Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put all characters in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks so much for reading, hope you review and enjoy the ending!

Love That Much

Standing outside the dragon sanctuary once more Oliver rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited for Charlie to appear. The man had been called in during the night to deal with some sort of crisis which had definitely thrown their day's schedule off balance, especially since he imagined that Charlie wasn't going to want to do anything but go straight to bed once he arrived. Which was fine with him actually, he'd much rather spend the day in bed with his lover than out shopping for souvenirs as planned. He'd gotten a decent amount of sleep himself, but hours spent napping and cuddling were better than not being together in his books.

Plus Charlie was adorable when he was sleeping.

Man but I've got it bad, Oliver mentally groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. It was so bad that he hadn't even had the heart to call Charlie by any of the really horrible nicknames he'd come up with. Well that and 'Carrot' or 'Pumpkin' implied Charlie's hair was orange and it wasn't, and 'Red' was too obvious and 'Freckles' just didn't work for him, though it certainly applied. Other names like 'Sweetie', 'Sugar', or 'Cupcake' were just too damn girlie and cutesy. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

All the other names that occurred to him were too complimentary to work, which left him with Baby or Captain, which were the only nicknames he had ever used for the man that didn't involve his lover's name.

Hearing someone approach Oliver smiled when he caught sight if his man, who was looking more than a little tired but was otherwise in one piece, which was the main thing when you were with someone who worked with dragons.

"Hey."

"Hey back, Darling." Charlie returned, using the nickname he'd adopted and stuck with since they'd had their little discussion on name calling.

Accepting the brief brushing of lips Oliver automatically wrapped an arm around the other man's waist, just in case Charlie needed the support. "So to bed with you, I take it?"

Though bed sounded heavenly at the moment, which was just proof that he was getting old, Charlie forced himself to shake his head. "We can stick with our plans for the day, I just need to keep pumping caffeine into my system." He didn't want to waste any time he had with Oliver, especially since his lover would be going back to England soon. He'd catch up on his sleep later.

"You're tired and I am too." A slight exaggeration, but a necessary one apparently. "I didn't sleep well without you." Mostly true. "So we'll have a nap and then we'll go out to lunch and then the market, okay? I shop quick anyway."

Not having the urge to bash himself up against the solid rock that was Oliver's head, Charlie opted not to argue, especially since a busy market was one of the last places he wanted to be at the moment.

Thus they were back in Charlie's apartment within minutes, heading straight for the bedroom with single-minded focus.

Once there Oliver insisted on undressing them both, stowing their clothes on the dresser before setting the bedside alarm clock to wake them in three hours, which was what they'd agreed upon. Then joining the older man under the bedcovers Oliver snuggled up against Charlie's side, using the man's shoulder for a pillow with a sound of absolute contentment.

Stroking a hand up and down his lover's back to show his appreciation Charlie's voice was laced with sleep when he spoke. "I'm gonna have problems sleeping too when you're gone. Gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Was Oliver's soft reply, closing his eyes like he could block out how soon they'd be saying good bye to each other until the next time one of them could manage to take some time off.

And he was still thinking about it when he finally nodded off to join Charlie in sleep.

)

Wandering through the crowded marketplace hours later, Oliver would have much rather been napping than forcing himself to shop for souvenirs. Part of that was the fact that he just plain hated shopping, especially somewhere where he didn't speak the native language, but the rest was just the fact that it was another reminder that his trip was almost over and soon he'd be going home without the man at his side. Charlie was holding his hand to make sure they weren't separated in the mad crowds that surrounded them, and at that moment the thought of having to let that hand go soon made him curse the fact that there weren't loads of dragons in England.

And given the fact that having dragons in his homeland would increase the amount of time he'd have to spend around the fire breathing creatures said something about how much he wanted Charlie with him.

Curse them both for being so married to their jobs that they were almost each other's mistresses, Oliver decided darkly.

"So we just have to find something for Angelina, right?"

Oliver turned his head and nodded, the noise levels not guaranteeing that anything he said would be heard. "It has to be a snow globe for her collection. She made that clear before I left."

"It's a wonder she can have that kind of collection with my brother on the premise. Those things are breakable as hell, aren't they?"

"She has them in a special case. He could blow the whole place up according to her and they'd be fine."

Charlie's grin made it clear he didn't think Angelina was being overly cautious to prepare for that eventuality.

