A/N. Resa Fun Fact #1: I cannot cook. Never could, never will. In my attempts to cook I have gotten a grand total of twenty stitches and three staples, set fire to my mother's kitchen, and gave my girlfriend and her whole family food poisoning. I burn water.
I tell you this because tonight, my FOMB had the grand idea to let me make spaghetti. Big mistake.
Needless to say, we're ordering in Thai tonight.
This is kind of a filler, and you'll see why. I'm not thrilled with how this came out, but oh well... I hope you enjoy anyway!
...~oOo~...
Chapter Fourteen: Not According to Plan
Fred went into the kitchen to pour the tea while Hermione was in the living room, left with the flood of nerves that followed her spurt of bravery. Had she confessed her feelings to Fred? Yes. Had she kissed him? Yes. Had she accepted the invitation to stay at the flat longer? Yes.
But was it all hitting her in the face like a crashing, flying car that it could very possibly be the night that she slept with Fred Weasley?
Definitely. And it was... nerve-wracking to put it lightly. Her heart was beating out a heavy bass that thrummed in her ears and she couldn't sit still. So she found herself pacing, walking circles around the sofa, biting her nails, straightening lampshades and humming nonsensical nursery rhymes.
It wasn't as if she was a virgin. Not at all. Her first had been Ron, and she really wouldn't change that for anything. They were best friends, after all, and he was the one person at that time in her life that she whole-heartedly trusted. Even if he was currently being a massive prat, she still cared for him.
They'd only been together once before they'd decided that they were just better as friends than lovers. Then she'd started dating Oliver Wood, and she was still inexperienced, but Oliver had taken care of her and she trusted him as well.
So basically, all of her sexual experience came from Fred's youngest brother and a Quidditch player who was oftentimes on the road with the team, which truthfully equated to little time for sex.
So, she wasn't a virgin. But she sure felt like one.
She was in the middle of touching her toes for something to do when Fred walked in a snickered, jolting her into a stiff-as-a-board upright position.
"Getting ready to run a marathon?" he asked, handing her a mug of tea.
"Something like that," she murmured into her cup. She blew on the steaming liquid and sipped. "So... you have a lovely flat, despite its messiness. A lot of floor space. Are those curtains made in Persia? Because I hear Persia makes really sturdy curtains. Or perhaps that's rugs? My parents bought an Indian rug once, but as a child I'd spilt soup on it and my mother -"
Fred's hand came down onto her mouth. She stopped speaking immediately, and watched on anxiously at his amused expression. Was she being totally unbearable? She couldn't help it!
"Something tells me you're freaking out," Fred said, smiling.
"Freaking out? Who's freaking out? Certainly not me! I am - what do they say? - A-OK, something like that," Hermione rambled, stirring her tea in a way that was probably more fit for whipping cake batter. "I am the poster child of calm right now. I feel like I could take a nap, actually - not that I want to!" Then she bit her lip and forced herself to take a deep breath. "Sorry. Babbling again."
"Hermione," Fred said hesitantly. "You aren't a... you know... virgin, are you?"
"No! No, no, no." Hermione shook her head, her curls smacking her face with the motion. "Lost that a few years ago."
"Okay," Fred said, sounding only slightly relieved. "Now, I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not totally randy and have no interest in getting in your knickers, but if you would rather we just sit and listen to the radio or something, then it would be okay. Fun, even."
"Fred," Hermione said. "I want you. I do. I'm just... I've never been very skilled in... foreplay, you know? The before part is so much more... well, it makes me twitch."
Fred had to laugh. "You know, some would argue that the build up is the best part." He carefully melted his amused grin into a softer, more seductive one. The smirk that he knew make girls' cheeks turn pink, Hermione being no exception. He gently plucked her cup out of her hand - before she gripped it so tight she shattered it. He set it on the coffee table. "The sexual tension. The anticipation. Knowing what's going to happen, and not knowing at the same time."
"Really?" Hermione said shakily as Fred stepped closer. "Because I've... always found it... rather... draining, all of the build-up..."
"You've never been with someone who knew how to use the 'before part' to their advantage," Fred said, dropping his voice. Hermione couldn't help but note how silky and soothing his tone had become, caressing her whims and tugging at her inhibitions.
"You might be right..." Hermione said, though it was getting harder to speak as Fred drew nearer, with a look in his eyes that made Hermione feel like the Wicked Witch of the West when she's doused with water. Melting.
Fred was very good at flirting, Hermione knew that. It was part of the reason his business was so successful - he knew how to charm someone, make them feel like friends long enough for them to pay up. But she had never seen his so...intent. And though she'd kissed him multiple times in the past week, she couldn't help but the proximity between their chests and his darkening eyes now were the most intimate they'd been.
Fred was close. Not touching, but close.
Hermione felt hot everywhere. Like she was suddenly being strangled by her clothes. In a good way, if that made any sense.
So this is what he meant by anticipation. Hermione could feel the air that hung between their mouths and skin. It was thick and obstructing and she wanted to rip through that air as soon as possible.
But Fred was going to take his time. She could see it.
"I'm always right," he replied with a cheeky raise of his eyebrow.
Hermione sputtered out a small laugh, but quickly quieted when she saw him raise his hand. It came up towards her shoulder, and touching one of her curls, his long finger winding the lock around its knuckle.
