Work Text:
November
It usually starts something like this: Sirius Black finds himself in a dark alleyway. On both sides of him are portraits of people he loves in his life smiling and laughing. There’s James, Lily, and Regulus, Peter, Marlene and Dorcas, all of whom are oil painted and moving. So he begins to walk down and admire them, but as soon as he steps towards each painting, they look down at him in disgust. The laughing stops, the smiles cease, and all the joy in the world begins to seep out into oblivion.
Sirius does the only logical thing he can think of and runs. He bolts down the alley looking for the end, but the further down he goes the more faces of disappointment he sees until he runs himself into total darkness. The paintings are no longer lit and he’s surrounded with nothingness. Just when he’s about had it and plans to turn around and face the walk of shame back past the sketches of frowns, a light appears. It’s faint and far, but it’s there and it’s hopeful and it’s tugging Sirius towards it like a moth to a flame.
He starts creeping towards it, each step brightening the light until it’s almost blinding. Once his eyes adjust, he finds himself face to face with a table whose top is shaped as a moon. He looks around and he’s back in his apartment, the sun is rising and the clouds color the sky a magnificent shade of pink. He looks back down and sitting right in the center of the table is a mug on top of a note. It’s handmade, the mistakes are obvious, but it’s not deformed. If anything the imperfections make it more fascinating, it draws him in and pushes him to pick it up and drink from the coffee inside. And oh he does.
It’s positively the best coffee he’s ever tried in his life, which is saying a lot considering he’s been working at a coffee shop for the past three years. When he finishes chugging the last dregs of it, he looks back down to see a wolf. Which would be odd if he didn’t just experience at least five odd things before his morning cup of coffee.
The wolf is staring at him, just the head right in the center of the bottom of the mug. Sirius thinks that wolves are usually scary looking, the way their fur sits on their face permeates unease. This one is different, it’s warm. Eyes gazing with adoration and ears slanted in fondness. It’s painted he notices, the colors bleeding into one another to resemble the myriad of hues just outside his window.
Right when he’s about to grab the note from underneath to see where the mug came from, he startles. He’s back in bed taking deep breaths, feeling the rush of his beating heart, and the sweat on his forehead. The comforter is suffocating, the sky is black, and the clock reads 3am. Sirius swears under his breath and moves to wash his face.
This dream has happened six times in the past two weeks. Always the same fear and content, always the same story, and always the same time he’s awoken at. He’s talked to Marlene about it, complained to James, and even had this psychic Peter’s dating explain it to him.
Life is not going your way. But follow the pull, it’ll guide you to the moon.
Needless to say, she wasn’t very helpful.
It’s not like Sirius isn’t privy to the fact that his life is falling apart. He’s failing school, has no prospects, and the cafe he works at is severely understaffed and on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. He knows that he has people who can support him, but the thought of them seeing him as he is right now, as someone to save, is so unappealing that he’d rather solve it himself.
Instead of going to bed, he makes a cup of tea and curls up next to the window. The view isn’t anything magnificent, just other buildings and a road right below, but it’s entrancing to gaze down at the quietness of the world when it’s asleep. There’s few cars that pass at this time of night, but there’s always people. Walking around living their own lives, each one of them having their own reason for being up this late. It makes Sirius’ problems seem so small in the face of things.
He shakes off the feeling and glances at the clock once more, 3:15 am. Groaning, he looks back outside, focusing on the stars this time. He spots Regulus starting to rise, it’s the time of year where he only appears in the morning. Somewhere he wonders if Regulus is looking at the same night sky, searching the stars for his brother. Probably not, he’s most likely curled up in bed next to James, he always sleeps better when they're together.
It’s one of the main reasons Sirius didn’t completely flip his shit when he found out about the two. He’s happy for them, he really is. If Regulus should be with anyone, he’s more than okay with it being James. The real reason he was upset is stored in a box in the back of his mind, covered in dust by how much he tries not to think about it. The truth is, he was jealous. Red hot anger that everyone around him is now in a sickeningly loving relationship. He’s surrounded by couples, everywhere he turns.
And there Sirius is. On a chair drinking tea at 3:15, no 3:20, in the morning. No shoulder to lean on, no chest to melt into. Quite literally, all alone. He groans again, finishes his tea, and moves back to bed. Under his blanket that never feels warm enough, he drifts to sleep once more.
He wakes up the next morning to the sound of his alarm blaring, the clock reads 7. Perfect, he only got three more hours of sleep. He shuffles out of bed and starts to get ready, moving like he’s in a pool of molasses. He’s not opening the cafe up today which is a blessing in disguise, he despises opening.
He loves the cafe though, it’s his second home. The only place where warmth moves under his skin rather than leaving him cold and lonely. He’s good at what he does too, from the coffee to the pastries, everything is second nature to him. His manager and owner, Minerva, is the kindest soul to ever grace this planet too, though she’s growing old.
