"I think I'm dying."
Blaise heard the words hoarsely spoken from the doorway, his indigo eyes looking up from his book as his lips curved into a smile upon hearing his best friend's voice. The smile quickly faded when he saw Hermoine, the book closed and on the table and him on his feet before she could stumble into the sitting room. "Hermione, you look like shite."
"Love you too," she muttered crossly as she set down her bag and shrugged off her robe, still managing to glare at the handsome raven-haired wizard even though she did, indeed, feel how she looked.
"What's wrong? Do you need a mediwizard? Do you need liquids? I can get a glass of water," Blaise had no practice dealing with illness, having a surprisingly healthy existence and rarely even getting a cold during winter. The twenty-four year old wizard moved his palm against her forehead, his eyes concerned as he said, "You're burning up."
"Hmm," Hermione made a noise that was a mixture between a moan at feeling the cooler hand against her forehead and a groan as a wave of illness swept over her again.
"Damn it, what can I do?" he asked in a frustrated voice. Hermione Granger had been his best friend since seventh year at Hogwarts, was, in fact, one of his only friends. After graduation, they had decided to share a flat together since they got along so well and neither wanted to particularly live alone. That was six years ago and Blaise honestly could no longer imagine his life without her in it. He loved her like he loved his sister Helene, okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. Incest disgusted him and he had definitely had more than a passing fantasy or a hundred involving the beautiful brunette that was currently leaning against him.
"So tired," Hermione muttered as she leaned against him, finding comfort in the feel of his hard body beneath her. That thought caused her heartbeat to speed up, many naughty images entering her mind even while in the midst of dying from this wretched stomach virus she had caught from some of her co-workers. Blaise had become her best friend over the years. She was still extremely close to Harry and Ron, but her childhood friends were married and Ron was living in Romania while Harry played for the Chudley Cannons and was constantly traveling. And it was just her luck that she had fallen into the horrid cliché of falling in love with her best friend.
She'd never fancied Ron or Harry, the boys like her younger brothers, but Blaise, well, it had happened slowly and gradually throughout the years. He was quiet and intelligent and able to have conversations with her that lasted hours and he was somewhat charming when he applied himself and he enjoyed books as much as she did and he was caring and nice and just a bit snarky. Did she mention that he was also extremely good-looking? Thick curly black hair that touched the back of his neck, gorgeous indigo eyes that were a range from violet to black to dark blue depending on his mood, an aquiline nose that spoke of his family's nobility, beautiful full lips, a lovely golden complexion, and fantastic hands.
Because of his reserved nature, he was often overlooked during their years at Hogwarts. In fact, she hadn't even known his name, just knowing that he was the dark Slytherin, until they'd been Potions partners during their seventh year. They had spent a lot of time together that year, having almost the exact same schedule and beginning to study together most evenings. Ron and Harry had accepted him easily, despite being Slytherin, because they didn't feel threatened by him and Blaise's wit tended to go above their heads. He hadn't really had any friends to complain about him studying with a Gryffindor, the closest he had being Malfoy, and the blond wizard had surprisingly kept his mouth shut about their friendship.
It had seemed like the most logical suggestion to share a flat with Blaise. After all, they were friends and had similar interests and neither were fond of socializing. However, somewhere along the way, once they had been out of Hogwarts two years, she had realized that her feelings for him were not entirely platonic. She enjoyed the evenings they'd sit by the fire and read, the silence comforting and enjoyable. She loved their talks that would last for hours and never grow boring or stilted. She liked to look at him, to simply watch him do the most mundane things. When he had escorted some blonde slut to a party, she'd been consumed by jealousy and fearful that she'd lose him. That was the night she'd had to admit that she loved him.
She'd tried to stop loving him. Hermione would think of his faults and try to convince herself that it was foolish to find herself in this unrequited love scenario. His eyelashes were far too long and feminine, he had large feet, he had a habit of biting his fingernails, he could speak three languages and would often drift into French or Italian when they were in a heated debate over various topics and could read Latin perfectly, he was too tall and skinny, his family was Pureblood and very wealthy, he knew her better than just about anyone, and he was far too smug about his intelligence even though he was modest about his looks. Yes, he was decidedly not the wizard for her at all. He also liked to eat in front of the telly and had a fondness for Muggle items that rivaled Arthur and he wasn't fond of sweets. She couldn't possibly love a man that wasn't overly fond of chocolate now could she?
