Chapter Text
“Where on earth do you think you’re going?!” she shrieked.
“I’m leaving. I believe I told you this already, mother.”
“You’re not leaving.”
Sirius gestured to the backpack strapped to his shoulders and the small duffel bag strung over his neck. “Funny, it sure looks like I am.”
Walburga looked at him with disgust and just a hint of what Sirius believed could be—bewilderment? She quickly concealed the expression with a scowl. That’s more like it, Sirius thought. That’s the familial mask.
“Fine then,” she said cruelly, but Sirius could tell that she was fighting to disguise her panic. “Go. But don’t come crawling back to us when the rest of the world realises you’re poisonous, Sirius. Abhorrent. Unloveable. Usele— ”
“Put down the thesaurus, Walburga,” Sirius said calmly, ignoring the way his heart dropped with each synonym. He slipped his hand into his pocket and threw his keys directly towards his mother. She flailed around, trying to catch them, but they fell—almost in slow motion—to the recently polished floorboards, directly next to her pointy Loubitons.
A display of finality if there ever was one.
“You can keep those,” Sirius stated, shrugging. “You’re entirely correct. I don’t need them anymore.” He hauled himself into as much of an upright position as he could muster with twenty kilograms strapped to his back—god, he was going to need a chiropractor after this trip—and plastered a smile onto his face.
“Well, toodles then. I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but it hasn’t.” And with that, he strutted towards the front door of the London townhouse, opened it, mustered up all of his strength, and swiftly slammed it shut behind him.
That was how Sirius ended up sitting at St Pancreas Station, staring at the overseas departures board without a destination in mind. Europe, he remembered. That had always been The Plan. Sure, walking out without the money he’d planned to save, having to pack in less than twenty minutes lest he face the consequences, not being able to say a final fuck you to his father, none of that had been part of The Plan, but he did his best to chalk it all up to a series of inconveniences rather than entertain the voice in his head that was taunting him with everything that could go wrong. Partly because he didn’t like the voice. Mostly because he didn’t want to admit that the voice was right—a lot could go wrong.
After staring at the board for so long that his eyes started to glaze over, he decided. The simplest option, he supposed, was Paris. Paris would be a good place to start. He handed over eighty pounds to the man in the ticket booth, grabbed his ticket and boarded the train. He stuffed his backpack onto the floor below him, between his feet and the seat in front, put on his headphones, closed his eyes, and tried as hard as possible to push back the panic panic panic that was occupying his mind.
Despite what most would say, Sirius Black had never had it easy. Sure, he was an aristocrat, his family had more money than they knew what to do with, he’d had the finest private tutors throughout all of his key academic years and had, on paper, the perfect family. The perfect life. He was clever, there was never any doubt about that, and his family was sure to emphasise just how much potential he had, and just how valuable he would be to the family business.
There were a few problems with that.
He certainly had potential, but he didn’t want to use it to aid and abet them. He would certainly be valuable, however he wanted nothing less than to be a part of the ‘family business’. (Could illegal transactions for the owner’s masked as charity donations even be considered a business?)
But throwing it all away had always been a part of The Plan.
He had, on paper, everything that an up and coming Black Heir could want. Unfortunately, to his family’s dismay, Sirius Black was not the Black Heir that they’d anticipated.
Sirius Black cared about things that Black Heir’s shouldn’t care about. Sirius Black wanted a family. A real family, not the carefully constructed incestuous group of morons that happened to share his DNA. He wanted friends. He’d never actually had any, but all of the books he’d read and all of the groups of people who seemed to be roughly the same age and didn’t appear to be related (friends?) he’d observed while walking down the street made it seem like having friends was something vital to a person’s general happiness.
That was something else that Sirius Black wanted, something for which the Black’s held in great disregard. He wanted happiness. And that was something that he’d accepted that he would never have if he didn’t follow through with The Plan.
The Plan was carefully constructed, it had been since he turned sixteen and started being allowed to attend the occasional ‘business’ meeting with his father. He heard Orion’s associates speak of deals they’d made in other countries, the mistresses they’d acquired in other parts of the world, the people they’d manipulated into doing their dirty work from different nations. Sirius craved it all.
To be clear, he didn’t crave the illegal business deals, or the mistresses, or the manipulation, no, but he did crave The World. He wanted to see everything that there was to see, to experience everything that there was to experience, to meet everyone there was to meet. That was the fundamental purpose of The Plan.
Sirius would be the first to admit that he’d been sheltered for his entire life. He’d never even left London. His parents believed that as soon as he was allowed to see anything different than what he knew, he’d run. That was perhaps one of the only things that they’d ever been right about. Unfortunately for them, they gained nothing from sheltering him.
