Chapter Text
Remus
The alarm blared in Remus’s ear and he had to swallow down his groan before he started his morning with a sour mood. He felt a bit congested, having fallen asleep with the window wide open, but his apartment was too stuffy, and sleeping with the window shut was equivalent to being locked in a hot car.
Apartment was a generous word. The room he rented was just big enough to accommodate his full sized bed, a plastic tote, where he stored his personal belongings, which doubled as a coffee table and a nightstand. There was a tiny sink with one foot of counter space attached to the left side that conveniently folded down if he needed it to, a closet where he hung his clothes, and a small refrigerator that was perched on top of a cabinet that looked as if it were ripped from the end of a much larger counter, and in there is where he stored his two cups, singular plate, and one bowl. He had about enough room to stretch and pace if he shoved the plastic tote under his bed. The bathroom that he shared with the three other people that lived on this floor was down the hall.
Thankfully he’d grown rather familiar with the other renters on his floor, so it was no longer awkward if one of them had to use the toilet while another took a shower, with the exception of Dorcas, who was the only girl. There was Peter, who lived across the hall, and Evan, who lived in the room next to Remus’s. They always gave Dorcas privacy when she was in the rest room, except for Pandora, Evan’s sister, who barged into the bathroom regardless of whoever was showering, when she came to visit her brother.
Remus was twenty-four, still struggling to find his passion in this world, and thankfully his floor mates were around the same age, so they often spent time in each other’s rooms during the day. Eating meals together, watching movies and various other television programs. He enjoyed their company, and was even able to get Evan a job in the kitchen at the prestigious McKinnon Hotel, where Remus worked cleaning rooms and checking in guests. It was his job at the hotel that demanded him being awake at the ungodly hour of 4am. An expensive guest was checking in early this morning, and the hotel manager, Mary, had asked Remus specifically if he could come in to make sure this guest was able to get in and up to their suite, undisturbed.
Remus agreed, always getting a bit of a thrill when there’s an important guest staying at the McKinnon. While he bustled around getting dressed, he pulled up an episode of his favorite guilty pleasure show, The Witching Hour. A Teen Drama about a magical high school, where two best friends, Sebastian Churchill and Jensen Pinewood, uncovered dark mysteries and secrets, taking down mystical madmen, and doing it all while trying to navigate the hardships of being overly attractive teenagers played by 20-somethings adults. Dating disasters and werewolves and trolls and magical corruption was Remus’s perfect cup of tea when it came to television. He was a sucker for magical realism, and The Witching Hour was the perfect escape from the responsibilities of his own reality.
Normally he only put the show on while falling asleep, but he forgot how fantastic season twos cliffhanger was, and had become reinvested in season three regardless of how many times he’d seen it already. Now episode after episode played on his laptop at any free moment he had, and Remus always grunted a complaint whenever he had to shut it off.
Remus rolled his eyes as he downed his glass of orange juice, quickly rinsing the cup, but leaving it upside down in his sink for later. It took him fifteen minutes to walk to the hotel, and it was already 4:10. He groaned as he clicked the pause button on the show. He needed to be at work and clocked in by 4:30am sharp.
“But Sebastian is just about to discover that one of his roommates is a werewolf,” Remus whined quietly to himself as he closed his laptop and slid it under his pillow.
He double checked his white button down shirt for wrinkles before tucking it into his slick, black trousers, and quickly stuffed his arms through his black blazer with the McKinnon family crest on the lapel to show any of the guests that he did, in fact, work there, regardless of his unkempt hair style.
“Where are my shoes?”
He did three circles in the middle of his room, eyes scanning the small space head to toe, front and back, ceiling to floor. But the shoes were nowhere in sight.
“Mary’s gonna be so pissed,” Remus grumbled as he picked out his cleanest pair of black and white Converse, hoping that they’d blend in with the rest of his uniform enough that no one would notice. He swiped his wallet, keys, and cell phone off the lid of the plastic tote and darted out the door.
