Remus heard a throat clear and looked up from his writings to see Sirius heading into Remus' bedroom. Having just come from the bathroom, Sirius' black hair was still damp and it dripped onto his shoulders, making Sirius' blue shirt darker in spots. Remus resisted the urge to mention again that Sirius was starting to look scruffy and shaggy and in need of a haircut, especially as he knew Sirius was proud of its length so far and intended to grow it out. Instead, Remus sat watching Sirius thread a black belt through the loops of his tight jeans.

"So, Remus, I'm heading out to the club for some fun. Are you coming..." His gaze fell purposely upon the nightstand and the bottom drawer where Sirius knew Remus kept a tube of lube and his collection of porn magazines. "Or are you coming?"

Remus gave a snort of laughter. "Unlike you, Sirius, I don't use the flu as an excuse to stay home and have a wank." He rubbed at his nose with a tissue then dropped it onto the bed along with a bunch of others, accompanied by his writing notebook. He took a look at the words scrawled across the page and sighed. He had stopped writing the moment he had come down sick and was finding it hard to get backinto the rhythm. He'd spent the better part of the evening trying to think of a decent title, but even that had alluded him. He didn't want to leave the decision completely up to the editor, given the waywerewolves were portrayed in print already. But he wasn't about to turn in a book with the working title of Werewolves Aren't All Bad, You Know.

So Remus closed his notebook with a sigh. "I'm feeling considerably better and it would probably do me some good to get out of here after a week in bed." Sirius beamed. "All right. You go on ahead. I'm going to get cleaned up and I'll meet you there."

Remus made his way through the crowded club from the door to the bar. He ordered a club soda then leaned with his back against the bar to take a look around. It was a sea of people all around him, moving and flowing to a pop song with a loud base and overly-simplistic lyrics. It was dark, but colored lights spun around, glancing off dancers and lighting dark corners. There were groups of people dancing together, women dancing up-close to men, women with each other, men with each other, and somewhere in the madness Remus somehow spotted Sirius.

It was both rather nice and rather telling how Remus could so easily pick his friend and lover out of a crowd. When it came to Sirius, Remus had a sixth sense. In the center of what seemed like at least five hundred bodies, he could see Sirius dancing away. He moved naturally to the beat in a way Remus admired, finding freedom in the dance when Remus usually only found awkwardness and embarrassment.

Tonight, however, Remus thought there might be something wrong with the picture. Sirius seemed to be dancing with less enthusiasm than usual. He didn't seem to be throwing himself into it or expending as much energy as he normally did. And, yet, the dancing seemed to be taking its toll on him all the same. Even at a distance, Remus could see Sirius was hot and sweating. His concern was put on hold for a moment, however, as the sight of Sirius removing his shirt mesmerized Remus. He watched as the thin blue, button-down shirt was stripped from Sirius' body, circled around his head, then thrown out into the crowd. Underneath, Sirius wore a white, sleeveless undershirt that did a good job of showing off his chest and muscular arms. The sight took Remus' breath away, so much so that he didn't register Sirius slowing, then retreating to the far side of the bar with several of the men he'd been dancing with.

Remus watched as they all ordered drinks, talking and laughing casually. But he seemed to be the only one to notice when Sirius wore a dazed expression, then turned to sneeze a double-sneeze that practically bent him in half.

It wasn't until Remus saw Sirius sneeze that he knew that not only was there something definitely wrong, but just what that something was. Sirius very rarely sneezed. He had only two allergies that Remus knew about, and when he caught head colds he was insufferable. And though he hardly ever came down sick, whenever he was it usually was something he'd caught from Remus.

With a sympathetic sigh, Remus headed over to him. This required pushing past a few of the guys, but as soon as Sirius saw Remus, the man clung to him. "Moony!" Flashingeveryone a wide smile as he wrapped his arms around Remus, "Sorry, lads. My boy's finally here." They seemed disappointed as they were turned away, but Sirius nuzzled into Remus' neck in one part kiss, two parts hug. Remus huggedback. "'M so glad you're here. Thought you might have changed your mind."

Remus shook his head. "Of course not. I told you I was coming." He covered the bad joke by ducking and tilting his head to catch Sirius' lips and kiss affectionately. "Sirius," he said a bit hesitantly. "You're hot."

Sirius continued to grin as he backed away from Remus a little. He quickly looked himself over, nodding. "I don't like to be vain, but you've got that right!" helaughed.

But Remus shook his head again. "No, I mean..." He reached up and felt Sirius' forehead. "You're hot."

