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Tick, Tick, Tick.
Hermione anxiously glanced up at the small wooden clock on the kitchen wall. It had become a habit out of anxiety. Beautifully painted flowers surrounded the carved numbers. She watched as they bloomed, then died, then bloomed again. They were in a constant loop.
Her small flat was quiet and empty, making the clock sound amplified. It had been a gift from Molly Weasley when Ron and Hermione first married. Now it was a reminder of her past—a closed door.
In their own way, the wildflowers reminded Hermione of the relationship she had with Ron. Their flower bloomed. It was new and exciting at first. But, the longer it lived, the more they realized how different they were from each other. And so it slowly wilted away. It was beautiful but never meant to last in the long run.
It was silly to keep it hanging on her wall, But there was something comforting about the old clock. Even though Ron and Hermione weren't in a relationship anymore, or on any tolerable terms for that matter. She shouldn't have to throw everything out just because it was once shared between them. Besides, Ron left it for Hermione, saying it was too girlie for him.
Hermione's focus was brought back to the now, and her face twisted up in annoyance. With every loud tick from the clock, it was a reminder that he was late. Was it mocking her? Laughing in its own little language at that fact she even agreed to this? Malfoy was never late. Was this his way of telling her he changed his mind?
At that moment, she felt so stupid. She had made a complete fool out of herself, thinking Malfoy would actually show up. And now, when she returns to work, she will have to face him. No doubt he will give her his classic smirk, knowing full well that she was more than willing to sleep with him.
Was she this desperate for touch?
She felt like she had been punched in the stomach, tears stinging her eyes. Man, she was so lonely, and she couldn't even deny it anymore. No one wanted her.
It was not that she missed Ron, far from it. But After the split, Her other relationships with Ron's family also became strained.
Dinner at the Weasleys had become a thing of the past.
It was too much to handle, sitting across from her ex-husband and his new over-the-top wife. She saw how everyone looked at her when they thought she wasn't looking, seeing if she was upset by Ron's new marriage—constantly asking if she had found someone new. Then giving her their repetitive sympathy when she told them she hadn't.
Even her relationship with Harry, her childhood best friend who she's been with through hell and back, wasn't much better either.
When they were first talking about getting a divorce, Harry said he would not choose between them—saying that they would always be his best friends no matter what. But as time went on, Harry and Hermione grew apart as Ron and Harry started spending more time together. Hermione was soon forgotten. She guessed that wasn't new.
Pushing away her loneliness, she filled her schedule with even more work. It was a lot at times and quite stressful, but she guessed that was better than being left alone with her depressing thoughts. But, of course, that meant spending more time in the same department as Malfoy.
Hermione learned that Malfoy was struggling with relationships as well after his public and messy split with Pansy Parkinson. She couldn't remember how it came up exactly, but they struck up some agreement last week. Coworkers with benefits? They would be each other's way to blow off steam with no strings attached. Easy, right?
Hermione had never done anything romantically with Draco before, and this was supposed to be their first meet-up at Hermione's flat.
But Malfoy was fifteen minutes late. And she guessed that meant he wasn't coming.
Hermione sank into her dining room chair, thinking about what to do with herself now. She went through all the trouble to look good tonight, styling her difficult hair into somewhat reasonable curls, applying a little makeup, and wearing her sexist underwear—all things she wouldn't usually care to do.
Tick, Tick, Tick
There was that stupid reminder again. Angrily she shot up, but before she could cast a silencing charm on the wooden object, she heard a knock on the door. She was silent for a few seconds, waiting. Then collecting herself, she smoothed out her skirt and answered the door.
A big bush of wildflowers greeted her. She stared at them, unmoving, jaw dropped. She didn't know what to do. The flowers were sprouting in every direction.
Some were soft pink. Others were purple. Another had a cluster of tiny white flowers, which created one big flower altogether. But she stopped at the most beautiful thing of all. Peeking through the middle were the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.
She immediately shut her mouth and crossed her arms. She knew it was silly to be mad at him. She didn't know why he was a little late, and it could be from a number of different reasons that weren't her business. But she was nervous, and she tended to freak out as a consequence.
"What are you doing?" she tried to stay calm and collected, but it was difficult under his full attention.
He shifted his grasp on the flowers making his face fully visible. He wore a confused expression, eyebrows knitting together. Clearly, this was not the reaction he was hoping to get.
