Chapter Text
Sirius slipped into the bar, looking over his shoulder in case James had decided to follow him. He’d told James that the was going to the library to glean some references for their ‘Music in Culture’ essay that was due in two weeks. It wasn't the latest that they'd left a deadline, but it seemed like a good excuse to get out of the house. He was lucky that James had already left for football practice and didn't see his ‘library’ look. He certainly would have turned some heads had he decided to study.
Sirius had visited this bar for the first time exactly a week ago when he’d been served by the most beautiful human being he had ever set eyes on. He was tall, towering over Sirius’ 5’9, and his light brown hair curled like ocean waves across the top of his head. A thin silver ring through his nose and a scar cutting through his left eyebrow made him less 'pretty' and more fascinating to Sirius. When he’d taken Sirius’ order he seemed thoroughly disinterested until Sirius offered to buy him a drink too.
“I appreciate it, but I can’t drink on the job. Can’t drink at all, really.” The corners of his mouth twitched, as he continued mixing Sirius’ Blue Hawaiian.
“Have a coke then, or a cup of tea or ... anything!” Sirius had insisted, shrugging.
“You realise that I can already have that for free, right?” He quirked an eyebrow at Sirius.
“Yes, but this way you’ll know it was a gift from your favourite customer of the night, and it might make it taste better.” Sirius grinned as the other man handed over his cocktail.
“Well, anything for my favourite customer of the night.” The other man quickly fixed himself a blackcurrant squash with soda water. “Have a good one, yeah?”
“You too. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Sirius blew him a kiss before leaving the bar, ignoring the stares he got when people saw his luminous drink. When Sirius next went to the bar, the other man was nowhere to be seen.
Sirius didn't know why he'd decided to come back. The essay really did need to be written, and soon, but there was something about the other man that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about. He looked over at the bar, the place was relatively empty seeing as it had only opened five minutes previously. He realised that if the gorgeous man from last week was there that he looked both ridiculous and overly keen. There were four staff members behind the bar, but none of them were him. He tried not to feel to disappointed. He could still have a drink or two, and enjoy his night.
After deliberating for a few minutes whether to stay or leave, he decided to summon up all of his courage and ask about the bartender. He approached the bar slowly. A short woman with long red hair and bright green eyes turned to face him.
"What can I get you, mate?"
"I'll have a sex on the beach please." She nodded and set about preparing his drink. "I was in here last Thursday and I was talking to one of your co-workers, I just wondered if he was going to be in tonight? Tall? Wavy brown hair?"
"Last Thurs- Oh, you must mean Remus. He's not in tonight, no. Not very well." She frowned, "Can I tell him who was asking after him?"
"His favourite customer." Sirius smiled at her as he paid for his drink, maybe he'd hit the library after all. "Can you tell him I said to get well soon too?"
"I'll let him know." She seemed quite pleased that Sirius had asked after Remus. Sirius dropped a pound in the tip jar and winked at her before walking away to sit on one of the high tables on the other side of the room. His phone vibrated in his pocket, it was James on Facebook messenger.
Jim Bob Jelly Pants
Where in the library are you?
I should probably start the essay too.
Will be there after football.
Sirius frowned, James' football practice would be finishing in half an hour. He had time to make it to the library, but he realised too late that he didn't have his laptop or anything to take notes with. He sighed.
Super Serious
Decided to knock it on the head after half an hour, mate.
Only so much Foucault a guy can read.
Jim Bob Jelly Pants
Shit.
We'll have to go tomorrow.
Super Serious
Yeah, I suppose.
I reeeeally fuckin hate essays.
Jim Bob Jelly Pants
Me too, princess.
Sirius set his phone on the table and sipped his drink. He wondered if the bartender was a student, there wasn't much to pick up on to inform him, he was wearing black jeans and a black button-down shirt. All of the bar staff were wearing the same thing. The nose ring and friendship bracelets indicated possible student status but it was an arty town, so there was no real way of knowing. He could be one of the student-hating locals.