The brunette witch was pulled from her thoughts as a wave of nausea swept over her. Her hand went to her mouth and she darted down the hallway towards the downstairs bathroom. She barely made it, heaving into the toilet as she tried to keep her curly brown hair away from her face. Cool fingers moved along her cheek as Blaise held her hair back for her, kneeling beside her and reassuringly rubbing her back. Had she not been so sick and embarrassed at the man she loved seeing her so ugly and vulnerable and sick, she'd have probably enjoyed the moment a lot more. As it was, she barely registered his presence before she was heaving again.
Blaise kept her hair from her face, his fingers moving through the soft strands as she continued to be sick. He loved her hair. It was unruly and wild and he loved that she never bothered with charms to control it because it reminded him of her. Hermione had little use for vanity, not even believing that she was pretty and insisting that she was just an average witch with bad hair and a round figure, two things that did not qualify her to be considered more than simply cute. He hadn't bothered trying to win that argument, a bit afraid that he might say more than he'd planned.
He found her natural beauty far more arousing than those silly witches that used a dozen charms and spells and potions to look ridiculous and far too thin to look sexy, instead looking unhealthy and fake. Hermione was an original, what you saw was what you got and he loved that. She had curves, full breasts and hips and a bit of a tummy and a great arse. Her hair fell down her back in caramel colored curls, a gorgeous shade of brown that he knew would look wonderful spread out on his sheets. Her eyes were a lovely shade of brown with green specks, darkening to nearly black when she was angry or annoyed and he somehow imagined that they'd be that shade if she was aroused.
She embraced her imperfections and it just made her even more stunning. She was opinionated and loyal and passionate and brilliant and talked too much and was blunt to the point of possibly being considered rude though she'd never deliberately hurt anyone unless they were threatening her friends and she had a habit of leaving her shoes in the living room by the sofa that drove him nuts and she was even more sarcastic than he was. To be quite honest, she was bloody perfect for him if only she didn't think of him as being yet another surrogate brother. When she had stopped being sick, Blaise gently helped her to her feet and walked with her to the sink. Wetting a washcloth, he wiped her mouth and then gave her a glass of water to rinse. Her body was flushed with fever and her eyes were glassy from illness and she was leaning against him as if she could barely stand.
Blaise lifted her into his arms, ignoring her hoarse protests as he carried up the stairs to her room. He laid her on her bed and warned, "Don't move." She didn't protest, instead closing her eyes and sighing as she laid there looking fragile and sick. Normally, he'd have just used his wand to remove her clothes so he could change her into something fresh that was soaked with sweat, but he was weary of using magic on her when she was ill. He nibbled on his lower lip before finally moving to sit beside her and whisper, "I'm going to get you out of these dirty clothes, Hermione. Where do you keep your nightgown?"
"Top drawer," Hermione mumbled as she felt sleep pulling at her.
Blaise smiled softly as he touched her cheek, shaking his head slightly as he went to the dresser beside her wardrobe. He opened the top drawer and found himself looking at her knickers and bras. Glancing at the bed, a purely masculine gleam entered his eyes as he looked back at the drawer and began to move his fingers over the silky material of her underwear. He could easily imagine how she looked wearing the surprisingly sexy bits of material, though there were more sensible cotton knickers in the back of the drawer. He counted to ten and reminded himself that she was horribly sick and that he had no right to be perving over the contents of her underwear drawer. Removing her nightgown, he shut the door and went back to the bed.
She was asleep by the time he got back. With a determination that he'd not had since helping fight Voldemort during sixth year at Hogwarts, he removed her shirt and tried desperately to keep his eyes on her face. Bloody hell, he growled softly as he gave in and simply looked at her. He would be damned for ogling his best friend when she was sick and helpless, he had little doubt, but, Merlin, she was stunning even while sick. Or perhaps he just cared so much for her that he couldn't tell any difference because he always found her beautiful. Regardless, he could see her full breasts clad in a scrap of material that barely contained the creamy globes, and he noticed a few freckles scattered along her chest and lower abdomen. Even her belly button was cute, he thought crossly. The raven-haired wizard ran a hand through his hair as he took several deep breaths. Finally, he moved the nightgown over her head and spread it over her chest. Once she was covered, his fingers unfastened her skirt and slowly moved it down her long legs.
