Remus knew the exact moment he became obsessed with Seattle. A friend when he was ten had a bunch of old nineties alt-rock CDs he'd inherited from his older sister. His friend liked Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. Remus preferred the Seattle grunge bands: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees and others.
He consumed everything he could that was Seattle related and dreamed of living there. The city of grunge had since morphed into a hipster tech-savvy city but it also had a significant queer population. People like Remus lived there. The truth was that if it weren't for his friendship with Lily he might've moved there when he was eighteen, assuming he could afford it and maybe even if he couldn't.
When Lily asked what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday he wasted no time in saying he wanted to go to Seattle. Lily countered by suggesting Portland because it was basically the same place, but closer. Remus countered that if she was driving he wouldn't force her to go somewhere she didn't want to but if she was asking him, it was what he really wanted.
Lily had thankfully smiled in response and gave him a big hug, saying that she would take him where he wanted. Lily was a good friend. Perhaps a much better friend than he deserved.
Once the destination had been settled, they had to figure out more practical concerns. How long would they stay? How were they going to pay for it? Remus certainly didn't expect Lily to pay for everything. She didn't really make that much more money than he did and had more bills than he did. He was benefitting from her only charging him three-hundred dollars a month for renting the attic which allowed him to save a lot of money. He knew there was no other way he could get a room anywhere for a price that low.
Plus, Remus didn't exactly live an extravagant life. A side effect of being an introvert was never going out to spend money. And he didn't particularly like owning a lot of things anyway. His only other bill aside from the rent was Netflix.
So, Remus agreed to split the hotel costs for the two nights they were staying there and take care of as much of the food and gas as possible. It would burn through his savings but he thought it would be worth it.
The only thing that stung was not being able to take Sirius with them. Aside from the fact that this was Lily's gift to him for his birthday Sirius was also still in school during the week and shortly after getting back would be traveling to San Francisco with James for spring break.
Not being able to see Sirius for a couple of days would be sad but Remus hoped he would be distracted by Seattle.
That morning before the drive. he woke up early, unable to sleep due to the excitement. They were leaving at six the day before his birthday so that he would be able to spend all of his actual birthday in Seattle. The drive would take them eight hours, not counting stopping for breakfast so part of the first and third days would be spent on the drive.
The upside to waking up early is that Sirius was up making his morning coffee while Remus was still waiting for Lily to come downstairs from her shower.
"Hey, you," Sirius said with a smile.
"Hey," Remus said.
Sirius poured coffee into his thermos with delicate ease, as if he had been trained in those particular movements of hand, arm and wrist by some sort of expert. Remus couldn't pour soup into a bowl without spilling half of it all over the counter.
"Gonna be weird having such an empty house. You and Lily gone. Peter at Maddy's house…" Sirius said turning around with a sad smile.
"You and James aren't gonna take the opportunity to raise some hell?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sirius snickered.
"If it was a few years ago we might've. But instead… we'll probably just study and get ready for San Francisco. Oh… That reminds me… I… I wanted to float something by you," Sirius said.
"Float it and I'll see if I can pull it out of the water," Remus said, immediately cringing at his own poor attempt at a joke.
"Originally Peter was supposed to go with us but he dropped out. I was wondering… James and I were wondering if you… uh… wanted to take his place?" Sirius said, cringing almost as if expecting a no.
Remus froze, feeling stunned. It was one thing going to Seattle with Lily who was his actual comfort blanket and another thing entirely to head down to San Francisco for an entire week with a couple of guys who he liked but whom hadn't achieved comfort blanket status.
"Sure. Maybe. Umm… L-Let me think about it?" Remus stammered.
"Well… you can't wait too long. We're leaving Saturday," Sirius said.
Remus felt suddenly filled with panic. He wanted to say yes as much as he wanted to say no.
"I'll tell you by the time I get back from Seattle. It's a lot to take in… at once," Remus said.
Sirius smiled.
"Fair enough. I look forward to your answer," Sirius said.
"Hey guys," another voice said from behind Remus.
"I just asked Remus about San Francisco, James," Sirius said.
Remus turned around to flash James Potter a smile before quickly averting his eyes as per usual.
"Cool," James said, going over and opening the refrigerator.
James was dressed sharply. For such a laid back and cool guy, he was a bit of a prep. He looked the sort of guy that would've bullied him in high school but it was clear that James Potter wasn't the type to be mean to someone who didn't deserve it, at least according to Sirius.
"I'll tell you guys what I decide soon," Remus said.
