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elidoesntbreathwee · 1 year

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giving steddie their rain kiss cuz they deserve it :D

It had been about a year since Vecna; since Steve and Eddie had met, since Eddie almost died. While Eddie and Max were in the hospital, Steve came almost every day, first checking up on Max, and saying hi to Lucas (who also came every day), then he would go to Eddie's room. Luckly for Steve, their rooms were very close.

Steve hadn't known Eddie for long at this point, it had only been a few months since they met, but they'd become so close in the short time that they had known each other. Maybe that's why Steve was there every day, maybe it was for a different reason entirely. All that mattered was that Steve would be there when Eddie woke up.

It took Eddie 3 months to wake up. It took Max 8 months. Steve was there for both of them when they woke up. Robin had also been with Steve when Eddie woke up, and after that, when Robin and Steve would hang out, there was a good chance that Eddie would be there too. The 3 went together most days to see Max. Eddie would read to her or play her favorite songs in the room while they were there since the doctors said that there might be a chance she could hear them.

Once Max woke up, the whole party spent a lot of time together. Dustin and Mike would tell her what went on at school while she was gone, Will told her about how they moved back to Hawkins (even though Joyce was VERY hesitant), and Lucas let her know some of the things that went on at the hospital. Everyone else listened as the boys recounted everything that had happed in those 8 months.

A lot happened in that time frame, but Steve couldn't help but focus on small things that a certain someone did and said. Steve couldn't stop thinking about Eddie. Even if it wasn't the biggest thought in his mind, Eddie was still always somewhere in his thoughts.

One night, about a week after the 1-year anniversary of Vecna (aka the 'earthquakes') and Steve and Eddie (and prolly the rest of the party) had been getting worse nightmares due to it being close to the time Vecna happened. Steve, Robin, and Eddie had been having sleepovers almost every night, because it helped all of them to know that they weren't alone when they inevitably woke up in the middle of the night, either in a cold sweat or screaming (or sometimes both). But one night, Robin was going over to Nancy's (wink wink) instead, which left Steve and Eddie by themselves in Steve's huge house (wink wi- imm sorry).

They weren't very awkward or anything, since they were friends, but they realized they hadn't hung out by with just the other in months. They took a bit to get used to it just being the 2 of them (things like say "hey Eddie" or "hey Steve" instead of 'you guys') and to decide what they wanted to do.

For a while they played Uno, then they got bored of it, so they put on a movie (Ferris Buller's Day Off, cuz i said so) and sat down next to each other on Steve's couch. If were being honest, neither of them were paying that much attention to the movie. Eddie got distracted by his thoughts and started messing with his rings and hair, and Steve got distracted by Eddie messing with his rings and hair.

You really can't blame Steve though, I mean, Eddie's the prettiest guy he'd ever seen, from his long, curly, dark brown hair to his pretty chocolate eyes, to his dimpled smile, his everything.

Steve hadn't realized he'd been staring for so long. Eddie was waving his hand in front of Steve's face, hope that he wouldn't start levitating soon.

"Steve? Steve, you here? Steve, what's wrong? STEVE!?"

"What? Huh? Did i miss something?" Steve's eye's moved around the room, forgetting that Eddie wasn't the only thing that exsisted

"Oh," Eddie sighed in relief. "Jesus H. Christ man, you scared me. I thought Vecna got you or something."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you Eds" Steve looked over at the tv "Oh god, how long was i spacing out for? We're literally halfway through the movie and i only remember being 10 minutes in."

"Yeah, i don't know. I spaced out to."

"Do you wanna keep it on or find something different to watch?"

"Nah, keep it on. I know what happened while we were spaced out, it's fine." The two then turned back to the tv and focused for a really long time on it (aka 10 minutes) before Steve said,

"Y'Know, I kinda wish we could do this all the time, not just when it's nightmare season."

"Do what? Have sleepovers like we're 12 years old?" Eddie chuckled. "Honestly, me too."

"Yeah. If only, right."

"Mhm"

Then they sat through the rest of the movie. Weather they were paying attention is up to mystery, but the movie finished, and they were both still there, no broken bones.

