Written For
Gringotts Prompt Bank
A-Z AU: Black Death!au
"We'll flee," Sirius suggests. "I've overheard riders passing through. The plague has not yet reached the north. We shall run, and we-"
Remus coughs. "It's too late, Sirius."
"No. No. It's just a cough, my love," Sirius insists. "You aren't-"
But Remus removes his shirt, and Sirius covers his mouth to keep from gagging. The boil is nearly the size of an egg, and it looks dangerously close to bursting.
"How long have you known?" Sirius asks, struggling to hide the hurt in his voice over the betrayal.
"Not long," Remus says, collapsing on the bed. "Sirius, it hurts. It even hurts in my bones."
Sirius starts for him, but Remus lifts a hand to keep him at bay. "It is not too late for you," Remus says. "Run. Run while you can."
"I would rather die by your side than live a moment without you," Sirius insists.
"Go, Sirius. There is no need for you to die here. You're a lord. I'm a commoner. My blood is worth less than yours."
"Do not think like that, my love," Sirius whispers.
He lingers, torn. He wants to go to his lover, but, in spite of his bravado, he is afraid of the illness. He has seen effects of the Black Death. The blackening of the skin, the boils bursting and oozing, the unrecognizable faces in the streets, begging for water and reaching out with disfigured arms.
Remus will become like them. Remus will suffer, and if Sirius leaves, he will die alone.
"Remus…"
"Go. I will never forgive you if you give up your life for me, Sirius," Remus says, drawing the sheet over his head as a violent coughing fit overtakes him.
Sirius hesitates.
"Go! Every second that you waste, you put yourself at risk! Go!"
More coughing. Sirius is certain he sees a stain of crimson splatter across the white linen.
Sirius makes the sign of the cross over himself. "May God keep you and welcome you into His kingdom," he says quietly. "I love you."
…
Sirius takes his horse, hesitating to look back at the little cottage. Remus is the only person he has ever loved. No member of the Court, even Lady Marlene, could ever captivate him in such a way.
Fleeing will ensure his life, but what sort of life will it be? A life of lies. A life of pain, knowing that his one true love has died alone and in pain.
Sirius swallows dryly and approaches the cottage again. He leaves a large red X, the mark of the plague, on the door, before hurrying inside once more.
"You're a stubborn fool," Remus croaks.
"Yes, but I am your stubborn fool," Sirius says before crawling into bed with Remus.
"It's going to hurt," Remus whispers.
"Not as much as living without you would hurt."
Sirius closes his eyes. His fingers lace with Remus'.
It will be over soon enough.