Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter people/things/places, which you should all know by now.

A/N: I wrote this last year for Christmas, but it was not finished in time for the holiday, so I decided to keep it until this year. This story is about Remus (surprise, surprise, lol!), but it also includes lots of Sirius. It's the Christmas after they get out of Hogwarts.

Um…oh, yeah, I almost forgot. This is going to have slash in it…so if you don't like it, you know what to do. Though there is hardly anything in it. Just some kissing and touching, so don't go have a fit like some close-minded twit. This has really no point at all except to be a Christmas story. Anyway….

Started 24 December 2004. Finished 24 December 2005.

This had been the oddest Christmas week that Remus could remember experiencing. On the twenty-second, it had snowed a few inches, sending everyone into holiday moods, looking forward to the holiday. People who had not yet put up their outdoor decorations finally got around to it, and the colorful lights lit up all of the streets. However, the very next day, the weather turned warm and decided to rain. And not just rain. It was pouring.

Remus glanced out of the window in the front hallway as he tugged on his coat. The rain was coming down so hard that he could actually see it bouncing off of the puddles before falling down again, and it was practically raining sideways. The wind was howling outside. He buttoned up his coat and pulled his gloves on over his pale, icy fingers before finding his hat and putting it on. As he reached for the door handle, he heard a voice behind him.

"It's a shame you can't put an Impervius spell on yourself…."

Remus turned to look at Sirius, leaning against the doorframe leading to their living room.

"I know, but how do you think it would look if I showed up perfectly dry after walking three miles in pouring rain?"

"Stupid Muggles," Sirius muttered, rolling his eyes.

"They're not all stupid, Sirius," Remus scolded lightly. "Anyway, I'll be back around…six thirty. Are you getting supper, or am I to stop by the store on the way home?"

Sirius looked sheepish. "Would you mind? I'm not sure how late I'll be. Training is ending early today, but then we're having a bit of a Christmas party."

"Ah. Alright then. See you." He smiled slightly before opening the door and receiving a gust of water right in his face. "Lovely. Bye, Padfoot."

A second later the door was forced shut by Sirius because the wind did not want to give.

Remus walked along the sidewalk, holding his head down against the rain and trying to avoid the large puddles that were scattered around the cement. His coat was soaked all the way through already, and he had to stop briefly underneath an awning to discreetly dry himself and put a weak Impervius spell over the inside of his coat. He would just have to remember to remove it before entering the shop so he was not too suspicious. He wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of problems if he could just get a job working for a wizard, but it was much easier said than done for a werewolf to acquire a good paying job in the magical community. He had had enough with his employers taking advantage of the lack of laws protecting werewolf rights.

A while later, Remus opened a door to a chocolate shop and walked underneath a beautiful wreath and jingling bells to enter into the warm shop. Christmas music played somewhere overhead, and a rich fragrance of chocolate hung in the air.

"Ah, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you would show up, lad." Carolyn, the woman who owned the chocolate shop, came out from behind the counter. "Come on, then; you can hang your things over the heater in the back room."

Remus followed Carolyn as he pulled off his hat and gloves. "Are you expecting a crowd today, ma'am?" he inquired as he unbuttoned his coat before draping it over a chair by the heater.

Carolyn laughed and pushed her dark curls behind her ears. "Aye, I am. Best we get everything set up, then?"

By noon, Remus was quite frazzled, hurrying between mothers with whining children and the solo customers looking for an almost last-minute gift for a spouse (usually these were men who were in a rush to get their gifts in their lunch breaks).

"I'm so sick of Christmas music," he muttered as he sat down for a short break to eat his lunch around two o'clock. A group of choirboys were singing 'Angels We Have Heard on High' on the radio.

"That's what happens when you work in a place like this, Remus," Kristy rolled her eyes. Kristy was Carolyn's daughter, and she occasionally worked in the shop when it was very busy.

Remus shrugged as he took a small bite out of his sandwich. He felt strangely not hungry, and every bite he took made him feel stuffed. He stopped eating and wrapped the remains—more than half of the sandwich—back in the paper he had brought it in and dropped it into his lunch bag.

Kristy stared. "You're done? But you hardly ate anything! No wonder you're so skinny," she added, standing up.

"We should get back to work," Remus commented as he, too, stood.

When they returned to the front of the shop, they were shocked to find even more people than before.

"Ohh, shite," Kristy murmured. "This'll be fun."

Remus immediately went over to assist a father and his young daughter in finding "the perfect truffles for Grandma". After a long ten minutes, they finally found the right selection, and Remus carefully gift-wrapped the tin before ringing up the purchase.

"Have a Happy Christmas, sir," he smiled. "And you too, sweetheart," he bent down and gave the man's daughter one of the free Christmas chocolates that were by the cash register.

The man thanked Remus and pulled his daughter's hood over her head before opening the door and stepping out into the rain.

Two hours later, the number of people started to thin out, and Remus was able to get a few breathers between customers.

"You look a little flushed, Remus," Carolyn pointed out as Remus sat down on a chair by the counter. "Are you all right?"

