“Hello, welcome, how can I help you?”
That was his mantra, at that point. Greet, smile, make them feel important and all that shit, you know.
That’s what happen when you accept a job in retail where you have to actually serve people just because you need money. Honestly it’s on him. He should’ve follow Lily’s advice and accept the office job even though it was waaaaay more far away.
Instead he was here.
With a badge that said his name was Jhon, in front of a person that was blatantly ignoring him even though he greeted and offered his help.
Asshole.
“Hi, can I help you?”
He repeated.
He could play that game aaaaall day.
The asshole actually looked at him at that point.
“Oh! No, i’ll have just a look thanks”
“That’s okay, if you need anything ask ahead-” piece of shit.
He had heard of all kinds…
Oh, i didn’t hear you! Yea, sudden deafness hits hard at every age apparently.
Oh, are you talking with me? No, I’m talking with the demon standing on your shoulder obviously. Now please keep quiet, need to talk with my mate.
Oh, sorry i didn’t see you! A classic. He might’ve been almost 2 mt tall but he was obviously invisible.
What is worse is that sometimes he did feel invisible.
The amount of people that would just ignore him to try and get away from his greeting was abysmal. Honestly he felt like a fucking NPC more often than he cared to admit.
Normally he would follow the poor souls around the store, until they’d crush under his presence and they were forced to address him and listen to the fucking promotion he was desperately trying to get through that empty cranial cavity of theirs.
Not this time though.
He had a massive headache for the whole day and his special pills weren’t working properly.
God fucking dammit.
So yea, he was on survival mode, sue him! What did it change if he wouldn’t run after a couple assholes? Nothing. Motherfucking nothing. So Kyle, or whatever his stupid name was - he looked like a Kyle anyway - could guess the promotion by himself this time. He was busy dying on the cashier desk.
So, what was he thinking about again? Oh yea… his career prospects.
If he would change the design of his resume from red to maroon he was pretty sure that he would convince at least 20% more people to call him for an interview. Or maybe he would need to drop the picture and do a new one. God, he despised taking pictures but perhaps--
“Hello young man, I would like to buy something in this beautiful store! Do you have any promotion for me today?”
Remus smiled widely, no need to turn his face to his left to know who had entered the store. He did it anyway though, because seeing Sirius in that fucking store was the best thing ever. He remembered him he was more than just a retail worker - and sometimes that brightened his mood for a whole day.
“Hello beautiful, everything is on sale! Would you like to try something on? I have a leather jacket that screams your name.”
Sirius smiled, all teeth and a bit wolfish, but still bashful somehow. Gosh, he was so pretty.
“Yeah, well, I believe that jacket already has my name on it, does it not?”
Remus smiled back.
“It sure does.” He whispered, with an exaggerated air of mystery, as if nobody needed to know that information.
Sirius smiled more and put his hands on the cashier counter, rings hitting the surface with a soft metallic sound.
“How are you doing, babe?”
“I’m okay- how are you?”
“Mh, nah, try again.” He pressed on. “You have those tired eyes of yours…either you didn’t sleep last night - and i wasn’t there so that would mean you cheated on me, and that is not cute of you - or you are sick…”
Silence fell between them and Remus just said…
“Or maybe both…”
Sirius laughed a bit. “Touchè. Now tell me the truth.”
“Mhn, migraine.”
Sirius inspired through his teeth, looking at his boyfriend with shared pain.
“It’s not horrible yet-” Remus tried to explain “But it's annoying. And it stings right on-”
“-on the back of your eyes and the end of your neck?”
“Beginning.”
Remus corrected him, maybe to try and cover up how impressed he was - Sirius was just like that… remembering those little details like the palm of his hand. Not like him, who would systematically forget what somebody liked or hated the instant their birthday approached.
“End.”
“Beginning.”
“End.”
“Okay, we already talked abou this.”
