#i don’t think that ted MEANT for jamie to like get in touch with james again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

matrixaffiliate · 4 years

Text

Endeavor

New Story! FFN and AO3

Teddy Lupin just wants a job that is even remotely related to his shiny new marketing degree. But when Harry helps him find a job with Ron's bakery empire, Ted isn't prepared for his new coworker - the niece of the CEO - to change everything. A Tedoire Muggle AU.

Starting another long one friends, because I have zero chill right now. I hope you enjoy it! The next chapter will go up on August 1. =)

Endeavor

Chapter 1

Teddy shook his head and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"Everything alright, love?" His mum passed the potatoes to him.

"No, but I'll figure it out." Teddy took the potatoes before passing them to his dad.

"What was on your phone that has you upset?" His dad set down the bowl and then picked up his fork.

Teddy sighed, "Just another rejection email."

Teddy had been done with university for three months now and been applying for jobs for longer. But with no marketing experience, no one was taking a second look at him. He'd hoped to be able to quit the two jobs he'd been working through school by now and just have one job doing what he enjoyed.

His parents shared a long look and Teddy tried to ignore it.

"What if you put the word out that you're looking for something?" His dad asked. "You could send an email to everyone, your grandparents, James and Lily, Sirius and Marlene, Peter and Bridget, and Harry and Ginny know a lot of people too. Maybe reach out, see what anyone can point you towards."

Teddy looked down at his plate. He hated the idea of broadcasting to everyone what Teddy was hoping was just a run of bad luck. These people were his family and here he'd be coming to them showing how he couldn't even handle finding a job on his own.

"It's worth a try dear," his mum put a hand on his arm.

Teddy looked up at his mum, bubblegum pink hair freshly dyed. He realized he probably needed to touch up his hair. But his mum gave his arm a squeeze and Teddy nodded.

"Alright, I'll email them before I leave, let you two read through it and make sure it's good enough."

His mum leaned over and kissed his cheek, quickly catching his glass of water before she knocked it over. "You'll see, someone will have something that can help."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Teddy woke up the next morning to the sound of his roommate's 'morning music' playlist playing and sighed. He liked Kalil a lot, they'd ended up in this flat together when they were in their second year at university, and Teddy couldn't have asked for a better roommate. But did Kalil really have to play a music playlist for everything? Especially at half six in the morning?

Knowing he wouldn't be falling back asleep until he needed to be up at seven, Ted grabbed his phone and started swiping through the random notifications that had come in the night. He paused at a reply to his 'cry for help' email the night before.

It was from Harry.

Teddy opened it, trying not to hope for too much. His godfather had never failed him before, and Ted really didn't want it to start here.

Hey Ted,

Thought I'd let you know that Gin's brother is hiring at his place, and if you're interested, I'll take you there myself and put in the good word for you. Just let me know what works for you. Here's the link.

Take care,

Harry

Harry's response was the only one, and since Ted was up early anyway, he opened the link.

Ginny's brother Ron was hiring a new salesman, which isn't what Ted was hoping for. His degree was in marketing, not sales, and he didn't like tracking down customers, let alone schmoozing them into buying...industrial kitchen equipment apparently.

Ted closed the listing page and decided he might as well get an early start on his day.

However, Teddy's early start might have been a mistake. While stocking at his first job, one of the pallets he was moving bumped into a pallet stocked with glass bottles of imported maple syrup and broke at least a quarter of them. The cost would be coming out of his next paycheck, which meant most of his paycheck was gone. And he had to spend the majority of his shift cleaning up that mess.

From there he went to his servers' job and spent the night having every grumpy and unhappy person in England show up to simply sit and tell him what a horrible server he was. Ted made it home and collapsed on the sofa next to Kalil.

"Rough day then?" Kalil typed on his laptop.

"Brilliant," Ted huffed, "And yours?"

Kalil grinned over at him. "Got called for a second interview."

"That's fantastic," Ted forced himself to smile, "Really, mate, I'm happy for you."

"You'll get something, Lupin." Kalil shoved his shoulder, "Don't stress it."

Teddy willed his smile to stay in place and nodded. "Thanks, I'm going to go shower, stop smelling like low-grade Italian food."

