Prompt by sarazellman over at Tumblr!
Characters/Pairings: Sirius Black x Hermione Granger
Cigarette
Sirius stopped talking to Sarah and watched as Hermione moved towards the door, sliding in between the crowd. Somehow no one noticed her silent disappearance.
"You okay?" the woman asked and he nodded his head, his mind already focused on Hermione's disappearing form. He mumbled an apology as an automatic response and moved. He was not as gentle as Hermione as he pushed the Saturday night crowd apart so he could walk.
He took the fresh night air into his lungs with a deep breath and his eyes scanned the people outside, making phone calls or smoking. Although Hermione was easy to spot, with her wild hair and that muggle dress she was wearing.
"Do you have a lighter?" she asked a guy, whose smile was far too happy for being asked a lighter, and Sirius with his battle-ready reflexes lit her cigarette, cutting the other guy off.
Hermione looked at him startled and Sirius smiled. The scowl of the other guy was completely ignored, of course.
"Sirius, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Exactly what you are doing, love," he said, lighting his own cigarette. She puffed the smoke out of her mouth and laughed bitterly.
"I highly doubt that," she said.
Sirius frowned, leaning on to the wall, and effectively cutting off other people's vision of her, so their conversation could remain private.
"I thought you were fine," Sirius said. He meant it too, they were having fun. He was flirting with her, as he'd been gradually doing for several months now, and he had thought they were on the same page. But there was a certain distance on her now, maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she was over-thinking things. He just hoped she wouldn't lose her interest in him.
"I was fine, why wouldn't I?" she said and huffed a bit.
"Was?" Sirius probed.
Hermione glared at him, and he knew he was being assessed by her vicious stare. Just that look was enough to make him ache.
"Why are you playing with me?"
The question hit him like a bucket of water. His lips went dry instantly.
"Playing with you?" he said, unable to form a unique sentence.
"Yes! And you know, you can I suppose, I mean you can flirt around, but I'm stupid and I think when someone flirts with me I assume they mean it. I suppose I shouldn't, of course! I mean that's awfully presumptuous and I must be misunderstanding, but -if you could stop it I would appreciate it!"
Sirius didn't know what was happening.
No. Really. What was happening?
"Hermione," he reached to stop her continuing. "I am flirting with you, what makes you think I don't mean it?"
Hermione looked at him, seemingly confused. She never could hide her emotions, especially when she had drunk. And boy, did she drink. He could barely keep up with her.
"Well, that- that- woman you were talking to -I'd call her a bimbo but she wasn't, was she, pretty and gorgeous and beautiful and she made you laugh so she can't be too bad- and it's very wrong to assume bad about women that flirt with the man you want for yourself, like -I hate that I hate her-" Sirius wasn't sure how could he stop her ramblings.
"Who? What girl? Sarah?" he asked, finally understanding what she was talking about.
"Whatever the hell her name is!"
The cigarette she was holding flew out of her hand and landed on the ground, and was smashed for emphasis by the the heel of her dainty shoe. Sirius watched the whole thing as if everything was in slow motion, and he looked back at her.
She was angry with him.
She was jealous of him.
Sirius couldn't help the grin forming on his face before he kissed her.
