One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 143

Sirius shivers, freezing and covered in salt and sand.

He can't care though. Not when the sun has set and the ocean has turned the same midnight blue as the sky above them, the water so dark that the stars reflect across it.

His heart sings at the sight of Gwen floating silently, her body bathed in moonlight. If he didn't know that they were on the beach, in the water, he'd say she was floating across the sky, stars and droplets of water twining in her hair. He notices her goosebumps and reluctantly breaks the silence, murmuring,

"Come on, mon ange. You'll turn to ice out here."

Gwen opens her eyes and his heart beat quickens, enthralled by the pale blue. She slowly rights herself and smiles at him, nodding and reaching out her cold hand to find his. Together they climb from the water, grabbing their clothes.

They don't move to get dressed, just huddle close together as they make their way up to the cottage. Gwen enters first, her goosebumps turning into full blown shivers. Sirius chuckles and places his hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the stairs.

"I don't have anything to make for dinner," Gwen says apologetically, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I can get dressed and—"

"Nope," Sirius says simply, interrupting her offer. She peers over her shoulder and finds him staring at her bum, a cheeky and pleased smile on his face when he glances up at her. Gwen rolls her eyes but continues up the stairs, her lips twitching when both of his hands find her hips and walk her towards her bathroom.

Sirius blinks when he enters her bathroom, his smile turning soft. The ceiling is a bright, lemon yellow that would blind him otherwise. It's so her that it makes his heart ache. He clears his throat, hoping she doesn't notice the way he's getting sappy over a stupid color. She liked yellow at the beach. He was beginning to like it too.

Gwen reaches for the tub, turning on the tap and letting it run. Sirius suddenly feels a weird wave of insecurity. The beach was her quiet time. This was her alone time. And he felt intrusive. He speaks, quiet and subdued, "I'm just going—"

"To take a bath with me? Yes, I do believe that is the plan."

She says it so nonchalantly, So simple. She makes things so simple. But it means the world to him. Sirius reluctantly smiles and steps forward, resting his chin on her bare shoulder while they watch the water rise. Gwen hums quietly, reaching back to squeeze his hand before walking over to the rickety cupboard that looks like it's on the brink of collapsing in the corner. It's white, the paint chipping to reveal a wood that has been grayed by time.

Sirius eyes her lithe form as she reaches up and opens up the crooked doors, his eyes sliding lower to asses the gentle curve of her hips, the dimples that rest at the base of her spine. He looks away quickly, focusing instead on the rising water in the tub. He doesn't look when he hears clinking bottles, his heart and mind soothed by the gentle humming and the sound of the faucet.

He jumps, frightened when Gwen silently appears by his side again. He can't help his grumpy tone when he grunts, "Bloody Inferi."

"Sorry, Snuffles," She teases, uncorking one of the glass bottles in her hands. Sirius' interest is piqued when she pours a silvery looking liquid in the bath, his lips twitching when he realizes that the pearly soap looks exactly like her hair. Bubbles fill the tub and a familiar scent rises with the steam from the water. Jasmine. He was going to smell like Jasmine. Like her. If the lads saw him now, his excitement growing at the thought of smelling like Gwen's girly soap, they would never let him live it down.

Gwen turns the tap off and sets down her other bottles, turning to face Sirius. Her pale eyes look like the foam off the wave caps of the sea, glinting with warmth and mirth. Sirius tries to act disgruntled, irritated by the softness of this whole scenario. He swats at her hands when she gestures for him to get in, scowling when he hears a quiet laugh escape her.

He winces when he first steps into the scalding water, but finds his muscles relax as soon as he settles into the expanse of the bath. Gwen smiles knowingly but decides to keep her mouth shut, instead asking calmly, "Good?"

Sirius doesn't reply, just pins her with his steel gaze. She feels the prickling of insecurity under his unwavering eyes, her nakedness suddenly at the forefront of her mind. Sirius must notice, or he too must begin to feel awkward because his hands suddenly surface from the water and grab at her waist, voice gruff, "Get in, Inferi."

Gwen's lips easily quirk into a smile, his hands remaining on her hips as she steps in and sinks below the water. The two of them displace the water, pushing it up to Gwen's neck. Sirius' lips twitch when her hair grows a darker silver as it gets wet, his fingers flexing and dimpling her skin. Gwen feels an overwhelming sense of serenity, one unique to moment's shared with this boy.

"I like when you're here with me."

The confession rings out in the bathroom, a gentle reminder that makes Sirius grow impossibly softer. This girl. His girl. He smiles wryly and chuckles, her ability to surprise him still in tact after all this time. She was so tuned in to his doubts, a seer when it came to his greatest worries.

Sirius shifts, the water rippling across the distance between them. Gwen feels butterflies stirring in her stomach when he responds lowly, "I like being here with you, mon étoile."

She laughs when his grip on her hips grows firmer and he pulls her over to his side of the bathtub, his arms banding across her back as her knees fold over his. She reaches up and brushes back some of his hair, teasing, "Étoile. So many nicknames, Padfoot."

Sirius smirks and hides his face in the crook of her neck, chuckling as he replies, "Oui. I've got plenty more. I think Inferi suits you best however."

Gwen rolls her eyes, her hands cupping the backs of his shoulder blades as he presses gentle kisses to her throat. Sirius sighs and his eyes flutter shut, embarrassed to admit to himself that he'd never felt as safe, as wanted, as pure as he did when he was with Gwenyth Whitlock. Tojours Pur. It meant nothing to him before her.

He reluctantly leans back, fingers itching to tangle in her wet hair. He pushes it back, away from her face and into the water. She smiles happily, looking up at him so open faced and calm that it soothes his muscles and bones even more than the warm water and floral scented soap.

He can't resist pecking her lips, soft and sweet. He relishes the feeling of her smile against his, the feeling of her in his arms. He didn't think the beach could get any better.

He'd been wrong.

{hope you guys like this one!!!!!!!}