Chapter Text
“It’s strange, isn’t it?”
Teddy had clocked James the moment he’d arrived. The confident, easy attitude Teddy had memorised from the photos that Harry loved to show off was nowhere to be found. To be honest, James looked a bit… lost.
Teddy’s question startled James into choking on the sip he’d just taken.
“Sorry?” James coughed, blinking over at him. It was unusual for Teddy to chat up anyone who was as tall as him, but James had clearly taken after the Weasley side of the family. Teddy felt his eyes itch and knew that they were likely changing from the signature Black family silver to match the gold-flecked hazel of James’ eyes. Stupid body, get it together.
“Strange,” Teddy repeated, peeling his eyes away from James to observe the crowd. “To be in a room full of people that you know incredibly intimately, yet haven’t seen in so long that you feel almost like an outsider.” He sipped his firewhisky, appreciating the burn as it coated his throat.
“Oh. Erm, yeah,” James said. There was a pregnant pause. “Dragons, right?”
The corner of Teddy’s mouth quirked up as he turned back to James. “Dragons. Started working with your Uncle Charlie when I graduated, but I’ve moved back… well, closer at least. I’ve been helping to open the new reserve in Wales since last summer.”
James’ entire face lit up. “Wales? Me too!”
Teddy chuckled. “I know. Your mum and dad haven’t stopped talking about it for months.”
James blushed, grabbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, the wedding felt like as good a reason as any to accept a transfer back. And the Catapults extended an offer I couldn’t refuse. So… yeah.” He bit his lip, and Teddy found himself wanting to smooth the anxiety away with his thumb.
James looked away, and Teddy cursed himself for staring too intently. He followed James’ line of sight to Scorpius’ blond head. Albus stood beside his fiancé, his arm wrapped tightly around Scorpius’ waist. Scorpius was laughing at something, his head thrown back in delight, and Albus looked on with hearts in his eyes. Teddy noticed that James wore a wistful expression.
“They’re good together, you know.”
“I know,” James replied. “We all saw this coming, right? They were inseparable all through Hogwarts. Merlin, Albie was incensed when no one was surprised that they’d been dating in secret.” The memory was clearly a fond one for James.
“What about you?” Teddy asked.
“Hm?” James’ head swivelled back towards him. “Me? Oh, you mean dating? No. No one important, anyhow.” James scuffed his shoe against the floor of the fancy restaurant Draco Malfoy had rented out for the engagement party, which had been delayed for James’ return. “What about you?”
“No one who’s stuck,” Teddy admitted. He gave him a once-over while James’ eyes were still on their feet. Years of professional Quidditch had broadened his form, his long limbs filling out his Muggle suit nicely. He was bloody gorgeous. Teddy gritted his teeth, working up his nerve. “I’m happy you’re home, Jamie.”
It was either the use of his childhood nickname or Teddy’s earnest confession that yanked James’ attention back up. “Wh— Oh. Really?”
Teddy smiled, careful not to let his sharp incisors show, a tactic he’d learned when approaching skittish dragons. “Really.” He let his eyes burn into James’ until they both heard Albus asking for James.
“Duty calls,” Teddy said, squeezing James’ bicep reassuringly. “You’ll be great.”
James paused for a moment, his eyes searching Teddy’s. “Thanks, Teds,” he managed finally, a bright smile playing across his freckled features. Teddy wondered absently if the freckles were everywhere as James turned to jog to the front of the room.
With his wand pressed to his throat, James looked nervously out over the crowd. Teddy was surprised when their eyes met. He winked, raising his glass. James smiled radiantly and started his toast.
Welcome home, indeed.
–
Teddy didn’t see James again until the stag weekend. Between James’ practice schedule and Teddy’s long hours at the reserve, it seemed that they were never at the Potter’s cottage at the same time.
But he’d received an owl from James a week ago with Floo coordinates and some details about the stag weekend, which he knew James had been planning for months—possibly even longer than Albus and Scorpius had been engaged.
He had picked up the portkey at the local Ministry office after leaving the reserve in late afternoon, packed a bag, and was now standing in James’ sparsely decorated flat in Caerphilly.
“Jamie?” he called out.
“One sec!” James yelled from down the hall. Teddy sat on the sofa and picked up a copy of Quidditch Weekly from the case of Quidditch balls that was acting as James’ coffee table. It rumbled a bit when Teddy put his feet on it, indicating that there was a live Bludger inside. Teddy chuckled.
“Sorry, practice ran late,” James said, rounding the corner with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His auburn curls were still damp from the shower, and the threadbare t-shirt clung to his well-toned chest. And, fuck, was he really wearing grey joggers? Arsehole.
Teddy cleared his throat, jumping up from the sofa. “No worries. Portkey’s set to go off in a minute though, better grab on.” He held out the well-worn white Converse sneaker, and James raised an eyebrow before grabbing one of the dingy shoelaces that hung down.
“What?” Teddy smirked. “At least it doesn’t smell.”
James rolled his eyes, smiling all the same. “Fair. Are you ready for this weekend?”
