Title: Falling Apart

Author: Diosa

Rating: M

Summary: It isn't always domestic bliss.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter etc, is not mine nor is it in any way affiliated with me. I'm just having a bit of fun.

'Practice was the absolute worst today!' said Ron as he entered the modest flat he shared with Harry. 'Outside is freezing! Why we have to run drills in the middle of bleeding January I'll never know.' He walked over to the couch and sank down, next to Harry.

'Yeah?'

'Everyone was playing like they had misdirection spells on them. Morace finally had mercy and called quits early.'

'Mine was pretty gruelling too,' said Harry. 'I'm glad you're home.'

There was a dithering moment. Ron leaned forward to kiss Harry, who coughed and turned away.

Ron stood abruptly. 'I need the loo.'

Harry leaned back against the worn, brown leather couch and sighed.

Ron was the assistant coach for the Wandering Wyverns, while Harry played Seeker for the Tornadoes. After the war they both thought they would end up as Aurors, but after all that fighting the last thing they wanted was to do more. Hermione went to Rome to study obscure magic; Harry and Ron took an extended vacation. They travelled the world for two years, and when they returned were a couple. At twenty six, they were finally leading lives under their control.

'Ron?'

'Yeah Harry,' answered Ron, walking out of the bedroom.

'Er… why did you come home so late if you got out early?'

'I had a few rounds with some of the team.'

'A few rounds?'

'Yes, a few rounds. What's with the inquisition?'

'Nothing. It's just that you're always doing something with the team. I hardly ever see you.' Harry got up and starting puttering around the homey, bright yellow kitchen.

'You have drinks with your team every Friday,' countered Ron, leaning against the sink.

'I know, but I had a full day of training and I got home two hours ago.' Harry's eyes never left the cucumbers he was cutting.

'Are you trying to imply something?'

Harry slammed the knife he was using against the cutting board. 'God, Ron!' Did I say that? You're so defensive lately.'

'I am not defensive. I'm just tired of your veiled accusations and I don't appreciate – '

'I'm not trying to start a fight with you Ron.'

'Then don't.' He left the kitchen and swept through the living room, to their bedroom. Hermione said it looked like a grown up version of their Hogwarts' dormitory.

'Don't just walk away from me!'

'Well what do you want me to do? I'm right here, talking to you, loving you.'

Harry calmed significantly. 'I love you too Ron, and I hate it when we fight. That's all we seem to do these days.'

Ron sat heavily on the bed's burnt orange sheets. 'Come over here. I miss you.'

He hesitated before crossing the room and standing next to the bed. 'I'm really tired…' said Harry, looking past Ron. 'Let's just eat and go to sleep. Yeah?'

'All right.'

x X x

'Are you actively trying to hurt me Ron? Is that it?' Harry just came out of the bathroom holding the dirty laundry basket.

'What are you blathering on about now?' snapped Ron.

'Shut your gob! Whose is this? It's not mine and it's too small for you,' raged Harry, waving the offensive article in the air.

Ron dropped himself on the bed and glanced up at Harry. 'How do you know I didn't get it for you?'

'Don't fuck with me Ron! Don't fucking insult my intelligence!' Harry threw it on the floor. 'Is this what our relationship has come to? You blatantly lying to me? We're supposed to love and respect each other. You act like you hate me.'

'Don't be ridiculous Harry. How could you think I hate you?'

'What else should I think?'

'I don't know. I'm sorry you feel that way.'

'That's not an apology Ron! How about you say sorry for making me feel this way in the first place?'

Ron sprang forward and leapt up from the bed. 'I have practice.' He stomped out the room, then Disapparated.

Stunned, Harry trudged over to the bed, sat, put his head in his hands and cried.

Hours later Hermione found Harry folded on the bed, frowning in his sleep.

'Harry? Harry, wake up.'

His eyes fluttered open. 'Ron?'

'No, it's me, Hermione.'

'Oh, sorry Hermione, I thought you were Ron.' He stretched, then sat up, allowing Hermione to sit next to him. 'We were supposed to see a movie… I'm sorry, I totally forgot.'

'Have you been crying?' she asked, examining his red eyes. 'Where's Ron?'

'I don't know. He said he went to practice, but practice doesn't start in the afternoon… for all I know he's somewhere screwing another man.'

'Another man? No!'

'We're falling apart Hermione. We've been together almost seven years and we're falling apart.' Harry swallowed a sob. 'I don't know what to do… I don't know… I,' he gave a shuddering sigh and broke down completely.

'Oh Harry, don't cry. I can't believe he would cheat on you, not Ron. He loves you.'

'You mean he used to love me. All we do is argue; and if we're not arguing it's because he's not here.'

'Harry, stop. Ron would never cheat.'

'I used to think so too, but I don't know anymore.' Harry stood and paced around the large room, trailing his fingers across anything of Ron's he encountered. He was fondling Ron's hairbrush when the owner of said brush entered the bedroom.

'Harry – hey Hermione, what are you doing here?'

'No reason, just popped in to say hello. Where've you been?'

'Practice. I need to take a shower.' Ron grabbed a towel from the cherry stained wardrobe and headed to the bathroom.

'I'm going to leave. You and he should talk. I can't believe Ron would cheat. I just can't. He's loyal. There has to be an explanation for his behaviour.' Hermione retrieved her purse from the clothing strewn floor and stood. 'Just try to talk to him without fighting, okay? I'll ring you tomorrow.' She left the room and Harry heard her floo out.

Harry gathered his courage, shed his clothes, and followed Ron into the bathroom.

