Who: Luna & Rolf What: Luna's upset from baggage! Where: Outside Rolf's Rating: Low Status: Complete
Instead of finding Rolf last night like she'd meant to, Luna had gone to Ginny's party. Time had slipped away from her long ago, and she hadn't realized what day it was. She hadn't gotten Ginny a present, but that was alright. Nothing on this island was perfect enough to give to Ginny, Luna would find her something sooner or later. Even if it came late, Ginny would still love it. The night past in a blur of faces, music, drinks, and laughter. Luna usually enjoyed herself at parties, even if they weren't a hit. It was just another part of Luna - enjoying herself even if it was alone and surrounded by people.
Upon waking up, Luna found she only cared for one thing. Finding Rolf. She was still a bit on edge and uneasy after opening up that baggage. She'd been warned, but she'd also been warned it would open on its own if left too long. If Lily hadn't been there yesterday, Luna had no idea what would have happened. She would be forever grateful to Lily, a girl she'd become quite fond of in their short time together. Heading to Rolf's, Luna bypassed the door. She expected to find him outside, working happily under the sun. "Rolf?" she called, walking around the bungalow but still not seeing any sign of him. "Lovebug?" she called out, a nickname she often used in response to his of 'Moonbeam'. There just wasn't any way to turn 'Rolf' into anything remotely romantic. She adored his name, of course, but it wasn't a particularly easy name to change!
Sitting with his back against the side of his house, Rolf was busy writing away in a leather bound notebook. There was a storm coming. He could smell it in the air. Rolf had spent so many years outdoors that he understood nature. While Luna and his father were off looking for creatures, Rolf was sitting there and absorbing the world around him. He wanted to be outside as long as possible before the rain came down.
"Over here, love." Rolf placed his pen in his journal and closed it carefully.
Still left slightly uneasy after opening her baggage, Luna walked much slowly than normal. Walking around the corner, Luna felt a rush of emotions when she saw Rolf. Pausing, Luna felt herself smiling. Not all the emotions were good ones, but just seeing Rolf was beginning to have a calming effect on her. She had been stupid to worry so much - she couldn't possibly have a love exactly like Harry and Ginny's, because she was not Ginny and there was only one Harry. Lily had been right, love was complicated and different for every person. Biting her lip, Luna took a few steps forwards before plunking herself down beside Rolf.
"Hi," she greeted. Without waiting for a response, Luna wrapped her arms around Rolf's and rested her head on his shoulder. It was an unusual action for Luna, who normally wanted to expend energy and have an adventure. Rolf was sure to know, instantly, something wasn't quite right. Luna really only calmed when she was upset or exhausted.
Rolf was never going to turn away affection from Luna. He curled an arm around her waist and pulled her close. With his other hand, Rolf pushed away the messy hair from her face. He didn't offer to talk about what was bothering her. Rolf knew that Luna would find her words when she was ready. He wasn't the sort of person to push people into conversations they weren't ready to have.
Dropping a kiss to the top of her forehead, Rolf felt a twinge of guilt. He liked Luna when she was like this. When she was calm and still and curled up against him. It made him look forward to the moments when she didn't want to run all over the Earth. When he was enough for her. Rolf knew how much she wanted to see and do and sometimes he worried that he wouldn't ever be enough for her.
"Have you found any creatures yet?"
Luna's eyes fluttered closed when Rolf kissed her forehead. No matter how out of control she got, there was always something magically calming and comforting about a kiss to the forehead. For a moment she could believe there were no troubles in the world, that life was simple and elegant. For a moment Luna forgot about opening the baggage and all the feelings it had left her with. Her grip tightened on Rolf's arm and she was perfectly happy. Rolf had always been the perfect person to keep her grounded - how had Luna forgotten that?
"No," she replied simply to Rolf's question. Normally she'd be going through her extensive notes on all the signs of this animal, or all the possible sightings of another. Right now, Luna didn't care about what she had or hadn't seen yet. All she cared about were these leftover feelings and doubts and worries and fears. How could a piece of luggage make her feel like that? It wasn't right. Whoever was in charge here was a terrible person.
"I opened a piece of my baggage," Luna started. She found herself at a loss of words, and waited for Rolf to say something else before continuing.
Rolf hadn't touched his luggage yet. He should, but it didn't seem all that important. And so Rolf had let it sit in the corner of his room, gathering dust. The maid seemed to avoid it all together. His eyebrows knitted together at how short Luna was being. He was the person who spoke as infrequently as possible whereas Luna often rambled for hours at a time.
"What was inside?"
Luna shuddered when she thought of how the baggage made her feel, was still making her feel. She looked off into the distance, trying to think of words to describe what was inside. "I..." she began, at a loss for words for what was likely the first time in her life. "Feelings?" she said, with a slight inflection of her voice. It wasn't really the best word to describe it, but Luna couldn't think of anything else. Looking back at Rolf, Luna sat a little straighter and pulled back so she could face him, but her grip was still as tight as ever on his arm.
