a/n: Close to the deadline, I have finished the challenge! It was fun to do, even if I had to buckle down at times to finish. And to end it all, what better way than to make the final drabble one about my OTP? I hope you enjoy, and thank you! Reviews are greatly appreciated.
did it hurt when you fell from heaven?
nevillepansy
did it hurt just to know
i was right here waiting?
did you know? do you know
it was love from the first time we touched?
~"Did It Hurt," Never Shout Never
It's pretty obvious that Neville Longbottom is no romantic – he's not dashing like Cedric Diggory, famous like Harry Potter, rich like Draco Malfoy. He's chubby-faced and awkward, built of all nail-biting, cheek-chewing nervousness. To him, girls are menaces, not pleasures.
And it's pretty obvious that if Neville Longbottom ever were to catch the heart of a girl and share his with her, Pansy Parkinson would be the least likely candidate, with her pug face and nasty cropped black hair and pureblood supremacy.
But it's pretty obvious that neither of them are getting their fairytale elsewhere, so why is it so bad to have a little fun experiment?
It starts at the Yule Ball, as just a good way to pass the time because his date is ogling Harry from the punch bowl and hers could care less how she tailored her dress so short because little Astoria Greengrass is the forbidden fruit he has his eye on. She takes his hand and leads him outside, and okay, so she's kind of drunk right now, but neither can deny how these fire-hot kisses and ice-cold touches make them feel.
It ends in something like heartbreak, but not quite it, because he's always liked the simple elegance of Hannah Abbott and she's no fairytale princess with long blonde hair and Bambi brown eyes – just another soul affected by Voldemort's loss, just another person looked down on because of her parents' loyalties.
They try not to think about it, because when you dwell on things – like people – it can backfire and innocent thoughts can lead to secret meetings and treachery. He's always been destined for the life of a family man, with a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wife and a beautiful home and a beautiful job, and if Pansy is anything that matters, beautiful isn't it.
But he still remembers that night in full clarity, how she tugged at his collar and gave him that wild stare with her dull green eyes and kissed him like they could mean something – like their names were sugar and honey together, when really they were water and vinegar. And she remembers thinking, for a Gryffindor, a blood traitor, a Longbottom, how good a kisser he is.
It wasn't love at first sight; it was at first touch, and they always say don't take a bite of the apple, because then the taste is always on your tongue.