Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters get in.

Storm Warning

A part of Teddy wanted to confess then and there that he wasn't just like him but was him, and he was more than happy to date the other man. But the other, much more powerful part of his brain pointed out that people often said they were going to date a certain kind of person but t that that didn't mean they actually would. He knew too well after all that it was damn near impossible to change one's taste and he had never been Louis's taste before. This was probably just a phase he was going through, or coy teasing on the younger man's part. He'd be an idiot to think otherwise.

So he forced himself to smile affectionately as he reached out and ruffled Louis's hair like the man was still the boy he'd once babysat. "I'll believe that when I see it. You'll be dating another one of your boy toys before you know it."

Not caring for the hair ruffling, especially since he knew the gesture was meant to convey that he was still a kid, Louis had to school his features carefully to keep his reaction under wraps. "You'll see, I guarantee it." Even if he had to tie the man to his bed naked to get his interest firmly across.

And he'd be lying if he said that that mental image didn't almost have him wishing Teddy was going to be that dense where he was concerned.

Distrusting the look that had come into Louis's eyes, his own body was horribly misreading it, Teddy forced himself to ask if dinner was ready, breathing out a sigh of relief when the blonde went unnaturally still and then turned around in a blur of motion to bolt back towards the kitchen having just realized, from the curses Teddy heard as the man disappeared from sight, that he'd left whatever they were eating unattended when he'd come out to meet him at the door.

Taking another long, steadying breath Teddy shook his head as he mentally berated the both of them before turning his attention to putting his stuff away, knowing that he'd just get in Louis's way if he followed him to try and help.

And okay, he wanted a few minutes to himself while he got his stupid hormones under control.

No easy task, but he was pretty sure he'd managed it by the time he'd stowed away his stuff and arrived at the kitchen, sticking his head through the open door to inquire as to whether his assistance was needed for final prep or bringing stuff out.

Since they were having a casserole for dinner his help apparently wasn't needed and he was told to sit his butt down and wait another five minutes for it to finish.

Suddenly getting the feeling that he just might be in trouble with the other man for some reason Teddy thought it best to do as ordered, taking his seat to wait patiently for Louis to come with their dinner. And while he waited he wondered what he might have said or done to have annoyed the blonde. It could just be because he'd distracted the man from dinner, Teddy reasoned, knowing how much the younger man hated to burn and therefore waste food. Or maybe it had been his lack of faith that the man could suddenly change his taste in men. All Weasleys hated to be told they couldn't do something. That was often akin to waving a red flag in front of a bull. His tone had been teasing though…maybe he shouldn't have insinuated Louis dated immature boy toys?

That was probably it.

Deciding that must be the reason Teddy waited until Louis appeared with dinner and they both had a helping on their plate before he apologized. "I'm sorry if I offended you by suggesting that your preferred type is made up of boy toys. I didn't mean to be critical, you should date whatever kind of man suits you best."

"I'm not some immature kid, you know."

"I know that." Life would have been so much easier if Louis had just stayed a child.

"You ruffled my hair to make me feel like a kid. And you insinuated that I date boy toys who are only good for a fun time. That's what you think of me, that I can't handle a man who's as mature and adult as you." The more he'd thought about in the kitchen the more it had pissed him off and Louis couldn't help but bite off the words, reining in the full brunt of his temper only because this was Teddy.

Silent for a heartbeat Teddy chose his words with infinite care. "You're only twenty two, Louis. I might only be eight years older than you but that gap…feels huge sometimes. Our priorities, pastimes, our backgrounds just make that gap seem wider so that understanding each other is that much harder sometimes. And when it comes to the men you date…well you should know by now that I never find anyone good enough for the people my loved ones get involved with. Some of Lily's exes still probably get cold shivers if anyone mentions my name in front of them. I do know you aren't a child though, and that you could bring the strongest, toughest man to his knees if you set your mind to it."

"Could I bring you to your knees?"

Eyes widening at the question Teddy's body stiffened, his words toneless as he fought to give nothing away. "I'm not the strongest, nor the toughest man in the world."

"That's not what I asked."

"You've had me wrapped around your little finger since you were a boy, you know that."

Not about to let the man off so easy Louis opted to gamble, pushing his luck to see what the results would be. "That Ian guy seemed to fear our bond enough that he warned me off of you today. He's pretty pissed that he wasn't strong enough to bring you to your knees, and wanted to make sure I knew I couldn't do any better."

