A/N: This fic was written for the Spring Fic Exchange the HPFC Forum, and it was held by burning happiness. I received Megan in the exchange, and from the information she provided I decided to write a fluffy and romantic/angsty buildup Teddy&Dominique two shot that has to do with a dance. Part two!
Hope you enjoy it, Megan!
-Ryyan ;)
Dominique spent the rest of the night with Bentley flying around the expansive property that surrounded the Burrow. She knew that she should have probably told him to take her back after the first lap, but one look at the party and she had requested another round. Finally, though, at the end of the night she had asked him to bring her back, and he set them down a few yards away from the party, laughing as she turned to face him.
"What's so funny?" she asked him, hands planted on her hips. She could tell that he was staring at her hair, and she knew that it must be an absolute mess. Just as he was opening his mouth to answer, he closed it, and his gaze shifted to just over her shoulder. He waved to her, "See you, Dom."
"Dominique," Teddy's familiar voice came from behind her, and she turned to face him, giving him a brilliant smile. She had caught glimpses of him all night, but she hadn't yet said hello to him, and now the night was over. His smile was tense- in fact, his entire body was tense- and he waited until Bentley had disappeared into every shrinking celebration before reaching out, smoothing her hair back with both of his hands, "You've been avoiding me."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. One they both knew to be true.
Her eyes closed as he tangled his fingers into her strawberry blonde locks, and when she opened them she laughed when she noticed he had changed his dark curls to match her lighter ones. Everyone in her family either had the Weasley Red hair or not- she had been the only one unlucky enough to get caught in the middle. When she was younger and her cousins would make fun of her for it Teddy would always match hers to make her feel better.
She reached up, taking her hair from him and pulling it into a messy ponytail, and he watched her as he went on, "You know, if I didn't know any better I'd think you'd picked Bentley there as your new best mate. You've been spending an awful lot of time with him lately."
"Please," she rolled her eyes, "You know you're my irreplaceable best mate, Ted. It's the Fire Whiskey that's got you all self-conscious. One drink and you fall to pieces. Honestly, you're such a lightweight."
They both grinned at that, knowing full well she was the lightweight of their peers. Teddy, on the other hand, could drink anyone under the table. The man hadn't the faintest idea what a hangover even resembled.
"Then what'sit?" he asked her, reaching out to hook his finger inside the leather bracelet she always wore. He'd gotten it for her from Ireland one year for Christmas, and she'd never taken it off. "Why are you all dressed up and at my party if you won't even talk to me?"
For a moment, Dominique didn't answer. She was too distracted by the way his hand was on her, and it made her think about what James had said. That Teddy had a thing for her. Then she mentally chided herself; she and Teddy were best mates. They touched all the time, and it wasn't anything to look into. They were comfortable with one another, that's all.
Crossing her arms over her chest, and effectively ending the contact, she looked over to the side, watching her Grandma Molly bob say goodbye to the remaining few guests before disappearing into the Burrow. She sighed, "I'm just upset that you're going. I mean, I'm so happy for you that you've got this spot on the team, and I'm proud too. Don't get me wrong about that. I'm just-" her shoulders lifted up and down in a halfhearted shrug, "-I'm being a selfish brat, I know. It's just that you're my best mate and I don't want you to go."
"Aww, little Dom's going to miss me, eh?" his arms were around her suddenly, wrapping her up in a tight hug that trapped her arms between them. He kissed the top of her head, "It's not like I haven't been gone before. I travel all the time for matches."
Her voice was muffled, and she shook her head, "Not for months at a time, though, Teddy. You've only ever been gone for a week, tops. Then you're home and I work at the pitch so I get to see you every day and now it's just going to be…"
"Different?" he supplied, and took a step back, "Dom, do you remember when I first got on the Canons?" He waited for her to nod before going on, "You were in third year, and you stopped writing me. I thought I'd done something wrong, but you were just upset because you thought that I'd get too busy and famous and forget about you or not want to be your friend anymore."
"I remember you came to my house over winter holiday and set me straight, and it was the most embarrassing thing ever," she rolled her eyes, not too keen on remembering that particular scenario.
"Well, this is the same thing," he reached out again, this time taking her cheeks in his hands and directing her to look at him, "Except we're both adults now. But it doesn't matter, because you're always going to be my best mate. It doesn't matter if it's been years since I've set my eyes on your pretty face, that's not going to change. We've got letters to write, and visits to make! I expect your bum to be in the stands for at least half my matches! I know you're schedule, Dom, and there's no excuse for that quota not to be met!" As he spoke, a grin spread across his face, and Dominique found that it was contagious. His thumbs brushed over her cheekbones, causing her eyes to flutter, "Got it, love?"
"Yeah, Ted," she said, and her voice was softer than before. Her fingers had wrapped around the hem of his shirt, resting at his waist, "I got it."
The mood suddenly seemed to shift between them, and for a moment neither of them spoke. She watched his eyes drop down and linger, and she was positive that he was staring at her lips. He shifted closer to her, taking the smallest step forward, and just as he was about to take one more, laughter erupted from behind them. He quickly put space between them, looking over his shoulder as the final party guests stumbled away to the Apperation point, and her hands moved to grip the fabric of her own dress.