"Take your time," James said.
Remus smiled and left the room, feeling a little overwhelmed by anxiety.
There was a lot of chatting happening downstairs, Lily realized, as she walked stepped out of her bedroom, backpack strapped onto her back. She marched downstairs wishing she had time to put a whole lot of caffeine in her body. She had gotten stoned out of her mind the night before, knowing that she probably wouldn't be getting high the next couple of days, even if marijuana was legal in Washington.
Lily arrived downstairs and walked into the kitchen. She poked James in the back and he turned around, quickly giving her a slow, soft kiss. Oh, she would miss making out with James more than she was going to miss smoking pot, that was for damn sure. He never failed to take her breath away.
"Damn. If I'd known that was the kind of goodbye you were gonna give me I would've came down sooner," Lily said, feeling flushed.
James laughed and shrugged, running dark fingers through his hair in that way that always looked cooler than it should. Lily leaned up and kissed him again then giggled as she pulled away.
"Goodbye, Sirius," Lily said.
"What? You're not gonna kiss me goodbye too?" Sirius joked.
Lily just rolled her eyes and left the kitchen to meet up with Remus. The truth was she'd love to find out what kissing Sirius was like but she knew he wasn't really expecting a kiss and she didn't want to step on Remus's toes. Just because you were poly didn't mean you had to be careless with people's feelings and comfort, in Lily's opinion.
"Ready?" Lily asked Remus, who was literally standing on the doormat and looking antsy.
"I was born ready," Remus said with a big grin.
"OK. Let's go. Goodbye, boys. Don't burn my house down or I will have to kill you both," Lily said with a wink.
"Burn the house down, you said? Will do," James called out, making Lily snort.
Remus went outside to Lily's car and she followed. By the time she had reached the car he had already put his seat belt on. Lily opened her car door and laughed.
"You're not the least bit excited, are you?" Lily snarked.
"Not even a little bit," Remus grinned.
Lily looked around. The sun would be up before too long. She was hoping to enjoy some of the Oregon coast before they had to abandon it to get on I-5. She was also looking forward to driving through Portland. She credited Portlandia to arousing her interest in the city. She had shown some of it to Remus before but he didn't seem to get the humor.
She was looking forward to attending Portland pride that summer. For years she had been dreaming of attending pride in a city that was really packed with a lot of queer people. She had mentioned it to Remus and he had been non-committal. She knew he would probably do almost anything she wanted to do out of loyalty so she was always careful to make sure he really wanted to do things before making too much of a fuss. She hoped he would come with her to Portland pride and hoped this trip to Seattle would help him come out of his shell some more.
She also thought Sirius might enjoy pride as well. He apparently had never attended pride in San Francisco for various reasons. She thought Sirius would benefit from loosening his collar a little and experiencing the sheer joy and wholeness pride provided. Or he would be like Mary and decry it as capitalist trash that didn't do enough to represent queer people who were bi, trans or ace. Lily felt she could see the problem with the latter and still enjoy the former but she was sympathetic towards those who couldn't.
Lily plugged her iPod in and started the playlist she assembled of Seattle bands. Remus grinned as the music started to play.
"Here we go," Lily said.
Did I say that I need you?
Oh, oh, did I say that I want you?
Oh, oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
As I come clean
Remus awoke to Pearl Jam playing over the stereo. They had stopped in Coos Bay for lunch and were now on the way to Portland. Lily was singing along with the song, probably sounding better than Eddie Vedder himself did.
"I dozed off," Remus admitted.
"I noticed. That's fair. I would probably nap too, if I could," Lily said.
Remus checked his phone. Two texts from Sirius:
Hope you are having a safe drive!
Thinking of reading Reliquary of Blood again.
Remus grinned and replied with a smiley face.
"Flirting with your boy?" Lily teased.
"He's not my boy!" Remus laughed before adding, "At least I don't think he is?"
"The suspense is killing me, man! Will they? Won't they? That shit drives me up the wall!" Lily said then snickered.
"You're one to talk," Remus said.
"Hey, I have no illusions about what's happening between me and James Potter. Will we? Yes, we will. We will so much you won't even believe it. We're gonna will everywhere every minute of every day," Lily said, then cackled.
"Can we agree my bed is off limits?" Remus said.
"I don't just mean sex, dork! I mean… you know. Everything," Lily said.
"Maybe I am taking things too slow with Sirius. I'm almost twenty-one and don't have one partner. You're twenty-one and nearly have three. I need to get with the program," Remus complained.
