Second Floor Common Room, Monday Evening

[wannabe-pan.livejournal.com]

Andrew was fixing some fine food: tomato soup and grilled cheese. An American classic. There was a fairly large pot of the soup, and he had enough bread and cheese to share if anyone else was hungry.

There was also some groovy Latin jazz playing, and he was dancing about the kitchen, head bobbing and hips swaying -- sometimes in time with the music. Life was good.

[common room open as they are]

Comments

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy went still and quiet.

"My what?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That didn't help.

"One of your memories. I think. It sounded like you. It's not... memories are only as exact as the thing that remembers them. I didn't-- I was asleep."

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"What-- what did you see?" Teddy asked, looking down.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"But you are, hatchling. I will prove it..." "Mom, stand back!" "I'm still me. See, I told you I'm not a--"

And he didn't make an attempt to pretend at the voices he'd heard, but the cadence of the words, the way they were spoken, the rhythms and the pauses was exactly as it had been. Repeating was the easiest lesson he'd ever learned and it was the one he was best at.

And it was easiest to do this, to show Teddy, and not to finish the memory because he had to know what it was. He had to know the ending. And it would just be hurtful to replay that in any form.

The bruises forming on his thighs from his own digging fingers proved that.

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy's focus stayed on the ground, breathing getting harder as the seconds passed.

"I-" He didn't know what to say now.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I didn't mean to," he stressed. Not that it mattered. He'd done it anyway. Dorothy hadn't meant to kill the Witch, but she was no less dead. The Witch hadn't meant to die, but she was no less gone. Why should it matter now that it was him? Now that he'd screwed up? Again.

"I'm sorry."

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"I-- I'm sure you didn't mean to."

Still wasn't looking Liir in the eye.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I still did it," he accused himself.

And now he can barely stand-- no, he can't even stand the sight of me.

"I'll go," he said then, breathing out. "I've already eaten."

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"No." Teddy grabbed his arm. "I should go anyway. I need to get some homework done."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He looked up at Teddy, right at him.

"Is there anything I can do?"

To fix it.

To make things right.

To make Teddy better.

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine." Teddy smiled faintly. "I'll be fine."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You're not," he said flatly, "and it's my fault."

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"I'll be fine," Teddy repeated.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He nodded and stepped back.

He looked away.

And he didn't say anything else.

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Nodding to himself mostly, Teddy quickly headed for the door.

"I'll... I'll see you later, okay?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir nodded. Anything Teddy wanted.