Once she was changed, he moved the covers over her. She was still burning up with fever, but at least she was sleeping. He moved her desk chair beside the bed, sitting down to watch her sleep. He really needed to tell her how he felt, he realized, even though he was worried about her reaction. The idea of losing her friendship had prevented him from being honest years ago when he'd finally admitted that he loved her and wanted her, but his feelings for her continued to grow and he'd rather know that it was hopeless and she didn't return them so that he'd know it was pointless to love her. Though, even if she reacted horribly, he knew the feelings were not likely to fade. He was devoted to those he loved, caring deeply and passionately for all his family and cousins and what he felt for Hermione far transcended that familial love.
She began to move, her body flushed with fever, moaning softly as she kicked at the covers. He knew enough about illness to know that she'd feel better once the fever was gone. Hermione had told him about a virus that had been lingering around the Ministry over the last week so he assumed she'd caught that, thankful that it should only be a twenty-hour bug, but feeling a bit helpless at what he could do to her aid her recovery. He suddenly smiled, remembering a charm that might prove useful. Blaise got up and went downstairs quickly, finding the book and searching until he found it. It was a cooling charm, surely that would help her fever? Reading it as he went back upstairs, he reached her room and debated whether or not to perform the charm on her.
An idea came to him, his bottom lip against being drawn into his mouth as he contemplated his solution. Finally, he removed his shirt and tossed it on the chair, his pants soon following. Performing the charm on himself, the tall wizard felt a cool sensation spreading over his body. The dark Slytherin moved to the side of her bed and crawled into it, his arms moving around her waist and pulling her against his boxer clad body. Merlin, she was hot. Her body moved against him, seeking the cold. He held her body cradled against his, his lips brushing against the back of her neck as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
It was freezing, Hermione thought as she slowly woke up. Waiting for a wave of nausea that didn't come, she sighed with relief. She must be over the worst of it, having spent a majority of the night waking up and heaving into a convenient wastebasket before falling back to sleep. The brunette witch hesitantly opened her eyes, seeing that the clock read 3:21. Her eyes looked at the window and saw the streams of sunlight, surprised to realize that she'd slept most of the day. It was then that she became aware of the arm around her waist, the hand resting above her breast, the hard body spooned behind her, the, she wiggled slightly as her brown eyes widened, erection pressing against her arse.
"Stop wiggling," Blaise muttered sleepily as his arm tightened around her, his body moving against hers before he drifted back to sleep.
Hermione turned her head when she heard his voice, realizing that he was laying in bed with her and that he was the source of the cold. Her eyes moved over him, his breath hot against her neck and cheeks, finding herself unwilling to look away from that beautiful face. Her eyes finally drifted lower, seeing the bare skin that was plastered against hers, raising the sheet slightly to find that he was naked except for a pair of dark blue boxers. Merlin, if she'd found him attractive before, the sight of him nearly nude was enough to cause her body to feel feverish without the added nuance of illness. His arms were muscular and there was more definition to his chest than she had thought, believing that he was simply lanky and skinny. His stomach was flat and she could the definition that was evidence of the few hours he exercised a week.
She moved slightly, wanting to see more while she had opportunity to ogle him while he was sleeping. His chest was smooth, a scattering of dark hair on his lower abdomen that disappeared into the waist of his boxers. She could feel the hair of his legs against her bare flesh, his body unusually cold. His hand tightened around her breast, causing her nipple to harden instantly, his voice muttering her name in his sleep as he moved her back against him, his erection resting against her butt. Holy fuck, she stared at the wall, wondering what she should do.
Memories of the night came to her, Blaise holding her hair as she'd puked, cleaning her up, changing her clothes. She blushed as she realized that he'd seen her mostly naked, too. She remembered falling asleep and feeling hot and then cooling off as a body had pressed against hers. Waking up feeling ill and hearing his husky voice saying 'accio wastebasket' before he was against holding her hair as she'd lost everything in her tummy.
She also remembered lips against her neck and his soft words of comfort as she'd felt as if she was dying. Merlin, he'd said he loved her. Okay, Hermione, that had to be a delusion caused by illness, she decided. Or he'd meant it in the same way Harry or Ron did. True, Blaise had said it when she'd been heaving into a wastebasket and looking horrible and he'd been holding her so gently and, bugger it all. She didn't know how to act now. He'd seen her at her worst, this far surpassing even the worst of her monthly snits, and he was still snuggled behind her with his arousal pressing against her bum.
