A/N: This chapter contains smut, but I've kept it M-rated. If you want the full, uncensored, E-rated version, go to AO3 instead, same username and story title (it will be chapter 8 over there). Either way, I hope you enjoy :)
London, May 3, 2020
One wobbly walk and shaky bus ride later (no taxis would take Marlene in her drunken state), Remus, Lily, and Marlene finally found themselves back at their flat. They had parted ways with Alice at the pub, where she had caught a taxi home to Frank.
They made Marlene drink two big glasses of water before Lily put her to bed. When she came back out of Marlene's bedroom, Remus was sitting on the sofa staring at a small piece of paper.
"Well, that was an interesting evening," Lily said with an exhausted smile and flopped into the armchair across from Remus. When he didn't acknowledge her, she cleared her throat and raised her head. "What've you got there?"
He looked at her, contemplating for a second whether he should tell her, then simply handed her the note, written in neat, cursive handwriting:
If you want to meet up later tonight, you can find me here.
Ask for Stubby Boardman.
Then followed an address to a hotel near Trafalgar Square.
"Who's this from, Remus?" Lily sat up and leant closer, a curious look on her face.
Remus was quiet for a while, then said, "Sirius Black…" almost in a whisper, afraid his voice would crack.
"What?" Lily said. "Didn't quite catch that?"
Remus cleared his throat and looked up at her. "Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black?! But—he's not—is he…?" She looked dumbfounded. It was rare for Remus to see Lily at such a loss for words, and he couldn't help a small smile.
"Apparently, he is." He shrugged. "He told me he'd had his eyes on me all night, and then when we said goodbye, he slipped me that." He cocked his head at the note.
"Smooth." She snorted. "But, er… shouldn't you already be on your way, then?" She raised her eyebrows and handed the note back to Remus.
He bit his lip. "I don't know, honestly. It's all a bit crazy and surreal. I mean, we just met, and now he's asking me to his hotel? Would that make me some sort of… groupie? He can't be interested in more than a one-night stand at best, and I don't know…."
"Do you find him attractive?" she asked, all business now.
Remus widened his eyes at her. "What sort of question is that even? Of course, I find him attractive! Along with half of Britain, I might add…." He gave a humourless laugh.
"Alright then—if you find him attractive, why are you not going?" she asked, ignoring his last comment. "If it turns out to be just a one-night stand… well, that might actually do you some good. When was the last time you got laid?"
"Oi! I get by just fine, thank you."
"Oh, come on, Remus." She waved him off. She had definitely had more alcohol tonight than usual. "Everybody needs a good shag once in a while—yes, even you! And you know Marlene would kill you if you turned down an invitation to the bed of the Sirius Black." She giggled. Lily never giggled.
"Hmm, I think she'd kill me if I didn't turn it down," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Her giggling turned into full-on laughter. "True," she agreed. "She'll be heartbroken that the man of her dreams bats for the other team." She sighed, still trying to contain her amusement as she draped herself across the armchair once more and stared at the ceiling for a while. "Remus?" She looked back over to the sofa and waited for him to meet her eyes before she spoke. "Don't overthink this. Go to him. Have fun. You deserve it."
Remus held his breath, indecisive, turning the note between his fingers. Then he exhaled. "What the hell am I doing…" he said as he sprang up, grabbed his jacket, and strode to the door before he could change his mind.
"Don't forget to use a condom," Lily called after him. "We don't know where he's been!"
He stuck his arm around the doorframe and gave her a two-fingered salute, before slamming the door shut.
Remus hesitated a moment in front of the door to room number 711. He felt like a fish out of water in this classy hotel with the pristine marble lobby and primly dressed piccolos. The receptionist had given him an odd stare when he asked for 'Stubby Boardman' but gave him directions to the room none-the-less, and he lift man had eyed his plain outfit the entire ride to the top floor. Did they all know what he was here for? After all, it was a bit unusual to visit people in their hotel rooms this late at night. It had been the longest lift ride of his life, and he mentally cursed whoever had invented the concept of lift men. It was just bloody awkward, wasn't it?
