This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 7 July 2020 as part of Melting Pot Fanfiction's Tropes and Fandoms event.

Huge thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Title: Friend Zone
Rated T
Pairing: Blaise Zabini/Theodore Nott
Prompt: #TropesAndFandoms20 24 June: Almost Kiss
#DracosDenRaD April 2020: First kiss fail in public on a couch
#RAREHPBINGO G5: Childhood Friends

Blaise and Theo had been friends all their lives. Their families always were sharing dinners and other parties. It only made sense that they were destined to be close, given the amount of time they spent together. Over the past year or so, Blaise realized that his feelings for Theo had shifted slightly. It was now the middle of their sixth year, and he was sure he'd somehow fallen in love with his childhood friend.

It was regular Tuesday afternoon when Blaise decided to try and move from the friend zone into something a bit more. They were sitting by the fire in the common room studying for tomorrow's Potions exam when Blaise felt like Theo was flirting more than usual. Casually, Blaise leaned closer and met Theo's eyes.

The dark-haired wizard tensed, but he didn't back away from Blaise. Taking this as a sign to continue, Blaise closed his eyes and moved to press his lips against Theo's. Unfortunately, that was when Theo abruptly stood up and quickly gathered his belongings.

"I have to go," he hastily told Blaise before leaving him alone on the couch. He disappeared out the portrait hole without another glance toward Blaise.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Blaise collected his own books before making a hasty retreat to the dormitory. He's taken a risk and failed, effectively proving that perhaps Theo didn't want to be anything more than friends. Now, Blaise had to figure out what to do with his jumbled feelings and broken heart so he could repair the mess he'd made. That's if Theo ever wanted to speak to him again at all.

A few days later, Theo found Blaise in the library. Setting aside his parchment and quill, Blaise gave his long-time friend a sad sort of smile. "Theo."

"Hey, Blaise," Theo said, not quite meeting his eyes. "Can I sit here?"

Blaise lifted one shoulder in response. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment or two before Theo let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Blaise," he began finally meeting his friend's eyes. "I feel awful about how things played out in the common room the other day."

"It's okay," Blaise said, trying to wave away Theo's comments. He already felt bad enough without his friend having to make apologies he possibly didn't mean.

"No," Theo said, cutting him off before he could add anything else. "It's not, and you deserve to know why I reacted the way I did."

"I'm okay with just being friends, Theo," Blaise said, his dark cheeks flushing. "Honestly."

"Blaise," Theo said, reaching out to take his hand. "I think I've been aware of your feelings for a while now. To be fair, they're not unfounded. It's just that… I'm not ready to be so public with my sexuality like you are."

"Oh!" Blaise exclaimed quietly, looking away for a brief moment. When he glanced back at his friend, he added, "I didn't realize. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Theo told him with a smile. "I haven't found a way to quite explain my feelings for you… I didn't kiss you because I was afraid of what it meant and that it might get back to my father, who has no idea I am the way I am."

Nodding, Blaise understood precisely where his friend was coming from. If his own father had been alive, he might not have been able to be as free with himself as he was now. His mother was supportive by nature, seeing as she was a bit free herself when it came to lovers. However, not everyone had the luxury of living life out in the open.

Blaise ran a hand over his shaved head and sighed. "That was probably something I should have thought about before I went for it," he admitted sheepishly. "Don't worry about it, though. I'm fine with the way we are. I just don't want to lose you as a friend, Theo."

"You're not going to lose me as a friend, and I'm not saying no to a future with you either, Blaise," Theo said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a grin. "All I am saying is not right now." Then, he bowed his head slightly in goodbye before getting up from the table and sweeping back out of the library the way he came.

Blaise sat there for a few more minutes contemplating the conversation he'd just had with his long-time friend. It was such a relief to know that there was still that bond between them, and even more so that Blaise hadn't ruined it by attempting to kiss Theo. Maybe in the future, there would be more than what they had now. Even if that's all there ever was, he would be okay with that.

Finishing gathering his books and parchment, Blaise took a deep breath and gathered himself too. He loved Theo and if being him was in their future, then it would happen if it was meant to be. For now, Blaise was content to be Theo's friend while he figured out if, when, and how he revealed his true self to the world because that was what friends were for.