This one's for Haz and Porsha's Birthday Challenge over at the, yes, DG Forum (forumdotfanfictiondotnet/forum/The_DG_Forum/54059/). Requirements were that the fic had to be based around the statement any place else but here, include the misuse of public transport, and be D/G. So here you are, girls. Happy birthday (again for Porsha, early one for Haz).
This piece is unbeta-ed. If anyone is interested to beta for this piece, or for any future pieces, please feel more than welcome to PM me. :)
I, of course, don't own anything JKR does.
Ginny vaguely heard someone sit on the bar stool beside her and wave for the bartender.
"One for the lady, please," the person beside her said softly but commandingly, and she sighed.
"I've had three now, Malfoy," she told him, not even sparing a glance as she traced the glass surface of the brim. "Are you sure you want to facilitate my getting drunk when you've been on my arse for months about grace and poise?"
He shrugged, knocking back his drink in one swallow, and winced at the sudden warmth. "Figured you needed more, the way you're moping about like that," he replied casually. "Haven't seen you in office for the last week, by the way. Paperwork's been piling up. Your desk's every secretary's nightmare right now."
She turned and levelled her gaze at him. "I broke it off," she said quietly, answering his silent question.
He decided to take the safe route and didn't ask why. "Let's just get drunk tonight. Agreed?"
Ginny rolled her eyes, smiling slightly, and called for a refill.
"Why are we doing this, again?" Ginny giggled uncharacteristically, making a show of getting to the currently empty black cab. Draco waggled his eyebrows, which would have given away his drunken state, if only the action hadn't looked so natural on his face. Ginny thought somewhat spitefully that no action ever looked unnatural on him, unless one counted the comical disbelief he wore when he'd just been told that she had been promoted to the position directly superior to his.
"Because we're drunk," he stated proudly as he sauntered on over, "and it was your idea, Weasley." He proceeded to pick the lock and looked all too satisfied with himself when the door opened without triggering the alarm.
Ginny laughed at him, muttering, "It was your -hic- idea," before leaning into under the wheel. "How'd you learn how to pick car locks anyway, huh, Draco?"
"Same way you did," came the easy reply. "I snuck into the family basement in midnight and tinkered with the car." He didn't even blink an eye at his wrong grammar.
The car lit up to life and Ginny sat up, looking at him with a wondering expression on her face. "You have a car?"
Draco pulled her up, walked her around the car and shoved her into the front passenger seat. "'Nough talking," he slurred slightly. "Driving, now."
Somewhere in the back of her mind, something was telling her that stealing a car was wrong, public transport or not, but it was the first time in ages that Ginny could remember feeling so untethered and free that she laughed at her conscience and told it to damn all else to hell.
It was the fifth person who'd flagged them down tonight, and he was looking rather cosy with his arm candy. Draco was about to flip him off – again – but Ginny thought he looked familiar, and proposed a more complicated prank to her partner-in-crime. He'd grinned at her and remarked smartly that if he'd known she had such a naughty mind, he'd have taken her for a ride sooner, and Ginny slapped him in the arm, laughing.
So they stopped, and let the guy tumble inside with his lady.
Their lips were locked quite enthusiastically, and it took a while before they stopped for precious air and the male said, rather out of breath, "Ottery St. Catchpole, please," and closed the door before the female with the shimmery blonde hair threw her arms around his neck and started snogging the life out of him again. "Gabri, love, wouldn't it do better to continue this at your place?"
Drunk as they were, both Ginny and Draco froze at the voice.
"Mais, mon chèr," breathed Gabrielle Delacour, "you are too cute."
Ginny all but jumped around her chair and, with widened eyes, whispered, "Harry?"
In the end Draco had consented to drive them to their destination, but refused to take any kind of payment ("You can tell your harlot where to shove it, Potter.") and they'd continued driving in silence for a while before they'd reached the middle of nowhere and Ginny burst into tears.
"You could save your tears for someone who's worth it, Ginny, there's a suggestion." Draco still sounded a little angry. The alcohol was starting to wear off, and neither could have picked a worse time for it to leave their minds.
Ginny sniffled, and tried to smile. "That was brilliant, Draco," she warbled – well, gurgled, "what you did there –" She suddenly broke off into harder sobs, and covered her face in shame, before Draco all but stopped the car by the road, jerked her hands away, glaring at her red face.
And kissed her.
Hard.
Several times.
By the time he'd broken away, her eyes were still gleaming from her tears, but her face was red for different reasons entirely.
"...Draco?"
"I'd still take you for a ride, Weasley," Draco joked, terribly. She wiped her eyes and laughed, knowing he was trying to melt the awkward atmosphere, and punched him in the arm again. Both collapsed in giggles, not really caring that they didn't actually have anything to laugh about.
When their sides needed a break from the laughter, Ginny decided to pull Draco down for another session.
"Take me somewhere else, Malfoy. Away from here." If anything, she looked determined. "Any place else but here."