Kalil nodded him on and went back to his computer. Ted moved to his room and pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was a text from his mum.

Mum: Did anyone respond to your email?

Teddy tossed his phone on his unmade bed. Was he being too picky? Wouldn't any job closer to marketing be an improvement over two jobs that he hated? At least a sales position would give him the "experience" that all these marketing positions he was applying for wanted. The worst that could happen is that he went from two lower-paying jobs that he dreaded to one job that paid a little more and maybe gave him some freedom to do something more than work day in and day out. Maybe he'd have time for a dating life.

Ted fell on his bed and grabbed his phone, opening the email from Harry.

What could it hurt?

Hey Harry,

Thx for getting back to me. Do you think tomorrow at half two would work? I get out of the warehouse at 2.

Ted

He texted his mum back that Harry was going to try and help him, and then he went to shower. When he got back to his room, now smelling less awful, he had a text from Harry.

Harry: I've confirmed with Ron. We're set for tomorrow at 2:30.

Teddy clicked on the address that Harry sent with his response and figured out how he wanted to get there from the warehouse. It would be close, but he'd probably make it in time.

Ted: Should I bring a resume or anything?

Teddy hit send and looked over at his cheap printer. He probably had enough ink in his printer to print one more, maybe.

Harry: Nah, just throw a copy on your phone so you can email it to him if he asks to see it.

Teddy looked over the copy he already had on his phone and decided it would have to be enough. He was exhausted and now he had a job interview tomorrow. He plugged in his phone and climbed into bed, Kalil's "chill playlist" playing quietly down the hall.

0o0o0o0o0o0

He didn't bring clothes to change into. Ted had meant to. He'd set them out so he'd remember. But Ted woke up late, and in his rush to make it to work on time, he'd forgotten to grab his button-up shirt and slacks and loafers. He'd be having this interview in his warehouse jumpsuit.

Brilliant.

"Ted!"

Teddy turned to find Harry waving him over to an open door.

"Hey, Harry," Ted smiled and embraced his godfather. "How are the kids?"

"Jamie and Al are causing trouble, and Lily gets a good laugh out of it all, so they're about the same."

Teddy grinned. "If I can get a job that doesn't require me working the dinner shift, I'll have to take them out for ice cream or something."

Harry opened the door wider and gestured Ted inside, "Let's see if we can't rid you of that dinner shift."

Teddy swallowed and stepped inside in the office building.

He'd met Ron a few times before. He knew that Ron had been at Harry and Ginny's wedding, but that was a long time ago and Ted had been four, or maybe he was five, he didn't remember. And Ron and his family had been at a few of the parties the Potters had hosted. But Teddy had never actually interacted with Ron more than to smile and say hello.

Now Teddy wished he'd taken more interest in his godmother's brother.

Ron stepped out of one of the offices and held out his hand.

"Ted! It's great to see you. I understand we might be able to help each other."

Ted smiled and shook his hand. "I'd like to hope so."

Harry clasped Ted on the shoulder. "Ted's looking to broaden his horizons."

"Come on in," Ron ushered them in.

Ted stepped in and took a look around. It was a small office, there wasn't a reception area, just two desks set up that faced the only, rather large, window, what looked like a supply closet on one end, and a bathroom on the other. There was also a small sink next to a fridge in the far-left corner, where a microwave sat on a card table and two folding chairs were tucked neatly against it.

Maybe this job wouldn't pay more than his current jobs…

"We're a small operation," Ron pulled a desk chair over to the card table and gestured to him and Harry to sit down in the folding chairs. "I don't know if you remember, Ted, but I own Bread & Butter, the cafe and bakery chain."

Ted nodded Ron on, but he honestly didn't remember that at all.

"And I realized a couple of years ago that a lot of the machines I was buying for our locations were expensive and subpar. So, I started looking for something better, and I finally worked with one of my favorite manufacturers to come up with something that worked the way I wanted it to. We saw an immediate improvement in our products at Bread & Butter and I arranged with the manufacturer to sell what we'd developed as the Bread & Butter line of industrial kitchen equipment."

"How is that going?" Teddy looked around again and Ron chuckled.

