Ginny Weasley has serious spunk. (holygin) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-07-27 08:05:00 |
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When Marcus first told her where they were going, Ginny had not been excited. After the not-week on a deserted island, she hadn't wanted to see sand for a very, very long time. However, when she saw where they were staying, her mind was quickly changed. Their private island wasn't so much an island as it was a hut on a dock that extended into the sea. The deck around their living space was wood and not sand, and she didn't have to put foot on the beach ever if she didn't want to. If Ginny wanted to swim, she simply left their room and dove into the clear blue water. If she wanted to sunbathe, she did so from chairs on the deck.
What made her relax the most, what changed her mind about being in the tropics with the possibility of stepping on sad, was the fact that she and Marcus were completely alone. There were staff members who brought them food and drinks and and fresh towels and changed the linens on their bed, but they were really good at remaining unseen.
She was more relaxed than she'd been in weeks, and she was the happiest she'd ever been in her life. She was with the man she loved. There wasn't much more she could ask for. After their afternoon nap (when you had a private island, that was allowed to be a thing), Marcus had mentioned doing something special for dinner. She knew that was code for 'wear something fancy', and she had plenty to choose from, but Ginny was in comfort mode. Honestly, the fanciest thing about her outfit was her underwear, though the sheath dress fit her in a way that was sexy and classy. She didn't bother to put on shoes, though she painted her finger and toe nails a lovely shade of blue. Her makeup was light, her hair was wind tousled but soft.
Stepping out onto the deck where they'd had several of their meals lately, she leaned against the rail to watch the horizon while she waited for Marcus.
~~
In dress pants that were a breezy linen and a lighter colored button down shirt with the top two buttons undone. He had been glad she hadn’t flipped when they arrived on the island - but in all fairness he had had this planned since long before karma had whisked her off to a sandy hades. He came up behind her and kissed the side of her throat.
“You look amazing and relaxed, Gingersnap.” He whispered in her ear as the tables and food was being set up on the dock, “Skinny dipping after dinner?” He was teasing and not teasing in the same breath, “You are stunning though Ginny.”
~~
Ginny smiled, tilting her head when he wrapped his arms around her to give him better access to her neck. "One of these days," she replied, leaning against him, holding his arms tight around her middle, "I'll learn to just not put on underthings when I'm with you." She was teasing because she liked the support and protection that her underwear provided.
She let the sound of the water hitting the beams beneath them fill the silence. Ginny was safe and happy. "Relaxed doesn't really begin to describe it," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the stillness in the air. She ran her fingers along the back of Marcus' hands, up and down his arms. She turned to face him, wrapping her own arms around his shoulders. "I am happy and content. I feel loved and needed, and that's not as scary as I once thought it would be. And you, Wolfy, are completely to blame."
~~
He gave Ginny a very innocent face, “Me? All my fault? I think that we are jointly to blame for this insanity we are finding ourselves in.” He took her hand and led her towards the table with the candles and the view of the water and the setting sun, “Now why don’t we have our meal…..”
He pulled out the chair for her and gave her a grin as the sounds of the waves and the breeze surrounded them, “I might still have some surprises up my sleeves for you this evening….” As he spoke the food appeared in front of them…..delicate fish caught in the waters surrounding them, seared vegetables and fluffy rice. Wine glasses with a crisp white wine….and just the two of them.
“I hope it meets with your approval.”
~~
Ginny raised her brow at Marcus, laughing lightly and shaking her head. "So formal, Mr Flint." She sat forward, resting her elbows on the table, and slid her bare foot up his leg. He wanted to sit across from her, out of her reach, so she had to find other ways to touch him. She smiled. "It does. This whole week has been perfect, Wolfy. Every moment. Every meal and sight and sound. Everything."
She sipped her wine. "Has this trip been everything you needed? Has it been a good celebration for winning a world cup?" He had treated her to this trip. He'd had everything planned and ready before Ireland took the cup, but she wanted him to be the star of the moment. Because he was. "I love you, Wolfy. I approve of all of this."
~~
“Ginny, we could have gone for a pint at the local pub to celebrate and I would have been fine. I wanted to celebrate with you.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Noticing that she wasn’t wearing the emerald ring he had taken back when she wasn’t looking back in her flat. She hadn’t commented on it since their arrival…..and he was going to keep playing along for awhile.
“I love you too Gingersnap.” He ran his thumb over the top of her hand, “And this has been perfect. Every moment has been perfect. Well, other than you stealing all of my pillows the other night before we did the fire outside. But I think my payback was more than appropriate.”
~~
"Stealing your pillows was retaliation for you throwing me into the water without warning when we first got here." She watched his thumb move over her fingers, smiling. "We could have gone for a pint at the pub to celebrate, and I would have been fine," she repeated, "but this is so much better. No journals. No gossips. Just us."
