The Rise And Fall Of The Stag And The Doe

safe and sound

"What are you doing down here?" Remus questioned seeing his girlfriend sitting by the fire, her skin golden in the shadow of the flames.

Dorcas huddled into the maroon sweatshirt she had stolen from him, her feet curled beneath her, baggy shorts, riding up. "Can't sleep."

"What's wrong?" He said, dropping down next to her, his hand gently brushing her hair out of her face.

She leaned her face against his hand and sighed. "Nightmares."

"Of what?"

"Losing you." Dorcas shrugged.

Remus's face sunk in. His amber eyes looked into her large brown eyes with patience and hesitance. "I'm right here."

"I know."

"Are you ever giving my hoodie back?" He teased.

It coaxed a fox like smile from her. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"I like it."

"Why? It's just a sweatshirt."

She said, "It smells like you."

Remus placed his hand just below her chin, brushing his lips against hers gently. It was a few brief, slow kisses, but it made both of them smile. Dorcas rested her head against his and grazed her nose on his.

"It's just hard sometimes," She admitted in an undertone.

He rubbed circles into the base of her shoulders. "I know."

Dorcas scurried forward and bound her arms around him, burrowing her head into the crook of his neck. Her legs straddled his waist and her eyes shut. Remus rubbed her back, feeling her muscles relax under the thin cotton material. He held her tight, not worrying if he'd break her, knowing that, if anything, the closer he pulled her, the stronger she was.

She kissed him, not because she needed to but because she wanted to, and he smiled. It gave his body a rather different reaction, but he ignored that. They both were far too tired for that. Dorcas was like a little furnace and though he had hugged her for her own comfort, he found it brought him a certain amount of sanity he couldn't attain on his own.

His own eyes closed, and he laid his head on side of hers. He didn't worry. He was always worrying; about being found out, about everyone turning on him, about his life always being seconds from falling apart. She held him together. She bullied him when he wouldn't get his shit together. She held his hand when he needed her to, but the best part of all of it was he never needed to say anything. Dorcas could just look at him, and somehow could see past all his pretenses and lies and know just what to do.

Remus had no idea what she saw in him, but he wasn't willing to question it. Having her around kept him whole.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Remus kissed her hairline tenderly. "Of course."

He eased off the couch with her still stuck onto him and laughed. "Are you going to walk?"

"Nope."

"Well, why don't we at least make you more comfortable?" Remus shifted her around so her legs were in his arms instead of digging into his waist and huddled her against his chest.

Dorcas beamed up at him. "I like this."

"Me too," He admitted kissing her delicately.

Gasping, Remus's eyes snapped open in terror. His body was ripped and hollow, the smell of blood and urine hit him brutally as his hands felt the cold grimy stone floor. He didn't know where he was. The last memory he had was James waking him up in the middle of the night; the rest was a massive blur. His bones ached like he'd been used as a human battering ram. The whites of his eyes were streaked with crimson and he didn't have the strength to stand.