Karma's got you
The next day they were all back in the rehearsals studio, this time however it was with Dorcas.
The studio was one large room with all their instruments in it and some sofas and comfy chairs aligned along one of the walls. Dorcas was sitting on one of the chairs with her dark green clipboard.
"Look guys, the tour will have your songs from your album Wildfire. However, that is only 7 songs so you'll probably be doing some covers to fill in the time of the concert." Dorcas stated as she looked through her papers on her clipboard. She seemed to be getting a bit lost in them.
She licked her finger and flipped through another page "Okay, here it is. Throughout the tour it would be great if you slowly started assembling new songs. The sooner we get another album out, the better." She stated. Remus and the rest of the guys all shared a glance. "Those are just instructions from Alice." she added as she shrugged in defence.
"I don't understand this system, I thought you were our manager?" Peter called out.
"I am. I just have a boss who tells me what to do so I can tell you what to do. They run the Dorian studios. I need to follow some rules as well." her voice trailed off before she jerked her head up to look at him "You should know that, you know." She raised an eyebrow but Peter just shrugged in response.
"Anyway." she said as she started looking for something else but some of the papers fell out of her hand as she tried to relocate whatever she was looking for.
"I'm telling you. You should get an assistant." Sirius crossed his arms.
"I'm fine. I am not getting an assistant."
"Think about it. On tour there'll be twice as much shit to handle. I think you'd really save yourself with it."
"I think you'd save yourself if you'd stop talking anytime soon."
"Come on! Anyone would do. Literally anyone." Sirius called out rather enthusiastically.
"Sirius. I do not need for you to tell me how to do my job." she stated firmly.
Sirius put his hands up in surrender "Alright. I'm just saying, you wouldn't regret it."
"If I say I'll think about it, will you be quiet?" she sent him a death glare.
Sirius grinned and shrugged in response.
Remus found it endearing how everybody was so comfortable around each other and it wasn't all just professional bullshit.
"Okay now, the songs on your album are Dark Red, Rock and Roll, You Really Got Me, Fluorescent Adolescent, Twist and Shout, This Charming Man, Turn to Stone. Anything else I'm missing?" Dorcas asked as everybody made their way to their instruments.
James shook his head "No."
"Great. Then let's start with ‘Turn to Stone.’" Dorcas called out.
It didn't take long before Sirius gave a count down and they started playing.
The city streets are empty now
(The lights don't shine no more)
Sirius did all the vocals for all their songs while James sang the main parts. If Remus was being honest he was absolutely mesmerised by Sirius' voice. In his opinion, it didn't get enough recognition it deserved. There was something about it that just pulled Remus in.
And so the songs are way down low
(turn it, turn it, turn it)
A sound that flows into my mind
(The echoes of the daylight)
Of everything that is ali-
Suddenly Dorcas raised her hand into the air as she muttered under her breath "Take five." before she got up and walked out the room with her phone to her ear.
"Heyyy, how are you?" was the last thing Remus heard before she closed the door behind her.
"You think we were that bad?" Peter asked.
"Pete. She just went out to take a phone call." James replied and Peter shrugged in response. Remus noticed that he does that a lot.
"Prongs, can I have a cig?" Sirius asked James as he walked up to him.
"I thought you said you qui-" James said but was cut off by Sirius sending him a death glare. James obliged and handed Sirius one. Remus decided not to question it.
"You coming?" Sirius asked. Remus had one this morning but the way Sirius was looking up at him with that stupid smug grin on his face... How could he say no?
"Sure." Remus replied as he followed Sirius out into the hallway. Sirius proceeded to lead him towards the room 505. Inside the room there was only a table and a cabinet, it was a small space that looked like nobody stepped foot in in the past month.
However, there was a huge window that Sirius proceeded to open. He then held out his cigarette to Remus "You got a lighter?"
Without replying, Remus fished for his lighter in the front pocket of his jeans to then light Sirius' and then his own cigarette.
"Your singing is really good." Remus found himself saying after a few moments.
"Thanks." Sirius smiled up at him. His smile was awfully pretty. And so was his grin. And his face and his eyes and his style and his-
"You know what I realised?" Sirius chuckled.
"What?"
"That both of the times we went out to smoke it was because someone else left the room to make a phone call."