When Remus entered the lobby he felt slightly out of sorts because of his damned shoes. The large marble pillars throughout the lobby and the gold-plated rim around the check-in counter mocked him with their elegance, making him feel less than. He’d been working there since his sophomore year of college, having grown up with Marlene McKinnon, the Heiress to the McKinnon Hotel chain. She was able to get him a cleaning job, essentially a maid, when he was Nineteen, and over the last five years he’d managed to work his way up to front desk. He didn’t mind meeting the guests head on, and minded even less when they remembered him as a friendly face. All he had to do was wear a warm smile and maintain a clean appearance, Marlene had specified that one, and maybe one day he’d be able to manage his own McKinnon Hotel location.
As lovely and financially secure as that sounded, Remus had no interest in managing a hotel for the rest of his life. He already saw the stress it caused Mary, and she’s not much older than he is. The last thing he wanted for himself was for his hair to go grey before he turned 30 due to pure, unfiltered stress.
Just as he situated himself behind the check-in counter, the double doors at the front of the building whirred and slid open.
“Shit,” Remus muttered under his breath, willing the computer to finish its lag from lack of use for the last several hours. “Come on, come on.”
He could hear the footsteps as they crossed the lobby, stepping in time to his clicks on the computers touch pad. Glancing up he saw a man approaching him, a large leather duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Hair tucked up under a black beanie, which Remus found odd for July, and an overly large pair of aviator sunglasses hiding most of his face. A sleek, fitted leather jacket wrapped tight around his torso matched his black and grey pinstriped trousers. For a second, Remus thought he felt familiar, but shook the thought from his mind as the computer screen finally lit up.
“Good morning, Sir,” Remus greeted him, eyes flickering between the man and the computer screen. The spinning wheel signaling that the program they used to check-in their guests and assign them to their rooms still needed another moment to load before it opened. “My apologies, it appears that our computer hasn’t had its morning coffee just yet.”
The man smiled at him as he placed his bag on the ground and drummed his fingers along the edge of the counter. This close, he looked to be around Remus’s age. “Well that’s quite alright…” The man’s head tilted down toward his name tag. “Remus. That’s quite alright, Remus. Can’t say I’ve ever met a Remus before.” His voice sounded familiar too, but Remus couldn’t quite figure out why.
The computer screen blinked, and the chart of guests lit up the screen. “Oh, well in that case, I’m glad I can be your first.” Remus offered him a warm smile, silently kicking himself for not getting to work sooner so he wouldn’t have to force this man to suffer through small talk so early in the morning. “Alright, here we go. My apologies once again for our computer being so slow this morning. Just give me the name that your reservation is under, and I’ll have you checked right in.”
“Oh, yes, of course. It should be under the name Sebastian France.”
Remus’s finger froze above the touch pad, a smile flickering across his lips. Sebastian France, that’s funny. Season two, episode three of The Witching Hour, Jensen learned that Sebastian was fluent in French and made an off handed joke about it, telling him he should change his name to Sebastian France. Remus let out a small giggle at the thought, and realized that the sound had actually traveled out of his mouth and did not stay inside his head. He tried to cover it up with a cough, but the man arched an eyebrow at him.
“Is something wrong?” the man asked, and Remus quickly shook his head.
“No, sorry, I’m so sorry,” Remus said, trying not to stutter or laugh again. It seemed that this man has ruined years of calculated professionalism with just one reservation. “That name, there’s this joke from this show.” He shook his head again and couldn’t believe that he was still talking.
“Ah,” the man nodded, and smiled up at Remus as he removed his sun glasses. “So you have heard of me.”
Remus’s jaw dropped, his chin practically smacking into the computer keys as he stared into the crystal grey eyes of, “Sirius Black!” Remus’s voice sounded like a distant whisper, and he cleared his throat as he tried to regain his wits. “Oh my Gods, I’m so sorry, but…but you’re really Sirius Black! You play—
“Sebastian Churchill, on The Witching Hour, correct.” Sirius narrowed his eyes at Remus with an amused grin creeping up his cheeks. “Well, this is not my usual fan encounter, given the fact that you’re not a sixteen-year-old girl, Remus. Unless…”
“What?” Remus was far too flustered to process what was happening. “No, not a sixteen-year-old girl. Twenty-four actually, and a boy. A very embarrassed boy, at that.” Gods Remus thought, Sebastian Churchill, here, right in front of me and I’m completely blowing it. “Please forgive, Mr. Black. I’m just…surprised is all. I love your show, it’s very addicting.” Stop talking stop talking stop talking.
