"Um, I could use some help here, Princess," Remus groaned, struggling with the bags laced around his wrists. Remus never took two trips.
Sirius stared at him for another moment and then quickly sprang to action, taking the bags from Remus' arms and setting them on the dining room table. He began taking the contents out, one by one.
"What's for dinner tonight, Moony?" Sirius asked with a tone of forced normalcy.
"Well, Lily wanted to make chicken parmigiana…" Remus began.
"So… thai food?" Sirius chuckled.
"Most likely." Remus ceded.
Lily swept into the kitchen, her reading glasses perched on her nose and an ancient cookbook in her hands. She ignored the two of them and began rummaging through the cupboard seemingly searching for ingredients.
"Basil, Remus, we need basil!" Lily screeched.
"If it is that important, Lily, I will go back to the store to get basil," he responded, calmly.
Under his breath and with a hint of a smile on his lips, Sirius asked, "She's really taking tonight seriously, isn't she?"
Remus dismissed the comment and announced to Lily that he and Sirius would go to the store to pick up fresh basil and be back as soon as possible. Lily, who seemed as if she had already moved on to trying to select the appropriate pot to boil the pasta in, waved her hand as if to dismiss them.
Sirius slipped his shoes on and grabbed his jacket off the coat hook (which he did not recall ever placing there.)
"Yeah, sure, Remus, I'll go to the store with you, thank you so much for asking!" He intoned just loud enough for Remus to hear.
Once in Remus' beat-up Volkswagen, Sirius began flipping through the radio stations as Remus pulled out onto the road. Sirius loved Remus' car. It was well-worn and definitely could use some work, but it was warm, clean, and always smelled like french vanilla coffee. Remus had looked so victorious as he handed over a check of a summer's worth of hours at the coffee shop. He had quickly enforced rules for every passenger in his car. Except for himself, no one was to eat, drink, or leave stray receipts in his car. If any of them were to violate one of Remus' laws, they were not to be allowed back in it until Remus would finally give in. Sirius took a deep breath and settled on an alternative indie station. He glanced over at Remus, hands firmly placed on the steering wheel at 10 and 2, brow furrowed as he navigated his way through five o'clock traffic. He was being uncharacteristically quiet, especially with Sirius playing a song that had at least one banjo blasting through the old speakers.
"Moony, you okay?" Sirius asked, as he turned the volume down on the stereo.
Remus sighed and tightened his grip on the wheel.
"Sirius, the reason I'm driving another 15 minutes out in terrible traffic for basil isn't just because Lily terrifies me," he began, "In fact, the reason she's acting extra tyrannical about Family Dinner tonight is because we're going to have a special guest."
Sirius looked across the console at Remus with confusion.
"Who could possibly be coming that would be causing such a ruckus?" Sirius laughed.
"Well, um, my girlfriend."
Sirius offered to go into the store to grab the basil and insisted he knew where to find it. Remus nodded and promptly changed the radio station as soon as Sirius unbuckled his seat belt.
That's great! He deserves someone, Sirius made himself think.
But why do I feel like my lungs are slowly constricting? was the thought that followed.
He walked through the automatic doors and made a beeline for the liquor aisle, disregarding the herbs and spices completely.
Champagne. That's what we need. Tonight is a celebration!
He picked up a bottle of whiskey as well.
He opened the car door, the bottles and single package of fresh basil clinking together in the bag as he placed it between his legs.
Remus raised his eyebrows, "What's the alcohol for?"
"Well, it's a celebration, isn't it?" Sirius faked a smile, "besides, she's gonna need something to get her through meeting all of us."
Remus' eyes widened, "You're probably right."
Lily graciously took the bag from Sirius as soon as he walked into the flat.. Her smile widened when she saw the bottles of liquor.
"Good idea, Black."
He nodded in reply and quickly withdrew a glass, poured a bit of whiskey and took a gulp.
"Whoa there, Padfoot, let's not get ahead of ourselves," James warned as he strode into the dining room, ruffling his hair.
James picked up the bottle and, when Lily's back was turned, took a swig.
He winced,"You got the good stuff, Paddy, what's the occasion?"
"Oh, you haven't heard the news? Our boy Remus here, is bringing a young lady here tonight," Sirius explained, taking another hearty swig.
