Title: The Muggle Way
Ship: Ron/Harry
Rating: PG13
Summary: Ron struggles without magic.
A/N: Originally a birthday ficlet for goneoffthelump.
"Ron, please! Just leave it," Harry pleaded.
Harry was stood at the back door, looking out into the garden. There in its centre was lit a single small lantern in the centre, illuminating a very irritated-looking Ron.
"I can't," Ron answered sternly, turning hurriedly to pick up another piece of metal. In his haste, he tripped over it and lay sprawled on the floor for a few moments, breathing heavily.
"Seriously," Harry said, walking towards Ron, "it's late."
Harry offered a hand to help Ron up from the floor, but Ron smacked his hand away and pushed himself up with a growl.
"I can't," he barked. "I have to finish this."
"Teddy won't be coming over for a couple of days anyway," Harry said. "You can finish it tomorrow."
"No!" Ron snarled, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "When you were putting up those shelves last week, you said that you're not a real man unless you can put something together without magic!"
Turning his back to Harry to hide his blush, Ron bent forwards and picked up a piece of the large trampoline frame that he was attempting to put together. He'd been at it for hours and had made little progress.
Harry sighed, shaking his head and rubbing at his face with his hand. "That was just a ridiculous, spur-of-the-moment comment I made when I was annoyed because I was having trouble with it. You've always had the chance to use magic for these sorts of things, Ron. It's your instinct to use magic for everything."
"Yes, but I should be able to put a fucking toy together, for Merlin's sake," Ron shouted.
He kicked the small part of the frame that he had actually managed to piece together in his frustration. It fell apart as soon as his foot made contact. He growled again. "Every time I put one end in, the other end comes out! Or else it gets stuck, and then I can't push it in far enough!"
"You're not the only man who has trouble with this type of thing, Ron," Harry interrupted, before Ron could continue his rant. He ran his fingers through his hair, looked at his feet, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Even Muggle men struggle with it sometimes, especially when they refuse to let anyone help them. It doesn't make you any less of a man."
Harry walked closer and pressed himself against Ron's back, whispering in his ear playfully. "I know for a fact that you are definitely all man." His hand snaked around Ron's waist and cupped the front of Ron's trousers. "Come on, love, let's go to bed, and you can put your own end in."
Ron chuckled and turned with a grin to face Harry. He pressed a quick, open-mouthed kiss to Harry's mouth, and they made their way into the house.
Once inside, Harry waved his wand and raised the wards.
"Do you really think it's okay that I can't do some things without magic?" Ron asked.
Harry steered Ron towards the stairs with a sexy leer.
"Of course I do. However, if you do really want to learn how to do things the Muggle way, I've something you can practise on, you know? All fingers and tongues. No Stretching or Lube Charms allowed!"