"There's not enough time."

Time runs out. Time isn't forever. And there isn't enough of it. Not this time.

"For what?" Ron's speaking to him in a soft, careful voice and Harry hates it, he HATES it, because he is screaming at himself that he's not about to break and it - HE'S just making it so much harder.

There isn't enough time. There isn't enough time to live but there isn't enough time to die, not yet, anyway. There isn't enough time to hate anybody but there isn't enough time to choose who to love. There never was.

And Ron's voice is just annoying, he thinks, and he just wants him to fall out the window behind him but there isn't enough time. "You said you were fine, you told me -"

"I lied!" Again the words are slipping out like secrets after midnight and he can't feel his lips spelling them out because his brain's just not working -

"Why didn't you just say so?" Ron's voice just won't stop, it won't leave him alone, and it's too soft and too cautious.

He's dizzy, he's swaying, "There wasn't enough time." Harry says quietly, tipping forward. He grabs onto the counter for support.

It's too dark and Ron's too far away. Somebody is snoring two floors above them, an owl is hooting loudly from the yard and Ron is breathing.

Boys aren't supposed to cry, never, unless your name happened to be Dudley Dursley. That was what he was brought up to know.

"There's plenty of time."

Harry is surprised, because it's nighttime and usually everybody forgets about him and he doesn't wish it away.

There is silence, and then there is the quiet sound of crying, of heaving sobs. At first, Harry doesn't know where it's coming from.

"You're okay."

And Ron's hands are on his shoulders and Harry can see him because he's so close and he realises he can taste his own tears and all his fears because HE was the one.

"It's okay." Ron's hands are on the sides of his neck and Harry can't form intelligeable words.

"You'll be okay." Ron tells him, his voice still soft. He smooths Harry's hair back from his forehead, across his scar.

And when Harry looks up, Ron is already kissing him and he thinks he expected it. He thinks he wanted it. He knows he likes it.

"We'll be okay."

***

Too late. Too far.