A/N: Amazing thanks to cindale for the last minute beta job :)) Written for maplemahogany in the bestmatesxmas fic exchange in livejournal.

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue, kthxbai. Also, this story contains SLASH, meaning two MEN in intimate situations. Don't like? Don't read. Thank you.

Harry was just finishing up his pudding when the door to his apartment slammed shut with a loud bang. Shortly thereafter, a very annoyed-looking redhead stormed into the kitchen and over to the icebox, emerging a moment later with a bottle of Wizard's Brew. Throwing himself into a chair at the table, Ron popped off the cap and gulped down the fiery alcohol.

"Bad date?" Harry asked lightly, though inwardly he was grinning. Ron snorted, and at once all the anger disappeared and he slumped down in his chair.

"You could say that," he muttered, and Harry noted how Ron's ears were tinged with pink.

"Well, what happened?"

Ron shifted in his seat uncomfortably and tried to hide his face behind his bottle. "S'nothing," he mumbled to the table.

Harry rolled his eyes and stood from the table to clear away the dishes. He knew that if he gave Ron enough time that he would eventually come around to talking about whatever happened. It was always like that whenever Ron came back from a disastrous date. Tonight it was with Becky, a tall blonde with legs that didn't stop and a lovely smile and a good personality. The perfect woman.

Ron made a noise then, causing Harry to jump slightly. Turning around, Harry saw that his best friend had buried his head in his arms and was grinding his teeth. Loudly.

"C'mon, mate," said Harry, grabbing one of Ron's arms and hauling him out of the seat. "Let's go into the living room and you can tell me whatever you want to tell me, okay?"

Ron nodded, his eyes downcast, though Harry could see a hint of a smile. His heart skipped a beat.

Once they were seated on the sofa, Harry crossed his legs at the ankle and then gave his friend a pointed look. Ron slumped down and focused on his hands, which were picking at the seam of his trousers. "Becky broke it off."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "What happened?" he asked.

Ron sighed and his face began to take on a reddish hue. "Have—have you—? Has—" he spluttered. "Becky and I've been seeing each other for a while, yeah?" he began again. Harry nodded for him to continue. "Well, tonight we were...you know. Planning. On being together. Like that." Ron's cheeks blossomed in color, and Harry's lips curved upwards at the fact that Ron could blush about sex even at twenty-three.

"Well anyway," he continued, "we were gonna be...together tonight. I had it all worked out. Romantic restaurant, a night out at Diagon Alley, and once we were back at her place we'd bathe together before. You know. And then it would all progress from there."

"So what went wrong?" Harry prodded when Ron wouldn't continue.

"I just ruined the moment, s'all, as usual," he muttered. "See, when we started, er, getting undressed for the bath, I noticed that she—that her…her hair down there wasn't blonde. So I stared and then like a bloody idiot blurted out my observation." Ron groaned then and let his head fall against the back of the couch.

Harry screwed his face up and asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ron opened his eyes and turned towards Harry. "Her pubic hair," he whispered, blushing madly. "It wasn't blonde. In fact, I'd say it was the complete opposite of blonde. And I didn't understand why at first, but when I did it's like I couldn't help myself from observing that she must not be a natural blonde. She didn't take too kindly to that."

"You mean to tell me you ruined a perfectly good date with a perfectly nice girl because her pubic hair didn't match her head?" Harry shook his head and laughed. "What the hell, mate? I don't see what the big deal is. Everyone's pubic hair is black."

The room descended into a deafening silence. Ron's eyes widened and he gaped at Harry.

"Er…Isn't it?"

Ron, mouth still open and eyes still incredulous, gasped, "No, Harry! Why on earth would you think that?"

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" he exploded. "I've only ever seen myself, you know. Er, and—and, er, brunettes."

"And Seamus and Neville and Dean?" Ron said incredulously. "Did you not notice any of them in the six years we lived together?"

"I never looked," he hissed. "Not intentionally, for God's sake. Besides, they all had darkish hair."

"And what about me?" asked Ron with a raise of his eyebrows. "We shared a tent for months!"

The room suddenly felt very, very hot. Harry shot up off the couch and began to pace around the room. "I didn't look, okay?" he said, his throat tight. "I never grew up in that kind of environment, Ron. You had five older brothers and little personal space. At the Dursleys they took great pains to stay away from me."

Ron's face clouded over at the mention of the Dursleys, as it always did. "I'm sorry, mate," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I s'pose I never really thought of it that way. I was just surprised, s'all." He peered up at Harry from beneath his fringe and fiddled with his hands.

