Chapter Text
ONE
Voyeur
Hermione's new flat mate was driving her crazy.
It wasn't that he was a bad flat mate. No. He was practically perfect. He was relatively quiet. He didn't throw parties like she had been afraid of. He always made sure that when he did have friends over, that she knew about it ahead of time and never did anything loud after a reasonable hour. He kept to himself in the sense that he was very respectful of their spaces. He never touched anything that he knew was hers and vice versa. He even kept things tidy. And not just tidy, but her level of tidy. She was the type that when she made a mess of any kind, she cleaned it right away. He did the same.
It was his goddamn looks that were driving her crazy.
They most certainly were not the reason she had chosen his application. It was all the other qualities he possessed that she liked, but his looks had not been a factor for his approval. Though, she had to admit it was nice to come home to someone so goddamn gorgeous.
The downside to a good-looking roommate was the self-consciousness. Especially since she was awkward by nature. She had never been good in social situations and she had never lived with anyone once she left her parent's house after Uni, but after switching careers, it was either get a roommate or move back in with her parents.
She had been ready to move back to her childhood home when she interviewed Theodore Nott. She had accepted his application on the spot and he moved in right away. He even helped her pack up the makeshift library she had made in the spare bedroom. Overall, he was a great addition to her life.
And damn her lack of social graces for trying to embarrass her to death.
The first awkward moment had occurred only after a few days of having him there. Days! She had woken up late for work and was used to not only being alone in the house, but sleeping without a stitch of clothing on. She had raced from her room to the bathroom that separated her room and Theo's. She hadn't bothered to knock before wrenching the door open to see him brushing his teeth.
In her sleepy daze, it had taken her quite a long time to realize that he was smirking at her. She had given a yelp and ran back to her bedroom. Mortified, she had skipped the shower, dressed with lightning speed, and opted to buy mouthwash at the corner store before work.
When she had returned home that evening, he had been a perfect gentleman about it. His hazel eyes had sparkled with amusement at her embarrassment, but thankfully he kept his laughter to himself. She apologized profusely and he had promised her it wasn't the end of the world.
The next time, had been a combination of faults. She had come home with takeout for the both of them and was sitting on the couch to eat it. From there, she could see his door and the door to the bathroom. The bathroom door was cracked open and she found herself watching him get out of the shower and towel himself off instead of the television while she stuffed her mouth full of food.
Her cheeks had burned more intensely that time than they had when he'd seen her naked. He laughed about it when he came to sit next to her on the couch. He told her it was his fault for not closing the door all the way and then told her they were even now.
She wished that had been the end of it, but over the course of the first three months, there seemed to be an occurrence almost weekly. Once she had fallen asleep on the couch only to waken in the middle of the night to see him getting himself off on his bed. If he saw her watching, he had never said anything.
And lately, she had noticed he had been staring at her a lot more than usual. And she had been doing the same, to be fair. She had come home to him having cooked; something he did pretty regularly. Something he refused to let her do after the day she had nearly burned the house down making toast.
"Smells delicious," she said, dropping her purse on the small table by the entrance. She shucked her shoes and made her way to the table where he already had a glass of wine poured for her. "What are we having?"
"Nothing fancy, just spaghetti."
"If it's not cereal, it's fancy," she quipped and took a large mouthful of her wine. She eyed him as he stirred the pasta on the stove. How anyone could look so good in an apron was beyond her. She bit her lip and looked away before he noticed her ogling him.
"How was work?" he asked, tapping the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot before picking up his own wine glass and tipping it to his lips.
She sighed. "Another day, another dollar."
"You're young. Plenty of time to switch it up again if you need to," he said with a smile.
"What about your day?"
"Always a peach to work for your family," he said, voice dry. "But hey, whatever pays the bills." He went back to stirring the pasta and beckoned her forward. He fished for a noodle and ran it under the cool tap water. He held it up for her and she opened her mouth to taste it. She nodded and fumbled to slurp up the rest of the noodle.
"Perfect."
She topped off their glasses and brought them to the table as he drained the pasta and plated up their dinner. They tucked into their meal and talked about their day. As always, their conversation was pleasant. She enjoyed getting to know him. He came from high class society, but you wouldn't know it right off the bat. He didn't dress the part. Occasionally he would say something that was purely aristocratic, but it was rare. He was so down to earth it made her smile.
When they were finished, she helped him clean up and store the leftovers before they tackled dishes. As she finished drying the last of the dishes to put away, she caught him staring at her as he leaned against the counter. "Yes?" she asked.
He studied her a little longer before smiling at her. "Are you seeing anyone, Hermione?"
She laughed. "I broke up with my last boyfriend, if that's what you can even call it, about a month before you moved in. I'm on a break." She paused with a half-dried plate in her hand. "Why?"
"I can't help but notice the tension that's been growing between us since I've moved in," he said.
She cleared her throat and put the plate and its companion in the cupboard and set the towel down in its rightful place over the handle of the oven door. She stared at him, unable to find the words as she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.