The food was amazing, but that was no surprise. Every meal had been great, and she was secretly taking home some of the recipes so her mother could try them. While the staff cleared the table to change from dinner to dessert, Ginny leaned against the rail with her wine in her hand. "You are a great mastermind, Marcus. You planned all of this, and I am amazed. Not at the success of this trip, but by you in general. You amaze me."
~~
Marcus gave her a small bow, “I live to amaze you darling mine.” He leaned next to her, “I wish we could stay longer. I promise a longer trip on the next break. And there won’t be a Cup at the end of next season.” He leaned in and kissed her softly, “You taste like wind, wildness, sin and wine….a very heady combination.” He looked around at their private piece of paradise, “I wanted to treat you after so much spotlight on us. I never intended for this to happen during the Cup.”
There were two silver domes on the table and Marcus offered her his arm, “Would you like some dessert Ginny?”
He was proud of his voice, it didn’t waver or shake. His hands were steady as they pulled her chair back out. This was going to be a surprise. He wasn’t going to give this away. Under Ginny’s dome was a sugar spun dome over a velvet ring box. Her actual desert was waiting in the wings.
~~
She'd lost track of the number of times she and Marcus had kissed in the last in the last seven months. She'd lost track of the fear and uncertainty and focused her attention on how happy and good he made her feel. "We never intended for this to happen in general," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "We fought this for how long? I don't think I would change how we got here, but I sometimes want to go back seven months and tell myself to jump sooner, be happy longer."
Ginny looked at the chair he held for her and pouted. It didn't last. He was being so serious, so gentlemanly, that she couldn't help smiling and sitting where he wanted her to sit. She thought it was a game, a little bit of roleplay to get them in the mood for another night of love and passion.
She waited till he was seated again before she uncovered her dish. She was expecting some sort of amazing chocolate concoction. What she saw before her made her heart stop and pound at nearly the same time. Her face flushed, and she couldn't look at Marcus. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the box under the sugar. With shaking hands, Ginny carefully lifted the spun sugar and picked up the box. Upon opening it, she saw the ring she'd had in her possession since the end of March.
"You jerk," she exclaimed, launching herself out of her seat, ring box in hand, and towards Marcus, batting him with her cloth napkin. "I thought I'd lost this. I was going to tear my flat apart when we got back before I told you." Ginny sat on his lap, her right arm around his shoulder, and looked at him expectantly. "You have to say something before I can."
~~
Marcus had had this all planned out. He had put thought and effort into this. Even going and talking to Arthur. Without back up. Or a buffer. But gone he had and gotten permission. Her parents were worried about her youth. He was too - if he was going to be completely honest. But there was something - he couldn’t NOT make her his. And if he didn’t ask….he would regret it. So he started working on the trip - and getting this moment right.
“Ginny Weasley - you have come into my world and turned it upside down. I don’t know what else to say to you other than I love you. I love you deeply. And that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and having more adventures…..so…..”
“Will. You. Marry. Me?”
~~
Ginny was waiting for the question. Until she saw the ring box, she hadn't been expecting it. Yes, she'd thought about what it would be like to marry Marcus. Yes, she'd started planning what their wedding might be like, if they lasted, because she wanted them to last. She'd thought about it, but she never suspected that he would use this trip as an opportunity to ask.
So when the words were out, she let them hang in the air between them. This was a serious moment, and she wouldn't say or do anything that would make him doubt his question. But she let the silence stretch as she studied his face, smiling. She gripped the back of his chair with her right hand and hugged her left to her stomach. They were shaking so much, she was sure Marcus could feel the vibration.
"I never expected this. You were a flirtation, a walk on the wild side for the ten minutes before I saw beneath your outer shell. I mean, only the best kind of man would allow a stray dog to sleep on his hearth." She tried to fight it, she really did, but her heart was so overfull with happiness that she couldn't stop her eyes from filling with tears. "You've surprised me. You've awoken me. You--" She trailed off, laughing. "I think we should write our own vows, so I'm going to stop there and just say yes, I will marry you."
~~
Marcus took the ring box from her and slid the ring onto her left hand - just the engagement band - he left the wedding band in the box. He kissed her finger where the ring rested and then her throat….the tip of her nose….and then her lips, “I love you Ginny Weasley.”
He sat there for a moment and just held her. Because he hadn’t been sure she would say yes and because it had been a rollercoaster time of it lately. Between the cup and his parents….and coming to the realization he needed Ginny. And Marcus didn’t like to need people. He really didn’t - but she had gotten under his skin.
So he sat and held her and savored the moment a bit longer.
~~
Ginny smiled at the way the ring glinted on her finger. It was where it belonged, a thought that had terrified her in March but that filled her with incredible happiness now. "I love you, too" she whispered back. She slid her arm from around his shoulders and nestled in close against his chest. She didn't need anything more in this moment than to simply sit with Marcus, to feel his heartbeat and match her breathing to his, to let themselves settle in the anticipation.
