Work Text:
Remus was just about to close up the antiques shop he owned for the night and go home. He risked a glance at the record store across the street but he couldn’t see anyone through the window. He ran his fingers through his curls and chastised himself for his stupid crush. He really needed to get a new hobby that didn’t involve drooling over a shopkeeper across the way.
Sirius Black. Even his name sounded effortlessly cool, matching the whole leather jacket, full sleeves of tattoos, long hair and oh by the way I ride a motorbike thing. Remus thought he was above that whole bad boy mentality but maybe not. Well, everyone had to have a weakness for something.
Remus stopped dead in his tracks on the way to the back room when he noticed an old antique vase full of flowers. When had that even happened? It must have been near the end of his shift or surely he would have noticed them sooner. He pulled the vase down from the shelf and looked at the arrangement. Yellow sunflowers and purple roses with baby’s breath filling the spaces in between. They were stunning and Remus glanced around in surprise even though he knew the door was locked and no one else was in the store.
He took the flowers out of the vase and held them gently. He placed them on his desk as he got his coat on, not wanting to ruin them by trying to hold them and complete the task.
Stepping out into the street, Remus glanced again at the record store across the way. He knew it was just wishful thinking to imagine it might have been Sirius that had left him the flowers. He’d only spoken to the guy a handful of times. And sure, Sirius had brought Remus coffee one day, from the café down the block, when he noticed Remus had been dead on his feet. It was a small gesture but one that Remus had appreciated. He’d yet to find a suitable way to make it up to Sirius.
Sirius stepped into the front window of the store and Remus felt his breath catch. He felt ridiculous that seeing a handsome bloke could have such an affect on him. Sirius glanced his way and gave a little wave. Remus smiled back in return and gave a timid wave of his own. A moment later Sirius was gone and Remus stamped down his disappointment. It was like he had conjured Sirius up by the power of his own longing.
Getting the flowers home in one piece was harder than he’d imagined with having to take the tube home. He was careful not to get jostled by his fellow passengers or else the lovely bouquet would get ruined. No one had ever bought him flowers before and Remus wasn’t about to kill the first bouquet of his life.
Honestly Remus was still a little thrown by receiving the flowers in the first place. He wasn’t even dating anyone. He really couldn’t think of anyone who would go to the effort of putting them in that vase while the shop was open and be sneaky enough to do it without Remus noticing.
Except Sirius Black, Remus’ traitorous mind unhelpfully supplied. From what little he knew of the man, Sirius was always up to no good. He had a tendency for throwing out customers that didn’t respect his music tastes or were rude. He’d once heard a story of Sirius Black throwing a man out of the store just for saying a disparaging thing about The Ramones.
Sirius Black and James Potter, the guy who owned the café down the street were always throwing block parties. About once every three months or so James and Sirius would organize a big do and get everyone on the street involved. James and his wife Lily would provide coffee and pastries, Sirius would provide the music, and have crates of records to sell for cheap, Sirius’s brother Regulus would give discounted tattoos in front of his shop next to Sirius’, the florist shop owned by Frank and Alice Longbottom would give our tiny bouquets for a dollar, Marlene Mckinnon, who owned the secondhand clothing shop would bring a rack of silly hats that people bought out of tradition, and Peter Pettigrew who owned the pet shop always brought a new little of puppies or kittens to sell for half off.
Remus was the only one who had never really participated. He felt bad about it but as an antique shop he didn’t really have much to contribute. He refused to undervalue the things in his store, things he had lovingly collected over the years. The price he sold them for was the price they were worth. If he gave away antiques at a discount he would go out of business.
Clearly James and Sirius understood that because after the first three times they asked, each time with Remus giving the same refusal, they had stopped coming around to ask. It was easier that way, not having to give the same excuse over and over. But the block parties had been going on for a year and a half now and it was hard not being a part of it. It still meant some increased traffic to his store but it felt wrong to get customers that way when he wasn’t participating in the festivities.
They were getting ready for their next one in just a few days and Remus already could feel his stomach churning with the familiar feeling of being left out once again.
Remus entered his one bedroom flat, toeing off his shoes and heading straight to the kitchen. He got down a cut glass vase – an antique he’d gotten on a trip to Prague and kept for himself – and filled it with water. He placed the flowers inside and put them on the windowsill where they could get the most light in his dingy flat. Already the place looked brighter and Remus couldn’t help smiling.
