Chapter Text
“Would you please stay?” Rebecca whispers in the darkened room, a slight chill to the air.
It’s 6 AM, and Ted can no longer bank on his jet lagged child and ex-wife remaining asleep much longer. Rebecca is still tangled up in him, her head on his chest and their legs sandwiched between each other’s.
“I’ll be back tonight,” he promises.
“But I’m going to freeze without you,” she mumbles against his neck.
“One night with me and you suddenly have no thermoregulation?” he laughs, but rubs his hand against her arm to create some warmth with the friction.
“Nope. That’s your job now,” she says, her tone teasing.
“In that case, I guess I’m under contractual obligation to give you a little somethin’ for the road,” he answers, pulling her on top of him to take her lips in his.
When Ted leaves the bed a few minutes later with a kiss to her forehead and an “I love you,” Rebecca has to admit, the little buzz of warmth on her lips and chest does help.
“Good morning, Ted,” sings a voice from the sitting room. He nearly jumps out of his skin at the unexpected sound.
Michelle rolls her head against the back of the sofa to look up at him. “You don’t need to sneak around me, you know. I’m not blind,” she says lightly, huffing out a laugh.
Ted’s heart is pounding from the surprise and a flush colors his cheeks as he scrambles for something to say that doesn’t give them away. Coming up short, he goes for damage control instead.
“We didn’t – I wasn’t,” Ted stammers, gesturing with his hands to signal no.
Michelle purses her lips and nods. “No need to provide details, Ted. I missed out on too much sex because you thought Henry was too near to not believe you,” she says, almost with a fond bitterness.
Ted’s eyes widen briefly in shock at her casual reference to their past sex life and he worries that she’s angry, that she’s trying to barb him with a backhanded comment. But her posture is relaxed and she’s smiling, and it’s not tight like the ones she gave him in the months before he moved to London.
He laughs, a little nervously still. “Right. Thank you,” he says awkwardly, clearing his throat.
Michelle doesn’t know what happened to Rebecca, but the thought of explaining it twists painfully in his gut. He treads lightly, careful not to agitate his wounds.
“It’s just – been a rough few weeks while we’ve been figurin’ this whole thing out, and we didn’t want to –” he pauses, not sure where he’d really intended to go with the sentence. Even sleep apart sounds too intimate to share, somehow.
“It’s okay, Ted. Seriously. You don’t need to tell me what’s going on, I just ask that you wait to clue Henry into… whatever it may be,” she says a bit sarcastically, like she knows the answer already.
“Yeah, yeah,” he agrees quickly. “That’s what I was aimin’ for with… the sneakin’,” he says, gesturing vaguely around him.
He’s grateful she doesn’t ask for any clarification on the status of their relationship. He’s not sure he could even describe it right now, what he’s feeling. Besides, “hey ex wife, I think I’ve finally figured out that my boss is my soulmate” doesn’t exactly roll right off the tongue.
“So… how long ya been up?” Ted asks, attempting to steer conversation in a new direction.
“Oh, just a few minutes, I actually slept very well,” she answers.
Huh. Guess the few minutes he spent unable to extricate himself from Rebecca’s arms cost him. He finds that he isn’t exactly sorry about it.
“Good ta hear that,” he says, his lips turning up easily. “Want some coffee?”
“Yes, please. I already looked at her machines and couldn’t figure out how the hell to use them,” Michelle says, perplexed.
Ted heads into the kitchen and expertly navigates Rebecca’s coffee contraptions. She never really uses them, given her affinity for tea, but they inexplicably appeared in her kitchen about six months into his time in London.
“Seems like you’re plenty familiar with mornings in Rebecca’s home,” Michelle comments, raising a brow as she accepts the cup of coffee from Ted.
“Just a known coffee enjoyer,” Ted shrugs, even though he does know the machines intimately from the amount of time he’s spent here, just not necessarily in the mornings.
Their conversation flows comfortably as more light fills the room, and Ted relaxes even more as they discuss the logistics of Henry’s increased residence in London.
“Mom, Dad! Rebecca says we can go to the Harry Potter studio today if you say it’s okay?!” comes Henry’s voice out of nowhere, followed closely by his pajama-clad form appearing in the sitting room.
“Did she now?” Ted smiles at his nearly-vibrating son.
“Yes! They even have Hagrid’s bike and Butterbeer there!” Henry exclaims.
“Beer? You’re a little young for that, buddy,” Ted says, narrowing his eyes in false concern.
“There’s no alcohol in it, Dad, come on,” Henry rolls his eyes.
“Oh! That’s right, silly ol’ Dad,” Ted smacks his forehead just as Rebecca joins them in the sitting room.
She has a full face of makeup already and her hair is pulled back into a wavy low ponytail. She’s dressed casually, wearing linen pastel pants and a form-fitting white tank top that shows off her tanned arms.
She’s stunning.
As Ted admires her, his thoughts stray a little painfully, because seeing this Rebecca only serves to remind him of just how weak and run down she’d been over the past few weeks. Still beautiful, of course, but… dimmed.
Rebecca always used to be bright, and today she’s finally glowing again. Because of them, because of him.
Ted’s heart swells and emotion prickles at his throat.
“I’m sorry, I got a tad excited about going and forgot I should’ve asked you first,” Rebecca says to both Ted and Michelle with a grimace, bringing her fingers to her temples with chagrin.
“Sounds like a fabulous idea to me. What do ya say, Michelle?” Ted asks, turning to her.
“Absolutely! But I think I’ll leave you three to it. I’d like to enjoy the sunshine today,” she says, glancing towards the window where gentle sun beams stripe the floor.
Ted gets the distinct feeling that Michelle is intentionally giving the three of them this time together, and feels surge of appreciation for her.
“You sure? You’re welcome to join,” Ted says anyway.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t know my Higglepuffs from my Hippogriffs, anyway,” Michelle waves a hand.
“Mom, it’s Hufflepuffs,” Henry corrects, aghast.
“See? I’m not worthy,” Michelle says sarcastically, and excuses herself to go get ready.
Henry and Rebecca join Ted in the kitchen as he sets about cooking up some breakfast. He revels in the simple domesticity of chattering away with his two sous chefs as he works, who don’t actually contribute much, other than company and an impressive amount of Harry Potter trivia.
At the end of a long day at the studio – both Ted and Rebecca’s camera rolls filled with photos of Henry posing with various props – the two of them crawl into bed together again, relieved to be off of their feet. They’d spent several hours there, including an extended amount of time in the gift shop, where Rebecca spoiled not only Henry but his friends back in Kansas. She’d ignored Ted’s attempts to pay, making some silly excuse about him having been temporarily unemployed.
They’d finished off the day with dinner and ice cream out in the suburbs and hurried Michelle’s food home to her. In the car, Henry had very strategically placed the ice cream carton as far away from his body as possible, saying that he would not let his body heat melt his mom’s ice cream.
It’s not lost on Ted that Henry had also insisted that Rebecca go ahead and eat her ice cream while they waited for Henry’s cone to be ready.
Ice cream melt protection is one heck of a love language.
