A/N: What better way to utilise my FINALLY GETTING THIS ROTTEN VIRUS than uploading a pandemic fic?!

Now I know everyone is probably thinking, 'Another pandemic fic? Didn't we have enough of those?' Why yes, you are quite right. However! I figured that we had enough doom and gloom during all those horrible months of isolation, where the word 'bubble' was no longer joyful, but instead felt restrictive!

I've had this idea in my head for several months now. It was originally going to be purely a texting fic, but if you're familiar with my work, you'll know that I just couldn't resisting building a big, juicy story around it! I shall try and update once a week, or once every fortnight, but I am useless with schedules so do not hold me to that! I have also done as much research as I can into HIV, however the internet can only provide so much so if anyone has any other information feel free to send me a link. I'd very much appreciate it.

The rating will most likely change later ... probably.

Anyways, here is my new fic -my first official Wolfstar fic at that! -and I hope I do it justice for all you fellow wolfstar fans out there!

If you see any inconsistences or errors, please let me know! I shall also add a trigger warning at the start of any chapters I feel require it.

Now, ENJOY THIS NEW FIC!

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Chapter 1

The bell trilled, signalling for the end of the lecture.

Remus was jarred out of his stupor, having stared listlessly up at the board for almost an hour and not absorbed any of the information on it. He clawed a hand through his hair, wincing as his chipped nails scraped his scalp, and packed his books away into his messenger bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, he was dimly aware of Lily shooting him a concerned look as he started to walk down the aisle between the rows of seats. He continued until he was out of the room.

Leaning back against the wall a few yards away, he waited until he spotted Lily's shock of auburn hair against the bland coloured walls. His spirits lifted slightly when she caught his eye and smiled at him. Just as Lily walked through the doorway, a dark presence appeared behind her, hooking an arm through hers and steering her into the opposite direction. Lily shot him a quick, concerned look but Remus merely offered a tight-lipped smile and a hapless shrug.

Lily had always been kind to him. They sometimes studied together in the library, and when he was ill, she was kind enough to take notes for him in the lectures they shared. Sometimes, they would even walk to and from classes together. No one else was as kind to him as Lily was. Unfortunately, he was well aware that those occurrences didn't make them friends. Lily was just Lily.

He did often wonder what Lily saw in someone as bigoted and miserable as Severus Snape. Once upon a time he had broached the subject and learned that they were childhood friends. That had struck a chord with Remus. If he'd had anyone in his life from that long ago, he knew he would cling to them like a limpet.

Glancing at his wristwatch, he heaved a sigh. The weight of the entire world seemed to accumulate inside his messenger bag in that moment.

'I guess I'll go to the library and make a start on this essay. Lord knows, I can't do it at home.'

The walk to the library was across a small stretch of neatly trimmed grass with a stone pathway cutting through it. The small stones always stuck in Remus' soles, and he loathed to waste any time on digging them out with a pen. Upon entering the library, he was pleased to note that his favourite table in the little nook was free. He took out all of his notebooks and pens and sat down into the chair. The one bad thing about the public library, compared to the one at his university, was that it closed much earlier in the day. He had asked at the reception desk of the university library, if there were any computers free. There weren't, so the public library it was!

There were only two computers in this little corner of the library, and he was happy to have some solitude. He really didn't like to work when there were other people around. Once he got into the zone of writing and researching, having another presence hover around him just served to get his back up. He was happy to have Lily join him when it was just revision, going over exam prep and homework, but to actually throw himself into a paper was a solitary task in his mind.

By the time the librarian announced that the library would be closing in ten minutes, Remus could barely focus on the screen in front of him. It was too harshly lit, searing his eyes. He'd been staring at the same sentence for a while. With a weary sigh, he logged off the computer and packed his belongings into his messenger back.

Rubbing at his eyes, he drifted out of the warmth of the library and back into the bitter, black cold of the harsh November night. That was another reason he liked studying in the library. The free heating. Teeth chattering at the sudden onslaught of cold, Remus tugged the collar of his coat higher and started to walk in the direction of his flat.

