This Life

Chapter Fourteen

~•~•~•~

Draco stood — mouth agape — at the scene before him. After being given another earful by his godfather for being inebriated, he had crashed through the door into the living room, only to find a dying fire and two empty glasses on the coffee table.

Figuring his boyfriend and roommate had gone to bed — due to the extremely late hour — he opened the door to his and Blaise's room quietly, not wanting to wake his partner.

He frowned as he found the bed empty and unslept in, turning to make his way through the shared bathroom into Hermione's room, stopping dead at the picture before him.

His boyfriend was lying on his back, fully clothed on top of the duvet. Hermione was tucked under the covers and curled into Blaise's side. Her head rested in the crook of his shoulder with her hands underneath the cheek pressed into him. He had one arm around her and the other lying by his side, his cheek resting against the top of her head.

Draco smiled. Merlin forbid anyone ever heard him say it out loud, but they looked cute cuddled up together like that. He wanted nothing more than to climb onto that bed and curl up on Hermione's other side and wrap himself around her. But he knew he'd never let go of her if he did.

What had happened for them to be in this situation?

As if sensing his presence, Blaise opened his eyes, rubbing the bleariness away with his free hand. His gaze settled on the towering form of his slightly swaying blond boyfriend.

"Draco," Blaise said quietly, aware of the sleeping witch pressed into his side. She must have moved in the night because that was not how they had fallen asleep.

"Blaise," Draco whispered back, not wanting to disturb Hermione either. She looked so peaceful, like all of her worries had left her, just for a few hours of uninterrupted and much-needed sleep.

"What time is it?" Blaise asked.

"It's around two," Draco answered nonchalantly, still staring at Hermione's sleeping form.

"Merlin, I didn't realise it was so late. I must've nodded off," the Italian exclaimed quietly, shocked at how long he'd been there. It was about eleven when Hermione had come back earlier, and they'd spoken for about an hour before he'd brought her in here following her panic attack.

"We need to talk," Draco told him.

"Yes, we do. Not here though, our room," the still sleepy Slytherin told him, slowly untangling himself from Hermione. He placed her head down on the pillow and moved off the side of the bed.

Hermione moaned at the movement, and both wizards froze when she muttered 'Draco' in her sleep.

Draco was stunned by what he'd heard. He turned his head toward Blaise, a smile slowly creeping across the corners of his mouth.

"Tell me you heard that?"

"Keep your bloody voice down! Yes, I heard, we've got a lot to talk about so come on. Next door. Now," Blaise hissed, walking over to Draco and guiding him out by his shoulder. "Let's leave her to sleep, she needs it." He added sadly, remembering how distraught Hermione had been earlier.

Blaise made sure both bathroom doors were left open and cast a Muffliato once he'd entered their room. She wouldn't hear them talking, but they'd hear her if she started having a nightmare.

Both wizards striped off their clothing, except their boxer shorts, and left them in neat piles on the armchair. Draco lit a fire, placed his wand on the bedside table, and joined Blaise in bed.

They turned to face each other.

"Okay, Blaise," Draco began. "Let's talk."

~•~•~•~

Hermione awoke with a start. Her head was pounding, her mouth felt like a desert and, for some reason, she felt rather unsettled within herself. She sat up, her fingers rubbing against her temples in the hope of reliving the throbbing behind her eyes. The events of the previous night flooded her mind, and she groaned loudly.

Moving slowly, she got up and headed for the shower, thoughts of her talk with Blaise plaguing her. They'd fallen asleep together but he wasn't here now. She also wondered whether Draco had made it back or not, considering how upset he'd been. Maybe Blaise was with him. She grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom.

Once Hermione was showered and dressed she decided she was in need of a Sober-Up potion. The smell of freshly brewed coffee assaulted her senses as she stepped from her room.

Draco was bent over the large study table scratching away at a piece of parchment. He raised his head in Hermione's direction at the sound of her door opening.

He grinned at the state she was in: bloodshot eyes, unexplainable hair, a scowl across her face.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Urgh… be quiet, Malfoy, not so loud," she grumbled as she made her way over to the kitchen, rubbing her forehead.

Draco stood and pulled out the chair next to him. "Here, take a seat, and I'll fetch you a coffee and a potion."

"My hero," Hermione replied, as sarcastically as possible. She took the proffered seat and flopped ungracefully onto it.