“I didn’t know you had that much Harry Potter knowledge stored up in there,” Ted says, rather impressed, as they settle into the mattress.
Rebecca shrugs. “Nora took a strong liking to it when she was pretty young.”
“Ah. Well, whatever it is, I think you just shot way up on Henry’s favorite people list. And you were already pretty dang high up there, so I think you might have actually unlocked a brand new level,” Ted smiles, wrapping an arm around Rebecca and pulling her close.
Rebecca rolls her eyes, but a pleasant warmth fills her chest. Earning the affection of children has always come pretty naturally for her, but from Ted’s kid, it feels all the more special.
Rebecca twists in his embrace so that they’re face to face and plants a chaste kiss on his lips. “I had a really nice time with you today, Ted,” she says, resting her head back down on his chest.
“Yeah?” he asks, a smile that she can’t see bunching his cheeks so hard it hurts.
She nods. “I could get used to it. And this,” she says, snuggling tighter against him.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Ted murmurs, hauling her up on top of his body in one smooth movement.
He kisses her softly, wrapping his arms around her back and holding tightly at her waist. It's slow and loving, innocent by most standards.
But then his kisses start to come in more urgently, hands moving to cup her cheeks and scratch at her temples. When he tugs at her lower lip, Rebecca takes the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth.
She keeps herself under control, tempering any expectations for tonight, more than happy to make out for as long as he’d like.
She’s got this.
That is, until he ruts his fucking hips against hers and she can feel his arousal against her upper leg, anticipation curling dangerously in her core.
“Ted, please don’t do this to me when you can’t…” she whines breathlessly, cut off when he sucks gently at her pulse point.
“Can’t what?” he whispers into a spot just below her ear.
“Touch me,” Rebecca pants.
“Tell me what you like, darlin’,” Ted whispers, kissing her neck.
Rebecca falters for a beat, her mouth frozen halfway open. “But –” she protests, rather halfheartedly.
He shakes his head. “I’ve got you,” he says, pressing a hand against her lower back. He can’t hold back all the way anymore, knowing she wants more and the only thing stopping him from giving it to her is his crumbling, paper-thin conscience. Surely Michelle and Henry are asleep by now…
Ted leans down to kiss her, parting her lips again with his tongue.
“Here?” he breathes into her mouth, rolling her gently to her side to cup her breast. Her nipples are sharp and sensitive, bare against the silk of her pajama top. He scratches at one with his thumb, sending a shiver down her spine.
“No,” she breathes after letting herself enjoy it for a moment. Ted’s hand freezes until she adds, “lower.”
He continues kissing her as he trails his hand along her ribs under the sheets, then grips tightly around her hip. Her skin is tingling as he inches his hand closer and closer to the center of her body until it’s resting below her belly button.
He lets it linger there, the brush of his fingers almost ticklish.
“Lower,” she purrs, giving him the approval she knows he’s waiting for.
But he brings it down to her inner thigh, skipping right over her pulsing core. Rebecca whines into his mouth as he squeezes the skin right below it, tauntingly close.
Rebecca’s eyes roll into the back of her head when Ted’s hand finally cups her center, squeezing hard enough to send sparks up her spine. She sucks in a sharp breath that Ted quickly steals away with an extended kiss, his palm tightening against her.
When Ted’s hand moves a bit lower, Rebecca feels the wet press of her own arousal against her skin.
“Fuck, Rebecca,” Ted breathes when he too feels the wetness that’s leaked through her underwear and into the crotch of her pajama pants.
He moves his hand back up, slowly slipping his pinky and ring finger under both of her waistbands. He pauses there, kissing her lips and then both of her cheeks, waiting for permission.
“Please,” Rebecca whimpers, throwing her head back onto the pillow and flipping to her back to allow him more access.
Ted looks into her hooded eyes as he slides the rest of his hand under her underwear. He lands his middle finger just above her peak, then to the side, and around and round, impossibly close yet impossibly far and she can barely stand it.
The bastard is teasing her so much she has a flicker of worry that he actually isn’t teasing and just can’t find the damn thing –
But suddenly his finger lands just outside of her entrance and he pulls it up in a long, firm stroke through her middle, landing like a fucking bullseye on her clit. She gasps sharply, she can’t help it, and it’s loud enough that Ted throws his free hand over her mouth to muffle her.
“Can you be quiet for me, darlin’? Just for tonight, then I want to hear it all,” he whispers, swirling the moisture that he’s gathered from her pussy around her clit.
Rebecca licks at the fingers covering her mouth, intending to signal her assent but also forcing Ted to bite back a moan of his own.
Pleasure builds low in her belly as Ted’s hand fights against the constraint of her thong, but she doesn’t care, can’t be bothered to pause even for a second to take it and her pants off.
Ted seems to know instinctively when the direct stimulation is too much and adjusts his touch accordingly, flipping back and forth in response to each breathy sound that escapes her mouth and every involuntary twitch that her body makes.
He builds her up stunningly quickly this way, Rebecca focusing so hard on the feeling of his hand on her that she forgets to breathe.
“Steady, Rebecca, let out a breath,” he murmurs, pinching her nipple between his fingers with his elbow propped on the bed.
Her breath comes out as a whimper, and so does each one that follows as he continues circling her clit.
“Fuck, Ted, I’m so close,” she moans into his ear.
His hand leaves her nipple to return to her mouth. “Bite my hand if ya need to,” he offers as his palm brushes her lips.
Rebecca doesn’t understand the offer until her orgasm comes crashing through her a few of Ted’s motions later, so strong and intense that his hand isn’t enough to stifle the sounds coming out of her mouth. She bites down on the flesh of his palm to staunch her moans, waves of ecstasy lifting her ass off of the mattress and making her vision go white.
Ted fingers her through it as his cock pulses at the sight of her, dragging out her release for as long as possible.
As the feeling recedes, Rebecca pants heavily and blinks her vision back into focus, finding Ted taking her in with complete awe.
“You’re so beautiful, Rebecca,” he says, rubbing the pad of his thumb on her cheek.
When she reaches her hand down to the band of his sweats to return the favor, he clasps his hand around hers, halting it in place and tilting his hips away from her. She only manages to brush her fingers mid-shaft, but it’s enough that he has to grind his teeth against the feeling.
“I think we’ve played with fire enough for tonight, honey,” Ted rasps, struggling to keep his mind clear.
Rebecca droops with disappointment, her head falling back against the pillow.
“Gotta keep some things to the imagination,” he teases.
“I think my imagination has met its limit already,” she grumbles.
Ted laughs, almost dizzy with the high of finally pleasuring her. “I love you,” he says, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Now you come here,” Rebecca says after her own I love you. She turns on her side and backs up into Ted so that her back is flush against his stomach, the remnants of his erection poking at her, which she very pointedly attempts to ignore. For his sake, and hers.
Ted hums with contentment, wrapping an arm over her stomach to pull her closer. He buries his face in her hair, letting the scent of her shampoo wash over him.
“These here are some solid cuddles,” he says happily. “Though I’d like a turn as lil spoon some day.”
