Ready to Ride
Title: Ready to Ride Follows A Magical Night, but can be read as a stand-alone.
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Charlie/Neville
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Strong suggestion
Word count: 940
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This fic/drabble was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ Birthday gift for digthewriter, who asked for Charlie/Neville with the prompts orange, light blue
♦ hp_creatures January prompt shower
Summary: Neville gets to ride a dragon.
Neville stepped out of his cottage and looked up. The morning sky was a lovely, light blue with just a few puffy clouds here and there. Perfect weather for flying, or so Charlie had said.
Thoughts of Charlie brought a smile to Neville's lips and a faint flush to his cheeks. Since they'd been spending their nights together, either in Nev's cottage or Charlie's, this was the happiest Neville could remember being. When he accepted the position as Healer at the dragon sanctuary, he couldn't have guessed it would lead to...this.
He refused to define what this was. There was no need for soppy declarations or promises of forever. While that would be wonderful, Neville planned to take things one day at a time.
A shadow passed from overhead, and Neville pivoted and looked up again. Charlie was riding a dragon. A Swedish Shortsnout, from the looks of it. The dragon was beautiful and fearsome in equal measure. Its bronze hide shone almost orange in the morning light as it banked in a turn and came down for a landing. The dragon's powerful wing beats stirred up a small dust storm, and Neville turned away and shielded his eyes.
Once the dragon settled and folded its wings, Nev turned around again. Charlie sat astride the beast, grinning down at him.
"Are you ready to ride?" he called out.
Neville grinned back. "Yes!" he replied. "But, you'll have to put your dragon away first."
The expression on Charlie's face was worth embarrassing himself for. Charlie looked utterly flummoxed for a moment.
"You prat," growled Charlie. "I should dismount and take you over my knee."
His rough voice and naughty threat left Neville feeling hot and bothered. It was almost worth foregoing the promised ride on dragonback. Almost, but not quite. It wasn't every day that a bloke got the chance to ride a dragon. Still, the temptation to ride the dragonrider was strong...
"Nev? Quit looking at me like that, or we'll both get into trouble."
Neville composed himself and approached cautiously. He halted well away from the Shortsnout, tensing when its head snaked around.
"Stand still," Charlie instructed quietly. "Let her get a good sniff of you. You didn't shower this morning, did you?"
"No," Neville croaked, gulping slightly as the dragon drew in a deep breath.
"She'll smell me on you, which means she'll accept you more easily," said Charlie.
Neville quivered, not out of fear, but at the memory of how he came to smell like Charlie. He was about to tell Charlie to sod the dragon ride in favor of another round of sex, when Charlie spoke again.
"Okay, she's calm and relaxed now," he said from his perch. "Approach her slowly, and I'll give you a hand up."
Neville gulped again and nodded, not trusting his voice. He moved forward, taking care not to startle the large, dangerous beast that Charlie was so casually sitting on.
Charlie shifted his leg and said, "Put your foot in the stirrup and give me your hand."
Neville did so, and Charlie lifted him up. "Swing your other leg over," he instructed. Once Neville was seated behind him, Charlie pointed to the dangling straps and said, "Buckle up."
Neville managed to work the buckles, tightened the cinch, and wrapped his arms around Charlie. "Now what?" he asked.
"Now, we fly!"
Charlie gave the dragon a signal, and she rose from her haunches, loped forward, and launched herself into the air. Her wings worked furiously to get them aloft, then she caught an air current and began to glide.
Charlie whooped, and Neville whimpered.
"Nev? Are your eyes closed?"
"Yes!"
"Well, open them, you daft tosser!" Charlie laughed. "The view from up here is incredible!"
Neville cracked one eye open, and then the other. His stomach lurched, and his arms tightened around Charlie. The ground seemed dreadfully far away, and objects below were blurred with the speed of their flight. Neville swallowed heavily.
"You're not going to be sick, are you?"
Neville swallowed again. "No...maybe?"
"You're a Gryffindor, Nev!" Charlie shouted. "Pluck up your courage. If Ron can ride a dragon, and an untamed one at that, you can handle riding on this beauty!"
Neville tried looking straight ahead, and he found that helped. He could pretend they were only a few feet off the ground. The dragon banked into a turn, and Neville's stomach rolled with it.
"Charlie..."
"I love it when you moan my name like that!" Charlie teased.
Neville had to bite back another moan. He was about to plead for them to return to land, when Charlie signaled to the dragon, and she began to descend. Once she touched down, Neville fumbled to unbuckle the straps that had kept him secured in place. Charlie helped him dismount. Nev took a few wobbling steps away from the dragon before his knees gave out, and he slumped to the ground.
Behind him, Charlie chuckled. "Alright there, Nev?"
Neville flapped a hand in his direction. "Yeah, yeah, just enjoying the feel of the earth."
"While you're getting your land legs back, I need to get Pearl back to her enclosure," said Charlie.
Neville nodded and covered his eyes as Pearl went airborne again. Once the dragon was a safe distance away, he rose to his feet and tottered into his cottage. He could use a stiff drink after that, but a bracing cup of tea would have to do. He'd just finished one cup and was contemplating having another when Charlie came through the door.
He stripped his gloves off and grinned at Neville. "Are you ready to ride?"
