AN: My show opens this weekend so things are a bit nuts this week on top of my accident on Tuesday. The next one may not be out for a week or more depending on how things go this weekend. Title is after the Ed Sheeran song.

Warning: Light smut. References to self-harm.

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

Dive

Fred woke before she did, smiling softly at the feel of her nestled up against him. It wasn't the first time, but this morning felt different. His body thrummed with something new and unidentifiable with every breath he took in, the subtle scent of her citrus shampoo filling his lungs and sending his brain into a dizzying bliss. Whether they'd been ready for it or not, something had most definitely shifted in their relationship. He was absolutely certain she could ask him to do anything for her and he would do it without question. She was everything he'd wished for and he'd do anything to keep her.

Since the first night he'd held her in front of the fire with his soul laid bare, he'd craved more moments like this. He'd hoped for nights and mornings wrapped in each other's arms like this, enveloped in a comfortable silence. He'd dreamed of the way her lips would feel against his own, the taste of her skin under his tongue, the tickle of her breath across his skin, and the noises she might make if he were to touch her the way he really wanted to. But he hadn't made a move to make any of his dreams a reality. Until last night. It was one of the best birthdays he'd ever had. Turning twenty-one was turning out to be a chance at a new beginning. Both with her and with himself.

He may have skipped the traditional family dinner, but the night had been even better without it. He couldn't wait to show George his new tattoo and inevitably take him to Tasha to get his own. He knew his twin would be relieved to see something besides scars or glamoured flesh underneath his shirt sleeves. Covering the scars Hermione knew almost as intimately as he did was what had finally given him the courage to close the distance between them. They'd come so close before, but the waiting had been worth it. It hadn't been the romantic moment he'd dreamed up in his head, it had been something better. The impulsivity of the action better reflected the way they'd come together than any grand gesture might have done. He breathed in deep at the memory of her lips, the scent of her hair overwhelming his senses again. He couldn't resist the urge to run his fingers through her chestnut curls and bring the strands closer to his nose.

He loved the way her hair seemed to have a will of its own, twisting every which way and refusing to settle neatly without the use of magic. He could happily get lost in her curls for hours, and very well would have last night if he hadn't been so nervous it would make her uncomfortable. A slight fear niggled at the edges of his mind. What if she changed her mind and didn't want this? What if it was too much and he lost her completely? All he wanted was her, but what if she didn't feel the same? He could feel his heartbeat increase in his chest as the thoughts continued to spin at high velocity. He stalled his fingers in her hair, struggling to even out his breathing. He swallowed and took a slow breath through his nose.

She stirred slightly next to him, her hand grasping the neckline of his vest as she pressed against his side.

"Why did you stop?" she murmured sleepily.

"You're awake?" he whispered, his voice still gravelly with sleep.

"I have been for a little while, just enjoying the quiet." She admitted, her tone slightly shy.

"Me too. Your hair smells amazing by the way…" he rumbled as he leaned his head down and took a long sniff.

"You have a thing for my hair." She teased him as the fingers that had grasped his collar now ghosted over his neck and chin.

"Maybe I do. Or maybe I just have a thing for you." He chuckled lightly.

"Kiss me?" She asked suddenly, sliding up the bed to bring her face level with his.

When she settled he smiled and brought his palm to her cheek, leaning over her and kissing her gently. He groaned subconsciously when she pulled him into a deeper kiss, wrapping her arms around him. They kissed lazily, tongues and teeth teasing gently between contented sighs. She tangled her hands in the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging gently and scratching softly at his scalp. He groaned and slid his own hands away from her face and down to her waist, pressing her even closer to him. He wasn't sure how much closer they could really get. It was getting harder to tell where one of them ended and the other began.

He kissed down her chin to her throat, grazing the delicate skin with his teeth as she continued to tug at his hair. He lapped at the hollow of her throat, nipping at her collarbone. He felt her shiver beneath him in contrast to the heat radiating off of her skin under his mouth. He wondered if he should stop. Weren't they trying to avoid getting too physical? He rubbed his hands up and down her torso, stopping just beneath her breasts.

"Can I? Or do you want to stop?" he whispered.

"Don't stop…" she breathed, urging him back to her neck. He smirked at the neediness in her voice and took his time peppering her with tiny kisses. The passion from the night before simmered beneath the surface while his natural playfulness took the reins.

He tickled at her sides, making her arch and squirm against him. The startled little giggles that escaped her made him smile against her skin as he continued his journey across her exposed skin. She moaned as he slid his palms under her top and onto her breasts. He massaged lightly, noticing how her nipples slowly pebbled against his palms. He kissed her deeply, drawing the air from her lungs into his own. His groping became more urgent as she released his hair to claw at his back and shoulders. He pulled back and caged her between his arms beneath him.

"Sweet Circe I could get used to mornings like this…" he panted.

"We haven't even done anything…" her brows knit in confusion with a little shake of her head.

"I wouldn't call this nothing." he chuckled at her as he trailed a finger over the small marks he'd left across her neck and chest.