Rebecca nods sleepily, smiling into the pillow. Ridiculous man.
Michelle and Henry have a red eye the following evening, leaving them plenty of time to enjoy another full day in London, but the weather doesn’t exactly cooperate. It’s a rainy, blustery day that makes being outside rather miserable, the rain coming down sideways in what feels like every direction.
So the odd little bunch of four cozy up in Rebecca’s home, warming it with the fireplace and some hot cocoa.
Rebecca slyly pulls out a bottle of Bailey’s and waggles her eyebrows at Michelle in offering. Michelle gladly obliges, so Rebecca adds a healthy pour of it to her mug.
Rebecca doesn’t indulge just yet though, knowing what the evening will hold. Ted’s none the wiser but doesn’t have any Bailey’s either, insisting that “hot chocolate should be kept sacred.”
Whatever that means.
They spend the day playing various board games that Rebecca pulls out from a storage closet. She has Clue, which just so happens to be one of Henry’s favorites.
They’re three rounds in when Rebecca hazards a guess after an intense back and forth with Ted. Both of them had been hot on the trail this round, Henry and Michelle lagging behind.
“I think… it was Colonel Mustard… with the candlestick… in the ballroom.”
When nobody is able to refute her claim, she presses her lips together to suppress her satisfaction while Ted crinkles his forehead in frustration.
“No stinkin’ way you win again,” he declares as she takes a look inside of the evidence file.
“He he heeeeee,” Rebecca laughs, fanning the cards out and turning them around to prove her success.
“Gosh dangit,” Ted says, smacking his leg in disappointment.
“Dad, don’t be such a sore loser,” Henry reprimands. Michelle looks on with amusement, knowing all too well that what’s going on in front of them is flirting, but she won’t correct Henry right now.
“I’m sorry, bud, you’re right. Well played, Rebecca,” he says, patting her knee. They’ve been sidled up next to each other on the sofa with the game on the coffee table, Michelle and Henry sitting adjacent to them on the chaise.
Ted and Rebecca have been inching closer and closer to each other throughout the afternoon of games. Each brush of Rebecca’s leg against his sets his skin buzzing, as if he didn’t just have his hand down her pants last night.
But her warmth also calms him; it reaches down to his bones. He has to stop himself several times from reaching out and taking hold of her hand, hugging her, doing anything to channel the happiness he feels into something physical.
But Rebecca can see his affection anyway, in the sparkle of his eyes and in Michelle’s quiet acceptance of it.
“Is anyone hungry?” Michelle asks at the conclusion of the round. “It would be great to go out and get some good food before we’re stuck on a plane.”
“Yes, of course! Why don’t we grab a drink and some food at the Crown & Anchor?” Rebecca suggests.
“Yes! I want a Shirley Temple!” Henry eagerly approves.
“I’m sure Mae would happily make you one,” Rebecca says. “What do you say, Ted?” she asks, moving her gaze over to him.
“Oh. Uh, yeah, that’d be great,” he agrees with a smile, but his eyes are tight and his voice a bit strained.
Rebecca can’t quite put her finger on it, the reason for his hesitation, so she figures she’s imagining it, her nerves a little sensitive with excitement.
She lets it go when Ted stands from the sofa and joins Michelle and Henry in the entryway to put on their shoes and rain coats. Their suitcases and bags sit by the door, ready to go when they leave for the airport immediately following their dinner.
Michelle and Henry step outside but remain under cover while Rebecca works on her boot laces. She glances up slightly from her seat on the bench in the entryway as she ties one of the laces, her eyes landing at Ted’s hip level.
What she sees is a pair of fidgety hands, fingers tapping at the outsides of his thighs.
“Are you alright, Ted?” Rebecca asks with concern, standing up when she’s done tying her shoes.
“Me? Ho yeah, lookin’ forward to a nice crispy boy,” Ted affirms right away, but his eyes dart around nervously.
Rebecca narrows her eyes at him, suspicious. “You’re being weird,” she says, wondering if he’s figured out what she has planned. She hadn’t really considered that, that he could be nervous to face the team again –
“I’m always a lil goofy, wouldn’t ya say?” Ted asks, attempting to deflect.
“I suppose so,” Rebecca smiles, taking the bait and walking out the door. “Oh, can you grab the keys from the hook?”
“Yep,” Ted says, snagging them on his way out. The keys jangle against each other just a bit too much as he hands them to Rebecca to lock up, and she swears she can see a slight tremble in his hand.
But his lips curve into a smile and she locks the door behind them before they head out onto the Green.
Ted’s unnaturally quiet on the way over to the pub as Henry chatters away about how excited his friends are going to be that his dad is still going to be Richmond’s coach. The three adults allow Henry to dominate the conversation as they make their way across the Green during a break in the rain.
Ted hesitates when they reach the door of the Crown & Anchor, but Henry drags him inside with impressive strength anyway.
The Greyhounds greet him inside.
Roy and Jamie are holding up a very haphazardly constructed sign that reads “Thanks for not leaving.”
Passive aggressive period and all.
Dani and Isaac and Colin and several others are holding their beers up towards Ted in cheers, all of the other players smiling at him excitedly.
Rebecca watches Ted’s mouth fall open in complete surprise at the sight of his team showing up for him once again. She's overcome with gratitude that they get to do this, that they even have the opportunity to welcome him back with open arms.
“Well, I’ll be darned, fellas. What are y’all doin’ here? You’re supposed to be enjoyin’ your break!” Ted exclaims, smiling.
“You’re more important,” Jamie shrugs, many of the boys nodding in agreement.
Ted humbly bows his head at the team and pulls Jamie into a hug, looking completely tickled.
Ted continues to embrace each player individually, but Rebecca notes that his hands get shoved firmly into his khakis in between hugs. Nobody but her seems to notice that something’s off with him, something not quite right about the way his chest inflates erratically, the way his shoes tap at the floor as he greets each and every one of his boys.
Shit, Rebecca thinks. She shouldn’t have sprung the team on him like this, shouldn’t have assumed he wouldn’t want or need to announce his return on his own terms. How inconsiderate of her.
Rebecca takes in the rest of the party, knowing it’s too late to change anything. Henry has already been accepted into the fold, the boys fawning over him. Michelle anxiously watches on as Jeremy steers him over to the darts board and hands him the darts.
But Rebecca lingers by Ted, itching to pull him aside to talk to him and apologize, but she can’t find an opening within the team’s excitement to express their happiness to him.
Suddenly Keeley blooms up at her side, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you two, babe,” Keeley says quietly, voice full of sincerity.
“Thank you Keeley,” Rebecca says, rubbing her back.
“Come. Let’s get a drink to celebrate that Henry’s not kidnapped, too,” Keeley says, gripping Rebecca’s arm to pull her towards the bar.
They order their drinks: wine for Rebecca and a gin & tonic for Keeley.
“Oh, and a Shirley Temple, too, please,” Keeley adds to their order. Rebecca looks at her strangely, but Keeley’s speaking again before she notices it.
“So? How’s the sex?”
