Flirtation

Flirtation

summary: when Sirius won't stop tormenting you with pet names, you think to take revenge, but he doesn't react as you expected

Sirius Black x shy!reader ♡ 546 words

You jolt a little when a hand lands on your shoulder, a second before Sirius plops down beside you in the common room. 

“Sorry, dollface,” he says, sliding his hand from your shoulder to your neck in what you suppose is meant to be a soothing motion. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

You smile, though your heart only beats faster now that you know it’s him. “You didn’t scare me.” 

“No?” He asks, and there’s that unrelenting teasing tone in his voice. “Does my beauty just shock you every time you see me, then?”

You flush, looking to where your fingers play with the hem of your skirt. Sirius knows he can turn you into a stammering, blushing mess with only a pet name or a tilt of his lips, and he never lets you forget it. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been dating or how much time you spend with him, you never get used to his audacity. 

“Doing alright, sweet thing?” he croons, taking your face in both hands so you have no choice but to meet his eyes. They’re alight with mirth. 

“Mhm.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.” 

“You’re blushing.” 

“I’m not.” 

“You are.” He makes an indent in your overwarm cheek with his thumb, looking entirely too entertained at your misery. And it feels unfair. Why should he be able to fluster you whenever he likes, and you can’t even bring yourself to look him in the eyes? “I know I’m a lot to take in, but really, sweetheart.” 

You force yourself to do it, before the boldness has a chance to leave you. “Sorry, baby,” you say, forcing yourself to look deep into Sirius’ cool gray eyes, “I can’t help but be nervous when you’re looking at me so prettily.” 

You relish for a moment in victory as Sirius’ eyes go wide, but then his mouth drops open and he melts. 

“What did you just call me?” he breathes.

Your confidence has exceeded its time limit. You cringe in on yourself, but Sirius catches your hands before you can use them to cover your face. 

“C’mon,” he says, in that soft voice that he almost never uses in public, the one that makes you want to curl up in his lap and tell him all your secrets, “please?”

You glance around, but no one is paying attention to the two of you. “Pretty.” It’s a whisper, but Sirius beams all the same. 

“And?” 

You slouch shamefully, sinking into the couch cushions. “Baby?” 

Sirius throws himself back like you’ve shoved him, grinning like a lunatic. He comes back to you quickly, and there’s pure, unadulterated adoration in his eyes when he says, “You’re killing me, dollface. Say it again.” 

You sigh, but indulge him. “Baby.” 

He clasps your hand between his, pulling it to his chest theatrically. “Yeah, sweetness? Whatever you want, you can have it.”

You’re trying to be exasperated with him, but you’re laughing. “Siri, stop, please.” 

He pouts. “If that’s what you want. But if you ever decide you really want something from me, just say the word, angel, and I’ll do it.” 

“Sure thing, pretty boy,” you say quietly, emboldened by his behavior, and this time, when Sirius flops back dramatically on the couch, he takes you with him.

Sirius Black falling in love with you would include

That gif omg??? Isn’t Ben Barnes literally young Sirius Black???

- You would probably meet because you’re friends with Lily or Remus, so you would see each other quite often

- You wouldn’t be more than just acquaintances until 4th year when Sirius would notice you in class

- You would be doing something quite casual, like playing with your hair, smiling to Lily or laughing

- Then it would strike him hard and he would tell the others straight away

- “Hey, have you ever noticed how beautiful (Y/N) actually is?”

- At first he would use his usual flirty pick up lines with you

 - “What do you want, Sirius?” “What? Am I not allowed to say hello to the most beautiful girl of Hogwarts?”

