Challenge 4: It's A Small World
Pairing: Dudley/Theodore (yeah, disturbing, I know . . . )
House: Gryffindor!
Dudley grimaced as he saw his cousin, a blond, and a brunet walk up his driveway. This was all his wife's fault, he had married his high school sweetheart, as cliché as that was, and she had insisted on meeting the boy he had grown up with.
They had both been equally shocked, when Harry had asked to bring his boyfriend with him, and one of their friends who had been curious to see what a 'muggle' home was like, whatever that meant. He watched calmly at the approaching men, sizing them up silently just in case. He and Harry had come to a sort of silent agreement, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still weary of his, abnormality. He still couldn't say the word, but he decided that they just wouldn't discuss it, purely for his wife's sake . . .
The blond on Harry's right was taller than his cousin, had extremely pale hair, and nice facial features he admitted grudgingly. But, what really caught his attention, was the brunet on the left. He had hardly ever looked at another male as thoroughly as he was looking at this person though. The brunet was tall, and stately looking, with striking hazel eyes that were taking in his house curiously. He had a lean but muscular form, and had dark brown hair that fell just bellow his ears.
"Oh, that must be them!" his wife Carol said as the doorbell rang, running to answer the door, her pink sundress swishing behind her.
Carol joyfully swung open the door, revealing the very awkward trio.
"Hello." She said happily.
"Erm, hi." Harry said with a slight smile, leaning into the blond next to him.
"Come in, come in." She said, ushering the three men inside. "Where are your bags?" She asked curiously, staring at their empty arms.
"Oh." Harry said, not knowing how to properly convey to the woman that he had shrunk them, and put them in his pocket, surprisingly, Dudley came to his rescue.
"They brought them over yesterday, they're weird like that. I'll show them to their rooms later."
"Oh, that's very kind of you." Carol said, kissing his cheek. For some reason, Dudley didn't enjoy the sensation, his eyes quickly flashing to the brunet. Theodore watched him with passive eyes, before moving his gaze to rove around the house once more.
"Yes, very kind, Diddykins." Harry said, smiling innocently. His companions looked at between Harry, and him, curious as Dudley couldn't help the growl that escaped him.
"So," his wife spoke, gripping his muscular arm in her hands. Although, still huge, Dudley wasn't the huge that his dad was, instead, the majority of his bulk, though not all, was pure muscle. He had decided to continue boxing, as well as continue picking on those smaller than him, despite being a bit more mature. "I'm Carol." She said.
"Right, I'm Harry." The raven haired boy said, "And, this is Draco, and Theodore"
Theodore was it? Dudley thought, he felt a great urge to get to know the other boy better.
"Nice to meet you." She beamed, "And, as you know, this is Dudley, my husband." Dudley hardly took notice to the internal wince he gave, as the Theo nodded with the others politely.
"Yes, you look well, Big D" Harry quipped pleasantly, much to Dudley's annoyance.
"Well, I hope you're hungry because dinners ready. Follow me." Carol said cheerfully, ushering them to follow her as she bounced off to the kitchen.
As the five of them sat, an awkward silence seemed to settle among them as they ate. Dudley could tell that his wife was a little put off by the quietness of their guests, but she hastily made to change that. "So, have you heard that Dudley has just been promoted?" She asked, patting her husband's arm proudly.
Dudley saw a flash of interest in the brunet's eyes, and vehemently denied that there was a blush on his face, or even the semblance of a butterfly in his slightly large stomach.
"Really?" Theodore said curiously, "Where does he work?"
The curly blonde smiled at the beginnings of a conversation "For a plumbing agency. He's been moved to a desk job!"
"Plumbing?" Theo asked in confusion, "He picks plumbs?"
For some reason Dudley found the man's ignorance, as loathe as he was to admit it, adorable instead of ridiculous. Carol gave him a sidelong glance, obviously wondering if he was joking, or just stupid, but decided to laugh it off.
"Well, you know, he was a plumber, but was now made it to overseer."
"A plumber." Theodore said slowly, looking over to an equally confused Draco, and an amused Harry.
"Yes." Carol said, taking a bite of her chicken slowly.
"And that is. . .?"
She looked quite put out, "You know, he uses a plunger, and tools, to fix toilets that have been backed up."
"Toilets that are backed up, like, with waste."
"Yes!" She exclaimed, happy that he had finally caught on.
"Well," Theodore looked properly appalled, "That's disgusting! Why would anyone want a job like that?"
"It pays well." Dudley said gruffly, embarrassed now.
The rest of the conversation that night was not too bad, Dudley thought. Theodore, and Draco asking questions occasionally, and Harry doing all that he could not to laugh.
Soon, they all retired to their respective room, and Dudley settled in next to Carol, lost in thoughts about the fascinating brunet oddly enough.
"Sweetheart," Carol said, "Something on your mind?"