Because he ran anyway. And god, did it feel good.
Sirius awoke just as the train pulled into Paris Nord Station. A great weight was lifted off his shoulders as he disembarked the vehicle and heard people conversing in French, a language that he spoke fluently as a result of the language lessons he’d had forced on him since the age of five. The language itself was familiar, but everything else was different. He’d never witnessed difference. He was still standing on a train platform, and it was already exhilarating.
He’d purchased a European adaptor for his charger a few months before his great escape, on the off chance that he would have to actually make it, and silently praised himself for his foresight as he stumbled across a power socket area in the station.
Paris was the simplest place to start, because in Paris, there was Alphard.
In Paris was Alphard, the man who had always said he’d do anything for Sirius when the day came when he could finally run, Alphard who was everything that his family was not and everything that Sirius wanted to be. Alphard whose number was hidden in Sirius’ notes app. Alphard who Sirius could call.
“Sirius?” Alphard answered on the first ring. “What can I do for you this fine Tuesday?”
“Hi, Uncle,” Sirius responded meekly, though he’d intended to sound far more confident.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Sirius responded, and he meant it. “I’ve just arrived in Paris.”
“Good lad,” Alphard said simpy. “Do you need directions?”
“Quoi?” Sirius responded.
“To my house. Do you need directions,” Alphard elaborated with the air of someone explaining something very simple to someone very stupid.
“Oh.”
“Cat’s got your tongue again.”
“She’s got a habit of doing that.”
“It happens to the best of us.”
Sirius paused, before exhaling dramatically. “Directions would be great, actually.”
“Fab. I’ll text them to you. I have no doubt that you’ll get lost, but factoring in your lack of knowledge of literally anywhere, I reckon you could be here within the hour.”
Sirius scoffed. “I’m not that sheltered.”
“Really, Sirius?”
“Ugh,” Sirius sighed. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You sure will!”
The line disconnected.
Sure enough, the journey to Alphard’s did take around an hour, although Google Maps had originally informed him that it should’ve only taken twenty minutes. After the thirteenth ‘rerouting’ notification popped up on his phone when he'd yet again gotten on the wrong train and taken a left turn where he should’ve taken a right, Sirius was well and truly exhausted by the time he knocked on his Uncle’s door.
“Is that Sirius Black, or do my eyes deceive me?!” Alphard explained, feigning surprise.
“That doesn’t actually work if the person already knows you’re coming,” Sirius pointed out.
“Oooh, he’s testy today. Fair enough. The Great Escape is a queer Black Heir family tradition, I’ve been there. Come in then, you’re letting all the cool air out.” Alphard ushered Sirius inside and towards what must be the kitchen, closing the door behind them.
It was a beautiful home. A simple townhouse with a luxurious interior, colour splashed on white walls and furniture. It was quintessentially Alphard, which, by association, made it quintessentially Sirius. Although his splashes of colour would preferably have been set against black.
“A cuppa?” Alphard asked casually.
“I’m very confused,” Sirius stated.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re not at work. The house is clean. Cameron’s not here.” He paused. “Did you know I was coming?”
Alphard laughed. “Sirius, Andromeda informed me of my sister’s ultimatum. Marry the cousin or be banished, was it?”
“Well, yes.”
“Been there, done that. Of course I knew you were coming.”
Sirius smiled behind his cup of tea.
“So,” Alphard continued, taking a seat opposite him at the marble dining table, “how much do you need?”
“What?” Sirius spluttered.
“How much money do you need?”
“I know what you meant!”
“Then what’s the answer?”
Sirius hadn't come to Alphard for money. He’d assumed he’d pick up an odd job wherever he went while slowly burning through his savings. (Fine. Maybe The Plan wasn’t as well thought out as he’d originally believed. His mother’s ultimatum had, admittedly, thrown a rather large spanner into the works.)
“I’m not here to take your money!” Sirius exclaimed.
Alphard sighed, but his lips slightly quirked up. “I know that, Sirius, but I’m not letting you leave until you take it.”
“I’m not taking your money.”
Alphard chuckled. “Well of course you are. Last I heard of the infamous Plan was backpacking around Europe. You’re certainly dressed for the part,” he said, gesturing to Sirius’ backpack and duffel bag. “I did it myself.”
Sirius let curiosity get the better of him. “How was it?”
“Bloody brilliant,” Alphard grinned. “And you’ll take my money. I have more than Cameron and I will ever need and I’d rather my nephew not starve on the streets because he can’t afford a hostel.”
“I would obviously get a job!”
Alphard laughed, before contorting his face into something that resembled seriousness. “Sorry, not funny. It’s just, Sirius, do you have any experience, working, anywhere?”
