Black

AN: Hi there. For anyone who has read my work before, I apologize long in advance. I can't promise regular updates, but I definitely have a lot planned for this story. Black is a nonmagic AU featuring the marauders in current time. This story will feature more than just the marauders and Lily, but at the moment has more of a focus on them.

The shop itself wasn't very busy at all. All of their current customers were regulars, who had been served their drinks and pastries and were either already seated with a good book, or trying to choose one from the vast shelves. Still though, the staff seemed to be arguing.

"It's fine, Remus. The rush hasn't hit yet… I don't mind staying really."

"And I'm telling you it's time for you to go, Lily. I can handle the rush."

It was a strange argument for them to be having, yet it seemed to make at least a few of their customers snicker as they eavesdropped, unable to help it.

"It's fine. James and I can go out another night. It's fine." The redheaded woman seemed nervous, pacing behind the counter as she spoke, finding minute details to pick at - like the mugs. She stood for a moment or two, turning them so that all of their handles went the same way before moving on to try and find some more busy work.

"Lily. He sent you for a manicure this morning. He sent a new dress for you to wear tonight. You need to go and get ready for him. He clearly has something big planned for tonight." The man arguing with her had made his way up behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug, though if he was being honest it was much more an effort to keep her hands at her sides and the rest of her body still.

She sighed, a bundle of nervous energy in his arms as she gently pushed his arms away and turned to face him. "He doesn't know what he's doing if he'd going to do what you're insinuating tonight. He doesn't know what to expect long term with someone like me."

"I can assure you that James has done his homework. He's had both of us in his life long enough to know exactly what he's getting into. Besides, Lil… He loves you, and isn't that the whole point?"

She shook her head, "I can't give him everything that a wife ought to be able to give him. He deserves a whole person."

He frowned, two fingers moving to her chin to tilt her head back up to look at him after she'd dropped her gaze. "Lilian Grace Evans, you are a whole person. I don't ever want to hear you say otherwise again, do you hear me?"

"But I can't-" She choked back a sob, already beginning to cry.

Remus shook his head, and gave her a little shake, pulling her back in for another hug. "He doesn't care about that, Lil. You can still have everything you want, even if it comes together in a different way. He does know, and he doesn't care."

She nodded, burying her face in his neck for a moment while she tried to collect herself, though she was still crying. It seemed as though she wasn't going to stop any time soon, so he had decided to change gears, turning his attention instead to their little crowd of regulars, "What do you say guys, should Lily here go on upstairs and get dressed for tonight so we can all see her off to go and get engaged?"

She flushed as the handful of people in the room clapped, letting out a small laugh as she gave him a playful smack, "You're embarassing me."

"These are our friends, Lily, and you just heard them. Go on upstairs and get ready. I know you've got enough make-up in my flat to do something amazing, and you know I've got plenty of drops in the cupboard so that your lovely boyfriend doesn't need to see how red your eyes are. Come on, this is the start of the whole rest of your life tonight, go on and get ready for it so that you can come back and we can all see how big the rock is."

Her blush deepened, rivalling even her hair at this point, "I don't want a big rock, Remus."

"I know, so does he," he winked, "I've seen it… Go and get dressed, he's going to be here soon." He couldn't help but smirk, giving her a gentle shove towards the stairs that led to his flat above the coffee shop. "Don't worry about me. I have got this all under control. I am the manager after all." He watched as she slowly moved towards the stairs with a shake of her head, until she'd disappeared at the top of them before turning his attention back to the job at hand. There were a number of things to get done at the end of a shift but there wasn't necessarily a rush - he did live upstairs after all.

By the time Lily had returned a couple of customers had left, and Remus had gotten a start on preparing the dough for the next day's croissants, but she still managed to catch the attention of everyone in the room. Remus couldn't help but grin at her. The dress was simple yet stunning - a testament to how much James knew her taste. It fell just above her knees, made of a kind of silvery-grey lace, though it really seemed to border on white, and it fit her perfectly. She looked amazing. He leaned back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest, "Well damn, Lily. If this is how you look to get engaged I can't wait to see you get married."

Again she looked like she was about to cry, moving forward for another hug when he held up his hands, "No no no… I'm covered in flour and butter... Air hugs." He made the gesture with a smile. "Go and take a seat, I'll fix you a cup of tea while you wait. I'm sure James won't keep you much longer."

He had barely started preparing it when the entire shop was interrupted by a rather loud engine outside. Everyone stopped what they were doing as it rumbled to a halt, and moments later a tall man clad in leather and wearing a full helmet walked into the shop. He paid no attention to the apparent scene he was causing, instead approaching the counter, and Remus alongside it.