Sirius took a step back to move away from Remus' touch. But he was suddenly unsteady on his feet and swayed, holding a hand out to reach for the edge of the bar which was just beyond reach. Remus grabbed hold of him, wrapping an arm around his middle to keep him from falling. Sirius swiftly cupped a hand to his face and the other clutched his stomach. "h'TChhhtttt! Sniff!" He waited a few moments, then pulled away from Remus' grasp. His balance regained, he quickly took Remus' hand and squeezed. "Good song, this. Dance with me."

Remus hesitated. He'd seen Sirius out on the dance floor, but he'd also seen the man lose his balance just now. Remus didn't think that dancing would be a very good idea just now. "I don't think I'm up for that," he said, when in actuality he guessed he felt better than Sirius at the moment.

Looking disappointed, Sirius moved on to plan B. He always had a plan B. "Fine. Then at least have a drink with me." He reached for the drink he'd ordered, using themovement to violently rub his nose into his shoulder and hide a cough or two.

With swiftness and coordination on his side, Remus got to the glass first, closing his fingers around it and pulling it out of reach. "I don't want a drink, and similarly I don't think you should be having any more..." He sniffed at the drink. Either his senses were still messed up from being ill or this was "Water?"

Sirius snatched the glass from him, looking insulted. "Vodka on the rocks," he said defensively, taking a few large, needy gulps in a way that actually proved it was only ice water. "Why'd you even bother meeting me here if you weren't planning on dancing and drinking?"

Remus shrugged off Sirius' annoyed tone. This approach was clearly not going to work on the man, and he'd have to find another quickly before he again lost Sirius to the crowd and dark and music. Remus had to practically shout to be heard over the loud thumping of the current song. "Thought going out might make me feel better! But, actually, all this noise is giving me a headache. Can you take me home, Sirius?"

"But you just got here!"

Remus rubbed at the back of his neck, looking pained. "Please? Just for me?"

Sirius sighed, looking from Remus to the dance floor then back again. "All right," he agreed finally. Then he led the way out of the club.

It was practically silent out on the street in the middle of the night, especially compared to the club. Remus kept a tight hold on his wand beneath his jacket, just in case, as they walked down the middle of a deserted street.

Their pace slowed as they headed home, until Sirius stopped completely and Remus did likewise to wait for him. They had stopped beneath a streetlamp, and the bright light illuminated Sirius' face as it became long and slack as he felt a sneeze coming on. Sirius cupped both hands to cover his nose and mouth. "huh-huh-HUH!" Standing taller than usual, waiting on the verge of the sneeze, he froze in place. Then he snapped forward. "Ehgshhooo!"

Remus put a hand on his back and offered over a hanky. Sirius looked up gratefully as he took it and blew his nose into it immediately.

"Sirius..." Remus whispered, nuzzling his face into Sirius' hair and sniffing. "Tell me truthfully. How are you?" He rubbed his hand up and down Sirius' back, feeling the heat radiating through the thin undershirt.

Sirius sighed and leaned into him for a moment. He turned his head up, eyes large and fever-bright. He whispered, "Truthfully... I don't feel so hot." In less than a second, he fell against Remus' chest, snuggling into the man's warmth as he shivered violently.

Remus quickly took off his jacket and draped it over Sirius' shoulders, then he placed a kiss on Sirius' forehead. "Why did you go out tonight if you thought you might be sick?"

"Dunno," Sirius replied, muffled into Remus' thick black shirt. "I thought getting out might make me feel better. But now I just feel all..." he trailed off, slipping his arm around his stomach as though that might calm it.

"Fluey?" Remus suggested.

Sirius nodded, looking miserable. "Must have caught it from you after all."

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius, hugging. "Don't worry. We know what to expect now, right? And I'll take good care of you." He leaned a little in the direction of their building. "Let's go home, okay?"

Sirius shivered and nodded, snuggling into Remus' side as they walked the rest of the way to their flat. "When we get home, I'm going to make you a hot cup of tea," Remus promised. "But I want you to put your pajamas on and get right into bed, all right?"

Sirius snuffled into the hanky but nodded in silent agreement. True to his word, once they were up the stairs and through the door, Sirius headed down the hallway and Remus went to the kitchen, listening as the sound of light coughing started and faded.

Tea was much easier to make now that Remus was feeling so much better and not bent in half with stomach pains or trying to keep tissues away from burners. When the hot water was ready, he poured a good deal into a mug, leaving just enough room for the teabag and some honey. He reached into the cabinet and withdrew a tiny reusable bag filled with strongly-scented tea leaves. The familiar smell of spicesfilled the air as Remus dunked it in and left it there for a few minutes to stew. He was tempted to make a cup of tea for himself, but wanted to get Sirius settled before he thought of himself.

