1. New co-worker, New Roommate
The Gryffindor Diner, in Brooklyn, is a rundown restaurant just like you would find on every other street. The outside is lit in vibrant neon red and yellow colors, making it eye catching when viewed on its own but pretty regular in the busy streets of New York.
While it may look shabby from the outside, it in fact also looks ragged on the inside, however at least it seems more sanitary and warmer in there, unlike in the kitchen. Never let the customer see the kitchen.
Remus Lupin-, a 25-year-old young man with dirty blonde curls; and after a long shift at the diner, that doesn't just refer to the shade of blonde. He's tall and lanky, on the brink of giving up everything, every day, -comes into the small diner holding a tray with some some self made mooncakes on it.
He takes off the sheet of aluminum foil that protects them from anyone spitting on them on the streets while walking in this area. Placing one in front of Peter, a slightly older guy, who instantly goes right into biting down on it. Peter is always nice to Remus, but he does have something of a snarky, mischievous side of his own, especially when it comes to ungrateful customers who take it upon themselves to treat Remus like a dog; whistling, flicking and talking to him like he's a fool. Not to suggest that Remus can't stand up for himself, the sarcastic and sharp-witted one always has a way to put disrespectful people in their place.
Peter has always been enthusiastic about Remus experimenting with recipes and making baked goods. Remus is doing it as a little side hustle, baking a couple of pastries at home and selling them at the diner. Mostly cupcakes or a few pies, but his most favored things to do and peter's all-time favorite thing to eat; mooncakes, a traditional Chinese pastry.
He still needs to perfect the recipe, but he is fond of them. Having been taught how to do them when he was much younger, still a little boy in a children's home, not a lot of friends except for this one girl, who eventually grew to be like a sister to him. She showed him her favorite things and the things she had remembered from home, having been brought into the home as a nine-year-old, still knowing what it looks like to have a family around you. And he showed her how to be a bit rebellious without anyone noticing, how to cause a little bit of trouble.
The two of them moved out together as soon as they were off age and were legally allowed to, not wanting to waste any more time dealing with the strict, sort of scary guardians and the either depressed or aggressive kids. They stumbled upon a worn-out apartment in one of New yorks shabby neighborhoods that they could only afford with two jobs each, and that just covered the cost barely. But for Brooklyn, it was relatively cheap, and for a first place to call home when you're two kids who grew up on less than nothing, it seemed good enough to stay. She lost her life a few years later when a car crashed into them while they were on their way back home from work, take-away food in one hand and holding each others, to keep warm during the snowy evening, with the other. The person behind the wheel was drunk and couldn't see where the road ended, with the snow blanketing the whole area. Remus managed to survive with only a few scratches and bruises, she didn't. He still lives at the apartment, only barely meeting ends to pay rent. Still baking mooncakes. Still living.
peter bites into the cake “mhh, the bean paste really did get better this time”
“Thanks, babe,” Remus says, winks at him jokingly and smiles, walking further into the diner, and puts the rest of the pastries onto the counter of the diner. Turning around, he is met with James smiling face. James Potter, owner of the restaurant. James was brought up in a wealthy family, his parents come to pay a visit, at least occasionally. They are very lovely and welcoming people, always nice and never judgy to Remus, slipping the young man a few dollar bills and warmly inviting him over for lunch, what they are judgmental about is the diner. Remus can clearly see that in their face just about every time they walk in, but they support James and smile through their doubts, just gently reminding him of the fact that he could still continue working in their family-owned business if he wants to again, but their son decided he wanted something less boring than his office job he had before, and now he won't go back, always babbling to his friends, which are just his staff members, about doing something more exciting and adventurous. And what's better than continuing a diner he got from a suspicious old man, who probably wasn't really mentally conscious of existing in this world and was probably a cocaine addict, and then started running said restaurant in the middle of New York. Remus calls it playing poor and dangerous. But like the sun that James is, he always sees the bright side in things, and this guy really is passionate about what he does.
Remus doesn't look impressed “You fired Marlene”
“They didn't even want the job, already has a new one, I checked to make sure of that before letting them go. You see them enough already, seeing that Marls only lives one block next to yours...by the way, how is your other neighbor doing? You know, that very pretty red-haired woman who lives in one of the apartments above yours?” James resorted.
“Lily?... James no! Let her be, you only embarrass yourself whenever she's here” “That's not true!”
