AN: This was originally part of a compilation that I posted and I've now decided to post it separately. As usual, it's AU from roughly book 5 onwards, not that that matters much.

Friends with Benefits

It was a warm sunny day, and the Burrow was full of noise and laughter. All the Weasley siblings were there for Sunday lunch, along with their partners and children, and, as Molly and Arthur's honourary child, Harry was there too.

He was sitting in a somewhat dilapidated deck-chair out in the back, swigging lazily at a bottle of beer and enjoying the warm sense of contentment that flowed happily through him.

He had a little flat in Hogsmeade that he was rather fond of, but nowhere felt more like home to him than the Burrow, and he never felt more at peace or more comfortable than when he was there. Molly and Arthur never failed to amaze him in how they had always unquestioningly taken him into their lives and into their home, offering him the kind of parental love he had never imagined he would have.

He finally knew what it was like to roll one's eyes at an overbearing mother who told him he wasn't eating enough and who worried about his love-life, and he knew how it felt to smile affectionately at a father who seemed baffled by the exploits of his children, but accepted them nevertheless.

"Thought I'd find you out here," came Ron's voice, and the man took a seat next to him in an equally dilapidated chair. "Noise get a bit much for you in there?" he asked with a grin.

"I adore my nieces and nephews," Harry said with an answering smile, "but one afternoon a week with them is plenty for me."

"Amen to that," said Ron, clinking his bottle against Harry's. He leant back and casually threw an arm behind his head as he closed his eyes, tilting his head up to the sunshine.

They enjoyed a companionable silence for a few minutes before Ron said, "So come on, I've given you a respectable amount of time – what happened with Blaise?"

Harry sighed and Ron opened his eyes, tilting his head to look across at Harry. "Oh I don't know," Harry said after taking another gulp of his beer. "We just couldn't seem to make it work, it never quite…clicked, you know?"

Ron nodded and said, "I didn't want to say anything, but every time I saw you two together it didn't really fit," he said, linking his fingers together to emphasise the point. "I mean, the man is fucking gorgeous, no two ways about it, but personality-wise, not really up your street."

"Oh well, no harm, no foul. No one's ego got hurt, no one behaved badly, it just didn't work. It happens I guess. Shame…he was fucking gorgeous."

The two men looked at each other for a moment then descended into fits of giggles, laughing like idiots and enjoying the moment.

"What about you?" Harry asked. "Any potential romance on the horizon?"

Ron snorted and said, "With the hours I work? No bloody chance. I had a date with Beth a few weeks back, and then I had a date with Adam, but neither really went anywhere…not helped by the fact that Adam really wasn't happy with me being bi."

Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? That was an issue for him?"

Ron rolled his eyes and said, "You'd be surprised how many people it really is an issue for. The women think that it means there's now 100 percent of the population that you'd cheat on them with, and the men don't like that you're not 'properly gay'. Sometimes I feel like saying to hell with the lot of them. My right hand's treated me better than any of them ever have!"

They both burst out laughing again and Harry shook his head as he said, "We're so bloody pathetic. At least we have each other eh?"

"Are you trying to depress me?"

"You could do a lot bloody worse than me, Ronald Weasley. Just think how thrilled your mother would be if you brought me home."

Ron blinked at him for a moment before he said, "I bring you home every weekend!"

"I've always thought the two of you would make a wonderful couple," said Fred as he joined them in the garden, George close on his heels. "Don't you think so?" he asked his twin.

George nodded and said, "Oh absolutely. I said it years ago, I've always been able to spot these things you know."

"You didn't know that Lee was gay and had a massive crush on you," Fred shot back and George nodded his head in concession, saying,

"Fair point. I can see it with these two a mile off though."

Fred nodded sagely as he and George both crossed their arms at the same time and studied the two men sitting in front of them. "Anyone with functioning eyes could see it. You two are made for each other."

Harry and Ron shared a look with one another, both clearly thinking that the twins had taken a severe knock to the head, and Harry looked back to them, saying, "Have you two been smoking that stuff that Charlie keeps bringing back with him from Romania?"

"Oh my dear Harry," George said dramatically, "one does not have to be under the influence of a narcotic to see what is right in front of one's nose."

"One is talking out of one's backside," said Ron. "Harry's my best mate, in case you two morons had forgotten."

"What better foundation for ever-lasting love than friendship?" Fred asked.

"Or, failing ever-lasting love, what better foundation for a hell of a shag?" George asked with a grin, narrowly dodging the empty bottles that both Harry and Ron flung his way.

"I can't believe you would say that!" Ron yelled as both Fred and George made hasty exits, chuckling merrily as they went.

There was silence for a moment before Ron turned to face Harry, looking a little uncomfortable as he said, "They were just winding us up. You know what people are like; two blokes that fancy other blokes and they automatically want to pair them up. Pay them no attention."

"I never do," Harry said affably, but he couldn't help but notice the slight atmosphere that clung to the air in the wake of the twins' ramblings. "They should focus on their own love lives before they start picking ours apart."

