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Leaning over his desk, halfway through potions class, Sirius' voice cut through the silence.
"Are you alright?" He asked in a hushed tone, his brown eyes narrowing intelligently as he noted the bags beneath her eyes, results of exhaustion. He'd been watching her movements for the past half hour, intent on uncovering the root of her skittish behavior. "Is it your anxiety?" He inquired, as if it had just struck him that she was unfortunately plagued with the condition. His brows raised in concern, and he tilted his head, searching her face of any sign of confirmation.
She was brought out of her head by his voice, glancing over his way. "Yeah, I'm fine." She quickly muttered out, a phrase she had used quite a lot this past week. "Don't go worrying your little head about me." She added after deciding that her first words weren't enough.
He paused as he read her subtle change in tone, the way her eyes slid away from him. He saw the slight twitch in her mouth as if she were desperate to suppress a smirk, to appear unaffected or indifferent when the truth was far from so. He knew she wasn't fine, and the fact that she tried to hide it from him only made him more concerned.
"Your eyes tell a different story." He said softly. "They tell me you're exhausted and that your anxiety is getting the best of you."
She huffed as she looked down to her fingers that were playing the frayed end of her knit sweater. "I'll admit, I have been better, it's not as bad as it looks."
He watched as she fidgeted, the way her eyes dropped down, how she ran her finger over the loose threads. He saw the tenseness in her spine, the slight twitch of her mouth, the way she refused to look at him in the eye.
"I think I would be better suited to determining your state than you are." His tone was sharp this time, no longer soft, as his eyes pinned her in place. His glare was steady, intense, and he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Her lips turned to a frown as she watched him closely. "You shouldn't be worried, it's okay. I'll get some sleep eventually."
"How can I not be concerned when you look like you haven't slept in days? When your eyes are dark and puffy, and you're so thin the shadows seem to set in permanently?" He saw the way she swallowed his scrutiny, the quick blink of her lashed in an attempt to avoid further eye contact. "You look half-dead. And yet your solution is to tell me to stop fretting and that you'll eventually get some rest?" He scoffed.
"Please don't be upset with me." She reached out and rested her hand over his. "I don't need another thing to worry about." With her last sentence, her voice dropped to the point it was almost inaudible in the busy classroom.
He paused as her hand rested against his, his gaze flickering over in her direction. His fingers curled around hers, squeezing ever so slightly. Her words and the quietness in which she uttered them caused his eyes to widen.
He swallowed, as he took in the sight of her hand and the fragility in her voice. His eyes searched her face once more, before he leaned closer, until their faces were inches apart. "You should never, under any circumstance, feel as if you cannot bother me with your worries."
She let out a small breath as her fingers fiddled with his ring, a common habit of hers. "You've been so busy lately."
"Being busy is not enough reason to neglect her wellbeing." He leaned back so he could get a better look at her. This time his eyes scanned her face, lingering on every small detail. "I don't want to sit around and wait for you to drop to the ground from exhaustion. Don't think that you're being a burden to me by reaching out. Your wellbeing is my priority. You are my priority."
She tilted her head slightly to the left. "In that case, would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?"
Sirius paused, a ghost of a smile flitting across his lips. "Do you think I would mind sleeping next to you?" With a smirk, he ran his finger slowly down the side of her thumb, feeling the ridges of her skin. "I would love nothing more than to have you in my arms tonight."
A small smile formed on her features as her eyes lit up for the first time in days. "I promise you, I will be fine. I always am."
An ache rose in his chest as he watched the smile bloom upon her face, the sparkle in her eyes as they danced happily, the way her lashed fluttered in delight. He could feel his heartbeat quickening as a wave of affection for her swept through each fiber of his being. His hand cupped her chin and he gently tilted her face up for a kiss. "You don't have to be fine all of the time. Let me share some of that burden."
Her eyes flickered with another sign of happiness. "I love you so much, you have no idea."
"Oh, but I do." He grinned, his voice thick with fondness as he ran his thumb across her cheekbone, absorbing every detail of her face, every curve, every line, every dimple.
His thumb slid down to her chin, his hand cupping her face, and he leaned in until their mouths were inches away. A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest as he spoke, soft laughter rising in his words.
"I am hopelessly mad for you. Completely smitten."
