Boxers or Briefs

Boxers or briefs

(by Moony-Mike)

It was a lovely morning in July in the year 1996. The little village Ottery Saint Catchpole was bathed in bright sunlight.

"You think Ron'll come, too, Jeff?" Peter asked his friend Geoffrey.

Geoffrey shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him so far this year. I reckon he'll catch us here today or tomorrow if he's at home and not busy with anything else."

Peter and Geoffrey were two of Ron Weasley's friends. The Burrow, the Weasleys' home, lay near the village, and Ron had attended the local primary school, before he started at Hogwarts in September 1991. But he still kept contact with his old friends, and he tried to meet them as often as possible during summer.

It was one of the first days of that year's summer holiday, and Ron's friends eagerly wanted to see him and hear the latest news from that "far away boarding school" he went to. They didn't know that the Weasleys were wizards and Ron learnt witchcraft and wizardry during the rest of the year.

"Hey you two!" someone shouted from the street. Two other boys approached them and joined the little chat.

"Ron not yet here?" a boy with brown hair and thin glasses in front of his also brown eyes asked. "What's the matter with him this year?"

"We don't know, Jay", said Peter. "Hi, Dan!"

"Hi, Pete, hi, Jeff!" answered Daniel happily. "Maybe Harry's already there, so they'd perhaps have other plans", he suggested.

They sat down on the edge of a little water basin right in the centre of the village. The fountain was happily shooting water into the air and made it a bit more comfortable at that sunny day.

"I am not sure about it, but I would almost say he fancies him", said Peter thoughtfully.

"Who? Fancies whom?" asked Jason puzzled.

Peter, who seemed to be kind of a group leader, bit himself on the under lip. "As I said, I'm not sure, but I've got the strange impression that Ron fancies Harry", he said slowly.

Jason's jaw dropped. "You mean, he's - he's gay?"

The others, too, looked surprised.

"Dunno", said Peter, shrugging. "'S just an idea. Perhaps you remember last year, when the two of them went to that football match together with us."

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Geoffrey.

"Well, you know Ron hasn't got the slightest clue about football. It's just unbelievable, but that's it. That match I heard him whisper 'What, there are eleven players in a team, Harry? And - and there's only one ball? Weird!'"

All four of them laughed.

"And then", Peter went on, "- then he kept on asking Harry things like 'What's a throw-in?' or 'What's off-side?' and even 'Why aren't they allowed to take the ball by their hands?' He tried to keep us four out of the conversation, and so he leaned very close to Harry asking him those questions. I sometimes almost thought he'd try to kiss him. And when he once noticed me watching him he blushed - his face went nearly scarlet with embarrassment."

"But that does not necessarily mean that he's gay - or even bi, you know", said Daniel. "He might be just ashamed of knowing such little about football."

"Yeah, maybe..." muttered Peter. "Oh, there he comes! I'll try..."

"What'll you try, Pete?" asked Daniel.

"I'll try to get him on that topic - you know - gay or not."

The other three boys slightly shook their heads.

Ron joined them happily.

"Hi folks!" he greeted them, smiling. "How're you doing? What's on here these days?"

"We've been waiting for you, champ!" Geoffrey boomed and gave him all five. "You must've been at home for four or five days, eh?"

"Yeah, came home last Saturday. Harry's here, too, so I didn't have so much time yet", Ron apologized.

He didn't notice Peter winking at Daniel.

"How about you two joining us in a game of football in the yard over there?" asked Peter and clapped Ron on the back.

"Harry's writing a letter to his godfather - I reckon he's going to report every minute of the school term just passed. Thought I'd just come over here and say hello. Don't have too much time."

"So you've planned something else, you two?"

"Yeah, my twin brothers are there, too, and we thought to have a nice game of Qui... - I mean - I mean we probably have to de-gnome the garden, Mum was talking about it this morning."

"You de-what the garden?"

"Oh..." Ron realized he had blurted out something about magic the others most certainly couldn't know. "Oh - that's just - just an odd expression we use at home, you know", he said quickly.

Peter raised his eyebrow, but said nothing further on that. Instead, he changed the topic.

"How well do you know Harry, Ron?" he asked. "I mean, we know you're friends from school and he visits you nearly every summer. But how close do you know him actually?"

"Why are you asking? What do you mean?" asked Ron puzzled.

"Well - dunno - hmm - you two share a dorm, I assume?"

"Yes, together with Neville, Dean and Seamus. All classmates of the same school house share the dorm."

"Does he - hmm - does he wear boxers or briefs?"

"Does he - what? You mean, you'd like to know whether Harry keeps wearing boxers or briefs?"

