oh, kiss me with your eyelashes tonight

[cleverness]

Maybe Rapture was a mistake.

Hermione Granger was a girl who often looked back on the past for any number of reasons. Although the saying was certainly trite and quite possibly overused, there was truth in the claim that history always repeated itself. While humans had made impossible amounts of progress in the past couple of millennia, human nature sometimes seemed incapable of changing much at all. And it was that same nature of Hermione's own that had her reflecting upon the foolishness of heading down the Rapture. That had her realizing, more than ever, how much more helpless all of them were, not only in deciding where they walked or where they stayed on the island, but even defending one another against threats that wouldn't have been much at all, just months ago. With Rapture still teeming with activity, Hermione practically swearing that she could feel it rumbling still beneath her feet, her heart raced as she and Ron stepped back inside their hut. Her hand tightly gripped his own.

"Harry?" she called out as soon as they entered, never letting go of Ron's grip as the pad of her thumb ran lightly against his hand. After a couple seconds of silence, she turned to Ron with an anxious look, brow furrowed as she leaned in to rest her forehead against his shoulder, feeling her hair drip water down the small of her back. "He hasn't returned yet. Merlin, what if something happens to him?"

Comments

[deluminate]

"Yeah... er... Bill gave me some the other day... I guess I never took that one out of my pocket," Ron said, suddenly sheepish that he'd had one on him. He definitely hadn't been anticipating this happening or anything, but it'd been a good thing that he did have one, hadn't it? But Hermione'd looked surprised like maybe he wasn't supposed to at all.

His mouth twisted into a small frown for a moment until she kissed him again, and he was sure he wasn't about to get she wasn't about to shout at him for it.

Ron's hand flexed against her hip as they leaned against each other, and ran it slowly up her side until it rested on her ribs. He couldn't help but kiss her again, briefly, before he answered her. It was ruddy difficult to be this close to her and to not be kissing her. Merlin, but she smelled amazing.

"I don't think so," he said, voice low, but a bit more gruff than usual. He shut his eyes for a moment, shaking his head subtly. "If-- if you don't think it is, I mean."

[cleverness]

She steadfastly blocked out all thoughts of Bill handing the proper tools over to Ron for this moment— after all, no doubt the bequeathing would have had been accompanied by an explanation of how to properly go about it all, and imagining anyone providing instruction for their evening or, worse yet, raising expectations overly high, was not something Hermione wanted to preoccupy herself with. Fortunately, the feel of Ron's hand lightly grazing up her side, warm and gentle all at once, distracted Hermione remarkably well as she let out a small hum, one soon interrupted by a kiss that she couldn't help but smile against.

Shaking her head just a touch, not wanting to stop kissing him for any longer than she had to, Hermione took a couple of breaths to steel her nerves before she leaned in for a peck. "No, I don't think so either."

Her lips brushed against his cheek as she silently said those three words again, trying to keep the smile which threatened from bursting and ruining the intimacy of the moment. I love you, she mouthed, pressing her lips against the line of his jaw, scarcely able to think beyond how much she wanted this. Couldn't imagine any way in which she wouldn't. Couldn't imagine ever wanting to be anything but that close, that safe, or that loved.

[deluminate]

As quickly as Ron had mentioned his brother's name, he'd forgotten that he had, more focused on the subject at hand; on Hermione's mouth on his cheek and then on his jaw line... bloody hell. None of this had felt as if it was happening too quickly, though it all had been a bit unexpected, so much happening all at once. Sort of like jumping straight from turning mice into snuffboxes to transfiguring owls. Somehow though, Ron felt like Hermione might actually have been better at all this, but he was likely biased in the moment.

His hand underneath Hermione's shirt twitched a moment as he hesitated, and in a bit of a nervous motion, he pulled her shirt up and over her head. If nothing else had been happening too fast, he hoped this wasn't either; every second they touched left him wanting more, his heart beating so loudly that it made him wonder if she could hear it too.