Ron nodded firmly and went to grab his beer, only to realise that he had chucked his bottle at his brother seconds before. He busied his hands instead by cracking his knuckles, and Harry winced as he said,

"I wish you wouldn't do that."

Ron grinned and said, "You sound just like Hermione when you say that."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, you're getting more like her you know. You fold your arms and frown like her sometimes."

"Stop talking rubbish."

"I'm serious It's quite sweet really, although a bit worrying; I love her but I don't need two of her."

"I am not getting like 'Mione!"

The good-natured bickering continued and the two men forgot what had been said mere moments before. Little did they know that what the twins said had been said many times before, although never to Ron and Harry's faces. It was a topic that was bandied around the Weasley family table whenever the two men were absent, and although Ron and Harry were unaware, there were several people who were rooting for them to pull their heads of their backsides and realise what was right in front of them.

"Where's 'Mione?" asked Ron as Harry led him into the sitting room of his flat.

"Not coming," Harry replied as he moved into the kitchen and fished a couple of beers from the fridge.

"Oh, why not?" Ron asked as he settled himself on the sofa, nodding his thanks as Harry handed him the bottle.

"She's working late, surprise surprise," Harry said, flopping down on the sofa beside Ron. "I swear, if she misses another movie night, I'm going to march to the Ministry and drag her out by the ear."

Ron smiled and said, "Come on, she's heading up her own department, there are going to be late hours involved."

"I know," Harry said with a sigh, "it just feels like we never see her anymore. Hell, with your hours, I'm lucky to see you."

"You're incredibly lucky to see me," Ron said with a grin. "I'm delightful company."

Harry rolled his eyes and indicating to the DVDs on the table, saying, "Shut up and pick one."

Harry leant back and watched as Ron picked up each case and read the back of it as he made his decision. Their Friday night movie night had been a standing appointment for a couple of years now, and Harry still enjoyed watching Ron's reactions to the films that they would watch.

The man was used to various muggle technologies now, especially as Harry's flat was equipped with most things that one would find in a standard muggle home, but occasionally they would watch a film that would make Ron's eyes go wide with disbelief and wonder, and Harry would watch his friend with a smile, enjoying the fact that he had been the one to introduce him to the experience.

"Stop trying to get me to watch Brokeback Mountain, I've already said no," said Ron, turning the DVD face-down to emphasise the point.

"Spoilsport. You'd like it if you gave it a chance."

"Just because Jake Whatshisname is a bit of alright doesn't mean I want to watch a film about gay cowboys. Now, this looks ok," he said, holding up The Matrix.

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "You're so bloody predictable. I knew you'd pick that one. Fine, Keanu wins then, but you have to promise me that you won't try and imitate all the fancy kung-fu moves they do. Last time, you broke my bloody lamp."

Ron grinned sheepishly and said, "Sorry mate, I get a little carried away sometimes."

"You don't have to tell me," said Harry, slipping the DVD in the player and turning the lights off, settling back on the sofa next to Ron.

As predicted, Ron couldn't help himself and imitated nearly every fancy move that he saw on screen, knocking Harry's glasses off twice and very nearly knocking a full bottle of beer all over Harry's new carpet. It was like watching with a very excitable five-year-old, but, as usual, Harry found himself fondly amused by his friend's antics than anything else.

"We need moves like that in the aurors. No more foolish wand-waving as Sev would say, just karate chop the buggers to the back of the neck and have done," said Ron, downing the remnants of his sixth beer.

"You really need to stop calling him 'Sev'," Harry told him, only on his fourth. He had never had the capacity for keeping up with Ron, or indeed any of the Weasley boys, where drinking was concerned.

"He loves it really."

"No he bloody doesn't. He's ready to hex your testicles off every single time you call him it. He hates nicknames, you know that."

"Look, if he wants to be a member of the Weasley family, then he's going to have to get used to nicknames. I would have thought that I was pretty decent in getting over the shock of him dating my brother, and welcoming him with open arms I might add. The least he can do is put up with a little teasing."

Harry smiled and said, "Well, if Severus doesn't hex you, Bill just might, and remember, he knows all sorts of dark and unusual curses that could make any number of parts of your anatomy fall off."

He pushed himself up from the sofa and grabbed the empty beer bottles, taking them into the kitchen and chucking them into the sink. Ron followed and leant against the doorframe, his arms folded as he said,

"It wouldn't really matter, it's not as though I'm using certain parts of my anatomy at the moment."

Harry wiped his hands on a tea towel and turned to face him with a smirk, saying, "If you're hoping I'll feel sorry for you then you're barking up the wrong tree mate. Mine's had even less use than yours."

"Are we having a competition to see whose sex life is more pathetic?" Ron asked and Harry gave an inelegant snort.

"The sad thing is, I don't know which of us would win."

"Or lose, depending on your point of view," Ron added with a grin.

