Who: Sara and Sirius What: First meeting and a dinner When: Early September Where: Sirius' bike shop Rating/Warning: Innuendo, otherwise low/none Status: Complete
Sara really had been thinking of getting herself a motorcycle. She decided that this time, she was going to stay in the OC for good with her family - at least, she would try - which meant that it was probably high time she settled down and got a vehicle of her own instead of just borrowing her sister’s car whenever she needed one.
Bikes were convenient, and were far more mobile - which would certainly help with her “night time activities” - and, almost as importantly, bikes were sexy.
She wasn’t sure what to expect when she walked into the shop, shorts almost too short, a black tank top, and a short, black leather jacket, hair pulled back into a high ponytail, wearing a pair of overlarge sunglasses, but she had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised when she laid eyes on the man inside. Profile pictures could be misleading, but in this case, it was in his favour. He was even better looking that she thought he would be, and she sauntered up to him, an extra swing in her step.
She looked at him over the rim of her sunglasses. “Hey -” she reached for his name tag, “Sirius. Is it okay if I like, look at some bikes?” she asked, and if there was more of a valley girl affliction to her voice than she normally had… well, she wasn’t about to make this guessing game easy on him.
***
Pretty girls didn’t sway Sirius much and never had. Getting his attention wasn’t the easiest thing in the world and he wasn’t exactly expecting the girl he’d flirted with just yet so when another of Orange County’s pretty blondes walked in, Sirius gave her as much attention as he would any other annoying influencer.
Only this one was actually touching his name tag, causing Sirius to lift a brow.
“It’s a free country,” he said coolly. “You looking for anything in particular?”
It was a test, of course. Did she know bikes or was she just here to take a selfie? Did she belong on his new wall (there were already five girls up there) or was this the girl from earlier? It was hard to tell now.
***
“I’m sure I’ll know it when I see it,” Sara said, peering over her glasses at Sirius and shooting him a wink, and then she turned and sauntered over toward the bikes. She had been tempted to sit on a few of them, snapping selfies, but when she laid her eyes on the bike that she knew would be hers, a sleek, black little number that she knew packed a lot of horsepower, it felt like cheating to sit on anything else.
So, she beelined toward it and sat down, whipping out her phone and snapping a selfie, completely with the v-for-victory fingers, to text to her sister.
***
Oh joy.
Sirius rolled his eyes and said nothing, instead taking out his own phone to prepare to take a shitty photo of the girl who was snapping a selfie on the bike.
Funn, though. She’d only taken one and wasn’t doing the usual duck face, turn the shoulder, stick out the ass thing. Sirius lowered his phone and watched her curiously, finally moving out from behind his station.
“You like this one?” he asked her, his hand moving to grip a handlebar. She wasn’t one of the bigger bikes, but she was no small fry either. A Harley, of course, with a cream and maroon paint job and chrome trim.
***
"She's pretty," Sara said, batting her eyes over her sunglasses at Sirius. "But like, does she come in black? I feel like that would match my wardrobe a little better?" She leaned away from him a little as if to show off her outfit, and then pulled up her camera app and offered him her phone. "Could you take my photo? I really want to see how I look with a full body shot."
***
Having been a shit his entire life, Sirius knew when he was being bull shitted. She was now making this too easy and Sirius wasn’t disappointed.
Sirius did take the phone and did snap her photo with it, but instead of handing it back to her, he slid it into one of his back pockets. Satisfied with how deep and fairly difficult it would be to take out, he stepped toward the girl and rested a hand on the seat beside her hip.
“I like barbeque,” he stated as his way of saying he knew he’d just won that dinner.
***
Sara’s pout turned into a nearly wolvish grin. “What gave it away?” she asked, all trace of her valley-girl accent gone. “Was it the fluttering eyelashes?” she asked, demonstrating again. “I thought that it might be a bit much.”
***
“A tad,” Sirius agreed. Not that subtlety was in his own repertoire.
“So,” he moved away again, crossing the shop to turn the sign to CLOSED, then held the door open for her so they could get started on that lunch. “Are you going to tell me your name or am I just going to have to call you something of my own choosing?” This, naturally, implied that he would choose something completely embarrassing. Like Elvendork.