"Don't you want more? Ron always…"

"Stop. I don't want to know what Ron was like in bed. Though I'm guessing he wasn't a fan of foreplay if you think snogging and copping a feel isn't just as enjoyable for me as it is for you." He grumbled at the thought of his younger brother in bed with her.

"You don't want anything then? I feel like I'm getting all the attention here." She argued. He pressed his erection against her in response, making her brows fly up.

"I'm getting plenty of enjoyment out of this, Hermione. What I want is to make you cum. Let me make you feel good?" he growled low in her ear.

"I still don't think we should have sex…" she breathed back as he nibbled on her earlobe.

"Not sex. Not yet."

"Then what?" She gasped as he ghosted a hand between her legs, settling himself onto one arm.

"I want to touch you. To taste you. Until you come undone. Can I do that for you, please?" He stilled his hand over the heat radiating from her sex through her pyjamas.

"Fred, I… I don't know… no one has ever… not without sex…" She stumbled over her words as he blew gently across her ear. Tingles shot down her spine without him even touching her.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to. If you want me to stop, I will." She could hear the conviction in his voice.

"Touch me." She nodded, voice barely audible.

"Are you sure?" He didn't make a move, giving her another chance to change her mind.

"Please…" she begged, bucking her lips to close the short distance between his hand and her body. It was all the confirmation he needed.

He kissed her again, harder this time than before. As their tongues danced he brought his hand partway back up her body and slowly slid it beneath her waistband. He tried not to crow in victory when he felt how wet she was. He ran his fingers through her folds several times before withdrawing and pulling back from her. He rearranged himself over her and kissed down to her nipples, pulling on them with his teeth through the fabric of her top. She moaned and reached down for the hem, pulling it off before he got a chance to do it himself.

She was as gorgeous as he'd imagined. Maybe more. Her skin was not perfect, which he found infinitely more attractive. Her creamy flesh was lightly freckled where the sun might hit in a bathing suit, something he had not considered. She had several scars, some he'd already known about. He'd not expected to find one just below her right breast. He made a mental note to ask her about it someday, right now he just wanted to run his tongue across it. So he did, before taking each nipple in turn until he was satisfied both had received sufficient attention. He kissed down her stomach and nipped at both her hipbones, making her squeak.

He looked up to watch her reaction as he kissed and licked his way to her waistband. He hesitated for a moment until he saw the fire in her eyes, taking it has a sign that he could continue. He pulled her knickers and pyjamas off as one before spreading her legs open before him. He saw her bite her lip in anticipation as he crawled forward and licked her for the first time. The noise she made nearly made him come undone as he tasted the salt and sweet of her essence.

"Sweet Merlin! Oh, Fred… that feels so good." She cried and gripped the sheets, arching her back.

He continued to lap at her folds, slowing working a finger inside her now. She moaned and bucked against his face and fingers. He nibbled lightly on her clit, drawing out a long moan, desperate with need. He could feel her clamp around his finger as he worked to find the sensitive spot he knew was there. He knew when he'd hit the right area when she cried out louder than she had before. He worked a second finger in with the first, continuing his ministrations of her sensitive nub all the while. It didn't take much longer before he felt her begin to shake against him, her orgasm close. He sucked the bundle of nerves into his mouth harder than he had before and felt her thighs quake as she began to unravel. Her cry was incomprehensible, a mix of partial words and animalistic noises. He stopped as she came back down, sliding up the bed to take her in his arms.

"Wait…" she rolled to face him, eyes still a little unfocused and breathing coming more as pants.

"What?" he shook his head in confusion.

He sucked air loudly through his teeth when he felt her hand fly down the front of his shorts and grip his length. He had not been expecting anything in return. It only took a few tugs for him to spill into her hand as keyed up as he'd been.

"You didn't have to do that…" He chastised, kissing her on the forehead.

"Didn't really do much." She teased.

"It's the noises you make, love. I could cum just listening to you." He admitted the tips of his ears warming.

"Oh. That's… I… um… I really don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything, just come here." He pulled her into his chest and sighed happily as their hearts slowed from a hammer to a normal rhythm together.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione sat up and wordlessly summoned her pyjamas back to her, quickly slipping them on and snuggling into his arms again.

"Of course."

"How did you learn to… that is… I've never been with someone who can…" He could hear the blush in her voice even without looking at her.

"Are you trying to ask how I got good at eating pussy?" He chuckled, his chest rattling next to her cheek.

"Not in such crass language, but yes. That's what I'm trying to ask." She huffed.

"You're not going to believe this, but I actually learned from Bill."

"Bill, as in, your brother Bill?" She sounded amused.

"Yep. Dad gave George and I the sex talk when the time came, how all the parts worked and what not. The next night Bill slipped into our room and explained the rest. The different things you could do and what girls like. He thought it was his responsibility to make sure there weren't any Weasleys running around who were shite in the sack." He laughed and shook his head at the memory.

