Astoria looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was wearing a black dress that Draco bought her. It was a comfortable material with long sleeves, a tight top that showed off her waist, and a flared skirt. She paired it with slingback heels and her hair in a loose braid. The necklace balanced delicately on its chain. She felt rather pretty.

"Go on a date with me," Draco asked her yesterday morning. When she woke up, she found him staring at her with a lazy grin on his face.

She was so sleepy that she didn't quite understand his question at first. Or not a question but rather a statement. "W-what?"

"Go on a date with me."

"But how? What about Daphne?"

Draco just grinned. "Leave that to me, my love. I'll be at your dorm at 7:00 tomorrow to get you."

So there she was. It was 6:58 and she was, in a way, stalling. At first, it was because she wasn't sure what the right outfit would be, not knowing a single detail about the night that awaited her. And it wasn't like she could ask Aria; her friend went to Hogsmeade with Theo, Enzo, and Mattheo earlier that day and probably wouldn't be back for a while. Now, Astoria was stalling because she was rather nervous. This was her first date ever. Her first date with Draco. What if she messed things up? What was the proper date etiquette? What if they were caught?

It all had her feeling apprehensive, both dreading and looking forward to the moment when there was a knock on the door.

Knock... knock.

Two knocks sounded on the door precisely at seven, both at a reasonable volume and a respectable distance between them. Nervously, Astoria teetered over to the door, wishing silently that she could go one day without wearing stupid heels. You're a lady and ladies wear heels. Her grandmother was always in her head giving her little etiquette lessons like this.

Wiping her sweaty palms on her dress, Astoria opened the door to see the most beautiful man that she had ever seen.

Draco stood in front of her with the largest bouquet of white garden roses she had ever seen. It practically covered his entire face, which was a shame considering his smooth face, bright eyes, and tousled blond made him look completely irresistible. He was smiling, which made his face seem a little softer. He normally looked so serious and sharp but tonight, for her, he looked different.

As soon as his eyes took her in, his jaw dropped. "Y-you look... breathtaking," he mumbled under his breath, sounding so unlike the composed Draco she knew. Astoria giggled, which seemed to break him from his trance. Draco shook his head and flashed her a charming smile. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget that I'm lucky enough to call you mine." He eyed her up and down one more time. "Hello, darling."

Shyly, she tucked a piece of hair that had fallen free from her braid behind her air. You're a Greengrass! Why are you surprised that a man is pursuing you? Where is your confidence, woman? But this wasn't just any man pursuing her. This was Draco Malfoy, the richest boy in Hogwarts with the most prestigious family in the entire wizarding world. And here he was in front of her door at least a hundred of her favorite flowers staring at her as if she were heaven on Earth.

"Hi, Draco," she said with a faint blush on her cheeks before forcing herself to take a deep breath and compose herself. "Thank you for the flowers."

He glanced down at the bouquet. "Oh, these? Expect many more in the future." The future. The idea rolled so easily off her tongue that she was blushing all over again.

"Let me get a vase for those."

"Nonsense. What kind of man would I be if I brought flowers without something for the lady to store them in?" With a wave of his wand, the flowers disappeared for a moment only to reappear in various vases around the bedroom. "Don't worry. There's more where we're going."

She smiled and took his outstretched arm. "You look very handsome tonight," she remarked, finally noticing the all-black suit he was sporting. Though his features were light, the outfit suited him well.

Draco snorted in an ungentlemanly way. If anyone else did that, Astoria's face would have soured and she would have pulled away. But when Draco did it, she felt young. Light. Carefree. Happy. It was crazy how love has us making all sorts of concessions. He might not have known it but that one little sound from Draco made Astoria feel a little freer that evening, like she could perhaps take off one layer of her persona and open up to him just a little bit more. She smiled to herself at the thought of figuring out with Draco of all people who Astoria truly was beneath all of the pearls, diamonds, and luxury dresses. Maybe that was who she truly was or maybe she was more laidback like Daphne or maybe she was a mixture all her own.

"My looks are nothing compared to yours," Draco said, pulling Astoria's attention back to the conversation. "You are the most radiant woman I have ever seen and I am but the lowly man you have chosen to give your affections to."

"You cannot be so lowly given how tall you are," she teased. Her eyes widened as soon as the statement left her mouth. Did I just joke around? On a date? Her grandmother would have scolded her endlessly for it and yet... and yet it was fun.

Draco laughed. "I suppose you are right. Though I am still endlessly lucky for garnering your affection. Hopefully, tonight will prove that you were not misguided in it."

She grinned and leaned into his lean body. A strong arm was keeping her steady even as she teetered in her shoes. Her feet ached from wearing heels all day and yet she forced herself into the tall stilettos for the occasion.