- “Well hello, Love!” “Nickname, Black.”    “But Love suits you much better than (Y/N)”

- You would pretend to be upset about it at first but deep down, you would be a blushing mess

- And with time, Sirius would notice how you blush every time he gets too close to you 

- So he would do it on purpose so he can see you be flustered

- He would also try to make you laugh all the time because damn, your laugh is so damn cute to him

- You would become friends and then eventually, best friends

- That would make you hang out with The Marauders very often

- His girlfriends would be so jealous about you but he wouldn’t care about it

- “It’s always going to be (Y/N) first so, you better not make me choose”

- On the other hand, seeing him with other girls would hurt you so much, even if you’d rather cut off one of your own legs rather than admit it, especially to your friends

- Lily would be so upset

- She wouldn’t quite understand why you crush on him so much at first because, according to her, James and him are just “arrogant little twats”

- “(Y/N), stop staring” “(Y/N), you’re staring again! “(Y/N), if you don’t stop looking at him, I am going to tell him right now that you’re in love with him!”

- Sirius would also date some of your friends on purpose so that he can get closer to you (lmao this is so mean but I really think this is something Sirius would do)

- He would be so.jealous and protective of you, even if you two are supposed to be friends

- A boy treating you bad is intolerable for Sirius

- He would also glare at any guy who would try to flirt and be rude with you and would often threaten them to “punch them if they don’t get the hell away from you”

- He would never admit it, though

- “Oh, mate, it’s obvious! You’re jealous,” James would joke around. “I am not.” “You are,” Remus would add, “you’re just too much of a prick to admit it.”

- However he wouldn’t actually fall in love with you until 5th year

- It would happen when Sirius would receive one of the numerous hate letters from his mother

- You would join him at the Astronomy Tower where he would be brooding

- “Not now, Love,” he would say the moment he sees you, “I’m on a mood.”

- But you would get him to open up to you a little

- You would spend long minutes trying to convince him that he’s not worthless and that he deserves to be loved

- “You don’t need her, Sirius. You don’t need her poisonous words. She’s so vile that she can’t and will never be able to see who you truly are deep inside. But I can see it, and I know that you’re a wonderful person. You’re the only good person of your family.”

- That’s the moment when he would fall for you

- Because literally no one had ever told him so beautiful things about himself before.

- “Mate, I think I am in love with (Y/N).” “No, you really think so?” James would answer sarcastically.

- But then his first thought would be that he doesn’t deserve you

- “She’s too good for me, James. I can’t be with her. I am too angry for her, she needs someone better than me…” “Say something like that again and I’ll punch you in the face!”

- James would be the biggest drama queen about it

- Like, two of his closest friends are in love with each other but they don’t want to confess ????

- Remus would remind him multiple times not force things between the both of you

- “It’s going to happen naturally, you’ll see”

- And it eventually did

- Probably because James would be so upset about hearing Sirius non-stop babbling about you that he would not-so accidently slip armortentia into his tea

- Sirius would then be after you ALL DAY LONG and it would be the funniest thing

- But Remus, being the smart ass he is, would guess straight away that it wouldn’t be natural

- So he would make James spit the truth and force him to give him the antidote

- you’d be heartbroken and sad because deep inside you truly love Sirius

- but seeing you sad is intolerable for Sirius

- so he’d run to you, take your hands and kiss them and tell you that with or without armortentia, he’s head over heels in love with you 

- then, he would pull you against him and kiss you

- and you’d fiNALLY BE TOGETHER! 

:) tell me if you want a part 2 (Dating Sirius Black would include…)

“pretty girl”

• pairing: sirius black x fem!reader

• genre: fluff

• summary: sirius saves the day when reader gets slightly jealous.

• word count: 1,053

• warnings: a sexual innuendo maybe

oneshots masterlist taglist

requests are open, feel free to ask!

Giggles.

That's all she's been listening to for the last twenty minutes and she's sick of them.

(Y/N)'s frown deepens while the words from her book simply pass through her mind without being processed due to the lack of concentration.

She was expecting an undisturbed morning in her boyfriend's dorm when he had begged her to wake up early and meet him after his Quidditch practice. But here she was, sitting on his bed, skimming through a book she'd found nearby as she waited for him, while Marlene McKinnon attempted to flirt with Sirius outside the room.

She ignored the first few minutes of it but eventually it turned into a headache. With every passing minute, the pitch of Marlene's giggles went higher and higher. But what she hated the most was that Sirius was still standing there without interrupting the attempted flirting.