[cleverness]

In reality, it only took a couple of seconds, but to Hermione, the feel of fabric brushing up along her arms felt like an eternity. Static snapped in her curls of hair. Her heart continued to beat, not quite as steadily as a drum, Hermione's face lighting up with embarrassment as she closed her eyes, not quite able to open them for fear of seeing a disappointed expression on Ron's face, perhaps. It had never really mattered to her before, the way that she looked in the nude. Hermione hardly put much effort towards her appearance at all on the best of days. And yet suddenly, it mattered now, it mattered so much that it scared her, extending seconds into minutes, then hours, Hermione shivering as she waited for reassurance that she wasn't sure would come.

Chest still rising and falling, one of Hermione's hands curled nervously over her opposite shoulder, her arm blocking her chest partially from view.

"If I knew we were going to— I would have—" Hermione stammered, words a mere whisper as she bit her lower lip, thoughts going unfinished.

[deluminate]

This had been unexpected for both of them, so it wasn't like there was any way she could have known. Ron definitely hadn't. Though, for a moment, he was stuck there, trying to keep his eyes from going a bit wide in amazement. He'd reckoned that maybe one day they'd get to this point-- or at least he'd hoped they would-- but the reality of it all was loads better than just thinking about it.

Not that Ron had thought about it. Not really.

He ran his hand down her arm from shoulder to her elbow, her skin both warm and soft underneath his fingers. In some ways, so much of this was different right now, even if he'd touched Hermione's arm loads of times. But this was new in so many ways, the most obvious being that the two of them were on her mattress and only half-dressed. It was... well, it was bloody brilliant, if Ron was honest about it.

"Hermione, you're... you're amazing," he said, not able to hide the smile on his face as he leaned in to kiss her again. There wasn't really much else to say, at least, not that he could think of at the moment. He couldn't think of any reason why she might be embarrassed; Ron was pretty confident that she had nothing to be embarrassed about.

[cleverness]

They'd kissed hundreds of times already, and dozens even in the past hour alone— yet Hermione could not remember any of the kisses feeling quite like this. Her heart continued to beat, leaping with every touch, every brush of skin against skin, until it took residence in her throat and left her unable to speak, managing only the softest of sighs and a moan that she did her best to hold back. For Hermione, comfort so often only came in the form of control, but everything about this situation was anything but. It was new territory. Learning that couldn't be done distantly, couldn't be found passively, and instead required her to run her fingers again over his chest, breaking the kiss until she could shift over on the sheets until she straddled Ron, thighs resting on either side of his hips, hair sliding over a shoulder as she leaned closer to kiss him again, trailing the kisses over the side of his neck until she could arch her back, press their bodies flush together.

And suddenly she felt his heart too, his warmth, and the shock of it left her threading her fingers desperately through his hair as her cheek pressed against the soft waves of his hair. "God," she breathed, pressing her lips against his ear. "I love you. So much." A smile stretched across her face, tentative as she shifted, rolled her hips just a touch until she was practically sitting on his lap, her fingers dragging down the planes of his muscle until they started tugging lightly at his waistband.

Her breath shook as she tried to kiss him again, attempted to distract him from the shake of her fingers as they traced over his abdomen, along the fine fringe of hair that trailed down from his navel.

[deluminate]

She pressed her body against his again and it was all Ron could do to focus on anything but the feel of their two bodies together, of her bare skin against his. Bloody hell, how was he supposed to think straight at all with the two of them like this?

"I love you," he said, voice a deep and low whisper, half a gasp as he tried to focus enough to form a full sentence. As it was, the statement was punctuated by a moan that he tried to hold back, worried that the sounds he was making were ridiculous. Still, all of it felt so bloody brilliant that it was difficult not to make noise every time she touched him, every time she kissed him, every time he felt her warm skin brush and press against his.

Even through their kiss, he felt her fingers on him, brushing lightly in places that made him shiver, and realized she'd been playing with his waistband again. That was the next bit, wasn't it? She'd gone, and now it was his turn, even if the idea of it had his heart pounding in his ears even louder than before. He looked up at Hermione, practically on his lap, and broke their kiss temporarily to offer her a nervous, yet hopeful smile.

