Chapter 14!
Ah, Solas. You smooth heartbreaker, you!
Seriously though, I had a total wtf-moment the first time Solas flipped his smooth-switch.
The rogue flirt option - "So, you're suggesting I'm graceful?" Solas: "No. I am declaring it. It was not a subject for debate."
Basically, the Dread Wolf is smooth as hell.
Anyway, on with the story, and oh, I don't own anything!
-o-
Chapter 14 - Is Two Am Your Smooth-Sass-Hour?
They would be going to Adamant tomorrow, and Hermione was rather tense, to say the least.
She couldn't sleep.
And it was crucial that she slept. She needed all her energy for tomorrow, she couldn't go to Adamant, and enter the Fade to take down a huge monster and a Nightmare without a proper night's sleep.
But she just could not sleep.
She lay there, contemplating what she could do, how she could calm herself down enough to fall asleep.
What she really wanted, was to leave this bedroom, go past the door to the bathroom, and then knock on the next door.
And then, hopefully, she would fall asleep inside that bedroom instead. Hopefully, Solas would allow her to sleep there.
Solas made her feel…safe. He made her feel…calm, serene. And right now, she really needed calm and serene.
You can't do that, she thought. It's too weird, too intrusive. And he will probably say yes, even if he doesn't want you there. You will overstep some boundaries there, and things might change between you.
She did not want anything to change between them. She would be devastated if she lost the close friendship she had with him. Not to mention her wolf-companion.
No, she thought. No, you can't risk it.
-o-
Thirty minutes later, Hermione was still lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was almost one am. Seven hours and twelve minutes until she had to get up. This was not going very well.
Who am I kidding? she thought. Not very well is a bloody understatement.
-o-
Yet another thirty minutes later – six hours and seventeen minutes until she had to get up – Hermione sat up in the bed. She had to sleep, but sleep was not going to find her here.
I give up, she thought, and sighed as she got up from the bed and exited the room.
She felt like she was six years old again, standing in the dark hallway, hesitating outside the door. She was six years old, and couldn't sleep.
The difference was of course that her parents weren't the ones sleeping behind this door. It was someone rather different, to say the least.
Get a grip, she thought. You are a bloody Gryffindor.
Before she could change her mind, she knocked, and then opened the door just a crack. "Solas?" she whispered. "May I come in?"
She heard Solas voice, heavy with sleep. "Hermione?"
She opened the door just a tad more, peeking inside. "May I come inside?"
"Is something wrong?" Solas asked, and his voice was more alert. "And of course you may come inside."
She took a deep breath, and entered the room. "No, nothing is wrong."
He sat up in the bed, looking at her with sleepy eyes. "Still, I assume you have a reason for why you are here," he said before continuing in a soft voice. "What can I do for you, Lethallan?"
Just say it! Just ask! Hermione yelled to herself in her mind. "I can't sleep," she said, and quickly continued before she lost her nerve. "Can I sleep here? I know it's ridiculous, but I won't be able to sleep at all in my room, and I would rather not go to Adamant, nor the Fade without sleeping the night before. So…can I…sleep here?"
He looked rather perplexed. "Do you want me to sleep in your room?"
She shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "That would sort of take away the whole point." He still looked rather perplexed, and she sighed. "Sorry. This was a bad idea. Sorry for waking you."
She turned to the door, and her hand was on the doorknob when he spoke. "Of course you can sleep here, da'len."
Hermione sighed with relief as she turned around and walked over to the bed before she could change her mind. She lifted the covers, climbed into the bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin as she curled up and sighed softly.
She opened her eyes, and luckily managed to stop her breath from hitching when she met Solas' eyes. He was propped up on his elbow, gazing at her with an expression she couldn't quite read, but affected her nevertheless.
"What?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
"You are a curious being, Hermione Granger."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"
A hint of a smile appeared on his face. "A good thing."
She sighed happily. "Good. Now, go to sleep Dread Wolf. Elven god or not, you are interrupting my beauty sleep."