She motioned towards the empty yard, "Uh, we should-"
"-probably, you know, get-"
"-they'll be missing you by-"
"-yeah," he finished lamely, rubbing the back of his neck. He held his hand out for her, a common thing that now seemed unusual, "Come on, you promised me a dance if I got on the team."
"Teddy," she rolled her eyes, "You are absolute crap at dancing." She reached out anyways, lacing her fingers with his, "You've got two left feet and always step on my toes. Besides, there's no music and everyone's gone."
He pulled her under the lights and past the tables, keeping her close until they were standing on the platform that had been set up for those who wanted to dance. He set his hands on waist, and she looped her arms around his neck. When he spoke next, the sneer in tone surprised her, "I guess you should have spent less time flying around the lot with Bentley, then."
Looking up at him, Dominique raised her eyebrows, "You sound jealous."
"I am," he said, not even hesitating, and the surprised expression she wore turned to one of shock. For the second time that night she stuttered out 'w-what?', watching as Teddy's cheeks tinged pink. He looked over her shoulder briefly, and his grip on her waist tightened as if he were afraid she was going to run away from him. When he finally caught her gaze again, he went on, "I am jealous. I know that I'm almost six years older than you, and you see me as this big brother figure, and it's strange and maybe just a little bit disturbing that I've been pining after you for four years, but I can't help it. You're so wonderful, Dom, and as much as you are- and always will be- my best mate, I can't help but want you to be more."
Dominique was fairly certain that she had fallen off the broom and had cracked her head and was just making all of this up. She had resigned herself years ago to the fact that Ted Remus Professional-seeker-for-the-(now)-England-National-Quidditch-Team- devilishly-handsome-and-sickeningly-charming Lupin would never, ever have romantic feelings for her.
Ever.
It just wasn't possible, seeing as she was so much younger than him and she had been following him around like a lost puppy since before even he was old enough to enter Hogwarts. He had babysat her, for Merlin's sake! He saw her as his younger sibling!
"Dom?" he questioned, and she realized that she hadn't said anything in response to him.
Clearing her throat to get rid of the radio silence and buy her some time, she picked a spot over his shoulder to concentrate on before saying, "Uh- I- Ted, I don't know-"
"Well then just listen, yeah? I've already put my foot in my mouth, you might as well let me make a case," his tone was light, but then she glanced at him she could see that he was nervous. He adopted her throat clearing tactic, "You're not afraid to play hard, to be one of the guys and really get your hands dirty. You know loads about Quidditch and you drink beer, which I think is fantastic. You're so funny, and fit, and really quite beautiful. You know, you dress up like you are tonight and I can hardly stand myself. You never treated me any different because I've got no parents or because I've got my furry little problem once a month or because sometimes when I get ill I can't help my animagus shifting and you can always tell that it's me when I've changed everything about me. You know all my secrets, and I know yours, and I've never trusted anyone like I trust you.
"You've seen me at my absolute worst. I think you look so beautiful when you're angry, and the way you crinkle your nose up when someone you don't care for comes in the room is adorable. You do Muggle things with me even though you're always really confused, and you're always up for an adventure, and I think you're the absolute bravest person I've ever met. You're a crap cook, but you make up for it with how well you bake. And I've been in love with you for years, Dom."
They had stopped swaying sometime in his longwinded rant, and Dominique once again remained silent. She watched his eyes search her face for any kind of reaction or sign, but she was careful not give anything away. She knew that it must have been so hard for him to come out and say all that, especially since he had apparently been waiting years to do so, but she just needed a moment to process it all.
Teddy, on the other hand, wasn't having the silence, "I know this isn't the proper way to tell you, and I had planned on asking you to be my date tonight, but I lost my nerve. Then seeing you spend all night alone with Bentley with his hands all over you got me so angry, and I guess I just couldn't wait anymore-"
Abruptly, Dominique stood on her toes, glad that she was already wearing heels so she wouldn't have to stretch much. She took his flushed cheeks in her hands, not giving Teddy any warning at all before she kissed him. It was a lingering, closed mouth kiss meant to shut him up and prove to herself that this wasn't a dream, and when she pulled away he was smiling. He used his grip in her hips to pull her closer, and once their fronts were pressed together he slid one hand around to her back, his fingers dragging across her bare skin.
When she didn't pull away, he took it upon himself to kiss her again, this time drawing it out and making it count, and when he pulled away from her he set his forehead against hers, teasing, "Quota's officially been risen to three fourths of all of my matches. Your attendance is mandatory for at least that much."
She traced his bottom lip with her thumb and shot back with a joke of her own, "Aww, little Teddy loves me."
"Yeah," he kissed the tip of her thumb, eyes gleaming, "And you love me too."
"Yeah," she nodded, leaning forward to give him another kiss, "I do."
A/N: Part two of two! I hope you enjoyed this, Megan! It was fun to write! And whoever else is reading, I hope you lot enjoyed it as well! Word count was at 4,312!
-Ryyan ;)