selenophobia [r. lupin.]

twenty-five.

hey besties

I know this chapter is shorter than my more recent ones, but y'all deserve an update.  we're almost at 10k, and I cannot express how grateful I am for each and every one of you that reads this book.

I decided to play god and make this chapter straight angst, so here's your warning(:

***

"After you fall asleep, I'll kiss both your eyes and cheeks. I know we're not the same."

***S.D.K.***

We arrived back at the school grounds two days ago, and Remus underwent another transformation last night. I'm glad it was now without the students here since we didn't have to worry about another day of skipped classes.

I was up early, Fleetwood Mac's self titled album on vinyl spun in my record player as I brewed a cup of tea for myself and another one for when my lover would return from the shack. Bean was nestled up on my desk, her paws and tail tucked beneath her body as she basked in the rising sun that shone through my window. I gently scratched behind her ears, and her eyes closed at my touch, completely relaxing.

I felt bad for not taking her with me when I visited my family since I missed her too much, but McGonagall always took good care of her while I was gone, transforming into her animagus to play with her every once in a while.

Just as the tea kettle began to whistle, my door creaked open to reveal a very worn-out and battered Remus, the bags under his eyes more prominent than ever and evident that the previous night was rougher than the last few. He let out a heavy sigh before staggering in my direction. "Morning, darling," he rasped, pecking me on the lips.

"None of that," I shook my head, turning him around to face my bed. "Go lie down. I'll be there in a moment to take care of you," I gave him a light shove to get him moving. There were a few bloodstains on the sleeves and back of his shirt from his cuts bleeding through, so I added, "And take your shirt off too. You need to be bandaged."

He took the dirty shirt off, tossing it into the corner before plopping onto my bed. His elbows rested on his knees with his hands folded in front of him, his head hung down to face the floor. My poor love was so tired, I hated seeing him in this amount of pain. If I could take it all away from him, I would in a heartbeat.

Did I ever mention that I hate Fenrir Greyback?

I poured our tea into our cups, walking over to the bed and setting his on the nightstand before tending to his needs. I dug through the drawers before I grabbed the bandages, antiseptic, and a small cloth. "You know the drill, love," I huffed as I sat next to him, pouring a bit of the antiseptic on the cloth before dabbing at his scratches.

Remus winces, clenching his jaw at the pressure. As much as I hated him going through any more pain than absolutely necessary, I needed him to get better. No more scars, and no possible infections; only the best care for my Rem.

I began to sing under my breath as I worked on fixing him. "She is like a cat in the dark, and then she is the darkness..." I crooned as I placed a kiss on his shoulder blade.

"You're too good to me," he slurred, drowsiness slowly overtaking him.

I clicked my tongue as I started to wrap bandages around the deeper cuts, and he finally sipped on his tea. "You deserve only the best care for what you have to go through. Also, I'm your girlfriend and hope to remain your girlfriend for a while, so I'm always gonna take care of you," I remarked as I moved onto the next deep wound.