Now, as he stood only a knock away from Sirius Black, a sudden sense of panic washed over him. What if he had misunderstood his intentions? What if it was just some sort of prank? What if Sirius regretted given him the note? Or had simply fallen asleep, leaving Remus out in the corridor of this posh hotel, looking like a fool?
But there was only one way to find out, and he'd come this far…. He took a deep breath and rapped his knuckles three times on the white, polished wood.
The seconds ticked by, and the butterflies in his stomach were slowly turning to worms when the door swung open. And he was there. Feet bare and long hair slightly damp, a hint of fresh soap in the air. He had changed into a plain, white t-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans with holes at the knees. All the colourful tattoos on his arms were visible, and a bunch of leather and string bracelets with various stones and charms decorated his wrists. Around his neck hung a thin leather cord, and Remus supposed it must have had some sort of pendant attached to it, but it disappeared below the neckline of the shirt, so he couldn't tell what it was.
"Remus." Sirius's eyes lit up at the sight of him, making Remus feel instantly more at ease.
"Stubby Boardman?" he countered, leaning against the doorframe.
"Yeah, it's a long story, but it keeps uninvited guests away." Sirius chuckled. "Come in, come in!" He stood back and gestured, holding the door for Remus to enter.
As Remus passed him, it struck him how Sirius seemed shorter now than he had onstage. Probably a good three inches shorter than himself. Why had he not noticed it at the bar? He didn't, however, miss the way Sirius looked up and down the corridor before closing the door behind him.
Stepping into the room, Remus looked around in awed disbelief. He hadn't even known hotel rooms came in this size. Though to be fair, his frame of reference had been bought at Ikea, so perhaps this was normal for someone like Sirius. Golden foot panels separated the thick, ivory carpet from the luxurious wallpaper with intricate mother of pearl patterns, and at the centre of the room, two plush, cream-coloured armchairs and a matching sofa sat facing a lit fireplace and a marble coffee table. Everything was bathed in soft light from a massive chandelier hanging from the high, stuccoed ceiling, and at the far wall, a set of French doors were open to a balcony. Another set led out of the room to the right and through them—even though that room was dark—he could make out a big, decadent bed; an acoustic guitar and a notebook lying discarded on top. The corner next to the bedroom was occupied by an elaborate old-fashioned desk with a green reading lamp and some hotel stationery.
"Yes, it's hideous, isn't it?" Sirius came up behind him, following Remus's gaze with his hands in his pockets. "I'd rather have gone home for the night, but we've got some early interviews in the morning, and Peter likes to put on a show, so he insisted we stay the night. Don't know how he picks these places. Can't scratch your balls without invoking the judgement of the prigs downstairs. I guess they keep our privacy well enough, so maybe that's why…" he trailed off, though Remus couldn't fathom why he felt the need to apologise for the place. The room seemed to fit him somehow—despite his shabby jeans and leather bracelets. Maybe it was his elegant cheekbones or his perfectly straight nose. Or perhaps the slight upper-class cadence he had to his voice. It was masked by a London accent but trickled through occasionally. Almost as if he were making an effort to hide it. Funny, Remus thought, most people went the other way: poshing up their speech to sound more intelligent or to get jobs and whatnot. He himself had mostly put his Welsh dialect behind him by now.
"Can I offer you a drink? One good thing about this place: they keep the minibar properly stocked, so you can have your pick. Red wine, maybe?" Sirius offered, already on his way over to the large mahogany cabinet next to the balcony doors. The bottom half of it had a built-in fridge, and the top-shelves hosted a variety of liquors and wines along with rows of assorted glasses.
"Er, sure, red wine sounds lovely," Remus said, glad for the chance to have something to calm his nerves with. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over one of the armchairs.
As Sirius busied himself with their drinks, Remus drifted out onto the balcony. Since it was still early May, the night was cool, but there was no breeze, so he wasn't cold. He rested his elbows on the wide stone banister, taking in the spectacular view: the London Eye across the Thames, its bright lights like a beacon in the night sky and to his right, Elizabeth Tower, looming over the surrounding buildings, its great clock revealing that it was past two in the morning. The road below was busy despite the lateness of the hour, but ten years of living in London had taught him that the city never slept.
