Written for the Last Ship Sailing Competition
1. AU: Roaring 20s!AU
2. Word: shimmering
3. Word: Loud
4. Action: forgetting someone's name
8. Dialogue: "Have you heard the news?"
Bonus Prompts
1. Item: lipstick
2. Dialogue: "Just relax."
3. Color: Pastel pink
4. Action: playing chess
5. Emotion: calm
Flappers, Fun and Falling, Hard.
Apologies for any dialogue that doesn't fit the era. I tried my best though.
Thanks to Lizzy for helping me come up with an idea, and Dina for helping me loads too and betaing!
Alice grabbed tightly to her friend's arm as she walked across the dance-floor and past the stage. "I can't believe your mum let you get your hair cut like that," she said, admiring the short bob. When she had last seen Lily, earlier that day, her hair had been shoulder length and straight. The bob suited her better.
"It's nothing," Lily said. "Your dress on the other hand. Your mother let you wear that out?"
Alice laughed. "Mother is wearing one just the same. She says she feels young again. She was the one who purchased this dress for me." She pulled on Lily's arm. "Come on, let's get something to drink, I think the music is going to start soon, I saw the musicians arrive. They were hotsy-totsy!"
Lily giggled as she was pulled away, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed that a couple of men were making their way onto the corner of the stage. "I think it'll start sooner than you think!"
...oOo...
Sirius wasn't sure what compelled him to walk into the dark club that evening. It may have been the sight of all the smoke when the door opened, or the way the women were enjoying themselves in a fashion that Sirius had never seen before. They were wearing make-up: a sight that would make Mummy-dearest pass out in shock. She always insisted that make up was for prostitutes.
Or it could have been the sounds of music that reached his ears as he walked past. An unfamiliar song began, and Sirius didn't know what he was listening to. It was far from the classical music his parents favoured; the music he had been taught to play by his tutors.
It was upbeat and it made him feel… alive. Instead of heading home where his Mother and Father expected him, Sirius walked nervously towards the door, reaching for it and pushing it open. He hoped the smell of smoke didn't cling to his clothes as he walked through the narrow passageway, quickly coming into a large room.
For a moment, Sirius couldn't work out where he was. He was used to extravagant ballrooms, and this place was as far from that as possible. Women in their slinky, knee-length dresses and bobbed hair were dancing along to the music, and as he walked further into the room, the song changed into something faster. The music was loud, but Sirius found he loved it.
Sirius itched to move onto the dance-floor like so many people were doing, but he felt too stiff, too out of place there, in his suit, with his hair tied firmly back from his face. He didn't share the same freedom these people did.
It wasn't long until an older lady walked over to him. "You look a little lost."
"I believe I am, M'am," Sirius replied politely.
"But you're not leaving," she observed.
Sirius glanced at her, smiling as he realised that the woman had to be close to his mother's age, yet had bobbed hair and a shimmering red dress. Her lipstick matched her dress, and she smiled widely back.
"My nephew is up there," she said, pointing to the stage. Sirius looked through the smoky room, his eyes moving across the people. "Second on the left," she added.
Sirius nodded slightly, moving his gaze across the men, but his eyes locked on one single man from the four, and he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"You're looking a little lost again, young man."
"My name is Sirius Black."
The woman pursed her lips at the mention of the surname, but watched him for a moment, following Sirius' open-mouthed gaze. A smile began to appear on her lips. "You can call me Aunt Enid," she said. "Now, the boys should be taking a break soon, so how about I introduce you to my nephew… and the others."
He turned to look at her, clearly confused at his reaction to the jazz-musician. "That would be delightful," he stated. "I've never met a musician like this before. We listen to classical at home and this… this is…"
"Wild?"
"Full of life," Sirius whispered. Had Enid not read his lips, she would have missed the words completely.
"So you're not lost at all," Enid told him. "You're right where you need to be."
Sirius politely brought over a drink for Aunt Enid, sticking close to the woman. The place both scared and excited him, yet he wasn't comfortable enough to move away from the one person to show him kindness there.
He caught some girls giggling as they watched him, but his attention headed back to the one musician with loose curls peeking out from under his hat. The man had eyes for nothing but the instrument he was playing.
Sirius was fascinated with the way the man's lips were wrapped around the instrument. He wasn't quite certain why he couldn't turn his gaze back to the attractive girls. He knew they were nice to look at, but they didn't spark anything inside of him.