There was silence for a moment and Harry turned his attention back to the kitchen, tidying up the remnants of the snacks and assortment of food he had put on for the evening, most of which Ron had made a sizeable dent in. He heard Ron make a strange collection of noises, ranging from sucking the air through his teeth to tapping out a wonky rhythm on the top of his thighs. He was used to all these noises from his friend, and ignored them as he began to load the dishwasher.

"You know," he heard the man say eventually, "perhaps the twins were on to something."

Harry turned back around to face him slowly and blinked a couple of times before he said, "You can't be serious."

Ron shrugged and said, "Why not?"

"Why not?" Harry echoed. "Because it's bloody ridiculous! You're my best mate, I'm not sleeping with you!"

Ron reached for a nearby breadstick and began twirling it between his fingers. "It seems like a pretty good idea to me. We're both hard up, what better solution to…give one another a hand," he finished with a grin and Harry laughed in spite of himself.

"That's got to be one of the worst things you've ever said. I'm erasing it from my memory, along with this conversation."

He went to move from the kitchen but Ron put an arm up, blocking his way. "I don't think you're giving this the consideration it deserves."

"You're damn right I'm not," Harry replied, folding his arms. "I am not giving this lunatic idea a moment of my brain power!"

"Just hear me out – we're two young, attractive blokes with no…physical outlets for relief at the moment." Harry rolled his eyes but Ron continued regardless, "We know each other and trust each other, we're both good-looking blokes, and if I say so myself, I'm pretty good in the sack!"

"But – "

"But what? Don't you think I'm attractive?"

"That's not the point!"

"So you do think I'm attractive?" Ron asked smugly.

Harry's cheeks flushed and he looked down at his shoes, muttering, "Well I've got eyes, haven't I? I've seen you with your clothes off often enough to know just what you're hiding underneath them." He looked back up to Ron and said, "Do you think I'm attractive?"

Ron smiled and said, "To use your own words, 'I've got eyes, haven't I'? You're bloody gorgeous Harry, I've always thought so."

Harry chewed his bottom lip and looked at Ron closely, then seemed to shake himself and say, "This is ridiculous!" He brushed past Ron's arm and moved back into the living room, turning to face him and saying, "Just because we both find each other attractive isn't enough for us to…to…"

"Have a bloody good time shagging each other's brains out?" Ron concluded for him with a smile that was entirely too innocent to accompany the words he had just used.

"We could ruin our friendship!" Harry protested.

"It's just sex! It doesn't have to be so serious! Look, neither of us seems to have the time or the inclination for a relationship at the moment but I don't see why that should be any reason why we have to live like monks. I'm not really one for picking up strangers in bars and I know you're not either. Don't you think having sex with someone you already care about is a good solution?"

Harry opened his mouth but swiftly closed it again, finding it difficult to argue with the logic of Ron's proposal, but perturbed by it nevertheless.

"How about this?" Ron said, moving a little closer. "One kiss, and if it's too weird then we forget about the idea and never mention it again."

Harry tapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he considered the suggestion. It wasn't as if he hadn't ever thought about kissing Ron; when he had first become aware of his sexuality it had largely been due to the fact that he'd begun to realise just how physically appealing his best friend was, and he'd imagined many times what it might be like to kiss him…and perhaps even go a little further.

Still, this was his best friend and he was wary of putting that in jeopardy for the sake of his libido. "One kiss," he said, holding up a finger for emphasis.

Ron's face split into a grin and he said, "I'll be gentle with you, promise."

"You're a dick."

"As if that's news to you." Ron moved closer and Harry felt a flutter of nerves assault him. Ron was attractive, there was no two ways about it, and there was also something powerful and confident about him, a sense that he was comfortable in his own skin, which had always appealed to Harry.

Ron slid his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him towards him, and Harry automatically placed his hands on Ron's shoulders, cursing the fact that he would never be as tall as the man. Ron lowered his head, and before Harry had the time to properly register the situation, their lips met. Ron's were softer than he would have imagined and his kiss was gentler than Harry thought it would be.

The arms that held him were strong and he pulled himself up against Ron's body, wanting more contact. Ron tightened his hold on him and the kiss deepened as their tongues met. It was more sensual than Harry would have thought Ron was capable of, soft and hard all at once, insistent yet controlled, and Harry could do little but respond in kind, feeling that their agreement of just one kiss was about to be breached.

He found that they had backed up across the room and that he was now being pressed between the wall and Ron's body, a position that he wasn't about to complain about. One of Ron's hands had moved beneath his shirt and was slowly teasing the skin above his hipbone and Harry moaned slightly as his own hand travelled up to twist in Ron's hair. He was hard and so was Ron, he could feel the man's length pressing against him and suddenly the idea of stopping what they were doing seemed utterly ludicrous.

"Bedroom," Harry murmured against Ron's lips.

Ron broke away and looked down at his friend, his blue eyes shining as he said, "Are you sure? I thought – "

"Bedroom," Harry said more firmly, tilting his hips to push himself against Ron.

