The First Meeting
The music echoed throughout the studio. Out the door and down the dark hall. The only light in the entire building came from studio 3. The clock showed 2:43. No one was in the studio at this time. Sweat fell from his black curls, his eyebrows set as he stared at himself in the mirrors. His breathing heavy. The burn felt good. His lungs racked against his ribcage, his heart beating in time with the music. With every tour jeté and assemblé his arms extended with perfect poise, lengthening with such calculated technique you could never tell he was straining every muscle to look so beautiful as he danced.
Regulus knew it was his last night at the academy, so he was sure to spend the last few hours in the studio. 8 years ago he had left Paris at 12 years old to begin his intensive training under his parents. During his youth he had always shown extraordinary promise. Even he knew this. With his talent he could easily rise to be the best dancer this generation had ever seen, better than Baryshnikov, better than Nurejew. At 16 regulus black had received calls from every ballet company across the world after his first professional role at 15. How he had loved dancing for them, he remembered the look of approval from his mother, remembered basking in the praise that was directing at him, and only him. Staring at cold green eyes in the mirror he could see how much he'd grown. Long gone was the baby fat in his cheeks, hollowing out high cheekbones. His hair, full black curls were a testimony to his name, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. After years of knowing the weight of this blood he’d learn to grow proud of it, willing to use his name to get him where he needed to be. He at least knew how to wield such a name, unlike his brother.
The same brother who at this moment was in Paris. Dancing as a principal dancer at the same company Regulus would be joining tomorrow. The same brother he had not seen in 8 years. Something bubbled in his chest, years and years of forgetting the brother who had been his only light. The brother who had been his other half. His carer, his friend, his blood. By now he’d learnt how to adjust to the dark.
The brother that had left him to stay in Paris. The brother that he had left to go to Moscow. His big brother.
Regulus packed his bag and turned off the lights. 3 am was late enough, he thought. He left, locking the studio door.
In an empty studio the brightest star shone through the curtains.
~
The smoke tailed around the red curtains of the wings. Remus knew surely this was a terrible spot for a smoke but he was sure to snap at someone if he had to be pushed around any longer. Rehearsal was going shit. His bass was resting against a spare amp, he just couldn’t sound right. Remus and Peter could always hear each other but today he was out of sorts. The theatre they were performing in was intimidating him. He was used to old halls and dingy pubs but this was a big step up. More than a step up, he’d taken the stairway to heaven and this was what was at the top. The only reason they’d bagged the place was because James’ Dad had composed almost every score that was performed in this theatre.
At every place he had ever played they had been the best thing there. But in this theatre every single act known to man had graced this stage, Remus couldn’t even begin to fathom the amount of performers that had stood looking into the same crowd he would next week. He was simply lost for words at his own insignificance, and it was really affecting his ability to play.
“Remus wherever you are, get back here NOW! We need to finish up rehearsal, the ballet company has the stage in an hour!” Lily had a loud voice when she wanted to use it.
“And you better not have gone for a fucking smoke in this theatre Remus Lupin!” she shouted.
"Hmm… now that you say that it actually does smell like his smoke” Peter said, Remus could practically hear the smile in his tone.
That was Remus' cue to pick up his bass and emerge from the wings as to not push Lily further. Peter, James and Marlene were all there ready to continue. Lily with her clipboard sitting in the front row. She had a headset to talk to Frank up in the lighting booth. “Okay run through again! We’ll start again from Satanist.” Peter counted them in.
The abysmal rehearsal continued for another hour before they had to pack up. Remus was angry and annoyed to no end and decided it would be better if he just kept to himself and packed away his lead and pedals while everyone else talked and regrouped. He was going to go home and practise again until he could sound half decent and then probably get drunk to forget how nervous he was for their coming performance. He had something to look forward to now at least.