Remus thought about it for a second before he smirked down at Sirius. There was a slight height difference between them, it's not like Sirius was short on a normal basis. But standing next to Remus he was. "Oh yeah.." Remus chuckled.
"Why did you call James 'prongs'?" Remus asked.
"Oh, just a nickname. We all have them. We came up with them in highschool."
Remus snickered "And where the hell did prongs come from?"
Sirius smiled "Well there was this fireplace in the common room of our school and it was kind of old fashioned, you could say, and there was a head of a stag above it. James was standing there while telling us something when all of a sudden the antlers of the stag fell off it’s head directly on him. Nobody let it go until it turned into a proper nickname and I guess it stuck."
Remus laughed. He would have paid to see that happen in real life.
"It was really funny." Sirius laughed along.
"What about you?" Remus asked.
"What about me?"
"What's your nickname?"
"Padfoot."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "What."
"Well once I found this stray dog outside the school and decided to bring it in, but I was like thirteen or something so I was too stupid to be doing some genius ass plans; so I brought the dog to our assembly."
"Idiot." Remus laughed at him. Sirius laughed along.
"Yeah well, when the teachers found out I said that his name was Padfoot and that he's the new mascot of our school." He laughed.
Remus snickered as he and Sirius shared a glance before Sirius continued again.
"They took the dog away and made me wear a hat that said 'Padfoot' for the rest of the week."
Remus let out a full laugh, Sirius seemed almost taken aback by it, but was still laughing along. When Remus calmed down again he asked.
"Does Peter have one?"
"Hell yeah. He's Wormtail."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. Deadass. He had a girlfriend in our last year of highschool and she was like a psychic or something and in front of the whole school, she announced that he's most compatible with a rat." Sirius was struggling to speak in full sentences because of how much he was laughing. Remus was laughing too.
"That's so unfortunate."
"Tell me about it."
Remus smiled at him as they held eye contact. How did Remus manage to miss the presence of Sirius Black was truly a mystery to him. Sirius was good looking, there was no doubt in that. But Remus felt as if there was something else about him. Something Remus was yet to know.
"Where'd you get those scars." Sirius asked him. It took Remus by surprise as he dragged his finger along his face, where his scar was. Almost as if he was reminding himself they were there.
"Long story." Remus said and Sirius seemed to get the message. He didn't ask again after that.
"You're way better than Nate, you know." Sirius took a drag of his cigarette.
Remus raised an eyebrow at him.
"I never really liked him. But we were desperate to start a band and he was really good at playing.. You're better though."
Remus smiled to himself as he looked down at his feet and blew out some smoke.
"What happened with him?" Remus asked.
"Called me a whore and told me I should go off myself."
"HE WHAT!?"
"Yeah. Crazy I know."
"We're you like a thing?"
"No. I'm straight."
Remus raised an eyebrow at him. He thought about the fact how straight men usually didn't wear eyeliner, baby tees, doc martens, converse and baggy jeans but he wasn't going to start stereotyping anyone so he brushed the thought away.
"Oh?" Remus let out with a raised eyebrow.
"Slept with his sister."
"Oh."
Sirius laughed "Yeah. Oh."
"Want me to pour instant mashed potatoes in his front yard?" Remus joked.
"Oh please do." Sirius laughed.
Remus thought about how easy it was to talk to all of them. Sirius was right. He felt like he was going to fit in.
-
It has been a week since Remus joined the band and he'd be lying if he'd say he wasn't enjoying it.
"What about you and Lily?" Sirius asked James. James just shook his head in response.
"What? What happened?" Peter jumped in, they were all interested now.
"She's nice and wonderful but just. We have separate lives. She likes being private and she couldn't do the whole celebrity thing if I became famous. Plus long distance would be a pain while I'm on tour." James explained as they all shared a sympathetic glance.
"But you're still friends, right?" Remus asked him.
James nodded "Oh yeah. Thank god honestly. She's really nice."
"Well, plenty more fish in the sea, am I right?" Sirius pat him on the back but James just sent him a death glare "Not if you sleep with all of them before me." James snarked back. Sirius' jaw dropped dramatically as a joke before they all broke out into a fit of giggles.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the studio.
When they all turned their head around the found Dorcas standing in the doorframe with none other than Regulus fucking Black behind her.