"Yes sir," said Ron with a grin, taking Harry's hand and leading him into the bedroom. He pulled his shirt off over his head then wrenched Harry's off too, pulling him back into a hot kiss as he pressed their chests together, Harry revelling in the contact with the man's pale and firm torso.

Ron's hands went to Harry's belt, unbuckling it with a fumble that made them both laugh as Harry tried to do the same with Ron's and their hands got in the way of each other. Ron smacked Harry's hands out of the way and said,

"You're not helping you pillock."

"You know all the smooth words to get a guy into bed," Harry said with a chuckle as Ron unzipped his trousers then moved to divest himself of his own. Harry shuffled out of his jeans then pulled himself back up against Ron as the man chucked his trousers and boxers over into the corner of the room, crashing their lips together enthusiastically then pushing Ron back towards the bed.

They collapsed on it in a fit of laughter and Harry realised that he had never felt this comfortable in the bedroom with any person he had ever slept with before. He didn't feel self-conscious or embarrassed, he didn't care if things went perfectly or his stomach rumbled at an inopportune moment, he just wanted to carry on experiencing things and enjoying the moment.

He pulled Ron on top of himself and Ron grinned as he said, "Sorry, nearly kneed you in in the crown jewels there, that would have put an abrupt end to proceedings."

"Wouldn't be the first time, remember when we played rugby?"

"Mm, I loved getting to grope you," Ron replied as he leant down and began to attack Harry's throat, one hand snaking down over Harry's chest, travelling lower and lower until he reached the bulge in Harry's underwear. Harry arched upwards as Ron slid his hand underneath the fabric and wrapped it around Harry's straining erection.

Harry closed his eyes as Ron continued to press firm kisses to his neck and collarbone as his hand stroked him firmly. It was exactly how Harry liked it and of course he realised that Ron knew all of his preferences, as he knew all of Ron's; the two had talked at length about such things over the years, usually over too many beers and with many giggles along the way.

"Mm that's good," Harry murmured as Ron rolled his hand over the head of his cock.

"Want me to suck you?" Ron whispered in his ear, and a shiver went up his spine.

"Fuck yes," Harry breathed, and Ron smiled against his skin then began laying a trail of kisses over Harry's chest and down across his stomach. He pulled Harry's boxers down and chucked them on the floor as he positioned himself over Harry's crotch before leaning forward and engulfing Harry's cock in his warm mouth.

Harry wound a hand through Ron's hair as the man's head began to bob up and down, applying a delicious pressure with his hand as it worked in tandem with a mouth that had no business being as sensuous as it was. Ron's tongue worked over the head of his cock and Harry's gripped the hair beneath his fingers a little more firmly and he couldn't stop the groan that left his lips as one sure hand moved to cup his balls and roll them gently.

"Fucking hell," Harry murmured, "I always thought you were boasting when you said you were good at this."

Ron stopped his ministrations long enough to release Harry's prick and grin up at the man, saying, "It's not boasting if it's true. Besides, you can only be good at sucking cock if you enjoy it, and I really enjoy doing this."

"Well don't let me stop you," Harry said with a wicked smile. Ron didn't need telling twice, and dipped his head once again to take Harry all the way to the back of his throat, causing Harry to emit several breathy curses and throw his head back on the pillow as he enjoyed every second of Ron's attentions.

Harry managed to hold onto his senses enough to reach across and fumble in the draw of his nightstand, grabbing his trusty bottle of lube and chucking it down the bed towards Ron.

"Impatient," Ron chided, grabbing it nevertheless while he continued to move his mouth up and down, deepthroating him each time and making Harry's toes curl.

Harry loved the fact that they hadn't had to have the awkward conversation about who would top and who would bottom; he had been with so many people who had been reticent to top and he'd known that Ron had had several encounters with men who had fought him every step of the way for dominance. It felt natural to lie back and let Ron take control and he felt a delicious flutter of anticipation at the thought of having the man inside him.

Ron stopped what he was doing and opened the bottle, pouring a generous amount into his palm and slicking his fingers up liberally. He lowered his head once again to continue his attentions to Harry's prick while his fingers went to the man's entrance, stroking and coaxing until he finally insinuated two fingers inside. Harry bit down on his lip and pressed down against the fingers that breached him, overwhelmed with the sensation of the scissoring movements inside him coupled with Ron's skilled mouth on his cock.

He could honestly say that nothing had ever felt quite as good, and all his other sexual encounters paled in comparison somewhat to Ron's confident and sure attentions. Another finger was added and Harry felt as though he would lose his mind if Ron didn't stop teasing him soon.

Ron seemed to sense this, and he removed his fingers before pouring a little more lubricant into his hand and coating his waiting cock. Harry watched him eagerly. He was no stranger to the sight of Ron's naked body, the man had no problem with baring at all any given moment, and Harry was well aware that his friend possessed a beautiful prick, long and slim with a slight curvature towards the right. It stood proudly in a nest of red curls and Harry was determined that next time he would be the one to go down on Ron.

