Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I don't make money from this fic.

December 24, 1977 London, England - Sirius's Flat

Sirius didn't have a Christmas tree in his flat, but he did have a pile of presents next to the fireplace. Most of the presents were to be given out the next day at the Potter residence. James had told Sirius that if he didn't show up to Christmas dinner, he wouldn't be getting anything he or Lily bought him, and the same applied for Hermione. So, of course, the couple were obligated to show up at their favorite aunt's house for Christmas.

But Sirius was very surprised when Hermione had taken him up on his offer and decided to stay with him during the break. Of course, it had taken some convincing; Hermione had to owl Aunt Effie and explain things, something that neither had had the courage to do yet. Sirius smirked as he realized he'd been officially dating his cousin for ten months and his aunt didn't even know until a few weeks ago.

Thankfully, though, after Hermione and Sirius had both received a Howler from Aunt Effie for not telling her sooner, she was allowed to stay for the holidays.

And Sirius was positive that was the best Christmas present he could ask for. Hermione had stolen his bed, and though he cuddled with her for hours some nights, he always took to the couch once she fell asleep. He didn't want to risk making her uncomfortable. Even now, as Hermione curled up beside him with her head on his shoulder, he made a decided effort not to be too handsy. He'd rub her back or her side every now and again, but for the most part, he kept his hands to himself.

She was reading The Daily Prophet, and Sirius was reading over her head. They'd made a habit of checking the paper each day for deaths. Hermione folded the paper back up and threw it on the table, sighing heavily.

"Hey, I was still reading that." Sirius said.

"Sorry, I just-" She sighed. "I can't stand not being able to help these people, you know? I want to be out there, already." Sirius rubbed her back, reassuringly.

"I know, 'Mione, believe me, I do too." He told her. "But we can't do anything until we're out of school. Just a few more months, and we're home free. Official Order members." Hermione nodded, placing a hand on his thigh. The sudden contact made him flinch slightly; she'd been giving him the same space he'd granted her. She pulled her hand back as though she'd been burned, but hid her face in his shoulder.

"Sorry." she murmured. He frowned, looking down at her.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked.

"It's just- well, you haven't been touching me very much. I thought, maybe you didn't want me to touch you very much either, and-" Hermione said, blushing. Sirius chuckled, lifting her chin so she would meet his eyes, but she looked away.

"Hermione, look at me, please." He crooned, a smile on his face. Her eyes finally met his, and he saw an uncertain look in her eyes. He knew she was lost and probably had close to no experience with this kind of thing. While Sirius had made out with half of Gryffindor, and fondled quite a few of them while he was at it, he'd never gone all the way. "I was trying to give you space so that I didn't make you uncomfortable, love." Sirius said, his hand moving from her chin to her neck, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her cheek.

"So you weren't touching me because you thought I wouldn't like it?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"Yes. This whole thing, you staying here- it's a big step, even if it's just for the holidays. I didn't want to make it harder on you or make it seem like I only wanted you here for… physical reasons." He said. "It's why I've been sleeping on the couch." Hermione's eyes widened, seemingly in realization.

"And here I thought you were being standoffish. You were just being a gentleman!" she said. Sirius chuckled again.

"I am capable of being a decent human being, you know." he told her.

"So does this mean-" Hermione blushed bright red and buried her face in his shoulder again. Sirius raised his eyebrows at that.

"Does this mean what?" He inquired.

"Does this mean that if I asked you to sleep in the bed with me, you would?" She said, choosing her words carefully.

"Of course, love." Sirius smiled down at her. "You know I love cuddling with you. Waking up next to you would just make my morning better. But," he grinned, running the back of his fingers over her reddened cheeks. "That's not what caused you to blush. What did?"

"I'll sound stupid." Hermione murmured into his shoulder.

"You could never sound stupid, Hermione, you're one of the smartest people I know." he said.

"When I was thinking of that question, I was going to ask, 'Does this mean you'll sleep with me if I ask.' And that… the connotation isn't what I had intended." Sirius laughed, kissing her forehead.

"You know, I'm not sure if that's a side effect of your exposure to James and I, or if your mind is just naturally in the gutter." He told her.

"To use your own words against you, both is always an option, Padfoot. Never forget both." She grinned up at him with a twinkle of mischief in her eye and Sirius felt his stomach tighten involuntarily.

Hearing his nickname from Hermione wasn't a new thing; she'd adopted it and used it just as much as any of their friends, except Lily, who still hadn't warmed up to their names for each other yet. No, it wasn't his nickname itself that caused his reaction, it was the tone behind it. It was so very different from the tone he normally associated with that name. Ordinarily, Padfoot was a name that spoke of friendship and brotherhood. When Hermione used it just now though… it made him want to hear her say it again. It made him want to make her say it again. He bit his lower lip and Hermione's eyes widened as she took in his expression.

"For the record, love," Sirius said, looking into her eyes. "All you have to do is ask. And I mean that about anything. If you want me to touch you, just say so and I'll be more than happy to oblige." Hermione's cheeks darkened and she looked down.

"And if I want to touch you?" She asked. Sirius broke into a wide grin. In response, he took Hermione's hand and placed it on his chest. He looked down at her.