“Keeley! Time and place!” Rebecca rebukes.
“Sorry, someone’s been a bit busy, no? I’ve got to get info where I can,” Keeley says. “Though hanging with your man’s kid and his ex is certainly we’ve fucked behavior, yeah?”
Rebecca rolls her eyes and throws back a sip of wine, her clothes suddenly uncomfortably warm and itchy.
She catches Ted’s eyes staring at her from across the room, and she startles at the worry behind them. His brow is pinched and his mouth is turned down in a frown, but before she can really react, Higgins pulls him into a hug, ripping their gaze apart.
Keeley is still looking at her expectantly, so Rebecca sheds her resistance. “No, we haven’t. But we… he … did some exploring last night,” she admits, blushing.
“Fuck yeah, Ted Lasso!” Keeley squeals, clapping her hands.
“Sssshhh!” Rebecca panics, glancing around the room. “We haven’t exactly announced this to the world, Keeley.”
“Sorry, sorry!” she apologizes, lowering her voice.
Mae sets the Shirley Temple down in front of them and a devious little glint forms in Keeley’s eyes. “Let’s go teach little Henry a lesson,” she says, grabbing the drink.
Unsure what the fuck she’s on about, Rebecca blindly follows her and once again finds herself under Ted’s watchful gaze. She tries to convey a look of concern and quirks her head in questioning, but Nate pops up beside him and steals his attention away.
Worry snakes around her chest. She decides that as soon as this lesson is over, she has to get to him.
“Hey, kid, do you want this?” Keeley asks in a deep voice when they reach the darts area, holding the Shirley Temple out to Henry.
“Oh, heck yeah!” Henry says and thanks her, reaching to take the glass from her hand.
Keeley pulls the glass back towards herself, Henry’s fingertips just barely brushing it before it’s gone.
“Nope! You’ve just failed the test, Henry,” Keeley sighs, disappointment dripping from her voice.
“Huh? What test?” he asks, curling his lip in confusion.
“You shouldn’t just accept drinks from strangers just like you shouldn’t DM them on the internet!”
“But you’re not a stranger, you’re Aunt Keeley!” Henry smiles, shaking his head that she could be so silly.
Clearly, Keeley didn’t exactly think this lesson through. Rebecca smirks as she settles into a seat, watching the interaction unfold.
Keeley splutters a bit. “Well – still – it’s the internet. I could have been a poser,” Keeley retorts.
“And are you a poser right now?” Henry raises a brow incredulously, and he looks so much like Ted, the look pulls at Rebecca’s heart.
“Ugh. No. Fine. Take your Shirley, kid, and just don’t get kidnapped,” Keeley gives up, handing him the glass.
“I’ll try!” Henry shouts over his shoulder, returning to his game of darts.
“Really great teaching moment there, Keeley,” Rebecca rolls her eyes as Keeley joins her at the table.
“I think I still spooked him a little,” she shrugs, sipping at her cocktail.
Ted’s panicking.
He knew immediately with the way his body had viscerally reacted at Rebecca’s house that this would be difficult. Knew that coming to the place where he’d watched her drink herself unconscious, her face drawn and lifeless, would eat at him.
But he’d hoped that the walk over with Rebecca at his side would calm his nerves, that he would be okay once they arrived. Instead, it’s worse, each one of his senses reminding him of that night. The smell of beer and fried food, the slight gumminess of his shoes against the floor. The raucous voices of his team, the growing dampness of his palms. A drink in Rebecca’s hand.
Cold fills his veins as he attempts to focus his blurry vision on the person in front of him.
Nate.
His vision slips back out and he finds himself back at his goodbye party, distracted by Nate as he strained his neck in his search for Rebecca. The moment she slipped out. Fear dominates his senses as the memories invade, unbidden.
“Ted?” current Nate asks from far away. There’s enough concern in his voice that wasn’t there the night of his goodbye party that it pulls Ted back to present day.
A wave of clarity hits him. It’s not real, Rebecca’s fine, she’s right…
But she’s not. He can’t see her anymore.
He shuffles to the side, craning his neck.
No Rebecca.
His breath starts to come in ragged and choppy, the only thing holding him slightly tethered to reality is the familiar motion of his fingers expanding and contracting. Nails digging into fists, then fingers spreading out like claws.
He knows deep down that tonight is different, that Rebecca isn’t drunk and weighed down by grief. That even if she did leave for some reason she’s not nearly as vulnerable as she was the other night.
But it’s all too much, the circumstances so similar, that he can’t bring the buried logic up to the surface. It gets weighed down by the trauma, still so fresh and exposed, like a live wire.
He twirls around. If he could just see her –
Nate repeats his name over and over, but Ted doesn’t respond as he frantically searches for her.
“Ted?” he hears his name again. But this time it’s her voice that cuts through the depths, the sound of it akin to the feeling of coming up for air.
“Oh my god,” he chokes out, his shoulders sagging with the relief coursing through his body.
Rebecca doesn’t say anything, just scans his face, before she pulls his hand into hers and starts leading him towards the exit.
Rebecca pushes the door open, pulling Ted through it. She hunches her shoulders against the rain that’s coming down at a steady clip until she can get them both under an awning.
“Ted?” she squeezes his hand once they’re safe from the downpour. “What is it?”
He’s taking deeper breaths now, but it’s taking all of his focus and he doesn’t respond immediately.
“I’m so sorry, I should have asked if you wanted to see everyone already or if you’d have rather waited, I know this is a lot,” Rebecca begins to babble to fill the silence.
Ted shakes his head vigorously, bites out a “no, no.”
“Then what – ?” Rebecca asks, placing her other hand on his chest. His heart is fluttering a bit on the fast side, but she’s felt worse from him.
Whatever it is, he seems to be coming down from it, not up.
His voice rattles on the way out, but he finally speaks. “Bein’ back here is…” he blows out a breath. “Hard. It’s bringin’ back all sorts of memories that are scarin’ me.”
Rebecca makes a soft, pitying little sound.
“Where were you?” he asks tightly.
“Oh, Ted,” she sighs, hugging him tight. “I was – nowhere, I was – just sitting by the darts. I looked over and you looked like a fucking ghost, so I came over.”
“Oh,” Ted says, blowing out a deep breath with it.
He should feel a bit embarrassed by his overreaction, but Rebecca doesn’t give him the chance. “I’m right here, Ted. I’m safe and I’m sober and I’m happy and I love you,” she croons, still holding him tight.
Ted squeezes her back, starting to feel somewhere on the cusp of normal. It is different this time. He can actually feel it now, pick it apart and examine why.
Rebecca has been enjoying a glass of white wine, but it hasn’t been refilled at all. She’s nursing it slowly, almost like each sip is an afterthought. She’s actually enjoying everyone, instead of using them as a distraction with alcohol as her crutch.
“You don’t need to be sober on my behalf. I’m not tryin’ to police ya or anything, this is for me to figure out,” Ted says hurriedly; the last thing he wants her to feel is controlled by him.