"Here, what if I...?" Ron said, not finishing his sentence, and instead covered Hermione's hand with his own for a moment before he tugged at his waistband as well. He paused, feeling his face flush and grow hot, and suddenly he realized why Hermione had been embarrassed not moments before. His own hands shaking a bit, he pulled down his already unbuttoned trousers, then his pants underneath them. Already, he felt his face grow hot and flush all over again. What if he'd gone too fast? What if she laughed?

[cleverness]

Hermione fought hard to fight her immediate impulse, which was the same one that had existed since the three of them began their friendship back in first year— the urge to laugh. Knowing full well that Ron probably wouldn't react well, Hermione bit her lower lip, feeling her entire face light up. Apparently, she had not through the process through well enough, unable to decide where etiquette dictated that she ought look. Was it better to maintain eye contact? Or was she supposed to work more with her hands, be attentive to his— their?— needs? Closing her eyes, Hermione rubbed her cheek briefly with the heel of her palm.

"I don't know what I should— I..." Hermione huffed a helpless exhale, trying to fight the way that her pulse continued to drum in her ears, making her aware of every moment, every step that she took. Peering down at her shorts, she supposed that the next step was to remove those as well, that if there was to be any embarrassment, there was no harm in it being mutual. Leaning forward quickly to capture Ron's lips in another kiss, Hermione ran her tongue nervously over her lip before she shifted back on the bed, raising herself to her knees before she tugged both shorts and briefs down with trembling fingers. Only after she kicked them away did Hermione sit back down and meet Ron's gaze again.

At which point she finally caved, letting out a single giggle.

Apparently that was enough to send her over the edge, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes as she tried to hide the laughter under a hand. "I'm sorry," she apologized, trying to catch her breath. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry, but I'm so nervous that I can hardly..."

Shaking her head as she gave up on giving an explanation at all, Hermione leaned in to kiss Ron again, hoping that they could ease back into some level of comfort.

[deluminate]

For a moment, Ron's face was one of near mortification; he'd been worried that Hermione'd do exactly what she'd done. Suddenly, he was back on the Quidditch pitch, a group of Slytherins singing that bloody song at him while he let goal after goal go past him. Somehow he'd mucked this up before they'd even really done it. He frowned, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

The moment was thankfully short-lived when she kissed him again, smiling against his mouth as he felt his sudden nervousness subside a bit. It'd taken him a second to realize that she wasn't actually laughing at him. He felt like a complete and utter pillock again for having immediately expected the worst, then relieved, then glad again once he realized once more just what was about to happen.

It was more than a teaspoon's worth of emotions to feel at once, that was for sure.

"It's not funny, Hermione," Ron said pulling out of their kiss for a moment before his own resolve broke and he found himself laughing as well. "You're not supposed to laugh."

It was probably a moot statement at this point, as he was finding it difficult to keep a straight face even then.

[cleverness]

Trying to keep her face as steady as possible, which was difficult considering the flush that she felt spreading down to her neck, Hermione pressed her lips together and cleared her throat. "Ron," she said, aiming for a serious tone, although the fact that she couldn't seem to make eye contact with Ron at all diluted the effect. "The both of us have just, in front of each other, taken our pants off. Which... I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time I've done that in front of another person, and certainly not for this. So... I think laughing's the only thing to do." Biting down on her lower lip once more, Hermione pressed a peck against Ron's lips before dissolving into giggles again, reaching over for the condom packet before sliding over to the head of the bed again and laying on her side.

Trying her best to avoid the temptation to shake the little square of plastic in the air, Hermione lightly patted the spot next to her. Arching her brow invitingly, Hermione raised her chin just a touch, her tone airy. "But if you think I'm not supposed to laugh, by all means." She smiled shyly, her shoulder raising as she felt her pulse quicken again. "Stop me."

Her smile faded, Hermione finally slowing enough to get a better look at Ron, finding herself at once tempted to look away and yet unable to in the least.

[deluminate]

Right. Make Hermione stop laughing.