Hearing soft steps behind him, he looked up to see Sirius joining him with two glasses of red wine. He passed one to Remus and mimicked his position against the banister, placing himself just inches away from him. Heat radiated from his exposed arms and made all the tiny hairs underneath Remus's shirt stand up. His throat was starting to feel dry, so he inclined his glass at Sirius before taking a large gulp of the rich, velvety wine as Sirius did the same.
"This is more like it, isn't it?" Sirius mused as he drank in the view. "Don't you just love night-time? No one expects anything from you, and you're free to do whatever you want."
"And what would that be?" Remus said before he could stop the words. He wanted to kick himself, but he couldn't decide if the look Sirius sent him meant that his clumsy attempt at flirting was funny or too forward. "On a typical night, I mean…."
"Well…." Sirius gave him a knowing smile. "I always find it easier to write at night."
"Oh, do you write a lot of The Marauders' songs, then?" Remus asked, glad for the rescue.
Sirius's smile turned bashful before he answered. "Not all of them. James contributes a few as well. Some we write together. But I leave the actual singing to him as he's much better at it than I am."
Remus smiled. "Hmm, since I've hardly heard you sing, I'll have to take your word for it. But singer or not, I gotta admit your performance tonight was… something else."
Goddammit.
The wine must be stronger than he thought. Or maybe it was the left-over buzz from the drinks he had earlier. Either way, he should stop now.
"Is that so?" Sirius grinned, twisting to face him.
Remus felt his cheeks heat up and cleared his throat, fixing his gaze on his wine glass. "Yes, well, more so than James's anyway…" he mumbled and took another sip.
Sirius laughed. "Why, I thank you—that is high praise indeed." He resumed his previous position, lower arms resting on the banister, though the distance between them seemed to have conveniently shrunk. "But I'm curious. What made you come to the show? Forgive me, but you don't strike me as the type to frequently attend these sort of gigs."
"What gave me away?" Remus chuckled and held out his arms.
Sirius just quirked his eyebrows and smiled while looking him up and down. It wasn't a mocking look, only amused, and there was a hint of hunger in those eyes, gleaming with the reflection of the city lights below.
"Yeah, this was actually a first for me," Remus admitted. "It was all Marlene's doing. She won the tickets on the radio just this morning and dragged us all along."
"Then remind me to thank Marlene." Sirius smiled and leant towards him. "Did you regret coming, though?" He was now alarmingly close to Remus's ear. Remus could feel his warm breath on the side of his neck and had to swallow hard to not let out a moan.
"Absolutely not," he said, turning his head to look at Sirius. His eyes seemed almost black in the dim light, and the intensity of his gaze made Remus's knees feel weak. In another strike of boldness, he added, "Though… was it really necessary for you to take your shirt off? That is just evil, y'know."
He set his wineglass down on the banister and forced himself not to break their gaze.
Sirius smiled. "Well. If you play your cards right, I might leave that job to you next time."
There was no mistaking the hunger in those eyes now. His heart beat in his throat, and he felt a bit dizzy. Then, before he could register much else, Sirius closed the final distance between them and caught his lips.
Remus couldn't hold back a moan now and leant eagerly into the kiss. Sirius's lips were soft and full, and he could taste the wine and the fresh night air as he opened his mouth to let his tongue inside. Keen hands wandered into his hair, one of them stroking and the other grasping. Remus slid his arms around Sirius's waist and clutched his t-shirt, leaving a tiny area on his lower back exposed, which he took advantage of by trailing his palm over the silky-smooth skin there and pulling him closer.
Sirius let out a moan as he pressed himself up against him and deepened the kiss. His hand moved down Remus's back in small circles and didn't stop until it had found his arse. He squeezed hard and moved his hips against his own, creating delicious friction between them.
Somewhere to their right, the sound of beating propellers drew nearer, and Sirius jerked away.
"Ah, shit. Not out here."
"It's just an air ambulance," Remus said, following the red and yellow helicopter with his eyes as it flew towards the south bank.
Sirius looked to both sides, checking the neighbouring balconies, but no one was out here so late. "Let's move this inside, yeah?" he said, taking his hand.
"Alright." Remus nodded and let himself be led back into the room. Sirius quickly closed the doors behind them and pulled the heavy, red curtains shut before driving him up against the wall.
"Fuck, you actually made me forget where I was."
