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May. 25th, 2006 01:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
why_me_why_notTitle: Chances
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
why_me_why_not, aka Tabby
Fandom/Pairing: HP fandom, Ron/Neville
Rating: um, PG for a few dirty words & mentions of drinking?
Beta'd by:wendy
A/N: Written forwildegirl_05. There was a prompt involved, and some random words. And the ending ended up a bit too fluffy for me, I think, but wilde's gotten me to write fluff before, so I should have expected it.
Ron looked around the crowded Muggle pub from his precarious perch on the edge of his barstool. There was a cloud of smoke filling the room, and the din of the patrons drowned out the sound of the telly over the bar -- some commercial for something called antihistamines -- as the person he was waiting for finally walked in the door. He had asked Neville to meet him here because this wasn't their usual hang out, and the two of them would be able to talk without their conversation being repeated and misconstrued about the entire Ministry the next day. The two of them met for drinks after work quite often, sometimes with other friends and coworkers, and sometimes just the two of them. There was a comfortable dynamic to their friendship, and Ron never thought it was strange that the two of them usually ended up at his place or Neville's after the pubs closed, having a couple more firewhiskys, talking about whatever, and just hanging out.
Well, he'd never thought about it until he saw Harry and Draco one night. He should have been upset or repulsed by what appeared to be a dirty fuck in a darkened alleyway, but he knew. Harry had been his best friend for years; Draco had been their sworn enemy for almost as long. He could read the subtleness in their touches, hear the unspoken words beneath their frantic whispers. He should have felt dirty for watching. But he didn't. He was jealous.
He wanted that.
It wasn't about the sex, though the passion between Harry and Draco was something to be envied as well. No, their relationship was more than that, a mix of subletly and obviousness that Ron hadn't even realized he was picking up on. But it was there -- the seemingly accidental touches, the covert glances, even their conversations. It was like the two of them were on the inside of a joke the others couldn't understood.
That feeling, the easy security of sharing his life with someone he cared about, that's what he wanted.
It had taken him three days and a dream to realize that he already had it. And that he was in love with Neville.
It still took him a while to wrap his head around it. After all, Neville was one of his best friends. And his mum had been on his case lately about finding a nice girl to settle down and have babies with. But girls -- they were nice, and Ron had dated a number of them, both at Hogwarts and in the four years since.
But Ron was more attracted to men. He'd dated a few of them too, although he always felt slightly guilty for not fulfilling his mum's hopes for him. Rationally, he knew she just wanted him to be happy, but still.
And he wasn't worried about physical attraction, because he had had plenty of fantasies about himself and Neville -- usually chalked up to being drunk and spending so much of his time with the other man.
No, what he was most afraid of was the risk. Taking a chance and possibly losing everything.
But he dwelled on it, couldn't stop thinking about it. Now he just had to talk to Neville.
He caught sight of Neville walking into the pub and waved him over. Ron stood up with a grin and hugged his friend -- a ritual greeting, only this time it felt different, bordering on awkward, due to Ron's recent realizations.
They shared a few drinks, gossiping about their coworkers at the Ministry, arguing about Quidditch teams, same conversations as always, but it was different then always because Ron kept noticing the way Neville cocked his head to the side when he was really listening to Ron, and the way his eyes lit up when he laughed.
"Neville," Ron said, turning serious, "we need to talk."
Neville listened silently as Ron babbled out all the thoughts that had been swirling in his head for the past several days. Ron hoped it was his imagination that Neville moved slightly away, but he could tell things weren't going as planned by the expression on Neville's face when Ron finally asked if Neville would be willing to give a relationship a chance.
"Ron..." Neville looked around the pub, as if the words he couldn't find were words written somewhere on the wall or spelled out in smoke signals. "I can't. We can't. I understand you're going through a lot right now, and you think you want this, but what if you don't? What happens to us when it's over?" He shook his head, standing up. "I'm sorry. Maybe... maybe it'd be best if we quit hanging out for a while, so you have time to sort things out." He waited for a response for several long moments, but finally turned and walked away, giving Ron one last bittersweet, regretful look just before he walked out the door.
