A/N: I haven't used Mary and Marlene much, but I wanted to try them out. We'll see what happens.
If You Dare Challenge - #614 (Kissed)
Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #194 (Marauder era)
Fanfiction Writing Month: October [1366]
Build A Zoo Challenge - Elephants (Marlene McKinnon)
Conversation Starter Prompt Challenge - #3 (Write about a happy moment in a character's life.)
Character Diversity Boot Camp - #34 (attraction), Marlene McKinnon
Your Favorite House Boot Camp - #12 (drum), Gryffindor
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all this.
"I want to kill that idiot," Marlene growled, her tone dangerous. "I'm swear to Merlin, I'm going to kill him." Her best friend, Mary MacDonald, now lay in the hospital wing with deep slashes winding around her torso and right arm; Madame Pomfrey had told them that she doubted Mary would get through it without significant scarring. Marlene picked up Mary's uninjured arm from the bed and traced her smooth skin until she was holding her hand in her own and interlacing their fingers. "He's dead. He's so dead. I'm gonna—I'm gonna kill him." She kissed the pale fingers, one by one, and kept her mouth pressed against her knuckles, whispering, "Merlin, Mary, I love you."
Marlene barely registered that she had said the words aloud until she heard a small, weak voice say, "I thought you had a boyfriend, McKinnon."
"Mary!" she exclaimed, and she covered her friend's hand in kisses. "Merlin, I thought... After what Mulciber did..." Her gaze grew dark, and she tightened her grip on Mary's hand. "I'm gonna kill him, Mary, I swear... I'm gonna rip his head off for what he did to you."
Mary's dark hair was spread across the white pillowcase in a stark contrast of color. "I wouldn't—wouldn't do that" —she coughs— "if I were you, McKinnon."
"Why not?"
Mary gave her friend a faint smile. Her skin was sticky with sweat. "Then—then...you'd be like him."
Marlene knew she was right. Mulciber's violent actions were what had put Mary in this bed in the first place. "Okay," she whispered, and she was kissing Mary's hand again, just thankful that she was alive. "Are you—does it hurt? Can I do anything?"
She shook her head and then winced. "N-no. I'm...fine."
"Mary..."
"Don't."
"Can I...Can I get you more Pain-Reducing Potion? I could go get Madame Pomfrey and—"
"No," Mary replied, her hand clenching Marlene's. "No. Don't...don't do that."
"Mary, if you're in pain, then I don't want you to suf—"
"Shut up," she croaked. "I'm fine... I just want to... Just stay with me...okay?"
"Okay," Marlene told her, and she slid her chair closer to the head of the bed, only briefly letting go of her hand to do so. "Are you—you sleeping okay?"
"Yeah...fine."
"Mary..." Marlene began, and Mary tugged her hand away. "Mary, please..."
"Not...a big deal..." her friend answered, but then she was cringing, her entire body tense.
"Mary? Oh, Merlin—" She was on her side now, her left arm wrapped around her stomach. Touching her arm once, Marlene shoved a rolling table out of the way to reach her other side. "Mary—you okay? Are you—oh, Merlin, Mary, talk to me."
"Fine," she grunted, and her face seemed to relax a little. "I...just..."
"I'm getting Madame Pomfrey," Marlene announced, standing up straighter. "Sorry, but I can't stand to see you like this anymore. You're not refusing treatment, Mary, not on my wa—"
"No!" This answer was stronger than anything she'd said previously. "No." Mary started to sit up, sliding herself up so that her back was pressed against the wall. It was clearly a painful position, but she seemed to not care. "Not...Pomfrey, okay?"
"Why—Mary, this is crazy! I'm not going to—"
"Just...stay. I don't want..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't want...to be with her anymore. I haven't had any...visitors. All day. Just me...and Pomfrey. All day."
Marlene laughed. "I guess I make better company than her, yeah?"
Mary smiled, this time a real one. "Yeah, Marlene," she said. "You're better...company. Than her." As Marlene moved closer again, Mary continued, "You're better company...than anyone."