"It's going well, but it could be going better. I've been our main salesman, but I'm swamped with the bakery itself and coming up with new menu items and honestly, I'm not cut out for sales. I'm too attached to our line, and I need someone who can step in and take over sales. This little operation is simply a department of Bread & Butter but I've rented out this office space for it because we don't have space for it at the main bakery offices."

Teddy's mind started working very fast. "So, if I did well for you, there could be an opportunity to do more with Bread & Butter?"

"You mean like transfer to the marketing department?" Ron grinned, "Harry mentioned your degree is in marketing, but yes, I think that if I needed to expand or replace someone in marketing, I'd be more willing to move you over to the main building than hire someone new."

Teddy grinned back, "Alright, Ron, I think I'm interested.

The interview became a job training on the spot and Ted was almost ready to skive-off his dinner shift in exchange for spending more time working with Ron, but he needed to give his notice and he really should leave those jobs on good terms; they'd supported him through his years at university after all.

Ron clicked a few things on his phone as they finished up. "So, you'll be ready to start in one week then?"

Ted nodded, "Yeah, I'm only required to give the minimum with both of these jobs."

"Think you could stop by the main office in between your shifts this week and fill out the hiring forms?"

Teddy pulled out his phone to see his shift schedules. "Sure thing, boss."

"Great, I'll let you get to your dinner shift. And I'll let my niece know she can expect to have you here next week as well; she's off at a dental appointment this afternoon or you'd have met her today. She handles our website and coordinates deliveries." Ron stood up and shook Teddy's hand. "I'm looking forward to passing this all off to you."

Teddy laughed, "I'm looking forward to having just one job."

Harry followed him out of the building and hugged him. "Are you happy about this?"

"You know, I am," Ted felt a smile on his face. "This feels like the first step forward, you know? Thank you for setting this up for me. I keep forgetting that you never steer me wrong."

"You can take the kids out for ice cream or something to show your gratitude," Harry razzed him. "They miss you."

"The first paycheck I get from Ron will go to taking them out for some fun," Teddy promised.

"Good, now go serve people bad Italian food."

The dinner rush was intense, but after giving his notice, Teddy wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. There was finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Teddy slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped into the office building, his new job, maybe a career, lay just down the corridor.

He stood a little straighter and walked down to the door, inserting his key to unlock it, only to have it push open to the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen. She had blonde hair pinned up off her shoulders, revealing her porcelain skin along her neck and face. Ted thought he was floored at her profile, but then she turned to smile at him and her blue eyes froze him in place; he forgot how to breathe.

"Hi, you must be Ted, I'm Vic. I guess we're sharing the office now."

Ted blinked. He couldn't seem to get his brain to function.

"Er, right, yeah, I'm Ted." He almost grimaced at his response. "It's nice to meet you."

"I got here early to clear up Uncle Ron's desk for you. He left a bunch of things that he thought you'd need but I promise you won't." She closed a word document before standing up and offering her hand.

Teddy remembered how to human and moved into the office, sliding his keys back into his pocket, and shook Vic's hand. Her skin was amazingly soft and Ted immediately wanted to pull her back when she released this hand.

"I like the color." She smiled up at him.

"The color…?" Ted blinked.

Vic laughed, "Your hair, I like the turquoise."

Teddy felt like an idiot. "Oh! Right, er, thanks, my mum has hers pink."

Could he be any lamer right now?

"Wow! My mum would never dye her hair, and she'd probably have a heart attack if I dyed mine." Vic laughed and sat down at her desk.

Teddy followed suit, realizing that he had no idea what to do.

"Uncle Ron is supposed to be here at half eight to help get you set up, then you'll spend the day handing off all our customers, and get back here hopefully in time to clock out at five."

"Do we have a time clock?" Teddy looked around. He'd had to stamp in and out at both his warehouse job and his server job, but he hadn't expected it here.

Vic laughed at him, "You're joking right?"

Ted hoped he wasn't blushing and tried to own it.

"Oh no, I expect an establishment as posh as this one to give me an antique time stamp machine for me to put my time card into every day before having me descend into the coal mines of selling industrial kitchen mixers."

Vic laughed before grabbing a piece of paper from her desk drawer and a black marker.

"Antique Posh Time Stamp Machine," she said as she wrote it out on the paper. "There," she held it up for him. "Where would you like it to be?"

