Sirius glanced out towards the hallway, before quietly closing the door. He picked up the remote control and pressed the power button. Once the screen was on, he typed in the channel number.
Though his parents were arguing downstairs, his father could still return at any moment. Sirius was slightly scared at the idea that his father would catch him, but he needed to catch a glimpse.
Even though Sirius had never seen a full episode of the show — not knowing or understanding the events that he did get to see because of his father's rules about television, he still needed to see his face.
There it was. 'The Wolf in the Family.' A drama about a boy suffering from Lycanthropy, who was trying to fit into normal society, whilst attempting to hide his condition. Sirius tapped his foot impatiently as he waited to see Remus Lupin. He didn't move his gaze from the screen and was so distracted, he didn't realise that the shouting from downstairs had ceased.
Two girls on the screen were talking, and Sirius sighed. Time was limited, and he needed just to see Remus' face and soft eyes, before he snuck back out of the room.
His face popped up on the screen, causing Sirius to smile at the beautiful sight. The scene seemed to be set right after a transformation, and Remus looked the very part of a boy who had just suffered through the pain of his body breaking and shifting.
Sirius didn't hear his father walking up the hall but couldn't miss the sound of the door being thrown open, hitting the wall.
Sirius stood frozen, locking eyes with his father. Orion Black looked at the screen, his lips thinning as they pressed together. "What have I told you about these television shows?" he asked, his voice hard. "That television isn't there for entertainment. Sometimes, I believe you want to get into trouble."
"I'm sorry, Sir," Sirius murmured, anticipating the blow. He tried not to show how scared he was at being caught, but he had gotten a glimpse of Remus and it was worth it. For some reason, seeing Remus Lupin gave him a strength and confidence he never thought he would have.
...oOo...
Remus smiled at the four men around him. "Hi, it's nice to meet you all. Should we get down to introductions?"
A man with blond hair nodded. "We should sit down. Come." He led the way to the sitting area. Remus moved quickly to take the soft-looking armchair, eager to find out if it would be a great chair to sit and read on, whilst the others took their places on the love-seat, the sofa and the other armchair.
"Well, I just wanted to say, welcome to the house. I'm Remus Lupin, as —"
Remus jumped at the sound of a door shutting. He spun around, spotting a man with a suitcase and a wide grin, looking around.
He frowned for a moment, wondering if he had misheard the numbers. Surely there were only meant to be four men in the house with him, not five?
The frown quickly left. It wasn't this man's fault that there was a mix-up. He stood up from his chair, a smile on his lips as he walked over to the stranger who had notice him and frozen at the sight of him.
"Hello," Remus began, extending his hand to the stranger. "I'm Remus. I must admit, you're quite unexpected. Not to worry, there's more than enough rooms. Come and sit down, we were just about to start introductions."
The man took his hand, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you," he said softly, slight awe in his voice. "I'll put my stuff here now, shall I?"
Remus nodded his head, wondering who the man in the hat and sunglasses was. He noticed the amp and wondered if he was a musician. He took the amp, setting it against the wall as the man removed a guitar from his back. The pair headed over to the seats.
There was a brief moment where, as the stranger looked around, the others looked back suspiciously. Even though there were two additional spaces, the pair on the sofa didn't straighten to allow the man the extra seat there, and the love-seat was taken by a big man, who took up most of it already.
"Why don't you take the armchair, and —"
"I'm good," he said, pulling off the glasses as he dropped down onto the floor facing the armchair, his back against the coffee table. "You take the chair. You looked comfortable in it when I came in."
"Thank you," Remus murmured after a moment of hesitation, not wanting the man to sit on the floor. He wouldn't push it for now, but he wouldn't let him sit down there for long either. "So, I was just about to introduce myself."
His eyes widened at the distraction as the man removed the oversized sunglasses, folding the and dropping them onto his lap. It was hard not to be distracted by his beauty. Remus blinked a couple of times before dragging his gaze away. "So, I'm sure you all know who I am, either by me being on television, by my work with LGBTQ+, or by your managers when told about this show." He gave a shy smile at each man watching him. "I've agreed to do this show for many reasons," he continued. "The main reason being that the public want to see more into my personal life. But that's not why I chose to do it: that's just why my Manager agreed to this. I'm doing this because of all the work I've been doing to promote attention to gay-rights and helping teens that lives are difficult because of their sexuality. But to be honest, I thought it would be nice to get to know others without my manager setting things up."
The large man on the love-seat smiled when Remus glanced over at him, stretching out his long legs.
"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt." The deep voice resounded around the room. "I'm a professional dancer and most recently was in 'Dancing With the Stars'.
"And you all may know me from my picture. I'm Gilderoy Lockhart," the man on the sofa said before Remus could reply to Kingsley. Gilderoy's teeth almost sparkling as he looked around the room proudly. "I'm a writer of mostly self-help books, though you may have all read my autobiography?"
The man next to him let out a snort, which Lockhart didn't seem to notice, too stuck inside of his own ego.
