Chapter Text
Depending on the availability in the climbing gym, Remus will sometimes go from work a bit earlier, today he leaves thirty minutes early so he can catch the right bus that will take him to the other side of town. He used to rationalize it by working a bit later any other day or even coming in earlier. That motivation went out the window as soon as he started applying for new jobs.
When he hops off the bus at the industrial area where the gym is located, it's not even five o’clock yet, and his phone rings.
It’s a number he does not recognize.
Remus answers anyway. “Remus Lupin,” he speaks into the receiver as the bus leaves the stop.
“Hi, Remus. My name’s Mary McDonald and I’m in charge of recruitment for AP&W. You responded to a job listing with us, correct?” says the happy voice on the other end.
Remus, who toes his shoe at a dandelion growing through the cracks of concrete, immediately stops and looks up. AP&W.
AP&W is calling him.
Remus clears his throat, “Yes- Yes, that’s correct.”
“Lovely! Well, I’ve looked through your application and we would love to meet with you for a first-round interview. Is that something you’re still interested in?”
“It is, yes!”
“Fantastic, so how this usually goes is that you’ll have a first-round digital interview with me. I take a few days to go over the notes from the interviews and your responses. And if I think you’d be a good fit for us we’ll book you in for an interview with the hiring manager and the manager of the entire business unit.”
“Right, okay. Sounds good!”
It does sound good, it’s just Remus who sounds like he swallowed a whole bag of sand before answering his phone.
“Any preferences of days of the week that we’re able to take the interview?”
Now here’s the problem; Remus works five days a week and Horace’s is notoriously anti-working from home. He could take a half-day, and Poppy would surely approve it, but he also doesn't want his coworkers to speculate where he was if not at work. And besides, he has a lot to get done in the upcoming days.
“Well, I- A lot of that depends I guess-,” Remus starts, trying to figure a way out of this situation he has put himself in whilst also still coming off as interested to Mary on the other line.
Mary seems to have heard his thoughts, “If you need to we can schedule the interview outside business hours.”
Remus feels relieved, “Yes, that would be perfect actually. I’m really interested in meeting with you. It's just- well, my current job is not that flexible at the moment. Yeah, outside business hours would be perfect.”
“No problem at all, Remus, I understand. Does Thursday at six p.m. work for you?”
“That works!”
“Lovely, I’ll send you a meeting invite.”
They say their goodbyes and hang up and Remus is left standing by the bus stop realizing that he is actually moving on this time.
He might not get the job, nothing is set in stone just yet, but the journey is ongoing now, no longer stagnant.
*
When two days have passed Remus walks into his apartment just in time to take a peak in the mirror and set up his laptop on the kitchen table.
He tests which lights will make sure he doesn’t look half-dead on the video call and even puts a few of his largest books underneath the computer to give it a boost. He’d rather have Mary see him face-on and not from an angle that just reveals his nose hair.
He has been nervous about the call the entire day, he’d get caught up at work and tried to hyper-focus on his presentation to make sure he distracted himself enough to not think about it too much. But now it's time and he has to talk about his skills and his strengths and his weaknesses. What his passions are and what he might bring to AP&W, kiss ass so thoroughly that they have to hire him.
Remus clicks on the meeting invite.
Here goes all or nothing.
It takes a second before the video meeting starts. Remus is faced with a smiling woman with large curly brown hair and a heart-shaped face. The nerves melt slightly at her friendly demeanor that he can feel even through the computer screen.
Mary speaks first, “Good evening, Remus. I’m so glad we could find the time for this interview.”
“Me too, I’m sorry if I’m causing you to stay late at the office. It was very nice of you to offer to meet this late,” Remus responds.
Mary just shakes her head lightly, “It’s really no worries at all, we have fully flexible hours so I actually went and got my nails done this morning to compensate for working late, so it’s no problem at all.” She shows off her ballet slipper pink nails to the camera.
“Sounds liberating,” Remus starts, with that patented tone that says ‘I’m at a job interview, I’m very pleasant and hard-working’.
“It is - if that’s a type of structure that works for you,” Mary says with a glint in her eye and interlaces her fingers on top of the table in front of her.
“And that’s why we’re meeting at all,” she starts, “To figure out if that may be a structure that works for you, Remus, amongst other things of course.”
“Of course,” Remus reiterates, a pulse of nervousness shooting up his spine, fast and electric.
“Why don’t you start telling me about your current job? I’ll steer the conversation a bit but the goal is just to have an open dialog here. I want you to speak freely. So tell me where you work, for how long, and your favorite part and least favorite part of your current job.”
