Jingle Bell, Ron

Part VIII

It's actually quite odd, the way Blaise and Ron fit into each other's routines.

Now that Ron knows what Blaise is trying to do, he follows him almost everywhere freely. He doesn't tell anyone but he goes about his day happier that he's not getting chased off with vocabulary he can barely understand.

Blaise goes with him on the days he and Harry have a scrimmage to coach, or when Neville asks for his help to move plants. He just finds a place to sit and does his schoolwork until Ron is finished and then they go back to the castle together.

He learns that Blaise likes skin-ship. And that he says things matter-of-factly when they shouldn't be said as such.

The first time Ron trailed after Blaise into the library he, of course, beelined his way to his usual table and sat in his usual chair. Ron was a new addition and didn't want to disturb Blaise's peace so he waited for his companion to assign him a seat, but all Blaise did was plop his bag on the table, opened a tome and started to read.

So, Ron took it as a welcome to sit in any empty chair at the table. He chose the end seat. It was easy access toward the front desk of the library, which led to the doors of the corridor. In any case that he needed to use the bathroom, or got hungry and wanted a snack, or Blaise decided he wanted to start a war and he needed to make a quick escape.

He kept all his options open.

All Blaise did was lift his eyes momentarily from the line he was reading, made split-second eye contact with Ron, and then settled into his chair to continue reading.

It took less than ten minutes after that.

At first, Ron thought he had imagined it. After all, writing essays always ended in some parts of his body falling numb due how long it took him to move trying to form a coherent sentence about mugwort and its magical properties.

He felt a slight brush on his calf and then it disappeared. But it was enough to spur him into movement. He sat up straight and looked under the table. There was nothing.

His parchment remained the same as when he had dated it five minutes ago, with only the word mugwort at the top as a title. He sighed. Hermione had lent him a book about potion herbs, so he took that out of his bag and opened it when he felt it again.

This time it was a lot more than a brush. His entire foot was lifted off the ground and supported by a weight, and when Ron looked under the table again he saw Blaise's shiny black shoe under his ankle.

He immediately shut the book to look up at Blaise, who was still as a statue and reading ever so calmly.

"Uh."

"If you say anything you make it awkward."

"Maybe because it is?"

"We're engaged," Blaise reminded him. He fixes Ron with a bold look. "I could have you in my bed and it would be completely normal."

Ron laughed nervously. "You can't just say things like that."

"Of course I can, Weasley," his eyes turned back to the yellowing pages. "Now try writing at least one sentence. I can't be seen with you if you can't turn in a simple potions essay."

He knew it was Blaise's way of evading the topic, he could see the tips of Blaise's ears darken as much as his had. But alas, he had no remark so he let Blaise hold his ankle up with his own in silence for the rest of the study session.

That wasn't even the only event. And Blaise wasn't exactly subtle or shy about it.

All Ron knew was that if him and Blaise were sitting in each other's vicinity, Blaise would find a way to touch him.

One time he set his head on Ron's shoulder. Another he walked right up to the Gryffindor table in the dining hall and took a seat next to him, placing his whole hand on Ron's thigh and just went about having a normal conversation while Ron's face overheated.

It surprised Ron that it didn't take long for him to get used to it, either. Blaise would walk right up to him in the hall and hook his arm around his as he talked about his latest findings to add a loophole to the contract, or to gossip about what Nott did when he sneaked out in the middle of the night, or just to tell him what time he was heading to the library so they could meet.

Somewhere between all these discoveries Blaise had presented him with the final draft of their marriage contract, handed him a quill, and they both signed the enchanted parchment with Blaise's mother and a council member as witnesses. Something had shifted immediately after the last signature was added.

There had been a fizzle where the ink finished setting into the parchment, and Ron felt something like a comfortable sheet of warmth fall over him. Blaise apparently had felt the same and became unbalanced, so he had taken hold of Ron's arm to stabilize himself. They had grinned at each other.

A lot of Ron's time was occupied with Blaise, and he found that he actually didn't quite mind as much as he thought he once would. And Blaise was true to his word and never once pushed him regarding their marital binding. It was nice.

Ron is shaken out of his train of thought from Blaise's arm hooking into his on his way to Divination. He doesn't know what compels him to sneak his hand down and knot his fingers through Blaise's own, but it doesn't matter because Blaise gives him a small grin and swings their hands forward once.

"Someone is in a good mood."

"I think," Ron looks down at Blaise's hand locked to his and finds that he really likes how it feels. "I think I want to tell Hermione."

"Yeah?"

Blaise's eyes are bright with joy and his verbal adjustment makes Ron giddy. It's amusing when he catches Blaise slipping from his usual vocabulary and adjusting to Ron's--just another sign of how much time they spend together. Ron nods.

"That's great! Would you like me to be there, or do you want to handle it on your own?"

Another great trait that Ron grew to admire about Blaise is how he always let him take control of things, always let him know he had a choice. Harry and Hermione had this knack for making him feel like he needed them to make decisions for him. However, Blaise encourages him to be independent, acknowledges his intelligence, and it makes Ron want to hold him forever.

He realizes out of the blue how much he depends on Blaise, regardless of how much Blaise spurs him on to be his own person. The thought terrifies him and sends a spark of excitement fizzing down to his stomach.

And that's why he can't stop himself when he jolts to a stop and takes Blaise's face in his hands to kiss him.

It's not anything special. Ron's sudden delirium causes their lips to land lopsided and it seems Blaise panics for a moment before he realizes what's actually going on because he lifts his arms in surprise before they settle on Ron's back to pull him in.

But Blaise falls warm into Ron's chest and he exhales like he feels safe and Ron thinks he had no other choice but to fall in love with Blaise. Maybe it was inevitable, or it was meant to be, but whatever it was Ron is so grateful Blaise chose him.

When they part Blaise's eyes remain closed until Ron moves his thumb just under his cheekbone. "What was that?"

His voice is dazed and airy and Ron has to bite his lip to stop from grinning like an idiot. "I don't know, I just felt like doing it all of a sudden."

"Oh. Well," Blaise eyes blink open and his pupils almost overtake his honey colored irises. "Please feel like doing it again more often."

"Mm," Ron hums, planting another chaste kiss to Blaise's parted lips. "Like this?"

Blaise curls Ron's shirt into his fist. "Oh."

"Ron?"

Hermione's voice shatters their moment, and Blaise is the one to rip himself away from Ron. Her face is confused and also shocked and maybe horrified but Ron doesn't want to assume anything because this is his best friend and he really hopes she doesn't do anything to break his trust.

"Hermione," Ron clears his throat. He tries to ignore the pang he feels from Blaise detaching from him so quickly but he understands the situation.

"What's going on? What. What are you doing?"