“Gosh, don’t call me Mr. Black, I beg of you.” Sirius made a face like he was retching. “Just call me Sirius, please. The last thing I want to do is think about my father while I’m staying here.” He let out a bark of a laugh, clipping his sunglasses through the neckline of his jacket.
Remus forced his eyes back down to the computer screen, finishing the check-in process with a grin he could not contain no matter how hard he tried. He activated the keycard to the suite and held it out over the counter.
“Here you are, Mr…Sirius. Suite 1301, third floor, first door on your left across from the elevator.” Remus swallowed and hoped he didn’t look at foolish as he felt. Sirius reached out and grabbed the keycard from him, his thumb lightly grazing Remus’s finger in the process.
“Well, thank you,” Sirius said, tucking the card into his jacket pocket.
“Do you require any further assistance with your luggage?” Remus asked politely, and Sirius smirked.
“Would you like to assist me, Remus?”
Remus felt his cheeks heat with a blush. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Sirius was flirting with him.
“I’m just messing with you, relax.” Sirius smiled at him, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. Remus exhaled a laugh and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to distract from his reddening cheeks. “Actually, could you show me to my room? I always get so lost in these giant hotels.”
“Oh,” Remus replied with a blink. “Of course! That’s no problem at all. The elevator is right this way.” Remus held his arm out toward the elevator across the lobby as he made his way out from behind the counter.
Once they were inside, he pressed the button for the third floor, doing his best to stare straight ahead at the doors as they shut them inside. The elevator rumbled to life, and that momentary weightlessness as they began to rise made Remus’s stomach flutter.
“You clocked that alias pretty quickly, there,” Sirius said, his voice filling the silence. “That joke was only made once, in like, season—
“Two,” Remus blurted out. He pinched his eyes closed and silently begged himself to shut up.
“Yeah,” Sirius laughed. “Season two. Gosh, you must be a real fan of the show.”
“I’ve seen a couple episodes here and there,” Remus replied sheepishly with a shrug just in time for the elevator to pause, dropping slightly before the doors ding! and slide open.
Remus took a sharp left, walking Sirius to the door of the suite, gesturing for him to swipe his keycard and let himself inside. Remus always loved the suites, they were very spacious, all equipped with a large wall of windows overlooking the city.
“Well thank you, Remus,” Sirius said, stepping inside the suite.
“If you need anything at all, just ring the front desk, or dial 1 for room service, and I’ll be sure to have whatever you want sent right up,” Remus said, giving his typical speech and bowing slightly. “And please enjoy your stay, Sirius.”
Sirius nodded at him, poking the tip of his tongue into the point of his left canine as he eyed Remus up and down. “I think I will,” Sirius replied, “and I love your shoes, by the way. Very chic.”
Sirius turned as he shut the door, and Remus stood there in the hall, blinking rapidly as the burning redness in his cheeks spread to his ears.
——
Sirius
It took Sirius over an hour to unpack and piece together his outfits for the week. He loved the city, but he dreaded being recognized, and unfortunately his fashion choices was his most defining feature. There were three photoshoots lined up for the week, one for his new cologne ad, one for his interview with TeenDream Magazine, and another for promo of the sixth season of The Witching Hour that was set to premiere in the fall.
He never thought he’d still be playing a seventeen year old Wizard at Twenty-five years old, but he got the role of Sebastian Churchill when he was just nineteen, and the writers of the show didn’t plan on keeping him on for more than a season or two, so it didn’t matter that the character he was portraying was in high school. They said he looked young enough at the time to pass for fifteen or sixteen, but then he became such a fan favorite they decided to keep him on, too afraid they’d lose viewership if they killed him off as originally planned. And now Sirius was halfway to thirty, and his acting career was still stuck in high school.
