One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 144

{{didn't edit so my bad!!! Thank you guys for being so patient. Love you!!!!}}

Gwen groans quietly as she wakes, her arms and legs stretching stiffly beyond her body.

Sirius told her that she looked like her patronus when she woke up, stretching and yawning like a lazy cat.

Her lips turn downwards when she realizes his side of the bed is rather cold, one eye peeking open to confirm that there isn't a devastatingly handsome Gryffindor in her bed.

Gwen slowly sits up, her bones aching from the hours they spent swimming the night before. She relishes the feeling, her body and mind and soul having felt melancholy for the ocean for quite some time.

She crinkles her nose at the silence that falls around her house, a prickling feeling in her gut guiding her to quickly throw on one of Sirius' shirts and jump out of bed. She scurries  out of her bedroom and down the stairs, skipping every other one. She nearly trips at the bottom but quickly rights herself, her ears peeking when she hears rustling in her kitchen.

The Veela rounds the corner, mouth already open to make a sarcastic comment about him ruining the organization of her cupboards. But she stops short, her words dying in her throat. Sirius' muscled back is to her, his boxers hung low on his hips. The sun streams through the sheer curtains that drape across the windows, casting a glow across his skin and lighting up every cleft, every faint scar.

Hot. He was hot.

She was getting hot.

Gwen forgets how to breath for a moment, her mind working overtime to comprehend how good the boy in her kitchen looks when he's making tea. He lifts his head like he can hear her thoughts, peering at her over his shoulder from his spot by the stove.

"G'Morning, love," He says, a hint of raspiness from sleep warming his tone. Gwen blinks rapidly, shocked back to life when his lips quirk into a curious smile. She forces her mouth into a firm line, replying curtly,

"Morning."

Sirius huffs out a laugh, turning to face her head on. Gwen holds her head high, merely sitting at the kitchen table and tilting her head to stare out of the sliver of the window visible between her curtains.

She slowly turns her gaze down to the table when a cup of tea is set down in front of her. Sirius is oddly quiet, and a prickling of a familiar feeling causes Gwen to push the cup away. She lifts her eyes, meeting his confused expression and saying simply,

"Nice try."

She quirks a brow when his lips turn into a scowl, his voice gruff as he mutters, "Bloody seer."

"Go on, then," Gwen laughs. "What is it you're trying to slip me, Black?"

He slumps down into the chair across from hers, replying sheepishly, "An accent potion. James gave it to me to prank you."

She tutts quietly at the admission of guilt, shaking her head as she says plainly, "You'd think you'd give up by now."

"I'll get you, Whitlock," Sirius promises, smirking slightly when she blinks and shrugs, an easy smile on her face. They share a comfortable silence, Gwen's lungs filling with the fresh air that she can only get at the beach. Sirius starts to shuffle awkwardly underneath her unmoving stare, much to her amusement. Maybe it was time she mess with him the way he liked to mess with her.

She doesn't stop, just traces the slope of his furrowed brow, lazily counts the freckles that so faintly dapple his nose. This was much less overwhelming for her, staring at him head on instead of ogling his sculpted body taking up all of the space in her tiny kitchen. Funnily enough, it was more overwhelming for him. That much is apparent when he finally snaps,

"What, you damned Inferi?!"

Gwen's lips twitch, her eyes lifting to meet his. Her lack of a filter always flustered him. But she knows this time it's what she says that really gets him.

"You're gorgeous," The Veela replies simply.

Sirius freezes, his face slipping into an odd emotion that she can't quite place her finger on. Her heart skips a beat when she sees his cheeks tinge pink and his mouth quirk up slightly at the corners. She leans back as he leans forward, smiling coyly and avoiding his attempt to make physical contact with her. She liked pushing him this way, with words. A terribly Ravenclaw thing to do.

His voice is deliciously husky when it reaches her ears, a playful warning as he says lowly, "Gwenyth."

She didn't care for her full name usually.

Unless Sirius Black was the one saying it.

"Yes, mon ange?" She wonders with mock innocence, crossing her legs properly beneath the table while Sirius stares at her with narrowed eyes.

Silence. Just for a few more moments.

And then he lashes out, arm snapping out and hurriedly reaching for her over the table, a frustrated huff leaving him when she just as quickly scoots back her chair. His eyes slip to her bare legs when she stands and she can't help the thrill that runs through her at his hungry expression. This was far too much fun to quit now.

"I'm going to get dressed," Gwen says calmly, her eyes lingering slightly on the cup of tea that rests where she'd been sitting. As badly as she wanted to wash the cup and put it away in the right place, she ignores her urge, instead sticking to toying with the disgruntled boy at her table.

"Would you rinse that for me, love?" She asks, smiling faintly at Sirius. He glowers silently for a few moments, shifting uncomfortably in his seat before offering a stiff nod. Gwen can't help the grin that plays at her lips, her voice sweet as she says,

"Good boy."

Sirius stands abruptly, a sharp exhale leaving him as the Veela disappears around the corner, her song like laughter reaching his ears and stirring the emotions in his chest even further. He presses the back of his hand to his cheek, cursing at how hot his skin feels.

He quickly washes and sets the cup where she likes it in the cupboard, hurrying to the stairs and taking them two at a time. He chews on the inside of his lip, embarrassed to admit that he liked this game too. He'd like it better if she were the one frazzled. A tiny smile quirks up his lips and he enters her bedroom, deciding that just because he didn't get her with the prank earlier didn't mean he couldn't beat her at her own game.

Though the sight that greets him when he enters makes him worry that she's already too far ahead. A pretty pale green dress hangs on her narrow frame, the thin straps and breezy fabric giving it the appearance of being far more revealing than it truly is.

Gwen peers over her shoulder, smiling faintly and saying teasingly, "Fancy a picture?"

He takes a page from her book, an attempt to catch up as he replies honestly,

"Yes."

Gwen stills and this time it's her turn to blush, her turn to warn, "Sirius—"

"We're going to town today, yeah?" He interrupts, smiling and reaching around her for his clothes. She stiffens further, saying confusedly, "Yes—"

"Good, I'll get ready," He continues, shooting her a playful look as he backs towards the bathroom. Gwen nearly curses out loud, wondering how he had turned the tables on her so quickly.

She asks flatly, just as he reaches for the door, "Do you even know how to use a muggle camera?"

Sirius pauses and simply chuckles, not even turning to face her as he responds lowly, "I know how to do lots of things, Whitlock.

Gwen's jaw drops, her eyes widening as the bathroom door shuts behind him, leaving her to plan her next move. Or at least how to stop his.

This means war.