CHASING PAVEMENTS ⇒ wolfstar

TWENTY THREE

He could feel it coming. The sickness, the nausea, the over all aching beneath his skin, residing somewhere deep within his tired, tired bones. The full moon was coming and it was coming to be as unforgiving and unloving as always. Remus knew that this was going to be a bad one.

Between pregnancy, growing and tending to his daughter and transforming, Remus was exhausted.

He had had poor nights before, often transforming back as a shell of himself, so broken and damaged by the physical pain of it all that Remus didn't even have the leftover time to mend his interior and mental state.

Remus groans, heaving exhaustedly into the toilet bowl, his back aches from being bent over it for such a long period of time. He heaves once more, bile spewing itself from his mouth, leaving a rotten, horrible taste in his mouth. Remus gags again before he decides he's done, he can't take anymore.

Elliot wriggles and he tries his best to calm her and soothe her while he suffers through his pre transformation ritual. It's almost become a routine. When it is like this, the aching and nausea prior to turning into his inner monster, Remus knows the transformation will wreck havoc on his tired, fragile body. His wolf form non the wiser to how it may alter him for the days that follow it.

Remus staggers to a slumping standing position and begins brushing his teeth. He makes his way back to the dormitory in slowed, sluggish, motions. Trying to urge himself to keep walking.

Once back in the comfort of the dormitory, Remus ignores Peter's proclaiming of his paleness as he slumps onto his bed, curling up in a small ball with one hand under his weary cheek and the other sprawled across his belly. Comforting Elliot to the changes that are about to come is all that matters to him right now.

"Moony? You okay, mate?" James asks from his place on his own bed. He's just retuned from his quidditch match, Remus suspects, given his muddy gear attire. Remus briefly wonders did he win or did Peter's female friend manage to best him after all. But he doesn't have time to ask as a small, pained groan escapes his mouth. "Moony?" James prompts worriedly, a frown creasing his eyebrows together.

Sirius wanders over to Remus in an instant, laying down next to him, wrapping an arm around him; his hand tucked over Remus' one on the younger boy's belly. "What's up with you, kiddo? You're feeling under the weather are you?"

Remus shakes his head feebly, closing his eyes. Sirius' touch soothes him somehow. "Full moon," He grumbles, tiredly. "Tonight,"

"Oh fuck, I forgot that was tonight," Peter says softly. "Oh Merlin, Moony, you really don't look so good, I hope it isn't a bad one coming on?"

Remus nods shakily. "Y-yes, it's gonna be a bad one," He confirms with a sigh. He turns around so that his head is buried in Sirius' chest as je snuggles closer to Sirius, for more comfort. Sirius' presence somehow settles him and Elliot both. "Don't wanna do a full moon right now," He whispers shamefully.

Sirius combs his fingers through Remus' hair. "Shush, Moony," He whispers back, quietly. "It'll be alright. We'll be right there with you,"

"Course we will," James adds. "You're going to be okay," He swears.

"Yeah," Peter joins in. "We'll take perfectly good care of you," He pauses. "You and the smaller Moony,"

"Hey, she's a smaller Padfoot-"

"Sirius, maybe not right now," James says dryly. This causes Remus to perk up ever so slightly, offering James a soft chuckle as he cuddles even closer to Sirius in an attempt to get even warmer via his embrace.

Remus regains consciousness with an unhinged, surreal kind of feeling running rampedly throughout his body. He briefly recalls his friends surrounding him via their animagi forms, a large black dog by his side mostly. Sirius.