London, May 10, 2020

Remus's stomach was doing somersaults by the time Frank and Alice arrived at half five. He had told them to be there a bit earlier than planned because he had an announcement to make. They had just hung up their coats and were now standing in the kitchen looking at him expectantly.

"Your message was a little cryptic—why did you want us to come early?" Alice asked, smile wide and eyes bright as always.

"Beer, tea, coffee?" Remus asked, postponing having to answer.

"Wouldn't say no to a beer," Frank said.

"Remus, what's going on?" Alice said, her eyes taking in the laid table. "Why is the table set for six?"

"Er, that's why I wanted you to come early, to give you a heads up," Remus said, scratching the back of his neck and passing Frank a beer from the fridge.

"Oh my god!" Alice squealed, "are you bringing a date?" She clapped her hands and bounced up and down.

"Yes, I am," said Remus, trying to keep his tone cool to make up for the flush to his cheeks. "And I wanted to get your reaction out of the way before he gets here."

"Ooh, is it that bloke from Vicente's party?" Alice ventured.

"Who?" Remus frowned.

"You know, the tall, handsome one in the green shirt, what was his name… Frank?" She snapped her fingers at her fiancé.

"Dunno, luv." Frank shrugged and took a mouthful of his beer.

Before Alice could say anything else, Marlene entered the kitchen, fresh from her shower, wearing full makeup and a tightfitting dress. Remus rolled his eyes at her unusual choice of wardrobe for a casual night in with friends but didn't comment. She hugged the newcomers excitedly. "Oh my God, did Remus tell you yet? Can you believe Sirius Black is coming for tea!"

"WHAT?" Alice exclaimed.

Well, so much for easing them into it…. "Thanks a lot, Marlene," Remus said dryly.

"What do you mean Sirius Black is coming for tea? The Sirius Black?" Alice demanded.

Marlene snorted. "How many do you know?"

"You're having me on…."

"Nope." Marlene grinned.

"But… but… how? Why?" Alice spluttered, seeming to have lost her ability to string words together.

"Hang on," Frank interrupted, apparently putting two and two together. "So, when you said you were bringing a date…."

Remus just shrugged and gave an awkward half-smile.

"Isn't it brilliant?" Marlene shrieked and threw her arms around Alice, who still seemed to be struggling to catch up.

"Heck, Remus, how'd you manage to swing tha'?" Frank asked, widening his eyes.

"It's a long story, but we got to talking after meeting at the Hog's Head last week–" Remus began.

"Oh, they did more than just talk," Marlene said, wagging her eyebrows so enthusiastically, Remus feared the paint on them would fly off. Damn her and her loud mouth.

"Get out, Remus, tell me everything!" Alice groaned and grabbed his arm.

Remus sighed but gave them the quick (and safe-for-work) version.

"Oh my God, I can't believe nobody's ever suspected he's into men," Alice wondered.

"Yes, and I imagine he wants to keep it that way, so please promise that you're not gonna tell anyone, okay?"

"'Course not, mate," Frank said taking another swig from his beer.

"Alice?" Remus looked at his overexcited friend with a stern eye. "You can't even tell anyone that he was here, you understand me?"

"Oh, okay, but—"

"No buts. I need you to promise me."

"Alright, yes, I promise," Alice said and crossed her heart.

"Great. And if you've got any leftover giggling or screaming to do, you've got… ten minutes before he gets here," Remus said, glancing at the clock before turning his attention back to the pots on the stove.

Apparently, Marlene and Alice still had plenty in their systems.

This was going to be royally awkward….

.

Just a couple of minutes after six o'clock, the doorbell rang. Hands shaking slightly, Remus hurried to take off his apron and wiped his sweaty palms on it. He took a deep breath and opened the door. The sight almost took his breath away—how could he have forgotten just how handsome Sirius was? He was wearing a grey jersey under his leather jacket, zipper open to a dark red t-shirt and hood drawn up to hide him from curious eyes, but it couldn't contain his long curls completely. He grinned at Remus and held up a six-pack of beer.

"You said we were having curry, so I brought some IPAs," he said in his aristocratic lilt.

"Erm, excellent." Remus blinked and then mentally shook himself. "Please, come in!" He remembered his manners and stepped aside, accepting the beer from Sirius.

