so that the arm of the couch was the only thing keeping him upright. The cane stopped him from accidentally falling forward as he took a step.
“Where do you think you’re going,” Sirius rasped as he forced himself to stand. He hurried in front of Remus, effectively blocking his path, much to Remus’s dismay. “Go and sit down. Unless you need to use the loo.”
Remus made a face, arm shaking as he leaned his full weight on the cane. “M’gonna get you something.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“You’re sick.”
“So you keep…..cl…..eh…..HrSHshHS! HRsHSH! HRShhSH!” Sirius turned away into the crook of his arm, entire body rocked forward by the force. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and by the time his watery expression raised enough to see over his wrist, Remus was gone. His heart plummeted in his chest until he glanced to the hallway when he heard shuffling about.
Sirius started toward the hallway in record time, nearly making it to the small bathroom when he saw Remus emerged with a box of tissues in one hand, his other clutched tightly on his cane as he leaned on the outside of the doorframe. He breathed deeply through his mouth as he stood, focus darting between Sirius and the darkness behind him. There was no telling what was going on inside in his head, even Sirius couldn’t tell, though he knew that he couldn’t let this go any further.
“Alright, thank you.” Sirius reached forward and took the tissue box from Remus. He pulled a few out and dabbed at his nose before tucking them into his pocket. “Now, you have to come and sit down.”
Remus shook his head fiercely, a new wave of determination settling through him. He looked from Sirius to the direction to the kitchen and pivoted his body to head that direction. “Need tea.”
“Then I’ll make you some. All you have to do is ask.”
“Not for me. For you.”
Sirius chuckled to himself before the soreness of his throat made him stop. “I’m not thirsty, love. I appreciate the offer, though.”
Remus didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, he pushed right past Sirius, cane hitting the floor hard as Remus was forced to rely more and more on it to walk. Sirius let out a loud disgruntled sigh as he continued after him. He feared just reaching out to pull Remus back would cause him to lose his balance. Ordinarily he would pick him up if that happened, but in his current condition, he didn’t want to risk it.
“Guess we’re going to the kitchen,” Sirius muttered into his chest as he swallowed another cough. The heat that prickled along his skin uncomfortably wasn’t helped as he wandered into the drafty kitchen after Remus. The werewolf was set on his task, rummaging around the cabinets to find a teacup and the bag as the kettle oftentimes was more effort than it was worth. His movements were sluggish while only using one hand to grab things while the other held onto his cane for dear life. Sirius watched rather impressed that even in Remus’s current state of agony and exhaustion that he was able to function to this level. It was just another thing that impressed him about Remus Lupin.
Unfortunately, Sirius couldn’t stare in awe forever as his nose began to burn. That was never a good sign, and he fumbled to pull some tissues from the box and clamp them over his face as he waited for the inevitable. The sensation toyed with him, forcing him close to the brink for a few seconds before backing off once more. He tried rubbing his nose with the tissues to force the tickle out, but it only infuriated him further. His breath came in strong pants, eyes squeezed shut until they watered. He gave one final rub at the bulb of his nose, and that finally did it.
“RHShhsh! HRsHsH! HRsHS! HRShsh!” The four nearly bent him in half at the force, giving him a few seconds in between before he was at it again. He hated when fits toyed with him. Couldn’t let him sneeze all at once and save him the embarrassment of having to wait for them? Apparently so.
Sirius blew his nose into the same tissues a few times until he was satisfied. When he was finished and finally stood up to his full height, he was aware that Remus was practically glaring at him, amber eyes boring into him from across the kitchen. Shyly, Sirius gave him a small wave.
“It’s okay, Rem. It was just me. Didn’t mean to frighten ya.”
Remus didn’t appear soothed by that information. Instead, he set the teacup in the microwave to warm the water, attention split between his task and Sirius. While ordinarily he would’ve just used magic to warm the water or make tea, his mind was too far gone to attempt any spell. The muggle way would have to do.
The two stood in relative silence as the water heated, Sirius leaning on the counter and rubbing at his itchy nose and ears while Remus muttered things that Sirius couldn’t hear. He thought for a moment that he was speaking in a different language, but he couldn’t be sure. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to try to interrupt Remus when he was like this, the final pull of the Wolf still fighting for control even after the moon was over, especially when it had been as rough of a transformation as they came. Sirius could still remember Remus screaming out in pain as he transformed into the Wolf until the Wolf’s howls overtook him. That was a sound Sirius feared he would never be able to unhear.