Mary seems to right herself in her chair on the other side of the screen. Remus drinks a small sip of water to stall before deciding the direction he is meant to go.
“I’m currently employed at Horace’s Home & Business Services, as I have been for the last five years. I started working mostly with accounts receivables and general accounting practices. Over time I expressed interest in bigger-picture operations and I was trained under a colleague to aid her in overall financings, I still do some accounting currently but it’s mostly financing in general. Anything regarding budget and profit projections is currently in my wheelhouse, something I also am in charge of presenting to the executives and the board every six months.”
Remus takes a fortifying breath.
“My favorite part of my job is the analytical aspect. I feel like I have great liberty to collect numbers and data and base analysis on that. Unfortunately, this is not the main part of my everyday tasks, especially since considering most projections are so similar to each other. My least favorite part has to be the lack of… not creativity, but getting to try new things? Variety?”
Mary nods understanding and lets him continue until he feels like he’s run out of words.
“I just… yeah, I would like a bit more variety in my next role.”
Mary smiles, “It's very common, what you say about needing to try new things. I feel like that’s one of the most common reasons people switch jobs." She glances at her notes before continuing, "Who would you say that you are in your current workplace?”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I mean- let's say everyone would get a superlative, who’d you be? Maybe the one ‘Most likely to wear a funny shirt’ or the ‘Hardest working’, stuff like that.”
This is awkward.
“Good question, the ‘Rule follower’? Maybe? It’s not a very flattering answer but it’s unfortunately the truth.” Remus says that last part with a tilt to his lips and humor in his voice and it makes Mary feel comfortable enough to laugh at his self-deprecating answer.
God, he’s so fucking boring.
Why are people hanging out with him?
He just described himself as a rule follower and it wasn’t even a lie or an exaggeration. Lily would’ve called herself the ‘Best problem solver’, and Dorcas may be the one with the ‘Most creative ideas’. Sirius would have-
Sirius.
What would Sirius describe himself as?
Hardworking, possibly.
Loyal? Friendly? Open? Considerate? Funny?
Because he is all of those things, or at least that’s what he’s heard of him being.
It’s not like they’ve interacted enough for Remus to be a strong witness to Sirius' character, right?
Why is he thinking about this now?!
Mary speaks again, ”Would you like to elaborate? Why do you consider yourself to be a rule follower?” Her tone is gentle and inquisitive.
“Rules are put in place for a reason, I don’t like to cross them without cause.”
Mary smiles again, the gesture seemingly permanent on her face, “You’re right about that, about rules being there for a reason. But do you think there’s a possibility that some stretch of rules and routine could benefit creativity?”
Remus considers this for a second, “Sure, but I don’t think that is one of my strengths.”
“That’s fair.”
When the interview ends Remus eats his dinner in front of the TV, the blue lights from the screen only combated by the small tea lights in glass holders on his coffee table. He is the epitome of the sad bachelor. But with lit candles.
The interview went alright though, he had managed to shake off his nerves by the time he realized Mary wasn’t out to test him but rather get to know him. They had talked for almost an hour and he had even managed to bring out a few genuine laughs out of her before they wrapped up.
Now there’s not much more for him to do except wait for AP&W’s judgment. And eat dinner on his couch.
There’s hot people cooking on his TV.
That’s not fair, Remus thinks as he falls deeper and deeper into the couch cushions, he should also have a hot person cook for him.
He wonders if Luc “Not pronounced like Luke” is a good cook and has to croak out a laugh in his lonesome because he’s sure that man has never willingly entered a kitchen in his life. James Potter is a handsome guy, he looks like he can cook - Lily that lucky minx.
Can Sirius cook-
No.
He shoots the thoughts down and turns the TV off.
No.
He walks to get himself ready for bed. Clenching his eyes tights whilst brushing his teeth and shakes his head as if trying to get water out of his ears.
No.
*
Remus is standing in the breakroom waiting for the microwave to heat up his leftovers when James Potter waltzes in and greets him joyfully.
“Hiya, Lupin! All good with you?” He cracks open a tupperware filled with rice and chickpeas that smells spicy and comforting even cold and plops it into the microwave.
“Yeah, all is good. You?”
“Good, good,” James hums distractedly as he sets the timer. “You know, Lily says the two of us should get to know each other better, and I fully agree. We should plan something! Maybe you’d like to come by ours for dinner sometime.”
Remus can’t help but grin, “Straight to the point with you is it?”
James drags a large hand through his wild mess of jet-black hair and the side of his mouth tugs into a boyish grin. Yeah, Lily had no chance.
“Precisely, so what do you say?”
“Sure, I’m a bit busy at the moment trying to get everything ready before the conference so I need to focus on that first. But we’ll look into dinner.”