That was easy enough for her to say when she'd left him laughing so hard that his cheeks hurt. He didn't think there'd ever been a time he'd taken his pants off in front of anyone either, and now that she'd brought up just how mad all of this really was, his nervousness had bubbled up as laughter as well. And the way she'd started going on, Ron half expected Hermione to start quoting passages from Hogwarts: A History, though somehow he doubted there were any chapters on this in that bloody book.

"You're mental," he said, with a huff of a laugh as he moved to the head of the bed to lie down next to her again, not entirely sure whether or not he was supposed to keep his eyes above her shoulders or whether he was allowed to actually look. He managed a quick glance again before he felt his face grow hot all over again. Maybe the best thing to do was to just dive in again, to push past the nerves and the laughter. Only, when he leaned in to kiss her again, cupping her with one hand before he lost the nerve to give it a go, he found himself breaking into a chuckle all over again.

It was contagious, it was.

[cleverness]

It was clear now that Ron was making an effort, and this time one entirely too self-conscious, Hermione feeling very much as though he were simply going through the motions. The hand on her breast drew another giggle from her lips as she tried to keep a straight face, cheeks flushing wildly as she scooted nearer, supposing that if the two of them didn't look too closely at one another, that the laughter might subside. Where Ron hadn't quite been able, Hermione leaned in the rest of the way to press a kiss to his lips again, deliberately slowing her pace and, once she worked up the courage, letting her lips travel down the side of his neck again. She'd always liked the shape of his neck, and had in the past few years, become acutely aware of the distinct smell that lingered on his clothing, that she was able to press her nose gingerly to now. Her eyes closed with a sensation not quite like drowsiness, that couldn't be anything like it with the way her heart hammered, but that still left her movements more languid than before.

Nudging her hips forward, she felt the press of him lower as well, and breaking the attention she was paying his neck, nodded lightly. "Maybe," she murmured. Maybe she really was a bit mental, laughing during a time like this. But the comfort and the ability to do so, to admit to nerves and dips in confidence, was ever a part of their relationship, and not one she wanted to give up. Her hand glided down his side again, feeling the curve of his hip, before she slid her fingertips towards the tangle of hair and found him. Biting down in concentration on her lower lip, she took him in her palm, feeling her breath catch upon making contact and heat pooling within herself, a mix of curiosity and nerves. Leaning forward, she allowed her forehead to press against the side of his neck, too anxious to pull away and look him in the eye.

[deluminate]

And that was when the laughing stopped.

Not that, despite it all, he'd minded them laughing through this all that much. In fact, it'd relieved some of the tension there, and had made sure Ron hadn't worried himself into not being able to do any of this. Not that he through Hermione was really going to tell him that he was doing it all wrong, but he'd already mucked up their first date, hadn't he? He felt like enough of a git already, for just that.

"Hermione... that's..." he said, not able to complete the thought. Ron's eyes lidded shut as her hand wrapped around him, her palm warm and soft against his hardness and he let out an involuntary gasp of surprise. Just her hand being there felt bloody good, so good that he couldn't think straight, like he'd been caught on the wrong end of a confundus charm. Though... any better and he was worried that he might be done before they'd even had the chance to get started properly. He didn't exactly have any experience with this, but it was a fair bet they weren't going for that.

Ron gripped her breast more firmly in response, burying his face in her hair for a moment before he dipped his head to catch her mouth in another kiss.

[cleverness]

It was rather difficult to attempt and discern whether or not Ron's surprise was positive in this context, but as he seemed to make no effort to turn away, Hermione could only assume that she'd managed to do something right, biting down on her lower lip as she continued to stroke, even as her face burned with embarrassment. The problem, however, was that while it seemed to be pleasing Ron on the whole, Hermione's actions also managed to distract him from the task— act?— at hand, until he squeezed her breast with a bit too much force, Hermione stiffening in the middle of their kiss, trying her best to suppress the noise in her throat.