He smiled and waved his hand. "I'm fine, ma'am. Just a little tired. It's been a busy day!" he laughed.

Carolyn nodded. "Indeed, it has. Wonderful for business, but I won't deny that it is tiresome. But that's life."

Remus nodded in agreement.

Toward the end of the day, Carolyn handed Remus a festively wrapped tin of chocolates. "Happy Christmas, Remus. I know you're probably sick of the sight of chocolate by now, but perhaps your family would enjoy them. And I've given you a small bonus for all your help this week."

Remus felt his face grow warm. "Oh, you didn't have to, ma'am…."

"I know; and that's why I'm doing it, dear. You are the kindest young gentleman I believe I've ever had the pleasure of working with, and I wanted to give you something special for it. It's my way of saying thank you," she smiled warmly at him. "Oh, don't be so stubborn. It's Christmas!"

Remus laughed. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate it." He went into the back room to put on his coat, hat and gloves, and then he went outside into the rain after wishing Kristy a Happy Christmas.

Outside, the rain was not as heavy as it had been in the morning, but the wind was still fierce. He made his way to a grocery store, trying and failing to step around the puddles on the sidewalks. By the time he reached the store, his ankles were drenched and he was shivering terribly. Half an hour of wandering around the store found him with a loaf of French bread, some butter, a can of spaghetti sauce, noodles and a bottle of sparkling cider—though he had a feeling Sirius would prefer wine. He still wasn't feeling very hungry, and the store felt abnormally warm.

When Remus finally returned home, it was a quarter past seven, and very dark outside. He switched on most of the lights in the flat, including the Muggle Christmas tree lights, and removed his coat, gloves and hat. Then he slipped off his wet shoes and socks and walked barefoot into the bedroom—after dropping the groceries in the kitchen—to change into dryer clothes.

He returned to the kitchen several minutes later, wearing a pair of dark blue slacks and a cloudy white sweater. He started to boil the noodles and heat up the bread, but he felt very cold, so he went back to the bedroom to put on some thick socks and exchange the t-shirt he wore underneath his sweater for a long-sleeved one. He shrugged the sweater back on and went back to finish cooking dinner after turning the thermostat up a bit.

When he had finished making all of the food, Sirius still had not returned. Shivering and wondering what to do with the food that he was not hungry enough to eat, Remus put a simple spell on the table to keep everything fresh and warm, and then he walked into the living room to sit down and wait.

A while later, Remus was pulled out of a daze when he heard the front door open and close.

"Bloody hell, it's hot in here!" Sirius exclaimed, and Remus stood up to go into the hall. "Ugh, and you've gone crazy," he continued as he caught sight of Remus.

"What are you talking about?"

Sirius took out his wand and went over to the thermostat. "It's seventy-six degrees in here, and you're wearing a sweater!" he turned the thermostat to sixty-eight and then tapped it with his wand. Remus felt the temperature instantly drop, and he folded his arms together to stay warm.

"Why did you do that? I was cold!"

"Well, you shouldn't be. It's been warm today. It's a fine temperature now. Anyway, you did get food, right? Sorry I'm so late." He gave Remus a quick kiss on the cheek.

Remus sighed and followed Sirius into the kitchen. "I enchanted it to stay good while I waited for you to come home," he told him.

"You could have started without me, you know."

"I wasn't hungry."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but then he closed it and just sat down without saying anything. He began dishing out the spaghetti as Remus cut a few pieces from the French bread.

"Ugh. I forgot to get Parmesan cheese," he told Sirius. "So we'll just have to have it plain."

"That's fine with me. You know, it's a good thing you were the one to make dinner. If it was up to me, we'd probably be eating grilled cheese sandwiches."

Remus, who had just sat down, stood up again and went out to the hall.

"Where are you going?"

"I forgot something."

Remus reappeared with a crumpled brown paper bag and the fancily wrapped tin that Carolyn had given him. He walked over to the garbage and dropped his leftover sandwich—now soggy and visibly unappetizing—into the plastic bin, took a water bottle out of the bag and set it on the counter, and then tossed the bag into the garbage as well. He left the Christmas tin on the counter and then returned to the table.

"What's that?" Sirius asked, pointing to the tin.

"Carolyn gave it to me for Christmas. It's some chocolates."

"Mmm," Sirius smiled, buttering the slice of bread Remus handed him. "I love chocolate…."

Remus just rolled his eyes and took a small bite of his bread, trying not to make a face. He quickly took a drink of his cider to thin out the taste. Sirius was too busy eating his spaghetti to notice, thankfully. Remus began to slowly eat his spaghetti.

"This is really good, Moony. Though it would taste better with wine…."

"I knew you would say that. But I can't just walk into a store and buy some, can I," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well you're in a mood tonight, aren't you. Hey, you're hardly eating anything," he accused, suddenly noticing Remus pushing his spaghetti around on his plate. "Aren't you hungry? Or are you trying to poison me?"

"Why would I poison you?" Remus frowned, setting down his fork.

Sirius looked startled. "It was a joke, Moony. Geez. You feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," Remus said for the second time that day. When would people stop asking him if he was all right? "I'm just not very hungry."

