Morning sunlight streamed through the window when Sirius heaved himself out of bed and stumbled to the balcony to smoke a cigarette. The day was balmy, and the sun warmed his shoulders as he tipped back in his plastic chair. Several shoppers in the street below glanced up and saw him lounging in only his Chudley Cannons pants; he grinned and waved, then finished his cigarette and returned to the flat. After showering and brushing his teeth, he dropped his damp towel on the bathroom floor and padded back to the bedroom, leaving wet footprints as he went. When he reached the bedroom, he was startled to find Mary sprawled across the bed. She looked up from her Witch Weekly magazine, and a slow, lazy smile spread across her face.
"There you are. I was thinking about joining you in the shower, but I was too comfortable."
He frowned. "Were you here the whole time?"
"Yup. Sitting right here, reading my magazine, completely fucking naked, and you didn't even notice." She flopped onto her back and folded an arm behind her head.
He grinned. "Shut up. You know I'm useless in the morning. Why didn't you say something?"
"It's alright. I was reading a good article about a new skincare potion – don't laugh, you arsehole. It's more interesting than your motorbike magazines."
He took a step closer as his eyes traveled over her body. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty today?"
"I got my duty covered. Yours, too."
A breeze toyed with her curls and raised goosebumps on her skin. That girl is always cold, Sirius mused, yet she didn't cover herself with the rumpled blankets. That was just fine with him – he appreciated the view.
"Why did you get our duties covered?"
She giggled. "It's our shagiversary."
"Our fucking what?"
"Our shagiversary. The anniversary of the first time we shagged two years ago." She wrapped a curl around her finger as her eyes lingered on his face, his bare chest, and a spot a bit lower. Her smile held a mischievous, wicked quality. "I thought we should celebrate."
"Shit. Was I meant to get you a gift?" He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his finger up her arm, across her shoulder, down her collarbone to her full breast.
She sighed and closed her eyes as his fingertip circled her nipple. "Not the sort of gift you wrap." Her fingers closed around his wrist, and he let her guide him down onto the mattress.
"Happy shagiversary," he murmured. Her only response was a soft moan as his other hand grazed her inner thigh. "You're bloody amazing, you know that?"
Her mouth was too busy trailing light kisses along his jaw to answer. He moaned as his hand slid past her thigh to feel the slick warmth between her legs.
"You weren't only reading just now, were you?"
She smirked and inclined her hips toward his fingers. "I got bored waiting for you, and I was naked – what was I supposed to do?"
His thumb brushed her clit, and he enjoyed watching her close her eyes as she savored his touch. "Impatient much?"
"You'd do the same fucking thing." Her breathing was becoming ragged. "Don't be a tease, Black."
He dipped his index finger inside her, then pulled it away and touched his tongue to his fingertip, tasting her. "How many times did you get yourself off?"
She reached for his hand and tried to guide it back down, but he resisted.
"Just once. I like to take my time."
He pressed his tip to her clit, grinning as she sighed and tightened her fingers around his wrist.
"Then I guess I don't need to get you ready before I fuck you," he whispered, his lips beside her ear. "You're already wet enough."
"Don't be selfish, Black," she murmured, but her words dissolved into a gasp as he pushed himself inside her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"That's who I am, Macdonald," he said, thrusting into her and enjoying the way she tightened around him. "Get used to it."
He started slowly, rocking his hips and filling her up until she dug her nails into his shoulder and breathed his name. When her fingers twined in his hair and tugged, it was his turn to cry out.
"You like that?" Her words tickled his ear and sent a shiver down his spine.
"You fucking know I like that."
"Rub my clit some more, and I'll pull your hair hard enough to make you cry."
"That's unfair, Macdonald." He moaned as she yanked on the strands again.
"It's who I am." She guided his hand down until his fingers pressed against her, eliciting a growl of pleasure. "Get used to it."
His thumb circled her clit as she gave light tugs on his hair, bringing him closer to the edge. When he increased his speed and brought her to climax with a shuddering cry, she pulled his hair, making his eyes water as he muttered obscenities and pulsed inside of her.
"Don't," she whispered when he started to pull out. "Stay for a minute. I like how it feels."
"You're filthy," he said, kissing her lips and her jaw and her sweaty forehead.
