Draco Lucius Malfoy (d_l_malfoy) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2017-02-01 17:48:00 |
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It had not been a good day. Not only had he had another dream about this Sydney woman, he had started the day by hugging another one of the research specialists. Hugging! Draco did not hug. He hadn’t hugged his mother since he was small and he couldn’t remember ever hugging his father (the idea was terrifying to put it mildly). And hugging someone Draco considered a stranger (that he wasn’t interested in seducing) was an appalling idea. By hiding in the depths of the book stacks, Draco had managed to avoid committing the foie pax for the rest of the day. Slinking out at the end of the day, he felt he definitely deserved a drink of fourteen. Which is why he was at the bar, nursing several fingers of whiskey and hoping that no one would talk with him. Lack of interaction would lessen the chance he hugged someone he hated. *** But as fate would have it, Pansy Parkinson walked through the door. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise: she spent a lot of time in bars too. Her room felt too quiet, despite the presence of others who shared her space, and she'd rather sit and people watch than wallow on her bed and remember better days. Caught up in her thoughts, she slid onto a bar stool and didn't even realize the man sitting next to her was the last man she wanted to see. But by that time, it was too late. There was no way she was going to move just because of him. “Oh,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It's you.” *** Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. It was just what Draco needed. The moment he heard her voice he knew that he was sunk. He was going to have to greet her and somehow he didn’t think he’d be able to get away with a grunt as response. In fact, he could feel his own body rebeling against anything but greeting her with a large hug. Might as well as own it. Turning, Draco let his body do as it desired. “Pansy, my darling,” he stated, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly. “How wonderful to see you. I’ve missed you so much.” His body demanded the hug go on longer than he wanted mentally, but he just continued - hoping it was making Pansy more uncomfortable than it made him. *** For a moment, it was just a little too comfortable. Pansy melted against him, finding comfort in the familiarity of his embrace - and then she remembered they weren't together anymore, and she started to pull away, a sharp retort on her tongue. But he held on, the hug going on much longer than any hug ought to, and she started pushing at his arms to release her. “Draco, what are you doing?” she hissed. “Are you completely sloshed?” *** “I have just missed you so desperately,” Draco answered, continuing to hold on despite the fact that the compulsion had ended at this point. He had sensed Pansy’s acceptance at the beginning. It was a delightful stroke to his ego and perhaps just what he needed. It was especially good since he felt like he was still ‘in love’ with her. “I just needed a hug, especially from someone I am still so in love with,” he continued, laying it on a bit thick. “Don’t you miss me too Pansy? You must be so lonely here without me constantly by your side.” It was very deliberately saccharine, but Draco enjoyed it - mostly because Pansy was no longer interested. It was a way to get some of his own back for her previous comments. *** He wasn't drunk; Pansy realized that quickly enough. She had, after all, been there the very first time he'd ever been drink, and many times afterwards. Even now, she'd know if he was completely pissed. But neither did she believe that he really missed her as dramatically as he was claiming. There were too many theatrics, and she knew he'd never looked back once he'd broken up with her. He might miss her, but not enough to make a fool of himself. Which meant he was probably trying to make a fool of her. “Don't be ridiculous,” she snapped, still trying to push him away. He was stronger than she'd expected. When had those muscles developed in his arms? He'd always been skinny, even when he'd been playing quidditch. Now, suddenly, he'd developed nicely muscled shoulders and arms. *** A portion of Draco did miss Pansy as dramatically as he claimed. It wasn’t a dramatic loss of her, but a slow subtle thing wherein he was always thinking of her and longing to have her close to him. But he barely acknowledged that in his own mind, much less out loud to Pansy of all people. Leaning into her further, Draco whispered into her ear, “It is not so ridiculous that I would miss you so much that I could no longer resist the opportunity to be near you when it was presented.” He let his hands move from her upper back down to her lower back, one snaking low enough to graze the curve of her buttocks. “I spend nights longing for you Pansy.” Which may or may not be true, but he was definitely attempting to keep her as off balance as possible. *** Oh, if only that were true. At least, that was what Pansy had used to hope. Not anymore. She’d moved on. Absolutely. So she slapped his hand away when it strayed