Your footsteps on the stone staircase barely make a sound as you climb toward the boys' dormitories in Gryffindor Tower. The castle is drowned in the silence of the early hours, and the only light illuminating your path comes from the weakly dancing flames in the common room fireplace far below.
You've been here before. Many times. The path to him is as familiar as Sirius himself.
Reaching the top of the staircase, you push the door open slowly, slipping into the dark room. The air is thick with the dormitory’s woody scent and something unmistakably his—a mix of leather, smoke, and Sirius.
The other boys sleep deeply, their steady breathing filling the space. But your gaze is drawn to the bed at the far end, where crimson curtains are partially parted, revealing a cascade of black hair spread across the pillow.
Sirius lies on his side, one hand tucked under his face, his breathing slow and deep. The moonlight slipping through the window cracks casts a silver glow over him, highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the soft shadows beneath his closed eyes, the dark hue of his long lashes against his pale skin.
You move closer, soundless, kneeling beside his bed. Your heart pounds in your chest as you lightly trace your fingers over his arm, the tip of your nail grazing the warmth of his skin.
"Sirius..." your voice is barely a whisper.
He stirs, frowning slightly before his eyes slowly flutter open. Sleep-clouded gray meets yours, and a shadow of a smile tugs at his lips.
"Ah," his voice, rough and drowsy, slides through the silence like a secret. "So my imagination has finally materialized into flesh and bone?"
His lazy, slightly teasing tone sends warmth flooding through your chest. You smile softly. "If you're dreaming of me, then your imagination is terribly dull."
Sirius lets out a short chuckle, rolling onto his back and stretching an arm toward you. "Since you're already here, come on."
You don’t hesitate. The bed creaks slightly as you slide in, molding yourself against the warmth of his body. Sirius shifts to make space, pulling the curtains closed around you both with a lazy flick of his wand before murmuring a silencing charm. The world outside disappears.
His arms wrap around you, pulling you against his bare chest. The heat of his skin is comforting, and you can feel the slow, drowsy rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your cheek.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asks, his lips brushing the top of your head.
You shake your head against him, feeling the movement of his smile before you even see it.
"Lucky me, then."
"Why?"
"Because now I have an excuse to do this." His fingers trail idly up your arm, skimming over your shoulder, your neck, until finally threading into your hair. He plays with the strands absentmindedly while his other arm tightens around your waist, as if making sure you won’t slip away.
You sigh, sinking further into him.
Sirius tilts his head, pressing his lips lightly to your forehead for a lingering moment, his breath warm against your skin before he murmurs:
"Want me to tell you a story?"
You lift your face to look at him. "Since when do you tell stories?"
He shrugs, a lazy glint in his eyes. "Since now. I have a very selective and highly demanding audience to entertain."
You laugh softly but nod. "I do."
Sirius thinks for a moment, his gray eyes lost in the shadows of the bed canopy. Then, in a deliberately dramatic tone, he begins:
"Once upon a time, there was a great hunter in the sky. He was strong, invincible, arrogant as hell, but handsome enough to make up for it—"
"This is about Orion, isn’t it?"
"Hey, who’s telling the story here?"
You smile, resting a hand on his chest. "Go on, then."
Sirius clears his throat theatrically. "As I was saying, Orion was a legendary hunter. But he was also a little impulsive—and pissed off powerful people, which, let’s be honest, is a familiar trait."
The implication in his tone doesn’t go unnoticed. You smile against his skin, feeling Sirius's muscles relax beneath your fingers.
"He boasted that he could defeat any beast on Earth," Sirius continues, lowering his voice to a deep whisper. "And the gods, being the bastards they are, didn’t like that. So they sent a scorpion to kill him. And just like that, the invincible hunter fell."
He pauses, his eyes locked onto yours.
"But the gods placed him in the sky," he finishes softly. "A bright constellation, never to be forgotten."
The silence between you is filled only by the sound of your soft breaths and the slow beat of Sirius’s heart under your palm.
"Tragic," you murmur.
Sirius smiles faintly. "All the best stories are."
You watch his face in the dark, the soft fall of his dark hair over his eyes, the strong line of his jaw softened by the dim light. He looks caught between two worlds—one where he is Sirius Black as everyone knows him, and another where it’s just you and the way he melts into you.
You touch his face lightly, letting your thumb graze the curve of his mouth. "If you were a constellation, which one would you be?"
His lips part slightly under your touch, something warm flickering in his gaze.
"If I could choose..." he murmurs, "any one that’s next to you in the sky."
Your heart clenches.
Sirius seems to notice, because he leans in and presses his lips to yours in a slow, lingering kiss, as if trying to trap the feeling of you here, as if trying to make this moment eternal.
And in a way, it is.
The kiss starts soft. The kind of kiss Sirius gives when he wants to savor, when he wants to feel. But there’s something about you—the way your fingers tangle in his hair, the way your body molds against his, the way your lips return to his without a shred of hesitation—that makes him lose his patience.
The sound he makes against your mouth is deep, almost a low, satisfied purr, and then the softness dissolves. His hands tighten on your waist before sliding up your back, pulling you closer. You feel the tension in his muscles beneath your fingers, his breath becoming more uneven against yours.
Sirius kisses like it’s hunger.
And you surrender.
You get carried away.
Your bodies fit together in an almost desperate way, his hands traveling up your neck, into your hair, his fingers firm against your skin, as if he wants to memorize you. He takes your mouth with more insistence now, deepening the kiss in a way that makes it hot, consuming.
When you let out a quiet moan against his lips, Sirius exhales an almost exasperated sigh and flips you over in one swift motion, pinning you beneath him. His weight is comfortable, warm, and you feel every inch of him against you.