Sirius hopes she’ll sign the cafe off to him when she retires but he knows better than to be so optimistic. He prays for her sake that the cafe starts growing in popularity soon. It doesn’t make sense that it’s as dead as it is. Their coffee is divine, their pastries melt in mouths, and the service is exquisite—he would know.
As he walks in, the “Broom & Bloom Cafe” sign is already sparkling in red and green, a special Christmas addition that looks incredible but was exponentially off of their budget. Minerva said it was worth it though and whatever she says goes.
“Mornin’ Marls.” He calls after the bell as he steps inside expecting Marlene to be behind the bar already.
“Marls?” Responds a gruff voice. Sirius whips his head up from the ground so fast he gets whiplash. He stops dead in his tracks as he finds in front of him a man. A very devastatingly attractive man.
He’s wearing a grandpa sweater, green corduroy pants, and brown boots. His hair is dark brown and fluffy, what Sirius wouldn’t do to run his hands through them, and he wears a necklace with a moon at the end. As he steps closer he finds a scar running across his face, starting above his right eyebrow, giving him a natural slit, and traveling across his nose to his left cheek. Sirius has just enough of a mind not to giggle.
He furrows his brows and Sirius realizes he’s been staring, mouth agape might he add, for longer than socially acceptable.
“Sorry, Marlene is usually the opener.” The man in front of him makes an affirming sound and goes back to the latte in front of him. No one is in the cafe yet, he must be training.
“And you are?” Sirius adds when his attention doesn’t travel back.
“Oh right. I’m Remus, new hire. Nice to meet you.” He smiles and extends a hand. Sirius moves to shake, following a pull he must be imagining. He slots his hand in place and looks down to see how they fit together. Which is perfectly, like their hands were stuck in the same mold and created from the same plaster. He feels the heat radiating from it before looking back up, meeting his eyes, and pulling away, much to his dismay.
“Who’s training you?” Sirius asks, trying to keep his voice level. How is he supposed to work like this?
“Oh! Marlene is. She’s in the back right now, prepping the dough I think.” He nods and moves back to his coffee again. Sirius senses the disinterest and moves to go put his stuff in the back.
He’s daydreaming about eyes that look like the soft brown of trees during the sunset when Marlene barges into the break room. She’s grinning a truly mischievous smile and wiggling her eyebrows so much that Sirius worries she might get a cramp.
“Did you see him?” She asks.
“Did I? He was quite hard to ignore. Who is he and where did he come from? Why did Minnie hire him, we do not have the money for him on the payroll, is she insane?” He hounds her. In a quieter voice he continues, “And why is he so hot? Where did he spawn from? Heaven?”
“Whoa, whoa there. First of all, chill. Second, I know right? He’s literally a Greek God and I am incredibly lesbian and in a healthy relationship, so that means something.” She sighs and nods solemnly.
“Okay, but again…we do not have money for him.” Sirius whispers.
“Oh I know, but I heard a rumor that we’re being bought out for a hefty sum.” She smiles again.
“Marls!” He smacks the back of her head, hoping to knock some sense into her hollow skull. “Being bought out is not a good thing. Where’s Minnie, I should talk to her before she makes any decisions.” He slams his locker shut and makes a move towards the office.
“No shit sherlock. This cafe is Minnie's life project, she wouldn’t sell it to just anyone. Remus is the son of Lyall Lupin, who’s some up top business guy from Wales, but Minnie wasn’t just about to give it off to some guy. So she demanded to partner instead of sell. Now she can afford to run a cafe properly, she still gets to make major decisions, and we get a hot new co-worker who I’ve heard is single.” She rushes out and finishes with a wink.
Obviously this is for the best, but Sirius can’t help but feel a pang of betrayal from the explanation. Minnie always consults with him before major cafe decisions. He’s not a business major for no reason. Ok fine, he hasn’t graduated yet and it honestly feels like he never will, but the knife is still there.
“You’re insane. Go do something useful and finish training him.” Sirius rolls his eyes and shoves her in the direction of the cafe.
“You’re funny.” Marlene says, resisting the push. She turns around to face Sirius, the mischievous smirk back on her face. “I have pastries to bake, so as it turns out, training him is your job. Enjoy, loverboy!” She quips before running off to the kitchen.
He can already sense how this will go, he’ll be so awestruck that he’ll make a fool of himself and ruin any chance of a civil relationship. Oh great. This will be so much fun. No, he can do this, he’s Sirius Black for Christ sake, the most confident, flirtatious, and brilliant man there is.
Oh, who is he kidding? That Sirius Black is buried in the back of his mind along with many other boxes he refuses to touch.
He mumbles to himself and pushes through to the lobby. Smacking on a grin, he comes up next to Remus.
“So as it turns out, I’m your new trainer. What have you learned so far?”
