Written for the wonderful Gend3rLess! Hope you like!

Sirius Black was a lady's man. A player. One who considered loving and breaking hearts a lifestyle. He was unwanted by his family. He was a Marauder, a troublemaker, an athlete. He was immensely popular. He was a thief of hearts, one who never stayed with a girlfriend for more than a week or two. And although he had all these little quirks and perks, he was still my best friend. When I first met Sirius at the beginning of my first year here at Hogwarts, he was already gaining attention among the girls and popularity- fast. I was never one for the daily grind of social life and gossip- never have been- and somehow that indifference led Sirius and his group of friends straight to me. I soon became part of their tight-knit group, and I suppose the reason was how I had a sort of combination of all their personalities. Like James, I was a real prankster, always up for a good practical joke, but on the other hand, I was also smart and studious like Remus. I was naturally charming and popular, just like Sirius, but I also had an empathetic, kind, quiet side like Peter. 

From that first year on, I learned that no matter what happened at Hogwarts, social circles were everything. If you had no friends, you were pretty much a forever outcast. House discrimination certainly was a thing too, the Gryffindors hating the Hufflepuffs or the Slythering hating the Ravenclaws for a few weeks, then one of them would shift their annoyance to another house and so on and so forth. The Slytherins got it the worst, and I always considered myself lucky to be a proud Gryffindor, placed in the house of the lion without a second thought by the Sorting Hat. Sirius liked to tease I was the perfect embodiment of a pure Gryffindor: Brave, kind, just, loyal, on and on he would compliment me, highlighting all the strengths he saw in me, many of which I'd never before considered as part of my personality.

Early on, I never really took notice of the compliments, and they died out soon after when I guess he didn't get the reaction he was looking for. But then, at the beginning of my fourth year at Hogwarts, I noticed plenty of stares and winks coming from boys my age and even a little older. James mentioned one evening that I'd 'grown quite a bit over the summer!' and nudged Sirius' arm in a manner I found a little suspicious, especially when Padfoot (as we all affectionately called him) glared directly at Prongs (another nickname). It was around that time when I started finding secret admirer's notes in my bags, tacked to the door of my dormitory, and slipped inside the pages of my textbooks. They came from various boys around my age, some bold enough to sign the badly penned note and some too nervous to even barely hint at who they were. That year, Sirius grew more protective of me than he ever had before, keeping away some of the weirder admirers and watching the others carefully. 

I appreciated his efforts to ward off the creeps, but I kept feeling a warm flicker in my heart whenever he was around that I couldn't seem to place for quite a while. It wasn't until fifth year, when I accidentally walked in on Sirius and his doe-eyed girlfriend at the time making out in his dorm (and I quickly hurried out before they saw me) that I realized I was pretty jealous of all the girls Sirius took on as girlfriends, even if they only stayed by his side for a week or less. Why? I laid in my bed, awake all night, contemplating that question until I grew so restless I had to get up and go do something to chase away the sleeplessness. I headed down into the Common Room in my pajamas and found Sirius sitting on one of the couches, watching the flames in the fireplace flicker and dance in the dim lantern light. 

I silently sat down beside him and we both gazed into the fire until I soon grew sleepy and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me as I quickly fell asleep, the last memory of that night being Sirius carrying me up the stairs to my dorm so I could sleep in my own bed, not on the couch. When I woke the next morning, all tucked in under my blankets and a note on my bedside table that read 'sweet dreams -S', I knew immediately I had fallen in love with my best friend, and I had fallen hard. I almost never spoke up about my feelings for him, wary of the way he saw girls, just as something to love for a moment in life and then move on to the next,  but I'm glad I waited so long, all the way until our last year at Hogwarts.

Seventh year, the year everything- from studies to popularity- mattered the most, finally arrived. I stepped onto Platform 9 ¾, breathing in the familiar smell of the train smoke and listening to the hustle and bustle of wizarding families all around me. Within a matter of seconds, I was bombarded with a tight hug from Sirius, who was talking a mile a minute about how much he'd missed me over the summer. This was a little strange for him, but I didn't pay much mind to it at the time. I laughed and gently moved away from Sirius after he kept hugging me for over a minute and pointed over toward Marlene McKinnon, who I knew had been trying to catch my playboy friend's attention for years. "Don't you have some catching up to do over there?" He chuckled, winked at me, and headed towards Marlene, who brightened up considerably at his approach. I, on the other hand, felt my heart slowly sink at the ease of which he flirted with her.

