Chapter 1
Lily liked her job, she really did. She worked with some of her best friends and got to see cute animals coming in and out of the store everyday. She even liked the vaguely creepy but mostly sweet store manager Horace. But today she really really hated her job. She’d had to wake up at 5 am in order to make it to the store for her 7 am shift and when she got there she had to help the creepy guy Tom who had a couple pet snakes and he’d said some nasty things about the pride pin she had affixed to her work shirt. So yeah Lily wasn’t in the best of moods. She was guzzling the iced lavender latte Remus had bought for her on his break (god she loved him) while she stood at the counter waiting for the early customers to trickle in, getting her phony customer service smile ready when the bell on the door tingled. The group entering was loud. Lily grimaced, she really didn’t want to deal with a bunch of twenty somethings still drunk from the night before who’d come in to look at the animals and leave without buying anything, but she gritted her teeth and said “Hi Welcome to Fang and Fluffy’s Pet Express is there anything I can help you with?” and when she turned to actually look at them and was instantly taken aback.
They were all breathtaking. The one in the front was Remus’s type to a tee with shoulder length dark hair, bluish silver eyes, and piercings littering their nose and ears. Their arms were reaching up to wrap around the shoulders of the person next to them who had dark bronze skin and round glasses that sat crooked across a straight nose. The boy behind them may not have been as classically model material handsome but he was still gorgeous with curly blonde hair, bright kind looking blue eyes, a septum piercing and a disarming smile that dimpled his pudgy cheeks. Pulling up the rear was a tall girl with bleached hair that needed a root touch up but in a way that looked intentional and cool rather than messy. Her eyeliner was sharp and perfectly matching on both eyes in a way Lily was sure she’d never be able to achieve and there were silver studs adorning her nose and right eyebrow. And then there was the one who’d really caught Lily’s attention.
She was shorter than the girl next to her by a few inches but still definitely taller than Lily. Her skin was a dark umber color perfectly offset by her blindingly white smile. She was wearing a tight fitting cropped graphic tee shirt, a midi skirt with a psychedelic seventies print, high top platform converse and a bandana tied around her large mass of bouncy black curls. She was to put it mildly probably the most stunning creature Lily had ever laid eyes on.
The boy with the glasses spoke, tearing her from her reverie. “Yeah is Regulus in yet?” It was then that Lily recognized the resemblance between Regulus and the one in the front. She was sure she’d seen that face in one of Reggie’s instagram posts.
“Sorry no not til noon” she answered and the bespectacled boy's face visibly fell.
“Oh, well that’s ok we can still use his friends and family discount right?”
“Typically I’d say no but you two are clearly related” she said pointing at the long haired one in the front “so I think I’ll allow it.”
The one she assumed must have been Regulus’s sibling broke out into a beaming grin. “Perfect we are in need of the finest goldfish you carry” he said and Lily smiled back more genuinely this time.
“Right this way.” She said, stepping out from behind the counter and joining the group.
As she walked towards the fish tank she couldn’t help but notice the boy with glasses had his eyes fixed on her chest. She was about to turn around and call him a creep when he sidled up next to her and pointed at the lesbian flag pin over her heart. “We match!” he said with an adorable childlike smile as he gestured to the pan pride pin on his Hawaiian shirt and Lily couldn’t help but grin back.
She decided she liked these people.
“That we do. I’m Lily by the way” she said, sticking her hand out and he took it beaming.
“James” he said as he shook her hand a little too enthusiastically, it was sweet.
“So James,” Lily said, her smile still growing, “What kind of fish are you looking for today?”
“A pretty one” he said definitively, making Lily snort.
The blond haired boy rolled his eyes. “She meant what species James”
“Pfft I knew that” James responded making the gorgeous curly haired girl giggle musically. It was the most beautiful sound Lily had ever heard. Lily stared apparently a little too long and dark eyes that looked like the embers of the world's fiercest fire looked right into her green ones. Then those same eyes crinkled in the corners and oh fuck she had dimples. Lily was a goner.
“We want a goldfish. One of the ones with the stupid bulgey eyes!” Said Regulus’s lookalike with a beaming slightly mischievous grin. Lily had to admit the energy of this group was completely infectious.
“Ahh well those will be in this tank over here”. Lily said and led them over to the tank filled with orange white and yellow fish. James got close to the glass looking like a kid at a candy store, surveying the tank for the perfect fish.
“Mary, come look at this one!” he said excitedly pointing at a large white fish with black and orange spots. The goddess Lily now knew was called Mary walked up to look at the fish James was pointing at “Ooh yes” she cooed and Lily thought her voice was the most wonderful thing in the world “They match the decor in our room perfectly!”. Lily tried not to be too disappointed. “Our room” Mary and James lived together. She was stupid to assume a woman that stunning was single, she was literally surrounded by people who looked like they belonged on magazine covers. You couldn’t put that many attractive people in one place and expect them not to fuck, it was literally the plot of every reality dating show.
“Oh you two live together?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even and neutral.
“Not like that!” Mary said a little too quickly.
“All of us live together. James is like filthy rich so he can afford a three bedroom flat and let’s our poor arses mooch off of him.” the bleach blonde with the perfect eyeliner explained and Lily tried to keep the relieved smile off her lips.
“James and I share a room because those two” she pointed at the bleach blonde and the one who looked like Reg “snore like nobody’s goddamn business and Pete gets night terrors” Mary explained.
Lily smiled. “Well this type of fish is incredibly easy to care for and if you decide they seem lonely their great with other fish no aggression or anything like that”
“We should get five!” James exclaimed excitedly. “Then we can all name one. Mine's gonna be Dobby!” the group laughed.
“What if we start with two James, much more manageable” Mary reasoned.