After the movie, Steve let Eddie go shower, and made food while he was waiting. He made the food of Kings: pizza. Once Eddie got out, the two ate their pizza, then Steve got in the shower. By the time Steve got out it was 1:30 AM, so they both went into Steve's bedroom (there's a spare room, but the whole point of this is that they don't wake up alone. being in separate rooms wouldn't really make sense)

Usually Steve, Robin and Eddie all slept together in Steve's bed. Steve and Eddie on the sides, Robin in the middle, but Robin wasn't here tonight, she was probably snuggling up to Nancy (good for her, u go girl) so Steve and Eddie had to figure out how they were going to do things. Should one of them sleep on the floor? Should they lay like how they would normally, just with no one else in between them? Should they cuddle or spoon? Should they forget sleep in its entirety and stay up all night? Probably not that last one, but still, they didn't quite know what to do, so they just sat on Steve's king-sized bed (perfect for King Steve- not that he's that person anymore) and brought up possibilities of how they should sleep. They ended up sleeping how they would normally, just without Robin between them.

They feel asleep fairly quickly, both tired from the day's drama, but as expected, Eddie woke up after another nightmare. What Eddie wasn't expecting was to be cuddled up close to Steve. Steve had his arms wrapped around Eddie like he would never let go, Eddie's head close to Steve's chest, so close that he could hear Steve's heart beating. Eddie hadn't screamed when we woke up, just sweating and almost hyperventilating. Eddie had moved some to get closer to Steve, (which was kind of impossible since he and Steve were taking up only one person's space) which woke him up.

"Hey," Steve started sleepily, "You ok?"

"Just a nightmare, nothing unusual." Eddie said into Steve's chest.

"It's ok Eds, it's gonna be ok." Steve started rubbing circles on Eddie's back. "Just breath with me, mk"

"mk, thank you" Steve nodded. The two synced their breathing and soon fell back to sleep.

Neither of them woke up until the morning. It was 9:45 AM, and it was raining. Steve woke up before Eddie by 5 minutes, but he didn't get out of bed (mostly because he was still tangled up with Eddie) until Eddie woke up. He went downstairs to cook them breakfast, while Eddie packed up what little he had brought over.

The two ate breakfast, then it was (sadly) time for Eddie to leave. Steve didn't want him to leave, even though he knew he'd see him again that night, Robin would be there. He loves Robin to bits but he knew he would miss being alone with Eddie. If Eddie was going to leave, Steve just wished he could kiss him goodbye, like a housewife kissing her husband as he's off to work. There's no way Steve could ever do that, though, so as Eddie said goodbye and walked out Steve's front door, Steve felt like he wasn't complete, like a part of him had left with Eddie, even though he would see him again.

Steve wasn't usually impulsive, at all, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone.

Eddie had walked far enough that he couldn't clearly see Steve's house anymore through all the rain. He already missed Steve, even though they'd only been apart for a minute or two. He heard something faint in the distance, coming from behind him though.

"EDDIE! Eddie, wait up!!"

'Steve' Eddie immediately thought.

"STEVE?!"

Steve came running up to him, and hugged him tightly around the waist.

"Steve, oh my god, this might sound weird, but i really missed you even though its onl-"

Steve kissed him. On the sidewalk, in the rain. Eddie put his arms around Steve's neck and leaned into the kiss.

"Sorry, i just couldn't go any longer without doing that..." Steve said, breaking the kiss.

"I'm glad you did, because i wouldn't have had the guts to do it first" Eddie smiled, and kissed him again, this kiss lasting longer than the first.

"Well, you should get home, and i should go back inside before we get sick." Steve said, sad to have to stop kissing Eddie, but he'll see him again tonight. Even though Robin's going to be there, there are always closets.

That night, the tree of them went to Robin's house. Robin didn't have as big a bed as Steve, so they always had to squish so they could all lay on Robin's bed. Robin was usually in the middle here too. Really the only time she wasn't was when they stayed at Eddie's and one of them had to sleep in the floor (which they took turns doing). This time though, when the three were ready to go to bed, Eddie and Steve laid down next to each other.

