Let's Take This Town! (vic + ted + london)

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

"Daddy, I have to peeee!"

"You just went not ten minutes ago, and your Grandmum's almost here. Just hold on."

"But Daddy, I need to go! And Maman said get out of the loo."

Olivia stood boldly in the door frame, tiny hands on tiny hips, a frown on her chubby, three-year-old face. Teddy froze where he was, one hand pulling through his now short, wiry brown hair, the other reaching for the drawer under the sink. He cocked a brow and glanced between Olivia and his reflection in the mirror, which he had been staring steadily at for the last eight minutes at least, trying to get his funny hair to be less funny. Olivia was having none of that. Neither was Vic, apparently.

Dropping his hands to his sides, Teddy smiled at his daughter, watching her dissolve into giggles when he strode from his place before the mirror and ruffled her hair. She squealed and darted under his arm, shutting the door quickly behind her. Teddy, meanwhile, was stuck mirror-less out in the hallway, with still funny hair and eight minutes that he was never going to get back.

Hurray, date night. Things had been getting boring lately which was sort of unusual for an unmarried couple with a rambunctious three-year-old, especially one who was still having trouble deciding which language to use to communicate her thoughts. Often Liv's speech was a weird sort of stew of English and French words, which of course Vic could understand but left Teddy in a near constant state of head-scratching confusion. It was bad enough the only French he recognized were not exactly phrases found in civilized conversation, but now his daughter shared in that elusive hidden language. Elusive in his narrow perspective, anyway. Obviously the French got on well enough. Duh.

But back to date night. It had been decided yesterday, over a rather mundane evening at home with Olivia off playing in her room and Vic curled comfortably against his chest while they sat on the couch, watching the telly, that being two incredibly interesting people, they should be off doing incredibly interesting things. Commercials blared as background noise as Teddy and Vic decided to ship Liv off to Shell Cottage the following night for a few hours at Grandmere/pere's house (over which news Fleur and Bill were uncommonly excited), and then they'd be free to do that whichever they pleased. And apparently whatever they pleased turned out to be dinner somewhere to be followed by shenanigans to be decided at the point in which they presented themselves. Also known as "whatever the hell comes to mind."

So Teddy had spent the last eight minutes readying himself and his funny hair for a date with Vic, in preparation for a night which he had no idea would contain. Consequently his wardrobe was much like it always was, dark jeans, a tee shirt, a hooded sweatshirt and various belts, bracelets and what have you - a stark contrast to what he noticed Vic was wearing as she stepped out of their room. She was dolled up something beautiful, leaving Teddy ragtag and looking a bit like one of those kids with an "I don't give a fuck" attitude. Not precisely what he was going for, but just then there was a knock at the door. Teddy shrugged apologetically at Vic and headed to answer the door, still messing with his hair color on the way over.

When he answered the door to admit Fleur, his hair was a sort of shiny pewter color that didn't appear to phase Vic's mother in the slightest. Stepping back to let her in, Teddy greeted her, shutting the door again and walking down the hall to retrieve Olivia. He left Vic and her mother to talk for a moment while he rounded up Liv's bag (complete with the stuffed purple dragon she couldn't go anywhere without), and Liv herself.

"Olivia, your grandmother's here," he called, knocking on the door to the bathroom. The sound of the faucet squeaking off was heard, followed by the pattering of little feet and finally Liv appeared, smiling brightly. "Grandmere!" She shouted, rushing down the hall and clutching onto Fleur's leg. Teddy followed and smiled down at her.

"Thanks again for watching her, Fleur," he said, offering her the bag with Liv's stuff in it. She smiled back at him and said something about them keeping Olivia all to themselves, a joke (probably), and waved them both goodbye.

"Bon soir, Maman!" Liv bade Vic goodnight, reaching up as high as she could to hug her. "Goodnight, Daddy!" She said as she detached herself from Vic to cling to Teddy. "G'night, Liv, and be good for your grandparents, alright? No funny business." He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head like he always did, watched her nod and take Fleur's hand, and the two of them were gone.

Turning back to Vic, Teddy paused for a minute. "You look incredible," he said quietly, stepping over to her and pressing kiss to her lips quickly. Sorry to say she probably couldn't say the same thing about him (he wasn't big on dressing up), but at least he'd decided to just de-morph his hair so that he looked a dash more normal. A dark brown with a sort of shaggy cut, it was a bit of a difference from the vibrant hues he normally maintained it. Maybe it looked a little classier. Eh.

