Title: Fall- back

Chapter seventeen: How Teddy Spilled the Beans

Rating: T

Summary: After the war Harry moves to Lima, Ohio to try and live a normal life as just another invisible teenager. You know what they say about best laid plans, though. KH/HP

Disclaimer: Anything you recognise…. Isn't mine. Though I probably wish it is. Now I'm sad.

AN: So…. I suck. It's been way too long since I've updated and I'm sorry. Life got in the way. And not in the nice 'yay, life!' kind of way either, if that's even a thing.

So, let's see… my relationship blew up quite spectacularly, I was sick and on medication for over a month, school is seriously demanding this semester, my internship is the internship from hell and my mum had to have some serious surgery two weeks ago, leaving her in a shitload of pain and me with a household to run. Oh, and I got a part-time job. I've been kind of busy.

My update- schedule is most likely going to remain sucky (but let's call it 'artistically surprising', okay? Sounds nicer) for a bit longer, but I promise that I will finish this story. I will.

Still, even though I've been absent for a bit, you guys haven't! Every day I keep getting e-mails telling me someone favourites the story or put it on an alert list or something. You guys are amazing, really.

TL;DR: I suck, life suck, you guys rock. On with the story.

So, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you thought of it. The review button isn't that hard to find.

"... and the look on her face, Harry! It was just priceless. I can't believe we didn't think of awesome Halloween costumes like this before!"

Harry leaned back against the kitchen counter, shifting his phone from his left to his right ear.

"To be fair, mate," Harry responded. "We have been a bit preoccupied with fighting a Dark Lord and all that."

"True," Ron answered, after having thought this over for a bit. "But still. A first year actually fainted."

Harry barked out a laugh, turning a bit so he could keep an eye on Teddy who was eying the crayons he was colouring with a bit to mischievously for his tastes.

"That actually kind of horrible, Ron," he said eventually. Ron snorted on the other end of the line.

"That's what Hermione said. Seamus high-fived me for it though."

"As he would," Harry agreed with a hum. He turned away from Teddy for a second to place the mug he had been drinking tea from when Ron called in the dishwasher. She (for Harry and Remus had decided that the dishwasher was indeed a she) thanked him happily.

"Anyway, " he continued, turning back around, "Remus and I were thinking- ah, shit."

"Something wrong, mate?" Ron asked.

"I lost Teddy," Harry despondently answered, sighing to himself. His eyes travelled around the kitchen. Teddy was not in his chair, nor was he hiding under the table. He wasn't standing behind the kitchen door and he hadn't hidden behind the fridge again, either.

"Shouldn't you go looking for him then?" Ron reasoned. Belatedly, Harry realised he still had the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, I should," he answered. "Don't worry, though. This happens more often than we'd like to admit. I'll call you later."

Harry hung up and put his phone on the counter. Something was off. It took him another two sweeps of the kitchen to figure out what it was. Not only had Teddy gone, but he had taken his crayons with him. This did not bode well for him and Remus. Or their furniture.

"Whoa dude, what happened to you shirt?"

Harry closed his locker, leaning against it so he could look up to the giant that was Kurt's stepbrother. He regretted not changing out of his crayon- stained shirt, but he had run out of time after finding Teddy (or rather, being found by Teddy, who had leapt from the stairs with his crayons stretched out between his fingers while shouting "Woooolveriiiine!". Harry had caught the boy mid- flight, ending up with a shirt stained with crayon marks. When Remus came back from his early morning grocery shopping he had only chuckled at the story. "Takes after his old man, this one," he had said.) and had had to make do with what he had on.

"Nothing much," he answered Finn. "Had to wrestle some crayons away from Teddy, is all."

"Yeah, I can kinda tell. Did Kurt see you yet?"

"No, not yet," Harry said. "I ran a bit late this morning, so I texted him not to wait for me."

"Oh, okay. Prepare for fussing when he catches up with you. Even I can see your shirt looks a mess," Finn said. "And that's saying something, 'cause I sometimes can't remember if I've already worn a shirt when I pick it off the floor."

And with that Finn was gone, leaving Harry to wonder what kind of slob actually just left their clothes on the floor after wearing them. Or after having not worn them. Whichever.

Finn's prediction came through shortly before lunch.

"What the Prada happened to your shirt?" Kurt asked when he caught up with him on his way to lunch.

Harry raised his eyebrow at him. "Forget the shirt. 'What the Prada'?"

Kurt blushed. "I caught myself cursing twice yesterday. I figured I had to find substitutes before my dad decides you're a bad influence on me or something."

"Makes sense, I suppose," Harry responded after thinking it over. "I didn't realise I curse so much, though."

"Like a sailor," his boyfriend confirmed with a nod. "But, seriously, we need to do something about that shirt. You look like an insane clown."

Harry grinned. "And here I was thinking that was just your type."

"Shut up and get in the bathroom."

"Is that some new fashion statement I should know about?"