"Yeah, just thought."

Ron blushed furiously.

"I don't know."

"Well, ask him then."

"Why should I ask him about - about that?"

"I reckon you don't have the courage to ask him, do you?"

"What are you playing at?" Ron began to sweat. He looked from Peter to the others, who were just standing there and giggling softly. "Why shouldn't I have..."

"Now, if you have the courage, then go and ask him."

"I don't see any sensible reason for it."

"I'll give you - hmm, let's see - five pounds."

Ron went redder than before. His ears seemed to glow. He looked at Peter in disbelief.

"Why do you want to know if Harry..."

"... Look, I'll give you five pounds." Peter took out a banknote and waved it in front of Ron's eyes. "These beautiful five pounds will be yours if you ask Harry whether he wears boxers or briefs. But you don't have the courage, I see."

"Oh yes, I have, you'll see about this!" Ron went off, shaking his head and muttering not understandable words.

His four friends waited a few seconds, then they grinned at each other and followed Ron carefully.

- The Burrow was unusually quiet when Ron came back.

"No one at home?" he called when he entered through the front door. "Mum? Harry? Ginny? Fred? George?"

Harry came in through the back door.

"Hullo, Ron", he said. "I'm the only one here. Your mum and sister went for shopping to Diagon Alley, and Fred and George didn't want to wait till I'd have finished my letter and you would be back from the village, so they're off alone, Beater practice." He grinned at his friend. "Weather's fine, so I thought I could go out, lay down in the grass and let the sun do the rest."

"No bad idea. Coming with you."

They went out into the garden and flapped themselves into the fresh smelling grass. Harry took off his glasses and laid them next to himself. He let out a sigh of content.

Ron, however, suddenly sat up, looking a bit stiff.

"What's up, Ron?" asked Harry lazily. "Anything wrong? You met Peter and the others? How're they doing?"

"Oh, fine, I think. - 'S just - Peter - he was behaving strange. Asked funny things."

Harry sat up, too. "What did he ask?"

Ron's ears went pink. "Now, he's wondering how well we two know each other - you know, same school house, sharing a dorm..."

Harry looked puzzled. "Why does he want to know about it?"

Ron shrugged. "Best's still coming. He asked..." He gulped. "Well - he asked if you were wearing boxers or briefs." He didn't dare look into Harry's eyes.

"Huh?" Harry was thunderstruck. "What..."

"He offered me five pounds if I had the courage to ask you."

Harry was completely taken aback. Then, suddenly, he started to smirk mischievously.

"Well, Ron", he started slowly and with an undertone. "Do you have the courage then?"

"What?"

"The courage to ask me."

Ron blushed. "I - I - I mean, it was just - just silly..."

"Five pounds, Ron! Think of the money. Do you have the courage?"

"I - I dunno."

"Go on, ask me!" Harry was grinning devilishly. He laid back into the grass.

"I - oh, Harry, this is just childish - damn now - very well then. Harry, d'you - d'you wear boxers or briefs?" Ron's face was as scarlet as the dark cherries hanging in the tree next to them.

"Find out", Harry answered, still smirking.

"Huh?" Ron was flabbergasted. "Wh - what?"

"Just find out", Harry repeated patiently. He was lying on his back, grinning invitingly.

"Harry, I..."

"Did you think five pounds were earned that easily, Ron? Come on, get to know by yourselves. It's not that difficult."

"But, Harry, I'd have to - to - to remove your..." Ron swallowed hard, thick drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Am I so scaring, Ron? Have you never yet touched another one's clothes or body? Go on, I won't bite!" He looked him straight in the eyes. Ron knew he was being serious.

Ron leaned over and began to fumble with the buttons at Harry's jeans. His hands were shivering, and it took him a while until he finally had undone all four buttons.

Harry seemed to enjoy it.

Harry lifted his hips an inch so Ron could slip his jeans down. Ron's right hand just accidentally brushed over the most private part of Harry's body, and Harry - almost unwillingly - let out a soft moan. Ron gulped and blushed harder than before. He had sensed an explicit arousal within Harry's underwear.

The jeans were removed and revealed - a pair of emerald green boxers.

Ron looked at them - he seemed to be mentally absent - and he suddenly noticed the now very obvious outlines of sexual tension within the boxers.

A sudden voice that seemed to be coming from far away dragged him back to reality.

"Ron?" It was Harry's voice.

"Yeah, Harry?"

Harry had started to smirk again.

"You owe me one, Ron."

"I - what do you say?"