Closing the book shut with a snap she slams it down on the bed in frustration.

“What did the poor book do to deserve that?” The amused voice of Sirius Black startles her when he finally walks in.

“You're late,” she states, her tone reflects her mood.

“I know, I'm sorry. Got a little tied up on the way,” he sends an apologetic smile towards her and slides smoothly beside her on the bed, “Marlene was asking me about our next match against Ravenclaw this week.”

“Oh, yes. I heard that,” her voice chimes with a sickly sweet undertone as she continues, “And I'm sure everyone on the floor above and below heard it too.”

Sirius chuckles at his girlfriend's humor before propping himself up on his elbow and looks at her.

“I really am sorry, love. I didn't know it would upset you,” he replies with a blissful smile and starts stroking her knee comfortingly.

She narrows her eyes at him.

“I'm not upset, Sirius!” (Y/N) squeals defensively when she notices his amused smile growing, “No! It doesn't upset me. You can talk to whomever you like. But it's just a little ridiculous, I think. Since when did discussing the Quidditch schedule become so funny? Because I would definitely like to know that too,” she snorts.

This time, Sirius sits up grinning widely. No longer hiding his amusement behind the smirks.

“Darling, are you jealous?” He asks, tilting his face to read his girlfriend's expressions.

(Y/N) lets out an unusually high-pitched laugh.

“What?” She chuckles, rolling her eyes smoothly and opens the previously thrown book again to hide her face in it, “Please, as if!”

He dips his face low while tilting it to watch her before reaching forward to poke her cheeks, but she swats his hands away sharply.

“Good Merlin, you are!” He guffaws, “Aww, look at your face — don't frown!”

“I am not jealous! I'm NOT!” She threatens to chuck the book at him before deciding otherwise, “Oh, forget it! You're not going to believe me anyway.”

And as she grumbles her body twists the other way and her back faces Sirius. She doesn't bother to turn around and see why he is quiet because she knows he's probably silently trying to contain his laughter.

Few minutes pass quietly between them as neither speaks a word and (Y/N) distractedly plays with the pages of the book.

“You know it's okay to admit it, right?” He says after a while.

“I know. But I'm not jealous, so there's nothing to admit,” she answers back shortly.

“Uh-huh.”

Even though she can't see it she knows that he's sporting that stupid smile on his face. Sighing in defeat she turns back to face him again.

“Look, it's— don't look at me like that— it's uncomfortable to watch how comfortable she is around you, okay? That's all. She's too giggly around you.”

“Oh, yes, she is,” he chuckles, shaking his head.

“And, uh,” she hesitates now, playing with the hem of her t-shirt, “she's pretty too.”

She doesn't look up to see him respond to it and misses the part where he narrows his eyes at her.

“Yes. But—” he gets off the bed nonchalantly, pulling his girlfriend along with him by her wrist and leads the confused girl in front of the small mirror above his drawer, “—this girl is prettier, wouldn't you agree?”

A surprised giggle sneaks out of her lips before she could even process his words. She tries to cover it up with a careless eye roll but the effort goes unsuccessful when Sirius's hands wind around her waist like a serpent, tightly caging her to the spot. His chin rests comfortably on her right shoulder, and his eyes observe her reflection minutely with a knowing grin.

“Look! That's exactly what I'm talking about!” He points to her smile in the mirror then presses his lips to her heated cheeks before murmuring, “Isn't she pretty?”

(Y/N) struggles getting words out; mind too clouded by her boyfriend's flirting. The loathsome noise of giggling that she was dreading a few minutes ago escapes out of her own lips.

It's funny how whipped she was over him. No matter how many stern words or eye rolls she'd throw at him, at the end of the day he'd know exactly which strings to pull to make her run back into his arms.

“Don't think you can just charm your way out of showing up late, Black,” (Y/N) whispers while playing with the rings on his fingers.

“Mmm, pretty sure I just did,” he whispers back with a laugh.