Teddy grinned; this was going to be the best job in the world.

"Oh, it can only be at the far end of the office. It has to be as far away from where the actual work gets done as possible or it isn't posh at all."

Vic snagged a few thumbtacks from her drawer and moved to where the supply closet was in the back corner before pinning the sign up on the wall next to the door.

"How's that?"

Ted smiled. "It's perfect."

Vic smiled and looked down at her hands for a moment before moving back to her desk.

"Ted!"

Teddy turned to see Ron walking into the office.

"Morning, boss," Ted tried to ignore the part of him that resented Ron for barging in on what felt like something special between him and Vic. He'd known the woman for less than five minutes. He had to get a grip.

"Hi, Uncle Ron, I thought you weren't going to be here for another half-hour or so."

"I had my first meeting rescheduled, so I'm here to get a head start with Ted. Vicky, Ted is Harry's godson, you might have met at one of their parties."

"You know Harry?" Teddy turned to look at Vic.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, my dad is Aunt Ginny's oldest brother."

Ted blinked, she looked nothing like a Weasley. When Ron had said that his niece worked here, and then when Ted saw her, he assumed she must be a niece in the same way James, Sirius, and Peter were his Uncles.

"Well now that we know how we're all connected, Ted, I've got most of my clients ready to meet with us so I can pass them off to you this morning. Ready to go?" Ron spun his keys around his fingers.

Teddy looked back at Vic for a brief moment before nodding to Ron, "Let's get this show on the road."

Getting the clients handed off took the majority of the day, but Teddy loved it. Ron made a point of also taking Ted to the main office and introducing him to the teams there. Ted had learned about networking in several classes, but Ron showed him how it was really done. Everyone loved Ron, and Teddy honestly believed that Ron cared about everyone he introduced him to.

With how well the day had gone, as he walked back into his office building with Ron, Ted couldn't wait to see Vic again.

That is until Ron opened the door.

Vic was kissing another man.

"Vicky," Ron sighed, "please remember this is an office. I know you enjoy having Sean come pick you up, but HR would throw a fit if they knew you were snogging him on the clock."

Victoire blushed furiously and the man that stood next to her grinned. His black hair was cut short and he had his sunglasses on backward.

"Don't worry, Ron, I'm not scared of HR."

Ron raised an eyebrow at the man, "You should be, they can make me fire her."

Sean turned back to Vic, "I'll wait in the car."

He winked at Ron and Ted as he left.

Ted hated Sean.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Ron. I know we shouldn't have been kissing in here. He came to surprise me and I'd mentioned you were out showing Ted around and he took that to mean the rules were off." She trailed off and bit her lip.

"Vicky, I love you" Ron sighed, "but just, think about what your parents would say if you lost your job because of Sean."

Ted moved to his desk, not trusting himself to speak. Ron seemed to take the excuse to move on to a different topic when Ted powered on his laptop.

"I've emailed you the leads I was working on before I hired you, Ted."

"Oh, excellent," Ted nodded as he followed the log-in instructions IT had left him with his laptop and dock set up. "I'll start on them tomorrow then."

"Perfect, and if you ever need anything, just give me a call. I'm not here at the office with you, but I'm always here if you need my help with any of this. I'm looking forward to growing this division and I'd love to see you pioneer it."

Ted smiled at Ron and he leaned back in his desk chair. "Thanks, Ron, I hope I can do you proud here."

"I'm sure you will." Ron grinned at him before looking behind him at Vic. He sighed and motioned towards the door. "Victoire, can I talk to you out in the hall?"

Victoire nodded and began to follow Ron to the door. She paused before turning back around. She closed a word document on her computer and shut it down before grabbing her purse. She gave Ted a small smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Right, tomorrow," her smile seemed to pull a smile out of him.

"Right," she bit her lip and then turned around to follow after Ron.

Teddy let out a long breath as the door closed behind Vic.

He was so screwed.

#Endeavor #tedoire #tedoire fanfic #tedoire fanfiction #tedoire au #tedoire muggle au #teddy x victoire #teddy lupin x victoire weasley #ted x vic #teddy lupin #victoire weasley #teddy x vic #romance #fluff #muggle au #harry potter fanfiction #coworkers romance

19 notes · View notes