/
For the past three months, Remus had gotten into the habit of crawling out of bed at six in the morning. It was not easy, by any means, but it had become routine at least. He'd throw on his work clothes (which meant a shirt and bowtie, of course) and make himself a cup of hot chocolate to sip over the day's paper.
Then he'd ride his bicycle (which was definitely a thing that adults could do, thank you very much, he was not too old for bikes) for ten minutes to get to the bakery, where he would slip through the door and arrange his assortments of cakes, biscuits, scones, croissants… but mainly cakes; and all in time to open the shop for seven on the dot.
Which was why he should've expected it, really. Because on this particular Thursday in the middle of August, his day didn't start as usual - and by the end, it'd have changed all the days of his future for good.
That morning, he'd slept through his alarm and only made it out of bed at quarter past six, completely cutting out the chance of a hot chocolate, and he certainly didn't have time to read the newspaper. He only made it out of the house at ten to seven, but only after dodging the next door neighbour's cat, which hissed at him furiously. Not to mention the rain that poured down from the heavens - yes, in the middle of August, in summer. But that sort of thing is to be expected of England, so he shrugged it off.
It was twenty past seven by the time he got the shop open, though he supposed it wouldn't make all that much difference. After all, he couldn't expect to be busy on a day like this. Even on the popular stretch of cobbled road that his shop rested on, among many a quaint and quirky shop, he didn't expect to find many customers wandering in through the rain.
His first customer, indeed, was Lily Evans.
Lily had become a regular at the shop - mostly because one of her best friends owned the jewellery shop across the road, which Lily often assisted in running. She had the brightest red hair Remus had honestly ever seen, and green eyes to rival the gems they sold in their little store. To top it off, she was consistently kind to Remus and always made the effort to pop in and say hello.
By the time she turned up it was nine, and she pulled her hood down to shake her hair free, sending splatters of rain about the room. She grinned at him, coming to stand in front of the counter.
"Morning, Lupin," she chirped, setting down the same amount of money as usual - and, as was custom, entirely in coins. Remus smiled back as he scooped the pile of change up and began to count it into the register.
""Lily," he regarded. "Horrible weather today. The usual?"
She nodded, and he lifted up two red velvet cupcakes and two lemon cupcakes, slotting them into box and handing them over. "Terrible," she responded almost absently, gazing around the shop as though in deep thought. The counter curved around one corner of the room, high tables and stools scattered around the rest. The majority of his goods were on display in a cabinet beside the counter, but a couple cabinets sat at the other end of the room, too.
Remus narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"
Placing a fingertip to her chin as though in thought, Lily heaved a sigh. "You know, Remus, this place is rather empty. Lots of room but… horribly empty."
"...Yes?" He shifted to lean against the counter. He'd known Lily only three months, but that was long enough to realise when the girl was trying to edge her way around a subject. And he really didn't like the way she had a tendency to creep up to subjects, hated the way she built up the suspense so much when he knew there was something she was going to ask or suggest. This was just like the time she tried to subtly ask him if he was gay (which hadn't been subtle at all; she'd brought her friend Dorcas in just to flirt with him - the joke was on her, because Remus was not gay - he was pansexual, and very uncomfortable).
With an almost pitiful look, she turned and pressed her elbows against the counter surface. "Well, don't you get lonely?"
Oddly enough, he hadn't expected that. He blinked. And considered it.
"I mean - I hadn't really thought about it." Which he hadn't, really. He'd gotten used to having this place to himself and seeing Lily, sometimes Marlene - sometimes even Dorcas, or Frank, Alice, Mary, or Gideon popping in from time to time. It had seemed enough to him.
"But it must get difficult to manage, on busy days," she pressed.
"You and I both know I'm not that popular, Lily."
"Yes but - oh come on, Remus, you haven't even thought about hiring any more staff?"
"No," he answered truthfully. "I haven't. Why? Don't tell me you've put up posters, oh my God." Remus raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Okay, fine," she threw her hands up in the air as though giving up - as though she'd been being painstakingly obvious and it was Remus who was being the difficult one here. "It's nothing like that. It's just that Marlene's got this friend, and he's not exactly struggling for money - although Marlene thinks he might do soon but that's beside the point - and she's worried that he's a little too unoccupied and comfortable and he's just sort of drifting about and she thought maybe he could do with getting a job and-"
"Take a breath, Lily," Remus said exasperatedly.
