ââCopious amounts of coffee have been known to work for that particular ailment.ââ Marlene teased a little; before her face softened. ââBut thank you; I really do appreciate it. But Iâm honestly not that bad; I sometimes manage to have a nap before practice.ââ Marlene said honestly; offering Sirius a sleepy smile. Her own body betraying herself by admitting how exhausted it was with all the lack of sleep she was experiencing. Â
ââNope I stick by my first answer; annoying is definitely right.ââ She teased him; a playful smile evident on Marleneâs lips as she listened to him talk. ââSee now thats an awfully big assumption youâre making about me there Black.ââ Marlene winked at him. Marlene always said she would never let herself be as stupid as to be seduced by Sirius Black. But sometimes she found herself wondering if she really did want him to follow through with his flirtatious banter.  ââI couldnât handle it? And what the devil is that meant to mean?ââ Marlene said her eyebrows raised in his direction. ââI could definitely handle it; youâd be more worried about my follow through, you wouldnât be able to handle my moves.ââÂ
Her eyes couldnât help but look at the exposed skin of his chest; where the cardigan was left open. The lean muscles that were sitting there on show, almost begging her fingers to reach out and trace the lines of his abdomen. Marlene hated that she could betray herself like this; that he had to have come down without a damn shirt. Â
ââWould you prefer it if I took my shirt off?ââ Marlene batted her eyelashes at him innocently as her hands went to the hem of her shirt, pulling is slowly up her abdomen. Stopping just under where her bra was and letting out a small snort as she laughed. ââI think Iâm pretty darn good?ââ She shrugged; her face almost falling into a pout as he pulled the cardigan closed again.Â
ââThatâs very true; youâre Sirius Black- does what it days on the tin. No nonsense sex and good times.ââ Marlene shrugged her shoulders once more. She could get it; it was easier that way. Nobody got close enough to see the cracks in her perfect facade that way. Nobody got any ideas about saving her from the self destructive path that she was on. It was easier to just have sex and it not mean anything; than sleeping with someone who seemed to think they could save you.Â
ââDonât worry; Iâll keep it in mind. Iâll go see her tomorrow. I promise.ââ Marlene said softly. Before stopping to listen to him speak about his own troubles.
Marlene hadnât expected this; she hadnât expected him to cry. Sheâd never seen him cry before and sheâd seen Sirius through alot of strong emotions. But this was one that she knew wasnât normally reserved for her consumption. ââIf he believes that bullshit; then youâre worth more than that. And the only way you can deal with it; it telling him your truth of it all and letting him form his own opinions on it.ââ Marlene said softly. ââI know heâs your brother, but if he chooses not to trust in you. then thatâs on him.ââÂ
As he continued to speak; Marlene moved again. So she was almost solidly sitting in his lap. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. Letting him let out all the sadness that was piling up inside of him. Doing what she liked done when she was upset; to be made to feel safe. So she did it the only way she knew how; by giving him a cuddle. Wrapping herself around him; like a koala and squeezing him tightly. ââDonât put yourself down; you did what was right, and more importantly what was in your best interests. Regulusâ decisions arenât your fault. There isnât anything else you could have done. You did everything you could in a really really shitty situation.ââÂ
ââDonât you dare apologise to me right now Sirius Black..ââ Marlene said in a stern voice; moving back to look him in the eyes. Moving her arms from around him, to cup his face with her hands. Forcing him to make eye contact with him. ââYou donât ever need an explanation or an apology for being upset about the really horrifically shitty set of cards youâve been dealt in life. Never.ââ Marlene said again; staring him down as her thumbs wiped left over tears from his cheeks.Â
ââI donât think either of us are in any fit state to drink. One of us will end up doing something stupid and reckless..ââ Marlene said softly, her eyes still studying his face. Searching his features for any hint at what he was thinking.  ââWhat do you need Sirius? It breaks my heart seeing you upset..ââÂ
Sirius didnât quite believe her, at least not entirely, but he trusted her. He knew she wouldnât lie to him in an extreme way- if it became a real problem, she would seek help. At least, he hoped she would. She wasnât dumb, after all, not like he could be at times (especially when it came to himself). He gave her a smile and nodded.Â