Sirius' gray eyes gleam in the dark, intense, hungry. He leans down, brushing the tip of his nose along your jaw, trailing slowly down your neck, letting his breath warm your skin. A shiver runs through you.
"You know what's funny?" His voice is low, drawling, like a secret whispered against your wrist.
"What?" Your own voice trembles.
"I swear my plan was just to make you sleep." His teeth graze your skin lightly. "But you're not helping, doll."
The shiver rolls down your spine even before you feel the first bite.
Sirius presses his mouth to your neck, sucking slowly before biting—not hard enough to hurt, but enough that tomorrow, you’ll see the marks and remember exactly how they got there.
You cling to him, fingers digging into his bare back, feeling the satisfied chuckle he lets out against your collarbone before biting there too, as if he’s claiming you, leaving his signature on your skin.
You feel him smile against your shoulder before he trails his lips up to your jaw, then back to your mouth. The kiss now is slower, more deliberate, as if he’s savoring the effect he has on you.
Then, as abruptly as he started, Sirius stops.
His lips still brush against yours, but he doesn’t push forward. His breathing is fast, just like yours, and for a moment, he just looks at you, his gaze hazy, intense.
The silence between you is thick, full of everything that doesn’t need to be said.
Then, with a sigh, he lets out a low, husky laugh. "If I keep going, you’ll never sleep."
He doesn’t pull away completely, but you feel the weight of his restraint in his shoulders when he closes his eyes for a moment, controlling his breathing.
Your fingers touch his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw, feeling the tension beneath his warm skin.
Sirius opens his eyes again, and there’s something so devastatingly intense in them that your heart clenches.
He gives you a faint smile, lips still a little swollen. "You’re killing me, you know that?"
You smile back, sliding your arms around his neck. "If it’s any consolation… we’re dying together."
Sirius lets out a short laugh, then kisses your forehead and pulls you against his chest.
"Now sleep, my love." His voice is low, laced with the sleep that’s finally catching up to him.
Sirius' body is a warm shelter against yours, his chest rising and falling steadily as he holds you tightly, but not trapping you. He lazily runs a hand up and down your back, tracing invisible patterns with his fingertips, the touch so tender it makes your heart ache.
"Breathe with me," he murmurs into your hair, his voice still thick with sleep.
You obey, inhaling when he does, exhaling in the same rhythm. His chest vibrates against you when he lets out a contented sigh, and then, in a tone so soft it feels meant just for you, Sirius starts to hum.
The melody is gentle, little more than a low, resonant hum against your ear. He doesn’t sing words, just lets the sound fill the space between you, as if he’s lulling you into a song only he knows.
And it works.
Your muscles slowly relax, your eyes grow heavy, and the last thing you feel before finally slipping into sleep is the warm press of Sirius' lips against your forehead.
———
Morning arrives lazily, with the sun filtering through the heavy curtains and spreading a golden glow across the room. You're still deeply asleep, nestled against Sirius' chest, while he rests his hand possessively on your back, his fingers lazily curled in the thin fabric of your blouse.
Sirius is awake, but he doesn’t move. He just stays there, watching the way your relaxed face looks even more beautiful in the soft light, the way your breath against his collarbone sends shivers down his skin.
He could stay like this all day.
Unfortunately, the world has other plans. The bed curtain is abruptly yanked aside.
"WHAT THE F—"
"Shhh! For Merlin's sake, James!"
Potter’s shout barely has time to echo through the room before it's interrupted by the urgent whispers of Remus and Peter. Sirius narrows his eyes, irritated.
"Fuck off, James, shut up," he grumbles, his voice still thick with sleep.
James raises his hands in surrender, but his eyes are still wide as he stares at the scene before him. Remus just rubs his face, exhausted before the day even begins.
Peter, who has just lifted his head from the pillow, gapes and immediately looks anywhere but at the two of you. "Merlin!" he murmurs, his skin flushing instantly.
Sirius, now burying his head against your neck, lets out a low chuckle. He moves just enough to pull the blanket over his body, not because he wants to hide the marks—he’s actually completely satisfied with how they look—but because he prefers no one else sees them.
James, standing at the foot of the bed with his glasses askew and a scandalized look on his face, points an accusing finger. "Those are marks, Sirius!"
Sirius rolls his eyes. "Do you really have to shout about it? Fuck, she’s still sleeping."
"It’s impressive! You were irresponsible!"
"I was passionate," Sirius corrects, a cheeky smile forming on his lips.
Remus, who’s seen worse, just lets out a sigh. "Can we at least pretend to be adults?"
Sirius shrugs, lazily looking at them before simply pulling you a little closer against him.
"You guys talk too much in the morning," he murmurs, his lips brushing the sensitive skin just below your ear.
James grimaces. "I’m going to puke."
"Then puke outside."
Peter makes a muffled sound, clearly too embarrassed to contribute to the conversation.
Remus, always practical, crosses his arms and watches Sirius with an unreadable look. "You’re a shameless dog."
Sirius grins—a lazy, insolent smile that clearly says no, he definitely isn’t ashamed.
"Guilty," he says, his voice drawling.
James shakes his head, frustrated. "Merlin, Black. Could you at least try to look sorry?"
Sirius just smiles more.
And then, in an absurdly possessive gesture, he lowers his face and places a lazy kiss on your exposed shoulder, as if wanting to make it clear to everyone that yes, the marks are his, and yes, he wears them proudly.
"Now, if you don’t mind," he says, pulling the blanket over both of you and closing his eyes again, "get out of here before I get even more graphic."
James lets out a horrified grunt.
Peter rushes to grab his things and leave.
Remus just sighs, clearly used to this.
And Sirius, satisfied with himself, settles back against you, completely ignoring the chaos he’s caused.