A/N: Word Count: 2, 278.
wrapped in words and your embrace
Ron watched the clock above his desk, the seconds ticking past slowly. What he was feeling right now was close to famine. He enjoyed working in the library, which wasn't something that he'd expected. There were only three weeks left of his 6 months on part time and then he would be a full time librarian. At the time, he'd somewhat bemoaned the position his brother Percy had managed to get for him. All the way through school, Ron had actively avoided any libraries with a passion.
He'd only really said yes because he needed a job and money to help at home and eventually, to move out. To his surprise he had come to love it. There was a peace and quiet he hadn't expected but as well as that, he helped organise reading groups with children from a local primary school and had grown to know quite a few regulars.
His stomach rumbled loudly and Ron scowled, checking the time yet again. He'd been running late and had to leave without breakfast. His brother, Fred, had said he'd bring along lunch and Ron was feeling particularly impatient. Any day where he skipped breakfast always shaped up to be an awful day.
The ticking of the clock had become a constant background noise as Ron decided to wage war with the old computer. The head librarian Irma (who he kept calling Madam Pince, she had a certain way about her that demanded respect) called it 'The Veteran'; Ron thought of it more as his nemesis. He had never been particularly good at technology.
"Excuse me, can you help me?"
Ron lifted his head and found himself momentarily hypnotised. The man standing at the desk was captivating. His dark hair and green eyes felt like something the protagonist of a romance novel would have although his glasses were fixed with tape and he looked a little hesitant at Ron.
"Of course," Ron said immediately, straightening up. "What do you need?"
The book he asked for was obscure enough to make Ron blink but then he nodded and offered to show the young man where in the library the book was.
"My name's Ron, I don't think I've seen you at the library before. Are you new to the area? You'll probably need to register for a library card."
"I'm Harry. I live in Little Whinging, out in Surrey but I've been able to travel more and more into London recently."
He seemed quite shy and his clothes reminded Ron of his own childhood. Whilst Ron's had always been somewhat too small, Harry's seemed to swamp him.
"Here it is, 'A Little History of Archaeology'."
Harry took it off the shelf and peered at the blurb as Ron hesitated.
"If there's anything else you need, you know where I am mate. Just make sure you come to the desk and fill out a form for a library card before you leave, particularly if you want to check it out."
Harry nodded and Ron headed back to his desk, surprised at how reluctant he was to leave. By the time Fred finally appeared, Harry had sat in one of the chairs, read for a while and then had come back to talk to Ron, thank him for his help and filled out the application.
"How's it going?" Fred asked, his eyebrows raised. "The texts you were sending me, I thought you were going to get pissed off but you're actually smiling for once."
"Fuck off," Ron said simply. "What did you bring?"
Ron closed the library for half an hour as there was no one else in there and sat with Fred in the park eating two bacon sandwiches.
"Just helped a cute guy out. It really doesn't take much these days."
Fred whistled loudly and slapped him on the back making Ron nearly choke.
"I'm so proud!"
Ron had to endure all of Fred's teasing for the rest of lunch, until he started to daydream about one of them actually choking to death just for this particularly form of torture to end.
"He's just a guy who came in for an archaeology book, okay? I'll probably never see him again, so shut up Fred you dick."
This time, Harry asked for a book called 'Ultimate Frisbee: Is It A Death Trap?' and Ron had to boot up The Veteran to see if they even had it somewhere in the building. For the first two weeks, he'd assumed that Harry was coming in and out of the library on some sort of dare. He was becoming one of his most regular visitors, returning books every couple of days and leaving with one or two new ones. Each were a different topic, to the point of the ridiculous.
"Okay, it's back in the stockroom. I'll bring it out to you, if that's alright?"
Harry nodded and Ron didn't need to ask where he'd be in the library, by now he had started to refer to the table at the back by the window was one that Ron had mentally christened 'Harry's Corner'.
'Don't try to fight this feeling.'
