Written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) Term 13

HSWW: Survival Skills – Task #9: Write about tending to someone's wounds

Additional challenges listed below

Word Count – 634

Bill quietly got up from the couch, trying not to wake up the man asleep by his side. Carefully, he made his way to the door and opened it as slowly as he could. The space was almost enough for him to pass through. All he had to do now was get to the other side and he would be free. He could already feel the breeze on his face.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, before he could escape.

Bill grunted. "I was going outside," he mumbled.

"Can you repeat that, please?" Harry asked, straightening up and putting on his glasses.

"I was going outside," he spoke more clearly this time.

"That's what I thought I heard you say. Come here."

"Harry, I need-"

"I said," Harry raised his voice slightly, in order to override any of his boyfriend's complaints, "come here."

"Yes, sir," Bill replied while dragging his feet back to the couch.

"There's no need to call me 'sir', darling." Harry giggled to himself. Bill gave him a puzzled look. "Story for another time."

Bill threw himself on the couch and regretted it immediately. He felt the fabric of the shirt scrape against his fresh wounds and wanted to squirm, but he wouldn't show Harry that. He was already worried enough and Bill didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right.

"Go ahead. You can grunt if you'd like," Harry said, rolling his eyes at him.

Bill took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was not grunting.

"Harry, are you ever going to let me leave the house?"

"Oh, stop being dramatic. You always leave the house."

"Yeah, to go to the garden. I want to go out. See my brother's shop."

"Yes, of course. When you can lift your feet to walk and you're not bleeding through your shirt you can go anywhere you want," Harry said in the tone of voice that implied he was not going to change his mind about it. Ever.

As annoyed as Bill was right now, he loved when Harry took care of him. He was the only one that could, really, because Bill would never let anyone else see him weak. Since Bill came back from a mission in Guatemala with more bruises and gashes than ever, Harry had been all over them. Nothing magical could heal it, so Harry decided to do it Muggle-style. The worst part is that Bill was used to being independent and doing all the healing by himself, but this time he couldn't.

"Take off your shirt," Harry asked.

Bill shot him a wink.

"Don't be crass." Bill looked at him, confused. "Hermione taught me that word. Now, hurry up."

As Bill lifted his shirt, Harry reached for the things in the center table. Some creams, bandages and pills. Bill missed the potions. Those painkillers only worked for short periods of time and the creams made him feel sticky. Plus, his recovery was taking way too long for his liking. The worst thing was that alcohol. It burned like fire, and when Harry cleaned his wounds with it, he hissed.

"I'm so sorry," Harry repeated as he dabbed the cotton with the alcohol in the deep gashes he had on his back.

He gave Bill some pills and started applying the cream and bandaging him up. Bill felt like a child again, and the only thing that made him not freak out was that Harry also let him take care of him when he came back from Auror missions hurt.

Bill put the shirt back on and laid his head on Harry's lap. With Harry's hand running through his long hair, Bill allowed himself a moment to enjoy being dependent on Harry, and a little smiled crossed his lips before he drifted off to sleep.

Insane Prompt Challenge

#22 – Word: Independent

August Auction

Day 17/ Auction 2 – Pairing: BillHarry