In Which Remus Is Mistaken For Someone He Probably Is Not
Remus' phone buzzed almost immediately after he sent the first message, but not with the response he'd been anticipating.
3:09
remus lupin: hey
020-30733206: oh god listen this isn’t sirius’ number
020-30733206: it’s called a ONE-NIGHT stand for a reason
remus lupin: oh um i thought this was lily evans
020-30733206: you’re not one of sirius’ tinder hookups?
remus lupin: um
remus lupin: no i don’t think so
remus lupin: i’m marlene mckinnon’s friend she gave me this number
020-30733206: omg i’m so sorry
020-30733206: actually so sorry
020-30733206: ohh you’re the one interested in the flat! remus right? yeah i’m lily, lemme add you to my contacts
remus lupin: i’ll add you to mine too
remus lupin: sirius’ tinder hookups?
lily evans: omg sorry again sirius is the one living in the flat ahaha
lily evans: i’ve just gotten so many messages from ppl who thought they were texting him i just automatically assume at this point
lily evans: he’s such an ass won’t even reject them outright just gives them my number when they ask
lily evans: and he thinks it’s soooo funny
Remus wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that the first real information he’d gotten regarding his potential future flatmate was that he had a reputation for promiscuity.
lily evans: suppose that’s not quite what you want to hear ab someone you might move in with lol
remus lupin: trust me if i could afford to pick and choose i wouldn’t be looking at sharing a flat with a stranger
After sending the message, he wondered if it came off as too harsh and sent another one:
remus lupin: i’m just lucky it’s someone marlene knows and is my age
lily evans: oh i’m sorry luv
lily evans: he isn’t as bad as i say he is i promise
remus lupin: it’s fine
remus lupin: um so about the flat
lily evans: right right ofc sorry i went way off topic
lily evans: so first you should know i have a bf james, sirius is his bsf
lily evans: they were living together for like 3 years but we just got a flat together so sirius is alone now and he’s looking for a flatmate
lily evans: which is why i’ve been getting more hungover texts from ppl he’s fucked than i used to
lily evans: but the flat!!
remus lupin: the flat!!!
Even over text Lily was instantly likeable, and he regretted not getting to know her better back at uni; it wouldn’t do him harm to be friendly with a friend of the guy. Sirius, he reminded himself. What kind of a name was Sirius?
He supposed he wasn’t really one to talk.
lily evans: the address is 221b baker st and james mum rents it out so sirius gets a great rate
lily evans: i haven’t been there in a while so idk how clean sirius keeps it
lily evans: when james lived there you couldn’t see the floor for all the stuff covering it
lily evans: it’s a nice place tho
lily evans: any questions?
remus lupin: ig it might be good to meet up with him? if you could like let him know idk
lily evans: oh yeahhh fs!
lily evans: actually i’m at work and he’s here rn if you wanted to come
remus lupin: now?
lily evans: if you’re free!
remus lupin: um sure
lily evans: great!
remus lupin: where do you work?
lily evans: i’m at st. mungo’s! i’m working in the morgue today
remus lupin: the morgue?
lily evans: yep!
lily evans: i’m training to be a medical examiner
lily evans: i’ll tell sirius you’ll be here soon
remus lupin: do they let people in there?
lily evans: sirius is allowed bc of his job unfortunately for me
lily evans: today he is anyway
Remus had to admit, the picture he was getting of Sirius was intriguing, to put it mildly.
lily evans: you won’t be allowed in tho
lily evans: we’ll meet you outside the morgue then!
Against all better judgement, Remus typed out a message and sent it.
remus lupin: be there in 15
****
After a bit of back-and-forth on the bus to St. Mungo’s, Remus decided to update Marlene. He was hopeful it might help things, somehow.
He had to scroll far through his chats before he reached the one with him and Marlene. The last conversation they’d had in it had consisted of her asking how he was. He hadn’t replied. He pushed down the guilt that arose in him at seeing her message (five months old though it was) and sent a new one.
3:41
moony: heading to the morgue to meet my potential flatmate
capn marrrrls: yesss lily told me
capn marrrrls: if you do move in with sirius you’ll be seeing a lot of her
capn marrrrls: honestly i think you're gonna get along great with him and lily
moony: i could tell we were destined for each other the moment she mistook me for a one-night stand he met on tinder
moony: our friendship was solidified when she suggested we meet at the morgue.
capn marrrrls: i’ve always known you preferred dead people to living ones
moony: they aren’t so loud all the time anyway
capn marrrrls: i'm offended
moony: i'd apologize but i don't really care :///
]capn marrrrls: excuse you
capn marrrrls: gluck xx keep me updated asshole
moony: that was the plan until you called me an asshole
capn marrrrls: i'd apologize but i don't really care :///
Remus pocketed his phone just as the bus hissed to a stop in front of St. Mungo’s. The last time he’d been here, it’d been for...less pleasant reasons, Accident-related reasons, but he pushed that thought aside and entered the hospital.
He wandered through the halls for a bit, hoping to find a sign that directed him to where he needed to go, but after being heavily interrogated by a surgeon after almost entering an operating room, he gave up and texted Lily.
4:02
remus lupin: i’m here but i can’t find the morgue help??
lily evans: what you’ve never been before? not a fan of dead bodies?
He really wasn’t, actually, but he opted against saying so.
remus lupin: i almost just walked in on a surgery please
lily evans: alright alright
She directed him down a flight of stairs and through several confusing turns before he ended up in front of a door which hopefully led to the morgue (a combination of words Remus had never imagined he’d be thinking).
4:14
remus lupin: ok i’m here
lily evans: okok we’ll be out in a sec
Remus stood awkwardly in front of the door for a listless minute before it swung open, nearly bashing him in the nose. The first person to exit was Lily, presumably. She was wearing a white lab coat and a strand of her red hair, knotted on top of her head, came loose as she waved to Remus.
“Sirius, you’re being rude,” she called behind her, and then the door swung open again, even more violently than before (if that was possible), and the hi that had been making its way to Remus’ lips got caught halfway there.
The man who walked out had sharp cheekbones and long, glossy hair, but his face wasn’t the place Remus’ eyes were drawn to. Instead, he found himself staring at the man’s arms. His long, pale arms, which were smeared with blood.
“Hi,” the man (Sirius, the voice in his head corrected him, seemingly undisturbed by the blood) greeted him, plucking the word from where it was stuck in Remus’ throat and stealing it for himself.
“You’re bloody,” Remus said. Sirius raised an eyebrow.
“Bloody...gorgeous?” he asked, and then looked down as if noticing his arms for the first time. “Oh,” he said, meeting Remus' eyes with his own piercing grey ones, and then, cocking a grin, “I find that fresher bodies are more conducive to my experiments." He said it nonchalantly, the way anyone else might say Nice to meet you, since you might move in with me I'm not going to do my best to terrify you right off the bat.
Remus swallowed. "Right."
Lily sighed. “He just likes to make a dramatic entrance.”