Keep Your Enemies Closer

Chapter 6, Explosions and Revelations

"How could you kiss that snake!?"

"What the fuck were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all?"

Ron sat on the couch in his office, sullenly, as his two brothers stood screaming at him about what they had witnessed during Graduation.

"It doesn't have anything to do with either of you two!"

Fred gasped and planted his hands on his hips with a scowl while George started to turn red.

"Like hell! Sure,  it's not our problem when you're kissing a Malfoy!"

Ron glared at his brothers and stood up to pace the room. He hadn't even gotten to talk with Draco about what happened very much. Having his brothers ragging on him about kissing the slender blonde wasn't helping his attitude.

"It's my choice whether I snog Draco in the hallways or if I decided to bend him over a table and shag his brains out!" When his brothers both gasped, Ron rounded on them and poked them each in the chest. "It's my life!"

"Wait until we tell mom. She'll be bloody heartbroken."

Expression turning to stone, Ron turned his back on his brothers and studied the window of his office. He could feel the weight on his heart as he felt the next words he spoke spilling from his lips.

"Then I'll just have to hope she will accept that this is what I want. If you can't be there for me, then I don't think we need to finish this conversation."

Hearing his brother's outraged gasps, Ron moved towards the doorway that lead into his bedchamber from the office.

"You two know the way out."

Not waiting to see if they complied, eyes hazy with what he refused to believe were tears, Ron closed his bedroom door with a bang. He listened to the sounds of muffled shouting from the other side of the door and then the slammed of the door to his office.

Letting his long body slide into a huddle against his door, Ron stared at the shelf by his bed. Sitting on the shelf was a framed picture of him and his brothers who stared back at him almost as if in accusation, and Ron sucked in a hitching breath.

Ron had always been loyal to the family and had been the one to do what was told of him, never trying to do the things out of the norm. When Ron had told his family that he was gay two years ago, they had accepted it with remarkable ease. Having a little trouble at the beginning they were fully supportive of it now. But with Draco, it seemed he was only met with resistance where he needed support.

Ron didn't understand his feelings for Draco; in first year he had hated the blonde Slytherin with a vengeance that couldn't be quenched. Second year and third year were the same, until one day he Ron had stumbled under the stands at the Quidditch pitch. Leaning his head back, Ron replayed what had happened in his head.

Walking down behind the stands at the Quiddipitcpitch, Ron just wanted to be alone. He had told Harry that he was gay today and his best friend had taken it really well, making a confession of his own as well. But when he told Hermione, she cried asked him why he hurt her so much. She flat out told him that he couldn't be gay.

Not able to deal with her reactions, Ron had left the common room and headed towards the Quidditch pitch with no plan except to escape Hermione and her accusations.

The Pitch was quiet and damp, shadows playing over the stands looming around in a oval. Ron headed towards the bottom of the Slytherin stands. Hands shoved into his pockets he hadn't expected anyone to be there as well until he felt a hand grab his pant leg and pull hard.

"Be quiet. You make more sound then a Centaur in heat!"

 pan>

Glaring down at the huddled form of Draco Malfoy, Ron sat down across from the pale boy. The object of his increasing hate, as well as increasingly erotic affection, Draco looked like he had seen better days. Still glaring, for he didn't want Draco to realize that he actually found him attractive, Ron was surprised when Malfoy didn't say anything else and just clutched at his pant leg.

"What happened to you, Malfoy? Get mobbed by your adoring fans?"

Shuddering, Draco shook his head, revealing a dark bruise along the side of his face and down his neck. Gasping, Ron didn't think when he reached forward and cupped the boys face gently. Turning his head Ron barely heard Malfoy's gasp of surprise.

"Who did this to you, Draco?"

"Your friend Potter got mad at me and decided that he wasn't going to just take my abuse anymore."

Staring at Draco, his hand still cupping the smaller boys cheek, Ron couldn't believe that Harry had actually hurt Draco. His best friend would never actually do something this drastic to anyone. Even though Draco wasn't on everyone's list of good-guys, it didn't mean he could be beat on all the time.

Draco tilted his head and nuzzled the cheek that Ron was holding into Ron's palm. He hissed out a pained breath at the bruise rubbing against the callouses on the other boys palm. Draco's eyes closed, pale lashes brushing over even paler cheeks which caused Ron to draw in an uneven breath.

"I should take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No! Just stay here for awhile."

That night Ron had stayed holding Draco's cheek for longer then he could remember, having lost track of time. The next day it was as if it had never happened and Draco was as horrible to him as ever.

Thumping his head back against the door, Ron sighed and shoved himself into a standing position. Maybe he should go find Harry or Hermione. With that idea in his head, Ron turned and walked out of his rooms towards the infirmary where Hermione had taken over for M Pom Pomfrey. The door to his rooms fell closed with a bang and echoed through his empty chambers like a gong. No one was there to answer it's silence or to break the loneliness that seeped from every pore as Ron made his way away from his rooms.