Happy holidays, cruisedirector! - Gifts in Unexpected Packages [HP]
Title: Gifts in Unexpected Packages
Author: Thevina/thrihyrne
Recipient: cruisedirector
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Ron/Draco, pre-slash
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: An accident in the rain brings new possibilities into Ron's life.
Notes: Thanks to my betas, llembas and sexyscholar.
Ron's second senses tingled, but the reality of what was happening occurred too quickly for him to react in any way but instinct. He slammed on the brakes of his motorcycle, but at a primal level he just knew that there would be an impact. The lights: so bright, so relentless, so close.
You shouldn't ride in the rain, mate, rang in his head as, through a detached sense of self, he felt the car hit him and he went soaring
"I'm so sorry! Fuck! I didn't see you! I've got to get an ambulance- Weasley?"
An incredulous, panicked voice sounded above him. Ron saw platinum hair, a pinched face, and then unconsciousness pulled him gratefully under.
* * * * *
"He's going to be okay. You don't need to keep vigil anymore. He's not going to sue you, we all know it was an accident."
Ron struggled through a haze of quasi-wakefulness, trying to reconcile hearing Harry's voice with his current situation, which seemed to involve a lot of dulled pain. He could tell he'd been hit with several healing charms, and he searched his memory to figure out why he was where he was, which was St. Mungo's.
"I know, but it's totally my fault. The rain was absolutely pissing down. I didn't see him until the last second."
"Nobody's blaming you, Malfoy. It's just unfortunate."
Ron's eyes flew open. The lights had been dimmed, and he looked wildly from face to face.
"Harry? Malfoy? What the fuck?"
"I'm here, mate," Harry soothed, but it was Draco who came to his side and held his hand. Ron was too stunned and too out of it to complain, but he did look at his hand and then at Malfoy.
"You hit me? On Christmas Day?"
"Yes. I didn't see you as I came around that corner. I'm so sorry," Malfoy babbled, his thumb rubbing against Ron's palm in a way that wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it was beyond disconcerting.
"I'll be fine. Isn't that what Harry said?" Ron asked, looking toward Harry.
"As good as new. But Ron, no more riding in the rain, okay? Will you promise me?"
"Sure," Ron croaked, still wondering at why he hadn't grabbed his hand away from Malfoy, who was looking at him with the intensity as though he were a snitch to be caught. "You thought I'd sue you? That's well, the money would be nice, but it's pretty obvious that you didn't hit me on purpose," he said, looking at Malfoy's concerned face. "Right? You weren't trying to hit me-"
"Of course not, you moron," he stated, finally letting go of Ron's hand. "I could have killed you, and then I don't know what I would have done."
"Well, let's not even imagine that. I'm going to be fine. But you're awfully concerned about me. Don't you have a wife at home, wondering what you're doing here?"
"Divorced. I realised that I prefer blokes. Oh. That might be a surprise."
Ron glanced down at his hand, which Draco had been massaging, and then back up at the face of his former nemesis, his expression open and expressive. He felt slightly queasy and nervous, wondering if Harry had told him about his own personal revelations.
"Rather."
"They had you in a coma for a few days," Harry said. "Malfoy's stayed here the whole time."
Ron tried to wrap his mind around this barrage of strange facts while Draco nodded solemnly.
"I've been reading to you. Some series that Potter recommended, Fang and Fury."
"That's " Ron began, attempting to convey what that was, exactly.
"I'm going to go, mate," Harry interrupted, sparing him having to answer. "It's great to see you awake again. I'll be back tomorrow. See you, Malfoy."
"Bye, Potter."
As Harry left, a Healer came in and Draco moved away to let her perform an auralic.
"Better and better," she said with a smile. "You'll be able to leave in a couple of days."
"Work!" Ron exclaimed, looking from the Healer to Malfoy. "Did anybody tell the Ministry?"
"Oh yes. And Harry told your family. Your mum's been here most of the time, but one of your nephews came down with bloodcurdle, so she's visiting him in a different ward."
"Bloodcurdle? That's serious. Who was it?"
"I don't remember."
Draco had moved his chair back to his bedside and gave him an incredulous look. "Besides, you think being his by a car isn't serious? Don't worry about your nephew, he'll pull through, just like you have. You Weasleys are a hearty lot, apparently."
Ron's regular sense of being was reasserting itself, and he sat up partway to give Malfoy a long look.
"I seem to remember that you hate me."