He was in a daze by the time the song ended, and didn't expect Enid to wrap her fingers around his arm and pull him over to the band who were stepping off the stage.
"Aunt Enid." They each took a turn to kiss her on the cheek, before she practically shoved Sirius forward. "I've a new friend, this here is…"
"Sirius Black, M'am," he filled in.
"That's right, this is Sirius, and he's been caught in the beautiful web that Jazz has weaved."
"Your music is wonderful," Sirius murmured, looking between them, trying not to let his gaze land on the man he had been staring at for a long time. "Enid was polite enough to offer—"
"It's Aunt Enid," she scolded him. "You, Remus. I think Sirius was impressed by your Saxophone playing. I can understand why. It's nice to see a handsome lad wrap his lips around an instrument like that."
Sirius couldn't help but look at the man—Remus—who was staring back at him. Sirius tried to make sense of what Enid had said, knowing he was missing something. But what?
She nudged him. "Nothing wrong with lads wanting other lads to…"
"Aunt Enid, how about I get you a drink?" A musician with glasses and dark hair stepped forward, offering his arm, and Enid took it, winking at the others. "Nothing wrong with liking a girl with a few years on her, either."
"You behave yourself," the man scolded, grinning at her, and Sirius turned back to Remus.
He was met with intense amber eyes, and had the feeling that Remus hadn't looked away once. Something fluttered in his stomach, and he felt his skin redden as he recalled Enid's words.
"It was amazing to meet… to meet such talented musicians, but I must be off. My parents… they will want to know where I am."
He turned to move away.
"Sirius?"
He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes only finding Remus.
The man tilted his head slightly, smiling. "You'll come back tomorrow to watch us perform again?"
Sirius meant to shake his head, to say no. His parents wouldn't be happy with him for that night, let alone allow him to have another night out.
"I would like that very much," he said, before turning and rushing away.
...oOo...
Sirius couldn't believe how easy it had been to lie to his parents. He knew they would be furious had he admitted he was in the dance-club, but he had mentioned staying late at the bank and being shown how to work the new machinery.
His mother had been delighted, talking about how they would only take the time to do that if they were planning on giving him a better position. Sirius almost felt bad for telling the lie, but his parents had forced him into working for the bank: a job he found boring and unpleasant.
The next evening, after leaving the bank, Sirius pushed the door of the club open once more. Less hesitant than before, he stepped inside, taking up his previous spot next to Enid.
"You're back," she said, sounding delighted. Sirius was taken aback. People were never that delighted to see him.
"I am."
"You need to stop looking so uncertain and lost," she stated. "You want to be here, act like it!"
"I am—"
"You haven't danced."
"I don't know how to dance like this," Sirius admitted. "I know formal dances, and these are so different."
"You!" She pointed at one of the nearby girls, who was wearing a pastel-pink dress. "Teach him to dance and I'll bring you to meet the band."
The blonde looked between them for a moment. "No funny business," she demanded, grabbing him and pulling him onto the dancefloor. "Don't be shy, everyone has to learn. I'm Alice!"
"Sirius Black," Sirius replied, turning to look at Remus. Alice followed his gaze for a moment. "Yeah, they are good at what they do, aren't they?"
Sirius could only nod his head. "I'm afraid I'm only used to formal dancing, Miss…" he paused, waiting for her surname.
"I told you that I'm Alice," she replied. "No Miss McLaggon here. I'm Alice, you're Sirius. I'm sure you'll pick up dancing in no time! The question is: how fast can you copy what I'm doing?"
...oOo...
Sirius had danced with Alice for most of the night, but the band had finished now, and his legs were aching from so much dancing. He had struggled to keep up at first, but by the end of the night, he was certain he had been able to hold his own out there on the dance-floor.
He followed behind Alice as she walked over to Enid, expecting the woman to keep her promise, and Enid didn't disappoint, quickly introducing Alice to her nephew, Frank.
"Sirius, was it?" the man with glasses began. "Come and sit with us, have a drink. You must be tired from all that dancing. She looks like a nice girl. You've… been with her long?"
Sirius shook his head. "Aunt Enid wanted her to teach me to dance. I… I am not attracted to her." He couldn't stop his eyes from moving to Remus, who was staring at him with the same intensity as the previous night. "I am very much unattached."
"Splendid," James replied. "Five unattached men,"—his gaze fell on Frank, who was leading Alice over to the bat—"Four unattached men having a drink together. I'm James, and this is Peter. You've met Remus."
"I have," Sirius murmured.