***
Sara hopped off the bike, following along behind Sirius toward the door, resting her hand gently on his hip as she squeezed passed him; there’d been plenty of room for her to go past him without getting in his space, but she’d never let that stop her from getting close to a good-looking guy who was flirting with her. Besides, she wanted her phone back. “I’ll tell you,” Sara said, grinning. “Though, now you’ve got me curious. What would you call me if you had the choice?”
***
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sirius replied as he locked the door between the shop and the garage. As she slid in, he felt her hand on him and knew what she was doing, but he didn’t care. Let her think she got one up on him. He grabbed his set of keys and an extra helmet that looked like it would fit her. Oh, yes, they were going on his bike.
“I was thinking you might be a Karen,” he went with. Even if her name was Karen, all the better.
***
"Oh wow, you're a terrible guesser," Sara teased, taking the helmet from him. "My name's Sara. So, where are you taking me for barbeque?"
***
Of course, Sirius was a gentleman when he had interest in being one, and he even held the door open for Sara, but only once he was out of the shop first. Once Sara was out, he locked up tight.
“Somewhere you need a wet towel to wipe off your face,” he replied. If it wasn’t sloppy, it wasn’t good. Same thing with Mexican food. Sirius’ family would be scandalized by his lack of manners at the table, but Sirius hated having a giant plate with the world’s tiniest serving in the middle.
Around the side of the shop was where his bike was parked. Sirius grabbed his own helmet from where it was locked on the side of it. He pulled it over his head, fastened it, mounted his bike, then turned to Sara and patted the seat behind him.
***
“That sounds good to me,” Sara said. Not exactly where she might normally have chosen to go for a first date, but if Sirius didn’t mind her getting a little sloppy around dinner then she wasn’t going to complain.
She pulled her helmet on, and got onto the bike behind Sirius, legs on either side of him, but she chose to grab the pillion handle on the back of the seat instead of wrapping her arms around Sirius’ waist. “Ready when you are,” she said.
***
Most women opted for the wrap around, but Sirius didn’t complain and actually appreciated not being restricted. This was no speed bike so she had plenty of comfortable space and he had plenty of his own.
Once the kickstand was up and the motor was rumbling, Sirius gave the bike rev and they were off. That this might have been a date didn’t really cross Sirius’ mind. Sirius didn’t date. The very idea of dating made him slightly ill. First came dating, then came cutesy bull shit like flowers and blushing and none of that was for SIrius.
No, this was just an outing, a spot of fun. That was all, there was nothing more.
It didn’t take long to get there. The place was hopping for lunch and Sirius had to make a couple of passes to find a place to park. Once he did, he shut off the engine and pushed down the kickstand, then dismounted and removed his helmet. He didn’t offer a hand to Sara as she seemed plenty capable of standing up on her own.
***
As far as Sara was concerned, any outing that stood a greater-than-50% chance of ending in sex was a date, though she wouldn’t press the issue if it ever came up.
Sara didn’t normally get on motorcycles that she wasn’t driving, but there was something nice about being able to just sit back and relax, watching the scenery and the people go by without needing to worry about traffic. She was paying attention, of course - since the training in her dreams, there was very little that escaped her notice - but when she was on the back of the bike, it wasn’t really her problem.
She hopped off the bike, pulling off her helmet and letting her hair fall back down over her shoulders, and then shot Sirius a grin. “So, this is the place, huh? I’ve never been. I take it the food is good?”
***
“I guess that’s up to a matter of opinion.”
Sirius’ opinion was that it was delicious, but there were some people who didn’t share his correct opinion and those people could just take themselves back to the Corn Grill.
Just because, Sirius placed an arm around Sara’s shoulders as they walked in. A hostess brought them to their booth and Sirius had to remove his arm so he could sit across from Sara. For his drink, Sirius ordered whatever was on tap. Menus were already at the table so he took one up just to skim over. He already knew what he wanted (the bottomless plate of pulled pork, fries, and garlic bread), but he guessed Sara would need some time.
“So,” he said in a slightly Here comes the small talk tone. “What do you do aside from flirting with strange men from the Net?”
***
Sara ordered a whiskey, pressed and on the rocks, and, after a very brief cursory glance at the menu, she ordered a plate of ribs.
