NON-MAGICAL AU

TILL THERE WAS YOU

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Draco rolled onto his back and stared into the darkness as Blaise slept next to him. It had been a strange night: they'd started it with a fight, and it had quickly escalated into sex. It wasn't like he had a problem with that, neither did Blaise, but he couldn't help but wonder how and why they'd actually worked.

What bothered Draco the most was the fact Blaise never wanted to get together, unless Draco asked. And a bit of snuggling at night? Blaise would never initiate it. Draco didn't mind that either, because when he would initiate, Blaise always reciprocated. He just wasn't the cuddling type, Draco told himself, and it was okay.

That's what Draco did all the time, didn't he? Thinking everything was okay.

Blaise was his and Draco belonged to Blaise, and that was what really mattered. They'd been dating on and off since they were sixteen until last year when Draco had given him the ultimatum. He wanted a commitment or he was moving to France to be closer to his family. He was a writer, and he could work from anywhere. However, long distance relationships weren't his forte.

At first, Blaise had thought Draco was bluffing. But when he'd bought a one way ticket to Paris and nearly packed up his flat, Blaise had come crawling, begging him to stay.

And then there was the matter of one Ron Weasley. An outspoken ginger with more freckles on his face than Draco thought was possible, and still happened to find it cute. Weasley, as Blaise liked to call him, was quirky and had silly little habits he performed when he thought no one was looking. He was also the most patient person Draco had ever come across. One had to be if they were Blaise Zabini's PA.

So, maybe Draco was attracted to the quirky, weird, ginger PA. Still, it wasn't just he was attracted to Ron—it was that Ron always managed to say or do something unnerving to him.

"He doesn't deserve you," Ron had said a few weeks before when he handed Draco a cup of coffee as they waited for Blaise to get dressed for a charity gala.

"What makes you say that?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and sipping the café mocha Ron had brought him. Ron had been working for Blaise for six months, and he knew how Draco liked all of Draco's drinks; not just Blaise's. He knew what everyone in the office liked to drink and would bring in cakes and pastries every Friday for no apparent reason. He'd even gone as far as telling everyone it'd been Blaise's idea so no one would give him too much attention for it. Still, everyone knew Blaise didn't give a rat's arse about someone unless he needed something directly from them. His officemates pretended not to know but Lavender and Padma both told Draco they were aware of the truth. They even fancied Ron a bit but since he was gay, it was evident they had no chance.

"Just…" Ron paused, looking unsure of himself.

"Oh, just spit it out, Weasley," Draco said. "I won't tell him you said anything." Ron raised an eyebrow at that. As if what Draco had said was supposed to scare him. As if Ron was afraid of Blaise, which he was not.

Ron shrugged before he continued, "He doesn't look at you the way you look at him." He'd said it so casually and Draco didn't know what to do with himself. "The way my brother looks at Harry, or the way Harry misses Charlie when he's not around."

And since that night, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. Draco began distancing himself from Blaise, and it was as though Blaise hadn't even noticed.

Blaise asked Draco out for dinner and Draco feigned illness. Instead of staying at home with him, as Draco would have done if it were the other way around, Blaise went out with his friends anyway. If he said he wasn't in the mood, Blaise would just roll over and find an excuse to go home. Draco was beginning to find himself lost in his own relationship. He'd never felt so lonely.

Eventually, Draco gave in and began behaving like his old self around Blaise again. Still, he couldn't help but hate himself for being so dependent on Blaise's love.

Now, Draco always lay awake in the dark, listening to Blaise breathe, and thinking of what sort of coffee Ron preferred.

=0=0=0=

Draco had just returned from a trip to Brussels he'd taken without Blaise when Ron broke the news. Draco had gone to visit his old professor. He had thought some distance away from everyone would be good for him. He wanted to have the time to think about his relationship with Blaise, and his apparent, unbanishable crush on Ron Weasley.

"I am leaving," Ron told Draco when he'd stopped by the office to take Blaise to lunch.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Draco asked him; he felt his knees wobble and the floor shake slightly. He'd only been working for Blaise for less than a year; surely, Blaise wasn't that horrible of a boss that Ron already wanted to resign.

"I've taken an offer with Nott Designs," Ron answered without looking up and continued filing the last bit of loose papers on his desk. "I've got to catch up on finishing up my instructions for my replacement—"

"Theo's company?" Draco asked and Ron simply nodded. "With Harry Potter? Your brother's boyfriend."

"And my best friend," Ron said, again, without looking up.