James sensed something in Sirius' voice but let it go for the time being.
"I heard! When is she coming, Moony?"
Sirius glanced at the digital clock on the microwave and saw that it was nearly six thirty. His stomach grumbled and he realized that all that was in his stomach was the coffee Lily had made him that afternoon.
"Should be here any second, actually," Remus cheeks reddened.
"James, dear, would you and Sirius go set the table, please?" Lily interrupted, a stack of plates in her hands.
James took the plates and planted a swift kiss on her cheek. He handed half of the plates off to Sirius and they made their way to the table.
"So… what do you know about her, Prongs?" Sirius asked, nonchalantly.
"I think Remus wants to make a grand introduction, so Lily has kept me mostly in the dark. But they gossip like old ladies so I'm sure she knows all about this mystery girlfriend. All I know is that they started dating a few months ago."
Sirius thought back to Remus' actions and demeanor during the previous weeks. He couldn't pinpoint any difference. Then again, Sirius had been on one of his escapades for quite some time. He had spent about three weeks in Vegas, weaving in and out of varying states of intoxication. When he had come home Lily, James, Remus, and Peter had sat him down and tried a bit of an "intervention" on him, mainly because he hadn't told anyone he was going. The truth was, he didn't even really realize he was going until he was on the plane. Sirius recalled trying to sneak into the flat at three in the morning the night he flew home. He had made it to his bedroom and had plopped on top of his bed and subsequently on top of a sleeping Remus. Remus had startled awake, falling onto the floor, spewing a string of curses. When Remus had saw that it was Sirius, he had immediately stopped cursing and threw his arms around him. A few seconds later, however, he pulled back, his face grim.
"You never called any of us, Sirius. We didn't know where you were."
"I know," is all Sirius could reply.
A loud snore coming from the carpet near the foot of the bed snapped the tension between them. Sirius peered through the darkness and found Peter, curled up on the floor, mouth open and drooling.
Sirius didn't think any of them had fully forgiven him for not telling them where he was. He knew he should have called but his phone battery was dead the whole trip and he never really stopped long enough to feel guilty about his actions.
A knock on the door broke Sirius out of his reverie.
"Hello! Welcome!" Sirius heard Lily merrily shout from the front door.
"Hi, Lily! Thank you so much for having me over!" The voice in the doorway replied.
Sirius paused.
He knew that voice.
He had grown up with that voice.
A tall girl with bright pink hair walked into the dining room.
"Sirius!" The girl said cheerily.
"Nymphadora…" Sirius replied, a shock going through his whole body.
Sirius sat at the table, his glass of whiskey in hand, dazed. Remus was dating his cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. He adored Tonks and had suffered through countless real family dinners with her by his side. However, her presence at this table was incredibly off-putting. He wasn't even entirely sure how Tonks and Remus knew each other, let alone how they had become close enough to date. James nudged him under the table and gave him a reassuring look.
"Nymphadora, how did you and our Remus meet?" Peter asked, scooping another serving of spaghetti onto his plate. Lily beamed from across the table at the sight of people eating her food (and not spitting it out.) Peter had arrived as Lily had given up on waiting for him and began serving out helpings.
"I actually go by Tonks, but Sirius seemed to have forgotten that earlier," Sirius' eyes shot towards her, sheepishly, "but, Remus and I met at the coffee shop! He messed up my order about three times before he finally managed to get it right. He must have been flustered." Tonks eyes sparkled and she let out a laugh.
Remus smiled at her and cleared his throat, "I guess I must have been."
The night continued without incident. Sirius kept refilling his glass, having a side of chicken parmigiana with his whiskey. By dessert, he could feel the alcohol buzzing in his legs and permeate through his mostly-empty stomach. Peter looked at him worriedly when he stood up and swayed.
"You alright, mate?" Peter whispered.
"Perfectly perfect, Wormy. Just need a smoke." Sirius slurred slightly.
He slipped his hand into the pocket of his leather jacket slung over the chair and withdrew his pack of cigarettes and his Zippo. James and Lily cast a knowing look between them but Sirius ignored them and staggered toward the fire escape.
"If you'll excuse me…" he said as an afterthought. The manners his parents taught him still hadn't completely left him.