Solas chuckled. "Am I, truly? My humble apologies. I should point out, however, that beauty sleep is not necessary in your case."
She opened her eyes in surprise, but the surprise turned to amusement when she saw Solas' raised eyebrow and slight smirk.
"Smooth, I'll admit."
He chuckled. "Thank you."
She gave him a wry smile. "What's next? The 'we might die tomorrow' speech?"
"Why do you ask? Would you like for me to give said speech?"
Hermione blushed furiously. She could do absolutely nothing to stop it, because the tone in his voice, and the glint in his eyes did stupid things to her brain. The result was of course an amused expression on The Dread Wolf's face.
"What is this? Is two am your smooth-sass-hour?" Hermione asked, and rolled her eyes when Solas looked increasingly amused by the second. "Oh, stop it. Or else I will pinch you."
His eyes widened, but the amused smile did not fade. "I beg your pardon? You will pinch me?"
"Yes. It requires a minimum of moving."
"A minimum of moving. I see. Well then. I best stop."
"Indeed," she said, ignoring the Mirthful Dread Wolf. "Now, go to sleep, sassy elf. We have a world to save and demons to kill tomorrow."
"True," the sassy elf said, and chuckled. Rolling over on his back, he continued. "Goodnight, Lethallan."
"Goodnight, Lethallin."
-o-
She woke up a little while later, and she was freezing. She contemplated going to her room to get her blanket, but that would probably result in her being wide awake by the time she came back. She opened her eyes, looking at Solas' back. He was probably warm. Guaranteed, in fact. And she had demons to kill tomorrow. A world to save.
And The Dread Wolf was lovely. Lovely and warm.
She moved closer, happy that the bed had one, huge cover instead of two smaller ones, because that made it all too easy to move close to him, feeling his warmth.
It was all well and good, except for the fact that she woke The Dread Wolf.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm cold."
"Mmh," he replied sleepily as he turned around, and before she knew it, she was in Solas' arms, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. It took her a moment to get over the shock of it all, but the warmth that was practically radiating from him made her relax. Sighing in content, Hermione closed her eyes.
"Sleep, da'fen." Solas said softly, and Hermione snuggled up closer, asleep within minutes.
-o-
Hermione woke up the next morning, and after a moment – that moment just as you wake up, before the brain is coherent, before the mind is conscious – she remembered where she was, who she was with, and that he was still holding her.
Also, she realised how extremely comfortable she was, but that was beside the point.
Also, she realised he was playing with her hair.
She wished she could stay like this forever. Unfortunately, they had a world to save.
"Do you think we could just skip the whole demon-army-ordeal?" Hermione asked, and felt Solas freeze up for a moment. She decided to ignore it, and continued. "And that Nightmare sounds rather tedious, quite frankly. I would like to take the day off instead."
Solas unfroze, and she let out a soft sigh when he began playing with her hair again.
"It sounds rather tedious, indeed," Solas quipped. "Isn't there a pretend-Archdemon as well?"
Hermione groaned. "Thank you for reminding me."
"You forgot about the pretend-Archdemon?"
"Briefly."
Solas chuckled. "Easy to forget. I understand completely."
"Why have you put away the thick covers?"
"Are you complaining?"
Solas' voice was a mixture of suggestiveness and softness, giving Hermione goosebumps.
"You're sassy in the morning as well, I see. But no, I'm not. But I have no idea how you manage to keep so warm without the blankets."
"I am generally warmer than the average person."
Hermione considered this for a moment. "Is it a god-thing?"
Solas chuckled. "Perhaps."
Hermione considered this for a moment as well, until she remembered the state of the world outside. "Time to get up and save the world, I suppose," she said before pausing. "Well that will certainly be added that to the list of 'phrases I never thought I would say'."
Solas chuckled again. "That sounds like an interesting list."
"I will tell you all about it later," she said as she sat up - reluctantly - and climbed out of the bed, and out of the warm embrace of Solas. Turning around, she smiled at him. "Thank you for letting me sleep here."
He gave her a soft smile. "Any time, Hermione."