"This isn't new information." She stroked his hair, her fingers gentle after the roughness of a few minutes ago. "But you love it."
"I do." He sighed, enjoying her warmth around him for another minute before he pulled out and Vanished the stickiness on her thighs.
"Why didn't we celebrate last year?" he asked a few minutes later as they lay wrapped in each other's arms.
Mary draped her leg over his and sighed. "We didn't see each other on our shagiversary last year. I think I had to work early the next day. I celebrated privately."
Sirius laughed, stirring the strands of her hair that fell across his chest. "I bet you did."
"Not as good as celebrating with you, though." She groped around on the mattress. "Do you have your wand? Or the cigarettes?"
"Stay there. I'll get them." He untangled himself from her and retrieved his cigarettes from the kitchen.
Mary had shifted position when he returned to the bedroom. Her tousled hair fanned out across the pillow, and her legs were crossed at the ankles. One arm rested behind her head, while the other rested on her hip. She was tan from their recent stay at the Potters' beach house, except for areas her bikini had covered. A weak beam of sunlight peeked through the curtains, illuminating the light glaze of sweat that lingered on her upper lip and in the wisps of hair at the top of her forehead.
"The curtain is open out there, isn't it?" Mary asked, an exasperated smile lifting her lips. "Those poor innocent shoppers will be horrified."
"You mean they'll consider themselves lucky they got to see all of this." He made a sweeping gesture to encompass his body before tossing her the cigarettes. "Don't move for a minute."
She reached for the Marlboros, then frowned. "Am I allowed to get my wand to light this?"
"No." He picked up his own wand from the dresser and tossed it to her. "Use mine. Go easy though, so you don't set your face on fire like last time."
"It's not my fault your wand is as obnoxious as you are."
She was cautiously lighting her cigarette as he strolled out of the room again. When he returned a minute later, a cigarette dangled lazily from her fingers and a light haze of smoke drifted around her face. Sirius stepped closer to the bed and lined up the shot, shifting slightly so the sunlight caught her glossy hair at the right angle, then pressed the button.
"What are you doing? Is that Peter's camera?" Mary started to rise, but Sirius held up his hand.
"I said don't move, Macdonald. I'm taking your picture."
She sighed and slid back down onto the mattress. "Why?"
He took a step to the left and snapped another picture. "Because you look really fucking sexy right now."
She put the cigarette to her lips, and Sirius took a picture as her mouth puckered around the filter. The shutter clicked again as she exhaled a swirling eddy of smoke. She raised her hand to give him the two finger salute… Click.
"Aren't you done yet?" She rolled into her stomach and propped her head on her hands. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't supposed to move."
Sirius grinned and moved to the foot of the bed. "It's okay, you look good this way, too." He took two more pictures, then tickled the bottom of her foot. "Cross your ankles and put your legs in the air, will you? Yeah, that's perfect. God, you have a great arse."
He snapped a picture as the brief flash of pure joy lit her face.
"What's your plan for these pictures, Black?"
He smirked. "I thought I'd hang them up all over the flat. Put one above the kitchen table, stick one on the bathroom mirror, maybe hang a few in James and Lily's room…"
She rolled her eyes and stretched out her arm to deposit her cigarette butt into the ashtray. "Black…"
"I'm going to bring them when I go away on overnight missions." He sank onto the bed beside her and tickled her face with the end of a curl. "So I can look at them when I miss you."
She laughed and batted his hand away. "For when you want to have a wank, you mean."
"Well, yeah. What else would I do when I miss you?"
"You're so romantic." She ran her finger along his stomach; he resisted the urge to squirm away until the light touch became too much and he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't fucking tickle me, Macdonald. That's almost as bad as holding hands."
She rolled her eyes. "No it's not. You tickle me all the time. You just can't handle when I do it back."
He didn't argue – it was an accurate assessment. She reached over and pulled him back toward her, but she didn't attempt to tickle him again.
"Are you going to show James the pictures?"
He laughed. "No point. He'd just refuse to look at him out of respect for Evans, the bloody idiot."
"He's not an idiot. She'd be furious if she knew he'd seen nude photos of me, or of any other girl, for that matter." She ran her finger along the raised scar across his chest. "What if Peter sees them when he develops the film?"
