Bonfires
Remus feels really out of place at the table. It’s literally his family’s bar, yet he feels weird. James is on his left, his leg pressing against Remus’s bad one. It aches, oh how it aches, but he won’t say anything. His friends are more important right now. Hope, his mother, and Lyall, his father, are sitting across from them, next to Monty and Effie. Effie has been talking to Hope all night and Monty has been making small talk to the Black brothers. One of the Black brothers is on Remus’s right.
In all honesty, he already forgot their names.
The one on his right is taller than the other, but shorter than both Remus and James. He’s got long, silky black hair that almost reaches his shoulders. Hidden behind his hair, is a little tattoo right under his ear. Two stars right next to each other. He has pale skin, like really pale, almost to the point Remus wonders if he’s healthy. The Black brother is also strong, like really strong. Remus can see it in the way his muscles flex when he reacts for something.
The other one is next to the taller one. He’s shorter than all of them, but only by a couple inches. His hair is neatly trimmed and the same color black as the other brother. He has barely noticeable freckles on his cheeks. From what Remus can see, his skin is completely unmarked and the same pale color as the other Black. He has a lot of rings on his slim fingers.
Remus is also amused by the way that they act. Both of them ordered a salad with water, while everyone else at the table either got wings or a burger. The brothers both put a napkin in their laps, almost automatically, and both of them don’t put their elbows on the table.
Remus glances over at James, who has buffalo sauce all over his face. Remus doesn’t understand how someone can be so messy. He has sauce all over his lips, a bit on the collar of his shirt, and on the frame of his glasses. He’s smiling at Lyall, talking his ear off about football.
“Yeah, so, basically, I’m the quarterback, right? Evan’s playing wide receiver once his ankles healed, but if you ask me his ankle is fine, he just doesn’t want to go to conditioning,” James mumbles with a mouth full of food.
Lyall chuckles, “well, kiddo, I don’t blame him. From the looks of it, conditioning is giving you hell.”
“Definitely, sir, I can barely walk. My legs hurt so bad. We ran 20 in 20s yesterday. Which is 20 hundred yard sprints in 20 minutes,” James rambles, “Fabian passed out on the 17th. It was hot yesterday.”
“Telling my secrets, are we?” Fabian says. James jumps and whips his head around.
Fabian and Gideon, the Prewett identical twins, have worked at Lupin’s Bar since before they bought it. Gideon is a dishwasher and works in the back, mostly keeping to himself. Remus has notices he’s shy like that, he likes being in the back.
Fabian, on the other hand, is a server. He likes being able to help people. He likes talking to people he knows and serving them.
“Sorry, Fab, just talking about the 20 in 20s from yesterday,” James says, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Ah, brutal, those were,” Fabian flashes a smile, cleaning up the wing basket from in front of James. “It was hot yesterday, Mr. Lupin, I promise I wasn’t just weak. I’ve been sick, yknow that.”
“I do, which is why I asked you to take the day off,” Lyall says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Can’t do that, Mr. Lupin!” Fabian calls over his shoulder as he walks to the next table.
“I didn’t know he was behind me,” James mumbles embarrassingly, wiping his hands on another napkin.
Lyall chuckles, “that’s alright. Fabian is quite the sweetheart.”
“That I am!” Fabian calls from the table over, causing that table to break out in laughter.
Remus smiles, looking down at his own half eaten burger. It’s good, really good, no doubt Molly’s cooking.
Molly Prewett, the younger sister of the twins, is the head chef. At the age of 16. Honestly, Remus is really impressed by her. She’s only a year younger than him, but she cooks amazingly. She has the same red hair that her brothers have, but she isn’t as slim and as tall.
“So,” Effie announces, setting her fork down in her wing basket, “I was thinking that the boys could have Remus over tonight for a bonfire, only if your okay with it, Hope.”
Hope, Remus’s mother, immediately nods, “of course. It’ll be good for him.”
Remus internally groans. He really, really, really, doesn’t want to be sat around a campfire with all of James’s friends and his new brothers.
God, James is lucky Remus loves him.
“James, darlin’, you can invite who you want,” Effie says, politely cleaning up the plates and baskets.
“Well, we better get back to work. Thank you for inviting us to dinner. Don’t worry about the price, it’s on the house,” Lyall says, giving Effie a quick hug and Monty a firm handshake. (Remus didn’t miss how Monty slipped a 20 under a plate for Fabian) “Nice talking to you, James.”
James smiles, “nice to see you too, Mr. Lupin!”
“And, of course, nice to meet you, Sirius and Regulus,” Lyall says, reaching over to shake their hands.
Ah, there it was
Remus remembers their names.
Sirius and Regulus.
The star brothers.
—
Regulus feels really out of place. James introduced all of his friends to them, but he doesn’t remember all of them.
The ones closest to him are two boys. One of them is taller and he has dark black hair. It’s short and the ends are a faded green. He’s dressed in a Johnson County faded t-shirt with jeans that have holes in them. Not cut out holes, faded holes. He has a silver chain dangling from one of the belt loops.