Fred had told George all about Ron's crush and both twins had been incredibly supportive of 'Ron's Conquest' as they had dubbed it, until Ron had threatened to punch them both. George had always been supportive of Ron being queer, he'd been the first one in the family to come out as queer but still Ron was hesitant. His previous relationships had been short enough to be considered non-existent and Harry had always been on his own when he'd come into the library.
Finally finding the book - which was much bigger than Ron thought any book about frisbee should be - he headed back out into the main library. He ran a hand through his hair, happy that he was wearing a t-shirt which made his biceps look good and then he managed to trip forward and nearly crash into Harry's table.
Thankfully Harry laughed as Ron felt himself flush bright red. He passed the book over and then, as Harry always seemed to come in at particularly dead periods in the library, decided to sit down and find out exactly what Harry was up too.
"So, you've had books on archeology, horoscopes, biology, psychology, quite a bit of poetry and fiction, calligraphy and now frisbee," Ron said with a slightly laugh and a curious look. "What exactly are you researching? Are you on some sort of quest for information?"
"Actually, yeah. I left school when I was sixteen and just decided to try and learn. I am just really aware that I need to try and do whatever I can to survive and I think knowledge will help with that so I'm trying to read whatever I can get my hands on," Harry shrugged. "My Aunt and Uncle never really let me read as a kid, since my cousin was dyslexic and they hate my existence."
He said it with a smile, like it was a joke Ron was supposed to laugh at but Ron felt wary. It had been the first time Harry had mentioned family; Ron had started to think that he lived on his own and had no one judging by the way he was dressed in clothes that had the distinct look of being from the back of a charity shop.
"That's really cool, mate. There's a lady who comes in every weekend and she's on her fourth Masters, Art History now. I really admire people like you. I got the grades needed to pass but I didn't really care about school."
"Oh I was bullied mercilessly so I was overjoyed when I was old enough to leave," Harry said casually. "I was so happy on my last day."
"Sod them," Ron said fiercely. "I hate bullies. Want me to beat them up for you?"
Harry laughed, looking surprised and Ron felt his heart leap at the sound.
"No, no. It would be worth it. They're all really stupid, I pity them really."
"I once dated a guy so dumb he couldn't count to twenty-one unless he was naked," Ron snorted. "I know the feeling."
Harry didn't stammer or look away as Ron alleged he was queer, which Ron counted as a win. Then someone called for his help to check out a book and he had to leave Harry to his book.
"But what he really is, is an apostate of Hell!"
Ron smiled politely as Susan rambled on about the last supernatural romance she'd been reading. She came in regularly asking for the library to get various books involving erotic vampires or true crime. For once, Ron wasn't actually working that day, at least not in an official capacity. Irma was on the desk but one of the bookshelves was slanting and close to breaking after years of being overladen with novels, and so Ron had volunteered to come in on his day off and fix it. Tools were littered at his feet as he pulled his t-shirt up to wipe his face. It was a hot July day and he'd been day dreaming of going to lie in the park and enjoy the rare English summer.
He put his headphones in, hoping Susan would get the hint and then as he was hammering in the final nail, someone tapped him hard on the shoulder and Ron screamed in surprise.
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
Harry looked at him with wide eyes but Ron's attention was immediately on his split lip and bruises on his face. He hadn't seen Harry in twelve days, long enough that Ron had started to worry and then told himself he was being ridiculous.
"Shit, Harry, what the fuck happened?"
Ron pulled his headphones out, shoved all his tools into the box and then managed to steer Harry into the staff room. There was only a kettle and small table but Ron made tea, remembering how it was his Mum's classic remedy for any situation.
"My Aunt and Uncle gave me six months to earn enough money to move out. But I was paying them rent and just… Uncle Vernon lost his temper," Harry was shivering. "I just didn't know where to go. It's always been pretty bad but… I just didn't know where to go."
Ron felt his heart break and he sat down next to Harry, pushing a mug into his hands as he put his arms around Harry's shoulders.
