SAL(T)S 🧂
In which James has a little something to say.
****
“Do you think they’re going to care?” Teddy asks, running his hand through James’s mess of hair.
“Is who going to care about what?” James stretches across the couch lazily, arching into Teddy’s fingers on his scalp.
“Your family. Or like…people in general. D’you think they’ll care? Will it be weird for them, us being together?” Teddy tries to ignore the feeling of doubt curling around in his stomach. He and James are this whole new thing, and it’s thrilling and intense, but facing the reality of letting other people into their blissful little bubble has Teddy feeling anxious.
James wriggles and twists around until he’s sitting cross-legged facing Teddy, his brow wrinkling. “I mean, why would it be? I’m not some sort of twelve-year-old kid any more! Nobody stays twelve forever, mate,” James says, and then snorts. “Last time I checked, twenty-three was considered a fucking full-blown adult. Well…maybe not full-blown, but I pay some bills! I vote!”
“I’m a little bit older than you though,” Teddy says, laughing.
“So? It’s literally only like six years. And what, I’m not supposed to be with someone I care about just because once upon a time they were alive and I wasn’t or some other nonsensical horseshite? How does that make any sense?”
James takes a deep breath before soldiering on. “There was like over a decade’s difference or something between your mum and dad, and as far as I’ve heard, nobody gave a flying fuck about that.” James is getting agitated now, his disastrous hair sticking up in all directions and a flush building under his freckles.
Teddy runs a soothing hand down James’s arm. “These are all incredibly valid points”.
“Of course they are,” James scoffs with an eyeroll. “You’re being weirdly illogical about this whole thing right now. We’re two consenting adults, in a relationship and living our lives.”
“I know, I know. I just—I love being close with your family. I don’t want to jeopardize that, or make things awkward for you.” Teddy isn’t usually this doubtful, and it’s a testament to how absolutely gone for James he is that he’s so worried.
“Edward Tedward Teddy Lupin. Look at me.” James grabs both of Teddy’s hands and gives him a blazing look. “My family loves you. My family loves me. They’re going to love us together, it’s a universal fact. It’s not like we’re actually brothers or blood-related or something. It’s not like I’m a child. My dad didn’t…raise you or something. There’s nothing strange going on, nobody’s doing anything wrong. Y’know, you’re not actually that wise for someone with all those extra years on me,” James says, grinning infuriatingly.
“And for someone who’s practically an infant, you’re too clever by half, Jamie.”
“You love me though, you dirty old man,” James says with a wink. And, fuck it all, Teddy does. He pinches James anyway.
“Besides,” James continues, “if anyone on the outside looking in has some sort of weird problem with us, they’re just literally fucking idiots anyway and I don’t really care what they think. I’ve never cared what they think. Clearly logic is beyond their grasp.”
And isn’t that the fucking truth. People can keep their uninformed negativity to themselves.
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)ง✧YASSSSSS gotta keep @whiskyandwildflowers tags tho