Fic: You and Me and Him (Lily Luna/Teddy)
Jun. 25th, 2012 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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hp_rarefestTitle: You And Me And Him
Author/Artist:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ravenne_crion
Prompt: #197
Prompt submitted by:drcjsnider
Pairing(s): Lily Luna/Teddy and Lily Luna/Cormac
Word Count/Art Medium: 3273
Rating: PG
Warning(s): None unless you’re squicked by a young woman dating a man old enough to be her father.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: My Beta was AKI
Summary: Teddy is conflicted. He can’t stand to hear Lily lament about her failed relationship with Cormac McLaggen. He may be having feelings for her but he also cannot be with her if she cannot get past McLaggen.
It had been a long and trying day for Teddy. His choice to participate in the advocating for the rights of wizards and witches who had been infected with Lycanthropy had been a personal one. Anyone that knew him and his family history would see that. Some days it could be very hard and having to work a regular full time job on top of that could leave him at the end of the day feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was looking forward to going home and relaxing. He just needed some time to himself to recharge.
All thoughts of rest and an easy night left his thoughts when he noticed the flickering of light that was peaking out from under the door to his apartment. His day had started early that morning. He hadn’t even had his lamp lit. At least he didn’t think that he had.
He took out his wand just for precaution. Teddy didn’t often use wards and spells for security. There wasn’t really any need for it. Not like there had been during the war before he was even born. Now he was second guessing if that had been a smart choice on his part. After unlocking the door, Teddy slowly pushed it open, using the very tip of his wand to do so.
With the door open wide, he was able to take in the whole view of his front room. Nothing looked out of place. Nothing looked to be missing. All of the lamps were lit though and he was quite sure he hadn’t done that.
Teddy raised his wand, intent on casting homenum revelio. Before he could flick his wrist for the spell however, Teddy spotted movement out of the corner of his eye towards his bathroom. The door opened and out of the small room stepped a familiar form. She wasn’t exceptionally tall, about average height. Her fine red locks hung loose, cascading down to the middle of her back. The hand holding his wand fell to the side and he let out an exasperated breath. “Lil? What are you doing here?”
Lily Luna Potter stopped suddenly at the sound of her name. A small sheepish smile came to her face when she saw that Teddy had his wand out. “Hey Teddy, I know this is unexpected but you did say I could come by whenever I wanted.”
Teddy reached up and rand a hand through his short cut hair. He couldn’t remember when he had said that but knowing him and knowing her, it was likely he had. Lily got to have certain benefits that he would never think twice about allowing to anyone else. “Normally you send me an owl or something telling me that you’re going to be here,” he replied as he stepped further into the apartment, closing the door behind him.
“I know,“ Lily replied quickly as she crossed the room. “I just had a horrible row with Rose and I couldn’t think of where else to go. I knew you would be home soon. I didn’t think you would mind too horribly. Do you want me to leave?”
Teddy took off his cloak and tossed it onto the arm rest of the couch. He should ask her to leave. Mentally and emotionally he didn’t think he could stand to be her shoulder to cry on tonight. “No, it’s fine,” he replied, looking over to her with a fond smile. “What was the row about?” It wasn’t very often that Lily and her cousin had a fight that would drive Lily to him.
“It was about Cormac, of course.”
“Of course,” Teddy replied, his tone had a slight bitter edge and he couldn’t help the frown that crossed his lips.
If Lily had picked up on his annoyance at the topic, she gave no indication and simply continued. “My family seems to have decided that since the relationship is over they can tell me to my face everything that they had been seeing behind my back, apparently,” she looked at him pleadingly. She wanted him to understand and she wanted him to sympathies. “It’s infuriating.”
“I can imagine,” he replied, giving no real input or conviction. He moved from the front room and went to his kitchen. He needed a drink.
Not deterred by his seeming lack of interest in the topic, Lily followed him. “I suppose that since they are family, they believe they can say anything and it won’t sting.”
Though not an official member of her family by blood, Teddy had interactions with the Potter and Weaselys since before he could remember. The family never did lack in opinions or shied away of expressing them but he didn’t believe that they would say anything to intentionally hurt Lily. The situation she had put herself in was an awkward one that the family hadn’t been quite sure how to deal with. Considering the man’s past attempts with Rose’s mother, he could see how this would cause awkwardness.
