Lemon Grass and Sleep

MM YES, FLUFF

We had stayed curled up like that for what felt like forever, a good forever, though. I could have sat in Fred's arms for all eternity, but slowly the realization of where we were dawned on me. The tea parlor was across the castle, and the Gryffindor boys' dormitory surrounded me with unfamiliarity.

For starters, it was so much messier.

Clothes and quidditch gear were all over the place, some left out to dry in front of the heater. I had no idea who Fred and George shared a room with, but I was guessing it was fellow quidditch players due to the sheer amount of decoration put up all over the place. Random team flags and tapestries hung from every place they could--window frames, bedposts, beams--not a single one left bare.

"So, uh, welcome to my room," Fred mumbled, noticing that I was studying the place, I guess.

"It's very lovely," I mumbled, sniffling a bit.

"You don't need to lie," Fred laughed quietly, "I don't know what I was thinking, bringing you here."

"You weren't," I smiled, glancing up at him.

Fred stared into my eyes with an unsure look on his face, like he was trying to tell if I was faking my smile or not. My breath left my body as my eyes met his, searching for something I didn't know the name of. Honesty? Care? Love? Who knows, Fred's eyes were lovely.

"If I asked to see your scars," Fred asked quietly, his hand brushing against my hip gently, "All of them, would you let me?"

I swallowed thickly, eyes suddenly looking away to focus on something else--anything else.

"I mean, sure, I suppose," I muttered. "They're not very pretty."

"Every part of you is pretty," Fred replied, "All of you." He placed a long kiss on the top of my head.

"Shut up," I bit out, feeling my face heat up.

"No," he teased, "I won't ever. You'll have to listen to me for the rest of your life."

"Ugh, kill me now," I groaned, a reluctant grin slipping onto my face.

"Never," he mumbled, and I watched as his hand slowly reached over to grab my chin.

My face was gently brought parallel to his, and I couldn't help but let my eyes wander back to his brown ones. This time, he didn't look pained or confused, just happy. Maybe we could pretend everything was okay, just for now. Nobody is here to glare at us for being happy, we're all alone in the Gryffindor dormitory it seems.

My mind went blank as my eyelids fluttered shut, feeling Fred's lips press against mine. It was a simple, gentle kiss. Something bordering on barely there as I felt his mouth pull away from mine before my brain could even register it was there.

"It'll be Christmas, soon," Fred whispered, "You'll come again, won't you?"

"I'll go wherever you want me to," I replied, feeling sappy.

"Agh," Fred exclaimed, a big grin breaking out on his face, "You'll drive me crazy if you go."

"I drive you crazy anyways," I played along, a smile pulling at my lips as well.

"Right you are," he mumbled, glancing down at my lips before giving me a peck.

I wanted to sit like this forever, have I mentioned that? I probably have, who cares. Walking out of this room meant acknowledging that the rest of the world and all of its problems existed, and I wasn't ready for that just yet. It felt a bit too suffocating, a little too real.

The sleet and rain outside slowed to a miserable drizzle, gently knocking on the window every so often to remind us it was there. Fire crackled and sizzled in the stove, and Fred's breath brushed against the top of my head softly. Even with his damp quidditch gear, Fred made me feel warm and fuzzy, my chest feeling tight with how happy this simple moment made me feel.