teddyurastar:

'Hi, Iris. I got this for you, since I missed your birthday. Not that it's like buying your forgiveness or something--'
'Hey, Iris, what's up? How was your birthday? Hey, do you have any allergi-- oh, really should've asked that one--'
'Hey, Iris! I got somethin' you're gonna love! ...great, now it sounds like one of Jordan's pick-up lines.'

Teddy Knight really isn't good at this stuff. Where he went wrong was relaying the whole dilemma to his father, Jack. When you tell a girl that she deserves fancy dinners and puppies from guys, there's always the chance she'll get attached to the idea of a puppy. From you. So what does it mean when a girl expects gifts from you? And what happens if you... well, don't give them?

Jack seemed to think the appropriate thing to do is follow up on the remark, but he kept smirking as he talked. Teddy's pretty sure his old man was just baiting him for a laugh, although how, he can't be sure. Jack never did have much luck long-term with women, and he was constantly telling Teddy to "get a girlfriend like everybody else." No matter how much Teddy protested that not everybody had a girlfriend, and that he only wanted to be Starman, not chasing the dream of Mrs. Kyle Theo Knight and sippy cups. Then his grandpa would usually chime in that some men are married to their craft, and it should be respected, admired, and encouraged! Once that ages-old argument would start between Jack and the senior Ted, Teddy could sneak away.

More than likely, the middle Knight was just showing some (misplaced) pride in his son for finally showing interest in a girl. Jack probably couldn't conceive of a single male under 50 not actively seeking a girlfriend. But Iris was just a nice girl, and she did deserve nice things, and, well, Teddy had to open his big mouth, didn't he? It's as simple as that.

'Adults complicate everything,' he thinks to himself.

Carefully shifting the box with holes in it in his arms, Teddy reaches up to ring the doorbell of the West house.