“Maybe they just want to make sure you won’t make this sort of mistake again,” he replied casually, not really thinking of what he was saying.
Her dark brown eyes narrowed at him. Lily Luna really had a sweet disposition but there were times when she lived up to her maternal legacy of fiery women, strong willed women. Teddy’s words seemed to have triggered one of those moments. “I don’t need a lecture from you, Teddy. I’ve had enough talks and discussions with every other member of my immediate and extended family about the inappropriateness of what I did with Cormac McLaggen. I’ve heard all the clichés: he’s old enough to be my father, with his reputation I should have seen this coming, this was inevitable and I really shouldn’t be taking it as hard. Guess what? It’s hard! I had feelings for him. I know that was stupid. I understand what kind of man he is. It doesn’t change how I feel.”
Under normal circumstances, Teddy would have listened. He would have let her vent. He would let her rant and rave if she truly needed to. He knew that Lily would allow the same for him. It was apart of their friendship. This time, however, he couldn’t do it. He could not take listening to her lament over the loss of this man; a man that he believed wasn’t worth her time and her tears. What frustrated and angered him most was that he didn’t know why he couldn’t.
“Then why did you come here, Lily?” he demanded, his tone blunt and hard. Not the usual tone that he would use when talking to her.
His abrupt demand stopped her and she stared at him speechless for a moment. “What?” she asked, confusion clear in her tone. She was not use to him demanding answers and an explanation from her. This wasn’t how it was suppose to work.
Cormac McLaggen wasn’t the first boyfriend that she had lost. This wasn’t the first time she had come to him and cried on his shoulder, figuratively and sometimes literally. He had always listened to her. He had always allowed her to get all the emotions out. He was never impatient and never flippant.
“Why did you come here?” he repeated. “Do you think I want to hear this? Do you think I want to hear more about how heartbroken you are about a man that wasn’t worth your time to begin with?”
He had never judged Lily about the age difference between her and Cormac. He had never commented on the fact that Cormac had gone to school the same time as her father and had pursued her Aunt Hermione at one point. She may have been 10 years his junior but he wasn’t going to view her as a child. She was grown women. She made her own choices. His dislike of Cormac purely was on principle. He believed that Lily deserved better. He had put up with her dating him but he didn’t have to put up with hearing her heart break over the break up. As far as he was concerned, it was a good thing.
Lily starred back at him. He wished that she would say something in reply. He knew that Lily could yell, she could hold her own in an argument. He was prepared for that but she was just staring at him. He didn’t know how to handle this. Teddy would honestly rather her scream in his face for his insensitivity. He didn’t know what she was feeling in regards to what he had said and he was beginning to wonder if he had gone too far. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. He just wanted her to stop.
“I’m sorry,” she replied softly, sounding confused and conflicted.
When she stood up and began to cloak and small bag, Teddy felt his heart sink. He hadn’t meant for her to leave. That wasn’t what he wanted. “Lil,” he said as he crossed the room over to her. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her to face him. She resisted though and shrugged off his touch. “Lily Lu—”
“Don’t call me that.”
Her sudden interjection caused a small grin to touch his lips. He knew that she didn’t like to be called Lily Lu. It was a name that they had used for her when she was younger. A name that she had shunned when she had decided that she was an adult. He used the name from time to time though. He knew it would get her attention.
Teddy knew Lily Luna Potter. He knew her as well as any blood relative as hers and probably knew her better then anyone else in the world. He knew her dreams, her hopes, her desires for the future. He knew her insecurities about her looks as compared to her Uncle Bill’s children. He knew her doubts about her abilities and her fears that she wouldn’t live up to her father’s legacy. Of course, she didn’t have as nearly much to live up to as her brothers and she realized that.
He knew all these things about her. He knew more then she probably realized.
“Lily, don’t go. I’m sorry. It’s been a rough day.”
Her features softened as she looked at him. “If you need some time along right now, it may be best I go.”
Teddy turned her to face away from the door and led her over to a couch in the front room. “Lil, sit down and relax. I’ll be right back, “ he said, making sure that she was seated and stayed put before moving away and going into his bedroom. He didn’t want her to leave if she thought that he was angry with her. At least the topic of Cormac McLaggen would-hopefully-be dropped.
