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Remus stared down at the book in front of him, words blurring after only a few sentences. He really should get through a few more pages before he was satisfied enough to take a break. Yet, his head already felt heavy, thoughts fuzzy, and nothing he read made any sense. He couldn’t afford to fall behind, and if he wanted to keep his assistant position at the local library, he needed to make sure the few community classes he taught were up to par.
The harder Remus concentrated, the worse he felt until he finally slammed the book down on the nearby coffee table. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the tension blossoming under his fingertips. Realistically this wasn’t unexpected. Running around on all those missions for Dumbledore was bound to catch up with him at some point. It seemed like now was that time.
“Bloody hell this isn’t the best time,” Remus mused to himself as he shivered despite his thick jumper. It was the middle of summer; there was no good reason that he should be this chilled. Yep, he was definitely coming down with something.
With a hoarse whisper, Remus aimed his wand for the fireplace and watched the tip ignite. A flicker of spark caught on one of the center pieces of wood. It didn’t take long for the fire to begin to crackle, smoke funneling up the chimney while it gave off a luxurious warmth.
“Oi,” a voice called as they started down the stairs. “Why is it so damn hot in ‘ere? You trying to roast me alive, Rem?”
Remus gave a roll of his eyes. “Sorry, Siri. You can put it out and I’ll find something warmer to wear.” The werewolf rose from the couch, knees threatening to bend under his weight. “I’m freezing.”
“You are?” Sirius leapt the final step and gave his shoulders a shake. His hair was brushed back behind his ears as he padded forward towards the lighter haired wizard. “It’s the middle of summer. That’s bizarre even for you.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” Remus reluctantly stood his ground as Sirius raised a hand and rested the back of his fingers against Remus’s brow. The fingers traveled lightly over Remus’s skin, always with purpose while not too much force. “You know you have a wand that can tell you exact same thing.”
Sirius practically purred, leaning forward to nip at Remus’s earlobe. His hip pressed against Remus’s back as exhilaration momentarily pulsed within him. “Oh, trust me, love. I know it can.”
Before Remus could reply, a sharp itch burrowed itself deep within his sinuses. He hardly had time to pitch away from Sirius, face pressed into his shoulder to curb the sensation. His breath suddenly quickened as he fumbled for a handkerchief he had stuffed in his pocket who knew how long ago.
“Hsihs’Shiew! Hishs’Shiew! Hishs’Shiew!”
Sirius chuckled in amusement and swept in to steal a kiss to Remus’s fringe. “Moony is getting irritated.”
Remus rubbed his nose clean and tucked the square back into his pocket. He gave Sirius a sheepish glance, knuckle intent on scrubbing at his left nostril. “I’m afraid already is may be more appropriate.” His scratchy throat gave a short twinge, causing him to cough. “I had a feeling those aches weren’t residual from the moon.”
“My poor Remy,” Sirius cooed as he looped his arm around Remus’s waist. “No wonder you wanted the fireplace on. Who am I to judge?”
“It’s summer,” Remus complained. “What kind of git gets sick in the summer?”
“You, apparently.”
Remus turned and playfully swiped at Sirius’s shoulder. The black haired man laughed and swiveled, butting his head against Remus’s chest. Remus came crashing down on the couch with a grunt while Sirius found his way on top of him, straddling him. His neck arched as he stole small bites along Remus’s chin and down his exposed throat. Too much pressure caused a flurry of coughs, so Sirius tried to steer clear to the best of his ability.
While Remus was into it, he couldn’t help but push Sirius’s shoulder. “You’re going to end up getting sick and complaining for weeks on end if you keep this up. Perhaps we could save us both the aggravation and not go through that?”
Sirius tilted his head in shock. “You mean, you want me to stay away from my Remus just because he may have caught a summer cold? I think not!” His entire body suddenly went limp as his full weight come down on top of Remus. The werewolf hardly had time to suck in a prepared breath as Sirius snuggled down close. “I want to stay right here with you, no matter the consequences.”
