When morning broke, light streamed in through the sheer curtains on the windows, and everything felt so still, so quiet. Draco's breathing was slow and even against her back, but she could tell he was awake by the lazy circles he was drawing with his fingertips on her bare thigh. He shifted, pushing his body closer to hers, and the feeling of his hardness on her backside made her stomach flip. The black t-shirt she had stolen for the night rode up her stomach as she adjusted in his arms. He moved his hand from her thigh and and drew it up to gently trace up and down her stomach. Each time he got closer and closer to her chest but teased out actually touching her. She gave in eventually and let out throaty moan, in turn he buried his head in the crook of her neck and pressed a kiss. It jolted her back to reality.

"Oh," she sat up suddenly, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Mmm sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's alright," she sighed and flopped onto her back, looking up at the ceiling.

He resumed the more innocent of his touches and lightly kissed her chin. "Feels weird waking up with me here?"

Hermione almost pointed out that she'd already once woken with him in her bed, but he wasn't wearing only his boxer briefs then, so it was a little different. Instead she was honest.

"Feels weird that it doesn't feel more weird. It feels…natural."

"Granger," he whispered in her ear, running his fingertips higher and higher along her inner thigh, "I'd say having my cock buried inside you felt like the most natural thing in the world."

She laughed and tipped her head back, "Malfoy, you menace."

Draco smiled against her neck and pressed another kiss.

"Have dinner with me this week." It wasn't a question, she figured he wasn't accustomed to hearing no. "Maybe Wednesday?"

"Draco…"

"Oh." He pulled himself away from her and sat up. "I see."

"No, please, listen." She sat up as well.

"I'm listening."

"You and I…together…I don't know if that makes sense."

He scoffed, "makes sense? I don't think anything has ever made more sense to me in my life."

She shook her head, "our worlds, our lives…"

"We have the same job, we sit six inches from each other on a daily basis. So how about you stop fucking around and stay what you really want to say."

"I just don't think you've thought about this, the reality of us…dating each other."

"I have, actually. I've thought about it a whole lot. Honestly, I got the impression that you had as well."

"I have and I just think it's unrealistic."

"Look, I have absolutely no interest in trying to talk you into wanting to be with me. I just thought we wanted the same thing."

"It's not that I don't like you, Draco! Last night was… it was…"

"Say the words."

"Incredible. And we clearly have a lot of chemistry. I'm glad we did this."

"But it was just sex to you."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I'm just gonna go," he threw off the sheets and searched the floor for his jeans.

She sat up, "Draco. I liked last night. It doesn't have to be this way."

He was buttoning the fly at the foot of her bed and wouldn't look at her. Quietly he said, "it's not any way." Draco searched around the floor. "Where's my shirt?"

Hermione looked down at the black t-shirt that he wore into her flat just as his eyes landed on her as well.

"Can I have my shirt please?"

"Draco," she said, "we should talk about this."

"We have talked about it. Give me my shirt, c'mon."

"You have talked. You have not listened."

"Granger." He said sharply, "I know what's happening here. If I come over there and take my shirt back, you and I are going to have sex again. And it's a bad idea. So please, just give it to me and save us both the trouble."

"Why are you assuming this is some machiavellian plan? Sounds like something you would do."

"Granger," there was a bit of a smirk as he approached her, "I'm not gonna ask you again."

The heat was rising between them, and despite her better judgment, she tipped her head to challenge him. His hands were on her hips, playing with the hem of the t-shirt. She breathed harder as he teased it up higher and higher.

"You really shouldn't test me, Granger," he said as the shirt rose so high his knuckles ran over her nipples. He ran them up and down once, twice, then a third time. She gasped at the feeling, but just as quickly it was gone, and he pulled it up over her head. Draco looked her in the eye and said, "see? That was harder."

She watched as he pulled it over his own head and then replaced his cable knit sweater before looking for his socks and shoes.

"I really don't want this to ruin things with us, Draco. Our relationship doesn't have to change. I care about you.

