six: drawn

v.

Draco was tired of coming home and finding his flat in a state of disaster. Time and again, he'd spend twelve hours each day on his feet at the Ministry, and return to the apartment, physically exhausted, with laundry still not done, the kitchen a mess, and the bed still not made.

But if he wanted to remain in a healthy relationship with Ginny, he knew well enough to not get too terribly frustrated with her for not always pulling on her end of the string. She was a busy woman who was completely dedicated to her Quidditch career. He couldn't reasonably expect for her to complete too many chores in addition to her training, practices, and matches, especially whilst Quidditch was in season.

However, one Tuesday in particular, Draco came home from the Ministry at precisely six o'clock, already stewing about the terrible day he'd had at work. He had been chewed out by his boss, slammed with twice as much paperwork as usual, bombarded with owls from various people around the office with silly questions that he could not be bothered with responding to, and had got stuck waiting for the lift for nearly twenty minutes as some dolt had hit the stopper button without anyone inside the lift even realizing it.

And to top it off, it was Tuesday. That fact was unfortunate for two reasons. It meant that there were still three more days left in the work week, and it was also the day that Ginny had Quidditch practice and individual training. She would not be home until even later than him, and any small chance that some household chores would be completed was nonexistent. Tuesday was the worst possible day to have a bad day.

At the very least, though, Draco knew what he'd be getting into. Or at least he'd thought so.

The sweet aroma of vanilla scented candles drifted through the front door as soon as it was opened. The carpets had been vacuumed and the hardwood floors had been mopped. The picture frames had been dusted, the dishes had been done, and there were two hampers, filled to the brim with freshly laundered clothing and other linens, already folded and ready to be put away.

And one petite redhead stood in the hallway outside the bathroom, wearing only a white lace teddy. The tiny smirk on her face made it perfectly clear that she had been waiting for him.

Draco couldn't believe his eyes. The place was spotless, it smelled heavenly, and she looked delicious. It was like he had fallen asleep and couldn't be bothered to wake up from such a perfect dream.

"How – how did you manage to pull this off?" he asked, stunned.

She lounged against the wall casually. "I knew you were terribly frustrated that neither of us ever have the time to take care of the flat, so I owled Mum and asked her if she could help me out."

He began to loosen his tie as he approached her. "How very thoughtful of you."

"I thought so," she said proudly. "But that's not even the best part."

"Oh?"

"I hurt my back while I was training, so much that I could barely fly." She lifted her arms over her head, causing her nightgown to rise up her leg ever-so-slightly, and stretched backward, clearly demonstrating that her back felt just fine. "But it's just miraculous how quickly I was able to heal and regain my strength."

Draco smirked knowingly. "You're a minx, you are," he said, placing his hands over her hips and running them down over her bottom.

"In the best way possible, of course."

"Of course."

He leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

She tutted playfully at his expense. "Oh, no. I've got plans for you, Mr. Malfoy." Ginny smiled playfully. "I think we'll start with the bath I've drawn for us."

Lightly, she tugged on his hand, pulling him into the bathroom behind her. No time was wasted before her nightie was pulled over her head and his work robes were tossed thoughtlessly into a pile on the floor. And even less time went by before he had picked her up and set her down in the tub, him following right behind her.

And by the time he had settled in and had begun to relax, Draco Malfoy had realized yet another reason why he had fallen for Ginny Weasley.