Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little.
Author's Notes: Written for scarlettrayne2 for the Fall 2008 dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill.
TRUTH WILL OUT
THE TRUTH
Bang…Bang…Bang.
"Oi, Malfoy, wakey, wakey!"
Bang…Bang…Bang.
"Malfoy! Open the door!"
Bang…Bang…Bang.
"If you don't stop trying to break down my front door, I'm going to kill you," Draco snarled as he reached the bottom of the staircase.
Bang…Bang…Bang.
Draco swung his front door open and regarded the man on the other side with contempt. "What do you want?"
"That's a nice way to greet a friend," Blaise commented casually as he stepped around Draco and into the flat.
"Zabini, what do you want?"
"You look like you just got out of bed," Blaise said, noting Draco's appearance.
"I did."
"Did I wake you?" Blaise asked amusedly.
"Yes. Are you happy now?"
"Not quite."
"What can I do to make you happy enough to piss off?" Draco inquired dangerously.
"Where's Weasley?"
"How should I know," Draco lied. "She's probably tucked up in bed at home."
"She's not," Blaise sang.
"Zabini," Draco growled.
"She stayed the night, didn't she?" Blaise asked with a nefarious grin.
Draco opened his mouth to deny Blaise's assumption but snapped it closed when he heard a sound behind him.
"Draco, you should really put a shirt on. You'll catch a chill," Ginny ordered. "Zabini, what are you doing here?"
"Ha! I knew it!" Blaise bounced triumphantly.
"You should put some pants on," Draco told her. "Before Zabini catches the wrong idea."
"You two are shagging!" Blaise announced jubilantly.
"No we're not," Draco and Ginny barked in unison.
"The evidence suggests otherwise," Blaise taunted.
"She stayed in the guest room," Draco intoned clearly. "Just like she always does when she has too much to drink."
"Hang on… She had too much to drink and you didn't-"
"No, because I'm a gentleman," Draco cut in.
"Fine." Blaise sighed. "I believe you… Millions wouldn't, but I do."
"Are you leaving now?" Draco asked rudely.
Blaise grinned devilishly. "No, I'm not finished."
"What else could you possibly want?" Draco ran a hand through his untidy hair.
"How did you two go last night?" Blaise asked.
"We had a nice night," Ginny answered.
"Come on, guys, don't disappoint me," Blaise whined.
"Sorry, Zabini, we're just friends," Draco said cautiously, all too aware that this line of questioning was dangerous.
Blaise's eyes moved between the pair. There had to be a way to get them to admit they felt more for each other than they showed. He smirked when he saw Draco slyly checking his skin color - the man was worried. "So, Malfoy, are you interested in taking your relationship with Weasley further?" Blaise posed directly, confident that he'd get a reaction.
Heat began to build in Draco's body as he considered his options. He'd already used the 'just friends' line without any reaction, so it seemed like the logical way to go again. "Zabini, I told you before, we're just friends," Draco ground out.
"Really?" Blaise smirked. "How about you, Weasley? Interested in taking this any further?"
"Like Draco said, we're friends," Ginny answered curtly. "And we don't appreciate your interference."
"I figured that, but if you two were ever going to be honest with each other you both needed a push in the right direction," Blaise explained casually as he watched Draco and Ginny closely. "Are you both sure you don't want to take this any further? No urge to race her up to your bedroom and shag her senseless, Malfoy? You don't want to run your fingers through his hair and leave a trail of red scratch marks down his chest, Weasley?"
"No! We're just friends!" Draco and Ginny yelled in unison.
"Interesting," Blaise drawled as he made himself comfortable in an armchair.
Ginny gasped suddenly, drawing Draco's attention. She was staring at him with wide brown eyes that clearly showed shock.
"You lied, Weasley," Draco said softly.
"So did you," she whispered in return.
Draco swallowed hard. His head was spinning. She could have lied about being friends - what if she's just been pretending to be friends all this time? "If you'll excuse me."
Even though he took the stairs three at a time it seemed to take forever to reach the landing and the safety of his bedroom. Draco raced into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. He swore under his breath at his reflection. His business mind took over the arduous task of deciding what to do next. It was clear enough that he had two options open to him at this point: he could tell the truth and risk losing his best friend, or he could walk around for the rest of his life impersonating a Gryffindor school tie. Neither option was appealing.