Out in front room, Lily leaned back into the couch. She had never seen Teddy blow up like that. She understood that he had a bad day. Everyone had them. Of course, he never really seemed happy when she brought up Cormac. Unlike the rest of her family though, Lily had her suspicion that his annoyance and frustration was stemmed in something not related to McLaggen’s age or his reputation.
Lily looked over her shoulder towards his bedroom. “Teddy?” she called.
There was no reply and she assumed that he simply had not heard her. Pushing up from the couch, Lily walked around to Teddy’s bedroom door and pressed her ear against the wood of the door. She could hear foot steps shuffling around on the other side. “Teddy?” she called again.
She heard footsteps approaching the door and pulled back just before Teddy pulled open the door. He looked down at her. “You are very bad at following instruction,” he commented with a grin.
Lily smiled, relieved that he seemed to be in a better mood now. “Am I really that annoying?” she asked in a light tone before adding quickly: “About the situation with Cormac. Not in general.”
He tempted to go for the opening that she had given him but he suppressed that urge. What he said could very well start up another fight or end with her storming out of the apartment if he wasn’t careful. “It’s not that you are annoying, Lil,” he explained. “It’s just not a topic I am comfortable with.”
“Why?”
He shouldn’t be surprised at her pushing this. She was an intuitive woman, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions or demand answers. He looked down, reaching up to rub the side of his node. He just wanted to give himself some time to think before he answered. “That’s a loaded question, Lil,” he replied as he looked back up at her.
Lily shook her head and reached out to grab hold of his forearms gently. “No, it’s not. It’s not, I promise. I just want to know,” she insisted softly as she stepped closer to him.
The space between them had become smaller and Teddy was able to smell the flowery scent of Lily Luna’s shampoo. He trusted that he could tell her anything and everything. They had shared information and feelings with each other that they could not with anyone else. When she had started seeing Cormac, he had been the first one that she told.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Why does talking to you about your relationship with Cormac McLaggen make me uncomfortable? To put it plainly, I don’t believe he was good enough for you. I’m sure you had fun with him but his sort is not worth your time.”
“That doesn’t really tell me why it makes you personally uncomfortable with the topic.”
She wasn’t going to give him a break, he realized. “There are better men out there for you, Lil. I’m a better man for you.”
The soft smile on her lips widened. There was something about the fact that this man-who had dated one of her cousins with Veela heritage-saying that he was a better man for her that gave her a boost of pride. She was flattered and quite happy that her suspicions seemed to be correct.
When she didn’t say anything, he became a little uneasy. She was smiling, that had to be a good thing but he had just confessed to being attracted to her. Surely that deserved a response. “No reply?”
“I’m just wondering why it took you so long to say anything.”
There were plenty of reasons. Good legitimate reasons. There was the age difference. She was twenty-five and he was thirty-five. The gap between them wasn’t as big as the gap between her and Cormac but it was still there. He also was very close to her family and had dated one of her cousins. If things went sour between them, he didn’t want to lose the relationships he had with the Potters and the Weasleys. Worse yet, he didn’t want to lose toe friendship he had with Lily. “I didn’t want to ruin the good thing we already have.”
Lily nodded, she could understand that fear. “I don’t want that either,” she replied softly as she rubbed the side of his forearm with her thumb. “What happens when I start dating someone else? I can’t talk to you about him. Not now. Even if you say it’s okay, I know your feelings. Aren’t we losing some of what we had just there?”
Teddy felt as though he was being tempted and he was very close to giving in. There wasn’t much empty air left between them. If he was so inclined to, Teddy could lean down and kiss her. He was certain that she wouldn’t stop him. There was one piece of this situation that held him back though.
“You’re not over Cormac yet.” he reminded her and he knew that he was right. There was a light air that was around them and it seemed to become heavy when he brought up the whole reason she had come here to begin with. Her shoulders sank. She had said that she was still hurting from the break up and it wasn’t an easy for her to get over. “I don’t want to be your rebound, Lily. I do believe I am a better man for you and I very much am tempted to show you just how good but I can’t do that if he’s still on your mind.”
