Title: It Has To Be The Nargles
Summary: When Dean Thomas suddenly kisses her in the front garden, Luna Lovegood is convinced that he must be under the influence of the Nargles.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 745
Prompt: Something absurd happens with one of Luna's magical creatures.
Author's Notes: Written for Luna's month at the helmetfest2008 community on Livejournal . Special thanks to oncelikeshari for her description of the Devon coastline. This is now the second story that your landscape descriptions have helped me with:)
It Has To Be The Nargles
It turned out to be a lovely day. Luna had been surprised when Dean asked to accompany her to the Devon coastline in an attempt to follow up on the most recent sighting of a Crumple Horned Snorkack, but she was thrilled that her new friend had chosen to spend the day with her.
They'd picnicked out on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. The water was magnificently clear, and the fine Devon sand felt wonderful between her toes as they strolled along the water's edge. From time to time, Dean would pull out his sketch book as Luna searched along the red clay cliffs for any signs of the Crumple Horned Snorkack. While they hadn't found any of the illusive creatures, Luna found that she really didn't mind.
She really enjoyed spending time in Dean's easy company. She had fun as they discussed the difference between magical and muggle artistic techniques and he never laughed or looked at her strangely when she spoke of little known facts about mysterious magical creatures. Instead he listened intently as she spoke, asked her questions, and seemed to sincerely want to hear the answers.
The day wound down to a close, and when the sun finally set on the horizon, Dean escorted her home. Luna couldn't help but notice as they stood together in her front garden that there was something different about the way that Dean was looking at her. She decided that she was being silly, and was just about to write it off as a trick of the moonlight, when Dean suddenly leaned in and kissed her softly.
It was nice. It was better than nice, but Luna pulled away with a sad smile. She had forgotten about the Nargles. The trees in the front garden were teeming with mistletoe, and it was apparent to her that her new friend had to be acting under their influence. Luna knew that no one ever looked at her like that under normal circumstances, and as lovely as Dean's kisses were, she knew she could never take advantage of him like that.
Dean looked hurt as she moved away, his dark eyes full of confusion, and Luna explained, "It's okay, Dean." I know that you're not yourself."
Dean laughed and replied teasingly, "Of course I'm myself. Who else would I be?"
He moved in to kiss her again, but Luna pulled back before he could reach her. "Dean, please," she said seriously. "We need to get you away from the Nargles."
He finally seemed to understand what was going on, and Luna took his hand. Dean allowed her to lead him out of the garden to the front porch, and stood perfectly still as Luna cast several spells to counteract the influence of the Nargles.
"So, am I Nargle free?" he asked with a grin.
"Oh yes," Luna answered confidently. "You're fine now."
"Good," Dean said as he moved forward. "So, is it okay for me to kiss you now?"
Luna's eyes went wide with surprise. "You mean that you still want to?" she asked in disbelief.
"Of course I still want to," Dean said seriously as he lifted a hand to gently stroke through her hair. "I've been trying to work up the courage to kiss you all day. I think that the more important question is, do you want to?"
He leaned in again, and this time Luna melted into the kiss. She closed her eyes and Dean's strong arms came around her in a warm embrace as they kissed. It was wonderful and sweet and more amazing than anything Luna had ever imagined. Time fell still, and when Luna finally opened her eyes again she saw they had been surrounded by hundreds of tiny glowing lights.
"Oh," she said as the golden lights twinkled and danced around their heads. "How peculiar."
Dean smiled and her broadly and said, "It has to be the Nargles. I know that it's rare for them to show themselves but under the right circumstances they…"
Luna cut off his words with a searing, passionate kiss and Dean happily yielded to it, setting his hands upon her hips and holding her close as she flung her arms around his neck. The Nargles continued to dance and glow about them, but Luna didn't care. Dean was here with her. This was real, and when this night was over Luna knew that he would still be here.
Right now, everything was perfect.
