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“There, done.” Remus smiled, flicking Sirius’s ear as he admired his work. Reaching a hand up, Sirius felt to small braid in the underlayers of his waves, near the back of his head. Sat on the counter behind him, his boyfriend smiled proudly, leaning forwards and tilting Sirius’s head back to kiss him. He’d never tire of that.
“Get a room.” Barty mumbled, plucking the pun from behind Sirius’s ear to write something down. The pair looked at the younger boy with frowns.
“All of this is his room.” Remus snatched the pen back and placed it behind his own ear, Sirius having stolen it from the bookshop in the first place.
“Yeah, I own the place, kid. Did Reggie not tell you that when he fed you the answers for your interview?” Smirked Sirius, walking over to the record player when the needle reached the end of the A-side and flipped it over.
“Interview? You quizzed me on my top five albums of the last ten years and told me three of them were wrong.”
“Go on…” Remus prompted, hopping off the counter and leaning his elbows on it.
“Rumours, The Stranger, Hunky Dory, Black Sabbath and London Calling.”
“Hunky Dory and Black Sabbath are from more than ten years ago, but I can’t see what the third one is.” Remus mused, looking over to Sirius who was walking into the back room.
“The third one is Rumours because its so unoriginal. Everyone says Rumours.” The three of them looked over to the door where a smiling young woman stood, holding two books in one hand, the other placed on her hip.
“Lily!” Remus smiled, pushing off the counter to hug her. “I thought you were in Italy with that guy for New Year’s.”
“That guy turned out to be an absolute arse.” She shrugged, walking over to the counter, and placing down her books. “I went looking for you at the shop, but they said you were here.”
“I still don’t understand how Rumours is wrong.”
“Have you ever had an original thought in your life? It sounds like you plucked that list from Rolling Stone and recited it to me.” Sirius reappeared, frowning at Barty before turning his attention to Lily.
“You must be the famous Sirius Black, I’m Lily, Lily Evans. I work at Lupin & Lovegood’s.” She held out a hand to Sirius, who looked between her and Remus, who gestured to her waiting hand with his eyes. Sirius shook it before shoving his hand back in his pocket.
“Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m sorry your guy is such an arse.” Sirius smiled, but not so wide that he seemed sarcastic, before nudging Barty out of the way of the till.
“It’s not closing yet, why are you counting up?” The boy glanced at the clock that had just passed four. Remus patted Barty’s back condescendingly, hoping he would eventually learn not to question Sirius’s ways.
“Because its New Year’s Eve, Bartholomew, and I have a party to get to. I’d rather not stay much longer than I must, especially since you are usually out the door before one minute past five.” Sirius raised an eyebrow, not looking up from the ten-pound notes that he was counting in his mind as he spoke. Remus leant forwards over the counter, lifting his chin.
“Be nice to the kid.” He whispered, kissing him quickly before letting him get back to his counting.
“Is he always like this?” Lily asked when Sirius disappeared into the back with the cash to put in the safe. Remus let out a small huff of a laugh.
“No, its just that our mate, James, who he lives with, has insisted on hosting the party. Sirius likes a party, but he also likes being able to leave the party.” Remus explained, sifting through records in the nearest crate, Lily watching. “You should come, by the way.”
“I don’t know, I was just going to see the girls.” Lily sighed, shuffling a Mary-Jane back and forth on the stick-on tiles.
“I’m not doing anything tonight.” Barty piped up as Sirius reappeared to count out the coins.
“Shut up, Barty, he wasn’t inviting you.” He hissed, not seeing the kid squinting at him as if he was silently hexing him in his mind.
“Why did you hire me if you hate me so much?” He finally huffed, crossing his arms. Sirius entertained him with a short glance and an eye roll as he backed coins.
“Because you’re my brother’s friend, he asked me to give you the job and I gave it to you despite your interview because I happen to really care about Reggie. Don’t tell the little shit that though, he’ll take advantage of it.” Sirius disappeared into the back Barty in tow, the pair bickering about Regulus.
“Anyway, now the children are fighting out of the way, I think you should come. There won’t be that many people and you’ve never met James. He’s how me and Sirius met, I went to school with James, and Sirius and James have been best friends for…I don’t know, actually. I guess forever?” Remus leant back against the counter, watching Lily internally debate the invite. Out of nowhere, Sirius appeared at Remus’s side, arms around his neck with Remus’s hand on his waist.
“But Moony, we don’t trust James around pretty girls. He can’t keep it in his pants.” He kissed his boyfriend’s cheek, as if they were any better themselves when they were alone.