Lily let her hands drop and fall to her side. For all the happiness that had been filling her from this conversation, it was staggering how quickly it was dashed away. “If I had you--” she tried to argue but he lifted his hand to cut her off.
“No,” he said gently. Teddy wasn’t rejecting her. Not exactly. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want her to think that. He wanted to be with her but he could not and would not tolerate that man being in her heart too. “Work this out. When you’re really ready I’ll be waiting,”
Lily looked at him skeptically. She trusted Teddy but this sort of situation didn’t seem real to her. What if he found someone better? What if she took too long? Her instinct was telling her that this was an opportunity she should not walk away from. She could be losing something that could be amazing. Teddy could be stubborn though. It was infuriating at times.
“You will wait for me?”
He nodded. “I swear it.”
“I don’t like this,” she said honestly. “I want you to know that.”
Teddy laughed. “I can see that and I know your instinct is telling you to just go for it. Trust me though, Lils. This will be better. You don’t want to have him lingering around when we’re together.” There were other obstacles that they would have to over come. Cormac McLaggen was an unneeded distraction compared to everything else.
Lily ginned. She hated that he was making sense. “You can’t be swayed at all?”
Teddy looked down at her. He couldn’t honesty reply. He was only human. There were plenty of things that could tempt him. She seemed to take his silence as an opening and as she leaned forward and up, he didn’t push her away. When her lips caressed his for the first time, he returned the kiss. He reached out and grasped her shoulders. She deepened the kiss, he could feel her confidence through her actions. It sent a thrill through him. He didn’t just want to be her friend. He was sure of that.
Reluctantly, he put pressure on her shoulders and pulled back from the kiss. “I can’t be swayed. Not about this.”
Lily pulled back and she looked disappointed but in the next moment she tried to hide it with a soft smile. It didn’t quite touch her eyes and he was sorry to disappoint her. “Maybe I really should go now,” she replied with a small sigh.
“Are you sure?”
“I have some things to work out,” she replied before she turned to go and grab her cloak. “I will be back though, Teddy. I promise.”
Author/Artist:
ravenne_crionPrompt: #197
Prompt submitted by:
drcjsniderPairing(s): Lily Luna/Teddy and Lily Luna/Cormac
Word Count/Art Medium: 3273
Rating: PG
Warning(s): None unless you’re squicked by a young woman dating a man old enough to be her father.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: My Beta was AKI
Summary: Teddy is conflicted. He can’t stand to hear Lily lament about her failed relationship with Cormac McLaggen. He may be having feelings for her but he also cannot be with her if she cannot get past McLaggen.
It had been a long and trying day for Teddy. His choice to participate in the advocating for the rights of wizards and witches who had been infected with Lycanthropy had been a personal one. Anyone that knew him and his family history would see that. Some days it could be very hard and having to work a regular full time job on top of that could leave him at the end of the day feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was looking forward to going home and relaxing. He just needed some time to himself to recharge.
All thoughts of rest and an easy night left his thoughts when he noticed the flickering of light that was peaking out from under the door to his apartment. His day had started early that morning. He hadn’t even had his lamp lit. At least he didn’t think that he had.
He took out his wand just for precaution. Teddy didn’t often use wards and spells for security. There wasn’t really any need for it. Not like there had been during the war before he was even born. Now he was second guessing if that had been a smart choice on his part. After unlocking the door, Teddy slowly pushed it open, using the very tip of his wand to do so.
With the door open wide, he was able to take in the whole view of his front room. Nothing looked out of place. Nothing looked to be missing. All of the lamps were lit though and he was quite sure he hadn’t done that.
Teddy raised his wand, intent on casting homenum revelio. Before he could flick his wrist for the spell however, Teddy spotted movement out of the corner of his eye towards his bathroom. The door opened and out of the small room stepped a familiar form. She wasn’t exceptionally tall, about average height. Her fine red locks hung loose, cascading down to the middle of her back. The hand holding his wand fell to the side and he let out an exasperated breath. “Lil? What are you doing here?”
Lily Luna Potter stopped suddenly at the sound of her name. A small sheepish smile came to her face when she saw that Teddy had his wand out. “Hey Teddy, I know this is unexpected but you did say I could come by whenever I wanted.”
