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Remus was in his favorite seat at his local cafe taking an online test for the class he signed up for over winter break. He didn’t necessarily have to take it, but the subject looked so interesting and it was with his favorite professor so he really couldn’t pass it up. He chose this specific seat as his favorite due to numerous factors: distance from the door, counter, and other tables; lighting; space to spread out without being too in the way; and general ambiance. He had tried all other spaces, but this was by far his favorite. The only downside was there was no outlet nearby - in fact there was only one outlet in the entire cafe - but that never bothered Remus since he was typically buried in a book, not a laptop, and never let his phone battery get too low. His laptop, however, was a different story. It was an ancient thing that held a charge for an hour, 90 minutes if he was lucky. Remus estimated it’d take no more than 45 minutes to complete the test, but he was fast approaching that marker and still had another two sections ahead of him. Sighing, he resigned himself to the fact he would have to relocate to safely finish the exam. He gathered his belongings and fished for the charging cable and set out for the small table next to the outlet. As he stood up, he froze.
The table was occupied.
As if adding insult to injury, the table wasn’t just occupied. No, it was occupied by perhaps the most gorgeous man Remus had ever seen. He looked like he had walked out of a fashion magazine with his Doc’s, tight black jeans, and a snug tee underneath a well-worn leather jacket. Next to Remus’ ratty Converse, ripped jeans (torn from wear, not for a fashion statement), and an overlarge jumper, he looked like a model. Even his hair was gorgeous, falling down past his chin in sleek waves, just blocking his face from view as he typed away on his own laptop.
Mustering up all the courage he had in himself, Remus strode over to the table and slung his bag over the back of the chair opposite the attractive stranger, who looked up at the noise. Remus was so lost in the stranger’s mesmerizing grey eyes that he momentarily forgot why he marched over in the first place. He mentally shook himself and stood up straighter, desperately pulling back the courage from moments ago.
“I’m sorry to disrupt, but I need to plug in my laptop to finish my exam and there’s only one outlet in the shop, so I need to sit here.” He finished his speech, and receiving no signs from the stranger that he was an unwelcome intrusion, he awkwardly slid into the chair opposite and plugged his laptop in. Reemerging from below the table, Remus noticed the man was still looking at him, though his face betrayed no emotion or expression whatsoever. He internally shrugged and resumed his exam, forgetting about the man opposite him entirely as he focused on answering the questions.
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Sirius was sitting at a quaint cafe that his friend Lily recommended to him. It had a quiet atmosphere, wasn’t a chain, and had delicious mocha lattes, meaning it met his three top priorities when it came to choosing a spot to write for the afternoon. After a quick look around the shop he noticed only one table near an outlet and promptly took a seat there in case he stayed long enough to run his battery low. Judging by the quality of the coffee and smell of pastries from the back, he figured there was a decent chance he’d spend the remainder of the afternoon tucked away here.
He quickly lost himself in his work, barely remembering to finish his drink before it cooled. James always joked that when he wrote he became untethered from the real world. He even tested his theory once by shouting Sirius’ name through a megaphone not three meters from him. Sirius hadn’t heard him the first three times and was only brought back to the real world when Lily came into the room to shout at James for scaring her and making her drop the plates she was putting away in the kitchen. None of them, including James, knew where he got the megaphone from, which only added to Lily’s frustration and subsequent confiscation until he learned “proper inside behavior”.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he was brought back to reality by a man dropping his bag onto the back of the chair opposite Sirius. Since there were plenty of tables available he was not expecting to be disturbed or cause a problem by taking over a table for a significant amount of time. He was unable to glance around at the table situation because he was completely frozen in place by the most beautiful hazel eyes he’d ever seen. He took in the rest of the stranger’s face which was slightly flushed and covered in freckles. It was only as his gaze moved down towards his lips that he realized the stranger was speaking. He was unable to take in a single thing he said as he was distracted by how soft his lips looked, and what the small scar on his top lip might feel like if they kissed.
The man sat down and disappeared beneath the table, presumably to plug in the laptop that now sat across from him. When he reemerged he was still staring at the man, now taking in his honeyed curls as he brushed them away from where they fell onto his face. The man looked a bit confused but was quickly sucked into his work, whatever it may be, and Sirius watched as his face went from slightly nervous to completely focused and confident. The blush fell away, revealing more freckles. Sirius took a deep breath and turned his attention back toward his computer where he immediately opened the messaging app.
Prongs, mate, I’m in trouble
actual trouble or “i’m sirius black the most dramatic drama queen in the world” trouble?
Wtf is that supposed to mean??? I’m not a drama queen.
whatever helps you sleep at night pads…
Are you going to help me or are you going to continue to be a wanker
fine fine, i’ll play along. whats the trouble
I am currently sitting across from an actual angel. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven, it’s the only explanation.
what does that even mean. i cant handle you when you get all metaphorical or whatever. you writers are all words and no substance. get to the point mate.
