Marauders One Shots

new man (blackinnon)

Inspiration taken from ED SHEERAN - NEW MAN  youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwzD8U4u76k

Sirius hadn't seen Marlene in nearly a year, on a late night at her flat where they had sat in silence knowing it was over but not ready to admit failure. All of their friends had been holding out hope this time - that things would last between the couple. But the arguing was only getting worse with the pressure of the war, and Sirius had lost all hope that they could work through this anymore, it was just too much. He had looked at the girl who had him around her little finger, she had done for the majority of their Hogwarts years as well as afterwards and felt his stomach drop, and a numbness fill him as he knew he had lost her. They had sat for hours, not knowing what to say, or rather how to say it. The emptiness filled the space between them long into the morning. But when the sun started to shine through the window Sirius stood, looked at Marlene for the first time in hours, and saw a shell of the girl he had fallen for at Hogwarts. She had lost weight, and her energy had been diminished, she was no longer the same and he knew all too well that she was thinking the same about him. Without another word Sirius had left the apartment and never looked back, for the first time in their relationship there was no argument, there was no dramatic slamming of doors or breakup sex, there was no seeing each other, there was no more Marlene and Sirius.

Their friends had tried to get the two in the same room for months, particularly Lily and James, who were torn by their friends split. It had been so bad that Sirius had sat the pair down and told them straight that he didn't love her anymore, he was sorry but he didn't. What they didn't know was that he was lying, he loved her so much he ached. But Sirius couldn't help but see what a shell of a person she had become with him, and it made him so sad that he couldn't bare to watch it. James and Lily had left the situation after that, and though he still saw them it wasn't the same for that lonely year in the late 70s. He had lost his friends along with Marlene, not as a sole response, the war accounted for that too, though he couldn't help but feel that way at times.

But over the past few weeks Sirius and Marlene had been speaking again, though only casually. It turned out Marlene had a new man, Fabian Prewett. Sirius hated the guy with a raging passion, with his healthy eating and his six pack, he always had yet it was so much worse now he had Marls.

He was sat in the bar, one Friday night sipping a firewhiskey knowing he shouldn't be alone, just sat waiting for trouble, and that if anyone in the Order saw him he would be in deep trouble. Yet Sirius sat in a bar he and Marlene had loved, drinking and reminiscing still missing the whirlwind of trouble that was Marlene McKinnon. He missed her cheeky grin, her "Don't you dare fuck with me" look, her kisses, her cuddles, her laugh, he missed everything about her.

Someone slid into the seat behind him and he nearly fell off his stool when he realized it was Marlene. She looked at him, and smirked clearly still aware of the affect she had on him.

"Hey Black." She commented confidently, before ordering a triple firewhiskey and coke.

"Triple McKinnon?" Sirius asked, one eyebrow raised. Triple meant three things, Marlene was pissed off, Marlene was happy, or Marlene was sad, really sad. Sirius had experienced all three of these times before, the first when she found out he was animagus, the second when she found out James and Lily were on a date, and the third when her father died. Sirius had no idea which of the three Marlene's he was about to encounter.

"You know it Black." She said, taking a long sip from her glass, staring into nothing.

Sirius looked at her then, for the first time that evening and noted that she looked well, more healthy than a year ago. But she also looked tired, and worn out, her hair had lost its shine and her nails were no longer kept neatly painted like he had known them to be. "So, what is it?" He asked.

"What's what?" She asked, almost innocently, looking at him with her big blue eyes.

"Cut the bullshit Marls." Sirius said, "Do we really need to go back to spelling it out? You know what I mean!" Sirius remarked, but Marlene stared at him, keeping her face straight, reflecting no emotions. Sirius wondered when she had picked that up, and if it was because of her new man, did she have to hide emotion from him? She had rarely done that with him "Fine, I'll spell it out, you're either, pissed off, sad or happy. I have no idea which."

There was a pause, and Marlene's eyes never left Sirius.

"I'm all three Black."

He raised an eyebrow. "All three?"

"You bet."

They both took a drink.

"So, tell me about you?" Marlene asked.  Sirius realised she was stalling, but allowed it.

"I live in the same flat, been doing things for the Order, you know how that's classified. I haven't seen my little brother for well over two years now, spend some time with Evans and Prongs but less than I'd like to, or than I used to. Barely any time with Moony or Pettigrew, Merlin knows why."

"Is that all?" Marlene asked, searching his face for an answer he knew she wanted.

"Oh, and I've been missing you like hell of course, but I thought you already knew that." Sirius said. The remark hung between them, the first outright honest thing that had been said between them that wasn't in an argument, or a snide remark. Things had never been simple between them, on and off again, complicating things and skating around what they both already knew. They both sat in silence thinking before Marlene broke the silence.

"I'm pissed off because Fabian is out again, and I wanted to spend time with him, I'm happy because I was with Lily before and something good has happened- no I'm not telling you- and I'm sad because of a combination of the two, and seeing you doesn't help. Oh and I'm lonely as hell, but I wasn't sure which category I would put that in."

"Okay, no offence McKinnon, but I don't want to know about your new man."

Marlene looked lost for a moment then nodded. "Lets hear it then."

"Hear what?"

"The reason for your clear dislike of Fabian."

Sirius paused, considering the result of what he was about to say, then began anyway, "You act so different with him, I can tell already that you're exhausted emotionally and physically. You obviously aren't happy and if he really loved you wouldn't be here alone, where is he anyway? We both know you deserve better than a bloke that lets his girlfriend go to the bar alone on a Friday night in the middle of the war  flirting with her ex-boyfriend. If it was meant to be you wouldn't be here trying to-"

"I get it Sirius."

"Trying to-"

"SIRIUS" Marlene snapped. Her head fell in her hands. "If we both know why I'm here then why are we still here?"

Sirius looked at Marlene, "Are you going to leave him?"

"Yes." Marlene said, rather flatly, as though she was admitting it for the first time that night.

"You got your answer then McKinnon."

The couple downed their drinks, and were back at Sirius' apartment before they knew it. As soon as the door slammed shut behind them Marlene had Sirius pressed up against the back of the door kissing him, running her hands all over him. And before either of them could question what they were doing they were undressing and making their way to the bedroom.