Robin started asking questions (as she should) about what happened when she was at Nancy's.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Eddie said with a smirk, Steve cuddling up to him.

"Yeah, actually, I would." Robin replied, trying not to sound mad or anything (cuz she wasn't) but not too soft either.

"How about you tell us what happened with Nance and then maybe we'll tell you what went on with us" Steve said.

"Fine." Robin sighed. "Well, there wasn't much at the beginning, just normal stuff, i guess. Later when we were watching some boring movie, she put her head on my shoulder, and i may or may not have panicked and forgotten how to move. Then when the movie had like, 30 minutes left, she kissed me. Ok? You happy now?"

"Hmmmm, i donno, kinda boring." Eddie said, fake yawning.

"OH COME ON? THE TRUTH IS BORING, NOW TELL ME!!" Robin was loud, but not screaming, just really, REALLY loud.

"Chill, Rob, Im kidding." Eddie cleared his throat. "We watched a movie, spaced out, got ready for bed, ended up cuddling all night, we both had amazing sleep, we ate food, then i left."

"What. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Robin tried very hard to controll herself.

"No, that's what happened" Steve said

"WHA-" Robin was cut off by Steve

"But it's not *all* that happened" Steve smirked.

"Ok? So tell."

"After he left, I ran after him, in the rain, and we kissed" Steve looked at Eddie and smiled.

"So, we all kissed someone, and now I'm inviting Nancy to come over right now."

"What? Why?" Eddie looked confused

"I wanna cuddle with someone too" Robin thought that was obvious.

Nancy *did* come, and the four of them were very squished on Robin's bed, which was something she did not think through before inviting Nancy. The four made room, though, by snuggling very close, which worked out for all of them, because who doesn't wanna cuddle.

The four of them did this at least twice a week now, even when it wasn't 'nightmare season'.

THE END :)

this took me, like, four (4) days to write, so a like would be very appreciated, and hey, if you're feeling SUPER nice, a reblog would be absolutely wonderful :)

#steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #st #steve harrington #eddie munson #hope u like #also sorry if this makes no sense #rain #rain kiss #my sillies #silly people #theyre so silly #i love them #stranger things #my little sillies

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shewrites7 · 2 years

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Three Things I’ll Never Understand

ron weasley x fem!reader

summary - Valentine's Day has never been your favorite holiday. In fact, it was at the bottom of your list. You've never understood it. Just like how you've never understood Ron Weasley, a boy who'd once been one of your friends. Now, it's like he can't even look at you. What happened, those years ago? Will today, Valentine's Day, of all days, be when you finally find out? Do you really want to know?

type - one shot

word count [4.7k]

tags: Ron Weasley x f!reader, friends to strangers?? to lovers, confrontation, idiots in love, valentine’s day, arguing in the rain and a rain kiss. (no specific mention of appearance, race, etc.)

warnings: none

add. - originally posted to my ao3 on 6/25/22. enjoy!

No matter what anybody says, I've never understood the world's love for rain. For rainy weather. To have water droplets pelting down on you randomly while going about your day, with no warning except the gray tint of the day's clouds. All that rain has ever done for me is wet my clothes and leave me walking home with squelching socks. Again, I've never understood the appeal.

That was why just the thought of Lavender Brown's rant about the romantic flair of rain from earlier had set my feet ablaze as I quicken my pace into the Three Broomsticks, water splashing by my feet. The eagerly darkening sky had been practically taunting me all day, about to pour its rain all over Hogsmeade any second. Finally, just when I'd had enough of today, seeing couples left and right, it had.

The door opens with a heavy swoosh as I throw it open, already in a bad mood from the events of the day. How everyone at this school manages to constantly find love within Hogwarts' walls never fails to amaze me. Lavender Brown has been gushing all over this Hufflepuff seventh-year who she has plans with all week. Seamus Finnigan found a new love in a Ravenclaw girl I'd yet to know the name of. And, though she hasn't told me who with, Hermione most definitely has plans with a certain someone this Valentine's Day. Even Harry mustered up the courage to ask out Cho Chang, who he's clearly been fancying for almost a year now.