into indecency and struggled to reach her wand. Her fingertips just touched it, but he was hugging her so tightly she couldn’t find purchase for it. “I am going to give you boils,” she said grimly. Just as soon as she could pull out her wand… *** “That would definitely ruin the night we are going to have together,” Draco commented. He knew well enough not to give her an opportunity to get her wand. He really would have boils and that alone would make this day even worse. He paid attention to her movement, knowing where she was keeping her wand at the moment. “Besides,” Draco continued, tracing a path down her neck with the delicate touch of his lips, “your brain may be saying that, but your body does not lie. It wants me. Badly.” Hopefully the more he narrated what he wanted, the more likely it would be. *** The worst thing was, he wasn’t wrong. Pansy had thought that she was completely over him, but she’d been disastrously wrong. Now, as he brushed his lips over her suddenly hypersensitized skin, she wanted nothing more than to just melt against him, to kiss him as she used to and lose herself in him all over again. But that way lay pain, and it was that reminder that had her finally getting enough strength to push him away. “Please,” she sneered. “I’m not that desperate.” She was probably more angry at herself and her own weakness at the moment than at him, but that was okay. Anger gave her strength, and anger gave her the ability to resist him. Mostly. *** “Sure about that love?” Draco inquired, smirking as he let her go. He let himself offer her a pout of sadness at the lack. “Your body definitely is.” Even though he know the reality is that he had left her and to keep his funds, Draco needed her now more than ever. He wanted her. His love for her hadn’t changed - just his view of the reason that she loved him. Draco was certain she was only with him - or had only been with him - because of his money and power. Oh, she had played that game well, but Draco was certain he knew the reality - it was not him that was the attraction if push came to shove. “If you admit the truth of the matter, what your body is really saying, then I might not push further.” He made sure he was still close to her, even if he wasn’t holding on to her. *** Damn it. Like a shark, Draco had scented blood: Pansy’s reaction to having his body so close to hers again was embarrassingly obvious. And like a shark, he wasn't going to give up until he'd hunted down his prey. Fortunately for Pansy, she had never been easy prey. “That's not really worth much,” Pansy said, refusing to move away from him despite her body screaming at her to run away or throw herself at him. She wasn't going to show weakness in front of him. No more simpering and fawning and giving into him as soon as he snapped his fingers. Draco Malfoy was going to see the real Pansy Parkinson, the one who wasn't going to be pushed around by anybody. “We both know how worthless your word is.” *** “Doth hath mortally wounded me,” Draco said, with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. He knew precisely why she said that since, in general, he kept his word about thing. It was a rule that he made and it needed to be followed. If he didn’t keep it, there was a damn good reason. Like losing the only thing that managed to attract Pansy to him in the first place. He needed to stop thinking about these things. “But we both know that you’re not worth much more,” Draco pointed out, smirking at her. They clearly had the ability to sling insults at each other at any given moment. And they didn’t even need a reason. “I say we just put aside all those hideous words and let our bodies do the talking.” Yes, he was going to continue to push the line of desire. *** Yes, let's! screamed her body, which was already straining to return to his embrace. But Pansy emphatically shook her head. “You might be that randy, but I have standards,” she told him. “I'm not about to fall into bed with someone who just told me to my face I'm worth nothing. I suppose we’re making progress that you're even saying it to my face at all, not just thinking it.” *** Frustrated that he couldn’t just sway her to his way of thinking, Draco made sure that frustration didn’t show on his face. He was determined to win her over and make her want to come away with him - or at least admit that she wanted to. “You have standards?” Draco asked, pretending to be shocked. “How did you afford them?” He looked at her, aghast. “Don’t tell me you stole them!” He smirked at her. “We both know you needed my money to become anything.” *** “Don’t be daft,” Pansy told him, appalled that he’d think that. Was that really what he’d thought of her? That she was a money-grubbing, desperate leech? It was a wonder he’d kept her around all this time - or that she’d been so blind as to his true feelings towards her. It was definitely a good thing they weren't together anymore, she told herself. And this was all the reason why she would not ever, ever, ever get back to being with him. “I had plenty of money of my own - at least until Daddy was left with all the blame for the Death Eaters. And I didn’t see you offering any sort of support when that