AN: just an experiment thing, don't really feel all that qualified writing about the great marauders but then I don't really care either.
DISCLAMER: I don't own anything, you own.
It was way too early.
The alarm clock made that horrible noise again and Sirius felt the urge to roll his eyes at it. Instead he rolled over and stretched to turn it of.
It was way, way to early. The numbers on the display made him shiver. He sighed and buried his head in the warm pillow, considering calling in sick just for one more hour of sleep. He didn't though. He sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes with the heals of his palm, before getting in the shower in an attempt to wake himself up.
He'd worked in this coffeeshop with his niece for almost 6 months. Except the early hours it was really great, better than he could've counted on after moving out form his parents. It hadn't been pretty in the end, and Sirius was pretty much sure that they'd ruined his reputation that came with the name Black completely in the process. But then Tonks had recommended him to her boss at the coffeeshop and he'd gotten a job. Except for the early hours it was really great. He got to spend a lot of time with his niece, and although she was only 18 she was a lot of fun and shared his views on the Black family.
He shaved and got dressed, stroke his fingers through his hair a couple of times before running down to the bike and driving away. It wasn't far, but not close enough to walk. At least not if you had to wake up at this ungodly hour.
"Hey, Siri!" Tonks was putting freshly baked muffins on a large blue plate when he walked in. She was looking oddly perky this morning, not that she wasn't always super-perky, but there was something of a spark in her eyes that usually was only a shade.
"Hi, Tonks. You seem awfully cheerful to be up at this hour" Sirius said and went behind the counter to make himself a coffee. However sweet and funny his niece was, he couldn't stand her without at least two cups of caffeine in his blood.
"Wait 'till you get downstairs. You're defiantly gonna like it." Tonks winked and skipped away to get more muffins. What was she on about now, Sirius thought as he burnt his tung on the first sip of his "bloody hot coffee dammit".
His tung still hurt when he got downstairs into the locker room. It wasn't much of a locker room, it wasn't even divided into girl- and boy room's. It was just some lockers and a couple of benches. It was probably cause they didn't really have any work clothes, just an apron with the sign of Millers Coffee and a threatening hairnet if he didn't put up his hair. But there was something different about the locker room today, something that made Sirius burn his tung on the coffee again.
"Oh, hello" said the stranger standing in front of a locker, tying the apron around his hips. He had golden hair wrapped around his head in soft curls, broad shoulders and calm, caramel eyes.
"Hi. Who are you?" Sirius asked, craving way to much caffeine for this type of situation.
"I'm Remus Lupin. I'm new" he reached out a hand and clumsily dropped his apron in the process.
"I'm Sirius Black" he met his hand, it was strong and roughly cut but warm somehow.
"Nice to meet you, Black" Lupin said, returning to his apron.
"Oh, call me Sirius. And I wish I could say the same but I'm afraid it's way to early for it to be nice to meet anyone"
"Rough morning?"
"Nah, just morning"
Lupin snorted at Sirius dark humor and dropped his apron once again.
"Here, let me help you with that" Sirius gave him his coffee mug and went behind him to tie his apron for him. He smelled like rainy London mornings on the bus when your bike didn't work and you ended up writing your name in the condensation on the windows before falling asleep and missing your stop so you'll be late AGAIN. For some reason, Sirius liked it. And for the same reason he couldn't stop himself from staring at his surprisingly lovely, jeans covered behind.
"You take your coffee black?" Remus said as he peered down the cup.
"Gotta live up to my surname somehow. Why?"
"No reason. Cheers" He said as Sirius was done tying his apron.
"Sure. They're a bit tricky in the beginning" Sirius took a sip of his now acceptably hot coffee.
"See you upstairs then" Remus said and sprang up the steps of the stairs, once again with Sirius eyes on his arse.
Sirius sighed when he was out of sight, dropped his jacked in the locker and pulled his hair up in a lazy bun before tying his own apron and running upstairs. There, he filled his coffee mug again and went to stand next to Tonks, who where now leaning against the counter with a black lollipop in her mouth.
