fics_by_maple | (no subject)

Title: A Big Bed
Pairing: Harry/Ron, baby Teddy
Word Count: 881
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Mild fluff …
A/N: I had a sudden attack of 'baby', forgive me. Totally unbetaed, forgive me that well.

Brit speak;
cot= baby crib, not a camping bed.
pram= stroller

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The first thing Ron did with his very first pay cheque was to lease a flat with Harry.

The second thing he did, was buy a bed.

A big bed. One long enough that his feet didn't hang off the end or sag at the edge. Wide enough that he could roll over three times. The thing pitifully occupied the entire bedroom but he didn't mind.

"Such responsibility in a young man," his mother had praised, serving him a second helping of crumble. "Buying furniture instead of frittering away his money on rubbish."

It was unfortunate timing that she over heard him mutter to Harry and George that he needed a bed big for "company", which earned him a cuff to the back of the head.

Having "company" in his bed may well have been a hypothetical notion, but it didn't keep him from pondering the idea every waking moment. The list of things he'd like to do in his new big bed with one (or even two?) people, was never ending.

And by "people" he'd determined he really meant Harry. But that was a hypothetical notion, too.

Harry's first purchases for their flat had been quite different. While Ron was busy engorging his old orange bed sheets to fit his new big bed, Harry came home with an Ever-Sway baby cot, a self-cleaning high chair and Easy Floo pram.

Harry's life was excruciatingly more responsibility laden than his.

Poor Andromeda was as devoted to baby Teddy as a grandmother could be, but sometimes it was just too much for her.

He recalled the despair in the woman's heartrending voice on that first night she brought him over.

"Can you, Harry, please?" she'd pleaded after an unexpected late night arrival. "Only for the night – or maybe two. I just …"

It couldn't be easy for her to care for the little one while grieving. Seeing her dead daughter's determined expressions reflected back at her. The tyke's choice of hair colors not withstanding.

And that, Ron understood without being told. … Teaspoon, indeed.

So it was, when Ron came home well into the evening from working with George, his mind fully distracted by the realization that Lee pined after his brother, that he found his much longed for big bed, occupied by two men.

Well … Harry was lying in the middle of his bed, curved protectively around Teddy, who was sprawled in a catawampus sleeping pose that Ron completely respected.

He stood in the doorframe observing them; looking at how peaceful Harry looked when he slept. Messy hair fluffed over the pillow, the slight marks on his nose from his glasses, his lips parted and pink.

"Oh, hi," Harry whispered, reaching for his glasses.

"Uh," Ron responded cleverly, having been interrupted while gazing at pink lips.

"Sorry 'bout your bed," Harry said. "He won't have anything to do with his cot." He looked at Teddy, yawning. "He'll only sleep with me, but I'm afraid he'll fall off my single bed or I'll squish him, so – "

"It's ok by me," Ron said, moving closer. "I don't mind having you in my bed."

That came out far more explicit than he'd meant it to sound, but the way Harry's eyes averted downward while a smile played in the corner of his mouth, made Ron glad he'd said it.

"I reckon I can try to put him in his cot now …" Harry suggested, looking rather distraught at the idea of trying to move the boy.

"Nah – don't move. You can stay here. I'll, uh …"

"You can sleep in my bed if you want?" Harry offered. "But then your feet would hang off the end."

"Hmm."

"Or, erm, this is a very big bed, after all ...?"

"Right," Ron agreed, with an earnest nod. "There's room enough."

Harry smiled and settled down again while Ron kicked off his trainers and threw his robes on the floor, and stripped down to his boxers.

After putting his wand on the table and holding his breath slightly, he reclined onto his side behind Harry, propping his head up.

"He sure is cute when he's not crying." He reached over Harry's side, his chest leaning against Harry's back and stroked a long finger over Teddy's round belly.

Harry huffed a nervous chuckle. "Heh, yeah. He is."

Harry trailed his own finger over Teddy and they both touched his little sock covered feet and the tips of his tiny fingers and the soft curls of Teddy's scarlet locks, until Ron's hand ran over the top of Harry's and they instinctively laced fingers and let their hands rest on the blanket.

They were silent, the weighty meaning of their actions spoke volumes and Ron could feel Harry's heart thundering under his arm.

"It's a big bed," Ron voice was scratchy, " … but I can be comfortable sleeping like this … you?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded, and twisted to look back at Ron. "I'm comfortable like this, too."

They exchanged flushed smiles and Ron settled his head on the pillow behind Harry's and hugged him to his chest. Harry returned the squeeze in their linked hands, admitting complicity in the action.

It wasn't how Ron had imagined having three people in his big bed but it was a decent start.

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