Later that night, Teddy lay in bed thinking about Pansy and Panther-face. Were they in bed now, just on the other side of the wall? How long had they been together? Did she like kissing him? Did she like the way he touched her?
He sighed, annoyed with himself. Of course she liked it. Otherwise he wouldn't be living with her. He frowned at the thought. Was Con living with her? The apartment had seemed fully Pansy, with no hint of Con's occupation other than his presence on the couch and his shoes next to the front door.
Maybe Con was just a fling and she would tire of him quickly. Then Teddy could… what? Did he really want a relationship with a woman so much older than him? She was the same age as his godfather, wasn't she? How old had Harry been at his last birthday? Thirty-six? Thirty-seven? Merlin, in a few years she would be forty and people would talk; oh how they would talk.
Still, it didn't have to be a relationship. It could be a fling. Nothing serious. Pansy didn't seem the type to want serious, anyway. Of course, Teddy couldn't be certain about that, since he knew next to nothing about her, other than the things he had learned by observing her seven long years ago. For all he knew, she could be looking to marry Connelly Whoever.
His depressed musing was interrupted by a bang against the wall, followed by two more. He sat up, irritated. Fuck, they were at it again. Suddenly, the note she had given him came to mind.
Do not knock on my bedroom wall and interrupt my sexual gratification again unless you are willing to take the place of my current paramour.
Without stopping to think, Teddy turned around and pounded three times on the wall.
The silence was instantaneous. Teddy froze with his hand still upraised, wondering what the hell he had done. She had most likely been joking when she had given him the note. It had been a joke and now she was laughing with Panther-face, poking fun at their foolish neighbour who had been stupid enough to-
A loud knock sounded at Teddy's front door. He lowered his hand and turned, horrified. Shit, it was probably Panther-face Connelly, coming to punch his face in. Pansy might have thought it was a joke, but good old Con didn't seem to have an amused bone in his body, unless it involved watching someone writhing in pain.
Fuck. There was no help for it. Teddy pushed himself away from the bed and walked into the other room. He paused partway across the floor, and then steeled himself and strode to the door before jerking it open.
Pansy stood in the doorway, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Finally," she said. "I thought you might be planning to stand me up."
She pushed past him and into the room, walking to the kitchen without pausing. Teddy shut the door and stared after her. Was she wearing a dressing gown? Was she wearing anything under it?
He dragged his eyes back to her face just as she turned around. He held them there instead of dropping them to her chest, although it took immense effort.
"Wine?" she asked.
Normally, Teddy would rather drink squid ink than wine, but he only nodded. He thought he might need some alcohol-induced courage shortly. "Where's um… Con?"
She extracted the cork with her wand and poured both glasses half-full. "I booted him out," she said. She set the bottle aside and brought Teddy a glass, holding the other in her hand.
"Booted?" Teddy repeated.
She nodded and smiled. "Right after you left, earlier. He was being a prick, as usual, but I'd finally had enough of it. And it's nice to know you're willing to take his place. You are, are you not? Willing?"
After he left? Then what was the banging on the wall…? Teddy realised he might have been set up, but her question derailed his ability to speak and he simply nodded again. She clinked her wineglass against his. "To willingness," she said.
"Yeah," he whispered and lifted the glass to his lips. He took a tiny sip of the harsh liquid and tried not to shudder as it slipped down his throat. He must not have been completely successful, because she laughed and took his glass.
"Come on. I should have known you were no wine drinker." She returned to the counter and set both glasses down before turning and taking his hand. He made no protest when she led him to the bedroom; his heart was pounding wildly.
She stopped next to his bed and turned around. Her hand left his and moved to his abdomen, where it splayed open, joined by the other. "Salazar, you have such a hot body, Teddy. Do you sleep in that t-shirt? You were obviously in bed when I knocked on your wall."
His head moved in an affirmative motion as he asked, "Why did you do that?"
Her fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt. "To give you an opportunity." She pulled the shirt upward, over his chest and shoulders and finally over his head. It fell to the floor when her hands went back to his abdomen, this time to press into his bare flesh. Teddy's knees felt weak. It was hard to believe all of his fantasies were about to become reality.
She loosened the drawstring on his pyjama bottoms and tugged them until they were loose enough to slide down over his hips and drop at his feet. He managed to step out of them without falling, which was a miracle, considering how unsteady he felt.
His hands wrapped around her waist, holding loosely so he wouldn't leave bruises. He felt a heady rush when he realised it was the first time he had ever touched her. She took his wrists in her hands and pulled them away. His disappointment lasted only a moment, until she loosened the belt at her waist and tugged open the dressing gown.
Godric, she wasn't wearing anything underneath. The silk gown rustled to the floor and Teddy was suddenly very glad he had left the lamp on. She was stunning. Her breasts were… bloody hell, he had pictured them a thousand times in his dreams, but this… They were perfect, melon-sized with pink peaks already standing at attention, begging for him to touch them. He did, lifting his hands reverently and touching them lightly, allowing his fingertips to brush over her nipples.