"So, what do you think?" Tonks asked, offering him a taste of her lollipop, as he leaned in beside her with a yawn.
"No thanks. 'Bout what?" He asked, his voice muffled into the mug.
"The new guy, Lupin-or-whatever. He's hot right?" Tonks nodded over to where Lupin stood, cleaning a table by the windows.
"I thought you where all girls now?"
"Well, yeah, but I've got eyes haven't I?" Tonks gave him a nudge in the side, almost leading to his third coffee related burn this morning.
"Yeah, I don't know if he's my type though. There's not a lot of bite in him and I think he's defiantly straight"
"Hm, that doesn't work for either of us" Tonks sucked her lollipop,"but I think it's just a facade you know? I mean, look at those scars on his arms and everything. I think he's been though a lot. He's got the bite he just doesn't care about showing it anymore"
Sirius hadn't actually noticed the scars before now. There were scars all over his arms, some just faint white lines but some pink and fresh.
"I don't know. It defiantly makes him more interesting, but I wouldn't date a guy for his scars. That's like crossing the ultimate line for shallowness" Sirius said, sipping his coffee.
"Oh, and dating that blondie Lockhart wasn't shallow at all?" Tonks gave him a grin with the lollipop between her teeth.
"You know I regret that! That was like the worst date ever, the worst shag ever. I honestly think he was harder for himself than me. I've learnt my lesson, never go for looks" Sirius felt the memory of that night alone gave him stronger craving for caffeine and took a large gulp, swallowing the last coffee in his cup.
Tonks opened her mouth to comment, but was interrupted by Lupin-or-whatever standing right in front of them.
"Hi" he said "always this quite in the morning?"
"Yeah. Mr. Miller just wants to torture us" Sirius yawned.
"Is that one of those Marauders lollipops where you're suppose to guess the flavor?" Lupin asked, pointing towards Tonks' lollipop.
"Yeah! I love the Marauders, best joke-shop in London by far. Can't figure out if this lollipop tastes like liquorish or blueberry though. Wanna try?" Tonks offered him the lollipop.
Lupin bent down over the counter and sucked the lollipop, giving Sirius a quick glance, before breaking apart from it again.
"Wow that is tough. I think it's blueberry though. Warm blueberries. And maybe like cocoa" Lupin said, his eyes all on Tonks now.
"That's it!" Tonks almost jumped with joy.
"You want some coffee?" Sirius asked, feeling a a strange urge for this Lupin-boy's attention.
"Nah, thanks. I'm more of a tea guy"
"How very British. Well - tea-guy, lollipop-girl - I've got toilets to unclog before the big morning rush" Sirius said, leaving them where he'd found them.
The next day it felt even harder waking up. He'd made the mistake of going out with his friend Peter after work and woke up with a slight hangover running in his ears, the alarm clock stabbing his brain with every ring.
"Shut up" he muttered as he turned it off, and the clock obliged.
The shower was too hot, leaving him warm and tired as he walked towards his bike in the chill London air. It was still too cold for sneakers and he stepped in a pool of freezing rainwater, convinced it was the universe trying to serve him some point but he didn't really care to listen. It all changed when he walked into the coffeeshop to see Lupin leaning over the counter with a coffee mug in his hands.
"Morning" he said.
"Indeed. Hey, I thought you said you where more of a tea guy" Sirius pointed out at the sight of the black liquid inside the mug.
"Yeah, this is actually for you" Lupin said, holding forth the cup with his rough hand and giving a shy smile.
Sirius considered him for a minute before taking the cup.
"I think I'm really gonna enjoy working with you, Lupin"
"Remus, please"
"Remus," Sirius nodded and went down to the dressing rooms where he found Tonks with a new lollipop in her mouth.
"And what's the flavor of today?"
"Mint!" She said with a grin, "But it's golden and smells like honey!"
Sirius couldn't help but feel like that reminded him of someone, someone like that tea-guy Lupin.
"You wanna try?" Tonks held out the lollipop for Sirius.
"I might just" Sirius said and took it from Tonks.