As Sirius finished his drink, he took his glass to the bar and waved goodbye to the redhead, who seemed to be somewhere between intrigued and perturbed by Sirius.
Once home, he pulled up Facebook and paused. He could search for Remus, there couldn't be many people with that name, surely. But did he want to be that guy? Sirius shut his laptop.
When James came home, he found Sirius asleep on the sofa with his head resting on his closed laptop and a book on music videos as discourse wedged open on his chest. He sighed before shaking his brother awake.
"Oi. Lazy."
"Gerroff!" Sirius mumbled, "Sleeping."
"It's not even nine, mate." James tapped Sirius' shoulder to keep him awake. "Wake up!"
Sirius sat up slowly. While he loved living with James and would be forever grateful to James and his family for taking him in four years ago, James' never-ending energy could be a little grating sometimes.
"Jamie. It's a Thursday. Can't we just watch 'Is it Cake?' and have dinner like normal people?"
"Your obsession with that show is thoroughly unhealthy. There’s nothing normal about it. It's not even good!" James laughed.
"It is high art! How dare you! Sometimes it's cake." Sirius pouted. "And sometimes it isn't! And I can never tell. How do you even make cake that well?"
"Fine, we'll watch your stupid show and I suppose I can cook us dinner." Sirius' eyes lit up. James had definitely inherited his mother's excellent palette and could replicate almost all of her signature meals at this point. His Chicken Biriyani was really something to behold.
"You're an excellent human being, Jamie. You know that?" Sirius jumped to his feet and threw his arms around James.
"I am when I offer to feed you, yeah."
"Truly magnificent, you are."
"Mag Dhokli?" James suggested Sirius' favorite of his mum's meals, which he was still working towards perfecting.
***
"A guy at work asked about you today." Lily threw her coat over the arm of the sofa.
Remus looked awful, he was pale and the dark shadows under his eyes made him look paler. He was wrapped in his favourite blanket, an old throw his mum had sent him to uni with, red and gold squares with tassels on one end.
He looked up at her slowly, "What?"
"A guy, at work. Very pretty, long dark hair, cheekbones for days, said he was your favourite customer?" Lily sat on the arm behind Remus' head and stroked his hair off his forehead where sweat had matted it together. "Re, you're burning up, are you sure you don't-"
"I don't need to call 111, Lils. I hate 111. All they do is ask me if I can put my chin to my chest and then send a paramedic who upon realising I'm already sick, tells me that there's nothing they can do. It's a waste of everyone's time." Lily opened her mouth to reply, "I know you're worried, it seems like it's getting worse, but I have to wait for my clinic appointment with the specialist."
"That could be months away, the NHS is so fucked." Lily spat. "Will you at least see a doctor?"
"There's no point, once I've been handed off to the specialist, it's out of their hands." Remus sighed, "Please don't worry about me, Lily. I'll be back to normal soon."
Lily continued to stroke his hair, "So are you going to tell me who this mystery man is?"
"Just a guy I served last week. He was pretty cute. Told me to make myself a drink on him because it would taste better." Remus chuckled softly. "He wouldn't be offering to buy me a drink if he saw me like this."
"What have we said about the self-deprecation?"
"I have a point though. He's not exactly going to want to run his hands through my sweaty hair like you do, you're weird."
"Why would he come looking for you, though." Lily pondered aloud.
"No idea." Remus attempted to sit up, groaning. "Fuck."
"Want to watch Bake Off?" Lily asked as she held his arm, supporting him. "I recorded some old ones."
Remus nodded as he waited for the pain to subside. He really just wanted to sleep, but even though he felt ready to pass out, his body was having none of it. "Only if you make me a cup of tea."
"You drive a hard bargain, Mr Lupin." Lily pressed her lips to Remus' clammy forehead before heading to the kitchen.