I walked back into Remus' room and shut the door behind me. This time taking a subtle glance around, instead of staring directly at the floor or into his tired eyes.

He didn't own much. Less eclectic and messy than Peter's room. Though still not super neat.

Three posters hung on a wall: The Rolling Stones, Electric Light Orchestra and Led Zeppelin. All muggle bands I could assume.

A broken laundry basket messily shoved in the corner, full up of socks that needed to be paired up.

A tall stack of books balancing on top of his chest of draws, as he didn't have a bookshelf and an odd cylinder type of glass beside his bed.

"That's a lava lamp. It's green and blue. Its a muggle thing, so..." He mumbled noticing I was beginning to stare at it, obviously looking confused. Correctly guessing I had probably never seen one before.

Green and blue lava inside a lamp? A muggle thing? That sounded a bit far fetched considering they didn't have magic.

He leant over a little, wincing as he did and flicked on the switch; the room that was beginning to get dark was lit up with a soft, pale lighting and the lamp began to form green and blue blobs that grew, stretched and changed inside the lamp. Occasionally making the room feel tinted in the tones of the blobs as they passed wherever the light was coming from inside.

"That's really cool." I said sincerely, though still in a small voice out of awkwardness.

"You don't have to just stand there, you can sit down." He said to me.

I pulled my eyes away from the hypnotic colourful 'lava' and back onto Remus, still wrapped up in his white and grey striped sheets.

I perched on the end of his bed, turning my body to face his. Not feeling as if I could entirely get comfortable.

He let out a sigh as if all this time he had been in deep thought. He probably had been, we hadn't spoken and he probably wasn't as interested in looking around a room that he sleeps in every night, like I was.

"I could have just wanted a weekend alone, unbothered. A bit of time by myself. What if I didn't need your help?" He pitched.

"If you don't , why does it feel like you're trying to hide something?" I said gesturing to the striped sheets. I knew exactly what he was trying to hide. Cuts, bruises, you name it.

In all honesty, it did look relaxing to be cocooned the way he was, but it wasn't cold enough to be. He wasn't resting wrapped in them before I stormed in and he didn't let them fall an inch lower than the bottom of his neck and despite the comfortable look of his duvet, he visibly looked uncomfortable.

"I don't like being topless around people." He said bluntly.

"You've been topless around me." I reminded him.

"And that isn't a normal thing for me to do. I guess it's not dark enough for me to feel comfortable enough for that." He said stubbornly. Raising an eyebrow up at me.

I simply got up and switched the lava lamp off, walked over to his window and drew his curtains. Small amounts of light from the street lamps outside and the glow of a clear summer nights moon, seeped through the gaps in the material.

"It's dark." I said.

"Arty." He sighed, almost as if he was trying not to say it in the tone of a warning.

"I can see you're uncomfortable sitting like that, Remus. If you need me to keep my back turned to you or just leave altogether, that's fine. Just stop pretending you're not in a bit of pain right now." I said beginning to feel annoyed that he wouldn't just let me in. Wouldn't trust me.

Silence stepped between us again.

"Why did you say you wouldn't be scared?" He asked eventually.

I didn't want to approach that conversation fully. I knew I didn't want to.

"I just meant if it's you, I'm prepared to help with anything. Nothing would scare me away." I said truthfully, though dancing around the brutal honesty.

"What if you're wrong?" He mumbled.

I looked at him questioningly.

"About not being scared."

"I'm not." I simply replied.

He shrugged lightly, cracking his neck at the same time. As if he wasn't quite sure he believed me.

"Do you want me to stay? I can leave and I promise I will never overstep this line ever again and I will just see you next week like nothing happened. Don't at all think about me in your decision, because I will do what's right for you." I said.

He took a moment. Looking down at his mattress, avoiding eye contact. I still felt so embarrassed. I didn't want to walk back into his room again to stand in more uncomfortable silence. To feel the weight of my decision feel heavier and heavier.

"I kind of want you to stay." He whispered, sounding ashamed with his words.

"Then you need to trust me." I said sadly. Sitting back down on the edge of his bed, a little closer to him this time.

He shifted a little in his spot, again trying to crack his neck that was obviously sore.

"Do you remember that one time, when you were at school with us...I had a cast on my leg and looked pretty beaten up?" He questioned me.

"Yeah I remember that." I smirk threatening to pull onto my face remembering how he was strategically covering his crotch under the table when I bent down to grab something that had fallen.