"Do you think you could ever do it?" Lily asked.
"Sex?" Remus asked in shock.
"No! Polyamory. Or non-monogamy?" Lily said.
"I mean we've had this conversation before… But I mean… I guess? It's hard to picture it happening to me. Sirius is like some mythical creature… sasquatch or something. That rare being that finds me attractive. What are the odds of more than one person ever finding me attractive?" Remus said.
"Hey, I find you attractive!" Lily said.
"You don't count," Remus said.
"Rude!" Lily replied.
Remus decided to move on from that and continued the thought with Sirius: "So, let's say that Sirius and I actually… happen… whatever that means exactly. And let's say Sirius liked someone else… I think I'd be OK with him and other people. I guess I'd just want to… know what's up," Remus said.
They stopped at a red light and Lily turned and smiled at him.
"That's a mature attitude. I don't have to tell my girlfriends what's up but I really prefer to," Lily said.
"Lily… I have a question… about Mary and Dorcas… sort of…" Remus said as the light turned green and they continued north.
"What's that? Ask away!" Lily said.
"What's… what's the end goal with those relationships? Like… straight people have this set path… meet, fall in love, get married, get a house, have kids… What do people like you… people like us, do?" Remus asked.
Lily snickered and shrugged.
"Whatever we want, dude. I think people should just do what makes them happy, not what society wants them to. And that applies to straight people too. There's nothing wrong with those things. Besides, I already have a house!" Lily said.
"That you can barely afford," Remus countered.
Lily frowned, seeming wounded.
"I can afford the house. The taxes… are a different challenge. I'm glad they let me set up payments. I may need to get a second job. Or really step up my camming," Lily said.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's none of my business," Remus said.
"Sure it is," Lily said.
"You could raise my rent," Remus said.
Lily shook her head.
"No. I won't do that. This is my problem. I will deal with it," Lily replied resolutely.
"Fair enough," Remus said, not wanting to press her further.
"Anyhow… If you want the truth about where I think things with Mary and Dorcas are going… I really don't know. The distance is a problem. Dorcas has suggested she might move out here at some point, but not until after she's done with school. Mary… I think Mary doesn't want to be tied down to any one place. I might have to accept a future where she flits in and out of my life. And that's fine. People should have the relationships that suit them best. There's no need to force a lifestyle for some stupid ideal," Lily said.
"What about marriage?" Remus asked.
Lily shrugged.
"I mean… I can't marry more than one partner. The whole notion of marriage is just… it's such a bullshit patriarchal idea. But it's hard to deny that there are legal benefits. Maybe if I had a child with someone…" Lily said, scrunching up her face with confusion.
"Which brings us to…" Remus started.
"Someday. Not today," Lily said.
"Would you adopt?" Remus said.
"No. I mean… probably not. But I really want to have my own child. Even if I somehow end up single… I'll go the IVF route if I have to. That's just… something I really want," Lily said.
"Funny given how pro-choice you are," Remus said with a grin.
"And it's my choice. And if I were to unexpectedly get pregnant I would still weigh my options. That would also be my choice," Lily said firmly.
"Yeah. I know. I'm just joking," Remus said.
Lily smiled and the drive carried on.
Around noon they stopped for gas just past Portland. Lily didn't feel that driving along the interstate had given her the same appreciation for Portland that a proper visit would give her but she was still a bit excited to have gone through it.
While Remus was using the restroom Lily texted James:
Hey. Been thinking about you.
What about me?
Your cute butt ;)
You haven't even seen my butt!
I've squeezed it. I can picture it in my mind ;)
Undressing me in your mind, are you?
Dude, I'm doing a lot more than undressing you ;)
James didn't immediately reply to that. Lily had fun flirting with him like that. She was always curious what it would take to get him flustered but he was pretty good at keeping his cool.
Remus got back to the car as James replied:
Oh yeah?
Hell yeah.
"Flirting?" Remus asked.
"Something like that," Lily admitted.
Really wishing I wasn't out having lunch right now…
Uh oh. Do we have a situation?
…Yeah.
Oops. So I guess I *shouldn't* go on to tell you all the things I think about after undressing you…
God please no. I'm at Jack in the Box.
LOL damn, dude. Well, we've gotta hit the road. Still three hours to Seattle. XOXO
Drive safe. I'm just going to… sit here. Possibly forever.
Lily felt a little bad for James. She was a hot herself but Remus had no way of knowing, especially not with his lack of sexual experience. Lily tried to eliminate thoughts of James rushing home instead of going to class just so he could take care of his situation from her mind, though it was an exciting fantasy.