So the search for a snow globe commenced yet again, the two not getting far before a man came over to them, apologizing for interrupting them before explaining that the reason he'd done so was because he'd heard them speaking English and was hoping that one of them also spoke Romanian. His wife was interested in buying something but wanted to haggle over the price as it was currently too high. He was willing to pay them for their help; he was that desperate to seal the deal since he liked shopping even less than Oliver did.

Assuring the man that he was happy to help Charlie turned to Oliver, who announced that he'd keep looking for Angelina's present but stay within the general area so that Charlie would be able to find him later.

"Okay, but watch out for pickpockets, and let's say that if I haven't found you within the next twenty minutes we meet up at that fountain down that way?"

"Got it."

Waving the two off Oliver continued on his search, very glad when he not only found what he was looking for but at a reasonable price that meant no haggling in a foreign language was required. Or at least he was pretty sure it was an okay price, he was still getting the hang of the currency thing.

Either way he was done shopping, thank Merlin.

And on that note of thanks Oliver figured that he should find somewhere to stand where he was both visible and not in the way of everyone still shopping. He didn't forget the warning about pickpockets either, which would be harder to deal with if he was being squished between people like a bug.

Spotting a gap between two stalls Oliver headed for it, thinking that it would not only get him out of the crowds but allow him to spot Charlie when he eventually passed by.

Glancing to see what he was surrounded by Oliver grimaced and took a few steps away from the stall on his left, not wanting to risk the smells emanating from the satchels hanging there.

To his right, thankfully, was just a woman sitting at a table with cards laid out in front of her. A fortune teller, perhaps?

Noticing him the woman smiled at him knowingly. "You have no need of my services, young man."

Curious, especially since most every vendor he'd encountered in the market had tried to sell him something, Oliver walked over to stand in front of her table so that they could hear each other speak easily. "And why wouldn't I, exactly? Doesn't everyone want to know what the fates have in store for them?" Not that he believed his future was predestined, except when it came to his future success in Quidditch.

"Ah, but I don't predict just anything." She informed him, a twinkle in her faded eyes. "My predictions center on one's love life and identifying soul mates. You've found and recognized yours, haven't you? I can sense you've give your heart to another, and that he has done the same. Even if you aren't conscious of the exchange yet." She added, obviously reading Oliver's shocked expression correctly.

Cheeks flooding with color Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times, nothing coming out as he tried to think of how the hell he was supposed to answer that. He knew that his feelings for Charlie ran deep, he wasn't a complete idiot, but to have someone out right tell him that he was in love with the redhead was a whole other Quidditch game. Especially when she was insinuating that Charlie felt the same way about him.

As a result it took him a moment or two to remember that she could just be playing him, though how she would know he was involved with a he and not a she was beyond him unless she'd seen him with Charlie earlier.

"There's no hurry for you to say the words, the two of you know without speaking. Some loves are turbulent and full of heat, some quiet and soothing to the souls involved. The love you share with your man is like the tides. Sometimes calm, sometimes fierce, but always constant."

Again robbed of his words Oliver almost jumped out of his skin when Charlie's arms came around him to hug him from behind.

"Did I scare you?" Charlie asked, obviously amused by his response.

Cheeks heating up even more Oliver shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.

"You have a lovely young man here." The woman informed Charlie, the redhead agreeing with her even as he wondered at the strange vibes he was getting between the two. What had he missed?

His brain reactivating to the point where he could think, Oliver decided it was time for a hasty retreat before the woman started telling Charlie about how perfect they were for each other. What if his lover thought he'd put the woman up to it? Or worse, what if Charlie disagreed with her? Yup, definitely time to go.

Thanking the woman for keeping him company while he waited Oliver quickly distracted Charlie from asking him what they'd been talking about by informing him that he'd gotten a snow globe which meant they were done shopping and could head back to his place to do something far more fun than shopping

It worked like a charm.

)

The Next Day

He wasn't much of a watch the sun go down sort of guy, but Oliver figured he could get used to being one pretty quickly as he leaned back against Charlie's chest as they did precisely that. They were sitting high up on a bluff with an incredibly view of the countryside below them, their shared body heat keeping them warm as they sat and watched the show nature was putting on for them. And while Charlie seemed to think a dragon or two flying through the changing sky would make it even better Oliver liked it just the way it was.

"Oliver?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't play and train for Quidditch in the serious winter months. From mid-November to February, early March, right? At least not officially. You probably train on your own in winter knowing you."

