Sirius was pretty sure Euphemia knew about the whiskey. There wasn't much that went on in the Potter household that she didn't know about. James had assured him it would all be fine but he was still wary. It wasn't like they'd taken it from house or anything like that, they hadn't STOLEN it. They had picked it up from the muggle side of town where no one asked them to prove their age and they had walked away with not one but two bottles of whiskey. Irish, Sirius had answered, when the attendant had asked him what kind they wanted. When the attendant nodded along and agreed that Irish was best James couldn't help smirking. He was well aware Sirius thought Irish was best.
They could hardly be blamed for needing something to get through the party. Sure, everyone attending were nice but they were all friends of Fleamont and Euphemia. They couldn't hold the attention of the boys for very long. A few would bring along their children but Sirius wasn't too keen on interacting with a bunch of stuck up pure bloods looking down on him and whispering about how he had been disowned. There was only one person he'd be keeping an eye out for anyway.
Two hours and many glasses into the night and Sirius was feeling that lovely haze of being sloshed enough to lower his inhibitions but not so drunk that he was a mess. He had seen the familiar head of blonde hair duck out to the hallway a few minutes previous and he decided now was the time to greet her.
She was wearing a pretty little dress. White and flowy that tied around her neck, leaving her shoulders bare. He sauntered up behind her and laid a hand on one of her bare shoulders. She jumped in surprise, whirling around.
'You scared me Sirius!' She said crossly, her hand over her racing heart. She looked him up and down taking in his somewhat glassy eyes and easy smirk. 'You're drunk aren't you? Aunt Mia is going to kill you Sirius' she shook her head at him.
He took a step closer to her, crowding her against the wall and her smile vanished. Damn shame to see it go, he thought absently. She wasn't wearing makeup so the freckles dotting her nose were clearly visible. He tapped her on the nose with the tip of his finger.
'You know when you wear makeup you cover these up McKinnon?' he tapped her nose again as she wrinkled it at him.
'That's why I wear it you plonker.' She rolled her eyes at him but made no move to stop his tapping. As Sirius moved his body a step closer to her she straightened against the cool brick of the wall. 'What are you doing Sirius?' she murmured.
Now was usually the time Sirius would check himself. Usually he would back up and make some joke to diffuse the tension as they re-joined the party. Normally Sirius wouldn't allow himself to get this close to Marlene, to put his hands on her the way he was thinking about. Usually he was too concerned with blurring the lines of their friendship. Right now though, with alcohol swimming in his veins and Marlene looking at him so softly he couldn't find it in him to step away.
He slid his hand from her nose to cup her jaw, his thumb just left of her lips. His eyes met hers and while he saw curiosity and wonder in the blue depths, he saw no hesitation. He tilted her he head upwards and his eyes dropped to her lips.
'Pretty little Marley' he whispered as his thumb traced her pink lips. 'Beautiful, smart Marley' he felt a puff of air against his finger while he continued his path across her lips. 'Gorgeous, funny Marley.' he hummed as he moved his hand from her mouth to cup her cheek.
'Sirius… You're drunk' she exhaled shakily. He hummed in agreement but made no move to step back. 'If we cross that line Sirius, we can't uncross it' her big blue eyes looked up, pleading with him to think about what he was doing.
'Doesn't matter Marls, I want to do this sober all the fuckin time. Just… If you don't want this then tell me to back up and I will.' His thumb stroked her cheekbone. 'But don't stop me just because you think I don't want this. I'm exactly where I want to be, where I always want to be.' His eyes were locked on hers and he saw the doubt in them disappear. She gave him that crooked smile he loved and gave a slight nod of her head.
He moved his head down slowly, maintaining eye contact as he softly pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes closed and his followed. The kiss moved from soft into something more primal. He was surprised when she sucked on his bottom lip and bit down none too gently. He groaned and used the hand that had been resting against the wall to grip her hip and pull her body flush against his. His other hand moved from cupping her cheek to tangling in her hair and moving her head for a better angle.
He slid his tongue into her mouth as he deepened the kiss and he felt her gasp as he pushed her more firmly against the wall. His hand moved from her hip to her thigh as she raised one leg to lock around his hip. He slipped his thigh between her legs and was rewarded with a breathy sigh. He was aching to take things further but this was Marlene, she deserved better than rutting up against a random wall in the Potters.
He softened the kiss and pulled back slightly. He gave her one extra peck before breaking away and leaning his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavily. He unwrapped her leg from around him but kept his hand on her hip. She opened her eyes and her pupils were blown wide. Despite this he could still read the question in them.
'We're gonna be amazing Marls, I know we are' he said as he brushed his nose against hers.
'More than just amazing I think' she said with confidence despite the lovely blush that was gracing her cheeks. He took a proper step back and held out his hand. She took it smiling and he led her back to the party.
The next morning she joined them for breakfast. Sirius was nursing a serious hangover but had full recollection of what had happened the night before. He couldn't find it in himself to regret it at all.
He caught her eye as she made her way to the table and he could see the anxiousness in them. He felt bad, knowing she was second guessing his motives for the kiss. Sirius had been genuine when he said he wanted her sober. He was sick of lying to himself that they were just friends, not when he knew they had the potential to be so much more.
Keeping that in mind he waited until the house elf had served her, then reached for the hand closest to him. He locked their fingers together and brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss. With her free hand she had her mug of tea raised to her lips but he caught the tilt of her smile behind the rim of the cup. With Marlene's soft hand against his lips he grinned. Yes, they had the potential to be so much more than amazing.