“I did work for Orion!”
“We both know that doesn’t count.”
Sirius scowled. “Fine. But I still think I should pay my own way.”
“How about this,” Alphard countered. “I loan you some money. Enough for a proper adventure. Enough to discover yourself. And once you’ve discovered who you are, who you want to be, where you want to be, then you can pay me back.”
“No.”
“Sirius.”
“No.”
“Sirius.”
Sirius took a moment to consider Alphard’s offer. Would it be selfish to accept help? Yes, he decided. But was his Uncle as stubborn as he was, and would he not let him leave without enough Euros to get him through this trip? Also a definitive yes.
“Fine. But we’re writing up a contract. And I’m paying it all back.”
Alphard waved him off and picked up a stray envelope which he proceeded to scribble on for a few minutes before sliding it over to Sirius.
“Here’s the contract. I’ll lend you this much. Sign where the X is.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“No, that’s you.”
Sirius groaned.
Alphard was right. This would be easier if he wasn’t on the brink of homelessness the entirety of his trip.
And he would do exactly the same for his nephew in Alphard’s situation.
Siris, albeit reluctantly, picked up the pen and signed his name.
“This needs to be written up by a proper lawyer.”
“I’m married to one.”
Sirius grimaced. “I don’t like this.”
Alphard grinned. “Lucky I love it just enough for the both of us.”
Sirius stayed the night at Alphard’s and decided he would leave his computer there. Travelling from hostel to hostel was too dangerous with the amount of valuables he had on his person, and Alphard had pointed out that he had a target on his back because he was a ‘pretty boy’ (Sirius scowled) and because he had ‘absolutely no idea what he was doing’ (Sirius huffed), but ultimately, he knew his Uncle was correct.
Sirius spent a few nights at Alphard’s researching where he wanted to go next, transferring funds into his own accounts and planning out a lax itinerary. Alphard said that the itinerary was useless because when travelling solo you end up going wherever your friends go, but Sirius had never had any friends and he wasn’t entirely confident that he’d make them. He wasn’t sure that he even knew how.
After a few days of consideration, it was decided. Sirius would head to Barcelona first. Alphard booked him a flight, as he would be travelling by train throughout the rest of the continent. The flight was in two days time. You’ll come back and explore Paris on your way home, Alphard had said when Sirius tried to argue that he couldn’t leave yet, and that he hadn’t even seen the Eiffel Tower. You’ll come back on your way home. That is, if London is home after this, he’d added with a mischievous smirk.
Two days passed, spent with Alphard and Cameron and walks throughout the neighbourhood, and suddenly Sirius was on a plane, he was taking off, he was in the sky, he was landing, and then he was in Barcelona.
***
“You’ll be alright, won’t you honey?” Hope asked worriedly as Remus strapped his backpack over his shoulders and around his waist.
“Yes, mum.”
“And you’ll call?”
“Yes, mum.”
“And you’ll let us know if you need anything?”
“Yes, Mum,” Remus groaned with a smile.
“Okay honey. We love you.” Hope and Lyall enveloped Remus in a family hug and where he usually would’ve cringed he was quietly grateful.
His parents waved him off at Cardiff station. Remus was to head to London by train and then fly to Barcelona. He had a very carefully constructed itinerary for his European adventure, but he hadn’t booked travel in advance in case he stumbled across a city that captured his heart and he wanted to stay for just a few more days. This was his father’s advice. Remus believed in planning ahead, but he was assured by his parents that this was the ‘time of his life’ and he should just ‘let go’.
The only problem was that Remus Lupin didn’t know how to let go. That’s exactly why he was travelling alone. It gave him the control. Sure, there were positives in that it would force him into other people’s paths and would ensure that he made connections, but ultimately, travelling solo would allow him to see all of the specific parts of the world he’d read about in books since he’d learnt how to read, and it was far easier to do that by himself.
Remus had lived a simple life. Growing up on a farm in Wales was all he’d ever known. He attended the local primary school, the local highschool, had friends from the local area, had meaningless shags with local girls and local (very much closeted) boys and worked at the local pub. He’d deferred university for a few years specifically so he could save up to travel. His parents had instilled upon him that he had to see the world before he tied himself down, determined to earn a PhD and become a Professor, knowing that once he threw himself into his studies he wouldn’t emerge until he was well and truly finished; until he’d met his final goal.
The Lupins had never the money to travel as a family, and Remus had never minded. He’d had a brilliant childhood. He had a brilliant family. And taking two years off and working full time he had earned himself quite a brilliant sum of money that he was going to let himself burn while he finally saw the world.