"I'm not working today, okay Harry? Come back to mine. I've got some painkillers and we can sort this out."
Harry looked at him, eyes out of focus.
"No… no I should go back. I don't know what I'm doing but I can't just leave. I've got no one else, I've got nowhere else."
"No," Ron said it so firmly he even surprised himself but the thought of Harry going back to a dangerous environment made his blood boil. "No, Harry. Drink some tea and let me look after you."
It took some more convincing but eventually Harry came with Ron back to his studio apartment.
"You're going to be okay, Harry." He told him firmly. "Stay here with me and we'll sort it out together."
"You're sure?" Harry whispered and Ron nodded. He'd never been more certain of anything else in his life.
"You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible," he said. It was something his Dad had said to him once and Ron was determined to make sure that Harry was going to live the best possible life Ron could provide.
Ron came home, his hair damp from yet another rainy day in October. Opening the apartment door, he smiled to himself as the smell of food wafted through to him.
"I'm home," he called and Harry poked his head out from the kitchen, cleaning his glass on his shirt.
"Hey babe. Oh, you're drenched!"
They had been living together for four months and Ron had never been so happy. His Mum and brothers all loved Harry - particularly after Fred and George had helped Ron go to Harry's Aunt and Uncle's to get all his stuff and threaten his family. Harry himself had relaxed a lot. He still read voraciously and had gotten a job at a local bakery, two doors down from Fred and George's joke shop.
He kissed his boyfriend and wrapped him in a warm hug.
"Actually, speaking of the rain outside and the cold, Mum sent a package, I just picked it up from the post office."
Harry opened it slowly and then Ron watched with satisfaction as he pulled out a warm knitted sweater with a large H on the front.
"Mum makes one for all the family," he said. Harry's eyes snapped up to his, looking stunned. Ron urged him to put him on and for the rest of the day Harry kept hugging himself and commenting on how warm it was.
"I love it, but it must have taken your Mum forever. Why would she do this? I mean, it's amazing and i never want to take it off but…"
"Because she loves you almost as much as I love you. Because you deserve it. Because you're beautiful and can do anything you want to." Ron kept talking until Harry was blushing and kissed him to try and shut him up.
"Say it, tell me you agree with me."
"I am beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring me down," Harry quoted sarcastically.
Ron laughed and held Harry in his arms, the rain pattering on the windows.
The Meet - Cute Marathon: Day #3 - I work at the library and you continuously ask me to help you find books on the most random topics, are you on some kind of quest?
Assignment #3: Arts and Craft - Task #3: Crocheting - Write about someone enjoying a warm cardigan, jumper or blanket.
Character Appreciation: (word) family
Disney: hypnotised, short, happy
Book Club: Ralph Brentner - (word) veteran, (object) tools, (dialogue) "But who he really is, is an apostate of Hell."
Showtime: (setting) Muggle London
Days of the Month: Sweater Day - Write about a modest person.
Count Your Buttons: "Can you help me", dare, Fred Weasley, 'Take Us Home' by Alan Doyle, headphones.
Lyric Alley: I'm a little bit shattered.
Restriction of the Month: Write a story without using any of the Hogwarts houses. Optional prompt - 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera.
A Year In Entertainment: 'Don't try and fight this feeling'.
Liza's Loves: Four Horsemen - write a story with the 4 words: (war) (famine) (death) and (conquest)
Jenny's Jovial Quotations: "I once dated a guy who was so dumb he couldn't count to twenty-one unless he was naked." - Joan Rivers
The 365 Prompts Challenge: 167. Job: Librarian
The Fanfiction Resolution Challenge: 47. "Sorry, did I scare you?"
Snake Challenge: 70. Zebra Snake: Setting - library
Gobstones: Blue Stone - Ambition. Constant (word), tripping (action), loner (trait)
Scavenger Hunt: Write a slash pairing.
Library Lovers: Me Before You - 'Write about trying to change someone's mind.', 'six months' (deadline), "You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."
The Insane House Challenge: 212. AU!Library