"It is! And it doesn't even matter that Marlene just lives a few minutes away from me, I don't care about spending time with them every single day. They can live a life of fancy rock star dreams alone without needing to ramble about those things to me, I just don't want a new co-worker, I can do the job alone" Remus explains, his voice frustrated.
"Yes, about that... I already brought in a new waiter to help you"
Ugh. Remus resisted the urge to just let himself fall to the ground and let himself get wasted away, which probably wouldn't take long, seeing as he was sure the diner floor surly had some diseases germinating on it. “I don't need help, Marlene didn't help anyway, I always did my job on my own while they talked up the ladies and took them to the freezer, and I liked it that way, don't need another one, plus I could use the extra money”
James just shakes his head, his excitement not dropping. “No, no, we need the other one. I already gave him the uniform, and he seems competent, has work expirience and he promised not to use the freezer as his semi-secret sex dungeon”
A man with long, curly black hair in an outfit that looked way too expensive to even be allowed to exist in this kind of diner, emerges from the bathroom, holding the yellow shirt and red apron that served as the uniform of the waiters between his thumb and index finger as far away from himself as possible“ehmm... James? I think this has already been worn and has weird stains on it, and it smells”
Remus takes a deep breath and looks at James “Nope.”
He ran into the kitchen, nearly running into Barty, shushing him just before the cook could make an inappropriate comment, James came in behind “Come on, give him a chance, he will make lots of tips, gorgeous young man”
“don't let Lily hear this. You always find the worst employees: the addict, the always pregnant one...that gave birth in the kitchen, the one that always slept with barty in the freezer and surly procreated children in the kitchen, Marlene” Remus says and rolls his eyes.
“Just means the kitchen is a place of new lives...Give him one day” James begs, giving him the eyes that mean he gets a little bonus at the end of the month.
Remus snatches the menu cards “fine, but he has to wear the uniform”
*
Ten minutes later, the new employee stands beside Remus, smiling as wide as if he were posing for a toothpaste advertisement. It really annoys Remus to the core “Stop smiling or else they will demand it from me too, don't be overly nice, just nice enough for tips”
“This is my not overly nice smile, I pulled it off on the cover of Vogue” he resorts throwing his hair over his shoulders, standing there like a five-year-old telling his mother he just puked in the middle of the night. Trying not to touch the uniform that smells like that exact situation.
“Well, just take those plates from the kitchen and get them to table C, easy first task” Remus says, writing down some receipts.
Sirius nods way too energetically and runs over to the small window connected to the restaurant's kitchen, taking two plates from the person in the kitchen with the black and green hair. He turns around and looks at the plates just before dropping them on the floor while shaking his hands “frick those are hot...and that meat definitely is a health hazard"
Remus walks over with a stoic face, looking completely unmotivated at the ground “yeah, yeah you never worked a day in your life, those hands never even seen dirty, and obviously, yes, that meat is a health hazard, it's the Gryffindor diner, not some five-star restaurant in Paris”
Sirius looks back, fidgeting with his hands, a resentful look on his face and then quickly starts rambling “okay maybe I enhanced my working resume a bit, but I have the best education and I really need the job. I have no money, I got thrown out with just a white shirt, my pants and a Gucci bag and one subway ride later it was just me, my shirt and pants and I still wonder how I manage to keep those on... I used to be someone with a great future, but my parents' business is dirty, and before I got to be the new hire, they threw me out. I need this job.”
“What are you? Orion blacks, son?”
Sirius just gives him a crooked smile.
“No way, you're Sirius black,” Remus says, shocked, trying to remember the picture he saw in the newspaper “Yeah, no, you definitely shouldn't be working here, maybe you're the health hazard after all”
“Come on, I can do this, I have nothing, I need that job”
Remus looks back and can practically see the absolute departed look in his eyes, he sighs “don't drop anymore plates, and don't lose the rest of your clothing, Mr. I was in Vogue”
*
“Okay, here is your split of tips, you actually did better than I thought you would...with your two dollars, I mean, the two tables you took care of had to wait some time and now need a new pair of clothes, but at least they liked your looks enough for two dollars.” Remus gives Sirius a small, encouraging but sarcastic smile, giving him his share of tips.