For weeks, they avoided each other except for the awkward small talk when they ran into each other in the hallways at work. Their friends knew something was up, but thankfully no one asked.
The day Bill was killed in a freak accident involving a complicated curse spell he was trying to break, there was a familiar knock on Ron's door. As soon as he opened it, Neville was hugging him, mumbling something.
"What?" Ron asked as he pulled away.
"I thought it was you. When I heard one of the Weasleys had been killed, before I found out the whole story, I thought it was you. And I... I'm sorry, Ron. It's just... we both know I don't always the courage a Gryffindor should, and I'm afraid of losing you as a friend if this doesn't work out. But... if you're still open to it... I'd really like to give us a chance."
Author:
why_me_why_not, aka TabbyFandom/Pairing: HP fandom, Ron/Neville
Rating: um, PG for a few dirty words & mentions of drinking?
Beta'd by:
wendyA/N: Written for
wildegirl_05. There was a prompt involved, and some random words. And the ending ended up a bit too fluffy for me, I think, but wilde's gotten me to write fluff before, so I should have expected it. Ron looked around the crowded Muggle pub from his precarious perch on the edge of his barstool. There was a cloud of smoke filling the room, and the din of the patrons drowned out the sound of the telly over the bar -- some commercial for something called antihistamines -- as the person he was waiting for finally walked in the door. He had asked Neville to meet him here because this wasn't their usual hang out, and the two of them would be able to talk without their conversation being repeated and misconstrued about the entire Ministry the next day. The two of them met for drinks after work quite often, sometimes with other friends and coworkers, and sometimes just the two of them. There was a comfortable dynamic to their friendship, and Ron never thought it was strange that the two of them usually ended up at his place or Neville's after the pubs closed, having a couple more firewhiskys, talking about whatever, and just hanging out.
Well, he'd never thought about it until he saw Harry and Draco one night. He should have been upset or repulsed by what appeared to be a dirty fuck in a darkened alleyway, but he knew. Harry had been his best friend for years; Draco had been their sworn enemy for almost as long. He could read the subtleness in their touches, hear the unspoken words beneath their frantic whispers. He should have felt dirty for watching. But he didn't. He was jealous.
He wanted that.
It wasn't about the sex, though the passion between Harry and Draco was something to be envied as well. No, their relationship was more than that, a mix of subletly and obviousness that Ron hadn't even realized he was picking up on. But it was there -- the seemingly accidental touches, the covert glances, even their conversations. It was like the two of them were on the inside of a joke the others couldn't understood.
That feeling, the easy security of sharing his life with someone he cared about, that's what he wanted.
It had taken him three days and a dream to realize that he already had it. And that he was in love with Neville.
It still took him a while to wrap his head around it. After all, Neville was one of his best friends. And his mum had been on his case lately about finding a nice girl to settle down and have babies with. But girls -- they were nice, and Ron had dated a number of them, both at Hogwarts and in the four years since.
But Ron was more attracted to men. He'd dated a few of them too, although he always felt slightly guilty for not fulfilling his mum's hopes for him. Rationally, he knew she just wanted him to be happy, but still.
And he wasn't worried about physical attraction, because he had had plenty of fantasies about himself and Neville -- usually chalked up to being drunk and spending so much of his time with the other man.
No, what he was most afraid of was the risk. Taking a chance and possibly losing everything.
But he dwelled on it, couldn't stop thinking about it. Now he just had to talk to Neville.
He caught sight of Neville walking into the pub and waved him over. Ron stood up with a grin and hugged his friend -- a ritual greeting, only this time it felt different, bordering on awkward, due to Ron's recent realizations.
They shared a few drinks, gossiping about their coworkers at the Ministry, arguing about Quidditch teams, same conversations as always, but it was different then always because Ron kept noticing the way Neville cocked his head to the side when he was really listening to Ron, and the way his eyes lit up when he laughed.