Whenever the wind blew, he was sure he felt ice chips whipping against his skin. He hunched his shoulders and pressed his arms tight around him, but it did little to ward off the cold. He must have taken a wrong turning, because when the wind finally let up a little and he opened his eyes, he frowned at the street. It was a busy high street, probably the one that he heard all his classmates going to for 'FRESHERS!' or some other such nonsense. He'd never gone, hadn't seen the appeal.

Gripping the strap of his bag a little tighter, he continued along the high street, figuring that a long walk in the cold was the prefect crappy ending to a perfectly crappy day.

The streets were practically empty, nothing illuminated the streets except the florescent lights in the restaurant windows and the orange glare from the streetlamps. Cars rushed by, their red and orange lights blinking away. It was such an assault to the sense that it turned his stomach. He stopped at the crossroads, his breath rising in puffs from his collar. Just as the lights were turning green for him to across, another bright light caught his attention. Looking left down the adjacent street he saw a huge, illuminated restaurant that looked more casual, almost like a café or a diner. Feeling drawn to it, he crossed the road and turned left, his curiosity spurring him onward.

The café appeared to be the Holy Grail to whatever a customer needed at any given time.

Hungover? The Ultimate Greasy Breakfast Supreme! (Free refills on coffee/tea)

In a rush? Grab a To-Go Combo! (Hashbrowns, bacon butty, large drink and fruit)

On a diet? The Low-Carb Lover (sugar free, organic AND hearty!)

Working From 'Home'? (Large drink, sweet snack, savoury snack and fruit)

Remus eyes the menu plastered to the inside of the door and felt his stomach growl. He winced at the sharp pang; he hadn't been able to afford lunch today, and all he had waiting for him back at his flat was a sad can of beans and half a loaf of bread that may, or may not, be in date. He pressed his lips together and cast a longing look at the door. Maybe he could just slip inside and work on his essay prep some more? Would anyone notice if he didn't order anything? God, that would be so embarrassing, being asked to leave just because he hadn't bought food.

He fingered his wallet, debating on breaking the tenner he had inside just for a cup of hot coffee. Where were the coffees anyway? Peering closer at the menu, he saw the list of drinks offered and frowned. They had hot chocolate too. His stomach clenched. Finally, he sighed and tugged the door open. After-all, it was only £2.49. He just hoped that it was a large enough cup.

The rush of warm, sugary air that hit him was like a wake-up call. He suddenly felt more alert than he had all day. The lighting was warm-white and didn't seem to want to burn his corneas. The booths were made up of red leather seats that could easily seat three or four on either side of a table. There was a mosaic of brightly coloured tiles across the floor and the décor was very 80's judging by all the heavy chrome and the music playing through the speakers. The artwork was nothing more than band posters, however the sleek black frames somehow made them look tasteful rather than rebellious. There was a small cluster of tables off to one side of the café, just two deep armchairs to a table.

'Wow they look cosy,' he thought, feeling the weight of the day finally make his knees buckle.

He did his best not to fidget as he waited behind the one other man at the counter. Given that Remus was 6ft4 he could easily see over the older man's head but did his best to look at anywhere bar the young man serving. When it was finally his turn, Remus kept his eyes downcast and asked for a hot chocolate, please.

"With whip?" the server asked.

Remus' head snapped up. "I -I'm sorry, what?"

The server raised a sleek black eyebrow, his mouth twisting a little. "Would you like whipped cream on top?"

Remus pondered for a second. The whip was probably extra, right? That's how these sorts of things worked. Defeated, he shook his head, "N-no, no thank you. Just the plain hot chocolate is fine." He bit his bottom lip for a second before blurting out, "Is there a limit on how long someone can stay?"

'Fuck, why did I ask that?!' he cringed at himself, an ugly flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. He could physically feel the other man looking him up and down, noting his worn coat with irregular patches and seams where the fabric had ripped and the down stuffing had escaped, the scarf that was practically unravelling and his lack of hat and gloves despite the bitter weather.

