Quiet.
This was the first word that came to Remus's mind as his mind slowly unreeled itself from the comforts of sleep and pulled him back into the dark living room. He became suddenly aware that his nose was completely plugged, and when he began to breathe through his mouth, he became painfully aware of his dry throat. He grunted, seeing if his voice was back, and noting that it was significantly better than before he had napped. Still, he reached over the side of the lumpy green couch to the small bottle of water and took a few sips, grateful for the coolness that eased his sore throat. He drank slowly, unlike before, when he had made the mistake of gulping half of the bottle at once and paying for it by depositing all of it in the toilet.
Remus Lupin was utterly, pathetically sick, and with his luck, the full moon was in exactly ten days. He groaned at the thought of suffering his transformation with this ridiculous cold he had. It was best not to think of it.
He was very much awake now, but he made no motion to get up. In fact, he planned on staying right where he was, even if he was slightly cold and there was a heavy weight on his shoulder. He adjusted his feet on the pillows resting on the recliner and buried his chin in his grey jacket, before noticing a wiry object tickling his cheek. He turned his head into the offending object only to have his face buried in it, before he noticed that there was another person currently using his body as a pillow. Catching a whiff of the familiar coconut scent that was lacing what could only be hair, he had come to the conclusion that he had been asleep for a very long time, and that Hermione Granger was currently curled up against him.
He felt a strange tug in his chest at the realization that she had stayed with him all night, even after he had unforgivingly thrown up water across her shirt. He realized, with a sense of relief, that she had changed out of her smelly vomit-scented shirt and into a soft sweatshirt. He also noticed, judging by her deep breathing, that she was completely asleep against him.
Oh, Merlin, thought Remus, making a weak attempt at getting up. He didn't want her sleeping uncomfortably on a couch next to a sick friend all night, nor did he want her to catch whatever illness he currently had. He coughed, and leaned back into the couch, giving up. He closed his eyes, turning his head into her hair and breathing in deeply. She was here, she was asleep, and he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy her presence while it lasted.
He sighed heavily as his heart thumped wildly in his chest. Love. Just another adjective to describe the feeling of a hand caging his heart, the hand of the person he loved.
Love. Hermione Granger. Words that he never thought he would put in the same sentence.
He was in love with Hermione Granger.
Of course, he had been for quite some time. She had been occupying his thoughts for over a year, but after seeing her laugh just one time at something he had said, the sunlight catching her hair and framing a halo around her, he had realized that he loved her. He didn't doubt it. How many times had he seen her warm brown eyes light up with joy and wish that he could wake up to them every morning? How long had he been commenting on her bushy hair and loving the way she would get frustrated with him while dreaming of raking his fingers through the wild curls? How he had seen her lips pull back into a smile countless times, and had equally dreamed about that same smile pressing against his lips?
Too many times, he concluded. And yet, not enough.
He wanted more of her.
He couldn't help it. She was his undoing, the very person who could unravel every mystery within him, except for the reason behind his love for her. He was infinitely grateful and yet absolutely baffled with the fact that she didn't know of his infatuation with her, or at least pretended not to notice it. He had stumbled over his words quite often with her, which was something he rarely did with anyone else, and he was certain that she had caught his lingering stares more than once. Yet, even though it was likely she knew, she made him want to keep trying for her, to keep living for her. With everything she did, every expression, every true smile, he was reminded of his love for her. He felt pathetic and weighed down with emotion for her, but Merlin, he just couldn't help it.
Hermione stirred, and Remus held his breath, worried that his racing heart had woken her up, as her ear was pressed hard against his chest. However, she simply yawned, exposing the inside of her mouth rather unattractively, and brought a sluggish hand to rest on his stomach, right below where her head was resting. She fell back into her sleep, and Remus brought a hand to twirl a loose curl on her head without thinking about what he was doing.
He took a quick glance around the dark room, feeling much warmer than he had when he had woken up, and took a deep breath. He brought his left arm from across his stomach to move behind Hermione's waist, and winced at the pain his shoulder brought with the action. Still, he continued to adjust his arm, and gently rested his hand on her waist, not daring to venture any lower or higher. He sighed contently, holding her gently against him, breathing in her scent through her hair, until he brought his head up from her hair. He stared into nothing for quite some time, thoughts of Hermione running through his head, until he turned to look at her sleeping face that was completely pressed into his shirt. He smiled, and then, on an impulse, leaned in quickly to press a kiss to the side of her head. She made a gentle noise that was lost and muffled, and breathed out heavily. He smiled gently, and leaned his head against hers. He knew he wouldn't sleep again, but he finally had a grasp on her (quite literally) and he wasn't letting her go quite so easily.