The silence woke him. For the first time in what felt like forever, the only breathing he could hear was his own. There was no warmth beside him when he rolled over.
Remus's hand reached for Sirius's, as it did multiple times every night. Sirius would always squeeze his hand, letting Remus know that he was still there, because sometimes Remus forgot. But he didn't feel a squeeze. He shot up, his head turning so quickly he heard his neck crack. Closing his eyes for a moment, he could faintly hear sobbing coming from the bathroom across the hall. Remus pushed his covers back, cursing when they caught on his ankles, and rushed to the bathroom.
The door was locked, but Remus could hear retching coupled with the sobbing. He knocked tentatively on the door. "Pads?" He asked quietly as he continued to knock. When he got no response, he pulled out his wand. "I'm coming in, okay?" Still no response. Remus unlocked the door with a flick of his wand, opening it carefully.
Sirius was on the floor, his legs curled under himself, head bowed over the toilet. He made no indication that he had heard Remus.
"What's up, Pads?" Remus asked gently, kneeling beside him and massaging his back. Sirius just shook his head and emptied his stomach once more. Remus used his free hand to hold Sirius's hair back and waited patiently until Sirius's muscles relaxed and his head fell onto his arm. "You alright?"
Sirius nodded and Remus pulled him into his chest. "Nightmare?" he asked, careful to keep his voice soft. He felt Sirius nod into his jumper.
"Mhm…" Sirius took a second to breathe, and Remus could feel Sirius's tears through his jumper. "It still feels so real, Moons…"
It still is real. "I know, love. It'll - it'll be okay." Remus heard his voice crack on the last part. He held Sirius tighter, trying to stay strong for his boy, even though he was falling apart as well.
"I hate it," Sirius muttered, and Remus pressed a kiss to his forehead. "The dementors, Re. They - they hurt. Every time they came near me…" Sirius paused for a moment, hunting for the correct words. "It felt like I was freezing and on fire at the same time." Remus froze. That was new.
"They can't hurt you anymore, okay? You never have to do so much as look at one of those monsters again if I can do anything about it," Remus told him firmly, his composure crumbling around him. Sirius took a shaky breath that turned into a sob a second later. "Hey, hey, I've got you. Its okay, everything's okay."
Remus pulled back just enough to put their foreheads together. He lifted his hand and brushed away some stray tears, warming at the way Sirius's eyes fluttered closed at the touch. He took Sirius's hand in his own, interlacing their fingers and pressing little kisses on his knuckles. Sirius whimpered.
"I don't want to sleep, Moons," Sirius whispered, dropping his head to Remus's shoulder, his free hand gripping the back of Remus's jumper. "I don't want to see them anymore." He kissed Remus's shoulder lightly, and Remus took a second to think, before deciding on what to do.
"We don't have to, love. You want to watch a movie or something?" Remus offered gently, his free hand going back to stroking Sirius's hair. Sirius lifted his head a bit.
"A… what?" Sirius's voice was still thick with tears.
"Right, you didn't take muggle studies in sixth year. They're like our moving pictures, but they tell a full story. They're usually about an hour and a half long, sometimes more. We don't have to watch one, though, it's totally up to you-"
"No, I'd like that… a movie. Can't believe I didn't know what that was…" Sirius gave a small, watery laugh, and Remus couldn't help joining in.
"You would know if you followed my advice and took the class," Remus teased, his voice gentle. Sirius smiled up at him, and Remus used his thumb to swipe away the tears. "C'mon, then, I'll get the tea going." Remus waited until Sirius nodded before pulling away and standing, extending his hand to Sirius. Sirius took a moment, closing his eyes, before taking Remus's hand and allowing himself to be pulled up.
Remus lead Sirius to the den where there was a small television and a loveseat, with a coffee table separating them. He summoned some blankets, dropping them on the couch. "Get comfy, love. I'll be right back." Sirius swallowed and nodded, his eyes following Remus as he walked the short distance to the connected kitchen. Sirius gingerly sat on the couch, pulling a green knit blanket over himself and leaning against the back of the couch.
Remus looked up from the kettle as Sirius slowly sank into the torn up loveseat, looking shaky and small. The next second, Sirius disappeared in the couch, out of Remus's line of sight. Remus smiled softly, turning and taking two mugs from the cabinet behind him.
"Alright?" Remus whispered, sitting next to Sirius and setting the filled mugs on the coffee table. Sirius looked up and hesitated before nodding.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. What movies do you have?" Sirius rasped, repositioning his legs so they were under his body.
"I only have two, it's not easy to get our currency exchanged for muggle currency. Not sure you'd like the Princess Bride, it's pretty boring, but you might like Heathers." Remus stood, grabbing the movie from behind the television and taking it out of the case.
"What's it about?" asked Sirius, still fighting to make himself comfortable. Remus thought for a moment, trying to find a summary that didn't involve spoilers.
"It's pretty crazy, if you ask me… It's about a group of highschoolers, all named Heather, who sort of adopt Veronica into their group. Veronica meets this super hot boy, JD, and he's the second most charming man ever - second only to you, of course - but we later find out that he's a bit of a manipulative dick. Thoughts?" Remus explained casually, passing the VHS cover between his hands.
"Sounds interesting, I guess…" Sirius said thoughtfully, his voice hoarse. He pulled his blanket closer to him, fully laying down again. "Play it."