“Not much. I’ve gone through the basics of coffee, where it comes from, how to know if it’s good or not. Then I went through the basics of a machine, how to pour a shot and what it should look like. Marlene showed me how to make a heart in latte art and then abruptly left, so I’ve kind of been figuring it out on my own.” He smiles a little out of the corner of his mouth, making his scar shift. “It’s not been going very well.”
“Okay, perfect. So before you even start on latte art, it’s important to learn the basics of what people order. This is going to be a bit of information, so pay attention.” He takes a deep breath, preparing for the spiel he’s about to give, not knowing whether he’s about to go all coffee connoisseur or keep his cool. Unfortunately, it’ll probably be the prior. He gets really excited about this stuff, it’s the only thing that really makes sense to him.
“We gather a good mix of students, workers, and elders, so we get a diverse group of orders. What you’ll find is that the name of the drink gets more complicated the older your customer gets, but the way you make it is simpler. For example, in about an hour an older man, Albus, is going to walk in and order an ‘espresso con panna.’ Sounds complicated, yeah?” Remus nods, keeping up eye contact, brown on blue.
“Not actually. All it is, is a doppio—two shots of espresso—with whipped cream up to the top. That way, when you sip the espresso it passes through the cream and becomes sweet.”
“That actually sounds really good.” Remus says and Sirius makes an affirming noise. He moves to the register and pulls out a paper to use as a guide.
“We can try it when he comes in. Anyway, the main four you need to remember are a latte, a cappuccino, an americano, and a macchiato. Which are the most basic orders and everything basically builds upon them.” He looks back up to make sure Remus gets it and is face to face with the others eyes. The look in them makes his insides melt and his cheeks heat up.
“What do you know about these four?” Sirius says, clearing his throat and taking a small step back.
“Erm, if I can remember right, lattes with milk and americanos are with water.” He furrows his brows and stops to nibble at the skin around his thumb. “Cappuccinos are espresso and foam and macchiatos are equal parts of all?” He looks towards Sirius with doe-like eyes, the attempt to be right showing. Sirius is absolutely done for, he can’t do this, he might as well just quit right now.
“Almost.” Sirius chuckles. “It’s the opposite, a cappuccino is going to be equal parts shots, milk, and foam. Then macchiatos are shots of espresso with a scoop of steamed milk, so it’s a lot stronger than every other drink. However, we gather in many college students, so on our menu, a cortado is going to be what a macchiato normally is. Usually a cortado would be equal parts shots and milk, like a cappuccino but without the foam—” Sirius stops himself from rambling, sure that Remus doesn’t care about cortados and cappuccinos when it really doesn’t matter. Shaking his head he continues, “Anyways, macchiatos, which as you see we only have with caramel, is going to be vanilla syrup, then milk with your shots poured over and topped with a caramel drizzle. Creating that layered effect.”
“Uh huh.” Remus says. Sirius looks up from the paper he’s been pointing aggressively at to find Remus looking at him again. His cheeks heat up a brighter shade of pink, which he wills to go back down before he makes a fool of himself. As it turns out, he’s too late because Remus lifts his lips into a smile. Which won’t do at all because now Sirius’ blush is moving from pink to maroon and nope.
“Okay, go make them.” Sirius gets out, then gives him a slight push on the chest. Why would he do that? He doesn’t know, because if anything, now he knows how jacked Remus is under the oversized sweater. This is going to be a long day.
“What?” Remus laughs, eyes wide. “Make what?”
“A latte, americano, cappuccino, cortado, and a caramel macchiato. Off you go.” Sirius rushes, then flourishingly gestures to the espresso machine. Remus shakes his head and moves to start the drinks.
Sirius takes some guests, makes coffee on the other machine, and begins to lay out the pastries Marlene is baking into the case when Remus comes back and taps on his shoulder.
“Done!” He smiles excitedly. He takes Sirius by the wrist and drags him to a table with five drinks. Sirius allows himself a second to take in the fact that Remus is holding him. His touch is soft but his hands are calloused, he’s not gripping but has a firm hold, and he’s warm. So desperately warm, heat is radiating off him like a sauna traveling through Sirius’ wrist towards his heart and up his neck.
Remus then lets go to point to the drinks and Sirius mourns the loss, feeling the cold creeping back in. The coffee looks good though, Remus really outdid himself. He takes a sniff and sip of each one, feeling the beverage sit on his tongue.
“These are perfect. Have you been a barista before?” He inquires and crosses his fingers for a negative answer. He couldn’t handle it if he just gave a lesson of coffee to someone who already knows.
“No, I haven’t. But I dabble a bit in the art of coffee at home.”
“Well your art needs more work. What is that one, a spoon?”
“Wow, no need for sugarcoating huh?” Remus smirks. “It was supposed to be a heart.”
“Yeah…no. You’ll get it eventually.” Sirius laughs and dodges an attack by Remus’ hand on his shoulder. “Oh look! That’s Albus, who orders the con panna. Let’s go try it.”