"Right." She cupped her chin in her hands. "Well I realised that your place was a one-man business, at least as far as I could tell, unless you're hiding some oompa loompas back there, and it just clicked. Your place could do with some staff, and this guy could do with a job. Perfect, isn't it?"
For a moment, her face was overcome with the light of someone who has just solved a tricky equation, lips upturned with the smile of a person who believes they have just brought something good into at least one person's life.
"That's…" Remus pushed away from the counter, shaking his head. He felt guilty, truth be told, when he saw that look gradually slip away from her. "I'm sorry, Lily. That's nice of you, but I just don't need anyone right now."
And she did look disappointed, eyes downcast and lips almost forming a pout. But she bounced back up, a moment later, and shrugged. "Well I've already arranged for him to come round at seven, so you can tell him that when he gets here," she turned towards the door, stopping for a final wink on her way out. "And I have it on good authority that he's especially handsome."
Remus felt himself flush bright red. "I'm not-" but she was already gone, in a whisk of red hair and golden scarf, leaving him to stare blankly at the wall ahead of him, entirely unsure of what exactly just happened.
/
As expected, the rest of the day dragged on like a snail on the side of a wall. Customers drifted in and out, and in between Remus would find himself sitting atop his counter, recollecting himself each time anyone stopped to peer inside. More often than not, they walked on.
At around lunchtime, he was visited by Frank and Alice Longbottom. They stopped for a while to talk to him about work, about their plans for a child, and something or other about politics. Usually, he would've been fully engaged in every topic and eager to hear all about their future child's name and how his grandmother was going to buy him dreadfully ugly clothes, but today he found himself gazing at the clock as the minutes ticked by. He'd found himself inexplicably curious to meet this guy, whoever he was, that Lily insisted would work with him.
Thankfully, for most of the evening hours, he could relax in a seat by the window and read a book - or the newspaper he hadn't gotten to read that morning. It certainly pushed the hours on a little, and by six o'clock Remus found himself tapping at the table leg nervously with his foot.
Fully immersed in his book, the sound of the shop door's bell ringing jerked him back to life. He slammed the book shut, hopping down from his seat and, instinctively, behind the counter, tying his apron back around his waist.
The man in the doorway looked unsure of his surroundings as he stepped slowly in, staring curiously at Remus. He wore an oversized leather jacket, now drenched with rain, and his dark hair fell down to his shoulders, messy in the kind of way that suggested he actually spent a lot of time on it. Behind him, Remus vaguely noticed a motorbike leaning against his window, and raised an eyebrow momentarily. He didn't exactly look like the kind of guy to buy a cupcake, except for his all-too-angelic face.
"Um." The man said, awkwardly. "Are you… the owner?"
Remus blinked. This was him? It must be. This made total sense. He looked exactly like the type of person Marlene would befriend. "Yes," he cleared his throat, untying his apron and walking back around to the front of the shop. He turned the sign around to close up shop and gestured towards a table. "Take a seat, I suppose."
The other man hesitated for a moment before walking towards the stools, tapping at the table with his fingertips. "So uh, Marlene told me that you - well that Lily told her you might give me a job."
A short moment of silence passed by them, sat across from each other, Remus having no idea at all what to say.
"I mean, you know, to work here," the man elaborated. He stuck out his hand and attempted a grin. "My name's Sirius Black, by the way."
Sirius Black. What a name. The pair of them sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. "Right." He shook his hand briefly. "You see, Lily was wrong. I'm not actually looking to employ anyone right now."
"Oh." Sirius drew in a breath, looking away as he shifted uncomfortably. The moment stretched out, leaving a gaping gap of guilt in Remus's gut. "Don't tell Marlene this, but I really was going to try at this. I might seem like a lazy sod, but I do want to work. So just - maybe you could let me know, let Lily know, if you ever do need some staff, yeah?"
"Sorry," Remus managed. "I just really can't afford the extra hands right now, you see."