“Trust me, I’m more than capable of keeping my knickers on.” Lily put a hand on her round hip and tilted her head to one side. Neither of them doubted her, after all she had just left a man in Italy and Remus had known her long enough to know the fates of the string of dates she’d been on before him. There had been the woman who called her a poser because her ex was a man, that guy had told her she’d be prettier if she were blonde, the guy who grabbed her ass and called her ‘a fresh chunk of meat’ in front of his friends, and the person who had a spit kink. Lily didn’t shame, there was nothing wrong with them, it just wasn’t her thing.
“Does that mean you’ll be there?” Remus asked, beaming as she shrugged.
“Sure, I’ll go home and change. Just give me the address.” She rummaged in her bag, pulling out a notebook and passed it to Sirius, who stole the pencil back from Remus, who scowled. It would be a never-ending battle.
~~~
It turned out that James had lied and invited more people without telling Sirius. Remus was on the couch, Sirius sat with leg slung his lap, an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders as they talked to a girl James insisted that they knew, his thumb rubbing circles on Sirius’s collarbone. If he didn’t stop that soon then they’d be disappearing into his bedroom before midnight. Sirius nudged Remus and nodded over to the door where Lily was stood, looking around, spotting the pair. The mystery girl rolled her eyes and stood up, walking off to get another drink, freeing up a space for Lily as she pushed through and dropped onto the seat.
“You could have written some directions; this place is impossible to find!” Lily took Sirius’s drink and downed it, which would have angered him if it was anyone else, but he had decided Lily was alright and Remus seemed to like her.
“Moonyyyy!” Shoulders pushed between a couple who were definitely about to kiss, almost tripping as he got to the feet of his friends. James pushed up his glasses and fixed his wild hair, not that it did anything, before turning his head towards the person he didn’t know. “Ohhhh, I see, you guys are trying like a throuple thing?”
“Jesus, James, no!” Sirius scoffed, vaguely kicking his leg in his flatmate’s direction, hoping to catch the chunky sole of his boot against his shin.
“This is my friend, Lily, she works at the bookshop. Lily, this mess of a man is James Potter.” Remus gestured towards his friend with his beer bottle before taking a swig from it. James held out a hand to shake.
“Ah, James. Yes. Heard lots about you.” Lily hummed, took his hand and only sort of shook it.
“All bad I hope?” He winked, making her retract her hand and tuck it under her thigh.
“Yes.” Lily said, deadpan, making Remus almost spit out his drink.
James nodded, taking the hint and went to go and find Pete. It was only a couple of minutes later, mid-conversation with Sirius swapping hair product recommendations, that Lily looked up and saw a familiar face.
“Marls? No way!” She stood up, hugging the blonde, who seemed extremely caught off-guard.
“Oh my god, of course you know these two!” Marlene groaned with a smile, keeping an arm around Lily’s neck, keeping her close so she could hear her.
“Went to that same snobbish boarding school as that one,” pointed to Sirius with her empty glass, “who just follows that one around, so I know him by extension.”
“What can I say, Catholics really know how to make ‘em gay.” Sirius winked, a hand on Remus’s thigh furthest from him.
“I was on the way to the kitchen to get another refill.” Marlene leant closer to Lily’s ear as she spoke, Lily’s hand on the small of her back. Remus smiled knowingly at how closely they were stood, guessing what Sirius would say as soon as they were gone.
“I need a very strong drink after the day I’ve had, lead the way.” Marlene’s hand found Lily’s and pulled her towards one of the doorways leading off the living room.
“Oh, they’ve fucked!” Sirius grinned at Remus, who laughed at how predictable his boyfriend was. With no conversation to fill the empty space, Sirius stretched his neck and kissed Remus, the alcohol in his system stripping him off the anxieties he’d had earlier in the day. Each time Remus kissed him, he cared less about those around them and if they were watching.
In the kitchen, Marlene was sat on the counter, talking to Lily when she announced she needed to piss and promptly left in a direction she was sure didn’t have the bathroom. Lily sighed and went looking for Remus and Sirius again, only to find them aggressively making out on the sofa. Because Lily wasn’t an asshole, she didn’t interrupt and headed to the open window that led out onto a small terrace.
“Oh, hello.” She looked down and saw James sat on the floor, back against the brick between the two windows. Lily couldn’t just turn about and leave now, so she sat side him and gave a sort-of smile.
“What are you doing out here on your own?” Lily asked, crossing her legs, and looked out at the view of the road, lights shining out of windows, illuminating the scenes inside.
“Well, I’m guessing you saw Moony and Sirius, like, permanently attached at the mouth. Pete found some girl and didn’t want me bothering him.” James’s smile seemed falser than Lily’s eyelashes, but not in a way that he seemed annoyed at the other three, more envious.
