AN: I think Ron and Harry would've made the cutest gay couple other than Drarry. They're really quite sweet boys and would've balanced each other out well. Here's a saddish story about Harry's love for Ron.
I'll Love You Forever
He'd steeled himself for something like this, Harry had. They'd been Auror's for almost four years now, and Ron had always been reckless. He'd always been getting himself into trouble. But that's why Harry had been his partner. He was good at getting Ron OUT of trouble. Because together, they could accomplish anything. Together, the king and the chosen one were practically unbeatable.
Harry sat on the old couch in his flat, just two blocks away from the Ministry. He looked around the larger livingroom, sighing and chuckling at the clothes that were thrown everywhere. It still hadn't been cleaned up; this made sense, considering Harry hadn't been there for over two weeks, not wanting to come back and face the memories that haunted him here. He remembered the mess that they made the day Ron moved in, and he laughed. It had been almost three years ago...
-Three Years Previously-
"Ron!" yelled Harry from the kitchen, putting away his dishes from a large box on the floor. He crossed the room and stuck his head out the door, looking for his friend. "Will you hurry your arse up?" He walked out, looking down the stairs at a struggling and grunting Ron. He bolted down the ten stairs, taking the top box from his friend and carrying it up the stairs.
"Are you sure we can't use magic to get that couch up the stairs?" said Ron, gasping for breath. He set the box down in the middle of the room, then walked over to where Harry stood against the counter, jumping up and sitting on it.
"Ron, I really like my job..." Harry said, looking nervous. "So, er, no." He leaned forward so he was pressed against the counter right next to Ron.
"We couldn't even levitate it but make it look like we were carrying it?" said Ron. Harry looked at him, trying to decipher his confusing sentence. Ron just stared at him, blue eyes encountering green.
"That might work." said Harry, leaning back and grinning.
-Present-
Harry laughed. It had been disastrous, Ron had been the one having to go backwards, and his long legs slid out from under him. It made Harry look like a beast, holding one end of the couch. Ron had scurried back up, and grabbed it before anyone could really see.
The couch which had taken so long to get up the stairs had gone through so much with them. He remembered the first really big event it had gone through with Harry and Ron, and he leaned back against the back of the couch, smile fading. It had been hard, the two weeks afterward... he let his mind drift to that time, over two years ago.
-About Two Years Previously-
Harry and Ron came through the door to their apartment, laughing and pushing each other around, trying to get to the fridge first.
"I swear Harry, if you take that Butterbeer from me, I will kick your arse." Ron said, laughing and running towards the fridge.
"I'll get it before you." said Harry, grinning and lunging forward, opening the fridge and grabbing the last cold Butterbeer and using his wand to open it. He raised it high above his head; Harry however was much shorter than Ron, so it wasn't entirely helpful. Ron grabbed the beer out of Harry's hand, and chugged most of it.
"Here ya go mate, you can have the rest," he said, handing it to a disgruntled looking Harry. Harry snatched the bottle from Ron's hand, taking a sip then going and sitting on the couch, looking out the window.
"What'd'you wanna do tonight mate?" asked Ron, plopping down on the couch next to Harry, who had his arms crossed over his chest defiantly.
"No idea." said Harry, taking another sip of beer. "Was that satisfying for you?" asked Harry, grinning at Ron.
"Extremely." said Ron, grinning back.
They looked at each other for a moment, breathing bated, and the dark blue eyes Ron carried met the sparkling green eyes of Harry. Harry grinned at him, and Ron grinned back, the tension between them growing spectacularly. Harry tore his eyes away difficultly, taking another large gulp of beer.
"Harry, I..." Ron trailed off, still looking at Harry. Harry rose, taking the last sip of beer and walking the kitchen, standing at the sink and looking at the wall. He had always thought this may happen, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He heard quiet footsteps behind him, but stayed turned towards the sink, starting to rinse out his bottle. He stared straight forward, a tear sinking down his flushed face. Ron walked up next to him, and Harry went to turn, to walk away towards the reciprocal. Ron placed an arm on Harry's, eyes closed, looking at the ground. He took a deep breath, and looked up at Harry. His dark blue eyes were alight with an emotion Harry couldn't recognize, and his bright green eyes filled with confusion. Ron took Harry's face in his hands, looking him straight in the eyes. Harry's breath caught in his throat, and all he'd wished of for years happened; Ron's lips crashed onto his, and he was caught in a moment of unadulterated longing. He grabbed Ron by the back, holding him to him.
"I've always loved you, Harry. Always." said Ron, breaking away and placing his forehead on Harry's. The redhead was slouched, back curved to accommodate the short stature of the raven-haired man.
"Thank Merlin." said Harry, and he pushed his lips back against Ron's.