"Well, I've been on television since I was a child," the man drawled. "I've more recently done some modelling: mostly hair-modelling of course." He reached for his perfect blond hair. "After this, I'll be auditioning for a part in the next season of Sherlock. I'm Lucius Malfoy."
"Barty Crouch Junior," the fourth man said softly, looking around at everyone, before fixing his gaze on Remus. "You may not know me, unless you're an avid Theatre goer. My last performance was Fiyero in Wicked up in the West-End. I've had a few TV moments, but nothing big, I'd admit. Though, there was a small part on Doctor Who."
"And our mysterious guest?" Remus asked, his gaze dropping to the man in front of him, getting lost in the grey eyes. "You do look familiar. I'm sorry, it's a bit of an overwhelming day. On a different day, I'm sure I'd be able to place you. Maybe without the hat, I'd know?"
"That's fine," the man replied, a bright smile on his face. "I forgot I was wearing it actually." He reached up and grabbed the hat, pulling it off his head and quickly patting the bun on the back of his head.
"SIrius Black. I'm a musician."
Remus didn't even need to hear the name. The second the hat came off, he knew exactly who Sirius was and was annoyed himself that he hadn't seen it sooner. He had seen Sirius in the paper a couple of times, and thought him extremely attractive, but hadn't thought anything more.
After all, Sirius hadn't been out at the time. In fact, there was nothing at all about Sirius being gay.
"More like a rock-God," Kingsley said, sitting forward. "Sirius Black! My niece is going to ask me all about you when I get home."
"She's a fan?" Sirius asked, turning his full attention to Kingsley.
Kingsley nodded. "She's fifteen and wants to be a singer too. She has posters of you all over her wall, and all of your music. She couldn't get tickets to your concert unfortunately, but next time. You're her inspiration!"
Sirius grinned. "What's her name?"
"Keira," Kingsley replied fondly.
Sirius looked around, his eyes falling on the closest camera. "Hey Keira Darling," he said, waving at the screen. "I've heard you're a big fan of mine, and if you're here when I'm out, let's have a picture together!" He winked at the camera as he blew a kiss.
"You've just made me a very popular uncle." Kingsley laughed.
"Well, I don't want to be one of those people who don't care about their fans," Sirius stated, smiling lazily at Kingsley. "I was fifteen when I realised I wanted to be a musician too, so I get it. If my idol at the time knew my name..."
"Did you have hundreds of posters up too?" Kingsley asked, amused.
The smile fell. "We weren't allowed to put anything up on our walls," he admitted. "The only decent music I was able to hear was when I was looking around music shops."
"So how did you learn to play an instrument?"
"I'm sorry, but how are you even here, Black?" Lucius Malfoy said, interrupting the conversation. Sirius' lip curled at the sound of his voice and he turned, glaring at the man.
"Same reason you are," Sirius said. "I'm here because of Remus Lupin."
"But you're not even gay! I like to keep track of who is hot in the gay world," Gilderoy added.
"I'm not out… well, I am now," Sirius said, looking back towards Remus. "Felt like a good time, you know?"
"Ah, when it's the best for your image?" Gilderoy offered.
"No, image or popularity is not what I hope to gain from this," Sirius said with a snort. "There's another reason I'm here." Remus could only stare. He could see the heat in the gaze. He couldn't help but hope that Sirius was there for him.
"So, Remus, I just wanted to say that I loved you in The Wolf in the Family. I heard about this show and couldn't help myself in coming on here," Sirius said, trying to change the subject.
"Wait, will this add another week to the show?" Gilderoy asked. "Will we be paid extra for the additional week?"
Kingsley was the one to snort. "Why? Do you really think you'll be here to the end? I mean, it's clear that you care more about what you're getting paid."
Sirius laughed, high-fiving Kingsley at the statement.
"It's not that. I will be starting to promote my newest book once I leave here."
"Well, that should be it for introductions. I do recognise all names," Remus said, sensing the group getting restless and hoping their first meeting wouldn't be marred by an argument. His eyes fell on Sirius again. "And I look forward to getting to know you." They snapped away quickly. "I know that the producers will be leaving us a message this afternoon at four, so we could meet back here at that time, before having dinner? Would you like to go and choose your rooms?"
"That sounds like a plan," Kingsley stated. He was the first to rise from his seat. Remus followed.
"It's been good to meet you, Remus. I look forward to spending more time with you!"
The others made similar statements before heading to the stairs, leaving just Sirius and Remus behind. Kingsley looked between them as he hovered at the bottom of the stairs, before smiling and heading up himself.
"You're not going to go and get a good room?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.
Sirius just shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me how big or small my room is," he admitted. "I'm not going to run to fight for the biggest room. I'll take what's left. I mean, I only found out today about being here, so there might not even be a room for me. I'd be happy on the sofa, as long as I'm here and able to get to know you."
"There will be," Remus assured him, feeling butterflies in his stomach at Sirius' words. "I've looked around already." He lowered his voice. "I left all the doors open. I must admit I'm curious as to who is taking the large room that was supposed to be mine."
"My money's on Malfoy," Sirius murmured.