I'm happy for them; I always am. But that doesn't make the fact that I'm utterly alone any less unbearable.

As I stomp into the Three Broomsticks, my feet make a cringe-worthy gushing sound against the aged wood of the floor. I frustratedly wipe my wet hair from my face, allowing me to spot some of the names I'd mentioned before. Sitting at a booth farther down inside the inn, sits Harry, Hermione, and lastly, Ron, who looks utterly stressed, his hands gripping his hair as he speaks to the two across from him.

Now that I think about it, I haven't heard any mention of Ron having a date this Valentine's Day, but it isn't as if Ron is the type of person to talk to me about his romantic relationships anyway. Rather, talk to me about most things. He's always been more distant around me than any of the others. Whenever I sit with them, it's like Ron goes silent, as if some tension I'm painfully unaware of fills the air. The same thing happens now as I near the trio's booth.

"No, Hermione, I can't just-"

Ron's words die from his lips when he notices me. I just know that Hermione and Harry give him a confused look before they both turn around to spot me coming toward them. Hermione greets me with a kind smile.

"Y/n!" she calls, waving me over.

"Hey, you three," I say, mustering up as much of a happy tone as I can, feeling the way I am. Harry waves at me from inside the booth next to Hermione.

"Y/n," he says cheerfully. I greet him back and turn to Ron to greet him in the same way, and he offers a rather stiff nod and a tug of his lips in response. Nothing out of the ordinary from Ron, so I try not to mention it at all.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Hermione says, something playful sparkling in her eye in a very un-Hermione way. I chew on my bottom lip to keep from sighing.

"Yea, er-, Happy Valentine's Day."

Looking between the two of them, Harry and Hermione, I remember their supposed dates. "Aren't you two supposed to be off with your dates by now?" I can't keep the grim tone out of my voice. Harry and Hermione share a look I can't decipher before turning back to me.

"Yea," Harry replies, "We just took a pit stop to speak with Ron here." He gestures to the second-youngest Weasley, who still hasn't met my eyes. He looks to the two across from him, and they all seem to have a silent conversation amongst themselves. My awful mood today might have had an effect on my ability to pick up signals. Or maybe it's the rainwater still in my eyes that I still haven't blinked away.

"You're right," begins Hermione, "Harry and I should probably get going off to our, erm, dates." Hermione can't help but blush in an achingly adorable way that whoever she's seeing today must swoon over.

"Yea," I say, the hint of a smirk creeping up on my features. "Wouldn't want to leave Cho waiting, Harry."

A matching blush grows on Harry's face before he shoves me a little, scooting out from the booth behind Hermione. He turns to Ron one last time, who sits firmly in his seat still.

"We'll see you soon, alright mate?"

The redhead looks at him and nods tiredly, waving him off. Hermione shrugs on her coat.

"Try to have some fun in the meantime, Ron," pleads Hermione softly. "It's Valentine's Day, remember?"

Ron rolls his eyes dismissively. "Trust me, I remember."

Hermione looks as if she wants to say something more, but doesn't. Instead, she pats me on the shoulder affectionately before turning to leave. Harry follows her through the door.

Not knowing if I'd make this even weirder if I continue to stand, I decide to slide into the booth across from Ron. My soaked clothes squish from underneath me and I make a mess of the wooden bench I sit on. Merlin, help me.

"Sorry for the mess," I add if only to break the silence. "I'm completely soaked from the rain. I'd cast a drying spell but I left my wand back at the castle."

Ron replies, his eyes trained on my wet sleeves resting on the table rather than my face.

"I er... I left mine too."

I let out a chuckle that lacks genuineness. "Seems like a great day for both of us so far, right?"

Ron doesn't even allow for the hint of a smile to cross his face. He lets a breath out through his nose, toying with the hem of his sleeve. A beat of silence overtakes us before he finally meets my eyes for the first time in the conversation.

"Shouldn't you be off on some date like everyone else?"

I blink at the abruptness of his question. His tone was cold, almost detached. I don't even know how to respond.