"I'm not seeing anyone either; more or less at a lull in that department, same as you." He crossed his arms in front of him and lifted one hand to his chin. "I'm proposing a one-time thing; take the edge off while we're single. No strings attached, no feelings."
She grinned from ear-to-ear and tried her best not to laugh. "Isn't this how all rom-com's start? We hook up once, then a few more times, then fall madly in love with the other, and-" she put her hands up and waved her fingers. "Poof, happily ever after."
He did laugh and it eased her fear that she might have insulted him. "Well if it happens, I'll consider myself lucky, but I think we're adult enough to handle it. Besides," he said, letting his eyes rake down her body. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it since the first time I saw you."
She snorted and placed her hand on her hip. "Please. Of the two of us, I am not the looker here."
He closed the distance with two strides and cupped her face, tilting it up so she had to look him in the eye. "You're beautiful, Hermione."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," she murmured.
He grinned at her. "That doesn't make it any less true," he said. "And despite how that sounded, there haven't been that many girls."
She laughed as her hand came up to rest on his chest. "Somehow I find it hard to believe that you're going through such a dry spell that you turn to me to help you." She blushed hard as she thought of the night she had seen him stroking himself.
"Yes or no, Hermione?" he asked, his voice dropping in tone. She saw the way his eyes dilated and as she shifted on her feet, she could feel his arousal pressing against her hip.
She nodded and swallowed hard. "Yes."
He smiled as he brought his mouth crashing down on hers. His other arm snaked around her back and pulled her close. Over the course of her various relationships through the years, no one had ever kissed her quite like this. She nearly melted into him as he thoroughly tasted her mouth, sending a familiar ache to the apex of her thighs.
He continued to kiss her mouth as he pulled her towards his room. They undressed as they went, leaving a trail of clothes in their wake. From the moment he laid her down on the bed to the moment she crawled out of it the next morning, they had devoured every inch of one another as many times as they could.
It had been pretty easy to go back to normal after that. Easier than Hermione had anticipated. She was still attracted to him and him to her, but a few weeks later when he left her a note saying he wouldn't be home because he had a date, she wasn't upset. If anything, it brought them closer together and he quickly became her best friend.
Over the course of two years, they had hooked up occasionally. Always when they were in between relationships. Something neither of them were very good at keeping for longer than a few months at a time.
One night, after a particularly long day at work, she had come home with the intention of asking to share his bed. It had been nearly three months since their last hook up; two months since her last flavor of the month, and she needed the escape he was good at giving her. But instead, she came home to a stranger on her couch.
An incredibly handsome stranger with platinum blond hair, sharp cheekbones, and a smoldering grey stare that made her mouth water. No one had the right to look that good. And where Theo tried his best to not look like the background he liked to hide, this stranger embodied it. He wore a tailored suit and carried himself like a god.
And he treated her like she was dirt.
Theo had come out of the shower with a towel looped around his waist and introduced the two of them. His name was Draco Malfoy and Theo had called him a friend. He had addressed her as Granger instead of her given name, so she called him Malfoy.
When Malfoy had gone to use the bathroom, Theo had asked her if it was alright if Draco stayed a few days. She nodded, her lips burning with the desire to ask if they were more than friends. He had never given her any indication of being into men. All of his dates and casual flings had been female; the ones she knew of anyway.
He had thanked her and even apologized in advance for Malfoy's behavior, saying that he wasn't always a prat; he just took some getting used to. She found that the nicer she was to him, the more it annoyed him and it gave her great pleasure. Theo only laughed and let her keep up her antics.
Over the next few months, Malfoy turned out to be a regular house guest. He wasn't around all the time, but he was there at least once a week. He alternated between staying in Theo's room and sleeping on the couch. Not once since he had started showing up did Hermione and Theo hook up, leading her to believe her suspicion about their relationship was correct. But she still hadn't mustered the courage to ask him about it. Even after months of Malfoy being around, Hermione still had no clue if they were or if they weren't. Which didn't help her situation in the slightest.
She desperately needed to get laid.
It had been far too long since her last fling and she had given up asking Theo for those favors long ago. She had gone solo to try and relax, but it wasn't the same. She was wound so tight she was sure if she didn't get laid soon, she was going to explode. She was always on edge, snapping at her coworkers. Even her best friend Ginny had pointed out that she needed help. She offered her assistance as wing-woman whenever she was ready to hit the bar.
Her boss had sent her home early after nearly punching a long-term client. Flint would have had it coming either way. He was sleazy and she would be more than happy to lose him as a client. He made several advances, but no matter how desperate she was, she still wanted to be able to look at herself in the mirror the next morning.
She took the hottest shower she could manage and then slipped into a T-shirt that had seen much better days, but was great for lounging, and the perfect length to cover her knickers. Alone or not, both boys had seen her in this outfit more than once. Theo could care less since he'd seen her naked and Malfoy couldn't care less because to care meant he would have to look at her.