Rebecca lifts one side of her lips up in a smile, raising her eyebrows slightly. “I don’t need alcohol to feel drunk and happy at your not-leaving party, Ted.”
This pulls a laugh out of him, appreciating that she knows just how to lighten the mood and put him at ease.
Ted takes a peek around his shoulder to make sure nobody’s looking before kissing Rebecca’s forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment.
It grounds him.
When he pulls away, Rebecca brings a thumb up to his face and rubs the pad of it along his cheekbone. “Are you feeling alright? Ready to go back to your party?” she asks.
“Yeah, I think I’ll be good now,” he says, pauses. “And thank you, by the way. For this party. You cooked it up, I take it?”
“It was a team effort. Keeley let the team know that you’re staying, and they all wanted to come celebrate. So I coordinated with Michelle and we made sure to get you here before she and Henry had to leave. They really wanted to be able to join and celebrate with you.”
Ted smiles. “Well then let’s get back to ‘em.”
As they’re crossing back through the door, Ted turns around to hold it for her and looks at her with a notch in his brow.
“Just – tell me if you gotta leave, alright?” he asks, tense.
Rebecca smiles.
“I’m not going anywhere, Ted.”
Ted thinks that she means from the pub, but for the rest of the night, she stays close by his side. She never strays so far that he can’t see her, and steers conversations so that they move and socialize together.
Like it’s on purpose. Like she knows him so well that she doesn’t even need to ask to know he’d be more comfortable if she stays near.
Almost, he realizes, like they’re attending this party as a couple would.
He smiles at her and it hits him that they are one, just one that skipped over the dating part and hopped right on down to soulmate territory.
A couple of hours into the party, Michelle and Henry begin saying their goodbyes. Henry’s are focused on the team, while Michelle’s seems to be focused on Mae’s nephew, someone Ted had been introduced to for the first time tonight.
“You know that guy?” Ted asks when Michelle comes to say goodbye to him.
“Kinda. I met him on the Green yesterday while you were at the Harry Potter spot,” Michelle explains, smiling. “We talked for a little while.”
“Ah. He seemed nice. Drew, right?” Ted asks, curious.
Michelle nods a bit absently, glancing back over at Drew before turning back to Ted, her smile lingering on her face.
“Thank you for being here. You and Henry. It means a lot to have your support in all of this. I know it’s all kinda nuts, our little family from Kansas gettin’ to do all of this,” Ted says.
“Thank you for letting us be a part of it,” Michelle responds.
Rebecca joins them, wrapping her arms around Michelle. “I’m so glad you’ve knocked some sense into that man,” Rebecca says, glancing over at Ted.
“I think that was mostly you, Rebecca,” Michelle laughs.
“Oh, I think it’s still pouring out there,” Rebecca bemoans as she squints through the window and a flush creeps up her cheeks at Michelle’s comment. “I’ll call my driver and he can let you in the house to grab your bags. And he’ll take you to the airport too, of course.”
Michelle graciously accepts the offer as Ted pulls Henry into a hug.
It feels easier than the other hugs they’ve had in recent years, knowing Henry will be back soon for the summer and many more extended periods of time after that.
To truly make Richmond a home.
As he watches Rebecca squeeze his son just as tightly as he had, he knows it will be one full of love.
Ted and Rebecca try to beat the rain as they race across the Green a couple of hours later, but despite their efforts, their clothing gets plastered to their skin within minutes.
They’d enjoyed the rest of the party easily, save for the emotional speech that Ted couldn’t help but give, so full of gratitude for everyone surrounding him. The only person whose tears rivaled Rebecca’s was Roy.
When Ted tried to make a joke about the tears being because he’d stolen his job, Roy very lovingly told him to shut the fuck up.
When they’re about halfway across the Green, Ted’s shoe unexpectedly slides on a patch of mud, forcing him to throw his free arm out to balance himself. On instinct, he loosens his other hand from Rebecca’s so that she doesn’t go tumbling down with him should he fall, but fortunately he’s able to right himself before gravity can win.
They pause, freezing in place for a few beats while they make sure they’re actually on steady footing. It’s Rebecca who laughs first, the sound echoing across the Green as Ted joins in, their throats aching with it.
“Alright, maybe we should go a lil slower,” Ted concedes, his accent peeking through his laughter.
“Speak for yourself, Coach,” Rebecca smiles, but she takes his hand back in hers more firmly and sets them off at more of a fast walk than a run.
When they make it under the safety of her porch and Rebecca begins unlocking the door, Ted hesitates.
“Ted, when I asked if you wanted to get out of here, the invitation into my home was sort of implied,” Rebecca shakes her head, immediately understanding the reason for his hesitation.
He puts his hands up in defense. “I’m not one for assumin’ anything, darlin’,” he says, and the sincerity in his eyes tells Rebecca that he really means it; he just ran across the Green in the pouring rain with no goal in mind other than to get her home safe. “Technically the bed to human ratio has evened out and I could go back to my flat.”
“Well technically I don’t give a shit,” Rebecca smiles as she slides the key in the lock of her front door.
Ted laughs, his chest warming pleasantly.
Rebecca exaggeratedly throws the door open to welcome him in, then walks over the threshold. Turning around, she curls her pointer finger towards herself to summon him inside, smiling coyly.
He follows, but immediately moves to kick his muddy shoes off before taking more than the necessary two steps inside of her home, triggering Rebecca to do the same.
They’re both wholly soaked, small puddles forming at each of their feet where they stand, hair sticking uncomfortably to their foreheads. Rebecca’s certain she looks ridiculous, but she can’t quite find it in herself to care.
“I’m going to go get us some towels,” she announces.
She disappears down the hallway, returning a minute later with a few large, fluffy white towels and hands one to Ted.
They both get to work drying themselves off, Rebecca focusing on squeezing the water out of her hair first before moving on to the rest of her body.
“God, this is useless. I think we both need a change of clothes,” Rebecca sighs.
“Boss, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’m gonna fit into any of your skirts. These hips don’t lie,” Ted says, his face serious, even though they’re both well aware that Ted’s hips are not exactly the limiting factor.
“Why can’t you wear your own clothes?” Rebecca asks.
“I, uh, didn’t have much clothing in my suitcase when I brought it over and didn’t want to assume I’d need more. ‘M kinda out of clean ones.”
Rebecca rolls her eyes. “Oh, please, of course you need more. But I think I have some baggy sweats that will work and not require you to wear a pencil skirt.”
“Rebecca Welton? Owning sweats?” Ted asks, clutching at nonexistent pearls.
“I think you’ll find I’m normally quite the lounger at home, actually,” Rebecca says, smiling.
Ted hums. “Loungin’ with you sounds pretty nice. I’d like to see comfy Rebecca.”
“Well then let’s go get comfortable.” Her voice is husky, borderline seductive, but Ted isn’t quite sure if it’s intentional or not. He has no time to consider it further before she’s grabbing his hand to lead him toward the stairs with the towels in tow.
When they reach her bedroom, Ted watches as Rebecca walks over to her dresser and goes digging in the drawers, eventually procuring a matching faded gray sweatsuit for him and a royal blue long-sleeved pajama set for herself.
