got sand in my shoes [closed]

[aperfectthird]

When; February 20th-ish
Rating; PG to be safe
Characters; Percy Weasley (aperfectthird )  and Ginny Weasley (hexuality)
Summary; Percy finally finds Ginny after spending days wandering the Desert City.  He is relieved - but less than pleased with the City for keeping them apart for so long.
Log; 
A desert was not an ideal for a pale redhead with an aversion to the sort of light cotton clothes that would be better suited to the climate.  He had, however, eventually accepted the fact that the weather would not be bowing to his whims and eventually Transfigured a pith helmet that kept his face and the back of his neck from getting too burned.  Percy would never act like he liked it, but he was quietly grateful for the extra protection.  It would have been easy for him to spend his days in the caravan with the others, but his Gryffindor nature would never have let him stay safe and sound while he didn't know where Ginny was.  At least Fred and George had checked in, so he knew they were safe, but Ginny was still unaccounted for.

So he spent his days scouring the crumbling City, trying to remember the places that Ginny had mentioned going or liking - and on one terrifying night, he hadn't made it back in time and had ended up facing down a giant worm thing that had nearly taken his arm off.  At least the now-ruined sleeve of his shirt had made a decent bandage.  He tilted his head up, squinting against the sun, trying to place his location.  If he didn't miss his guess, he was near the center of the City ... yes, that looked like the fountain there.

"Ginny!" he called, his voice - normally so firm and authoritative - sounding rather thin and small against the vastness of the desert.  "Where are you?" 

Comments

[hexuality]

It isn't out of teenaged rebellion or a desire to be a difficult sibling that kept Ginny Weasley out of touch with her brothers while the City dissolved into a desert wasteland. Simply put: her phone and network device disappeared with everything else, leaving her stranded in ways she never imagined. Funny, really, how a witch from a world without technology can become so reliant on it after a few short (long?) years in another dimension. As it is, all Ginny's managed to hold on to are her wand and broom—her pets, she hopes, have fared better than her and ended up in the other City to begin with. And her brothers too, of course.

She was angry at first, to have been further cut off from those she holds near and dear so soon after a difficult winter of seemingly permanent departures. But as the days wore on and Ginny did her Gryffindor best to soldier through the desert (Merlin, how does Bill do it?), she realised this is really no different from how her time in the City has always been. Even running into the monsters, traumatic as it can be, isn't as alarming as before. Still, the youngest Weasley spends her days hoping to run into familiar faces, frustrated each time she reaches for a pocket empty of phone or device. She ventures out of the Safe Zone during the day, though her too-fair English complexion hates her for it—and it's on one such day that she heads towards what she imagines is the remains of the fountain.

And then she hears her name. Ginny freezes, a diminutive form against the harsh backdrop of the sandy wilderness, and her hand tightens on her wand out of instinct. It sounds like one of her brothers—Percy, if she isn't mistaken—but she cannot help her wariness all the same. She tightens the white scarf she's wound around her hair and face (some vain hope of protection against sun and sand) and, in true Gryffindor fashion, runs towards what she probably shouldn't, and goes as far as to call back, "Percy?" She picks up the pace. "Here! I'm right here!"

[aperfectthird]

"Ginny!" It's her, it has to be her - he pushes his pith helmet a little more firmly onto his head and hurries towards where he hears the voice coming from. The figure is small but unmistakable, though the sand and sun all around make her shimmer like a mirage, like he might blink and she'll vanish, leaving nothing but a swirl of sand where he thought he saw his little sister.

But she remains, running towards him, and his heart trips hard against his ribs, double time, so flooded with relief that it aches. Finally within arm's distance, he reaches out with his uninjured arm and takes her shoulder, looking her over with concern.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for days - called, sent those 'text messages' - are you all right? You aren't hurt, are you?"

[hexuality]

"I'm fine, of course I'm fine," she replies in a hurry, the words true for the first time in a long while. As true as they can be, at any rate, given the circumstances. Ginny sheaths her wand and rests her hand on her brother's, gripping it with tight reassurance, the relief leaving her breathless to do or say little else for a few seconds. Then something in her eyes shifts to say bugger all and she throws her arms around him in a hug, more glad than she can express to see at least one of her brothers again, safe and whole and here. And then she reaches up with her free hand and pushes back the scarf so Percy can see for himself that she's unhurt—just sunburned and more freckled than any Weasley ought to be (save perhaps Bill or Charlie).

"Where have I been? I've been here, I've..." And then his words catch up to her and she smiles with exasperation, shaking her head. "I lost my phone and network device, along with almost everything else. I've just got my wand and my broom—" strapped to her back "—and anything else I've managed to scavenge out here." Ginny looks over him with concern, brows knit as she properly takes him in. "What about you? Fred and George? The others?"