"There's five rooms on the first floor, and two in the attic," Remus stated with a smile. "They're all lovely rooms."
"Well, I'll get my stuff up there," Sirius said, fishing for something to say. "But I'm glad to be here." He held out his hand again and Remus reached for it, thinking he wanted to shake it.
Instead, Sirius pulled it to his lips, bowed slightly as he placed a soft kiss to Remus' hand. He winked and walked off to grab his stuff, leaving Remus watching him with wide eyes.
Remus couldn't help the gaze that fell on Sirius' arse as he walked away, blushing when Sirius looked over his shoulder, caught him looking, and winked, before grabbing his belongings.
"Sirius?"
The man stopped, turning to look at Remus.
"I look forward to getting to know you too."
There was something Remus couldn't place in Sirius' eyes at those words. Sirius' smile widened before he turned to the stairs.
Remus knew he should get to know the others, but if he had to choose at that moment, he knew he'd choose Sirius Black.
...oOo...
He shook the thought away. First impressions were important, but they were all in a house of strangers. He would give each man a fair chance, even Lockhart, who appeared to be here just because of the publicity. Maybe deep down, the man was wonderful and Remus could potentially miss out if he was to rule anyone out so quickly.
With that decided, he walked slowly up the stairs to his room. He wondered who had the largest room as he climbed the stairs to the attic.
He glanced at the door facing his own, doing a double take at the sight of Sirius Black leaning over the bed, carefully taking the guitar out of the cover, as though it was his most treasured possession. The guitar was old and had clearly seen better days, but it was well taken care of, and shined as much as a brand new guitar.
"So, you've found the attic?"
Sirius jumped and spun around. "Well, I noticed everyone taking the rooms downstairs and thought that if I were playing my guitar, it'd be better to do it where I'm not disturbing anyone." He took in the way Remus' hand gripped the handle of the facing room. "But I can keep the noise down. I'll try not disturb you."
"Well, as long as you're not playing when I'm asleep," Remus replied. "Perhaps one day I could listen to you play?"
Sirius smiled and nodded. "I'll show you one of the songs I've been writing."
...oOo...
The time sped by, and one by one, the men returned to the living room.
Remus turned the television on and waited. It wasn't long until the screen popped up, and Alice McLaggon came into sight.
"Hi guys," she began, waving enthusiastically. "Hi Remus Darling!"
"Alice, you didn't tell me you were doing this," Remus scolded, though his face lit up at the sight of his friend.
"Surprise. Now, as you know, there is no contact with the outside world, except through this TV where I'll show you anything that we may deem as important… or funny. You can get family messages on here and I'll be here to give you little… assignments. There is no prize, except enjoyment. Okay… so, there are some prizes. The first one will be takeaway food from the place of your choice!"
Remus nodded. "So, do we get the first one today?"
"Always so eager, my little wolf! So… we've had the introductions already, which makes for good viewing, and things are going well for the first day. Also, you're living with some delicious men. I'm so jealous! Now, we've got good footage for the show tonight, but I'll be back in about three hours. Go and have dinner, get to know each other and meet me back here."
She blew a kiss to Remus. "I can't wait! Until later!"
The screen went dark. "Something is going on," Remus muttered. "She's far too happy. I feel like I'm going to be humiliated somehow."
Sirius laughed. "Are all your friends that bubbly?"
"Of course. James and Frank are just as bad," Remus said.
"So… dinner. Who here can cook?"
Kingsley nodded his head. "Should we make a rota for chores and cooking?"
"Wait, we have to do our own chores?" Gilderoy asked, frowning.
"I wasn't told this," Lucius sniffed.
Remus managed not to roll his eyes. "Well, you'll have to contribute somehow," he said. "Kingsley, do you mind doing the cooking today and I'll wash up, and we can sit down after we talk to Alice, or in the morning, and make a rota?"
"Sounds like a plan," Barty replied. "There are six of us. So we could perhaps have two people on chores each day?"
"Does that work for everyone?" Kingsley asked. The men all nodded, though Gilderoy and Lucius were reluctant to do so.
"Now, any allergies that I should know about?" Kingsley stood up and looked around the room. Nothing was offered so he headed to the kitchen to cook dinner.
"I've got a script to look over," Barty stated, also standing up. "I'll see you all at dinner."
Gilderoy looked around. "It's a shame that I haven't been chosen to cook today," he said. "I've written my own cookbook; I'm just waiting for it to be published, of course. Now, I don't like to brag, but I've been told that I'm a master chef. The meals I'm the best at making are —"
"I think I'll head outside for a fag," Sirius muttered, standing up and patting his pocket. "Anyone want one?"
"You're actually not allowed to smoke or drink whilst here," Remus murmured.
"Shhh," Sirius whispered. "Freedom awaits us."
"Oh… in that case, I'd love a cigarette."
The pair left the room, leaving Gilderoy Lockhart telling a bored Lucius Malfoy about the best way to make a lasagne.
From what Sirius could make out, the man had never cooked a meal in his life.
Thanks to my lovely Wanderers for the help! :)