"So you ready to go?" He asked, still looking at her with a goofy grin on his face and cocked eyebrows, a silly expression she'd probably recognize from the first few dates they had back in Hogwarts. Teddy never was good at the whole "formal" thing, and more often than not their dates would turn into adventures would turn into them forgetting they had a curfew. Well, they didn't have a curfew now, and Teddy was still bad at the "formal" thing. He had no idea what they'd end up doing tonight.

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

Date night meant hours, or one hour if she was lucky with a three-year-old running around, of getting ready for the event. To her, it meant that she had to pull out that black dress she kept in the back of their closet and get dressed up for the time. She didn't mind, really. She loved getting dressed up. It was getting harder to find times to get dressed up when they had a daughter and dates became more coffee dates and the like. Sometimes they just stopped after work while Olivia was still being watched by her family so that they could see each other alone and share a kiss that Olivia wouldn't react to. But dressing up was a big deal when she had the chance.

Now, their restaurant choice wasn't too horribly fancy. Victoire was far too picky for that, let alone the price that couldn't be afforded on the salary of two normal people. But she preferred less fancy places where you could still dress up and get food she would eat for a decent price. After dinner, they would do whatever came to them. Something usually did, anyway. They were still a couple in their twenties. They did have the ability to think of some fun things to do after a date and before they went home to their flat for the night.

The knock on the door came to tell her that her mother or father was here to pick up her daughter who was still running around, even if it was already later than she should be up and about so much. Whenever she knew that she was going to her grandparents or another relative's house, Olivia never seemed to be able to turn off. Oh well, she would be out of her hair for the night as soon as her mother took her off to their house for the night. They spoiled the girl silly and let her stay up much later than Victoire and Teddy usually did. It would be nice to let Livvy have a night off too, she decided. That was what the time with her family was for. They liked spoiling the little girl whenever they got the chance to do just that.

"Coming!" she yelled out of the door before she checked her mirror another time. Her hair seemed to be in place. Her dress looked all right in her reflection. Her heels were high enough to bring her up to his height without being too tall. Everything seemed to pass the mirror best before she stepped outside of their door. She went down the hall and greeted her mother with a kiss on each of her cheeks and rapid French to catch up on what had happened since they had spoken last. Teddy went back to get Olivia before she had a chance to see him very much since she had hidden herself in their room in order to get ready for their night out.

She had shut herself in the room to take a warm bath and get ready for the night. She fixed her hair and got dressed and finished her make up with the door closed so that both of the people in her house would know not to disturb her when she was in the middle of something she found very important. Olivia had learned early not to bother her mother when she was trying to fix make up or her hair. Her mother was not in the best mood when something bothered her getting ready processes, even if it was her adorable little girl.

Victoire kissed her mother again and mumbled a good bye. The words were barely out of her mouth when she had her own daughter wishing her a good night. Vic smiled and bent down to meet her daughter's small arms that were reaching up for her. "Bon soir, Olivia," she whispered before the little girl's attention was brought back to her father. Victoire ruffled her hair before she could leave for the night. Then she held her own mother's hand and was gone until the next morning when she went to pick her up.

Not soon after their daughter had left, Teddy turned to her with a compliment already on his mind. He stepped forward to kiss her, and Victoire tilted her chin up to return his brief kiss. His hair was not the usual bright color but a dark brown that no one on the street would think was odd. It was only her that found it strange that he wasn't with some other color on the top of his head like usual. It was different, just like the dress she had on now. She didn't dress up often. She came home and put on jeans after being in awful healer robes all day. She didn't want Teddy seeing her in those awful things anymore than he had to.

Victoire noticed the familiar grin and pulled his face closer to hers teasingly. "Ready to go," she answered with another grin that looked much more controlled than the one he was flashing. She didn't know everything that they would be doing tonight, but so far it seemed like a good night. Dinner and then they would have a few hours to mess around however they saw fit. They would probably stay out in the city and find something to do that they hadn't before. It was a big city. There was a lot to do out there.

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

Teddy laughed as Victoire pulled his head closer to hers, teasingly pecking her on the lips again before breaking away grab his wand off the counter in the kitchen. He stuffed it quickly into the back pocket of his jeans and returned to where his gorgeous girlfriend stood waiting to leave. Teddy took a moment to look at her, his heart leaping into his throat embarrassingly for a second before he forced it down again. His gaze shifted to the ground for a second, that inexplicably powerful emotion knocking him a bit off guard. He stepped forward quickly and took hold of Vic's hand, smiling at her quickly and muttering "Let's go." Oh for the love of - was he blushing?

Teddy quickly morphed away the color that rose stupidly to his cheeks, keeping his head down until he felt it was safe to look at his incredibly amazing girlfriend again without reacting like some dopey teeny bopper with a crush. He locked the door behind them and slipped the Muggle key into his pocket. It felt like a useless precaution, really, because what was a silly little locked door going to do against a witch or wizard? But whatever, it was habit by now. And some really seedy people lived in London, and Teddy was taking no chances with them.

