A/N: Although originally written as Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon, please feel free to interpret it how you wish. I do not own the characters, nor am I affiliated with J.K. Rowling. All feedback is welcome.

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Slender fingers fumbled to graze those belonging to someone else. Someone broken. They were both broken, they blonde had realized. It may have taken her longer than it should have… They broke each other more before she'd even started thinking about it that way. Shells of who they once were, they would build each other back up; this she promised him.

Thin hands found rough, calloused pads and he did not withdraw himself. It had always been her to pull back, to shut him out after seemingly misleading him. It wasn't that she intentionally misled the other, but that she was afraid. Afraid of being hurt. Afraid of being happy. Afraid of falling in love with someone like him. He was wonderful, charming, brave, smart, and on some rare occasion quite romantic; all of which she knew could hurt her in the end, yet she couldn't help but let her guard down from time to time. She couldn't help but let him in, making herself emotionally available to him. She also couldn't help it later when she distanced herself. She was trying to not only protect herself, but to protect him.

He did his fair share of hurting her as well, although not physically. Never physically. He snapped under the stress, too young to carry the weight of the world. It was not verbal attacks, but emotional attacks often the result of her pulling away, but other times the cause.

They were both far too young and both trying to control the world. Both trying to protect it, and both feeling like they were failing more and more each day. They found comfort in sitting in silence side by side, watching the wildlife go about their lives as if there wasn't a war. The lucky bastards would hardly be affected by the final outcome. The pair often mused that one goose in particular—a nasty little thing—was a Death Eater. They would taint their happy place with the thought just for a laugh. But every day they returned and would sit there for hours before a single word passed through one's lips.

On the other hand, they did their fair share of talking as well. Usually inside where they felt safe. The place could have been bugged for all they knew, but nothing from their conversations would have been worth leaking. Silly musings and impish pesters, things any pair of young adults would usually talk about, but never Order business. They saved that for the meetings; this was their time for each other.

The two sat across from the fire, fingers intertwined, letting silence engulf them once more as they temporarily ran out of things to say to each other. It was a brief moment in time before three words escaped rouged lips.

I love you.

It was quite possibly the bravest thing the girl had ever done, and she wouldn't have done it if she started to overthink it like she usually did. Dark eyes met her own, curious about the intent of her words. Her face flushed and she broke the eye contact to stare at the ground. A deep chuckle bellowed from the back of his throat and travelled up her spine in shivers. His lips met her temple before she even had time to glare up at him for laughing.

I know.

It was all he had to say. They both already knew, but it brought her a sense of relief to say it, as if saying it was the only thing that made it real. The duo sat there in content, still very much broken. For a moment they could pretend everything was fine, like they were a normal couple not involved in a Wizarding War that would determine the fate of the world. A moment where they both thought they could come out of this alive and return to a normal life together afterwards. A moment where they could pretend they were not broken.