Chapter 5
The combined crew had a feast with the leftover provisions from Lupin's ship. Macdonald and Pettigrew, the two chefs, got on rather well, and managed to make a delicious roast chicken with boiled potatoes and buttered bread. They even baked cinnamon cakes for dessert. Sirius gave Macdonald permission to break out some of his fanciest wine so that the new guests could have an extra treat.
All in all, it was a successful first evening with the other pirates. Sirius found that he rather liked the other crew. He was particularly fond of McKinnon, who had climbed the rigging earlier that afternoon with fearless zeal and whose musical laugh could be heard every time Potter failed at charming Evans.
As they ate, the pirates talked. Evans and Al told a rather dramatic tale about haunted treasure that they hoped to find, which interested many members of Sirius's crew, Potter in particular.
"So you fought off a sea snake to get the gold?" Potter asked, hanging on to Evans' every word.
"Yes, Potter, I did," she replied impatiently. "Why? Is it so hard to believe a woman could fight a sea snake and live to tell the tale?"
Potter shook his head with vigor, blushing. "No, of course not! It's a very believable story. I couldn't fight off a sea snake. You must be really good at-"
"Give it up, Potter," Dorcas muttered, giggling. James frowned and remained quiet for the rest of dinner.
Remus Lupin was also predictably quiet. He would crack an occasional smile when someone said something funny, but didn't speak. When he did smile, Sirius couldn't help but stare--the man had dimples, and slightly crooked teeth, which was incredibly endearing. His warm brown eyes would crinkle in the corners, making him look younger, more innocent. In those moments, he didn't look like a pirate with a bloody reputation--he just looked like a boy. A very pretty boy, but a boy nonetheless.
Sometimes, Lupin would catch Sirius staring, and then Sirius would have to look away. He never wanted to, though.
When they finished dinner, the Prewetts and Al agreed to be on dish washing duty. The rest of the crew split off--some went above deck to drink and sing shanties, several went to their bunks. Sirius wanted to take a shower, then climb into bed himself, perhaps with one of the books from the ship library.
He walked back to his quarters, lit a few candles in the cabin, and then walked into the bathroom. After turning on the faucet, he waited for the water to become warm. He heard Lupin enter the cabin, and called to him through the door.
"I'm going to take a shower, but I'll be out in a few, and then the bathroom is all yours," he said.
"Thanks, mate," Lupin replied.
The warm water was a welcome comfort after the long and confusing day. He washed his hair with the teakwood scented shampoo and conditioner set and then cleaned his body with his citrus soap. When he stepped out of the shower, he wrapped himself in a towel and walked back into the bedroom.
Lupin looked up as he entered, and his eyes caught on Sirius's bare chest for a moment before he blushed and looked down. He was sitting on the floor again, eating a truffle.
"Sorry, would you mind if-" Sirius began.
"I'll cover my eyes, yeah," Lupin finished for him.
Privately, Sirius would not have minded if Lupin continued to look at him like that, but he certainly didn't want to make the other pirate uncomfortable. So Lupin put his hand in front of his eyes, and Sirius turned and began grabbing clothing from his dresser. He wasn't sure what to wear to sleep, as he typically just wore his undergarments. It was unseasonably hot on the ship. He didn't want to make Lupin feel awkward, so he eventually decided to just wear the underwear and then pull his robe on over. He could take off his robe under the covers.
Sirius turned to look at Lupin when his eyes were covered. His hands were scarred and long-fingered, and he wore several silver rings. His hair was fluffy and messy, like he;d been running his fingers through it. In the candlelight, his freckles looked like gold dust.
"You can look now," Sirius said softly, pulling his eyes away and reaching for the hairbrush on top of his dresser. He was now clothed, and just needed to brush and braid his wet hair.
"Alright if I use the shower now?" Lupin asked.
"Of course. I can set up a bed on the floor while you're washing up."
Lupin entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Sirius walked to linen closet and began layering blankets to make a somewhat comfortable spot on the floor. He also deigned to give Lupin two of his best pillows, from his own bed. Despite her faults, Sirius' mum had taught him how to treat a guest. As he was headed to the library to grab himself a book, Sirius heard Lupin call to him from the bathroom.
