Fic Exchange: Fic for native_spirit
For: Gini/native_spirit of Gryffindor
# of words: 998
Title: Awkward
Rating/warnings: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Teddy/James Sirius
Summary: Teddy and James struggle with the difficulties of dating someone you grew up with.
Author's Notes: I hope you like it, bb!
"Your parents don't approve of us at all, James," Teddy sighed. He leaned back on the sofa, slumping down it and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Of course they do." James was leaning against the wall, frowning at Teddy. "They like you." Teddy sighed again.
"Yes, they like me. They like me separately from you, and they do not like me when I'm-" He paused and gestured awkwardly mid-air. "When they're thinking about what we do together. They see me like another of their sons, so it's like we're brothers to them, James."
"You're being ridiculous," James said. His voice was too close to anger, too close to hurt and Teddy ran a hand over his face. "What's the real reason you don't want to come?"
"That is the real reason I don't want to come!" He ran a hand through his hair and stood up. "James, I love your family, you know I love your family, but I just don't want to make things awkward for you, okay? Let's just give them time to adjust, okay?" James didn't say anything in reply. He just stared for a moment before he looked away and shook his head.
"I'll talk to you later," He said, already opening the pot of floo powder.
"James!" Teddy called. But he was alone and there was nobody to hear him.
Three days later, Teddy still hadn't heard from James. Not even a letter. He'd sent James three. The first had been an apology, even though he wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. The second had been to ask if they were okay, because he hadn't got a response. The third had been to ask if James was okay, because he still hadn't had a response and James always responded, even if it was just to be bitchy. He'd gotten a reply to that one. From Lily.
He stared down at the parchment again, and that smooth, curling writing that defineitly wasn't James' chicken scratch.
Teddy,
James has asked me to write you to ask you to stop writing to him. He doesn't have anything to say to you.
Love, Lily.
P.S. I think he's being a drama queen, and I'm trying to talk sense into him. I'm on your side.
The message from Lily did nothing to make him feel better. What could make him feel better? His boyfriend wasn't talking to him, over something so entirely ridiculous. He balled the parchment in his fist, before he let it drop to the floor. He kicked at it, sending it skittering under a sideboard.
He glanced over at the sideboard. On the top of it sat photographs. There were three in pride of place - one of his parents and the newly born him, one of him and Teddy and one of him and the Potters. In each of them, everyone smiled at him. In each of them, he was included and loved and-
That was it. He knew what he had to do to get James to speak to him again.
He landed in the living room of the Potter house with a muffled swear word. Harry blinked at him from the sofa, before standing up to greet him with a rib cracking hug.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Teddy nodded, trying not to cringe from the hug.
"I hope you've come to talk sense into James. He's in the spare room," Lily said from the doorway. Teddy nodded again. "Let him go, Daddy."
"I hope you manage," Harry said, pulling away. He peered at Teddy before smiling. "I know we didn't react too well-"
"I understand." Teddy smiled back at Harry, before edging round him to the door. "Believe me, I understand."
James' room was dark - the curtains were pulled and the lights were off - and it had the musty smell of a room that hadn't been left in a while.
"Fuck off, Lily," The lump under the duvets said, an arm peeking out from under the give the finger.
"I don't think that would get rid of Lily." Teddy smiled as he leaned against the door frame. At that, the covers on the bed flipped back, revealing James, who squinted and blinked against the light coming into the room.
"Why are you here?" James muttered. "Shut the door." Teddy did, before he crossed over to the bed and sat beside James. His nose wrinkled, but he said nothing.
"I came to see you. I braved the wrath of your family to come and see you." James just grunted. "I'm sorry. I should have come with you the other night."
"Yes," James said. He drew his knees up to his chest and looked at Teddy. "Lily says it's awkward for you at the moment."
"It is." He edged closer to James, and rested his arm on James' shoulders. "But I love you, and you're more important than how awkward I feel because I know your parents find it weird." James nodded, and leaned his head against Teddy.
"I love you too," He murmured.
"Good. Now, you're having a shower, because you stink."
Teddy hovered awkwardly in the middle of the living room. James stood beside him, one finger hooked into one of Teddy's belt loops even as he spoke to Harry.
"Teddy," Ginny called from the other side of the room. "Can we talk in the kitchen, please?" Teddy glanced at James, but James didn't even look at him. He did let go of Teddy's jeans though. His heart thudded as he walked to the kitchen, the smile on Ginny's face doing nothing to calm it. "I just want to talk to you about James."
"Oh?" Ginny nodded, and Teddy's heart sped up again.
"You're always welcome here, Teddy," Ginny said. "I love you both, and you're great for him."
"I-" Ginny shook her head, and Teddy closed his mouth. From the living room, Teddy heard James shout.
