Written for The Art Museum Challenge and NEW Triwizard Tournament Competition (no spots left). (Percy/Ron family fics are my life blood.)
"Ron?" Percy asked, knocking on the door. His heart was beating fast, and the images that he had seen early flitted through his mind. "Ron, are you okay?"
Ron didn't answer. "Ron," Percy said, his throat tight. "I don't care. About what I saw, I mean. I care about you though."
Ron's neighbor was giving him strange looks, his eyes watching Percy. Percy gave him a stiff smile, before turning away. He didn't care about the man.
He cared about his little brother.
"Ron, can you please open the door?" Percy begged. "I can't say everything I want to say out here."
Percy figured he was going to have a long night of waiting outside the door stoop. Though Ron insisted on living alone, for a reason no one had known why (though Percy was pretty sure he had just stumbled upon the secret), Ron had been smart. There was no connection to the Floo Network and anti-Apparation wards were on it. Percy couldn't get in without Ron giving him permission.
Percy wasn't sure if Ron ever would.
For the first time in his life, Percy had never been so glad to be wrong.
The door opened to reveal his little brother, face streaked with tears and trembling. Ron had fought in a war, on the front lines in a way that no one except Harry and Hermione had been, yet Percy didn't think he had ever seen Ron so scared.
There was something wrong with that.
Percy, though the third oldest son, was the tallest, and was therefore able to pull his brother, his little brother (who was far smaller than he should be, Percy wondered if he was eating and vowed to make sure he was the next morning), into a bone-crushing hug.
Quickly, before the neighbor could wonder what exactly was happening, Percy quickly dragged his little brother into the apartment.
"Are you okay?" Percy asked, checking over his brother. As far as he had seen, nothing had physically happened to Ron, Ron's reaction has entirely over what Percy had seen, but that still did nothing to soothe Percy. In fact, that just made it worse.
"I-I'm okay," Ron said, his voice still watery with the tears. Quickly, Percy wiped them away. He didn't want his little brother to think this was a crying matter.
"Why are you crying?" Percy asked softly, half to himself and half to Ron. He didn't know who he wanted to answer. For a minute, they were quiet except for their heavy breathing and Ron's sniffles.
"Because I didn't think you would be okay with it," Ron said finally, his voice small and weak and wrong. Ron shouldn't sound like that.
Percy's heart went cold. Blinking back the tears that were pricking his eyes and threatening to fall, he spoke weakly, "Do you mean me as in me, or just in general?" Percy wasn't sure what answer would make him feel worse. Either Ron didn't think that Percy, and Percy alone, would be accepting, or Ron didn't feel like he had anyone in his life that would be. The first option meant that Percy had never truly been a part of Ron's version of family, or the second option meant that Ron didn't have anyone, not truly.
"I don't care that you're gay, Ron," Percy continued. "At least not in the way you think I will."
Ron looked at Percy. Tears were still falling from his eyes, and his mouth was wide open. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm never been more sure of anything in my life," Percy told him.
"You're my little brother, no matter what."