"Regulus!?" Remus and Sirius both exclaimed as they shared a look between each other.
"She made me do it!" Regulus protested when suddenly Dorcas handed him the clipboard she was holding "Oh hush it." she said.
"Boys, Sirius." she started as she looked at Sirius. "You said I should get an assistant. Well here he is."
Sirius stared at her with wide eyes "I didn't mean my brother!"
"Well you did say anyone would do." she shrugged.
"Why the hell did you agree anyway?" Sirius turned to look at Regulus who just rolled his eyes.
"Dorcas is one of my close friends. So is Remus. Don't flatter yourself."
Sirius crossed his hands in front of his chest as he muttered out "Rude."
Remus turned his head to look at James who seemed to be a little lost in thought looking over at Regulus and Dorcas.
"James?" Remus called out to which James immediately snapped back to reality "Oh yeah, sorry? I don't know."
Remus laughed, "Nothing, you're good."
"Oh."
Dorcas suddenly started again as she pointed to Regulus "Well he'll be on the tour with us, so you better behave."
Sirius let out a huff. Remus wasn't sure if it was sarcastic or not.
"Now let's state some ground rules.." Dorcas stated as she walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, Regulus sat down on the chair next to her.
"Number one: don't leak shit. I will come and find you.
Number two: don't run off unless I tell you you can, or I know about it.
Number three: please don't bring girls everywhere with you, I don't need to be worrying about more people than I already am. I'm looking at you Black."
"Me?" Regulus questioned, surprised.
"Sirius." Dorcas declared and another one of Sirius' grins spread across his face.
"Well what can I say? If the ladies need me, they need me."
"Yeah, tell that to someone who cares." Dorcas stated which made everyone burst out laughing. SIrius just stared at her with a shocked expression.
"Sorry that was unprofessional of me." she muttered under her breath.
"I feel like for the past week that I have been here, nothing has felt entirely professional." Remus said and it made Dorcas smirk.
"Yeah well, good thing I'm actually friends with you all. Wouldn't wanna be stuck with some lame old lady, no?"
"Definitely not." James finally said after about ten minutes of being completely silent (which was probably one of James' top ten records of staying silent around his friends).
"Okay great. That rule applies to guys too by the way. No flings please." Dorcas added while everyone stared at her blankly.
"Number four: no smoking inside the places where we're at. I don't need to be sniffing cigarettes at every event we go to. That goes the same for drugs alcohol and other substances."
"What if they serve wine at the event we're at?" Sirius asked.
"Well obviously that's not getting blackout drunk, you dimwit." Peter said as Sirius playfully hit his head. Remus and Regulus both chuckled.
"Yeah, what Peter said." Dorcas stated "If I add anything else to the list, I'll tell you.
Everyone nodded in response.
-
Regulus was absolutely forced to do this.
Dorcas called him one day telling him that he should quit his job and come over to be his assistant. He in fact did not quit his job, but he did come over. And that's exactly why he was sitting in a chair, in a studio, watching his brother and his best friend's band practice. They were quite good actually.
Him and Dorcas knew each other back in highschool when they were both sent to summer camp by their parents. They stayed in contact ever since. Even though they were quite close, when Dorcas was working she didn't have anybody telling her what to do (except Alice and Frank who were her actual boss), so Regulus was fully prepared to being actually bossed around (kind of the point of being an assistant so..).
It all felt so weird. He and Sirius haven't spoken one on one in over a year. Sirius had been texting him non-stop though. Regulus would be a liar if he'd say he was mad. He was glad at least some part of his family stayed, despite how bad the family might have been. He at least had Remus there though. It made things more bearable.
An issue Regulus didn't think he would be dealing with is James fucking Potter. It was unfair.
They had met once before when Regulus decided to show up to Sirius' birthday party in New York. They exchanged a few words, but that was it. Regulus does not remember him looking like that and he hates it.
He was forced to do this job, be with his brother (which actually surprisingly wasn't really an issue) AND now has to be with him every day? God hated him.
James looked even better than last year, or at least from what Regulus remembered (which wasn't a lot really). He had black messy hair with really dark brown eyes, he was slightly tanned, a bit taller than Regulus AND built like a fucking greek god. What the fuck? Unfair. Just truly unfair.