"Come on, Malfoy, get down here," Blaise called. "You look adorable in red and gold skin."
Draco's lip twitched. He was going to murder Zabini for this abomination. If he lost Ginny because of it, he was going to torture him for eternity - death would be the easy option. Even if she was just pretending to be his friend, he wanted her to stay, because imagining life without her was simply unthinkable.
"Malfoy, you'd better get down here before!"
His head snapped up. Zabini sounded worried and desperate. Was there something wrong with Ginny? He didn't give it a second thought as he turned around and all but ran back to the sitting room. Upon arriving, he noticed that Ginny was still standing exactly where she was before with the same mortified expression on her face. Blaise, on the other hand, was sniggering to himself.
"I knew that would work," Blaise announced proudly. "It's time for you two to confess."
"I think it's time for you to leave," Draco growled.
"Me or Weasley?" Blaise asked cheekily.
Draco glared at the dark-haired wizard. "You will never be forgiven for this."
"Don't be silly," Blaise said amusedly. "I'm going to be your best man."
"Leave!"
"Umm- no," Blaise answered.
"Zabini, I'm warning you, if-"
"If you think I'm going to miss this you're out of your mind," Blaise interrupted. "Just tell the woman how you feel."
Draco's lip curled back and the snarl that escaped him was more animal than human.
"Or are you going to walk around letting everyone think you're really a Gryffindor at heart," Blaise taunted.
Before anyone could draw their next breath, Draco launched himself at the man in the chair, tipping him backwards. They tumbled to the floor; Draco sprawled on top of Blaise, negating any avenue of escape. Profanities and threats of violence were flowing from Draco's mouth faster than anyone could process what he was saying.
Blaise burst into laughter.
"What the fuck do you-"
"Sorry, mate, but it's really hard to take you seriously at the moment," Blaise spluttered through his hilarity. "Red and gold… Who knew it'd look good on you?"
"I'm going to kill you like a common-"
"Do your worst!" Blaise chuckled.
"Draco, enough!" Ginny said calmly. "Hurting Blaise isn't going to solve anything."
"You're just jealous, because there'll be nothing left for you to torture," Draco replied.
"There is that, but regardless it doesn't solve anything," Ginny responded.
"She has a point," Blaise added.
"Come on, let's just sort this out," Ginny said, retaining her serene façade. "It's between you and I now."
Draco nodded and began to lift himself off of Blaise. He couldn't resist giving the man one last very hard shove into the floor, but he was disappointed when his efforts were met with a laugh rather than a painful wail.
"How are we going to do this?" Draco asked nervously, glancing at her green and silver face.
"Before we decide how to do this, let's agree that whatever the truth is it doesn't change who we are, and if we don't want it to change us then we simply won't let it." Ginny looked at her best friend optimistically.
Draco smiled. "All right."
"How about if we say whatever it is we have to say at the same time?" Ginny suggested.
He nodded firmly.
"On the count of three," Ginny said. "One… Two… Three…"
Silence consumed the room for several seconds.
"What happened to you two being able to tell each other everything?" Blaise asked amusedly.
"Shut it," Draco snarled.
"For Merlin's sake! Malfoy, you've told her about your various shags in great detail before." Blaise turned his eyes to Ginny. "And, Weasley, I've heard you describe another man's dick to him in the past."
"You don't-"
"Yeah, I do get it, Weasley," Blaise interrupted, anticipating what she was going to say. "This could make or break your friendship. The thing is, I think you're both doing yourselves a great injustice by not being honest with each other."
"Are we going to do this or not?" Draco asked, ignoring Blaise totally.
"I have an idea - something to make it a little easier to admit those feelings," Blaise said. "I'm pretty sure you still have to actually vocalize your thoughts to
each other, but wouldn't it be easier if you knew the other person already knew what was coming?"
"What are you on about, Zabini?" Draco snapped.
"I'm talking about writing down what you need to say and letting the other person read it before you say it," Blaise clarified.
Draco blinked a couple of times. "That might work," he mumbled.
"It might," Ginny agreed.