Eyes flashing with heat Teddy's jaw clenched. It had been bad enough that Ian had acted so possessive before, but it was an entirely other thing for his former lover to ambush Louis and attempt to warn him off. He'd made it clear to the man that he wasn't out to his family, dammit. How dare he? And far more importantly- "What exactly did he say to you?"

"That he thinks you and I are a couple."

While Teddy pondered that Louis suddenly had an epiphany that had him forgetting all about why he was angry with the other man in the first place. Because if that Ian guy had thought they were a couple then obviously the guy thought that the fact that he was male wasn't a problem in Teddy's books, Louis realized, unable to believe he hadn't put two and two together earlier. And you would think, wouldn't you, that Teddy's most obvious response to the other man's interest would be to point out that he wasn't gay or bi and leave it at that. So either Teddy had said that and Ian hadn't believed him…or that wasn't an argument his fellow Gryffindor could use.

What if, just for instance, Teddy had at least experimented in his youth? There were many who did, especially nowadays, and while the older man didn't have a Weasley sized curiosity his Teddy was the sort who went his own way when it suited him.

Had Teddy ever had a male lover? Had Ian come off as a jealous ex in the office because he was, in fact, a jealous ex?

Was the man he'd thought so mature and honest living a double life? Was everything he thought he knew about Teddy a lie? Had he been lying to all of them all these years?

"Louis…are you all right?" His stomach clenching in response to the pain and betrayal he saw in Louis's suddenly shattered blue eyes Teddy clumsily pushed his chair back and stumbled out of it, running around the table to get to the other man. Turning the chair so that the blonde was looking at him Teddy crouched down like a catcher, his hands cradling Louis's face as he repeated his question, begging for some explanation while his thumbs stroked the pale skin of the other man's cheeks.

He didn't stop to think about the consequences, at that precise moment he was beyond caring. No, he was running on pure emotion and the to the bone need to know the truth.

Moving with reflexes honed by anger Louis's hands came up to fist in the other man's shirt, using the hold to pull Teddy closer as he crushed their lips together, putting everything he had into the furious, passionate kiss that dared the other man not to respond, not to react to the intimate exchange as he took full advantage of the fact that Teddy had opened his mouth in shock.

Mere seconds passed and then Louis felt a shudder go through the man's frame, the only warning he had before Teddy's fingers were sliding across his skin so that they could dive into his hair and take control of his head as the man Louis had thought he'd known began to snog him back with a heat and eagerness that was stunning on a number of levels.

And it was when Louis realized this his grip changed so that he was pushing the other man away, his body screaming protests even as his heart hardened as Teddy finally allowed him to break the kiss, lifting his head to look at him in heated confusion.

"You couldn't kiss me like that if you weren't bi. You never said."

Staring at Louis as he struggled to understand, Teddy felt a chilling coldness wash over him as he realized why Louis had just kissed him. "That was why you kissed me? Just so you could find out whether I have any interest in fucking men?"

He'd waited for years to kiss the man like that and Louis had done it…for that reason.

Jerking to his feet Teddy towered over Louis, his fury a visible thing as he saw the truth on the younger man's face. "Well I hope you're satisfied. Because the next time you jerk me around like that I'll give you what's coming to you and to hell with the consequences. Don't think I'm not Black enough to do it."

And on that final note Teddy stormed out of the room, walking down the hallway towards the front door without once looking back.

Louis got out of his own chair just quickly enough to see the front door slam so hard the thick piece of wood vibrated in reaction.

)

He'd deliberately chosen the rundown Muggle gym because it was near his flat. He intended to work every muscle in his body until it screamed for agony and once that goal was accomplished he didn't want to have to go far. It wasn't the sort of place his clients frequented either, and if any Muggleborns should happen to stroll in…well then at this point he was too fucking angry to really give a damn what they thought of his present mood. Which admittedly, in some small part of his still functioning brain, Teddy knew was a bad thing. But again, at this point he really didn't care what that voice had to say since that voice had failed him when he'd needed it the most.

"You're going to break every bloody bone in your hands if you keep that up without proper gloves."

Teddy turned his head and glared at the man who'd silently moved to stand beside him. "I don't want company."

"Tough." The other man informed him, not looking the least intimidated despite the bone chilling coldness of the eyes staring back at him. "There's no way I'm doing anything but seeing you home. The boss would have my ass otherwise and we both know my boyfriend wouldn't like that. He pretty much considers that area of my anatomy his personal property."