Malfoy shrugged. "Not anymore. I almost killed you- I'm thirty-six, not fifteen, so my attitude has changed. This accident has made me look at life a bit differently. But I'd also changed a lot since Hogwarts, even before this rather memorable Christmas."
"Well, that's obvious. Normally you and I wouldn't be having a conversation. We'd be fighting."
"Life's too short. I've been enjoying your company for these past couple of days."
Ron looked at him speculatively. "You mean while I was in a coma?"
"Well, yes, but I've also spent time finding out about you from Potter, and your mother."
He shook his head, marveling at how his world had managed to turn inside out and topsy-turvy after his accident. It was too incredulous, his mother simply chatting with a Malfoy, especially one who'd hit him. Ron hadn't been safe, to be sure, and he didn't doubt that he'd get an earful when she found out he'd been roused from his coma.
"I can't quite fathom you and her having an actual conversation."
"She's been surprisingly open to chatting with me. After she yelled about how I could have killed one of her precious sons, that is. But I expected that."
"Well, you're still around, so obviously she didn't hex you back to the Dark Ages."
Ron found that he was smiling, and was floored when he saw a genuine smile alight on Draco's lips. It was disconcerting, and made his face look actually handsome. Or at least not unattractive.
I must be on some kind of really strong anti-pain draught, he thought as he dealt with such a foreign thought about Malfoy.
"This might be a bit forward, but would you like to go out for drinks or something, once you're up and about?" Draco asked.
The man was nervous, Ron realised, and he found it quite endearing.
"I- well-"
"You don't have to decide right now," Draco interrupted, standing up from his chair and walking over. "Just think about it. And here." He fished through his satchel and produced a paperback book. "Here's Fang and Fury. You're on chapter ten, but you might want to start at the beginning."
"Oh! Thanks." Ron was cheered by the idea of having something to read. "If you wouldn't mind going to tell my mum I'm awake, that'd be great."
"Of course, though I suspect the Healer told her and she's on her way."
Draco patted his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I hope I'll hear from you."
Ron gave him a long look, and to his surprise, found himself saying, "I'm pretty sure you will."
Draco smiled, let go of his hand, and walked out of the room.
Draco Malfoy. Drinks, Ron thought to himself. This has definitely been a strange Christmas, all the way around.
Just then his mum rushed in and Ron found himself covered in hugs and kisses, but he held the book to his chest, a gift he suspected he would hold on to for a very long time.
Author: Thevina/thrihyrne
Recipient: cruisedirector
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Ron/Draco, pre-slash
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: An accident in the rain brings new possibilities into Ron's life.
Notes: Thanks to my betas, llembas and sexyscholar.
Ron's second senses tingled, but the reality of what was happening occurred too quickly for him to react in any way but instinct. He slammed on the brakes of his motorcycle, but at a primal level he just knew that there would be an impact. The lights: so bright, so relentless, so close.
You shouldn't ride in the rain, mate, rang in his head as, through a detached sense of self, he felt the car hit him and he went soaring
"I'm so sorry! Fuck! I didn't see you! I've got to get an ambulance- Weasley?"
An incredulous, panicked voice sounded above him. Ron saw platinum hair, a pinched face, and then unconsciousness pulled him gratefully under.
* * * * *
"He's going to be okay. You don't need to keep vigil anymore. He's not going to sue you, we all know it was an accident."
Ron struggled through a haze of quasi-wakefulness, trying to reconcile hearing Harry's voice with his current situation, which seemed to involve a lot of dulled pain. He could tell he'd been hit with several healing charms, and he searched his memory to figure out why he was where he was, which was St. Mungo's.
"I know, but it's totally my fault. The rain was absolutely pissing down. I didn't see him until the last second."
"Nobody's blaming you, Malfoy. It's just unfortunate."
Ron's eyes flew open. The lights had been dimmed, and he looked wildly from face to face.
"Harry? Malfoy? What the fuck?"
"I'm here, mate," Harry soothed, but it was Draco who came to his side and held his hand. Ron was too stunned and too out of it to complain, but he did look at his hand and then at Malfoy.
"You hit me? On Christmas Day?"
"Yes. I didn't see you as I came around that corner. I'm so sorry," Malfoy babbled, his thumb rubbing against Ron's palm in a way that wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it was beyond disconcerting.
"I'll be fine. Isn't that what Harry said?" Ron asked, looking toward Harry.
"As good as new. But Ron, no more riding in the rain, okay? Will you promise me?"