At least he got to look at him without it being weird.
Oh the boys a slag, the best you've ever had
Right now they were playing the song 'Fluent Adolescent' or whatever they called it. Regulus couldn't remember. But they were good. They weren't really that famous yet, with only one album out, but they definitely deserved to be. It was easy for Regulus to imagine them up on stage in front of thousands of people.
The best you ever had is just a memory and those dreams weren't as daft as they seemed,
not as daft as they seemed my love when you dreamed them up
James' voice was something Regulus wasn't prepared for either. When he talked normally, his voice was rather soothing and calm. But when he sang? God, it's unfair for a human to be like this.
His voice was smooth but had a little something in it that Regulus couldn't quite describe. It was like listening to something and wanting to hear more and more but never quite being able to get enough; it was truly addicting.
Once the song was over Dorcas nodded her head with a smirk "Good." she said.
James beamed at that and Regulus thought it was the cutest thing someone could do. No, stop it. Brother's best friend. Brother's best friend. Brother's best friend. Brother's best friend.
"It's because of Remus." Sirius called out in which Remus looked back at him with a smile and they shared a glance. Regulus decided to not pay too close attention to it, for his own good.
"I know I make the best decisions, no need to flatter me." Dorcas replied sarcastically and it made Regulus chuckle under his breath. Sirius rolled his eyes with a smirk.
"Tomorrow," Dorcas started with a more serious voice now, "we're having a band meeting okay. I want all of you at my office at the Dorian studios at 12pm. You won't have to practise but we need to go over the necessities of the trip."
Suddenly she turned to Regulus as she pointed a finger at him, "I want you there too."
Regulus nodded in response.
"Everyone clear?"
"Eye eye captain!" Sirius called out and it made Regulus roll his eyes. He was truly embarrassing sometimes.
Dorcas seemed to have the same reaction as Regulus "Okay great. Tomorrow, my office, 3pm. Black if you're late I'm going to strangle you." Dorcas threatened as she got up from her seat.
"You said that yesterday, yet I'm still here." Sirius called out.
"Don't push it." she declared with a sharp tone as she started walking out of the room. Before she closed the door behind her she turned back to Regulus.
"Please bring the clipboard you're holding tomorrow too. Bring it everywhere actually, please. It would really help me out. Thanks." She stated before she was out the door fully and the door was shut behind her.
Suddenly Remus walked up to where he was sitting and sat in the chair next to him.
"Karma's got you." he muttered out with a smirk.
Regulus sent him a death glare before his lips twitched upwards "Shut up." he mumbled.
-
Remus found himself sitting in the same office he was sitting at for the first time a little over a week ago. For him, it felt like an eternity.
He clicked with the rest of the group almost immediately and although he wasn't fully comfortable around them yet, Remus could feel himself getting there. There weren't many problems within the band so Remus didn't have anything to stress about most of the time, maybe except like learning all the songs, but that was it.
The only real problem that Remus was facing was Sirius. Right now, he was facing him quite literally as they sat opposite to each other in chairs in front of Dorcas' desk. James and Peter sat in between them.
The problem was that Sirius was distracting. He had known the man for a week. Or well, from Regulus' stories he had known him for about three years, but he officially met him a little over a week ago. Remus was already a goner.
He hated to admit it. But he had a crush on him. A stupid, highschool boy, crush on him.
How could he not? Sirius had high cheekbones and greyish eyes. His hair was quite long but silky, Remus was fighting the urge to not run his fingers through it. His style always had a rock and roll sense to it. And his whole presence was just... Alluring.
Now, all four of them, Remus would say, had a good fashion taste compared to other people he met in his life. They were all allergic to wearing skinny jeans or pants in general (which they quite bonded over actually), James always wore polo shirts, shirts with rolled up sleeves or band t-shirts that he probably had been storing in his closet for some time (some had tiny holes in them and some seemed to be a bit tighter on him). Peter always wore the most basic kind of shirt, sometimes it had a silly little picture on it. Remus remembered him yesterday when he wore a shirt with a cat smoking on it; Remus found it funny.