She turns back towards him and hands him the sweats, realizing halfway to handing them to him that she’s created a bit of an awkward situation for herself by bringing him up here.
Forcing a change of clothes in front of each other when she really just wants them off isn’t exactly the vibe she’s going for. And excusing herself to change in private feels counterproductive and almost prudish.
Ted takes the sweats hesitantly from her hands, registering the same predicament that Rebecca is fretting over as he does. She averts her eyes, deciding to make a fuss over drying herself off a bit with the towel to buy herself a little time to think of a solution. She rubs the towel vigorously against her arm even though there’s very clearly little moisture left to soak up, just damp fabric that needs to be left out to air dry.
“I’ll just go…” Ted starts, throwing her a bone. When Rebecca looks up from her fruitless drying, she finds him looking at her, hooking a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the bathroom.
But she also sees a thick tendril of hair that’s stuck to his forehead with rain, a spot he must have missed with the towel.
“Ted, you’re still soaking,” she laughs, lifting the towel to his head to give it a little scrub before she can even think about what she’s doing. She decides to just lean into it, taking another couple passes through his hair with the towel, looking gently into his eyes.
It feels strangely intimate as he watches her with such reverence that she just wants to keep going, keep caring for him in this little way, however useless the towels are at this point. She moves to his tricep, rubbing the towel slowly against it, his eyes tracking hers.
There’s a crackle in the air, a heavy tension surrounding them that begins to feel suffocating the longer their eye contact doesn’t break.
She’d normally wait for the guy to make the first move, borne out of some kind of need for validation. But she doesn’t need that from Ted, knowing well enough that any hesitation is out of a respect he holds so deeply for her that it overshadows any other desire he may have.
So she tilts her head up just slightly to his, now that they’re both only in socked feet. She catches his lips in hers, coming at him feverishly and dropping the towel to the floor. He kisses her back eagerly, her enthusiasm bringing down his carefully guarded walls. He cards a hand through her hair, bringing the other to rest on her hip, his thumb making an indent on her skin.
She brings her hands up between them to rest on his chest before bringing them back down, snaking to his sides where her fingers ghost along the hem of his quarter zip.
She pulls away from him just slightly, breathing heavily.
“Can we please get out of these wet clothes?” she whispers, shivering lightly.
“Yeah, yeah,” Ted says with a kiss. “Wouldn’t want ya to” – another kiss – “get sick,” he whispers against her mouth.
She lets out a tiny affirming noise with what little air she has and begins lifting his quarter zip in earnest, his undershirt coming up along with it. Ted stops kissing her to lift both garments off of himself in one fell swoop, landing the clothes in a heap on the floor.
Her hands explore his skin, still slightly damp from the rain. She slides them from his stomach to his chest, running her fingers through his chest hair.
Ted brings his mouth to the space where her shoulder and neck meet and nips at her skin. When he swirls his tongue over the bite, Rebecca goes lightheaded at the thought of his tongue landing elsewhere to do the same thing.
“Thought you didn’t want me to get sick, Ted?” Rebecca asks a bit impatiently, slightly breathless as she pinches her top and lets it snap back against her body to bring his attention to it.
Ted responds quickly, taking the bottom of her shirt into his hands and pulling it up her torso, Rebecca taking over when it needs to be pulled over her head.
Ted’s hands grip her waist as he presses his lips back against hers, inching his hands upwards until one of them cups her breast. Rebecca’s head rolls backwards with pleasure as his fingers toy with the edge of the cup of her bra, and she decides that she hates the stupid fabric that’s keeping him from her. She reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra, sending it flying halfway across the room in her haste.
Her nipples are pebbled with arousal and the chill of her damp skin, which doesn’t escape Ted’s notice as he palms her breast and rubs his thumb against her nipple. He reaches over to the bed where an unused towel lays discarded and begins rubbing the soft cotton against her skin to dry her, the care he takes in doing so warming her from the inside out.
He drags the towel over the top of her breasts and she giggles. “Thank you for drying me, darling, but I’d quite like your hands back,” she whispers.
Ted smiles and, satisfied that she’s dry enough, lets the towel fall to the floor. He wastes no time in bringing his hands back to where Rebecca wants them as she kisses him, letting her own hands coast down his front and palm where his cock is straining against his jeans.
His breath hitches when she does, his lips parting from hers, but she has to stop touching him when he presses her against the end of the bed and she falls back on top of the comforter.
“Can I take these off, Rebecca?” Ted rasps from above her, one hand sliding down the outside of her thigh.
“Please,” she nearly begs.
Ted’s fingers nimbly unbutton her jeans before sliding the zipper down, the anticipation of having his fingers so near her core making her dizzy. He pulls the jeans down as far as he can before she helps him shimmy them down to her ankles and kick them off. The dampness makes them annoyingly clingy and the process of getting them off not at all graceful.
But they chuckle at their clumsiness, the familiar sound of their joint laughter in such unfamiliar territory enveloping them and breaking some of the tension.
Ted kisses her as his hand slides down her torso and reaches her center, his palm applying just enough pressure to her clit to tease, to taunt. She takes tiny, shallow breaths as the press of his hand against her thong makes her realize just how wet she already is for him.
He drags a finger along the band of her thong before hooking a finger under it, pulling it easily down her legs and onto the floor.
She’s completely exposed to him and it should be scary, should make her self-conscious, but all she can think of is getting him on top of her and inside of her and so close to her she nearly cries for her wanting.
But he has other priorities, apparently, as he leans back over her to kiss her and whispers, “If I’m doin’ anything you don’t want, just holler, ‘kay?”
“Holler?” she laughs, incredulous, but then she sees the sincerity in his eyes. “Okay,” she nods, urging him on.
He begins thumbing her nipple again as his tongue breaks into her mouth, stealing her breath away. His other hand makes its way down her torso, tickling her skin and creating a trail of goosebumps. It slows down the closer he gets to her cunt, teasing her with gentle caresses at her hips and stomach, little squeezes here and there. He swipes a finger at the crease where her legs meet her center and a little jolt breaks from her hips in anticipation.
“Eaaasy there,” he whispers against her lips, but he only proceeds to tease her in the same way he had last night, driving her mad. At least this time she knows that he knows what he's doing.
When he finally brushes his finger against it with a feather light touch, Rebecca cries out, louder as he increases his pressure against her. He reaches down and gathers her arousal on his fingers, spreading it to her clit.
She can already hear the moisture he’s now circling her with, his finger quickly becoming slippery against her folds, only adding to her pleasure.
“Holy shit, you’re so…” he trails off, pecking a kiss to her lips as his fingers keep working.
She quirks an eyebrow at him, daring him to finish his sentence.
“Wet,” he breathes against her lips.
“Would you like to have a little taste?” she mumbles, and his cock twitches immediately at the want in her voice.
“Oh, what a considerate offer,” he smirks, but his eyes are alight with eagerness before he drops one last kiss to her lips and makes his way south, peppering a trail of kisses onto her chest and then the swell of her breast.