"Cheers," Sirius said, and followed him through the door, lowering his hood.

Should they hug or something? No, that would be weird, wouldn't it? Too impersonal, considering what they did last time they saw each other. But a kiss would be too forward, even though that was all he wanted to do. Sirius didn't make a move to do either, so in the end, Remus just scratched his neck and asked, "So, how've you been?"

"Good thanks, been a busy week, just came down from Glasgow this morning. You?" Sirius said, taking off his jacket and pushing up the sleeves of his hoodie, making all the intricate tattoos on his forearms visible.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Work and boring stuff," Remus said, tearing his gaze from those tattoos to take Sirius's jacket and hang it up for him. "Anyway, welcome to our place, I know it's not much but…."

"I like it." Sirius smiled and looked around. The small hallway had strings of fairy lights as the only source of illumination (their lamp had broken two years ago, and they'd never got around to fixing it), weaving around an assortment of pictures and paintings. Alice had done some of them, and others were stuff they had bought at flea markets or photos they'd taken themselves when travelling. Sirius stopped to examine one of Remus and Lily standing in front of a gothic cathedral, smiling broadly with their arms slung around each other.

"Oh God, how old are you in this one?"

"About fifteen, I think. It was a class trip to Yorkshire."

"You went to school together?"

"Kindergarten too, actually. We were neighbours growing up."

"Wicked," Sirius said and straightened up again. "So, you're like best friends?"

"Yeah. I moved to London a few years before she did, but we stayed in touch, and when we were old enough to get our own place, we found Marlene looking for flatmates on craigslist. Her dad owns this building, so we get a good deal. Of course, she could easily afford it on her own now, but she hasn't kicked us out yet, so…." Remus smiled.

"That's nice of her," Sirius chuckled and took a step towards him. Almost close enough to—

"Hi Sirius!" Marlene and Alice must have decided that they had waited long enough and appeared in the doorway. Dammit. "Good to see you again!" Marlene sang and pulled him in for a hug.

"You too Marlene. You look ravishing today." Sirius responded smoothly with a cheek kiss.

"Oh, this old thing?" She blushed and waved dismissively.

"Alice! Good to see you too," Sirius said and gave her the same greeting. "Did you really paint these pictures?" he asked her, gesturing to the art on the wall. "They're incredible!"

"Thank you, yes." It was Alice's turn to blush. "They're quite old, though—I promise you I've got better at it since then," she said and told him about the small art gallery she was trying to establish with three other artists uptown. Sirius seemed surprisingly natural, despite the girls' nervous excitement, asking questions and giving compliments. But then again, he was probably used to swooning fans and knew how to keep grounded.

"I want you to meet my fiancé, Frank," Alice said as they stepped into the small kitchen where Frank and Lily were tending to the pots.

"Good to meet you mate, I'm Sirius," Sirius said and stuck out his hand. Frank, the stoic northerner that he was, shook it casually and mumbled, "Nah then, Sirius."

"Hi, Sirius. Welcome to our flat." Lily smiled, taking a break from stirring to hug their guest too.

Remus cursed himself for missing his own window, but hopefully there would come a chance later.

"Thanks. It's lovely to see you again, Lily." Sirius beamed. "Mhmm, this smells amazing," he said, sniffing the steam coming from the pots.

"Thank you. We've spent years improving the recipe," Lily said proudly.

"Yeah? Remus said you do curry every Sunday?"

"Yes, it's sort of a tradition by now. Alice used to live across the hall, before she met Frank, and since none of us knew anyone when we first moved to London, we would get together and cook most days. After leaving school, we all got too busy though, so it became just Sundays."

"Remus," Marlene interjected, "You should give Sirius a tour." She cocked her head towards the rest of the small flat.

"What's the point?" Remus laughed. "Everything's visible from here…." But he led Sirius into the lounge part of the open-plan room anyway. "This is Marlene and Lily," he told him, indicating the two doors leading off the end of the room. He was relieved to see that Marlene had taken down the poster of Sirius that used to be taped to her door. "And I'm over here," he said, pointing to the right. His room was separated from the girls' rooms by a bay window overlooking the street below. It was made comfy with soft pillows, sheep's fleece, and a reading lamp attached to the wall.