Remus would never admit it to his parents, they were worried enough as is, but he had admitted to himself that he was scared for this trip. He was always a quiet, bookish child, he kept to himself for the most part, allowing himself a few close friends and a total of one actual boyfriend and one actual girlfriend. He was sociable enough having worked in hospitality (which sucked the life out of him, but also perfected his people skills), but he was travelling alone, he’d be staying in hostels and sharing rooms with strangers. Although he planned to do most of his sightseeing alone and he knew exactly what he wanted to see, if he was to meet a few people with similar interests he supposed it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he was able to go sightseeing with others as well.
However, this trip was for him. He didn’t need friends to thrive, he had a kindle and more money than he could ever predict needing, being as budget savvy as he was. He had copies of maps and places and directions and plans, everything was very carefully thought out. He enjoyed his own company, and he had no doubt that he would enjoy it just as much in any environment.
The trip to London was relatively easy. He’d left before the sun came up, so he napped on the train, and read during the time he was awake. He’d carefully studied the tube map and directions from Kings Cross to Heathrow. He would be starting his trip (or ‘adventure’ as his parents insisted on calling it) in Barcelona. From there, he had a strict plan about where he would be going next. He planned on keeping to himself for the most part. The more he saw of Europe, the more he’d have to write about when the time came for his thesis, and meeting people would do nothing but slow him down.
There was a small voice, however, right in the back of his head. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, the voice said, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to make some friends.
He audibly shushed the voice, much to the bewilderment of the woman sitting next to him on the plane, and rested his eyes, just for a moment. By the time he opened them, Remus was in Barcelona.
***
Sirius did a fair amount of wandering around before he actually located his hostel. He’d hastily booked a bed while he was waiting for his baggage to come around on the carousel, the only options left being a ten bed mixed dorm. He felt terrible that the women who came to stay in the mixed dorm may view him as a threat, so he vowed to make it clear that he was gay as soon as possible, if only for their comfort. That, and since he’d come out only six months prior, he still felt a rush of adrenaline every time he admitted the fact out loud.
Healthy? Probably not.
Fun? Definitely.
Would it get him beat up by any men staying in said mixed dorm?
Well, he hoped not.
It was strange, being in a place where you don’t speak the language. Sirius had never been in that situation before. He felt entirely out of his depth, but masked it with an easy smile and google translate pinned to the home bar of his phone. His pronunciation was probably downright offensive, but he really was doing his best, and he hoped his natural charm was enough to satiate any judgmental locals.
He made his way up to room 14B and swiped the key card until he heard a click. He tripped on the way in, causing a man sitting on the floor between the rows of bunk beds to look up, alarmed. He had almost golden brown skin, hair that stuck up in every angle possible and a blinding grin.
Sirius liked him instantly.
“Hi there!” The man said cheerily. He got up immediately and almost bounced over to Sirius with intense enthusiasm. “Another one joins us!” Sirius wasn’t sure who ‘us’ consisted of. The rest of the beds seemed empty except one which had a curtain drawn over the front of it and a backpack in a metal crate locker tucked under the beds.
“My name’s James, James Potter,” the man continued, “I’ve just snagged one of the bottom bunks over there,” he said, gesturing to a bed with clothes strewn over it, “I’ve always preferred being on the bottom bunk, but there is always the fear that the one on top will collapse and fall on top of you. Anyways, I’m pleased to meet you. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name!”
Sirius had to take a few seconds to properly digest what James had said. He spoke faster than anyone Sirius had ever met (and he’d watched Gilmore Girls).
“Oh, it’s Sirius.”
“What’s serious? You alright mate?” James asked, looking genuinely concerned.
“Oh, no! My name, it’s Sirius, like the star,” Sirius explained for what felt like (and what probably was) the millionth time.
“Fantastic name! I’ve always thought mine was so boring. Anyways, welcome to Barcelona!”
Based on his welcome and on the disarray of James’ corner of the room, Sirius supposed he must’ve been here for a while.
“Thanks, mate. How long have you been here?”
“Me? Oh, just a couple of hours actually,” he said nonchalantly.
“Oh?”
James furrowed his brows and looked between his bunk and Sirius before sighing. “Oh, the mess. Yes, I went to get changed, I wanted to head down to the beach, but my bathers were in the very bottom of my backpack, and, well, you know how it is, I apparently have no idea to pack like a mature adult so I ended up taking everything out of my bag and somehow it ended up everywhere. I’m not usually this messy, I swear. It’s a fatal trait unfortunately. But I’m sure-”
“Oh my fuck,” a voice came from the top bunk with the curtain drawn, slightly startling Sirius.
