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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 0:28:36 GMT -5
He made a mental note to go grocery shopping as soon as they parted ways, which he hoped wasn't too soon. "I'll owe you french toast or something some morning, okay?" he said, still looking in a cabinet or two, hoping he'd find something he could make a presentable breakfast out of. Unfortunately, he was out of luck.
She stopped him with that kiss to his cheek, and he seemed to finally take a breath. He smiled at her. "Whatever you feel like," he said softly, wondering if she was laughing at him on the inside. He could hardly blame her if she was. "I take it you don't cook?"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 0:45:17 GMT -5
She couldn't help but smile at him. He seemed embarrassed, when he really shouldn't have been. She should have remembered that he had no food in the apartment and made the offer first. Still, he was so cute when he was embarrassed, she was half tempted to forget about breakfast and try out some of the dreams she'd had that night instead. But now.... it was too soon for that.
"Well, let's just say I never really learned. Obviously, my mother never taught me. All the cooking was done by house elves. Since I've been on my own, I've been working at it... I'm a bit hit or miss, though, I'm afraid. Sometimes I make something decent, sometimes I nearly burn the building down." She laughed in embarrassment.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 2:44:19 GMT -5
Ted just nodded. That made sense. Where his mother was an amazing cook, he doubted Andromeda's even knew what a stove looked like. Merlin, he felt like a kid from the wrong side of the tracks all of sudden. Maybe he wouldn't have, had he any food in his cabinets to feed her.
"Well, I'm not fantastic at it either," he admited. "But I get by. Haven't burnt anything yet," he said, smiling gently. "I could... teach you what I know..." he offered, unsure about even that. "We can try for a decent breakfast?"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 13:29:42 GMT -5
Andi could see that he was embarrassed by the situation. He'd offered food, only to realize that he had none. She wasn't sure if it was he saw it as a failure in his hospitality, or if it was some macho guy need to impress her, but she didn't care either way. After all, none of this had been planned. She'd never expected that she'd wind up spending the night in his apartment, and it certainly wasn't his fault that he had no food in the apartment. Trying to set him at ease, she reached up and put a hand on his cheek, her figures brushing against the scratchy growth of beard that was starting to form there.
"It's OK, really. Let's just go down to my place, if you want. I can probably manage to make some eggs and toast. Maybe between the two of us, we can make something decent." She gave him a little wink. "Do you want to get changed first?"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 14:07:09 GMT -5
"No, I'm al ri-" he stopped himself midsentence and looked down. He was still wearing clothes from the day before, and they were rumpled now. She had also just reminded him that he really needed a shave. He could wait a while longer on that, though. "Yeah, I should change. Can you give me just like... two minutes?" He asked.
He should have told her she could go back to her apartment and he'd meet her down there, but he didn't want to lose her. Yes, that's how it was phrased in his head... he didn't want to lose her.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 5, 2008 15:35:26 GMT -5
Andi laughed lightly. "It's not that you look bad, believe me," she said, noticing the momentary look of panic on his face. She couldn't quite imagine that he could ever look bad in anything, really. He could make the rumpled look into a fashion trend. "I just thought you might be a little more comfortable if you got changed. I may get changed when I get downstairs, too, actually." Fussing with her hair again, she added, "And maybe run a brush through my hair..."
It was difficult to make herself want to leave his side, or to take her hand from his face, but she finally pulled away. "I'll just wait on the couch for you, OK?"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 6, 2008 1:32:37 GMT -5
She could read him too well, he decided. Or maybe just well enough, both in notiing his panic about how he looked, and the fact he wanted her to stay.
He nodded. "I'll be quick," he promised, retreating to his bedroom and finding something to wear. Luckily, most of his clothes were clean, and he chose muggle clothes... a pair of jeans and somewhat nice shirt. He wasn't going to dress like a slob in front of her.
Really quickly, because he couldn't stand it anymore, he shaved too, using magic to speed along the process, and started to head back to the living room.
He caught himself on the doorframe, doubling back to pick up the clothes he had just discarded on the floor, and once more left the room.
"All right," he said. "I'm good as new now."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 6, 2008 19:05:54 GMT -5
While she waited for him, Andi took the opportunity to look around his apartment. Getting up from the sofa, she wandered around his living room, although there wasn't much to see. Besides the coffee table and end tables and the muggle TV set, he didn't have a lot in the way of furniture. He had a small bookshelf in one corner, lined with books. Immediately, she walked over to that and bent down to examine his book collection. Some of them she recognized as standard magic books and old school books. Other books were not so familiar to her, and she assumed they must be muggle books. These were what fascinated her the most. She chose a small one from the middle shelf. It had a bent paperback cover to it, and it looked as if he'd read it often. She smiled and stroked the cover lightly, then opened it up to look at the plain type inside.
She was still looking at the book when he came back into the room. Jerking her head up guiltily, she looked over at him and smiled. "I hope you don't mind me admiring your literature collection," she said.