Of course he never stopped training. You got out of shape and lost all your momentum if you stopped training no matter what his teammates said about him constantly…okay…maybe he did overdo it a little but still…not important, Oliver told himself as he turned his attention back to the unexpected question. "We do weight training and that sort of thing during winter but not outdoor practices, no. Why?"

"Winters over here are pretty dead too. A lot of our dragons hibernate or don't go out much as a result. We cut back a lot of our staffing too, operate on a skeleton crew so to speak until spring. I have seniority so I stay year round normally, but I was thinking that this year I could volunteer to write up a lot of the data and reports we always put off and deal with during the winter. That can really be done anywhere, even in England. If I had a place to stay that is, since my mum will insist I stay with her as opposed to renting some place once she gets wind of my plans. It goes without saying that I'd go nuts living at home again." He shuddered at the very thought.

Twisting around as much as he was able to given their position, Oliver's eyes were alight with the possibilities. "You'd…you'd come spend the whole winter with me? We could be together for months instead of just a week or two? Seriously?"

Lips twitching in amusement Charlie leaned in to nip Oliver's ear teasingly, hiding the extent of his pleasure at the man's happiness. "I take it that would be a yes to you wanting me to stay with you?"

"Hell yes! But what about your place? Could you sublet it?"

Charlie shook his head somewhat regretfully. "No, it's tied up with my job so that's out, but the rent is pretty cheap so I'm not worried about that. I'll just have a friend stop in every couple weeks to make sure everything is as it should be."

Frowning, that didn't seem fair to him, it took Oliver only a moment or two to come up with a proper solution. "We spend part of the winter at my place and part of it at yours. That way we both shoulder the cost and still get to be together."

Not for a moment betraying the fact that that was exactly what he'd hoped the man would suggest and want to do Charlie just smiled and hugged Oliver to him, so very glad that the other man liked the idea. Winter was still a ways away, but this would definitely give them both something to look forward to.

Though his bosses were likely to keel over from the shock when he informed them that he was only going to be available to work half the winter.

Shifting around so that he was straddling Charlie with the man's arms still around him, Oliver wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck as he gave him one hell of a kiss for coming up with the plan that was most definitely going to make saying good bye shortly that much easier.

And when he leaned back, staring into Charlie's smiling face, the words came easy.

"I love you, Charlie."

"Yeah, I know." Was his pleased, just a little bit smug reply.

This not at all being the response he'd expected, Oliver gaped at him. "What do you mean, you bloody well know? How the hell would you know? I haven't said anything, that's not something I would forget saying! I've never said that to anyone…well…aside from my mom…and my grans…and…well people I love but not the big L which is what I meant. You know that's what I meant right?"

The man had been thrown around by dragons for a number of years now. That was bound to cause the occasionally misfire in the brain.

Not taking offense to the suspicious looks he was getting Charlie chuckled and shook his head, lips curved in amusement. "Yes I know what you meant. I might not be the sharpest blade in the bloody block when it comes to relationships and such, but I did know what you meant. And I knew because while you haven't said it, it's there in the way you look at me, touch me. I know what love looks and feels like."

"Who?" Oliver demanded to know, stiffening at the idea of a rival.

"You really are adorable, Pet." Charlie's voice was loving and tender. "I was referring to the fact that we both have plenty of couples in our lives that are in love, who've found their special someone. As far as I know you're the only one's ever declared the big L for me and truly meant it. You don't have any competition in my eyes, I promise. I have eyes only for you."

"Only for me?"

"Only for you." The redhead confirmed, his grin widening to full Weasley strength. "You don't think I let just anyone tear me away from my dragons do you? Of course I love you."

"Of course…you're supposed to say these things!"

A teasing gleam coming into his eyes Charlie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "If I recall my sister's rants correctly the man in the relationship is supposed to say the L word first. Are you saying you're the girl and I neglected my duties?"

"You…dragon obsessed moron." Oliver finished lamely, too happy to take offense or tease back.

"I love you too, Oliver Wood."

Rolling his eyes, though it was mostly for show, Oliver figured that they were both going to be spending a lot of years rolling their eyes over comments and choices the other made. But in the end they'd end up like this, wrapped up in each other, sure of the other's love even when they were questioning the other's sanity or sense of humor.

It was going to be a damn good life, he thought with a grin. A damn good life.

The End