The curtain flung open, revealing a woman with a very stylish blonde shullet and very severe winged eyeliner. She had a septum piercing along with piercings adorning her ears from lobe to cartilage, and was unashamedly wearing a sports bra and nothing else from the waist up, she was effortlessly cool and although she was scowling, Sirius also liked her, instantly.
He was surprised to hear an Australian accent when she spoke. “I’ve just gotten off a 38 hour flight. Would you please, for the love of god, shut up,” she grumbled, whipping the curtain shut.
“Sorry!” Sirius whispered.
“Anyway,” James said quietly, swiftly moving on, “I’m James-”
“You already said that!” called out Marlene.
“Oh, right,” James frowned. The smile returned to his face quickly. “I’m from Leeds, and I’m not usually this messy, I swear.”
Sirius smiled at him. This is the kind of person who could be my friend, he thought.
“I’m from London,” Sirius supplied, “just landed a few hours ago.”
“First destination then! Same as me. Are you here with anyone?”
“No,” Sirius said simply. “Me myself and I.”
“Same here! I always thought travelling alone would be scary, but then I thought, well, fuck it, and ended up here. How long are you staying?”
Sirius considered this for a minute. “I actually have no idea. I don’t have a plan.”
“Brilliant! Me neither,” James said jovially. “Marlene doesn’t either.”
“Marlene?”
James pointed at the curtained bunk.
“Oh, right. Has she been here for long?”
“Well-”
“Alright then,” Marlene’s voice came from behind the curtain before she viciously pulled it open again. “I’ll introduce myself, thank you very much,” she glared at James.
“Sorry, Marls. Can I call you Marls?”
“Sure?”
“Great!”
“I’m Sirius,” Sirius interjected, having not had the chance to make a proper introduction.
“Yes,” she said flatly, “I heard.”
“Sorry,” Sirius said guiltily. “I’ll keep it down. Would you like to borrow my headphones?”
Marlene waved him off and pulled the curtain all the way back, sitting up and stretching her neck. “No need. I’m up now.”
She was wearing gym shorts with the sports bra. She was very casual in very little clothes surrounded by men she’d never met before. Sirius found he admired her for it.
“Just us three here then?” she asked.
“So far,” James replied. “But it’s a ten person dorm, and the front desk said it was fully booked for the night.”
“Oh, joy,” she drawled. “I’m not going to get any sleep, am I.”
“I don’t think so,” Sirius answered honestly.
“Ah well,” she said good-naturedly, a sharp shift from her previous demeanour. “I’m awake. You two got any plans for the rest of the day?” She looked down at her phone. “Bloody fuck, it’s almost five. This jetlag is going to fucking kill me.”
Do Australians swear a lot or was it just Marlene? Sirius wondered.
“We all swear a lot. It’s our form of affection. Not my fault you lot recoil at the word cunt.”
Sirius tried to hide it, he tried, but she cackled at his slight grimace anyway.
“Anyway boys, plans for the rest of the day?”
Both men shook their heads.
“Brilliant. You’ll come to the beach with me, yeah?”
It didn’t really seem like a question, so Sirius nodded. “Sure.”
“Sounds great, Marls!” James responded.
“Marls is a thing now, is it?”
“Oh, sorry, I mean, it doesn’t have to be-”
“You’re fine, James. I almost like it.” She climbed down from the bunk and Sirius took a moment to admire her. She had incredible patchwork tattoos covering her arms, small but severe.
“Ogling me for a particular reason, Sirius?” she asked fiercely.
“Not you. Just admiring your tattoos, actually.”
“I feel I should be offended.”
“Oh no,” Sirius responded, “I’m just bent as a bed spring.”
“Oh, cool!” she grinned, “Same here. You?” she said, turning to James.
“Nope,” he sighed apologetically. “I’m straight, unfortunately.”
“Unfortunately?” Sirius questioned. He’d never heard of anyone thinking it was a disadvantage to be normal. Straight, he corrected himself. Not normal, straight.
“Yes unfortunately! Have you seen yourself mate? God, if I could turn for anyone, it’d be you, but I’m not feeling anything,” he sighed, “just don’t think I can.”
Sirius spluttered.
“You good there?” Marlene asked, smirking.
Was this what having friends was like?
“Yep, yep, all good.” Sirius turned to James. “Thank you?”
James slapped him on the back. “Not a problem! I’ll get cleaned up, and we can head to the beach.”
Just as he’d finished speaking, a click sounded and the door swung open, two equally beautiful girls tumbling through.
“Hi!” Sirius almost yelled. He still wasn’t used to being in a room of so many people that were both his own age, and not related to him.