"I love what you've done with the place," Sirius said, taking in the cosy living room with its mismatching furniture and all the bits and bobs they'd collected from flea markets and antique shops over the years. He asked Remus about some of the items and was particularly impressed by the size of their bookcases which stretched from floor to ceiling between the kitchen and lounge area to give the illusion of separate rooms.

"This section here is all Lily's medical books; no one but her can even read the titles," Remus explained with a chuckle.

"You're a doctor?" Sirius asked Lily, who was setting the pots on the table.

"Molecular medicine," Lily clarified, "half-way through my Ph.D."

"Don't even know what that is." Sirius whistled. "Sounds dead clever."

"Dead nerdy is what it is," Marlene said. "Don't ask her for any details if you don't intend to dedicate the rest of your evening to the answer!"

"Oh, shut up, Marlene. I'm not the one spending my days looking at spreadsheets and interest rates," Lily said, but there wasn't any bite. "Food is ready everyone!"

They all got settled around the dining table; not without some difficulty as it hadn't actually been designed to seat six people. It had its advantages though, Remus thought, since it meant that Sirius's thigh was flush against his own.

As they were passing around the food, Remus asked, "So, how long are you in town for, Sirius?"

"We leave for Amsterdam next Monday to kick off the northern leg of the tour," Sirius said while ladling curry into his bowl.

"How many countries will you be visiting?" Lily asked.

"Erm, I haven't counted actually," Sirius said and chuckled apologetically. "We'll be going around Northern Europe and Scandinavia, finishing with Copenhell at the end of June. Then we take a break in Italy to hopefully record some songs at our studio down there before we start the southern leg."

"Oh, I saw you at Copenhell six years ago!" Marlene said, snapping her fingers as if only just remembering.

"Really?" Sirius laughed. "You were one of the fifty people? Guess I owe you an apology, then."

"Why would you say that?" Marlene asked, tilting her head.

"You remember the thunderstorm that year?"

Marlene nodded. "Yeah, the whole festival lost power for two hours."

"Yeah, that happened right as we were about to go on stage. When the power wasn't back half an hour later, we decided to go have some drinks in the main beer tent."

"No way, I was there too—with my cousin!" Marlene said.

"Yeah? Half the festival was packed into that one tent, to avoid the torrent, it was sheer mayhem," Sirius told the rest of them, eyes lighting up as he spoke. "Anywhere else in the world people would have been complaining like crazy or going home—but not this crowd. People were packed onto tables and benches, no one was able to move, but the atmosphere was absolutely electric."

"Yes, it was so intense!" Marlene said. "The DJ couldn't play music, obviously, so someone just randomly started an Iron Maiden sing-along and everyone in the tent just joined in—it was incredible!"

"Pure gold," Sirius agreed. "And because the beer taps weren't working, all they had were these test tubes full of some hellish liquorice booze," he said making a face. "People couldn't get to the bar, so you just sent money up ahead and hoped something came back. The system worked surprisingly well."

"Oh my god, I love that stuff!" Marlene laughed. "I always bring some back when I visit my cousin in Denmark—I can get some now, if you'd like?" she teased.

"God no! I had enough to last me a lifetime that day." Sirius laughed, holding up his hands. "Anyway, by the time the power came back on, we were completely wasted and forgot we had to go on stage. The crew had to come find us, and we ended up being twenty minutes late. Which was probably a good thing, because we'd forgotten half our set list as well." He sniggered.

"But the show was epic, though! I went straight home and bought your record, and well, here we are," Marlene said.

"Well, that was very kind of you." Sirius chuckled. "I guess, in a way, it was both our worst and best show ever. We only remember half of it, but it certainly got us noticed, and we were booked for Wacken the following year."

"Sweet," Marlene said, a dreamy look on her face. "I've always wanted to go there."

"It's the ultimate thing, isn't it? But Copenhell will always have a special spot in my heart, so I'm excited to go back there this year."

"I bet! Oh, did you get to meet Judas Priest backstage?"

"Yeah, I was a total fanboy, cornering Glen and K.K. to ask them all sorts of guitar-related questions, but they were good sports."

"Oh my god, I'm so jealous! Their show was so legendary," Marlene reminisced.

