Author: Mosh Title: Wash Away Note: You may not archive, re-post, or alter any of my stories without my permission. Please contact me first. Thanks! |
The first two weeks in the field passed by in a violent blur. It was nothing like training at the Academy, which in itself had been pretty damn harsh. James had never experienced this level of exhaustion before. His first assignment had involved a Death Eater attack in Bristol. The stakeout hadn’t been too bad - mostly just frustrating, having to sit around and track the comings and goings at the designated house. But when his squad had moved, under the lead of Head Auror Nathaniel Byrnne, he’d realised just how different the real thing was compared to the mocks they’d done during his first two years of Auror training. It had been dizzyingly fast and utterly terrifying - curses flying left, right and centre; people running, yelling, crashing into each other. The thick, clogging taste of smoke and raw magic had filled his throat; his glasses steaming and growing dirty from the atmosphere inside the house. The adrenaline rush had been incomparable - fear and dark excitement spurring him on. James entered his flat that evening and locked the door. He never used to bother, but after what he’d encountered in the last few days, that had changed very quickly. He slipped out of his robes, unclipping the official Auror badge from its place above his chest and dropping it on the coffee table. He ungloved, de-shoed, ran a filthy hand through is hair. Ugh. He was covered in dust and mud; his hands and arms were brown from it. Not to mention the cuts and bruises he could feel all over his body, whip-slash marks from barely dodged hexes. Being an Auror was exhilarating in many ways, but damn, it was going to take some getting used to. He walked through his living room, heading towards the bathroom. From behind the door, he could hear the shower water running faintly. Slipping out of his under shirt and unbuckling his trousers, James pushed the door open. Hot, moist steam rolled out of the room in waves, impairing his vision even more. When he took off his glasses the world simultaneously became blurry yet much cleaner. He rested them on the sink, stepped out of his trousers and slid the shower door open. “Oh, hey, how’d it go?” “Ugh,” was all James said, sliding under the spray next to Sirius. “Bloody hell, you’re disgusting!” Sirius pointed at his face, then arms. “What the hell happened today?” “Can it wait?” said James tiredly. “I need to get clean first.” He reached for some shower potion, but the bottle slipped from between his fingers and fell to the floor. It was like his body was shutting down, taking the rest it deserved and had wanted for so long. His hands shook, and there wasn't much he could do about it. “I’ll get it.” Sirius bent and picked the bottle up, and then uncorked it. “Turn around.” James obeyed, and after a moment Sirius’s hands were on him, stroking down his back, up over his shoulders, lathering the potion over his neck in firm, wonderful circles. James let his head hang, feeling the knots of tension slowly unravel under Sirius's fingers. He stared down, watching the water turn from muddy brown to clear and sudsy. “Cheers, mate,” he said, nudging back against Sirius’s body. “’S okay,” Sirius replied, dropping a mild bite on James’s now-clean shoulder, followed by a kiss to his neck. ~Fin~ |
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