HIRAETH | ron anderson x reader

chapter vii

luckily, i saw him out the next day. he was sitting on the bank, staring out at the lake. he seemed to be deep in thought, and he didn't notice me until i sat down next to him. "hi. are you okay now?" his eyes narrowed. "what do you mean now? why wouldn't i be okay?" he protests. i just blink at him, and he sighs. "were you the one who cleaned my cut up?" he asks, exhausted. "yes. i'm sorry, i just wanted to check you were okay since you disappeared for a while. and i couldn't just leave you like that!" i start, but he just stares at me softly. "hey, its okay. thank you for doing that." he replies. "don't think you need to tell me what happened or anything - i just wanted to help you out like you helped me." i reassure him, and he smiles at me. "no, it's okay. i'll tell you. i mean - you've already seen me at my most vulnerable state, and you clearly care about me, so i will tell you." i nod, and he takes a deep breath. "it's my dad. he just sometimes gets really angry. and t-takes it out on me" his voice breaks a bit as he said that, and i felt my heart shatter. he looks back up at me, nervously, and i lean forward, giving him a big hug (being careful of his injury). "i am so sorry," i whisper. "hey, don't be. its not your fault," he tells me.

we stay cuddled up for a while, both of us needing it. "hey, do you wanna come play some video games now?" he whispers in my ear, sending chills down my spine. i agree, and we head off to his house.

in his room, i instantly notice his bedsheets had changed - from the bloodied ones to fresh sheets. ron seems to have put a mask on now, pretending like everything was alright, as if nothing had ever happened. we both sit down on his bed, and he flicks through the games i had gotten him, trying to pick one out. he settles on a shooting game, and hands me the controller.

before the game starts, he leans over, teaching me what each button does. our hands accidentally touch, and i feel a spark as my cheeks heat up. i stare at the ground, avoiding eye contact as i feel my cheeks go a deep shade of fuscia, trying to focus on the controls.

after a few tries, i get the hang of the game. unsurprisingly, i am better than ron, due to my amazing aiming skills. "unfair! you have an advantage!" he complains after i kill him for the third time in a row. "what, because i was forced to learn how to kill from an early age in order to survive, while you got to live here and live a normal life?" i fire back. "touché" we both laugh.

"ron! y/n!" we hear a call. its jessie, shes made us dinner. i gratefully take it, enjoying every bite of this homemade meal. unfortunately, with us both growing up in the apocalypse, neither me nor enid have had the chance to learn how to cook properly, meaning we mainly survive off of tinned and dried packets.

me and ron quickly finish our dinner, and head back upstairs. "wanna watch a movie?" he asks, pulling out aladdin. i gasp. "no way! that was my favourite disney movie as a kid! yes please lets watch it!" i say, sitting down on his bed, eagerly. he sets the movie up, before joining me. we lean back on his pillows as the movie starts.

i try to focus on the movie, but i am suddenly all too aware of rons hand which is less than a millimetre away from mine. my skin prickles at the proximity, and the tension is so tight you could cut it with a knife. ron shifts slightly, and our hands are now slightly touching. i feel my face reddening, and keep my eyes glued to the screen.