Disclaimer- Don't own anything...even though I want Adrian all to myself.
Warning- This is my first attempt at this pairing. I personally adore the pairing and I have been working on this to get the perfect Adrian Pucey, I hope, for those of you that love him too, that he lives up to your expectations!
"Would you stop complaining?" Hermione hissed at the man currently walking beside her through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley.
"It's your fault," Adrian Pucey groused before a fit of sneezing over took him.
"My fault?" she asked, stunned, as she handed him a tissue, something he took with a suspicious look.
"You told me to follow you into the store," he accused as he gingerly blew his nose into the muggle item.
"I did no such thing. I said 'I'll be right back, stay out here if you want'," she defended quickly as she put her hands in her pockets when he held the tissue out to her to dispose of.
"Which means that you want me to follow you inside so you can ask me if I like on thing or the other. If I don't follow you in you come out in a mood," he explained as he looked around the crowded streets before dropping the used tissue onto the ground, something that didn't escape Hermione.
"It was the pet shop, what on earth could I have asked you about in there?" she gave his arm a pinch and he grimaced and covered a sneeze before he answered.
"Well I didn't know either; I just went on past experiences."
Hermione sent him a mild look before she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I've never heard of a man having an allergy so odd."
"Well Weasley has an intelligence allergy so you can't say that say that honestly," he said with a smirk.
"That is not funny, Adrian," she sighed. "I just find it odd that a man, anyone for that matter, has an allergy to rats."
"Rat fur," he clarified stiffly, although his stuffy tone was ruined when he sneezed loudly and caused a few passers by to glance at him.
"I would think they would have a cure for that," she said thoughtfully as he led her into the ice cream parlor.
"Well obviously they hadn't," he said tightly as he ordered for the both of them and ushered her towards a table after he collected their ice creams and paid for them.
"Well there's no need to pout."
"I am not pouting."
Hermione stayed silent and ate her ice cream quickly, as always, and then watched the production that was Adrian eating. He was only half way done with his, of course his strange habits being the reason. She watched as he picked up a large spoonful of ice cream then turned it upside down into the sprinkles that he had pushed over to one side. After making sure there were enough sprinkles on the bite of ice cream before he slipped the spoon in his mouth, upside down of course, and closed his eyes as the ice cream melted on his tongue.
"I can't eat with you watching me," He said quietly with his eyes still closed.
"That's impossible; you ate at Hogwarts with people watching you," She dismissed his comment quickly with a roll of her eyes.
"I didn't say people, I said you and I doubt you were looking at me eat when we were in Hogwarts."
He was right on the last part; they had been anything but friends at Hogwarts. She hadn't even known who he was until a charity ball for the Ministry two years ago. Harry had introduced them, surprisingly, and then left the two to dance with his wife, Ginny.
"I don't see how my gaze affects you more than a room full of people but I'll stop looking if it helps," She said as she raised her gaze skyward before looking out of the window of the shop.
"If you hadn't inhaled your ice cream I would be able to demonstrate how someone looking at a person can bother them," He promised after he took another time consuming bite.
"I did not inhale my ice cream, it's physically impossible," She said with a smile.
"You've never seen yourself with ice cream," He shot back before he licked the back of the spoon and dipped it back into the ice cream glass.
He sneezed again which caused her to hide a giggle behind a cough.
"We've been out of the store for at least half an hour, you can't still be sneezing," She tsked.
"I think someone," he said with narrowed eyes that were focused on her, "picked up a rat."
"You saw the little girl ask me to get it down. What was I supposed to do, tell her to bugger off?"
"You didn't even hesitate," he groused.
She snorted at his pouting and reached across the table to nab a spoon full of ice cream from him.
"You're worse than a child when it comes to sweets," he huffed while he moved the glass away from her and took another spoonful for himself. She said nothing and ate the small bit of ice cream while giving him a smile.
"You've seen RJ, how on earth can you say that?" Hermione asked referencing to Ron's oldest of three children, Ronald Junior, who refused to be called Ron.
"He's five, I wouldn't sound so proud," he replied after he ate the last of his ice cream and began to scoop the stray rainbow sprinkles and liquefied ice cream out of the bottom of the glass.
"You've also never seen yourself with sweets," she continued as if he hadn't said anything.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded setting the bowl aside after he was sure all stray drops of ice cream were successfully taken.
"I've never seen someone take so much time on a single sweet than you," she clarified gesturing towards his glass bowl that sat at his elbow looking as if were never filled with the sweet treat.
"I happen to be thorough."
"Oh please," she said giving an un-ladylike snort at his statement.
He sneezed again and she watched as he took an unused napkin and wiped his nose. While she was enjoying his discomfort just a smidge too much she could also see that he really was suffering from the allergy. His eyes were slightly red, she noticed, and his nose looked a bit pink instead of his usual pale complexion.
"You really are suffering aren't you?" she asked when he placed the napkin in the bowl and sniffed loudly.
"So lovely of you to notice," he groused leaning back onto the chair back and folding his arms across his chest.
"I'm sorry love," she said before biting her lip to keep the giggle in that threatened to escape. He looked like a little boy sitting there like that. All that was missing was…no he'd just pouted so now the look was complete.
"You should be"
"Aww, Adie, you know I didn't mean it," she cooed as she stood up and walked around the table to sit next to him. "What do you want me to do to make it up to you?" she asked pushing his dirty blond hair out of his eyes and trailing her fingers across his cheek.
He closed his eyes and smiled at her light touch but softly cursed when he sneezed again.
"Come on, lets go home," she said as he rubbed the middle of his chest from the force of the sneeze. "I'll make you a nice cup of tea and rub your allergy potion onto your chest," she coaxed, one hand rubbing his back as the other took his hand.
"I'm not feeble," he complained when she tried to pull him up from the chair.
"You're just an annoying prat," she muttered rolling her eyes. "Who knew Slytherins were such babies when it came to something like this," she wondered out loud knowing it would get his attention off of his current discomfort.
"I am not a baby," he defended scowling at Hermione's smile and standing quickly, his shoulders back and head up.
"Really? I was looking forward to taking care of you," she sighed wrapping her arm around his waist, her hand pinching his bum as it passed, and settling into his side as he maneuvered them out of the ice cream parlor and into the crowded street.
His arm came around her and tightened slightly as he walked them through the archway and into the Leaky Caldron to use the Floo Network.
"I'll be waiting for you, love, in the bedroom with my potion," he said softly in her ear, nipping her lobe before and giving her a steamy look that had her blushing. He took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire and, yelling 'Pucey Manor', stepped into the fire, smirking at her blush.
She followed suit and threw her small amount of Powder into the fire before she called out the destination. Hiding a smile, she walked down the hallway and into their bedroom and took in the sight before her. Adrian was laying the bed, shirtless, with a vial in his hand and a smug smile on his face.
'Going to the pet shop might just become a routine event' she thought as she climbed onto the bed and took the vial from his hand, a thrill running through her as he began to unbutton her shirt.