A few minutes of awkward silence passed before Sirius spoke again.

"Do we have anything planned for tomorrow or Christmas?"

"Er, not that I know of. To be honest, I still need to get out and get a few things."

Sirius laughed. "Last minute shopping, eh?"

"Oh, shut up. I've been working."

"I have, too, and I've had time to get gifts," Sirius said smugly.

"I never said it was gifts that I had to buy. Anyway, weren't we going to get together with James and Lily and Peter?"

"Dunno. I haven't really talked to Peter outside of Order business, and James…well, I'm not really sure what he's doing. I have a feeling he just wants to spend Christmas alone with Evans."

Remus stood up with his plate and dumped the spaghetti that he didn't eat back into the bowl before bringing his plate and glass over to the sink to wash. However, before he could put his hands into the water, the washrag lifted itself and began washing his plate. He turned around in time to see Sirius putting away his wand.

"And what was that for?"

Sirius grinned. "Just thought I'd make the task easier on you. I have a feeling you've had a hard day."

Remus shrugged. "It wasn't too bad." He watched as Sirius put his dishes in the sink to be washed. Turning away, Remus started to put the spaghetti away. He was so used to the silence that he almost dropped the bread that he was putting back in its bag when Sirius put one of the plates away with a little more force than normally necessary.

"What is wrong with you?" Sirius exclaimed, throwing the towel down on the counter.

"What…what do you mean?" Remus carefully set the bread down.

"You've been cold to me all evening. And even this morning…. You haven't been yourself."

"I…yes I have," Remus protested. He was beginning to feel warm.

"No; you've shrugged off questions and hardly spoken at all. Not to mention you were trying to turn the place into an oven, and then you haven't been eating well," he raised his eyebrow. "I noticed this morning at breakfast, too. I didn't say anything about it, though. Are you sure you're—?"

"I'm fine!" Remus exclaimed loudly, starting forward and clenching his fists in anger. A moment later he wished he hadn't, because he felt the temperature rise dramatically, and he was suddenly woozy. He fell back against the counter, gripping it tightly.

"Remus?…" Sirius quickly went over to him.

"I'm too hot," Remus complained, looking miserable and attempting to roll up his sleeves. He pushed Sirius away when he tried to touch his shoulder, and ended up losing his balance and sliding to the floor. Sirius knelt next to him.

"Here," he offered, and helped pull Remus's sweater off over his head and arms. Once the sweater was off, he brushed Remus's hair aside and put his hand on his forehead. "You're very warm," he told him. "You probably have a fever."

Remus groaned in annoyance. "I don't want a fever right now."

"I know you don't, Moony, but that's what you've got. You should get some rest."

"I don't want to rest. I'm not tired!" He pushed his shirtsleeves up in frustration.

"Hey, no need to get all angry," Sirius said reasonably. "That'll just make it worse. Believe me." He smiled slightly and pulled Remus to his feet. "Besides. What else would you do if you stayed up? There's nothing really to do tonight."

Remus scowled. "I don't want to go to bed yet. I…I feel too restless."

"Fine. Do what you want. But if your fever gets worse, don't say I didn't warn you."

Remus picked up his sweater from the floor and took it back to the bedroom to drop in the laundry. When he returned to the kitchen, the light was off and Sirius wasn't there. Guessing the only other place Sirius could be, Remus went into the living room to find Sirius sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, leaning over the coffee table and a newspaper, a pencil in hand. Sirius glanced up briefly when Remus walked into the room.

"Your hair is all staticky," he said, before turning back to the newspaper.

Remus ran his fingers through his hair without really thinking as he walked over to the sofa. "What are you doing? Oh. Crosswords again. I don't see why you like those so much." He stepped onto the sofa and sat down with his feet on the cushions behind Sirius, leaning against the armrest. "You don't happen to know where my book is?" he asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Which one?"

"The one with the dark green cover," Remus replied, knowing that it would do no good to tell Sirius the title, because Sirius never noticed the titles.

"Oh, did it have curly gold writing on it too?"

"Yeah, it did."

"It's over here." He bent around the edge of the coffee table and picked up a book.

"Thanks." Remus took it from him and flipped it open to the page he had left off. He picked up one of the pillows from the other end of the sofa and placed it behind himself before making himself comfortable and beginning to read.

"What's a five-letter word for something that we always have when we are alive?"

Remus blinked and looked up. "Erm…blood? Or water, I suppose."

"Blood. Water doesn't have an 'o' in it."

Remus's gaze returned to his book, but his head was fuzzy, and it was making it difficult to concentrate on the words. He set it down on the cushion and busied himself staring off into space—or rather, at the back of Sirius's head, since it was the only thing he could see from where he lay. The lights from the Christmas tree were giving Sirius's hair colorful highlights. On a whim, he lifted his right hand and gently touched Sirius's hair.

Sirius jumped and whirled his head around to look at Remus. "Oh." He laughed slightly, nervously. "Don't know what I thought it was…." He turned back to his crossword.