Even though Hermione was upset she couldn't ignore how breathtakingly beautiful he was. She thought she surely palled in comparison. His face looked as if it could have been carved from stone. He wore his platinum hair casually brushed to the side and he was dressed in black fitted robes.
"Didn't we agree to meet tonight?" His voice was smooth like honey, eyes watching her expression closely.
She brought her attention back to the flowers, avoiding his eyes, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"I thought so... But you are late, so I assumed we weren't going to."
The corner of his mouth quirked, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry I'm late." He looked over her again, "and I'm sorry if I made you anxious. I can explain why. Can I come in?"
She stared at him for a few seconds before moving aside to let him through.
"Ahhh yes," he stepped through the door, looking around. "This is how I imagined it to be." An amused expression played on his face.
"What is?" She suddenly felt self-conscious.
He motioned around the room with his free hand. "Your flat. How I imagined it would look like."
"You have barely seen anything. What are you talking about? This is just the entryway."
He turned back to look at her. "Yes, but there's still a book crammed in every corner."
Hermione felt her cheeks burn. "Well, umm, yea. I like to read."
He let out a laugh. A real genuine laugh. Hermione thought she had never heard him laugh like that before. She suddenly realized she was smiling too. She wondered if he was as nervous as her.
"I've noticed." He smiled.
She anxiously fidgeted with her hands as she watched him look around.
She glanced over to the clock. "Why were you late?"
He dusted a non-existent fiber off his shirt before looking back at her. "Because of these. They are for you," He said, handing her the jungle of flowers.
She had to hold the stems in both hands to keep them from falling out of her grasp. She thanked him politely and walked to the kitchen, Draco trailing behind her. Wandlessly conjuring a vase, Hermione started trying to find a way to stuff all the flowers inside.
"I wanted to get you something." He said, sitting down at her dining room chair, watching her work. "I didn't realize that the flower shop was closed until I got there. I was planning to bribe the man, but he was already gone. So at that point, I didn't know what to do, and I hated the thought of showing up empty-handed."
"You didn't need to get me anything." She started separating the flowers so she could place them in one by one.
"No, but I wanted to." He eyed her before continuing. "Before I apparited here, I saw some flowers off to the side of the road. So I decided to take those instead. But they happened to be a challenge to pull up—that's why it took me so long."
She stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Malfoy! Please don't tell me you tore these up from someone's yard?"
He looked at her innocently, hands raised in defense, "To be fair, I didn't know at first. It was dark."
Her jaw dropped for the second time.
"I know, I know I don't think that person was much of a gardener. The flowers look... wild. I was thinking about tossing them, but I was already late."
Hermione fanatically waved her hands around, trying to find words, but Draco lifted his hand, cutting her off. "I know Granger, no need to tell me off. I shouldn't have taken them... at least that person's yard looks better now."
Hermione scoffed, "You are insulting the flowers you gave me as a gift."
He drummed his fingers on the table. "Well, I promise to get you better ones next time."
Next time. The words played over and over in Hermione's head. She knew they planned this. It wasn't just a one-night stand. There would be more. But it still made adrenaline course through her veins, nevertheless.
Suddenly she dropped her hands and looked down awkwardly. Pink blotches stained her cheeks.
"What is it?" He asked, leaning forward slightly in curiosity.
She looked up but didn't meet his eye. "I'm done with the flowers."
Smirking, he leaned back. "I'm surprised you got them in there."
After a minute, she finally met his eye. "Umm. So. How are we—well, you know." she stopped talking to collect her thoughts better. She tried again. "How does this work." she motioned between them. "You and me. How do we—start?"
His teeth flashed as his eyes darkened. "Nervous Granger?"
She fidgeted under his intense gaze. "No, of course not. It's just been a while since I... did anything with anyone."
"Really? " he asked, getting out of his chair. "Don't tell me Weaselbee was the last person."
She tried to come up with a response, but she was speechless. Malfoy was right. Since Ron, there hasn't been another. She wondered how many women Draco had been with over the years. she bit her lip, looking away.
Letting out a huff, he stepped closer to her, brushing one of her curls behind her ear. She could smell the faint scent of pine from his cologne, mixed with something familiar. Something minty.