“Oh, that’s about it,” Sara said, shooting him a grin. “I’ve got two jobs and I work weird hours, so it doesn’t leave a lot of time for much else.” Except running around at night in tight clothing, beating up men who harassed women and other violent criminals. “I’ve got a niece who I try to spend time with. I’ve spent most of her life travelling, so I’d kind of like to wind up in at least a few of her formative memories. What about you?”
***
She wasn’t shy about food or liquor which impressed Sirius.
Sirius tried to keep himself from smiling when she mentioned a niece, he really did. Being cool and sexy about kids instead of soft was something he’d never mastered, especially after Tonks had been born, and then Harry in his Dreams. He didn’t see himself as a dad, but he loved those little snot nose brats so he got it.
“Oh, you know, working, making sure to be a pain in everyone else’s ass,” he replied as their drinks came. “Travel, huh? Work or pleasure?”
***
Sara’s lips twitched a little when she noticed Sirius trying - and failing - to contain his smile, but she didn’t say anything about it, and her half smile turned into a grimace when he asked if her travel was for work or pleasure. Truth was, it hadn’t been for either - all she’d been doing had been running away from her problems, hoping that if she could get far enough away from them, they would go away. That obviously hadn’t worked, not until she’d come home and talked to her sister in person.
“Pleasure, if you want to call it that,” Sara said after a moment. “I worked while abroad too, bartending and stuff like that, but that was mostly to pay for food and for my next ticket to wherever.”
***
“Is that what you do now?” Sirius asked.
Bartending, that was, of course. Sara interested him and most girls didn’t, not really. It was easy for him to be disinterested and even detached from most girls. They wanted too much from him, stuff he wasn’t willing to give or do. Sirius wasn’t sure what it was Sara wanted beyond dinner and maybe sex later on, but he was sure she wouldn’t text him a thousand times the next day.
***
“I’m a mild-mannered barista by day, and a badass bartender by night,” Sara teased, and then adopted a thoughtful expression. “That’s a lie,” she admitted. “I’m never that mild-mannered. And really, my day starts with the bartending and ends with the baristaing, since it’s easier to just stay awake through the night and sleep during the day when your work schedules are that at odds.”
***
“Does that mean I get a free drink when I come in to definitely not see you?” Sirius asked.
There were chips on the table that Sirius was busying himself with between drinks. He was most definitely going to come in and park himself in the middle of any other man who might be hitting on her and he guessed there would be quite a few.
***
“I think I can swing that,” Sara said. “At the bar, I hope you mean. They’re more strict about the free drinks at the coffee shop.” The bar… really didn’t have much in the way of standards. It was a dirty dive, and she had a tiny apartment above it, and that was the way she liked her bars. They were more friendly, in general, than non-dive bars, and more exciting when things got less friendly.
***
“Free drinks at the bar,” Sirius agreed. “Free coffee at my place the next morning.”
Yes, his place. That much was at least settled.
When their orders came, Sirius leaned back to make room and scanned his plate to see where he’d be starting. Usually, he didn’t eat on dates. If there were plans to take a girl (or guy) home, eating was the last thing on his mind, mostly because he didn’t want to run back and forth to the toilet, but this had all been part of the bet so it was a matter of principle.
***
Sara, on the other hand, loved eating on dates, especially if it meant keeping her strength up for later. She picked up her rib, tore into it, and, once she swallowed the first bite, she grinned at him. "Your place, huh? Awfully bold of you to assume there'll be a morning after."
***
Well, Sirius was a bold person if she hadn’t already figured that out and he didn’t need to say it to prove it. If she left before morning, that was up to her, but he wasn’t going to kick her out.
Already, Sirius was starting on his own sandwich, going between it and the fries that had come with it. For him, it was more a matter of not catching a cramp and ruining his rhythm so he did have to be careful or he’d just be another lousy lay and he felt he did have things to prove to this girl.
“Why?” he asked, picking up his beer. “You got some place important to be in the morning?” He took a few swallows.
***
“Not tomorrow,” Sara said, licking the barbeque sauce off from the tips of her fingers. “I’ve got the day off.”
***
SIrius made a gesture as if to say, So there you have it.