Fast forward to the welcome feast that evening. I sat down calmly and turned just in time to see James begin to sit down on my left- right before Sirius jumped in his place and pushed him aside with a quick glare at Prongs. I raised an eyebrow at him as he turned to me with a smirk, but he just shrugged and began openly flirting with the girl sitting across from us. It wasn't until the meal started and I was taking a large bite of my main course when Sirius casually shifted his gaze to me and asked, "So, Bandit-" (my nickname in the Marauders, due to my Patronus being a raccoon) "-you fancy anyone yet?" I nearly choked on my food and coughed for a long moment before turning to him with a teasing smile. "Maaaaaaaybe." His eyes widened, just a little, but I could tell he was surprised. Sirius Black? Surprised at something I'd said? What a strange thing...

He took a drawn-out, dramatic sip of his pumpkin juice before winking at me and questioning, "And who, pray tell, could this lucky gentleman possibly be?" I turned back to my food, avoiding his gaze as I answered reluctantly, "I'd rather not tell you." He reached out his hand and gently lifted my head back to face him, frowning now. "Is he really that bad?" I laughed and pushed his shoulder playfully, replying smoothly, "Ha! Nah, he's just about the greatest guy I've ever met. But if I told you, I know you'd tease me relentlessly." He raised an eyebrow and pretended to stretch his arms, showing off quite a few solid muscles from all the Quidditch he played. "I'll find out. Just you wait, I'll know by the end of this week." My heart fluttered at the thought as my mind raced to imagine his reaction, but on the outside, I confidently smirked and replied, "Good luck with that. I haven't told a single soul who it is." His smirk matched my own as he winked again and tapped my nose, repeating, "Just you wait. You and this mystery guy of yours will be together before you know it, and you'll have me to thank entirely."

True to his word, Sirius kept asking around to see who my crush was, questioning all my friends, no matter how close or distant they were, even some Slytherins I had met in my third year who weren't too unbearable. They, along with everyone else he asked, had no clue who I liked. James joined in on the search, kind of interested to know himself, and to my surprise, so did Remus and Peter. My four best friends, of course, found out nothing, for I had told the truth: I had never told anyone who my crush was, never even hinted it to anyone, and I certainly wasn't about to do so now. By the end of the week, Sirius had grown agitated that he couldn't find even a trace, not a single whisper of who I fancied. It was actually rather fun to watch him squirm with curiosity, though I did harbor a fear he would discover who I liked by a small slip of my tongue.

Saturday evening arrived, the deadline being midnight for Sirius to find out who I had a crush on. I'd avoided him all day, knowing he'd likely pester me as much as possible, and I was certainly right. The moment I entered the Common Room after a bit of late studying in the library, he and James swarmed me, asking who I like over and over, "Who is it? Who? Who? Who?" I laughed and pushed them away, casually pushing James away toward Lily, and Prongs dutifully trailed after her like a lovesick puppy. "It's about time they get together, dontcha think?" I casually asked Sirius as I plopped down on the couch by the fire, my Remus tossing me a butterbeer without even looking up from his homework. "Thanks, Rem." Sirius raised an eyebrow at me and teased, "It's about time, yeah- about time this mystery guy of yours finally asks you out."

I held back a small smirk and breezily replied, "Yeah, well, that'll never happen. he's quite the flirt- blowing back and forth between girlfriends like the wind. I'd just be another fleeting moment in his eyes." Sirius grimaced, muttering, "I didn't know you could be so poetic," before meeting my gaze with a serious frown. "That doesn't sound like the right guy for you, Y/N. But I guess... If you really like him-" "I really do." The uncertainty in his smile made my own grin fade and I reached my hand up, ruffling his hair gently as I added, "Well, you'd better get to it. Only four hours left until miiiiidniiiiight-" He was up in a flash, grabbed James' arm and pulled him up as well, then the boys hurried around the common room, asking everyone from Marlene McKinnon to Professor McGonagall, who was not amused. I, on the other hand, relaxed onto the couch, rummaged around in my schoolbag until I found the book I was currently reading on my spare time, and settled into the story.