"Thank Merlin!" Blaise praised. "It's really disconcerting watching you two pussy foot around each other."
Draco went to his briefcase and extracted a piece of parchment, along with two quills. He tore the parchment in two and handed one half to Ginny. "You're not going to be writing a novel are you?"
"No," Ginny answered, accepting the parchment and snatching a quill out of his other hand.
"I-err-something-umm- hard to lean on," Draco stammered, escaping to the dining room.
"I'm beginning to think he's in danger of expiring," Blaise whispered to Ginny.
"That would make two of us." Ginny glared at the man.
"Is telling the truth that hard?" Blaise questioned.
"Sometimes it's better not to," Ginny advised.
Blaise shook his head sadly. "You two have no faith in each other."
"We-" Ginny stopped, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes.
"Just write down what you have to," Blaise said gently. "It'll work out in the end, I promise."
Ginny drew in a deep breath and walked over to the coffee table. Her hand was shaking as she brought the quill to the parchment. Draco complained about her handwriting at the best of times; today he'd be lucky to be able to decipher the words she'd written. When she looked up Draco was watching her expectantly. It took her all of a nanosecond to notice the folded piece of parchment in his hand.
"Are you ready?" Draco asked seriously.
"Yes. Are you?"
He nodded solemnly.
"Here, I'll do the trade," Blaise offered, holding his hand out for Draco's piece of parchment.
Ginny stepped forward and passed her note to Blaise. Her hand was still trembling - something the two men noted openly.
"Remember nothing changes unless you want it to," Blaise said as he passed Draco's note to Ginny.
She nodded. Her throat felt as though it had closed over, and she was staring through a bucket load of tears that were sitting in her eyes just waiting to fall. A deep breath to calm her nerves would have been nice right about now, but she couldn't manage anything more than a couple of shallow gasps.
"You're going to thank me for this one day," Blaise whispered to Draco as he pressed Ginny's parchment into his hand. "She's a brilliant catch, mate."
Draco's cold eyes flicked to Blaise. He doubted very much he'd be thanking him for destroying his friendship with Ginny at any time in the future, but the alternative - walking around looking like Gryffindor scarf - was equally unthinkable. When Blaise moved aside, Ginny was staring at him with fear in her eyes. It made his chest ache to see her so afraid.
"It's up to you two when you read them, but I don't have all day, and I'm sure one of you is going to pass out soon if we don't get on with this," Blaise said, trying to hurry them along.
Ginny fixed her eyes on Draco's. "Nothing changes."
"Nothing," Draco repeated.
As she unfolded the parchment, Ginny unconsciously took a few steps back. It was as if she was seeking privacy. His neat script taunted her through her tears, which had now welled to the point where everything was now a blurred mess.
Draco watched her, not moving to open the note in his hand, until Blaise touched his arm. His stomach clenched uncomfortably, as he unfolded the parchment. A wave of nausea hit him, causing him to swallow hard and gasp for air. If anyone ever asked him what the end of the world felt like he would now be able to describe it in great detail. When he thought he had himself under enough control that he wouldn't vomit everywhere, Draco glanced down at the parchment in his hand. Her handwriting was worse than normal, and Draco unconsciously squinted at the page in an effort to make sense of the scrawl.
His heart faltered for just a beat, and then it resumed its effort to escape from his body via his ribcage. There was no mistaking what she'd written. It was a full confession - the truth. With some trepidation Draco raised his eyes; he needed to see her, to see her face and know through her expression what she was feeling.
She was scrubbing furiously at the tears that had dared to fall from her eyes. He knew she hated to cry - hated to be seen as weak - but there was often little she could do to stop her emotions from taking over and making a fool of her.
"Ginny?"
It was hardly a whisper, but she heard him or felt him - she wasn't sure which - call her name. Although she didn't want to, she dropped her hands from her face and looked at him. Her heart was thumping so hard in her chest that it made drawing breath difficult. His expression told her that he'd most definitely read the words she'd written for him - the words she'd have to say aloud to regain her skin color - but it didn't categorically tell her how he had accepted the news. Despite their promises, she was all too aware that such confessions were bound to change the dynamic of their relationship, most especially if they didn't feel the same or perhaps because they did. She glanced down at her hand and his note to her - his note that she'd been unable to read.