He took an almost triumphant bite of his sandwich, chewed, and swallowed before he spoke again (he wasn’t completely without manners).
“So,” he said, “You a Dreamer? Is there anything I should know before you sleep over? You don’t turn into a giant man eating mutant or anything, do you?”
***
Sara laughed. “No, nothing like that,” she assured him, though what it was like, she didn’t say. She didn’t need to go around telling everyone she was an assassin, trained by the ancient League of Assassins. “Though if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. How the hell is a giant man-eating mutant supposed to eat if they warn their victims beforehand?” she asked, winking. “What about you? Werewolf? Vampire?”
***
“I’d consider it only fair,” Sirius replied with a shrug because, apparently, it wasn’t a dealbreaker.
He shook his head, no, pulling a face. “I know a werewolf,” he said, gesturing a little with his fork for no reason. “Brilliant man. Just a bit hairy at certain times of the month. But no, not me.” That he was a wizard remained something he did not divulge to her just yet. It wasn’t a massive secret like it was in his Dreams, but it was also something he’d lived without his entire life here and since everyone else on the Net was so wrapped up in their super ultra omega powers, he was just sort of bored with the entire idea.
However…
“Sometimes, I turn into a dog,” he admitted. “But I have complete control over that.”
***
Sara paused, the rib she had in her hands pausing halfway to her mouth, and gave him an unreadable look, and then she tilted her head as though appraising him. “But you’re not part dog or something, right?” she asked, not really sure how all these different powers in the OC worked.
***
Sirius pushed his plate away enough so he could lean forward on a forearm and tilt himself forward just enough for dramatic effect.
“You never know,” he replied.
She could probably guess he wasn’t part dog, but also not quite normal either. Sirius didn’t think he could say he was anything other than human, though.
***
Sara stared at him for just a moment longer, before shrugging and taking a sip from her whiskey. “Not yet, anyway,” she said, teasing. Apparently that wasn’t a deal breaker either.
***
Oh, she was good and Sirius liked her. Sirius wanted her and Sirius always got what he wanted. He sat back again with his garlic bread. Not the best for kissing later, but there were breath mints and, these days, magic he could use to get rid of bad breath.
“You got a boyfriend I’m going to need to bite or anything else I should know about?” he asked.
***
“If I had a boyfriend, or a girlfriend for that matter, do you think I’d be here?” Nova asked, raising an eyebrow. She couldn’t be too offended though; while Sara had never cheated on a significant other - she’d never been in a serious relationship, for one - there’d been a time in her life when she hadn’t shied away from encouraging boys to cheat on their significant others. In fact, that was one of the reasons she’d left the Orange County in the first place.
“What about you? Anyone out there who considers you their boyfriend?”
***
Sirius shrugged. How was he supposed to know? It was why he’d asked.
He took another drink from his beer and leaned back some, rubbing his full stomach. “Probably a few,” he replied with a self satisfied smirk.
***
Sara frowned to herself as she tried to take Sirius’s measure to try to guess if he was being serious or if he was just being obnoxious. If she had to guess, she’d guess that he was just being arrogant. “Are you for real?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because I don’t get involved with people who are already involved.” She took a sip of her whiskey and leaned back in her chair. “Though, if you’re not being serious,” pun intended, thankyouverymuch, “then that’s not a very good look either, have to say.”
***
Another shrug, the smirk never leaving Sirius’ face, he said, “If you say so.”
Whether it looked good or not, it had been a joke and he had no time to have to explain that it had been a joke. He liked Sara. If she couldn’t see that, then it was her own problem. Sirius downed more of his beer, then leaned forward again on his forearms, his gaze leveling with her.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he told her. “And I’m no one’s boyfriend.” A beat. “Yet.”
***
Sara’s face relaxed a little, content enough with that answer, though she’d ignore the yet for now. “Glad to hear it,” she said. “I’ve made enough of those kinds of mistakes in my life, I’m not looking to repeat them any time soon.”
***
For all the mistakes Sirius had ever made in his life, cheating on someone or being the one someone else cheated with was not one of them. It could have been because he’d never had a relationship like that before and made it a point to always ask, just like he did with Sara.
“Good,” he said, then sat back and held up a finger for their server. “Now that that’s settled, I think we can get the hell out of here for now.”