-Present-
Harry threw an arm over his face, tears coming thick and fast. He and Ron shared a bond no one could alter or change. They were best friends, but they were also more than that. The love between them was pure and true. Harry sobbed on the couch, taking in great lungfuls of air that didn't seem to satisfy his aching chest. He stood, wiping the tears from his eyes, and walked to the door of his flat, sighing. He looked again around the room, emotions running through him like electrical sparks.
The funeral was simple. Closed casket, simply because they couldn't find the body. Harry sat in the front row, fingering the hem of his left sleeve he kept meaning to fix. Harry remembered when Ron noticed that.
-Six Months Ago-
Harry smiled at Ron, who had spent most of his day off dirtying and failing to clean the apartment.
"Hey." said Harry, plopping down on the worn couch next to Ron. His arm fell into Ron's lap, and the redhead clutched Harry's hand with his own, grinning at him. It was nice, having someone who knew him and related that he could be completely in love with. Harry turned to Ron, smiling genially at him.
"So, what'd you do today?" said Harry casually, looking around the messy flat.
"Not much." said Ron, shrugging. He grinned cheekily at his best friend, and pulled him up from the couch to Harry's bedroom. "Close your eyes, I wanna show you something." Harry did as he commanded, and closed his eyes.
"Where are you taking me, Ron?" he said, stumbling through the messy living room to what he guessed was the bedroom. He came to a halt, and Ron positioned him just right, standing him so he was looking at the bed. He grabbed a small box off his night stand, and knelt down in front of the bed, taking a deep breath in and grabbing Harry's left hand.
"Harry, wa's wrong with your sleeve?" he said, looking at the cuff, fingering it. "Wait, don't open your eyes!" he said quickly, making sure Harry hadn't seen anything. He clutched his hand tighter, ignoring the fray on the end of the sleeve. "Harry, keep your eyes closed for a mo'." he adjusted himself, thinking for a minute about what he wanted to say. Ron wasn't prepared for this at all; falling in love with his best friend – his MALE best friend – had not been on his list of "To-Do's" for life. But he took a deep breath in, and started.
"Harry, you can open your eyes now." Harry did, his green eyes flashing with sudden surprise. The room was lit lightly with candles, and there were different colored mists floating around the room, making it foggy and the room seem more.. romantic.
"What're you doing Ron?" he said, looking down now. Ron was kneeling in front of him, blue eyes boring into his face. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Ron?" Ron shook his head, holding up a finger.
"Uhm, I wanted to know what to say, but I can't wait anymore. I love you more than I've ever loved anything?"
"Really?" interrupted Harry, "even more than your mum's cooking?" he said, grinning.
"Harry, this is serious," said Ron, trying to keep a straight face. He looked down at his feet, smiling softly, then took a deep breath and looked back up. "Harry, I've loved you since the day we met on the train. You're so generous and you take everyone into account. When I came back and was able to pull you out of that water, I knew that I loved you. I don't know, Harry, I just do." he picked up the small black box off the floor, opening it to reveal a gold band.
"Harry James Potter, will you become my husband?" he said, smiling at him.
Harry stared, dumbfounded. His eyes were wide, and his grin grew out of the serious face it had fallen into. He pulled Ron up from the ground, throwing his arms around his best friend and hugging Ron as close to him as possible.
"Of course I will, you great prat. What the hell took you so long to ask?" he pulled himself up to kiss Ron, pressing his lips hard against the gingers.
-Present-
Hermione held Harry's hand as they walked past the casket. Harry turned his head, looking away from the empty boy to see a figure limping towards them in the distance. Harry couldn't make out the features from this distance, but Hermione screamed, confirming his most wonderful and happiest dream. He dropped Hermione's hand, running in the direction of that man, dodging staring and gasping guests, watching as the man grinned that same crooked grin, his legs taking longer strides to meet him. They met each other halfway, crashing into each other as Ron lifted Harry up, spinning his fiance around and kissing him.
"Ron!" yelled Harry after Ron set him down. "Don't EVER do that again! We're a team! You don't just leave without telling me."
"I'm sorry." said Ron, pulling Harry back in for another giant hug. "I missed you so much."
"We thought you died, Ronald." said Hermione, marching over, looking stern. "We thought you'd been killed, and that your body had been destroyed."
He ignored her, pulling her in and placing a kiss on the top of her bushy hair. "I missed you guys." he stated again, holding them close. Hermione wrapped her arms around the boys as Harry sobbed into Ron's chest, holding him with a white knuckled grip.
"Never leave me again." said Harry, frowning up at him with tear filled emerald eyes.
"Never." said Ron, smiling at his best friend, his fiance, and the greatest man in the world. "Never ever again."