"Sorry…?" Remus said, giving Sirius a lopsided smile.
"You should be," Sirius said, voice heavy with want, and attacked his lips again. More insistent, more urgent this time. He moved on to kiss the side of his neck, occasionally biting the sensitive skin lightly. Remus could hear his deepened breathing behind his ear and feel his quickening heart rate where he snuck his hand up under his t-shirt.
"So, what's the verdict?" Remus asked, though his mind had trouble forming the words, the thumping in his own chest not helping matters much. "Do I get to take this off you or not?" He held on to the hem of the shirt but didn't pull it off quite yet.
Sirius paused only a second in kissing wet trails down his neck. "If you don't, I'll bloody well rip it off myself."
Needing no further encouragement, Remus quickly pulled off the offending fabric to reveal the sculpted, tattooed chest underneath. He took a moment to admire it, up close this time. Complicated patterns ran across his shoulders and chest and down his arms: birds, flowers, skulls, flames, intricate writing in foreign languages, and mystic symbols. Remus traced the most prominent tattoo with two fingertips: a rising phoenix wreathed in flames, right over Sirius's heart. It looked older than some of the others, and the skin underneath felt uneven as though the flames had actually come alive and left a mark. He vaguely wondered how this could be but got distracted when Sirius shivered under his touch. Smiling, he let his hands wander down over the well-defined abdominal muscles and hooked his fingers in the belt straps of his jeans, pulling him close again. Their lips met in another hot, wet kiss and Sirius made quick work of Remus's cardigan. When he made to pull off his shirt, however, Remus grabbed his wrists.
"Actually… mind if I leave that on?" He gulped, closing his eyes, praying that he hadn't just ruined his chances by requesting this.
Sirius pulled back slightly, and even through his closed eyelids, Remus could feel himself being studied.
"Okay…. But why, if I may ask?" His tone wasn't accusatory, only curious.
"I, erm—it's… it's not pretty…." Remus exhaled, finally daring to look. He was met with deep, grey eyes, full of some emotion he couldn't decipher. Warm hands stroked his sides and Remus couldn't stand that piercing gaze, so he looked down at his feet.
"I highly doubt that's true," Sirius stated after a long pause and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The one with the scar, but that could have just been random. Sirius's hands went back to the hem of his shirt, and he tilted his head, crouching slightly to find his eyes. "Please?"
Remus swallowed and then nodded; his entire fate was in the hands of this stupidly handsome stranger, and he could only pray that his trust wasn't misplaced.
Slowly and deliberately, Sirius pulled his shirt up and over his head and off his arms. Remus couldn't open his eyes; he just stood there awaiting judgement.
"Fuck, Remus…. What happened to you?" Sirius asked as he ran his fingertips over his scarred body, and the pity in his voice was almost too much to bear.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now, if that's alright," He fought to keep the old terror down; it hadn't risen like this in a long time, and a wave of shame washed over him—both for reacting like this and for the sorry state of what he had to offer someone like Sirius. "Kind of a mood-killer, y'know," he added, trying to sound off-handed, but he probably wasn't very successful.
"Alright. But for the record? Mood not killed," Sirius added as if he had read his mind. And to his surprise, Remus felt his lips on him again. Not on his mouth, but on his shoulder, right on his most prominent scar. Then they moved all the way across his mangled chest to his other shoulder, before leaving a wet trail over his ribs to his sternum and continuing down over his remarkably undefined stomach, pausing to ghost circles around his disfigured navel. Remus's breath caught in his chest, and his head hit the wall behind him, as Sirius's knees hit the floor.
"May I?"
Remus could only nod, and then strong hands were on his belt, slowly but surely unbuckling it, as lips continued to caress the skin around his navel. Then followed his zipper, and he felt his trousers being pulled down to his thighs along with his boxers.
"Mhmm, perfect…."
"Oh god, that's—" Remus let out a sharp moan and his hands moved to entangle themselves in the long, silky curls. Had anyone told him this morning that he would be against this wall in this fancy hotel room with the star of too many of his late-night fever fantasies, on his knees in front of him, giving him this most exquisite pleasure, he would have told them to get their head checked. But perhaps it was his own that needed checking, as all rational thought now seemed to leave him, and he gave himself over to the bliss that was Sirius Black's mouth.
