Hermione opened her eyes and reached back for the alarm, then gasped and froze as her low back (and most of the rest of her) objected to all movement.<\/p>\n
She set her arm down lay there for a moment, then tried again a bit at a time, lifting and shifting carefully rather than twisting at the waist. She wasn’t injured, really, just sore as hell, but she had no desire to actually hurt herself just trying to turn around whilst her poorly-chosen silk nightie–she should have just stayed naked after her shower–did its level best to strangle her. She wasn’t quite sure where she’d left her wand, so Summoning it without the first clue whether it might whack her in the eye on its way from under the bed, or drill a sparking hole through a closed door, seemed a bit silly for nothing more urgent than a screeching alarm clock.<\/p>\n
She lifted up and yanked at the bunched up silk that wasn’t moving with her and considered whether she really thought so; after all, the sheer number of sore muscles she apparently had was probably some sort of record; a hole in a door wouldn\u2019t make much difference.<\/p>\n
Charlie, the prat, was already up, or at least, not in the bed. He was probably completely fine.<\/p>\n
Damn it.<\/p>\n
She winced and shifted again.<\/p>\n
“Sore, then?” The clock turned off as Charlie spoke.<\/p>\n
Damn it twice. He hadn’t been standing there a moment ago. Obviously he’d been practicing getting his Apparition a lot quieter expressly for the purpose of popping into being just inside the doorway, leaning against the jamb in nothing but a towel, wand in his hand, wet drops shining here and there on his chest. She stopped trying to turn over and scowled. “Yes.”<\/p>\n
“Worked too hard,” he said with a dramatic shake of his head. “Were I a different sort of man, I might point out that I told<\/em> you–”<\/p>\n “Which would be not the same as you telling me anyway, how?”<\/p>\n Charlie chuckled and sat down next to her, shoving her back the way she’d come until she was flat on her belly. “I know it was both fascinating and delicate, Hermione, and I do appreciate the enthusiasm with which you’ve taken to the project–”<\/p>\n “Now you’re just being patronizing. If you’re going to sit there and be patronizing, you might as well be rubbing my back. No, lower.”<\/p>\n “Lower?”<\/p>\n Hermione scowled at her pillow. “I hadn’t known it was possible to orally leer. And that’s not<\/em> what I meant.”<\/p>\n “I know, but, here. Budge over.”<\/p>\n “Moving was what hurt in the first<\/em> place.”<\/p>\n “Wow, it must really be pissing you off, to make you whinge like that. Scoot.” He Banished the nightie then swatted her bare hip playfully with the back of his hand. “Go on.”<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes and shifted over just a bit as he stood. She heard the soft whump of the towel hitting the floor, and then he was straddling her hips, thumbs pressing just to either side of her spine well below her waist.<\/p>\n “Also, I wasn’t being patronizing. I love that it’s worked out there’s this great project that’s exactly your area, and it’s right here so you can stay every<\/em> night. That it’s even something I can help with sometimes is a plus, too. But I still submit that that dragon skull had been there for millions of years, and probably could have waited another day, or even week, to spread the work out a little and avoid all this.” He pressed his hand up, his fingers light on her ribs as the heels of his hands pushed hard, until she groaned.<\/p>\n “Yes, but once we’d exposed it, it might have been compromised!”<\/p>\n Charlie kept one hand on her back, pressing in tiny circles, but lifted up on his knees and leaned forward to take his weight on his other hand next to her head. He brought his face down to hers, nudging aside her tangled hair with his nose. “I have news. This is what preservation charms are for.”<\/p>\n “Too delicate,” she said with a wince. “Also, ow, right there.”<\/p>\n He shifted his hand and pressed at a different angle. “Not too delicate. It was just that you were anxious. And possibly stubborn. Honestly. Digging the bloody thing out by hand<\/em>?”<\/p>\n “Was not<\/em> stubborn. Anxious, I’ll agree with, but only because–oh, do that again–because I didn’t want to lose it..”<\/p>\n He snorted. “Any better?”<\/p>\n “Getting there,” she said with a sigh. She wriggled slightly. “Feels nice.”<\/p>\n “You know,” he said, “I think I know what would loosen this up.” He rocked back slightly.<\/p>\n She lifted her head a bit, looking over her shoulder. It was a bit better, at least not threatening to cramp, but she scowled when he stilled his hand. “Oh? Also, you stopped.”<\/p>\n He nodded. “Definitely. Hold still.” He spread his hand wide and set it higher on her back, holding her in place firmly enough it would have been a challenge to do anything else.<\/p>\n She set her head back down. “I don’t want<\/em> to move, so I won’t object to being manhandled,” she muttered.