"Pete's not getting anywhere near these photos," Sirius said, grinning. "He's already sexually frustrated enough on his own. Showing him these photos would just be cruel, because he knows damn well he doesn't stand a chance of shagging a girl anywhere near as good looking as you."
"You're such an arsehole." She stood and reached for the camera, then walked around the other side of the bed. "Smile."
"What are you doing?" The camera flashed, and he squinted his eyes against the bright, unexpected light.
"I'm taking your picture – what does it look like I'm doing?" She shook her head and took a step to the right. "If you get to have sexy photos to bring on missions with you, I want some, too."
"Well, make sure you get me at a good angle." He rolled over and smirked at the camera, then ran a hand through his hair and bit his lip.
"Hang on, where's that stupid hat?" Mary hurried over to the closet and emerged with a red cowboy hat clutched in her hand.
"This hat is not stupid." He tilted it over one eye and pouted at the camera, then reached for his wand and Summoned a broomstick from the other bedroom.
"Is that yours?" Mary asked as she watched Sirius stand up to pose with one leg wrapped around the broomstick.
He shook his head, a smug smile on his lips. "Nah. James would murder me if he saw me doing this. But I thought it would be a sexy picture."
She giggled as he gripped the broom handle and blew a kiss to the camera. "It is. Now, pretend to spank yourself with it."
When Mary tired of taking pictures, they crawled back into bed and drank pumpkin juice straight from the jug.
"Who are you going to show my photos to?" Sirius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and handed her the jug.
She drained the rest of the pumpkin juice as she considered the question. "Lily won't look any more than James will, but I might give Marlene a peek."
He draped his arm across her waist and chuckled. "You can give her one to keep, if you like."
"Nah, those are for me." She nestled her head against his shoulder. "It was Marlene who took my duty today. She said she didn't mind, as long as I give her plenty of details about our, er, celebration. And Lily took yours, but only if I promised not to tell her any details about what we did today."
"She acts like she hates hearing about it, but I know for a fact she stores away all your little tips and tricks and uses them with James – he tells me about it." He pushed a strand of her hair out of his face. "This is going to sound arrogant–"
Mary snorted with laughter. "Almost everything that comes out of your mouth sounds arrogant, Black."
He pinched her waist, eliciting a squeal of protest. "Rude. Anyway, I was going to say I think we're a lot better at sex than most people. Is that too arrogant?"
"Oh, no, we definitely are. It's sort of our thing, you know?"
"It is, isn't it?" He pressed his lips to her shoulder, tasting a hint of salt on her skin. "I'm glad that's our thing, and not, I dunno, talking about our fucking feelings."
"That's James and Lily's thing." Mary began to run her fingers through his hair. "But this is much more relaxing. I was feeling pretty stressed when I woke up this morning, but now I'm completely stress free."
Sirius didn't bother asking what she was stressed about – he was sure it was the same endless list of worries and bad news that left him with a vague weight on his chest that never quite lifted. Even now, lying wrapped in Mary's arms after an enthusiastic celebration of the "holiday," a hint of the weight lingered, although it was faint enough to ignore if he held Mary tight enough.
"Me too," he murmured, running his hand up and down her arm. "Although maybe we should celebrate a bit more, in case someone turns up dead or missing tomorrow and we need a bit of extra stress relief."
She pushed herself upright and straddled him, smirking when he moaned and dug his fingers into her thigh.
"We'll function better tomorrow if we're not stressed, so this is really for the good of the Order," she said, a wicked smile on her face.
His only response was a sigh of pleasure, because he really couldn't argue with her logic.
They moved from the bed to the braided rug beside it, then ended up in the shower. When they emerged afterwards, dripping and flushed from the hot water, they returned to the bed and let their damp hair soak the pillows.
"We should get a takeaway." Sirius pushed his wet hair out of his face and sighed. "But that means getting dressed."
"No getting dressed on our shagiversary. That's a rule. I'll make us something."
She slid out of bed; Sirius closed his eyes and slipped into a light doze. A few minutes later, he woke to the smell of frying bacon wafting through the open door, and Sirius wandered into the kitchen to find her cracking eggs into a pan.
"Isn't it a bit dangerous to cook bacon naked?" he asked, sitting down at the kitchen table to watch her.