“That boy, Remus. He’s nice isn’t he?” Minnie’s soft voice approaches as Sirius is closing up shop. The rest of the day was just about as good as the beginning, he showed Remus the layout of the store, taught him how to make cold beverages, and ended by putting the pastries in the case. After he left, the cafe got colder and Sirius kept the store running with Marlene until they closed.
“Minnie, why didn’t you talk to me before you signed a contract?” He turns to her, sadness written across his face. He can’t lie to her, not even if he tried. Minnie, albeit his boss, has been the closest thing to a mother figure in his life. She gave him an opportunity when all felt lost and she cared for him during his darkest moments. Minnie has never married and has no kids, but she’s been there for him at every turn and he loves her for it. He thought the feeling was mutual.
“McKinnon caught you up I see.” She smiles at the floor. “Sirius, I had to. The cafe wouldn’t have survived the winter without the Lupin’s. They’re a family friend of mine and I had my lawyer look over it.”
“You didn’t even tell me! I had to find out from Marlene.” He complains, well aware of his childishness.
“I’m well aware that you don’t understand my choice yet, but trust me that it’ll make sense soon enough.” She looks up and stares him down. He buckles, what else can he do? He trusts her with his own life, who is he to doubt her? “And this Remus kid. You’ll be his sole trainer until he’s certified, I have a good feeling about you two.”
December 2nd
Sirius opens today, he’s a bit miffed because he woke up from his dream and didn’t go back to sleep because by the time he got tired, he had to get ready for work. The past few days have been good, he’s had good shifts and amazing moments with Remus. He’s getting the hang of making coffee, handling orders with ease, and working support when the rush comes in. They have easy conversations and even easier laughs. He’s gathered bits and pieces of the other's life during the quiet moments of the day.
Remus was born in Wales, but spent most of his life in London, which explains the slight accent that appears when he gets excited or frustrated. He’s in school now studying education, he wants to be an English professor. This also figures considering his demeanor and choice of attire. Every new piece of information makes Sirius fall for him more. He’s found that they have much in common as well, they both love movies—though Remus is a stickler for books while Sirius couldn’t care less—and they have the same opinion about every customer that walks through the door.
The warmth comes and goes with Remus, the lights shine brighter when he’s around. He’s debated telling James about it but it all seems silly in hindsight and either way, he’s busy studying for his end of semester exams.
This early in the morning, the lights are dimmer. Remus hasn’t arrived yet and Sirius is dragging himself through each step in the opening process. When the store finally opens, he’s still alone.
They usually don’t get customers for the first half hour and when the bell to the door rings, Sirius finds himself annoyed that anyone would come so early. He greets them with an incredibly unenthusiastic “Hello, welcome in.”
“Chipper this morning, are we?” Comes a low voice. Sirius looks up to lock eyes with brown. Remus looks ill, like he hasn’t slept much more than Sirius has. “Sorry I’m early, would it be alright to just…” he pauses and frowns, looking for the right words to say as he opens and closes his mouth a couple times, “could I just start before 10. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Oh boy, does Sirius know the feeling. There are many times when he would wander into the cafe hours before or after his shift to find Marlene behind the counter with a confused look. He understands the desire to stop thinking about the outside world, the need to focus on only things that make sense when his life is off balance.
“Of course.” He replies softly, smiling what tried to be a comforting smile but instead came off more as an adoring one. “It’s usually slow in the mornings, so we can work on your latte art before the rush comes in.”
A tentative smile creeps up onto Remus’ face. “Sounds lovely.”
“Okay, so there’s no real easy way to teach other than showing you. I’ll prep the milk while you put your stuff away and then I’ll walk you through everything.” Sirius says as he reaches down to grab the milk from the fridge under his machine.
“Alright boss, show me the way.” Remus says as he comes back and leans against the counter, staring intently on the pitcher of steamed milk.
“The key to latte art is perfectly steamed milk, which you got the hang of so I’m not worried. What you’re going to do is kind of lift the pitcher and swirl so you have a nice flow from far enough above that the foam won’t gather too early. Once the cup fills halfway, you’ll bring the pitcher down to the edge of the cup and wriggle it, at the same time you drag the pitcher towards the other side, to create that leafy look. Just before you reach the end of the milk you’ll pull back through the art you just did. And voilà! You have what we call a rosetta.”
“Uh huh.” Remus hums in uncertainty, looking extremely confused and a bit frazzled.
“Practice honestly makes perfect so go ahead and give it a shot.”
Remus’ first attempt wasn’t the best and his second attempt was somehow even worse. His third attempt he waited so long that the foam separated from the milk and resulted in a fat blob right at the top, causing both of them to die in a fit of laughter before getting back to business.
“You’re not pouring fast enough. When you move the spout down you want to speed up your pour.” Sirius instructs, deriving a frown out of Remus. “Like this here.” Without thinking and following a pull, he moves behind Remus and grabs his hands which rest of the cup and pitcher to move Remus through the speed and method of pouring. He peeks around the side of him—fucking tall this man is—and begins to pour. They ended with a semi-decent rosetta, but is shaped more like a beautiful heart instead.