Sirius had looked back up at him, a smirk playing at his lips. He seemed to relax a little, stretching his hands out against the surface. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how does a twenty year old afford to open his own bakery?"
Why Lily and Marlene had taken the trouble to mention Remus's age, he didn't want to know. "I didn't buy it - I inherited it, from my parents."
More silence. Sirius knew what that meant, inheriting - it meant Remus's parents were more than likely not around anymore. He was right; two years ago they'd passed away in a train accident. The bakery had been sitting around since then, until Remus decided to get to work on it a few months ago.
"Since I'm here, I'd hate to waste your time," Sirius broke in, a twinkle of something in his eye as he scanned the room. "And I am very hungry. What's the nicest thing you sell?"
Still feeling incredibly guilty, and oddly like the situation wasn't done with quite yet, Remus slipped away and ducked behind the counter. Technically the bakery was shut now, but it was the least he could do for the poor guy after disappointing him. "Personally," he began as Sirius walked over to join him, leaning against the display. "I like the pain au chocolats best."
Sirius nodded his approval, and Remus reached in with a gloved hand to pull one out, slotting it onto a plate and sliding it across to him in one swift motion. "On the house," he told him with an apologetic smile.
"When do you bake?" Sirius asked casually, biting into his food. "With all these fresh goods to sell during the day, you mustn't have a lot of time to actually bake the stuff, right?"
Clearly, he had an ulterior motive. Remus raised an eyebrow and peered up at the clock, which was now ticking towards quarter past seven. "About now, actually. But usually I don't have strangers wandering in and asking for jobs, so I get a lot done." He meant it playfully; he hadn't actually minded Sirius's company so far, as little as it had been.
In turn, Sirius also raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh really?"
"Yes," Remus continued. "I bake into the night."
"Then I'm sure you don't get much sleep."
"Don't you fret about my health, Mr Black, I get plenty of sleep."
"Must be stressful."
"Not as stressful as training a new employee, not to mention one who doesn't take no for an answer."
"Show me," Sirius slid his plate, now empty, across to Remus. "Just let me bake with you once. I'm fascinated by the arts of the baker."
Baffled by his persistence, Remus sighed and mulled it over for a moment. "Are you really?" he muttered. "All right. You can help with some... cookies or something, if you're that interested."
The grin that protruded from Sirius's face was startling and almost infectious. He hoisted himself onto the wooden surface and slid across so that he was stood beside the baker, eyebrows wiggling.
/
Through a door into the back of the bakery, they entered the room that had become second home to Remus. A few times, he'd actually slept in here. Thankfully, that had never happened while things were baking, and it hadn't happened at all in the past month. However, he did keep a shelf of books in here now, for reading in those passings of time when nothing at all was happening and he needed to distract himself.
On the whole, it was a fairly big room. Cupboards and shelves and fridges stretched out across the four walls, a couple ovens dotted about. It was enough to move around comfortably in, along with a display table in the centre. From Sirius's reaction to the room, anyone would think he'd never set foot in a kitchen before. Which, fair enough, perhaps he hadn't.
Since the other man had set foot inside his bakery, Remus had thought he exuded confidence and walked with a certain stride. But in her, he sunk back into himself slightly, staring curiously at various utensils and running fingers across surfaces. He found himself watching Sirius, as the fascination took over his face and a crease appeared between his eyebrows.
Then suddenly, as though a spark had ignited him, he lit back up and bounced to life, spinning on his heels. He was holding a whisk in one hand, pointing it so that the end prodded Remus's chest. "I challenge you, Remus Lupin, Baker Extraordinaire, to a cookie duel."
"Excuse me?" Remus stared open mouthed at Sirius, wondering how on Earth this guy managed to keep on pulling something new out of his sleeve. He felt as though he was being pulled by strings - every time Sirius thought of something, made a new decision, he just had to tug at Remus and suddenly they were going in a new direction. He wasn't sure when, exactly, he'd become somebody's puppet.
As it turned out, Sirius was one hundred percent serious about a baking contest. Remus wasn't sure he'd ever doubted that he was. He dug out a simple enough recipe and directed Sirius to where he'd find the ingredients before repeatedly begging him not to set the entire building on fire because that would really not do anyone any good. And as he mixed and baked his ingredients, he asked himself over and over again - Why? Why not just tell him to go home, be left to bake in silence, alone as usual and not being disturbed, not panicking every five minutes that he'd let a serial killer into his precious bakery. Or a kleptomaniac. Or an arsonist.
