❛ 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 plan , mckinnon . ❜ sirius gives her a grin . it slowly fades , of course , but at least he genuinely had the moment , and he gets why it’s all so fleeting . he’s never gotten to know the mckinnons outside of marlene , but there’s still a tad of attachment there in the same way he’s attached to pete’s mum , or moony’s folks — distantly , but he cares . there’s a pull in him at her response , brows knitting together . ❛ you didn’t owl them ? ❜ he asks , softly , leaning over to look at where marlene curls into herself . he might understand more than he really thinks he does , why she wouldn’t . he twitches in place only a moment before he simply comes c loser , deciding he’d much rather forget about whatever distance they’ve been forcing to keep between themselves as of late . especially with the topic at hand , after all . even if just for him . he doesn’t want to think about summer . he wants to shove it under the rug like he has every other holiday he’s gone back home in . but he knows the ache of not knowing , too . he feels it even now , like he always has with marlene . the attraction there was that it could be easy , when you both refuse to acknowledge anything at all . and maybe he should let himself grow past that . ❛ i know . ❜ is all he answers at the moment , gaze breaking to frown at the ground . ❛ but - ❜ he starts , bringing a thumb up to bite down on , still contemplating despite continuing the topic himself . ❛ it’ll be it’s own circle of hell , i feel , ❜ is what he ends up saying , bringing his hand down with a laugh blown out the words of it . he shakes his head , gathering back up to look at marlene . ❛ would you want to talk about school , then ? and no , not classes — before you get cheeky with me . ❜ he’s seen , after all , the exact telltale signs of recklessness in her demeanor as of late . the types that ring hollow and hard — overcompensating for what’s not really there . he knows something must have happened , and he isn’t going to pry , not anymore than she does . than they always do . but he won’t move , either . he sits back instead , feeling his shoulder brush against marlene in this new position , head against the sofa to look up the the tower’s ceilings instead . ❛ guess there’s no winning for either of us . ❜
Her words on the topic began where his left off in defense: “But they’re not yo-“ Not your parents. And they didn’t need to be. There was no way for words to make it past her throat when trying to interpret why two people who loved her felt strained and distant. But to even come close to conveying that was a strange effort that tempted her until she ultimately would decide against it again and again. She could have shot him a dirty look, a fleeting moment that resolves in her quickly; almost replaced by shock that fades just as simply. Sometimes he really did seem like a good thing, that even now it was simpler to nestle in close quarters than offer him an explanation on why reaching out to her parents felt like her body was frozen in place.
Yet her words cut off to instead just observe where his mind switched to next, letting her own arms relax but not feeling any better about being less small. Lips can manage the slightest grin; whether that was from a shared humor or knowing that this was not a subject either would push on. Again recognizing that maybe more time had passed than she expected since Sirius had been tuned into her last. And the funniest feeling that it was her fault, her own choices that convinced her that she was better off picking a fight or drowning into the doubts someone else was drilling into her. “Fine, school. And it can be as cheeky as I please, darling.” There was finally a breath to the words, letting the weight of her shoulder onto his when he leaned back to the couch. “Talking about the school, that crack up there,” the lightest nod of her head referenced the farthest left corner of the ceiling, “looks like Sprout trying to do ballet.” It was an observation she’d made in third year, not remembering she’d shared that with him in the past in a similar instance. “Call it a draw then.” It wasn’t a draw, not really. This wasn’t her competition. But eyes turned lightly to gaze at the profile of his face, a bit eager for the reactions that had felt missed as of late. And again, there was almost a guilt to it - to think who she should be spending more time around, and why he didn’t seem to fit into the usual categories of those divisions Marlene was told she ought to have. No, she didn’t need inhibitions here, less so if he would not push on previous topics. Her legs adjust, center relaxed into the couch now for comfort with her cheek squished to the cushioned back, uncaring but looking for a reason to grin again. “We’ll like tag team it next time. Whatever it is.”