"I ... I don't have a date."

He lets a breath out through his nose that almost sounds like laughter, clicking his tongue and shaking his head slightly like my loneliness was amusing. The nerve.

"Well it doesn't look like you've managed to find a date either, Weasley, if it's that amusing to you."

Whatever had gone through his mind at that moment was rich, considering the fact that it wasn't only me sitting here alone on Valentine's Day. He was here too.

Ron looks at me like I've snapped him back into reality. Maybe he didn't even realize I could see his amusement. It didn't matter though. My words were sharp, sharper than I meant.

"I-I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't mean that." Merlin, was this conversation draining. "I'm just in a cruddy mood today, that's all. This bloody holiday is... well you know how it is."

Even with my attempt to relate to him, to apologize, Ron doesn't seem able to find any desire to carry on the conversation. His eyes are trained on the wooden table still, regarding it as if he found more interest in the pattern of the wood than our conversation.

I let out a sigh before I leave my seat to sit in the chair in front of the inn's fireplace. My soaked clothes could use the heat and it doesn't seem like Ron would mind the loss of company.

I lean forward to rest my elbows on my knees, rubbing my hands together for the warmth that the fire can't provide. Today hasn't been my day; Valentine's Day never has been. And maybe it was just the gloominess of the weather outside, or the bad mood that the holiday has put me in, but Ron's permanent grudge against me has been annoying me more than ever.

The fire crackles in front of me, sparking like the frustration that begins to bubble inside of me as I imagine all the times Ron's acted this way around me. He has to know just how awful it feels to be ignored like this, to feel as if you're the reason for the end of a conversation, for words dying on people's lips whenever you came around.

My spiraling thoughts come to a stop at the sound of nearing footsteps, inching closer and closer before coming to a stop by my side. I notice Ron's red hair before anything else.

He sits down on the stool next to mine wordlessly. I want to ask what the purpose of him following me to the fireplace is, but it seems as if he doesn't know the answer to that question himself.

It feels like years go by before either of us breaks the silence. He stares into the fire, eyes flickering around as if he's deep in thought. I've never wanted to get inside a person's head so badly.

"What makes you hate Valentine's Day so much?"

His words come out so quietly that I'm not sure I'm even hearing him right. If I thought I knew what Ron might have been thinking before, now I know that I truly don't have a sliver of an idea.

"I don't ..." I trail off, deciding if I even know the answer to his question myself.

"I don't suppose I hate Valentine's Day as much as I just ... don't understand it. I mean, why should you have to use an official holiday as an excuse to be romantic? Can't people just appreciate love on any regular day? We all chase to find love on a single day of the year and you end up feeling like crap if you don't find any. It feels like I'm having everyone's relationship stuffed down my throat. Godric, I sound depressing. I swear I don't hate romance, I just-"

My rampage fades away once I realize how much I must be boring the boy beside me with the contents of my mind.

"Sorry," I say, internally cringing. "I'm sure you didn't need that much of an explanation, I-"

"Y/n, bloody hell," interrupts Ron. He manages to meet my eyes again. "Would you quit apologizing?"

I don't know what surprises me more: Ron's words, or the way he suddenly looks at me, determination lying behind shining eyes that seem to flicker with the shadow from the fireplace.

"Excuse me?" I ask, making sure I heard him right.

He runs a hand through his fiery hair. "I mean, seriously, Y/n, you've apologized to me at least three times in the past five minutes."

I let out a small scoff. "Well is it really so shocking that I feel the need to constantly be apologizing to you, Ronald?"

I can tell that my temper is especially fragile on a day like today. Ron's freckled face goes paler than it already is. "What- what do you mean?"

"With the way you act around me, you'd think I killed your mum or something."

"Killed my..." Ron mumbled to himself in disbelief, looking completely and utterly lost. "Killed my mum?"

"No, I didn't kill your- Gods, we're steering away from the point here. What I'm saying is, I don't know what I did to make you act the way you do around me. To make you suddenly dislike me so much."