James' grin widened. "Has he told you how good of a dancer he is?"
"I'm not that good, I assure you," Remus replied softly. "Just because James was terrible when we first started, someone had to show him. You were good."
"You were watching?" Sirius blurted out, unable to keep the smile off his lips.
"Yes, I… I was watching you."
"Will you be here again tomorrow?" Sirius asked hopefully.
"Not tomorrow, not for a while. Maybe again in a couple of weeks. We have a week off, before we play at another dance-club."
"Which one? Where?" Sirius asked. "I'd… I want to watch you play again."
"Well, Remus is free for the week, why don't you get him to teach you how to dance?" Peter asked, smiling innocently.
Sirius turned to Remus, whose cheeks were slightly red. "I could, if you want."
"I'd love that," Sirius replied, though his brain was telling him that it was a bad idea.
His heart, however, didn't agree with his head. In fact, his heart was telling him that this was one of the best ideas he had ever had!
...oOo...
The next evening, Sirius found himself outside of a small set of stairs leading up to a first-floor flat. James had domineered the conversation the previous night, organising the dance lesson between the pair.
Sirius had paid some attention, but each time he met Remus' gaze, he struggled to understand anything else that was going on around him. When he got home the previous night, he thought long and hard about what it all meant, and Enid's inappropriate comment when he had first met Remus had popped into his head.
Lads liking other lads. Did that happen? Sirius knew that guys liked girls, and girls liked guys… but there was something about Remus that stirred something inside of him, and lads liking lads didn't seem like quite a crazy notion.
If anything, Sirius was a guy that had never actually liked a girl before, yet here he was, obsessing over a guy.
With a clearer idea of what was going on inside of him, Sirius walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. It only took a moment for it to open, and Remus smiled warmly at the sight of him before stepping back. "Sirius!"
"Remus. I hope I'm not too early."
"No, I was… I know James was pushy, but I didn't know if you'd actually show up, or if you were saying all of that to get him to back off."
"I want to be here, I wanted to see you." Sirius knew he was being slightly bold, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be upfront with Remus and hoped that Remus wasn't attracted to women either.
"You did?" Remus murmured. The smile almost blinded Sirius as Remus stepped aside, allowing Sirius into the house.
"Just relax," Remus said, turning the gramophone on. "Dancing is easy. It's about free dancing really, doing whatever you want, Sirius. But if in doubt, there are good dances. The Charleston, the Fox-trot, swing dancing."
Sirius nodded, hoping Remus would pick one that involved being close.
"But you… you look too dressed up. Here, take the jacket off and give me the ribbon from your hair.
Sirius did as he was told, and Remus reached over, fixing Sirius' hair. "Much better," he whispered, his eyes moving to meet Sirius' heated gaze. The men stared at each other for a moment, fully aware of how close their faces were, before Remus went to withdraw his hand.
Sirius reached up, grabbing it in his own. "Remus."
He had expected Remus to say something in return. What he hadn't expected was for Remus' lips to find his and kiss him so softly, Sirius would have thought he had imagined it.
"I'm sorry," Remus said, already pulling away. "I shouldn't—"
"Don't be sorry. I liked that. I'd like to do it again, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind," Remus replied, already leaning forward again. Sirius smiled just as their lips were about to touch. Remus was open to his courtship.
Hours later, Sirius left. He hadn't learnt anything about dancing, though he had learnt how amazing and right it felt to kiss another man.
Not just any man. Remus.
...oOo...
The lies to his parents got easier, and the pair even stopped bothering to ask Sirius about the bank. Sirius barely paid attention anymore, his thoughts filled with Remus and Jazz. With dancing, new friends, and watching Remus and his friends practice, whilst he sat with Lily and Alice and had a smoke.
"I think we need a new instrument," James murmured, a month after Sirius had been introduced to the jazz-scene. "What do you guys think?"
"If we can find someone who fits," Frank offered. "Not just someone who can play, but someone who works with our group."
"We need an instrument that would work with what we have," Peter added. "Remember when we started, and Benjy had played the piano for a couple of weeks before deciding that this wasn't for him?"
"Yeah, the piano was perfect," James sighed.
"I know it's not jazz or anything, but I've been learning to play the piano since I was four," Sirius offered. Every set of eyes quickly turned to him.
"You play an instrument?" James asked. He slowly grinned. "Well, we know you fit the group, so let's see if you can play Jazz. I'll see if we can secure a piano somewhere and you can show us what you can do."