Sirius, however, stood out from the rest of them. He loved to abuse his Doc Martens or Converse shoes, he either wore the baggiest jeans known to mankind or some flared jeans. He almost always saw him with a leather jacket and some band t-shirt underneath it. If Sirius was having a good day, or had an occasion to go to, he'd be wearing the slightest bit of eyeliner in his water line, barely noticeable. Remus noticed.
"We're you like a thing?"
"No. I'm straight."
"Regulus, do you mind?" Dorcas looked at Regulus who was sitting in the chair next to her. He pulled out a paper from his clipboard and passed it to her. "Thanks" she mumbled to him before she turned to the band again.
"I already went over the ground rules. Just please don't do anything stupid." she stared as she quickly glanced at Sirius mid sentence. Remus fought a smile on his lips.
"For now, we only have 8 destinations we're going to. If you manage to do well, people will get interested." her voice trailed as she looked down at her paper again "then we add more places to perform at, stretching the tour a bit longer."
"Anyone have a problem with that?" she asked as she looked up and scanned the room with her eyes. Everybody seemed to stay silent. Except Regulus who uncomfortably shifted in his seat.
Without even looking at him Dorcas started "I told you to quit your job Reg, I'll pay you enoug-"
Regulus cut her off mid-sentence "I know you said I should but I didn't. I'll just tell them to not pay me if it extends, maybe I'll be lucky enough and they won't fire me."
Regulus worked as a barista. It was one of the fancier ones in New York. Still, Remus didn't understand why he was holding onto that job with his entire life. Maybe it was the love for coffee or the urge to mess with rude customers that kept him going. Remus did not know.
Dorcas finally looked at Regulus as she smiled "Good luck with that." she said sarcastically which made Regulus roll his eyes. He suddenly glanced at James. Remus couldn't help but follow his gaze over to where James was sitting and staring at Regulus. Like the man was not even hiding it. Remus felt second hand embarrassment for him. Regulus looked like he did too. Or at least he looked a tiny bit distressed.
A normal person wouldn't be able to tell when Regulus black was distressed. Remus, however, could.
"Okay the first destination we're going to is Chicago. Then it's Palm Springs, Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Miami, Nashville and then we decide if we extend the trip. If we don't, we end our tour back in New York, if we do, we may even go to Europe for a bit."
Everybody seemed to light up at the mention of going to Europe as everyone exchanged excited glances between each other. Remus started to picture what it would be like to be back in London. Except this time as a member of a band performing in front of thousands of people. If you told Remus a month ago, this is what he'd be doing, he would have laughed in your face.
The meeting didn't end long after that. It was mostly just Dorcas and Sirius bickering back and forth, which Remus found oddly entertaining and James staring dumbfoundedly at Regulus (?).
When they were all free to go James stopped Remus in front the building again, just like the first day, except this time he was alone.
"Hey Remus, can I talk to you for a quick sec?" he asked as he looked up at Remus. Remus raised an eyebrow.
"Sure.. What's up?" Remus replied a bit unsure.
"Well okay. I know we've been only friends for a week and something, but I feel like we've grown closer than I have with other people, no?"
Remus raised an eyebrow "Sure..?" he was scared where this conversation was heading.
"Well basically-" he started but was cut off by Sirius who was screaming at Regulus, however it didn't seem personal whatsoever.
"YOU WHAT? HOW DARE YOU LET SOMEONE GO DOWN ON YOU?! YOU HAVE BEEN IN NEW YORK FOR ONLY A YEAR AND A HALF!" Sirius was being very dramatic (as always). Regulus seemed to be getting pissed off more and more, even though Sirius didn't fully mean it. "Will you be quiet? It's not like you don't sleep with a new person each night." he gritted through his teeth, clearly embarrassed. Remus tried his best not to laugh as Sirius lightly hit Regulus' head.
Suddenly James next to him muttered under his breath "I would let Regulus go down on me."
Remus felt that his eyes had never widened as much as they did in that moment. "Come again?" He asked, very confused.
James just shrugged in response, still looking at Regulus.
"James. You say a lot of shit as a joke. I need to know if this is a joke or not." Remus stated as he pointed a finger at him. James however seemed completely calm as he just turned his head around to look at Remus.
"Are you joking?"
James stared at him dumbfoundedly. Almost as if there wasn't a single thought behind his eyes.
"James..?" Remus asked, unsure.
"Remus...?"
Oh for fucks sake.