Hermione showed up at his door soaking wet, bruised, and covered in glitter.
"Hi, Fred" Hermione whispered solemnly
Fred gasped at the state she was in, grabbing her hand he pulled her to him engulfing her in his arms "Hermione, what the hell happened to you"
He looked down at the top of her head as he heard her starting to sniffle and shiver from the cold.
Fred pulled her inside, set her on the sofa and ran around stupid, putting on the kettle and grabbing blankets to wrap around Hermione to keep her warm.
He draped the thickest blanket around her and ran back into the kitchen as the kettle clicked off. Fred prepared her tea and took it back to her as well as a bag of frozen peas for the bruising. Grabbing his wand from his pocket, he cast a spell to start a fire.
Handing her the tea, Fred as sat as close to her as possible and brought the bag up to her eye where quite the shiner was already starting to form. Hermione winced in pain.
"Babe what happened?" Fred asked softly
She was supposed to be at Ginny's hen due. He was supposed to at Harry's stag, but left early so he could open the shop in the morning- but in doing so he didn't expect his secret girlfriend to show up out of the blue.
"Lavender has quite the sucker punch" Hermione muttered
Fred's face darkened "I'm going to kill Ron"
Tears ran down Hermione cheeks, Fred wiped them away and pulled her closer, tucking her under his arm.
Fred showered her face in soft kisses, barely even touching her skin. When he got to her bruised skin, he got even softer and spread butterfly kisses.
"It wasn't really her fault. She is a paranoid drunk, thought I was trying to steal Ron away" Hermione told him
"That is ridicules" Fred replied "You're the one that convinced Ron that he still had feelings for Lav-Lav"
"She was steaming" Hermione told him sniffing
Fred kissed the top of her head "Not the point, love, she hurt you"
Hermione shrugged "I'll live"
"Ron needs to learn how to treat his woman right" Fred grumbled
"It would be so much easier if they knew about us" Hermione replied a tad bitterly
Their relationship started casually after the war. At first they only got together for a kind of stress relief. When they were together they forgot the horrors that they faced, she forgot her 'branding' as she referred to it to him and he forgot his near death experience.
They weren't the only people effected by the war, not by far, but they were enough for each other. Hermione was too scared to let anyone else see her so vulnerable. He'd never admit it but it was the same for him.
It grew very slowly at first, it wasn't just about the sex anymore. They started going out together and spending more and more time in each other's company. They soon realised that they were dating.
Fred and Hermione's only fear was the reaction of his family.
"I know, love" he whispered
Fred feared his family's reaction knowing that they would believe him unworthy of the brilliant witch. And wanted to keep his love away from that.
Hermione helped him in his darkest hours. She allowed him to cry on her shoulder after every nightmare as he did for her. His gratitude towards her turned to love- not that he told her that yet.
"I know that we have good reason to keep us quite, but it has been two years" Hermione reasoned "I don't want to lie so much"
Hermione took hold of the peas and removed it from her bruise. Tossing it away, she wrapped herself in Fred's embrace. Hugging him close, she soaked up his comfort and shared the blanket with him.
"At least you're warming up" Fred told her
Hermione's giggle vibrated at his neck "How could I not, when I have the warmest wizard in the world to curl up with each night"
"Specking of curling up" Fred said "Why don't we get you out of these wet clothes, in a warm bath then into bed. Wouldn't want you to catch your death of cold"
…
It took Hermione two words to convince Fred to drop his boxers and hop in the bath with her. Pulling her back, Fred pushed her hair over one shoulder and rested his chin on the other.
Stroking her skin softly, he sighed in complete and utter bliss.
Moaning herself, Hermione rubbed his leg.
"Baby, thank you" Hermione whispered
Fred peppered kisses on her shoulder "for what, sweetheart"
"Looking after me" Hermione told him as she turned her head and kissed his lips sweetly
Cupping her cheek, Fred deepen the kiss by sliding his tongue over her slowly opening lips. Breaking the kiss when air was needed, Hermione twisted around awkwardly and lay on his chest. Lazily she started drawing random shapes on his chest.
"Okay I have one question" Fred announced "What is with the glitter!"
Hermione looked up at him and burst out laughing as Fred watched the glitter flout in the water.
"We covered ourselves in glitter for the hen night" She told him when she calmed herself.
"Well other than the literal punch to the face, which I'm still furious about, how was your night?" Fred asked
"Nothing to scandalous happened thankfully. Just hit a few muggle pubs, I think they are on their way to a night club now" Hermione told him "At least I had a good excuse to get out"
Fred smirked at her knowingly. Hermione detested night clubs.
"I'm not going to thank Lavender, mind you" Hermione deadpanned
Fred barked out a laugh and tickled her sides making her laugh and splash around trying to escape his assault.
"F-fred PLEase" She wheezed out
Fred grinned as he stopped, resting one hand on her hip as the other dangled off the side of the bath.
"Better?" Fred asked softly in her ear
"Better" Hermione confirmed
…
They lazed in each other's company but as they started wrinkle from the water. They dried and changed into more comfortable dry clothes.
Hermione opting for an old shirt of Fred's, and braided her wet hair as well as she could. Fred wearing pyjama trousers. They snuggled up in bed as close as they could under the blanket.
"I've never been this comfortable with someone" Hermione sighed
"Believe it or not, me neither" Fred told her "Georgie is not exactly the cuddling type"
Hermione laughed softly "There was a time I thought the same about you"
"And why is that? Huh" Fred questioned
"Well are relationship was exclusively physical up until a couple of months ago" Hermione deadpanned "We didn't exactly stay to cuddle afterwards"
That was why Hermione was nervous about telling the Weasley's about their relationship. If they ever found out about how it began, she doubted that Mrs Weasley would be able to look her in the eye ever again. That was probably an irrational fear, but it one that she could not shake.
"We do now, doesn't that count?" Fred asked stroking her arm up and down
Hermione kissed his neck "Of course it does, I'm happier now than I ever thought I could be" she told him honestly "I love you Fred"
It came out as a whisper, Fred thought he had misheard her. He shifted till he was on top of her, with Hermione lying in the centre of the bed staring up at him wide eyed.
"Hum? What was that sweetie? I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that last bit" Fred teased, a satisfied grin
Hermione blushed deeply.
"I said I love you" Hermione told him matter of factly, a mischievous smirk spread across her face "It's about time one of us said it, don't you agree?"
Fred kissed her smirk away "I love you too, Hermione" He told her "Of course I do"
"Black eye and all?" She asked with a laugh
"I think it makes you look even better!" Fred joked
"Fuck off" Hermione giggled
"Look at it this way, no more need for eyeshadow!" Fred laughed "Honestly! Lav-Lav should do the other one"
Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek.
"Okay, maybe we shouldn't go that far" Fred sighed "I'll get that cream for you in the morning"
"The cream that you gave me after your blasted punching telescope gave me a black eye?" Hermione asked sleepily
"Yea" Fred replied getting tired himself
"Ummm, that was good cream" Hermione whispered
Fred smiled softly as he spooned her softly.
"Sh babe go to sleep" he whispered back
Not sure if I want to continue this, I only write it to get out of a writing funk. If you want more review and let me know.
Thanks for reading