She made a tiny gasping sound and Teddy swallowed as he leaned forward and moved his hand away in order to take one into his mouth. He flicked it lightly with his tongue, feeling a frisson of heat at the contact. Merlin, he hadn't been hard a moment ago, but he certainly was now.
Pansy's fingers wrapped in his hair and for a moment he hoped to hell it was still brown. He hadn't lost control of his abilities in years, but this could definitely be considered extenuating circumstances.
He suckled and laved at her breasts and then kissed a path downward, sinking slowly to his knees while pressing wet kisses to her abdomen. His tongue dipped into her navel, flicking in and out in quick motions while he imagined it touching something else. His cock was so hard it hurt.
His hands were on her hips, gripping hard, although he tried to relax them. His concentration was shot.
She gasped. "Bed. Bed, Teddy."
He got to his feet, more than willing to comply, and let go as she moved away. She sprawled on the bed and wriggled until her head rested on his pillow. Teddy stared down at her for a moment, transfixed at the way her dark hair spread over the white fabric. Her body was a pale wonder atop his dark coverlet.
He shook off his stasis when she raised a beckoning hand and quickly shoved his pants down before climbing onto the bed.
She laughed. "Patience, darling. We have all night." She reached down and wrapped her hand around his cock before sliding it up and down the length. "Merlin, Teddy, if I'd known you were hiding that in there, I would have pounced on you two days ago."
Teddy felt a flare of pride for a moment and then had to bite his lip to keep from coming when her hand twisted in a delicious way. "Ungh, keep doing that and the main event might be spoiled."
"I doubt that," she said and did it again.
Teddy growled. "Did anyone ever tell you you're wicked?"
"It's been mentioned," she said dryly.
Teddy pulled away from her grasp in order to move lower, grazing his lips over her skin once more, but not kissing, not when he had a goal in mind. His mouth touched the curls of dark hair that hid his destination. He tugged at a mouthful with his lips and she hissed.
"Brat," she said. "That stings."
He soothed it with a kiss and then moved to her legs, pressing kisses on her inner thighs in a path up to her knee and back again. Her pose was languid, but she said nothing. Teddy suspected she was enjoying herself, or she would surely comment. She made an impatient noise, so he relented, moving back to the centre and nuzzling her pubic hair once more.
Teddy began to tease in earnest, thanking Merlin for every encounter he'd had up to that point. Without them, he would have been hopeless. His lips fondled the soft edges of her labia, mouthing and tugging at them, earning soft gasps of pleasure. Teddy's hands rested on her thighs and his thumbs drew soft circles on her skin.
Her fingers found his hair again and tightened. He grinned and took it as a sign to stop procrastinating. With that, he plunged his tongue into her waiting entrance and then licked his way methodically up to her clit, flattening his tongue to cover the most area and earning a sharp cry when he reached her most sensitive spot.
"Salazar, Teddy. "
He repeated the movement over and over, reading the quivers of her body and the clenching of her fists in his hair as to whether or not he was doing it right. Judging from her inability to speak, he thought he was doing okay. He suckled at her clitoris and she threw her head back with a shriek, shuddering beneath his hands. Merlin, it was incredible, watching her come undone and knowing it was his doing.
"Teddy, you beautiful thing," she said and pulled him upward by his hair. "Fuck me now."
He obliged, casting a quick Protection Charm without the aid of a wand, and slid easily into her wet heat, losing himself in bliss for a moment. Her hands shifted from his hair to glide over his back and he started to move, feeling a thrill each time she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. He was glad he had seen to her needs first, because he knew he wouldn't last long. It was too much, the culmination of what seemed like years-had been years-of suppressed desire.
As expected, it was quickly over and he spilled himself into her with a cry muffled against her throat. He collapsed atop her, not wanting to crush her, but not wanting to pull out and roll away, either. In this instance, he wasn't sure about the propriety. Would she want to leave him right away?
To his relief, she did not seem inclined to go anywhere. She continued to stroke his back as his heartbeat slowed its frantic pace and their breathing became more regular.
"Your father was a good teacher," she said finally, quietly. "I never admitted that to anyone, because in school I was a nasty little cow. After the war it took me quite some time to learn to think for myself, and even longer to live for myself, instead of hanging my foolish hopes on other people."
Teddy was quiet, hoping she would continue.
"Anyway, your father seemed like a good man. I mean, he must have been, to have been part of that anti-Dark Lord group, right? And he was in good with Potter and Dumbledore. All I know is that Draco and Blaise and I made fun of him for being poor, and yet he taught us all equally well." She was silent for a moment and added, "I learned a lot from him. Even if maybe the lessons didn't sink in for quite a few years."
Teddy kissed her neck again, feeling an odd tightness in his chest. A wave of tenderness welled through him, something that was not unfamiliar, but alarming all the same. Teddy had loved her once. He knew it would be stupid to fall back into that trap again.
And yet, he couldn't bring himself to let go of her. He cast a Nox on the lamp, curled himself around her, and fell asleep.
~TBC~