Willy

[mooningremus]

Remus really had taken his week with Willy as both magical and temporary. Especially when they'd parted ways with Willy giving no indication that he wanted to see him again. And Remus, who felt as if he'd been given more than enough and had little to offer in return, hadn't felt right about asking.

That night as he locked himself in the storage unit he felt... despair. He was so used to being miserable that having been happy for a while and following it up with this... it somehow made it worse than usual. And somewhere inside him he could feel the wolf's rage, too. It had liked Willy. A lot.

He blacked out as usual, and the next morning remembered nothing. But he knew that whatever happened, it was so much worse than it had been in a long time.

There was blood smeared everywhere. His blood. And he was covered in scratches, where the wolf had turned on itself with nothing else to take its rage out on. His head felt fuzzy, too, and he realized there was blood in his hair... oh, he must have slammed his head against the wall. That's what that spot on the wall was.

He honestly didn't know what to do. He couldn't go to a hostel like this.

Finally he threw on his coat and tried his best to keep his head down as he limped through the streets of London... back to Willy's doorstep.

And when Willy opened the door, the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know where else to go..." And then swayed on his feet, looking as if he were about to fall over.

Comments

[willysilver]

Willy had come back from his chat with Fin and had started to write a new song. The tune was good, but the words weren't coming. He opened the door and caught hold of Remus to hold him up.

"You need a hospital," he said, knowing he shouldn't just go helping Remus. There was no such thing as the goodness of his heart.

[mooningremus]

"I can't," Remus said. "They ask questions I can't answer, and then wonder why my body temperature is too high for a human... I'll heal, I just can't go into a hostel like this."

[willysilver]

"Then come in and clean up," he said. His bathroom was incredibly small but the shower worked and the water eventually got warm.

[mooningremus]

It wasn't that Remus had necessarily expected Willy to be happy to see him, since he hadn't invited him back, and he was certainly imposing showing up like this.

But it did sting, a little, that he didn't seem overly... concerned.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "It's - it's usually not this bad."

[willysilver]

Willy brought him inside, closed the door, and sealed it magically.

"The moon was no different than ever," he said. "Why was his month so bad?"

[mooningremus]

"I don't know," Remus said, though then hesitated, because that wasn't entirely true. "I mean, I think the wolf can be... agitated... angry." He offered a grim smile. "Maybe it was upset I left here, I think it liked you." He winced as he stepped inside. "I'll have to start chaining myself up again, I suppose, it's just rather difficult to do myself."

[willysilver]

Willy understood completely why the wolf would be upset. Especially after the morning they'd had when Willy could both handle and enjoy Remus's rough treatment.

Too much like Bluebird. Too close.

"There's a whole month before you need to worry about that," he said. In the loo he took a cloth and turned on the tap, then just waited.

[mooningremus]

"Thank you, Willy," Remus said softly, and carefully took off his clothes, revealing a mess of fresh scratches and gouges on his skin.

[willysilver]

"Hush now," he said. He checked the water and it was tepid, but he wet the cloth anyway. He began with Remus's face, wiping the dried blood away.

[mooningremus]

"You don't have to..." Remus began, having been entirely prepared to simply do this himself. But then, as requested, he hushed.

[willysilver]

"You really are a mess," he said after a moment after wetting the cloth again. "Perhaps a week was too long if it upsets the wolf so much."

[mooningremus]

"Perhaps if it knew it might see you again," Remus said, but then his eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that as an insinuation. This was - unusual, I have no reason think it will continue to be this bad."

[willysilver]

"Why on earth would you want to love for longer?" Willy asked. "Was a week not enough?"

[mooningremus]

"I - I don't understand," Remus said tentatively. He was cognizant of the fact that he might well have a concussion.

[willysilver]

"The best part of love is the beginning," he said. "Do you want to linger and grow cold? You will come to resent me."

[mooningremus]

"I don't think there's much danger of that," Remus said softly. "But I can't imagine why you'd want me around. But I mean... I was prepared for this all to... turn into a pumpkin."

[willysilver]

Willy didn't answer immediately. Instead he continued to clean him up the the most gentle and reverential of touch.

Finally he kissed his forehead.

"Take a shower now," he said. "There isn't room for two. Then we will eat. And you will stay. I will keep you until you choose to fly away."

[mooningremus]

Remus really didn't know what to make of that. Right now he felt too sore and fuzzy-headed to make much sense of anything. So he just nodded, and stepped into the shower. The blood came out of his hair and made its way down the drain, and he was glad at least that he didn't seem to still be bleeding anywhere. When he got out and looked in the mirror, he saw that there was a new scratch on his face; he hoped it didn't scar.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and came out. "Willy, do you... maybe have something I could wear?"

[willysilver]

Willy nodded and went to a closet. Inside there was just a guitar case.

No...there were clothes, all hung up.

"Choose," he said. Everything was Remus's exact size.

[mooningremus]

"Oh, um..." Remus grabbed the first shirt and trousers he spotted. "Thank you, Willy. I'm really sorry again to just show up like this..." It had become clear that Willy hadn't been expecting him to return.

[willysilver]

"The rest will remain for you for all the time you are here," he said, closing the closet door. "Stop apologizing to me. What do you want to eat?"

[mooningremus]

"Whatever you have is perfectly fine," said Remus. "Can I help you cook something?"

[willysilver]

Willy chuckled softly.

"I have no food," he said. "I don't cook. Come. We'll go find breakfast, mouse."

[mooningremus]

"I can cook," Remus offered eagerly, seeing an opportunity to contribute something useful. "We could get food now but if you'd like to get groceries I could cook for you."

[willysilver]

He was actually quite enamoured by the thought of having someone to cook and clean. And there wasn't even a bond of servitude. That took all responsibility off him.

Perhaps his would work nicely for a while.

"Alright," he nodded. "Breakfast and then shopping."