Interlude (Ginny/Luna) PG
title: Interlude
author: mean_grenadine
pairing: Ginny/Luna
challenge: Halloween/Forbidden Forest/a Ravenclaw
word count: 1013
rating: PG (sorry)
author's note: Very tame fic, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Horribly inspired by/ripped off from Return to Oz and Heavenly Creatures. I didn't mean for it to end the way it does, but these things sometimes write themselves... or so they say. My first shot at slash (if it can even be considered that).
What a pretty picture she presented. Small, alone, vulnerable, and looking like she was in a minimal amount of pain.
This is how Luna found Ginny in the infirmary on that bleak Monday morning. She had been watching her through the window of the infirmary door, and as she had stared at Ginny, Ginny in turn had been staring out the lone window facing the Forbidden Forest, where the bare brown branches rocked in the gray wind. She didn't look any happier than the weather.
She was completely oblivious as Luna entered the infirmary. Ginny just continued to stare glumly out at the trees, occasionally touching her right torso through the thin bedsheet but barely having the will to wince. She sighed as she looked away from the window and saw Luna standing beside her bed as if she'd always been there.
Ginny didn't even flinch. She was used to it.
"This is for you," Luna stated.
Ginny could only assume she meant the small jack-o-lantern she held in her hands. But as she had learned before, with Luna you couldn't assume anything. "Thank you," Ginny said, as she felt a tiny grin forming on her lips. She had almost forgotten how to smile.
Luna placed the pumpkin on Ginny's bedside table. "It's Halloween soon," she said, as if the massive amount of black and orange decoration hadn't already given it away.
"I know," Ginny answered, a warm feeling growing inside her as Luna sat on the edge of her bed.
"Have you had any visitors?" Luna asked. Ginny couldn't help but notice how Luna's hand was resting lightly on her leg, even though it was covered by the bedsheet.
"Just Ron and Hermione and Harry," Ginny said, her arm still hovering protectively over her torso. "But I kicked them out."
Luna nodded. "I don't blame you."
No dispensing of pleasantries, Ginny thought gratefully. This is what she valued over everything else. No questioning, just acceptance. Ron's phrase of cut the crap floated through her mind. She loved it.
"Your hair has gotten so long," Luna was saying, bringing Ginny out of her quick reverie. Luna was leaning over to touch the wavy red hair that fell over Ginny's shoulder. Her fingers ran down the length of the strands until they ended just under her breast. Ginny felt her heart stop for a moment.
"Yeah," she managed to get out awkwardly. "But you got yours cut, didn't you?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice her fingers trembling slightly as she in turn reached out and fingered a long lock of Luna's blond mane. Luna only nodded, still concerned with twirling the end of Ginny's hair around her finger, her knuckles just barely brushing up against her breast. Ginny honestly couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not.
But as quickly as she had started, Luna's fingers left Ginny's hair and grasped the hand that was over her torso, pulling it away. "So let me see this big bruise everyone's talking about."
Ginny instinctively tried to cover the area again, but Luna's grip stayed firm on her hand. "What?" she asked. "Can't I see it?"
Ginny looked unsure. "It still hurts."
Luna was nonplussed. "Of course it hurts, you took a nosedive into the Forbidden Forest. The next time you go chasing after the snitch, you really should crash land into a place with a little more padding."
Ginny almost felt her temper flare for a moment, but Luna's hand was gently squeezing her own. And that was all she could think about. She hesitated for a moment, then with her free hand pulled back her bedsheet and lifted her shirt just as much as she needed to.
Luna leaned down to get a better look at the huge purple bruise, transfixed. "That's so impressive," she said, as if to compliment Ginny on her body's ability to create such a scene. "I've never had one quite that big before." She almost sounded envious.
Ginny grinned weakly. "It's no fun. You're not missing anything, believe me."
But before she could pull her shirt back to cover herself, Luna brought her face down to it, and suddenly Ginny felt lips upon her skin. Luna was gently kissing the flesh of her abdomen, so gently in fact that it almost tickled her bruised skin. Instead of wincing at any contact as she had been doing since her accident, Luna's kisses covered the length of her injury and soothed whatever pain had been left. Ginny felt her cheeks grow hot.
Luna rose back up and pulled Ginny's shirt down for her as if nothing unusual had happened. "Maybe that will help," she said, pulling the bedsheets tight as if tucking her in like a child.
Ginny was speechless. Without even thinking about it, her hand rose to her own face, consciously looking for the scrape she knew lay somewhere to the right of her lips. Luna's eyes found it at the same time as Ginny's hand. Ginny silently gave her permission.
Luna leaned forward, and as Ginny's eyes fell closed, she felt Luna's soft lips on the tiny cut, such an insignificant little scrape, but Ginny felt like thanking that tree branch personally. Luna's lips caressed it for a moment, then moved slightly until they brushed Ginny's. For a brief moment Ginny felt everything stop. She couldn't feel anything but Luna's lips on her own, the soft pressure, the feeling that anything was possible, the feeling that her heart might burst out of her chest.
Far too soon Luna was leaning away. Through a web of hazy thinking, Ginny faintly heard her say, "Maybe that will help, too."
Her voice was too far away.
Ginny opened her eyes.
The same dark infirmary. The same emptiness, the same stark walls and rows of empty cots. Ginny touched her torso and winced. She felt her throat close up. As her eyes traveled slowly to her bedside table, she had never so desperately wanted to see a jack-o-lantern in her life.