Remus carried the tea to Sirius' bedroom, having stopped by the bathroom for a few supplies, but found Sirius' room empty when he got there. "Padfoot?" he calledconfusedly. Remus was sure he hadn't passed the man in the hallway or seen him in the bathroom. "Ooch!" He transferred the tea from one hand to the other. It was practically scalding hot even through the mug. Then he heard another sneeze and coughing and followed the sound to his own bedroom.

Sirius was curled up in Remus' bed, snuggling on the great pile of pillows and beneath the many layers of blankets. He was, as he'd promised, in his pajamas which wereflannel with a design of little white sheep atop a dark plaid. "Dyou m'ind?" he asked, trying to read Remus' expression. "Your bed's all set up, you know?" He nodded towards the nightstand with the tissuebox, water, medicine, an emergency basin, and a stack of novels. Then he grinned, turning on the charm full blast.

"I don't mind," said Remus with a sigh. He really didn't; he'd simply been taken by surprise and regretted not guessing Sirius' move. Sirius was always rather clingy and demanding when sick, once he'd admitted he was sick, at least. Remus walked over, being careful not to spill, adding a new tissue box to the one on the nightstand, and then sitting on the edge of the bed. "I've brought you some tea, but it's terribly hot and I want to take your temperature first. Can you stand that?"

Sirius scrubbed his nose with the hanky and gave Remus an unsure look. He was shivering slightly beneath the blankets. "Do I have to? You already said I felt warm to you."

"You felt hot," Remus corrected. "So I want to know how bad your fever is already. Need to know what sort of medicine to give you. And I need to know that you're not bad enough to be taken straight to St. Mungo's. You don't want that, do you?" Sirius shook his head. Remus reached down and ran the back of his hand against Sirius' cheek soothingly. "Please Pads? Just this once? For me?"

Sirius sighed. Reluctantly, "Just for you." He dropped his mouth open, stuck out his tongue, and lifted it up so Remus could slide the thermometer underneath. His nose did some twitching, and he shifted around a little. Remus kept a suspicious eye on him all the while, just in case Sirius needed to sneeze... or something worse.

But the task passed without incident, and Remus held the thermometer up to read it properly, frowning. "Thirty-nine on the dot," he informed Sirius. "You're definitely hot."

"hehhhKSHhihhh! hahhChehhhh!" He sneezed, causing his whole body to shake. "Thags," he said, trying to accept it as a compliment about his looks again, but failing abysmally as a sharp shiver took him over. Remus offered over some tissues and Sirius blew his nose. Then he lifted his head, looking hopeful. "Can you get me a hot water bottle?" When Remus did not get up immediately, he put on his most pathetic pout. "Pleeeeease? Just for me?"

Remus had to admit it was a very persuasive, albeit familiar, argument. He sighed and picked up the cup of tea which had cooled enough so that it was safe to drink now. "I know you have the chills, because I had them too. But you're not supposed to be smothered with heat when you have a fever." He handed over the tea. "Drink this. It will get you feeling warm from the inside out and it's got some healing herbs in it."

Sirius continued to pout as he took the cup. "I don't like your tea. Never sweet enough." He coughed several times, his face showing extreme worry for the briefest of moments but he fought against it and swallowed hard. "I want a milkshake instead. Make me one?"

"Milkshakes aren't good enough medicine," Remus replied. Then, quickly, "Yes, I even mean the chocolate ones." He narrowed his eyes at Sirius. "So drink the tea. Believe me, it'll make you feel better. It will calm your stomach, if nothing else."

Sirius looked at Remus for a moment, as though he couldn't understand how Remus knew exactly how he felt. Then he lifted the cup to his mouth and drank. He pulled a face at the taste, but kept drinking. "If I'm not completely warm when I finish this, will you get under the covers and hold me?" he asked between gulps. "Or get me a hot water bottle then?"

Remus chuckled and reached over to ruffle Sirius' hair with affection. "I'll do you one better." He stripped off his several layers of shirts and his jeans. Briefly he considered putting on his pajamas, but he had a feeling he was going to be warm enough with Sirius under the covers. So Remus climbed into bed wearing just his shorts. Then he slipped an arm around his shoulders to pull the man close.

Sirius sighed at once, turning a little to get right up against Remus. He rested his head against chest and shoulder as he drank. After he had finished his tea, Sirius' breaths hitched and he tensed up. But Remus lifted a hand and stroked the side of Sirius' face, guiding him to sneeze into Remus' chest which was certainly closer than the tissue box. Sirius was a little reluctant, but couldn't fight it. "huhhh... huhh-GSchhhh!!" He bounced with the sneeze, and Remusdid his best not to laugh at that as he hugged Sirius to him. Then he reached over for tissues and exchanged them for the now empty cup of tea.