The laugh gets cut short when he feels an elbow jab one of his ribs and his arms move away from her waist as he yelps, still laughing.

“That wasn't very nice of you,” Sirius mutters, rubbing his ribs when she turns around to face him.

“That's for making me wait for so long,” she remarks, biting her lower lip and trying not to giggle.

He narrows his eyes once again at her and dares to step closer to her while holding her chin between his thumb and the index finger.

“Well, you've got a full day to punish me, darling. I'm yours,” his voice lowers down an octave.

“All mine?” She smirks.

“All yours.”

💌 a/n: hey everyone! thank you so much for reading! requests are open, so if you have any requests let me know. hope you're having a lovely day!

an idea for Sebastian x the MC: MC is on her period and walking with Sebastian when she has a bad cramp, one of those you can’t really ignore and need to sit down for a min and endure the pain. Sebastian’s immediate reaction is thinking she was cursed like Anne because she’s always out fighting goblins. She really doesn’t want to tell him because what teenage girl wants to talk about that with their crush but he’s so worried and won’t drop it. (side note: did teenage boys know about periods in the 1890’s? i deadass have no clue)

omg my mind juices are flowing. what a wonderful idea, anon. thank you for the free labor.

speaking of which, by the time i post this i will most likely have hit 500 followers!! ding ding ding!! why do you guys follow me? i defo do not deserve all the love you guys give me.

another question, how should we celebrate? there are no bad ideas because i have none. anyway, enjoy!

pinky promise

s. sallow x f!reader

summary: normally you keep these things to yourself, or at least to you and your menstruating friends. but one sebastian sees you doubled over in pain, privacy goes out the window. he's so freaked out that you have no choice but to tell him the truth to ease him.

words: 0.6k

warnings: mentions of periods, cramping, angst, hurt/comfort, crying!seb, not edited!

you were just fine moments ago. you were walking with sebastian to the library to study, talking, joking, all of the normal things you would do. he didn't notice you weren't next to him at first. everything was just fine. but suddenly, everything came crashing down when he saw you clutch your side, your face twisting with anguish. he couldn't help it. he immediately saw anne in you, crying out in pain from her curse. everything slowed around him, all he could hear was his own heavy breaths as he stood helplessly in shock. a million thoughts were racing through his mind. he knew you were one to track down the remaining loyalists on your own, but how could he have missed it? you were probably in so much pain but with too much pride to admit it.

most of all, though, he was angry with himself for being unable to protect you. he'd already let it happen to his sister once, he should've taken more precautions. he should've known, he should've stopped it. without wasting another second, he raced to your side, wrapping his arm around you to support you.

"no, no, no, no, no...please don't tell me..." his voice was already breathless and trembling. with your eyes still screwed tightly shut, his words seemed distant, muffled almost. the sharp pain that suddenly surfaced in your abdomen shrouded all your other senses. you couldn't get a word out if you tried, so you just held up your hand, a weak attempt at calming him.

"no, no, i can't--" he didn't even try to hide the tears pooling in his amber eyes. he quickly dropped to his knees in front of you as you knelt over to get a better look at the expression on your face. his hand instinctively cupped your face.

"y/n, please tell me you weren't cursed, please!" he was full-on crying at this point, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks that were now flushed with worry. you were quickly brought back to reality, hearing the pain in his voice. you opened your eyes and instantly felt horrible.

you placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as you slowly started to straighten your spine as the cramp faded away. "no, sebastian, i'm fine--"

"no, you're not fine!" he was practically wailing now, gripping onto your robes hopelessly before wrapping his arms around your waist with an almost unbearable grip and hiding his dampened face in your torso. you were fast to rest your hands in his hair, gently patting it to somehow soothe him.

"sebastian, really, i'm okay, i'm just..." you continued running your fingers through his hair as you contemplated the truth. to be frank, this was something you were hoping you didn't have to talk with sebastian about. however, the lingering students in the central hall were already giving the two of you stares, you needed to calm him.

"it's...my time, sebastian." you tried to keep your voice hushed as to not draw more attention, but your wording sent him even further from relaxing.

