#dlm4

I’m sorry, I think of these two as siblings... but here we go. It’s more of a friendship thing.

76. “I need you to pretend we’re dating...”

“Could you please repeat that?” Harry asks blankly.

“I need you to pretend we’re dating,” Hermione repeats.

Harry nods slowly, trying to figure out how to gently break it to her that she may want to ask Ron. Then he remembers that Ron is with Lavender, a fact that he doesn’t particularly like to think about due to the images his mind supplies him with. So much spit.

“Okay,” he says. “Why?”

“McLaggen,” she says exasperatedly. “And Smith. And-” She recites a list of ten names, some of them Harry has never heard of and at least one of which is a Slytherin. Which, ew.

“I see. Can you write them down for me?”

“Of course. Does that mean you’ll do it?” Hermione asks, looking hopeful.

“No.” Harry studies the list of names, comitting them to memory. “I won’t need to,” he continues grimly. “Hey, have you seen Hedwig? I’m going to write a letter to Fred and George.”

“May I have this dance?”

Damnit, is Rin's first thought, even as she turns, pasting on asmile. Of course she wouldn’t be lucky enough to avoid the assholes all night. Obito,who’s usually her first line of defense, is currently out on the dance floor havingwhat amounts to vertical sex with the dark-haired man who scooped him up assoon as they got here, and while Rin candeal with the type of people who like to hit on women in gay bars, she’dreally, really rather not.

But before she even has a chanceto open her mouth and respond to that rather terrible line—they're in a club, not a ballroom—a much moredelicate hand catches her elbow, then slides to wrap around her waist. “Sorry,sweetheart,” a woman says, and Rin turns to find the most gorgeous redhead she’sever had the pleasure of meeting now tucked up against her side. “I didn’t meantto take so long, there was a line.”

It takes effort not to stammer,because the woman is gorgeous and tall and smiling,catlike and a little sly as she watches Rin, and Rin suddenly feels awkward andgangly and entirely underdressed. “No worries,” she says, and smiles back,hoping she doesn’t sound as breathless as she feels. “I missed you, though.” And,because she can, because it’s expected if they're going to sell the lie, shecurves an arm around the woman’s side, lets a hand rest in the small of herback. It’s something like an invitation, and the redhead takes it, stepping inbetween her knees.

“Hey—” the man starts, but Rin doesn’tgive him a chance. She pulls, and the woman leans in, a spark of mischief inher eyes, and she kisses Rin as kisses back, tangling her fingers in thick redhair. There’s a sound of disgust from beside them, but the woman smells like jasmineand lemon and her mouth is sweet-hot and soft. Rin would happily keep kissingher for the rest of the night without coming up for air.

They do eventually break apart,though, and the woman comes up laughing. Rin is giggling too, and the man is gonebut she can hardly spare a thought for anything but the way the stranger leansinto her, pressing Rin back up against the bar.

“I'm Mito,” she says, smiling upat Rin with a foxlike slant and mirth in her eyes. “Sorry to be so forward, butI thought I could kill two birds with one stone.”

“Rin,” Rin offers a little roughly.She swallows, and asks, “Two?”

Mito laughs, and it’s husky andas sweet as her mouth. “I got to help you with a problem and get a kiss,” shesays airily, and leans in, breath ghosting over Rin's lips. “What are the oddsI can get another one?”

I’m not sure if I’m actually going to include this segment in The Two Commanders or within a one-shot... but I like it so here you go!

“I need to get ready,” he murmured, though heshowed no intention of moving away from her. “If I’m late to the War Room againLeliana will— look!” he exclaimed, breaking away as he glared at his reflectionin the mirror. “They’ve come out of place again!”

“This maybe my fault,” she confessed. “My biotics give off static energy, and… well,you’ve seen my hair down,” she said with a shrug. “It’s worse when the air’slike this.” And it probably didn’t help that he’d spent most of the previousnight with his head between her legs, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.