A/N: Here is a present! I feel bad about the lack of chapters. So I whipped up chapter 8. I have to say, I loved writing this chapter. I hope all enjoy reading it just as much!
Fred's POV:
My heart is pounding a frantic tattoo against my chest. We've never slept apart. Never. Not even in Hogwarts. We had beds right next to each other in the dorm. When we were younger we even slept in the same bed most of the time. I don't know if I can sleep without George in the room. He's always been there. My security blanket. I glance over at him. I watch as his brow furrows and his mouth tightens. His obvious anger causes panic to shoot up my spine. Does he remember what happened last night? I wonder. My stomach clenches painfully. He must. I think as I watch him regard me coolly. He's trying to get away from me and this is his plan. He probably thinks I'm going to molest him while he's sleeping. Cold sweat breaks out on my brow.
"Well, you don't have to be ungrateful," he spits, stomping back into the other bedroom. I chase after him frantically.
"George, wait!" I call, running after him. I grab his arm but he just shakes it off angrily. I try again and manage to stop him this time. I take advantage of his angry silence.
"Wait! I'm not ungrateful. I promise. George, come on, look at me." I plead, tugging on his sleeve. He turns around, glares at me, and crosses his arms over his chest. An angry expression etched onto his normally peaceful face. I sigh.
"I'm not ungrateful," I repeat. "It was just a shock. It's just. . ." I trail off unsure of how to explain it. He raises a brow.
"It's just. . .what?" he asks, looking not quite as furious as before. I glance at my shoes as if they're going to give me an answer.
"I dunno. I'm being silly, I guess. We've just never slept in our own rooms," I mumble, my face growing warm. Please understand, I hope silently. He laughs and hugs me suddenly. My eyebrows shoot into my hairline. What the hell? He pulls away holding my shoulders. The tension in his body has disappeared.
"Fred," he laughs, shaking his head. "We're adults now. We get to enjoy our own rooms," he smiles.
"I guess you're right," I smile weakly. He pats my shoulder and walks into the kitchen.
"You want some lunch?" he calls back to me in the bedroom.
"Yeah. . .sure," I answer, slumping down into an armchair. I glance around the bedroom. It's nice and cozy, homey almost, but it's missing something. Glancing at mantle over the fireplace my stomach tightens again. A picture of George and I flying together sits next to a portrait of our family. I watch picture-George and picture-I lazily chase each other around, zipping in and out of the frame. Catching the gaze of the picture-George I realize exactly what's missing. This time it's not my stomach that aches it's my chest.
George's POV:
I lean against the kitchen and suck in a lungful of air. That was horrible I think to myself. I close my eyes against the sting building behind them. He looked so lost. Taking another deep breath I steady myself. I didn't think he would fight to stay in the same room.But I had to do it. I don't want to molest him in the middle of the night or something. I run my hand through my hair and push myself away from the wall. I rummage through the ice box for cheese to make sandwiches. After I make a some-what decent meal I grab some butter-beers and head back out to Fred. I catch him staring at a picture of us flying around the burrow.
"We should do that again soon," I say, nodding at the picture. He starts and looks back at me.
"What? Oh, flying? Yeah, we should," he says absently. He accepts the food and we eat in silence until the weight of the quiet becomes unbearable.
I catch his attention when he glances up from his sandwich, "I was thinking. . .we should move our stuff over today."
"Mmm," he nods in approval. We finish our sandwiches and head over to the burrow to pack.
Fred's POV:
"Ugh. I didn't know we had so much stuff over there," I complain, sitting down on one of the several boxes now scattered around the room. I wipe the sweat from my brow with the edge of my t-shirt.
"Yeah, well, at least it's all over here now," George points out, glancing around. I stand and stretch causing popping noises to sing out from my spine. I sigh in relief. George just laughs.
"Well, it's getting late. You want anything to eat?" I ask, glancing over at the kitchen. George hums a negative and I gratefully shuffle towards one of the bedrooms.
"Oh, do you care which one I take?" I ask, looking over at him.
