Disclaimer: I do not own any recognisable characters in this Fan Fiction.

Prompt: Ron. Your character just proposed to his girlfriend, but in a really lame way so she said no. Now he has a month before she leaves for (whatever reason) to come up and perform the perfect proposal.

Dedicated to Nimi. Happy Birthday!

Unromantic
Random Love Brain Challenge
By ThatRomantic

15 March

It was a rare sunny day after a very long winter on the east coast of England. The Devon shores were high with surf and the winds coming off the sea were mild but strong. That did not faze Ron Weasley, as he sat on the Bideford beach, nervously anticipating the question he was going to ask his long-term girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.

They had got together three years previously after both had ended serious relationships. Ron had been with Hermione for three years, but they realised that it was becoming awkward. Ron often thought it was like kissing Ginny, and Hermione confessed after that she felt similarly. He also could not stand the fighting that the relationship entailed. Every time he came home, Hermione would be there, hands on hips, telling him he was late and that his dinner was cold. They had finished their relationship fairly mutually and still saw each other from time to time. Luna had been dating Neville for two years before Ron, but they decided it was not meant to be.

Neville had married Hannah Abbot, landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, in the previous December and Hermione had moved on with a redeemed Draco Malfoy and was expecting a child in two months. Due to this, Ron felt it was time for the both of them to put their pasts behind them, and prepare for the next step in their relationship.

"What's on your mind?" Luna asked softly from beside him, breaking his thoughts.

"N-Nothing," he stuttered. "Let's take a walk by the sea." Before she could protest, he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the towels they had been lounging on and dragged her down to the waves, running over sand dunes, before slowing and walking along the shore line.

They both had bare feet and shivers ran up Ron's spine as the cool water played around his toes. Eventually reaching a cove in the beach he decided that it was now or never.

"Luna," he started. "You know I love you, right?" At this a frown came on to Luna's usually tranquil face.

"Yes, Ron," she answered calmly.

"Well I've been thinking about that," he said. "Quite a lot," he added, as though it would save what was quickly becoming the worst proposal in the history of all human kind. "And I think you love me quite a lot too."

"Yes, Ron, I do," Luna said tolerantly. That was one of the reasons he loved her so much. She was unfailingly patient with him. His temper would often flare when he was stressed in the Auror Office but on those nights, she seemed to have a sixth sense and come home early from her work at the Quibbler to cook him dinner. When he was clumsy she would not chide him, as Hermione had, but help him with what he had been doing. She did not get short with him when he did not understand subtleties in emotional change that she had, or when he said inappropriate things. She just took it all in her stride and embraced it. He understood him better than most; and a lot better than he understood her.

Snapping out of his admiration of the woman standing in front of him, Ron reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the ring he had bought. It was a simple white gold band, with a small Aquamarine with baguette cut diamonds either side of it.

"Luna, will you –" he started, but just as he was lowering to one knee in the frigid, cold water the small object dropped from his fingers and into the salty water. His blue eyes quickly widened and looked in the direction the ring had fallen. It was slowly sinking into the wet sand, so – flustered – Ron scooped the ring (and the sand it was buried in) up, shook the sand off and held it up to a seemingly amused Luna. "– marry me?"

"Oh, Ron," Luna said, smiling at him. "Try better next time."

1 April

Ron had everything set. The lights were dim, the candles lit, and the music was playing. Nothing would go wrong this time. Everything was planned from the moment his girlfriend walked in the door. He had decided to try another classic tactic. He had cooked (with the help of Ginny, Molly, Fleur, and Hermione – all of whom bickered constantly) a three course dinner and had placed the ring in the chocolate fondant for dessert.

Nothing can go wrong.

Just as he was putting the finishing touches on the table, he heard the latch click on the door.

"Ron," Luna called, remarkably still keeping her dreamy tone. "I'm home and I have the most amazing news!"

He heard her shuffle around the flat, get changed, and pad over to their kitchen/diner where he was waiting. As she stood in the doorframe, he admired her beauty. Her long white blonde waves cascaded around her pale face, framing her forget-me-not blue eyes. The v-neck tee and long, flowing skirt she wore complimented her soft curves. She was not typically beautiful, her nose was a little wider than perfect, and her cheeks were more rounded than most, but she was his. All of her. From her spotty-sock covered toes to her radish adorned ears, she was his. He smiled to himself at the thought of spending the rest of his life with her.

"This is pretty," Luna's serene voice said.

"Thanks," Ron answered awkwardly. He had never really got used to the gentle bluntness that she came out with from time to time. "Soup?" he asked as she took her place at the dinner table. She simply inclined her head. "So what was this amazing news?"

"Oh, I've been asked to go on a trip with the magazine to Brazil! We're hoping to catch the Humpidonk Folop in its natural habitat!"

"Great," Ron replied weakly. Brazil. How were they going to get married if she was in Brazil?

For the rest of the meal, he worried about her upcoming trip to Brazil while she chatted happily about it. He heard, through the haze of his brain, that she would be going in a month for a six month trip to the jungles. It was like torture, listening to her voice take a slight note of excitement as she talked about the prospect of working with Shaman to understand exotic creatures featured in the Quibbler.

Then, at long last, came the dessert. He knew which to give her, but he could only hope that she would say yes after all the things she had been telling him all through the meal. As soon as it was set in front of her, Luna took a large scoop of the gooey chocolaty goodness. After a few chews she swallowed.

And choked.

Ron panicked and rushed around the table, hitting her on the back to help her. Eventually, a small, shiny object came out of her mouth, covered in mashed chocolate and strings of saliva.

"Erm... Marry me?" Ron asked, in a high pitched voice that was not his own.

"Third time lucky, Ron."

29 May

It was not third time lucky. Or fourth. In fact, he had asked another six times after the disaster with the chocolate cake, with no luck. Every time Luna turned him down, telling him to try again. Ron had about given up hope. He had tried every trick in the book, even asking the guys at work how they proposed. He had asked her on the Eiffel Tower, beneath a water fall, on their anniversary, but still she turned him down.

His time was running out. There was two days before she left for Brazil for six months and all he could do was worry. He was starting to think that she did not want him and would dump him while in Brazil for some exotic man (he had heard Rolf Scamander was going along – and, although not exotic, Rolf had had his eye on the blonde dreamer for some time).

It was now or never.

Sat in front of the television – an invention that Hermione had introduced to him during their relationship that he adored – he said the first thing that came to his head.

"Fancy getting married?" he asked, still looking at the screen.

"That's the most unromantic thing anyone has ever said to me," Luna stated. "Yes. I do."

This was possibly the hardest thing I had to write. I hate Ron/Hermione so I didn't want to do that pairing, and I've never written Ron as a main character. I truly struggled with this, and can only hope I did both characters justice, even if they are OOC.