'I'll be out in a minute Harry,' yelled Ron from under the spray. The blue tiled room was filled with steam. Harry ignored him, opened the shower stall and stepped in. They stared at each other for a moment; Ron in surprise and Harry with lust. No matter the current status of their relationship, Harry was still incredibly attracted to Ron.

'What are you doing?' demanded Ron. Water had plastered his hair to his face and neck, and coloured it dark auburn. Harry was instantly hard.

'Can we forget how much we've been fighting for as long as we're in this shower? Please?'

Ron looked at Harry searchingly before finally answering. 'Okay.'

'Good.' Harry wrapped his arms around Ron and kissed him slow and deep. 'It's been three months since we've been together. Don't you miss me Ron' he nuzzled Ron's face under the water. 'Don't you miss me kissing you… touching you? He stroked Ron's cock until he was completely hard.

'Don't you miss being inside of me?'

'Yes,' whispered Ron in a husky voice, against Harry's pliant lips. 'Yes, yes, yes. I miss you every second, every minute, every hour of the day. I always miss you Harry.'

They grabbed at each other, kissing, touching, squeezing; indulging the desire they held for each other but had not expressed in a long time. Their love-making was fast and intense. They grappled with each other in the small stall. Harry was drowning in Ron… inhaling him and being inhaled by him. Ron thrust into Harry awkwardly in the confined space; and then they were coming, harder than either of them could ever remember before. Their voices joined as their entwined bodies arched and twisted, feeling the height of their pleasure. When Harry opened his eyes Ron was looking directly at him and crying. Without realising it, Harry was crying too.

They dressed quietly, occasionally kissing or touching before going to lie on their bed. Ron lay against the headboard with Harry tucked into his side.

They were finally ready to talk.

'I'm sorry Harry.' Harry ran his fingers against Ron's soft, flannel pyjamas.

'I'm going to ask you this once, okay?'

'Okay,' replied Ron, softly.

'Are you cheating on me?'

Ron faltered for a second, and in that second Harry felt his world collapse.

'No. I never cheated on you.' Harry was dizzy with relief. 'But I did think about it.'

Harry sat up and turned to face Ron, rucking up the bedspread in the process. 'You thought about it?'

'I never acted on it, I swear, but…'

'But you thought about it.'

'Yeah.'

'I thought about it too.'

'What?'

'Last month, when the team went to Athens… after the game we all went to a pub and this bloke started chatting me up. I considered going home with him. I actually considered it.'

Ron was picking at fuzz on his trousers. 'And why didn't you?'

'Because I love you, Ron.' Harry touched his partner's face. 'No matter had bad things get between us, I could never betray you like that. Never.'

'Neither could I. You know that don't you?' Ron chewed on his thumb, looking everywhere but at Harry.

'I thought I did, but lately… you've been so distant. I didn't know what to think.'

Ron grabbed him in fierce hug. 'I would never, I could never.'

'I know that,' mumbled Harry against Ron's collar. 'I just forgot for a while, that's all.'

They separated and resumed their original position of Ron sitting up and Harry lying against him.

'So who did the underwear belong to?' asked Harry.

'You know I told you Quidditch Weekly was doing a story on us?' Harry nodded. 'Well they sent us a reporter and he's been coming with us every where we go. He started putting moves on me about a week after he began covering us.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Honestly? I liked the attention. You were touring and qualifying games were going on so we were never home or never at the same time. And then Will and I started getting close. I felt like I was cheating.'

'So you pushed me away. You got distant. I've been distant too,' said Harry. 'I'm sorry. Hey!' Harry sat up suddenly. 'I met him once didn't I?'

'Yeah, at the fancy dress party.'

'That git!'

'Harry – '

'No! That little arsehole! He's knows you're as good as married. Next time I see him I going to string him up by his – '

' - Nothing ever happened. Nothing physical anyway, but I knew he wanted me, and I still talked to him… flirted with him. I'm so sorry Harry.'

'How did you get his pants? He put them in your bag didn't he? That fucker!'

'Harry, don't. I might have encouraged him, but he more than crossed the line. When I see him again, I'm going to give him a good thrashing and that will be that. Okay?'

'Fine, but it better be a really good thrashing, with blood.'

Ron laughed. 'With blood.'

'Ron,' said Harry after a minute, ending the brief levity. 'How did we get to the point where you flirt with another man and I think about going home with one?'

'I don't know, Harry, but I feel like we should.' Ron stood and unknowingly echoed Harry's earlier roaming. 'We're supposed to be a unit and we've been operating like…'

'…two isolated and immature individuals; at least that's what Hermione would say.'

'She would say that,' agreed Ron with a smile.

'She has total faith in you. I told her about my suspicions and she wouldn't entertain the idea for even a second. I'm sorry I did.'

'We don't talk enough, we never have.'

Harry walked over to where Ron was standing by the mantle place and wrapped his arms around Ron, who was playing with a figurine of Hedwig. Harry had carved it from wood during the war.

'I know. We just wait until things build up and then brawl it out. Except we're not brawling are we?'

'No, unless you count the month long bickering, ending in hot, angry sex,' answered Ron playfully.

'I did enjoy the hot, angry sex.' Harry kissed Ron's neck. 'What I did not enjoy was the painful emotional part.'

'No, that's never pleasant,' said Ron, turning to face Harry.

'Can we do this from now on? Talk things out and deal with our issues, instead of ignoring stuff until we no longer no how to communicate with each other?'

Ron pressed a kiss against Harry's lips. 'I think we can manage that.'

'I feel horribly grown up.'

'Me too, but maybe it's not a bad thing.'