"Yeah, everyone thought it was going to be their last tour at that point, but guess they changed their mind." Sirius chuckled.

"It's so impressive they're still going," Marlene gushed. "When Halford went to stand on that bike, I think the whole crowd was holding their breath. I thought he would fall down for sure, but he just kept belting!"

"The guy's an absolute god. In fact, my ears are still ringing," Sirius said. "We were right at the front, screaming our lungs out."

"You joined the pit? Thought you would just watch from backstage?"

"What, and miss a good mosh pit? No way. And I've got the battle scars to show for it," Sirius said and pointed to his canine which had a chip missing. Remus felt his cheeks heat as this reminded him of what he had been doing last night. And now Sirius was sitting here, in their tiny kitchen, on their mismatched chairs, no longer a face on a screen or a fever dream in a posh hotel, but a real person, having a regular conversation about a band he liked.

"Wicked…." Marlene grinned. "But what's Rob Halford like in person?" she asked. "Is he just as brilliant as I imagine?"

"Erm, yeah, he's a cool bloke," Sirius said, squirming a bit in his seat and clearing his throat. "I mean, he's lived the life, hasn't he?"

Something shifted in Sirius—like they had suddenly entered dangerous territory. It didn't make sense, but just in case, Remus got up and started clearing the dishes before Marlene could ask any more questions.

"Oh, let me help you," Sirius said, seemingly eager to leave the table. The others broke up too and retreated to the sitting room, put some music on, and began pulling out a selection of board games. Probably to give Remus and Sirius some space which Remus was grateful for. He had felt a bit out of his element in the conversation, slightly unnerved by the fact that Marlene apparently had so much more in common with his date than he himself had.

"You don't have to—we can just leave it till later…."

"Nah, it's cool, it'll only take a second," Sirius said as he began rinsing the plates.

"Alright." Remus chuckled, getting the feeling that Sirius was looking for an excuse to get away from the others for a bit. To be alone with him? Or was it just because Marlene's question had made him uncomfortable? And why had it, anyway? He didn't know who this Halford was or why he was such a big deal. Not able to contain his curiosity, he asked, "So, who's Rob Halford, and what did he do to you?"

He instantly regretted it when he saw the dark look that came over Sirius's face.

"He's the front man of Priest." He shrugged and squirted soap onto a plate. "He just gave me some advice I wasn't ready to hear, and it turned out to be scarily prophetic, unfortunately."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Remus hurried to say and grabbed a tea towel.

"No, it's alright. You didn't know," Sirius said, sending him a reassuring smile. He went silent for a while, focused on cleaning the plate. Then he drew in a breath and said, "It's just the weirdest thing…. A total stranger seeing straight through you and calling you out on your bullshit. It's the sort of thing that stays with you, you know?"

Remus thought he could relate. The first time he had met Alice was at a party, not long after she had moved into the flat across from them. Their downstairs neighbour at the time, a guy Remus had been having an on-and-off affair with, had thrown a Christmas party, and Alice had noticed the way Remus had been staring longingly at the man as he flirted shamelessly with Johanna from 2C. 'He's not gonna give you what you want, you know,' she'd said, as if she'd known Remus for years and read all his insecure thoughts. He'd never spoken to the woman before, outside of introducing themselves the day she moved in, so the comment had taken him aback. She'd been absolutely right of course; the guy had vehemently denied to be anything but straight, eventually telling Remus he had only fooled around with him because he'd been bored and curious. Right. But, while Remus had lost the dream of a relationship with the guy, he'd gained a lifelong friend in the tiny woman.

"So." Sirius put on a smile and handed Remus a clean plate to dry. "What do you like to do when you're not teaching or whipping up a mad curry?"

Remus took a moment to collect himself on the change of subject before answering. "I spend a lot of time down at the LGBT+ Youth Centre. I mentor a handful of kids, do a bit of bookkeeping, event planning, and such. We're only a small group of volunteers, so I help out wherever I can."

"That…" Sirius began, focused on scrubbing a piece of burnt something off the bottom of a pot, "ah, that must be quite rewarding, I imagine."

"It is," Remus nodded. "I wish I'd had a place like that growing up. It means so much to these kids to be able to come there and meet others like them," he said, putting away the stack of now dry plates.