The two of them made it to the lobby of their flat building and out into the night, a bitingly cold wind snapping at their backs and sending hair flying. Luckily Teddy has cropped his a little shorter for the occasion, and he wasn't eating it like he would have been had he kept it its normal length. Then again, there was the downside that now his neck was incredibly cold, not to mention the hands he had forgotten to cover with gloves. With a shiver to tucked his free hand into his coat pocket, laced his fingers with Vic's... and then shoved that hand (and heres) into his pocket as well. Crimeny it was cold out.

"Crimeny, it's cold out," he said out loud, voicing his thoughts. Like she didn't already know it was cold? Teddy flashed his eyes skyward at his obvious stupidity, but continued on in the direction of the restaurant. Happily, it was within walking distance from their flat, but that didn't mean they couldn't pick up the pace a little. The biting wind made the hair on the back of Teddy's head stand up, and that was a whole new kind of cold that was completely uncalled for. Ever have your scalp freeze?

They fell into step easily. Living together for over three years and dating for longer, being as close as they were - it was easy. Teddy didn't even have to think about some of that stuff anymore it was so automatic; early morning routines before work had Teddy taking his shower when Vic would Olivia up, only to switch when he got out for him to make breakfast for their daughter while Vic took her bath. After that was maneuvering effortlessly through the kitchen, Teddy reaching into the cabinet over Vic's head while she was busy making coffee, pulling down tea bags for himself. That kind of stuff. They hadn't really gotten to the point where they'd finish each other's sentences, but then he wasn't sure how he'd feel about that. That's pretty damn weird.

So for now, he was pretty content with where they were.

"Are you warm enough?" He asked after voicing his opinion on the state of the weather (what with it being cold, dur), the previous thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant. Not that Teddy was exactly in the position to be offering Vic his coat if she was cold - being the genius he was he'd left their flat with only skeleton hand print hoodie to keep away the cold. He knew he would have offered it to her anyway, but he was still rather hoping she'd say she was fine enough to get to the restaurant. His shoulders were pulled protectively forward, elbows glued to his sides, hood up over his windswept hair and fingers tightening comfortably around Vic's. Again, with the cold. But they were almost there now anyway.

A formidable gust blew from the other direction just then, making the loose spaces on their close press back, and Teddy's hood fly off his head. He squinted into the snow that spiraled angrily in their eyes and by god he wasn't going to go one more step in these conditions. Teddy quickly steered them into an alcove of a department store's entrance, pulling Vic to his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her. He looked down to see her cheeks rosy with cold and probably matching his own. But on her... How could she manage to make it look so lovely? It was like her skin had gone paler except for the color on her cheeks bones, her eyes were clear and bright, her hair flecked with flakes that made it glitter.

How had he been lucky enough to be worth of her?

And why the hell was he thinking so seriously tonight? It was supposed to be a night for having dinner with his girlfriend and probably doing something stupid and useless afterwards. It wasn't supposed to be a night for thinking poetic thoughts and getting choked up over how beautiful she looked when the clouds broke to let the moonlight shine on her skin and hair like that... Or the way she looked up at him with those big, blue eyes... Or how the wind ripped at her lips and made them the same shade of red they got after he kissed her...

His grip loosened as the wind died down, his head lolling back to rest on the stone of the building's alcove. C'mon now, he scolded himself, staring up at the lights that illuminated the store's entrance way. Lighten up. Stupid, hopelessly romantic thoughts, ugh. Teddy closed his eyes for a second and shook his head. Waaay too serious... Lighten up... You'll freak Vic out...

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

Victoire checked her bag a final time to make sure that she had everything she needed packed away, especially her wand if something called for it. As a trained witch, it was more than a habit to always make sure that she had it with her. Teddy grabbed his from the place he left it in the kitchen and stepped forward to take her hand in his. It felt warm against her cooler one. “Sure,” she replied with a small grin as they slipped out of their front door and Teddy locked it behind them. The muggle custom had turned into one of theirs where both of them locked the door whenever they left for whatever reason. She knew that the biggest threats wouldn’t be kept out, but it was something that made her feel safer somehow.

The first that she noticed once they were outside was the sudden and biting cold of the night. She hadn’t thought about it when she got ready. She would have brought something for her bare arms if she had realized it. She had forgotten what the December air could do at night. She had even made sure that Olivia left with enough to keep her warm in a blizzard. Teddy had gripped her hand and slipped it into his pocket, but that didn’t keep her from shivering against the cold and wind around her. He had been the smarter one in dealing with the weather, it seemed, even if Olivia would never have been able to walk out of the house in just a sweatshirt in December. She would never let her wear something so thin if she was going out with her parents for anything.