“There!” Sirius exclaims. “You got it.”
“Yeah. It’s incredible.” Remus says, a little breathless.
Sirius realizes all of a sudden that he’s basically hugging Remus from the back at this point. His hands still resting on Remus’, which might he just say, Remus has lovely hands. They’re strong and calloused but at the same time, somehow incredibly soft. They fit too, not just their hands, but the way their arms cross and backs arch. Almost as if they might’ve been made for this. No, he internally groans. Sirius can’t think like that, he doesn’t even know if Remus is into guys, let alone his coworker he met not 6 days ago.
Slowly he unwraps himself from where he’s perched, hearing what sounded like a whine coming from the other man. No no, he definitely imagined it. “Yeah. You got this handled, so why don’t you practice while I go bake the pastries.” He punches out, trying to keep his voice level and turns to basically run away to the kitchen.
What did he just do? Made it awkward and promptly ran away of course, what else is he to do? Groaning again, he starts preparing the blueberry muffins. Focusing only on the motions: measure, pour, mix, repeat. Getting lost in his thoughts as the time ticks past. Today he’s worrying about his next month. December just started so the air outside is frigid and he’s beginning to study for his final exams. For classes he’s been failing the entire semester.
It’s not that Sirius doesn’t enjoy learning, his failing grades are more a reflection to his hatred of school, his disinterest in the system, and the fact that he already has a job that he loves and is good at. He doesn’t see the point in continuing in school if he’s already working. Given, the job doesn’t pay enough to sustain a life but he has leftover inheritance and with a job, he’s set for the foreseeable future.
James continues to push him though, if it wasn’t for the Potters he would’ve dropped out a while ago. Better to have a degree to fall back on, they tell him. He loves them for keeping him afloat and pushing him to his full potential. Speaking of which, he’ll be in Oxford Christmas week to spend the holidays with them. He makes a mental note to remind Minnie about the time off since the store will stay open. Other than that, he’s a free man. No plans, no events, no parties. His life is rather dull come to think of it.
The most interesting part of his life right now is the fact that he’s slowly falling for his coworker. If he told himself that a year ago he would have jumped at the opportunity to be in a relationship. Now he’s just worried. He has no clue what his life is going to look like in the coming new year and he won’t hold Remus back from following his dreams.
He’s also just scared. Sirius has never been in a relationship before, like ever. He’s only done casual. Remus screams committed though and even if Sirius had the option, he wouldn’t want Remus to be a one off thing. If he’s going to fall for this man, he’s going to crash. Something about Remus is different, the way Sirius feels for him. It’s strong and intense, and frankly horrifying considering he just met the man.
As he’s spiraling down the rabbit hole of his thoughts and rolling out dough for croissants, he feels a tap on his shoulder.
“Mind helping with the rush? I’m still not that confident.” Remus laughs a little and rubs the back of his neck.
“Shit!” Sirius glances at the clock to see he’s left Remus all alone for…an hour!? “Oh my God Remus, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you for that long but I had just got so focused and you’re probably out there struggling and—”
“It’s fine, darling. Don’t throw yourself into a spiral.” Remus interrupts and moves his hands to grab Sirius’ shoulders. The touch, the warmth, grounding him to the present.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” They head back to the front, Remus on register and Sirius taking the espresso bar. Midway through rush, Sirius has finally calmed down enough to settle into his thoughts again. He begins thinking once again that Remus can never be anything casual, the sparks he feels with the smallest touch enough to tell him. He’s never been so nervous around someone, his confidence is dwindling and he’s beginning to lay himself bare.
“Vanilla latte for Darla.” Sirius calls out, seeing the woman approach. “Thank you, have a nice d—” Oh. Oh. Oh no. He stops dead in his tracks. Remus called him darling.
December 16th
Much to his dismay—well not dismay since Sirius loves it, but it has to be dismay since he’s not allowed to fall in love—the nickname has stuck. Remus has taken to calling him darling in passing, but never in an intentional way, so that if Sirius ever calls him out on it, he can say it was by mistake.
Oh God he hopes it’s not by mistake. What if Remus likes him back? Wouldn’t that be something? NO! Sirius cannot keep thinking like this. Even if there’s a chance that Remus likes him back, they’re coworkers, and Sirius is not in the right time of his life to consider a relationship.
Either way, he has kept his distance. He hasn’t gone behind Remus to teach him a rosetta since the first time, though he’s been excelling at his latte art recently. Other than that, he retreats to the kitchen every now and then and comes out to help with rushes. They still talk and laugh during quiet times, bits and pieces of each other being shared back and forth. When it gets even slower, they’ve started to experiment with some of their own drinks. All of which turn out to be terrible, but it’s the effort that counts.