"Sure, rub it in that you're in a happy, long term relationship. Fuck off." As an afterthought Teddy pointed out that the man was a top anyway, so why would Colin care as long as his dick was still working?

Ignoring that last part Wesley subtly moved his body, carefully making the other man move instinctively so that he could get between his boss's oldest and the punching bag the man had been bashing his hands against. "Is that why you're pissed? Some bloke do you wrong, Blue Eyes?"

He knew Wesley vaguely as an Auror who worked for his godfather and was involved with an adorable blonde that he himself might have been tempted by if not for the fact that he never poached. His contact with Wesley had always been limited to brief hellos in passing, but apparently he'd set the man's gaydar off at some point.

Thankfully he was too focused on his other problems at that moment to freak, and the cat was out of the bag anyway so what did it matter? He couldn't even work up a head of steam over the fact that the fates had decided to screw him over by orchestrating this meeting in the first place. Of all the gyms in all the world, the Gryffindor thought with the darkest of humor.

"I've never said anything to anyone, by the way. I don't out people, even when I see absolutely no reason why they'd be in the closet anyway."

Teddy made a dismissive motion with his hand and then to shove the man out of his way without success. Not liking that at all Teddy gave the Auror a look that would have done his grandmother's proud. "I can push you a hell of a lot harder."

"You can try." Was the Auror's cool response. "I'm taking you to your place or your godfather's, your choice."

"I'm meaner than you."

"I can arrest you."

The Gryffindor considered this briefly, harsh lips curving in the cruelest of smiles. "You Aurors never had much luck arresting members of my family. You lot, as I recall, were far more likely to end up permanently maimed or dead."

"You do that and the muggles will see you, the authorities will be contacted, and the news will be plastered all over the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Not that I think you're like your Black relatives, if you were you would be taking your anger out on the person who hurt you instead of an inanimate object."

Teddy was cursing the validity of the man's cool statement when a loud, appreciative wolf whistle drew their attention from each other, their interest heightened since the sound was abruptly cut off as the man who'd issued it suddenly blurted out that he'd thought the person he was whistling at was a woman.

Knowing who must have just entered the gym Teddy turned his back on the Auror and moved to another punching bag, rhythmically beating his fists against it with all his might as he mentally prayed that he would be overlooked.

)

Pushing back his wet bangs Louis ignored the man who'd apparently mistaken him for a guy, too busy scanning the room to care or defend his manhood as the other occupants of the room stared at him. That he didn't belong was obvious and Louis was extremely thankful for that fact. The place reeked, the equipment looked like old torture devices, and the whole place struck him as needing to be condemned. There was no way Teddy would ever enter such a place, it was probably full of transmittable diseases!

But when his name was called by a voice he didn't recognize Louis turned his head in that direction, eyes narrowing at the vaguely familiar man motioning him over. Then the identity of the man his name caller was pointing at registered and Louis's mind abruptly decided it didn't care about trying to figure out where he knew the other guy from.

Rushing over Louis was demanding that Teddy look at him even before he'd reached him.

Teddy's response was to bash his hands that much harder.

"You'll want to be careful, especially if you're the one who pissed him off." Wesley informed the blonde, not knowing the man well enough to know how much common sense he had but knowing trouble when he saw it. Blondie was definitely trouble.

Louis eyed Teddy cautiously, taking in the bare back and arms coated with sweat, the bloodstains he could see on and around the tape the other man had wrapped around his fingers to demonstrate just how much damage Teddy had already done to himself. He knew Teddy had been at this for a while, it had taken him an embarrassing long time to realize that Teddy wouldn't be going to a bar or to just walk his anger off. Teddy wasn't the type to drink away his problems and simple walking wouldn't have been enough given how angry he'd sensed he'd made him. After coming to that conclusion it had taken him a while to get ahold of Lucy to find out where Teddy's second residence was, knowing that that man would plan to go there eventually instead of coming home. Luck had been with him when the building's doorman had told him where to go, but it had taken additional time to find the place since it was such a hole in the wall establishment.

And now he was being ignored.

"Teddy…stop beating the crap out of that thing and look at me."

When he was ignored Louis's own eyes flashed as he put his hands on his hips automatically. "Teddy Lupin, you look at me this instances or else."

Again he was ignored, and Louis had never been the type to handle being ignored well.