Remus touched Sirius's hair again, and this time Sirius did not move. Sleepily, he ran his fingers through the strands of dark hair, playing with the longer locks. Sirius shifted so that he was leaning against the sofa, and Remus spread Sirius's long hair out over the cushion in tired fascination. A few minutes later, his eyelids drooped and his hand dropped down on Sirius's shoulder, whereas his head slid off of the edge of the sofa.

Sirius turned his head to look at Remus, and he stretched his arms and neck slightly before pushing Remus back onto the sofa.

"Uhnn," Remus moaned softly, and his eyes fluttered open just barely.

"Shh. Sleep," Sirius whispered, brushing Remus's hair out of his eyes. Once Remus was really asleep, Sirius carefully lifted Remus onto his back and carried him into the bedroom to put to bed. Then he changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants and crawled into bed beside him.

Remus was tossing and turning under the blankets, and Sirius could see in the darkness that his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. However, as Remus's arm brushed against Sirius's, he felt goosebumps on Remus's skin. Remus stopped moving around, and curled up in as small a ball as possible, burying his head underneath the blankets. Sirius reached out and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him to keep him warm. Remus relaxed and rested his cheek against Sirius's shoulder.

In the morning, Remus awoke in confusion.

"How did I get in here?" he asked Sirius as he stretched and yawned widely. "The last thing I remember was lying on the sofa."

"I brought you in here when you fell asleep," he grinned. "You were so adorable…I just couldn't wake you." He reached over and put his hand on Remus's forehead. "You're still a little warm. And you look flushed. You probably should stay in bed today," he said as he stood up and began collecting his things for a shower.

"But I have things to do," Remus protested.

"Okay, okay. Then just rest a little more while I'm in the shower," Sirius insisted.

Remus sighed. "You turn into an over-protective mother whenever I get sick," he complained, leaning back onto the bed.

"Hey." Sirius hit Remus over the head with a pair of socks.

"Just go take your shower. I'm going to need one after you're out." He shifted under the blankets, curling up into a ball with all of the blankets gathered about him. Sirius laughed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

When Sirius returned fifteen minutes later, Remus was lightly dozing, with his eyelids flickering every once in a while. Sirius went over and sat down next to him.

"Moooooony," he began, leaning over to whisper in Remus's ear.

"Uhnn," Remus mumbled, shifting closer to Sirius.

A wide grin spread over Sirius's face, and he lay down next to Remus, leaning on his elbows and putting his face very close to Remus's. "Rise and shine, sugarpluuuuuum," he sing-songed. Remus's eyes snapped open, and as soon as they did, Sirius gave him a very slobbery kiss.

"Ahhh!" Remus fell backwards, getting tangled in the blankets and knocking one of the pillows onto the floor. When Sirius burst out laughing and crawled over to him, he sat up and tried to fix his tangled hair. "You scared me," he said, a little embarrassed. "I suddenly woke up to dark eyes right next to mine, not to mention my mouth was being attacked by some over-enthusiastic…thing."

Sirius couldn't help it. Remus's sulking expression was just too funny, with his clothes—the same ones he had been wearing the previous day—all rumpled and messed up, and Sirius just had to laugh even more.

"Oh, shut up," Remus admonished, pushing aside the blankets and getting out of bed. "Don't think I'll feel very sorry for you when you catch whatever I've got." He went into the bathroom.

The hot water felt very soothing after being hot and cold so sporadically during the past twenty-four hours. Once he was out of the shower, though, the air felt very cold, and goosebumps appeared all over his skin. He quickly dried himself with the towel and then went back into the bathroom to get some clothes.

Fully clothed and slightly warmer, Remus switched off the lights in the bedroom and walked out to the kitchen to find Sirius.

"Coffee?"

Remus shook his head at the offer. "No thanks. Could you brew me some tea, though?" He sighed quietly and laid his head down on his arms.

"Sure."

Several minutes later, a steaming mug of apple cinnamon tea with a spoonful of honey laced in was set before him. A warm hand touched his neck, pushing aside his hair.

"Are you all right?"

Remus straightened, rubbing his hands over his face. "I'll be fine. Thanks." He picked up the mug and took a careful sip, breathing in its warmth.

Sirius sat down at the table a moment later, holding a bowl of oatmeal for himself and one for Remus. Remus made a sound of dissent when the bowl was placed in front of him.

"I'm not very hungry," he protested.

"Well at least try to eat something."

"I am." Remus stirred his oatmeal and took a small bite.

"How does it taste?"

Remus's eyes flickered up to glance at him. "Like oatmeal."

Sirius snorted. "Alright then."

After Remus had eaten less than ten mouthfuls, he put his spoon down and pushed the bowl away. "I'm full."

Sirius sighed and took the bowl from him, dumping the remains into the trash.

Remus stood up. "I need to go out for some things." He went out into the hall and put his shoes on, before shrugging on his coat. He was in the act of pulling on his gloves when he felt Sirius's arms around him.

"Sirius…" he began in slight irritation, turning his head.