“Yea and I'm right, and you’re sick so ssssht, or the headache will get worse.” He said, one of his slim long fingers on his lips to shush him. Remus was so annoyed when he did that.
And he knew that.
The little shit.
He mouthed Go fuck yourself to him and Sirius smiled again, giggling.
He fucking giggled. The menace.
“Okay, i guess I’ll go away and not buy anything. Oh! Even better… i’ll leave and then enter again the store just to fuck up your entry counter!”
“No, please…” Remus began. But then he stopped. “...Actually i don’t care. Do whatever you want.”
Sirius got serious at that - lol - and looked him up and down.
“...wow. This job changed you. We can’t be together anymore, I guess.”
“I can’t get on with every single shenanigan that jumps to your mind Sirius! It’s literally impossible to keep up!”
“No, that’s not-” he started laughing. That chirpy little laugh he hated so much and Remus loved so dearly. “I was complaining at your lack of annoyance, Remu”
Remu. God he was trying his best today.
“Leave, before I shut that mouth of yours myself.”
“Uuuuh, kinky”
Jesus christ.
“Leave.”
—
It was worse. Way worse. He closed the store with a numbing pain in his neck. His eyes were almost closed, the light of the computer screen was piercing his eyes and hurt, burning too much for him to be able to actually look at it. But he was the only person at the store that could close the cashier register, so it was on him.
Horrible cramps shot through his neck down to his shoulders that felt even heavier than usual. He was all hunched on the screen, he knew that, but that was the only way he could see something. Fuck him and his 193 cm. The world wasn’t made for him and it reminded him about that every single day.
His coworkers were so chirpy too. In an annoying, piercing way not in the beautiful soothing way that Sirius was. Gosh, he was the only thing that gave him a little comfort in those moments when the pain would make him slow and stupid and, quite honestly, foggy.
The cashier was closed, finally.
The cash was secured in the safe. Everything was in order. The microwave was unplugged. The jobs he had to do had been finished. All was good.
Except him, that is.
He dragged himself at the front of the store, closed all lights, begged all the gods of this Universe to make his coworker go silent of just one single fucking second - that was all he asked for, for real - and he inputted his code for the alarm.
beep
Oh fuck off, he hated that sound.
beep
Fuck ooooooff-
bEEp
He launched himself out of the store and closed the door as fast as he could.
BEE-
He barely greeted his coworkers, just one hand raised in the air, and got in his car.
He was in no fit conditions to drive in the slightest, but he had no choice. He wasn’t going to wait it out there and risk to be sick without a bathroom nearby. He already had vomited in the streets once and it wasn’t as cool as somebody made it out to be. No, he needed his house. His medicines. His bathroom. His bed.
This wasn’t his first rodeo.
These were the moments when he was grateful he had a job so close to home. Ten minutes and he was going to be in his apartment. But god, they seemed thirty at least.
Driving with a migraine was always a terrible experience. What is that shape on the side of the road? A sigh or a person? You have to keep your eyes open, but all the lights are piercing hot and your retinas are screaming at you, begging you to stop that madness. And all you can do is hope there is no traffic and promise them you’ll be home soon and they’ll get the rest they so desperately deserve.
You don’t know how beautiful it is to see until you have a migraine.
Some time ago it happened: he reached his peak potential. He opened his flat’s door just using his touch. His eyes closed, like he was blind. He probably looked terribly drunk from outside that time. All he was, instead, was just in a lot of pain.
His hands were loosely gripping the wheel but his neck could feel everything. Every little bump on the street, every single adjustment he had to do to keep the car in the road, every leaf and every rock he hit with the tyres. Every. Little. Thing.
Everything was amplified. Like a painful sixth sense that you didn’t ask for and that is, indeed, very useless.
When he reached the parking lot of his apartment he parked his car in the worst possible way, but he didn’t care. He just needed it to stop. He needed the pain on his neck to leave him alone.