"I told you so, Ted!"
# of words: 998
Title: Awkward
Rating/warnings: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Teddy/James Sirius
Summary: Teddy and James struggle with the difficulties of dating someone you grew up with.
Author's Notes: I hope you like it, bb!
"Your parents don't approve of us at all, James," Teddy sighed. He leaned back on the sofa, slumping down it and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Of course they do." James was leaning against the wall, frowning at Teddy. "They like you." Teddy sighed again.
"Yes, they like me. They like me separately from you, and they do not like me when I'm-" He paused and gestured awkwardly mid-air. "When they're thinking about what we do together. They see me like another of their sons, so it's like we're brothers to them, James."
"You're being ridiculous," James said. His voice was too close to anger, too close to hurt and Teddy ran a hand over his face. "What's the real reason you don't want to come?"
"That is the real reason I don't want to come!" He ran a hand through his hair and stood up. "James, I love your family, you know I love your family, but I just don't want to make things awkward for you, okay? Let's just give them time to adjust, okay?" James didn't say anything in reply. He just stared for a moment before he looked away and shook his head.
"I'll talk to you later," He said, already opening the pot of floo powder.
"James!" Teddy called. But he was alone and there was nobody to hear him.
Three days later, Teddy still hadn't heard from James. Not even a letter. He'd sent James three. The first had been an apology, even though he wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. The second had been to ask if they were okay, because he hadn't got a response. The third had been to ask if James was okay, because he still hadn't had a response and James always responded, even if it was just to be bitchy. He'd gotten a reply to that one. From Lily.
He stared down at the parchment again, and that smooth, curling writing that defineitly wasn't James' chicken scratch.
Teddy,
James has asked me to write you to ask you to stop writing to him. He doesn't have anything to say to you.
Love, Lily.
P.S. I think he's being a drama queen, and I'm trying to talk sense into him. I'm on your side.
The message from Lily did nothing to make him feel better. What could make him feel better? His boyfriend wasn't talking to him, over something so entirely ridiculous. He balled the parchment in his fist, before he let it drop to the floor. He kicked at it, sending it skittering under a sideboard.
He glanced over at the sideboard. On the top of it sat photographs. There were three in pride of place - one of his parents and the newly born him, one of him and Teddy and one of him and the Potters. In each of them, everyone smiled at him. In each of them, he was included and loved and-
That was it. He knew what he had to do to get James to speak to him again.
He landed in the living room of the Potter house with a muffled swear word. Harry blinked at him from the sofa, before standing up to greet him with a rib cracking hug.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Teddy nodded, trying not to cringe from the hug.
"I hope you've come to talk sense into James. He's in the spare room," Lily said from the doorway. Teddy nodded again. "Let him go, Daddy."
"I hope you manage," Harry said, pulling away. He peered at Teddy before smiling. "I know we didn't react too well-"
"I understand." Teddy smiled back at Harry, before edging round him to the door. "Believe me, I understand."
James' room was dark - the curtains were pulled and the lights were off - and it had the musty smell of a room that hadn't been left in a while.
"Fuck off, Lily," The lump under the duvets said, an arm peeking out from under the give the finger.
"I don't think that would get rid of Lily." Teddy smiled as he leaned against the door frame. At that, the covers on the bed flipped back, revealing James, who squinted and blinked against the light coming into the room.
"Why are you here?" James muttered. "Shut the door." Teddy did, before he crossed over to the bed and sat beside James. His nose wrinkled, but he said nothing.
"I came to see you. I braved the wrath of your family to come and see you." James just grunted. "I'm sorry. I should have come with you the other night."
"Yes," James said. He drew his knees up to his chest and looked at Teddy. "Lily says it's awkward for you at the moment."
"It is." He edged closer to James, and rested his arm on James' shoulders. "But I love you, and you're more important than how awkward I feel because I know your parents find it weird." James nodded, and leaned his head against Teddy.
"I love you too," He murmured.
"Good. Now, you're having a shower, because you stink."
Teddy hovered awkwardly in the middle of the living room. James stood beside him, one finger hooked into one of Teddy's belt loops even as he spoke to Harry.
"Teddy," Ginny called from the other side of the room. "Can we talk in the kitchen, please?" Teddy glanced at James, but James didn't even look at him. He did let go of Teddy's jeans though. His heart thudded as he walked to the kitchen, the smile on Ginny's face doing nothing to calm it. "I just want to talk to you about James."
"Oh?" Ginny nodded, and Teddy's heart sped up again.
"You're always welcome here, Teddy," Ginny said. "I love you both, and you're great for him."
"I-" Ginny shook her head, and Teddy closed his mouth. From the living room, Teddy heard James shout.
"I told you so, Ted!"