But nothing escaped Draco's eyes. He looked down at her feet and frowned. "The shoes are lovely, darling, but are they comfortable?"

"Oh... um... they're fine," she stuttered.

He smirked. "You're a horrible liar, Astoria, you know that? Come here." She moved closer to his body but before she could ask why, he scooped her into his arms, forcing a little scream to exit her body.

"Draco!" she whisper-yelled between giggles threatening to escape. "This is unbecoming!"

"No. What's unbecoming is me seeing my girl in pain over a pair of cute shoes when I am perfectly capable of carrying her."

She grinned to herself and looked down. "Oh, alright. But only until we reach where we are going."

"Agreed..." His answer satisfied her only for a moment. "Then you will be taking them off."

"What?" she cried out indignantly. "These are a hundred galleons! I can't just take them off. That is completely improper. No, it's completely inappropriate. Going without shoes, my word!"

"Who cares?"

"What?"

Draco smirked and stared down at her. "Who cares about being improper? I've seen you naked, Astoria, I think I can handle seeing your feet."

Anger began to bubble within her and Astoria raised her hand to smack him for bringing up their nightly escapades (escapades that had certainly gone no further since the morning after the common room party) but his next words stopped her. "Tell me, my love, do you like wearing heels?"

She frowned. "Heels are cute and proper attire for a lady."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm well aware of the fact considering how delicious your legs look every day you wear them. But do you like wearing them?"

Astoria bit her lip. Did she like wearing them? The answer was an immediate and resounding no in her mind. But sometimes ladies did things they didn't like for the sake of propriety, that was what her grandmother always told her. For her, that meant wearing heels every day even when they blistered her feet and sometimes made them feel like they were on fire. Sometimes, they were nice and she enjoyed them. Others... she would rather walk in a dragon's pit than put on another pair of stilettos.

"Astoria," Draco's soft voice brought her from her thoughts. "Do you like wearing them?"

She looked him in the eye. If she lied, he would know. She was never very good at it, especially when she couldn't skirt around the answer. But never mind not being good at it. Astoria didn't want to lie to Draco. She trusted him, even with something as silly as this.

"No," she whispered. "Sometimes they're nice but sometimes they're not."

"Then that settles it."

"Settles what?"

He grinned. "You'll see." Draco bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for being honest with me."

She smiled back and leaned into his chest. "I'm glad I was." That, too, wasn't a lie.

It didn't take long for them to reach the location of their date. But to Astoria's surprise, they were standing in front of Draco's dorm room. She turned to look at him with confusion but he just answered by opening the door and allowing her to see the prettiest setting she had ever seen.

White garden roses were everywhere, bordering every inch of the room in various bud vases. Wherever they weren't laid candles illuminating the room in a soft, yellow glow. A small, two-person table sat in the middle of the room with what looked like some sort of salmon and risotto on plates, still steaming. She even thought she saw a glimpse of chocolate cake with a strawberry on top set off to the side.

Astoria looked up at Draco with the ghost of a smile on her face. "You did all of this for me?"

He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I told you, my love. I would give you the world if you asked it of me... though I must confess, I had some help."

"Help?"

He nodded. "Our house elf, Dobby, helped me set all of this up for you." Then, his brow furrowed. "I must confess my family isn't always the nicest to Dobby and I'm sure I contributed to that but he's a sweet creature. When I told him about you, he was more than happy to help."

She smiled as she thought about the house elf. In her experience, they were lovely magical creatures, loyal almost to a fault. Dobby sounded splendid. She grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it. "You may not have shown him kindness in the past but it is never too late to start."

Draco looked at her with wonder in his eyes. "You're so wonderful, Astoria Greengrass. I hope you never lose that." She just blushed and remained silent.

He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, making a giggle rise to her lips. "There is one part of our date that I am afraid is nonnegotiable, my lady."

Draco walked over to his closet and began rummaging in the drawers. Astoria furrowed her brows. "What is it?" He walked over to her with a mischievous look in her eyes that made her gulp. His hands were hidden behind his back, concealing whatever it was that he held. It only made her more nervous. "Draco?"

He smirked. "You must wear these." Astoria looked down at what he placed in her hands with a gasp.

It was a pair of sweatpants. Like black, jogger sweatpants followed by a matching black hoodie that would surely swamp her. And to top it all off, there was a pair of socks. Athletic, boyish socks. "What?! No! I'm not wearing this on a date."

Draco grinned. "Don't worry. I'll be wearing the same thing so you won't be out of place. And, as I said earlier, I'm afraid this isn't up for discussion. Tonight's attire simply calls for comfy."

"B-but why?" Her voice kept getting higher pitched the longer she held the cotton in her hands.