The thought that he was considering a next time threw him slightly, but he was sure that, as they both seemed to be enjoying it so much, this would not be the only time this happened.

Ron positioned himself back over Harry, leaning on his strong arms as he guided himself to Harry's entrance. He pushed forward, sheathing himself slightly as he leant down and captured Harry's lips in a bruising kiss before pushing all the way forward, burying himself fully in Harry's body.

"Fuck, you feel fantastic," Ron murmured as he began to move in and out in hard, firm thrusts. "This is how you like it?" he asked, and Harry tilted his hips and began to rock in time with Ron's movements.

"Just like that," Harry replied, amazed at how well they fit, how well their rhythms matched one another's. He wound his legs around Ron's waist, holding him in place, pulling him deeper and Ron let out a heartfelt moan, saying,

"Oh that's good."

"Mm," Harry murmured in agreement, tilting his chin up. Ron recognised the action and leant down to kiss Harry again as he continued to move in and out of the man. It was hot and hard, a kiss that intensified as Harry rolled his hips and Ron nudged against his prostate. Ron thrust in earnest and Harry began to clench his muscles deliberately around him, causing Ron to break the kiss and say breathlessly,

"Fucking hell Harry, no one's ever done that to me before. That's fucking brilliant."

Harry let out a chuckle as well as he was able to while he was still being thrust into heavily. "I always told you I was good in the sack too," he said, reaching up and pulling Ron back into a messy and intense kiss before Ron lowered his hand and wrapped it around Harry's weeping cock, pumping it hard several times before Harry came hard all over his hand, arching his body up and making delicious noises as he did so.

Ron broke the kiss and held himself up with both hands, meeting Harry's eyes as he thrust insistently into Harry's spent body, immensely aroused by the cloudy, sated look in his friend's eyes. He came silently but with several shuddering breaths, collapsing forward moments later, laying his head on the pillow next to Harry as he tried to bring his breathing under control.

"That was fucking brilliant," he said tiredly as he carefully withdrew from Harry's body, moving to lie down beside him. Harry murmured a cleaning charm and shifted to lie on his side, feeling absolutely shattered and muzzily content.

"It really was. I accept your proposal."

Ron raised an eyebrow and said, "What proposal?"

"To make this a standing arrangement. There's no way I'm not doing that again."

Ron grinned and said, "What about complicating our friendship?"

"Too late to think about that now, and if we're going to do something wrong, we may as well do it right."

Their arrangement continued for the next three months, and Harry had to admit, it was a bloody good one. Ron would come to his place in Hogsmeade or he would go to Ron's flat in London, the two tumbling into bed together and spending the night between the sheets.

It was immensely fun and Harry enjoyed finding new ways to please Ron, as well as finding out new things that made him groan with pleasure. They had tried more positions than Harry had ever done with another partner and he had trusted Ron enough to let him handcuff him to the bed once, blindfold and all, as he had teased and tormented him into one of the most intense orgasms of his life.

They had even switched top and bottom a couple of times and Ron had confided that it was the first time he had enjoyed being fucked, having had some rather terrible experiences with bottoming in the past. Harry had been pleased that he had managed to give him a positive experience with it, and while he had enjoyed himself too, he had to admit that nothing quite compared to having Ron inside him.

He kept waiting for it to feel weird, to feel awkward, but so far, it hadn't. Their friendship had continued as normal and it didn't feel strange when Harry went for Sunday lunch at the Burrow, or when they had movie night at Harry's flat with Hermione in tow. They chatted as they had always done, they complained about work and compared gossip on mutual friends, all the while enjoying the underlying sense of anticipation of what was to come at the end of the evening.

"Merlin Harry, that tongue of yours is going to be the death of me," Ron whispered as Harry knelt between his legs as he sat on the sofa, swiping and teasing with his tongue as he continued to issue another spectacular blowjob. "Oh fuck, fuck I'm going to come."

Harry didn't pull back and began to move in earnest, moving up and down and mercilessly increasing the pace of his movements. Moments later Ron released himself down the back of Harry's throat and Harry swallowed as Ron gripped his hair almost painfully.

"That was brilliant," Ron said with a grin as he sprawled back against the sofa, Harry moving to sit next to him, leaning over to place a quick peck to his lips. Ron tucked himself back into his jeans and slung an arm casually around Harry's shoulders. "Dinner's ruined you know," he said, and Harry chuckled.

"I know. Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Hey I'm not complaining. I'd rather have pizza and a blow-job than a fancy meal and my right hand."

"You wank with your left hand Ron, don't think I don't know these things."

"No secrets from you eh?"

"Not one," Harry said with a smile. "I know everything about you."

Ron gave a dramatic shudder and said, "There's a frightening thought."

Harry laughed and moved aside to let Ron get to the kitchen. He stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips and looked at the pots on the stove, all of which had bubbled over and were now dripping their way down the cooker. He took out his wand and vanished the lot, reaching for the takeaway menu and chucking it towards Harry.