She sucked in her breath at the sight of him. He made her feel lightheaded. He was wearing muggle jeans and a shirt. The shirt brought out the blue in his eyes, and the jeans fit him perfectly, reminding her again about her naughty dreams. She couldn't help but think that wizards who insisted on wearing formal robes all the time were seriously missing out on something. Robes hid the body, covering up the form underneath. Sure, many of them would not look as good in a pair of jeans as Ted did, but still, it made her wish more wizards followed muggle styles a little more.
Forcing herself to focus on his face, she smiled. "You shaved. You didn't have to."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 6, 2008 22:36:09 GMT -5
He shrugged. "I don't mind," he told her, coming towards her to see which book she had picked up. He smiled. "Ray Bradbury... have you read it?" He asked, doubting she had, but he didn't know. It was a truly well worn copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes. "It's a horror... science fiction horror..." He ammended. "I have a few more by him, too."
Oh God, he was rambling. He stopped himself and lifted a hand to his chin. "It was started to bother me," he answered. "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" He had tried to be quick, so that one, he wouldn't be rude, and two, he could get back to her.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 6, 2008 22:45:05 GMT -5
"No, I haven't read many muggle novels," Andi admitted. "But I think I'd be interested in giving it a try sometime. You'll have to pick one for me." Tucking the book back in its space on the shelf, she turned back to him, fighting the urge to run her hands over his smooth, freshly-shaven face. Did he realize just how good he looked?
"No, you weren't long at all," she replied. "In fact, you were really quick. You hardly gave me any time at all to snoop in your things and plan my changes to your decor." Laughing, she took his hand and led him to the door. "Come on, let's go down to my place and see if we can make some breakfast. I'm starving!"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 7, 2008 13:00:18 GMT -5
"I don't know if you'd like any of mine," he said, quickly glancing over the titles he had. They were a bit dark, he supposed, but if she wanted to read one, he'd let her. "I should get you started on some of the classics. You know, we should get you a library card. To a muggle library, I mean. Then you wouldn't judge our novels based on my taste."
Once again, out of habit, though he had no idea why he did it, he squeezed her hand lightly and nodded, pulling back up to his feet. He followed her to the door, grabbing his keys on the way out. "Eggs and toast has never sounded so good," he smiled.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 7, 2008 16:31:54 GMT -5
Andi raised an eyebrow at him. "And why don't you think I'd like your books?" she said. "Do you think they're too dark and strange for me?" She laughed and gave him a playful nudge with her hip. "I'm a Black, Ted, you can't shock me. I may be completely different from the rest of my family, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen and heard some pretty freakish things, some from my own family! Why, you should see my aunt and uncle's house... Grimmauld Place. That house is positively ghoulish..."
She led him out of the apartment and down the hall to the lift. As she went, she wondered again what Ted really thought of her. They came from such completely different worlds. Was it possible to bridge that kind of gap? Could he possibly understand her and even love her when they were so very different?
As quickly as her mind had started down this dark path, she quickly pushed it aside. No, she couldn't let herself get clouded with doubt. She was haing a nice time, just being with him. She couldn't let herself think about anything else just now.
As they stepped into the lift, she turned to him almost shyly. "Well, I hope it's not my cooking that you're anticipating so highly," she teased. "I wouldn't want you to be disappointed."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 8, 2008 10:48:35 GMT -5
"You... make a very good point," Ted said, thinking this over. She just seemed... a lot more feminine than his books. Not that she was girly... he saw the tomboy in her and he loved it, but she was also definitely very feminine in all the best ways.
But there was going to come a day, he knew, if they lasted any length of time at all, that she would grow some sense, let him go, and get engaged to a disgustingly rich, inbred, pureblood.
He sighed, almost audibly as they waited for the lift, but turned to her with a smile anyway. "You know, I think I just figured you out," he said, leaning against the wall. "Because you already did this once... you tell me you can't dance, and that was quite obviously a lie," he remembered the night before, though he had been so tired it seemed like it was ages ago. "And now you're telling me you can't cook, which I'm also inclined to believe is a lie."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 9, 2008 11:18:51 GMT -5
Andi laughed as she pushed the button for her floor. "Well, to be fair, you didn't get to see me dance to a faster song. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done quite as well if I hadn't been able to lean on you and follow your lead. You're a much better dancer than I am. And as for cooking.... well, we'll just see about that. I suppose it would be pretty hard for me to mess up eggs and toast, right?"
Leaning against the back of the elevator, she studied him for a moment. She wouldn't tell him so, but he was pretty much exactly the kind of man she had dreamed about marrying as a little girl. Her mother had, very early on, declared Andromeda to be a "dreamer" and a "rebel." She had tried, many times, to set her up on "play dates" with little boys her age from "suitable" wizarding families, as if in attempt to steer her in the "right" direction and tame some of the wildness out of her. She usually found them to be arrogant and insufferable. Instead, since she was not permitted to play with the muggle children in her neighborhood, she had chosen to spend much of her time alone, reading and dreaming and practicing Quidditch. As she thought about those days before starting Hogwarts, she remembered how she used to picture her wedding, and most importantly, the groom. In her mind, he had always looked much like Ted, even down to the twinkle in his blue eyes. But most importantly was his personality. Sweet, charming, and unaffected, with a protective streak and a good sense of humor.