"Many reasons. One, I think you'd look adorable in it. Two, you've admitted to me that you're not comfortable in your current attire. And three... you need to learn that your status as a lady doesn't depend on the clothes you wear. You are the most graceful woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing; wearing comfy clothes at home doesn't change that fact. Nor does flats versus heels, silver versus gold, pants versus skirts, or whatever other little rules you have created inside your mind."

She hardly knew how to respond to that in any way other than shock. "But... but..."

Draco smiled and kissed her gently. "But nothing, my love. You do not have to pretend to like things you do not for the sake of propriety. You are an incredible woman, Astoria, and that is not dictated by whether you are a lady or not. You need not miss out on hobbies, act unnaturally, or force yourself into the most uncomfortable-looking shoes I've ever seen to be one. And you certainly don't need to do those things for me. I like you as you are, whether that's in sweatpants on a broom or in dresses in the library. Anyone who is not an utter fool would agree with me."

She furrowed her brows and unfurrowed them. Then she furrowed them again before unfurrowing them again. "So you're saying..."

"I'm saying that I like the little quips you insert into conversations that you deem improper. I like the way you blush when you think you're being inappropriate. I like you in every piece of clothing you've ever worn. I like seeing you dance when you think nobody is looking, humming to yourself when you think nobody is listening. I like the little quirks you have, like the way you always take one bite of your dessert before finishing your meal or the way you always curl your toes when you slip out of your heels. I like you. Not some made-up, pearl-filled version of you. Just you, Astoria."

By the time he finished speaking, Astoria had dropped the clothes in her hand. She wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and brought his face to hers, closing the distance between them with a short yet searing kiss. He responded immediately, humming with satisfaction. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her impossibly closer. Sparks were flying between them and that wasn't just from magic. Something in the air shifted with Draco's lingering words, something Astoria was having trouble fighting for much longer.

"Draco, I—" I love you. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say those three words. Because whenever she tried, a flash of blonde hair and a dash of tan freckles appeared. "I really, really like you."

And despite the words she left hanging, a breathtaking smile still overtook his face. "I'm glad. Because I was a little afraid you'd look at the sweatpants and run for the hills."

She giggled. "Well... for you, I'll put them on. So long as you swear to never speak of this outside of this room."

Draco bit his lip and held out his pinky with a devilish look on his face that almost made her swoon. "Of course, darling." Astoria smiled and took his finger before going to the bathroom to change.

When she emerged, she felt a little ridiculous. Draco's hoodie did indeed swallow her tiny frame and she was forced to roll the black sweatpants several times so they would somewhat hang on her waist. The socks were both tight and loose, a foreign feeling, and her braid felt messier than before. She untucked the ring so the chain was hanging over the sweatshirt. Gosh, I can't believe I'm actually wearing a sweatshirt.

Draco—now dressed in similar attire except he was wearing dark grey sweatpants and a dark green hoodie—gaped when he stared at her. "My, my, Astoria. You look just as beautiful in that getup, if not more." She blushed and fiddled with the long sleeves of the hoodie. "Except... there's just one thing."

"What is it?"

Draco walked over to the bathroom. She heard the sink running afterward before Draco walked out with a washcloth in his hands. Silently, he took the cloth and began to wipe her face, taking every single bit of makeup off with it.

When he was finished, Draco looked at her and smiled. "There. That's better, isn't it?"

Astoria thought about how she looked with her baggy sweatsuit, her messy braid, and her complete lack of makeup. It was certainly improper date attire. But then she thought about how comfortable she was and how pretty Draco made her feel and how he was gazing down at her with the most genuine smile she had ever seen.

"Yeah," she whispered with a small smile of her own. "Much better."

. . .

"No, you didn't!" Astoria exclaimed.

"Yes, I very much did," Draco said with a small chuckle.

She gasped. "So you were the reason Terry Boot was in the hospital wing for three days? You and your goons beat him up for asking me out?"

Draco shrugged. "I made it clear six years ago on your first train ride to Hogwarts that you were off limits. If Terry chose to ignore that warning, I cannot be held responsible for the consequences of said choice."

"You were the consequences!"

"Your words are upset but you cannot stop smiling with your eyes, little Astoria. Terry is fine and you are mine now so it all worked out." She bit her lip and nodded. "So, did you enjoy dinner?"

She looked down at her massive plate of spaghetti. Massive because Draco hadn't wanted to risk her going hungry so he served her a portion that even Hagrid wouldn't have been able to finish. "I feel like I'm going to burst."

He grinned. "Come here then, darling, and I can rub your stomach."

Astoria happily obliged, walking her lazily dressed self to the table where she sat down on Draco's lap. As if on instinct, his arms wrapped around her waist to steady her. She rested her head against his chest while he made good on his promise to rub her stomach. They were silent for a few moments before Astoria spoke up. "Does it bother you, Dray?"