"One day I will cook for you, I promise. I'm getting a lot better, Mum's quite proud of me."

"That's because you're the only one of her children that actually bothers. Gin exists on Chinese food and fish and chips, I'll never know how she stays so thin."

Ron sat back down on the sofa next to him and paused for a moment before he said, "So…Adam asked if I wanted to go out with him next Friday."

"Oh," Harry said, taken aback by the sudden mention of the man's name. "I thought that was dead in the water."

"Yeah so did I, but he said he wanted to give it another go. What do you think?"

Harry shrugged and said, "Not up to me, is it? What do you think?"

Ron tilted his head and said, "I don't know. I…um…I was wondering how you'd feel if I did go for a drink with him."

The question made Harry's stomach twist unpleasantly and he cursed himself for never seeing this coming. It was all well and good this 'friends with benefits' scenario, but neither of them had legislated for what would happen should the other find themselves interested in another party.

"Well," said Harry, not really wanting to face up to those thoughts now, "as I say, it isn't up to me. You do whatever you want."

"But…would you mind, if I did go?"

Harry forced a laugh and said, "I'm not your boyfriend, Ron, I'm just…just me. If you want to go for a drink with him then that's what you should do."

He turned his attention back to the takeaway menu, realising that eating was now the furthest thing from his mind. "You know what?" he said, laying the menu down on the table. "I think I might take off, I'm pretty tired, I think I might be coming down with something."

He got to his feet and Ron followed suit, saying, "Mate, don't go."

"No I think I should, I don't think I'll be much company if I'm not well. I'll see you at movie night…or not…if you decide to go out with Adam."

"Look I'll tell him that I'm not up for it if that's what you – "

"I've already said, this isn't about me. It's got nothing to do with me. We're just…messing around, you shouldn't let it stand in the way of…something else, something real."

"But – "

"I'll see you soon, keep your fingers crossed that I don't develop a stinking cold!"

Harry tried to grin, but he knew it had come out as a grimace. He apparated away, back to his flat, back to safety, away from the situation that had caused his palms to sweat and his skin to prickle.

Their brilliant arrangement that had been working so well until merely moments ago now seemed utterly ridiculous. He had done things with Ron that he'd never done with anyone else before and he'd enjoyed the feeling of sexual excitement coupled with the sense of comfy familiarity he felt at sharing something with someone who knew him so well, someone he trusted.

Now though he was left in a whirl of confusion. The idea of Ron going for a drink with Adam, or anyone for that matter, was one that didn't sit particularly well with him. He hated picturing them in some cosy corner of a pub somewhere, heads close as they talked and laughed and then…what? Then went back to Ron's place and…no. That was not a healthy thought to entertain.

Harry headed for the kitchen and retrieved a beer from the fridge, locating the bottle opener and wrenching the cap off, chucking it viciously in the sink and taking a couple of big gulps. He stood leaning against the work surface, staring out of the kitchen into the dark, empty living room, reflecting that this was not how he had imagined his evening ending.

He had taken to sleeping over at Ron's flat, as Ron had taken to staying at his. It just made sense after a particularly energetic session to collapse next to each other and fall asleep. He wasn't even bothered by Ron's snoring, having spent seven years listening to it as they shared a dorm. He liked falling asleep next to Ron, liked it even more when they would wake up and indulge in a little morning sex to pick themselves up before the day ahead.

Harry shook his head, furious with himself for letting this happen. They never should have fallen into bed with each other in the first place, it was a ridiculous idea. He knew he wasn't good at having sex without emotion and there was already a mountain of emotion where Ron was concerned.

He adored the man, always had done. He loved his sense of humour, his affable personality, his way of seeing a problem from an angle that no one had ever thought to look from before. He hated the way he cracked his knuckles, how he could be so unbelievably stubborn and, at times, pig-headed, and he hated how he always knew what Harry was thinking, even when he himself hadn't figured it out.

All these things conspired to make Ron one of Harry's favourite people in the whole world, indeed 'the thing he would miss most', and now he was in danger of having wrecked the relationship that had been the most precious of his life.

Without Ron, he wouldn't have the family that he now had, a mother and father and six honourary siblings who had always treated him as one of the bunch. He would never have experienced what it felt like to have someone who stood by your side through the good times and the bad, who listened when he complained and celebrated every victory, no matter how big or small.

And now what? What were they now? It was a question he couldn't answer and he hated the fact, feeling as though he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked as she unwound the scarf from her neck and shifted out of her coat.

"I…don't think he's coming. I think he's got a date," Harry said, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione frowned and folded her arms, saying, "That seems kind of unlikely when he's been sleeping with you for the last three months."

Harry's head shot up and he was about to ask her how the hell she could possibly know that, when she rolled her eyes and said, "Harry, I know the two of you better than anyone else in the whole world, did you really think I wouldn't be able to see what was going on right in front of my own eyes?"

