How Long Will It Be This Time?

It was almost funny; Avery didn't have to pretend to come visit Keiran anymore when she wanted to see Teddy. Go figure. One summer later, they hadn't made any rush towards becoming 'official,' which Avery took as him trying to respect boundaries where Sophie was concerned. It didn't worry her like it might have with someone else, though, so after a while she actually forgot about that.

Almost. After all, there'd been that dinner with the whole family. And Merlin knew if he'd been honest about his feelings about the whole thing. But that wasn't the problem anymore. No, school was opening up again and he was undoubtedly going to find himself with vastly less time. The previous semester, he hadn't had any at all. So she was hesitant to ask, but what she really wanted was a game plan. Not that having a day in mind wouldn't help.

Bridget had given her advice that was, unfortunately, entirely unhelpful. Always have a plan for the next time you see each other. Know when, so you can talk about seeing each other again, rather than missing each other or worrying that someone else has come into the picture.

Bloody lot of good that would do when they hadn't any idea about his schedule. The students, she knew, were meant to come first. She kind of wished they didn't have to, though.

So as she settled next to him on the couch in his quarters, she turned and dropped her forehead against the side of his shoulder. "So," she muttered, turning away from their more casual conversation about Sophie and how things were going. "You know I don't want to ask, but what's the plan?"

Avery lifted her head again to look at him. "I know you'll be busy. But that's fine; we've dealt with that before." She shrugged, pushing her lips together as though she could've said more but wasn't sure what. "I just... I'll miss you."

As much as Teddy enjoyed Avery in his doorway, he enjoyed her much more in his quarters.

Wait. He-. Merlin. No, no, no. Not... like that.

What he meant was he enjoyed the few moments they had where there seemed to be no rush. When Sophie was either asleep or happy with Keiran, where none of her friends were there to steal her away. He liked her friends, and he adored the little girl. But at the center of all of that was a very busy blonde woman that he would steal a time turner for if it meant they could get an hour of peace, to talk, to hold, to smile, to feel. It was a summer. Just a few months. But they had time for each other and they poured into each other and he felt an optimism within him that he had long stopped hoping for.

Her head found his shoulder and he felt a deep internal hum, one that came from outside and well as in, rumbling in his chest. He smiled and lifted his arm to stretch behind her, falling to the crook of her arm, pulling her closer, turning his head so his lips rested against his hairline.

He let out an ironic groan at her question, face contorting into a flinch, but he gave her a squeeze and chuckled to let her know he was teasing. "This should be the plan. If we were smart, this moment exactly would be the plan for tomorrow, and next week, and next month."

But her eyes were on him and he nodded, reaching up to run a thumb along her jawline. "I'll miss you too. But I'm sure work will pick up for you, as well." He paused. "How about this. I'll pull some strings, see if I can chaperone the first Hogsmeade weekend. Nothing ever really happens on those trips, so chaperoning just means sitting at the Three Broomsticks and making sure the students know I haven't gone blind." He brushed a strand of her hair back. "I have an in with the Headmaster. Sure I can get it all sorted." He grinned.

[ooc: I literally screamed. Imagine that reaction in a month. XD]

Avery closed her eyes and smiled at his teasing, but he certainly had a point. She nodded along, knowing that work would definitely pick up as the winter months approached and creatures took to the ground or the sky to search for food. She tried and failed miserably at her goal of keeping a straight face. Instead, she practically smirked - which was of course quite unusual for her - and nodded at him again. "You do, do you? Funny, I do as well. If he gives you any trouble, let me know."

Reaching across his middle, she curled closer to him. "I wouldn't pick that moment, though," Avery decided. She shook her head slowly, back and forth just once. Hesitating just long enough to register his reaction, she continued on. "I'd pick this one."

Avery tilted her chin, catching his lips in a tender, unhurried kiss. She was so doomed when it came to Teddy. And it was surprisingly easy to return back to the more open nature she'd had when she first met Robin. The forwardness from those days -- that wasn't needed this time. But she still wanted him to know beyond a doubt where she stood. Especially now that they were going to be apart for so long, again.

The thing was, she was falling for him. Hard. And it was surprising but at the same time it wasn't at all.

((The others will be so confused))

He had once been so frightened to joke with her or tease, too worried to mess up a good thing. But he wasn’t sure what could mess this up now. It seemed so comfortable and certain and… right. He knew he was thinking in clichés, that his optimism was showing in stark colors – but this was who he used to be, wasn’t it? Before all the tragedy and disappointment, he was the “Potter” with bright eyes forward and a positive outlook. No matter what worries or fears he clasped deep in his chest, he was the glass half full guy.

It was the first time in a long time that the sentiment inside matched the expression outside.

She leaned in to kiss him and his eyelids slid closed, and his hand reached up to cup her cheek. When she pulled away, his eyes opened and he took in a long, deep breath, chest filling with oxygen, reminding him of the life he was living, the pure sensations of being alive and being aware of it and being thankful for it. She was giving him that, making him live that truth.

He shook his head, holding back the urge to smile like a fool or kiss her like a madman. “You’re always right, aren’t you?” He reached up again, this time running a hand over her hair, bringing it down to trace her jawline, taking in every inch of her as he did. He dropped his hand, almost heavily, into his own lap. With a boyish cock of his head, he said, “You sure you wouldn’t fancy teaching muggle studies or whatever else Keiran is having trouble finding staff for?”

"Well, I was right about you, wasn't I? So perhaps you've got a point."

Okay, maybe that was a little more blunt than she could usually handle. At least coming from herself, anyway. A vibrant blush crawled into her cheeks and she ducked her chin, only to drop her head back against the arm he'd wrapped around her. His idea was admittedly interesting, but it made a sort of odd curl of discomfort react within her stomach. Avery adored spending time with him, but working in the same building would've been almost difficult at this point. And she couldn't even begin to imagine how the students would behave if they knew.

No, she wouldn't ever be serious about that. But it was still kind of fun to pretend.

"Actually, I once gave a guest lecture about dragons here. And I did help Keiran with a little teaching project I'm not supposed to talk about." She gave him a feigned serious look, but couldn't hold back the smile for very long. "So I suppose it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Besides," she added with a grin, "I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to persuade me if the right position opened up."

Like a part-time one. Or a guest lecturer, again. Something that wouldn't keep her from Sophie even more than usual.

"But Hogsmeade sounds perfect," she assured him, darting back to a topic that was more comfortable. Avery just hoped that his students wouldn't make fun of him too badly if they caught the way she looked at him -- particularly when he wasn't paying attention.