“You say that now,” Remus mumbled. “Something tells me you’ll be singing a different tune later.”
“Never!”
As Sirius continued to burrow against him, Remus felt a wave of heat. He scrambled to sit up, legs pushing against Sirius’s heavy form. Sirius gave his head a shake as Remus untangled himself from the other wizard’s grip, clustered on one end of the couch as he threaded his fingers through his hair.
“It’s too hot for that, Pads,” Remus protested.
“Too hot? I thought you just said you were cold.” Sirius waved his hand to the fireplace, the fire ever growing. “That’s why we have that on. I thought that’s what you wanted.”
Remus held his tongue. He loved Sirius more than he could ever express, but he could be clingy at times. Remus understood that Sirius worried about him, but somethings he took it just too far. He often didn’t have the heart to say that to Sirius after knowing everything that the other wizard would do for him.
“I need some space,” Remus sputtered as he looked away, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “You know I don’t like this feeling and I don’t want you to feel like I do.”
Sirius’s gaze softened at Remus’s confession. He scooted closer to Remus, though he gave him as much space as he could. “You don’t have to worry about me. It’s always you who didn’t have an immune system for shite. I just want to do what I can to take care of you. But, if you still want me to leave you completely alone, I can do that as well.”
Remus was given time to contemplate Sirius’s offer, eyes appearing to flicker back and forth as though he was deep in thought. He didn’t speak right away, tension threatening to roll over his shoulders. Sirius thought about interrupting him to ask the question again in case his brain got stuck, which could sometimes be an often occurrence, especially so soon after the full moon.
“Hish’Shiew! Hsih’Shiew! Hishs’Shiew!” Remus blinked hard as he shoved a hand into his pocket to fetch the handkerchief again. He started to dab it at his still twitching nostrils, breath catching once more. “Hsih’Shiew! Hish’Shiew! Hish’Shiew!”
“Bless you,” Sirius murmured as he reached into his own pocket for a spare handkerchief and readily handed it over.
Remus appeared like he wanted to refuse, though when his nose continued to leak, he was forced to take it from Sirius. He gave his nose a soft blow before leaning back, eyes starting to close as his mouth gaped open. Noisy breaths rattled from his lungs, sounds that made the hairs on the back of Sirius’s neck stand on end.
Despite himself, Sirius leaned forward until his head was almost chest level with Remus. He would be able to hear much better if he used his wand, yet he knew that Remus would feel that and he didn’t want to make it too obvious what he was doing.
Remus’s eyes slowly opened. Sirius froze under his gaze, relieved when Remus let out a snort of amusement. “I’m still a werewolf, Padfoot. I can still hear exactly where you are.”
“Yeah, forgot about that bit.” Sirius leaned back and wrung his wrists together. “But if you still want me to sod off, I can. M’sure I can find something to get myself into trouble.”
“Wait, Siri…..”
Sirius spun on his heels after only taking a few steps from the couch. His ears seemed to prick in excitement, just as he would as Padfoot. “Yes,” he chirped.
“Want to play chess? Maybe it’ll distract me from this soreness in my throat.”
Sirius didn’t have to be asked twice. He gave an excited shake, a little hop, and pelted off down the hallway on the way to the study. Remus couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Sirius may disagree, but he had a personality of a dog whether he was Padfoot or not. How he had gotten so lucky, Remus would never know. But even if he was feeling short with his lover, Sirius would always do something that would remind Remus just how much he cared about him.
It only took a few minutes for Sirius to return, chessboard in hand. “Don’t think because you’re sick I’m going to go easy on you,” Sirius taunted as he nudged the coffee table forward so that it was positioned right in front of the couch. He set the board in the center before plopping down on the floor, legs crossed under him as he meticulously set up each piece on either side of the board.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Remus slipped into the middle of the couch. He had already decided his first couple of moves, mind sharp as ever no matter how he felt.
“I’m going to win this time,” Sirius announced as his eyes glowed in determination.
Remus smiled back. “Sure you will, Pads. Sure you will.”