He crawled out the window, shutting it behind him and stood on the rickety fire escape. He lit the cigarette and took a long drag. The nicotine entered his system and he let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he was craving something a bit stronger. He let his drunken thoughts wander as he overlooked the city of London. He watched a drunk couple stumble along the sidewalk, cigarettes in hand. He listened to the far away beeping of Saturday night traffic and the fall wind ruffling the leaves. He closed his eyes and twilled the wind erase his thoughts, but, to no avail. One such thought was plaguing him, Why do I feel jealous?
As he ashed the cigarette, the window slid open behind him. It was James. He held a cup of black coffee in one hand and a piece of chocolate in the other.
"The coffee is from Lily, the chocolate from Moony," he explained, gruffly.
Sirius' heart rose as he took the mug and slipped the chocolate into his mouth. Remus always knew the right time for a little bit of comfort food. It was a super power of his. He could always tell exactly when any of the members of the group needed some chocolate therapy and he never failed to deliver. When Lily was suffering from the worst of cramps, Remus would appear in the kitchen, with dark chocolate cupcakes, slathered in frosting and topped with Reese's. The week Sirius had tried to quit smoking, Remus had left a little Andes mint chocolate bar on his pillow every night.
Now, the chocolate melted in Sirius' mouth and he allowed himself to smile.
"I needed that," Sirius said.
"He always knows when you do," James replied, not bothering to hide his amazement, "Need anything else?"
"Nah, thank you, though. I might go for stroll, try to sober up a bit. I drank a bit too much and I don't want to ruin the party," he replied innocently.
"You always do," James winked and made his way back into the flat.
Sirius had escaped just as the five of them began playing a rousing game of charades. He could not stomach the thought of being inside playing dinner party games right now. He made his way down to the sidewalk and began walking the same path the drunken couple had taken earlier. He took out another cigarette and smoked it unceremoniously. He knew where he would go.
Club Orchid was one of Sirius' old haunts. He hadn't been in years, but tonight felt like a good night to revisit some old memories. The place smelled of stale beer and cheap perfume, and he loved it. He sat at an all too familiar bar stool and flagged down his favorite bartender, Louis.
"Long time, no see, Sirius. What would you like?" Louis winked.
Sirius smiled at him and said, "Whiskey sour. Make it a double."
Louis went to work making the drink and Sirius took a moment to examine him. Louis hadn't changed much since Sirius stopped frequenting the club, if anything he had gotten bulkier. He had broad shoulders and short, brown hair that he gelled upwards. Sirius had hooked up with him a few times, back in the day. It was nothing more than a quick snog in the men's toilet but at the time, Sirius still hadn't come out and the rendezvous had an air of sexy secrecy about it.
Louis slid the glass in front of Sirius, "On the house, handsome."
Sirius smiled and took a sip. It was strongest, and therefore, the best whiskey sour he had ever tasted.
After another four whiskey sours and a shot of tequila, Louis asked, "Anything else?"
"You." Sirius slurred.
"I'm off in 15 minutes, but I can split early…" Louis replied, breathlessly.
A half an hour later, Sirius found himself inside the biggest flat he had ever been in. Not that he really got a chance to look around because as soon as he and Louis boarded the lift, Louis' tongue was in his mouth. Sirius accepted the kisses and gladly felt how much bulkier Louis had gotten firsthand. The lift dinged, indicating they had reached their floor. They momentarily parted long enough to exit the lift and allow Louis to unlock his door. Sirius slammed the door behind them, pushing Louis toward the couch. His heart was beating fast and the alcohol was blurring the edge of his vision, but a warm body and the tongue sliding down his neck felt so good.
Louis lifted Sirius' shirt above his head and began trailing his tongue down Sirius' neck, down his stomach and just underneath the waistband of his jeans. Louis continued teasing him, his hand feeling the rise in Sirius' pants and his mouth fiercely kissing his neck.
"Fuck, Remus.'
Louis giggled, "What was that?"
Sirius felt his body instantly sober up. He lept up from the couch, practically knocking Louis sideways. He pulled his shirt over his head and made his way to the door.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," he barely got the words out as he slammed the door, bypassed the lift, and took the steps two at a time.