The bacon grease popped, and she jumped backwards to avoid it.
"A bit," she said, grinning sheepishly as she dropped two slices of bread into the toaster. "It got me pretty good a minute ago." Turning, she pointed to an angry red mark just above her left nipple.
He grimaced. "Aww, Macdonald, that must have hurt. And yet you're still cooking naked, risking all your bits."
"Yes, well, I said we're not allowed to get dressed today, and I can't violate my own rule." She turned back to the stove and flipped the strips of bacon gingerly.
"Do you want me to help?"
She laughed and glanced at him over her shoulder. "God, no. You'll burn everything. I'll be fine – you just sit there and watch."
He tipped back in his chair and watched her turn the eggs over one by one. "Fine with me. You look very good cooking naked, by the way. Can I have that spatula for a minute?"
"No."
"Why not?"
She took two mugs from the cupboard and filled them with hot water. "Because I know you. You're going to smack my arse with it, and that's not sanitary."
The exasperation in her tone made him laugh. "I'll wash it afterwards."
"Leave my spatula alone. It's almost done, anyway." She pulled plates from the cupboard and dished out the eggs, bacon, and toast, then levitated it all to the table along with silverware and the mugs of tea. As she sat down, she raised her eyebrows.
"James and Lily wouldn't appreciate us sitting on these chairs naked. And that's Lily's usual spot, you know."
Sirius adjusted his position and nodded. "I'm aware. She should've thought about the consequences before she ate the rest of my food the other day."
Mary shook her head as she spread butter on her toast. "That was because you ate her leftovers the last two times before that."
"Yes, well, I've always been a huge bloody hypocrite. This isn't new information." He took a bite of bacon and smiled as it crunched between his teeth. "I think this is the best bacon you've ever made. Maybe cooking naked makes the food taste better."
"You should try it. If the food doesn't come out burnt or half-raw, we'll know your theory is correct." She giggled and ducked when he threw a piece of crust at her. "It's okay, Black, you have other talents."
When they finished eating, Mary washed the dishes and Sirius dried them in an uncharacteristic show of helpfulness. Mary kept sneaking glances at him when she passed him a clean dish.
"I know, I know, I look very sexy with a dishtowel in my hands." He dried the plate and put it away, then flicked the towel at her, pulling it back so the end grazed her thigh.
She put her hands on her hips; he noticed a clump of soap bubbles clinging to her bare skin. "You do. You can help me do the dishes any time you want, you know."
"Yeah, I could, but I dunno. I don't think it's one of my many talents."
"Arsehole." She flicked soapy water at him, then stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Her hair smelled like bacon, and her hands were wet against his back.
"I'm happy to show you my other talents, though." He cupped her breast, then pulled away when she gave a soft yelp.
"That's the injured tit," she said, wincing. "Be gentle."
"Oh, shit, sorry. Hang on." He hurried to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinet until he found the tube of burn salve.
"I don't need that," she protested when he returned with it clutched in his hand.
Ignoring her, he washed his hands, then squeezed some salve onto his finger.
"Black, really. I'm fine."
"Macdonald, I'm quite fond of your tits, and I don't want anything happening to them. Now hold still."
Her hair was in the way, as usual, so he brushed it aside before applying a thin layer of salve to the burn. He watched in satisfaction as the red mark faded slightly.
"I'll put more on in an hour or so, and then it should be completely healed."
"Thanks." She gazed at him in surprise. "You were so… gentle."
He scowled and tossed the burn salve onto the counter. "Don't make it a big thing, Macdonald. I rubbed burn salve on your tit, that's all."
"But it didn't even hurt," she insisted. "Usually that stuff fucking stings before it makes it feel better."
He grinned. "Not if you're really slow and gentle. I learned that from Pom Pom. Who do you think patched Remus up after the last two full moons? Mind you, most of the scratches last month were my fault – I had to get a bit rough because he was being a stubborn git."
His mouth tightened as he recalled Remus lying in a crumpled heap on the sofa while Sirius stood in front of the kitchen cupboard, scanning the various potions and ointments they had stockpiled for post-transformation aftercare. He hadn't even been sure he'd chosen the right ones, but James had left early for a mission, and Peter had been too panicky to be of any help.