Once the microwave dinged, Remus reached forward and grabbed the glass. He set it on the counter softly and turned to the tea bag, dipping it in and hanging the string over to the side. He took the cup surely in his grasp as he turned to walk toward Sirius, liquid threatening to slosh over the sides thanks to his uneasy gait.
“Wait,” Sirius interrupted as he came forward and took the cup from Remus, noting just how cold Remus’s hands were. “Let me carry this and then we have to get you laying down. You seem peaky, love.”
Remus gave his head a stubborn shake that nearly sent him tilting to the side. It was only Sirius with his arm around Remus’s waist and pulling him close that kept him upright.
“I know you want to help me because I’m sick.” Sirius gave a sniff to demonstrate. “But you’re not well either. You need to take care of yourself as much as you take care of me.”
Remus’s head lolled back and forth as Sirius helped him back to the couch. Every few steps Remus would stop rather abruptly, raise his head, and refuse to take another step. As soon as it happened, his resolution would fade and he would allow himself to be pulled forward by Sirius. It took a few more minutes for them to make it back to the couch, with Sirius helping Remus sit back while Remus hissed in pain, muscles spasming as he sat back against the warmth of the couch. Sirius crouched down to grab the discarded blanket and wrapped it around Remus’s body.
“There, how’s that,” Sirius asked as he smiled up at Remus.
The cloudiness in Remus’s eyes were back. His mouth gaped open as he took in a deep breath, chest expanding slowly. “Y-You?”
“Me?” Sirius’s voice edged with disbelief. “I’m fine. It’s you that I’m worried about, Remus.”
“You.”
Sirius fought not to sigh. When Remus got something in his head when he was like this after the moon, there would be no reasoning with him.
“Yeah, yeah, me.” Sirius twisted over his shoulder to cough, relieved when it didn’t turn into a full fit. His throat was killing him and talking was horrid. However, that was one of the ways that he grounded Remus, which meant he couldn’t give it up for his own need. “I’ll lay down too if that’ll make you feel better. You need to relax.”
Remus watched as Sirius crawled onto his edge of the couch with his own blanket and pillow. He set the tea on the coffee table, as well as they box of tissues. He would need that later, there was no doubt of that. His legs stretched out beside him as he looked down to Remus. “This better?”
A soft huff sounded in the back of Remus’s throat. He started to shift on his side as he tried to move himself even closer to Sirius. A harsh whimper left his lips as he was forced to place more weight on his wrenched hip, eyes rounding in agony at the pressure.
Sirius saw immediately and instinctively beat Remus to it, scooting over so that Remus didn’t have to move. He readjusted the blanket around him and helped him find a more comfortable position.
“You don’t do anything by halves, do you? Huh, just have to keep me going all the time, you bugger.” Sirius wanted nothing more than to pull Remus close and kiss him silly. He didn’t want Remus to come down with what he had, though he was sure with how close the two of them were that it would be inevitable. Still, Sirius wanted to be as careful as he could be even with Remus insisting that he stay within eyeshot.
Sirius was about to go back to his side when Remus suddenly reached out and pulled him close. Sirius stumbled into Remus as the werewolf held him close protectively, Remus’s chin rested on his head so Sirius’s head was pressed into Remus’s chest. Anytime he tried to move even a little, Remus would tighten his grasp, eyes flashing in frustration. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable if Sirius was being honest with himself, though he wasn’t sure how comfortable Remus could be with Sirius’s weight on his injured areas from the moon.
Sirius twisted his head just enough so that he could breathe easier but still be in Remus’s grip. He was always happy in Remus’s arms, and now was no exception. He reached down with a hand to grab his blanket and threw it over his shoulders as he shivered. The heat that Remus was giving off was welcome, even if it wasn’t a great sign. They would have to deal with it later when Remus was a little more lucid.
“This can work,” Sirius mumbled as he felt Remus begin to relax with his hand in Sirius’s thick hair. It felt good if Sirius was being honest, even if Remus was just using it to ground himself. He curled himself into Remus until their limbs were tangled. When Remus didn’t try to pull away, Sirius took that as the other man was comfortable, or at least as comfortable as he could be with the injuries that he sustained.
“Let’s get some sleep and we’ll figure this out after, huh? That sound good?”
Sirius wasn’t surprised when Remus didn’t answer, seeming to be off in his own world again. He was more than used to it and had planned it to where he could make some decisions for Remus if Remus wasn’t able to make them himself at times. Sleep was something they both needed, and curled up together was the perfect way to make sure that Remus got as much rest as Sirius was. He always appreciated when Remus would take care of him, but he hated that it was at the cost of looking after himself. If this is what it took, so be it.