She plopped down on the couch and hugged her knees to her chest and turned on the television. She knew it wasn't just the not getting laid part that had her on the edge. It was the not knowing if her flat mate had a roommate. The fact that all of her friends were engaged, married, or having kids and she was still alone. She had tried, but no one interested her for more than a few weeks. No one except Theo and she had waited too long to cross that bridge now.
And she wasn't mad at Theo if Malfoy was his boyfriend. It was his business, not hers, but she was frustrated that he didn't trust her enough to tell her. That if the smug bastard had moved in, it was still her flat. He should have at least asked if it was alright. What bothered her the most was the thought of them being together and then wanting their own space. If Theo moved out, she would definitely be alone.
Before she could wallow any further, the door to the flat opened and she turned her head to see Theo over the back of the couch. He did a double take at the sight of her. "You're home early."
"Got sent home."
His eyes went wide at that. "Not feeling well?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she replied, sitting up on her knees so she could see him better. Watching as he walked over to the wine rack and poured two glasses of red. "But I nearly punched a client and my boss told me to take a half day."
"Flint?" he asked.
She nodded as he sank down on the cushion beside her and handed her a glass. She took it and sat cross-legged facing him, the arm of the couch at her back. "It wasn't entirely his fault, but he would have deserved it."
He patted his thighs and she stretched her legs across his lap. He handed her his glass after taking a sip and then started to massage one foot. "You have been a little wound up lately," he said, working at her instep with just the right amount of pressure.
"Mmhmm," she mumbled, lips pressed against the rim of her glass.
"Been awhile, hasn't it?" he asked, smirking up at her.
"Too long," she said, toes curling slightly as his fingers began to work up to her ankles.
"I'm surprised you haven't come to me sooner. I've been wondering why you haven't."
She took another sip to buy her a moment to think of a response. Something that was hard to do as his hands trailed up her calves and then her knees. "I wasn't sure…" she started, a low moan from the back of her throat cutting off her words as his fingers brushed the outside of her thighs.
He took their glasses and set them on the coffee table. Next, he slid off the couch and onto his knees facing her, pulling her towards the center of the couch. His fingers ghosted across her skin as he reached for the waistband of her knickers. "All you had to do was ask, Hermione."
She nodded and lifted her hips up so he could drag her knickers down her legs. "Theo," she started, voice trembling as he pushed her thighs open and settled between them. "I need you."
His index and middle finger formed a V around her core, making her hips buck reflexively, begging for his touch. "I didn't hear you ask me," he said, lips pressing lightly along her inner thigh.
"Please?"
"Please, what?"
"Theo, will you please put me out of my misery?"
He chuckled against her skin and pulled her head up slightly to stare at her. "So glad you asked," he said.
Hermione moaned loudly as he finally placed his mouth on her. His tongue ran the course of her slit and his moan sent small vibrations through her body. Her back arched off the couch as he tasted her, his fingers separating her folds to allow him better access. He alternated between flicking at her clit and plunging his tongue in and out of her core. She reached down with one hand to run her fingers through his brown locks and with her other hand, lifted her shirt so she could palm her breast.
She slid down to open herself to him more and he rewarded her by slipping two fingers inside of her. She moaned again as that familiar tingle formed at the back of her skull. She closed her eyes and wet her lips as she lost herself in his ministrations. They both knew it wouldn't be long, especially when she pressed down on his head and began to buck her hips wildly, riding his face and fingers.
Her eyes opened and she turned her head to the side. The tingle began to build and she cried out as her world started to shatter. It was then that she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. She tried to focus her gaze and when she did, she saw Malfoy watching her from Theo's bed through the half open door. His gaze was intense and the moment their eyes connected, she crested, falling apart at the seams.
Theo slowed his movements until she had successfully ridden out the waves of her release and then removed himself from her. She was torn between wanting to go all the way and knowing Malfoy was in the flat. She worried at her bottom lip as she debated on telling him his friend had seen them. If he was more than a friend, would this count as cheating?
"Hermione?" Theo's gaze was full of concern as he stared up at her. "You okay?"
She pressed her thighs together and nodded, very aware that if she didn't get up soon, she was going to muck up the leather of her couch with her slick. "Mmhmm," she mumbled and cleared her throat as she got to her feet, pulling her shirt down as far as she possibly could.
He wiped at his mouth and licked at his lips and fingers. Normally, that made her hot and bothered, but Malfoy was still watching them. Theo stood up to say something else when his phone rang. He fished it out of his back pocket and frowned at the caller ID. "Well, I was only coming home for lunch, so I'm sorry we don't have more time, but…" he pulled her to him to kiss her. She could taste herself on his lips and this time, despite the voyeur in the background, it did make her hot and bothered. He smirked into the kiss and pulled away reluctantly. "I'll get dinner tonight and we can pick up where we left off."
"S-sure," she said, smiling as he waved his goodbye.
Whether he knew that Malfoy was still in his room or not, he didn't let on. The moment he closed the door, she bent down for her knickers and hurried towards the bathroom. As she sank down onto the toilet seat, she heard movement from Theo's room followed by footsteps leading from it to the front door. Malfoy made his exit and Hermione sagged against the toilet, unsure how to feel.