"Oh, Black, that's so sweet."
"No it's not," he grumbled. "I just did what had to be done. I'm the same insensitive arsehole you've come to expect."
"Let me enjoy sweet, thoughtful Sirius Black." She trailed kisses along his neck, then pressed her lips to the spot behind his ear. "It's doing it for me."
He shivered as her breath tickled his ear. "It's the gentle fingers, isn't it?" He lifted her up and placed her on the counter, enjoying her little cry of surprise and pleasure.
"This is definitely not sanitary." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close until his thighs dug into the edge of the counter. "Now tell me more about what those gentle fingers can do."
His lips curved into a lazy smile as his fingers trailed slowly down her chest, his fingernails grazing her skin. When he reached the downy hair between her legs, she twined her hands in his hair and scooted closer to the edge of the counter.
"Are you done being selfish, Black?"
He slid his fingers inside her in a silent response that made her gasp. While he hooked his fingers upward and moved up and down, his thumb traced light circles, gradually increasing his pressure until her teeth grazed his neck and her ragged breathing filled his ear.
"Do you like that?" he whispered in a perfect imitation of her previous question.
Her thighs twitched and her walls tightened around his fingers, providing all the answer he needed. And when she finished throbbing and sighing his name, he bent his head between her legs and lapped at her wetness until she giggled and hooked her fingers under his chin.
"You're filthy," she whispered, her chest still heaving.
"And you love it," he replied, running his tongue along her once more.
Afterwards they drifted to the living room. Mary closed the curtains despite Sirius's protests, and they lounged on the sofa, smoking and laughing about how horrified Lily and James would be by the naked, sweaty arses on the cushions. When they finished their cigarettes, Mary knelt on the floor in front of Sirius and dragged her nails along his thighs.
"Are you repaying the favor?"
Her lips brushed his length, and he tangled his fingers in her hair as he closed his eyes.
"Are you complaining?" she asked.
He opened his eyes to see her looking up at him, his tip brushing her lips as lust glazed her eyes.
"God, no."
A slow smile lifted her lips before she engulfed him with her mouth, sliding down his length until he hit the back of her throat. Sometimes he marveled at her skill, wondering how she didn't choke when she was practically swallowing him like that, but mostly he was too busy enjoying himself to think coherent thoughts at all.
Today was no exception – as her tongue grazed his shaft, pleasure drove all thoughts from his mind. His body tensed as she picked up speed, saliva sliding down to pool on the sheets below him.
"Take that cock, Macdonald," he whispered, hardly aware of what he was saying, but it didn't matter. He knew she loved the filth that escaped his lips, and it brought him closer to the edge.
When her teeth grazed him gently, he shouted her name at the ceiling as he burst in her mouth. He rested his head against the back of the sofa as the pulses slowed, his heart pounding. When she drew away, her tongue darted out to clean a drop of his seed from her lips.
"God, you're good at that," he breathed as she settled back on the sofa.
"You're welcome."
Sirius lay his head in Mary's lap, and his eyes closed as she ran her fingers through his hair. He slipped into a doze, lulled to sleep by the soothing movements of her fingers.
He woke up later and found her slumped sideways on the arm of the sofa. A thin line of drool trickled from her open mouth; he grinned and wiped it away, trying to decide whether he would tease her about it.
"Hey." Her eyes opened and she sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't recommend sleeping like that. Fuck, was I drooling?"
"Yeah. I'm afraid that violates the shagiversary rules. It's very unsexy."
"Oh, shut up." She whacked him with a throw pillow, then stretched out on the sofa and motioned for him to join her. "I want to lie down, but I'm too lazy to move to the bed."
He chuckled and settled beside her, sliding his arms around her and dangling his feet off the arm of the sofa. "This has been a fucking excellent day."
She sighed and pressed her forehead against his chest. "It really has."
"I needed this." After the endless stretch of duties over the past couple of weeks and the increasingly bleak news in the Daily Prophet, it was a relief to forget about reality for a day.
"Hey." She touched his face, tracing the tense lines around his mouth. "You're looking stressed. Stress is against shagiversary policies. No stress allowed – only sex, naps, and dangerous cooking practices."