“I am. I think the real question is: are you?”
James shrugged, frowning. “It’s Albus and Scorpius. How bad can it be?” Teddy started to tilt his head, wondering if James was kidding or just naive, when the portkey began to glow.
Teddy held his breath, but nothing could prepare him for the twisting sensation of being whisked through space halfway across the country. He landed off-kilter, stumbling, his arms pinwheeling out and looking for something to grab onto.
Strong arms wrapped around his waist. “I’ve got you,” James whispered, halting his fall.
Teddy opened his eyes to find James’ face inches away from his own. “Oh,” he breathed.
The moment was broken by Albus, who slid into the foyer of the cabin on socked feet. The room was two stories tall and echoed as Albus cried, “Jamie! Teds!”
Teddy willed away the blush on his cheeks as James set him upright, just in time to catch Albus sailing through the air at them, yelling, “You’re here!”
“Glad you’re here,” Scorpius agreed, following Albus with two glasses of champagne in hand. Teddy accepted a glass gratefully, embracing his sort-of cousin and accepting a kiss on the cheek. He took a sip of champagne, the bubbles tickling his throat on their way down to meet the butterflies that fluttered around his belly.
Albus careened into him, hugging him around the waist and attempting unsuccessfully to lift him up.
“Albie!” Teddy laughed. “Happy stag do!”
Albus looked up at Teddy with bright green eyes. “I’m getting married, Teds!”
Teddy grinned. “That you are, love.” He looked up at Scorpius and James, who were watching them with similar affectionate expressions. “Everyone else here?” he asked.
Scorpius nodded. “Everyone got in last night, we’ve been at the lake all day. Drinking, if you couldn’t tell.”
“Sorry I couldn’t make it in last night,” James said. “It was hard enough begging off this weekend.”
Scorpius wrapped his arm around James’ shoulder, smiling warmly. “We understand, James! No need to apologise. In fact,” he looked at Teddy, “we may need to apologise instead. There’s only one room left. If it’s a problem, you and I can sleep together, Teddy—”
“Not a problem,” Teddy blurted out. “I mean, not a problem for me. Jamie?”
The tips of James’ ears were red. “No, not a problem. Been sleeping with guys for years now.” His eyes widened. “I mean—like, at Hogwarts, and on the road. Like, rooming together!”
Albus looked as if someone had gifted him a unicorn. “Jamie,” he said between giggles. “We all know you’re gay, it’s fine.” He flicked James’ nipple in a way that only a little brother could get away with, ducking away from James’ retaliatory swat.
“Should’ve left you in the forest for the fairies to kidnap,” James grumbled, picking up his bag and heading for the staircase that led up to the second floor.
“Last room on the right,” Scorpius called after them. “We saved the best one for you!”
Teddy focused on the stairs instead of James’ pert bum swaying just in front of his face, sighing in relief once they reached their room. The view proved to be a lovely distraction from his godbrother.
They had been left a corner bedroom with a balcony, and the two outer walls boasted floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake. “Wow,” James breathed, dumping his bag on one side of the giant four-poster that took up most of the floor space.
The oranges and pinks of the setting sun settled over James’ features, and Teddy couldn’t look away. James turned back to him with a grin. “This is awesome, right?”
“Awesome,” Teddy said, mocking the slight American accent that James had picked up in the seven years he’d lived overseas.
“Shut up,” James chuckled, shoving Teddy in the shoulder. They stood close, and Teddy could smell the clean eucalyptus scent of James’ shampoo.
“I can take the sofa if you want,” Teddy offered, nodding at the plush-looking piece of furniture against the far wall.
James rolled his eyes, stepping away from Teddy and opening his bag. “Don’t be stupid. It’s way too short; you won’t fit. There’s plenty of room for us both on the bed.”
Teddy started to say, “Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” but swallowed it, shaking his head at himself. Grabbing his swim trunks, he gestured at the door to the ensuite. “I’m just going to change.”
In the bathroom, Teddy took stock of himself, urging the pink tips of his hair back to their natural turquoise. He considered morphing his body a bit, knowing that James was outside the door in all his Quidditch-toned glory, but waved away the thought. Better to be himself.
Which wasn’t so bad. A bit scarred from years of working with dragons, sure. Tattooed, also to be expected—getting your first sleeve was practically a rite of passage on the reserve in Romania. And he was pretty fit—dragon taming was a physical job, after all. He’d recently gotten a septum piercing at the suggestion of one of his friends on the reserve. “So they’ll know you’re gay,” Antoni had joked, but Teddy had liked the look of it, almost like he was something that needed to be tamed.
Satisfied, he opened the door to the ensuite to the sight of James pulling up his swim shorts. “Oh, shit, sorry,” Teddy said, staring at James’ lily-white arse. So he does have freckles everywhere.
James spun, meeting Teddy’s eyes and then looking away again quickly. “Shit. Sorry, I should’ve—”
“No, my fault—”
“Erm,” they both finished.
“Sorry,” Teddy apologised again. “Shall we… head downstairs?”
James nodded, looking grateful for the out.