Although she briefly considered telling him that he needed to be a bit more gentle, chances were that doing so would shake Ron's confidence irreparably, and so instead Hermione found herself looking to the side and reaching for the packet again, tearing it open and blinking quickly. (If she'd been mortified before, somehow this seemed several times that.)

"So I suppose we should..." her voice trailed off helplessly, squirming to find a more comfortable position, feeling the rush of air by her thigh, cool enough to bring a shiver to her lips. "Um. Hold on, I'll..."

Glancing down again, Hermione's lips quirked in a nervous smile she couldn't suppress, before she slid slightly down on the sheets and started rolling the condom down. "Merlin, if I do something wrong, let me know," she breathed, shoulders tense.

[deluminate]

"No, I can--" Ron started, but she was already rolling the dodgy condom thingy on-- which felt bloody weird by the way-- and since she'd already worked it out, he figured this was probably better than him lying there trying to read the instructions on the packet in the middle of all this. It was difficult to know whether or not to feel relieved or embarrassed in that one moment over the fact that she'd gone and done it and over whatever noises he'd likely just been making a minute ago. He frowned, knit brow causing his forehead to wrinkle.

But now it was actually out of the packet and on and they were both lying there naked, so Ron supposed it was time to get on with it. He swallowed nervously, then shifted on the bed to position himself on top of her. Tentatively, he put one leg on each side of her hips before he realized that wasn't the way it was supposed to work. He cursed to himself and shifted again to what he was pretty sure was right.

"Yeah, alright," he answered, looking at a spot on Hermione's ear instead of making eye contact at first, "And you'll let me know too?"

[cleverness]

Nodding nervously, Hermione took a deep breath, one that shook as it passed through her lips. Of course, she'd thought about sex on multiple occasions before— it was all part and parcel of being someone who prepared herself as carefully as Hermione usually did— but she hadn't gone very far, comparatively, in trying to understand the mechanics of it. There was only so much that words could make clear, after all, and resorting to pictures, diagrams, or worse yet, videos, just seemed a bit much. Now she wondered if that was a mistake, suddenly feeling cold and nervous as Ron's gaze wandered. She reached out with a careful hand that slid down the side of his body, lingering by his hip, and nodded.

"Of course," she replied, managing a slight smile. "You know how I am. I don't think we'll have a problem there."

Small joke aside, she leaned up to kiss him again, slow and soft, with every intention of offering reassurance. Trying to coax him down and closer as well as she could, Hermione pulled one leg up until her thigh brushed against his hip, and ran a free hand down her own side to help find the proper mood again. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she broke briefly for air, then kissed again, a soft moan quiet in the back of her throat as she reached for his hand, twining their fingers to guide it further down.

It seemed a bit easier than trying to explain with words.

[deluminate]

"Yeah. Right," Ron said with a nervous chuckle. Of course Hermione'd tell him if he was doing something wrong. She'd likely tell him about in great detail, then pull out diagrams to show him just how he could improve for next time. Not that Ron had any idea where she'd pull diagrams from just now, but he still hadn't ruled it out entirely. Maybe from behind the pillows or something. Not that he'd want Hermione to be any other way, though.

She grasped his hand and guided it and he tried not to look too embarrassed as he felt her. He was supposed to be looking for the opening, right? Easy. Just like a quaffle through a Quidditch hoop. Except, he knew how all that worked, and despite the similarities on the surface, this was nothing like that at all.

Ron bit his bottom lip nervously, hoping for some sign of approval that he was doing something right or guidance or something.

[cleverness]

Hermione watched Ron with a mixture of tension and fondness alike. It was impossible not to feel nervous, or perhaps even a bit scared, as Ron explored below— what if he didn't care for something like that? But it was a little late now to abandon the idea, Hermione knowing that if she suggested for the two of them to stop, that Ron would take the idea personally. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head minutely, once again grasping his hand and, with her index finger lightly resting on top of his, took further control.