Sirius just feels like he's at a dead end. He considers Remus a friend, but he’s falling. Hard. He can’t be friends with Remus, there’s something else happening. His life is still the same though, living off of limited sleep, failing grades, and a dream that won’t stop creeping in his brain. Does he take the step and follow his heart or listen to his brain and continue to live in this limbo? This would all be so much easier if the universe would give him a sign or a straight up answer.
So he’s here: two weeks later, mid-December, last final this weekend, frustrated, and taking it out on the croissant dough because it. Just. Won’t. Flatten. He’s smacking it over and over again with a rolling pin but the texture is all screwed. Who prepared this? Marlene probably, the nitwit. Can’t bake for the life of her. Speaking of which, she’s off with Dorcas in Paris for Christmas. Which, yes, is nice for them obviously, but also makes him so incredibly jealous.
He wonders what it would be like to be with Remus’ family for Christmas. He’s never met them of course but they live in Wales, near Newport, and Remus talks very highly of his mother. He doesn’t mention his dad much and Sirius knows better than to push the information out of him. Remus has raved about his mothers chicken though, he wonders if it would taste as good as Effies. Or if his decor would smell of pine and chai, or if Remus’ house would be tinted gold by the warmth emanating from every occupant.
“...Sirius?” He hears from behind him, followed by a cough. He turns around, already knowing the voice.
“Hi, Rem.” Sirius slaps on a chipper smile. “Good morning, what’s up?”
“Not much.” Remus is looking at him with concern as he slowly inches towards him. “Are you alright then?”
“Oh yes. Just fantastic.” Sirius nods and smiles again, well aware he most likely looks crazed.
“Uh huh. Well, I just came in to tell you that…” Remus is talking very carefully, drawing out his words with every step he takes. Slowly he reaches a hand out to Sirius’ face. “You have a bit of…flour. Riiight, there.” He chuckles something soft and warm. His hand reaches out and cups Sirius’ face as his thumb grazes the top of his cheekbone. Dusting off what must be left over flour from the damn pastry dough. Sirius however, is standing completely still, Remus’ hand is on his face. It singes with heat and electricity, but Sirius would die if he moves even a centimeter away.
“Good?” Sirius asks, more breathless than he intended.
“Perfect.” Remus replies, equally as breathless as Sirius, which is some comfort. He starts leaning in more, steps closer until he can feel the other's breath dancing across his face. Remus is stunning up close, which Sirius knew, but not to this extent.
His eyes are the shade of trees in the forest during golden hour, brown rimmed by green with flecks of gold. Faint freckles dance across his face, not noticeable unless you’re up close, and even more prominent now that a crimson blush brightens his cheeks. And his scar, moving across his face, gives him character and a backstory. He told Sirius it was an accident that involved a stray dog, but he hasn’t expanded much on it, Sirius knows there’s something else hidden there.
By the time Sirius comes back to reality, Remus is standing so close he can taste the coffee on his breath. Sirius must have died and against all odds gone to heaven, or this is the sign from the universe he was just begging for. Following the constant tug in his chest since he met the man, Sirius moves to close the distance.
“SIRIUS!” Minnie's voice calls from the door. The two of them leap apart and look at each other in genuine fear and shock. Then they promptly dissolve into giggles over the cliché of the situation.
“Sirius, there you are! You’re a mess, not fighting with dough again, are we?” She says coming into the kitchen. Sirius can only shrug and hide a smile. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. Come to my office will you? I have some news.”
The smile wipes right off Sirius’ face. Something about Minerva’s tone sends a shiver down his spine and he can’t pinpoint why, she’s never made him this nervous. Could it be the days he’s taking off? The amount of times he’s goofed off in the past month? Or maybe the Lupins fell through and the cafe’s shutting down. If he loses this job he has nothing going for him.
He glances at Remus who’s still wearing a smug grin for some reason and follows the path to Minerva’s office with his head bowed.
“Take a seat.” She points in front of her. Her office isn’t anything special, but she has her own touches here and there. Pictures of her cat, a flower lamp, and an assortment of fountain pens she uses for God knows what.
Either way, her office is clean and pristine and a crisp contrast from the warmth of the kitchen he was just in. Yes, he’s salty that the universe broke up what could’ve been a magical first kiss for the news of him getting fired.
“Before you start, I want to say that this cafe is everything to me. You know I’m failing my classes, I have no desire to even finish my degree, and if I lose this job I will have nothing, nada, nish. Please don’t fire me Minnie, I’ll do anything. I will literally get on my knees and—”
“Sirius, stop!” She interrupts, a smile growing on her face. “I’m not firing you.”
“Oh thank heavens. What is this then? Is the cafe shutting down? Do you need money?” He asks, very solemnly.
“No, no. None of that. How about you sit back and listen?” She offers, to which Sirius nods.
“I’m getting old Sirius.” She raises her hand to stop him from interrupting. “No, really. I am. Either way, whether you agree or disagree, I can’t run this cafe. It has been my focus for so long, but I’m at the end of my life now and I want to do something with it. Live with my cats or finally travel the world. Maybe, I’ll even move to the Maldives.” She gives another shy smile.