As I read silently, taking a sip of butterbeer every now and then, the common room slowly filtered out as the younger students started heading to bed and then my older peers as well. Soon enough, it was nice and quiet, only a few seventh years left awake as they furiously tried to finish their homework, and the clock chimed midnight as I sat up from the comfy couch, rolling my shoulders to rid my body of the stiffness caused by lying in the same position for so long. As I swung my bag onto my shoulder and turned to head upstairs and to bed, I saw Sirius wearing a suspicious smirk as he stood by the stairs to the girl's dorm. I headed over to him as the clock tolled three more times, four in total. "I think I know who it is!" he declared confidently, and I plopped my bookbag back on the floor and crossed my arms. "Better say quick. There's the fifth chime, only seven left."

His smirk flickered, but only for a moment. "James." My eyebrows flew up and after a second, I gave a short laugh. "No, no, he's only a friend to me. Besides, you think he has eyes for anyone except Lily?" "Than it's got to be..." A look of disgust appeared on his face as he grumbled, "Lockheart?" "What?! Absolutely not!" The clock sounded for the tenth time as his smile fell fully and he said quietly, "Well, then it's-it's-I don't know..." The eleventh chime. I tilted my head at him and asked. "I'll give you a hint- and I'll extend the time to midnight and one minute." His eyes lit up again and he leaped toward me like a curious puppy, something I found quite adorable. My heart started to beat faster and faster as he hugged me quickly and then demanded teasingly, "Quickly, tell me the hints!" The last chime tolled and I felt my stomach fill with butterflies. This was it- would he accept my feelings, or not?

"He's kind." Sirius nodded and beckoned for me to continue. "Bold. Popular. Athletic. Handsome. Flirty. A prankster. Laid back. Friendly. Strong, both in body and mind." Sirius raised an eyebrow and said, "Keep going..." A small nervous smile appeared on my face as I finished, "He's the greatest guy I've ever known. I've said that before and I'll say it again. I fell for him nearly four years ago and my heart's never gone to another since." Sirius' eyes grew wide as I finally admitted, "And he's my best friend, standing right in front of me now." A long moment of silence started and so I, my cheeks burning with shame, pushed past him and hurried up the stairs, shaking my head at my foolishness. "Y/N- wait!" I paused on the steps, not daring to turn around, hating my heart for filling with hope. 

All of a sudden, I felt the staircase turn to a slide beneath my feet and I slid down, toppling onto my butt and starting to laugh nervously as I saw Sirius staring at me with a wide smile, his foot on the first step, having caused the defense of the girls' privacy to trigger. "Foul play!" I teased, starting to stand up, but before I could, I felt strong arms lift me into the air and suddenly I was staring into Sirius' eyes, very close, as he held me bridal style in his arms. My breath seemed to flit away from my lungs as I gazed at him, studying every inch of the face of the boy I'd fallen for so long ago, treasuring this moment. I saw his gaze glance to my lips and a second later, we were kissing, sweet, soft, loving, but still passionate. My arms were around his neck as he gently turned my body back down to stand on the floor, keeping the kiss between us as he moved me. His hands tangled in my hair and I leaned closer, deepening the kiss. 

Before I knew it, the moment was over and we now stood in each other's arms, smiling breathlessly. It didn't take long for Sirius to bring me close again and kiss me once more, but I soon pulled away from this one, and his worried face nearly broke my heart. I still forced myself to ask, however, "Do you-" Before I could finish, his expression melted in relief and he gave a soft chuckle, cutting me off, "Of course I do- I have for a long time, I just never realized it until that night during fourth year, when you fell asleep on my shoulder-" My eyes sparkled as I added, "Me too!" We shared a small laugh before Sirius turned, well, serious, and said, "You know I'm never going to- to push you away like those other girls. Those relationships were really just to hide what I feel for you, and thank god that's over." I smiled softly and leaned my head on his shoulder, murmuring back, "I know you won't. I've always known that when you found the right girl, you'd be forever loyal."

He tilted my chin back, adding with a small smile, "And I found that girl a long time ago, I was just an idiot for not realizing she loved me in return... Wait- do you love me too? Because-" "I love you," we chorused and I kissed his cheek as his wide smile returned. "Of course I do, never doubt that for a second," I muttered and he leaned in again. We stayed up all night after I finally confessed- and I guess, so did Sirius- talking, kissing, snuggling by the dwindling fire, enjoying each other's company, and together at last.