"Final push," Lily said, and put her seat belt back on.
"Hooray!" Remus shouted and Lily began to drive.
Arriving in Seattle wasn't a magical moment in and of itself but Remus thought it was pretty exciting. The excitement had begun as they passed the state capitol, Olympia. Lily had been excited to cross the turn for Sleater-Kinney road as she had become a big fan of that band thanks to Carrie Brownstein being on Portlandia. She even played their new album just in time to pass Olympia.
The most exciting part of passing through Tacoma was the incredible view of Mt. Rainier, which he managed to get a pretty good picture of to send to Sirius who sent a one word reply of Cool.
"Tacoma looks boring. And I mean, Mt. Rainier is neat but isn't it basically guaranteed to erupt at some point?" Remus said.
"Yeah," Lily said.
"I don't see the point of Tacoma. Seattle and Portland are nearby. I mean, I'm sure it has its own culture… I guess," Remus said.
"Well, it's still at the south end of Puget Sound. Having access to the Pacific Ocean is valuable," Lily said.
"I guess," Remus replied.
The suburbs between Seattle and Tacoma weren't any more exciting than Tacoma was but he did find passing SeaTac airport to be exciting. Once they finally arrived in South Seattle they had to stop to check into their hotel. South Seattle seemed sort of bland and industrial but the hotel prices were also far more reasonable.
They got a room with a single king size bed. For whatever reason it was cheaper and Remus and Lily had slept in the same bed together tons of times before. By the time they were checked in it was already past four in the afternoon, leaving them perhaps an hour of daylight, most of which would be occupied by driving downtown, then locating parking and they were still discussing what they wanted to do that evening on the drive to downtown.
They both had assembled lists of possible things they could do while in Seattle, though Remus had a few mandatory things he wanted to knock off during their short time. Many things were eliminated by virtue of sunset.
"Oh my god, this traffic is ridiculous. How do these people live like this?" Lily said, looking intense and irritated.
Remus, who didn't exactly have any driving experience and had never spent much time in major cities, couldn't really tell the difference. He decided to be quiet and let Lily navigate through the mess.
They arrived downtown and found parking just as the sun had fully set, still without a plan.
"Your birthday isn't until tomorrow so I can't even take you to a bar," Lily said, frowning and undoing her ponytail, tossing her hair tie in her purse.
"It's kind of chilly isn't it?" Remus said.
"Yeah. I should've worn a sweater," Lily said.
Lily was instead wearing a purple t-shirt that had a low-cut neckline, showing off her ample cleavage and one of her nice pairs of jeans. Her lips were adorned with an especially vibrant shade of dark-red lipstick that matched her hair and contrasted with her eyes. She looked cute in Remus's estimation, though she often did.
"I mean… I guess we can walk around? Must be something open, right?" Remus said.
"Of course, there's something open. Yeah. OK. Fuck it," Lily said with a shrug.
Lily fell onto their hotel bed with a thud.
"I can't believe we went to Seattle just to see a movie," Lily said.
"You have to admit there's value in going to Seattle to see a movie set in Seattle," Remus said.
"But Fifty Shades of Grey? I mean… damn," Lily said.
Lily pulled out her phone and texted James:
We just got back to the hotel from seeing Fifty Shades of Grey.
"Yeah. I mean… I'm pretty sure I've written stuff sexier than that movie and I've never even had sex before," Remus said, flopping on the other side of the bed.
"Reliquary of Blood is definitely hotter. And I've read way better BDSM fic," Lily said.
Lily's phone chimed.
Was it good?
LOL no.
Oh? I heard it was hot.
Not really. It was kinda fucked up.
I confess I know nothing about BDSM.
REALLY?
Yeah.
I've gotta educate you!
Oh… is it something you are into?
Not really, though I'm flexible with light bondage ;)
Lily set her phone down, anticipating a short wait before James replied to that one.
"I was thinking about writing a little BDSM in my Peggy/Angie fic. I think it suits them," Lily said as her phone chimed again.
Like… you doing the tying or getting tied? O.O
Yeah. Might depend who I'm with. But I'm always GGG.
GGG?
Good, giving and game. Google it.
"James has never heard of GGG," Lily said with amusement.
"Sometimes I feel like I know more about sex than most people who have it on a regular basis, present company excluded, of course," Remus said.
"Who knows? Maybe you could teach me something," Lily said then stuck her tongue out at him.