She'd forgotten about dessert, but she didn't need anything sweet. Nothing could be sweeter than this moment. "How long have you been planning this," she asked, her tone lovingly teasing. "This didn't come together in the time between winning the cup and when we arrived." Ginny nuzzled his chin. "I've imagined this since we first visited your vault. Vaguely. In the back of my mind. Without actually planning anything." She grinned. "But how long have you been thinking of it?"
~~
Marcus had to stop and think about that question. He really didn’t know WHEN the idea came to him. He knew for sure when he saw her and his mother square off. It took a special kind of woman to face off with his mother and live to tell the tale. And Ginny had done more than just that. So there was that moment….
“When you vanished….and I lost it a bit with your brother thinking it had been one of his pranks. And that I stormed my father’s castle thinking that he had you as a way to coerce me. It was the fact that it would have coerced me. Without even thinking about it.”
~~
Ginny pushed herself up enough to look at Marcus' eyes. "I will never be a pawn in your parents' sick games," she said sternly, meaning every word. "And I will never let them use me to hurt you. They can try, and they probably will try, but our love is not a weapon or a tool. It can only make us stronger, not them."
She would, to the best of her abilities, protect Marcus from the people who gave birth to him. She wasn't joining that part of his family, but the little family that he had with his siblings, and she would insist that his siblings be included in all Weasley family gatherings from here on if they wanted to be.
"This," she continued, putting his hand over her heart. "This is yours. I and you are the only ones that have power through that." Cupping his face, she brushed a kiss on his lips. "You are mine. You have responsibilities and obligations to them, but you are not their toy."
~~
Rolling his eyes, Marcus let out a slow sigh, “Gingersnap, I love you. I love your heart. But honestly - I am just thrilled you said yes after having met them.” He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb along her cheekbone, “I am yours. I am far from perfect….but I am here.”
He kissed her lips, taking a moment to appreciate that it still affected him the way it did. Pulling back he rested his forehead against hers and smiled faintly.
“I will say though - I have just thought of something - I live with my best friend - possibly his wife if they reconcile - I am not yet sure that is going to work out, my sister, a myriad of animals…..are you sure you want into this nuthouse. I am rather committed to it as it’s brand new and you did pretty much design my portions of it…..”
He gave her a little bit bigger grin, “And you are aware that the media on this is going to be a bit insane yes?”
~~
"You. Are. Not. Them." Ginny put her hands on either side of his face. "You are nothing like them. You are warm. You know how to laugh. You give the best hugs, and you are good to your siblings."
She sighed, content, and snuggled into him again. "You can move in with me. The townhouse has enough space, and it's only me and Daisy, who bakes." Ginny baked, too, but she had nothing on Daisy. "You would have to reconcile yourself with my ugly couch, get over your hatred of the orange parts." It wasn't that she minded all of the people, though she still had issues with Alicia for what she did to George. It was that she would want her own space with Marcus, especially after they were married. "I know the Higgs are another branch of your chosen family. I wouldn't mind sharing with either of your siblings, but I think our wedded bliss would need its own space." She kept her head on his shoulder, her forehead against the side of his neck, as she spoke. She knew it sounded selfish, but sharing with that many people was fine while they were dating. But she'd want the ability to do as they pleased without worrying about anyone walking in.
Ginny laughed. "Yes. It will be all about how I've tamed you."
~~
“Tamed me?” Marcus gave her an incredulous look, “Me? Tame? Oh my darling lady….I think it’s more that you have adjusted to me is all.” He wasn’t tame. Ever. He liked who he was - and it had taken him a really long time to get there and he wasn’t feeling like he had changed all that much. At ;least not enough to be considered ‘tame’.
He was still the Big Bad Wolf of the British League. He just….didn’t brawl anymore. And he didn’t start as…. What the hell had happened to him.
“Hey now….what have you done to me?” He gave her a stunned look, “I feel like I should go out and brawl to prove I still can….”
~~
Ginny started to giggle as Marcus went on. She couldn't help it. Yes, she knew he could still hold his own. Yes, she was aware that he still had a temper, and that anyone who messed with the people he loved would be in a world of hurt if he got his hands on them.
"Because we're engaged now, I feel like I can say this, because you put a ring on my finger, which must mean you really and truly love me," she was teasing, though the look on her face was serious. "And you're totally welcome to borrow this for your vows," she grinned. "We've balanced each other. I saw your good side, the side of you that's protective and warm, and you awoke in me my daring. I mean, I was always daring, because Gryffindor. But you showed me that I could leap before looking and trust that I'll be caught."
She took his hand, running her fingers over the calluses he got from his broom. "These are not weak hands," she told him, kissing each palm in turn. "No one will ever think that."
~~
Marcus didn’t say another word. He just scooped her up and headed back towards their cottage. He would spend the rest of the night showing her just how much those words meant to him. To someone who had spent the vast majority of his life not being enough - it was incredibly thrilling to finally be enough for someone.
He shut the rest of the world out for the night. The windows were left open so a sweetly scented, night breeze filled the room - and carried in the sound of the water as it lapped against the pier.