"your time?!" he shouted incoherently, tears still streaming down his face.

you gasped, realizing your mistake, "no, no! sebastian, it's my time of the month." as if a switch had flipped in his brain, his brow softened immediately as he stared blankly at you.

"oh." he let his arms linger around your waist as he tried slowing his breathing. after a moment, he pulled you closer once more, his cheek flush with your stomach.

"please don't scare me like that again," he mumbled adorably, still holding tightly onto you.

"i--...sure, okay. i'm sorry, sebastian. i didn't mean to scare you, darling." you decided not to argue with him. in that moment, all he needed was love.

"and pinky promise no more ashwinder camps without me," he added, craning his neck to look up at you with puffy eyes. you suppressed a chuckle but still smiled down at him.

"pinky promise."

While Jace is cool tempered and holds himself like the true prince that he is. His betrothed is all fire and spite, and she loves putting people in their place who disrespect what’s yours.

i feel like jace would flourish in a relationship like this! especially with how much the show is highlighting his issues with self vs purpose!! stay with me, jace’s entire being lies within his want to ascend the throne after his mother. yet, his own being continues time after time to make his duty harder (“did you think i would have dark hair?”). in the case of a partner who is less mild than him, who will speak out if the prince is not respected, someone who, completely selflessly, is angered at his sake. who reminds him that it is okay to be mad, upset, seething—he’d finally have an outlet for all his rouge irate thoughts. there is that classic targaryen temper within him (rhaenyra is still his mother) but he sacrifices it most of the time because he knows that’s what an heir should do. i think jace would finally start to feel and act more affirmed just because of his partners passionate defenses of him. why would he seethe with his rage for hours on end when rather he can seek you out—he will listen to you, let you meddle through his anger, and he’ll gladly turn to the cool waters known to halt fearsome fires when you get too fierce over him.

RIGHT WHERE I WANT TO BE : ̗̀➛ SIRIUS BLACK

summary: it's only when lily accidentally spills amortentia on you and all you can smell is cigarettes and dog fur that you realize you're in love with sirius — probably the only person in the world you shouldn't be in love with.

"Oh, crap!" Lily seems on the verge of panic as she stares at the fresh stain on your clothes. "I'm so sorry!"

Somewhat shocked, you reach your hand to the front of your uniform and try to rub it away. It's no use. "It's okay," you assure her gently, relieved that the liquid didn't spill on the clean set of clothes you were folding instead, "it was an accident."

You put the clothes safely away in the trunk near your bed. They still have the fresh and clean scent of lavender. Your uniform, however…

Lily points her wand at your chest, and the stain quickly disappears. She had rushed through the entrance of the dormitory fast as lightning, crashing right into you and spilling…

Well, what exactly?

"Lily," you bring a hand to your own face, sniffing, then sniffing again. "What is this? It smells like a wet dog and-"

Your eyes meet and you immediately dislike the look on her face. Too much restrained excitement slowly bubbling up...

"-cigarettes…" you trail off, some sort of realization dawning on you way too late.

It can't be.

Lily bites her lower lip as if trying to hold back a smile. "Is that what it smells like to you?"

You also catch the scent of quill ink and freshly brewed coffee, so it can only be…

You put your hand away from your nose as if it's on fire.

"Tell me this is not what I think this is."

"If you're not thinking of Amortentia, then yes."

"Why would you brew Amortentia?!"

"For Professor Slughorn," she sees the confusion etched on your face and looks positively horrified. "Not for Professor Slughorn to drink! Ew! I said I'd like to try brewing one because it's, you know, a bit complicated and I've never tried before. He said he'd give Gryffindor some points if I succeeded. I didn't know you would… you know, smell Sirius."

"I never said I smelled him!"

"Okay! Okay," Lily raises both hands in surrender. Then, quieter, she adds, "You can pretend all you want."

You sigh. "Did you only have this vial?"

"Well, there should be some potion left in the cauldron, I think."

Great. An opportunity to escape this beyond strange situation. "I'll go get it for you."