“Yeah,” she breathed out and could see her breath puff out in front of her in a cloud. “Freezing.” She pulled herself tighter to him against the cold without interrupting his steps. After living with each other for so long, it wasn’t hard for her to slip into step with him and keep herself from getting in his way. She needed to get closer to him, though, or she would freeze before she got to the restaurant. His hand was warmer than hers when she had touched it, so maybe that meant that he was warmer than she was now. She shivered involuntarily at a new gust of wind. They needed to get to that place soon or she wouldn’t be able to walk from the cold.

“Not at all,” she answered him quickly with another shiver. “I just hope it’s close.” Now she was in the mood for a warm restaurant and warm food and maybe some warm cake to finish off her meal. She was going to order coffee or something so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the cold of the ice in her drink. Maybe a butterbeer would warm her up nicely. She was not going to order anything in that place that could be served cold. She was already cold to her bones. She did not need any more help in that department. Yes, steaming food with a nice hot chocolate and some soup sounded like just the thing to make her warm on a horrible day like this. These days reminded her of her mother and the endless complaints about moving back to France where there wasn’t such “’orrible weather” all of the time.

Victoire felt her bare skin, especially her cheeks, burn at the cold when another large bout of wind pushed against them. She tried to push on through it to get them to the restaurant faster so that she could have the meal she had been thinking about for the past few minutes of silence to keep her from shivering from the intense cold around her. Teddy pulled her along with him, though, and into a place for shelter from the harsh winds. He hugged her tightly, and she curled up in his arms to keep herself warm. Victoire looked up at him with a small smile and shrug before she ducked her head to curl up and keep herself warmer. This was better than walking straight through the wind. It was not getting them anywhere faster, though, so they would have to keep moving so she did not freeze before she got there.

Teddy’s head fell back against the stones, and she rested her head against his chest comfortably. The wind’s howling seemed to calm down, and Victoire tugged on his hand that was connected with hers lightly. “Come on, Teddy, or we’ll never get there.” Victoire nodded and pulled away from the warmth of his arms to tug him along with her as she left the shelter that the store provided and went back onto the sidewalk. Now she could see the place in front of her just a few more store fronts away. She tugged on her boyfriend’s hand and slipped through the doors thankfully. Warmth. “Two,” she said with a smile to the hostess who looked past her to see her boyfriend before turning and leading them to a booth in the back. Victoire slide into a seat across from him and took his hand under the table.

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

His eyes snapped open when Teddy felt a small tug at his hand, and he looked down to see a shivering Victoire peering up at him and urging him to get to the restaurant. They were close, anyway, but that gust of wind had nearly knocked his teeth out. He could only imagine what Vic in her dress must be feeling.

She led him quickly past the last few store fronts, the cold and wind making it difficult for conversation and frankly not worth expending the energy. He figured by the time they finally got inside and sat down, the first few minutes would be them catching their breath and trying to remember what their fingers and toes felt like. Sure, they might've taken a cab or some other convenience but they were fighters. Or, you know, just not thinking. As per usual.

Immediately upon entering the restaurant a hush fell over them, the howling wind outside blanketed by the stuffy and comfortable atmosphere that was quiet conversation, warm food and a powerful furnace. Thank the powers that be for indoor climate control. A shiver stole through him making his eyes close involuntarily and his shoulders twitch a little, like he was shaking the cold off him. Teddy smiled politely at the hostess as she looked at the pair of them like they were indisputable freaks/idiots for trekking down the streets with no proper jackets, but Vic's voice snapped her attention to her instead, and they were quickly found a table.

Fixing his hood to lay flatter on his back as they walked to the table, Teddy was feeling a bit conspicuous. Which was weird, because he looked perfectly normal for a change. He wasn't sporting his common brilliant shade of blue (or green or violet or pink) hair, his eyes were brown and boring, his height not uncommon. So why exactly did he suddenly feel like he the most obvious person in the room?

Teddy took a seat and Vic reached out her hand to hold his under the table. He felt his cheeks go warm and on first reaction thought it was just his skin trying to adjust to the temperature of the room - like wind burn. But putting a hand to his face didn't hurt like wind burn would have, so Teddy was forced to make the embarrassing conclusion that he was blushing. For the second time in a span or less than ten minutes.

Diverting his eyes momentarily, Teddy took advantage of time the waitress came over to hand out menus, pour water and explain that night's special to surreptitiously morph to his normal coloring (again) and to force down any over the top feelings of affection surging through him for the woman sitting with him at the table. He wasn't going to examine these feelings, analyze them, pick them apart, anything. He wasn't going to wonder why all of a sudden he was going batty, and sentimental and soft. It was just Vic. They were just having dinner. There was no need to his heart to start racing like it was.