"Neville," Ron said, turning serious, "we need to talk."
Neville listened silently as Ron babbled out all the thoughts that had been swirling in his head for the past several days. Ron hoped it was his imagination that Neville moved slightly away, but he could tell things weren't going as planned by the expression on Neville's face when Ron finally asked if Neville would be willing to give a relationship a chance.
"Ron..." Neville looked around the pub, as if the words he couldn't find were words written somewhere on the wall or spelled out in smoke signals. "I can't. We can't. I understand you're going through a lot right now, and you think you want this, but what if you don't? What happens to us when it's over?" He shook his head, standing up. "I'm sorry. Maybe... maybe it'd be best if we quit hanging out for a while, so you have time to sort things out." He waited for a response for several long moments, but finally turned and walked away, giving Ron one last bittersweet, regretful look just before he walked out the door.
For weeks, they avoided each other except for the awkward small talk when they ran into each other in the hallways at work. Their friends knew something was up, but thankfully no one asked.
The day Bill was killed in a freak accident involving a complicated curse spell he was trying to break, there was a familiar knock on Ron's door. As soon as he opened it, Neville was hugging him, mumbling something.
"What?" Ron asked as he pulled away.
"I thought it was you. When I heard one of the Weasleys had been killed, before I found out the whole story, I thought it was you. And I... I'm sorry, Ron. It's just... we both know I don't always the courage a Gryffindor should, and I'm afraid of losing you as a friend if this doesn't work out. But... if you're still open to it... I'd really like to give us a chance."
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 06:22 am (UTC)*giggles and hugs you*
I liked this. It was very sweet. I think the only thing I would have preferred is a little more backstory. Like, how Ron and Neville became such good friends. Or am I missing something in the books? *scours brain*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 06:28 am (UTC)And fluff. *sighs* After I finish the porn that's currently on my plate, I'm gonna write fluff. Of the Sam/Jess variety. And I don't want to hear you say a word about it.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 06:43 am (UTC)Fluff is good! Fluff has it's place! I like fluff! I like Sam/Jess fluff! What word would I say?
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 03:06 pm (UTC)I'm glad you like fluff! I was waiting for you to say I should be writing more Wincest for you Special Hellions instead.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 05:08 pm (UTC)Fluffy Wincest?
no subject
Date: 2006-05-26 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-26 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-26 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 01:51 pm (UTC)*approves of your priorities* :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 03:21 pm (UTC)*grins big*
*happy dances*
*loves*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 04:33 pm (UTC)Lemme know if there's anything missing from there that you know of
no subject
Date: 2006-05-25 09:03 pm (UTC)*huggles you*
awesome use of the prompt. i'm proud of my fluff whip.
also, you're writing the hot smut scene that follows this, right? good :D
no subject
Date: 2006-05-26 01:47 am (UTC)*cuddles*
also, you're writing the hot smut scene that follows this, right? good :D
Um... why don't you make that one of your requests for
Oh, look, it's a Fluffy!
Date: 2006-05-26 05:03 pm (UTC)Another thing:(warning, it's getting whiney here): Where the hell's Hermione? We're talking about her best friend, her second best friend (and canonical love interest), a good mate, and a hated antagonist all being gay. And No.1 and No.4 are shagging each other. But she's.. missing. Completely. As in "has disappeared".
I miss Her-Mi-O-Nee.
[/whining]
In short, a good piece; it was easy to read, it conveyed the feelings of Ron in a realistic way, and I'd read a prequel. (Not a sequel. Somehow, this thing seems so completely finished that a sequel to it would be like Jaws 2. But a prequel I'd read.)
Re: Oh, look, it's a Fluffy!
Date: 2006-05-27 07:43 am (UTC)Hermione? Hmm... probably off in Romania with Charlie? I don't know, actually. Maybe I'll have to take her into consideration next time.
I'm not doing a sequel. Prequel... I don't know. I think this is it on this one for me.
And I'm trying to work out your drabble now. *g*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-27 04:54 pm (UTC)