"Why are you being so cold toward me?" Sirius interrupted, his voice muffled in Remus's neck. "I can understand that you don't feel well, but…."

Remus finished pulling on his gloves and turned in Sirius's arms. "But that's just the thing. I just…don't feel very touchy-feely right now. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cold toward you." He sighed and rested his head against Sirius's shoulder for a moment. Then he pulled away. "I need to go," he insisted. "I'll be back in a couple hours."

"At least it's not pouring anymore, I suppose. It's just sort of drizzling."

"True. It was awful yesterday. I actually ended up putting a spell on my coat because I was soaked all the way through within a few minutes of being outside."

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Well, I'll be here for most of the day, I think. I was planning on seeing Prongs around noon, though. Just for lunch, most likely."

Remus nodded. "Alright." The second he opened the door, they both discovered just how cold it was outside.

"Damn." Sirius pulled a scarf from the coat rack and gave it to Remus to wrap around his neck.

An hour later, Remus was walking amongst last-minute shoppers, many of which were not entirely in the Christmas spirit. During his shopping, Remus discovered that he had acquired a cough. Many people had thrown paranoid glances his way whenever he started coughing, drawing their children—if they had any—closer and quickening their paces.

Remus had not exactly lied to Sirius about getting gifts…but he had not been entirely truthful, either. He had finished most of his gift shopping, and sent off the packages to the people they were intended for, but Remus had not gotten a chance to get Sirius's gift, even though he knew what he wanted to buy. He had been saving up for a while, waiting for the right time to get out and buy it, but during the past week he had been too busy.

Around twelve thirty, Remus stopped by a coffee shop and got himself a cup of hot cocoa and a croissant. He finished the croissant and then suddenly felt sick five minutes later, but he ignored it and walked into a card shop. Twenty minutes in the store found him with one card, a tube of wrapping paper, a spool of gold ribbon and a throbbing head. It certainly did not bode well to be indecisive when searching for something as simple as supplies for wrapping gifts.

The sky kept spitting at the people below, turning their clothing damp enough to cause a chill that was magnified by the frosty temperature. Remus pulled his scarf tighter around his neck and chin, trying to think properly as he walked toward the leather shop. After ten minutes of walking, he reached the shop, and pushed the door open and went inside. The entire store smelt of leather, and Remus couldn't decide if it was a good smell or not.

"May I help you, sir?" Remus looked up at the gray-haired man with a ponytail and small beard.

"Sure. I'm looking for a jacket for a friend of mine. Erm, it's one of those motorcycle ones." He laughed nervously. "I don't know much about it. I only remember what it looks like."

"Ah, well those jackets are two isles over, on the right."

He led Remus through the store until they reached the jackets that were hanging on racks. Remus looked through the jackets for a couple minutes until he found the one he was looking for. It was made of black leather, and it zipped all the way up, with a wind flap that snapped over the zipper. There were two pockets toward the bottom on each side of the zipper, along with a hidden pocket on the inside.

"Is that the size you want?"

"Oh. I'm not sure. Do you mind if I just try it on? The person I'm buying it for is around my size."

"Go right ahead."

Remus put his bag of other purchases down near his feet and took off his own coat before taking the leather jacket off of its hanger and putting it on. It was very comfortable, but it was quite loose on him. He took it off and put his own coat back on, picking up his other purchases.

"It's perfect."

Remus handed it to the man, and they went over to the register.

"That'll be £317.18," he told Remus. "Will you be writing a check, or paying straight out?"

"Er, paying." Remus pulled out his wallet and counted the pound notes he had exchanged at Gringotts earlier that morning. He handed the man £318 and received eighty-two pence back with his receipt. He waited for the man to carefully fold the jacket and slide it into a large plastic bag. He thanked the man and left the store.

He walked down the sidewalk and found an alley, where he stopped and shrank the bag and jacket so that he could carry it in his coat pocket, where Sirius would not find it. Then he went back onto the sidewalk and headed toward the supermarket to look for food for supper.

A block away from the supermarket, Remus began to feel his health deteriorate again. His throat was sore when he swallowed, and his forehead was damp with sweat, even though he knew he was supposed to be freezing, just like all of the other shivering passersby. He licked his dry lips and coughed into his elbow, stumbling over his feet when he did so.

"Hey, watch it," a passing teenager snapped at him, and he apologized without really thinking why he needed to.

A minute later, he started coughing again, and he had to stop walking because his head began spinning and blurring.

"Hey, are you all right? Sir? Hey, lad!"

Remus gave a start when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He hadn't realized he had been standing in the middle of the sidewalk, staring off. The policeman standing in front of him now was frowning in concern.

"Hu…wha—sorry?"

"I asked if you were all right," the policeman repeated.

"Oh." Remus forced a smile onto his face, beginning to feel nervous. He had never had to deal with a Muggle policeman before. "I'm fine, thank you. I just—" He trailed off when the world tilted dangerously.

"Ohh, I don't think so!" The policeman exclaimed, grabbing Remus's shoulders to steady him.

Remus put a hand to his head. "Sorry," he apologized groggily.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Remus's eyes snapped open. "No! I—I don't need to go to the hospital, officer. I'm fine; I was just going to the store, and then home."