Tears streamed down her face. It should have been a comical scene, with her skin color the way it was, but it was if each of her tears had taken the form of a knife and was stabbing his heart. Draco didn't even think about what he was doing, he simply rushed over to her and gathered her against his chest.
"Shh, don't cry, Ginny," Draco crooned. "There's no reason to cry."
His efforts to calm her were fruitless, as her tears only increased until she was sobbing loudly into his chest.
"Did you manage to read my note?" Draco whispered into her ear.
She shook her head against his chest.
"Do you want to know what it said?" Draco asked, desperate to calm her.
Again, her head moved against his chest, signifying a negative response.
"Why?"
Ginny hiccupped a few times and tried her level best to draw a lungful of clean air. "It's all right, I'll ju-just leave."
"Leave?" The word sounded strangled as it forced its way from Draco's throat. "Why?"
Ginny fought to break free of his arms. "It's for the best," she whispered.
"How?" Draco demanded. "How is leaving me for the best?"
"You don't-"
"Mate, I think you're going to have to tell her," Blaise interrupted. He never thought this would be painful, but he was really beginning to feel for his friends, and he wasn't very comfortable with this piteous emotion.
Draco's heart stopped. He didn't know if he could actually say it aloud.
"You have to do it sooner or later, or are you going to spend the rest of your life looking like-"
"Shut it," Draco snarled. He had to act quickly. She was really leaving. "Ginny, don't go."
"I can't stay… Not now," Ginny uttered sadly.
"But-" Draco choked.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she turned towards the door.
"NO! Don't!" Draco bellowed. "Ginny, I love you."
Ginny stopped and turned around slowly to face him. She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "What?"
All of a sudden his mouth was dry. He swallowed hard. "I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for years."
She shook her head. "You're just saying that."
"No, I'm not."
"For fuck's sake," Blaise complained. "Take a look at him, Weasley. Does he look all red and gold now? NO! Why you ask? Because he told the fucking truth!"
By the time Blaise had finished his little one-person conversation Ginny was staring at Draco, who was glaring at Blaise.
"Don't speak like that in front of her," Draco said calmly.
"My apologies, Ginny," Blaise said formally. "Now it's your bloody turn to tell the truth."
"I-I love you," she whispered. "I want to-to see where-"
"Thank Merlin." Blaise sighed in relief.
Draco closed the distance between them quickly. His hands cupped her face gently and he dipped his head towards hers. "May I?"
"Please," Ginny whispered.
Draco's nose grazed hers lightly, up and down, nudging a little. His hot breath caressed her cheek, setting the skin on fire. The anticipation of his mouth on hers had her stomach flip-flopping and her lips aching for his touch. She'd never thought of him as being timid around women, but that was exactly the way he started - soft and slow, almost unsure about how to proceed. By the time Draco had committed to the kiss every fiber in her being was tingling. Her hands roamed over his back, mapping his toned body and storing that information for later. Ginny was only vaguely aware of his hands on her face; they were moving in time with his mouth, gently stroking her skin in a way that was feeding the blaze that had ignited in her core.
Blaise waited patiently for them to break apart, but it seemed that they'd forgotten he was in the room. "Okay, guys, I'm going to leave now," he said hesitantly. "You look like you might need some privacy."
They gave no indication that they'd heard him. Blaise sighed and picked up his cloak. As he was straightening up something on the floor caught his eye. He smiled when he saw what it was: Draco's note to Ginny.
Ginny,
I've been in love with you for six years. I know you don't feel the same, but I live in hope that one day I might become a man you can love.
Draco
A quick scan of the floor located Ginny's note to Draco. Unable to resist, Blaise picked it up and opened it.
Draco,
I love you. I always have.
Ginny
Blaise glanced over at his friends. They were still oblivious to his presence. He carefully folded the notes and placed them on the coffee table. "I'm going now, Malfoy. Remember to treat her like a lady."
Draco had dreamed of this moment for so long that he was having a hard time believing that what he was feeling was real. Between the tingles running down his spine and the loose Snitches in his stomach, he was sure he was going to sink to the floor in a boneless heap pretty soon. She tasted so sweet, sweeter than his fantasies had ever allowed him to dream. Her hands clutched at his flesh in a way that made him never want to let her go. There was desperation in her touch, but it wasn't needy, and it didn't scare him in any way. It was with great sadness that he began to pull away, not stopping suddenly, because that would have ripped his heart out, but drawing away gradually.