"So you're not a morning person then, Granger?"

"Well, usually I am, just not when I've been drinking Firewhisky and had little sleep. Glad I don't have classes until this afternoon," she explained through a yawn.

"If you don't have classes until later, why are you dressed and ready to go at seven in the morning?" He shouted out to her.

"Promised to meet Harry and Ron for breakfast," she winced. "And don't bloody shout!"

Draco rolled his eyes whilst walking back towards the sleepy witch, smiling at how cute she looked rubbing her eyes and moving that mop of hair out of her face.

"Here," he offered, setting a steaming mug in front of her with a potion bottle before retaking his seat.

She smiled in thanks before uncorking the potion and drinking it down in one.

"Yuck," she exclaimed, shuddering at the taste. "I know it works well, but it tastes really horrible."

"Yes, it does," Draco agreed, laughing at her distress.

He watched her sip the coffee he'd made, clearly trying to get the taste of potion out of her mouth. "This is… nice," she declared, surprise evident across her face.

"Don't look so shocked, Granger. You don't date an Italian for years without learning how to make good coffee! Besides, Blaise is definitely not a morning person; he needs the caffeine or he's like a Hippogriff with a sore head."

"Really?" She asked, smirking. "Is he awake yet?"

"No. We didn't get to sleep until late so I thought I'd leave him be. There's a rule to this, Granger," he teased, "never wake a sleeping Blaise."

"Ha! Like you never wake a sleeping baby?"

"Something like that," he answered, slightly confused. He'd never heard that expression before but agreed with her anyway.

"Are you saying Blaise acts like a baby?"

"He certainly does if someone wakes him up without coffee. Want to try with one?" Draco asked, smiling wickedly, arching one of those pale eyebrows.

"Actually... yes, I do." Standing up, her stomach already calmer after drinking the hangover cure, she walked to the kitchen to make Blaise a coffee. Once she had the hot mug in her hands, and crossed to the boys' bedroom, she peeked her head around the door.

Draco chuckled just behind her. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he goaded, reaching around Hermione and holding the door open for her.

Huffing, but ignoring his remark, Hermione made her way over to the sleeping Slytherin. She swallowed at the sight of him; the duvet only covered his body from the hips down. He had one arm over his head and the other lying across his stomach. He was striking to look at; all that Quidditch had certainly paid off. She found herself gazing at the hard planes of muscle that formed his abs. His skin looked so smooth — like rich milk chocolate — she wanted to lick him all over him to see if he tasted as good as he looked.

Hermione couldn't believe the salacious thoughts running through her mind.

She'd seen him before, in the shower — all of him. That thought made her blush as she suddenly remembered what else had been going on in the shower. Biting her lip, she placed his coffee down on the bedside table and moved to the edge of the bed.

"Blaise," she called softly.

"Mmm." A grumbled response.

"Blaise, wake up, I have coffee," she tried, poking him in the shoulder.

He reached up and tried to swat her away. "Leemelone, Draco," Blaise mumbled, turning his back to her, burrowing further under the duvet he'd pulled around him.

"It's not me, prick, it's Hermione. You know, bushy-haired Gryffindor bookworm?" Draco laughed at his boyfriend; he was used to this routine.

"Urgh… Gryffdor… only Hermonee," Blaise mumbled into the pillow.

Hermione and Draco both laughed out loud at his response before she sat down on the bed and reached out to him. The said bushy-haired Gryffindor bookworm grabbed him by the shoulder and gave it a firm shake, noticing the feel of his warm, silky skin under her fingers.

"Lucky for you, I'm the only Gryffindor here, so get up and drink this coffee I made," she demanded of the wizard who was slowly turning and sitting up.

Draco grinned, watching Hermione try and handle a grumpy Blaise.

"Bloody hell, woman! If this is what I've got to look forward to then maybe I changed my mind about everything I said last night," Blaise huffed, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes and yawning loudly, before turning to wink knowingly at her.

Hermione blushed and moved her hand from his shoulder, which Blaise caught in mid-air and brought to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. He looked up, his gaze intense.

"Good morning, Dolcezza."

Hermione forgot how to breathe whilst gazing into his warm brown eyes, hearing his slight Italian accent, husky with sleep. God, this man was sexy, caring, compassionate, and not at all how Hermione thought he would be. He was making her feel things. She knew that fluttering in her belly was the same feeling she'd had when Viktor had taken her to the Yule Ball; it was excitement, nerves, and maybe, the beginnings of a crush — as ridiculous and immature as that word sounded to her.