"Does what bother me?"

"That I haven't said... it back?"

His arms never stopped their gentle caresses. Draco didn't hesitate when he said, "No."

She frowned a little. "Why not?"

"Because 'I love you' is a statement, not a question. Therefore, it doesn't require an answer. When I say that 'I love you', I'm stating how I feel, not asking you for any sort of declaration from you in return."

His answer was nothing short of logical but Astoria still couldn't help but feel bad. "You know I feel it too, right?"

He leaned forward and placed his chin on her shoulder. "Yes, my love. I do. And right now that knowledge is more than enough for me. Just being here with you satisfies me endlessly."

Astoria giggled and turned to look at him, facing him in his lap now. "You are always such a charmer, Draco Malfoy."

He grinned. "Of course. How else would I be able to snag a woman like you?"

She placed her finger on her lips and pretended to think. "Hmm... I supposed chocolate would have sufficed."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Just chocolate? My, my. I would have been able to save myself a lot of money if I had known that before. That's good to know for the future."

"Well, everything else can just win you brownie points."

He scoffed. "It seems chocolate has wormed its way into your vocabulary as well. So what do I get for the cake over there?"

Now, it was Astoria's turn to smirk. It was fun to tease him like this. There was a part of her that knew that only she could take the sharp (and a little uptight) Malfoy and joke around with him, a part of her that loved it. "I'll take you over to the bed, lay you down on the sheets, lean down, and...kiss you goodnight."

Draco's jaw dropped. "Oh, that's it. You're getting it, Greengrass."

"What?!" she squeaked but before she knew it, Draco had taken a fork filled with the red sauce from dinner and smashed it onto her face. She shrieked as the sticky substance was dripping onto her skin. "Draco!"

He smirked. "That's what you get for teasing me, my love. Although, red's a good color on you."

Astoria pursed her lips and grabbed the fork, smearing the sauce right back onto Draco. Bits of tomato were stuck in his white hair. His face was completely shocked at being such a mess. She giggled. "'Red's a good color on you,'" she mocked.

Draco laughed loudly. It was a deep sound that caused something to stir in Astoria's core. His eyes were crinkling at the sides from his deep smile and his shoulders shook with each deep breath. Before long, she was laughing with him. She felt like she could hardly breathe every time she looked over and saw the patches of half-dried sauce on his face. It felt like it had been so long since she had fully laughed like this, in a way other than the delicate giggles she allowed herself to release. As the two continued to laugh themselves silly, Astoria could feel herself become lighter, younger, even.

Sitting there in that chair with sauce all over her face, wearing sweatpants and socks that were too big, her dark hair an absolute mess in its braid, laughing in a way that sounded rather horrendous (struggling to breathe through it all), Astoria never felt more at home. Sure, she might have been lazily dressed, covered in food, and looking like a slob, but she felt so surrounded by the warmth of love that she could hardly even care.

Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before leaning back and licking a bit of the tomato off his lips. "You taste delicious."

That set her off in another fit of giggles. "Well, I think you always taste delicious."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Astoria bit her lip and nodded. Draco just grinned and brought his face closer to hers. "Well then. I suppose I better give you a taste."

"I suppose so," she whispered.

Draco's hand threaded itself in her messy locks of hair and used its grip to bring her painfully closer. His warm breath cascaded over her lips before his mouth met hers. Draco lingered there only for a moment before moving his mouth against hers in a soft, slow rhythm. She responded instantly, opening her mouth and letting him explore inside. They kissed at the table for a few moments before Draco picked Astoria up and carried her over to the bed. There, he laid her down and began to drag his hand up and down her body. They hadn't gone any further than their morning after the common room party—ever since Draco had found out that Astoria wanted to save herself for marriage, he had been extremely respectful of her boundaries—but that didn't mean they couldn't have a little bit of fun instead.

He groaned and grabbed both sides of her head with his hands, pulling on the various strands of hair as he undid her braid. His mouth began to move quicker as if a fever had overcome him. "Astoria... Astoria... Astoria. You're mine," he moaned into her mouth. "Merlin, you're mine."

She nodded. Her hands, resting on his shoulders, attempted to bring his body even closer. "Yes, Dray. I'm yours." But so is Daphne. She forced that thought to leave her mind and just focus on Draco and her. Us. Together.

"I love you, Astoria. I've always loved you. I'll plan a thousand date nights like tonight to convince you."

She smiled into his kiss. "You only needed one."

The calm before the storm. Lol oops, but we all know it can't be good for too long. Ironically I am bedridden from my arrhythmia, which has not been fun, to say the least, but hey! It meant I got to bust out this chapter before 9 am.

Please review and follow. Thanks all! xx