A Throne of Blood and Stars

Chapter Eleven

"Put me down!"

"No."

"Just horse-playing," Blaise assures a group of wizards as they pass them. He hits Ron's back with his fist again. "I am an imported good, Weasley, I swear if you damage me, you will face repercussions."

"I won't hurt you, Your Highness. Should have thought twice about trying to give me the silent treatment. Now look where you are," Ron tightens his hold around the back of Blaise's knees.

He knows it's a ridiculous sight. Everyone knows who Ron is, if not for his head of flaming red hair, and Blaise's family is respectable in most aspects. But Blaise can't bring himself to care, he's more focused on getting off this muscular shoulder and punching it.

And also, he's kind of enjoying the ride. But he would never tell anyone.

"Put me down, you uncouth barbarian!"

"We're almost there."

"I can walk," Blaise protests, hitting Ron's back again. He realizes violence is useless against this lumberjack and groans, letting his forehead rest on the smooth line of muscle on the right of Ron's spine.

"If you could walk we could have done that an hour ago."

"You underestimate me."

"Oh, on the contrary," Ron answers in a posh accent, Blaise can just hear the smile on his face. The bugger. "It is you, who underestimates me."

"Yeah," Blaise huffs. "I know. How did you even get all this muscle? You were a wee thing, scared of everything."

"Over the summer," Ron answers curtly. "I didn't talk to anyone much. Hermione went off to Australia and we didn't see much of Harry. I needed something to do."

Blaise could hear the unspoken words in his voice. His heart felt heavy and he splays his hand openly on Ron's arm. "My condolences. It couldn't have been easy for your family and yourself."

"It's alright," Ron's voice is still heavy but he manages to sound light. "We all lost someone. And now's the time to look forward. Just need to find Harry and Hermione. Somehow."

"We'll find them, Weasley."

He yelps when Ron jerks his shoulder up and Blaise jumps into the air, but then he catches him and Blaise feels everything as he slides down Ron's chest.

Unsurprisingly, Ron is smiling. "We?"

Blaise isn't paying attention, though. His brain just registers man and it goes fuzzy, and he looses control of his hands as they sprawl over Ron's chest unabashedly. Merlin's tits, Blaise thinks. This man is cut. It's as if he's in a trance when he watches his own hand slide over the bicep to the right of the chest and he gives a tentative squeeze.

"Hey!" Ron splutters, laughing. "I thought I was buying you dinner!"

Blaise blinks heavily. "Right. Yes. Sorry."

Ron shakes his head. "No need. Seems you were enjoying yourself, there, for a little bit."

And now, Blaise definitely turns a shade of red. He looks at his feet making imprints in the snow as they cross the road towards the Three Broomsticks. "I got distracted."

"I'll say," Ron chuckles. "Should have charged you with the way you were feeling me up."

"Weasley!"

Ron chortles noisily. "What happened to Ron?"

And Blaise rolls his eyes, he hits Ron's shoulder like he wanted to earlier. "What will happen to Ron is I'm going to jinx him if he pulls something like that again."