Word count: 634
Teddy doesn't know why he feels this way as he and Victoire walk along the shore, Shell Cottage in the distance. The two of them have done this countless times before. It's just Vic, just his best friend, just the girl who knows him better than anyone. This is their fourth summer holiday away from Hogwarts together, and they're doing exactly what they always do.
But this time feels different. He's suddenly painfully aware of just how close Victoire is to him. Sometimes her hand grazes against his skin, just a soft, accidental brush, and it's enough to make his stomach flutter, like he's swallowed thousands of butterflies.
His eyes shift, catching a glimpse of her as she bends down and plucks a shell from the sand, delicate fingers carefully wiping away the sand. There's a smile on her lips, and it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Teddy thinks it would be nice to always see her smile like that.
She catches his eye, and they both blush, quickly looking away. Teddy wonders if this means that things have changed for her too. Does she feel something for him, something that wasn't there the previous summer?
"Hey, Vic?"
"Hmm?"
Teddy swallows, though his mouth and throat suddenly feel so painfully dry. What is he supposed to say? He can guess what he's feeling. He's heard the adults in his life talk about their first love before, and Tyson Wood has told him what it feels like to be in love, though Teddy takes everything his friend says with a grain of salt.
Still, he knows what he's feeling right now. He knows what it means that Victoire makes him suddenly all warm and fuzzy inside. There's no denying it: he is in love with his best friend, and maybe, just maybe, she feels the same about him.
So he opens his mouth, and he puts all his faith into his words. "I think I fancy you," he tells her. It isn't as eloquent as he would like, but it gets the job done. "Well, no. I don't think. I definitely fancy you, and it isn't because you're part Veela."
He's seen the way boys pursue her, no matter how many times she tells them she isn't interested. How could he miss the clear lust in their eyes whenever they look at her? For him, it isn't like that. Yes, she's beautiful, but there's so much more to her than her looks. He knows just how funny, kind, compassionate, and smart she is. He knows all about her flaws, like how she hates waiting more than five minutes for anything, or how she can be prone to gossip whenever Molly and Lucy are around.
Teddy knows Victoire, really knows her, and he admires every part of her.
"Do you really?" she asks, and the soft blush that paints her freckled cheeks is so bloody beautiful that Teddy finds himself lost for words. "Do you mean it, Teddy?"
"O-of course," he answers, and though his voice trembles, he's never felt more confident about anything in his life. "You're my kind of perfect, Vic."
And with that, she wraps her arms around him, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. "Good," she says with a soft laugh. "Because I've fancied you for a long time."
They kiss again, still soft and sweet, but the slightest bit more daring now. Teddy finds himself smiling against her lips. Things have changed, and he gets the feeling they aren't going to stop changing any time soon, especially now that they are exploring this new chapter in their relationship. Maybe that should terrify him, but, for once in his life, like his Gryffindor father before him, he thinks he's ready for this adventure.