He sighed. "You're right." He kissed her and twined his hand in her curls until the thoughts receded.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Her lips were slightly swollen from kissing; he forced himself to focus on them rather than on the worries that threatened to resurface.
"You know I don't. And you don't, either."
Their preferred strategy for dealing with the unsettling state of the world was avoidance — a bottle of Ogden's, a joint or two, shagging until they both fell asleep among the tangle of blankets. Mary firmly believed dwelling on a problem caused unnecessary stress, yet here she was, inviting him to dwell on something that was sure to bring down their day
"No, I don't," she agreed. "But if it would make you feel better to talk about it, I'll listen. Or, if you prefer, I'll continue to shag you silly until you forget what's bothering you."
"Option 2, please." He sat up and stretched, then craned his neck to see the clock that hung above the fireplace. "What time are Prongs and Evans due back?"
"Soonish."
A wicked smile spread across his face. "I was just thinking, we've shagged in every room today except their bedroom."
She giggled. "It would be mean to use their bed. But they do have the bunk bed in there…"
When Sirius had moved into the flat two summers ago, he had bought bunk beds so Remus and Peter would have a place to sleep. They had come in handy when they all went out to the pub or stayed up until three in the morning playing drinking games, but Sirius and Mary also occasionally used the bed for sex. "Just to switch things up," Sirius always said. "For a bit of adventure."
James and Lily's room was stuffy and dark. As they made their way to the bunk bed, Mary tripped on a pile of clothes and had to grab Sirius's arm to stay upright.
"Evans is going to tell him off for leaving his dirty pants on the floor," Sirius said, kicking them out of the way. "Top or bottom bunk?"
"Top, I think." She led the way up the ladder, squealing when he poked her arse, then moved aside so he could lie down first.
"I don't want you to hit your head again." She climbed on top of him; her head was inches from the popcorn ceiling.
"That's thoughtful of you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him to kiss her. "You took bacon grease to the tit for me, and now you're risking your head? You're a fucking gem, Macdonald."
"That's sweet." She adjusted her position, making him ache with anticipation. "I'll remember this next time you're being an arsehole."
He wanted to argue that he was almost never an arsehole, but then she was guiding him inside and he lost his train of thought completely.
"God, I'm sore," she sighed afterwards as they lay staring up at the ceiling.
"Your head?" Sirius rubbed the swollen red spot at the top of her forehead.
"Yeah, and other places." She scooted over and settled her head on his chest. "Thanks for not laughing when I hit my head, by the way."
He brushed a curl out of his face and grinned. "You know I love an opportunity to laugh at you, but I was too close to laugh. Honestly, you could've split your forehead open and been bleeding all over the place, and I still would've finished."
"You're such a fucking arsehole." She reached down and began to tickle his waist, but he grabbed her wrist and dragged it away.
"I was very sweet to you earlier, remember? You said you'd keep it in mind next time I was an arsehole. And don't bloody tickle me." He sighed and tightened his arm around her. "I'm a bit sore too, to be honest. We haven't had a day like this in ages."
"It's been the best day." She tilted her head up to kiss him. "I know I said it before, but I really needed this."
"Me too." He trailed his fingers up and down her arm. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, so he shifted his legs aside and pulled the blankets over them.
"I love you," she murmured, tracing the scar on his chest.
He sighed. "Macdonald…"
"I know, I know, I'm being sentimental. I'm just so fucking happy." She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Well, I'm not surprised you're happy. That's what a day of shagging me nonstop will do." He closed his eyes and relaxed into her touch. Usually speaking those words aloud filled him with a creeping panic, but today he was so content and sated that they slipped easily from his lips. "Love you, too."
"Aww, Black…"
She reached for his hand, but he jerked it away.
"Don't make it a big thing, Macdonald. And don't stop playing with my hair. It feels nice."
She laughed and returned to stroking his hair. "Fucking hell, you're needy."
"Yes, but I have other redeeming qualities."
She groaned. "We should probably get up before Lily and James come back and find us naked in their room."
"Probably, but let's stay here for five more minutes. I'm very comfortable." He butted his head against her hand. "And why have you stopped playing with my hair?"
As her fingers resumed their soothing motion, he smiled and closed his eyes, grateful for the warmth of her body that enveloped him and insulated him from his worries.