Hopefully, though, that was about to change. During his stay in the city, his agent managed to book him an audition for a movie, and he so desperately wanted the role. The movie was a drama, where two lovers fighting alongside each other in a war suspected one another of being a spy for the enemy. Sirius thought it was the perfect opportunity to break away from the Teen Scene and be taken more seriously as an actor.
His phone buzzed against the mattress where he’d tossed it, and when he looked at the screen his eyes practically rolled out of their sockets. The name Regulus Arcturus flashed across the screen. Once, twice, three times. The damned kid never knew how to send just one message containing all the information. It always had to be three.
Regulus played Sebastian’s younger brother, Damian, on The Witching Hour. The two looked so similar that people often mistook them for brothers in real life, and the way they argued back and forth during cast interviews certainly didn’t help. Sirius opened the texts and groaned as he read them.
Regulus: Are you in the city?
Regulus: What are you wearing for the banquet?
Regulus: The producers want us all to coordinate
“The fucking banquet, ugh,” Sirius grumbled, throwing his phone back down onto the bed. Of course the producers wanted them all to coordinate for the banquet. His phone buzzed again.
Regulus: Do you have a date for the banquet?
Regulus: You have to go alone, the press eats up that whole bad-boy loner persona you’ve been dishing out
Regulus: Wear the Armani suit. Jamie is wearing the Armani and the press will go crazy if you two match.
Sirius didn’t think he could groan even louder, but he’s proven himself wrong in that category in the past.
Ugh, Jamie, he thought. Nothing irritated him more than constantly being compared to James Potter. James played Jensen Pinewood in The Witching Hour. Jensen was the main character of the show, and Sirius’s role as Sebastian was originally to be Jensen’s best pal that died in a tragic Magic related accident at the end of season one, but fans adored their on-screen chemistry so much, the writers moved the death to the end of season two. Then by that point Sebastian had developed an entire fanbase of his own, which is, yet again, how Sirius ended up still playing a seventeen-year-old wizard at twenty-five years old.
When Sirius and James first started working together, they were the best of friends. They hung out on and off the set, were constantly getting photographed together going out to lunch or just going to and from each other’s homes. At one point there was speculation about whether or not they were more than just friends. Then Regulus joined the cast in the third season and James fell arse over head in love with the kid. Since then, spending time together off set or in between scenes became a thing of the past, and every waking moment that James was not working, he spent trying (and failing) to get to know Regulus
Their on-screen characters have a will they/wont they romantic dynamic, but behind the scenes they’re already dating. Had been for almost a year now. And they were insufferable together. Sirius could barely stand to hold a conversation with James without him somehow turning it back to Regulus, and Regulus had no interest in talking to anybody that wasn’t James. It was disturbing, but also sort of sweet, but mostly it was codependent above all else.
His phone vibrated again.
One
Two
Three
Regulus: I know you’re reading my messages you prick
Regulus: Wear the damned Armani
Regulus: And why haven’t you responded to my invitation for my launch party? For my new skincare line? HELLO???
Sirius didn’t want to deal with any of this right now. He just wanted to go walk around the city with his hat and his big glasses. As long as his hair was hidden, he wasn’t as often recognized, usually. It was his signature identifying feature, his hair. Add that to his clothing choices and Bam! Everyone in a ten mile radius knew exactly who he was and what he was doing. But today Sirius just wanted a lovely afternoon being a real person, not some pretend teenager. He didn’t mind taking photos with fans, but he wouldn’t mind a break from it all even more. Parties, photoshoots, promotions. Ugh.
If he didn’t answer Regulus at all, it would be worse than if he just acknowledged that he read the messages, so Sirius sent him back the fried shrimp emoji along with an Angel fish.
One
Two
Three
Regulus: YOU
Regulus: ARE
Regulus: INSUFFERABLE
Sirius smirked to himself, clicking off his phone and shoving it into his back pocket. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at the city through the large window and let out a sigh. His stomach growled loudly. He could really go for a good burger right now. And an eclair from that bakery with the frilly green awning and the gold lettering in the window. What was that place called? It’s been a while since he’s been on this side of the city. His lips curled into a grin.