He stuck his tongue out at her before laughing again. âAs if youâd let me bother you like this In the middle of the night if I was that annoying.â He said indignantly. âEven if I was annoying, though, itâd still be you subjecting yourself to it since Iâm one of your favorite people ever.â
Siriusâ heart tripped over its next beat as his brain raced to figure out what Marlene meant. Before he could, though, she was speaking again and an airy laugh escaped his lips. Sheâs saved him from her own comment and heâd never been more relieved to be given an out from flirting. âI suppose if there was anyone whose moves I couldnât handle itâd be yours. We are pretty evenly matched, after all.â It was true, no matter how much they argued the contrary. He competed with Marlene almost as much as he did with James, perhaps more. Even when one of them went ahead in something, the otherâs determination usually had them caught up just in time to compete again.Â
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but whatever answer he was about to give died in his throat as he watched her hands decide for him. His heart was in his throat, and though he did his best to school his expression he was sure his heated face was giving him away. When she began laughing again, he let out a breath he hadnât known heâd been holding. Sirius chuckled at his own expense and rested his head back on the sofa for a moment, composing himself. âI surrender, now stop trying to kill me, would you?â He admitted as he sat up again.
There was nothing untrue about her words- it was exactly what he aimed for, actually. It was much easier for that to be his reputation, lessening the amount of disappointment when he turned down dates and didnât shower girls with flowers or take them out on Valentineâs Day like they wanted him to. He liked shagging around, sure, but he wasnât a bad guy. So he made sure everyone knew what they were getting into before anything happened. Of course, there were still consequences. Girls who thought they were different, or that they could change him. Men who thought he was gay and that was why he didnât settle down with any girls, but maybe he would with them. They always ended up upset with him, as if heâd false advertised. But then- why did it hurt when Marlene said it?Â
âItâs not his fault, though. Not really.â Sirius insisted. This was an argument heâd had with James, but he didnât want to argue with Marlene. He knew she was only trying to help, she just couldnât grasp it, just like James couldnât. Their families⊠they werenât like his. And he was glad they werenât, for his friendsâ sake, but it made discussions like this more difficult because they couldnât wrap their minds around it fully. âI had James and the others to show me how not to be a shitty pureblood. But before I had them to teach me- well, I had a lot of bad habits to break.â He let out a dry laugh. âYou might remember. I dunno, we didnât really talk then. But the point is, Reg doesnât have mates to teach him. Heâs only got ones reinforcing what our parents already have. So when heâs got people on all sides telling him that Iâm the one whose got it wrongâŠâ he shrugs. âI know I did what was right for me. And I donât regret it. I just wish he wasnât so blinded by them that he wouldâve come with me."
Marlene wrapped herself around him and Sirius wasnât sure if it was calming him or breaking him more. He knew logically this was was what he needed, but there was still the part of him that wanted to punch through a wall or drink until he couldnât think anymore instead. But Marlene was a heavy weight in his lap, grounding him and he allowed himself to sink into her, his head in the crook of her neck as he tried with all he had to believe her comforting words.Â
She wiped his remaining tears away with a gentleness that heâd never experienced before. Sirius felt his heart clench in his chest at the soft gesture. âThank you,â he rasped out. He felt like if he spoke to loud it would break the strange perfection of the moment they were in. Maybe if he never broke it, he could just live in itâs warmth, in her warmth.Â
Maybe it was the mention of recklessness, of the flirting from earlier spurring his thoughts on, but when Marlene looked at him like that and asked âWhat do you need?â The only answer he could think of was sitting in his lap already. Siriusâ eyes trailed from her eyes down to her lips for a moment, then back up to her eyes- god, she looked so damn sincere. Like she really cared. Sirius leaned in, slowly, eyes still on hers as he closed the space between them and crashed their lips together. Immediately, the tension in his body relaxed, and he felt more himself than he had in hours, his hand finding its way into her hair.