Theodore Nott and Blaise were close in Uni but they never saw eye to eye when it came to making business decisions, so they'd decided to separate and venture out on their own. Draco had no idea Harry Potter was business partners with Theo, nor did he know that he was best friends with Ron. Short of his relationship with Blaise, Draco spent most of his time with other writer friends and didn't mingle with the business world elite. Evidently, it was a small world.

"The pay is better and I wouldn't have to deal with…" Ron hesitated and returned to his work.

"Pay?" Draco asked, trying not to sound accusatory. "I'm sure whatever they're offering, Blaise must have made a counter offer. He wouldn't want to lose you."

Ron shook his head, as if Draco was just so thick. "Like I said—"

"Deal with what?" Draco asked. Short of wanting to work with your best friend, Draco didn't understand why Ron would want to leave. He knew that despite everything else, Blaise made sure all his employees were well compensated and comfortable.

Ron sighed. "Nothing."

Blaise came out of his office and looked at Draco and Ron. "Ready?" he asked Draco, who nodded. Then Blaise turned to Ron. "Weasley, really, thank you for everything you've done these past few months, and I can only hope the new hire will be half as good as you."

Ron smiled and shook Blaise's hand.

=0=0=0=

"I'll miss him," Draco told Blaise as they took a seat at the café around the corner for a quick bite. He was still rattled by the news. After lunch, when Draco would go back to the office with Blaise, Ron wouldn't be there anymore. He didn't know how he'd react to that.

Blaise exhaled sharply. "I won't." He looked determinedly at the menu as though he wanted the matter closed.

Draco looked at him, feeling confused. "Why? You just thanked him for all his hard work." He placed his menu on the table and stared at Blaise, expecting an answer. It wasn't like Blaise to be nice to someone to their face and speak ill of them behind their back.

"Yeah, but I didn't like the way he looked at you," Blaise answered; eyes still fixed on the menu.

Why was everyone avoiding eye contact with him today?

"How did he look at me?" Draco found Blaise's comment intriguing. Not long ago, Ron had said something about the way Blaise looked at Draco, and now Blaise was saying almost the same thing. Did Draco just not notice how everyone looked at him?

"The way you look at me." Blaise turned his gaze away from the menu and towards Draco. "I know that you consider him to be a friend of yours or something...I don't know why. I mean, he was just my PA. But I know he cared for you. More than it was professional. More than it was appropriate. I didn't try to get him to stay when he gave me the notice. I had hoped that he'd be gone before you returned from your trip. I didn't want you to find out—"

Draco's breath hitched and his heart started to beat rapidly. It seemed that his supposed innocent, unbanishable crush on Ron Weasley wasn't all that one-sided. Is that why he wanted to leave? He didn't want to see Draco with Blaise because he cared for him?

If Draco was honest with himself, he'd noticed the way Ron looked at him. He'd also chosen to ignore those looks because, if anything, Draco was technically with Blaise. If he were going to pursue anything with anyone, let alone Blaise's employee, he'd have to call things off with Blaise first. That much he'd determined while he was on his trip away. Maybe it was time to finalise everything.

"Why do you look so upset?" Blaise asked, pulling Draco out of his own thoughts. "You can't be that troubled about it. I mean, how would you react if there was someone in the office that was ogling me all day?"

"Right," Draco said, looking around the room and thinking over his decision. This was the same restaurant they'd been coming to for ages. Suddenly, he just didn't want to be there anymore. He didn't want to be anywhere near Blaise.

Draco immediately stood up from his chair, almost toppling it over.

"What are you doing?" Blaise asked, looking startled. The waiter had just arrived at their table; he gave them one look and immediately walked away.

"I'm sorry, Blaise…but Ron isn't the only one leaving," Draco answered, and he put his jacket on. "I know that this is not the way it should be done. And, you deserve a lot better than this but...I have to go and do something."

"What do you mean?" Blaise looked confused, and went to stand up as well.

"No, don't…" Draco said, gesturing for Blaise to stay where he was. "I'm sorry but I'm leaving."

The look of panic flashed on Blaise's face and Draco knew what he was doing was probably not the right thing, but he also knew that Blaise was going to get over it. "Draco, I don't understand—"

"I know, and that's the problem," he said and smiled softly. He didn't wish any hurt upon Blaise, but he had to do this. He had to do this now. "I'll need to come by later and pick up my things from your flat."

"Draco—"

"Think about it, Blaise. You know that we've been over for a very long time." He didn't wait for a response; he turned away from the table and sprinted towards the exit door.