Sirius skipped over to the phone on the small table beside his bed, picking it up and quickly dialing the front desk.
“South Street McKinnon, Front Desk, Mary speaking, how may I assist you?”
Ah, yes. Mary was the one his manager spoke to when he asked if he could check in early.
“Good Afternoon, Mary, 1301, Sirius Black speaking, may I ask you for a favor, please?” Sirius tapped his fingers along the table next to the phone.
“Oh! Yes, Good Afternoon Mr. Black! I hope everything with your suite exceeds your expectations. We love having you here at the McKinnon. How may I assist you with this favor?” Mary replied, her voice a little bit too accommodating, just the way he hoped it would be for what he was about to ask for.
“May I borrow Remus for the rest of the afternoon?”
She paused. “My…apologies, sir. But did you say…Borrow?”
“Yes, borrow,” Sirius replied confidently into the receiver. “I need to go pick up some things around the city, and I’m unfamiliar with the area. Remus was so kind to me this morning, I was just hoping I could borrow him for an hour, maybe two at most.”
“His shift is over in thirty minutes, so I can’t promise he’ll be available for up to two hours, but I can ask him if he’d be willing to accommodate your request. Is that alright?”
Sirius smiled. Mary wasn’t willing to tell Remus he had to work past his scheduled hours, and Sirius appreciated that. That’s the sign of a good manager and a good person.
“Yes, thank you so much Mary, I really appreciate it. Just send him right up to my room if he’s available.”
About ten minutes later there was a knock on his door, and Sirius had to bite back his smile as he peered at Remus through the small peep hole in the middle of the door. Remus looked nervous and still a bit flustered from this morning. He was actually quite handsome, a spray of freckles splattered across his cheeks and a puff of sandy blonde curls brushed his forehead. The sides of his head were shaved down almost to his scalp. Was he trying to disguise a mohawk as a proper hairstyle? Sirius wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a professional looking mohawk before, and he also desperately wanted to know how Remus got that pearly white scar across his nose. Sirius was infatuated to say the least.
Sirius swung the door open and grinned up at Remus who flinched back at the sudden movement of the door. Then he tried to disguise it with a cough and a hand through his fluffy hair.
“Hello Remus, oh gosh I’m sorry, did I frighten you?” Sirius asked, but Remus shook his head and his awkward smile returned back to his lips.
“No, no you’re fine. I don’t like sudden movements,” Remus confessed, trying very hard not to let his tongue tie itself into a knot as the stumbled through his words. “Bicycle, car door.” Remus pointed to his face, specifically at the scar draped over his nose.
“Oh my gosh!” Sirius replied and covered his mouth with his hand.
“It’s fine, I don’t ride bicycles anymore. Or walk too close to the curb. I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” Remus said with a short sputter of a laugh. “I am nervous. You make me nervous. Gods, I can’t stop talking. I really can’t. Uhm, I am here because you requested me for helping you with something? Is that correct?”
Sirius nodded, hiding his grin by pressing his hands together in front of his mouth like he is in prayer. “Yes, that is correct.” Fuck, he’s so cute.
“Alright, yes, my pleasure, of course. What exactly is it that I will be helping you with?” Remus tilted his head slightly to the side and his sandy colored curls dipped over his eyes. Sirius had to stop himself from pushing his fingers through it so he could get a better look at the honey brown color of Remus’s eyes.
“I need you to help me find the best cheeseburger in the entire city,” Sirius said, looking up at Remus with hopeful eyes.
“What?”
“And I absolutely need an eclair from this bakery that has this tacky green awning that’s also sort of sweet if you don’t mind ripped, stained fabrics, and it has shiny gold lettering in the window, but I’ve only been there once and I don’t know the name.”
Remus parted his lips to respond, but Sirius kept talking before he could get a word out.
“I literally dream of this éclair, and I know it’s in this city and I am desperate for it. You’re not going to say no to a pathetic desperate man, are you Remus?” Sirius batted his eyelashes up at him, pouting out his lower lip just enough for the pink tint from earlier to return to Remus’s cheeks.