"No, nothing, Honey." Dudley says as he kisses his wipe atop her curly head, "Go to sleep, Dear."
"Alright, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
That evening Dudley's dreams were filled with the brunet and him engaged in less than platonic behavior, and a few very compromising positions. . .
-x0x-
Dudley looked up from where he sat reading the paper at the table as Theodore walked in.
"Mo-Morning." He said Cursing his stuttering, and blushing slightly. He growled to himself mentally, as Theodore stared at him with raised eyebrows.
"Good morning, Dudley." Theodore said. Dudley took this chance to look over the other man. His hair was slightly disheveled to sleep, and he wore a thin green bathrobe that was open at the top, revealing a delicious stretch of skin. And, Dudley could just make out the top of green boxers. He shook his head, hard, and took a big gulp of his plain coffee.
"So, no one else is up?" Theo asked, as he took a seat opposite him.
"No." Dudley couldn't helped staring at the opening of Theodore's nightgown, causing Theodore to look at him with a frown, which slowly turned into a knowing smirk, despite the slight nausea. He shifted, feeling oddly violated by Dudley's hungry, if unintentional, gaze.
"So," The former Slytherin said breaking the silence. "How long have you been married?" He smiled softly as Dudley seemed to snap back to himself.
"Four years." Dudley said gruffly, downing the rest of his mugs contents, and standing to get more. "
"That's nice." Theodore said blandly, as the two fell into easy conversation about their lives, Theodore asking several questions in between.
-x0x-
The weeks seemed to fly by far too fast for Dudley's liking. He had gotten to know Theo fairly well, or at least well enough since they avoided the subject of . . . the 'M' word at all costs, and Dudley got to know him even more intimately in his dreams. Theodore was very aware of this, and very disturbed as well.
Harry smirked, and then grimaced as he stared at his friend, leaning into Draco's warm embrace. "I can't believe my cousin . . . has feelings for you, it's... not what I would have expected."
"Yeah," Theodore spoke, "I'm sure he's nice enough." Harry snorted, "But, he's simply not my type, not to mention the fact that he's married, and a muggle, it just wouldn't work"
"That's the understatement of the century." Draco drawled, "But, at least we're leaving tomorrow.
"Right," Theodore said, "And, to think, we'll probably never see each other again, unless the two of you invite me to come along again."
"I doubt we'll even come again" Draco scoffed.
"Carol is nice, though." Harry added weakly.
"Oh, please, I know you can't wait to leave.
Harry shrugged, and they all lapsed into a bout of silence, thinking about their stay.
-x0x-
Dudley stared at his cousin, his cousin's boyfriend, and Theodore as they stood in the doorway, idly wondering how they had got here, as they had no car. This was it, they were leaving, and he would probably never see the brunet again. He would forever wonder 'What If', and all the other clichés that came along with the trio's departure.
He looked at his smiling wife, and the passive brunet, and realized he had to do something. "Theodore," His voice was a little higher than he intended, so he cleared his throat, not caring that he may have interrupted whatever his wife, and cousin were talking about. "May I talk to you, in private?"
He noticed Harry, and Draco give Theo an odd look, but the brunet just nodded, followed him down the hall, and into the guest bedroom.
"So," Theodore said leaning against the wall, as he stared at Dudley expectantly, "What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Dudley sighed, trying to resist the urge to fiddle nervously. "Look, I know I'm married . . . And, don't get me wrong, I love my wife. And, I definitely remember what you are, it's sort of hard to forget." He said with a grimace, and Theodore simply raised an elegant eyebrow. Dudley let out a breath. "I . . . "He trailed of searching his brain for the right words, "Am extremely . . ."
"Attracted to me." Theodore finished, and Dudley nodded silently, wondering if he had been that obvious. Theodore smirked, "I know, and as . . . sweet as that is, I'm sorry, but I can't exactly return the feeling. I'm sure you're a decent enough man, but as you said, you're married, you're a muggle, and I'm a wizard." Dudley winced at the word slightly, "And, well, you're just not my type, sorry. But, it was nice meeting you, a unique and learning experience. Take care" He said with a small smile as he walked slowly across the room, pausing in front of Dudley. "Take care." He whispered, as he bent down, and his soft lips gently pressed to Dudley's reddening cheek in a gentle kiss, before he swept out the door, most likely to never see Dudley again. But, Dudley felt happier than he had in a while, placing his hand to his cheek like a smitten schoolgirl, and smiling dazedly. He was sure the brunet would still be staring in his dreams for a while, but he was, strangely, just fine with that.
AN: Okay, so for the challenge I got Dudley, and I had to pair him with someone from a house other than Gryffindor, since I used that last time. As hard as that was, I'm kinda happy with the end result, and I hope you got some enjoyment out of it and that I haven't scared you for life. =)
Reviews are Love! =D