Be Fearless in the Pursuit of What Sets Your Soul on Fire

Apollo shrugged at her joke, smiling good-naturedly. She was probably right about that. "I will," he agreed. "Just have to hope he takes it as an offer, not a sort of concern that he can't do it. But then, I guess Father wouldn't let me give it up if he thought Christian would fail. So we'll see what I can do to convince him."

He chuckled a little at her offer, lifting his head enough to look up at her. But she was right. They had time. That horribly elusive master of their lives couldn't take it from them. And some part of him wanted to just refuse to sleep until the night before he had to return to work. He felt terribly guilty about being away so much when she didn't seem happy, but he wasn't sure that him staying home and feeling useless would make things any better. At least he was starting to find purpose to counter all of the... well, the angst. Apollo didn't know it yet, but he was about to have the quietest semester of his entire time at school. All studying and keeping out of trouble as much as he could manage.

For the time being, however, he just let himself collapse against her. But he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips after settling. "I love you," he told her after a few moments of content silence.

She had never been the comforting one in the family. That was Teddy, there to step in and provide words that either braced or challenged or smoothed - whatever was needed. And she had never been one to need comforting. After Ginny, none of them had. James had run off to turn popularity into fame, and Albus has shrunk into the shadows to turn potential into destiny, and she had moved away to try Anonymity on for size. They hadn't needed comforting, they had needed time.

(But maybe Teddy had needed comforting. And right when he was no longer able to give it, the people he was ready to take care of at every expense to himself had scattered to the wind).

She wasn't qualified, but she supposed love was the best qualifier, or something. It was without thinking that she was able to see Apollo's worry and sadness, and without decision she was able to chase away some of the shadows and fill him with hopes she didn't know she had held onto.  He kissed her hand and she slipped her fingers into his, pulling him nearer and forcing away any time or space that might exist between them. "I love you too, Apollo."