"How do you feel, love?" Blaise asked softly as he woke up and realized that Hermione was awake. He blushed when he realized their position, releasing her breast and moving his hardness away from her. Great, just bloody great. How was he supposed to explain that sleeping next to her had excited him without sounding like some randy perv?
"Better," she turned to look at him, seeing that he was staring at the ceiling and nibbling his lip in the way he did whenever he was nervous. She studied him a moment, unable to figure out what was going on, finally saying, "I smell horrible and definitely need a shower, though. Why are you so cold?"
"Cooling charm, to help with your fever," he explained he reached for his wand and ended the charm. Even with the cold charm, his cock was hard and throbbing. He sat up, his hand moving over his face, his breath catching when he felt her fingers against his shoulder.
"I didn't know you had a tattoo," she said as she traced the Italian words, "It's always the quiet ones. That's what it says, right?"
"Yeah," he turned and gave her a pleased smile that she had known the translation. He looked into her eyes, each growing silent as they stared at one another. Shaking his head, he got out of bed, pulling on his trousers and willing his erection to go down.
"Blaise, would you help me with my bath?" Hermione asked quietly, not believing she was doing this but knowing that she had seen desire in his eyes and deciding that she'd been a coward where her feelings for Blaise were concerned for far too long. Where was that Gryffindor bravery?
"Sure," he said tightly, cursing ever diety he knew as he calmed down. Walking into her bathroom, he turned the water on and added some of her bubble bath, inhaling the scent of peaches. Once the bath was prepared and the perfect temperature, he went back into the room and gave her a real smile, "You look a lot better."
"Feel much better," she smiled crookedly, "thanks, for last night."
"It wasn't a problem," he assured her, "I just wish I could have done more. The bath is ready so let's get you cleaned up."
Hermione sat up and started to get up, gasping when he swept her into his arms, "Blaise! I can walk."
"You're still weak, Hermione. I can carry to you the bathroom," he informed her, setting her down beside the tub. "Do you need anything else?"
"Could you," she felt her face flushing red as she wondered if she could actually do this, "could you wash my back? I don't know if I can reach."
"Wash your back?" he repeated dumbly, his erection liking that idea a bit too much.
"It's okay. I understand," Hermione looked away, cursing herself for imagining his lust.
"No, no, it's fine. Sure," Blaise hastily agreed, watching her give him a large smile.
"Thank you," she smiled as she moved to the sink and quickly brushed her teeth, finding it strange that it wasn't awkward at all to be sharing her bathroom with Blaise. She watched him squirt toothpaste on his finger and rub it in his mouth, "Eeew! Blaise, that's disgusting!"
"Is not," he grinned before rinsing his mouth, turning and saying, "you can get into the bath now. I'll just look this way until you tell me you're ready."
"You don't have to look away," Hermione whispered softly, "I mean, it's not like there's anything you haven't seen before."
Blaise slowly turned to face her, his eyes questioning as he looked at her, darkening as he realized that she had, indeed, meant what he thought. He huskily told her, "I've never seen you before, love. Everything else pales in comparison."
"Blaise, what's happening?" she asked quietly, needing to hear him say it.
"Something that should have happened years ago," he smiled slightly as he moved to her, his lips catching hers gently, tasting toothpaste and a unique flavor that was simply Hermione. She kissed him back passionately, her tongue moving into his mouth, her hands moving over his bare back. Releasing her lips, his eyes were a dark blue as he said, "I've wanted that kiss for so bloody long."
"Just that one?" she teased softly, feeling more confident now that he had confirmed her suspicions.
"Minx," he muttered with a grin as his hands moved along the straps of her nightgown, slowly pushing them off her shoulders and down her arms. "You're so bloody beautiful."
"I look horrid," she blushed under the heat of his gaze, feeling beautiful when he looked at her like that.
"Never," he looked into her eyes as he moved his hands behind her, unclasping her bra and letting it fall. "I think you're the most attractive woman in the world."
"I always did think you needed your eyes checked," she told him.
"How can you not see it?" he shook his head before smiling wickedly, "I believe you mentioned a bath?"
"Blaise, I've learned not to trust that devious smile," Hermione squealed as he swept her into his arms deposited her gently into the bathtub.
"Let's get those knickers off of you," Blaise purred as his hands moved beneath the water and removed her now soaking panties. He poured some shower gel onto her sponge and began to move it over her arms, "I did promise that I'd help you wash up."
