One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 53

Sirius stirs from his slumber, his brow furrowing as something tickles his nose.

He grunts quietly, eyes still shut as he swats aimlessly at the soft think brushing just above his lip. It lingers, making his face tingle. He sighs and finally peeks one eye open.

The sunlight that hits the curtains around his bed gives the room a soft, warm glow of red that reminds him of fire. Though his view is slightly obscured by hair. Pearly blonde strands that look like white gold in the morning light. A smile teases his tired lips before he can stop it and he shifts, leaning up on one elbow to look down at the sleeping Veela next to him.

For someone so unknowingly elegant, she was quite the sleeper. The blankets are slung low on her hip, a strip of skin showing between the sheets and the Gryffindor red shirt she wore. It was odd to see, Gwen without her blue. Her right hand rests on her stomach while the other is tossed aimlessly above her head, her cheek pressed hard into her left shoulder. Her hair is a wild mess of tangles and waves, her lips parted slightly as she snores softly.

Sirius presses his fist to his mouth, biting his knuckles to keep from laughing out loud. His shoulders quake as he stifles his amusement.

He nearly falls out of the bed when her eyes snap open, instantly finding him. He clutches his chest, whispering,

"Bloody hell, inferi. Don't do that!"

"Quit shaking the fucking bed," She grumbles, words slurred from sleep. Her eyes immediately close again, her arms not moving from their awkward position. Sirius grins and settles down next to her, snaking his arms underneath her and pulling his into his chest.

She groans in protest at the change in position, her head rolling to the side to rest on his chest. He feels rather sappy when his heart melts at the sight of her rosy cheek, lines from the pillow slightly denting her skin. She'd slept well, that much was apparent. And it filled him with relief, because he did not want to see her in the hospital wing that tired ever again.

He smooths back some of her hair, his thumb coming down to trace the red marks on her face. They were already beginning to fade. A shame. They were cute. She was cute, grumpy and sleepy and soft from resting. He buries his face in the crook of her neck, unable to stop smiling. Especially when she's this close, when she still smells like flowers but now smells a little bit like him. He'd never noticed that with anyone else. He liked it.

"You're awfully snuggly, Padfoot," Her voice is raspy, and that combined with the nickname has him feeling dizzy from how good this all feels. He lets out a hum of acknowledgment, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin of her throat as he whispers,

"You're awfully cute in the morning, Ninnie."

"I'm cute all of the time," She teases, lifting her head from his chest and craning her neck to peer up at him from still heavy lidded eyes. She smiles, relaxed and soft. The sliver of light that passes through the curtains catches her eyes, turning them into blue flames.

"I should go," She whispers, though her heart tells her otherwise. She gently runs her fingers through his hair. She can only imagine what hers looks like. His smile turns into a frown and he says simply, "No."

Gwen blinks at him for a few moments then laughs quietly, biting her lower lip to keep from waking the boys. She feels a sudden pang in her chest, and then she's mumbling before she can stop it,

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

She expects him to get mad, defensive. They weren't excluding, there'd been no mention of that. But she was slightly curious if he'd had other girls around recently. His face only shows affection, and it makes he heart pump faster and faster until she's not sure that the damned thing isn't beating right out of her chest.

Sirius sighs and chides, "How many times do I have to tell you, Ninnie? You aren't just some girl. Not to me."

A tiny smile quirks her lips and he savors the hint of her dimples. He bends down and pecks her cheek softly, pulling her back into their embrace. He rests his chin on her head, gently untangling some of her hair with his fingers as she relaxes again. He jumps slightly when her cold hands rest on his back, gently running her palms up and down. It shouldn't feel as good as it does. But he thinks it's just her. It feels good because it's her. He can't remember feeling such care from someone's touch before. Certainly not from his family.

Gwen groans and mumbles into his chest, "Don't move, I'll be right back."

Sirius groans too, but let's her go when she peels back the blankets and slides out from under the curtains. He hears her padding across the wooden floor and then opening the door to the bathroom.

"Oh," he hears. He sits up, eyes widening as she says, "Morning, James!"

Sirius leaps from the bed, sprinting across the room. When he skids into the bathroom he finds Gwen chatting with James. Though James is in the shower, the curtain pulled up to hide the lower half of his body. Sirius growls,

"Get back in bed, Gwen."

James smirks and teases, "We're talking here, Padfoot." He turns to Gwen and shakes his head saying with mock disappointment, "So rude."

Gwen grins and nods in agreement, squealing in surprise when an arm suddenly bands around her waist and lifts her up over a shoulder. Sirius smirks as she laughs, pleading, "Sirius don't!"

He rushes her back out of the bathroom, tossing her onto the bed and quickly climbing on top. She groans when he flops his whole weight down on top of her, obscuring the view of her body beyond her head. She sighs, fighting a smile as she says,

"You're terrible. I have to pee!"

"Well you'll just have to wait until James is done!" Sirius replies cheekily, grinning when her head falls back against the pillows and she laughs. He strokes his palms up the sides of her bare legs, offering playfully,

"To conserve water, perhaps you and I should shower together, Ninnie."

She blinks at him, her tone blasé as she remarks, "I was just going to jump in with James."

Sirius' grin twists into a frown and the Veela cackles from beneath him. His lips twitch, fighting a smile.

Nothing is sweeter than her in the morning.