"No, you can pick first," he smiles widely. I stroll into the blue and green bedroom to get some sleep.
George's POV:
I turn over again to stare grumpily at the wall. I reach for my wand to cast a Tempus charm. The glowing numbers illuminate the dark room. 1:19 Am. I toss my wand onto the floor angrily. I haven't slept more than 15 minutes so far tonight. I here a soft thunk from the bedroom next door. I know Fred isn't asleep either. I sigh in frustration and close my eyes, pretending to sleep.
Fred's POV:
I've been staring at the ceiling for approximately an hour now. I reach for my wand to cast a Tempus charm. The glowing numbers illuminate the dark room. 3:49 Am. I toss my wand onto the floor angrily. I haven't slept more than 15 minutes so far tonight. I hear a muttered curse from the bedroom next door. I know George isn't asleep either. I sigh in frustration and close my eyes, pretending to sleep.
Fred and George's POV:
The sun filters into the room slowly. I roll over and try to ignore it's cheerful magenta illumination. Fuck you, Mr. Sun, I think sullenly. When the pink in the sky disappears and the room basks in a healthy yellow glow, I grumble in defeat. I head off to my bathroom. I'm going to need a cold shower this morning.
Fred and George's POV:
Breakfast is a strained and tense affair. Sitting at the table I study him surreptitiously. I can see the brackets of exhaustion around his eyes and a frown slowly working it's way onto his mouth. I choose to casually ignore them. Finishing the moving process today is going to be hell.
Time passes at a crawl all day. With the exhaustion finally takes it's toll before dinner, I don't even bother to say goodnight before slinking off to my room.
The pattern of sleepless nights continues for another 2 days. The bags under my eyes have gone from blue, to purple, to black. My temper is barely in check whenever someone asks me a question, let alone looks at me the wrong way. I know my sanity is slowly on it's way out the door too.
Fred's POV:
After casting a Tempus charm and discovering it's nearly 4:00 Am, I'm ready to rip my hair out. I've had enough! Throwing back the covers I storm out of my room into George's. I slam the door open and watch him jump in shock.
"Admit it! Just bloody admit it!" I shout angrily, storming over to his bedside. He faces clouds over instantly.
"Admit what?" he snaps, standing to meet me.
"You haven't slept either, have you?" I hiss angrily, poking him in the chest. He tires to hide it but I see the flash of guilt in his eyes before he can hide it.
"I dunno what you're talking about," he grumbles, shifting his feet. I shove him angrily.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, you bloody bastard! You're just to proud to admit it was a bad idea!" I snarl at him. He glares at me harshly. His expression breaks and he bows his head.
"We need separate bedrooms." he mumbles, turning away from me. Something inside me breaks.
George's POV:
He places his hands on my shoulders and gently turns me around again. His face in no longer contorted in anger. Some thing soft, sad, and painful has replaced it. I feel my throat tighten in response. I knew this was coming. Somehow I knew.
"I can't sleep without you, George," he whispers, stepping up to meet my body. I can feel the heat radiate from his lean form. The urge to lean into it is almost overwhelming. I drag in a harsh breath.
"You have to," I whisper, answering the unspoken questions in his eyes. Tears are burning at the edge of his eyes. I can feel them building in mine as well. He steps forward again, trapping me against the bed. He leans into me and his face hovers above mine.
"I can't," he insists quietly, letting his breath ghost across my lips just before he kisses me. Everything that was pulled taut in my body lets go. Like a guitar string that was wound too tight finally snapping. I melt into him thinking, Fred is kissing me. Fred wants me. Then it hits me. It hits me like a bludger to the gut. It's just as painful too.
"No," I gasp, pushing him away. He stumbles back and looks at me. The tears that have been gathering in his lashes finally spill over. I watch his face harden and the coldness in his face takes my breath away.
"Fine. Run away, " he murmurs, stepping back even further. My chest throbs and I swear I can feel the space between our hearts. He pops out of existence before I can say a thing. I stare at the empty spot on the floor. What have I done?
Thanks for reading! Reviews? Please?