FICLET: I See You (James/Teddy)
Mar. 15th, 2008 06:04 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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rarepair_shorts
Title: I See You
Pairing: James/Teddy
Prompt: prism perfect
Rating: PG
Word Count: 707
Summary: James lends his insight on Teddy and Victoire's hopeless relationship.
Link to Prompt Table: (table!) (3/13)
Pairing: James/Teddy
Prompt: prism perfect
Rating: PG
Word Count: 707
Summary: James lends his insight on Teddy and Victoire's hopeless relationship.
Link to Prompt Table: (table!) (3/13)
James didn't know why Victoire bothered to drag Teddy into the kitchen when her shouting could be heard throughout the house. If James had bothered to listen, he could’ve heard every word. But that would serve no purpose, except to infuriate him as Teddy let her walk all over him. He couldn't help overhearing bits, especially when his name was mentioned. The row had not seemed to be about him really, but at one point he had distinctly heard her accuse Teddy of caring about him more than he cared about her; which made him smile. Teddy calmly informed her that she was being ridiculous. James scowled. The statement had been mechanical, lacking all semblance of conviction, but it still stung.
When Teddy returned to the living room he began to gather his papers.
"Are you going somewhere… with Victoire?" James asked, trying to keep his voice level and impartial; trying not to curl his lip, and sneer as her said her name.
"No, I'm not," he replied in a tight, controlled voice. James recognized the tone as the closest Teddy ever came to anger. "But I am heading home. I probably won't be decent company in the mood I'm in."
"Well, you shouldn’t be angsting over it alone."
"I don't really want to talk about it," he said quietly.
"You don't have to."
Teddy took a breath and stated in a voice completely devoid of emotion, "She's probably going to leave me. When she gets back from France."
"She's going to France?" James asked stupidly, as if that was the interesting part. France. Excellent, he thought, though still not far enough.
"That was what she wanted to... er... talk to me about. You see,” Teddy took another deep breath, and in that one breath rattled off, “she'd asked me to go with her family to France for Christmas. I’d told her ‘no’ and that I had to work. But when her father mentioned in passing that he'd seen me over here, she reckoned that I was making excuses not see her. She worries that she's not a priority for me." He paused for a breath, and then rationalized without being criticized, "You know, things weren't always like this. We used to be happy. For the first two years…"
James just nodded. He'd never heard such a rant out of the reserved man of few words.
Once a few moments had passed, and Teddy seemed to have calmed down a bit, James decided to speak. "Why don't you leave her?"
Teddy looked at him as if he was speaking another language.
"Neither of you are happy. Your apathy, or willingness to go down with this sinking ship, and her determination to have a fairy tale ending are the only things holding you together. It's not exactly a recipe for everlasting love."
Teddy snorted. He was amused, not angry. So far, so good.
James knew that he'd already crossed into questionable territory in lending his opinion on one of very few subjects that they never touched. In his eagerness, and now that the floodgates were opened, he couldn't resist elaborating. "She doesn't really see you, you know. You’re like a prism in her eyes. All surface. No light in and of yourself, but she shines more spectacularly through you."
"Have you... er... thought about this a lot?" Teddy asked, surprised by his insightful and surprisingly poetic commentary on the subject. When James didn't answer, Teddy looked down and quietly suggested, "Maybe I should be thankful to have someone like her want to radiate through me. Maybe I am supposed to be a prism. Maybe... maybe there's nothing to see here." He smiled weakly to diffuse some of the awkwardness of his self-depreciation.
"I see you," James hastily declared.
They both blushed. This was another matter that they did not discuss openly. James wondered whether he had gone too far. He didn’t want to scare Teddy away.
“Please stay,” James softly insisted. “We don’t have to talk about any of this. We could… er… watch a movie?”
Teddy chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, but ultimately conceded. He returned his paperwork to the coffee table, and took a seat on the couch. “That sounds all right. Nice and mind-numbing.”
When Teddy returned to the living room he began to gather his papers.
"Are you going somewhere… with Victoire?" James asked, trying to keep his voice level and impartial; trying not to curl his lip, and sneer as her said her name.
"No, I'm not," he replied in a tight, controlled voice. James recognized the tone as the closest Teddy ever came to anger. "But I am heading home. I probably won't be decent company in the mood I'm in."
"Well, you shouldn’t be angsting over it alone."
"I don't really want to talk about it," he said quietly.
"You don't have to."
Teddy took a breath and stated in a voice completely devoid of emotion, "She's probably going to leave me. When she gets back from France."
"She's going to France?" James asked stupidly, as if that was the interesting part. France. Excellent, he thought, though still not far enough.
"That was what she wanted to... er... talk to me about. You see,” Teddy took another deep breath, and in that one breath rattled off, “she'd asked me to go with her family to France for Christmas. I’d told her ‘no’ and that I had to work. But when her father mentioned in passing that he'd seen me over here, she reckoned that I was making excuses not see her. She worries that she's not a priority for me." He paused for a breath, and then rationalized without being criticized, "You know, things weren't always like this. We used to be happy. For the first two years…"
James just nodded. He'd never heard such a rant out of the reserved man of few words.
Once a few moments had passed, and Teddy seemed to have calmed down a bit, James decided to speak. "Why don't you leave her?"
Teddy looked at him as if he was speaking another language.
"Neither of you are happy. Your apathy, or willingness to go down with this sinking ship, and her determination to have a fairy tale ending are the only things holding you together. It's not exactly a recipe for everlasting love."
Teddy snorted. He was amused, not angry. So far, so good.
James knew that he'd already crossed into questionable territory in lending his opinion on one of very few subjects that they never touched. In his eagerness, and now that the floodgates were opened, he couldn't resist elaborating. "She doesn't really see you, you know. You’re like a prism in her eyes. All surface. No light in and of yourself, but she shines more spectacularly through you."
"Have you... er... thought about this a lot?" Teddy asked, surprised by his insightful and surprisingly poetic commentary on the subject. When James didn't answer, Teddy looked down and quietly suggested, "Maybe I should be thankful to have someone like her want to radiate through me. Maybe I am supposed to be a prism. Maybe... maybe there's nothing to see here." He smiled weakly to diffuse some of the awkwardness of his self-depreciation.
"I see you," James hastily declared.
They both blushed. This was another matter that they did not discuss openly. James wondered whether he had gone too far. He didn’t want to scare Teddy away.
“Please stay,” James softly insisted. “We don’t have to talk about any of this. We could… er… watch a movie?”
Teddy chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, but ultimately conceded. He returned his paperwork to the coffee table, and took a seat on the couch. “That sounds all right. Nice and mind-numbing.”
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