=0=0=0=

Draco was determined to make it to Blaise's office before Ron would have a chance to leave. He was too late, though: Ron was getting into a taxi.

"Ron!" Draco screamed after him, but it didn't work. Ron was already in the car, and it had sped off. Draco ran after the cab, almost getting hit by a biker, but he didn't stop. He screamed Ron's name repeatedly.

Eventually, the car stopped at a red light, and Draco saw Ron turn to look at him. Draco figured the cab driver must have tipped him off. Ron got out of the car, looking shocked to see him. The cars around honked and Ron gestured Draco to hurry up and get into the taxi with him, so Draco did.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked as the car door closed behind Draco and the driver continued driving.

"I don't know," Draco answered, trying to catch his breath. "I haven't run like this since my college days." Not really knowing why he was in the cab, or why he'd chosen to run like that, Draco avoided making eye-contact with Ron. He focused his gaze on Ron's hands that were settled on Draco's knee.

Ron's hands.

On Draco's knee.

Finally, he chanced a glance at Ron's face. His blue eyes were wide, and when Draco looked down at Ron's mouth, Ron licked his lips. Bloody hell, Weasley was going to be the death of him.

"Where's Blaise?" Ron asked, giving Draco a once-over and wiping the bit of sweat off Draco's forehead with his handkerchief.

"I don't know…back at the restaurant, I reckon," Draco answered, grinning at Ron.

"You're absolutely mental. Why did you run to catch me?" Ron stared intently at Draco, his hand still on Draco's cheek; Draco slightly leaned into the touch. His hand was cool yet it burned Draco's skin. He wanted nothing more than those hands on every part of his body, touching him, feeling him everywhere.

Finally, when Ron let go of Draco's face, Draco made his move. He grabbed the back of Ron's neck and pulled him close. He tentatively placed a kiss on Ron's lips and waited for Ron to kiss him back.

It took a moment, a very long moment, but he finally kissed Draco back.

"This is why I ran after the taxi. After you," Draco said, pulling away. Now, he wasn't so scared to look into Ron's eyes.

"You're with—"

"No, I'm not."

"But—"

"I've been an idiot," Draco said, grabbing Ron's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Blaise and I were over long before you came into the picture, and I thought I was going crazy because of the way I felt about you. I realised losing you...was a lot worse than losing Blaise as a boyfriend. I made any excuse possible to go by Blaise's office and it was to see you. To know that you weren't going to be there anymore...I had no reason to stay."

"He was going to ask you to marry him," Ron said, looking at their hands.

"What?" Draco asked, confused. Did he just hear...what he thought he'd just heard.

"That's why I couldn't stay," Ron said, looking up. "I couldn't stay there and watch you marry him. I'd probably be helping with the planning, and well..."

Draco didn't know what to say. Now, he was glad that at least Ron did something about it so Draco wouldn't have to be asked the question. God, what if he was going to propose at the restaurant where I just broke up with him?

"I—"

"Yeah," Ron said before Draco could finish his sentence and kissed him again.

"Sorry to break up the lovefest, boys, but we're here," the taxi driver said, stopping the car outside a building Draco had never seen before.

"Where are we?" Draco asked, looking outside the window. He'd never been to this part of town before.

"My flat," Ron answered, trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile.

"Oh," Draco said, feeling a smile creep up on his lips. "Am I invited up?"

Ron nodded frantically, and after he paid the fare, the two of them left the taxi with each holding a box each of Ron's things.

When they entered Ron's flat, Draco looked around. Judging by the state of things, Ron didn't live alone. It hit Draco then how little he knew about Ron compared to how much Ron knew about him.

"Do you have a flatmate?"

"Yeah. She's at work probably. I'm supposed to meet her and some other friends for drinks later on." Ron placed the box he'd brought in on the floor near the kitchen door and grabbed Draco's box and did the same. "Thanks for the help." He smiled at Draco and motioned towards the kitchen.

As Draco followed him in, he watched Ron who was pacing around. He ran a hand through the back of his hair and sighed deeply. He was nervous. "Can I get you anything? Coffee, or are you hungry? I know you were at lunch but I reckon you didn't eat anything and—"

Draco didn't give Ron a chance to finish his question, but claimed his lips again as he pushed him against the counter. He didn't want coffee or something to eat. He wanted Ron.

Ron responded by wrapping his arms around Draco's waist and pulling him closer. As Draco pushed into him more with his hips, Ron only reacted favourably in return. Draco moaned into Ron's mouth, biting his lower lip as Ron's hands travelled under Draco's shirt, his fingernails digging into his skin.

