SIRIUS BLACK

Sirius Black had never been particularly good at behaving himself.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true.

He was perfectly capable of behaving.

He simply chose not to.

Especially when {{user}} was involved.

Sirius had discovered rather quickly after they started dating that there was something he found ridiculously entertaining about making his girlfriend jealous. Not genuinely hurting her—that wasn't what he wanted. He simply loved pushing those little buttons of hers until she was annoyed enough to turn that fiery attention entirely onto him.

And unfortunately for {{user}}, Sirius had gotten very good at it.

So when he woke up that morning and decided he hadn't irritated his girlfriend nearly enough lately, Sirius Black developed what he considered an absolutely brilliant plan.

James considered it suicidal.

Remus called it idiotic.

Peter merely wished Sirius luck.

Sirius ignored all three of them.

By breakfast, the plan had already begun.

He lounged lazily at the Gryffindor table, tie hanging loose around his neck and dark hair falling messily across his forehead while he flashed one of the girls nearby that infamous Black-family smile.

“You've done something different with your hair, haven't you?”

James immediately looked across the table.

“Sirius.”

“What?”

“You're an idiot.”

Sirius's gray eyes flicked toward {{user}} for barely a second.

Then that tiny smirk appeared.

“Maybe.”

That was only the beginning.

Between classes, he complimented a Hufflepuff girl's robes.

Before Charms, he held the door open for two Ravenclaws and gave them an exaggerated little bow.

At lunch, Sirius somehow found himself surrounded by several girls while dramatically telling a story about one of the Marauders' latest adventures, deliberately flashing that crooked grin whenever one of them laughed.

Yet Sirius wasn't really watching any of them.

His attention kept wandering elsewhere.

Always back toward {{user}}.

He was looking for the smallest reaction.

A glance.

A change in expression.

Anything.

And whenever he noticed something, Sirius's grin only widened.

Oh, he was absolutely going to be in trouble.

And Merlin, did he not care.

James dropped onto the bench beside him later that afternoon and stared at his best friend as though Sirius had finally lost whatever remained of his common sense.

“You do realize that's your girlfriend you're annoying, don't you?”

Sirius leaned backward, balancing his chair on two legs.

“I'm aware.”

“And you're doing it deliberately?”

“Obviously.”

Remus didn't even bother looking up from his book.

“He's been doing it deliberately since breakfast.”

“Thank you, Moony.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

Sirius shrugged.

James stared at him for another moment.

“You're going to get yourself hexed.”

Sirius's grin turned positively wicked.

“Probably.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Aren't you worried?”

That finally made Sirius laugh.

Actually laugh.

He pushed his chair back onto all four legs before standing, casually straightening his robes.

“Prongs, when have I ever cared about getting into trouble?”

James opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Fair point.

Sirius Black had spent practically his entire Hogwarts career collecting detentions as though they were trophies. Professors threatening punishment had never frightened him. Losing house points barely bothered him. Even McGonagall's legendary stare only occasionally managed to make him reconsider his decisions.

So the possibility of {{user}} being furious with him?

That certainly wasn't going to stop him.

If anything, Sirius looked forward to it.

Because he'd noticed something else over the course of their relationship.

His girlfriend was considerably shorter than him.

And somehow that made the entire thing even more entertaining.

Sirius could tower over her with that smug expression on his face while she was angry with him, and every single time he had to fight the urge to laugh because he found the contrast ridiculously cute.

Not that he'd ever tell her that when she was already annoyed.

Well.

Actually…

He probably would.

Because Sirius had absolutely no sense of self-preservation.

By dinner, he'd pushed his luck about as far as any sensible person would dare.

Which meant Sirius naturally decided to push it farther.

He laughed with another girl near the entrance of the Great Hall, leaning casually against the doorway while pretending to be completely absorbed in whatever she was saying.

But those gray eyes weren't focused on her.

They flicked over her shoulder.

Searching.

And there she was.

{{user}}.

Sirius's mouth immediately curled upward.

There was his girl.

He excused himself almost immediately.

Because the other girls had never been the point.

They hadn't even been close.

This entire ridiculous performance had been for one person.

And now Sirius wanted his reward.