By the time the waitress left Teddy had regained his composure and pulled a menu toward him. He untangled his fingers from Vic's to thumb through the pages of regular entrees until he got to special section most restaurants reserved for "dieters", "vegetarians", or those who were tying to be "heart healthy" or whatever rubbish they wanted to call it. Teddy just liked the healthy stuff better. No diet or whatever. Anyway.

"So leaving without coats was probably a bad idea," Teddy said as he eyed the menu. He looked up and shrugged at her, finally dismissing the menu and leaning his chin in his palm. Snaking his hand across the table, he plucked at her palm and started playing with her fingers while he spoke. "And your dad was worried we weren't responsible enough to take care of a kid." Teddy joked as another shiver went through him.

Alright, this was good. He was acting completely normal again, no racing pulse, no blushing cheeks, no flowery thoughts about his girlfriend. Joking. Joking was good. He could do that. But maybe that's why he was feeling so obvious before? Vic wouldn't suspect anything weird, right? And he was fine now anyway, so no worries. Heh.

But Godric what he wouldn't give to stop feeling like a hormonal teenager back at Hogwarts.

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

Teddy let go of her hand to look through his menu for something to eat, so she did the same and opened the menu the waitress had laid out at her place at the table. It was all pretty standard at a place like this. They weren't into anything terribly fancy or special. She just had to find what she was in the mood for tonight. She looked through the regular courses to find something she wanted to eat, skipping the section she was sure Teddy would turn straight to. Eating out was never her time to be healthy. She saved that for snacks late at night or when she was at home and needed something to eat. Eating out was a time to treat herself to something that would never be on the health menu.

Victoire looked up at him and laid her menu down on the table while it was open to the page with the selection that she wanted to order. Teddy cast his aside, and Victoire assumed that he had found something that he wanted to eat when the waitress came around to take an order from them. He took her hand and started to play with her fingers, earning a smile from her. Nights like this were nice like that. Olivia was safe and off with her grandparents who would spoil her silly until they got home to pick her up. They could just relax and talk without worrying about much of anything really.

"Probably," she answered, the smile not leaving her face as his hand continued to mess with hers. "It's freezing." Just as she said it, she could feel another shiver come through her as if a sudden gust of wind had just blown through the place. They weren't close to the door, though, so that probably wasn't the case. "I don't know where he would get the idea." Victoire rolled her eyes and shared another smile with him across the table.

There. Everything was just as it usually was. The waitress came over quickly and took their orders with a nod and promise that they would be out soon. As expected, Teddy had found something that was most likely made for people who actually needed to eat healthy things. Victoire squeezed his hand gently and smiled over at him once the waitress left to take their order back to the kitchen. They had dinner and then had to find something to do until it was time to pick up Olivia to tuck her in and put her to bed like they did every night.

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

Teddy smiled back at her when she laughed, appreciating for what felt like the first time how her eyes lit up when she was joking. He'd seen it before, of course, either while she was with him, or when talking with Fo or Livvie or her family. But this night was going screwy anyhow, and the relative normality of a moment ago vanished at another chuckle from across the table. Teddy had to look away for a moment for fear he'd lean over and kiss her embarrassingly right there at the table. It was like he could physically feel his lips missing the feel of hers.

Keep it together, man.

The waitress returned after a few minutes of idle talk between the two of them, and Teddy rattled off his order after Victoire had given hers. He knew she liked to get something a little fancier than what they normally get, whereas Ted didn't care much either way. The waitress nodded and left to run their orders to the kitchen, and again the two were alone.

Teddy didn't trust himself to start the conversation. The way he'd been acting this evening had given him reason to suspect his voice was not to be trusted and would probably crack like a pubescent teenager's. Instead he dipped the hand not holding Vic's into the pocket of his hoodie and was suddenly hard put not to show the shock that leapt to his throat.

It was still in his pocket. Still in his pocket, sitting demurely in a black box on a little cushion, silver and diamond against a backdrop of black velvet.

It was an engagement ring.

Teddy's eyes flashed the color of lightning for a moment, an uncontrollable event that portrayed his shock and nerves... He thought he'd ended up keeping the ring in his bedside table. Last night, when they'd decided to go out to dinner... No. He had to start earlier than that.