"I think we've really messed up 'Mione," he said quietly, throwing himself down onto the sofa and raking a hand through his hair.

"I'm sure that's not true," she said gently, taking a seat next to him.

"It is," Harry insisted. "We should never have slept together in the first place. It was a stupid idea."

"Because now it's more than that?"

"Yes. No. I don't know," Harry said with a heavy sigh. "It was going so well, we were having such a good time together, but then he said he'd been asked out for a drink and it just…really got to me. It's stupid, I mean we were just messing around, it was just sex."

"How could it be 'just sex' with someone you already had such a strong connection with?"

"That's just it, isn't it? That's what makes this such a monumental mistake."

"Do you have feelings for him?" Hermione asked gently.

Harry let his head fall forward into hands and he groaned loudly, saying, "Of course I do. I've always had feelings for him…even if those feelings were just friendship. That's what makes this so bloody complicated. It wasn't just another guy, some bloke I met in the pub. This is Ron! How could I have possibly thought that bringing sex into the equation wasn't going to complicate things?"

He shook his head and looked up at Hermione, suddenly furious with himself. "If I lose him, I'll never forgive myself."

"You won't lose him," Hermione said with a smile. "He thinks the world of you."

"Things will never be the same between us again," Harry said exasperatedly.

"No, they probably won't be," Hermione said, tapping a finger against her lips thoughtfully, "but they might be better."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Well," Hermione said measuredly, "you absolutely adore one another and obviously the sex was good or you wouldn't have been at it like rabbits for the last three months. Why can't it be more than just sex?"

Harry blinked at her, utterly blindsided by the suggestion she was making. "You mean…you mean a relationship?" he asked, the idea hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"Why not? You spend more time with him than anyone else anyway, you trust him, you fancy him, you know all the little things about each other that most long-term couples do and you lived with him for seven years. I've never met two people better suited to one another."

Harry continued to stare at her, unable to find fault with her reasoning but feeling as though the rug had been pulled out from underneath him. Hermione took pity on him and reached across to pat his shoulder, saying, "You don't have to decide anything now, it's just something to think about. Shall we put the film on?"

The evening passed by in a blur, Harry was unable to concentrate on anything besides the idea that Hermione had planted in his brain, and he sat there, staring at the screen but taking nothing in as he pondered her suggestion.

There were a thousand reasons why a relationship would never work between him and Ron…but then…there were also a thousand reasons why it would. He loved the man probably more than he loved anyone on the planet, but he had always thought it was just a platonic sort of love, now though, he wasn't so sure.

Ron knew everything about him, as he knew everything about Ron. He knew how to make the man a perfect cup of tea, he knew just what to say to cheer him up after a difficult day at work, he knew that the expanse of skin just beneath Ron's ribcage was the most sensitive spot on his body and that he could make the man shiver in delight by teasing it with his lips.

The idea of being in a relationship with him was absolutely terrifying, but also rather thrilling. The one major obstacle of course was that Harry had no idea how Ron might feel about it, and the fact that he was at that very moment on a date with someone else, didn't exactly bode well.

He bade Hermione goodnight, apologising for being rotten company and was straightening up the living room when he heard a knock at the door. Spotting Hermione's scarf slung over the armchair, he realised that she must have come back for it. He grabbed it and headed to the front door, opening it and saying,

"You always forget someth – " He stopped in his tracks as he realised that it was not Hermione standing waiting to be let in, but Ron. "I thought you were Hermione," he said.

"Sorry, still me the last time I checked. Can I come in?"

"Oh…yeah, sure," Harry said, stepping aside as Ron moved past him into the living room. Harry followed, chucking the scarf back onto the armchair and stuffing his hands in his pockets, saying, "I thought you were on a date?"

Ron rubbed at the back of his neck and said, "I was…well I was until I left early."

"Didn't go well?" Harry asked, stamping down on the hopeful feeling that was trying its best to flutter to the surface.

Ron shook his head. "Not really. I um…I didn't really want to be there if I'm honest."

"Then why did you go?" Harry asked with a frown.

Ron took a deep breath and mirrored Harry, stuffing his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders up to his ears. "Because you didn't tell me not to," he said, looking deeply uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, confused.

"You didn't tell me not to," Ron repeated. "I asked if you minded and I was…I was hoping you'd say that you did, that you'd tell me not go out with him."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to go out with him! I wanted you to…to tell me that you didn't want me seeing him, that you didn't want me seeing anyone, but you said it had nothing to do with you and…I thought you didn't care."

"Didn't care?" Harry echoed. "Even you're not that dense."

"You said that we were just messing around! You made out like you weren't bothered!"

"Well what was I going to do, Ron?" Harry asked exasperatedly. "I could hardly say that the thought of you going out on a date with someone else made me sick to my stomach, could I? I couldn't put my neck on the line like that, not when I didn't know how you felt, when I thought that it was just sex to you."

