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Harry's eyes snapped open and he became slowly aware of what had woken him up so late at night. There were strange sounds coming from the bed next to his: some moans and groans along with some others sounds that he couldn't immediately identify. It sounded like his mate was having a nightmare and he knew enough about nightmares to want to help his mate wake up from one if he could.

Harry got out of bed and made his way to the closest bed to him and opened the curtain expecting his friend to be trapped in a nightmare. To his surprise, Ron's lips were on his fist and he appeared to be snogging it. Harry blinked and was just about to close the curtain and walk away but Ron's eyes shot up and saw him causing his mate's ears and cheeks to turn a deep red.

"I-I was just-I was just...practicing." Ron turned an even deeper shade of red as he admitted that. "You know for when I can actually." his mumbles trailed off and he looked at his bedspread rather than at Harry. Harry had no idea how to respond to that. Should he just close the curtain and walk away like he had planned to do before? Should he say something? Wouldn't that make an already awkward situation even more awkward? His mouth though didn't seem to be connected to his brain as it spoke.

"I've done that too...once or twice," he added and his own face felt hot as he wondered why he had admitted to that. Ron's eyes lifted up and he looked a little less embarrassed but he was still red.

"It's hard when you don't have someone real to practice on," Ron admitted softly and Harry nodded in agreement. There was only so much that practicing a person could do by themselves but he supposed until either of them actually started dating or just snogging someone it would have to do. Or...was it?

He was hesitant to put forth his idea because he was a bit unsure how Ron would feel about it? If Ron was repulsed by the idea that it could affect their friendship...it could end their friendship. But if he wasn't, then at least their first kisses wouldn't be nearly so awkward.

"What if we…" that's when his courage failed him and this all suddenly seemed like an extraordinarily bad idea. Unfortunately, Ron did not let it die.

"What if we what?" Ron asked getting out of his bed to stand next to him. Harry felt a brand new wave of nervousness and embarrassment wash over him and he wanted to back out of this as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Ron got closer to him and it would be difficult to retreat now without some sort of explanation. He scrambled to come up with one but instead the idea bubbled out of his mouth.

"What if we practice on each other?" Ron's face looked bemused and redder still than ever before. "Or not," Harry hurriedly took it back before it could get any tenser between the two of them.

"Alright," Ron agreed to his complete and utter surprise.

"Wha-What?" Harry asked wanting to make sure he had heard Ron right.

"Just practice!" Ron strongly clarified to which Harry nodded vigorously. He didn't fancy Ron and he was sure his best mate didn't fancy him. It was just practice, so that when the real thing happened they wouldn't be fumbling about.

"So how do we do this?" Ron asked awkward and hesitantly. Harry shrugged, he didn't know but he walked forward so that the two of them were now only about 15 centimeters apart.

This was just about the most awkward thing that he had ever done, but it would save him some future awkwardness he reminded himself firmly. He strode forward again, this time, they were only about 6 cm from each other and he was pretty sure he had never been this close to his best mate before. Ron looked at him looking just as nervously and awkwardly as he felt. Harry decided that since it was his idea he should be the one to make the first move, even if he wasn't particularly looking forward to actually kissing Ron.

He reminded himself it was just practice a few more times before he closed the short distance between the two of them, tilting his head up because Ron was much taller than him. The second their lips touched, the two of them in unison jumped back from each other. It was mostly shock, as the foreign but pleasant sensation had exploded when their lips had touched.

"Want to try again?" Ron asked hesitantly after the two of them had a moment to recover. Harry nodded. That he did.