Another Drabble - Ron/Draco

[icarus]

This one is for thywillbedone. The source of inspiration is obvious, if you've been reading my LJ lately. Edit: I forgot to mention this is set in the Beg Me For It universe. Ron and Draco are both captured, and work for the Death Eater's Ministry, which the rather short-handed Death Eaters run as a low-security prison.




Six Week Charade
by Icarus




Ron's arm fell weakly to his side; he'd tried. He rolled over onto his back and swallowed.

"Don't feel like it…." he coughed.

Which turned into more coughing. He opened bloodshot eyes and offered, "I could be on the bottom if you want." And grimaced.

The 'sexiness' of this offer was enhanced by his reaching for a-not-particularly-clean handkerchief. The sheets weren't all that clean, either.

"You're going to have to stop being sick, Ron," Draco complained in a deliberately light tone. "Aside from the effect on my sex life, this place is filthy. And I don't think I can eat another bite of my own cooking."

Ron coughed and simply shook his head. His skin was clammy and pale under the freckles. Draco sighed and stroked his damp hair. Dull eyes looked up at Draco. They looked sticky and hot.

"It's been weeks," Draco observed. "You're sick. Stay home."

"Don't be stupid -" Ron wheezed, but managed to breathe enough to speak. "- you think I work a regular job, just 'cause I come home to our flat? Got paid vacations -- a little Christmas bonus at the end of the year?" His voice had that loud tone of somebody struggling to speak over a whisper. "I work for Death Eaters! They don't care if I drop. I don't show up, I lose my job. And that doesn't mean what it usually does."

He fell back to the blankets, spent from this outburst. The sheet over him was soaked in sweat. He glanced at the rag in his hand. "This handkerchief's gross."

Well, that was some sign of life.

Draco turned and glowered at the wall. "That wasn't a question, Ron. You don't get to have an opinion in the matter."

~*~*~

Eunice was generally the first one in the office in Green Section, the Minister of Magic's Executive staff. Whether she realised it or not, this made her brisk and efficient by the time the staff was blearily waking up. She'd done the week's calendar, already had Mr Weasley's mail in hand, and she'd taken the time to make him a special cup of tea -- a remedy from her mother's side. She stuffed the mail under her arm as she opened his door. Which struck her as suddenly odd. He didn't usually close it.

A man was seated behind the desk, his blond head lifted as she stepped in -- she stifled a gasp and nearly dropped the teacup.

"Close the door behind you," Draco Malfoy said.

"Mr Malfoy…."

"That's Weasley. I'm Mr Weasley to you until I tell you otherwise." His eyes were intense, and he talked to her like she was a slow child.

But a few other staff members already caught wind of a 'sensation' -- it was a small office -- before she could react and close the door. They hovered, and exchanged puzzled glances. Malfoy wasn't liked by any of them, though they'd never seen him enough to have any reason for it. His chin lifted challengingly. Someone coughed.

Eunice cleared her throat. "Well. Don't stand there gawking. Mr Weasley has a very busy day ahead of him."




Finis.



Thirteen down, six more to go:

Six Week Charade - Ron/Draco for thywillbedone
Primer to the Dark Arts: Morning Breath, deleted scene, NC-17 version. Harry/Snape for barbana
More Than One Way To Win Tom/Harry for auxphono
Weasleys Come in Twos and Threes Fred/Harry/George for lyricalnights
Deep Throat Percy/Severus for chaos_rose
A '57 Vincent And A Red-Headed Boy - Ron/Sirus for wanderingscribe
It Was All Right Harry/Ron for ragnhildholm
Safeword Percy/Severus wired_lizard
Rat For Dessert Peter/Severus for _greenie_
Christmas Fluff Percy/Harry for haku_kaen
Not My Affair VIII: Steam Ron/Percy (muse got really out of control)
Not My Affair VII: A Toast To Misery Ron/Percy (muse got out of control)
Not My Affair VI: A Year Later Ron/Percy for isolde9 (follow up to Not My Affair 1-5)
In November Neville/Ron for ursule
A Little Night Music Hermion/Rita for mark356

More coming!

Fred/George NC-17 for ygrane
Hermione/McGonagall (optional) for puella_deville
Harry/Cedric for blithesea
Harry/Snape (Harry dominant, NC-17) for vileseagulls
Percy/Draco, Beg Me For It universe for tboy
Severus/Harry, with extra snark bluemoon02

Comments

heh

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

For a second there, the blond head lifting up as the door to Ron's office is opened made me think ... well ...

-brodie

Re: heh

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Hmph. I'd better change that. Sort of ruins the effect of the moment.

Reminds of the time I wrote a Frodo story with the phrase, "Frodo felt a stranger..." My beta sprayed her tea all over her computer. I amended it to "Frodo felt a stranger to himself and Sam."

*Icarus chuckles.*

Icarus

[thywillbedone.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor sick Ron! *huggles Ron and offers clean handkerchiefs*

I also have to agree with Tinderblast ;-)

My mind is filthy, we already established that. And being sick is not gonna change it either.

[thywillbedone.livejournal.com]

And because I'm stupid like that, I forgot to say a big Thank you.

THANK YOU ICARUS!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

And in blue, too. Nice colour. :)

To tell you the truth, this was one of the harder ones to do. Strange, isn't it?

Icarus

[thywillbedone.livejournal.com]

really?