"You owe me one. Look, now you've found out something about me. It earns you five pounds. I think you should just do me a little favour for helping you to get such an enormous amount of money."

"And - what do you mean, Harry?" asked Ron suspiciously.

"You owe me - hmm - either truth or dare."

Ron laughed. "Oh, you certainly don't mean that silly girlish game!"

Harry was still smirking, but definitely determined. "Exactly this silly girlish game do I mean, Ron", he said, putting stress on every word.

Ron gulped. "So - well, okay - I'll dare then."

"Kiss me."

Ron was dumbfounded. He wasn't able to move or speak for a second. He just sat there, blinking and frowning. Then: "Harry, did I hear you right? You want me to - to..."

"Yes, Ron."

Harry leaned over and pulled Ron to himself so that Ron now was lying on top of Harry. Harry suddenly noticed that he wasn't the only one whose boxers gradually were becoming a bit tight. He looked into Ron's eyes.

Ron had it noticed, too. He returned Harry's gaze. Their faces were barely an inch apart.

And then they kissed.

It started gently, barely touching. But then Harry embraced Ron, ran his left hand through the thick red hair and caressed Ron's lower back with his right hand. Their lips were sealed to each other. Both of them closed their eyes and let themselves sweep away into passion they both had never experienced before. Their tongues started to explore each other's mouths, gently stroking their teeth, roughly being thrust forward as if to conquer the enemies fortress and gain dominance and possession.

It took several minutes until they finally broke apart, gasping of exhaustion.

- Suddenly there were loud cheers and whistles behind them. Someone was clapping hands.

They got apart rapidly and sat upright. Harry quickly put his jeans on, cursing under his breath.

Harry and Ron looked around.

Peter, Geoffrey, Jason and Daniel were standing behind the hedge and were cheering at them. Apparently they had been hiding behind and had been watching everything that had happened just moments before.

"What the fuck..." began Ron, but he was interrupted by Jason.

"Good point, lads!" he said, beaming at Harry and Ron. "I reckon, if we hadn't interfered in time, you'd probably now be busy doing exactly that, eh?" He, Daniel and Geoffrey came over and clapped Ron and Harry on their backs. They both blushed and looked down to the earth.

Peter kept standing at the hedge. He was holding his hands in his pockets. "For that I'll give you ten, pal", he said, smiling all over his face.

Ron looked over to him, scowling. He felt slightly angry and was shooting bolts of lightning out of his eyes.

Peter finally joined them. "Sorry, Ron", he began, still smiling at the two of them. "I didn't want to embarrass you and Harry. I've just - just been thinking about you two for a couple of months. You know - last year's summer I noticed some - some hints about what may be going on between you two. It was like putting together a jigsaw. Well, then I decided to try and get it out of you - that was the reason of my - I admit it - silly little game I played with you today. Hope you're not too furious..."

Ron was eyeing him. First he didn't know how to react. But then he smiled back and laid an arm around Peter's shoulder. "'S okay. It's just so - so new - unfamiliar even to Harry and me, isn't it, Harry?" Harry nodded. Ron sighed. "But I think we'd have to deal with it anyway - sooner or later. And you are my friends. I like you all very much. I'd have to tell you about it, because you'd have found out in any case, as I can see. I just hope you won't reject me for - for - being gay."

"Oh, stop gibbering, you stupid git!" Daniel shouted. "Why're you afraid of being rejected? We'd be nice friends if we pushed you aside just because you live your life - the life you are destined for." He held his hand out. "Congratulations!"

Ron - as well as Harry - looked surprised. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, first I want to congratulate you for at long last having figured out your true feelings concerning love. And second I'd like to congratulate you two for being a really great couple. You really are!"

Ron and Harry both grinned broadly and shook Daniel's hand. Also Jason, Geoffrey and finally Peter joined the congratulations.

"And - Ron, Harry?" said Peter. They looked at him. "I think you should know that this is perfectly all right - about you two, I mean. There's nothing wrong or abnormal in being gay. And - if you all agree - I s'pose we should make six out of five. We can't let you join us without your boyfriend, right? Harry's in the gang, too!"

"That's a word!" said Geoffrey beaming. "And by the way, now we can play football three against three. You can't avoid it any longer, mate!" He prodded Ron's chest playfully.

"Good point!" Jason interfered. "Now, what about our little game? If we want to occupy the yard we've got to get there quickly now. You all coming?"

They all agreed. Ron and Harry rushed into the house and quickly changed into sportswear and sneakers. Ron scribbled a hurried note for Mrs Weasley. Five minutes later the six of them were off, back to the village in order to have a great day in the bright sunshine.

* * *