"Erm, could you come in here a second?"
"Yes, certainly," Sirius responded.
He opened the door to find Lupin standing in a towel and blushing furiously.
"I don't know how to, er, turn this on," Lupin explained awkwardly. Sirius took a moment too long to answer, because he could not stop staring at shirtless Remus Lupin. He had broad, tanned shoulders and muscular chest and abs. His chest tattoo, as Sirius could see clearly now, portrayed the moon cycle. The three silver chains he wore around his neck hung between his collar bones and glittered in the pale light from the small window. Sirius noticed scars on his ribs and biceps, and wondered where Lupin had gotten so many.
He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. "Oh, sorry, I should have explained that. I can show you."
He stepped closer to the shower and had to reach in front of Lupin to turn the faucet. Their arms brushed.
"it should just take a few moments to warm up, and you are welcome to use any products you find in there," Sirius told him, smiling. The two men were standing rather close together, and Sirius had to tilt his head back a bit to look into Lupin's eyes. This was impressive, as Sirius himself wasn't very short, standing at 5'11.
Lupin nodded, a tight, close-lipped smile on his face as he did so.
Sirius exited the bathroom. Oh. My. God, he thought to himself. How can I possibly live with this gorgeous man?
He climbed under the covers and pulled off his robe, and then started to read. The book had belonged to his Uncle Alphard, and was filled with poetry. Alphard was the only member of his family who'd had any taste when it came to literature. The poems distracted him from Remus Lupin for a while, until he came out of the bathroom, once again clad in just a towel. His fluffy hair was wet and dripping onto his shoulders.
Lupin reached for the clothes he'd been wearing earlier, and Sirius realized that the other man only had one outfit. This just wouldn't do.
"Is that all you have to wear?" Sirius asked.
"Left the rest of my clothes on the other ship," Lupin explained. "Stupid, huh?"
"I can go ask Potter for something for you to borrow," Sirius said. "You'd be about the same size, I reckon."
"Or I could just wear something of yours," Lupin suggested.
"You could," Sirius agreed. "But you're much taller than me."
Lupin shrugged, as if he couldn't care less. Sirius wondered what it must be like to be that bloody cool. He'd always cared about shit like that--appearances and whatnot. It was the only way to survive in the Black family household. His personality would have never endeared him to his mother and father, so he'd tried his best to look the part. It was always unsuccessful.
"My clothes are in that wardrobe. Wear whatever you like. It's warm on the ship though, just a warning," Sirius said. He covered his eyes so that Lupin could change.
"You can look now," Lupin said after a few minutes. Sirius did look, and saw Lupin in a long-sleeved fleece top and linen pajama bottoms. Lupin noticed Sirius' expression and added "I'm always cold."
Sirius pretended to read as he watched Lupin try to brush out his curls. After a few minutes of struggle against the tangles, Sirius out the book down.
"Would you like me to try? I have a conditioning oil," he said. Remus bit his lip, like he was trying not to laugh, but then nodded. He grabbed the bottle of hair oil and the comb and then sat at the foot of Sirius' bed. Sirius sat up and took the comb and oil from him.
Lupin was silent as Sirius poured some oil into his hands and then began running them through his hair. Lupin's curls were impossibly soft. Then he used the brush and coaxed it through the curls. Lupin seemed tense, so Sirius tried to be extra gentle as he brushed. When he finished, he lightly scrunched Lupin's curls--something Reg had done to define his own curly hair--and then pulled his hands away.
"All done, Lupin," Sirius said, grinning. "You look bloody brilliant, now." He hoped that it didn't sound like genuine flirting.
"Thanks," Lupin replied, turning to make eye contact. "And you can call me Remus, for fuck's sake. We're sharing a room, after all."
"Certainly, Remus," Sirius said, loving the way it sounded. Remus nodded, and then settled into his bed on the floor.
"Thanks for...well, everything," Remus said quietly before the two settled into sleepy silence.
"You are always welcome, Remus."