"Yeah?" Sirius looked up at him with half awe, half apprehension. "Sounds alright."

Remus studied him as he returned to scrubbing the pot. If he had to guess, Sirius probably didn't have anyone to talk to either, but he didn't mention this. His curiosity had already caused enough tension. "But apart from that, I enjoy long walks on the beach, French cuisine, and knitting," he joked. This had the desired effect as Sirius stuck out his tongue at him and flicked some water in his direction.

"Aw, that's a right shame." Sirius tutted and dried his hands on a towel. "I prefer staying indoors, eating Italian, and cross-stitching."

"Guess it's not meant to be, then." Remus sighed and dropped his shoulders dramatically.

"Oh, I don't know," Sirius drawled, moving into Remus's personal space. "I can be flexible. You could teach me all about knitting…." He tilted his head and gave Remus a crooked smile, exposing that chipped canine once more.

"Well…" Remus twisted a strand of Sirius's hair between his fingers. "It's all in the wrists, you see…."

Kissing Sirius was every bit as heady as he remembered. Perhaps even more so since this time he was sober and able to savour every detail. Like the feeling of a hard chest and broad shoulders in his arms, of silken curls between his fingers and rough beard against his chin. Of warm lips sliding over his own, tentative at first, then getting bolder. A hint of leather and smoky cologne filled his nostrils, driving him crazy. Sirius stepped closer, pressing him against the countertop, hands teasing up along his sides. Knees not fully cooperating, Remus put a hand behind him to stabilise himself, but unfortunately this sent a glass falling to the floor where it shattered with a loud clink.

"Oops." He laughed as they broke apart.

"Sorry. Got a bit carried away." Sirius grinned, not looking the least bit sorry. Remus was about to pull him in for another kiss when Lily called from the other side of the bookcase.

"Oi, what's going on out there?"

"Nothing, Lils. Just a minor accident—we'll be right there," Remus said regretfully, leaning his forehead against Sirius's.

Sirius just chuckled and pulled away, giving his hand a squeeze. "Where do you keep your broom?"

.

Five minutes later, they joined the others in the sitting room, where Alice had unpacked her game of Unstable Unicorns. Remus served everyone freshly brewed tea, and they huddled around the small coffee table. All the furniture was occupied, so Remus fetched some pillows from the reading nook for him and Sirius to sit on. They sat down, knees brushing against each other under the table.

Sirius was quick to pick up on the rules of the game and soon, Alice tried to turn everyone's unicorns into pandas. Remus played a 'Neigh bitch', foiling her plans and turned them all into cats instead, just for the fun of it. Sirius would occasionally lean close and ask Remus a strategy question, his breath tickling the side of his neck and husky whispers sending shivers down his spine.

"Oi, that's cheating!" Marlene complained, but Remus ignored her and placed a hand on Sirius's chin, drawing him closer to whisper his answer. Sirius's hand found his thigh under the table, giving it an appreciative squeeze as Remus explained to him how he could play his Seductive Unicorn to steal Lily's Berserkercorn and destroy Frank's Dread Pirate Unicorn.

Marlene messed up everyone's game by playing the Extremely Destructive Unicorn, but in the end, Lily won by playing the Ginormous Unicorn, bringing her stable up to seven occupants.

.

A few hours later, Remus was lying in his bed with a sappy grin on his face. The evening had gone better than he had ever dared to hope for. Marlene and Alice had (mostly) behaved themselves, and his doubts about Sirius's intentions had been put to shame. Sirius had kissed him goodbye in the hallway after Frank and Alice had left, saying that he'd better get home too since it was a Sunday night after all. He had made an effort to get to know Remus's friends and seemed comfortable in their company, even though Remus knew it must be tough to slide into such a tight-knit group as the five of them were. Not the actions of someone just looking for a quick shag.

He switched off his bed lamp and typed a response to Sirius on his mobile. Yes, he would love to visit him on Wednesday.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I apologise again if it was a bit self-indulgent - the Copenhell Thunderstorm was actually in 2011, and it's still my best memory of that entire festival 3 (though if I had got to meet Judas Priest backstage that would definitely have been the highlight!). The way people came together and helped each other, keeping the spirits high was just unparalleled.