Tainted Love

Missing Thing

IRIS

December 1st marked six months since Iris had been in London. It was raining, which she supposed was fitting. Almost cold enough to snow, but not quite. The sky was light grey, almost white. One contiguous cloud.

Theodore stirred beside her and she turned towards him, her face against his chest. He exhaled slowly, half-awake, and brought his arm to rest lazily around her back.

His first instinct was to be close to her. Even his semi-conscious brain knew it was true. She exhaled herself, relaxing into her arms.

Theodore didn't usually stay with her, but he and Tracey had come over after work yesterday for a couple of drinks and he had just gotten into bed with her at the end of the night. It was nothing to complain about - his presence was comfortable.

It was warm in bed and she knew it would be cold in the air outside, even the air in the rest of her apartment. But she had to get up soon. They both had work.

She turned around to face him fully. His arm fell off her back and he cracked his eyes open at her, inhaling fully to wake himself up. She felt his chest puff up beneath her and smiled slightly.

"Good morning," he said quietly, his voice gravelly and rough.

She pushed off him, sitting up and sighing before slipping off the bed and onto the floor. She crossed her arms across her chest in a silly attempt to conserve body heat. Theodore groaned from the bed.

"Work," he said in a very contemptuous tone.

"Yeah," Iris replied. Her voice was also slightly lower in the morning. "You might want to be on time for it, too."

He sighed loudly behind her as she wandered from her bedroom into the conjoined bathroom and rubbed her eyes. As she took her hair out of the ponytail she had slept in, she noticed Theodore's toothbrush sitting on her counter.

It had been there for a week, but every time she noticed it she was sort of surprised. It was a tangible representation of the way they were now - of how much had changed in the six months since she had been here.

There wasn't a problem with having his toothbrush in her bathroom or having him in her bed. She liked the easy closeness between them. He never tried to disguise himself in any way. She could hear him behind her, banging around the room as he woke up and pulled clothes on.

But didn't quite understand the relationship that his toothbrush represented.

They were close. The object of most of Tracey and Sebastian's jokes these days. Theodore smiled when he saw her and waited to walk with her after work. It was still fun to go out with him and it was never awkward when they were with their friends.

She supposed she shouldn't be worried about it. Things were good the way they were.

But there was another element to them. The whole purpose of their relationship, ostensibly. Making other people jealous. They were both using each other as a means instead of an end. Theodore's end was Daphne and Iris's was Draco.

Theodore traipsed into the bathroom, resting his chin on Iris's head for a second as she brushed her teeth before reaching for his own toothbrush.

It didn't really seem like they were using each other sometimes.

They made tea and got dressed. Theodore cooked some eggs. He never cooked as a kid - he never had to cook - but his determination to be the best at everything in his adult life had transformed him into a bona-fide chef.

Most people can make a good set of scrambled eggs, though.

"I have a question for you," he said as he pushed her plate across the counter.