"Harry," Ron said in a voice so soft that it took Harry by surprise, "you must have known that it wasn't just sex." He moved a little closer and Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. "I have never let anyone stay over at my flat, I've never slept with someone and woken up next to them the next morning. Kissing you, hugging you…it all felt so natural, so easy. I got to do all the things that normally scare the crap out of me, and I got to do them with my best friend."

Harry tried very hard to suppress the smile that was trying to break out on his lips, but he was fighting a losing battle. "What are you saying then?" he asked, and Ron moved closer still.

"I'm saying…that I don't want this to stop. I want to carry on doing exactly what we were doing, because it was fucking brilliant. The only change I want us to make is to acknowledge the fact that it isn't just sex."

Harry wasn't feeling generous enough to let Ron get away with avoiding saying what he needed to hear, and he smiled up at the man as he said, "If it isn't just sex, what will it be?"

Ron returned the smile and slid his hands around Harry's waist, saying, "Sounds to me like all the trappings of a relationship. That ok with you?"

Harry grinned and looped his arms around Ron's neck. "I can live with that."

Harry was washing up the dinner plates in the kitchen at the Burrow when he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and a chin come to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you going to come in the living room?" Ron asked as he began to place featherlight kisses to Harry's neck.

"I'm just finishing up," Harry said, inclining his head to allow Ron to worry the patch of skin behind his ear that always gave him goosebumps.

"Leave it for the minute, I want to go and make our announcement," Ron murmured as he pressed himself more firmly against Harry's back.

Harry laughed and said, "If you keep feeling me up in broad daylight we won't need to make an announcement."

"Mm, I can't help myself, it's not easy to keep my hands off you," Ron said, emphasising the point by letting his hand travel downwards to cup Harry through his trousers.

"Stop it!" Harry said, only half meaning it. "I can't go and face the entire family with a boner thank you very much."

"I could take care of it for you," Ron whispered as he continued to move his palm in sure circles across the fabric of Harry's trousers.

Harry batted Ron's hands away and turned around in his arms, fixing him with an amused glare and saying, "Your libido will be the death of you."

Ron shook his head and said, "You'll be the death of me. I'm only human, I can't resist you."

"Fool," Harry said, leaning forward to meet Ron's lips in a sweet and deliciously familiar kiss. "Now come on, before we're caught. If you behave now I promise I'll make it worth your while later."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Ron said in a low whisper, giving Harry's backside a playful swat before they disentangled themselves and walked back into the living room, Harry sharing a conspiratorial grin with Hermione as they did so.

Ron took a seat in the squashy old armchair that had been re-upholstered twenty or more times over the years, and Harry perched on the arm, both men waiting for a lull in the conversation before Ron cleared his throat and said,

"Guys, what would everyone think if I was to bring my boyfriend home to meet you all?"

"Boyfriend?" asked Ginny in surprise. "Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

"Well…we've been going out for a while now actually, but I wanted to introduce you because we'll be moving in together soon and I wanted you to meet him first."

"You're moving in together?" Molly asked, her face a picture of surprise, happiness and consternation all mixed together.

Ron nodded and Arthur leant forward in his chair to say, "Is that not a bit soon, Ron? I mean, if we haven't met this person yet, it must still be fairly early days, are you sure you're not rushing things?"

Ron tried very hard to fight his grin and tried even harder not to look across at Harry, who was fighting his own battle to keep his expression neutral. "Well," said Ron, looking down at his fingernails, trying to appear casual, "you have met him actually."

"We have?" asked Molly in surprise.

"Mm," said Ron, glancing around at all the faces that were looking at him with interest. "You know him really well as a matter of fact, and I can say with a fair amount of confidence that you think he's a wonderful bloke."

Over in the corner of the room the twins had obviously cottoned on and were grinning from ear to ear, but the rest of the room, barring Hermione, clearly were a little slower on the uptake. Taking pity on them, Ron reached up and laced his hand through Harry's and the two men grinned at the screams of surprise and joy that erupted throughout the entire room.

Molly and Arthur sprang into action and pulled them both into bone-crushing hugs, which were soon followed by every other person following suit and doing the same thing. Everyone was genuinely thrilled by the news and Molly was beside herself with joy, her eyes filling up with tears as she declared that it was the best news she had heard all year, swiftly apologising to Charlie's wife who was pregnant with their second child.

It was many hours later when Harry and Ron lay side by side in bed together that Ron propped himself up on one elbow and ran a hand over Harry's chest, saying, "Are you ready for me to move in here next week?"

Harry laughed and said, "You're here all the bloody time anyway, I'm not going to notice the difference."

"You're such a shameless romantic, love," Ron told him with a grin as he leant down to kiss him.

"I've learnt from the best," Harry replied, pressing his body up against Ron's, feeling himself harden instantly. "Mm, think you can manage another round?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"What are you going to do when we're old fogies and we have to go days between sex, never mind hours?"

Harry smiled and said, "I'm sure we'll manage."

AN: I absolutely adored writing these two, I hope you enjoyed it too. Please leave a review and let me know.