A/N: Some Fred/Angelina/George friendship/relationship angst from the point of view of Fred. Takes place during GoF. Enjoy the angst!
)O(
It was so, so easy, asking her out.
He had no qualms about being rejected, because she was one of his best friends. Her being a girl was just a happy coincidence.
He did not worry that this would ruin their friendship, since they had joked about going out before, in the seclusion of the Quidditch changing rooms. It was not a particularly revelatory idea, but something to be treated as a potential source of fun.
In short, Fred had decided that he and Angelina were going to the Yule Ball as friends. Just friends.
That was easy to do—what was more difficult was pretending not to see all the looks George, his own twin brother, a person he thought he knew through and through, gave Angelina whenever he saw her. His eyes grew softer, they widened, a forlorn expression came over his features, and a tiny bit of drool peeked out the corner of his mouth. He was obviously completely besotted with the girl. Seriously, the faces he made when he saw her—they looked painful. Fred hoped that an expression like that would never cross his face.
He wanted his brother to be happy, but…not if it meant Angelina was going to become his girlfriend. He didn't want anything to change between them. Why did George have to fall in love with one of their friends?! Didn't he know that many a friendship had been ruined by two of the three people in it deciding that they would be happier only in each other's company?
He cursed himself just for thinking this. He knew it would never come to be as extreme as that, so, selfishly, he went with Angelina to the Ball and tried to keep her by his side all evening.
The only way that a romance between her and his brother would happen was if Fred stopped being and obstacle and persuaded Angelina to go out with George. And he knew that that was never, ever, going to happen.
Not while he was still there to prevent it.
)O(
Fin