"I can wash…oh my God," Hermione moaned as his hands moved over her breasts, the sponge scraping across her hard nipples, his fingers brushing over the nubs following the path of the sponge. She gave up any protest, simply enjoying the feeling of his hands washing her back and chest and legs. Her head fell back as she laid against the tub, his fingers moving between her legs, teasing her, his lips curved into a devilish grin.
"I love the way you react to my touch," he whispered, his eyes catching hers as he moved two fingers into her pussy. "You're so responsive, the noises you make have my cock throbbing. I don't want to move too fast, Hermione, but, Merlin, I've wanted you for so long."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, thinking of the wasted years that they could have been together.
"Fear of rejection?" he smiled sheepishly, "though I will deny that any Slytherin admitted to being scared of something."
"Duly noted," she said with a soft moan as his fingers touched her deep inside. She stammered, "I was scared, too. Didn't realize that I loved you until a couple of years ago, just thought I liked having you as a friend and that's why I was also excited to spend time with you and the reason my heart skipped a beat every time I saw you though that didn't explain why I had the most naughty fantasies about you."
"We'll discuss those soon," Blaise promised as his eyes flashed with lust, "I have my own fantasies to share."
"Perhaps," she gasped, moving down against his hand, her hands gripping the side of the tub as she felt her release nearing, "we can make some of them come true. Yesss!"
"We'll make them all come true," he declared before he reached into the tub and pulled her wet body out. He walked into her room, tossing her on the bed and quickly losing his pants and boxers. He caught her eyes, seeing them widen as they looked at his thick cock, "I need you, Hermione. I know you've been ill and I understand if it's too soon, I just wanted you to know, to see, what you do to me."
"You're so beautiful," she echoed his earlier words, looking into his eyes and saying, "I want you, Blaise. Please fuck me?"
"No," he corrected softly, "I'll make love to you. Fucking can be for another time when we're both desperate for release or I surprise you at work and take you on that large desk."
"Would you stop arguing over what to call it you stubborn damn Slytherin and just join me!" she growled in frustration, an ache between her legs that only Blaise could ease. He smiled at her words before gracefully walking towards the bed. He crawled up from the bottom, his lips moving over her legs and dipping between her thighs to taste her and then moving across her stomach and up her breasts before they caught hers.
He kissed her deeply, possessively, claiming her as he stroked his length and moved between her legs. He slowly began to enter her, groaning at how tight she was, his eyes flashing to hers as he broke the kiss and asked, "Are you a virgin?"
"Yes," she said, "but I won't break. I'm not fragile and I know what to expect."
"Merlin, I love you," he whispered before thrusting deep into her, catching her gasp of pain, giving her time to adjust to his width and length. She began to kiss him back, her body moving against his, indicating that she was ready for more. He slowly pulled out until the head was at the entrance of her pussy before thrusting back in deeply. They began a rhythm, his strokes changing from deep and fast to slow and shallow, her legs wrapping around his waist, her ankle against his arse as her other foot rested on the back of his knees. His lips moved over her face and lips and neck and breasts, her hand tangled in his hair as the other dug into his back.
"Blaise, please," she whimpered as he continued to tease her, watching the sexy smile cross his lips and deciding that she wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of her life. He began to move inside her, thrusting deep and grinding against her clit as he lazily sucked her nipples, his hand moving along her ribs and the other brushing through her hair. She felt the tension spreading over her, gasping and moaning before the tension snapped and she came, groaning his name as her muscles tightened around him, her release dripping from her pussy when he pulled out. He pushed back into her a half dozen more times before he grunted, his seed spilling into her grasping pussy as his lips caught hers. She had a moment of panic before remembering that she was on Muggle birth control to regulate her monthly, knowing it was far too soon to entertain thoughts of children.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his fingers tracing her cheek as he struggled for breath.
"Never better," she confessed as she moved her hands over his back. With an impish smile, she asked, "When can we do it again?"
"Give me a little time to recover, Minx," he laughed softly, "And you need to eat something. You've just had a nasty virus and I plan on wearing you out this weekend so you'll need your strength."
"I love you," she smiled as she brushed her lips against his, deciding that being sick definitely had its positives, the foremost being Blaise's tender loving care and the other being a free day off work to spend in bed with the man she loved.
*the end *