That is a piece of shit answer and Remus knows it. The thing is, Lily is one of his best friends so obviously he should be more open to hanging out with her and her partner. It’s just… James seems so intense; talkative and positive and high energy at all times. And maybe it’s Remus' introverted self that backs off at the vibes that James is throwing out but he needs some time to get used to the idea of being more than casual work acquaintances.
Shit, he is awful, isn’t he?
James is just being kind and approachable.
Fuck.
James just smiles back at him. “Take your time,” he says and Remus feels even more awkward and looming as he stands there by the microwaves.
He is about to say something when his phone vibrates in his pocket and he mumbles a quick, “I have to take this,” before striding out of the break room.
Mary McDonald is calling him.
He knew he was too cocky when he actually entered her name into his phone contacts, now she’s calling him to tell him that the recruitment process is over for him. Remus even debates not answering before coming to his senses.
“Remus Lupin,” he says as he turns his back to the entrance behind him and speaks into a very sad-looking potted fern in the corner. Someone should water that thing, maybe put it in some sunlight.
“Remus, hi! Is it a bad time? It’ll be quick.”
“No, not at all,” Remus says and prepares for the rejection that is about to come. Less than twenty-four hours and he actually managed to get his hopes up about this.
“So, I have presented you to the unit manager Minnie, she was really adamant about meeting you herself. So I was calling to ask if you’d be able to come speak with her and the recruiting manager Frank sometime early next week.”
What?
What is this?
Isn’t this the part where they thank you for your time and wish you good luck in your job search, not call back with something that sounds like the opportunity to continue interviewing?
Remus’ voice answers before his brain even catches up, “Yes, that works. Next week works.”
It really doesn’t, he has to get a lot done next week, before the conference. But this might be the only chance he’ll get so it has to be done.
“How about Monday?” Mary asks on the other side of the line. “I know it’s soon but they really want to meet you.”
Remus can’t help but laugh a little incredulous at that, “That’s fine, send me the details and I’ll be there.”
He walks back into the breakroom and gets his lunch and sits down by James.
Their little getting-to-know-each-other trial can start now, Remus’ mood is suddenly shifted and he feels like he can bear James' energy better now than before.
*
“Wait, please go over it again; do you have a new job all of a sudden?” Gid says as he puts the beers down in the middle of the table. They all reach for a glass, Marlene and Dorcas on the opposite side of the booth, Fabian next to Remus and Gid who had to pull a chair from a nearby table to sit at the end.
Remus takes a foamy sip, “Not really, but I had the first round of interviews yesterday evening. They told me it’ll take a few days before I heard something else but the recruiter called like- what was it? Less than twenty hours later to invite me in for another round of interviews.”
Marlene puts her pint down and drags a bracelet-covered hand through her bleached blonde hair, “Remus - this is amazing. I’m so happy for you. Are you excited?”
“I am! It’s nerve-wracking and awful and I had to get out of work somehow on Monday morning. I told my boss that I had an emergency appointment at the dentist, I don’t think she believed me.”
Gid snorts into his beer, “Wasn’t your boss encouraging you to switch jobs?”
“She is! I just don’t want to speak it into existence. And I don’t want to risk it being overheard by anyone who tattles.”
Dorcas mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “paranoid” into her beer before asking Fabian about his day at work.
“You’re all set for vacation soon enough right?” Marlene says as she leans over the table slightly to speak to him.
Remus nods, “I am - we’re still on for your parents' house?”
“Yeah, everything’s in order - I’ve also checked out some cliffs fit for bouldering so we’ll have stuff to do,” Marlene grins.
Remus smiles back, feeling lighter than he has for a while, “Can’t wait.”
They all invited Xeno as well and he even showed up about an hour later but didn’t really sit down with all of them, but instead waltzed around the bar in his homemade tie-dye tunic and still wearing sunglasses despite being indoors.
He did provide a round of drinks though, only to slip away again to talk to some girl a few tables over about her zodiac birth chart.
When Remus walks home it’s with a semi-permanent grin on his face, the beers flushing his system to a pleasant warmth and an easy confidence.
Of course, he is going to ace that next interview, even though it’s in person and he can’t even hide behind the lie of bad internet connection for his weird eye contact or slowness to speak.
The streetlights flicker as they guide his way home.
Home may be somewhat impersonal and lonely but at least there’s no weirdly jealous partner in there, Remus thinks as he kicks his sneakers on the pavement in such a way one only does when drunk. Ben and his fucking projections, always wondering where he was when in reality - he should’ve been the one most concerned. Look where that landed him!