"This may sound silly, but, er, I always imagined that you... that you would be more of the... 'jump right into it' types," Hermione murmured, her eyes fixed to his.
"I usually am," he said nonchalantly. "But you're different. I am going to take my time with you and at the end of the night, you're going to be very pleased that I did."
There was that tingle. The tingle that started in Hermione's hands and climbed through her limbs, down her chest, to her stomach, and then lower. She suddenly was very intimate with the phrase "heat in your knickers".
"Are you going to kiss me... soon?" she asked.
"I was actually waiting for you."
"For me? To kiss you?"
"Mhmm," he hummed, smirking.
"But... why?"
"Something about the thought of you initiating tonight's activities is very sexy."
Hermione swallowed. "Um... what?"
"You're a Gryffindor," he said with a hint of taunting. "Where's the courage? Seduce me, Hermione."
Brow furrowed, Hermione said, "Okay, I'm not usually this lost... ever... but I rather thought your were the seducer right now?"
Drawing away, Fred's smirk widened. The new space between them left Hermione cold and disappointed, but she was confused once Fred flopped down onto the couch, legs open and arms rested across the top of it lazily.
"Where dwell the brave of heart," Fred reminded Hermione with a chuckle.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh incredulously. How did she get in this situation? She rubbed her hands down her face, still shaking her head and giggling.
Who knew Fred Weasley was such a tease?
Hermione decided to make this as easy as possible. In other words, get the difficult parts out of the way. She untied the bow around her waist and unbuttoned the dress, slipped off the straps, and let it drop to the floor. Hermione was satisfied by the eyebrow-raising reaction it coaxed from Fred's suave facade.
"You don't mess around, do you?" he inquired.
Hermione shook her head, standing there in nothing but her underthings - her pale pink bra and white panties. She had the urge to cover herself, but she knew Fred was right. She was a Gryffindor! She was a veteran of war! Where did all of this shyness come from?
"Is this the part where you pose coquettishly and say dirty things to me?" Fred asked as Hermione obviously debated what her next move would be.
"As if either of us could handle that without laughing," Hermione snorted. "I'm actually trying to manipulate a way to get us in the bedroom."
"We could try... walking there?"
"No passionate tumble of kissing down the hall, ragged kissing, and stumbling into the door?"
Fred said, "I thought you just said you preferred skipping all the fun before stuff?"
Hermione smacked herself in the forehead. "This is a disaster."
"Just a little bit," Fred chuckled good-naturedly. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Listen, Hermione, if you don't feel ready for this -"
"Shut up and kiss me."
...
They were laughing hysterically. Hermione's stomach actually hurt from laughing and tears ran down her face. Fred nearly fell of the bed in his mirth, and caught himself last minute, prompting yet another round of uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh, God," Hermione gasped through her laughs. "We are... we are pathetic!"
"We really are!" Fred guffawed. "Never in my life..."
Ripping the whoopie cushion out from under her, Hermione chucked it across the room and asked, "Are there any other pranks in this bed that we should be wary of?"
"Not that I know of," Fred said, his laughter evening out into a jolly chuckle. He was still braced over her, bare chested and only in his boxers, while she remained in her underthings. "Obviously, tonight just isn't going to be the night we shag."
Giggling, Hermione raked her hands back through her tangled hair. "Obviously," she agreed, grinning widely. "I still like you, though, even if you did sabotage our passionate evening with whoopie cushions."
"Oi! I didn't even know that was there!" he defended, smile broad as he flopped down next to her, onto his back. "Trust me - no bloke in their right mind would purposefully sabotage a night of glorious lovemaking with his girlfriend. It's just not done."
Rolling onto her hip and propping her head up on her elbow, Hermione smirked and said, "Is that what I am? Your girlfriend?"
"Duh," Friend said, cheekily sticking out his tongue. "I'd be stupid not to make you my girlfriend after seeing that body. I mean, damn. If I knew that was hiding under those robes, I would have cornered you after hours back in Hogwarts."
"Hate to tell you, Fred, but in Hogwarts I was infinitely more interested in books and exams than boys." She playfully nudged him. "Not even when you had that long hair would I have been tempted."
"Long hair? You liked it like that?"
Hermione shrugged. "Looking back on it, it was cute. At the time I barely noticed."
"Right through my heart, love," Fred said dramatically, throwing his hand over his chest. "All that time and effort in school to get your attention - gone to waste."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione said, "Be honest. You couldn't stand me in school. You had a thing for Angelina Johnson, didn't you?"
"I did," he admitted. "But I had a thing for just about any bird with long legs and nice knockers."
"I have neither of those," Hermione pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "What's so interesting about me if I'm not your usual type?"
Fred shrugged. "Good question."
Hermione whacked him in the chest and laughed.
"I'm kidding!" he replied, rubbing his chest with a mockingly wounded expression. "You're plenty interesting. You read - which not many girls I know do that - and you're funny."
"Funny? Me?" she inquired skeptically.
"Sure. Especially when you're angry. Your face gets all read and your eyes get all dark and squinty and you sound like my mum - it's hilarious."
"I can't believe you just compared me to your mum when we're lying in bed half-naked together."
There was a pause.
Fred said, "I can't really believe I did either. Let's pretend that never happened."
...~oOo~...
Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Did you think they were going to shag? Because I did too at first... 3. What will happen the next morning?
~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~