How could she not? The wizard before her was gorgeous and intelligent. Hermione turned to pass him his coffee.

Draco stayed silent during this exchange before joining them on the bed. He smiled at his partner. "Well, this is nice, isn't it?" He asked airily. "Very domesticated." Blaise shot him a don't push it warning look before sipping his drink.

"Don't get used to it. I just wanted to see what you were whining about when you said he was a nightmare to wake. That was easy. You should try and wake Ron up one morning."

Both wizards groaned at the same time. "Hermione, sweetheart," Draco drawled sarcastically, "please don't mention the Weasel at this time of the morning. I don't think our stomachs could handle it."

Smacking him lightly on the arm, she scolded him. "Don't be horrible, Draco. I was just saying, that's all. You whine about nothing! Blaise was easy to wake, I haven't even had to remove my wand," she declared, proudly.

They both raised their eyebrows, Blaise laughing at the image of Hermione hexing her friends awake.

"To be fair to the moaning prat behind you, I'm not the easiest person to be around in the morning but, if it's you waking me from now on, I'm sure I'll be more… cooperative."

"Honestly, you two are terrible." She smiled to let him know she was joking and he grinned.

"So, how are you feeling this morning?" He asked sincerely. He'd been so worried, he still was.

"Oh, I'm fine," she sighed. "Draco got me a Sober-Up and coffee. I'll be okay."

"Don't give us that bull, Granger. Blaise wasn't asking about your hangover and you know it." Draco leaned closer to her.

She whipped her head around to face him, an arctic glare spread across her face.

"What do you know about it, Malfoy?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Princess. Don't you think Blaise and I spoke last night — or this morning actually — about what was said and what happened with you?" Draco was not the least bit intimidated by the look she was giving him. He watched her features soften a little and her shoulders sag.

"Look… all I know is…" she began to say, turning her head to look down at the floor.

"Hermione, look at us," Blaise said quietly, reaching out to place a hand on her waist. She turned her head to him, then Draco.

"You can talk to us, Hermione. No pressure," the blond told her softly.

"Okay, well… a lot was said last night, and I need time to think," she answered, nodding her head as if agreeing with herself. "I know you aren't going to pressure me, but I think I'd still like for us to get along and be friends. The atmosphere has been weird around here the last few days, and I want things to go back to how they were before I found any of this out." She waved a hand between Blaise and Draco.

Draco was just about to respond but his boyfriend spoke first.

"That's fine, Hermione, whatever you want. We're just glad you're speaking to us again," he replied softly. Watching her smile back, seeing her eyes light up was something Blaise knew he'd never grow tired of.

Hermione turned to look at Draco who nodded his head enthusiastically. "Whatever you want, Granger."

"Good," she breathed out, her shoulders relaxing slightly, having said what she wanted. "If you hurry up and get dressed, Blaise, you can both escort me to breakfast."

"Bossy little thing, aren't you?" Draco called, as she got up and made her way to the door. "Can you give us five minutes and we'll be right out?"

"Of course," she answered, rolling her eyes. "Five minutes, then I'm coming in."

"You can come—"

Draco Malfoy was not finishing that sentence so Blaise threw a book from his bedside table right at him, just as Hermione closed the door behind her.

~•~•~•~

"Do you have to tease her like that, Draco?" Blaise asked his boyfriend, who had tossed the book aside and was now crawling across the bed towards him like a predator stalking prey, his blond hair falling into his stormy eyes that were burning with a ferocity Blaise hadn't seen for a while. He gulped as Draco crept nearer.

"Do me a favour?" Draco asked, removing the coffee cup from his partner's hand and leaning so far over he pushed Blaise down onto the mattress while he placed the cup on the nightstand.

"Wh-what?" Blaise answered, clearing his throat, his cock twitching as Draco lay across him. He knew that look, the one that said I'm going to fuck you into the headboard.

Draco moved so he was lying along the length of Blaise's hard body. "Shut up and kiss me."

"What about Herm—" Blaise started before Draco crashed his mouth down on Blaise's supple lips. The kiss was aggressive, their lips moving hard against each other. Draco nipped and sucked on Blaise's bottom lip demanding entry, their tongues twirling against each other.