He reached the building, entered the door - god, even pushing a door was painful now - and moved to the stairs. Elevator was a no go. He wanted, he wished he could, but the stunk in that elevator would’ve been ten times worse than usual to his oversensitive nose and he couldn’t puke in that moment.
So stairs it is.
Once he reached the third floor he grasped his keys, put them in the keyhole and turned. And he thanked his guardian angel, if he had one, because his cat was nowhere to be seen and did not tried to escape the instant he got in.
Lily wasn’t home. And the silence… bless the silence.
He didn’t like people seeing him in that state anyway, it was better if he was left alone.
His phone chirped, low but present. He immediately went to silence it and he found a text from Sirius.
Rebel Rebel-
Home safe?
You looked horrible today :c
If you need anything im here
He saw the texts but wasn’t fit to answer.
He got out of his work clothes, pushing them off from his body as a snake would an old skin. He tossed them to the corner of his room, angry, and lied down on his bed.
With one hand, he reached underneath it and extracted a little plastic basin. The basin of safety, as Lily liked to call it. It was always there, clean, ready to safe the floor from his impending puking.
With the same hand he reached for his waterbottle and drank a little. One sip at a time. His phone chirped again. Hadn’t him silence it yet?
Rebel Rebel-
Okay, how bad is it from 1 to 10?
Give me a number loverboy
Sirius.
God, he loved him so much.
OldFashionedLoverboy
9
9.5
Which meant 12 in Remus’s scale. But he didn’t want Sirius to worry too much. He handled worse by himself after all. He could do it again.
He fell asleep, completely forgetting about the medicines, the soothing cream… he was just so exhausted. So tired he wanted to cry.
He was in and out of sleeping for an unclear amount of time before a cold hand and a soft voice woke him up.
“Mh, 9.5 my arse.”
Remus found out he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
He was nonverbal too, shit. That was bad. And he forgot to close the blinds, sun was still pouring in. Sun was the enemy.
“Don’t worry…I’ll take care for you” He whispered, his voice just a breath. Remus looked at him. He looked like an angel. “Hi… Blink for me to say yes, okay?”
Remus smiled a little and blinked looking at his lover's stunning eyes.
“Good boy-” He whispered, his tone always the same, calm and silent “Do you want me to close all the blinds and turn on the special lamp?”
Remus blinked.
“Do you want some medicines?”
Remus blinked again.
“Have you ate anything?”
Remus stared at him, a bit guilty.
“It’s fine, I’ll find some food for you. Warm?”
Remus stared again.
“Uh, hard no. Cold? Want it cold, babe?”
Remus blinked.
“Good, I'll find something. Are you still as bad as before?”
Remus blinked, sad.
“Oh, don’t worry babe, it’ll pass. Now rest a bit. I’ll come back with everything you need.”
Sirius closed the blinds, turned on the lamp that made all the northern lights on Remus’s ceiling and left. And Remus, overcome by love, couldn’t help but let a little tear leave his left eye.
He was just so tired… and Sirius came there for him. And he was so pretty, so calming, and so good to him. More tears left his eyes as he passed away again.
—
A soft voice called his name, again. Remus opened his eyes, again. And yet again he thought an angel was upon him.
He smiled, just a little bit.
“Uh, what is that? A smile? For me? Stop being a flirt, loverboy, and eat your dinner.”
Remus just then realized that a fresh sandwich on a plate was there, next to him.
Bread. Soft wholewheat bread and fresh cheese. Two of the less smell-heavy things in this god forsaken world. He could cry again. And to top it all the sandwich was cut in diagonals, to create little triangles. Just like he liked it.
He tried to move a little on the side and picked up a piece of the sandwich, noticing all of a sudden that he was very hungry. Positively starving.
He ate it all, and then another one, and another one, leaving just one little piece… and then he took the medicines. Sweet nasty medicines. Horribly perfect medicines. It was probably too late to make this wave leave him, but at least they would help him enough to not puke his soul out.