[aperfectthird]

He hugs her back tightly, so glad to see her that it very nearly hurts, the ache in his throat and eyes not entirely attributable to the blowing sand. When she pushes the scarf back, he looks her over with bright concern, taking in every single detail, making sure there's no abrasions or contusions or any sort of injury that she might be covering up. She's sunburned, of course - Merlin knows he is, too; the English weren't meant to be in climates like this, especially not redheaded Englishmen - but she seems to be uninjured. Once he's finished checking, he tugs the scarf back into place, tucks the ends in, and yes, he's absolutely fussing over her but he's been worried sick for days now, so he's earned a little bit of fussing.

"At least you still have your wand," he says, and the idea of her alone, with no way to contact anyone - it makes him sick and sad and angry. "I'm fine," he replies quickly, dismissing the question. Knowing that she won't miss the obvious, he amends, "I had a run-in with some sort of worm thing, but really, I'm fine. Fred and George are in the other city and I'm fairly sure they're all right - communication between here and there is spotty at best. I think the others are with them."

[hexuality]

Ginny rolls her eyes good-naturedly, letting him fuss over her because she understands that it probably calms him down somehow. Godric knows she needs all the help she can get in making sure her brother doesn't kick into worry overdrive worthy of their mother; but honestly, if she's managed this long without him, she'll be fine, won't she? But surprisingly, Ginny's learned to have enough tact to keep that little thought to herself. After all, she does understand that her family must have been looking just as long as she's been looking for them.

"D'you think I'd be standing here if I didn't?" she asks with a faint trace of humour that can't quite hide the truth at the core of her words. It's a dark amusement, but they're standing in a godforsaken desert—a girl's got to get her kicks where she can. But her copper brows quickly draw into a frown at Percy's words and she brushes aside the news of their brothers (they're safe, that's what matters) to focus on this one in particular. "A run-in with a 'worm thing'? They're fairly massive, I'm not an idiot, I've seen them too. Did it get you?"

[aperfectthird]

Percy really doesn't want to talk about what happened to him, because he's fine, honestly. The slash has been cleaned and bandaged and there are plenty of charms on it to keep sand from getting in and causing an infection, and he doesn't want Ginny to fuss when it's the right and natural thing for him to fuss over her. But she won't miss it given enough time; his right arm is wrapped up from the shoulder to the elbow (and, if Ginny cares to notice, it is tied off with a neat, fussy little bow) in what used to be his right sleeve; the white material is unmistakable. It had gotten him before he could react, but even with an injured wand arm, he'd managed to get a more-than-decent Conjunctivitis Curse in, which had bought him enough time to run. With a sigh, he turns to show her, but immediately adds,

"But really, it's fine."

[hexuality]

"Humour me, Perce," Ginny huffs out with a dry smile. "Merlin knows I'm trying so hard to do the same for you."

It's only half a joke, really. But she has little reason to scowl at him when he doesn't put up the fight she usually expects from her family or fellow Gryffindors and it's with the quick and critical gaze of their mother that she looks over his arm. Of course it's fine. This is Perfect Prefect Percy, there isn't a thing out of place about it. Something in her shoulders relaxes and she nods a moment later, satisfied, and absently tugs the sleeves of her light cotton blouse down over her wrists. She's going to be so freckled, she'll look nearly tan—wouldn't Charlie be amused? Oh, Gin, looking more and more like your brother every day. And Bill! With all his desert adventures. He'd love this.

Ginny belatedly realises she's lapsed into silence and gives her head a little shake, looking out towards the remains of the City, eyes narrowed against the gritty wind. "Well," she begins, "now what?"

[aperfectthird]

"We should get back to the safe zone, I suppose, or I could take you out to the caravan." He glances up at the sky, then checks his watch. "It might be best to return to the safe zone for today. The caravan's a long walk from here, and I wouldn't like to get caught out at night again." Far be it from him to admit that he's actually rather lost and doesn't know how to get back to the caravan. He might be getting better at showing that he does, from time to time, have actual human emotions, but covering up failure is a habit he'll probably never break. "Once we're there, I can put our names down for immigration to the other city."

[hexuality]

"Immigration?" She glances back to her brother, startled. "I didn't know we..." And then Ginny pauses as she comes to a conclusion. "You mean you hadn't put your name down yet? Why?"

She suspects she knows why. But if he says it's because he's been looking for her, had been waiting to find her, had put off his own safety because she'd been an idiot and lost everything to the curse, she'd... Well, Ginny doesn't know what she'd do. Not hex him, not hit or yell, either, but she'd be both touched and irritated—not exactly furious. It's hard to be that angry when her brothers do stupid brotherly things. After all, that's part of the reason why she loves them all so bloody much.

[aperfectthird]

He looks embarrassed, though it's hard to tell what's sunburn and what's a flush. Of course it would have been the sensible thing to put his name down to get to the Glass City as soon as possible, but he couldn't have left without Ginny. He'd never have forgiven himself if something happened to her and he could have prevented it, and how would he have explained it to Fred and George? Oh, I never found Ginny, she can take care of herself, gotta look out for number one. Absolutely not. Of course Ginny can take care of herself, but she shouldn't have to when he can help.

"I wasn't going to leave without you."