Tattoo Parlor
Remus was living towards the western side of campus. He was studying literature which was unconveniently on the Eastern block. It was only a 6 minute walk but if Remus had the choice he would've got the apartments on the Western side, then it only would have been a 2 minute walk.
Jack lay beside him many nights, so this morning when Remus got up he had to remove Jack's arm from around his waist and quietly slip out of bed, trying now to wake him up and get bombarded with a myriad of questions.
"Where are you going? Your classes don't start until 10 -"
Remus looked back at him. The buzzed hair was a signature, so hair wouldn't distract him from doing his jobs. But Jack's face didn't suit it. He had light features, long eye lashes, and a sharp jawline. He wasn't as tall as Remus but he was definitely stronger. Remus knew that from experience.
Jack was still asleep, he came back to the apartment late last night and got immediately into the shower. That told Remus he was away doing something he didn't want to a about.
Remus walked on his toes on his way out of the small apartment, and locked the door behind. Jack had obviously forgotten to lock it last night, as usual. Remus told him off for it but he just replied; "if someone was going to break in to kill us, i don't think a locked door would stop them."
Remus couldn't argue, he agreed.
Remus took the stairs all the way down from the fourth floor, he winced when he went down one stair more awkwardly than the others from the pain in his knee. It was like a harsh warmness shooting up his leg into his back every time he had to do something with his knee that wasn't sitting down. He could take the elevator down, but what if he became trapped with someone? He was too scared of putting himself in danger that could be avoidable. So, every time he went back to his apartment or came back to his apartment; he took the stairs.
Walking down the street, Remus could mask the limp for the most part but it became more unbearable the more he walked. Jack hot him a walking stick, seeing how much pain he was in, but Remus knew if he used it, he'd be more of a pariah than before.
Remus could never be like the rest of the people he was walking past, or the people he had classes with. They already looked at him with pity or fear. It was because of his past - he would always be different because of how he grew up and it was obvious from his scars.
He had scars all over his body, the thought of taking his shirt off makes him want to throw up. He has knife marks on his arms, a gunshot into his knee and his abdomen, and so many other scars from incidents and fights he got into over the years.
But it was the scars on his face that everyone saw.
The knife marks that had been dragged from one side of his face to the other, across his nose. The ones that went from his cheek to his collarbone, along his neck. He remembered those ones; he believed he was going to die once the man brought the knife to his neck.
Remus would never be the same as the other college students because they had families, Remus had gangs. They had love, he had violence.
And Remus had a tattoo that he wanted rid of.
He skipped classes for the day so he didn't have Jack asking him questions later about how he was away and his classes had finished. Jack knew his classes inside out.
To get a tattoo removed, the place would be a tattoo parlor? Right? If they give out tattoos surely that'd take them away.
The shop was like a usual tattoo shop, black with skill outside and the name was "Ink & Jones". The bell above the door jingled as if Remus was going into a lovely little bakery but inside was all black and skulls.
"Hi, sir! How can i help you?" A fun girl said from behind the black counter. She had lots of piercings; in her ears, lip, eyebrow, nose and tattoos on her hands.
Remus hadn't rehearsed what he was going to say.
"Uh- I would like a- uh- tattoo removed." He held the upper part of his arm where the tattoo was as if he was giving the girl enough information already.
"Oh! No problem we can do that here. Could i see the tattoo?"
Remus' blood went cold. Of course; in order to remove the tattoo he was going to have to show them it.
"Well-" The girl started after he didn't reply and seeing Remus go pale. "Could you describe it for me?"
"It's a band. A black, about an inch wide that wraps around my arm. Here." Remus pointed to the top of his arm.
"Okay." The girl was obviously confused. "Why do you want it off?"
Remus was obviously going to lie. "Just one of those horrible tattoos i got when i was younger."
Remus was only 18 now - he hoped she wouldn't question it.
"Oh! I can totally relate to that! I got this one," she pulled up her top just below to boobs, to show the face of a tiger. "when i was 18 years old an one day and i regret it so much! But now-"
"You showing your boobs off again, Lizzy?" A voice came from beside them.