“Yeah, I know the place,” Remus said, voice soft and fond. The look on his face was warm and content, but it quickly vanished as he realized he was at work right now, and began patting his pant legs as if looking for something. “I think I know the best burger, at least by my standards, but I’m not sure if it’ll be up to yours though. Is that all? I promise, I will be as quick as I can fetching them for—
“Just let me grab my hat, and my sunglasses,” Sirius said, turning toward the bed where he discarded his things.
“What?” Remus stepped into the suite, but then quickly retreated back into the hallway when he’d realized what he’d done.
“Hat, sunglasses, a shit disguise, but it works better than you’d think,” Sirius said, stuffing all of his long, black hair under the hat and shoving the sunglasses over his eyes.
“Wait, you’re coming with me?” Remus said, sounding genuinely confused. There was a dimple in his left cheek right where the scar across his nose came to a point and Sirius thought it made him look much more innocent than the mohawk implied
“Obviously,” Sirius said with a laugh. “I’m not sitting up here alone like fucking Rapunzel.” Remus still looked down at him confused. “I don’t know where anything is in this city, so I just thought perhaps that nice boy from this morning wouldn’t mind accompanying me so that I wouldn’t have to order in and eat alone in my room like a troll.”
“I order in and eat alone all the time. Are you saying I’m a troll?” Remus teased, stepping aside as Sirius shut the door to his suite.
“That depends,” Sirius replied. A heart shatteringly cute Troll at that. “Have you ever lived under a bridge?”
“Once or twice,” Remus replied without skipping a beat.
Sirius grinned. “Oh, I like you. You’re fun.” He jabbed the button on the elevator. “Now let’s go Troll, I’m starving.”
——
Remus
Out of every possible way this day could have gone, never in a million years would Remus have guessed that he’d be sitting across the table at a dingy bar from Sirius Black. The Hogs Head was not a high class establishment, but it wasn’t a complete hole in the wall either. It was Remus’s favorite place to grab a bite when he had the extra cash, and their caramelized onions were to die for.
Sirius’s phone was going off just enough that Remus could hear it vibrating under the table, but Sirius never once reached for it, keeping his full attention on their surroundings.
“This place is marvelous,” Sirius gushed, eyes ping ponging around the room, looking at all the different plaques and beer steins that lined the walls. The wall behind the bar was littered with one-dollar bills all signed by various notable people that had wound up there, and he could see Sirius trying to make out some of the names scribbled on them.
“Rumor has it, that one right there in the bright blue marker, is signed by Betty White, but no one knows for sure because it’s pretty illegible, so I imagine she was probably drunk when she did it, but Sev the bartender swears it was her that signed it,” Remus said, watching Sirius’s eyes light up as they landed on the bill.
“Ugh, now she was a true gem, Gods rest her soul,” Sirius said taking a long sip of a beer Remus recommended.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sirius. He was still in total disbelief that he was eating lunch with Sebastian Churchill. Remus had been watching The Witching Hour not only just recently, but he’d been obsessed with the show for years.
“What is it?” Sirius asked him, arching an eyebrow and toying with a smirk on his lips.
“What?”
“You look like you want to ask me something,” Sirius replied.
Thankfully, the waitress, a young girl, stepped up to their table, placing their food in front of them. Her eyes kept wandering over to Sirius, and she looked briefly star struck for a moment when she took their order. Remus watched her bite her lips, offering him an apologetic glance before pulling out her order pad and holding it out to Sirius.
“I’m so sorry to bother you while you’re eating, but I love your show and I was hoping I could get your autograph,” the girl said, doing her best not to squeal.
“Oh, thank you so much, of course, it’s no bother at all,” Sirius said, taking the order pad out of her hand and scrawling his name across it. “You seem like a very lovely young lady, do you like working here?”
“I like it a whole lot more now,” she said, finally releasing the squeal she’d done her best to bite back. “Oh my gosh, season three, episode seven when Seb and Jensen take on that three headed dog, literally on the edge of my seat. It’s my favorite episode ever.”
“Oh gosh,” Sirius said with a laugh. “You know, they did not tell me that that damned dog was going to look so vicious. When we watched it back for the premiere, it was terrifying! I was scared for me, and I already knew how the episode was going to end.”
