❝ you might be doing fine but it doesn’t make it fine walden . i’m glad you’re all past it , glad you’re not dwelling in it but things like that matter . at least to make sure the same mistakes aren’t made again ❞ hand reaching to hold one of his for a moment . ❝ we’ll do things differently ❞ and she let it go again . ❝ i don’t want to argue with you on this but if i’m going to be your wife ? let me care about you ❞
❝ some people might’ve ❞ she shrugged looking around , it was the things like this , little things that could be so major , that were still just questions about each other . ❝ what do you think about it then ? about the future ? any greats plans , anything we should set out to achieve together ❞ she was going into this with her own plans but that didn’t mean she couldn’t work towards what aided them both . ❝ that’s very noble of you : to defend a lady’s sensibilities , to solve her problems . but you’re not a tool , and you claim you’re no defender ; so what are you ? a weapon maybe ? ❞
❝ it’s just hard not to feel like i am sometimes , you ever find like … like its easy to know something but its harder to believe it ? like i know i’m no idiot but there’s those moments every so often ❞ a second with her head in her hands before she looked up , catching his eye . ❝ i sound so silly don’t i ? i’ve got so much and then here i am complaining about all this ❞ maybe it would be easier not to think herself an idiot if she didn’t keep calling herself one ? at least walden was one of the first people she’d ever shared these thoughts out loud with . ❝ i like that you don’t just let me have my way , we challenge each other — i think that gives us a good place to build from ? ❞
she could feel her face getting redder by the minute , cheeks ablaze and hands growing clammy , a moment that was likely just seconds in reality had slowed to an excruciating crawl . a worry setting in that she’d made him uncomfortable . she’d been too bold . too presumptuous . an apology almost to her lips when she felt his hand settle at her waist . as he pulled her closer . stop talking . but she was never much one for apologies . the sorry she’d so very nearly almost said replaced by a soft ❝ wait , wha- ❞ interrupted by his lips on hers . and then instinct took over . leaning in to walden , into his touch , one hand coming up to rest on his chest as the other tangled up in his hair , pulling him closer . this time they’d do this properly .
walden thought for a second , knowing that she was right, but didn’t want to admit it . he was nervous about being in any kind of relationship that resembled the one his parents had and he didn’t care if it meant that he was pissing off andromeda to make sure that it didn’t happen . truly, he didn’t really care if he did or not . after all, he didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her . love wasn’t real and walden knew that he was playing himself if he believed they were anything other than a partnership between two people that didn’t want to be stuck . they’d chosen this and that was the distinction . he had to remind himself of that after all . “ the same mistakes aren’t being made because i’m not doing this for the reason my parents did . ” not many people knew that his parents only married because they had to . forced into marriage by their parents because his mother was pregnant , even walden had done the math . “ we’re choosing this . ” and it was a big distinction . “ yeah because i don’t hate you and you’re not pregnant . ” at least he didn’t think so . “ no one has ever cared about me before . ”
he might be a bit strange in what he did and didn’t care about , walden didn’t care though . there were reasons behind everything he did — and he didn’t have to explain himself to anyone , nor did he think that she had any reason to explain herself about experience . “ i think you’ll find that there’s not much i do care about , as long as i’m getting respect . ” what were his goals ? walden didn’t exactly know . he wanted to be seen as something more than just a pureblood man , more than a volatile man with nowhere for his fists to go . “ i guess really i just want respect , to be seen rather than looked at as if i’m a ghost . ” he didn’t know how to explain that to people , that while he had the respect of some of his peers , a lot of him didn’t see him at all . he didn’t care about blood purity like some people did — while he thought it was important , it wasn’t everything and that’s not what he was hoping to gain by joining the death eaters . “ what about you ? what goals do you have ? ” he asked . he’d do what he could to help her achieve them , if he could . walden had never thought about it like that before . “ isn’t a tool the same thing as a weapon ? ” he asked , furrowing his brow .
“ i think everyone feels like that , myself included . i’m not booksmart . i get that though . i really do . ” he didn’t think that she sounded silly , and he didn’t think that anyone that felt like that was silly . “ you sound like every human that i’ve ever spoken to . we all have insecurities andromeda . mine is feeling like i don’t belong . ” but was he wrong ? did people actually think he belonged anywhere ? “ but you , andromeda black , are special and anyone that says otherwise clearly cannot see what an amazing woman you are . ” he didn’t really want her to have a bigger ego , but he also needed her to know that she was amazing , that he thought she was amazing . “ well what fun would it be if i just let you win ? ” he asked , a smirk on his face .
he didn’t like that he felt like she was , maybe could be a weakness for him , but merlin was she enchanting . walden didn’t want to tell her that he did like her . he was still getting to know her . still figuring out how he felt . walden hadn’t expected the kiss , hadn’t expected the feeling that came with kissing her . he wanted her more than he wanted to admit to himself — and he wouldn’t tell her that just yet . “ you are entirely too short . ” he muttered into her lips , not entirely sure what he could do about it but he wanted her closer .
