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Harry’s quill came to a stop. He’d been writing this essay for hours and it seemed to be growing more and more difficult as he worked on it. Looking around, he noticed that the common room was empty, save for his best friend and himself.
Oh, right.
For the past few days, Harry felt as though the friendship between them was no more. Where before there had been lingering gazes and grins that hid inside jokes now stood silence and empty desks. The laughter that illuminated his world had vanished, leaving instead a quiet and introverted Ron. Hermione (bless her) had tried to stage an intervention that ended in disaster.
”There must be another way to fix this, I don’t believe that he started sulking all of a sudden!”
”That’s exactly what happened Mione.”
He stretched his arms over his head, groaning as he felt the joints in his arms and fingers pop, as well as his muscles stretching and blood rushing through his body. Ron leaned back against the couch with a huff, his face red.
“Everything all right mate?” Harry asked, concern showing in his face.
“All right Harry.” The dry tone in Ron’s voice was enough to put Harry over the edge. For weeks he’d been trying to figure out what had gone wrong; Ron had closed himself off and refused to talk about whatever happened that caused him to act this way, leaving a very confused Harry behind.
“You sure? I mean-“ Harry blew out a hair from his face, “there has to be something going on with you. From one day to another you started leaving the dorm early, not even bothering to say ‘good morning’ and showing up after I’ve fallen asleep. I just- did I do something?” Harry bit his lip and dropped the quill, turning his body towards his best friend.
Taking a deep breath, Ron ran a hand through his hair. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
Harry frowned and turned to face him, his eyes glimmering with worry unspoken. The emotional outbursts were nothing new, but it still hurt to be on the receiving end of them. “Get what? I’m trying to understand why you’ve pulled away, why you don’t treat me the same as we were before… I just- I don’t know.” With that, he took a stand from the couch and started packing his ink, quill, and parchment.
A hand pulling him back made Harry freeze. The feeling of Ron’s slender and cool fingers against his warm skin made the hairs on his arm stand, even more so when Ron’s other hand came to rest on Harry’s shoulder.
“You don’t get it.” He laughed, not a slight hint of humour in his voice. “Every day it’s like you don’t even try! You’re so- you are- you- ugh!” Ron’s hands gripped Harry tighter as he let his head hang forward. He cursed under his breath before looking straight into Harry’s eyes, who could only see the panic and anxiety in them.
Harry lifted a hand to Ron’s neck, massaging the area under his jaw gently in circles. Ron sighed and leaned towards the touch, letting his grip become loose. As Harry worked, he noticed several small things: Ron’s skin being a flush pink, the freckles littering his face, neck, and arms; how his eyes fluttered closed at the attention, the slight furrow in his brows evening out, and his-
No, I cannot think of him this way.
Ron’s lips were parted open, Harry noted against his will. He looked away quickly, lest his thoughts lead him to acting in a way that would ruin the friendship carefully built over the years.
Ron opened his eyes and focused them on Harry, locking eyes for a few seconds before Ron smiled timidly. “You’re clueless Harry, did you know that?”
Tilting his head to the side, Harry’s mouth quirked up. “What do you mean by that?” Hearing the words, Ron looked away quickly before focusing his gaze back on him, eyes softening.
“Nothing, nothing.” He lowered his arms and gave Harry’s hands a final squeeze before letting go altogether. “Go if you must, I’ll stay here for a few more minutes before heading back.” With that he took a step back, allowing the other space to leave the conversation.
A few seconds passed and neither of the boys moved; it seemed as though time stood still, with both of them daring the other to be the first in popping their bubble. They stared at each other, small smiles building up their way to childish grins before bursting out in laughter.
“What?” Harry covered his smile with the back of his hand as he looked at Ron. “Have I got something in my face?”
Ron shook his head, his laughter dying down to a fond smile. “No, no, it’s just-“ he cut himself off and waved his hand. “It’s just nothing, don’t worry about it.”
The hand that had been cradling Ron’s face slipped away, leaving behind empty space. Harry took his bottom lip between his teeth with eyebrows furrowed slightly, looking every bit questioning. “It’s nothing.” Ron repeated.
“Doesn’t seem like nothing to me.”
“I promise I’m fine.”
“Never doubted that did I?”
Ron froze, his ears going red. He looked down at his shoes and avoided Harry’s eyes. “I’m going to leave now, you let me know if there’s anything you need, hm?”
Taking a step forward, Harry wrapped his arms around Ron, allowing himself to indulge in the thought of having him in any way other than platonic. The warmth between them became almost too much, and Harry squeezed his arms before pulling away, planting a soft kiss on Ron’s forehead. “I’ll see you later.”
Ron’s heart beat faster, contemplating every risk and benefit in a fraction of a second. His fingers flexed as he came to a decision. Before Harry could leave, Ron surged forward and grabbed his face with both hands, smashing their lips together.
Harry let out a choked noise and closed his eyes, smiling into the kiss. The thumbs grabbing his face caressed his jaw, and Ron used his pointer fingers to bring his face up. Harry ran his fingers through Ron’s hair, taking in his scent and the softness of him- all of him.
Moments like this should last eons, he thought as he stood on his tiptoes to reach Ron better. The thoughts and ideas in his brain began to melt together and fade away, only one remaining: will this mark our forever?
He pulled away, earning a whine from the other boy before quickly returning to his lips, planting pecks all over Ron’s lips, his jaw, nose, and cheeks.
“Stop! What are you doing?” Ron giggled as they bumped their noses together. He chased Harry’s mouth and brought the two of them together in yet another kiss, eliciting a sigh.
Ron brought his hand up to his neck and reached for Harry’s, pulling it down and lacing their fingers together. He felt his whole body flush when Harry’s other hand —previously resting on his nape— fell, resting his arm on his shoulder and bringing them together in an embrace.
Now it was Ron’s turn to pull away, a string of tension dissipating as they leaned their foreheads together, eyes still closed. “I wanted to say this.” He breathed out. “I meant to confess this in a more emotional and intimate way, but I guess this works too.”
“I love you too.”