"First, we have... here," Hermione explained in almost a whisper, glancing up for a second while she glided his finger over the slight nub, her breath hitching as soon as he grazed over her. "That's— if you're going for making me feel... that's the place. Just— in circles. So, when I— you know, alone." She slipped her own fingers under his to demonstrate, biting down hard on her lower lip and not quite managing to suppress the soft moan, the embarrassment she felt at pleasuring herself in front of him. Once she was sure that he'd gotten the point, she took his hand again, gaze shifting up to some indistinct point on the ceiling.

"And then we have, lower... here," she stammered, making sure that his fingers passed over her entrance, trying not to feel too shameful about how prepared she already was. Easily, she slipped her own finger inside with a tense exhale. "That's where, erm. Well."

Hoping for once that she wouldn't have to explain word for word, she simply curved her free arm around Ron's neck again, waiting for him to acknowledge that anything had registered at all.

[deluminate]

Ron was doing his best to take all of this in, every feel underneath his fingers, every sound Hermione made as he touched her and as she touched herself. Despite it all, though, one of his first thoughts was how much more complicated girls were than blokes. Yes, he'd heard a few things about sex from his brothers over the years, but he didn't think he'd ever really known that there'd be two bits to girl bits, more than just the part he was supposed to fit into.

Just this once, he wished he'd had some sort of diagram.

Still, he got the idea when she guided his hand and demonstrated, enough that it didn't matter whether or not she was completing sentences. Touching that one spot was enough to make Hermione make a little noise that Ron realized he sort of liked, whether or not she was embarrassed by it. At least, it meant something was going right and that he wasn't mucking this whole thing up. He tried not to think about the fact that Hermione'd said she did this on her own; it was becoming difficult enough to try and keep himself contained, from going off before they'd actually done anything. Thinking about all that was just unnecessary fodder for something neither of them really wanted to happen.

"It's alright," Ron said, then leaned in to kiss her again, while one hand moved down to touch her where she'd shown him, two fingers running tentatively and gently over the spot, hoping to get Hermione to make that one little noise again.

[cleverness]

Not entirely sure who he was trying to reassure, but deciding ultimately that both of them probably needed it, Hermione allowed herself a small sigh before she leaned further into the kiss, eyes sliding to a close as her free hand raked through his hair. As his fingers began to move with more surety, Hermione found herself suddenly breaking away with a gasp, eyes fluttering to a close as her back arched, hair splayed over her pillow. She moaned lightly, her voice almost wavering as her hips rocked to press more insistently against his hand, breath hitching. While she knew that he wouldn't be the type to be selfish in this, it was still unexpected to Hermione how willing he was to experiment, how quickly he learned— always the tone of surprise, she thought to herself, lips curving into a smile as she leaned up to kiss him again, the contact punctuated by quiet gasps of breath.

"Ron," she breathed, pressing kiss after kiss against his lips. "Ron. Ron, I think we should... ah—" Hermione gasped again, toes curling against the sheets as she shook her head, face flushed as her fingers brushed against his abdomen. It felt more than slightly selfish, letting him go on like this, her lips trembling as she kissed the corner of his mouth again, then peered down. Somehow, it was all a little nearer now, closer, no longer a distant notion thought of on quiet nights. Perhaps it was just the romantic waiting just under the surface, but she couldn't help thinking that there was nothing better than this, than learning together and about each other, a process that never seemed to cease. It wasn't perfect, nor was it smooth at all, but any mistakes or missteps were forgiven between the two of them, because—

—well, because they loved one another.

"Ron, please," she whispered, the tone sharp and insistent, pressing her cheek against the line of his jaw, feeling his rough shadow against her skin.

[deluminate]

As glad as Ron was to see that he was doing things right, that he was the reason Hermione'd started wriggling underneath him, pressing herself into his fingers as he moved them, the longer this went on, the more he was convinced that he wanted to press on now. Even if the idea of it did make him more nervous than he'd admit. What if he got the next part wrong? The important bit? Not that he thought Hermione'd split up with him over it, but he really wanted this to go right.

"Okay. Okay, alright, I can— " Ron said, his own breath slightly ragged, voice both quiet and gruff, "...blimey."