“Aren’t these all your friends that you invited?” She asked, looking through the window. However, she saw that nobody had really seemed to notice he had gone.
“Friends, sure. None of them really know shit about me, they just wanted to drink and like that I have money, which I don’t, my parents do.” Lily sighed and moved slightly closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Self-pity doesn’t suit you Potter, go back to that arrogance you had before.” They both laughed, and James turned his head slightly.
“You a natural red head, then?” He asked, lifting a hand, and messing with a curl around his finger. Normally, Lily would have a problem with people touching her hair, but seeing James away from everyone else, she didn’t mind so much.
“You wouldn’t ask that if I had hair the same colour as yours.” She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to keep up her usual confidence before he completely broke through to her.
“No, I just…it’s beautiful.” Her eyes lifted to meet his and he just realised how green they were, how he wished he could look into them forever.
“You want to ask, don’t you.” She smirked, seeing the shift in his body. He watched her turn slightly more towards him.
“I have no idea what you-” James’s grin was wide enough that she knew whatever he in the middle of saying was bullshit.
“Go on.” She let her gaze very obviously drop to his lips, while doing so she noticed the bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.
“Do the carpets match the drapes?” They both laughed slightly, his own eyes watching Lily lick her lips, her tongue moving slowly.
“Want to find out later?” His body reacted to that almost unnaturally fast, muscles tightening.
“Fuck, yes.” He whispered, and Lily could taste the alcohol on his breath. Slowly, she climbed into his lap, straddling him.
“Then kiss me like you mean it, Potter.” And he did. He kissed her like she was the remedy to his emptiness.
There was only two minutes left until midnight.
“Where’s James? I kiss him every New Year’s, I need to find him.” Sirius was pushing between people, Remus clinging to his hand so he couldn’t lose him.
“Sirius, I’m right here, kiss me instead.” Remus whined as they reached the hallway, Sirius banging a fist of James’ door.
“James, are you in there, mate?” Sirius shouted over the music, reaching for the handle.
“Piss off, I’m busy.” Ignoring him, he pushed open the door and Remus watched him immediately pull it shut, mouth hanging open.
“What? What is it? Who does he have in there?” Remus tried to reach past him, but Sirius slapped his hand away.
“You do not want to know, Moony.” Sirius tried to push him away from the door, but Remus was much taller, and considerable stronger than him on a good day. Eventually, he realised he just had to let him do it.
“It’s bad, isn’t it? I want to know if its bad so we can take the piss out of him in the morning.” But when Remus opened the door, just like Sirius, he closed it again immediately.
“Told you.” Sirius pulled him away from the door towards the living room again, but Remus had stopped in the hallway.
“How is that bad? This is great, Lily takes no shit, might do him some good.” He tried to bring Sirius closer to him, but he was in a mood.
“I can’t believe him, completely ditching me on New Year’s!”
“Babe, come on.” Remus reached for his hand, but Sirius because dramatically waving them about.
“My best friend doesn’t love me anymore.” He whined, about to turn about until Remus grabbed his shoulders.
“You’re joking, right?” Remus looked him dead in the eye with a frown.
“He’s not being forgiven for this.” Sirius prodded a finger into Remus’s jumper-clad chest.
“Sirius.” Placing a hand on either side of Sirius face as the countdown began.
“No, I am going to keep this grudge, I know I always say that but-” Remus kissed him hard enough that he forgot what he was saying, reminding Sirius of their first kiss in the record shop. He didn’t even realise he’d been backed against his own bedroom door.
“Stop talking about James, will you?” Remus smiled, nudging at Sirius’s neck with his nose and planting soft kisses.
“Oh.” He’d been a dickhead, hadn’t he?
“Jesus Christ, you’re so bad at this. It’s a good job I love you.” Sirius froze, turning his head and moving Remus’s face away from his neck.
“You love me?” He asked, sincerity in his eyes that made Remus smile, kissing him deeply, hands pulling their bodies flush together.
“Yes, you idiot.” He muttered against Sirius’s lips, hand finding the door handle and pushing him into Sirius’s thankfully unoccupied bedroom. Remus soon found his back against the soft mattress, Sirius standing at the side of the bed, leaning against the frame and Remus pushed himself up on his elbows.
“Oh, good…because I love you too, Remus.” Sirius watched Remus smile softly, pushing away the noise from the other side of the door as Sirius pushed the bolt over to lock up, climbing on top of Remus, kissing him with every ounce of love in his body. Remus forgave Sirius immediately for being so damn stupid, he’d always forgive him.