"But I-"

You're out the Gryffindor common room before Lily has a chance to question your offer. The need to get away from that impending conversation is stronger than anything else right now.

Your heart is racing as you walk through the corridors of the castle, heading towards the dungeons, where Potions class usually take place. Each step is an effort to calm your turbulent mind and find some peace.

Upon reaching the Potions classroom, you welcome the silent space as you enter. The characteristic smell of magical ingredients and herbs fills your nostrils, bringing a familiar and almost comforting sensation… until you catch that smell. Amortentia.

You look around, searching for Lily's cauldron, which she mentioned leaving behind.

It's not hard to find; the smell is quite distinct, enchanting, all the things you love most in the world somehow united in a single aroma.

The cauldron is sitting on one of the workbenches. You approach cautiously, making sure not to knock anything over. Then you rummage through the shelves for an empty vial and pour some of the potion into it, feeling like you're doing something wrong even though Lily had Slughorn's permission.

The door opens, and you almost drop a row of glass bottles as you turn to look.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

It's Sirius. Of course, it's him.

He closes the door behind him, and your heart skips a beat as it usually does whenever he's around. He's wearing the Gryffindor uniform, the first two buttons undone, revealing a patch of delicate skin just below his neck.

You don't need to wonder how he got there or why. Chances are, he extracted every piece of information he needed from Lily with little to no effort.

"What are you doing?" he asks calmly. You, on the other hand, don't feel calm at all.

"Nothing, just..."

"Just?" He takes a step closer, and you instinctively move away from the workbench, trying not to show the nervousness you truly feel.

"I just came to get something," you say.

Sirius gives a suspicious glance at the cauldron. "Is it a love potion?" He's a skilled wizard. Skilled enough to know the answer to that question, yet he waits for you to respond.

"Lily made it," you say defensively, holding up the vial containing the potion to illustrate your point unnecessarily.

"And what scent do you smell?" he questions, with a genuine curiosity in his tone that catches you off guard. "What does the potion smell like to you?"

"Lily told you," it's far from a question.

But Sirius has a knack for playing games.

"She told me what?"

"You know what."

This time, you step back as he advances, unable to help yourself, swallowing hard and Sirius notices. He takes another step forward, and you take another step back.

"Sirius," you warn.

In return, Sirius says your name, his tone lighter, more playful, soft as a feather. Then, another step.

You nearly bump your hip against one of the workbenches as you take another desperate step back. Sirius, being Sirius, raises an eyebrow, making no effort to hide his amusement.

It's unfair. It's simply unfair that he's so good-looking, starting at you without feeling the need to averting his gaze. "You don't have to do this," you find yourself saying.

Sirius seems genuinely puzzled.

"Do what?"

You steal a glance in your peripheral vision. The room won't go on forever; you need to say something to get out of this situation before he gets too close. You don't trust yourself near Sirius.

"Turn me down. Be all nice-" you stutter. He keeps advancing toward you. Back almost against the wall, you dodge another workbench and turn to the left, trying to prevent him from cornering you.

Sirius chuckles. "Is that what you think?"

"I'm a big girl. I can take rejection."

He glances in the direction of the cauldron. "Do you want to know what scent I smell?"

"No."

"Leather-"

"Sirius-"

"Gasoline," he raises his chin, nose in the air as if enjoying one scent after another. "Apple pie."

For a moment, you close your eyes. "Stop it."

"And lavender."

Your heart is pounding in your chest. He's not being serious, a little voice in your mind insists. It can't be serious. He's just teasing you... or maybe just being a good friend. Too good a friend.

It would be easier if he wasn't. If he were less kind to you, less handsome, less charming.

It's not easy.

You're breathless, trying to keep your distance from Sirius as he sets a slow advance, a constant tease. It's an internal battle between the desire to give in to the attraction you feel for him and the need to protect yourself — but the latter wins, for now.

"Sirius," you plead, your voice quiet, "stop"

He pauses for a moment, his gray eyes fixed on yours. "You think I'm joking, don't you? You think I'm just being nice?"