“JAMIE!” someone bellowed from the theatre entrance. The minimal progress Remus’ mood had made in the last minute was now diminished. Who the fuck needs to be shouting so loud this late at night? It was beyond Remus’ current state of mind. He heard James run down the side door to meet the obnoxiously loud intruder. He saw them hugging like old friends. It wasn’t odd for Remus to not know all of James' friends. James had a second life at this theatre, after all he had grown up here. Remus was actually relatively new in James’ life having joined the band two years ago when their old bassist Severus had left. Immediately Remus had clicked with James and Peter, even Marlene who had a history of being harder to crack. It was his sarcasm and dry humour that had been the key to Marlene. They had been a proper band for a year now and he knew on a good day they were fucking amazing.
James’ Dad Monty was pretty much famous, a world renowned score composer for ballet, musicals and plays. James was no different, being classically trained in an absurd number of instruments he was sure to be his dad’s protégé . James had grown up in a world of privilege. Remus had been aware of this from the start, under the same circumstances anyone who wasn’t James would’ve grown into a spoiled brat but James was unlike anyone Remus had met before.
James was generous beyond comprehension, sharing his privilege with anyone who would take it, he wore his heart on his sleeve and had a demeanour of sincerity and charm that would have anyone falling to his feet. James never let anyone go uncredited and lived by an integrity stronger than the Earth's core. He was like the sun, always constant and like flowers in the springtime, people were helpless to open up to him and bathe in his light.
It was no wonder that he made friends wherever he went.
He heard James and his friend climb up the stairs. “Hey everyone this is Sirius, he’s a principal dancer for The Paris Opera, he came here early to see me so I thought I’d introduce you to him”
What a fucking strange name.
Remus could be a real judgmental bitch in his head. It didn't help that he was in a bad mood. Under better circumstances he would’ve thought Sirius to be a nice name, he had studied the Canis Major constellation back in his astronomy class in college, he knew the most about Orion’s hunting dogs, could even point out the Sirius star in the night sky without hesitation, but he would never admit that.
He turned around to pick up his amp before bumping into someone.
“Watch it-”
He was met with piercing blue eyes, framed by perfect eyebrows and long black curls that fell onto high cheekbones. The eyes which showed initial annoyance softened once meeting his gaze. Remus was gone far far away for a brief second before coming back to his spot in front of the stranger. He could already feel a deep blush coming along.
“And you are?-” gone was that loud booming voice, Remus was being addressed with a voice that was soft and smooth. His throat went dry at the sound.
“Remus, uh - Lupin. Remus Lupin” Now why the fuck was he stuttering? (oh he knew why) But he had been angry and annoyed just seconds before and now he found himself lost of coherent thoughts.
“Right… James told me about you” Sirius replied easily.
“Really?”, Remus heard himself sounding a little too eager. He could practically feel those eyes rolling over him in assessment
“Yeah a few times actually -sorry I have to go, our rehearsal is starting now”
Just as the words left his mouth dancers began to trail in with their bags. Sirius walked away and Remus couldn’t help but feel something in his chest at the sight of him turning away. He was met with one more look over the shoulder before Sirius began talking to a beautiful girl with dark curly hair.
Remus was now looking forward to getting drunk even more so.
~
James always dropped by the studio to see Sirius dance, he loved doing it. It worked well because he was working on the score for the company’s next production Giselle and James was looking to add his own style to the old score. He sat in the reception waiting for Sirius to arrive when the door opened.
It wasn’t Sirius but from where he was sitting he looked exactly like him.
It was the high cheekbones and the way he carried himself, more refined than Sirius but still with the same grace that must have been fostered during a younger age. The man had the same full lips and the same arched brows. Those black curls, so similar to Sirius’ fell perfectly on his head, James was sure that this artwork of a person that had walked in was related to Sirius to at least some degree.
He realised he was staring when he made contact with cold green eyes. The colour was slightly different to Sirius’, where Sirius eyes were a grey stone blue; these eyes were a sharp green, hinting to mystery underneath. James could have sworn he saw those eyes widened for a second. The gaze was penetrating, he couldn’t feel himself breathing. The eyes gave him a once over before they moved to the person at the front desk.
“I’m Regulus Black, I’m the new principal dancer.” The voice was cold like his eyes, giving no hint to how he was feeling.
James could feel his heart beating faster. Why hadn’t he heard about Sirius having a brother? They were each other’s closest friends, brothers even. Surely he would’ve known. Before he could meet Regulus' eyes again he was gone.
~