Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Brotherly Love ❯ Happiness ( Chapter 2 )

Part 2

Ron's head spun as Harry pulled him along from once night club to another, till he was sure they had visited them all in this seedy little city. Dawn was nearing, and still Harry hadn't come down from his high on night-life. Kicked out of the last club for wearing out their welcome, the two calmly strolled down the avenue, letting the pre-dawn quiet settle over them, arm in arm. Harry's heels clicked audibly on the vacant sidewalk, creating a not-too-unpleasant sound as they meandered toward home.

Ron watched Harry from the corner of his eye. His lipstick was smeared, and his mascara was beginning to run, yet he smiled dreamily. His eyes sparkled with life and contentment. Harry turned to Ron when he saw him looking and smiled heartily, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. Ron's breath caught in his throat. He had never seen anything so beautiful . . .

"Ron?" Harry asked timidly, suddenly finding his nails interesting.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Whatcha thinking?" That wasn't exactly what he meant to say, but it was all he could get out at the time.

"You." Ron answered honestly. He blushed when he realized what he had just said. He had been to busy thinking about the younger man's beauty, to think rationally.

"Really?" Harry perked up, facing Ron once again. The joy, hope, and fear upon his face told Ron he hadn't said the wrong thing, as he feared.

"Yes, really." Ron smiled. Harry's eyes danced with the light of a thousand fireflies as he bit his bottom lip and tried not to cry. "What about you? What are you thinking about?"

"I was just thinking how happy I am to be with you and how damn sexy you look when you smile like that!" Harry replied, taking Ron's hand in his, and resting his head on Ron's shoulder. They walked that way, in silence, the rest of the way to their shared apartment.

*~*~*~*~*~*

They stood in front of their apartment door as Ron frantically searched his pockets for the key. He was sure he had transferred it when he switched clothing, but the small piece of metal eluded him. Harry didn't have his key, since he didn't have any pockets and he refused to go so far as to use a purse.

"Forget your key? Or did you lose it?" The two turned to see a scowling old man holding a large brass ring filled with hundreds of keys. The landlord, Mr. Kuss. The building only had 20 apartments, so it was quite puzzling as to what the other keys go to.

"How did you . . ." Ron started, but was abruptly cute off by a woman standing behind Mr. Kuss.

"I can answer that." Her chestnut hair fell to her shoulders and her eyes were a brilliant amber. She was roughly the same height as Harry, but with a slimmer build. Her skin was pale, which made the freckles across her nose stand out all the more, even in the dim hallway. "I'm Ashley. I just moved in down the hall. I was just coming home from work when I saw you searching your pockets, so I figured you couldn't find your key, and thought I'd save you some trouble and get the landlord for you." She blushed for her impertinence, hoping no one would notice. Least of all Ron. She had seen him many times before around the building and had fallen for the dark haired man. She was too shy to approach him before and was glad for this opportunity presented to her, though she wished she hadn't rudely interrupted him in mid-sentence.

"There you go. Be more careful next time! I don't know why you're just getting in and I don't care! But leave me out of it by taking your key next time!" Before a word of thanks could be given, Mr. Kuss left, mumbling under his breath as he went.

"Thanks." Ron spoke briefly before following Harry inside and shutting the door, leaving Ashley alone in the dim hallway. Her heart soared. *He spoke to me! But who was that with him? Does he already have a girlfriend? Or is she just some floozy he picked up for a one night stand? Well, even if she is his girlfriend, it's not likely to last. I mean, look at what she was wearing! She looked like a two-bit prostitute! Maybe she was . . .* Her mind wandered on as she returned to her own apartment to dream about the man in 2B.

*~*~*~*~*~*

As soon as the door was shut, Harry wrapped his arms around Ron's neck, placing a timid, yet tender kiss on his lips. Ron responded by drawing him closer and deepening the kiss. Oh, how this reminded Ron of many of his wet dreams. They mostly started with Harry making the first move, showing him he wanted it as much as he did, if not more. Harry slowly pulled away, making Ron think he'd gone too far. His eyes must have told Harry what he was thinking, fearing.

"It's alright, Ron. I just think I should . . . shower first." Harry looked away, his blush growing with embarrassment. Ron chuckled softly, more at his fear than Harry's embarrassment.

"Alright, Harry. I can wait." He caressed Harry's cheek with the back of his hand to show he wasn't upset. "Just don't be *too* long!" Ron winked, causing Harry to chuckle.

"I'll just be a sec." He gave Ron a quick peck on the cheek then made a dash for the bathroom. Ron slumped against the door, praying to whomever would listen that this wasn't a dream. Shaking himself out of his daze, he all but ran to their bedroom to get ready. He wanted everything to be perfect when Harry returned.

15 lit candles strategically placed around the room, a new furniture arrangement, the right mood music playing, and a wardrobe change later, Ron languidly reclined on the red, silk comforter he had placed atop the two beds he positioned together. Though the candlelight and mood music gave a romantic ambience, it did little to keep him awake while he waited. He found himself nodding off often, and struggled to remain conscious. He should have known better than to expect Harry to have a quick shower. His hair alone took 20 minutes, and it had only been 10 minutes!

In an effort to stay awake, he tried to imagine Harry bathing, but when he did, his eyes drifted shut and he soon fell asleep. He was fighting a losing battle.

Twenty minutes later, Harry exited the steaming bathroom. He hated taking so long, but he wanted to be perfect for Ron. Even if he wasn't experienced like Ron. He was afraid of not being able to please him. He knew of Ron's past relationships, though not in detail. He never brought anyone there, but Harry could tell when he was seeing someone. Till now, he always assumed he had been seeing women. But now . . . now it didn't matter. It's in the past and it will stay that way. Harry smiled to himself wistfully, as he walked into the shared bedroom.

The change in ambience startled him. He was about to exclaim his delight, when he noticed a gentle snoring coming from the form on the now single bed. He suppressed a chuckled behind his hand as he watched Ron sleep. Harry gently tugged the comforter out from under Ron and tucked him in. Harry slid in beside him and snuggled against his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist. He gave Ron a good night kiss, then drifted off to dreamland, a smile on his face.

A/N: I'm eeeeeeevil, aren't I? ^_~ Anyway, Ashley's my own character, loosely based on, and named after, one of my (many, many) cousins. ^^ I have no idea if she will appear in future parts or not. At least this is nice and sappy. ^^ That is, if you *like* nice and sappy fics. You do, don't you? ^^;;