Arthur Weasley whistled as he made his way up the lane towards his home, the Burrow. As things had been slow at the office, he had decided to skive off early to take full advantage of the first warm day of spring. He had Apparated to a spot that was just outside the village of Ottery St. Catchpole as he enjoyed taking the long way home during the spring and summer months. When he turned onto the path that led to his back door, he immediately noticed that no one was bustling about inside. He usually expected to see his wife, Molly, in the midst of dinner preparations at this hour, but her absence in the kitchen prompted him to wander toward the garden.
A smile broke out over his face when he caught the sight of his wife in a bright yellow sun dress kneeling in the garden, presumably weeding and preparing the soil to plant their vegetables within the next couple of weeks. As her back was turned towards him, he slowed his pace to sneak up on her. However, his effort to surprise her failed when she glanced over her shoulder at the last moment, as if sensing his presence. A wide smile lit up her face, and she rose from her position on all fours to brush herself off before she greeted him with a kiss.
"Good afternoon, Molly-girl," Arthur said once he had returned her kiss. He moved in to kiss her again, but Molly turned her head at the last moment to glance at her watch.
"Afternoon, Arthur," Molly replied, turning her attention back to her husband, which prompted him to kiss her once more. She shook her head but returned her husband's affection before continuing. "You're home early. What's the occasion?"
"No occasion. I just couldn't stay cooped up in the office on such a beautiful day, especially as Perkins and I are so cramped." He reached for her hand. "Besides, I'd rather enjoy this nice weather here at home with you instead of buried in paperwork."
Molly squeezed her husband's hand gently, interlocking her fingers with his. She always enjoyed it when Arthur surprised her by coming home early, and today was no exception. "I don't blame you, dear, especially since you don't have a window in your office."
Arthur gently tugged his wife closer to him so he could lean down and whisper in her ear. His gaze had fixated on the freestanding hammock he had set up nearly a week ago in anticipation of a day such as this one. "Would you like to join me in the hammock, Mollywobbles?"
She pondered the idea for a moment, as she knew she would have to start dinner soon. When she pulled away slightly, she noticed that Arthur was on the verge of pouting as if afraid that she was going to turn down his offer. Before she answered, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Oh, don't pout. Of course I'd like to join my Artiebear in the hammock."
Another gentle smile crossed his features when she called him 'Artiebear' and he grasped her hand before leading the way to the hammock. Ever the gentleman, he held the hammock steady for Molly while she attempted to get settled before he joined her, pulling her close to his side. Once they were settled, he charmed the hammock to sway lightly and pressed a kiss to the top of Molly's head. As he did so, he noticed that the skin of her shoulders seemed to stand out more than usual against the bright yellow of her dress. "You're starting to tan, love."
Molly sighed before she answered, bringing her left hand up to rest on his chest as she moved to lay her head on his shoulder. "I know." She allowed silence to settle between them for a few moments before she spoke again. "Artiebear?"
At first, Arthur did not hear his wife, as he had closed his eyes as well and allowed his thoughts to wander, as he was content to just lie here with his wife. Molly repeated his pet name and this time he shifted enough to look at her properly. "Yes, Molly-girl?"
"This is nice. It's been ages since we last cuddled just to cuddle." She said, closing her eyes as she slipped an arm around him in an effort to get closer.
"I agree, dear." He replied, resting his chin atop her head as he pulled her closer to him in response to the arm that had slid around his back and closed his eyes once more.
Molly blinked in surprise as she awoke. She was startled to see that she and Arthur were still in the hammock and that the sky was dotted with stars. She attempted to snuggle closer to her husband as she was shivering before she tilted her head enough to whisper in his ear. "Artiebear." When he didn't stir, she placed a hand on his upper arm, attempted to wake him. "Arthur, wake up."
Arthur shifted slightly, brushing the hand off of his arm, murmuring something she couldn't make out. She tried again, resulting in him tightening his grip on her before becoming coherent enough to speak loud enough so that she could understand him. "What is it, Mollywobbles?"
"Wake up. We fell asleep in the hammock."
He ignored the command, choosing to instead turn his back to her in an effort to go back to sleep. He didn't care that they were asleep outside, and in his opinion, he didn't think it was that big of a deal. He shifted again when Molly tapped him on the shoulder, once again telling him that he needed to wake up. He turned enough to look at her, sighing. "We're perfectly safe, Mols. Go back to sleep."
"I can't, Arthur. I'm cold."
Arthur rolled back over so he was facing his wife, wondering how she could be cold, as he thought it was a nice night to sleep outside, as it wasn't too hot, or too cold. Besides, he just wanted to go back to sleep. "How can you be cold? It's perfect."
Molly had been rubbing her arms in frustration in an effort to keep warm, as Arthur wasn't usually this stubborn when she woke him in the middle of the night. Then again, they hadn't eaten before they had fallen asleep, so she was going to chalk his bullheadedness up to an empty stomach. "To you it might be perfect, but to me it's a bit on the chilly side."
"You can go in the house if you'd like, but I'm quite comfortable out here."
She sighed, and she turned her back to him. She didn't want to go in and wind up sleeping alone in their bed, as she always had trouble sleeping when Arthur wasn't next to her. "I'm comfortable out here too, dear; I'm just a bit cold. Besides, I don't want to go inside and sleep alone."
He opened his eyes once more and let out a breath before he rolled back over to pull his wife against his chest and drape his arms over hers. He kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her arms gently. "Better?"
"Not really. I can't sleep like this without a pillow. Can you just go get a light blanket from the house? Please, Artiebear?" Molly knew she was being a pain, but she also knew that Arthur would do whatever it took to keep her comfortable.
"I suppose. I'll be right back, sit tight." Arthur removed the charm from the hammock so he could safely climb out of it without tipping his wife to the ground. He knew he hadn't been very pleasant towards his wife, and that fetching a blanket was the least he could do to make it up to her. It didn't take him long to find a spare blanket in their bedroom, and he offered his wife a small smile in apology for his earlier behavior as he draped the fleece blanket over her shoulders once she had sat up.
Molly returned the smile and waited patiently for him to climb back into the hammock behind her, and once he had done so, she reclined again, resting her head on his shoulder as his arms came to rest around her once more. "You are sweet, love." She pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Arthur charmed the hammock to sway again before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You know, we should sleep out here more often, this hammock is comfortable, don't you agree, Mollywobbles?"
She nodded in agreement, yawning as she rested her head back on his shoulder and her left hand on his chest before she closed her eyes. "Good night, Arthur."
"Good night, Molly." He squeezed her affectionately about the middle as he placed another kiss on her forehead and nestled her head back under his chin. He waited until his wife was sleeping soundly once more before he closed his eyes.