"Well I'm IN LOVE with you, Hermione, so that's not really going to work is it?" He spat at her. She felt herself recoil, holding the sheet to her body tighter. His face fell and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I shouldn't have thrown that in your face like that."

"Was it a lie?"

"No. No it wasn't a lie. Like I said, I'm sorry." He ran his hands through his hair and found his shoes. "I'm just gonna go. No regrets,yeah?"

And then he did. He went, and he left Hermione in her bed, wondering why it suddenly felt so big and empty and cold.

The next few days were torturous. It would have been so much easier if they could avoid each other until the awkwardness subsided. But their work had other plans, as they were assigned to the same case, an American wizard who was showing strange symptoms and not responding to the usual remedies. Usually, it would have kept them busy enough to forget all about their personal problems, but the late nights hold up in the office trying to find the right solution gave them nothing by time to stew.

Hermione hadn't known what to expect when she first crossed the threshold into their office. She wasn't even sure which would be easier, awkward silence or awkward conversations. But almost worse than either, Draco seemed content to pretend nothing happened between them at all. He was professional and courteous, not unkind, not even chilly. It was like they had spun a Time Turner back to a year or two prior, when they were friendly, but not quite friends.

"Maybe it's Lupus," she said one night, thinking out loud after- hours in their office.

Draco looked up, "Lupus? That's a new one."

She shook her head, "can't be muggle though, you got a magic signature off the blood work right?"

"Right."

Hermione sighed and went back to skimming the rare disease tome in front of her. Draco didn't go back to his own. "Hey, have you given any more thought to our conversation last week?"

"What?" her head snapped in his direction.

"About submitting your venom counter-curse into research? I was talking to Healer Lavalle earlier and he said they're expecting a surge of grants to come in at year's end."

"Oh. I haven't started on the proposal but yes, I was planning on it. Let me guess, you want in?"

"Just on the team, you can keep all the glory, you deserve it."

She shook her head, "it's not about the glory, it's about what's right."

"I know, I know, noble Granger, I get it. You could use my help though, I think you know that."

Hermione bit her lip, "are you sure that's a good idea, us working together?"

"We're working together right now."

"But we might get different cases in a week, and then we won't have to, you know," she gestured between them, "do this. If I request you on my research team we'll be stuck together for months."

"I actually quite like working with you, I thought you quite liked working with me as well."

Hermione lowered her eyes and her voice, "that was before."

"Oh so we're talking about it, huh?"

"What are you talking about? You're the one who's been acting like nothing happened."

"I'm trying to follow your lead, I thought that's what you wanted!"

"I…I do." she groaned, "look I just think we don't have to make this any harder on ourselves than it already is. And the more time we spend together the more people will talk."

Draco looked like someone had slapped him, "is that what this is about? You think it risks your little shameful secret getting out?"

"I didn't call it that."

"You didn't have to. And just so you know, people have been talking about us long before the other night."

"Will you lower your voice please? People will hear."

Draco got up and closed the door, even though it was late and their wing of the hospital was quiet. "It truly amazes me how much you care what people think of you, Granger."

"Don't be an arsehole. I'm being practical."

"No, you're running scared. It's a real shame, Hermione, because I actually think we could've had something. And if you're honest with yourself, I bet you think so too. Date me or don't, put me on the project or don't, it doesn't matter, none of it matters. Just quit lying to yourself."

He stormed out and Hermione got up to close the door again. She slumped against and sat on the floor, her knees to her chest, and for just one moment, let herself break. Tears came fast and hard, she knew if she could cry it out for a minute, she could wash her face and be back to work in no time.

The door knob turned and Hermione sprung to her feet and wiped her face with her sleeve. Draco's eyes widened as he stepped back in the office.

"Sorry I… my briefcase."

"No, no it's fine," she sat back down at her desk and looked in the opposite direction, willing him not to look at her.

Draco paused as if he was going to say something else, but he didn't. He packed up and walked out without another word.