"No, no time limit," the serve offered a friendly smile, jarring Remus out of his thoughts. He handed him back his change and said, "As long as you have a drink, you're welcome to stay."

Remus swallowed thickly. "Thank you. Er … should I wait here or …?"

"You can go grab a seat. I'll bring this over to you when it's done."

Remus blinked and mumbled another thank you, before walking away from the counter, unwinding his tatty scarf as he did so. He felt his ears burn and tried to ignore the paranoid voice in his head that told him that people were staring at him, judging him for barely having a tenner to his name. He pursed his lips together and gingerly settled into an armchair as far from the counter, and other patrons, as possible.

It was very warm in the café. He wasted no time in shucking off his coat and even debated on peeling off his jumper before deciding to just deal with it. The cuffs were unravelling and such an eyesore he was tempted to rip them off entirely. He teased at a loose thread, debating on whether he had the energy to continue writing his paper by hand. In the end he opted to just read ahead in his textbook and enjoy his hot chocolate. He could feel his brain was on the cusp of burning itself out. It was only Tuesday.

He wasn't aware of another presence looming over him until the mug was placed in front of him. He jumped, his chin dropping out of his hand that had been propping his head up to read. He looked up at the server and felt the ugly embarrassment creep up again. If the man noticed, he didn't draw attention to Remus' antics. He was oddly grateful for it.

"I hope it's a good one, I made it with the good chocolate mix, none of that rubbish stuff," he grinned.

Remus dropped his gaze to the mug, focused on the steam rising from it. He'd barely noticed that the man was lean with dark hair and an easy smile. Fuck, he envied the easiness of it all. Drawing the mug closer to himself, he cupped his hand around it, instantly loving and hating the heat that sunk into his skin.

"Thank you, it smells wonderful," he said. Something dropped onto the table. A small pack of fat cookies. His stomach growled loudly at the sight of them. He frowned, sparing the man a glance. "I -I didn't order t-these." The immediate panic at handing over more money made him feel sick.

"Nah, these come free with a large hot chocolate."

"Does it?" Remus frowned. "I didn't see that on the menu."

The server cocked his head, "It's a big menu, maybe you missed it?"

Remus pursed his lips, realisation dawning on him. The man had noted his stubble, his tatty coat and scarf and the fact that he was traipsing around in trainers of all things, when it was horrible weather outside. He wanted to sink deep into his chair and not come out again. There was a bitter taste at the back of his mouth that made him want to wretch.

He stood abruptly, snatching his coat off the chair. "Sorry, thanks, but I need to go."

"Woah, woah, woah!" the server stepped in front of him, hands raised. Remus grimaced at how much taller he was than the other man. He just about reached his chin. "Look, I'm sorry about the cookies. You don't have to eat them. I just figured you might want something to eat seeing at it's quite late." He shrugged, "But you might as well stay and finish your hot chocolate. I made that with the good stuff and I'm not having you let it go to waste. Besides, you can't take the mugs outside."

Remus felt some of the tension ebb away at the attempt of humour. It was appalling but calmed him down just enough to let his coat drop back into a heat on the seat. "Okay," he sat down, his back ramrod straight.

The server lowered his hand and slid the cookies to the other end of the table. He didn't take them though. "By the way, if you do come back and bring your laptop, the Wi-Fi is free to use as well."

With a toothy grin, the man sauntered back across the café and rounded the counter and set to work serving the few customers that had gathered during their little exchange.

Remus felt himself sag back against the plush velveteen armchair. The fabric was smooth and glossy under his fingertips. He felt a jittery nervousness erupt in him so fast that he almost spilled his drink. He dug out one of his notebooks, just to make out like he was actually working. As he sipped the drink and squirmed as the sugar hit his bloodstream, his eyes kept wandering over to the packet of cookies on the other end of the table. He wasn't an idiot; he knew the server had purposefully left them there.

He returned to his notebook, pen poised in his hand as he started annotating the previous print-out of his essay and trying to find interesting ways to improve his standing point on the subject matter without seeming contrived. Unfortunately, the kick of sugary goodness invigorated the hunger he had barely managed to suppress all day. With another, almighty growl, Remus cringed and slid the cookies over to his side of the table. The packet was small, barely fitting into his palm. It was a meagre snack at best, but it was better than nothing. As long as it staved off the hunger for another hour or two, he could cope.