"You're in no condition to be out and about, lad. You're about to collapse. I really think you need to see a doctor."

"But I…. Look. I'll just go home, instead. My roommate can take care of me."

The policeman looked unsure, and Remus could almost hear him considering ignoring his requests and calling an ambulance.

"If you want to help me so badly," he began tiredly, "why don't you just give me a ride home? Do you have a car around?"

"All right, I'll let you off for now. But your roommate better know how to take care of you." He took Remus's upper left arm and began to lead him down the sidewalk. "Come on; I'll drive you to your home. Where do you live?"

Remus told him as he was getting into the passenger seat of the police car, feeling very odd and disbelieving. Why was he in a police car?

Less than ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of Remus's door. Remus had to be shaken back into awareness, because he had been staring off again. He stumbled up the front steps with the help of the policeman, who pressed the door buzzer because Remus couldn't remember which pocket he'd put the key in—and he wasn't about to use magic right in front of a Muggle authority.

A few moments after the policeman had pressed the buzzer, the door opened to reveal a very surprised Sirius.

"What the—?"

"Sir, this is your roommate, correct?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "…Yes, he is, now what's this all about?"

Remus was pushed forward through the doorway, and Sirius almost let him trip over the mat lying by the door, catching his shoulders just in time.

"Your roommate almost passed out in the middle of a sidewalk. I suggested he go to the hospital, but he insisted on coming here first. He said you could take care of him." He frowned as he took in Sirius's appearance (he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with the top two buttons undone and faded jeans with holes in the knees, along with a black leather choker around his neck, and his hair was untidily falling over his shoulders), clearing not believing that he could possibly be responsible enough to watch over a sick boy.

"Sure. Thanks for bringing him, officer," he smiled. "Happy Christmas!" Then he pulled Remus farther inside and closed the door in the policeman's face.

"I told you you would get sick again," he grumbled as he picked up the bags Remus had dropped on the floor. "Is this all you got? You sure were out a while." When he didn't receive an answer, he turned to find Remus leaning against the wall, fighting to stay conscious. Sirius dropped the bags and pulled Remus to his feet.

"Okay, come on. Would you rather lie on the sofa, or do you want me to bring you to the bedroom?"

Remus mumbled something Sirius couldn't understand.

"What?"

"Sofa. I don't care."

He coughed a few times as they started to walk toward the living room. Sirius sat him down on the sofa and then took his gloves off. He unwound the scarf from around Remus's neck and set it on the coffee table, and then he carefully took off Remus's coat, draping it over the arm of the sofa. He lifted Remus's legs and laid them on the sofa, removing his shoes as he did.

"Is there anything you want me to get you?" he asked, sitting beside him and stroking his hair.

"I didn't get a chance to go to the supermarket," Remus whispered, licking his dry lips.

"Don't worry about that right now. Do you need something to drink? You're probably dehydrated."

"Just some water would be fine. I'm not dying, Sirius. You don't have to worry so much." He smiled wearily.

"I know that." The edges of Sirius's mouth quirked. "But you don't worry enough about yourself, so I have to make up for it." He got up and went into the kitchen to get some water, putting Remus's coat, gloves and hat away and picking up the shopping bags in the hall on the way.

"I'm putting your things on the table," he called. "You can get them later if you're feeling better."

When he returned, Remus slowly sat up so that he could take a few sips from the glass. Getting frustrated with the angle at which Sirius was holding it, he took it from Sirius.

"I can hold it myself, you know. I'm not—"

"Oh, shut up and drink it, you twat."

Remus drank some more and then set the glass down on the coffee table.

"You know what I think?" Sirius said after a few minutes.

"What?"

"I think I should Floo down to Diagon Alley and get some medicine for you."

Remus shrugged. "If you want to waste your money, go right ahead. But I'll be fine in a day or so anyway, so I don't see the point…."

"Because I want you to be better now," Sirius replied, tilting his head and making a face. "You're so much more fun to be around when you're healthy. Besides. It's going to be Christmas tomorrow, and if you're going to be like this, I just might leave you here and go bother Prongs and Evans for the holiday."

Remus felt himself grow cold, and he opened his mouth to protest. "But…" he started in dismay, his voice soft.

Sirius grimaced. "Hey! I was joking. Don't be like that," he said. "I would never do that to you. You really are out of it, otherwise you'd never fall for that one." He leaned over and laid down on top of Remus, careful not to put too much weight on him.

Remus laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry. I'm not thinking properly. Oh, speaking of Prongs and Lily…did you ever go to see them?" he asked as Sirius began drawing random designs on his collarbone with his finger.

"Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"And Lily told me to come back here and baby-sit you."

"Baby-sit?"

"Well, she didn't use those words in particular, but I could definitely tell she was thinking them. Anyway, the point is that she made me come back here."

"I take it you told them I was sick?"

"They asked me how Moony was doing, and I said, 'Moony has a fever. He's not doing too hot.'"