Blaise moved his hands until his fingers tangled in Draco's fine blond hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled softly on the strands, eliciting a groan from his lover. The sound went straight to Blaise's cock, and he tried to move to gain some friction.

"Fuck, Blaise," Draco breathed out heavily, dragging his lips away from his boyfriend's. "Stop moving, or I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't see straight!"

"Isn't that what you want?" Blaise asked, moving again and licking a line up the side of Draco's neck, watching as he shivered.

"Ungh, stop it, seriously," he tried again, a bit more forcefully.

"Why should I?" Blaise teased. "Maybe I'd like nothing better right now than to be fucked by you."

"Merlin, Blaise, what you do to me," Draco moaned. "The things you make me feel."

Blaise pulled Draco's head back down and attacked his mouth once more, their tongues swirling.

Draco ground his rock-hard length into Blaise's stomach while kissing and licking across his jaw and down the side of his neck, biting softly into his skin.

Blaise squirmed beneath him. He loved Draco's tongue doing wicked things but, even though Draco had started it, Blaise realised this wasn't the time for fucking.

"Draco," he called, pushing at the blond's shoulders.

"Mmm," came the muffled reply as Draco continued his attack on Blaise's neck.

"We need to… OH, MOTHER OF MERLIN," he shouted out as Draco nibbled his earlobe, knowing it would send him crazy.

Draco loved to tease, blowing cool air across Blaise's ear then licking just underneath and nibbling again on the soft lobe.

"Oh… Jesus… fuck!"

Draco raised his head and smirked down at his lover. "I know I'm doing something right when you start calling out for the Muggle gods."

"Such a prick," Blaise replied, pushing at Draco's chest until he'd managed to flip him over to the other side of the bed.

"Hey," Draco cried, sitting up and pouting.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, I don't think it's a good idea right now. Hermione's just out there, and we don't want to give her more reasons to run." Blaise told him breathlessly.

"No… you're right… I suppose," Draco acquiesced, sighing and running his hands through his blond hair. "No more setting up intentional walk-ins on her. No pushing."

"Agreed," Blaise whispered, getting out of bed so he could dress. He noticed the look in Draco's eye and sighed to himself.

"Potter's wrong, you know," Blaise said, buttoning up his shirt and reaching for his tie. "She's not broken. The Hermione we know and adore is still in there. I told her that last night." He moved to the mirror to check that everything looked good for the day.

"I know… it's just… I feel so guilty all the bloody time. Watching her the past couple of weeks, it's been… eye-opening. For fuck's sake, Blaise, she flinches when a door bangs too loudly. That's not normal. Do you know how many times a day she reaches for her wand? A lot — some days I've lost count. I think it's just a subconscious reaction now; she doesn't even know she's doing it half the time, and it's my fault. I should've done more to protect her when she and the morons were brought to the Manor."

"No, Draco… no. It isn't your fault, alright? You couldn't have done any more than you did that day, without her and you both ending up dead. Let's not go through this again, love, please?" Blaise pleaded, he didn't want a repeat of what had happened in the early part of the summer.

Just after the war, as they waited for Draco's trial date, his lover had fallen into a black hole of depression. He had refused to see anyone except Blaise, not even Narcissa was allowed into the bedroom he had barricaded himself in. It was only with Blaise's support and love that he'd managed to get through those dark days.

"I just—"

"No, I said. We are not going there again. I think the final hurdle will be talking to Hermione about this, and that isn't going to happen anytime soon, so you're just going to have to keep it together for a while longer, alright?" He wrapped his arms around Draco's waist, breathing in his scent as he pulled him close. "I want you to heal so much, Draco. You know I'd do anything for you not to have to carry around the demons you do, but she needs time — she's not ready — and you can't have that discussion with her now."

"I know, really, I do. It's just… I can't see how we're going to move forward when we are both holding so much back," Draco sighed, leaning down and kissing Blaise gently on the lips.

"It'll come naturally. One day you'll just be talking, someone will mention something, and the conversation will begin from there. Just stop thinking for awhile, yes?" Draco nodded his acceptance and closed his eyes at Blaise's words, pressing their foreheads together.

"Let's look forward to spending some time with her in a normal setting. Just relax and enjoy," Blaise whispered.

Draco sighed before opening his eyes and, with a determined look, told Blaise they needed to escort their witch to breakfast.

~•~•~•~