"You love me even though I'm not Ginny, right? And we... we work because we're us, and we're not Ginny and Harry?" Luna was starting to repeat some of the things Lily had said. She'd believed them at the time, but now she desperately needed to hear Rolf say them. To ease her mind, to assure her she was acting mental.
Rolf blinked in surprise. He'd never thought of anyone in a romantic way before Luna. Sure he'd had a few girlfriends in Hogwarts, but Rolf knew they hadn't meant a thing. His heart hadn't been touched until the day he saw Luna Lovegood and he knew no one else could ever compare to her.
Turning to face her and run his hand through her hair, Rolf smiled before leaning in a pressing a kiss to her lips. "I love you because of who you are, Moonbeam. Because of how wonderfully alive you make me feel, because of how you see the world and because I didn't understand anything about the world until the moment I met you." He kissed her again, just as softly as before and pulled her close to his chest, both of his arms wrapped around her.
Before Rolf, Luna had been completely unexperienced. She'd gone on a date or two before, not realizing they were dates. She'd come close to kissing two men, but always turned away, seeing one sign or another of some made-up animal. Before Rolf, Luna hadn't really understood what people meant by 'love' and 'bonds' and everything else attached to romance. She'd never imagined getting married, and suddenly it was all she was thinking about. Her heart belonged to Rolf's and Luna had no idea when or where it happened, all she knew was that it did.
Luna welcomed the kisses, and held Rolf tightly when he pulled her close. "I love you," she whispered, her voice almost lost in his shoulder. "I don't want to plan our wedding with Amelie or Ginny anymore, I want to plan it with you." Luna didn't even care so much about the wedding as much as what it symbolized. In her mind, marriage was not something to be taken lightly. Marriage brought two people together and bound them for life. "I don't want to open anymore baggage either."
Now that.. that made Rolf happy. He wanted to be a part of his own wedding. He wanted to show Luna how much he loved her and what he was going to be like for the rest of their life together. It didn't matter to him how many people were there or what they thought of the day so long as he and Luna were happy.
He pressed a kiss to her temple, hugging her as close to him as he possibly could without hurting her. Rolf knew that other people didn't understand how he could love Luna so much, but it made perfect sense to him. She was, in every sense of the word, his muse. She inspired him in his writing, in his life and in his heart. Without Luna his life would be nothing.
"I love you too. Always." He knew he could never fall out of love with Luna. She was his everything. "I want you by my side forever. I know I don't tell you a lot of things.. or say a lot of things.. but I can't imagine breathing without you in my life. You're perfect, Moonbeam. No matter what else that comes along, remember what I think."
Luna hadn't even been thinking Rolf wanted to be a big part of the wedding planning. She thought that was the bride's and bridemaids' job. But Luna wasn't traditional, and she was finding it very hard to fit that mold. Amelie wanted to know how many people, what they wanted to eat, who was going to be in the wedding party, and so many other details Luna hadn't even considered. Why did it all matter, if at the end of the day Luna and Rolf were married and happy? Luna didn't need fancy food or a ton of guests for that to happen.
"I know," Luna replied. She did know everything Rolf was saying, but that didn't mean she didn't like hearing them. "I... I just forgot and needed to hear it. From you." Luna gave Rolf a squeeze before pulling back and giving him a soft kiss in return. "I wish we could just snap our fingers and be married. I don't really like planning. What do you want the wedding to be like? I told Amelie to have it in the evening. Because of the moon."
"I always thought the ceremony should be at the end. Build up to the best moment. Maybe we could start with dinner and a party while the sun sets and then once the moon is in the sky we can get married." Rolf liked this idea. He'd thought about it before. People tended to skip the ceremony and just go to receptions, but that wasn't right. He wanted to save the best part of the evening for the end. "I want to write our own vows. I want you to wear anything that makes you feel pretty. I want five different cakes, all our friends laughing and to take you home after it all and..." Rolf trailed off with a small blush on his cheeks. Being married to Luna would mean she was his wife. His wife. And he planned on showing her how wonderful that could be.
"Okay," Luna said with a smile. "I'd like to be married under the moon." There was something majestic about the moon that always seemed to bring Luna closer to Rolf. It wasn't just that she was named after it, it was some energy it gave off. "I'm not very good with writing," she said, though she'd planned on writing her own vows as well. Rolf was the master with words, Luna's wouldn't say anything terribly romantic, they would just be true and from her heart. "When?" she asked, wishing that it would happen tomorrow or later tonight.
"Soon," he promised. "I don't want to wait much longer." Rolf stood up, carefully pulling Luna up with him. "Come on," he said and started walking back to his front door. He didn't have a roof right now, but he was okay with that. He could see the sky.
He didn't say much as they walked inside, his hand tight around hers. "I need to hold you for awhile."
"Me either," Luna replied softly. She followed Rolf with ease, feeling just as she had before opening that piece of luggage. She was going to be married soon, very soon, to a man she loved more than she thought possible. It was enough to keep her happy and giddy for days. Luna was quite content with Rolf holding her for a while, it would make her feel even better. She was foolish to doubt herself and him, she knew that now. And luckily Rolf was a loving and caring man, and hadn't got upset with her. He understood she only needed reassurance, reassurance that only he could provide.