swim || remus lupin

song for a winter's night

Waking up in Remus's bed was so incredibly surreal, it's almost impossible to describe.

There was a sense of immediate safety in it, as if the navy blanket would conceal me from all of the darkness in the world. The bed itself had one of those sinking mattresses, where you'd be swallowed forever if you weren't careful. And, paired with Remus's mesmerizing smell of firewood and caramel that I had come to crave like oxygen, there was no chance of waking up anything besides content.

His grey curtains were slightly pulled apart, allowing beaming rays of white light to infiltrate the room. I could tell by the sharp brightness that it had snowed again, leaving the ground blindingly chilly.

The room itself was slightly cold as well, and I burrowed a bit deeper under Remus's blue comforter, burying myself in his warm scent. I smiled as I inhaled and rolled over to find him out of his place in bed.

I frowned, though I wasn't sure if it was more due to the fact that he was missing or because I'd have to venture out of the safe and immeasurably delightful bed to find him.

I pressed my head into his pillow and closed my eyes for a moment, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep without him. I slipped from the covers and stepped around the mattress that I was supposed to be sleeping on (Mrs. Lupin said it was only because Mr. Lupin wasn't particularly fond of the idea of Remus and I sharing a bed, but that she had nightmares too sometimes).

I quickly combed through my hair with my fingers before pulling open the door, only to be met with moderately loud Christmas music and the smell of syrupy french toast.

I descended the stairs quickly and peeked around the banister to find Remus and his mom singing in the kitchen. Remus had on sweatpants and socks (obviously not of the same kind). He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he did have on the same white chef's hat that he wore in the photos from when he was a kid. He was holding a glass dish and appeared to be whisking some eggs.

I grinned as he pointed towards something and mouthed inaudible directions to his mom, who was by the stove, cooking the toast. He placed his dish down and waved her aside, flipping the bread himself. Each of them wore matching bright smiles, with crinkles by their eyes.

I slipped down the rest of the stairs and turned to meet them in the kitchen.

"Oh, you're up!" Mrs. Lupin said cheerily. "Would you like some breakfast?"

She moved to the radio and lowered the sounds of Baby it's Cold Outside.

"Morning, love," Remus said with a fond smile. He kissed my cheek briefly, holding his sticky hands away from his body as he did so.

"Sure, thank you," I replied to Mrs. Lupin, taking a seat at the marble island.

She scooped off two pieces of french toast and placed them on a plate. Remus wiped his hands on a towel before turning off the stove and serving himself as well. He slipped off his hat and slid into the seat next to me.