Marlene kissed her fingers again. "Merlin, Mary, I wish I'd been there," she said, her index finger drawing ancient runes into Mary's palm. "I wish I'd..."
"You wish it'd been you?"
"Yeah."
"Well, don't," Mary said. "No...offense, Marlene, but...I'm better at handling pain than you are."
"Shut up!" Marlene cried in mock outrage. "You are not!"
"You cried when you got a papercut two days ago."
"Not true!" Mary's eyebrows raised slightly at her answer. "Okay...well, maybe a little—those things hurt, okay?"
Mary laughed and then frowned, her arm tensing and shaking around the wound on her stomach. "Sorry," she said, and Marlene abruptly cut her off before she could say anything more.
"Don't apologize, Mary," she said. "Mulciber's the only one who should be apologizing. Don't apologize for this."
Mary stared at her hands, her bravery and humor gone. Marlene, not knowing what to say, gripped Mary's hand tightly. "Come here," Mary rasped once she racked up the courage. Marlene moved her seat closer. Mary shook her head. "No...closer." When she moved again, Mary repeated herself. "No, Marlene. Closer."
"You want me...you want me to..."
"Yeah."
"Okay." Marlene squeezed into the tiny hospital wing bed with Mary, their bare shoulders touching. Marlene didn't think she'd ever been this nervous before; her fingers were buzzing with anxiety and her heart was pounding hard and fast in her ears. "You okay with...with this?"
"Yeah." Mary sighed gently, resting her head on Marlene's shoulder. "This...it's more than okay." Her lips were moving slightly against Marlene's bare shoulder, and she could swear a lovely shiver went down her spine as she did so. "Thank you."
"Anything for you," Marlene answered quietly, trying not to move as she spoke. They stayed like that for a minute or two, neither of them knowing how to start the next bit of conversation. Soon, Marlene felt Mary's hand twitch a bit against hers. It did that once more, as if it were trying to decide which way to go, and then Mary's hand was on hers, all four of her small fingers (Lily called her 'Baby Hands') landing on top of hers. Marlene didn't know what to do at first; were friends supposed to hold hands like this? Where did they cross the boundary between a normal, friendly relationship to a—
Marlene did not finish her thought because by then Mary had removed her hand and was bringing her hand up so that her fingertips rested on her jawline. She brought Marlene's face to hers, and their lips met. Marlene had never been so happy in her life. She shifted on the bed so that she was facing Mary instead of sitting side-to-side with her, slightly straddling her. Her hands were on Mary's face, running through her soft hair; she forgot completely about everything else other than the fact that the touch of Mary's lips made her feel like flying. When they finally pulled away, Marlene stumbled back a little, accidentally landing on Marlene's knees in the process. She apologized quickly and then moved so that she was sitting beside Mary's legs rather than on her. "Sorry," Mary said, and Marlene remembered where they were.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears like a drum. "Don't be," she replied. She meant it. She... She didn't know what that was, but she knew that she'd liked it. "I...I liked that." Her lips buzzed with the ghost of Mary's kiss.
"Me, too. You ever... Have you ever done that? Before?"
"No." Marlene had been absentmindedly wringing her hands, so now she forced them down. "You?"
"Once. A girl...summer after fourth year."
"Are you...?" Marlene didn't know how to finish her question.
"I don't know," Mary answered, understanding. "I never really... I don't know why I did that. Did you...Are you—"
"I don't know," she said, her voice slightly more frightened than Mary's. "Merlin, Mary, are you—I'm sorry. You're...you're injured. I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have..."
Her friend shook her head, her dark curls swishing. "I needed that. I... I didn't think..." She looked up, her brown eyes locking on Marlene's blue ones. "I didn't think anyone would be able to do that to me after...after what happened."
Marlene responded by kissing her again. The attraction she allowed herself to feel towards her friend was finally surging forth like a tidal wave of ecstasy. "Merlin, Mary," she said. "Why would you ever think that?"
"I—"
"Shut up," Marlene said, her fingers sliding across the other girl's neck and jaw. She kissed her one more time before saying, "You're beautiful."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite, and review! I was thinking about writing another chapter for this, so if you want another one, please let me know.