***
“You can’t tell me anything?” Remus asked Frank Longbottom incredulously the next morning. He was late to open up his shop because he’d stopped by the florists to ask about the bouquet he’d received. He glanced down at his watch and exhaled loudly in frustration. “Come on, Frank!”
“I’m sorry but he told me not to,” Frank answered with an apologetic smile.
“He?” Remus echoed, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh damn it,” Frank said, chiding himself for his slip up. He pointed his gardening shears at Remus. “That’s all your getting out of me, Remus! Don’t ask me anything else because I’m not saying a word.”
Remus sighed and tugged his fingers through his curls. “Fine, thanks for nothing, Frank.”
“You’re welcome!” Frank said pleasantly, waving Remus off.
Remus stepped out into the sunshine and tilted his face up towards it. It really was a beautiful day and the street was already a bustle of excitement. He needed to get to his shop and open up but he took a moment to soak in the crisp air of early Spring.
He must have been soaking a little too much because someone plowed right into him. Remus got knocked sideways and fell to the ground hard. He was just about to tell whoever it was to watch where they were going when the words died on his lips.
“Oh, Remus!” Sirius Black said, smiling brightly. Remus would have happily soaked that up instead of the sunshine. “I’m so sorry. I’m useless before I have my coffee. I was just on my way to the Doe-Nut Hut.” Sirius scrambled around getting the records he’d dropped up off the ground. “Can I get you a coffee? It’s the least I can do after knocking into you so rudely.”
“Oh, um…” Remus swallowed thickly and glanced around. Suddenly every word in the English language seemed to have left his head. Maybe he had hit it on the sidewalk and he had a mild concussion.
Sirius stood and held out his free hand to Remus. Remus took it and was hoisted back up onto his feet. “So…coffee?” Sirius said, continuing to clasp Remus’ hand even once their desired result of getting Remus back to his feet had been accomplished.
Remus glanced down at their joined hands and finally was able to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “I have to open up my shop.”
Sirius nodded. “Okay, I’ll meet you there! I’m just dropping these off for the sprog real quick. I have to start his musical education early, you know? Before James poisons him with shite like James Blunt.” Sirius gave a little shudder as he gave the name. “Or Michael Buble.”
Remus looked at the record on top and read the name. “David Bowie? Are kids really into that kind of thing?”
Sirius snickered. “He is if he’s going to be my godson!” Sirius dropped Remus’ hand – more the pity. Remus immediately wanted to grab it back. “You go open up and I’ll be there in twenty, with coffee, I promise.”
“Okay,” Remus said, giving a small nod. He watched Sirius go bounding away down the sidewalk towards the café, blinking slowly as he wondered what had just happened. Glancing at his watch, he was already fifteen minutes late opening up his shop. Cursing under his breath, Remus took off in the other direction, grabbing his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door.
***
Remus sat behind the till with his hands wrapped around the cup of coffee supplied for him by Sirius Black, while the man himself wandered around the shop. “You’ve got a lot of neat things in here,” Sirius said, stopping and looking at himself in one of the many mirrors Remus had in the shop. Sirius fixed his hair for a moment and then continued on.
“Thank you,” Remus said, taking a sip of his coffee. “You know this is now twice I owe you for.”
“Huh?” Sirius said, poking his head around from a bookcase to look at Remus.
“You’ve gotten me coffee twice now,” Remus reminded him, playing nervously with the sleeve around the cup. “It doesn’t seem very fair.”
Sirius laughed, the sound of it filling the room, each cold lonely space of it. “The coffee is free, mate,” he explained, turning on and off an old Tiffany’s lamp. “Jamie doesn’t make me pay for it. So you don’t owe me anything.”
Remus shifted in his seat. “Oh, right. Well, I still appreciate it even if you didn’t pay for it yourself. It was a kind gesture.”
Sirius abandoned the lamp and came over, resting his elbows against the counter. “You’re not indebted to me, Remus,” he said with a lopsided smirk. “I just like doing nice things for you.”
“Why is that?” he asked, his heart rate speeding up. He nearly jumped out of his chair when the bell rang signaling a customer had come in. He looked up at Sirius expectantly but Sirius was already grabbing his coffee cup and making his way towards the front of the store.
“See ya later, Remus!” he called out before the bell rang again and he was gone.
***
That night at closing Remus found a bouquet of lilacs and white roses.
***
The next morning when Remus got to his shop, Sirius Black was leaning in the doorway waiting for him, holding an old record player. Remus’ brow furrowed in confusion as he took in the sight before him. Sirius merely smiled and scooted out of the way so Remus could unlock the door.
