Talk gin to me
“— and he was all like ‘noooo, I don’t take this bus’,” Remus took on a mocking tone in imitation of Sirius, earning a snort from Peter. “So I boarded the bus without him because, work you know, and guess what!” He pounded his fist against the wooden table, earning sharp glares from the other customers, and Remus raised his hand sheepishly in apology before lowering his voice. “When I alighted from the damn bus, guess who the fuck I saw?”
“No!” Peter leaned forward, and Remus followed suit with indignation burning through his chest.
“Yes!” He dropped his fist down lightly on the table this time, a sarcastic laugh tearing through his lips. “My bus was delayed or whatever crapfuck, I don’t know, but Sirius got out of a 149 at the same fucking station!”
“You must be a downright sucky conversationalist for him to avoid you like that!” Peter managed to choke out between breaths, his head thrown back in laughter, earning a new wave of glares from not only the customers, but Remus himself. Peter didn’t seem to mind though, attention never bothered his extroverted friend.
“Piss off,” Remus tossed a chip at Peter’s face, who failed gloriously at his attempt to catch it with an open mouth. “I’m a fucking delight to behold.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re socially awkward, does it?” That earned Peter another chip thrown towards him, though he did manage to catch it this time, much to Remus’ disappointment.
Remus groaned as he slumped back into the stiff wooden-backed chair, glaring at his supposed friend sitting opposite him. “You’re a tosser,” he whined with another throw of the chip that Peter caught yet again. “Let’s go.” He sighed as he pushed himself away from the table, chip-tossing losing its fun now that Peter had learnt how to catch them.
Though the distance back home was short, with two pints of beer and a Shepard’s pie in them, their walk back was slow and lethargic, and Remus took the time to recount each and every single interaction he shared with Sirius since the day by the bus stop. “So, apparently we have the same schedule or something, because I’ve seen him like,” Remus paused as he counted on his fingers, “five times since that day, and obviously, I have to avoid him now, right?”
“No,” Peter replied, and because it wasn’t the answer that Remus was looking for, he chose to ignore it, much to Peter’s bemusement.
“Right, and so every morning I have to think of excuses like ‘oh, I forgot my bottle’, ‘I left my laptop’, and once, I even told him I forgot my keys even though I was holding it! That dumbass didn’t even notice!” Remus barked a laugh at that memory, pointedly ignoring Peter’s raised brow.
“All right Lupin,” Peter replied, in a tone Remus was way too familiar with, and Remus shot him a disgruntled glare. It was a tone that Peter had adopted in the later half of their friendship, one he commonly used whenever he thought Remus was being oblivious to a situation.
Before Peter could embark on his all-too-familiar rant about Remus’ naivety that he would vehemently protest against, they were stood by the front door his neighbour’s apartment with a bottle of gin in hand. From there, the soft thrumming of music could be heard, and Remus inwardly lamented not having drunk something stronger from the pub though Peter seemed to hold no such qualms as he opened and strode through the door, with Remus tagging behind.
The first thing Remus noticed was how insanely humid it was inside. The hot summer air had exacerbated tenfold the moment he stepped foot into the apartment, and from then on, everything was a blur for Remus. It must have been his socially awkward self-preservation at play, because the first half of the night fleeted by like a fast-forwarded movie.
One moment he was making his way through the packed hallways, the next they had been greeted with a hug by James. Remus and Peter were then introduced to James’ girlfriend, Lily, who despite her petite stature, was pleasantly big in personality. Sometime during the evening, James had left their side, leaving them alone with Lily who held no qualms in spending time alone with them.
She was an amazing conversationist, Remus found out, after they’d spent close to thirty minutes just chatting with her in the kitchen where the drinks were laid out. Remus had jokingly accused Lily of being a homophobe sometime after his fourth bottle of beer, after she had wrinkled her nose in disgust when he mentioned his preference for blokes.
