Ron sat by a bed in the hospital wing. The room was nearly dark, save for the soft glow of the lantern on the table next to him. He gazed at the figure lying in the bed for a moment and sighed. He wondered when the Quidditch player would rouse from the deep sleep Madam Pomfrey had induced.

The redhead had snuck out of bed late that evening after his dorm mates had all fallen asleep, and silently made his way to the bedside of the person he secretly adored. Amazingly, he had made it to the hospital wing without running into Filch or his cat. When he reached the wing, he was glad to see that Madam Pomfrey had retired to be already. This meant he could sit peacefully, waiting for the injured individual to awaken.

As time dragged on, Ron’s mind began to wonder. He wondered why he hadn’t told Harry about his crush or where he was going that night. He was pretty sure Harry would be accepting of his way of life. He thought about this for a moment, and decided that when he returned to his dorm, he would let Harry know his secret. After all, friends don’t hide things from each other.

Then he wondered if he should tell Hermione. He shook his head. No, he couldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t understand. He would have to wait until the right time to confess to her.

There was movement from the bed he was sitting next to and his attention was drawn back to the figure in the bed. “Mmm, that feels nice Ron,” the form mumbled in sleep.

Ron’s eyes went wide and he drew in a shaky breath. Could it be? Could his crush dream about him the same way he dreamt about them? He exhaled slowly as the figure moved some more and the light from the lantern illuminated the features of Marcus Flint.

The older boy’s eyes fluttered open and seemed to take a moment to focus. “Ron,” he breathed, gazing at the other boy. He paused a moment and looked around the room. “Where are we? How did I get here?” he asked in a hurry.

“You’re in the Hospital Wing, you got knocked out during the Quidditch game today.” Ron explained as he watched the Slytherin.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you,” Ron smiled and moved towards the other student. Soon, he was straddling the waist of the Slytherin and he leaned forward, so that their lips touched with every word he said. “I was worried about you.”

Marcus raised his head just enough to close the space between himself and Ron and pressed their lips together. This kiss lasted only a moment, but it seemed like an eternity to both boys. “I’ve been wanting to do that all year,” Marcus murmured.

Ron smiled again, “Well, why didn’t you?”

Marcus blushed and they kissed again.