He takes a nipple into his mouth and swirls his tongue around it, her need growing with each touch and the gentle scrape of teeth when he nips at her.
He moves his mouth to her abdomen, peppering kisses in a zigzagging line downwards until he has to kneel on the floor. He places one, two, three tiny kisses around her clit, his lips just barely missing the bundle of nerves and setting her skin on fire.
“Ted, so help me god –” she grinds out, threading her fingers through his hair.
She lets out a moan at the first swipe of his tongue against her, pleasure radiating from her clit. He swirls his tongue gently at first, then brings it down to her entrance to take his first full taste of her. The warmth of his tongue is delicious inside of her body as his nose slots in perfectly against her clit and his mustache scratches at her sensitive skin.
“Still okay?” he asks, lifting his mouth from her briefly.
“Please,” she whines at the loss of him. “Don’t fucking stop.”
Ted can’t help the little self-satisfied smirk that he presses against her entrance before dipping his tongue into it again.
Rebecca grips a hand in the sheet in an attempt to center herself when he does, but Ted’s mouth travels back up to her clit and soon she’s gripping the sheet for dear life as his tongue begins an unforgiving pattern against it, sucking and swirling and applying pressure just where she needs it.
He adds a finger inside of her cunt and begins thrusting it in and out, timing his tongue so that each dip of his finger ends with extra pleasure rocketing up her spine. The combination is fucking brilliant, her orgasm quickly building as she pants, breathing his name.
Her hips buck and her legs tremble against the pleasure and he has to hold a hand to her abdomen to hold her in place, not wanting to lose their rhythm.
“Fuck, Ted,” she gasps as he adds a second finger, curling both of them against her upper wall without missing a beat with his tongue.
He moans in response and that’s her undoing, the sound of his arousal sending her right over the edge and her orgasm breaks, radiating through her entire body. She cries out and Ted watches in awe as her beautiful face breaks into an expression of rapture at his own doing.
He wants to make her feel like that over, and over, and over again.
Her toes still tingling, Rebecca slowly comes back around enough to reach out and swipe a hand against his crotch. Ted’s eyes slam shut at her touch, the friction a relief against his aching cock.
“Off,” Rebecca demands as she fidgets with his button but can’t quite get enough purchase.
“Yes ma’am,” Ted agrees, standing up to pull off just his jeans until he sees the look in her eyes and his boxers come right off with them.
Rebecca’s eyes widen and her cunt clenches on nothing at the sight of him.
“If you wanna do this, we’ll go slow,” he whispers with a gentle smile in response to the look of apprehension on her face.
Rebecca nods, her eyes still fixated on his penis as she wraps a hand around it, swirling the bead of moisture at the tip around the head of his cock.
“Honey, I need to hear you say it. Can you look at me?” Ted grinds out, fighting through the haze of pleasure to speak, but Rebecca doesn’t answer.
“Oh, fuck,” Ted breathes as she continues to rub him from base to tip, pleasure tingling up his spine. All thought empties from his head as she continues working him and the tingling feeling builds.
“Come here,” Rebecca says after a few more pumps, letting him free but then tugging on his arm to bring him closer.
“Are you sure?” he asks her as he tenses his body and pulls her face towards him with a finger under her chin.
Her green eyes are so hazy with lust when she blinks up at him that he almost holds back a whine until he realizes he doesn’t have to because this is Rebecca, his Rebecca.
“Yes, Ted, please,” Rebecca breathes. “I need you.”
He cups her cheek, tenderly rubbing his thumb back and forth before climbing on top of her and crashing his lips to hers, hot and urgent. They crawl up to the head of the bead and she feels his hard length against her abdomen as he settles some of his weight on top of her.
“I need you too,” he whispers back before kissing her again, biting and licking and sucking as her nipples scrape against his chest.
He takes his cock in hand and rubs it through her folds, gathering her arousal with it and gliding it over her still-sensitive clit a few times before nudging at her entrance.
The first feel of him inside of her steals her breath away; the stretch that even just his tip brings is instantaneous. Ted carefully brings his hips forward, his eyes not once leaving hers as he slowly fills her up. Each time she thinks every inch of him is inside of her he just keeps going, the drag of his hips impossibly long.
When he finally bottoms out, the moan that escapes her is so high-pitched that she nearly sounds pained, and Ted immediately stills.
“Rebecca? You doin’ alright?” he asks, his voice strained.
“Fuck. Yes. Just – wait a second,” she pants, pushing against the back of his neck with her palm to bring his lips to hers. She tugs on his bottom lip with her teeth as she adjusts to the feeling of him – all of him – splitting her open.
His body is screaming at him for friction, but he won’t budge until he knows she’s comfortable.
“You tell me when,” he whispers when she lets go of his lip and rests her head back against the pillow to look at him. He presses a kiss to her temple, then rests his forehead against hers with a reverence and softness that she has never known before, let alone during sex. She’s struck by an overwhelming feeling of safety and contentment as he dusts his lips across her cheek and knows she doesn’t want to wait a moment longer.
“Please. Go.”
“Go?” Ted begins to shift his weight to his palms to pull himself out of her.
But Rebecca shakes her head and clings to him, digging her nails into the skin of his back to stop his retreat. “No! No. I meant – fuck me. Now. Please.”
His look of dismay is replaced with one of amusement. “It’s fun to see you beg,” he says, but immediately begins to drag his cock back out of her.
“Hush, Lass –” she starts before a breath is forced out of her lungs with his next thrust into her.
“Hushed ya first,” he smirks down at her and she’d laugh if she had the breath.
He begins a soft, slow pace, keeping his next movements shallow at first, allowing her more time to adjust.
But soon, she’s aching for more and she arches her back and ruts her hips to force him deeper. The move takes Ted by surprise and he gasps. “Fuck, Rebecca.”
She pecks kisses along his neck as he takes the hint and plunges his cock deeper inside her, delicious pressure and sting building as he gets closer and closer to bottoming out again. Each thrust takes him just a little bit deeper until he’s completely flush with her and he meets resistance, groans escaping both of their mouths.
“You can take me harder now,” she whispers.
With that green light, Ted makes his thrusts fuller, quickening his pace as shifts his weight to a forearm and makes space to roll Rebecca’s nipple with his fingers.
Her moans begin to fill the room, the headboard shaking in time with his thrusts and Ted is very vindicated in waiting for this kind of privacy as his own moans begin to overtake hers.
After a few minutes, he grabs her leg and bends it towards her, letting her calf rest on his shoulder and gripping her hip for leverage. This allows him to pound into her at a new angle, hitting the spot inside of her that winds the coil in her gut ever tighter.
But suddenly, Ted stills inside of her.
“Fuck, Rebecca – protection,” Ted groans, realizing what step they skipped over with their lust-addled brains.
“We’re covered,” Rebecca says quickly, gyrating her hips in her desperation to keep the friction going.
“So I can –” he starts to ask.
“Yes, please do,” Rebecca answers, desperate to feel him finish inside of her and nowhere else.
Rebecca cries out when he begins to move even faster, getting her back to the same height of pleasure she was at before he’d stopped in no time.