Teddy reached up and rand a hand through his short cut hair. He couldn’t remember when he had said that but knowing him and knowing her, it was likely he had. Lily got to have certain benefits that he would never think twice about allowing to anyone else. “Normally you send me an owl or something telling me that you’re going to be here,” he replied as he stepped further into the apartment, closing the door behind him.
“I know,“ Lily replied quickly as she crossed the room. “I just had a horrible row with Rose and I couldn’t think of where else to go. I knew you would be home soon. I didn’t think you would mind too horribly. Do you want me to leave?”
Teddy took off his cloak and tossed it onto the arm rest of the couch. He should ask her to leave. Mentally and emotionally he didn’t think he could stand to be her shoulder to cry on tonight. “No, it’s fine,” he replied, looking over to her with a fond smile. “What was the row about?” It wasn’t very often that Lily and her cousin had a fight that would drive Lily to him.
“It was about Cormac, of course.”
“Of course,” Teddy replied, his tone had a slight bitter edge and he couldn’t help the frown that crossed his lips.
If Lily had picked up on his annoyance at the topic, she gave no indication and simply continued. “My family seems to have decided that since the relationship is over they can tell me to my face everything that they had been seeing behind my back, apparently,” she looked at him pleadingly. She wanted him to understand and she wanted him to sympathies. “It’s infuriating.”
“I can imagine,” he replied, giving no real input or conviction. He moved from the front room and went to his kitchen. He needed a drink.
Not deterred by his seeming lack of interest in the topic, Lily followed him. “I suppose that since they are family, they believe they can say anything and it won’t sting.”
Though not an official member of her family by blood, Teddy had interactions with the Potter and Weaselys since before he could remember. The family never did lack in opinions or shied away of expressing them but he didn’t believe that they would say anything to intentionally hurt Lily. The situation she had put herself in was an awkward one that the family hadn’t been quite sure how to deal with. Considering the man’s past attempts with Rose’s mother, he could see how this would cause awkwardness.
“Maybe they just want to make sure you won’t make this sort of mistake again,” he replied casually, not really thinking of what he was saying.
Her dark brown eyes narrowed at him. Lily Luna really had a sweet disposition but there were times when she lived up to her maternal legacy of fiery women, strong willed women. Teddy’s words seemed to have triggered one of those moments. “I don’t need a lecture from you, Teddy. I’ve had enough talks and discussions with every other member of my immediate and extended family about the inappropriateness of what I did with Cormac McLaggen. I’ve heard all the clichés: he’s old enough to be my father, with his reputation I should have seen this coming, this was inevitable and I really shouldn’t be taking it as hard. Guess what? It’s hard! I had feelings for him. I know that was stupid. I understand what kind of man he is. It doesn’t change how I feel.”
Under normal circumstances, Teddy would have listened. He would have let her vent. He would let her rant and rave if she truly needed to. He knew that Lily would allow the same for him. It was apart of their friendship. This time, however, he couldn’t do it. He could not take listening to her lament over the loss of this man; a man that he believed wasn’t worth her time and her tears. What frustrated and angered him most was that he didn’t know why he couldn’t.
“Then why did you come here, Lily?” he demanded, his tone blunt and hard. Not the usual tone that he would use when talking to her.
His abrupt demand stopped her and she stared at him speechless for a moment. “What?” she asked, confusion clear in her tone. She was not use to him demanding answers and an explanation from her. This wasn’t how it was suppose to work.
Cormac McLaggen wasn’t the first boyfriend that she had lost. This wasn’t the first time she had come to him and cried on his shoulder, figuratively and sometimes literally. He had always listened to her. He had always allowed her to get all the emotions out. He was never impatient and never flippant.
“Why did you come here?” he repeated. “Do you think I want to hear this? Do you think I want to hear more about how heartbroken you are about a man that wasn’t worth your time to begin with?”
He had never judged Lily about the age difference between her and Cormac. He had never commented on the fact that Cormac had gone to school the same time as her father and had pursued her Aunt Hermione at one point. She may have been 10 years his junior but he wasn’t going to view her as a child. She was grown women. She made her own choices. His dislike of Cormac purely was on principle. He believed that Lily deserved better. He had put up with her dating him but he didn’t have to put up with hearing her heart break over the break up. As far as he was concerned, it was a good thing.