“Welcome, guys! I’m James, this is-”
“I’m Marlene,” Marlene introduced herself startlingly. Sirius couldn’t help but notice she was staring at one of the women intently. So intently that the woman was blushing and looking away.
The woman standing next to Marlene’s object of affection smirked and looked around the dorm.
The girl on the left spoke up, grinning. “As much as I’m enjoying the colossal amount of sexual tension in this room-”
“What?!” Marlene burst out.
“Just kidding,” the girl laughed, “I’m Mary.”
Mary was stunning. She had golden brown skin and silky black hair flowing over her shoulders. She had an easy smile and obliging eyes and appeared very approachable, which Sirius was thankful for. She waited patiently before rolling her eyes and grabbing the hand of the woman next to her. “This is Dorcas,” she announced, holding up the hand of the other woman.
Dorcas looked up and immediately made eye contact with Marlene. Perhaps Mary was right, Sirius thought. There was a colossal amount of sexual tension in the room as soon as those two locked eyes.
Dorcas was as gorgeous as Mary. She had dark skin and fulani braids, almost chocolate coloured eyes and long eyelashes that Sirius was immediately envious of.
“Hi,” she said, clearly feigning confidence, but Sirius thought he might be the only one who picked up on it.
“You two came together then?” James asked, cutting through the strained atmosphere.
“Nope!” Mary replied gleefully.
“We met downstairs a few minutes ago,” Dorcas added, smiling. “Please tell me there’s still a top bunk left.”
“Actually, we’re the only ones here-” at the same time as Marlene said “You can have mine.”
Sirius forced the laugh threatening to bubble out of his mouth down to the back of his throat.
“Oh, good,” Dorcas responded casually. “I might take the end one? Is that okay with everyone?”
Everyone nodded as the girls entered the room and put down their bags on their respective beds. Sirius hauled his up and placed it on the bed next to James.
James rewarded him with a wide smile. “Well I think this is going to be fun,” he emphasised, looking around the room.
For the first time, Sirius let himself think that he thought it would be fun too.
***
Remus’ first experience in a hostel started with a bang. Quite literally.
He turned around just as someone else turned from a different direction, and they walked straight into each other.
“Oh, shit, sorry!” The girl said exasperatedly.
“No, no, I’m sorry,” Remus rambled. He leant down to pick up the bag she dropped.
“You know, it probably would’ve been quicker for me to pick that up,” she laughed. Remus must’ve looked confused, because she continued, “because you’re a lot further from the ground than I am.”
“Oh, right,” Remus let himself exhale. “You’re probably correct.”
“Lily,” the woman said, extending her free arm.
“Remus,” Remus said, shaking her hand.
“You’re Welsh?” she, surprisingly, presumed. Remus had never thought he had a very defined accent.
He nodded. “And you’re Scottish?”
“The accent’s pretty strong, it’s hard to miss, isn’t it.”
“I’ve always liked Scottish accents.”
“I’ve always liked Welsh ones, so that’s great for us. Where are you headed?” she said casually.
Remus glanced down at his keycard. “14B,” he answered.
“Oh, same!” she said happily. “Always good to know someone before you start sleeping in the same room as them, I think.”
“Agreed,” Remus replied. She responded with a leisurely smile.
Remus liked Lily.
“Shall we head up then?” she asked, gesturing to the lift.
“Oh yeah, of course. Do you want me to take that for you?” he asked, pointing at her duffel bag that she was struggling to hold while keeping her backpack, which had unclipped at the waist, on her back.
“Oh, would you mind?”
“Not at all,” he assured her, reaching for it.
She sighed as he removed the weight. “Ah, fuck, that’s better.”
He grinned despite himself. “I’m glad. Let’s go.”
They chatted amicably as they rode the lift. By some means, Remus felt like Lily had completely derailed his plans to not make friends the priority of the trip. He’d known her for, what, five seconds? He already felt like he’d known her for far longer.
She was sharp, he could tell that much. She was clever. She had gentle eyes and a wicked smile. Yes, Remus liked her a lot.
“Right, well, here we are,” she said as they stepped out of the lift, dorm 14B directly in front of them.
“God, there’s a lot of noise coming from there,” Remus sighed, trying not to sound too dejected.
“What did you expect?” she smiled, sliding the keycard and swinging open the door.
The room was large, housing ten beds, but five people were congregated in the middle of the space. Three women, one with sleek black hair and stunning dark skin, one with short blonde hair and fierce expressions and another with tumbling braids and a tender smile. They all turned to look at Remus and Lily. They were accompanied by a man with a blinding grin, and another man who was…
Incomprehensibly beautiful.
