Ten Thousand Fireflies
A/N: So this is my very first writing challenge from the D/G forum! I don't like writing stories as short as this... Usually I get to the 3,000 mark but I have to be honest, I really enjoyed writing this. I hope you like reading it! Simple fluff is all it is really (=
A pile of raked leaves made the perfect resting spot for the youngest Weasley. Autumn had always been her favorite season for this very reason. The smell of the leaves, the gentle breeze, the orange sunsets... Something about the very air around her made everything much more at ease. Yes, she should have been in her room. Being out this late alone was never the best idea for a girl, but she liked the way the Forbidden Forrest looked at night. None of her friends really agreed with her...
The crunching sound behind her startled her our of her reverie. She tilted her head backwards, and the upside-down form of Draco Malfoy appeared before her. He was holding his wand in one hand and a thick plastic bag in the other, likely to remove the leaves. She smirked lightly and rolled onto her stomach, her fist under her chin. "May I help you with something?"
He raised an eyebrow, looking her over. "I don't know what you have to do at home, but you know that while you're here you have a bed inside. You do know that, right?" There was the slightest trace of unkindness in his voice, but for the most part, he sounded confused.
Ginny shook her head and got to her feet. Leaves remained in her hair and on her clothes, but she didn't seem to mind. "You have no sense of affection for anything, Malfoy. That's sad."
He sighed. "Just because I don't roll around in the dirt doesn't mean anything. What does that have to do with my level of affection?"
Ginny took a step toward him and held her hand out. He simply looked at it, tilting his head to the side. "What?"
She rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers, quite literally dragging him deeper into the forest.
"The forest is forbidden for a reason Weasl-"
She put a hand to his lips. "Shh, you'll scare them away."
He was unsure as to why he didn't argue with her, but something about her determined demeanor made him follow without question. The farther in they got, the darker it became. The darker it became, the more nervous he became.
He wasn't sure when he had laced his fingers with hers, but it didn't seem to bother her much, if at all.
She stopped without warning, and in an effort not to trip over her, he placed his free hand on her shoulder. That was when he saw them, and his breath caught deep in his throat. Ginny looked him in the face, a subtle smile across his lips.
"If this doesn't make you feel something, I don't know what to do for you."
Fireflies... Thousands and thousands of fireflies were floating above their heads, around their bodies, one even landed on his shoulder.
"They're just bugs," he said, but not in argument. "How can bugs make me-"
Ginny took a step toward him, chest to chest. "Feel so much?" she said, finishing his sentence without his permission. "They represent freedom Malfoy. Maybe you crave more than you realized." She tilted her head to the side with a soft smile. "Things don't have to be so concrete."
Before he could stop himself, Draco reached up and brushed a leaf from her hair. "Why did I let you take me here? Why didn't I just walk away?"
Ginny stood up onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips softly to his. She fell back onto flat feet, enjoying the look of contentment in his face. "Because deep down, everyone needs to feel something... Even if all you're feeling is the glow of fireflies."
A/N Yes? No? Reviews save lives!