roses & roses & roses

hi hi hi for the drabbles 17 and hmmmmm blackbolt perchance?

hi linds ❤️ anything for u!!!

"This is going to hurt."

Kingsley is aware of the irony of being an Auror in love with an escaped convict. In his defense, Sirius is innocent.

Mostly.

At the moment, it's a little harder to remember that Sirius is innocent, because he makes a very convincing criminal. A true calling, some might say. Kingsley wouldn't—he knows better than that. The implications would smash whatever chances Kingsley has with the man.

Remus is proof of that.

Oh, he said he forgave me, and I suppose in his own way, he did, Remus had told Kingsley once, sad and slumped and wistful. Thing is, though, there is a line with Sirius, and if you ever cross it, that's it. You can never go back.

Kingsley took it to heart. He wishes Remus no ill-will, but. Well, his loss certainly can be Kingsley's gain. Remus would understand, surely, given the way he's still head over heels. Even if he didn't, it wouldn't matter. He's not the abrasive type. More of the suffer in silence sort.

Kingsley, on the other hand, always knows to speak when it's necessary. Speak up. Speak out.

"Black!" Kingsley hisses, skittering to a stop at the mouth of the alleyway, head tipped back.

"'Lo, Kingsley," Sirius calls down from the rooftop, hanging over the edge of it, waggling his fingers. "Fancy meeting you here." A beat, and the grin on his face widens. "Came all this way to see me, did you?"

Kingsley huffs out a laugh, chest heaving, blood rushing. He feels horrendously, wondrously alive. "You know very well I'm on duty."

Sirius chin-hands. Kicks his feet behind his head. Smiles so sweetly Kingsley's teeth ache, or maybe that's just the urge to bite him. "Oh, yes, I'm very aware."

"If you wanted to meet with me, you could've just sent a letter, not let yourself be seen," Kingsley tells him.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Sirius leans back, then unceremoniously tosses himself over the lip of the roof, sailing down and landing directly on his feet without so much as a stumble. "Any updates for me?"

"None since you last asked three weeks ago."

That was back in Italy. Kingsley was the one on rooftops then, chasing Sirius across them, leaping from one to the next. Wouldn't have caught him even if he could've. It was fun. Always is, with him.

Sirius hums and leans up against the side of the building, eyes briefly drifting shut as the breeze ruffles his hair. He looks—awful, truly. As awful as a beautiful man can, in any case. Tangled hair. Wild eyes. Untamed beard. Filthy, holey clothes. Terribly thin, like any man living off scraps would be. Somehow, impossibly, he makes it work.

When his face softens, he looks kind. The wrinkles beside his eyes crinkle up when he grins. The mad gleam in his gaze can also be warm. His laughter sounds like music.

Love's a funny thing. Blind, too, in some ways. There's four Aurors knocked out and bleeding three blocks back, and Kingsley should be concerned about that. Is, distantly, but Sirius never kills. Only knocks down hard enough to make sure it takes a while to get back up. Occasionally maims, if he's pissed off, or pushed into it. Still, everyone walks away with their life. They all have their lines, and Sirius doesn't seem interested in crossing Kingsley's.

It's charming. Sweet, even. Almost tentative, like learning the rules of new mutual respect. There's flirting, and then there's taking the time to care about the other's feelings. Sirius doesn't have to. Frankly, Kingsley wouldn't blame him if he didn't; the system failed him, after all. It'd make sense if he held a grudge.

Yet, he's kind to Kingsley. Likes him, that much is obvious. Always happy to see him, and never eager to upset him. He's been flirting from day one, like a man who never lost his mind, but lately, he's started to get to know Kingsley. Curious about him. Asks questions. Does silly things like get spotted in public, just to spend time with him.

Sirius is innocent of the crimes he was imprisoned for, but he's careless with laws in general. Thinks himself above them. A lawless nature. Led only by his own morals, and his own values, and his own integrity. It's fortunate for the world that he's actually a good man.

"How've you been?" Sirius asks, opening his eyes.

"Oh, you know..." Kingsley shrugs. "Bored, mostly."

Sirius' eyes sparkle. "And now?"

Kingsley's lips twitch. "Less so."

Sirius grins at him, and Kingsley wonders how anyone could believe he was capable of betrayal. Kingsley has seen it all in his line of work, he really has, but a man like Sirius Black? That's rare. That's one-of-kind. You don't give up on that, not so easily. How anyone managed to, Kingsley will never be able to understand.

"It's a shame I'll be free someday," Sirius says. "You won't be able to chase me around anymore."

"Duty isn't all I require to do that," Kingsley admits. "I'll chase you wherever you like, as long as you like."

Sirius briefly looks startled. For all the teasing and flirting that they do, Kingsley's never expressed actual intentions, or made his interest evident, not so explicitly.

But, well, Kingsley knows how to speak up.

After a beat, Sirius says, almost like a warning, "I'm a dog. I never get tired of a chase."

Kingsley shrugs, lips curling up. "I'm an Auror. I don't stop until I've made my catch."

"I can't be caught, you do realize?"

"Against your will? Likely not. But you might allow it someday. When you do—"

Sirius' eyes narrow dangerously. "If."

Kingsley smiles wider. "If you do allow it, perhaps that day you'll let me take you for a drink."

Sirius considers him. Flicks his gaze over him, eyebrow arched. Sizing him up. Interested, clearly, but only mildly so. Has a lot going on and a long way to go before love is something he'd bother with. Kingsley doesn't mind. There's a foundation here for it, if he's willing, if he wants it.

"Perhaps," Sirius says slowly, gaze landing on his face, "but you really will have to catch me first."

"Then start running," Kingsley tells him.

A spark enters Sirius' eye. He straightens up, then speaks with warmth in his tone, low and sultry, at odds with what he actually says, which is, "This is going to hurt."

Kingsley blinks. That's the only warning he gets before he's slammed back against the opposite wall with a quick flick of Sirius' wand, landing with a thud that knocks all the air out of his lungs and gets his blood pumping all over again.

Not that it ever stopped, really.

Wheezing, laughing breathlessly, Kingsley fumbles for his wand to free himself, landing on his feet and swinging his head. Sirius is long gone. Running.

Thrilled, Kingsley begins the chase.