Sleepless
Disclaimer: The words are mine, but the Harry Potter universe and its characters are the property of J.K. Rowling, et al.
Content Notes: Inexplicit references to sex and brief example of internalized misogyny.
Ginny felt the weight low in her belly, all the shame and horror she'd sworn she wouldn't feel after she slept with Draco Malfoy. She'd told herself the bed wouldn't be empty when she woke and she'd been wrong about that, too. The sheets were cold, as if they'd been vacated hours earlier. He'd probably been gone within minutes of her falling asleep. She hadn't been out for long. The room was still dark as it had been when they'd had sex and maybe that should've been a clue, but their first time, Harry had kept the lights off, too. It hadn't surprised her that Draco was more like her ex-boyfriend than he-or Harry-would ever admit, so, perhaps, the disappointment shouldn't have surprised her, either.
She thought he'd have left a note, if only to say something polite and dismissive like 'Thanks' or 'I had fun.' It would've made his intentions clear and reminded Ginny of her place in the world-according-to-Malfoy. Maybe, this was supposed to, but she hadn't thought she still ranked so low with him. Putting on as many layers as she could reach, Ginny still felt like a two-Knut tart as she climbed down the stairs to her kitchen. There was a half-finished mug of tea on the counter, so evidently, Draco had decided to help himself before he'd walked out. She grabbed it, half-tempted to smash the thing to bits when she heard footsteps behind her. Her heart beat ratcheted up and her head whipped towards the sound, ceramic sliding from her fingers. Draco stopped its descent before the cup could hit the floor and dried the liquid at her feet with two swift, silent spells. "Sorry, She-Weasel; I didn't mean to scare you."
"What are you doing here?"
Hot colour flared in his cheeks and stiffly, he moved the cup from mid-air to the counter. "I can leave," he assured her.
"No! please don't," she said before Draco could take more than a step towards the living room. "I didn't mean—I just thought you'd left, before." Her stomach churned, but no longer felt inclined to sink down to her feet. She forced herself to say, "I'm glad you didn't."
Draco looked relieved, though he remembered all too quickly to hide it. "I sleep better alone," he said. At the slightly hurt expression on her face, he added, "It's not like I didn't want to share your bed, Weasley. As far as I know, you don't snore or anything, but I've...lashed out in my sleep before. I thought tea in the morning might go over a little better than the possible alternative."
"The honesty is good, too," she told him, closing the distance between them to press her mouth very gently to his. "Why don't you come back to bed?"
"Were you listening-" She raised a brow, as if to toss the incomplete question back at him and one look seemed to fill in the blank Draco had drawn a minute earlier. "Oh."
"Yeah," Ginny answered with a sly smile and another, harder kiss. She pulled another 'oh' from him then-and a lot else besides before they made it to her bedroom and made love in the predawn light.
Author's Notes: Thank you for reading. I had a craving for cereal that inspired me to write "Sleepless" because I'd never had Draco and Ginny enjoy breakfast during a morning-after. They only managed tea here and not very much, but I hope I managed to capture some of the quiet intimacy that I imagined. Your thoughts are much appreciated.