Lily's voice rang in his ears. If she was here right now, she'd be raising an eyebrow and her hand would be placed with pride upon her hip. Everything would be full of I-told-you-so and you're-warming-to-him.
Which. Okay. This random stranger had set foot in the building perhaps an hour ago, and Remus had let him into his bakery? Remus never let anybody into his bakery. Not Frank, not Alice, not even Lily - who'd actually expressed her curiosity once or twice. Then, why Sirius? Was it a full moon? Had Remus gone insane?
Maybe just because he was so damn persuasive and set in his ways. Remus suddenly felt uncomfortable.
He cleared his throat. "So, why do you want this job so badly?"
From the other side of the room, he heard quiet laughter.
"Well that's why we're baking, right?" Remus turned and leaned against the counter where he'd been decorating his cookies with careful precision. "I've a feeling you're going to camp out here until I have to start paying you."
When Sirius turned to face him, he was wearing a confusing hard-to-read expression, a mixture of confusion or offense and amusement. He raised a hand to his hip, the other leaning against the counter. "And here I thought we were just enjoying each other's company."
A slight flush rushed up Remus's neck. "With all due respect, I don't even know if you can bake. I don't even know your criminal background. For all I know, I could've let an ex convict into my shop."
Sirius laughed, a deep and warm sound - but also very loud, the kind of voice that came in handy at football matches. He raised his hands in mock surrender, and Remus noticed that they were now smothered in flour. "I assure you, my hands are clean." There was a moment of laughter, for which Remus almost hated himself. "Come to think of it," Sirius continued. "You're not such a great interviewer. Or bakery owner. Look at this! You've got a stranger in your kitchen and there's flour all over the floor."
Not wanting to know just how much flour was actually on the floor, Remus rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I blame Lily." He began to mock her, jutting out a hip and straightening his posture. "You'll need the extra pair of hands, Remus! You'll need the company! This is a win-win situation for everyone! Look at me, solving the world's greatest issues with my bright intellect and equally-bright hair."
"Lily sounds smart," Sirius remarked as he turned to break up a piece of his cookie, biting into it. "I like her."
He lifted the tray that he'd piled the cookies onto and brought them over to the table in the middle. Remus joined him, closely critiquing Sirius's work. They didn't look poisonous. In fact, he had a surprisingly remarkable skill for the placement of chocolate chips.
Taking the other half of the cookie that Sirius had broken up, Remus took a bite. It was slightly dry, but not half bad for what he assumed was a first attempt. Pleasantly surprised, he nodded his head in approval. "This is actually pretty good."
"Did you have no faith in me?"
Remus shrugged, mixing the cookies in with his own batch. "It's not often I let strays into my bakery."
Looking towards the analog clock on one of the ovens, Remus's eyes shot wider open. What had he been thinking, playing Bake Off with potential employees when the sun was setting outside? For Remus it was normal, he always set off home in the middle of the night after baking under the stars. But Sirius had arrived here with the sun still shining and only the intention of an interview.
"It's late, you should be heading back," the words stumbled out of him in a hurry as he walked back through to the shopfront, Sirius at his tail. "Before it gets dark, and all."
With a casual nonchalance about him, Sirius stepped around to the other side of the counter to raise an eyebrow pointedly in Remus's direction. "If you're concerned for my safety, Remus, I assure you that sending me back out on my motorbike at any time of the day isn't a solution."
"No, I think you should head back," he continued stubbornly. There was still much baking to be done, not to mention the cleaning. He didn't have time to play around with biscuits. But a thought flashed through him like a lightning bolt, jolting his system. Perhaps, he reasoned, it was because Sirius was looking at him like a lost puppy with a sore paw. Honestly, did he make that expression on purpose or was that just the way his face was built?
Whatever it was, it made Remus stop him.
"Seven on the dot, tomorrow morning. Don't be late - I'll need time to run you through some things."
And before Sirius turned to leave, he flashed a smile woven from stars, a new bounce in his step as he clambered out the door.