Ron's brows are furrowed, his lips slightly separated as he looks at me. His tone is laced with what sounds like genuine confusion and concern.

"Dislike you?"

I let out a puff of air. "Yes, dislike me. Is it really that far of a stretch?"

Ron shakes his head slowly, some color spreading back into his face. When a few seconds pass without him saying anything, I think he isn't going to say anything at all.

"I could never dislike you."

The sound of Ron's voice proves me wrong. His face is filled with sincerity, saying the words casually enough to make them seem like they lack any deep meaning at all. In reality, they leave me fumbling for an explanation.

"It's never seemed that way, Ron." I shift my body on my stool to face him. "You avoid me like a plague. When I come around, you clearly wish I were anywhere else, or that you could be anywhere else. Worst of all, Weasley, I don't even know what I did."

I breathy laugh escapes me, exasperatedly.

"The funny thing is, I can remember a time when you didn't act like this around me. A time when we'd both laugh together like normal friends, the same way I would with Harry or Hermione. But after third year it was like we'd never even known each other. I don't know what I did after that to cause this rift to form between us, but whatever it was, I'm sorry. I'm bloody sorry."

I'm practically out of breath by the time I finish. Surely I'm drawing attention to the two of us in the inn, but that doesn't phase me as I speak to Ron. Clearly, something's bothering him, though. He doesn't even make a move to face me.

"Well," I say, my voice beginning to grow louder. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Seconds go by.

"Anything?"

Even if Ron wanted to say something to me, I'm losing the patience to sit here and beg for him to utter strings of words to me. If it's that hard to talk to me, I'll put him out of his misery.

I stand from my seat. All the time I spent warming by the fire threatens to go to waste as I go to march right back towards the pouring rain, wandless with no umbrella in sight.

I turn to look back at the red-haired boy one final time to see if he was going to make any move to give me an explanation or even just say anything to me, but when I see him sitting on the stool still, his crimson locks covering his eyes as his head still hangs, I know there's no use.

I push the door open, rain instantly whipping onto my clothes.

"Happy bloody Valentine's Day, Ron."’

I've never thought of myself as a lonely person, but today I most definitely do seem like a bit of a loner.

Ever since my conversation with Ron, if you can even call it that, I've been going around Hogsmeade by myself for the rest of the trip, trying to avoid a certain redhead at all costs. I've been pretty successful, too.

That is until I leave Honeydukes and notice three full heads of red hair standing in front of Zonko's—an overwhelming sight for someone trying to avoid a certain ginger at all costs.

Ron stands in conversation with his two older brothers, Fred and George, or George and Fred, (I still can't tell them apart), leaning against the brick wall of the shop under the safety of the roof's overhang, protected from the rain that still hadn't settled completely. His head is hung low as the two speak vivaciously in front of him, hand gestures and all.

My heart practically stills for a moment as one of the twins spots me in the distance, stopping his rant with wide eyes and nudging his younger brother on the shoulder. I stupidly freeze in place as Ron turns to look at me, giving time for my eyes to meet with his, a fountain of emotion stored behind them threatening to spill over.

His cheeks flush almost as red as the hair on his head, and the sight of his twins shoving him a little in my direction sends my legs pushing themselves into the crowd of Hogsmeade as I head in the opposite direction.

What am I doing?

I don't even have an answer to that question as I bustle through the many people in the rainy street, trying to go anywhere that wasn't next to Ron.

Do I really want to speak to him again?

Is finding answers to my questions as important as I thought it to be?

Why do I care so much about what Ron thinks of me?

As much as I tell myself I don't know the answer to a single one of these questions, deep down, something tells me I do.

"Y/n!"

I heard Ron's voice calling my name over the ocean of voices between us. He was far enough away in the crowd that, if I truly wanted to, I could make a run for it and not have to face him and whatever he had to say to me. The next question I had to consider was, did I really want to do that?

"Y/n!" He calls again, this time his voice closer. I turn around to face him, seeing him shoulder through people at both sides to reach me.

That feeling deep down inside of me, the one that gave me an inkling as to what I truly wanted, was the same one that makes my feet slowly stop moving, finally stopping my steps. I dip my head down, building up the courage to turn around. Sure enough, Ron is behind me, much closer this time.