Tomorrow is the weekend. A lazy Saturday where he can do whatever he wants, he hums to himself. Maybe go to the store and grab a bottle of wine, possibly treat himself to a good book, and just spend the evening alone. No partners or worried friends who try to set him up on dates with strange men. Dates that are so dull that he actually prefers it when his annoying coworker continues to interrupt him.
Remus’ thoughts ping-pong inside of his brain and for once it’s not from anxiety, just the pleasant lull of alcohol provides. No inhibitions even from himself.
He misses Sirius.
And not even his brain is there to stop him from thinking about it.
*
On Monday morning Remus does his usual routine, he gets up early and swims laps in the basement pool - his own thoughts fighting the tide inside his head. Nervousness and excitement mix to a strong thrum of his heart in his chest. He showers and tries to manage his hair into an appropriate style and pulls out the navy blue suit that he chose yesterday.
Remus has no idea what the dress code is at AP&W, he has seen Lily in dresses and high heels just as many times as in jeans and a T-shirt under a blazer paired with sneakers when they meet up after work for the occasional happy hour.
He opts for the dress shirt but decides against a tie, and a clean pair of brogue shoes, and hopes that no matter what the managers are wearing he looks finely dressed enough.
During his breakfast he sneaks a quick glance of his work emails, just to make sure he stays up to date when he gets in a bit later. There’s an email from Poppy there.
Good luck at the dentist!
Remus smiles at the short message. No matter if he gets this job at AP&W or if he ends up somewhere else, he’ll miss her.
Remus throws a last look into the mirror that hangs in the hallway - and views all of those parts that make him up.
There is the large nose with the dump on the bridge, with the scar that slashes just across it - it sits in the middle of his face like a landmark, it’s his father’s nose, his grandfather’s nose. It’s the downturned brown eyes that on certain days make him look sad and exhausted, other days they just make him look like himself. That straight mouth and freshly shaven cheeks.
Is he handsome? Not really.
But it’s fine.
And this time, Remus actually believes it himself. He may not be handsome but he can manage a bad date and shitty work, he can even manage to look for other employment and new friendships. All of that has to count for something. If he spends the rest of his life alone, then that’s fine - because he manages all those other things.
Trying to skip the whole giving-yourself-a-pep-talk-in-the-mirror business he just takes a deep breath and heads out the door.
What’s the worst thing that can happen today? That he’ll be rejected? Been there, done that - managed anyway.
Remus rides the bus downtown and tries to will his palms to stop sweating, he enters the tall glass office building that has a striking resemblance to a hotel and asks the Colgate-smile-wearing receptionist to please sign him in.
The reception has large comfortable sofas and a lot of natural light, there’s a coffee machine opposite the receptionist’s desk and people walking in and out in suits and impeccable hair.
The reception is open to a large stairwell and indoor glass elevators, all sleek and modern. Large plants separate the stairs from the sitting areas and Remus can hear the occasional chatter from phone calls and coworkers speaking animatedly.
“Remus Lupin?”
A voice interrupts suddenly and Remus stands on unsteady legs. The voice belongs to a handsome man, possibly a few years older than him with brown hair and rectangular glasses. He is wearing slacks and a pullover over a light-coloured dress shirt.
Remus nailed the dress code.
The man extends his hand, “Name’s Frank Longbottom, I’m the recruiting manager. A pleasure to meet you.” Frank’s face lights up in a smile that suits his face.
“Nice to meet you too,” Remus says, delighted that his voice sounds steady and confident, hiding the nerves he carries in his chest.
“Let’s go upstairs, we’re meeting Minnie in the meeting room.” Frank takes off to the elevators and speaks slightly over his shoulder.
“The office building has two parts, the one where we take external clients or meetings - that’s where we’re headed right now,” Frank steps into an empty elevator as he gestures to the different parts of the building, “And then the internal part, where everyone works. All departments are dealing with sensitive company information in one sense or another so AP&W doesn’t let anyone not employed enter the actual office spaces.”
They zip out of the elevator on the fifth floor and Frank guides them through corridors of carpet and expensive wood paneling, greeting people as they walk by.
Outside of one meeting room stands a woman in flowy slacks and a white shirt, reading something on her phone. Her steel gray hair is tied in a severe knot at the back of her head and she wears rimless glasses perched on a sharp nose. Remus thinks she looks a bit like Carolina Herrera in her get-up. She looks up at the sound of their steps on the carpet.
“Hello,” she says as she sticks her phone back in her pocket and extends her hand to Remus, “Minerva McGonagall, nice to meet you.” Her grip is firm and strong, just like her eyes and her hair.
“Did you find your way here alright?”