He shifted the position of his hand slightly, feeling for the entrance she'd shown him before. After a moment of fumbling, he managed to find it, accidentally slipping two fingers inside. "Sorry, I didn't— " he mumbled, frowning for a moment as he bit his bottom lip again.

Ron ran one hand up Hermione's thigh, hitching it up slightly as he tried not to think too much about how warm and soft it was against his palm, how every bit of her was even more soft and amazing than he'd ever thought she could be. Instead, he used his other hand to slowly guide himself inside her, not able to hold back the low and pleased rumble in his throat as he did so.

God, you had to be really bloody coordinated for all of this, didn't you?

[cleverness]

The first thing which registered was the pain. Hermione had wondered on more than one occasion whether or not her first time would hurt in the way that so many others had described that it might. One of the more commonly shared details was that if a girl felt too tense, that inevitably the experience would be made that much more difficult— and Hermione had absolutely no illusions about her own tendency to grow stressed or agitated over every little detail. But before she could even start to raise protest, she heard Ron's voice, turning to brush a kiss against his temple, breath hitching against his skin.

Exhaling deeply, Hermione did her best to relax as much of her body as she could— a rather difficult task, considering the position that she was in. She licked her lips, adjusting the angle of her hips, foot briefly brushing against his side as her hand reached up to curve around his shoulder.

"It's okay," she mouthed silently to herself, blinking rapidly and breathing deep. "This is okay, we'll be okay."

[deluminate]

It felt... different than Ron expected, somehow. Not that he'd been anticipating anything, but it was all weird and warm and tight and really bloody good already all at the same time. His breath caught in his throat even now, though he hadn't moved yet, and he ducked his forehead against her neck for a moment.

"Do you... do you want me to stop?" Ron asked, voice rough and hushed and edging on urgent against her skin, "We can stop."

Not that Ron particularly wanted to stop— bloody hell, but that was the last thing he wanted just now— but he'd heard Hermione's breath hitch, that somewhat sharp intake of air just before she'd adjusted her hips a bit, and he wasn't entirely sure whether or not it'd been a good noise or a bad one. Maybe he'd done it wrong; it wasn't as if he actually had any actual experience with any of this. Though, if he'd bolloxed it up that much, surely Hermione would have said something. She always said something.

He pressed a kiss to her neck and then just below her ear, waiting to see what she'd say.

[cleverness]

Almost starting to shake her head, it was the press of Ron's lips to her neck that stilled her lips, that sent a shiver down her spine. The edge that she could hear in his voice, that tried for calm but ended up sounding anything but, only seemed to encourage the fondness that she felt for him just then. It wasn't perfect— in fact, if anything, it was incredibly awkward— and yet the care that she could feel in every brush of his hands against her skin, in the hushed sound of his voice, overwhelmed Hermione to the point that she was fighting back tears which burned at the corners of her eyes.

"No," she murmured, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "No, don't stop."

Her hand ran down his back, along the line of his spine, where she felt his muscles moving under his skin, before Hermione stopped with a grin and grabbed him more firmly down below, a noiseless laugh on her breath. "Always wanted to do that," she confessed playfully.

[deluminate]

Ron felt nothing short of relief in the fact that she wanted to press on, and that it seemed as though he was actually doing an okay job with all this. Every step of the way, he felt like there was something else for him to get wrong, some new way to ruin everything. But he managed a small, nervous smile as her hands moved over the skin of his back and downward.

" 'Mione, don't or— " Ron started, though a pleased noise escaped his lips as she grabbed him, eyes lidding shut, "Or I might—" He didn't know how long was normal for it to last, but he was already teetering near the edge, trying his best to think about something else, anything else— his Great-Aunt Muriel, Professor Snape, even— something that might put him off for a bit.

Needless to say, that was really bloody difficult, considering the fact that he was actually on top of Hermione at the moment. It was impossible to think about anything other than her skin, or her lips, or how warm she was under his hands... Merlin's beard, this was good.

But her reassurance gave him a bit more courage, and he kissed her again, once, before he rocked his hips back and forth, as he started to slowly move against her.