They were only millimeters apart when Draco began to mourn the loss of her touch. His heart was racing and there was definitely desire in his blood. He stepped away from her the moment he identified his physical need. This was Ginny, his best friend, and he didn't know whether either of them was truly ready to become lovers. The quick frown that crossed her brow when he moved back didn't escape his notice.
"I think we need to take this slow," Draco whispered, uncharacteristically insecure with his decision.
Ginny nodded. "Of course."
"Perhaps we should talk," Draco suggested uneasily.
"Maybe… Coffee?" Ginny offered, seizing the first thing that came to mind.
"Coffee would be good," Draco agreed.
"I'll-the kitchen-" Ginny stammered moving towards the kitchen.
Draco stayed where he was for the time being. He released a breath in a noisy rush. His stomach was in turmoil, and his head was spinning. This simply wasn't happening. He'd just kissed his best friend in a way he'd never kissed a woman before. In his most private fantasies, he'd constructed this moment a thousand times, but the experience of it surpassed anything his imagination ever came up with.
She loves me, he thought unexpectedly.
His heart soared, and suddenly he wanted to be with her - to be near her. All was quiet as he neared the kitchen. His own insecurities began to play havoc with his head, allowing him to believe that she might have Disapparated the moment he was out of sight. With a trembling hand, Draco pushed the door open. The minute his eyes landed on her his stomach lurched in a pleasant way and a smile broke across his face. Draco's buoyant feeling lasted only seconds, because her face was full of apprehension.
"Ginny, are you okay?" Draco whispered as his heart sank.
"I'm fine," Ginny said unconvincingly. "It's just-I can't believe-"
Draco stiffened unconsciously, bracing himself for the blow. "Say it."
"I just can't believe that this is happening," Ginny uttered softly. "I've watched you with so many women over the years-"
"It won't be like that for us," Draco promised hurriedly.
"I wasn't insinuating-"
"Ginny, are you all right with this, really?" The question slipped out abruptly before he could stop it, because if he were truly honest he didn't know what he'd do if she wasn't all right with whatever it was that they'd started.
"I'm just-I never believed it would come true," Ginny mumbled.
"What?"
A short bark of nervous laughter escaped her. "It's nothing."
"Ginny, please tell me," Draco pleaded as he approached her.
The color rose fast in her face. "No, it's too embarrassing."
"After what we've been through this morning-"
Ginny shook her head furiously. "Not this," she whispered.
"All right, you don't have to tell me that," Draco conceded. "But I would like you to answer my question. Are you all right with this-us?"
"Yes," Ginny uttered in a barely audible tone. "I'm just trying to get my head around it."
Draco smiled softly. "Me too."
"It's a bit strange."
"The stuff dreams are made of," Draco murmured.
"When did you know?"
"Do you remember the day the Prophet published that article about my family after the war had finished?"
Ginny nodded. "The one that explained-"
"Yes, that one," Draco cut her off. He detested thinking about that time in his life. "And I was being abused by total strangers in the street."
"I stuck up for you," Ginny whispered.
"You apologized for everyone's narrow-mindedness and told me that I was very brave to have dealt with all the pressure of being responsible for the well-being of my family."
"I remember."
"That's when I fell in love with you," Draco admitted.
"I still think you're one of the bravest people I know."
"Thank you." Draco smiled softly. "What about you?"
"That day - after I told you that you were brave - you smiled, really smiled, just briefly. In those few precious seconds you dropped your guard, and I saw the man you really are - I looked into your soul and knew I was irrevocably in love."
"All these years and neither of us ever said anything." Draco shook his head for all the time that had been wasted.
"I don't think we were ready, and even now I worry if we are," Ginny said seriously.
"So you think we deliberately chased after casual relationships that had no potential for a future?"
"You know we both did," Ginny replied firmly. "I never hooked up with anyone I could take home to the family, and you- Well, you were lucky to spend six hours with the same woman."
"Unconsciously saving ourselves for each other?"