He had black hair that just reached his shoulders, almost grey eyes, the highest cheekbones Remus had ever seen, light, smooth looking skin and an almost timid expression. As soon as he made eye contact with Remus, Remus had to look away. The man was too much. Remus had looked at him for ten seconds, and he was already too much for Remus to digest.
The group introduced themselves to Remus and Lily, announced that they’d all come alone and that they’d all just met. James was immediately enamoured with Lily. He was enthusiastically shaking her hand to the point where he was actually utilising his entire arm in the motion, and she was both glaring at him and, very slightly, blushing. Remus stifled a grin before looking up, hoping to catch a subtle glimpse of the beautiful man who’s name he had not yet caught, only to find that the man was still staring at him intently. This time, he stared back.
Lily not-so-subtly elbowed Remus before he realised that he’d forgotten to introduce himself.
“I’m Remus,” he said simply, mustering up every bit of confidence that he had in an attempt to appear nonchalant.
“I’m Sirius,” the man replied, staring directly at him, not wavering his eye contact to look at Lily.
“Yes, you’ve said,” Lily interrupted, bemused. Remus must have missed Sirius’ introduction. He shot Lily a quick glare, and she smirked back at him. It seemed he’d finally met his match.
“Well!” James half-shouted, drawing everyone’s attention back to himself, “Marls, Sirius and I were thinking of heading down to the beach later. Is anyone else interested?” Remus noticed he was keeping his eyes focused on Lily.
“This hair?” she said, gesturing to her fiery red locks that tumbled down to her waist, “and the sun? Never a good match.”
“But when in Barcelona, Lily, you must go to the beach,” Remus said sarcastically to get her back from her irritating elbow stunt.
She rolled her eyes. “Beach sounds good.”
“You two, pick a free bed, yeah? We’ll change and we can get going,” Mary said happily.
Just as Remus and Lily placed their belongings on beds next to each other, the door clicked again and three more people came bursting into the room.
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Marlene cried.
The three people looked incredibly confused.
“Hi guys!” James exclaimed, waving energetically. “Welcome-”
“Absolutely not,” Marlene interrupted sternly. “We are not doing this again.”
“Again?” one of the newcomers questioned. He was a short man, with a round face and soft features.
“I’ve witnessed James’ welcome spiel four times now. Once when I was asleep, thanks for that James-”
“I didn’t know you were asleep!”
“The curtain was drawn!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t-”
“Once when this pretty thing arrived,” she continued, gesturing to Sirius who blushed furiously. Remus was quietly glad he wasn’t the only one who’d picked up just how attractive Sirius was.
“Once when these lovely ladies got here,” she said, pointing at Mary and Dorcas, drawing out the lovely as she stared at Dorcas specifically, “and just now, when this freakishly tall man and the human embodiment of Ariel arrived.”
Remus and Lily blushed simultaneously.
“I’m not that tall.”
“I don’t look like Ariel.”
“You are so that tall,” one of the other three people who’d just walked in added. She smiled cheerfully. “And you look just like Ariel. Maybe prettier?”
“I’m not pre-”
“Fuck!” Marlene cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “Alright. This is James, Sirius, not serious, Sirius, like the star, before anyone asks, Mary, Remus, Lily and Dorcas,” she said, pointing to each person in turn. Judging by the way Marlene was looking at Dorcas, Remus thought there was a clear reason that she’d introduced her last, even if only so she could stare at her for just a bit longer. “We’re all here solo. You guys?”
“Pete,” the short man said jovially. “Nice to meet ya. I’m here alone, too.”
“I’m Frank,” the third person in the doorway announced. Frank was tall, taller than James and Sirius but not nearly as tall as Remus. Then again, Remus thought, no one was ever as tall as him. “This is my beautiful girlfriend Alice,” Frank added, gesturing to the woman who’d called Lily prettier than Ariel.
“So cute guys,” James sighed, “so cute. Anyway, we’re all headed to the beach soon. Do you want to come?”
The conversation must’ve been going on for so long for James that Remus almost took pity on him for the amount of time he must have had to ask that question.
“Yes! Thanks for the invite!” Pete exclaimed. He looked incredibly happy to have been included.
“Of course, mate,” James said easily. “Lovebirds?”
“You can’t just call them lovebirds, James,” Lily interjected.
“Oh no, please do! I like it. I’ll come, sure. Frankie?” Alice asked, turning to her boyfriend.
“Beach sounds great. When in Spain, right?”
“When in Spain,” Mary agreed. “Put your things down, god knows these backpacks are heavy enough.”
“I’ll need a session or ten with a chiropractor after this,” Sirius said, the first thing he’d added to the conversation, or at least the first thing he’d added since Remus arrived.