Sirius blew his nose hard into the tissues, then extended his hand to ask for more. Remus supplied another and another and another until Siriushad had enough. He leaned into Remus' warm embrace and Remus cuddled him back with a kiss on the top of his head. "Are you sure you really want to be doing this?" Sirius asked unselfishly a few moments later. "What if you catch thisagain? You've got a transformation coming up soon."

Rather amazed Sirius remembered that detail while in his present state, Remus tried to put the man at ease. "That doesn't usually happen," Remus assured him. "I can get close to you without worrying." But he chuckled, shaking his head. "Though it might almost be interesting to get sick again. Can you imagine a werewolf with the flu? It would certainly tone me down a lot,wouldn't it? And it might make an amusing chapter in the book. I can see it now, me curling up and coughing into my tail, or me rubbing my hairy snout into a bunch of tissues."

Sirius chuckled as well, which invited a symphony of coughs and snorts and sniffles, which culminated in another long session of blowing his nose. When he had finished with that, he whimpered pathetically and indicated he wanted to lie down. It took them at least a half dozen positions before they found one Sirius liked.

Remus lay back against the pillows with Sirius' head in his lap and Sirius' arm draped over his thighs. He stroked Sirius' head soothingly, pushing back the hair and wiping sweat from the man's brow.

"Remus?" Sirius asked after a time in which he might have been able to fall asleep.

"Mmhmm?"

A pause. "Are you, sniff, comfy?"

"I am," said Remus, hugging Sirius where his arm was wrapped around Sirius' shoulders.

"Oh." Sirius grunted and fidgeted slightly.

"Why?"

Sirius stayed silent.

"What is it Sirius?" Remus said up straighter, hand feeling for fever, his eyes studying Sirius for signs of distress. "What's wrong? Are you going to be sick?"

Sirius shivered as the blankets had shifted during the movement. He shook his head. "No, I just... I wanted my own pillow." He sniffled weakly and looked up at Remus with pale, wide, needy eyes.

Remus gave him a pat, then slipped out from underneath Sirius. He resisted his urge to sigh.

Sirius hugged the multitude of pillows as he had been hugging Remus. "You didn't have to get up. huhhChhhh!" He rubbed at his nose, then cupped it over his nose and mouth. "hehhh-UHShuhhh! EhhhKShuhhh!"

"If I hadn't, you'd have complained repeatedly about not having it." He bent over the bed and kissed Sirius. "And I can't blame you. I'd want my own pillow, too. Hold tight. I'll be right back."

He returned with Sirius' pillow and an extra blanket just in case. Getting settled was somehow harder the second time around. It required quite a lot of shifting andmaneuvering before they managed to find a position in which they were both comfortable. That turned out to be Sirius lying on his side up against a whole pile of pillows, and with Remus curled up against him from behind. Sirius had atissue box hugged to his chest and had easy access to the water and bowl on the nightstand.

Just beyond those items on the nightstand was Remus' notebook, and Sirius noticed it. "You probably just wanted to stay in and work on your book tonight, didn't you?" hesaid, sounding guilty. "And I botched up your plans as usual."

"It's not your fault you got sick," Remus told him. "You caught this flu from me. If anyone is at fault, I am." Sirius shrugged and passed the guilt on to Remus. "How are you feeling?" Remus asked, sliding his arm over Sirius' to match the way Sirius was clutching his stomach. He kissed Sirius' cheek, just in front of his ear. "How's your tummy?"

Sirius shrugged. "Kinda sick, but not too bad yet." He coughed. "Not really in the mood for a wank, though."

"Hopefully you won't get as bad as I did," Remus said comfortingly. "The tea should help greatly. As will rest. Are you warmer now?"

"Warmer than hot?" Sirius asked, his hand upon his forehead.

"Warmer than shivering," Remus clarified, gently petting Sirius' cheek and hair.

"Warmer," Sirius nodded. "Because you're here to keep me warm. Thank you for being so s-sweet-huhhhChushhhh! hehh-HEHShikhhh!" Remus reached over and cupped tissues to Sirius' nose for him. Sirius blew and rubbed his nose into them. "Thags. Sniff, sniff!" He patted the back of Remus' hand as it rubbed a tissue at the base of his nose. "Sorry I'm such an arse."

Remus shook his head. "You haven't--"

"I will," he guaranteed with seriousness. "Just wait until I get worse." He rubbed the back of his neck. Remus took over immediately, massaging Sirius' shoulders and upper back. Sirius sighed in relief and coughed again. "You're so sweet, Remus. And so warm." Sirius smiled and closed his eyes. "You may have a hairy snout sometimes, but you always have a human heart."

Remus' eyes traveled from Sirius over the sickbed accessories and right to his notebook. He would not be able to write it down now, but he felt that Hairy Snout, Human Heart would make an excellent title for his book.