Remus rolled his eyes and then groaned. "My foot just fell asleep. You don't think you could move your leg, could you?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Sirius shifted on the sofa. "That better?"

"Mhm."

"Yeah, well anyway, they wanted me to tell you that they got your packages in the mail the other day."

"That's good. I was using one of the post office owls, and I never really trust them."

Sirius laughed.

Several minutes passed, and Sirius glanced up when he heard Remus sigh and shift his head to the side. He had fallen asleep. Carefully, getting up off of the sofa and Remus, Sirius scratched his head and glanced at the Christmas tree as if it would give him answers to his troubles.

"I guess I'd better go to the store, now," he said aloud to the air.

He shrugged to himself as he walked out into the hall. After a minute of wondering what he was even supposed to be getting, he went into the kitchen to see if he could figure something out. However, ten minutes of rooting around in the cabinets and fridge told him nothing, and the only thing Sirius could think of to do was ask Remus what he had been intending on buying at the store.

Sirius hated to have to wake Remus up, but there would be nothing to eat for Christmas Eve supper if he did not ask.

"Remus," he whispered, bending down and lightly touching Remus's shoulder. "Remus, wake up. I've got a question."

Remus frowned in his sleep and opened one eye halfway. "Hmm?"

"What were you going to get at the store? Did you have a list or something?"

"Uh-uh. I was…just going to get some hors d'oeuvre kind of things."

Sirius sighed. "What kind of things?"

"Ugh. Finger food. Like crackers and cheese and small slices of meat or fish. Just…do you need me to get up and go with you?"

"No, no! You stay here and rest. I'll go."

"You sure? And we're going to need something to drink, too." Remus was already pushing himself up on his elbows.

"I can handle it. Don't worry. I'm not entirely incompetent, you know."

Remus laughed and shook his head before settling back onto the sofa. "All right then. If you insist." He closed his eyes and rolled over onto his side. He listened to Sirius get ready to leave, pretending to be asleep. When the front door closed, he opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He went to the window and watched Sirius walk down the sidewalk.

Once Sirius had rounded the corner, Remus went out into the hall and pulled Sirius's shrunken gift from his coat pocket. He returned it to normal size and then got the wrapping paper and ribbon from the kitchen. He spread everything out on the table and removed the price tag from the coat. Magically cutting the wrapping paper, Remus folded the coat and then began wrapping it. He magically tied the ribbon so that it was a nice bow. When it was completely wrapped, Remus placed it underneath the tree along with the packages that Peter, James and Lily had sent.

As Remus stood up, he felt very lightheaded, and he realized that he had not drank much all day, so he went and got himself another glass of water. He stood in the middle of the kitchen, drinking, and coughing occasionally, feeling rather bored. He went back into the living room to get his book so he could read, and then he sat down on the sofa, wondering how Sirius was fairing in the supermarket.

"I hope he doesn't mess everything up…" he muttered to himself, lying down. He imagined Sirius walking aimlessly around the supermarket, trying to find the food on his nonexistent shopping list.

Remus rolled over onto his stomach and propped his chin up on the palms of his hands. He began coughing again, and summoned his glass of water from the kitchen so he could have a drink. His lightheadedness returned, and he groaned shortly before lying his head down on the sofa.

After much more time had passed than Remus could tell, the front door opened, and he heard thudding footsteps and the rustling sound of plastic grocery bags. Too lethargic to move, Remus stayed where he was, and didn't even call out a hello. He listened to Sirius walk into the kitchen and put everything onto the table and then return to the hallway. Then Sirius kicked off his shoes, and Remus couldn't tell where he was.

"Remus? Ah. You're asleep."

Remus wanted to turn over, but he just couldn't bring himself to get his muscles to listen.

Sirius continued talking to the air. "Hnn. That doesn't look very comfortable…."

When Remus felt a hand on his upper back, he couldn't help but tense, and the reaction caused him to start coughing again. Sirius pulled him up and flipped him over so he could breathe more easily.

"Why the hell were you sleeping on your stomach?" he asked. "You want to suffocate yourself?"

Remus scowled. "Piss off."

"Ohh!" Sirius said gleefully. "Language, young man!"

"As if you should talk," Remus rolled his eyes, starting to sit up, and then deciding that he liked lying down on the sofa more. "Did you get—?"

"Edible food? I hope so. Some of it looked rather…healthy, but I think you'll like them. It's the only reason I got them anyway."

"To please me? Well aren't you a gentleman." Remus made a face as an odd image entered his mind. "I can't even imagine you in a 'gentlemanly' outfit."

Sirius smirked. "That's because I'm not gentlemanly," he replied, leaning over Remus. "My long hair and odd clothing just don't fit the title. Besides. Why would I want to be like that? I don't think it'd be very attractive to you," he added, kissing Remus lightly on the lips and then slowly moving down his throat.

Remus's face had on an odd expression, torn between two minds. "Sirius…please. You're going to catch whatever I've got, and then we'll both be sick for Christmas."

Sirius groaned and pulled away. "You always ruin everything when it gets good, Moony." He pouted.