The girl smiled so big her cheeks crinkled the corners of her eyes. Remus is certain that Sirius just made her day.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, nodding at them briefly and running off back to the kitchen.
Sirius turned back to Remus, a soft smile on his face, then his eyes went wide as he stared down at the burger on his plate.
“This looks incredible,” Sirius said, picking it up without another word and sinking his teeth into it, practically moaning out a laugh as he did a little dance in his seat. Remus smiled at him, entranced by how different he was than the character he played on TV. Sebastian was always brooding, having grown up with abusive parents. His intimidating nature was part of the reason Remus loved the character so much.
Sirius caught Remus watching him, putting the burger down and quickly wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Delicious,” Sirius said, shaking his head as if to clear away a thought. “Truly incredible, Remus. Thank you for bringing me here. Now what was it you were saying before…” Sirius waved his hand around, implying that he meant the autograph and the arrival of the food. He popped a French fry into his mouth as he waited for Remus’s brain to catch up with his mouth.
“What?” Remus said, suddenly too nervous to pick up his own burger, so he mirrored Sirius and started eating some of his own fries.
“You looked like you wanted to ask me something, before,” Sirius said. He took two more bites of his burger, eyes drifting shut as he chewed.
Remus could feel his cheek heat with a blush. “Oh, no. I don’t think—
“Was it about the show?” Sirius grinned at him. “Are you going to ask me for my autograph and tell me about your favorite episode?” Sirius whispered behind his hand, only making Remus scrunch his nose in embarrassment.
“No,” Remus replied with a mocking scoff. He picked up another French fry and lowered his eyes down to his plate.
“You’re allowed to ask me about the show Remus,” Sirius said in a loud whisper, like Remus’s enjoyment of it was some big secret. “I don’t mind.”
“Promise you won’t be offended?” Remus twisted his mouth and closed his eyes, like he was trying to avoid looking at a car accident waiting to happen.
“Oh, well now I need to know. What is it? What’s the question?” Sirius seemed far too excited now.
Remus looked around the bar. There were four other guests, but none of them seemed to pay Sirius any mind other than the waitress. And he might not have another opportunity to ask this question, so it would be such a waste if he didn’t just do it now.
“Alright,” Remus said, lowering his voice and leaning a little over the table like he was sharing a secret. Sirius’s eyes lit with excitement and he leaned across the table too. “Is Sebastian gay?”
Sirius’s brow furrowed slightly for just a moment before he burst out laughing. Remus reared his head back, startled, not understanding the joke, but was overall relieved that Sirius wasn’t offended by the question. Sirius laughed so hard that he covered his face with his hands and wiped a tear from his eye, so Remus did what he did best. He kept talking nervously.
“It’s just that sometimes I feel like he’s got this tension with his roommate Riley, and he always takes such good care of him after the full moons, I just think something’s there, that’s all. My mistake. Maybe I’m just looking too much into it,” Remus said, then stuffed his burger into his mouth to get himself to stop talking. Sirius laughed even harder and Remus wasn’t sure how to take it.
“I’m sorry,” Sirius said, taking a deep breath to compose himself. “I hate to break it to you, but no. Sebastian’s not gay.” Sirius laughed again and shook his head. “I tried to convince the writers to make him gay, but my request was denied.”
“Why would you—
“Because I am.” Sirius grinned. “I’m gay. And Oliver, who plays Riley, is my ex-boyfriend.”
Remus stared at Sirius and swallowed roughly before letting his mouth hang open. “I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—
“Oh no, don’t be sorry.” Sirius waved his hand around like it was no big deal. “Out and proud, no secret confessions here, I assure you.”
“I didn’t know,” Remus said, but he guessed in a way he kind of had if he thought Sebastian was gay. “I’ve never seen you talk about it in any interviews or…” Shit Remus thought to himself. He just admitted that he’d watched Sirius’s interviews about the show.
“Yes, well. My manager thinks it would be bad for the show if I talked about it, because Sebastian is not. They think it would shatter the illusion with all the young girls that think I’m going to date them or something.”