Remus clutched his stomach in laughter, turning red. Lily's phone chimed.
I don't really have any fetishes. Is that weird?
You're only twenty. I think those develop over time.
Do you have any?
Lily chuckled, feeling herself flushing with excitement. James was definitely starting to play along.
Wouldn't you like to know ;)
…Yeah?
If I just tell you wouldn't that spoil the fun?
James didn't immediately reply. Remus's eyes were closed and Lily elbowed him.
"Remus. You should get your bed clothes on," Lily said.
"Huh? I was just… resting my eyes," Remus said, getting up from the bed and going over to his backpack to pull out his pajamas.
Lily set her phone down and did the same. Remus went into the bathroom to change while Lily removed her t-shirt, bra and jeans by the bedside. When Remus came back out she was standing in just her shorts and pulling her tank top down over her chest.
"Oh," Remus said in surprise.
"It's just my boobs, dude. You've seen my boobs," Lily said with a sarcastic look.
"I know. I just wasn't expecting them," Remus said, his face turned away in apparent embarrassment.
Lily climbed into bed and they turned the lamps out. Lily checked her phone.
Guess I'll just have to imagine.
OK. Fine. I confess. I have a marble fetish.
What's that?
Idk. I just made it up. But odds are it's a real fetish. Everything is a fetish!
Really?
Probably. But for real, I have a pink unicorn fetish. DON'T JUDGE ME.
I won't. I mean, I don't even know what that is.
ROFL. I'm kidding. Tho unicorns are fuckin' badass.
Remus had already begun to snore. Lily knew she was physically exhausted, having been up for something like nineteen hours, but the current conversation was keeping her invested in remaining awake.
Okay, cuz I thought maybe it was like… the horn was a penis?
ROFL WUT?
Idk. It's not my fetish!
Mine either!
Can't you tell me like… one thing that turns you on?
You.
Lily grinned and licked her lips. Let's see how he reacts to that, she thought.
I do?
Yeah. The way you kiss me.
James was starting to take a little longer to reply. Lily felt hot and arousal will filling her body. She found herself picturing James's full lips exploring her body and she clenched her thighs in excitement.
I like how you kiss too.
What do you like that I do?
This is gonna sound stupid but I love your smile.
That's not stupid. That's sweet :)
Lily could feel herself blushing. Did he really have to be so perfect?
So we've established a mutual mouth admiration ;)
Mouths are good.
Useful… for things ;)
Oh yeah ;)
Lily wondered if James was imagining him using his mouth on her or the other way around? She decided to split the difference and imagine them both, which was quite nice. James took even longer to reply this time.
Can't believe I'm awake. You're distracting.
Same. You too ;) Too bad I'm not alone.
Lily didn't suppose it would be appropriate to touch herself while her best friend slept a mere foot and a half away from her. The idea of waking Remus up to get his permission and allowing him to watch her do it was very exciting but she knew it was only a fantasy and probably not a realistic scenario. She wasn't sure what Remus's reaction would be but she sure as hell wasn't going to bust it out on him to find out.
I don't have that problem. My best friend isn't even on the same floor ;)
Lily bit her lip and decided to get bold.
Are you jacking off?
Yeah.
Nice.
Lily was feeling properly worked up now. She considered dashing into the bathroom but still wasn't confident she would be able to keep quiet enough to not risk waking Remus up. She was again torn by the fact that the idea of being caught by Remus turned her on but she knew the reality would be different and more awkward and complicated.
God, I wish you weren't about to go to San Francisco for a week.
Yeah.
James was clearly far too focused on the task literally at hand to text anything complex now. Lily felt like she was on fire. She tried desperately to banish naughty thoughts about her best-friend lying next to her. But sometimes she wished he knew how hot he was. She wished she could show him.
Lily exhaled and threw her head back in frustration. The brain was a frustrating thing while you were sexually aroused. Right now she was so turned on she felt theoretically ready to bone any hot person who might feel inclined. She knew that if Remus were to spontaneously wake up at that very moment and ask her for sex she would be all over him.
But really, she wanted James. But James was far.
Did you cum or fall asleep?
I came. Sorry.
Nbd.
And it wasn't a big deal. If anything it was ideal. If James went to bed she could hopefully push the sexy thoughts out of her head. She needed sleep. They had a busy day scheduled tomorrow.
A few minutes later James replied again:
Omg so tired.
Same.
Must sleep. Night night Lils.