Dragon Conservation
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Charlie/Neville
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Strong suggestion
Word count: 940
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This fic/drabble was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ Birthday gift for digthewriter, who asked for Charlie/Neville with the prompts orange, light blue
♦ hp_creatures January prompt shower
Summary: Neville gets to ride a dragon.
Neville stepped out of his cottage and looked up. The morning sky was a lovely, light blue with just a few puffy clouds here and there. Perfect weather for flying, or so Charlie had said.
Thoughts of Charlie brought a smile to Neville's lips and a faint flush to his cheeks. Since they'd been spending their nights together, either in Nev's cottage or Charlie's, this was the happiest Neville could remember being. When he accepted the position as Healer at the dragon sanctuary, he couldn't have guessed it would lead to...this.
He refused to define what this was. There was no need for soppy declarations or promises of forever. While that would be wonderful, Neville planned to take things one day at a time.
A shadow passed from overhead, and Neville pivoted and looked up again. Charlie was riding a dragon. A Swedish Shortsnout, from the looks of it. The dragon was beautiful and fearsome in equal measure. Its bronze hide shone almost orange in the morning light as it banked in a turn and came down for a landing. The dragon's powerful wing beats stirred up a small dust storm, and Neville turned away and shielded his eyes.
Once the dragon settled and folded its wings, Nev turned around again. Charlie sat astride the beast, grinning down at him.
"Are you ready to ride?" he called out.
Neville grinned back. "Yes!" he replied. "But, you'll have to put your dragon away first."
The expression on Charlie's face was worth embarrassing himself for. Charlie looked utterly flummoxed for a moment.
"You prat," growled Charlie. "I should dismount and take you over my knee."
His rough voice and naughty threat left Neville feeling hot and bothered. It was almost worth foregoing the promised ride on dragonback. Almost, but not quite. It wasn't every day that a bloke got the chance to ride a dragon. Still, the temptation to ride the dragonrider was strong...
"Nev? Quit looking at me like that, or we'll both get into trouble."
Neville composed himself and approached cautiously. He halted well away from the Shortsnout, tensing when its head snaked around.
"Stand still," Charlie instructed quietly. "Let her get a good sniff of you. You didn't shower this morning, did you?"
"No," Neville croaked, gulping slightly as the dragon drew in a deep breath.
"She'll smell me on you, which means she'll accept you more easily," said Charlie.
Neville quivered, not out of fear, but at the memory of how he came to smell like Charlie. He was about to tell Charlie to sod the dragon ride in favor of another round of sex, when Charlie spoke again.
"Okay, she's calm and relaxed now," he said from his perch. "Approach her slowly, and I'll give you a hand up."
Neville gulped again and nodded, not trusting his voice. He moved forward, taking care not to startle the large, dangerous beast that Charlie was so casually sitting on.
Charlie shifted his leg and said, "Put your foot in the stirrup and give me your hand."
Neville did so, and Charlie lifted him up. "Swing your other leg over," he instructed. Once Neville was seated behind him, Charlie pointed to the dangling straps and said, "Buckle up."
Neville managed to work the buckles, tightened the cinch, and wrapped his arms around Charlie. "Now what?" he asked.
"Now, we fly!"
Charlie gave the dragon a signal, and she rose from her haunches, loped forward, and launched herself into the air. Her wings worked furiously to get them aloft, then she caught an air current and began to glide.
Charlie whooped, and Neville whimpered.
"Nev? Are your eyes closed?"
"Yes!"
"Well, open them, you daft tosser!" Charlie laughed. "The view from up here is incredible!"
Neville cracked one eye open, and then the other. His stomach lurched, and his arms tightened around Charlie. The ground seemed dreadfully far away, and objects below were blurred with the speed of their flight. Neville swallowed heavily.
"You're not going to be sick, are you?"
Neville swallowed again. "No...maybe?"
"You're a Gryffindor, Nev!" Charlie shouted. "Pluck up your courage. If Ron can ride a dragon, and an untamed one at that, you can handle riding on this beauty!"
Neville tried looking straight ahead, and he found that helped. He could pretend they were only a few feet off the ground. The dragon banked into a turn, and Neville's stomach rolled with it.
"Charlie..."
"I love it when you moan my name like that!" Charlie teased.
Neville had to bite back another moan. He was about to plead for them to return to land, when Charlie signaled to the dragon, and she began to descend. Once she touched down, Neville fumbled to unbuckle the straps that had kept him secured in place. Charlie helped him dismount. Nev took a few wobbling steps away from the dragon before his knees gave out, and he slumped to the ground.
Behind him, Charlie chuckled. "Alright there, Nev?"
Neville flapped a hand in his direction. "Yeah, yeah, just enjoying the feel of the earth."
"While you're getting your land legs back, I need to get Pearl back to her enclosure," said Charlie.
Neville nodded and covered his eyes as Pearl went airborne again. Once the dragon was a safe distance away, he rose to his feet and tottered into his cottage. He could use a stiff drink after that, but a bracing cup of tea would have to do. He'd just finished one cup and was contemplating having another when Charlie came through the door.
He stripped his gloves off and grinned at Neville. "Are you ready to ride?"
Dragon Conservation