“That’s not what I meant!” Lily had shouted in surprise, her hand flying out defensively towards Remus, as Peter and Remus broke down into unrestraint cackles at her reaction. Her outburst had caught the attention of James’ other friends - Artemis included - but Remus hadn’t found it in himself to be bothered in that moment. He was actually having fun.
“You’d get along pleasantly with Sirius,” Lily had sneered at him in response, to which Remus simply mimicked her previous reaction, wrinkling his nose at her mockingly. “Where’s that lil’ tosser anyway?” She asked, and Remus had pointed him out to her without thought, as she turned her head in the direction of his finger, in search of him.
Peter had nudged him in the ribs for that, and Remus made quick work of stepping on his foot in retaliation, causing him to howl in pain. Lily had turned around then, eyes alit in amusement at the sound Peter let out, before the two returned to their prior conversation surrounding Peter’s upcoming wedding. If Remus recalled right, they’d even made plans to meet with Emmeline, Peter’s fiancee, for a double date sometime in the future.
Then there was Artemis—, no, Sirius. Sirius was, as expected, looking ravishing even in the stifling heat. His raven hair was carelessly bundled up into a bun at the back of his head, slut strands framing his face in loose black curls. The sleeves of his band tee - The Blur - were cuffed, revealing the subtle definition of muscle on his inked biceps as he held a half-empty bottle of red wine in his hand. Remus quite openly ogled at the sight.
Never in his life had Remus met anyone who toed the line between tender beauty and handsome so artfully, that it was downright abusive that he had to bear witness to the sight. Remus believed that, in spite of his snarky little attitude, there was no way in hell that the man would ever have trouble finding a partner. Evidently, he was proven right, as the man beside him snaked an arm around his waist.
Remus remembered more drinking after that. There were some cheers and introductions with strangers when he reunited with James, and Remus was even pulled into a drinking game - beer pong they called it, despite the only resemblance to the game being the ping pong ball - that had left him significantly buzzed. He eventually had to excuse himself for some fresh air, which found him out in the balcony, with the door to the hallway closed firmly shut behind him to drown out the majority of the noise.
His momentary period of silence was soon interrupted by the click of the door opening behind him, and Remus turned around to find Sirius peering out curiously at him from behind the door. The smile that Remus gave him must have been some sort of invitation because the next thing he knew, Sirius had stumbled out into the balcony with a bottle in hand, promptly closing the door as he did so.
Sirius settled himself into the only other chair available beside Remus, and with a raise of the bottle in the form of a ‘cheers’, he brought the half drunk bottle to his lips and took a sip. Remus would have denied any and all notions that claimed that he was watching, but the swallow was involuntary when he noticed the bob of the other’s Adam apple as he drank from the bottle. His eyes traced the stray trail of gin that ran down his throat, and it was only as Sirius pulled the bottle away from his lips and held it out to Remus, that he was snapped back to attention.
Shrugging, and mainly because a distraction was sorely needed after he caught himself gawking at the neighbour that he disliked, Remus took the bottle by its neck and gave it a quick swig. As the familiar floral scent graced the tip of his tongue, he finally noticed the familiar shape of the bottle - Roku gin, his favourite. “Thanks,” he said as he handed the bottle back to Sirius, who took it with a glint in his grey eyes that glimmered under the sky light.
“I think you were the one who brought this,” Sirius said after taking another sip, his face falling into a friendly grin that tugged at Remus’ own lips.
“In that case,” Remus snatched the bottle back from Sirius, “you’re very welcome.” He said, after another mouthful. He breathed a sigh of relief as the alcohol warmed his throat. “God, I love this brand. It was killing me to see them have it with the mixers.”
With a laugh, Sirius beckoned for the bottle back and Remus handed it over to him. Instead of drinking, he started looking at the labels, hair falling from behind his ears into his face. His ears, were pierced across the helix, a silver chained industrial connecting both piercings and Remus looked away when Sirius turned back to him. “Is it not meant to be mixed?” He asked, finally tucking the strand of hair back behind his ear.
