With Lily on her honeymoon, Ava took the time to pack her stuff. Sirius showed up one day to help her out he said, but really just kept her company. Ava jumped when she turned around and saw him lying on her bed.
"You cut your hair!" she exclaimed. He was so cute! With long hair, short hair, it sure didn't matter.
"No I didn't." he intoned.
"Oh, well a dragon chewed it off I guess." She gave him a sympathetic nod.
"Yeh, see the bite marks." He pulled his shirt's neck stretching it out to show the redness on his collarbone and the one on his back where the muscling of his shoulder met his neck.
"Ah," she nodded. "Looks like a vacuum got to you, or maybe a vampire?"
"Something like that," he mused. They had shared the same knowing grin on their faces.
"It's the start of a new era." He told her, referring to the haircut and her moving in. She rolled her eyes at him and he shrugged. "It was time for something new."
He flopped onto the couch as she walked around looking at everything she had accumulated over the years. "Why don't you just rework that spell of yours?" Sirius asked her while chomping on an apple.
"I have so much crap now," she gestured around.
"Well, you don't need it all." He told her honestly, hopping up. He walked into her bedroom. "You don't need your bed, chest, mirror."
He walked through the flat, giving it a quick run through. Finally he came back to the couch and flopped back down. "All you really need are your clothes, cause luv, you look sexy in mine, but I don't think you'd be satisfied."
She laughed at him, falling down next to him. He gave arms a rub to see how they felt, her grin let him know they were better now. He looked at her. "Go on then, finish up."
Surprised she looked at him demanding she hurry, she hopped up and got out her wand to recast over everything she wanted to take with her. Sitting crossed-legged on her bed, he waited good naturedly--for only so long. She looked over where he huffed with impatience giving her a big-eyed stare to hurry up. He didn't know she had so much either. Getting out his wand, he started to entertain himself rearranging the stars on the ceiling. When he got bored of that, he rejected the idea of messing with Ava-it would only slow her down, so he went to the window and hexed people walking by. She shot a glare at him.
"Ah," he waved a hand at them, "They can fix it, just simple high jinx. Low jinx?"
She shook her head at him. "Ready?"
Hopping up, he gestured with his hands open. "Willing and able."
Ava aparrated to his flat to find him not there. She looked around and saw that it was empty as well. Everything was gone-and clean! She walked in and out of all the rooms, stunned to see it so bare. What was he playing at?
Sirius aparrated to his old flat after making a detour. He found Ava walking out of the bedroom, her puzzled expression almost made him laugh out loud at her. He looked at her, a blank face held in place, as he waited for her to say something.
Instead of saying something she gestured around at the vacant flat. When he didn't say anything she rolled her eyes at him. "It's empty." She stated the obvious.
He simply nodded again, loving the way she was getting herself worked up. "So…?"
He raised his eyebrows, 'so… what?' his expression asked her. She walked over to him gripping his shoulders, and gave him a gentle shake. She managed a smile through her impatience, laughing at herself.
"So, what's going on?"
He sighed, giving up. He took her hand and aparrated away from the flat. Ava looked around at their new placing, seeing all his stuff now in a new arrangement. She walked around, noticing how big the place was; it had two maybe three bedrooms. He stayed right where they had arrived, waiting for her to come back. She walked into the kitchen, and then did he follow. She sat down at the kitchen table in the round breakfast nook. She looked over at him, leaning against the counter.
"New place." She commented rather than questioned.
"Decided it was time for a change." He nodded. Running his hands through his now short hair he added, "Another one."
She smiled at her partner's shifting. Taking a look around the place she looked out the windows by the table. The darkness making her get up to see her new view, peering out the windows she was surprised at what she saw. Or more over, what she didn't.
Sirius rubbed his ears, but still delighted in the squeal of pleasure that came from her lips. He watched and followed as she let the blinds swing back into place and traced the wall along the windows until she found the door outside.
Ava ran outside, into a backyard. They weren't in the city anymore! Well, not quite living on top of other people. She looked around, turning in a circle, as she looked at the whole perimeter. The neighbors on both sides had fenced yards, which she was glad she couldn't see into, but the back of their yard faced into an open field, and further on came into woods. She ran over to Sirius and jumped on him, hugging him ecstatically. He caught her in his arms and was glad she loved it, but waited for the final bit to dawn on her.