"Perhaps, but I guess we'll never know."
"Do you doubt we'd have eventually worked it out if Blaise hadn't forced the issue?"
"I really don't know," Ginny admitted. "I know I was afraid I'd lose your friendship if I told you how I really feel, and I just couldn't live with that, so I kept my mouth shut."
"You know, this isn't some casual relationship, Ginny."
"I know."
Draco swallowed hard, hoping that his nerves might be driven away by the movement. "I do intend to marry you one day."
Her eyes opened wide, just briefly. "If that's a proposal you're going to have to do better than that to get me to accept," Ginny teased in a lighter tone.
"Don't worry, when the time is right you won't be able to say no," Draco said with a confident smirk. "I love you so much."
"I love you," she whispered.
Draco allowed his knuckles to graze her cheek before pulling her against his body. One of his hands crept around to the back of her head, tangling in her thick hair and preventing her escape. Their mouths come together hungrily. None of the earlier diffidence was present now. His free hand roamed over her back boldly, while his tongue begged permission to enter her mouth. As her hand slid down to his backside her mouth slipped open.
Her whole body was on fire again. She'd only just put herself out after the first time, and now he'd gone and re-ignited the blaze. The feel of his smooth, toned back beneath her hands was only adding to her desire to rip his pants off and have her wicked way with him. Of course, the fact that she hadn't had sex for about a month wasn't helping much either; if anything, it was making things worse, because Draco wanted to take things slowly. By the time they parted Ginny was breathless.
"So… How about that coffee?" Draco cringed mentally when he heard how uneven his voice was.
"I-err-didn't get-" Ginny stammered. Her brain simply wasn't capable of functioning at the moment, especially as there was only one thing she wanted right now and it wasn't coffee.
"Why don't I-" Draco paused when Ginny started to speak.
Take me to bed, Ginny's mind suggested.
"What was that?"
"I didn't say anything," Ginny answered.
Draco frowned in confusion. "I could have sworn I heard something about bed."
Ginny could feel her face burning. Had she said that aloud?
"Ginny?"
"Oh God." She dropped her head onto his bare chest. "Just don't listen to a word I say."
"Why?" Draco stroked her back absently, hoping to get her to talk to him or explain herself. Bed? Could she have said bed? "What did you say?"
"Just ignore me," Ginny insisted without raising her head. "My mouth is opening without my brain's permission."
She said bed! She said take me to bed! Draco didn't know whether to be elated or afraid. He wanted nothing more than to take her upstairs and make love to her all day, but at the same time he was afraid - even more afraid than the first time he'd had sex. If they slept together, they could never find their way back to their friendship if things didn't work out - a few kisses, no matter how passionate, could be ignored. Of course, he would never deny her, because her happiness was all that matter now. "I've got a feeling I might like your brain butting out and letting your mouth tell me exactly what you want right now."
"No, you wouldn't," Ginny whispered.
Her breath tickled his chest and he bit back a laugh. "Why don't you let me decide?"
Ginny shook her head. "You said you wanted to take things slow."
"And you don't?"
"I don't know what I want," Ginny admitted in a hushed tone.
Draco stiffened and his hands fell away from her. Fear, as he'd never known it, infiltrated his body. He didn't know what to do at the moment. One minute she wanted him and the next she was saying that she didn't know - confusion would have been blissful in lieu of whatever it was he was experiencing at the moment. "Per-perhaps you could err-clarify-"
Ginny's head snapped up and she saw Draco's look of devastation. "OH-oh! I didn't mean you."
One of his hands came up to rub his forehead wearily. "Ginny, we need to talk this out now or I'm going to go insane, and I've got a fair idea that you'll be diagnosed only seconds after me."
She nodded her agreement.
"You go into the sitting room. I'll make some coffee and join you soon," Draco said in a businesslike tone.
"I can-"
"It's all right, I'll do it," Draco insisted. "Just go and sit down or I'll get distracted."
"Okay." Ginny smiled a little as she left the kitchen.
The moment the kitchen door closed Draco breathed a sigh of relief. They both needed a few minutes to collect themselves before they tackled what all this meant to them as individuals and as a couple - if it was possible for them to be a couple without endangering their mental state.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*