Night :)
Lily set her phone aside. After a quick trip to the bathroom she was back in bed. She tried to think of anything but sex or anything that might lead to her thinking about sex. She instead thought of puppies, which she wagered was the one thing guaranteed not to lead her down any erotic pathways. She felt herself starting to slip away right as she was wondering if she should get a puppy. The house could use a pet, she thought.
When the alarm went off at seven in the morning, Remus was so annoyed he almost wanted to climb over Lily to attack it. Instead he just groaned and was shortly thereafter joined by Lily.
"Too soon!" Lily groaned.
"Yeah," Remus said.
Lily turned to Remus and gave him a sleepy smile.
"Happy birthday, Remus," she said.
"Thanks," Remus said.
Remus picked up his phone. He had texts from from James, Sirius and his sister Natalie all wishing him a happy birthday. His sister also sent a second text:
Gonna be in San Francisco for spring break next week. Too bad you couldn't come down and say hi. I miss you :(
Remus was too tired to deal with contemplating the odds that his sister would happen to be in San Francisco the same week that James and Sirius were traveling. Normally, she was attending college down in Los Angeles. The fact that his sister was living on the west coast was another one of the reasons why the move to Oregon hadn't been a big deal, though strictly speaking Los Angeles wasn't terribly close to where he lived, being a fair bit further away than Seattle or San Francisco were.
"Nat's going to be in San Francisco for spring break," Remus said.
"Really? What are the odds?" Lily said, her green eyes wide with a sort of groggy surprise.
"Not impossible. Nat's expressed interest in San Francisco before. But she lives in L.A.. Isn't it sunnier there?" Remus said.
"That's what they say," Lily replied.
"Geez, Lily. You look twice as tired as I feel, which is a lot. Are you gonna be all right?" Remus asked.
Lily shrugged.
"I'll live. I may have stayed up texting James," Lily said, almost looking embarrassed.
Remus just playfully huffed but decided not to give her a hard time over it.
Slowly they both pulled themselves out of bed. Remus knew once they got moving he would get excited. Since today was their only full day in Seattle they planned to make the best of it.
After they both had showers they went and nabbed some breakfast at a nearby Denny's. They then made their way to the Fremont district of Seattle via bus, deciding searching for parking wouldn't be worth the hassle, though figuring out the buses wasn't a simple matter.
Remus had read numerous interesting things about Fremont. Unfortunately, one of the most interesting things was the Solstice Parade which didn't occur until June. But otherwise there was lots of interesting shops to explore, the statue of Lenin to take a picture of and the legendary Fremont Troll.
"This is so cool!" Remus said as he and Lily stood in front of the troll.
It was a large stone troll underneath the highway that had what appeared to be a hubcap for an eye and a Volkswagen beetle clutched in one of it's hands. Remus immediately took a picture and sent it to Sirius.
"Will you take a picture of me sitting on its hand? I wanna send it to James and the girls," Lily said.
"Yeah," Remus said, taking her phone as she dashed over right as a mother and her daughter had just finished taking a picture.
Lily sat down on the troll and opened her mouth wide in a big smile then waved at the camera as Remus took a few snaps.
"Thanks!" Lily said as she hopped down.
"No problem," Remus said.
"Do you want me to do you?" Lily asked.
Remus shook his head. While he would love to have the photo, there were other people around and the idea of being on the spot like that made him anxious.
"You sure?" Lily asked, possibly aware of what his reluctance was.
"Yeah," Remus said, knowing he would probably regret it later.
"OK," Lily said and they marched back down the road.
After walking by Seattle's Google offices and snapping pictures they headed around to Gas Works Park, which was apparently where they let off fourth of July fireworks every year. It was a fairly large open park facing out at Lake Union, on which still stood the former gas plant that gave it its name. People were laying about on the lawn and others were walking dogs or flying kites. Occasionally Remus caught a whiff of marijuana even though he knew it wasn't legal to smoke it in public. They spent a short while exploring the park and taking pictures before deciding to move on.
They hopped on a bus which took them Downtown to the Seattle Center which was where the Space Needle lived. Remus thought it was pretty cool to stand beneath the Space Needle but had no interest in going to the top of it.
"You sure you don't want to go up with me?" Lily asked.
"No. I know myself. I would get halfway up and feel like I was going to die. Sorry," Remus said.
So he stayed in the gift shop that sat at the bottom while Lily went up. She texted him pictures from around the observatory while he walked around the shop.
Lily's up in the Space Needle taking pictures.