Sirius takes the money, looking at it, eyebrows rising as if he can't believe holding those little dollar notes in his hand, but he did burn a woman's legs with hot soup, so he can't really complain about the amount “...Moony really should upgrade his prices”
“moony?” Remus tilts his head and hopes he's not sitting in front of a manic schizophrenic Person right now
Sirius leans closer as he speaks in his gossip voice “The one who makes the baked things, the mooncakes, the idiot who makes the cakes is selling them so cheap, they absolutely don't know their worth, one street away, they cost like five times that price”
“Well, first of all, that other place that sells them also looks clean and has decent workers who can afford to only serve rich people. Second of all, that idiot who makes them is me” Remus quickly says
Sirius just shrugs, not really caring, his point still stands. He pulls out a handful of dollar notes out of his bag “I know business, come on, Moony, you could make so much money, look at what I made by selling them”
“I thought your bag got stolen”
“Sirius Black doesn't just go out with his Gucci bag, I snatched my Louis V. one too when I left the building. Also, not the pint right now! Look at all the money!”
“It almost cancels out your loss in tips” He stands up and gets ready to leave, inhaling the not much more fresh air of the city when standing outside.
Sirius emerges just seconds later "The city doesn't look that bad at night, it's kind of cute, all the small lights"
“Uh, huh, till you and your fancy pants get snatched away...do you have anywhere to go even, Sirius Black?"
Sirius nods quickly “Yeah, I live with some friends, yeah my rich friends across the bridge, going to take a good hot shower and wash this uniform.”
“I live some blocks that way, I would walk you to your destination, seeing as you're a living target, but I actually am dead inside and need to go home to process all the rich privilege you just showed me today, so see you tomorrow, try to not show off that fancy jewelry and work on carrying cutlery without dropping it in fear of clipping a nail”
*
A day later, Remus makes his everyday way to his waiter job, switching the walkways occasionally as usual to avoid the homeless guy that kept tripping him, the woman that tries to kiss him every second Tuesday, and the sleeping person on whom he isn't sure if they are still alive or not, but it is really not his business, and he doesn't even want to be near and risk getting attacked.
The subway arrives exactly as Remus steps a foot on the platform “Damn, doesn't even let me debate on jumping in front of it today” he mumbles and steps into the carriage, squeezing through some people to at least get a place where he can hold onto something. Not wanting to repeat an earlier week's event at which he fell into a group of strangers, yanking off the wig of an elderly woman, who then gave him a black eye.
His knees and back hurt like a bitch, but he knows better than to try to go for a seat, not wanting to risk getting anyone's ass in the middle of his face, and risking a pink eye after just getting rid of the black one. He tries to keep his eyes on the ground, but a certain pair of bedazzled leather boots catches his attention, his eyes drifting up to the seat, and no one other than his new co-worker, Sirius fucking black, laying on there, sleeping.
“The hell, he wants to get all kinds of illnesses or creeps all over him?” Remus mumbles “Black, you still alive?” continues while poking his shoulder.
Only for Sirius to jolt awake and hit him with something pink. For a second, Remus thinks he got stabbed and just hopes that he got knifed into some sort of important organ because he certainly could never afford the hospital bill and the cleanup of all his blood on the subway. But he quickly feels a pinching electricity going through him. He got tasered.
“Fuck, black, I swear to god if my hip is fucked again, you will have to do kitchen duty with Barty for your whole life”
the other one clasping his hands over his mouth, dropping the taser “I'm so sorry”
Remus just glares at him as Sirius helps to steady him and out of the subway at their stop, before speaking up, his voice still shaking “Did you sleep here?”
After he just gets a nod as an answer, Remus observes his face for a moment longer and then just feels a jolt of sorry for the other one “You could come to my apartment after work...for some days, it has enough room for you to sleep on the couch, I would rather not deal with beaten up co-worker who sits behind bars for tasering random people”
Sirius's eyes getting wide, looking at Remus in awe "You finally accept me as your co-worker?"
"It's been one day, you're horrible...you're on probation"
*
"On this way here, a man gave me 20 bucks..."
“He probably thought you were a hooker”
“What ? No?...well, maybe, it doesn't matter, got us 20 dollars” Sirius says as he leaves the Bathroom after changing into his uniform
“Why are you looking so bright and shiny”
“Washed my uniform in a public restroom yesterday after work. I was very concerned at first, but the soap actually smelled decent”
“ughhh Sirius, you will just cry when a drop of ketchup gets onto you” “I won't.”