Harry paused his redressing for a moment. "I really wish people would stop commenting on my shirt," he finally said before pulling the aforementioned shirt over his head. Kurt's fussing hadn't helped the shirt in the least. Harry suspected (but didn't dare voice this out loud) that he had in fact only made the stains worse.

Blaine looked up from where he was busy tying his shoelaces. "Then don't wear it. That clown- from- a- horror- flick look is just begging to be commented on."

"That's what Kurt said."

"Your boyfriend is a wise young man, indeed," Blaine replied, straightening up and reaching for his jar of hair gel.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "You've gotten mouthier since I met you, haven't you?"

Blaine's reflection grinned at him while applying more hair gel than could be healthy.

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "You've been rubbing of on me. "

Harry groaned. "Please don't say that around Kurt."

"I'll try not to," Blaine said while screwing the lid on his gel back on. "Although it would be kind of fun to see him at practises again. He gets you all distracted. It's easier to get you on the floor like that."

"Cute," Harry responded, not impressed whatsoever. When he saw Blaine hesitating, he added: "You know, you could always call him to hang out or something. I'm sure he'd like that."

"You think so?" Blaine asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I'm sure you two will get along great. Hell, you know a lot more about Kurt's favourite conversation topics than I do, so I suppose you'll even be doing me a favour. He can talk clothes with you and cuddle with me."

Blaine snorted. "Cuddle, huh?"

"Oh, shut up," Harry said while zipping his bag. "Are you about done?"

"All packed and ready to go."

"Good," Harry said while shouldering his bag and holding the door open for his friend. "Let's get going then. Have you got any plans for tonight?"

It was Blaine's turn to groan. "Don't remind me, Wes called an emergency Warbler meeting for tonight. He's convinced the Hipsters must somehow have an edge on us or something. You?"

"That's rough, mate," Harry commented before replying as they walked out of the gym's doors: "Kurt's coming over for dinner tonight. We're cooking for Remus and Teddy and afterwards he's going to help me with my French and we can watch a movie or something."

"That sounds like a way better evening than mine," Blaine said, a hint of a pout in his voice.

"Yes," Harry said. "Yes, it sure does. I'll see you next time."

"Yeah, I'll text you when I'm heading here next, okay?"

"You do that. See you!"

"Remus, do I cuss a lot?" Harry asked while inspecting the contents of the fridge. It looked like they were eating pasta, since Remus had forgotten to bring potatoes from the store.

"Like an Auror," Remus confirmed, sitting at the kitchen table and reading the Evening Prophet.

"Huh."

The doorbell rang and Harry hurried over to the hallway, determinedly ignoring Remus' snicker behind him. He opened the door and stepped aside to let Kurt in, who he promptly hugged after he had set his bag down on the floor.

"Good to see you, too," Kurt laughed into his shoulder before letting go to get out of his coat. "I see you've changed shirts."

Harry looked down at the navy blue button- down shirt he was wearing instead of the white- and- crayon shirt from earlier. "Yes," he replied. "It's in the washer now. With a bit of luck it'll actually be clean when it comes out."

That was a bit of a lie, of course. The second Harry had gotten home, he had run upstairs to fetch his wand and clean his shirt. A quick scourgify and the thing was as good as new. Kurt chuckled. "I think you'll need more than just a bit of luck to get that shirt clean."

"You never know," Harry shrugged, motioning to Kurt to lead the way to the kitchen. Kurt did so, walking into the kitchen and greeting Remus on his way there, who by now had migrated to the couch to read a book instead of a newspaper with moving pictures in it.

"It looks like we're having pasta for dinner," Harry said while pouring drinks for them (a coke for him and water for Kurt, since his boyfriend had mentioned that he would no longer drink soda's the day before) and sitting at the table with Kurt. "Remus forgot the potatoes and Teddy's not really old enough to appreciate rice yet."

At Kurt's raised eyebrow he elaborated: "He likes to think of them as teeny tiny missiles. I've already had to clean crayon of the walls today, I don't fancy cleaning of rice as well."

"I guess I can understand that," Kurt chuckled. "Come on, let's get to work then. I'm feeling a bit peckish."

And so they did. Harry chopped up the meat while Kurt busied himself with some spices and vegetables. They boiled some water, put in the pasta (shaped like Spongebob figurines. Harry insisted they were for Teddy. Kurt hadn't believed him.) and served dinner after setting the table. The four of them had dinner, chatted quite a bit and had a few good laughs. It all went rather well, Harry thought. The night wasn't over yet, though.

It was when they were busy rinsing the dishes in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher when Kurt suddenly stopped what he was doing and froze, his eyes locked somewhere to the side.

"Harry?" Kurt asked, his voice a bit shakier than it had been only moments before.

"Hmmm?"

"Teddy's hair wasn't blue a moment ago, was it?"

Well, shit.

Well, there you have it folks. Let me know what you thought and, as always, I'll see you next time!

-Robin.