“Minnie…” Sirius begins, and she holds up her hand again.
“Stop interrupting me.” She laughs. “Sirius, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to dedicate my life to this anymore, I don’t want to die brewing a shot or behind my desk ordering more beans. So, if you’ll allow me to offer… I want you to take over. I want to pass on this project to, quite honestly, the only person I trust in this world.”
Sirius is struck, there’s no way this is happening. He sits with it for a moment. The cafe. Broom & Bloom. On the corner of Page and Fynes. To him, Sirius Black, the new owner of the home he’s dedicated the past three years of his life to. Broom & Bloom. His cafe.
“You want the cafe to go to me?” As long as he’s waited and mulled this moment over in his head, he still doesn’t believe it. Doesn’t think it’s real.
“Yes. I offer the cafe to you, Sirius Black. I know you’ll treat her as well as I have.” She’s looking at him with a spark in her eye, smiling a sugar sweet smile. First the kitchen and now this, the bits of warmth Sirius has been feeling is starting to gather under his skin, in the space under his ribs, wrapping its arms and glowing with luck.
Putting on his most genuine Sirius Black grin, he looks Minnie in the eye. “Where do I sign?”
December 29th
The shop has been slow in the days around Christmas which is just perfect because it gives Sirius ample time to finish his training in becoming the new owner. There’s so many things to remember but Sirius is taking it head on, this was his Christmas wish after all. Christmas itself was a lovely time, he drove to Oxford the day before and drove back the day after. The day itself was filled with laughs, presents, comfortable silences, and amazing food. The house was tinted gold, which reminded him of Remus, the chicken was divine, which also reminded him of Remus, and his late night discussions with James thrived, though they mostly consisted of Remus and Sirius’ struggles as of late.
Overall, everything that came up reminded him of Remus. James solidified his inkling that he’s falling hard and pushed him to do something about it. They talked a lot about it, Sirius’ dream, his hope for the future, taking leaps of faith. They debated on whether to follow his heart or his brain. Every caveat Sirius could think of James had a rebuttal for. Even Regulus was convincing him to go for it.
By the end of the trip, James and Reggie had changed his mind and they all decided that Sirius would invite Remus to their annual New Years party. Though the nightmare still haunts him, the pull he feels towards Remus is too strong to ignore anymore. He knows that he’s jumping into the deep end, but he’d rather drown knowing what love feels like than die in the cold of solitude.
“Remus!!” Sirius exclaims as the door to the cafe opens. He’s finally back from his time off, which was only one day but that day felt like years.
“Morning, boss.” Remus smiled warmly.
“Ew stop. You know I hate that.” Remus just shakes his head and chuckles. “Anyways, couple of quick updates. We’re getting new coffee machines next year and adjusting the drinks on the menu. We’re finally adding a con panna to the register and changing the recipes for our muffins from blueberry to orange.”
“Oh yum. Orange muffins are amazing.” Remus nods and Sirius hums affirmatively. Alright, now or never, here he goes.
“One more thing. My friends and I have a party every year for new years, and um—” Remus looks up, brown on blue. “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come? It’s really casual, nothing too crazy. And if you already have plans that’s fine too, I don’t mind, you can so no that alr—”
“Yes.” Remus stops him. Putting his hands on Sirius’ shoulders. They’re close enough again that Sirius can smell Remus’ scent. “Yes, I would love to come.”
“Yay!” Sirius says, almost squealing.
December 31st, New Years Eve
Sirius is going mental. His house is a mess, nothing is organized, the food isn’t even here yet, and the party starts in 1 hour. Remus is going to think he’s unorganized and insane. Maybe he’ll think he’s horrible at being in charge, quit the cafe, and never speak to Sirius again.
“Sirius, calm down. It’ll be fine. Peter is on the way with pizza right now.” James tells him as if he’s a toddler.
“And Lily’s on her way with Marlene, Dorcas, and drinks.” Regulus calls from the kitchen where he’s arranging the decorations.
“Yeah yeah. It’ll be fine. Everything’s great.” Sirius mumbles.
“Here, take this and this and unwrap the confetti poppers.” James says as he shoves items into Sirius’ arms.
Sirius moves to the table groaning a string of curses. He’s not nervous per se, more riddled by anticipation. He has no clue how this night will go, he got Remus a bracelet he found at the market the other day. Something small but it reminded him of the man. Sirius is scared to be honest. What if Remus hates it, what if he hates his house, his friends, his homelife. There are so many things that can go wrong tonight that Sirius would be lying if he said he was calm.
Before he spirals any further, the door swings open and in comes the girls and Peter, to which they all gather in the kitchen to start arranging everything.
“How’s he holding up?” Marlene asks pointedly to James and Reg.
“Terribly, he’s been thinking non-stop.” James responds.