Remus thought texting Sirius would make him feel better, though he was certain that Sirius was busy with classes at that moment. For the first time since arriving in Seattle, Remus felt a certain longing for Sirius's company. He considered the San Francisco trip again. They hadn't mentioned anything about how he would pay for the trip. James often paid for things for Sirius and he supposed both men knew that he didn't have much money.
Remus decided to text his sister back:
I'm actually thinking about going to San Francisco with some friends next week.
After Lily came back down they decided to head down to Pike Place Market, preferring to walk because it wasn't terribly far and it was nice to people watch. As they turned a corner Lily unexpectedly shouted, "PopCap? The PopCap?"
"I guess. Who're PopCap?" Remus asked, seeing the orange sign that said PopCap in front of them.
Lily looked at him with shock.
"Peggle? Plants vs. Zombies? Oh my god, I didn't know they were from Seattle!" Lily said.
Remus chuckled and Lily got him take a picture of her next to the sign then they continued further down towards Elliot Bay so they could walk down 1st Avenue down to Pike Place.
At one point they stopped in front of a place called Belltown Pub and Lily said: "Remus… you are twenty-one. Let me buy you a beer."
Lily glanced inside the place. It didn't seem busy and there were private booths.
"I've never had beer. I assume I won't like it," Remus said.
"Only one way to find out," Lily said with a hopeful grin.
"Oh, all right. But just one beer!" Remus said.
Once inside they went up to the bar. After checking their IDs, Lily asked for something local and not too strong so the bartender recommended Rainier. They then went and sat down at a booth. Nineties alt-rock was playing over speakers and there was a sportsball game on the TVs that were at various places around the walls and over the bar. In an upstairs section there were some people playing pool or perhaps foosball.
Remus sipped his beer with trepidation. The taste was neither as bad as he expected or as good as he would hope. Still, he had no problem slowly working through it, finding himself surprisingly tipsy by the end of it.
"Am I drunk?" Remus said as they stepped outside.
"Probably not," Lily said, taking Remus by the hand down to Pike Place Market.
Pike Place itself proved not to be terribly exciting and if Remus hadn't been slightly relaxed from the beer he was certain he would've been a bit more anxious about how many people flooded the area. They did stop to watch the guys throwing the fish at the fish market and Lily popped into MarketSpice to get some local tea.
They then went down the alley that ran underneath the market to explore the dreaded gum wall.
"Oh my god. This is disgusting but sort of amazing," Lily said.
The walls were covered in pieces of chewed pieces of gum. People were taking pictures of themselves pretending to lick the wall and Remus was horrified but still sent a picture to Sirius and helped Lily take a picture of herself looking horrified at the wall.
After Pike Place they walked down to Pioneer Square so they could do the only set in stone plan they had for that day: the Underground Tour. Remus had seen it recommending on a tourist guy and thought it sounded neat. The tour took them underneath the city to explore older parts of the town and learn about Seattle's history, particularly how the entire city was funded by sex workers. The tour had been in part created to honor those women who history had otherwise forgotten.
After the tour was over they walked over to the Seattle Central Library and tried not to get lost going up and down the spiral. It was a very cool and modern looking library but Remus thought he personally preferred smaller, more intimate libraries.
Next they walked past the Washington State Convention Center then walked up towards Capitol Hill, which people online described as gay, hipster Seattle. On the way up they stopped in a sex toy shop called Babeland, which Lily was very excited about. Remus had never been in a sex toy shop before and was sort of amazed by the different things it contained. Lily took pictures to send to her partners or possibly James. Remus was amused by a few things and considered sending pictures to Sirius but didn't want him to get the wrong idea.
There was a new age witchcraft store nearby which Lily was also a bit excited about and bought some incense. After that they explored a local bookstore and continued to wander about Capitol Hill. There were lots of queer friendly flags and signs in windows. They had seen them elsewhere Downtown but there was far more there.
They finally stopped to sit down at a bakery to eat pastries and Remus caught up with texts from his sister and Sirius. Natalie just say that she hoped she would see him there and Sirius had reacted with enthusiasm to many of the pictures Remus had sent.
Seattle looks cool!
It is!
"So what do you want to do with the rest of our day? I'm fucking exhausted. My legs want to quit," Lily said, looking down at her bare legs with disappointment.
"Mine too. And we're running out of daylight," Remus said.
"Maybe we should go back to the hotel and get some rest. We can just watch cable or something. We can get some dinner in a few hours," Lily said.
"Sounds good to me," Remus said.