"I... I don't know, Sirius. It's so...confusing."

He takes yet another step towards you, his lips curling into a challenging smile. Always challenging. "Confusing or scary?"

The tension between you two is palpable, and you wonder if he can hear the rapid beating of your heart, threatening to break out of your rib cage any given moment. You know you're fighting your own feelings, afraid of surrendering to something that may - and probably will - end in heartbreak.

"It's not fair," you whisper, trying to keep your voice steady. "It's not fair that you're so... so-"

"So what?" he teases, closer. "So handsome? So charming? So... irresistible?"

You can tell he's somehow having fun. You don't understand how he can maintain a playful tone in a moment like this.

You catch a whiff of his cologne, feel the warmth of his body, and your heart races once again. If there's a way to prevent Sirius from getting what he wants, you don't know what it is. "So confusing," you finish, almost in a whisper. "You confuse the hell out of me."

Sirius pauses for a moment, his eyes locked with yours, and you momentarily catch a flicker of something deeper in this playful gaze. He slowly raises a hand and gently, gentler than ever, caresses your face, his fingers tracing a delicate path along your skin.

"I don't see how I could be confusing you," he murmurs, his voice soft and husky. "I thought I was being pretty clear..." It's teasing, of course it is; when it comes to Sirius, few things aren't.

But there's something else behind it, too.

The air grows heavier.

"You're not clear about anything, Sirius," you reply, your voice faltering slightly. "I never know what you're thinking. I never know what you really mean."

"Maybe you're just not paying attention."

You furrow your brow, confused by Sirius' response. He's playing with you, as he always does, but this time it feels more intense, more meaningful. You struggle against the temptation to give in completely, to say something you might not be able to take back.

"I do pay attention, Sirius," you respond, your voice showing determination you're not entirely sure you feel. "It's you who likes to make everything more difficult than it needs to be."

He moves closer once again, so close now that you can feel his breath against your skin, the tip of his nose an inch away from touching yours.

"Do you want me to be clearer?" he whispers, voice laced with a hint of his usual mischief. "Make it easier?"

You swallow, feeling your heart race. You know you can't admit your feelings for him, you can't let your defenses down. Not when he makes a point to hide comfortably behind a facade, away from anything that makes him feel vulnerable.

You need honesty.

"Yes," you whisper, your voice almost faltering. "Yes, I do."

Sirius pauses for a moment, eyes searching yours, and you can feel your breath catch in your throat. Then, slowly, he moves closer and closer still, until his lips almost touch yours.

There is a feeling that you can't quite put into words.

"I want you," he murmurs, an admission that hangs in the air like a charged electric current. "I want to be with you. I want you to be happy– I'll even accept your awful taste in music," he adds with a playful smirk, teasingly referencing your occasional guilty pleasure for a particular genre of music that he often mocks.

A laugh escapes your lips, a combination of relief and affection. His sincerity is pretty close to melting away any remaining doubts that linger in your heart. "I have great taste in music," you state playfully.

Sirius brushes the side of his nose against yours affectionately. "Sometimes," he gives in, voice filled with genuine warmth.

You lean into his touch, savoring the tenderness and intimacy of the moment. It's as if the world around you has faded away, leaving only the two of you in this bubble of shared emotions.

"Sometimes?" you raise an eyebrow, pretending to be offended.

He chuckles, a low and melodic sound that resonates deep within your chest, a sound you don't get to hear as often as you'd like. "You're lucky you're pretty," he teases, his voice filled with affectionate playfulness.

"Oh?"

"I have a soft spot for pretty girls."

You roll your eyes but can't help the smile that forms on your lips. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Black."

Sirius leans in and presses a soft kiss to your cheek, pulling away with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Who said I was trying to get anywhere?" he whispers, fingers trailing along the curve of your waist, drawing you closer. "I'm already where I want to be."

Your heart swells with warmth, and you can feel a blush creeping up your cheeks.

"Smooth talker."

It doesn't sound like an accusation when you're about to kiss him.