How to save a life.
Summer 1978.
Sirius and Marlene swore that they would never let themselves fall into the storm of the routine. At the beginning of the summer, they swore that they would never fall asleep or wake up at the same hour. They would never stay on the same spot more than a day either. They would spend a day sleeping, and party all night long afterwards. They would have a walk on the country side on the afternoon, and wish upon a star on the evening. Because that's what the pair was born to be: young, wild and free.
On that summer night of July, they heard about a party going on in a muggle night club. But something more attracting had caught their attention: it would last three days.
Sirius and Marlene found themselves at the club before they could have even thought about it. It had been what they had desperately been seeking since the beginning of the summer. Non-stop partying, hours after hours. Drunken kisses. Constant hangover. Dancing until the sun rises. Three days without any limits. And that's exactly how it went.
The pair didn't allow themselves to be completely sober for a single moment. They hardly even slept, or eaten properly for three days. On the last night, as they were about to leave, the effects of alcohol weren't dissipated yet.
"Sirius, I dun think it's a good idea." Marlene managed to say as they reached Sirius' motorbike.
"No worries, luv. Sirius can… handle this…" The boy tried to grab the handlebar, in vain.
"Look atchu. You can barely walk." She giggled.
"And now you're talking to yourself." Sirius sighed dramatically at Marlene, who was still chuckling. "Gotchaa !" he said smugly as he finally grabbed the handlebar. Marlene laughed even harder when Sirius nearly tripped as he climbed on the motorbike. "Shut up 'n get on, McKnickers." He smirked.
"I swear to Merlin Black, if I was sober enough to remember the right spell I'd hex your balls off." She said, climbing behind a scoffing Sirius.
The boy took a couple of minutes for the dark-haired boy to remember to turn the key so the motorcycle could move. "I knew it. I was just checking if you remembered or not." He lied after Marlene had repeated him not to drive. She simply rolled her eyes, and they both left.
They drove for a short time on an empty and dark road, looking for a motel. A short time.
After a couple of minutes, they seemed to already miss the loud music. Marlene started singing, quietly at the beginning. But then Sirius sang along with her, until they ended up singing loudly. Too busy trying to remember the lyrics of their song, Sirius forgot to focus on the road. As he was about to turn at a corner, a car came from the dark. Thankfully, it had slowed down as it was about to turn, but it was fast enough to crash against Sirius' motorbike. The last thing he could remember was a loud breaking noise, a terrible feeling at his left rib and a scream. A female's scream.
All had been dark for a moment, but it seemed like only a couple of seconds for Sirius. He opened his eyes slowly. As his view became clearer, he noticed the mess around him. The front of his motorbike was destroyed, along with the car that hit it. The muggle who was driving was okay. But suddenly, Sirius panicked, unable to see Marlene. He looked around as his heart started beating faster, until he spotted her. She was lying on the floor with her eyes closed. A lot of people were around her. Sirius figured it was the healers, but he didn't pay attention to them. Something else caught his eyes: a dark read liquid sinking down her forehead. He suddenly tried to stand up. He wanted to run and check if she was alright, but something painful on his ribs stopped him. He looked up.
"Don't move, it'll hurt you even more." The healer pulled his hand away from Sirius. "Have you been drinking?"
"Why is she bleeding? What happened? Why is she closing her eyes? Is she-"he stopped, feeling his throat tighten.
"A car crash. It sent you both on the car's windshield. But thankfully, you managed to amortize her. That costs you a fractured rib. But she still hit her head very hard. That was brave, though. You could have jumped off the motorbike as well."
"Oh Merlin…" Sirius buried his head in his hands.
"Excuse-me? " The healer frowned.
"Nothing. " Sirius answered too quickly. "I'm going to see her." Sirius tried to stand up again, but the Healer stopped him once more.
"We're going at the hospital-"
"Together." Sirius cut him off, before finally standing up and walking over to Marlene.
She didn't open her eyes. He knelt down next to her, cursing himself for not listening to her. She had scratches on her cheek and arm, and her forehead was red. He took her hand in his. It was cold.
She didn't wake up at the hospital either, so they decided to keep her for the night. Sirius also stayed there for the night. He didn't have anywhere else where to go anyway.
Marlene didn't wake up on the next morning either, nor did she on the days that followed. And as the days passed, Sirius felt more and more guilty. He expected the worst. He spent the whole time sitting on a chair next to Marlene's bed, watching her closely, as if she would wake up at any second. But she wouldn't.
One night, Sirius looked around him, as if to check if anyone was around. But no one was. So he looked back at Marlene. He opened his mouth to say something, but it turned into a sigh.
"Can't believe I'm doing this…" Sirius cleared his throat. "Okay. So… you know, I heard a nurse saying that you can hear me, and… and shit. I just wanted to talk to you, Marl. I can't bear your silence, it's not you… And it makes me feel like you're mad at me." He smiled slightly after analyzing his own sentence. "Well, it's not like you never are, but…" he looked up at her, as if expecting he to suddenly chuckle, and tell him that it was all a joke. But she kept just as still and pale. His smile faded away. "It's not the same. I deserve it, this time… It's my entire fault if you're lying there. And I can't explain you how guilty I feel about the scratches on your gorgeous face. Merlin, what the bloody hell did I drink…" he tried to convince himself, running a hand through his hair nervously. He snickered. "Guess what I did, Marls? I used a spell to remove the alcohol from our blood so we wouldn't get in trouble. Brilliant, isn't it?" Silence. "I know you're mad at me… but it's okay, Mar... as long as you wake up. It's been five days already, and I can't stand to see you so still… I want to get out of here. It's driving me crazy."
Marlene didn't move. She didn't open her eyes. And still, Sirius couldn't stop hoping. He quickly found himself remembering the good moments he had with her during the last month. He smiled. "Do you remember that night we spent outside, watching the stars? Remember what I told you?" Silence. "I taught you one of my golden rules: 'Just close your eyes and jump. It doesn't matter where you land, but at least you had the balls to do it'. Well I'm glad to announce you that I broke that rule for the first time of my life. After the accident, the healer told me that I could have jumped off that bike. But I haven't." he laughed slightly. "You must think I'm weak… It's okay. I don't regret anything. I couldn't understand why, at first. But as the days passed, I realized something: I miss you. I fucking miss you, McKinnon. And Merlin, it hasn't been a week. So I can't imagine how it would have been if I had jumped from the motorbike and let you-" His voice broke. "I would have died sooner or later after a while anyway. Because I realized that I can't live without you anymore. I'm addicted to you, Marls. To your perfume, you laugh, your kisses… even when they're not fucking sincere." Sirius found himself holding her hand. But he didn't pull back. He gently stroked it with his thumb instead. "You know, I hate myself for saying that, Marlene. Because the only ones who are allowed to hear these words are my brothers. But I think I like you. Hell, I love you. You and your far too loud laugh. Your bloody seductive voice, and your own way to see the world around you."
Sirius could have sworn that Marlene squeezed his hand. "Mar?" he called, as his heart started beating faster. But no answer. Sirius sighed. "Come back…" he whispered. He looked up at her. He found it funny how she seemed even more beautiful after he finally admitted his feelings to her. He cheeks had turned rosy, and her lips looked softer, as if they were calling Sirius. He smiled slightly. "Maybe I can redeem myself…" he leaned forward, until they lips were only a few inches apart. "Okay… just close your eyes…" Sirius closed his eyes. "And jump." He closed the distance between them, and kissed her.
After a few moments, he felt a hand dropping gently on his neck, as Marlene kissed him back with a smirk.