Warning: This fic contains twincest. If you're not a fan then please do not read.

Not Yet

"Don't you do that, don't say your goodbyes. Not yet, do you understand me?"

Fred didn't say anything. He'd never had to before, this time wasn't an exception. I could see it in his eyes, the fear that was coursing through him. He had always been an open book to me, me and no one else and I wrapped my arms around him tightly, resting my forehead against his.

"We will be okay Fred. We will. We will."

I repeated the words over and over in a hushed whisper before Fred's lips cut me off, pressing hard against mine. We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm, surviving every day and I could feel it crashing over him, the knowledge that soon – too soon – we'd be out of the calm and into the hurricane.

"Need to feel you" he mumbled against me, a note of desperation in his voice and I pulled my t-shirt off, hopping out of my jeans in a move which I'd hoped would make me crack a smile. It didn't and I watched as he wrapping his fingers around my wrist, vanishing his clothes and pulling me towards the bed, kissing me again slowly.

"I just need to feel you." he repeated and I rolled onto my back, Fred laying his ear against my chest, his arms gripping me tight.

The rumours had gone wild tonight after Gringotts had been broken into, for once the Death Eaters could hardly hush it up when apparently every person under the sun had seen a massive dragon escape. The fact that it was being ridden by three people made it all the more fantastical and if it'd been anyone other than Hermione, Harry and Ron I don't know if I'd have believed them. Lee didn't, he was sure it was another ridiculous rumour like the one that had gone around saying Hermione had turned into a vampire's sex slave.

Now that was an image.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Hermione and bondage." I said honestly and Fred twisted, his eyebrows raised before he snorted, the ghost of a smile passing across his lips.

Mission accomplished.

He traced his hands against my skin with his eyes closed, his breathing still shallow and I massaged his back with one hand lightly. The air felt so close these, as though it were full of electricity. More attacks had been made following the mass escape of Muggleborns from the Ministry (again, another crazy, lucky accident of our brother's, Harry and 'Mione – bondage queen.), to walk through London without a dark mark was boarding on a death wish. The whole family had gone into hiding last week, Fred and I hadn't seen anyone for a month but we knew everyone was safe – except for Ron.

"What if he gets eaten by a dragon?"

"There are less dramatic ways to go" Fred mumbled "Charlie would be proud at least."

"Charlie would probably call him an idiot." I said wryly, imagining his reaction. Of course it would be Ron with the crap luck who would be eaten by a dragon, not the brother who runs away from them on a daily basis.

"Then Ginny would find a way to bring him back from the dead."

"We should make sure we're not in the room for that."

"Shit, imagine. A zombie Ron – and I thought he couldn't get any uglier."

I snorted at Fred's weak attempt at humour, glad that he was trying.

Soon the comfort of lying together wasn't enough and I flipped him over. It wasn't that I didn't feel his urgency, the panic... It was just my job to be the sensible one, the one that looked after us. I had to try and keep it together but my walls fell when we made love. It wasn't rough but it wasn't sweet either. He knew what I needed, of course he did and when I'd gasped against his shoulder, body shaking he ran a hand through my hair, our positions suddenly reversed to me being comforted and he telling it'll be all right.

I don't know when I started to cry and I don't remember when we fell asleep, none of that was important. His arms around mine, his heartbeat against my back… Everything that was familiar was what I wanted to remember. The fire had dimmed to a glow of embers and a few flames casting the room in sharp shadows which played across Fred's face as I cracked my eyes open sleepily a few hours before dawn.

"Nightmare?" Fred whispered with his eyes closed and I shook my head.

"You keep them away."

"'S my job." he said through a yawn and I sighed before pressing myself closer to him.

"Fred? Don't say goodbye. Promise you won't ever say goodbye to me again." I whispered, voice catching on emotions I couldn't express and he opened his eyes.

"I promise George. No matter what, I promise. I'll always be here."

I stuck my little finger out like we used to as kids and he gave me a sleepy smile, the one I loved before wrapping his finger around mine.

"We're going to be okay. We will." I whispered.

"We always are little brother. We always are."

A/N: If you're wondering about the last line, I consider Fred to the older twin.

This one shot has been entered in the following competitions/challenges on the HPFC:

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #908 - If Today Was Your Last Day

- The Double or Nothing Competition with the restraint of 800 - 880 words. (Word count of fic inc. title was 878)

- The Diagon Alley Fic Crawl for 'Flourish and Blotts' with the prompts: 'fire', 'genre: angst/romance' and "We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm." -The Doctor'.

- The Pairing Diversity Challenge with prompt #5 - 'After the incident with the others was resolved, I /he /she /we /they felt a lot better.'

- The Endless Possibilities Challenge with 'Crossing Taboo' - Incest.

- The Weasley Wizard Wheezes Competition with 'Instant Darkness Powder'.