Title: Lovesick
Relationship: Hermione/Bill
Genre: Humor/Romance
Rating: K+
Word Count: 713
Summary: Bill really just needs a little motivation to go after what he wants…

Lovesick

-Ficlet-

This was stupid.

He paced, back and forth, his form tense and aggravated. He hadn't chewed on his nails since he was a little kid but he gnawed at them vigorously now.

"You're ruining mum's new carpet," Charlie told him breezily.

"Shove it."

His younger brother snorted uncaringly. "Not my fault your fancy has a date."

"She is not my…" He sighed, throwing his arms up. "She hasn't said yes yet."

Charlie quirked a brow, looking up from the wood he was whittling at. "Hm?" He tipped his head. "Yeah, but… she will."

Bill glared. "You don't know that."

He shrugged, looking back down to his hobby once more.

"She hasn't said anything, has she?" Bill asked, hands falling to his waist as he frowned.

Charlie rolled his eyes, answering sarcastically, "Yeah, we had girl talk over tea yesterday…"

"Well then how do you know she—"

"Ginny."

"Oh… Right… Where is that tricky little sister of ours?" he wondered. "She's the one who set this whole thing up!"

"Right." He rolled his eyes. "What a horrible sister we have for getting her best mate a date with a nice guy."

"Nice?" he half-shouted. "Whaddya mean, nice? He's a complete arsehole!"

Charlie blew out an exasperated sigh. "You only think that 'cause you've been half in love with her for the last year… And you're too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Oi! I'm no coward!" Bill towered over his brother angrily, his face flushing in his menace.

"If you'd grow a set already, you'd be married and halfway to your first child already," he muttered knowingly.

Bill pinched his brow, sighing heavily. "I'm not interested in her. We're just… Acquaintances, really."

Charlie's red brows cocked knowledgeably. "Acquaintances who spend every lunch hour together? Who go out to Muggle plays in London and travel Paris when she says she's never been? Who share a bottle of wine and tell each other your dreams and aspirations like a couple of lovesick wankers?"

"Shuddup," Bill growled, shaking his head. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"No, you have no idea what do you about how you feel."

He huffed, turning to begin his pacing once more. "Since when do you have anything to say about love and relationships? You spend all your time with scaly lizards and I'm s'posed to take your advice?"

With a sigh, Charlie rose from his chair. "No, brother, you're s'pose to stop the love of your life from walking out that door and out of your happily ever after… And I am gonna find somewhere quiet where there's nobody suffering from relationship woes. Because I, unlike you, can express myself just fine."

Grumbling, Bill glared at Charlie's back as he left.

Footsteps on the stairs alerted him to the arrival of the subject in question, and not a moment later a stunning and blushing Hermione Granger stepped out holding a purse and her favorite red sweater. "Well?" she asked, lifting a skeptical brow. "How do I look?"

He stared at her, swallowing hard as he searched for the right words to capture just how incredible he found her without coming off like some mushy sod. "You… I…" He stammered, eyes turning off as he tried to compose himself. There was a knock at the door, sounding loud and entirely too much like the end of everything he rightly cherished. As she moved to answer it, he called out, "Don't say yes."

She turned back slowly, her brow furrowed.

Licking his lips, he crossed to her, gripping her shoulders tightly, drawing her in close until they were face-to-face. "I have absolutely no idea what I can offer you right now that will make you choose me over him, but… I'm willing to do just about anything for you to not answer that door and walk out of my life right now."

She stared at him, her breath trembling, before finally, she nodded.

He smiled, his heart skipping excitedly in his chest. He leaned forward, lips slanting over hers possessively, and took his first kiss of many from the woman he meant to make his own.

Out of sight, but watching on cleverly, Charlie and Ginny shook hands in a gesture of good work.