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It was rare to wake up before him. His days started early and ended late. He kept to a tight schedule, rarely deviating in order to get all of his work done.
But there were days when everything finally caught up to him and he slept past his norm.
Biting her lip, Celeste couldn’t contain her smile as she watched Sirius. He was laying on his side, face half-smushed into his pillow. The half she could see was relaxed and adorable. It wasn’t a word she’d usually apply to him, but right now he was. Hair a tousled mess from sleep, lips parted with his quiet breaths, lashes fanned on his cheeks in dark circles. It didn’t help the morning sun was peeking through the curtains to cast its soft, dappled light on his face.
Love swelled in her and she cuddled into the bed, her gaze on him still. This was a treat and she wanted to savour it. Plus his arm was curled around her waist so if she moved it would wake him. Which she didn’t want. Not yet.
As cute as it was, however, it tugged at her heart. He was working too hard and passing out from his exhaustion. Between all of his paperwork and negotiations with the Red Army, he needed a break, but convincing him of that was impossible. “I love you but you work too hard,” she whispered.
Sirius shifted in his sleep, pulling her closer with a mumble.
She pressed her lips together and waited tensely. She wanted him to sleep longer, to get as much rest as he could. He’d need to get up eventually, but for now she didn't want to wake him.
Snuggling into her pillow when he settled, she tucked her hands under her chin and watched him. She smiled to herself, enjoying this far more than she probably should. Sleep tugged at her the longer she lay there, luring her to join him in dreams. Both of their days would start soon and sleeping would ruin that so she resisted as much as she could.
But a glance at the clock behind him told her time was finally up. As sweet as this was, it had to end. “Sirius,” she murmured, leaning in and kissing his cheek.
His face scrunched and he turned into the pillow.
Celeste grinned and kissed his ear. “It’s time to wake up, sleepy head,” she breathed.
A low groan came, muffled by the pillow.
Nuzzling him, she said his name again and peppered him with kisses. She could feel him shifting a little and knew he was waking up, if he wasn’t already awake, but he kept his face in the pillow. Nipping at his ear, a startled laugh left her when his arm tightened around her and he rolled them both. “Sirius!” she giggled as he cuddled into her, burying his face in her neck.
He sighed and his weight went lax on top of her, effectively pinning her to the bed.
Maybe she’d let him sleep for too long. “Hey,” she said softly, stroking his hair. “We have to get up now.”
“No,” he mumbled.
She shivered as his lips moved against her neck. No, they needed to get up. Lightly tugging on his hair, she said, “You’ve already overslept, Sirius. We have to get-”
“Up,” he muttered, his voice thick with sleep. He moved above her, arms sliding on either side of her head under her pillow as he pushed himself up to see her.
Her heart lurched at the sight of him. He’d gone right past cute to irresistible. His sleepy expression was perfect under his messy hair, dark eyes squinting in the faint light. His mouth was pulled down in a faint pout that set her heart to pounding. Another look she didn’t want to share with anyone else.
Sirius inhaled deeply and his eyes closed. She watched as he arched above her, stretching without moving off. She heard his back pop in several places, but her concern went out the window at his pleased moan and turned into something else. “What time is it?”
Something they didn’t have time for. “Seven,” she said after a moment, gathering herself.
He paused, blinking at her. “Seven?” he echoed.
Which was much later than his usual five wake up. Celeste shrugged and gave him a smile. “You needed to sleep.”
He inhaled again before sighing. “I need to work,” he muttered.
Frustration licked at her. She refused to feel bad about letting him sleep. He could say what he wanted but his exhaustion was starting to show and she wasn’t going to let him continue like he was. The feeling faded quickly as she realised he wasn’t leaving despite his words. Stroking his face, she smiled as he turned into the touch. “I could help today,” she offered instead. “Since I let you sleep in.”
Sirius hummed lowly, his lips curling upward. “Was that your plan all along?” he teased. “Let me sleep so you could spend the day with me?”
Hardly. It had been a happy accident she’d been more than willing to enjoy. Was it so wrong to want him to be well rested? “If you don’t want me to just say so.”
His brow tightened. “Of course I want you to. Celeste, what is it?”
Pushing her hands into his hair, she sighed as she stroked him. No, she wasn’t going to get upset about this. “I let you sleep because you’re not getting enough,” she explained, “and….”
“And?” he prompted when she trailed off.
She doubted he wanted to hear about how cute he’d been, but that wasn’t the real reason. How did she explain her concern for him without sounding selfish? She knew he was working hard to keep Cradle safe, that everything he did was to protect her and the people he cared about. “Is it wrong to want to take care of you? You look out for everyone else so I just wanted to do the same for you.”
His expression melted and he leaned down. His kiss was slow and gentle and easy to sink into. Which she did, fingers trailing down to knead at his bare back and a quiet sigh spilled from her and into him. “I’m the luckiest man in Cradle,” Sirius breathed. “To have you caring about me so much.”
She really didn’t think she was anything special, but she loved him and wasn’t going to stop trying to help him in whatever way she could. A giggle left her as he kissed her quickly, smiling against him. “I love you,” she laughed.
“I love you, too, Celeste,” he said softly. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
Her toes curled into the bedding. Oh, the things it did to her when he said that. “So do I get to help or…?” she asked, twisting her fingers back into his hair.
Sirius chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers. “You help me every day, Cherry,” he said honestly, “but if you really want to sit in an office all day, yes, you can help me.”
She smiled, anticipation humming through her as he leaned down. A startled squeak left her and she jumped when the alarm beside the bed went off.
Sirius growled, levering up and swatting at the clock. She heard it ping as it hit the floor, but the alarm stopped ringing. He grumbled under his breath as he settled on her again, staring at where the clock had been in irritation.
Trying not to laugh, she turned his face back to hers and lifted to kiss him. “That was my alarm so we really need to get up.”
His eyes narrowed as she pushed at his shoulders and let his weight rest fully on her.
“Sirius?”
“If you’re helping today, there’s not that much of a rush to get up.”
“We’ll miss breakfast,” she pointed out.
“We can make our own,” he murmured.
Happiness flooded her as he kissed her again, lingering and deepening it. Maybe she needed to let him sleep in more if this was going to be the result.