Then Sirius, his sweet lover, coated her own hands with a special oil and reached for Remus’s feet.
It wasn’t the first time that she gave him a massage, but it was the first time that she gave him a massage while he was sick.
“It’s okay if we try?”
Remus blinked, incredibly finding some energy to speak after all.
“Yea… maybe it’ll help.”
“I think i’ll definitely help. Relax now, let me do my thing.” And with those words she began.
Sirius’s hands on him were gentle, soothing, yet powerful on the places were some pressure was well needed. Remus found himself getting used to it very fast, relaxing under his partner’s attentions and falling asleep for a bit.
He didn’t know for how long she massaged him, but it was enough time for the sky to completely darken outside.
When Remus woke up again Sirius was slowly caressing his left ankle.
“...Siri”
Remus whispered low. The answer came just as low.
“Yes, love?”
Remus blushed gently at the word, feeling loved in all his entirety. Sirius made him feel incredible.
“...I want a kiss”
Sirius smiled, wolfish yet gentle.
“Uh, well… lets see what I can do then…”
She giggled, high but not at all annoying to Remus’s ears. He looked as Sirius approached him on the bed, leaving his ankle behind and getting nose to nose with him.
Of course she made him wait… he was Sirius. He was playful and annoying and adorable. Remus smiled, gripping Sirius’s chin gently and kissing her first. Sirius melted in the contact, his body gently pressing on Remus’s as she settled on top of him. Remus deepened the kiss and then smiled. The little moan that escaped his mouth betrayed him, as Sirius smiled triumphant.
“As much as I love the idea… you’re still sick. And I didn’t came here to get dicked down, I came here to help my boyfriend back to health.”
Remus grinned a little, then putting on a puppy face to talk to him.
“But I’m feeling better already…”
“Liar”
“I speak… and I can eat and drink… and I’m awake…”
“Mh…” Sirius looked at him unsure. “...are you suggesting we see if a good old fashioned wank can soothe your migraine, Remus? Is that you’re suggesting?”
Remus nodded, grinning. After all, he did miss her a lot.
“Why not.” Sirius’s eyebrow showed that she wasn’t convinced one bit by Remus's words. “If it doesn’t help i’ll stop you, i swear”
Sirius breathed out a laugh, and bite down her own lips. Then she got closer to Remus’s lips again but didn’t kiss him. Instead she whispered one word.
“Liar.”
As her hand pushed slightly on Remus’s body, getting him to breath a bit faster.
Sirius’s grinning as she played with him was the best thing Remus had ever seen. She didn’t even tried to do something for herself, it was all about him. About his pleasure and what string to pull to make him feel better.
Needless to say. he was already feeling better.
Sirius kept her work up, moving his beautiful hands as if they were creating art, and Remus was a canvas.
“is it working, love? You feeling good?”
Remus nodded, choked by the intensity of her attentions.
“Yeah… real good.”
“Mh…you’re so cute when you let me play with you.” She whispered again, her hands getting more rough. Remus love it like that, and she knew it.
A positively shameful sound escaped from his throat as he gripped Sirius’s thighs that were still trapped in his ripped denims. Remus’s fingers played with the wripped garment as his body convulsed a bit under Sirius’s weight. She was grinning like a maniac, happy and proud of her work, while Remus was feeling lightheaded and, incredibly, better than before.
Somehow the wank did work.
“Jesus christ…”
“Yea…” Sirius smiled “They call me that too.”
Remus grunted, shoving Sirius jokingly away, halfheartedly. But that made Sirius smile even more.
“Ooooh look at all this energy we have here… did the orgasm help you for real?”
“Mh…” Remus smiled a bit, biting his own lips “Yea, i guess it did.” he answered, looking as Sirius snuggled next to him, all cuddled up on his bed with him.
Was that it? The orgasm? The medicines? The food? Or maybe all the care and affection Sirius gave him? Or maybe a combination of all those things.
Truth was he didn’t know but, god, that combo was amazing.