"Sure," Ron croaked, still wondering at why he hadn't grabbed his hand away from Malfoy, who was looking at him with the intensity as though he were a snitch to be caught. "You thought I'd sue you? That's well, the money would be nice, but it's pretty obvious that you didn't hit me on purpose," he said, looking at Malfoy's concerned face. "Right? You weren't trying to hit me-"
"Of course not, you moron," he stated, finally letting go of Ron's hand. "I could have killed you, and then I don't know what I would have done."
"Well, let's not even imagine that. I'm going to be fine. But you're awfully concerned about me. Don't you have a wife at home, wondering what you're doing here?"
"Divorced. I realised that I prefer blokes. Oh. That might be a surprise."
Ron glanced down at his hand, which Draco had been massaging, and then back up at the face of his former nemesis, his expression open and expressive. He felt slightly queasy and nervous, wondering if Harry had told him about his own personal revelations.
"Rather."
"They had you in a coma for a few days," Harry said. "Malfoy's stayed here the whole time."
Ron tried to wrap his mind around this barrage of strange facts while Draco nodded solemnly.
"I've been reading to you. Some series that Potter recommended, Fang and Fury."
"That's " Ron began, attempting to convey what that was, exactly.
"I'm going to go, mate," Harry interrupted, sparing him having to answer. "It's great to see you awake again. I'll be back tomorrow. See you, Malfoy."
"Bye, Potter."
As Harry left, a Healer came in and Draco moved away to let her perform an auralic.
"Better and better," she said with a smile. "You'll be able to leave in a couple of days."
"Work!" Ron exclaimed, looking from the Healer to Malfoy. "Did anybody tell the Ministry?"
"Oh yes. And Harry told your family. Your mum's been here most of the time, but one of your nephews came down with bloodcurdle, so she's visiting him in a different ward."
"Bloodcurdle? That's serious. Who was it?"
"I don't remember."
Draco had moved his chair back to his bedside and gave him an incredulous look. "Besides, you think being his by a car isn't serious? Don't worry about your nephew, he'll pull through, just like you have. You Weasleys are a hearty lot, apparently."
Ron's regular sense of being was reasserting itself, and he sat up partway to give Malfoy a long look.
"I seem to remember that you hate me."
Malfoy shrugged. "Not anymore. I almost killed you- I'm thirty-six, not fifteen, so my attitude has changed. This accident has made me look at life a bit differently. But I'd also changed a lot since Hogwarts, even before this rather memorable Christmas."
"Well, that's obvious. Normally you and I wouldn't be having a conversation. We'd be fighting."
"Life's too short. I've been enjoying your company for these past couple of days."
Ron looked at him speculatively. "You mean while I was in a coma?"
"Well, yes, but I've also spent time finding out about you from Potter, and your mother."
He shook his head, marveling at how his world had managed to turn inside out and topsy-turvy after his accident. It was too incredulous, his mother simply chatting with a Malfoy, especially one who'd hit him. Ron hadn't been safe, to be sure, and he didn't doubt that he'd get an earful when she found out he'd been roused from his coma.
"I can't quite fathom you and her having an actual conversation."
"She's been surprisingly open to chatting with me. After she yelled about how I could have killed one of her precious sons, that is. But I expected that."
"Well, you're still around, so obviously she didn't hex you back to the Dark Ages."
Ron found that he was smiling, and was floored when he saw a genuine smile alight on Draco's lips. It was disconcerting, and made his face look actually handsome. Or at least not unattractive.
I must be on some kind of really strong anti-pain draught, he thought as he dealt with such a foreign thought about Malfoy.
"This might be a bit forward, but would you like to go out for drinks or something, once you're up and about?" Draco asked.
The man was nervous, Ron realised, and he found it quite endearing.
"I- well-"
"You don't have to decide right now," Draco interrupted, standing up from his chair and walking over. "Just think about it. And here." He fished through his satchel and produced a paperback book. "Here's Fang and Fury. You're on chapter ten, but you might want to start at the beginning."
"Oh! Thanks." Ron was cheered by the idea of having something to read. "If you wouldn't mind going to tell my mum I'm awake, that'd be great."
"Of course, though I suspect the Healer told her and she's on her way."
Draco patted his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I hope I'll hear from you."
Ron gave him a long look, and to his surprise, found himself saying, "I'm pretty sure you will."
Draco smiled, let go of his hand, and walked out of the room.
Draco Malfoy. Drinks, Ron thought to himself. This has definitely been a strange Christmas, all the way around.
Just then his mum rushed in and Ron found himself covered in hugs and kisses, but he held the book to his chest, a gift he suspected he would hold on to for a very long time.