After letting go of him, she couldn't wipe off her stupid looking grin. She looked up at the sky, marveling at it. With a quick look over to the field behind their house, she was sure the view was even better from there. She looked back over to her consort to see him just watching her, a half smile hidden on his smug face.
Sirius could not hold back the laughter when he saw it dawn on her that since this was obliviously a house, than it must have a garage. Her mouth dropped open, looking at him and then to the side where the back of the garage stood. He held his hand out that way for her to go.
When Ava walked into her new garage, she couldn't say anything. Her hand over her mouth, she was stunned. She couldn't think of anything to say, not that she tried that hard, the mind not working like that in a moment of surprise. Turning to Sirius, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, grateful for the garage, but above all him. There was nothing she could say to thank him enough, or tell him how much she adored him, as she held on to him. What she felt for him went beyond what words could describe, more than love.
Without her even having to say anything, he knew how she felt. He was just as pleased as her to have a house again all his own, living in a flat for years. Not only that, but he was in high spirits that she liked it- loved it he hoped. It wasn't that it was a fabulous place, but that it was theirs and it had little things they both hadn't had growing up-space, nice yard, her garage, and some to love.
-…-
Peter sat out in the back of a pub one gloomy night. Under the covered porch, he watched the rain come down and drench anything in its vertical path. The weather, he felt, reflected his miserable mood. Not that he could place his finger on it, but something was wrong. Pulling the mug backwards, he nursed his butterbeer.
From what he had told them, his friends thought that he was in Sweden on a mission to see what he could come up with in the rumors floating about. In truth, he was 10 Kilometers from James' old flat. He knew they would buy a house in the future, but had no idea. At the moment he didn't care. Surely when he was sober, he would. Unaware of the stranger that sat down beside him, Peter eyed his empty drink squinting in it.
"Drink up," The stranger pushed a new mug of lager at him. Peter eyed it, then looking to the stranger.
"No thanks." He leaned back, looking back to the rain.
"Ay, its good." The guest tried. Peter looked over to him to see the man nodding at him. Shrugging, he took.
"Look down mate." The unfamiliar person made conversation.
"Just swimming in self-pity." Peter said in a tone, the words making him think it's what Sirius talking. He took another huge gulp.
"Dark days."
Peter nodded. In truth he wasn't really paying attention to the odd man, but was polite to nod along. After the rest of the pint, he found himself more talkative. The man, who waved another round to the waitress, listen aptly, like none of the others did. 'Tom' was quite the audience Peter found, ignoring how he looked familiar.
"So your friends busy with other things?" Peter gave a self-pitying nod. He was quite bitter the more inebriated he became. "Well, you can come drink with me!" Tom and Peter laughed, clinking glasses.
It started innocently enough, Peter met Tom for drinks they became friends of sorts, shedding the acquaintance wrap. Although he couldn't quite place him, Peter ignored the urge to remember. Even briefly considering introducing Tom to the rest of the crowd, he soon changed his mind. It was nice not to have to always relay on them, let them worry after him.
-…-
Although the new trip to work was longer for Ava, she didn't mind. When aparrating, it's all the same. However, when she bought the bike, that changed. She loved driving the motorcycle, once she got it running that is. Buying it quite cheaply, the real fun was in restoring it. She drove it back and forth to work, and wherever else she deemed. Sirius admitted to her that he fancied it and wanted a go, or five. It soon became quite the challenge to see who could get to the keys first. The good and at the same time bad news was that he could only drive it when in town. When gone on missions, Ava missed the light battles they'd have, always in fun.
It was during one of these long trips that Ava got her idea. With a break from the covert Aurors requesting all sorts of gadgets, she was free to experiment. Dale rolled his eyes when she told him her wheels needed work.
"As much time as you put in on that?" he eyed her with a scrutinizing gaze. "That's your heart and soul in there." He cranked his head to the side indicating the chrome machine.
"Don't forget sweat and blood." Ava laughed. He waved his hand and rag at her. He let her get away with a lot now, not that he didn't before, but they had been together so long, also her taking all the oddball jobs.
On the way home that night, Ava took it for its first test run-enhanced. The sky was getting dark as she drove into a deserted alley. She flipped a switch on the handle and felt the wheels levitate off the ground. Delighting in the way it flew around, she was proud. She loved being able to combine her two lives in to one like this. Sirius would flip over the gift. She would just give it to him, borrowing it occasionally. He loved it even more than she did, which is saying a lot, and now more so-she was fairly confident. All she had to do was hold her suspense, and wait.