“It’s light enough to drink by itself,” Remus considered the bottle that was still in the other’s hands. “And it gets the job done.” He smiled at that, a fleeting memory of being knocked out drunk on his friend’s couch floating to mind.
Sirius nods, and then he takes another swig of the drink as they fell into silence. “I met lily, by the way.” Remus supplied, the alcohol sedating his prior conviction to just remain civil with Sirius.
At the mention of the familiar name, Sirius’ head snapped back up. “Isn’t she great?” He gushed at his friend’s girlfriend, while Remus nodded, his hand reaching for the bottle that they shared. “You know, I used to hate her when they first started dating?”
Remus baulked at his statement, his mind reeling back to—, was it hours? Minutes? Ago when he first met Lily. “No!” He exclaimed in disbelief, and Sirius laughed at his reaction with rapid nods of his head, his hair bobbing with the movement.
He tucked his already tucked hair behind his ears, it was habitual then. “Yeah it was bad, I even fought with James about it.” His gaze was distant, as if reminiscing on the fight, though the smile never left his lips. “I have what one would call a jealous streak.” And for some reason, despite that being their first conversation since they met, it made so much sense that Remus snorted a laughter.
“That sounds fitting,” the words left his lips before it registered in his mind, and if Remus was afraid that Sirius would be offended by the quip, he was relieved to note that the other had merely gasped in faux offence. Before the other could afford another word, Remus took hold of the bottle in Sirius’ hands and raised it to Sirius’ lips, in an attempt to shut him up before he could begin whinging.
Sirius smiled, the corner of his lips upturned beneath the rim of the bottle. Remus titled the bottle back, allowing the liquid to flow directly into Sirius’ open mouth. “Twat,” Sirius chided after swallowing, eyes crinkled into a soft smile that Remus couldn’t help but return. “Well’ now that I’ve shared so much about myself, it’s your turn.”
Remus hummed, teasingly. “Why should I?” He asked, raising a brow at the other who rolled his eyes in response.
“Because,” Sirius reached out for the bottle of gin, snatching it away from Remus’ grasps when he tried resisting. “You seem much closer to James, and my jealous streak is not okay with that.” He took a sip, eyes still trained on Remus.
“Can you blame me?” Remus scoffed, shaking his head at the other who gasped in faux offence before settling into a sombre silence as he rubbed his fingers against his chin, a depiction of a man in thought.
“Yeah,” he said, “yeah I think I can blame you.” He grinned back at Remus - a toothy grin at that - and without a moment’s hesitation, brought the bottle up to Remus’ lips before he could come up with a retort. Remus tilted his head back instinctively, opening his mouth as he did so, and Sirius began pouring the gin into his mouth.
Sirius was overtly generous with his pour, and Remus was soon spluttering as he forced the bottle away, all the while swatting at a laughing Sirius by his side. “Fuck!” He exclaimed after a difficult swallow, “Are you trying to waterboard me to death or something?” He wiped his mouth with his mouth, shooting a playful glare at the other who was shaking in laughter.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Sirius said, without a hint of sorrow in his voice, bursting out into a new series of laughter when his eyes caught Remus’. Utterly ridiculous, he was, and Remus found himself chuckling alongside him. Never would he have imagined himself talking to Sirius Black willingly, let alone, laughing with him.
After three clearing of his throat, and what must have been his fifth attempt at looking Remus in the eye without laughing, Sirius finally succeeded. “C’mon, tell me about yourself now!” He demanded, and Remus shook his head whilst cringing. God, did he hate that sentence and all the memories of awkward orientations in university it brought back.
“Fine, how about a game?” Sirius negotiated, and Remus hummed in response, an indication for him to elaborate. “We’ll ask questions, and we drink if we don’t want to answer it.”
