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Splotches of darkness in front of his eyes gave way to bits of light. The blurry world then slowly came into focus. He realized he was on his back, on the floor, staring up at the ceiling of the school library.
Remus’ arm felt almost too heavy to move. He took a few slow, careful breaths, trying to concentrate on the colors of the dozens of books on either side of him. When he regained feeling in his fingers, he lifted his hand and pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. “Not again.” He groaned as he gathered his strength and forced himself to sit up.
It wasn’t a fever; he’d had Madam Pomfrey check him for that after the first time. He had stayed hydrated on particularly warm days, breathed deeply to be sure oxygen got to his head, and slept the proper number of hours every night. He’d even been careful with what he ate, making sure to choose hearty, nutritious foods from all food groups, even right before the full moon when all he wanted was red meat for every meal. Nothing seemed wrong with Remus Lupin, apart from the fact that he kept fainting.
Fainting. That was such a girlish word for it. All he needed on top of his furry little problem was to be known as that boy who kept fainting.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it either. One second he was doing his homework at his desk in his dormitory room and the next he was on the floor. Or he was browsing books in the library and a moment later, he was out. He’d fainted while coming back from the greenhouses once, after doing work for extra credit in Herbology. He’d fainted once in the shower, managing to just slide down the wet wall onto the tile floor, not crack his skull open.
“Moony!” Remus looked up as Sirius Black came around the bookcase. “What are you doing down there?”
Remus shrugged, wishing he had an answer for that.
“Oh no. Did you collapse again?”
Collapse. That was a better way to put it, wasn’t it? Remus nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Sirius grinned and bent his knees, lowering himself down to sit beside Remus. The bookshelves were close together so that as many books as possible could be packed into the library stacks. But the two young men just fit in the aisle. “I know what’s wrong. You didn’t have a handsome prince to wake you up.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Remus’.
The kiss made Remus’ head spin all over again. The delightful sensation filled him from top to toe and everywhere in-between. And when it was over, Remus saw everything with such clarity and detail, he just had to smile. “You might be on to something there, Pads.”
Sirius took Remus’ hands and pulled him up to his feet. Then he wrapped a protective arm around the young man. “Come on back to the room. I’ll tuck you into bed and wait on you hand and foot. That way, if you pass out again, I’ll be right there to kiss you and bring you back to me. From now on, I’ll never leave your side.”
It was terribly silly and hardly a real fix. But Remus leaned against his boyfriend and went upstairs to their room in Gryffindor tower. Remus didn’t feel faint once while sitting in bed reading with Sirius’ arm around his shoulders. But he didn’t let that stop him from taking advantage of the situation. Frequently. “I think I’m feeling a little…”
Sirius grabbed Remus by the tie, pulled him closer, and kissed him hard enough to clear both of their heads.