James looked a little disappointed but gave in nodding. “Two. Two is good”
“I bagsy naming the second one!” the grey eyed one shouted making all the other store patrons look over.
“First of all Sirius inside voice second of all you can’t just bagsy naming our goldfish we’ll settle this the old fashion way. Who's ready for a thumb war?” James said with a mischievous beaming smile.
The two girls rolled their eyes. “Well they’ll be here forever. Lily love would you mind showing us tanks and decorations while they fight to the death?” Mary asked with a sweet smile that crinkled her eyes and dimples her cheeks. Good god and she’d called her love. This was how Lily died her tombstone would simply read “Too gay to function”.
“Y-yes of course right down aisle three come with me” Lily walked ahead of the two girls as they had a quiet conversation that she definitely wasn’t eavesdropping on, although she did overhear “God Marls her hair is so pretty” but that was a complete coincidence.
“So for 2 goldfish I’d recommend a 15 gallon tank. You’re going to need some food which is right over there water purification drops and a filter which are just here. And now for the fun stuff” Lily gestured to the wall to her right covered in fake and real aquatic plants, treasure chests that spouted bubbles and all sorts of other tank decorations.
“Oh this is glorious!” the blonde exclaimed. “Look at all the spongebob decorations Mare we have to get the pineapple under the sea James would never let us hear the end of it if we didn’t”
“Marlene, you are absolutely correct. We also need the little Sven and Olaf for Pete”
“This is going to be the most chaotic aquarium ever I’m already obsessed with it” the blonde, Marlene, said laughing borderline hysterically. Lily couldn’t help but laugh too despite the pit of jealousy growing in her stomach. It wasn’t because this Marlene, who was undeniably cool and sexy and dangerous, was laughing with the most gorgeous woman Lily had ever seen… ok maybe that was part of it. But it was mostly because Lily never had this kind of friendship group growing up. She had Sev, who’d just been trying to get in her pants and stopped speaking to her the day she came out, and her sister who’d called her a freak when she caught her kissing a girl from her class. It wasn’t until two years ago when she’d gone off to uni and met Remus that she ever had real true friends. Then they got jobs here and met Dorcas and Reg but even then she still felt like they were just work friends. She would give anything for a group like this one, one that felt more like family.
Just as she began to build up a fantasy of found family dinners and movie nights the other three bounded over. “You forfeited the thumb war when you walked away so may I introduce you all to drumroll please” The long haired one paused as the group erupted in vague imitations of a drumroll. “Elvendork!” they exclaimed proudly and the group burst into laughter.
“What kind of fucking name is Elvendork?” Marlene asked between gasps of laughter.
“A gender neutral one Marlene don’t be such cis het”
“I’m literally a genderfluid lesbian Sirius” Marlene pointed out smirking.
“Point still stands” Sirius said petulantly and Lily laughed.
“Well go pick out your two fish and I’ll have Remus scoop them up for you and I’ll check you out” she pressed the button on her walkie talkie. “Hey Re could you help out a customer by getting some fish for me”
“On my way” Remus’s garbled Welsh voice responded. As Remus approached the group his work shirt stretched tight over his broad shoulders Lily watched in amusement as Sirius’s jaw fell open.
“That’s Remus?!” they asked in what they must have thought was a whisper and Lily couldn’t help but giggle while she nodded.
“Hi I was told you needed some fish?” he asked with his trademark customer service voice.
“Oh that’s not all we need, pretty boy.” Sirius said and Mary looked at Lily as she mimed gagging herself. Lily tried to stifle her laugh. Remus looked decidedly unamused but Lily saw that little mischievous flicker in his eye.
“And what else could I interest you in today?” he asked still in that cordial nonplussed tone.
“Anything you can give me gorgeous” Sirius said, looking supremely confident.
Then Remus stepped into Sirius’s space “Oh I’d be very careful what you wish for gorgeous”. Sirius turned bright red and stuttered incoherently as the rest of the group laughed.
Remus walked away with James and Pete to get the fish as Sirius stood there still incredibly flustered and Marlene and Mary laughed at his pain. “Why didn’t Reg mention how fucking hot Remus was he talks about his coworkers all the time you’d think that would’ve pertinent information?” Lily was taken aback. Reg mentioned them? Sure they were friends but they very rarely hung out outside of work so why would he be talking about them with his family?
She felt a light hand graze her arm and looked up into Mary’s stunning face. “You alright there Lily? We lost you for a moment” her voice was so full of concern Lily could have cried.
“No no I’m alright” she said not able to tear her eyes away from Mary’s. They stared at each other for a long while until James came jogging back with a bag containing two goldfish.
“I have secured the bag” he said, fully breaking the moment. “We should be ready to check out now fair lady” he said to Lily, making her laugh.
“Right this way kind sir” she retorted, leading them to the counter. “Alright, do you have a savings card or phone number with us?” she asked, going through her routine questions.
James nodded and rattled off the numbers. Lily typed it in and bagged up their stuff. “Now that you have my number can I have yours?” James asked a hopeful note in his voice.
“Oh James I thought you knew what this meant” she said pointing at her pin.
“No n-no not like that” James stuttered. “I just you and your friend Remus seem cool so I’m adopting you!”
“Adopting us?” Lily asked confused.
“You can’t fight it now Mama Potter has decided you’re part of the family now” Mary said smiling that incandescent smile. “Plus he likes someone else anyway so you don’t have to worry about that”
“Hey shut up snitch!” James said, punching her lightly in the arm. Lily laughed again.
“Yea okay I’ll give you my number but you have to ask Remus yourself” she answered smiling slightly.
“I can do that! Welcome to the family Lily!” He said smiling widely as he walked out of the store.
“I hope I’ll see you again soon” Mary said and Lily felt her heart flutter.
Yeah she really really liked her job.