"How can I help y-" Remus cut himself off when he removed the helmet, dreadlocks tumbling past his shoulders as he put the helmet down on the counter. There was no denying that the man was attractive - he certainly was, with sunkissed skin and pale grey eyes that didn't seem to fit with the rest of his features. "Sorry, how can I help you?"

The man grinned, and Remus found himself smiling alongside him - infectious. "I was wondering if you were hiring," He said, shaking out his hair slightly so that it splayed over his shoulders, "I'm looking for work."

Remus had to cock an eyebrow as he stared at him, entirely too confused by the enigma in front of him. "We aren't explicitly hiring at the moment…" He found himself saying, hands finding their way to the apron he wore, fingers twisting around it nervously. "But that isn't to say that we wouldn't hire someone if they were a good fit… DId you bring a CV and resume?"

He nodded, but what followed next baffled Remus. He wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting - the man clearly wasn't carrying anything on his person that could have held a professional resume of any kind, but he hadn't been expecting him to reach over the counter to grab a marker, or to press the button for some receipt roll, ripping it off even as he uncapped the marker with his teeth, scrawling a few words onto the receipt paper before handing it over, "There you go. My CV and qualifications."

Remus stared down at the piece of paper in his hand, all too aware of the eyes that laid on the two of them. He scratched his head through the beanie he wore, adjusting it before he brought his attention back up to the man, turning the paper around to display it to him.

Sirius Black

+11 637-827

"I'm sorry, but this just appears to be your name and… phone number?"

"Would you like my facebook? I can give you that as well - or my instagram, it's much better than my facebook if you ask me."

Remus blinked, entirely unsure how to receive the man in front of him. This was by far amongst the strangest interactions he'd ever had with someone looking for work. He found he could only hope that James arrived soon to help him out of this situation, aware of the way that his jaw opened and closed as he tried to figure out where this conversation was heading. "I- Sorry, I don't mean to be rude or make assumptions but… Have you ever even had a cup of coffee?"

The man made a retching sound and shook his head, "Hell no. Can't stand the stuff."

"You are aware that this is primarily a coffee shop, aren't you?"

"Well yeah, but I don't think that's going to be a very big deal…"

Remus was stunned, hoping that James arrived soon so that he could hand this task over, though he would be sad to see the man go. At the very least he was easy to look at. "Well… What about books then? What was the last book you read?"

Sirius shrugged, "Probably some Shakespeare for my GCSEs, honestly. I probably only looked up the notes on the internet to be totally honest."

"So you don't drink coffee, you don't read… Why do you want to work here?"

"Sirius! Mate! How've you been!"

Remus nearly jumped at that, glancing up to catch sight of James approaching the man, arms outstretched. This was not something that he had anticipated. "Mate?"

"Yeah, remus this is Sirius - We met at school, and just caught up the other night at the pub. I told him he ought to stop in if he's looking to stick around." James raked his fingers through his hair as he turned to hop up and sit on the counter, "I figured we could use an extra set of hands around here."

Remus could only stare at his friend. He knew the business belonged to him, and at the end of the day it was his decision, but really? He wanted to hire someone who knew nothing about the industry at all - in fact didn't even like coffee. It struck him as odd. "So he's already been hired?"

"As good as, yeah. Why? Did you want to go talk in the kitchen a moment?"

"No, it's fine. If he's hired he's hired. I've already set up the schedule for next week, but I can try and pencil him in for the week after…"

"Nah," James turned his attention back to Sirius, "You don't have any other plans tonight, do you? I'm headed out and Remus is here alone, he can start training you right now."

"James he's hardly dressed for-"

"Wicked." Sirius had said, moving behind the counter to put his helmet down and grab an apron. "What's the first thing I need to know."

Remus blinked, entirely unsure just how all of this had happened in such a short span of time, "I… I was starting to prepare the croissants for the morning, I guess I could show you how to do that."

"Perfect! See! I'm an excellent hirer."

"You're an excellent something…" Remus muttered, gently pushing James off the countertop, "Go on, get out of here. We'll talk later." He watched as James scooped Lily up from her seat, carrying her out of the shop amidst giggles and kisses. He couldn't help but feel happy for them - Lily deserved it, after all. For a brief moment thinking about the two of them, he'd forgotten all about what the rest of his night was about to look like.

At least until the handsome stranger had let an arm fall around his shoulders, "Well, boss? Are we gonna get to work on those croissants?"