She knew now that she was forever destined to be her mother's shame, because she couldn't picture ever wanting to be with anyone else at that moment. Ted was her prince.
When the lift finally stopped at her floor, and the doors opened, she took his hand and led him down the hall to her apartment. She wondered if she'd remembered to pick up the laundry from the floor...
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 18:01:44 GMT -5
He smiled rather cheekily, unaware of her thoughts. "You're already making excuses to keep up with this charade." He couldn't stop himsef from thinking just how much his mother was going to love Andromeda. He really hated to admit it, but she sort of reminded him of his mother, however cliche that was.
"My mum has always believed that every decent boy should know how to dance," Ted said, in response to her saying he was a better dancer. "In fact, I think it's the reason my father was able to woo her. Heaven knows the men in my family are blessed with women that they certainly don't deserve." He gave her a candid little look, letting her know that there was a compliment for her somewhere in there. He wasn't necessarily saying that he had her, or that they were a couple or anything of the sort, just that she was... amazing. And way out of his league.
He stood outside her door, wondering if she had felt as curious outside his as he did now. He wasn't sure what he expected of her apartment, but he might have felt better if she had left landry on the floor.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 21:39:45 GMT -5
Andi smiled. "Well, your mom sounds like a very wise woman to me," she said. "And I hardly doubt she would choose a man that didn't deserve her." Returning his wink, she hoped he understood that she was trying to tell him that she thought he was more than good enough for her.
She pushed the door open and stepped into her apartment. Switching on the lights, she cringed in horror. The cat had obviously been angry with her for not coming home the night before, because there was a potted plant on the floor. The pot was smashed to pieces, and dirt and leaves were scattered everywhere.
"Agamemnon!" she yelled, scanning the apartment for the cat. Turning to Ted, she sighed. "I hope you don't mind cats. I forgot to mention that I have one. Or I used to!" she added pointedly as she looked around for the cat again.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 22:00:08 GMT -5
Ted just smiled and laughed very softly. "Nah. My dad really did get lucky."
He wasn't at all surprised that she had a cat. It was some sort of rule, wasn't it, that every single girl around Andi's age was required to have a cat?
"Agamemnon?" Ted repeated, more tied up with the cat's name than the mess it had made. He said a spell, taking out his wand briefly and restored the plant to it's good-as-new pot. "That's quite a mouthful." It was also amusing to him tht she had chosen a name from Greek mythology for her cat, and he was becoming ever more fond of seeing her as the Greek Andromeda, and yes, in a thousand different ways, he wanted to be Perseus.
He finally looked up while she was looking for the cat, and took in his surroundings. Her apartment seemed much softer and more welcoming than his. In felt like, in spite of the evidence he usually left in his on apartment, that hers was more lived in. That it was more of a home, whereas his was a place he stayed.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 22:13:01 GMT -5
Andi found the cat hiding under the couch and she pulled him out and scooped him into her arms. "Bad cat!" she said sternly. Holding him close to her, she looked up at Ted sheepishly. "Ted, this is Agamemnon. I just... thought it was a cool name. It's from Greek mythology, but I guess you know that. I found him abandoned in an alleyway, and he was injured, so I rescued him. He looked so straggly when I found him, that I wanted him to have a really regal name."
Agamemnon was a pure black cat, with glowing amber eyes and one ear bent over. He had a scar over his forehead, and the whiskers on one side of his face seemed to have been torn off. He might have looked scruffy, if not for the fine, glossy black fur that Andi always kept meticulously brushed and cleaned.
Turning the cat so he was facing Ted, she said to the cat, "Now, Aggie, this is Ted. You be nice to him, do you hear?"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 22:40:04 GMT -5
Ted pulled his lips between his teeth, forcing himself not to smile too much, or God forbid, laugh. It wasn't even that he found the situation funny, but that the girl standing in front of him was so completely unique and amazing. If love was as he understood it, a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, (in its simplest terms) he had just completely fallen in love with her.
He took a deep breath and held out his hands. "Can I see him?" he asked, nodding his head to the cat that could barely hold up his name, if not for Andromeda's help.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 11, 2008 22:47:05 GMT -5
Andi gave an embarrassed laugh. "Now you're just making fun of me," she said. How ridiculous she must look to him! A scruffy, beat-up cat with a ridiculous name, a messy apartment... she was sure he was laughing at her. Still, she brought the cat closer to him. "I know he looks a little rough around the edges, but he's really a sweet cat. That is, when he doesn't knock over my plants!"
Well, she thought, this was the real test. If he could see her like this, fawning over a silly cat with a sillier name, and not be running for the door, then maybe he really was a keeper.
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