With that, James got to his feet. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Guys?"
Peter and Frank said their goodbyes and followed James out. Once the door had closed, Sirius moved closer to Remus, leaning against him.
"Don't make allowances for me when I audition, because we're…"
"We're what?" Remus asked, turning towards him. "Sirius, what is this?"
Sirius moved from Remus' shoulder. "It's us. It's…"
"It's a big secret from the world," Remus replied with a sigh. "Sirius, we need to talk."
Sirius didn't know much about relationships outside of Remus, but he had a feeling those weren't good words.
"I don't expect you to tell the world that you like me, but I can't be hidden away like a shameful secret either," Remus continued. "I'm crazy about you, and I'm already kicking myself for this, but I need to feel like I matter."
"You do matter," Sirius assured him.
"Do I? You barely touch me. The way you used to look at me in the dance-clubs is over because you're scared someone will see you look at me. We don't even see each other away from here or from the dance-club. It's not like I expect you to tell your parents or your family… I'm sorry, Sirius."
Sirius stood up and picked up his jacket. "Barely touching you is my way of being a gentleman and not… pawing at you. I'm showing you respect," Sirius began. "As for not looking at you the same: I can't stare because I can't control myself around you. I'm falling for you, Remus. But if you only see me hiding you away, then maybe I should leave."
He walked out of the door, and he wasn't quite certain, but he thought he heard Remus call his name. He paused, but there was no other sound.
Sirius didn't want to leave, but he knew that there was nothing to say at that point. He would somehow need to show Remus how he felt. He would need to prove to Remus that he loved him.
...oOo...
"We saw Mr. Phillips today," Walburga said, moments after Sirius walked into the house, two days after the Remus incident. "I asked him how your training was coming, but he mentioned that you've been leaving each evening on time. Would you care to explain this?"
Sirius knew by her calm tone that he was in for a terrible evening. He glanced around, spotting his father and brother playing chess.
"I will, I just need to hang up my suit-jacket," Sirius said. Walburga stayed quiet, having always pushed Sirius to keep his clothes in good condition.
Sirius paced his room for a moment, wondering what to tell his mother. He froze when it hit him. He could tell her the truth. He could tell her that he was going to dance-clubs and seeing another man.
If his parents knew, Sirius wouldn't have to be so cautious around Remus anymore. He could be free to love Remus. After all, telling his parents was a one-way street to being disowned.
So he packed his suitcase, put it by the door, and headed to the sitting room, where his parents were waiting. Regulus was nowhere to be seen, and the chess piece were packed away.
"Well?" Walburga demanded.
"I've spent my nights in dance-clubs and at a jazz-musician's home. I'm in love with him."
A small part of Sirius had hoped that his parents would be accepting, but the rest of him knew that wasn't the case, and that part of him was right. Walburga quickly lost herself, shouting and screeching, whilst Orion turned away from him. "No son of mine will disgrace me like this."
Sirius knew it was his time to leave.
...oOo...
Sirius headed up the familiar stairs, but there was no answer at the door. He took a seat outside and waited.
It was a few hours later when he felt hands shake him. "Sirius?"
"Have you heard the news?"
"What news?" Remus asked.
"I told them," Sirius replied. "They found out I wasn't working late every night, and instead of another lie, I told them the truth."
"Why?" Remus offered Sirius his hand, helping him up.
"Because I'm in love with you. If you don't want to hide this, we won't hide it. Please give me a chance to make things up to you."
"No, Sirius, it was me," Remus insisted. "I regretted what I said that night, but I didn't want to cause upset with your parents by turning up at your home. I thought… I thought you were gone for good. I'm so glad you're back."
"About that… I may need somewhere to stay."
Remus grinned widely. "And you came here to me?"
"Of course I did," Sirius replied. "There's no-one I'd rather be with! So… you said before about not touching you. I must admit the idea of touching you more is very appealing."
"You can touch me all you like," Remus murmured. "Come in and unpack your stuff. This is your home now."
"With you," Sirius confirmed.
...oOo...
Three years after his brother had left, Regulus found himself following after a beautiful girl into a dance-club. He was manhandled by a woman with heavy red lipstick. "Now, you look as lost as he did when he arrived, but now he belongs. I think you could belong too."
Regulus stared up at his brother on stage in shock. His parents hadn't told him where Sirius had gone. His eyes moved across the rest of the band, falling on a man with dark hair and glasses, and he found himself lost.
The woman next to him cackled. "He stared like that too!"
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