"I didn't have- I was worried about that for sure but I didn't have one!" He picked up on my expression immediately and defended himself.

"You were a fifteen year old boy, you don't have to explain yourself. I hear that's quite normal." I laughed a little too loudly at his defence.

"Anyway." He said, rolling his eyes.

"You've hurt yourself, I've gathered that. Like that one time. Which is why I'm saying, relax." I said before he could try and explain.

"I was going to see my parents but I had a few drinks and fell down the stairs. I'm a bit bruised underneath here." He explained and glanced down at the covers, he had yet removed.

"Remus, you don't have to explain yourself to me at all...but please don't lie." I mumbled moving closer to him, keeping my eyes on the covers and not his face.

He just went silent. Nodding slowly as if he isn't usually called out for lying.

"Can I?" I asked quietly, my hands starting to brush against the fabric that covered him. Getting awfully close and looking him in the eye.

He nodded again, this time to signify consent. Though I could tell he felt either embarrassment or shame. Both emotions quite similar, making it hard to hold eye contact with me. A subtle frown making it's way onto his face.

"You're safe around me." I whispered as I began to gracefully lift the covers from around his shoulders, gently moving them off of his body in a slow manner to make sure I didn't graze any sore area of skin.

I looked over his torso that was now exposed. Many dark purple and blue bruises acted like watercolour on his skin and a few angry looking gashes stood out. One just under his ribcage, a few on his arms and one near his collarbones. He also had a bandage attached to his lower abdomen, which was the area he was wincing from.

"Are you still sure you're not scared?" He mumbled.

My hand reached out to caress the side of his face. Making his eyes look up into mine.

"Bruises fade. Even scars do, eventually." I sympathetically smiled at him.

My hand then reached further up to push some of his hair away from his eyes and I leant in and kissed the scar that ran across his nose; that seemed darker in colour than usual, maybe because of the warmth that radiated from his skin.

"And even if they don't, they'd never be scary." I said, referring to the scar that I had just gently kissed.

Remus looked as if he wanted to cry, though the tiniest genuine smile appeared on his face. His eyebrows finally relaxing.

"Did you do this yourself?" I said, pulling my hand away from caressing his face and gently resting it next to a fresh wound that had been stitched up.

"Yeah. The small ones are quite easy." He said nonchalantly.

He had done a good job. Very neatly done, though very irritated.

"And the bigger ones?" I asked, hesitating around the bandaged area, that he kept a hand resting upon.

"I use magic for and it's a slow process. I've had no training, so...It takes about two days to entirely close instead of one." He said.

"Does the pain stop when you've done the spell?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head no.

"That's why I stitch up the ones I can, I prefer the itchiness of muggle healing instead of forcing my body to heal quick, it creates a horrible sharp sensation for deep cuts. Though I just deal with it if I've broken a bone, I wouldn't heal that in the muggle way." He explained.

I nodded, understanding.

"I know a spell that can numb things. It feels odd, tingly but maybe it'll feel better than how you do?" I offered.

"I didn't know that was an option." He said, looking a little hopeful for relief.

"It's not commonly known...a curse actually, used in duals. It's a curse cause it's inconvenient for most but...for you, it might help." I started to explain.
"I had a lot of free time and access to a few limited edition spell books. The only benefit of my situation I suppose. When it wears off, it might feel uncomfortable but you won't be able to feel that part of your body as your healing completes?" I said, getting up and pulling my wand out, at the ready.

He agreed, without hesitation.

I performed the curse over the bandaged area and a wave of relief washed over Remus' face as if he had sunk into a hot bath.

"Merlin, that feels better." He sighed.

"Don't act as if you aren't injured though, because you won't feel any extra damage you're doing. Lay down and rest." I worried.

He sunk down onto the bed and I got up to sort out his sheets, tucking in half of his body and leaving his torso bare.

"Why did you learn that spell?" He asked as I was making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Fluffing up pillows and opening the window for a summer night breeze, attempting to cool his high temperature.

"Uh, you can use the curse on your brain too. As it's also a body part." I awkwardly mumbled.

"Oh." He said, as if he didn't need for me to further explain.

I used it occasionally, very rarely because it promoted an almighty migraine once it wore off, in those moments where my own mind felt as if it was trying to torture me. As if my emotions couldn't fit all at once inside my skull without crippling my soul.

"Lay with me." Remus said softly.
"I want you to hold me."