Bittersweet (Wolfstar)

Seven

R E M U S

He had done it.

Sirius had talked about his past. Not his feelings or his thoughts, but it was something. Remus knows that it is what Albus would call a 'breakthrough'.

"That's all we've got time for today. I expect to see you all next week. Good day." Albus grins, standing and gathering his belongings before exiting the cafe. Rubeus follows him out, giving Remus an encouraging smile as he passes. Sirius sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets as he pushes himself out of the chair. "You wanna get tea?" He asks Remus, who nods and follows Sirius to the counter. A woman stands behind it, her mousy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She gives the pair of them a small smile. Remus gets a lump in his throat at the sight of her. She looks a lot like Nymphadora. "Small green tea with honey, and-" Sirius says, looking over at Remus and raising an eyebrow.

"I can order separately. I want to buy it." He answers, not looking the barista in the eyes. Sirius scoffs at him.

"Please. I'm paying. Order, Moony." He chuckles, patting Remus on the back and pushing him forward.

"No, I-"

"No arguing or I'll order for you."

"Okay, fine. A small chamomile with mint." Remus huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and moving to hide half of his body behind Sirius as he pays. The barista leans forward and whispers something to Sirius that leaves him giggling. He says something back, but Remus doesn't listen. He looks back at the small circle they just left from and sees Marlene still sitting there, staring at nothing. "I'll be back." He says to Sirius, walking slowly over to her. "Are you alright?" He asks, making her jump. Marlene looks up at him, her eyes shining with tears.

"Yeah. I reckon so." She sniffs, wiping her nose on her sleeve and turning farther away from Remus. He leans closer. "I thought you were a mute."

"No, just quiet. Tell me what's wrong, please."

"No- I- You won't understand." She grumbles, shaking her head and looking back at him.

"Try me." He whispers, and she looks at the floor for a long, silent minute before she starts talking.

"I'm just sad. My mum is dying, my girlfriend left me for my cousin, and my dad moved to America for 'new opportunities' and hasn't spoken to me in weeks. Everything is crashing down around me and I'm sad." She sniffs, shrugging and pushing herself out of the seat. "I'll be fine" She tells Remus, dotting the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and hugging herself.

"Thanks for coming to check on me. I appreciate it. Come to my next party on Saturday." She says to him, giving a small wave and walking over to Sirius. Remus stays in the chair, picking at the dirt underneath his fingernails. It's only been a week since her last party and she is planning on having another already? Remus reckons she must be insane. Or just very social. Maybe both.

He looks up from his hands when he hears Sirius give a small cough. "You alright, Spaceman?" He asks, handing Remus his tea and sitting beside him.

"Spaceman?" Remus asks, taking a sip from his tea and relishing the hot drink in his throat. Sirius nods, taking a drink from his own and leaning back in the chair, two legs off of the ground.

"You looked pretty spaced out, so Spaceman. What's going on in your head, mate?" He asks, watching Remus sip on his tea.

"Marlene invited me to her party on Saturday because I asked how she was doing. I just think it's strange for someone to have a party so soon after another. I bet her house isn't even clean from the last one." He pauses, looking down at his drink and up at Sirius. "I need milk. I'll be back." He stands up and goes to the station that has milk, sugar, and stirrers, adding in half a cup of milk into his tea. He feels someone standing behind him so he looks back, expecting Sirius but seeing the barista with a big smile on her face.

"Hello. Your friend told me you are single. Would you like to go on a date with me sometime?" She asks, twisting her hands nervously. Remus looks over at Sirius, who nods and gives him a thumbs up.

"I, um, I dunno." He answers, his lip quivering. Remus isn't ready for another relationship, much less with this girl. He is already having trouble getting over his dead girlfriend. Before he can reject her, Sirius shouts from where he sits.

"He'd love to!"

Remus blushes slightly and shakes his head. "Actually, I just had an abrupt end to a serious relationship. I'm not quite over it." He sighs, shrugging. Her smile fades a little, but stays on her face.

"Okay, I get it. Maybe later, then?" She asks, fiddling with the hem of her apron.

"Yeah, maybe." He shuffles back to Sirius, plopping down beside him, leaning in close. "What the hell was that for? You know Dora just died. I can't replace her with a lookalike." He sneers at Sirius, his eyes narrowed and dark. "I know you tried to set that up, and I don't appreciate that. I don't want a girlfriend, I don't want to go on a date, and I don't want her. We can be friends but not if you try and set me up with girls all the time." He growls, clenching his jaw and leaning back in his seat, sipping the tea in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Moony. She told me she thought you were cute and I told her to ask you out. It won't happen again, mate." He shrugs, taking a swig of his own tea and putting his arm on Remus' shoulders.

"Just...I can't do it. Not yet." He mumbles, taking a deep breath and relaxing into Sirius' arm behind him.