Author's Notes: Written for Cheeky Slytherin Lass's Monthly Slash-tastic Drabble-a-thon Competition on the HPFC Forum, with the pairing Rodolphus/Rabastan and the prompt "Hospital Wing".
)O(
When Rabastan fell ill at home, Rodolphus was always there beside him, holding his hand or wiping his brow or just sitting there and telling him that everything would be all right, and he shouldn't be afraid of whatever new sort of sickness had grasped him. At night, Rodolphus would creep out of his bed and curl up beside him so that Rabastan wouldn't be alone.
Falling ill at school was different. The hospital wing was sterile and unwelcoming, no matter how pleasant the matron was. Rodolphus was only allowed to visit during certain hours, and only for a certain length of time.
The visits, however, could be infinitely more satisfying.
Rodolphus would request that Madam Pomfrey put up curtains around Rabastan's bed so that he and his brother could visit privately, and once the curtains were up, Rodolphus crawled in between the sheets with Rabastan and kissed him, and Rabastan kissed back, hurriedly, hastily, because they were always in danger of being caught and they only had so much time in which to fit all the intimacy they could.
Rodolphus never kissed Rabastan when they were at home. But when they were at school and pressed for time, it was his favourite way to comfort him.
)O(
Fin