"If we don't stop now..." Ron said, as he continued to kiss Draco, first his mouth then leaving a trail of kisses down his neck, "...I'm afraid I won't be able to stop at all."

"We should probably not jump into bed right off the bat," Draco said, still, he didn't stop rubbing his hands up and down Ron's hips and he itched to explore him more.

"Bed sounds so good right now," Ron said as he pulled Draco's shirt, over his head, and then threw it on the floor.

"Against the kitchen counter works, too," Draco said, starting to unbuckle Ron's belt with one hand and rubbing his other hand against his groin.

"I can't believe I have you here. God, Dra—"

Whatever Ron was about to say was cut off by the loud noise of someone clearing their throat. Ron immediately stopped, and Draco panicked based on the expression on Ron's face. He turned around to look in the same direction Ron was staring and found a woman wearing a dark brown suit, with dark brown hair tied up in a bun, and arms crossed against her chest.

"I thought most people steal a stapler when they quit their job, not a blond sex toy," she said, looking amused, but her voice was still stern.

"Hey, 'Mione. You're home early," Ron said and Draco heard him shuffle about—most likely fixing his trousers and buckling up his belt, no doubt.

"I thought we had a no-sex in the common room area rule, Ron."

Ron released an exasperated sigh. "That was one time—" He looked at Draco, "It was one time, and it was three years ago."

Draco smiled at Ron's flustered demeanour and bent down to grab his shirt. He put it on before he turned to look at the woman again. Clearly, the flatmate.

"Hi. I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she almost took a step back. "Really? The Draco Malfoy?" she said.

"Hermione, don't—" Ron started to say.

"I...didn't know I was famous."

"Oh, you're famous all right." She crossed the room and came up to Draco to shake his hand. "Wait..." she took her hand briefly away. "Do you need to wash that first? I wouldn't want to touch something that's touched Ron's privates."

"That's rich coming from you," Ron retorted.

"Don't mind him. He was my first love. My first boyfriend," she said rolling her eyes.

"You were?" Draco asked, surprised. He wasn't sure if he'd just walked into a dream that was quickly turning into a nightmare.

"We were twelve," Ron said, his tone full of disdain. "I don't even know why I still live with you. You really need to stop telling people that. And it was for about twelve minutes until I caught you snogging Millicent Bulstrode before PE."

"You know Millicent?" Draco asked, now utterly confused. He truly had no idea now what he'd just got himself into. "She's my best friend's ex-girlfriend."

"Hmm," Hermione said thoughtfully before she placed her hand on Draco's shoulder. "Seems we have a lot in common, then." She squeezed his shoulder lightly and then gave Ron a long and meaningful look that must have meant something—which Draco had no idea what, of course. "I'll tell the group that you have a plus one, then?"

Ron parted his lips to say something but looked as though he was lost for words. "Uhm—may—I mean—"

"Brilliant," she said, looking delighted. "I think I'm going to like you, Draco Malfoy. Your presence seems to shut him up. Over a decade of friendship and I couldn't find the off button."

Ron sighed, looking thoroughly annoyed before he grabbed Draco's hand and started to lead him out of the kitchen. "Let's go," he said and Draco allowed himself to be dragged away.

"It was nice meeting you...I think," Draco said and before he knew it, he was in Ron's bedroom with the door closed.

"Why am I famous?" Draco asked as he stared at the closed door for a few long seconds before turning around to take in the rest of the room. It was small; half the size of Blaise's bedroom but encompassing twice the warmth. It looked like the room belonged to someone that had memories, passions, and other interests than just work, work, and work.

He loved it.

"Yeah...about that—"

"Oh, and did I get invited to drinks with your friends?" Draco asked, walking up to the dresser in the corner of the room. He picked up an orange scarf with the letter "R" embroidered on it. Draco had half a mind to bring it to his face and take in a whiff but he resisted.

"If you'd like," Ron said, coming up behind Draco and taking the scarf from his hands. He wrapped it around Draco's neck and smiled. "Orange looks good on you."

"Please!" Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It clashes with my ridiculously pale skin. I can't imagine this colour looking good on anyone."

"Well, I think it does," Ron said, turning him around so he could look in the mirror and then wrapped his arms around Draco's waist.

Draco watched them together in the mirror. He had to admit that they looked good. Or maybe he was just seeing too much orange and was becoming delusional. He started to wonder what they were now: were they going to be a couple? Is that what Ron wanted? Is that what Draco wanted? All he knew was that he couldn't handle never being able to see Ron again. Maybe that meant it was love...or at least...infatuation.