She can feel herself on the verge of breaking again, so desperate for release it's almost painful. Ted notices the tensing of her body and shifts his positioning just so, so that his cock drags against that sensitive spot inside of her even harder.
She savors the buildup when he adds a finger to her clit, rubbing it in time with each grind of his hips just like he had with his finger, the sound of their bodies moving together ridiculously, obscenely loud.
“Let’s go together, kay?” he whispers, biting her lip.
“Okay,” she nods and it only takes a few more thrusts and expertly timed circles against her swollen clit before she’s screaming his name, clenching around him.
He fucks her through her first several spasms until his orgasm catches the wave of her own. Rebecca can feel the spurts of his cock as he grunts into her mouth and spills deep inside of her still-fluttering walls.
Neither of them move while the last few rushes of release leave their bodies, as if letting go of each other would steal them away. Their sweaty chests heave against each other’s as they gulp for air, slowly making progress at bringing their heart rates down.
“My God, Ted Lasso,” Rebecca finally breathes when she no longer feels like a hummingbird has settled into her chest.
Ted chuckles. “How ya feel, darlin’?” he asks as he pulls out of her and rolls over.
“Like I just got fucking railed,” she heaves out, feeling an ache between her legs once he’s gone.
“Choo choo,” Ted quips.
This earns him the most dramatic of eye rolls, even by Rebecca standards. “I never knew khakis could show so much and yet so little at the same time,” she mumbles anyway.
Ted laughs before registering her words. “M - hey, my what now?” he blurts out.
Rebecca tries to silence him by leaning over with a kiss, but he won’t have it.
“What do my khakis got to do with anything?” he asks incredulously, pulling back from her lips.
Rebecca thrums her fingers on his chest. “Let’s just say I’ve developed an admiration for khakis over the last couple of years,” she whispers suggestively.
“Yeah, they’re real functional but I still don’t –” his sentence stalls in his mouth when it finally clicks. “Oh. Oh,” he breathes, his eyes bugging out slightly.
Rebecca gives him a sharp nod and closes her eyes, smug.
Her smugness falls away when he leans onto his side and whispers, “a few years you’ve been lookin’, huh?”
She flushes slightly with the realization that she’s given herself away, but it’s more coquettish than embarrassed. She loves how natural this is, the ease with which he slipped from her and straight into this light banter, as if they’ve been here a thousand times.
“It looked at me first,” she mutters, darting her eyes from him.
Ted just laughs, tracing patterns with his fingers on her stomach, appreciating the way it rises and falls easily with each breath she takes. Too many times has he recently witnessed her breath come much less easily, and it seems a miracle that his presence at her side lets it be this sure, this steady.
Rebecca spots the glassiness that’s growing in his eyes. “Ted? What’s wrong?” she asks, concern lining her face.
“Nothin’,” he sniffles. “I just love you too much to keep it all in, sorry,” he says, trying to bat the darker thoughts away.
“Don’t apologize, really, what is it?” she asks as her own eyes inexplicably begin to fill.
He clears his throat, blinking away some of his tears. “The night you, uh…” he trails off, his throat painfully tight. Rebecca watches him patiently as he works against it.
“There was a moment, when the medics were takin’ you away, where I realized there was no way in hell I could leave you for Kansas. But you weren’t doin’ too well, and I honest to goodness didn’t know if I’d even get the choice.”
“Ted,” Rebecca breathes, tucking her face into his neck. He wraps his arm around her and tucks her head under his chin, clinging tight. “I’m so sorry I did that to you. I’m right here. I love you.”
“I know. It’s just gonna take some time, I think, for the trauma to wear off,” he whispers honestly.
“What can I do to help you?” she asks.
“This. Right here. Having you close, knowin’ you’re okay, just like you did for me earlier tonight. I’m already a stage five clinger on a good day, but forgive me if I’m a little suffocating for a while,” he smiles, but it doesn’t reach his dimples.
“Suffocate away,” she answers, scooting her body even tighter against his.
They lay in silence for a few moments, Ted stroking his fingers through the ends of her hair, gently working through some of the knots. The sensation is relaxing, comforting, and Rebecca closes her eyes with content.
“As much as I meant what I said and don’t want you to move, you do need to get up,” Ted softly breaks the silence.
“What? Why?” she asks, her eyes snapping open.
“Because I won’t have you getting a UTI on my account,” he says, frowning.
“Ugh. Fine,” Rebecca groans, knowing she’ll regret it if she takes the risk.
She drags herself out of her warm Ted cocoon to have a wee, stumbling slightly when her weight lands on shaky legs.
“You good?” Ted asks, concern pinching his voice. He shifts some of his weight to his elbows, ready to get up to help her.
“You’ve turned me to jello, Lasso, what do you expect?” she jokes, a bit steadier on her feet now.
Ted relaxes when he understands the issue. “Take it easy and hurry back, Bambi,” he snorts as he watches her ass sway into the bathroom.
But when Rebecca returns to the bed a few minutes later, she proceeds to prove to Ted just how much stamina her legs actually have left.
Ted falls right back into step with his role as Richmond’s coach when training starts back up again a few weeks later, the team looking stronger than ever.
There’s just a whole lot more clandestine kissing and trading of heart eyes at the Dogtrack.
Well, maybe the same amount of heart eyes as before.
They’ll tell the team in due time, but for now their love is theirs, filling their own cups with it before letting it spill out to everyone else.
Between work and free time, they’re spending nearly every waking minute together, Ted’s flat growing stale with disuse. In a mistake with the shipping company, Ted’s belongings end up being delivered back to Rebecca’s on accident, but they don’t bother to tell the company to fix the mistake.
Despite all of their time together, Rebecca still finds herself seeking Ted out on a rare meeting-free afternoon in July. She finds him alone in his office, updating the whiteboard calendar.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite blonde lady,” Ted smiles, setting the marker down as she steps up beside him, snaking an arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
Something catches Rebecca’s eye on the whiteboard. It’s a Polaroid photo that she’s never seen before, but still familiar, because she’s in it.
“Dad and Rebecca,” she smiles, pointing it out.
Ted glances sidelong at her and smiles. “That’s us."
“It’s a good photo,” Rebecca comments.
“Sure is. Henry took it, and wrote on it. I found it when I was packin’ up my stuff and put it in my wallet. I’m glad it gets to see the light of day now instead,” he says, smiling at her and taking a seat in his chair.
“We’re much better out here, I agree,” Rebecca says, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his chest and bending to rest her chin on his shoulder.
”Seems like even Henry knew before we did that we belonged together,” Ted says, still thinking about his writing on the photo.
Rebecca hums. “Smart kid. Certainly no thanks to us.”
“Heck no,” he laughs, reaching a hand back to land it atop where one of hers rests on his shoulder.
Ted smiles quietly at the implication of her using the word us in that context, but Rebecca doesn’t seem to notice, as if she’s already tucked Henry seamlessly into her heart along with him.
But, he supposes, glancing back at the photo again, she’s been holding them there all along.