Lily starred back at him. He wished that she would say something in reply. He knew that Lily could yell, she could hold her own in an argument. He was prepared for that but she was just staring at him. He didn’t know how to handle this. Teddy would honestly rather her scream in his face for his insensitivity. He didn’t know what she was feeling in regards to what he had said and he was beginning to wonder if he had gone too far. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. He just wanted her to stop.
“I’m sorry,” she replied softly, sounding confused and conflicted.
When she stood up and began to cloak and small bag, Teddy felt his heart sink. He hadn’t meant for her to leave. That wasn’t what he wanted. “Lil,” he said as he crossed the room over to her. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her to face him. She resisted though and shrugged off his touch. “Lily Lu—”
“Don’t call me that.”
Her sudden interjection caused a small grin to touch his lips. He knew that she didn’t like to be called Lily Lu. It was a name that they had used for her when she was younger. A name that she had shunned when she had decided that she was an adult. He used the name from time to time though. He knew it would get her attention.
Teddy knew Lily Luna Potter. He knew her as well as any blood relative as hers and probably knew her better then anyone else in the world. He knew her dreams, her hopes, her desires for the future. He knew her insecurities about her looks as compared to her Uncle Bill’s children. He knew her doubts about her abilities and her fears that she wouldn’t live up to her father’s legacy. Of course, she didn’t have as nearly much to live up to as her brothers and she realized that.
He knew all these things about her. He knew more then she probably realized.
“Lily, don’t go. I’m sorry. It’s been a rough day.”
Her features softened as she looked at him. “If you need some time along right now, it may be best I go.”
Teddy turned her to face away from the door and led her over to a couch in the front room. “Lil, sit down and relax. I’ll be right back, “ he said, making sure that she was seated and stayed put before moving away and going into his bedroom. He didn’t want her to leave if she thought that he was angry with her. At least the topic of Cormac McLaggen would-hopefully-be dropped.
Out in front room, Lily leaned back into the couch. She had never seen Teddy blow up like that. She understood that he had a bad day. Everyone had them. Of course, he never really seemed happy when she brought up Cormac. Unlike the rest of her family though, Lily had her suspicion that his annoyance and frustration was stemmed in something not related to McLaggen’s age or his reputation.
Lily looked over her shoulder towards his bedroom. “Teddy?” she called.
There was no reply and she assumed that he simply had not heard her. Pushing up from the couch, Lily walked around to Teddy’s bedroom door and pressed her ear against the wood of the door. She could hear foot steps shuffling around on the other side. “Teddy?” she called again.
She heard footsteps approaching the door and pulled back just before Teddy pulled open the door. He looked down at her. “You are very bad at following instruction,” he commented with a grin.
Lily smiled, relieved that he seemed to be in a better mood now. “Am I really that annoying?” she asked in a light tone before adding quickly: “About the situation with Cormac. Not in general.”
He tempted to go for the opening that she had given him but he suppressed that urge. What he said could very well start up another fight or end with her storming out of the apartment if he wasn’t careful. “It’s not that you are annoying, Lil,” he explained. “It’s just not a topic I am comfortable with.”
“Why?”
He shouldn’t be surprised at her pushing this. She was an intuitive woman, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions or demand answers. He looked down, reaching up to rub the side of his node. He just wanted to give himself some time to think before he answered. “That’s a loaded question, Lil,” he replied as he looked back up at her.
Lily shook her head and reached out to grab hold of his forearms gently. “No, it’s not. It’s not, I promise. I just want to know,” she insisted softly as she stepped closer to him.
The space between them had become smaller and Teddy was able to smell the flowery scent of Lily Luna’s shampoo. He trusted that he could tell her anything and everything. They had shared information and feelings with each other that they could not with anyone else. When she had started seeing Cormac, he had been the first one that she told.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Why does talking to you about your relationship with Cormac McLaggen make me uncomfortable? To put it plainly, I don’t believe he was good enough for you. I’m sure you had fun with him but his sort is not worth your time.”
“That doesn’t really tell me why it makes you personally uncomfortable with the topic.”
She wasn’t going to give him a break, he realized. “There are better men out there for you, Lil. I’m a better man for you.”
