Work Text:
July 1976
It had been a perfect day.
For just a moment, Marlene had been able to forget how terrifying the world was. She and Sirius had existed in a peaceful little bubble. The sun had set some time ago but she still felt warm…though she thought that might’ve had something to do with the few glasses of Pimm’s in the pub. There was a soft, contented smile on Sirius’s face, she couldn’t keep herself from stealing glances at him.
“I’ll take you home.” He murmured, giving her hand a squeeze.
“Don’t be daft. I live out in Wallington, I’ve got to get the underground and a train. It’s too far for you to go just to come back.” Marlene said. She supposed this was where the ‘chivalry’ came into play. But Marlene could look after herself, she certainly didn’t need Sirius Black escorting her home.
“Well, stay at mine then.” Sirius said, and it suddenly occurred to her that this might be less about him making sure she got home safe, and more that he wanted to make the day last a little bit longer. “I’ll sneak you in.”
Grimmauld Place, it turned out, was a Muggle street and this took Marlene by surprise. With everything she knew about the Black family, she hadn’t expected them to live among Muggles. The houses were tall townhouses, and they had a certain subtle grandeur about them. She followed Sirius up the steps of number twelve, and he gave her hand another squeeze as he let them in, with something of an apologetic look on his face. Marlene’s eyes traveled from the elegant chandelier to the grand staircase…she was just thinking how beautiful it was when they started to climb the stairs and she saw the row of beheaded house elves lining the wall. She almost let out a cry of shock.
At the sound of voices from a door pulled a jar to their left, Sirius actually turned and pressed his finger to his lips. Marlene could feel laughter bubbling up inside of her, he looked ridiculous…in fact the whole situation was ridiculous. She bit down on her lip to keep from giggling. He led her up to his bedroom. The difference from the rest of the house was striking. While the walls were covered in elegant silk, and the large bed was ornate…everywhere she looked the room was obnoxiously Gryffindor, and even more obnoxiously Muggle. She recognised the Gryffindor scarf she’d given him in their first year, and the all four motorbike posters Lily had given him hung on the wall…as well as, Marlene saw with a mixture of amusement and just the slightest twinge of irritation, several posters of Muggle bikini models. Well, she told herself, they might have bigger boobs than she did but she was definitely more intelligent. Sirius had told her that there was no such thing as too smart, and she was damn well going to hold him to that.
“I love it.” She beamed.
“Good. My parents hate it.” He said sounding delighted. “You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” Marlene rolled her eyes, there he went with that fucking chivalry again, but he was being ridiculous. She wasn’t going to kick him out of his own bed. Anyway, Sirius might have a different girl every week, but he was a genuinely good guy, she knew that she had nothing to fear sleeping next to him, she trusted him completely. Plus, and she tried desperately to keep herself from blushing at the thought, she wanted to share the bed with him, she wanted to sleep next to him.
“It’s a big bed, we can share. I trust you…can I borrow a t-shirt or something?” Sirius crossed to the room to a chest of draws and threw one to her. She looked down at it, a T. Rex concert t-shirt; she was sure his parents loved that he listened to Muggle music. Marlene turned her back on him, took off her top and bra and pulled it on, before shimmying out of her shorts…she thought she might have been able to feel her eyes on her and bit back a smile. Marlene sat on the end of the bed to unfasten her shoes and she watched out of the corner of her eye as he pulled back the covers.
“I’ll get the light.” He murmured as she climbed into bed, he waved his wand at the ceiling and the room went dark. She could feel Sirius shifting around as he lay down beside her, and then all she could hear was his breathing, and the deafening silence of the other each stealing to say something. She fidgeted slightly and felt the warm skin of his arm against hers, he still smelt of suncream. Her heart was pounding, which was ridiculous, they’d been alone together before...but never like this. Never in bed together, wearing so little, in a darkness that would keep their secrets. Sirius was so quiet that Marlene thought he might have fallen asleep. She didn’t know how she’d be able to manage that, not when her mind was racing faster than her heart. She shuffled closer to him.
It had been such a perfect day.
She was going to leave it to chance, like flipping a coin. If he was awake then she would kiss him. If he was asleep then she would call it, let him go back to his girls of the week and she would try to find someone that would never quite be Sirius Black.
“Sirius?” She asked, turning on her side.
Nothing. And then, “yeah?” He said. And she kissed him, missing his mouth and first and catching his chin, but she felt her way in the darkness. She gripped the front of his pyjama top and he slid his arm round her back, pulling her body against his. Every inch of her had come alive. The moment seemed to last a thousand years, when she eventually pulled away her whole body seemed to ache for him. He slid his hand down to her hip and kissed her again, softer this time.
It had been the perfect day.