He knew their time in Seattle was limited but Lily looked pretty beat. So they figured out what buses to take in order to get them back to the hotel.
I'm so sore. All over.
Too bad I can't kiss it better ;)
Hehe. You'd be welcome to try. Might take a while…
Lily wanted to play and flirt with James but in reality she was worn out. She and Remus had vastly underestimated how hilly Seattle was going to be. Her legs, butt and back were aching pretty badly and the bottoms of her feet were tender.
I was looking at those pictures you sent me. From the sex shop. Interesting…
Yeah.
Lily was finding it hard to read or focus on James's texts. She was just too tired.
We can talk about that stuff later ;) I have to sleep, James.
Night!
Night night :)
The following morning they set the alarm for a little later. Not much was planned for that day as they got through most of the things they actually wanted to do the day before. Lily felt bad that they were going to spend most of that day driving back.
The only thing they had left to do was explore the Experience Music Project. They could've done it the day before while they were at the Space Needle but they didn't think they would have time. But it was just as well as now they would be able to take their time exploring all the pop culture the museum contained.
The museum was neat and she found plenty of cool items to take pictures of to show James and the girls. Lily wondered if she and James were reaching the point of moving past being probable boyfriend/girlfriend to being actual boyfriend/girlfriend. Another conversation was needed in the near future, one she hoped would be followed by some very vigorous consummating.
Remus seemed weary. Though clearly he had been excited by the things in Seattle she knew him well enough to know being around so many people had worn him down. He was probably pretty ready to return to his attic to decompress.
Around one in the afternoon they made it back to the hotel and said goodbye to the Emerald City.
"I'd love to come back someday," Remus said.
"Me too. And I bet there's more cool stuff in Washington," Lily said.
"There's a rainforest!" Remus said.
"Isn't that by Forks? Would we encounter sparkly vampires there?" Lily said then laughed.
"God, I hope not," Remus said and they carried on down the road.
Remus had loved the trip but was just as glad when it was over. Even positive stress is still stress, he realized. Sirius was surprisingly waiting on the coach, watching TV when they got inside.
"Hey," Remus said, smiling at his friend.
"Hey guys. House has been quiet without you… well, even more quiet," Sirius said, standing up and approaching them.
With a smile Sirius unexpectedly wrapped his arms and Remus and hugged him close. Remus felt like time had stopped and he ceased to breathe until Sirius pulled away then hugged Lily. They hugged… They hugged! Remus could feel himself internally shaking with excitement. It had happened so suddenly! It was somehow more exciting than anything that had happened in the past few days.
"I promise I'll tell you everything we did. While we're on the way to San Francisco, I mean," Remus said with a grin.
Sirius's face lit up and he clutched the top of his dark hair with joy.
"You're coming? Awesome!" Sirius shouted.
"Yeah. My sister is going to be in town. I ran out of reasons to say no," Remus said, though privately he wished he had a month to take a rest and not a couple of days instead.
"OK, boys. I've gotta pee and then I'm going to collapse," Lily said and went upstairs.
After getting out of the bathroom Lily knocked on James's bedroom door.
"Come in," James said faintly.
Lily opened the door and found James lying in bed with just a lamp on.
"Were you sleeping?" Lily asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.
"Not quite. I was hoping you'd stop by to say hello," James said with a grin.
"Hello," Lily said and James chuckled.
"I missed you," James said.
"I missed you too. I can't believe you're gonna be gone for a week," Lily said.
"Yeah. One of these days we're gonna get some proper time together. Though with finals coming up… Might not be until summer," James said with regret.
Lily took one of his hands in hers and lifted it up to her mouth to kiss it.
"I'm hoping we can have another conversation soon… about us. Just check up on where things stand," Lily said softly.
"Yeah. That would be good," James said then yawned.
"I should let you sleep," Lily said and leaned over to give him a kiss.
"Good night, Lils," James said.
"Good night, James," Lily said and left the room to go to bed.
Remus felt great pleasure at returning to his room. He hadn't been alone for days for more than a minute or two and being back in his own safe space was a relief. He wanted to review all the pictures he had taken and find some choice ones to post to Facebook and Tumblr but for now he needed rest. He had an even bigger trip ahead of him and he hoped he would have the strength to manage it.
He wondered if he would get more hugs from Sirius in San Francisco. He closed his eyes in bed and imagined that moment a short while ago when Sirius embraced him. Yes… if he could get even one more hug from Sirius Black it would be more than worth it to make the trip to San Francisco.