When he did get home, he was exhausted. He showed up in the living room, not worrying about what ever was or was not happening. Ava jumped from surprise, she had expected him home in a day or two. She looked over to her guests, wondering if they noticed the lack of traditional appearance.
"Hey Black," Dale gave a nod to the tired man. "Where did you come from?"
"Didn't you hear the door, just now?" Ava lied, jerking a thumb at the door out to the garage.
Marie, Dale's now fiancée, gave him a pat on the head. She gave Sirius a curious stare. "Ride on the outside of the plane?"
"Something like that."
Ava stood up, making it clear that she wanted to be alone with him. Marie stood up, being the good friend she was. Dale sat right where he was and smiled up at her, goading her into saying something. She glared at him, then flicked her eyes up to Marie who nodded, and gave Dale a slap upside the back of his head. He rubbed it as he got up, gave Ava a hug and Sirius a shake, Marie following suit. When they were gone, Sirius fell into the chair that bid the most comfortable.
"Oh, luv." Ava hid her grin as she walked over and pulled of his coat and rubbed his back and neck. "I" her voice danced, "have a surprise for you."
He opened one eye and peered at her over his shoulder. "Mm?"
"Can't tell you," she smiled wickedly. "Too bad you can't get up."
He gave her arm a gentle tug, hinting she come around the front. He pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. His head fell forward onto her back where he used it as a makeshift pillow, which wasn't as soft as the real thing.
Ava sighed. Reaching back she pet him on the head, running her fingers through his short hair. "Tomorrow."
-
"So?"
Ava looked up to see Sirius finally up the next morning standing in the garage where she was working on another creation. He had slept in that morning and looked liked a human being again, or at least more so compared to yesterday. She wasn't going to let him off that easily. "So what?"
"So, you said you had a surprise."
"Did I?"
He nodded, getting her play. "I wasn't so thrashed that I wouldn't remember, or were you just a tease?" she dropped her jaw at him, in mock hurt.
"Well, maybe you don't deserve it any more."
He shrugged and turned to walk back into the house, knowing it would provoke her. She growled at him, and came up behind him. "It'll have to wait till later, anyways." He put his arm on her shoulder, laughing at her vagueness.
Much later, when it was dark enough to not to see the sky clearly, she gave him a shake. He looked up from the papers he was reading at the kitchen table. Glad for the break, he stretched out his muscles. Seeing her secretive smirk, he raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"C'mon," she pulled him out to the back yard and made him stand there while she went back inside the house. He looked up at the stars, his neck felt good to look upward instead of down at those papers.
Her heard her come out through the garage and looked over to see her walking the motorcycle along. She stopped it and hand him the keys. "All yours."
He was somewhat startled that she was giving him her beloved bike. Hesitantly, he reached for the keys. Knowing he was unsure she pressed the keys into his hands. "Take 'em."
With the keys in his hands, he searched her face, wondering what this was all about. And why did it need to be dark for her to give it to him. She saw his puzzlement and pointed to the bike. "Sit."
He did sit down but still looked at her, a number of things running through his head. She had to end up doing everything for him as he wondered over the whole thing. She had him turn it on while she flipped on the wings gear discreetly. It didn't do anything until she told him to drive, his confused face wondering why he should rip up the grass.
"Do it!" she was becoming quite impatient with him and his bewilderment.
Shrugging he kicked off, balancing the machine and drove it for a few feet before it lifted off the ground. Half stunned, half amused, he marveled as it handle just as if it were on the ground. Finally coming back down, he looked over at Ava, who was covering her smile with her hand placed strategically over her mouth. Overly pleased, all he could manage, "luv."
Carefully she brought her hand down, controlling her expression. "So you like it?"
"Love it."
"Just for you." She reminded him it was his now. She let her grin show again, as he came over to thank her.
:: More fluff, but I think it is deserved, we all know, as Tom (what an Ironic name!) said, Dark days are ahead. So sad… so everyone needs some happiness before hand.
Personally, I'm slightly jealous that Sirius and Ava have such a cool house. Rooms, space, a garage, a yard, and field and woods beyond…in England!! Money buys a lot I suppose. Ignore my green colour….
