For vic_ramsey.

Ron snores when he sleeps, not loudly like Neville, but just a little huff every time he releases his breath. He snores, and he shifts a lot, never comfortable in his own skin, and often Harry will wake with bruises he doesn't remember receiving, and always he will blame them on Ron. Ron will smile, and duck his head, and a hint of red will creep up around his freckles and Harry will want to kiss it away.

Ron moans when Harry kisses him. In a family like the Weasleys, Harry expected Ron to be quiet, to kiss with a secret urgency and whisper, "shh, Harry," against his lips, but Ron just moans and tugs a little on Harry's hair and he looks up at Ron through tilted glasses and grins, and Ron groans even louder. He loves that about Ron, the noises he makes and the quick warmth of his hand on Harry's cheek and the way he pulls Harry along with him on adventures that have nothing to do with death.

Ron is Harry's deepest secret, his most important everything, and he always has been from the moment they shared sweets on the train and rolled their eyes at Hermione and stood together against Malfoy and Ron, Ron is the center of his world, with grinning eyes and that lopsided smile and "come on, mate" and the only thing about him that Harry hates is the way he always sacrifices himself and then Harry has to run off and finish the job and not stay behind and make sure Ron's okay and let Hermione stop Voldemort for once.

The funny thing, of course, is that Harry ought to be invincible as long as Voldemort's not around. At least, that's what he gets from the prophecy, that no one can kill him but Voldemort, so--so no one can kill him. He ought to be able to run around without getting hurt, or at least without ending up dead, and he doesn't need a guard for that, doesn't need to see Sirius falling away from him, or Cedric, or Ron on the ground with blood spilling out from beneath his red hair. Ron can't die, he won't let him, he won't, because he won't. Because Harry is nothing without Ron.

He can't die, but everyone else can and Voldemort keeps carving away pieces of who Harry is until there's nothing left to be alive, and Ron is too big a piece, if he dies than Harry's gone too, so he isn't allowed to. Not Ron.

Ron snores when he sleeps, soft little huffs in Harry's ear, and he presses his cheek to Ron's and waits and waits and listens.