Wow, rude. Fine, I’ll spell it out in jock then. “omg pretty boy, heart go thump thump, brain broke, omg what do?”
wow rude. i deserved that though. so lemme get this straight: youre sat across from a pretty boy and now cant focus on anything and have made a right fool of yourself or are in danger of doing so in the near future
I’m never straight but yes that’s the situation
i s2g you need new jokes. “im always sirius” and “im never straight” are tired
Yet you’re still friends with me. But back to the problem: what do I do????? He’s so soft looking Prongs, his hair is fluffy and he has CURLS and his lips look soft and he has freckles and he’s wearing an adorably tacky jumper.
damn so hes exactly your type
YES HE’S MY TYPE HENCE THE FREAK OUT
ok calm down. has he said anything to you
Yes but I don’t know what he said, I was lost in his big beautiful eyes.
ugh you’re a disgusting romantic. next question: do you think hes gay? youve been in these situations too many times before i dont want you flirting and getting your arse handed to you
Thanks for the vote of confidence, cheers mate. But no he’s definitely not straight, I can feel it.
weird but ok. final question: how are you going to exchange numbers
Exchange numbers? Do you expect me to just hand him a piece of paper with my name and number on it??
uh, yes?
Where’s the romance in that???
there isnt but if you cant even speak to him its the safest way
Oh gods he’s closing his laptop oh no oh no oh no it’s too late
WAIT I KNOW! buy him a drink
We’re not at a bar you git
do they not make drinks at a coffee shop
Oh yeah.
you absolute wanker. good luck keep me posted
Cheers mate
Sirius exited the messaging app just in time to see the stranger resurface with his charging cable, looking pleased with himself. It’s now or never, put on a smile and chit chat like your love life depends on it!
“So,” Sirius drawled, “do you come here often?”
Smooth, Black.
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“So, do you come here often?”
Remus blinked as he slowly raised his gaze to meet the man’s eyes across the table. He had a smile plastered on but his eyes betrayed that he felt the same way about the conversation starter as Remus did: it was a shit starter. Bravely, the man soldiered on.
“It’s just you knew there was only one outlet and knew exactly where it was. It’s only my first time here so I had no idea.”
Remus paused before answering, taking in the other man’s obvious state of distress and valiant attempt to salvage the conversation. He took pity and set his bag to the side.
“Yes, this is my regular spot for doing schoolwork when I need a change of scenery.”
The man let out a deep breath and visibly relaxed as his smile became more genuine and eyes softened.
“It’s a wonderful cafe, I can see why. I will definitely be returning, the atmosphere is conducive to productive writing.”
“Oh, you write?” Remus perked up and the other man seemed to take notice.
“Er, yes, mostly mysteries though. You might have heard of some of my titles if you’re into those sorts of books.”
“Well what’s your name then? I have broad reading interests.”
“Sirius, Sirius Black.” The man, Sirius, looked down after he said his name as if to avoid disappointment if the name didn’t register immediately. Remus, however, had heard of Sirius Black and very much enjoyed his work. As one of the few authors who had well-written and authentic LGBTQ+ representation in their works, Remus read everything he published and loved his writing style.
“Heard of you? You’re on the syllabus for my Queer Literature class! And yes, I’ve read your works outside of class before. That was actually the class I was doing my exam for just now. To think the author was sitting directly across from me though…” Remus trailed off, unable to complete his sentence. It was just too weird a coincidence, like fate or something, that he picked this table on this day to sit at, and Remus took this specific winter term class and did the exam in this cafe. The world was a funny place.
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Sirius blushed once the man said he was on their class syllabus and it only deepened as he kept going. At least this is more evidence for probably not being straight…hopefully.
Once he regained composure Sirius decided to go all in.
“Would you like some coffee then, to celebrate you completing your exam?” Please please please PLEASE say yes.
“You don’t even know my name yet and you want to buy me coffee?” Oh yeah.
“You make a good point,” he chuckled. “So what is your name?”
“Remus Lupin.” A soft smile spread across his face and his attention was once more drawn to Remus’ lips.
“Well how about it then, Remus? Can I treat you to some celebratory coffee now?” Sirius swore he saw a faint blush as he said Remus’ name but he could be mistaken. “You can tell me your favorite and I can try it next time I come back.”
Remus had a full-on smile now as he stood up and stretched. Sirius stared at his long fingers as he cracked his knuckles in quick succession.
“You’ve already tried my favorite: mocha latte. This place makes the best ones I’ve ever had. I hope that doesn’t deter you from coming back, though.” He smirked and Sirius’ heart nearly stopped with how utterly adorable Remus looked.
“I think I could be persuaded to come back,” he said slowly, “provided you’re here.”
“I typically am, but in case you want to be sure…” Remus grabbed a pen from his bag and scribbled his number down on the corner of Sirius’ notebook. He then walked to the counter and ordered two mocha lattes and threw a cheeky wink back at Sirius who sat unmoving, gaze flickering between the numbers and Remus at the register.
Sirius’ heart soared at how easy it was to get Remus’ number and the fact he didn’t make a fool of himself, or read the signs wrong. He wouldn’t hear the end of it from James that “buy him a drink” actually worked though.
Remus came back with the drinks and sat down across from Sirius with much more grace than the first time. He took a slow sip of his drink and looked up at Sirius.
“For a writer, you’re at a loss for words an awful lot.” What cheek, I’m a goner.
“Well, it’s not everyday you see an angel in person, I needed to take it all in.” Sirius flashed a brilliant smile over his coffee cup and took a sip as Remus flushed and abruptly put his own cup down for fear of dropping it in his lap.
Yes, Sirius thought, I could definitely be persuaded to come back…