Remus laughed at his joke, far harder than the joke warranted, based on the light reactions from everyone else in the group. In fact, he must’ve seemed like he thought it was incredibly amusing based on the fact that almost every head in the room turned to look at him, save for James, who seemed to be simultaneously packing and unpacking, and Sirius, who blushed and averted eye contact.
“Brilliant,” Mary said, thankfully drawing the attention away from Remus. “Let’s all get changed then.”
“How does the changing situation work?” Dorcas asked reasonably.
Lily shrugged. “Take turns using the bathroom I guess? Or-”
She glanced over at Marlene and her eyes widened, drawing everyone’s attention to the latter. Everyone’s eyes widened, even Remus’, despite himself.
“What?” Marlene asked blatantly. She’d stripped off her bra and shorts and was standing in her underwear and nothing else, save for her piercings and the many necklaces and bracelets around her neck and wrists. “Not like I have bits any of you have never seen before.” She turned around and strapped a bikini top on. “James, do you mind tying the back of this up?”
“Sure Marls,” James said, seemingly unaffected by the entire display. Remus noticed Lily looked both jealous and slightly impressed at James’ nonchalance.
Bikini secured, Marlene turned back around to face the group and rolled her eyes. “God, you’re a bunch of voyeurs. None of you would survive for a second in Bondi. Take your turns with the bathroom if you must, but hurry it up, I’d like to get there before the sun sets.”
Remus looked around the room. Alice gave Marlene a wink and took her shirt off to do the same. Frank was staring adoringly at his girlfriend, James had been completely unaffected by the display of nudity and had noticeably not looked anywhere except Marlene’s face, but not in a purposeful way, simply with an air of indifference, and was now stripping his shirt off as well, as were Frank and a red-faced Peter. Dorcas, Lily and Mary all went into the bathroom to get changed at the same time.
Remus never wanted to take his shirt off in general, but he realised that the group would eventually see his scars at the beach anyway, so once the ladies besides Marlene and Alice had left the room he began getting changed. Sirius was still standing motionless.
“Waiting for the bathroom, Sirius?” Frank asked non-judgmentally.
“Oh, no. I just, oh, don’t worry,” Sirius said with an unreadable expression on his face before taking his own shirt off. No one looked at each other as they changed from shorts and jeans into boxer briefs and then into bathing suits while Marlene sat on Alice’s bed and idly chatted with her.
Remus resolutely decided not to look at Sirius.
He failed.
The instant that he looked, he regretted it.
It was James who was by far the most ripped man Remus had ever seen in real life, Frank was clearly strong, perhaps from rugby or a similar sport, Pete wasn’t muscly in the slightest but seemed unashamed in his body, but Sirius was something else entirely. He was muscly, but lithe at the same time. He was beautiful, Remus thought yet again. He purposefully turned back to his belongings, hauling his backpack into one of the lockers underneath his bed.
The girls emerged from the bathroom in swimwear and shorts. They were a very attractive group of people all in all, noticed Remus, and he felt increasingly insecure as they all gathered their towels and bags to head down to the beach. If anyone noticed his scars, no one had said anything, and for that he was eternally grateful.
They did, in fact, get there before the sun set. It was still bright at seven, and they collectively decided they’d go for a swim before finding somewhere to eat.
The water was warm against his skin in the mid-June sun. Alice was wrapped around Frank in an adorable (or ‘sickening’ as Marlene muttered good-naturedly to Remus) display, James and Sirius were repeatedly dunking each other causing Lily to exaggeratedly roll her eyes, and the others were simply floating and bobbing as the waves ebbed and flowed. Remus was relaxed, truly relaxed, with what was essentially a group of complete strangers.
Maybe making friends on this trip wouldn’t be such a horrible thing, he thought, right before James jumped on his back and he was unable to help himself throwing his head back in laughter as he was pulled underwater.
They all lay in the setting sun to dry off before Lily announced that she was starving, causing James to jump up and immediately begin hastily gathering his things.
“We can wait until everyone’s ready, James,” she sighed.
His face flushed. “Oh. Yes, of course. I just thought if everyone’s getting hungry-”
“Nah, you’ve got the right idea James,” Remus chimed in, “let’s get going guys.” James smiled back gratefully
There was a murmur of collective agreement as everyone gathered their belongings, and Remus observed Dorcas and Marlene gawking at each other when the other’s back was turned. He smirked, accidentally meeting Sirius’ gaze.
Watching Sirius at the beach had been nothing short of torture. The way the sun glinted in the water droplets on his skin, the way he threw his hair back in the ocean, the flex of his muscles as he lay down to dry off, it was all too much.
Sirius was too much.
God, Remus was fucked.