<\/p>\n “Good.” He crawled backward a bit, muttering something as he stepped his knees over her calves and dropping down on his belly between her feet. Before she had much of a chance to guess what he was about, his fingers were sliding up her inner thighs, one pressing into her gently as the other hand continued on, up onto her bum and squeezing.<\/p>\n She jumped slightly, but the fingers pushing into her were slick and warm, coated with something that felt both cold and hot and started a tingling sensation spreading outward even as it intensified. “Charlie! I think this was half of why I’m so bloody sore anyway. Too much fucking last night after a long day.”<\/p>\n “I’m going to have to disagree,” he said, pressing in a bit more firmly. “No such thing as too much fucking.”<\/p>\n “Yes, well, you’re always athletic. I’m not always so–”<\/p>\n “–insatiable?”<\/p>\n “I wasn’t insatiable! Just a bit excited. Still, we did fuck three\u2026 what is<\/em> that stuff? Merlin.” Her back was still tense, and probably getting tenser, but she’d concluded she didn’t care as much as she had thirty seconds earlier. She arched, lifting up her hips and pulling her knees under her, spreading them wide.<\/p>\n She heard him chuckle. “As good as advertised, then, is it?”<\/p>\n “No, better. Whatever it is.” She pushed back onto his fingers. “More?”<\/p>\n “Such as?”<\/p>\n “Such as more<\/em>,” she repeated.<\/p>\n “Thought you thought it was too likely to make you more sore,” he said, feigning disappointment. “Well, it was a good thought.” He pulled away and Tergeo’d<\/em> his hand, then returned to rubbing her back.<\/p>\n She was still for a moment of disbelief, then pushed up on her hands and knees. “Charlie Weasley, you cannot<\/em> get me all \u2026like that, and then stop<\/em>.”<\/p>\n “Can’t I?”<\/p>\n “No. If you aren’t inside me in three seconds, I’ll\u2026”<\/p>\n “You’ll what?”<\/p>\n She reached and Summoned the wand he’d discarded and levitated him onto the bed facing her, then turned around. Her back twinged again, but she didn’t care; the lube, or whatever it was, was driving her crazy. She shoved pillows behind her for support, and spread her legs wide, or, as wide they were willing to go given the stiffness of her muscles, anyway. “I’ll make you watch.”<\/p>\n He tilted his head in a half-shrug and lifted his hand to his groin. “Terrible punishment, yes.”<\/p>\n She pointed his wand. “Hand down, Weasley.”<\/p>\n “I rub your back and get you hot, and then I don’t even get to play<\/em>?” Charlie crossed his arms across his chest and put on a pout that was just comical enough she couldn\u2019t be sure he was serious, but just serious enough she wasn’t entirely sure he was joking.<\/p>\n “I warned you,” she said.<\/p>\n “Three seconds isn’t long enough to even hear the consequence. Totally unfair.”<\/p>\n “Now who’s whingeing?”<\/p>\n He scowled. “Fine. Well, get on with it, then. Let’s see it.”<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes and turned his wand around, handle toward her to press against her clit. She slid it down and up, watching him squirm, until finally he lunged and took it away.<\/p>\n In an instant he had her spun around, bent over the pillows, with his hands on her hips and his cock buried inside her. Given the continuing tingle of the lube and the startling thrill of the suddenness, she wasn’t surprised when, after just a few thrusts, she was coming, flailing for balance where one hand was barely on the edge of the bed and both knees were being lifted off the surface over and over. Just as she got a tolerable grip and held on, panting, Charlie was coming too. When he stilled, she shifted enough to feel secure in case he let go, and let her head drop.<\/p>\n “Better?”<\/p>\n “I thought I was making you watch.”<\/p>\n “Yes, but I decided it would be more fun to play. But you didn’t answer. Better?”<\/p>\n She lifted her head and started to turn around, twisting at the waist to see where she was going, then groaned as her spine cracked and popped as tense muscles stopped trying to pull everything too tight. She lay down and slowly twisted the other way to do it again. “Yes. Yes, that’s definitely better.”<\/p>\n “See? I said it would loosen you up.”<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes. “Sex is your solution to everything<\/em>, isn’t it?”<\/p>\n “Usually works. Wanna see if it works more?”<\/p>\n She shook her head. “The reason the alarm was ringing was so I’d get an early start on the rest of the site. Coming with?”<\/p>\n He grinned. “Yes. Also, I should probably warn you, that lube is supposed to be long-acting.”<\/p>\n “What?”<\/p>\n “Just, you know, you might decide you have to throw me down and have your way with me again in a couple of hours.”<\/p>\n She sighed. “I suppose you got it from George so you know it’ll work? Honestly. \u2026Fine. Bring a blanket, but I’m taking a shower and going in.”<\/p>\n\n\n