But of course it wasn't there.
author: mean_grenadine
pairing: Ginny/Luna
challenge: Halloween/Forbidden Forest/a Ravenclaw
word count: 1013
rating: PG (sorry)
author's note: Very tame fic, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Horribly inspired by/ripped off from Return to Oz and Heavenly Creatures. I didn't mean for it to end the way it does, but these things sometimes write themselves... or so they say. My first shot at slash (if it can even be considered that).
What a pretty picture she presented. Small, alone, vulnerable, and looking like she was in a minimal amount of pain.
This is how Luna found Ginny in the infirmary on that bleak Monday morning. She had been watching her through the window of the infirmary door, and as she had stared at Ginny, Ginny in turn had been staring out the lone window facing the Forbidden Forest, where the bare brown branches rocked in the gray wind. She didn't look any happier than the weather.
She was completely oblivious as Luna entered the infirmary. Ginny just continued to stare glumly out at the trees, occasionally touching her right torso through the thin bedsheet but barely having the will to wince. She sighed as she looked away from the window and saw Luna standing beside her bed as if she'd always been there.
Ginny didn't even flinch. She was used to it.
"This is for you," Luna stated.
Ginny could only assume she meant the small jack-o-lantern she held in her hands. But as she had learned before, with Luna you couldn't assume anything. "Thank you," Ginny said, as she felt a tiny grin forming on her lips. She had almost forgotten how to smile.
Luna placed the pumpkin on Ginny's bedside table. "It's Halloween soon," she said, as if the massive amount of black and orange decoration hadn't already given it away.
"I know," Ginny answered, a warm feeling growing inside her as Luna sat on the edge of her bed.
"Have you had any visitors?" Luna asked. Ginny couldn't help but notice how Luna's hand was resting lightly on her leg, even though it was covered by the bedsheet.
"Just Ron and Hermione and Harry," Ginny said, her arm still hovering protectively over her torso. "But I kicked them out."
Luna nodded. "I don't blame you."
No dispensing of pleasantries, Ginny thought gratefully. This is what she valued over everything else. No questioning, just acceptance. Ron's phrase of cut the crap floated through her mind. She loved it.
"Your hair has gotten so long," Luna was saying, bringing Ginny out of her quick reverie. Luna was leaning over to touch the wavy red hair that fell over Ginny's shoulder. Her fingers ran down the length of the strands until they ended just under her breast. Ginny felt her heart stop for a moment.
"Yeah," she managed to get out awkwardly. "But you got yours cut, didn't you?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice her fingers trembling slightly as she in turn reached out and fingered a long lock of Luna's blond mane. Luna only nodded, still concerned with twirling the end of Ginny's hair around her finger, her knuckles just barely brushing up against her breast. Ginny honestly couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not.
But as quickly as she had started, Luna's fingers left Ginny's hair and grasped the hand that was over her torso, pulling it away. "So let me see this big bruise everyone's talking about."
Ginny instinctively tried to cover the area again, but Luna's grip stayed firm on her hand. "What?" she asked. "Can't I see it?"
Ginny looked unsure. "It still hurts."
Luna was nonplussed. "Of course it hurts, you took a nosedive into the Forbidden Forest. The next time you go chasing after the snitch, you really should crash land into a place with a little more padding."
Ginny almost felt her temper flare for a moment, but Luna's hand was gently squeezing her own. And that was all she could think about. She hesitated for a moment, then with her free hand pulled back her bedsheet and lifted her shirt just as much as she needed to.
Luna leaned down to get a better look at the huge purple bruise, transfixed. "That's so impressive," she said, as if to compliment Ginny on her body's ability to create such a scene. "I've never had one quite that big before." She almost sounded envious.
Ginny grinned weakly. "It's no fun. You're not missing anything, believe me."
But before she could pull her shirt back to cover herself, Luna brought her face down to it, and suddenly Ginny felt lips upon her skin. Luna was gently kissing the flesh of her abdomen, so gently in fact that it almost tickled her bruised skin. Instead of wincing at any contact as she had been doing since her accident, Luna's kisses covered the length of her injury and soothed whatever pain had been left. Ginny felt her cheeks grow hot.
Luna rose back up and pulled Ginny's shirt down for her as if nothing unusual had happened. "Maybe that will help," she said, pulling the bedsheets tight as if tucking her in like a child.
Ginny was speechless. Without even thinking about it, her hand rose to her own face, consciously looking for the scrape she knew lay somewhere to the right of her lips. Luna's eyes found it at the same time as Ginny's hand. Ginny silently gave her permission.
Luna leaned forward, and as Ginny's eyes fell closed, she felt Luna's soft lips on the tiny cut, such an insignificant little scrape, but Ginny felt like thanking that tree branch personally. Luna's lips caressed it for a moment, then moved slightly until they brushed Ginny's. For a brief moment Ginny felt everything stop. She couldn't feel anything but Luna's lips on her own, the soft pressure, the feeling that anything was possible, the feeling that her heart might burst out of her chest.
Far too soon Luna was leaning away. Through a web of hazy thinking, Ginny faintly heard her say, "Maybe that will help, too."
Her voice was too far away.
Ginny opened her eyes.
The same dark infirmary. The same emptiness, the same stark walls and rows of empty cots. Ginny touched her torso and winced. She felt her throat close up. As her eyes traveled slowly to her bedside table, she had never so desperately wanted to see a jack-o-lantern in her life.
But of course it wasn't there.