“Did we have an appointment?” Remus asked after stepping inside while Sirius following after him. He thought maybe Sirius was there to try and sell the record player for some cash.
“Nope!” Sirius said cheerfully, putting the record player down on a mahogany desk. “But I was thinking about you last night and I realized just what your store needs.”
“Oh?” Remus inquired, trying and failing not to think about that fact Sirius Black had just uttered the phrase I was thinking about you last night.
“Music!” Sirius said, dropping the needle down onto the record he’d already had on the player. “It was so quiet in here. You need some music to liven the place up. I wasn’t quite sure what you liked so I went for something classy like your shop. Figured some punk rock wouldn’t really go with the vibe you’ve got going on in here.”
The music began to play and Otis Redding began to sing. Remus smiled and gave Sirius an encouraging nod. Sirius matched his smile and held out his hand. It took a Remus a moment to realize what he was asking and then took it. Their fingers laced together and Sirius brought his hand up to rest on Remus’ shoulder. Remus put his hand on Sirius’ back and they swayed in time with the music. Remus had never considered himself much of a dancer but this kind of dancing was easy. All he had to do was hold Sirius and shuffle his feet. At least he could handle that.
Try a Little Tenderness faded out and Stand By Me began to play. Remus dropped his hand from Sirius’ back and spun Sirius under his arm. Sirius burst out laughing and made his way back to Remus and their original position.
When the second song ended, Remus broke away and smiled shyly at Sirius. “Come to the block party tomorrow,” Sirius said suddenly, catching Remus off-guard. “I know you normally don’t but just try, okay? Please?”
“I don’t have anything to contribute,” Remus said, tugging on one of his curls self-consciously.
“Just contribute yourself,” Sirius told him, reaching out and giving Remus’ arm a squeeze. Remus felt heat radiating through his body just from that small point of contact and fuck he really had a problem. “That’s enough.”
“Okay.”
Sirius grinned as if Remus had just said something brilliant. “When you get tired of Otis just let me know and I’ll bring you something else,” he said as he backed up out of the store. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the block party!”
“Bye,” Remus said, giving Sirius a small wave as he left the store. My Girl filled the store, keeping Sirius’ presence there even after he’d gone.
***
That night in the same vase there were red roses and marigolds.
***
Remus closed up his shop an hour early so that he could participate in the block party for the first time ever. He was anxious about what this would entail or if the other shop owners would judge him for coming to the party when he wasn’t doing anything for it. It felt disingenuous but then Sirius had invited him to come.
He wound his way through the sea of people just to get across the street to Sirius’ shop. When he finally broke through the crowd his eyes were immediately drawn to Sirius and the bouquet of flowers in his hands. When he noticed Remus, he smiled.
“Hi,” Remus said, taking the flowers after Sirius held them out to him. “So it was you leaving me the flowers then?”
Sirius nodded. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” Remus said, hugging the assortment of different colored tulips to his chest. “I was kind of hoping it was you.”
“It was a real pain getting them into that vase every day without you noticing,” Sirius said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He had London Calling playing over the loud speakers. “Especially with all those damn mirrors you have.”
Remus laughed and shook his head. “You know you could have just asked me out. Now I’m definitely indebted to you.”
Sirius took a step closer. “I’ll call it even if you kiss me right now.”
“Such a bargain,” Remus quipped, bending down and capturing Sirius’ lips in a chaste kiss. After a moment he broke it and straightened back up. Sirius still had his eyes closed and he slowly blinked them open.
“That is what today is about,” he joked, licking his lips. “Did I say one kiss? I’m pretty sure I meant ten.”
“How about three kisses and a date tonight?”
“Are you haggling with me right now?” Sirius asked with a huff of amusement.
Remus put flowers down on one of the speakers so they wouldn’t get crushed as he pulled Sirius back towards him. “Well?” he asked, just barely brushing his lips against Sirius’.
“Unlimited kisses forever and you come home with me tonight.”
“For that price I’d better be getting a lot more flowers out of the deal,” Remus teased, rubbing his nose playfully against Sirius’.
“I’m guaranteeing a lifetime of flowers, happiness and pretty much whatever the fuck you want, Remus,” Sirius said, slotting their mouths back together and kissing Remus hungrily. Remus could faintly hear people cheering and clapping but he didn’t dare break the kiss to see who it was.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Remus said breathlessly before kissing Sirius again. He should have made it to a block party a lot sooner if this was the kind of stuff on offer. At least he’d finally made it and he was pretty sure he’d gotten the best thing on the block.