"Remind me to send him a thank you note." She joked back, squeaking when he tickled her in retaliation.

"You'll do no such thing! I won't have the bloody git lording it over me forever. You know every time he's busted me so much as snogging a girl he waggles his eyebrows at me? He thinks the whole of my love life is thanks to his explanation of how to lick a woman the right way." He grumbled.

"I still think a thank you might be in order. I don't think I've ever climaxed like that before." She admitted with a little laugh.

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Really." She confirmed, not noticing the smirk that crossed his face.

"Want to try for a second?" he rolled on top of her and started the process all over again.

When they eventually left the bed, Hermione insisted on separate showers. Fred supposed there were some things they would still have to work up to, no matter how close they already were. Part of him honestly didn't think he'd be able to control himself quite so easily in that scenario. He'd been dreaming about shower sex with her since the day they'd conversed through the shower curtain. Being so close to having the real thing and not being able to make a move was not a situation he wanted to put himself in right now. When they'd worked things out and she was ready, they'd broach the subject again.

He wasn't surprised to see one of the shop owls waiting at her kitchen window as he put on the kettle for tea when she got out of the shower. It was a note from George checking to make sure everything was okay. He jotted out a quick response, not revealing what had happened the night before, and promised to meet him later for dinner. He'd be taking the day off from the store today. Satisfied that he'd given his twin enough information to keep him from just popping by, he set to work making sandwiches for lunch. They'd slept late, to begin with, and after spending so long in bed this morning he was famished. He was sure she would be too and wanted to have things ready when she emerged.

Underneath the spray of the water, Hermione ran the last few weeks through her mind. It wasn't entirely clear to her how they'd gone from dancing around an attraction to each other to discussing shared showers in such a short amount of time. Things had never moved this quickly for her before, not with anyone she intended on seeing again. It had taken months with Viktor and years with Ron. She decided it must be different when the pull started from the soul instead of from the libido. She knew they were both irreparably twisted from the war, but she wouldn't dare to try to "fix" him. So long as he was not cutting himself open she had no qualms about navigating the emotional minefield she knew existed within him. It wasn't entirely different from the one that resided inside herself. Maybe that's what was drawing them to each other. Perhaps their twisted pieces fit together into something beautiful.

She was still reeling from how unselfish Fred was. He could have pressed her to reciprocate and she would have, without question, but he hadn't. He'd nearly chastised her outright for going for it on her own. She wasn't used to the feel of a tongue between her legs. Not that Ron hadn't tried, he just couldn't dedicate himself to the task long enough to get her off. It hadn't taken Fred all that long, she'd noticed, he had a definite skill for reading her body's reactions. Bill may have provided the theory on pleasing a witch, but Fred had a clear instinct when it came to picking up subtle signs. She didn't even know she liked to be bitten nearly as much as he'd caught on. He'd nibbled her all over and when he'd done it as he licked her… she nearly came again just remembering the sensation. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a satisfying orgasm. And here she'd had two in such a short span of time. This was a totally different feeling than when she stumbled home from the pubs.

A slight pang of guilt roiled her stomach. The encounters she'd had with complete strangers began to flood the forefront of her mind. She still didn't completely understand why she'd felt so compelled to seek out strange men for such an intimate act. Especially when it was so out of character for her. She wasn't one to trust easily in most scenarios, but for some reason, she was willing to give up her body to just about anybody. There were so many things that she couldn't make sense of anymore. She was still holding out hope that something would click into place and she'd feel back to normal again. It hadn't happened. She was still searching for a mental healer to talk to or a support group she and Fred could go to together. There must be something or someone out there, she just hadn't found them yet.

She could hear Fred feeding Crookshanks in the kitchen, the cranky beast vocalizing in irritation at the man's inability to instinctively know exactly how the cat liked his food prepared. She chuckled to herself in realisation that the beast had stayed away from the room last night and this morning. He hadn't done that since Ron had first moved in and they were still getting amorous with one another. She wondered if the animal had a sense of these things. He'd taken to Fred's frequent presence well enough and even seemed happy to see him sometimes. She'd heard someone say once that animals were a better judge of character than people. Maybe they were right. She smiled to herself at the thought that Crookshanks would approve of her choice in partner this time around as she turned off the water and summoned a towel.

When she stepped out into the hallway she caught Fred rubbing Crookshank's belly on the hallway floor. She laughed and tossed her head back in surprise.

"He's taken to you rather quickly if he's not trying to claw your arm off right now." She beamed at him, still clutching the towel to her.

"Crooks isn't so bad. Just picky I think. Animals are a good judge of character, you know?" He stood and grinned lopsidedly at her.

"I've heard that, yes." She stifled the urge to accuse him of reading her mind.

"George owled to make sure we were both okay. I told him all is well and we'll meet him later for dinner. I've the day off today."

"Alright then. Why don't you have a shower and we'll figure out what we're going to do with the rest of the day once you're done?" She smiled when he stopped to kiss her on his way into the bathroom. This was something she could get used to.