It was a couple weeks ago, actually, when everything started falling into place. Years had passed and still Teddy found himself holding a grudge against Harry, anger and guilt and a feeling of ungratefulness washing over him with every day that passed. He kept it to himself, though, wishing not to inflict his own petty, self-absorbed feelings on others. He didn't want to worry anyone, especially Vic... The girl he had wanted to marry ever since the day he graduated from Hogwarts. It was stupid and romantic, he supposed, but he didn't want her to be upset that he was upset.

And had he acted differently, maturely, bravely... He would never have made her wait for him so long. If he'd just stopped acting like a self-pitying jerk, he could have told Harry about what was bothering him sooner, dropped his emotional baggage ages ago and moved on. But that was the problem... At first, he didn't want to. Because that would mean losing what little he had left of his parents... Of his father.

Teddy had talked to Harry, though, and settled within himself the discontent he'd carried since he was little. Harry, for his part, was shocked Teddy had begrudged him for so long, and understandably so. He hadn't ever told anyone, which ended up being a mistake that followed him through his life. Because of it, he wasn't emotionally ready to propose to his girlfriend of nearly eight years, and the mother of his kid to boot. No, it turned out his little pity-party was selfish, and only hurting himself. So he changed it. And now he was free.

So it was yesterday night, when they decided to head out the next evening (this evening) that the wheels in Teddy's head began to spin. After Vic had gone to bed, Teddy sat out in the living room, debating whether or not to pop the question. He thought he'd finally decided it would be too corny to ask her over dinner, and he thought he had stashed the ring back in his dresser drawer. But apparently his heart had waited long enough, and it demanded tonight be the night. Now that he was free from any kind of regret, he was ready to ask.

Except for his nerves.

It should've been easy, really. He wanted so badly to ask her and for to say yes. He wanted her to have the dream wedding she'd been gushing about since they were young together, and he wanted everything to have happened the way they'd planned. But his own selfishness and their combined irresponsibility had landed them in a situation that ended up being ok, but took a while to get that way.

Back in the present world, Teddy took his hand out of his pocket again and fisted it on the table. He thought he'd gotten over the tidal wave of emotion, but that electric shock from the tiny box in his pocket had stirred up all kinds of thought and feelings, and still Teddy was silent. He looked down at their hands, their fingers entwined comfortably, familiarly. Like the spaces between their fingers were made to just the right fit for the other's to go. He rubbed his thumb gently over her skin, his mind filling the brief silence with the thought that he loved every little thing about her, from first to last.

He bit his lip realization... Tonight was the night.

And he still hadn't said a word.

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

With Teddy it was easy to talk on about things that didn't really matter. She just needed something to talk about to keep their conversation going. There were lots of topics for the two of them, though, so she prattled on, leaving openings in the conversation if he wanted to add something or change the subject. He could be updated on what was going on at work. She told him Livvy's newest French phrases, and she explained what some of the things she would be saying meant. She could talk about everything they needed to do on a day that they didn't feel like using as nothing more than a fun night out. She thought out loud about something they could do before they went to go pick up Olivia from her grandparents before it got too late for her bedtime. London was a big city, and it was a fun one too. There had to be something that could keep them laughing for an hour or so before Olivia would be yawning and waiting up for her parents to take her home and read her a story before bed.

The food came reasonably soon after they gave their order. It was a nice thing about the place. The food didn't take ages to come out on their plates. Victoire grinned over at Teddy and started her meal, keeping their steady stream of conversation up. Unlike awkward first dates, they had been on enough of them to know that they could talk for hours to each other about nothing. True, he wasn't saying much, but Victoire took his pauses to add something she found witty or clever to the conversation. He seemed to be enjoying him, so she assumed that he was just feeling quiet tonight. He would tell her if something was wrong, wouldn't he? Besides, what could be wrong? Olivia was taken care of. She hadn't said much about the status of his dress. There wasn't anything to worry about.

The meal passed by quickly enough. Victoire didn't ask for dessert and let Teddy leave the paid check on the table. They left as easily as they had come. The sun was already far gone and set when they went out, though, so some of the wind was gone but the cold was still more biting than she was really okay with. Victoire held herself close to Teddy and slipped under his hoodie to try to keep herself warm. Her arms went around his waist to keep it around the both of them while she tried to find them somewhere for warmth. It was hard to think about finding things to do when she was so cold. She squeezed Teddy as if that would warm her somehow and slipped her cold fingers in his pocket as a way of making them warmer. They could go inside first. Anywhere warm seemed like a good idea at the moment to her.

