Beautiful Things | Wolfstar

Seven

When Remus awoke the next morning, there were two things on his mind: what to wear and where to live. Clearly, one had higher priority over the other.

Remus slicks a comb through his hair to ensure it's styled to perfection before sitting at the small hotel desk. He pulls his notebook out and writes. And after fifteen minutes, his pen nearly bleeds dry.

The outfit he chooses today is fairly casual, consisting of wide leg trousers in the crispest shade of cream, paired with a loose pink button down shirt. It was different than anything he would normally pick out, but then again, his go to had been jeans that bore a hole in his dresser since he was sixteen and moth bitten shirts.

The weather is pleasant with all due respect to the overcast. Remus grabs a copy of The Daily Mail on his way out of the lobby and marks up the property section with his pen. London was massive compared to the cooped up town he'd grown up in. Strangers stroll past, walking without so much as a second glance at him. The city astonishes him all while terrifying at the same time. Words also spoken of Sirius Black - his new boss.

Boss. It isn't exactly what he envisioned, but it's a start. A lucky one at that.

His thoughts are disrupted when a guy, equivalent in his age, stumbles onto the street. He dons a green apron coated in what can only be assumed as eggs and flour, stringing a series of curses at the shop he'd just been thrown out of. The man in question had a youthful face with cheeks that are just as chubby from when he was a baby. Flat brown hair falls in front of his eyes and he brushes it back with his hand, smearing powder over his forehead.

"Can you believe him!" the guy says, directing his attention to Remus.

Remus glances around warily, then shakes his head. "No I can't," he answers blindly.

"The nerve!"

"What are we talking about?"

The short bloke takes off down the street with heavy stomps. He rips the apron off over his head and chucks it behind him. Remus steps over it carefully, unsure if he should follow or leave him be. He goes with the former.

"E-excuse me!" Remus calls out.

The guy turns around, taking a double take when he notices how far behind Remus is. "Well come on then!" he shouts, waving an arm. Remus puts a little pep in his step and hurries to catch up with him. When their pace falls in line with one another, the guy gives Remus a once over. "What's your name...fancy guy?"

"Remus Lupin," Remus answers. "And yours?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened back there?"

Peter stops at the intersection, tapping his black shoe against the pavement impatiently. "You try to add spice to the pastry one time and the whole kitchen wants to butcher you!" That would explain the apron. "The one job I somewhat enjoyed..."

Remus snorts at the all too familiar sentiment. "Tell me about it."

"Guess I'll be cooking with the rats in the street to pay rent, eh?" Peter jokes with despair. The light turns green and his legs carry him across the street without waiting another moment.

Remus makes to head the opposite way, toward Black Inc., when he picks up on the last bit of Peter's sentence. He rushes across the street, hiking his bag up on his shoulder as it slips with every bounce in his step. "Hey wait!" he shouts. "Peter!"

Peter half turns with a bewildered look as Remus comes barreling down the street after him. He gazes up at their significant height difference.

Catching his breath, Remus finally manages to speak. "You said you can't pay rent? Well I need a place to live."

"You want to live with me?" Peter questions skeptically. He observes Remus again, taking in his appearance fully. The man before him is well groomed and wearing clothes much nicer than he could afford working in the kitchen as a dish boy. "Why?"

"It's a bit of an odd story."

Peter chews at his bottom lip. He tucks his hands into the pockets of his trousers, nudging Remus to follow along. "Well you can tell me on the way to my flat. And then I'll decide."

Remus straightens his posture, pleased to be given the chance. They stroll for blocks under the sullen sky as Remus explains what happened to him in the past 48 hours. From being fired all the way to singing his contract, lucky would be an understatement.

They come to a standstill in front of a small iron gate bound by dying vines, leading up to a fairly small dirt-coated brick building.

"This is my home," Peter announces, rocking on his heels. He pushes open the gate that creaks with rust. His footsteps sound on the pebbles crunching beneath his weight. "Your luck hasn't quite run out yet, Remus Lupin." He pulls out a dainty gold key and unlocks the black door, revealing a quaint studio flat inside.

Remus wipes his feet against the concrete steps, not that it makes much of a difference, and follows Peter inside. One sweep over the place and he's seen it all. The place is warm, comforting, and lit primarily from the windows. A full sized bed is pushed up along the farthest corner, a leather couch on the opposite, and an old hand crafted coffee table in between. Along the far right wall is a door Remus can only assume is the bathroom.

What stands out the most, not surprisingly, is the kitchen. It's green. The cabinets, the walls, the dinnerware - green! Sage and forest blend together in all its monochromatic glory. Copper pots and pans hang from the ceiling and appliances clutter the wooden surface. One large window over the sink sprouts various herbs - mint, bail, parsley - all in a chipped windowsill planter.

"Rent isn't too bad," Peter says after a moment. Remus tears his gaze from the kitchen to look at Peter. "But for an unemployed bloke it is. I know the place isn't much, but it's..."

The only word that comes to Remus' mind is, "Charming."

"We can get a twin bed in place of the couch. And a privacy curtain."

"It'll work just fine." Remus pulls out his notebook and rips out a blank page. "The address?"

"Three-ten Elio Street."

Remus scribbles it down and tucks the paper safely into the pocket of his trousers. "I don't have a phone, yet, but I will be back when I get off of work. And I get paid on Saturday, so I can pay my rent then as well, if that's alright."

Peter nods in a business-like manner. "I'll have a key made for you." He crosses the creaky hardwood floor with an extended arm. Remus shakes it firmly and smiles with gratitude. "Remus Lupin, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."