Remus turned to a boy his age, long dark hair tied up in a man bun at the back of his head. And tattoos littered everywhere. A stream on flowers up his neck, his arms with one scarcely littered up and down. He couldn't see his legs, but if he could he knew they'd be littered too. His face had no tattoos. It was pale. Mischievous and pretty.
This was Sirius Black. He saw him around campus. Remus didn't know what classes he took but he knew his name from asking at a party one night. He knew Sirius was famous with the girls, they all swooned over him.
"No!" Lizzy replied with a smile. "Unless he wants to come back after my shift?"
Remus looked back at her in disbelief. He had met a couple people that weren't disgusted at his scars, and instead, seemed the complete opposite. "Uh- I."
"Have a boyfriend."
Sirius was looking at him carefully. Up and down, top to bottom. He had a sort of smirk on his face as he lent against the wall that led into his room. How would he know that?
"And don't you have a client?" Lizzy asked smugly.
Sirius waved his hand in dismissal. "Nah, she passed out."
Lizzy gasped and ran into the room. Remus could vaguely see past Sirius and how there actually was a girl passed out on his chair.
"What brings you here, infamous Remus Lupin?" Sirius moved from his spot and to behind the counter. Remus turned his head in a silent question, 'how does he know my name?'
Coming closer he noticed that he was taller than Sirius. He wasn't sure from afar but now it's confirmed.
Sirius crossed his arms on the high counter and leaned his chin into them, staring at Remus' face with his big eyes.
Remus has dealt with lots of big dangerous men in his lifetime, drug-dealers, murderers, psychopaths, pimps and bosses that would kill him if he gave him so much as a glance.
But here was Sirius Black, making Remus more speechless than he had ever been.
"I want a tattoo removed." Remus didn't move from where Lily had been talking to him, this meant he had so much distance between him and Sirius. He stared at Sirius and Sirius did the same.
Sirius raised his head so his chin was now in his hands. "Yea, I can go that for you. But a black band around your arm which is about an inch is costly, you know. It'd be around £70 per session and for it to be gone you're going to need about 10 sessions."
£700!? Remus forgot to even think about how Sirius had been eavesdropping on him.
Remus didn't know how much it was going to cost but he wanted to pay it, although he didn't have near as much as that money.
He turned away from Sirius and looked at the paintings on the wall.
"What does your boyfriend think?" Sirius asked, chin still in his hands.
"About what?"
"You going behind his back to get this removed?"
Remus turned to him. "How do you-"
"I guessed." He smiled wide. He came around the counter and his whole body came into full view again.
"How do you know my name?" Remus asked, genuinely curious. "Do you know Jack?"
"Who's Jack?" Sirius didn't know Remus' boyfriend? He kept talking; "You're famous around campus, Lupin. And i see you, walking around at night."
Remus' breath hitched. What? He was watching him?
"I like to see the moon." It was a stupid thing to say, but it was honest. For some reason Sirius' eyes made him want to tell him everything.
Sirius laughed. "So do i."
"She's okay!" Lily came out, obviously stressed but relieved Sirius hadn't killed her. "Don't worry, Remus! That doesn't usually happen. If you came to me to ge the tattoo removed I'd look after you-"
"Thank you, but I've realized it won't be happening. You've been very kind." Remus said to her, also to Sirius who wasn't saying anything now. He wasn't even wearing a smile. "Have a good day."
Remus' eyes lingered on Sirius and left as Lily called, "Sorry we couldn't help... What DID you say to him?!"
Remus couldn't pay £700 to get it removed. He couldn't even pay for his own lunch. But it was a step towards the right direction to getting out of Fenrir Greybacks little gang.
He thought of Sirius. He looked as if he understood Remus.
He looked at him like he knew Remus his whole life and Remus felt like he did.
As Remus was walking that night, he watched the houses around campus carefully. As he got to the Western side of campus and saw smoke in the air. Light smoke, not a lot.
He saw the shadow of a boy sitting on the window ledge, a fire window that opened all the way, smoking a cigarette.
Remus had never saw him before but he knew it was Remus.
Neither did anything. Remus walked on.