"So what do you think?" Ron asked.

"Huh? About what?" Draco asked, shaking his head to get himself out of his strange funk and looked at Ron in the mirror. Ron still had his arms wrapped around him and Draco leaned back into him. He couldn't remember the last time Blaise had held him like this; the last time he and Blaise had a quiet moment to simply enjoy each other.

"Going out with my friends. Meeting them for drinks," Ron said. "I'm sure Hermione's probably messaged all of them that you're here and it'll only be a matter of time—"

"Your friends know...about me?" Draco immediately turned around to look at Ron. "What did you tell them?"

Ron laughed softly before he kissed Draco's cheek. "They know that I like you," he said and kissed Draco's jaw. "That I haven't seen anyone since I saw you." He tilted Draco's face so he could kiss him just below his ear. Draco shivered then. "Ah, seems that I've found your soft spot."

He kissed Draco at the exact spot again and Draco nearly melted into Ron's arms. Still he managed to speak, "What do you mean you haven't seen—"

"I stopped going out on the pull after I met you. After you and I talked and I realised that I...well..." He looked into Draco's eyes and bit his lower lip. "Maybe fell for you?"

"Is that a question?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ron shrugged before he kissed Draco again. "No, I guess not. It's not a question that I resigned the moment I found out you were going to marry him."

"I was never going to marry him," Draco said.

"Maybe. But I told you, the way you looked at him—I hated that. I had no right, and I was so jealous."

"About that..." Draco drawled as he pushed on Ron's shoulders until he started to move backwards. The back of Ron's legs hit his bed and he sat down. Draco sat down next to him. "Blaise said something to me today that was kind of strange..."

"Okay."

"He said that you look at me the same way I looked at him," Draco said.

"Oh..." Ron said, and Draco watched as Ron's cheeks flushed. "He said that?"

"Yeah. Is that...is that the way I look at you, too?"

Ron chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No, that's not how you look at me."

"Was it the way Blaise looked at me?" Draco asked, confused. If Draco looked at Ron the way Blaise looked at Draco and according to Ron that was unacceptable, there was no way that was a good thing.

"No. You don't look at me like that," Ron said, sounding relieved. "Blaise took you for granted. It was so obvious. His face never lit up when he saw you. He never seemed to care about your feelings when he spoke and he certainly didn't care if he pissed you off. I saw the times you would walk away from him and he'd just know that you'd come back. I fucking hated that."

"Oh," Draco said and when Ron caught his gaze again, his eyes softened. "I guess that's a relief."

Ron held Draco by his shoulders and pushed him back on the bed. Draco went willingly. Next, he climbed on top of Draco, his legs on either side of Draco's body as he started to rock back and forth.

"Then how... how do I look at you?" Draco asked, struggling for breath.

Ron grabbed the bottom of Draco's shirt, and then pulled it over his head again. Draco's arms came around and grasped his hips.

"You look at me like I'm something you're trying to figure out. As if I'm a puzzle and you just want to know... Every morning I saw you, you just looked like you wanted to find the right words to say to me and you tried to make me laugh or say something interesting. It made me feel...important. I don't know. Maybe, it's all in my head—"

"No," Draco said hurriedly. "I wanted you to like me. I mean, in the beginning, I had this intense desire for you to find me interesting and wanted you to think about me when I wasn't there. I can't explain it."

"I did though," Ron said, bending down to kiss him and Draco took the opportunity to get a hold of Ron's shirt and pulled it up to take it off. "I thought about you every day," Ron continued, "I tried to find reasons to call you from the office."

Draco grabbed Ron by the back of his neck and kissed him again. This time, they didn't stop kissing to talk in between. They were finally in Ron's bed and Draco was going to take full advantage of that.

Draco could feel that Ron was resisting. Maybe he was scared to take it too far. "You don't have to think about me anymore, I'm here," Draco said and he wrapped one leg around Ron and pulled him close.

"But...will you stay?"

Watching Ron's expression with great interest, seeing the vulnerability there, which was practically vibrating off him, made Draco realise that this was the way he always wanted someone to look at him. He was just so in awe at the fact that he had this weird control over Ron. It was no wonder Blaise took him for granted—if Draco behaved like this around him. But, he wasn't going to be like this with Ron. No, he'd be better because Ron deserved better. And so did Draco. Draco deserved this.

"For as long as you'll want me," he said and smiled. He hoped for Ron, it'd be forever.

END - THANKS FOR READING