happened.” No, he’d simply dropped her and walked away. Because she wasn’t convenient to know anymore. *** There may not have been solid evidence, but the true evidence, for Draco, was that no one would want to be with him without his funds. Everyone knew he wasn’t worth it otherwise. No one - other than Pansy and perhaps Crabbe and Goyle - had even looked at him as something other than an annoyance - even with the funds. Draco felt like he didn’t have much to offer and perhaps that was the truth and perhaps it wasn’t. He wasn’t introspective enough to really delve into that. Instead, he blamed Pansy - it was easier. “It was certainly the only reason you were with me,” Draco sneered, “a way to stay in the financial standing and comfort you felt like you deserved.” Draco was losing himself in all his falsehoods. All his ego couldn’t save him from drowning. “Lie to yourself all you want, I know the truth.” *** Maybe it was the reason why Pansy had pursued him in the first place: his money and his status. But over the years, she'd come to love him for the lost boy she thought he was. Everyone made mistakes when they were in love. Pansy's had just been colossal - and one she wasn't about to repeat. “You're the one who's lying to himself,” Pansy said, shaking her head. Again she asked herself how she could have been so blind. Hormones. That had to be it. Hormones and old self-delusions. Thank Salazar her eyes were open now. “In fact, you're so delusional I almost pity you. Almost. Mostly I'd like you to fall into a vat of blast-end skrewts.” *** “We both know how likely that is to happen,” Draco said, sneering at Pansy. “It’s more likely that you’ll crawl back into my bed instead.” And that statement gave him in idea. “How about we wager on it?” *** “On what? Whether you'd fall into a vat of blast-end skrewts first or I fall into your bed first?” Unfortunately, the latter was much more likely to happen than the former, especially when Pansy still got hot and bothered by his stupid sneers, but she was entrenched too deeply to give any ground now. “What are the stakes?” *** Stepping close enough so that they were nose to nose, Draco stated, “I have two months to get you into my bed. And I will succeed. And that is all I need.” “If I don’t succeed, which we both admit is unlikely since you already want it so badly I can taste it, I’ll leave you alone.” He figured it was a fair bet. Hopefully she’d take it. *** Pansy narrowed her eyes. He was practically daring her not to take it, to admit to her weakness for him. And although his words hit a little too close for comfort, Pansy was determined not to give in. “Hardly a good reward given that I can find other wise for you to leave me alone,” she drawled. “I’ll tell you what. If you don’t succeed, or if I get you into a vat of blast-end skrewts within alotted time, you will be my slave for the next month.” He was too close to see the cold edge in her smile, but her eyes went flinty. “And believe me, it wouldn’t be much fun for you.” *** Draco was both sure it would be worse than becoming a Puff and better than his best days as a Malfoy. It would all depend on what he made of it. Which meant that he would need a plan if things did not go his way. Other than his plan on winning. “And if I succeed getting you into my bed, which is where you belong and I believe we can both agree on that,” he stated, raw arrogance in his tone. It was the arrogance of a Malfoy who always got what he wanted in the end. While winning might give him the opportunity to humiliate her or demand something unreasonable, Draco decided that he would demand something far more applicable. “If I win, you’ll stay with me until I am tired of you as well extole my virtues, of which there are many, to any and all.” He smirked at her, knowing she wouldn’t like the demands. It was far easier for Pansy to sling hate than praise. “I believe we can seal the bet with a kiss.” He was going to start his road to victory here and now.” *** Pansy almost recoiled at the thought of being shackled to him until he decided he had no further use for her. Again. It had nearly destroyed her the first time, and she didn’t know if even she could claw her way back from being abandoned by him again. But she had a feeling he’d thrown that in for the shock factor, to scare her into backing away from their bet and thus proving him right. And she wasn’t about to do that. “You don’t get a kiss just yet,” she said, planting a hand on his chest to firmly push him away. “Or ever. And I’ll specify right now that any sort of potion, or Imperius, or coercion to get me into bed would not count.” *** Draco looked offended. “I will not need such underhanded means to bring you to my bed. I will, as always, follow the rules of such engagements.” He smirked at her and added, “Though it would be easier to just give in now, wouldn’t it?” He smirked at her. Draco knew he would get his way. He would win her over and there was nothing that was going to stop him. Nothing in the slightest. *** “Oh darling.” Now that she had some space, she could think a little more clearly, and she patted his shoulder in the most condescending way she could. “You are in for a nasty surprise.” |