"Aw, don't look at me like that. You know perfectly well that you'd be blaming me the entire time if you got sick."

"What?" Sirius had the decency to look shocked. "I would never!"

"Ohh, yes you would. And it's happened before, so don't try to contradict me."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "But that was in…what year was it? Wasn't it fifth year? Or sixth year? Either way, we weren't exactly, erm, an 'item' then, so it doesn't count. Of course I'd blame you then."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Remus nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"Ahh, you're so cruel. I can tell what you're thinking right now. Why can I tell what you're thinking? I don't want to know what you're thinking. Oh, Moony, have a heart." He suddenly turned into a great, big black dog and flopped onto Remus, whining.

"Oof," Remus said, trying to push the heavy animal off his chest. "Padfoot…I'm warning you…."

Sirius shifted back into a human, and he stared down at Remus. "What were we talking about, again?"

Remus groaned. "Sirius—"

"Aah! Moony likes this, doesn't he?" Sirius said seductively and then laughed, reaching to tickle Remus's side.

"Sirius!" Remus yelped, sitting up and shoving him off of the sofa as he coughed loudly from the exclamation.

Sirius shoved the glass of water into his hand, and he took a drink.

"You okay?"

Remus sighed and didn't answer at first. Then, "Sirius, you just need to learn when to stop. You're not a little child anymore."

The rest of the day didn't go very well, considering that the two youths were now avoiding each other without really trying to. Whenever they were in the same room, Sirius was unusually quiet, and Remus never tried instigating conversation. Their supper was a quiet affair as well, apart from when Remus made a comment about how Sirius hadn't ruined it after all.

After supper, Sirius stared out of the window for a while before turning to Remus and said rather coolly, "I'm going out. I'm not sure when I'll be back." Without waiting for an answer, he went out into the hall and after a few minutes of listening to the shuffling of Sirius putting on his coat, Remus heard the front door open and then slam shut.

There was complete silence for several minutes. Then Remus laid his head back against the refrigerator and sighed.

"How stupid could I have been?" he scolded himself miserably. He went to look out the living room window, but he could not see Sirius anywhere…and as he couldn't have walked that fast, Remus figured he must have Disapperated. Who knew where he could be now.

Remus straightened and walked aimlessly through the flat, wondering what he could do. He felt much better than before, though a hand on his forehead told him otherwise. He shivered and folded his arms across his chest, frowning at the Christmas tree. A bloody happy Christmas this was.

Around ten thirty, Sirius still had not come back, and Remus was getting tired of waiting. In a considerably worse mood than earlier, he got changed and got into bed, switching off the lamp on his bedside table. He lay there for a long time, staring up at the ceiling in the dark, worrying about where Sirius was. He felt a quiet pang of jealousy when he thought of the possibility that Sirius had gone to some wizarding pub and was currently flirting with the pretty girls there.

Shaking his head and mentally hitting himself for thinking such things, he rolled over and buried his face in Sirius's pillow as he pulled all of the blankets up to his chin for warmth.

A long while later, when Remus was half asleep, the front door opened and closed quietly, and five minutes later the bedroom door did the same. Soft footsteps moved around the room, drawers opened and closed, clothing rustled. Then Remus felt the bed shift and the blankets lift up, shortly before another body laid down beside him and let the blankets fall again.

He made a murmur of a sound when he felt arms wrap around his body, and he sleepily forced his eyes open.

"Sirius," he breathed.

Sirius held him tighter and spoke into his hair. "Sorry I'm so late."

He smelled like pine needles and candle smoke and strangers, but Remus pushed that aside in his mind and wrapped his right arm around Sirius's waist, pulling himself closer to Sirius.

"I missed you," he mumbled into Sirius's neck, his lips brushing against warm skin. Knowing Sirius was back safe and sound calmed him, and his exhaustion took over, sending him into sleep before he heard Sirius's slow reply.

On Christmas morning, Sirius was the first to wake up, and he had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that Remus had gathered all of the blankets around himself in his sleep. Caught up in the unfairness of the situation, and ignoring how peaceful Remus appeared, Sirius slid his arms underneath both Remus and the blankets and hoisted them up into the air. Remus made a startled noise, and Sirius, once again ignoring him, staggered out of the bedroom—it was much more difficult to carry Remus in his arms than on his back, he discovered—and into the living room, where he dropped him unceremoniously onto the sofa.

Remus untangled himself from the blankets and then lay there, looking up at Sirius.

"What was that for?" he demanded, pretending to be angry.

Sirius grinned widely. "Happy Christmas, Moony! Time to open presents!"

Remus groaned and pressed his hand against his forehead, rolling his eyes. "Padfoot, you are such a little boy."

"Good!" Sirius mussed up Remus's hair so much that it looked like he had just been in a whirlwind, and then he proceeded to collect all of the gifts to be torn open, leaving the room in a state similar to as if a hurricane had just passed through.

Some things would just never change, Remus thought. Or at least, he backtracked, he hoped that some things would never change.

A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm so happy I finally got this done. XD I just remembered it this morning, and realized that it HAD to be done today, or else I would never forgive myself, hehehe.