Harry sighed and joined Ron on the sofa once more. "Don't apologize. I feel like a right prat and I'd definitely like it if we never spoke of this again, all right?"

Ron grinned that grin of his and nodded. "Sure thing mate."

They sat in an amiable silence for several minutes, though Harry's mind was racing. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't seem to quit thinking about Ron. Or more specifically, Ron's body hair. Oh sure, Harry had seen Ron without his shirt on before loads of time, and he'd noticed the dusting of freckles and orange hair that covered his chest, but Harry had never honestly given much thought to Ron's pubic hair, for good reason. Now, though, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

If everything Ron said was true—and Harry was sure it was—then that would mean Ron would be red everywhere. The knowledge sent a funny shiver down his spine. He had the sudden hysterical urge to demand Ron prove his claim, but Harry quickly squashed the thought. No, no, no, best not to go there…

"So do you believe me?"

Harry blinked himself back to reality and turned his head to find Ron staring at him with impossibly blue eyes.

"What?" And again, "What?"

Smirking, Ron repeated, "Do you believe me? About the hair thing, I mean."

With an unattractive splutter, Harry gave a half shrug, half nod, hoping that would convey the confusion he was feeling. "I guess so," he finally managed. "I reckon I'll have to date a redhead or blond to really find out."

Ron bit his lip, drawing Harry's attention, and whispered, "I could show you."

The tension in the room seemed to triple then as Harry's eyes widened and Ron's face flushed an unnatural shade of magenta. Harry couldn't believe this was happening. Oh God, Harry would see Ron's penis. At once all the blood in Harry's body drained south.

No! he thought frantically. It's Ron! Your best mate! You should only see each other naked if you're in some kind of sauna- or shower-like place! Say no!

"Okay," Harry blurted.

Ron eagerly jumped off the couch and began toeing off his shoes and unbuckling his belt. Harry laid back, arms behind head, and watched. Shoes off, Ron then kicked off his trousers, leaving him in his socks and Chudley Cannons boxers, and worked on unbuttoning his shirt. Once that was thrown to the other side of the room, landing precariously close to the fire, Ron raised his head and licked his lips, looking straight into Harry's eyes. The corners of his lips twitched as he placed his thumbs in the waistband of the boxers and then pushed them down past his hips where they pooled around his ankles.

Harry sucked in a breath. Ron was red everywhere. His chest hair, his arm hair, his leg hair. And there. A thin line of hair led Harry's gaze down to the patch of unruly red curls surrounding Ron's half-hard cock.

He blinked. Half-hard?

Actually, it wasn't half-hard anymore. Ron's cock was now fully erect and Harry was staring right at it. He looked up at Ron with wide eyes and he was staring down at Harry, pupils large and dilated.

"Harry," he gasped, glancing down. Harry lowered his head and saw that a rather large erection was showing through his jeans. He looked back up and met Ron's gaze for a split second before Ron pounced.

He landed on Harry's lap and before Harry even knew what was happening he was kissing Ron. Oh hell, really kissing him, their tongues sliding together, lips wet and tingling, hands and feet everywhere, and they couldn't seem to stop.

Harry suddenly found himself pushed onto the cushions, Ron pinning him down, and Harry liked it, liked giving up the control as Ron kissed him and sucked his neck and thumbed his nipples through his shirt.

"Off," Ron rumbled, tugging at the shirt, and Harry scrambled to comply, and he was soon stunned to realize that his jeans and boxers had been pushed down at one point. Ron grasped Harry's cock and his own, stroking the heated flesh, and Harry trembled and cried out. Ron spit in his hand and rubbed faster, the tension building, and Harry pulled Ron's head down and kissed him and bit his lips and he couldn't take it anymore.

He came with a shout and Ron followed shortly, pleasure racking their bodies until they were both spent.

They lay together, chests heaving and pressed together, hands entwined. Harry grinned and snuggled into Ron's neck.

"Your acting's getting better," he murmured, and Ron snorted.

Raising his head, he gave Harry a hooded look and said, "I'm a natural. 'Sides, these scenarios are getting more farfetched by the minute. Never seen anyone naked before? Harry, c'mon, that's mad."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, like it's so much more plausible when you're a pirate and I'm a lad in distress. Anyway, it doesn't matter because it was fantastic."

Ron grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "You gotta admit this was a good idea. We've been together too long not to get into some role-playing."

"You and your grand ideas," Harry said fondly, running his fingers through Ron's locks.

Ron beamed and gave Harry a kiss. "So," he said, "for next time, what do you think about me being a virgin and you trying your best to seduce me?"

With a laugh, Harry said, "Sounds like a plan."

The End