“All right, go ahead, Black,” Remus offered, and Sirius visibly brightened in excitement. He straightened himself up in his seat, and stared at Remus in consideration. Remus avoided his eyes out of sheer embarrassment that he wished not to discuss.
Sirius clasped his hands together, turning fully towards Remus. “Are you attached?”
Remus shook his head. “Are you?” He threw the question back, the sudden memory of the other man popping into his mind. Where was that guy anyway?
Sirius shook his head, and Remus tilted his questioningly. He pointed back to the house with his thumb, “The guy you were with?” He asked, and Sirius’ lips parted, as if in realisation.
“Oh no, we’re not together,” Sirius clarified, “he's just a second date.”
“Just a second date?” Remus questioned.
Sirius nodded, “He’s too much of a finance bro.” Before Remus could even think to question what that could possibly have meant, Sirius waved his free hand in front of Remus’ face. “Shush I get two questions now.”
Remus rolled his eyes, helping himself to the bottle that was in Sirius’ hands in anticipation of drinking. “Are you seeing anyone?” Remus shook his head, and without hesitation, Sirius followed up with the next question, “Are you looking to date?”
Remus hesitated momentarily before shaking his head, instantly holding his hand up towards Sirius, the way the other had done to him just moments ago — it was his turn. “What exactly do you mean by finance bro?”
“He just—,” Sirius paused, stopping to consider his next words, “All he bloody talks about is his investment portfolio!” He whined, throwing his hands up in defeat as he shook his head in resignation. “Forget him,” Sirius waved his hand dismissively in the air, before levelling his gaze back towards Remus. “Now, why aren’t you looking to date?”
That stumped Remus — he didn’t know. He’d broken up with his ex-boyfriend over that certain something he was craving from the other, but the thing was, Remus was still far from figuring out what that something was. Did that mean that he shouldn’t date till he figured out what it was? It certainly seemed like it, though, he couldn’t possibly share that with Sirius. It would make him sound like a madman.
Instead, Remus brought the bottle of gin towards his lips, swallowing a mouthful despite Sirius’ complaints and protests. Sirius pouted - something no grown man should ever do, Remus believed - and Remus quite literally felt his insides kick up a fuss at the sight. It was fucked up how he managed to look good pouting despite being a full grown adult. “So, if finance bros aren’t your thing, what are you looking for?” He asked, an attempt to keep himself distracted from the sight of the other.
“Buckle in my dear,” Sirius winked at Remus, clasping his hands together before he turned his body to fully face Remus, who had snorted a breath of disbelief in response. “First of all, I want someone tall. Like insanely tall. Like y’know this tall,” he gestured wildly to a space above his head, his face plastered in seriousness. “Oh, and I guess it’s important that he gets along with my friends, obviously,” his fingers were now placed thoughtfully below his chin, eyes staring intensely at Remus as he considered his other requirements. “Oh, oh, and here’s the kicker. I like them a lil’ mean. You know with the bitch face and the sarcasm. God, that’s just sexy.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Remus exclaimed at the last point, shaking his head as he took another sip much to Sirius’ protest. “Talking to you exhaust me, let me have my drink.” He swatted his hands away, jutting his elbow out to prevent Sirius from stealing the bottle away from him.
Satisfied, he handed the bottle to Sirius, who brought it up to his eyes as he shook the remaining liquid with a sigh. “All right, my turn. If you were to date, what will you look for?”
Remus groaned at his question, earning a shush in response. “I don’t know, Sirius,” he shrugged, waving his hands in gesture for the bottle to be returned to him.
Sirius shook his head in denial. “C’mon, don’t be boring. It’s just a hypothetical question.” With a sigh, and a roll of an eye that he made sure Sirius took note of, Remus paused to consider the question.
The thing was, while he knew exactly what he was looking for in a partner - aside from the something that he still couldn’t figure out for the life of him - it wasn’t as if he could tell his requirements to anyone. He just knew, despite never having voiced out his inner-most thoughts before, that he’d be called crazy for them.