Remus sits down at the chair that is pointed out to him on one side of the table as Frank and Minerva sit down opposite him, “I did, thank you.”
“Water?” Frank asks with a pitcher and a glass in his hands.
“Yes, please.”
“So, Remus. I must start by saying I read the most interesting letter of recommendation that you provided Mary with following your interview with her,” Minerva says as Franks sits down, now with glasses of water placed in front of all of them.
“Oh, you did?”
The feigned confusion is only halfway a lie, it’s mostly an invitation for her to continue.
“I did, it’s your current boss who wrote it, isn’t it? Most job-seekers aren’t so open with their bosses when they’re looking for employment elsewhere.”
Minverva's tone is stern without sounding mean and that is the only thing that keeps Remus from going into defensive mode where he sits. He just takes a strengthening sip of water before she continues.
“Have you read it?”
“I haven’t, I felt like it wasn’t for my eyes to see,” Remus responds and sees Frank nodding in understanding in the corner of his eye.
Minerva continues, “Well, as I said, it was very interesting - not just that she was the one who wrote it but the contents as well. She was very adamant about employing you, she seems to care very much about you personally as well.”
This is where Remus spots it; behind the rimless glasses and the stern eyes is something else, a joke maybe, a laugh. Minerva is not mocking him, but she is joking in as much of a careless way as she can allow herself in this situation.
This is something Remus can work with.
So he does.
“She was a contributing factor for applying, she has greatly encouraged me to look for better career alternatives,” he smiles as he says it and he sees Frank smile back at him.
Minerva doesn’t stop her interrogation, “You seem close, she appears to be a wonderful boss. If you don’t mind me asking, why would you search for other jobs if you have one where you are that supported?”
“She is a wonderful boss, unfortunately, I feel like my time there has come to an end, I want to learn something new - at a company that has the capacity for me to do so.”
Frank smiles again and breaks his silence, “That’s a good answer,” he says approvingly. Minerva looks at him and her stern expression softens to a light smile. Remus feels the cold hand of nervousness that has his entire being in a tight grip loosen and mellow into something warmer and more comfortable.
“That is a good answer.”
*
If one were to ask Remus for his own perception, he feels like he did a good job at the interview. Minerva was intimidating as hell but she was also brilliant and fair and the questions she posed had relevance, Remus could feel it.
Frank just seemed like the type of guy you would want to have in your corner, the type of guy who would be a fantastic team leader whilst still being your friend. He talked mostly about the specifics of what the job would entail and what clients Remus would be working towards.
Frank is also the one who leads Remus back down to the reception once the interview is finished.
When they have reached the ground floor he says, “Thank you so much for today, Remus. I believe Minnie wants this process to be as efficient as possible so you’ll hear back from us before the end of the week.”
They shake hands.
“Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to meet the both of you, I hope to hear back from you shortly.”
And then Remus is back on the bus, now heading into his current workplace, well aware that he has to stay late tonight if he wants to finish what he planned to do today.
As he steps out of the elevators it’s almost ten and the rush of the morning has dulled as everyone’s sitting at their desks working.
All except one.
“Remus? Hi!”
Sirius stops on his way back from the copier with fresh-printed documents in his hands as Remus is on his way to his own desk.
His hair is pulled back again today and whilst Remus can’t help but miss the way it sometimes drapes over his shoulder, his face is fully on display because of it. Sirius is also in his bright yellow colored shirt and he looks like the sun in the middle of stormy clouds against the gray background of the office.
“Good morning.”
Sirius looks at the wall clock and smiles cheekily, “Not really morning anymore, where have you been?”
“Oh, I had a dentist appointment that I couldn’t miss.”
Sirius clutches the fresh copies to his chest and Remus wonders if the papers are still warm, if the warmth could still be felt through the fabric of his shirt. He wonders if the potential warmth would be from the copier or if it’s Sirius’ own heat that has transferred.
“A bit of a nice outfit for the dentist, no?”
Remus looks down at himself and realizes that a suit may not be what people traditionally wear to a dental appointment. Heat travels up his neck and he can tell that his earlobes are probably bright red as he meets Sirius’ eyes again.
He switches the subject, “Is that for a new client?” he gestures to the contract in Sirius’ hands, “Anything you needed to use the new calculation model for?”
“It is,” Sirius perks up and extends the documents out, “Huge software company downtown that needs daily cleanings, take a look at what we’re charging them.”
Remus takes the papers that he holds out, glad that an A4 paper is too large for their fingers to graze as the contract changes hands.
But Remus can’t see the amount listed on the contract. The words and the numbers all jumble together into an unreadable mess.
The papers are still warm.