“Jeez,” Remus said. “That must be a bit suffocating.” He thought about the time he came out to his mother and the first thing she told him was to not let his father find out. “Well, you don’t have to worry. Your not-so-secret secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you, Remus. That means a lot to me.” Sirius smiled at him softly and Remus’s heart skipped a beat.
“You know, I’m also gay,” Remus said, lowering his voice just a little, like a small amount of lingering shame from his father would always accompany this confession.
“Of course you are,” Sirius said with a teasing glint in his eye. “You’re a twenty-four-year-old man watching The Witching Hour searching for queer subtext.”
At that Remus let out a loud, whoop of a laugh, having to cover his mouth with the back of his hand. He felt absolutely mortified, but couldn’t help but see the humor in it. Then the smile on Sirius’s face dropped. Remus turned around and looked out the front window of the bar. Standing out there on the sidewalk was a large crowd, and several people had their hands cupped around their eyes, looking into the building. One girl pointed excitedly at the glass and squealed loud enough for them to hear from where they sat at the back of the room.
“Fuck,” Sirius muttered under his breath. “You don’t think there’s another television star in this bar do you?”
Remus glanced around the room. “Just you, I’m afraid.”
“I think I’m going to have the take a rain check on that eclair, Remus.”
Just then the waitress barreled out of the kitchen with an apologetic look on her face.
“I’m so sorry!” She said running over to them. “I wasn’t thinking, I told my friend that you were here, we always watch your show together, and I think she posted about it online.”
“That’s fine, I know you meant well,” Sirius said quietly, looking up at her with soft eyes.
“I’ll order a taxi, and they can meet you around back!” She said, whipping out her phone. “I’m so, so sorry. It’ll be under my name, so the driver won’t even know it’s for you!! And, and the burger is on the house!”
“Oh thank you so much, I really appreciate that. But you’ve done nothing wrong, I’ll definitely take you up on that taxi though, but don’t worry yourself about this. Happens all the time,” Sirius said, standing up from the table and waving Remus along to follow him.
“This way, again I’m so, so sorry,” the waitress said and turned to head toward the kitchen.
Remus watched Sirius slip a $100 bill out of his pocket and slide it under his plate before he grabbed Remus’s wrist and pulled him along after the girl.
The taxi pulled up and Remus and Sirius clamored in the back of it. The ride back to the hotel was only a few minutes, but Sirius asked the driver to go around the block a couple of times in case anyone was following them. Once they were finally back at the hotel, Remus snuck Sirius in through the kitchen door on the side of the building through the alley, and no one on the street seemed to notice, or care. Sirius even opted to take the stairs just to be sure no one in the elevator could find out which room he was in. Remus checked the hall before they left the stairwell and walked him to his door once the coast was clear.
“That was the best burger I’ve ever had,” Sirius grinned up at him.
“Sorry you didn’t get to finish it, and about not making it to the bakery,” Remus replied, as if that part was somehow under his control.
“That’s alright, I’ve been dreaming about that éclair for years, I’m sure I will be reunited with it again someday.” Sirius sighed wistfully, looking up at Remus with fond eyes.
Silence fell between them and Remus wasn’t sure how to part ways. If he was being honest, today was one of the most fun days he’s had in ages, and he felt a bit melancholy that it was about to end. Sirius chewed on his lower lip, lingering in the hallway by his door, flipping his keycard around between his fingers. For a moment, Remus thought he was about to invite him into his suite, but if there is one thing Remus knew how to do well, it’s ruin a good moment.
“This was a lovely day, Sirius. Thank you for requesting me to join you on this endeavor. If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to ring the front desk, or dial 1 for room service. Please, enjoy your stay here at the McKinnon.”
With that, Remus gave Sirius a flash of a smile, turned on his heel, and walked quickly toward the elevator. He pressed the button with shaking fingers and by the grace of all that is holy the machine ding!’d and the doors slid open and he quickly scurried inside, pressing the button for the lobby. The last thing he saw before the doors closed was Sirius standing in front of his suite with a frown, slowly swiping his keycard through the reader.