"Teddy, I know it's not very romantic or anything," she said suddenly, looking across the street to the only warm building she could find at the moment. "But we should go across to the store over there. My fingers are freezing." Victoire moved to grip his hand and pulled him toward the small store. It had a small heater running to make the place better than the biting cold outside. She lead him down an aisle so that they would look like they were doing something besides just getting warm. She pulled herself close to his side and looked over the shelves boredly. The heater was getting to her enough to start warming her up. At least she was feeling slightly better. But then the idea of what they could do dawned on her as she entered another aisle. "Teddy. Look what we could do..." she whispered as she tugged him over to a display of different colors of spray paint and other kinds of paint. She grinned over at him with a wink. "What do you say?"

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

I could just do it now, Teddy kept insisting in his head while Vic chatted away happily, the tone of her voice making him smile. No, not now, don't be daft, the other half of his brain would then take over, arguing that a ring over dinner would be far too cheesy. Vic probably wouldn't appreciate that.

"Mhm," Teddy murmured, making all the right gestures in all the right pauses of her conversation, occasionally contributing a tidbit or two when he was able to concentrate on her words, but mostly lost in his own deliberations. He was listening, to be sure, laughing with her and smiling, talking, acting like they normally would. But he was quieter now, lost in his head, trying to decide exactly when was the right time to ask her.

At one point in the conversation, Teddy had felt there be a shift in tone that practically prompted him to man up and ask. But the pause was only long enough for Teddy to reach into his pocket and find that his hands were shaking so that he nearly dropped the small box, and the moment was gone. He cursed himself inwardly but smiled when the mood changed again, happy to just see Vic so happy.

The food came and was picked up promptly after they'd finished, and for a while longer they sat there and talked more. Things began to wind down, however, and maybe... Maybe now?

"Victoire, I..." Teddy started after a few beats into a pause in their conversation, but the heart-breakingly beautiful look of curiosity she turned on him made him practically choke on his tongue, so that all he managed to squeak out after that was "think we should go." She nodded and Teddy paid the check, and together the two of them left.

One in significantly more turmoil than the other.

Alright, so dinner hadn't been the time to ask her. But tonight, he knew. Tonight, Teddy would ask his girlfriend to marry him, and... well, Teddy really couldn't think very far beyond that. Though if he'd taken the time to think thing through rationally, he might've come to the conclusion that Vic had been living with him for three years, had had his child and was still, you know, sticking around. Put simply she loved him, and he loved her beyond anything he could ever put into words. He really shouldn't have been so nervous.

The touch of icy hands at his waist brought him out of his reverie, and Teddy looked down the inches he had on Victoire to see her burrowing under his hoodie to get warm. Teddy smiled, his heart bursting to see her do this, so automatic a reaction for her. Teddy wrapped his coat around her as best he could, then slung one arm over shoulder and the other across her front to help keep her warmer. Wouldn't they look quite the pair? Together, latched on to each other they navigated the sidewalk, falling easily in step.

He felt her perk up for a moment. "Teddy, I know it's not very romantic or anything, but we should go across to the store over there. My fingers are freezing." Teddy looked across the street to where she was indicating. A hardware store? "Alright," he agreed simply, not really caring what kind of shop it was, so long as there was a heater inside.

Bless the powers that be, there was. Vic led them down an aisle and detached herself from his waist, but he grabbed her fingers between his own and rubbed them absently to warm them while they pretended to look for something. She tugged his hands then and pointed out the cans of spray paint... and suddenly the careful look on his face was replaced by a grin she'd recognize from their Hogwarts days.

Teddy lifted a can of black spray paint and glanced over the label, his flashing happily for a moment. "I say yes," he said immediately, grabbing a can of red as well. "There's an abandoned place not far from here," Teddy said then dropped his voice to a murmur, "and we could always just apparate if we're careful. Be quicker."

At the look of confirmation on Vic's face, Teddy grinned at her again, instructed her to pick out the colors she wanted and then trekked the loot up the checkout counter and paid. The clerk knew as if he knew exactly what they were up to but didn't say anything, and moment later they were out the door, plus one bag of clanking spray paint cans.

***

Teddy stepped easily through the door he'd magicked open, closing it behind Victoire and looking the place up and down, thankful for the moment's distraction - it had stopped his hands from shaking. They'd done some stupid stuff before, and vandalism wasn't a new adventure for them, but one right in the heart of the city was, and that was exciting. A couple of concealing charms later and the two were in business, shaking their spray cans and feeling that rush of excitement that came with breaking rules. It was like they were addicted to that feeling, sometimes. And that feeling could get them into a lot of trouble. Life-changing trouble.

It had before, anyway.

He saw Vic shiver and immediately stopped and took off his hoodie. "C'mere," he said softly, and fed her arms through the sleeves, reaching around her from the back to zip it up for her. His hoodie was big on her, the sleeves too long and hanging down at least to her thighs, but Godric if she wasn't adorable. Teddy grinned at her. "It's perfect on you," he laughed, twirling his finger as if indicating for her to spin around and model it for him. Ah. It was love.

