Title: Toast

Author: Kate of Kintail

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: PG

Pairing: Remus/Sirius

Disclaimer: Not my boys. Not my universe. It’s just fanfic. No money, fame, or rights. You know the drill.

Summary: The day after Remus Lupin’s transformations always found him hiding beneath the blankets in his bed from which he would not willingly emerge.

Notes: I couldn’t sleep one night and this was the result. I meant it to be a drabble but it just wouldn't stop

Toast

The day after Remus Lupin’s transformations always found him hiding beneath the blankets of his bed from which he did not like to emerge. The night as a werewolf drained his energy, and his injuries needed the opportunity to heal. So he slept for hours, silently and dreamlessly, the only movement being the slow rise and fall of his chest which could not be seen through the blankets. The only thing he drank was a glass of water before crawling into bed, and he had no appetite even when food was forced upon him. Things like eating, drinking, and even talking showed he was still alive, and showed he was ready to rejoin the human race. And Remus would not be rushed into that.

So he burrowed under the blankets, with the top of his head sticking out and the thick blankets and comforter pulled tightly around him. He hugged parts of the blankets to his chest as he slept on his side. They were pulled up to his nose, and he breathed through his mouth against them, the resulting warmth making him drowsy and causing him to fall back to sleep should he stir during the day before he was ready to get up.

The first few times Sirius had seen Remus like this, he had tiptoed around, not wanting to wake Remus. But once he realized Remus was not going to wake willingly for any reason, including noise, he simply went about as normal. Once they started dating, he had tried to use their relationship to convince Remus to get up earlier than normal. It had not worked. Most times his longing for his partner resulted in his crawling under the blankets and sleeping as well. When at first he had begun doing so, Remus would not allow Sirius to get too close to him, pushing away or growing when Sirius touched him. But neither did he protest their proximity. After a long while, Remus did not flinch or fight back when Sirius slid up and snuggled into his lover from behind. But unlike Remus, Sirius could not spend the whole day in bed, as much as he might like to.

Morning became midday. Midday eased into afternoon. Afternoon grew into evening. And still Remus slept, the blankets covering him up to his nose. Whenever he woke, he let himself fall back to sleep again, unready to face the world for another month. Once, when he woke, he heard Sirius call his name. He was surprised not to find Sirius behind him in bed, but the warmth from the blankets was cozy and he still longed for sleep.

“Remus?” he called again, his voice gentle and sing-songy. Remus kept his eyes closed. It was far easier to fall back to sleep if he did not open his eyes. And it was far easier to make Sirius believe he was still asleep.

But the scent of something familiar caught his nose and his nostrils twitched enthusiastically. “Remus,” Sirius said again. “I’ve made you some toast.”

Cautiously, Remus opened a single eye to catch a glimpse of the promised food. It would not be unlike Sirius to promise toast and not deliver. But the smell matched the sight of the small white plate and the toast upon it, cut into two triangles.

But Remus did not feel like eating. On the contrary, even the prospect of toast did not make him want to proclaim himself healed and jump out of bed. He shut his eye and turned his face almost completely into the pillow, nuzzling the cotton pillowcase, digging his head more deeply into it.

“Remus,” he heard, the tone far less sing-songy and more frustrated but sympathetic. Remus merely shook his head as he dug it into the pillow. Then he relaxed and pulled the blanket up past the tips of his ears. With more than half his face in the pillow and the blanket more than halfway up his head, only a bit of his head was visible. Sirius sighed, resisting the urge to kiss that portion. Sirius sighed. “But there’s fresh jam.”

Remus considered the statement for a moment, then shook his head again. He would not be able to fall right to sleep, but he might be able to get there without too much difficulty yet. The blankets were so warm, and his hot breaths against the nest he had made for himself beneath them made him feel drowsy. Everything was so comfortable and he still felt the need to sleep.

“It’s strawberry. Your favorite.” Interested, Remus immediately opened his eyes, though one was buried in the pillow. Remus looked up as Sirius tipped the plate, letting him see the jam on the toast.

Though it looked highly tempting, he simply could not will his body to sit up. Not just for toast and jam. The bed was too welcoming, too safe, too simple. He closed his eyes and snuggled more into the blankets.

Sirius was uncharacteristically soft and kind-sounding when he said, “All right, then.” But the sound of crunching toast and chewing caught Remus’ ears, even beneath the covers. And before Remus could even open his eyes to see about the curious sound, lips met his and pressed his into a kiss.

Sirius tasted of strawberry jam, and Remus licked at Sirius’ tongue and top lip and smiled when they broke away. He lifted his head and opened his eyes to see Sirius tilting the plate of toast in his direction. Remus saw the bite out of the middle of one piece Sirius had taken, and smiled. “Okay, maybe just a little,” Remus relented.

Excited, Sirius jumped onto the bed and sat down beside Remus. He held the food up to Remus’ mouth so the man wouldn’t have to move unnecessarily. And he held the plate level with Remus’ chest to catch crumbs. Remus ate hungrily, though enjoyed the taste especially by savoring the last bite and smiling. But the warmth and sweetness of the food Sirius had chosen left him thirsty, and Remus found himself getting up out of bed to sample some of the iced tea he and Sirius had made the day before.