He was thankful for the sturdy wall behind him, as he didn't think he would have been able to support himself otherwise as Sirius slowly drove him insane. He had to raise a hand and bite into the back of it as he felt the pleasure coiling inside him, building tension, threatening to release it all, and drown, drown, drown, but he couldn't let it—not yet, not when they'd only just got started.
Sirius must have sensed this, and, to Remus's relief (and intense regret), he withdrew, grinning up at him, and Remus pulled him to his feet, crashing their lips together. He could taste himself on Sirius's tongue, all traces of the wine now gone. Warm and wet and heady and needy. Hands were everywhere and Remus groaned as Sirius ground against him, still in his jeans. But Sirius didn't make a move to do anything about that, much too focused on what their tongues were doing. That hint of hunger from before had blown up and multiplied and Remus was being devoured in the best of ways.
"Fuck, I wanted to do that all night," Sirius whispered in between kisses, but didn't give Remus a chance to respond, attacking his mouth again as quickly as he had left it. Whether he meant the kiss or the blow job, Remus didn't know, and Sirius probably didn't either, but it made no difference; not when Sirius was kissing him like he was the water he needed to survive.
Remus wrapped his arms tightly around him and pulled him flush against his body. Sirius made a surprised sound but sank into the embrace, his kisses turning softer, less urgent, almost—
But then he hissed and turned his head to the side. He drew in a breath as if to steady himself and when he opened his eyes, it took them a moment to turn to Remus. Something undefinable flashed across them, and for a moment, Remus thought he was going to kiss him again, but then it was gone, and Sirius leant in to whisper in his ear.
"Sofa?"
All Remus could do was nod and let Sirius lead him over to the wide three-seater in front of the fireplace, shucking his trousers and shoes as he went.
"Get comfortable. I'll be right back."
He disappeared into the bedroom and emerged a few moments later, carrying supplies. Lily would be very happy.
"Right, where were we…." Tossing the stuff on the coffee table, he draped himself over Remus.
Sirius knew he needed to be patient. It was just goddamn difficult when Remus looked so good, writhing in pleasure under his touch, a string of curses flying from his lips.
Not so straitlaced after all.
God, he wanted to keep kissing those lips, but he couldn't risk getting lost again, so he kept to his mission, readying Remus for him. More scars were on his back, some of them long and thin, others round and deep. Something truly horrific must have happened to him, but Sirius didn't want to bring back that pained look on his face, so he didn't ask. Instead, he got to his feet and slowly opened his belt and undid his jeans. A shiver ran down Remus's back at the sound of his zipper, and he visibly shuddered as the trousers hit the floor, the thud of the metal buckle heavy on the thick carpet. Sirius smiled. Fuck, this was gonna be so good. He twisted back to grab the condom from the coffee table and bit the package open, savouring the way Remus was looking increasingly impatient. He placed kisses all the way up Remus's spine, from sensitive tailbone to flushed neck, creating more of those lovely goosebumps.
"Shh, just relax. I promise I'll make this good for you," he murmured and added a lick to the bone just behind his ear for emphasis before climbing onto the sofa behind him.
"Fuck… stop teasing…."
"No promises there."
…
As blinding pleasure tore through Sirius's body—minutes or hours later—his only thought was, This rivals any coke rush. And the coming down was way more pleasant. He stayed where he was and just held Remus a little tighter, kissing the back of his neck, both of them trying to catch their breath.
Remus was the first to break the comfortable silence. "I'm afraid I've made a mess of the upholstery." He chuckled.
"Fuck it—it's not the worst thing I've done to hotel furniture." Sirius snorted, though he reached for his discarded t-shirt and wiped the sofa anyway. He then turned Remus around and pulled him down to lie on top of him. Too spent and tired to even question it, he wrapped his arms tightly around him, feeling his breathing relax and even out as they both succumbed to sleep.
A/N: So, chapter 7, eh? Does that count as slow-burn when it hasn't even been twelve hours for our lads? Haha.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter - aaaaand get ready for the angst to start soon. Yes, I am evil. But there'll be lots of friendship fluff and band dynamics too - stay tuned and feel free to leave a review!