The cookies did help.

He was able to focus on annotating the rest of his essay with minimal discomfort. Draining the last, bitter dregs of his hot chocolate, Remus wiped his mouth on a napkin and, after packing all his belongings away, threw his rubbish in the bin and took the empty mug back to the counter. The guy who had served him earlier was busy making a cappuccino, and Remus didn't want to disturb him. Instead, he watched as the guy tucked his jet black hair behind a pierced ear and scowled in concentration as he frothed the milk. The loud, garbled hiss set Remus' teeth on edge.

Setting the mug on the counter, he cleared his throat and loudly said, "Thanks for the drink!"

The guy glanced over his shoulder and, upon seeing Remus, his demeanour changed. The grin split across his face, erasing all memory of his previous scowl. He set the drink he was working on, onto the counter and started dusting a chocolate star on top. "You're very welcome. I hope you come in again."

"With chocolate that good, I just might," Remus lied through his teeth, smiling as he did so.

If possible, the guy's smile grew even wider. "Well, I tend to work a lot of late shifts so … maybe I'll see you again sometime soon?" He quirked a dark eyebrow and it was then that Remus noticed the colour of his eyes.

They were pale grey with a darker ring on the outside, and it made his anxiety spike.

"I uh … y-yeah maybe you will … I have to g-go … um … bye!"

Without a backwards glance, he hurried from the counter, barely pausing to wrap his scarf around his neck or to assess the rain that had started lashing down against the pavement. He shouldered his way past a couple coming in from the rain, and only took notice of his surroundings when he was a little way down the road, cold and steaming and panting heavily. He felt like he was losing control of everything today, and the last thing he needed was to get sick again, on top of everything else. Cuffing his nose on his soaked sleeve, he scurried to take shelter at the bus stop, huddling in his drenched clothes with his head bowed. He could already feel himself shivering too much to be healthy.

The bus came, and he clambered on and took his usual seat at the very back, next to the dingy heaters.

It took over forty minutes for the bus to reach his stop. The traffic was horrendous, and the rain didn't help. He never understood why the traffic got worse when rain was thrown into the equation. Surely less people would be going outside if it was chucking it down? Tugging his coat over his head, he hopped off the bus, narrowly missing a deep puddle, and ran the rest of the way to the house. The stone porch offered little in the way of shelter, and by the time he got the door open he was soaked through.

Flicking the light on in his room did nothing to lift his spirits.

The room was cold, the furniture illuminated by the orange glare coming in through the narrow window. The thin carpet was flat and a bland, dingy brown colour underfoot as he kicked his shoes off by the door. Setting his bag on the chair in the corner, he peeled off each sodden layer until he was hunched over, naked, in the middle of his room. He pulled out some old fleece pyjamas from a drawer, along with bobbled socks and off-white underwear. He changed in the en-suite bathroom -the one perk to his current accommodation -and then towelled his hair dry.

As he was hanging his clothes over the shower rail to dry, the small space-heater in his room clicked 'ON'. A shiver ran down his spine. Soon he could bask in the vague warmth that emanated from the device beside his bed.

He was chilled to the bone and weary from his long day, grimacing at the fact that he would have to be up and out the door by 9am the following day to do it all over again. Climbing into bed, he layered as many of the thin blankets over him as possible, along with his dressing gown, and tried to get himself warm. It was nearing 10pm but he felt too tired to do anything else. By the glow of the bedside lamp, he read a battered copy of 'THE WATCHERS' and immersed himself until his eyelids grew heavy.

Turning the lamp off, he huddled down until his entire body was tucked under the thin duvet, desperately trying to keep himself warm. He listened to the white noise of rain spattering onto the road and the lone car every now and then hissing through the darkness. Finally, he allowed himself to succumb to sleep, letting the events of the day weigh him down into emptiness.

A/N: Please let me know what you think! B x