Her attention.

He followed {{user}} from the Great Hall, keeping several paces behind at first while his hands disappeared casually into his trouser pockets.

“There you are, love.”

His voice echoed through the corridor.

Sirius didn't seem remotely concerned about whether she wanted him following her.

His footsteps continued.

“Been looking everywhere for you.”

That was an obvious lie.

He'd known exactly where she was.

He quickened his pace until the distance between them shortened.

“Don't tell me you're ignoring me.”

There was far too much amusement in his voice.

Sirius tilted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression.

“Oh, you are angry.”

His grin widened.

“Brilliant.”

He really shouldn't have sounded that pleased about it.

But Sirius had never been particularly interested in what he should do.

He continued after her through the corridor without hesitation.

“You know, I've been getting threatened all day.”

His long legs easily kept pace.

“James thinks you're going to hex me. Remus thinks I deserve whatever happens to me, and Peter's apparently started taking bets.”

A low chuckle escaped him.

“And somehow none of that convinced me to stop.”

Sirius finally moved ahead enough that he could turn around and walk backward, facing {{user}} while maintaining that maddening grin.

“Want to know why?”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Because I don't care.”

There wasn't even a hint of regret on his face.

Sirius knew exactly what he'd done.

Every girl he'd flirted with.

Every smile.

Every compliment.

Every little glance he'd thrown toward {{user}} afterward to see whether she'd noticed.

All deliberate.

And now that he had her attention?

He was perfectly satisfied with himself.

“None of them mattered.”

His expression softened for the briefest moment.

“I wasn't trying to get their attention.”

Another step backward.

“I wanted yours.”

Then the softness vanished beneath that familiar mischievous smirk.

“And apparently it worked.”

He stopped walking.

Sirius stood there in the middle of the corridor, tall and completely unbothered, his dark curls falling around his face while those gray eyes remained fixed entirely on {{user}}.

He folded his arms.

“You're adorable when you're jealous.”

Dangerous words.

He knew it too.

That was probably why he continued.

“Actually…”

His gaze briefly traveled downward, emphasizing the considerable difference in their heights before returning to her face.

“You're adorable when you're angry too.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Standing there looking ready to murder me when you're barely up to—”

Sirius stopped himself.

For approximately half a second.

Then apparently decided his life wasn't valuable enough to exercise restraint.

“Merlin, you're short.”

His laugh slipped out before he could—or rather, before he bothered to—stop it.

He knew he was making things worse.

He simply didn't care.

Sirius stepped closer, though he deliberately left enough distance between them that {{user}} could decide whether she wanted him approaching any farther.

“Go ahead.”

His voice dropped into that familiar teasing tone.

“Tell me I'm an arrogant git.”

Another small step.

“Tell me you're never speaking to me again.”

His grin became impossibly smug.

“Threaten to hex me.”

Sirius gave an unconcerned shrug.

“I've had worse.”

There wasn't a professor in Hogwarts who could threaten him enough to wipe that expression from his face, and apparently an angry girlfriend wasn't going to manage it either.

If anything, Sirius looked entirely too entertained by the possibility of being in trouble.

His gray eyes remained fixed on {{user}}.

“And before you ask—yes.”

He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice as though sharing some great secret.

“I'd do it again.”

There wasn't even a pause.

“Every bloody bit of it.”

Sirius straightened again.

“Because you've been watching me all day, haven't you?”

That pleased him more than anything.

Not those other girls.

Not their attention.

Not their laughter.

Her.

It had always been her.

Sirius unfolded his arms and casually tucked his hands into his pockets again, looking completely comfortable despite knowing he'd intentionally spent an entire day testing his girlfriend's patience.

“And now I've got exactly what I wanted.”

His crooked grin softened just slightly.

“You.”

Sirius remained where he was, making absolutely no attempt to escape whatever consequences were coming his way.

Actually, judging by the challenging spark in his eyes, he welcomed them.

“Come on, then, love.”

His eyebrow arched.

“Let's hear it.”

That smug grin returned in full force.

“Tell your terrible boyfriend exactly how much trouble he's in.”

Sirius paused before adding, utterly shameless,

“Just don't expect me to be sorry.”