The soft smile on her lips widened. There was something about the fact that this man-who had dated one of her cousins with Veela heritage-saying that he was a better man for her that gave her a boost of pride. She was flattered and quite happy that her suspicions seemed to be correct.
When she didn’t say anything, he became a little uneasy. She was smiling, that had to be a good thing but he had just confessed to being attracted to her. Surely that deserved a response. “No reply?”
“I’m just wondering why it took you so long to say anything.”
There were plenty of reasons. Good legitimate reasons. There was the age difference. She was twenty-five and he was thirty-five. The gap between them wasn’t as big as the gap between her and Cormac but it was still there. He also was very close to her family and had dated one of her cousins. If things went sour between them, he didn’t want to lose the relationships he had with the Potters and the Weasleys. Worse yet, he didn’t want to lose toe friendship he had with Lily. “I didn’t want to ruin the good thing we already have.”
Lily nodded, she could understand that fear. “I don’t want that either,” she replied softly as she rubbed the side of his forearm with her thumb. “What happens when I start dating someone else? I can’t talk to you about him. Not now. Even if you say it’s okay, I know your feelings. Aren’t we losing some of what we had just there?”
Teddy felt as though he was being tempted and he was very close to giving in. There wasn’t much empty air left between them. If he was so inclined to, Teddy could lean down and kiss her. He was certain that she wouldn’t stop him. There was one piece of this situation that held him back though.
“You’re not over Cormac yet.” he reminded her and he knew that he was right. There was a light air that was around them and it seemed to become heavy when he brought up the whole reason she had come here to begin with. Her shoulders sank. She had said that she was still hurting from the break up and it wasn’t an easy for her to get over. “I don’t want to be your rebound, Lily. I do believe I am a better man for you and I very much am tempted to show you just how good but I can’t do that if he’s still on your mind.”
Lily let her hands drop and fall to her side. For all the happiness that had been filling her from this conversation, it was staggering how quickly it was dashed away. “If I had you--” she tried to argue but he lifted his hand to cut her off.
“No,” he said gently. Teddy wasn’t rejecting her. Not exactly. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want her to think that. He wanted to be with her but he could not and would not tolerate that man being in her heart too. “Work this out. When you’re really ready I’ll be waiting,”
Lily looked at him skeptically. She trusted Teddy but this sort of situation didn’t seem real to her. What if he found someone better? What if she took too long? Her instinct was telling her that this was an opportunity she should not walk away from. She could be losing something that could be amazing. Teddy could be stubborn though. It was infuriating at times.
“You will wait for me?”
He nodded. “I swear it.”
“I don’t like this,” she said honestly. “I want you to know that.”
Teddy laughed. “I can see that and I know your instinct is telling you to just go for it. Trust me though, Lils. This will be better. You don’t want to have him lingering around when we’re together.” There were other obstacles that they would have to over come. Cormac McLaggen was an unneeded distraction compared to everything else.
Lily ginned. She hated that he was making sense. “You can’t be swayed at all?”
Teddy looked down at her. He couldn’t honesty reply. He was only human. There were plenty of things that could tempt him. She seemed to take his silence as an opening and as she leaned forward and up, he didn’t push her away. When her lips caressed his for the first time, he returned the kiss. He reached out and grasped her shoulders. She deepened the kiss, he could feel her confidence through her actions. It sent a thrill through him. He didn’t just want to be her friend. He was sure of that.
Reluctantly, he put pressure on her shoulders and pulled back from the kiss. “I can’t be swayed. Not about this.”
Lily pulled back and she looked disappointed but in the next moment she tried to hide it with a soft smile. It didn’t quite touch her eyes and he was sorry to disappoint her. “Maybe I really should go now,” she replied with a small sigh.
“Are you sure?”
“I have some things to work out,” she replied before she turned to go and grab her cloak. “I will be back though, Teddy. I promise.”
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no subject
Date: 2012-06-26 03:02 am (UTC)It had been a long and trying day for Teddy. His choice to participate in the advocating for the rights of wizards and witches who had been infected with Lycanthropy had been a personal one. That drew me in :)
no subject
Date: 2012-06-30 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 06:26 pm (UTC)