"If you ever want to touch me, love, you're more than welcome to." He kissed her forehead again, then moved to whisper in her ear. "And that goes for anywhere you want to touch me." He heard her breathing hitch as he let go of her hand, running his knuckles along her arm. She surprised him, closing her fist around his shirt and pulling him closer, her mouth finding his. Sirius smiled through the kiss and Hermione nipped at his bottom lip.

"What are you smiling at?" She said, one hand making its way up to curl itself into his long hair.

"Your enthusiasm. I didn't think it would be quite so… abundant." he chuckled. She kissed him again, softer this time.

"I just like being this close to you." Hermione said. "And from the looks of it," She said, running her hand down his chest, ever lower until she reached a telling bulge in his jeans. It took everything he had in him not to buck his hips up into her touch. He inhaled sharply, biting his lip to keep in a moan. "You like it, too."

"I don't know how you learned to drive me crazy with a single touch," Sirius said, his face close to hers, "but for the love of Merlin, keep it up." Hermione giggled.

"Padfoot?" she asked softly, her hand slowly making its way back towards his chest, slipping under his shirt as she went. She used his nickname again, and it sent chills up his spine.

"Yes, love?" he choked out, trying his best to keep his voice even.

"You're allowed to touch me, too, you know." She murmured, smiling up at him.

"Oh, is that so?" He smirked, hooking an arm around her and pulling her closer to him. Her breathing hitched and he kissed her, turning his head to deepen the kiss further than he was sure they had ever done before. He sighed a bit when he felt Hermione grab hold of his shirt, lifting it slightly. He let his hands wander, mostly above her clothes until they were both comfortable. When Hermione worked up the courage to tug his shirt over his head, Sirius took her by surprise and pushed her back on the couch, pinning her beneath him.

"You still sure you want this?" He asked her with a grin, his long hair framing his face. He peppered her jaw line before she could answer, moving first up her chin, then down her neck. He laughed when Hermione muttered something unintelligible. "You really must speak up, love."

"Damn it, Pads, you're driving me crazy." she said, arching her back and giving him better access to her neck.

"As much as I love hearing you say my nickname, Hermione," Sirius said, his hands trailing up her stomach, pulling her shirt up with it. "I want to hear you say my real name."

"That so?" She gasped, lifting herself up so Sirius could remove her shirt. "You gonna give me a reason to?"

Sirius smirked, returning his attention to her neck, but slowly moving his mouth down towards her chest. He reached behind her and unsnapped her bra with practiced ease. He'd been around that block a time or two, after all. She helped him, shrugging the garment off before looking up at him, exposed from the waist up. He looked her over for a long minute before his hands began wandering again, this time to play with her nipples. His mouth returned to her skin as well, finding its way along her chest and eventually settling on one nipple while his hand busied itself with the other.

"Fuck. Pads-" Hermione gasped.

"I told you, Hermione." He said, nibbling gently on a nipple. "It's Sirius." She whimpered a bit, but then moaned when Sirius began licking and sucking again. The hand on her other breast slowly began to trail downward. He trailed his fingers down her stomach, finally reaching the waistband of her soft pajama pants and looking up at her.

"Is this okay?" he asked, sliding his finger into her waistband for emphasis.

"Yes." She said, looking down at him. He smiled and pulled her pants down and off, throwing them onto a nearby chair. He looked over her blue cotton panties running a hand over the front of them, before moving back to her mouth. He kissed her deeply, one hand playing with her nipple, and then, only then, when he felt he'd worked her up, did he touch her pussy.

He rubbed her gently over her panties at first, trying to gauge what she liked. She started bucking into his hand he smiled.

"What is it, Hermione?" He crooned. She was like putty in his hands and they both knew it.

"You're wearing too much, Pads." She moaned.

"You're a persistent one, aren't you?" he said, pulling her panties to the side to get a look at her wet pussy. He looked up at her with a wicked smile before leaning down and tasting her. She gasped, her hands burying themselves in his hair and holding on for dear life. He twirled his tongue around her sensitive nub and applied pressure when he felt her buck up against him. He pulled her closer to him, his hands moving to her taut nipples once again. His hands and tongue were moving at such a pace that Hermione's hands fisted in Sirius's hair, though he didn't mind. He took it as a compliment, really.

"Pads-" Hermione's voice came, desperate, and Sirius stopped all his efforts at once.

"I told you, love." He said, calm, but deep. "My name…" He took one finger and carefully pushed it inside her. He didn't meet the barrier he'd been expecting, but that was better for her, he supposed. He squeezed another finger in, slowly, beside the other.

"Is Sirius." He said, as he began to pump his two fingers in and out of her. Hermione gasped, her hips bucking and her back arching as he used his other hand to rub her clit in small circle.

"Sirius!" She moaned. "I'm- I'm gonna-!"

"Come one then," He told her, softly. "Come."

And she did, with one long moan, she called his name again as she came. Sirius helped her ride out her orgasm as long as he was able, finally pulling his fingers out of her once she's calmed.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" He said, smirking down at her.

"We'll see if you can say the same when I'm through with you." Hermione said, panting, but Sirius saw a fire in her eye. He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Let's take this to the bedroom, shall we?"