When he reaches me, he's practically out of breath. This time, I won't let it be me that has to speak first.

Some seconds go by with the only noises heard being the droplets of rain still falling and the voices of people passing by as they head inside to avoid the rainstorm approaching.

"Y/n," he breaths finally. "Can we talk?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" My tone is sour, and I feel bad. But I have to remind myself he's only ever treated me the same way.

"Don't you want to head inside?" Ron asks sheepishly, gesturing to the shops on either side of us. I shake my head.

"Not really."

Ron frowns. "It's clearly gonna storm in a few minutes, Y/n, c'mon." He begins to walk toward one of the shops, but I don't follow.

"I'm sorry if I don't want to sit down and share a conversation with you right now, Ron."

Instead of reacting how I thought he would, Ron begins to shake his head and chuckle under his breath. I cross my arms, both in confusion and because of the chilly weather.

"What's so funny?"

He looks up with a very much Weasley grin, with something meaningful behind his smile.

"Still, with the apologizing, Y/n."

I give Ron a warning look, but fight to hold back a smile. Something about Ron used to always leave this warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. That is, before he decided to freeze me out the way he did.

"Gods," I say, shaking my head. I remind myself that everything can't just be okay with a single flash of a smile—not when this conversation has been years in the making. I hide the traces of a smile that I once had on my face before I address the boy in front of me again.

"We..." I begin, finding my ground. "We need to finish our conversation from before. But this time, you need to actually talk to me, Ron."

The humor leaves Ron's face, and he clears his throat. "I- I know. I know I do. I've never been good at ... at talking to you, Y/n." He flushes. "I always say the wrong things."

"Well, you've had almost three years to get better at doing just that. But you've never made any effort to talk to me until now."

Ron fidgets with the sleeve of his jumper. "You're right and ... I'm sorry. I should have apologized before and-"

"An apology isn't what I've wanted. I've just missed my friend."

Ron stops his fidgeting, looking down at me through slightly wet hair, damp from the rain that patters lightly on the two of us.

"I need to tell you, Y/n," begins Ron. He glances at my face with purpose. "You and I ... we could never be friends."

My lips part, brows pinching together in complete and utter confusion at the statement that just came out of Ron's mouth.

"We could never be friends?" I repeat slowly, in disbelief. Ron, looking at me with an almost hopeful smile, nods. His words were like a painful slap in the face.

"What the hell, Ron?"

I turn around, beginning to stalk off angrily. Who in their right mind tells someone that? If he didn't want me around this whole time, he could've just said so from the beginning and saved all of us the trouble.

I don't hear Ron's footsteps following me for a few seconds before he's chasing after me.

"Y/n!" he hollers. "Wait! I- I didn't mean it like that!"

I don't turn around, confused and completely over the conversation. The corner of the road approaches, but I feel a tug on my wrist before I can turn, whirling me around despite its light hold. A fiery warmth spreads through my arm from his touch for a reason I can't explain or make out and, when I meet his eyes, Ron's looking at me in an almost pleading way.

"You've gotta give me a second," he says, breathing heavily. "You just ... you make me so nervous."

My heart's rhythm feels heavier in my chest. Ron laughs under his breath. "I told you I always say the wrong things." He cracks his knuckles after he releases his light grasp on my wrist, a habit of his I've noticed that makes me cringe inwardly at the sound. The rain begins to fall faster, heavier. Neither of us moves.

"Just," he pauses, thinking, "tell me what you want from me. Tell me what I can do."

I begin speaking without thinking. "I just want an explanation. Something to make it clear to me why you just totally iced me out without a single warning." Ron lowers his eyes, but I continue.

"I mean, I get we've grown to be different people and all that but, when I see you with Harry and Mione, you're the same Ron I've always known. When you're with me, you're colder. Distant. It's a god-awful feeling, Ron. It's like you're a different person around me."

"I feel like a different person around you," Ron fumbles. "I can't speak around you ... it's like I can't even form a single sentence to explain myself without blubbering like an idiot."