Yet soon the pull of spray paint had Teddy and he was marking walls and ceilings, floors, windows, old furniture - anything that was still in the building. Soon things were getting wild, the two of them running and screaming and laughing all over the place, tagging each other as much as they were tagging the walls. They even cast a spell over a few of their tags to make them move. Some how he didn't think the ministry would approve if they found out.

Found out?

What if Vic found out?

...The ring!

It was still in the pocket of his hoodie! Teddy stopped mid-stroke when he'd finally noticed Vic had gone silent. He froze, his heart hammering wildly against his ribs, pounding so hard it was painful. He turned around, black spray can still in hand, eyes flashing yellow in anticipation.

There was Vic, standing in the middle of the room, wearing a hoodie much too big for her, covered in red and black paint. There she was, in her pretty heels and her elegant dress, looking beautiful despite the rag-tag sweatshirt of his she wore over her clothers. There she was, her skin pale in the moonlight, a sort of glow around her that had Teddy's blood pumping fast.

There she was, holding a small black box in her hand.

"Victoire..." Teddy's voice was a whisper, his heart caught in his throat and his lungs struggling for air. He stepped closer to her, his eyes fixed on hers as they gazed down at the open black box, and in the edges of his vision he saw the ring nestled in velvet winking in the moonlight.

Now, Teddy.

Now.

"Victoire," he said again, standing so close now that he wrapped his arms around her. The pounding of his heart slowed and his nerves dissipated. This felt right. This felt so right. What better way could he have thought of to ask his girlfriend, his best friend, to marry him? Here they were, doing the same stupid things they always did, and having a blast doing it. It was like it had always been for them. And he never wanted that to change.

He could never want anything else.

"Will you marry me?"

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

Breaking the rules had always been a secret interest that Victoire tried her best to keep her parents and family from knowing about. She loved the rush that came with doing something she knew she wasn't supposed to. She dated around before her father was ready for his little girl to even think about boys in any way other than icky. She kissed Teddy in the middle of a platform before going off to her seventh year, even though she knew her family knew little of their relationship. She snuck out of the castle in school to go to the Three Broomsticks on days she wasn't supposed to. Victoire loved breaking the rules. Now was no exception. The same rush from when she was sixteen came again when she grabbed a can of spray paint and started marking the building.

She was still twenty one years old, even if she was a mother and lived with her boyfriend. She was still young enough to want to have fun like this. Truthfully, she would probably like things like this when she was eighty. She liked going out on dates, even if they were a little beyond the dinner and small talk. Victoire liked getting out of the house and acting like she was seventeen again, even if she had Olivia when she went home and a job in the morning.

So Vic couldn't help but laugh while she sprayed her name across the wall and connected it to Teddy's. She couldn't help laughing when he sprayed her back and she just had to spray him back. She even laughed a bit when he pulled her close to slip the too big sweatshirt over her dress. Victoire turned her head to kiss him in thanks and went right back to painting the walls and spraying Teddy when he wasn't suspecting it.

Victoire shook her can again and realized that it was starting to run low on paint. She felt a shiver pass through her. She must not have been noticing the cold when she was running around and having fun. The shiver went through her again, and she slipped her hands into his pockets to keep her fingers warm once she dropped the empty can. Her fingers curled up inside to keep warm and felt something in the pocket. That was odd. Victoire knitted her brow and pulled the box from her pocket.

Well, that was very odd.

Victoire froze, and not being the wind had picked up. Now a new kind of warmth was going through her. It started at her toes and seemed to work all the way up into her fingertips. They shook a bit when she opened the box. He could probably hear her heart thumping in her chest from wherever he was in the room. She let out an audible gasp when she opened the box to find a flash of diamond sparkling against the moonlight that had started to come in through the dirty windows. This was... it couldn't be anything other than an engagement ring. Teddy was going to ask her to...

Victoire made to turn around to see him. She didn't know what she would say to him, but she couldn't let this go unnoticed! Before she had the chance to turn around, however, a set of arms went around her. She knew those arms. She knew this. Somehow, she knew what was going on, but she couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She could barely think. She heard her name and the question came right after. Did he really think she could put together a normal person's sentence?

Victoire turned in his arms with the ring still twinkling between them. "Teddy, I..." Victoire smiled widely and nodded her head quickly, holding the ring in both hands and close to her chest. "Yeah," she started quietly. "Yes, of course, oui, si, however the hell you want me to say it. Yes!" Victoire leaned onto her toes quickly and moved her arms around him to kiss him. She could practically hear the fluttering in her heart when she kissed him while holding his ring in the hand behind his head.