Don’t even get Regulus started on the man’s converse. The black on them has faded so much that its a dark gray now. The once white soles are now a gross brown from mud. The left shoe is being held together by a long strip of gray duck tape.
The man standing on his left is smoking a cigarette. He’s shorter than the dark haired man but only by a couple inches. This man has pure white hair with pale skin and very noticeable freckles. He’s dressed in an AC/DC black sweatshirt with jeans and clean white converse.
On the other side of the bonfire is a group of four girls.
The one on the far left is a redhead. She’s a bit chubby with large hips and a round stomach. She’s not very tall but not too short either. Her hair is a fire red with matching brown freckles all over her skin. She’s wearing an oversized red crewneck with black joggers and a pair of white On-Clouds.
The girl next to her is really tall, like really tall. She has brown skin with short curly brown hair. Regulus thinks she’s dressed really cute, with a pink top and jeans. She’s also got the cutest pair of converse he’s ever seen; they are white with tiny pink bows all around them.
Next to them, is a couple of girls. Regulus remembers that they are both openly lesbian.
One of them has dark skin with braids to her legs. The braids have threads of dark red in them and gold accents. She’s very tall with long legs and long arms. She’s wearing a soft blue hoodie with leggings and a pair of sandals.
The other girl is blonde. Her hair is short and shaggy. Her ear is covered in piercings, along with one on her nose and her lip. She’s dressed in a warm, red, Johnson County sweatshirt with a bottom bell pair of jeans and brown boots.
Regulus thought she contradicted herself. She’s dressed like a stereotypical cowgirl, but her hair and piercings make her look like she’s from the city.
Regulus directs his gaze over to the group of boys on the other side of the fire.
“Idiot! You don’t- JAMES!” Remus exclaims as James pours a bit more lighter fluid over the fire.
“What?” James says, a mock innocent smile on his face.
Next to them, is a shyer boy. He’s round and shorter than the rest of them. He has sand colored hair and light skin. He’s wearing a soft blue hoodie with jeans and boots.
He’s talking to Sirius, who he’s taken a liking too.
Regulus is envious of Sirius. He’s so easily fit into a group of people while Regulus is sitting by the fire, slowly sipping a can of Coke.
“Regulus, right?” The green haired man says, sitting down on the log next to him. The freakishly pale boy sits on his other side.
“Err.. yeah.”
“I’m Barty. Barty Crouch Jr and this is my friend Evan.” He gestures his thumb to Evan. Evan smiles and nods, lighting another cigarette.
Soon enough, the group falls into a soft conversation. Evan talks about his football career. (And how James was right about him faking his ankle injury).
Barty tells Regulus the names of everyone again, and Regulus actually remembers.
The red-headed girl’s name is Lily Evans. She’s really sweet, according to Barty, and on track to be valedictorian.
The girl next to her, with the curly hair, is named Mary Macdonald. Evan says she’s really nice and gives the best advice. She’s also the best singer in the school, getting all the solos for the choir concerts.
The dark-skinned girl is Dorcas Meadowes. Barty says she’s also very sweet. She’s a good singer as well, but she’s more into show choir than concert choir. She also tutors freshman in her free periods.
Next to Dorcas, is her girlfriend, Marlene. She’s the one with the shaggy blonde hair and the abundance of piercings. Evan says she’s been going to Johnson County since she was a baby, growing up with Peter and James. She’s very cocky, Evan says, but she sticks up for the ones she loves.
Evan quickly skims over Remus, since Regulus already knows him. Remus is very book smart. He’s quiet at first, but doesn’t shut up once you crack his shell. Also, according to Evan, he sometimes has a mysterious limp, which Remus blames on a sprained ankle, but Evan doesn’t buy that.
Finally, the rounded man next to them, is named Peter. Barty says he’s really shy and doesn’t talk much, but he’s good friends with James. They grew up together.
“Okay, I think that’s all of them,” Barty groans, lifting up his hand to count everyone off, “Peter, Marlene, Dorcas, Lily, Remus, and Mary.”
—
James loves bonfires. They have always been a way to connect in the Midwest.
When he was younger, his parents would invite their friends over to drink around a fire.
Now, James gets to invite his friends over to hang out.
He likes having people at his house, so he feels disappointed when they have to leave.
“Thanks for having us, James,” Marlene says, wrapping her arms around James in a quick hug. James relished in it, smelling her perfume. A floral scent with a hint of vanilla.
“No problem, Mar, anytime.”
Marlene pulled back and smiled, taking Dorcas’s hand and walking to her truck.
A pang of disappointment.
Next was Lily. She grabbed her bag of popcorn she brought then wrapped her arms around James, “thank you, James.”
“No problem, Lils.”
Lily smiles then moves to give Remus a hug.
A pang of disappointment.
Next was Mary, with a quick hug to James and Remus, she was off.
A pang of disappointment.
Finally, was Peter. He waved at them all as he climbed into the front seat of his old Chevy.
A pang of disappointment.
“Ma said I could stay,” Remus shrugs, helping James clean up the trash from the get together.
James’s heart heals slightly.
“Good.”
James loves Remus.