Instead, Remus chose to look back at Sirius, with only a helpless smile on his face. Finally, after what must have been a full minute of silent pleading, Sirius rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Fine. Only because I’m nice.” He pushed the bottle into Remus’ waiting fingers, and Remus beamed back at him as he took a long sip. “Do take into account my graciousness before you favour James over me in the future.”
Remus laughed as he sat the bottle back down onto his lap. “Maybe you’re what I’m looking for,” he teased, winking at the other who paused in surprise, before rolling his eyes at him with a shake of his head. Remus took a sip as he thought about his next question.
“How’d you meet James?” He finally asked, partly out of genuine curiosity.
Sirius perked up at that question, just like he did at the mention of Lily’s name earlier. “We attended the same boarding school so we’ve been friends since we were like 11? Or 12, I can’t really remember. Oh and we shared a dorm. Wait, actually most of the people in there were from our school, that’s why it’s just a ton of dudes.”
“Ah, so a gathering of posh nuts and a poor farm boy.”
“You grew up on a farm?” Sirius asked in wonderment, then realising that it would be counted as a question, he quickly retracted his statement with hectic waves of his hands. “No! Wait, that’s not my question. Nope, you haven’t answered it, so it doesn’t count.” He pressed his index finger against Remus’ lips, a forced gesture to stop him from speaking, and Remus couldn’t help the smile that crept up his face at his actions. He was a whole stinking idiot, Sirius was.
Remus watched as Sirius sat in silence, finger still held against Remus’ lips, as his brows furrowed in concentration. It was just questions to get to know him, Remus wondered why Sirius was putting so much effort into it. Finally, Sirius pulled his hand away, and with a sigh and a look of utter resignation, he asked if Remus had indeed grew up on a farm.
Remus burst out into laughter at the question, much to Sirius’ chagrin, and it took a while before he managed to calm himself back down. “It wasn’t really a farm, just a small town in the countryside.” He explained, thumbing the rim of the gin bottle between his fingers. “What about you? Have you always lived in London?”
It was a genuinely innocent question, but for the first time since they started the game, Sirius took a swig. Feeling inexplicably guilty for hitting a soft spot, Remus mouth a silent ‘sorry’ at the other, who instantly shook his head with a soft smile. Don’t worry about it, his smile seemed to say, though Remus still couldn’t help the twinge of guilt in his chest.
“My turn then,” Sirius announced, and when Remus straightened himself up to regard him, he seemed to shrink back into his chair, all prior conviction replaced with— shyness? “Well,” He hesitated, averting his gaze from Remus, “You know about James and Lily.”
Remus nodded. What was he getting at?
“Right, and I heard from James that Peter has a fiancee?”
Ah, Remus had an inkling where the conversation was heading. “Sirius, is that really your question?” He asked, mischief bubbling within him.
“No!” Sirius exclaimed, a little louder than necessary, and he shrank back into his chair for the second time that night. “I was just wondering if you were, you know,” He paused, and when Remus made no indication that he had caught on, Sirius sighed. “Remus, are you straight?”
Remus glanced down at the bottle in his hands — there were two mouthfuls left to it. He glanced back at Sirius, who still wasn’t looking at him, and so, Remus waited. He sat in silence until Sirius had the decency to look up, and when he did, Remus caught his gaze. He lifted the bottle to his lips, swallowing the last two mouthfuls in succession without breaking eye contact.
Remus thrust the empty bottle towards Sirius when he was done, all the while, the other was staring at him in wide-eyed surprise. “You fucking wanker!” Sirius cursed, eventually, though his lips were split into a smile.
Remus chuckled, pulling himself up onto his feet, before glancing back down at Sirius who was still staring at him from his seat. “See ya, Sirius Black,” Remus said, and without a second glance back, he headed into the apartment, heart inexplicably racing in his chest. He must’ve had too much alcohol.