“Huh, didn’t know there was anything in that brain of his.” Dorcas snides.
“Oi! I’ll have you know I am very smart and actually think all the time. If anything it’s a problem.” Sirius defends himself.
“That’s not a good thing, honey.” Lily chimes in.
“Okay whatever. I have some news to tell everyone before Remus comes, he already knows.” Sirius begins.
“Oh! He knows before us?” Peter interrupts, giving a cheeky smile to everyone.
“Yeah yeah, shut up. I want to let everyone know that standing in front of you, is the new owner of Broom & Bloom cafe.”
“Marlene!! I didn’t know Minerva liked you like that.” Reggie exclaims, quickly followed by a smack behind the head from James.
“POP THE CHAMPAGNE!” James yells. They all stop decorating to entertain a round of drinks. Halfway through congratulations, the doorbell rings. Sirius looks up at everyone with wide eyes.
“Well? Go!” Regulus shoves him, followed by everyone’s encouragement.
“Remus, hi!” Sirius says as he pulls open the door and drags him inside.
“Hi darling.” That’s a pleasant surprise.
“Everyone’s in the kitchen, but before we join them I have a gift for you. It’s kind of like a late Christmas, early new years present. And feel free to be honest if you hate it, I wasn’t sure wh—”
“Sirius.” Remus interrupts with a warm smile, adoration twinkling in his eyes.
“Right, well here.” Sirius shoves the box into Remus’ hands. He watches with intent as he unwraps and opens it up. Follows his eyes as they flick through surprise, content, warmth, and ends in love. Oh thank heavens.
“Sirius, this is gorgeous, thank you.” Remus looks up and wraps him into a hug. As he pulls back he smiles again, “No really, thank you.”
“Yeah it’s nothing.” Sirius shrugs a little breathless, still feeling the lingering warmth from his touch.
“I also got you something. Late Christmas, early new year, and a congratulations on becoming owner.” Remus picks up a bag from the credenza and hands it to Sirius. He opens it to find a wrapped lump. He unwraps it and oh. Oh. Oh what are the odds? Believe it or not, Sirius is stunned into silence. What he holds in his hands is a mug, it’s handmade, the mistakes obvious, but it’s not deformed. If anything the imperfections make it more fascinating. Quickly he looks inside and almost drops it in shock.
It’s a wolf. Just the head, and it’s painted he notices, the colors bleeding into one another to resemble the myriad of hues of the sunset just outside the window.
Suddenly, everything makes sense. The pull that Sirius feels towards Remus, the necklace, the dreams, the luck. Remus is his moon, his light, his north star. He’s been dreaming of finding Remus. Oh he could just…
He surges forward and grabs Remus into a hug. A shocked noise comes from the other man and Sirius wishes to just devour it. He pulls back and leans forward to do just that when he feels a finger on his lips.
“Ah, ah. Wait for midnight, love.” Remus whispers and Sirius groans. This man… just his type he fears.
“You ass. Come meet everyone.” Sirius pulls back and takes his hand, a perfect fit.
The rest of the night passes in a mix of laughs, drinks, and confetti. Remus gets along with everyone but seems to be particularly drawn to Lily, which makes sense. They seem like a good fit. They dance, they sing, and they play games. Sirius keeps his hand in Remus’ as much as he’s able, residing in the warmth he receives, and making a home wrapped in Remus’ arms.
Finally, the time arrives to prepare for midnight. Everyone gathers outside where they have a perfect view of the fireworks that are about to go off. They’re all huddled together in a semicircle to conserve warmth.
“Here’s to new friends, great company, and the new year!” Marlene yells, echoed by everyone’s battle cries.
10…9…8…
Remus comes up behind Sirius.
7…6…5…4…
Wraps his arms around his waist.
3…2…1
Everyone screams but Sirius can’t hear anything as Remus turns him, grabs his chin and leans in. The kiss is explosive, who cares about fireworks when Sirius feels them in his bones. It’s hot and hungry and Sirius wants more. Remus’ tongue glides over his bottom lip and Sirius lets a small noise escape, to which the other man instantly devours.
After a moment that lasted a lifetime they break apart panting, leaning their foreheads against each other, relishing in the warmth of the other.
“Happy new year.” Remus whispers.
“Happy new year.” Sirius whispers back. A quiet moment shared between the two of them, one that Sirius never wants to end but knows will last for as long as they’re around the other. “I found you.”
Remus looks at him with furrowed brows as Sirius shakes his head and pushes his lips into him again, this time savoring it, letting it flow soft and unhurried. Every fear, nightmare, and worry instantly disappears as the heat radiating off of the other man wraps around his heart and makes a home inside his bones. Maybe one day he’ll explain the importance of this moment to Remus, or maybe it will forever be his own secret. Right now he doesn’t care, all that matters is that life is going to be okay. What matters is that he’s finally following his heart, what matters is that it guided him to the moon.