My face doesn't mask my hurt well enough. "That doesn't explain why you just stopped being there for me after third year."

Ron must see the wounded look in my eyes, the one that reveals just how much I care about what his next words will be. He swallows.

"I guess I just ... I guess I just couldn't be around you anymore."

"What?" I ask. Nothing about this makes any sense. "Why not?" I look at him pleadingly for a clear answer. "What did I do?"

"Nothing!" He says, hands out in front of him like he's scared I'd run off again. "You didn't do anything."

My head spins with the words I know haven't been said, trying to think of what they may be—I have no idea.

"I don't understand it."

Ron frowns, confused as if everything he's been saying has been perfectly clear, even if it's been anything but. "Don't understand what?"

"You, Ron. I don't understand you." I run a hand through my hair. "You're the most confusing person I've ever met. Merlin, if I could just know what's going on inside your brain, everything would make sense."

Ron takes hold of the sleeve of my sweater, holding it like it was his lifeline. His words are rich, full with desperation. "You want to know what's going on inside my head?"

My heart beats fast, and my cheeks are flushed. The only thing keeping me sane is the cool rain pouring down on us, the very rain that I despised this morning. It picks up its intensity, but I manage to block it out and focus on Ron's waiting gaze behind wet hair. It's as if I nod subconsciously.

"Every day," Ron starts, letting out a breath, "I think about you. I think about this barrier between us and why I put it in place to begin with and, even though the reason is foolish and definitely isn't good enough, it's all the truth that I can say."

Ron takes a breath, preparing himself. "When I told you we could never be friends, I was telling the truth. I iced you out because I couldn't be around you without driving myself crazy. I couldn't pretend that I wasn't falling for you. That ... that you weren't the most stunning girl I'd ever seen."

We're standing close enough that I'm sure Ron can hear my heart beating out of my chest, even over the sound of the rain beating against the ground, and against us. Neither of us seem to care.

"Sometimes I- I can't even look into your eyes, Y/n, just look at your face for too long because I know that I won't be able to resist the urge to just ..."

Ron doesn't finish his sentence, trailing off, but he doesn't need to. Even if he tries not to, his eyes keep flickering down to where my lips are, drenched from the rain like the rest of my body. Heavy breaths escape them.

Even with my soaked hair hanging in my eyes, I can't help but feel like I've never seen Ron this clearly before. And, as I stare into his eyes, I can't help but think my thoughts aren't that different than his. The rain hitting my skin feels like boiling water, overheating me and making me dizzy. I swallow.

"Y/n?" Ron asks, breaking the silence I hadn't even noticed form.

"Sorry," I say, so soft I'm not even sure he can hear. "It's just..."

I look up right at him. This is the longest he's ever looked at me. And it's certainly never been in this way before, with the meaningful look he has behind his eyes.

"Why did u ever feel like you had to resist? Why didn't u ever just tell me?"

Ron laughs breathily, and the sound is like honey. "Isn't it obvious?" He asks, meaning all things. "You'd never feel the same."

Now it's my turn to laugh.

"Ron, you bloody idiot."

I tug on his jumper, standing on my toes to be level with the tall boy. Time freezes for a single moment that feels like dozens, as the sounds of rain and distant chatter fade out, and the only sound that reaches my ears is our breathing, in time with each other, and the heavy beating of my own heart.

With the courage that only Godric could have given me, I close the distance between me and Ron with an extra tug on the neck of his jumper. Our lips connect in a way that makes my head spin in every direction and my stomach flutter with butterflies that feel too real to be true.

Already addicted to the feeling of his lips on mine, a feeling so soft and sweet it almost aches, I run my other hand through Ron's bright hair, tugging slightly at the root. I can feel him grin that utterly Weasley grin against my lips as he kisses me, cupping his hand behind my neck affectionately. With the way he holds me so close, it's like he can't stand for a single inch of space to be left between us any longer. I absolutely love the feeling.

Is this why everyone loves Valentine's Day so much? If it is, I can say with confidence that now, without a doubt, I understand it completely.

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