“You cried last night in the break room because of your hair”
Sirius gasped and twirls his fingers in his hair “It's so dry, and from now on I will only be able to afford dollar shop shampoo, I will be bald next week”
James comes out of his office with a name tag in his hand, proudly presenting the freshly printed pin to Sirius “Here your own”
Sirius takes it from him “it says serious, like the emotion”
Remus snorts “that's funny, because he never is, still smiling like he won the lottery“ says while he leaves with arms full of plates
Sirius sighs and puts the pin on his uniform “Time to get serious”
*
“omg, you were robbed??” Sirius gasped as both of them entered the small apartment that is Remus's living situation.
“Nope, that's, uhm, New York's broke bitches aesthetic” Remus shrugs, throwing his coat into a corner
Sirius starts roaming around “mhm, yup...be real with me for a second...are you a drug dealer?, it gives off that vibe” asks as he is picking up some pills from the table
“What? No!..not anymore, that are just some painkillers. I have a second job teaching children of rich people how to read, count, and stuff, the parents can't find the will to help their own children with homework, it's no fun, I hate it... the adults, not the kids, well as long as they still aren't snobby in their early years” looks at Sirius intently
Sirius nods, not getting the cue “yeah I bet it gets very stressful, hate those people” he looks around the room “Well, it does look like a building with some walls and some furniture”
“Okay, so room tour, this over there...” points at a red door “is my bedroom, don't go into it-”
“don't want me to find out all your dirty secrets”
“tzz if you want to find dirty secrets you just have to look into the kitchen of the diner”
“There aren't even secrets, it's just dirty” Sirius says with a shiver
“True to that, James is way too nice on the cleaning stuff...and the rest of the staff. So over there is the bathroom. Let the shower run for a minute to get all the dirty brown water out of it before getting into it. And this is your couch”
Sirius nods, the smile on his face more a grimace, the horrified look on his face saying everything “great, looks...retro, probably feels like it too”
*
That night, Sirius Sleeps on the couch; he turns around and turns around, can't sleep. His mind is repeating memories he just wants to forget, wishing to black out with some whiskey, but not that cheap one Remus keeps on his shelf, he could drink straight gasoline and it would taste the same.
He turns around again before opening his eyes. Yeah, this was not gonna happening, this couch feels like it will swallow him whole and drench him in that weird-looking watermark that looks like it should have dried years ago but just never did.
He keeps looking at the red door before standing up, his feet slipping into his shoes. He would not set his bare foot onto the ground, he quietly sneaks into the bedroom of his roommate, closing the door slowly, without breathing to keep himself from making a sound.
As he turns around, he is faced with a propped up Remus, pulling out a knife from under the pillow holding it ready in front of himself
“Woah, it's just me!” Sirius quickly says. “I know it's you, Sirius, what do you want”
“can't sleep, it's not heated, and the couch hurts my back, and I don't have my weighted blanket and silk sheets”
Remus groans “Well, guess what idiot, I don't have your fancy shit either”
Sirius is still standing in front of the bed “Are you a murderer, Remus? Will I end up in one of those true-crime podcast episodes?”
Remus looks at him deadpanned “No, the crime would be too lame for them to make a whole episode out of it”
Sirius eyes squinting “I'm Sirius Black.”
“Well, Sirius Black, let me go back to sleep before you really do end up in a podcast”
“ Please let me sleep in your bed.” “No one sleeps in my bed” “What about any girls?” “I'm not into Woman” “Then men”
“Do you ever shut your mouth? No one gets into this bed, just me, my knife and occasionally a rat”
Sirius squeaks and jumps onto the bed “Rat?”
“Yeah, I still think it was Peter's pet rat he once took here and escaped, probably had a thousand babies here in this apartment” Remus recalls.
“Maybe the subway wasn't the worst place to live in” Sirius mutters to himself.
“Shut up and sleep on the couch”
“pleaseee I swear, I felt a roach crawling onto me, and It's really too small for me”
Remus presses his face into his pillow “okay if you finally shut up, crawl in”
Sirius smiles, quickly jumping in before Remus thinks too much about it and changes his mind. He squiggles closer till their shoulders touch
“Boundaries, Sirius” Remus grumbles and pushes him away.
Sirius quickly scrambles to the edge of the bed, closing his eyes “night night”
“Fuck off” Luckily, it's too dark for Sirius to see, and too late for an exhausted Remus to notice the slight smile on his face.
Current total: $300
“Remus?”
“mh?”
“I bought new hair products from the moon cake money”
Sirius waits for a punch, a snarky response or just a mean glare that would burn a hole into his last shirt, but he's just met with quiet Snores and a body lightly cuddled against him.
He fell asleep with a smile.