Hmm, maybe I can see that. I mean, it's not exactly a PWP so I guess we needed some semblance of plot, lol.

I like how Draco got his way in the end, even after Ron almost killed himself delivering the speech, lol.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You'd think it would be easier, since I've written so much Ron/Draco. But often what drives my stories is the question 'here's an impossible pairing - what bizarre circumstances would get these two together?' And stories have a will of their own. I could feel when a story just took root on its own, and when it just... laid there. Part of the value of this challenge was to force out stories that weren't cooperating at all, to learn to harness those muses and make them work when they don't want it.

Icarus

If you're curious:

Six Week Charade - Ron/Draco: struggle.
Primer to the Dark Arts: Morning Breath, deleted scene, NC-17 version - Okay, I cheated and used something I'd already written.
More Than One Way To Win - Harry/Tom: took root.
Weasleys Come in Twos and Threes -Fred/Harry/George: struggle, frustration.
Deep Throat - Percy/Severus: took root, after a struggle.
A '57 Vincent And A Red-Headed Boy - Ron/Sirus: struggle. Slogging through jungle.
It Was All Right - Harry/Ron: took root.
Safeword - Percy/Severus: miserable struggle.
Rat For Dessert - Peter/Severus: took root.
Christmas Fluff - Percy/Harry: struggle.
Not My Affair VIII: Steam - Ron/Percy: flew.
Not My Affair VII: A Toast To Misery - Ron/Percy: easy
Not My Affair VI: A Year Later - Ron/Percy - grabbed me and wouldn't let go.
In November - Neville/Ron: Hit a deep place and blossomed.
A Little Night Music - Hermion/Rita: jumped on a fragile idea before it could escape.

[pushdragon.livejournal.com]

*loves your Ron*

*loves your Draco more*

*settles for loving your Ron/Draco*

Both adorable, both in character, and each painfully tender in his untender way. Coherence, you aren't my friend today. What I mean is, that was utterly charming, yes, even the vile handkerchief.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This was a hard one to write. It just didn't want to go.

Draco is so good to Ron here, isn't he? Even if he can't bring himself to do any housework. ;)

Icarus

[guntar.livejournal.com]

Very cute drabble.
*gives Ron Icarus a cup of tea to get better soon*

Well, I suppose there was one god thing about your sickness: you had the inspiration for this drabble.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I went down the line of scenarios I hadn't covered in the Beg Me For It drabbles, because my original idea was set after Beg Me For It is complete. Too many spoilers. ;)

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tea, and the sympathy. *schlurp*

Icarus

[(Anonymous)]

yeah, i remembered that you were sick...poor icarus...lol.. wow, draco in charge now..haha, yeah. "frodo felt a stranger" lmao.. those kind of sentences are fun.. poor ronnie...

-harvey

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much. I'm feeling slowly better. Slowly, slowly.

Draco's going to be relying on Eunice. A lot.

I was red-faced when my beta pointed that sentence out to me.

Icarus

[merrycontrary.livejournal.com]

I stumbled back to Live Journal land after a long hard week, and found 5 lovely new Icarus drabbles, each better than the last, topped off by your lovely Ron/Draco. I'm so happy at this moment.
Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm absolutely delighted you like them. Sorry you had a rough week, and glad I could make it a little brighter.

Icarus

[switchknife.livejournal.com]

Such lovely t00byness--my heart's just a little, grateful, melted puddle and I want to pash your Draco madly. (Which is surprising given my taste for the ladies.)

Just lovely. So sweet and wholesome and undeniable. *sighs happily* Loved the last sentence.

By the way, how do requests work? If you have the time, and are able, and won't be mad at me for asking, I'd love to see you do Snape/Virgin!Harry, semi-consensual. :P :P Yes, you know my kink. How about it?

*waits apprehensively*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Okay, I have to ask (finally). What is t00by? What does that mean? To be? As in 'meant to be'? My circuits are frying trying to figure this one out. I've seen it everywhere.

The request was a rather non-descript post I put up Here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/icarusancalion/84194.html). I had a lot of story ideas, the writing was working, but I couldn't focus. Then I hit a wall on Snape Manor.

I've written 16 stories in the last 18 days. I've closed the requests, but I may just squeeze yours in if the idea comes to life. I'm... not much for writing non-con to tell the truth. Beg Me For It was an exception.

Icarus

[simmysim.livejournal.com]

for a piece that short ... it shouldn't've been that good. >.< i'm beginning to wonder if you're even human.
perhaps you are a perfect fanfic making robot?

[redblaze.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. . . I loved this. You've wove such a unique relationship between Ron and Draco. You have nothing to be anxious about. I always wish for more when I reached the end of anything you write about these two. I love this universe.

The idea of Draco in charge is scary, I feel for poor Eunice :)

((((hugs))))

kele

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's an... interesting world they're living in and a kind of dependency/caring has grown up between them, whether they admit it or not.

Icarus

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Woot!

*does the R/D dance o'joy*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

am i the only one who noticed how Eunice's name changed to Eustace?...oh..wait..nevermind..i'm silly..ron is gross..lol..hate being sick..

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're brilliant! Thank you so much. These are all unbeta'd, and betas are the most valuable creation in the universe. *fixes the mistake* *purrs at Harvey*

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

teeheehee..so it was a mistake? hurray! well, hurray that i'm not crazy...i was purred at.. *grin*