"Well," he said, whispering in her ear. "I guess I'll have to show you how it's really done."
Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat as Malfoy cradled her face so dedicatedly in his strong hands. He slowly leaned in, watching her expression, before pressing his lips to hers.
The kiss was so gentle that it made Hermione's heart want to explode. She was expecting something more rough from Malfoy, but he held her like she was made of glass.
Suddenly something deep within Hermione caught on fire, and it burned intensely bright. That soft kiss was not enough anymore. She desperately wanted more. Grabbing his collar and with this newfound confidence, she deepened the kiss. A groan escaped Draco as she ran her tongue along his bottom lip.
Malfoy was apparently finished being gentle too because he pushed Hermione back and onto the kitchen table, stepping in between her legs. Wrapping her legs around him, Hermione felt Malfoy's growing erection and she let out a whimper.
Distracting her, Draco's lips moved slowly from her lips, grazing her cheek before planting kisses on her neck. She threw back her head as satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she relished in the heat of his breath.
She no longer felt self-conscious or nervous. Being with Malfoy was easy, she realized. All her mind could think about was how much she wanted him.
Hermione gasped as she saw what Malfoy was doing. He used his free hand to push up her skirt with his lips still on her neck. It bunched up around her middle, leaving her light blue knickers exposed. Malfoy slowly dropped to his knees, pressing his lips to the inside of her knee. His pale eyes met hers, a smirk forming on his lips.
They both knew he was about to happen.
Hermione absolutely hated the idea of comparing sexual partners, not like she had a lot. But she couldn't help but do it now. Ron had taken ages to finally agree to go down on her, and then it had been sloppy and wet.
This was the first time Hermione and Malfoy were intimate, and he did it with no hesitation. It made Hermione feel good about her body because, for a long time in her marriage, she felt embarrassed that her now ex-husband was too grossed out to get on his knees for her.
"May I?" Malfoy snapped her out of her analysis. She felt more of the vibration of his voice than the sound.
"Yes," She breathed.
Malfoy teasingly twined the blue lace of her knickers around his fingers. That action alone was enough to make Hermione's hips buckle with need.
"So impatient," He smirked.
"Draco, please," She begged him, and she watched as his smirk vanished and his eyes darkened with lust.
"Say my name again." He requested.
Hermione realized that was the first time she had used his first name to his face. Not just Malfoy. Draco.
"Please, Draco,"
With his fingers still wrapped around the edge of her underwear, Malfoy pulled them to the side, exposing her before him. Then he planted another kiss at the dip between her thigh and hip.
Hermione's mind went blank as she felt his lips graze over her, his mouth ghosting over her most intimate part, making her almost buckle again. She had to hold onto the edge of the table when she felt his tongue flickered out against her, directly against her core.
His mouth was magic.
She was no longer in control of her voice, as it let out little gasps and moans. Draco's tongue swirled around in tiny circles of light and not-so-light pressure, and Hermione couldn't help but rock against him.
Sucking gently on her for a moment before continuing back to his fast ministrations, Hermione could hear the clock again, steady like a pulse behind a bruise.
Tick, Tick, Tick.
Hermione felt a notch deep within her rise with each tick of the clock. Building and building to new mind-shattering heights. She reached in between her legs and ran her fingers through Malfoy's silky hair. He looked up to meet her gaze for a fleeting moment, his cheeks rosy and lips wet with her before fluttering his eyes shut and returning to his task of absolutely destroying her.
Tick, Tick, Tick.
"Yes, Draco-- ohh --!" Hermione's legs were shaking. She was so close, and she craved that sweet release.
Tick, Tick, Tick.
Just as she thought Draco couldn't possibly do anything that felt better than what he was already doing, Boom! Malfoy flicked his tongue in a different way, sending her right over the edge into the world of bliss.
Her muscles seized up as she came with a cry, and Draco let go of her until she was finished. Hermione felt like a flower that had just bloomed. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she tried to catch her breath.
Malfoy fixed her skirt and rose up to her level so he could be face to face with her. Rubbing the pad of his thumb across her knuckles, his blue eyes bored into hers.
Something intense like electricity ran between them, and they both realized at that moment that this was more than just friends with benefits.
"That was-" Hermione tried to say, but Draco cut her off.
"Granger."
"Yes?"
"Go out to dinner with me."
"Ok."