[Fic] Night Out (R) HP: James Sirius Potter/Teddy Lupin
Just a quick repost of last year's hp_summersmut fic. Apparently I was a lazy ass!
Whatever! :D
Title: Night Out
Author/Artist: faynia and chibitoaster
Recipient: loony4lupin
Pairing: Teddy Lupin/James Sirius Potter
Rating: R
Word Count: 4,315
Medium: pencil
Warnings: James is underage (17)
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: James Potter isn't gay.
Author's Notes: A great heaping pile of thanks to my betas joanwilder, florahart and bewarethesmirk and to everyone who shook their heads at me and told me that my story was fixable in the long run when I was having a smut block! ^_^
Written for the hp_summersmut fest.
Sneaking out of Hogwarts turned out to be much easier than James anticipated. He expected Prefects and ghosts and demon-eyed kitties, but not the ease with which he maneuvered through the halls of Hogwarts under his dad's old Invisibility Cloak glanced around again as he slipped out the door of Honeydukes onto the empty street. Hogsmeade was quiet, the usual ebb and flow of customers having died down hours before.
A flash of blue out of the corner of his eye made him grin and turn around. Teddy stood behind him, arms stretched wide as if he were in mid-pounce. James sniggered at the flustered expression that crossed Teddy's face. Whatever force holding Teddy back broke. James yelped when wiry arms wrapped enthusiastically with great enthusiasm around his shoulders.
"You okay, mate? Didn't want to make a fuss and barge into the school. Well, Uncle Harry didn't want me to. He suggested kindness and sympathy. I gave that to Albus. Did he sulk off? I bet he did. You look all right." Teddy pulled at James' lips in inspection. "Everything seems to be functioning." His eyes narrowed. "How'd the exit go?"
"Not even a ruddy cobweb. It was depressing."
Teddy laughed, the sound airy but genuine. James swallowed thickly, his arms going around Teddy's waist. He sucked in a trembling breath and let it out again. The familiar smell of peaches and sweat tickled his nose, and he felt himself relaxing. If Teddy still raided his grandmother's shampoos, then maybe things weren't all that bad.
"So," James mumbled, cheeks suffusing with color as he realized where they were standing. Yes, the street was empty, but it was still embarrassing. "Where are we going?"
"Muggle London. Come on," Teddy said as he looped an arm around James' waist. He didn't wait for an answer. Teddy tugged James in close and Apparated them out of Hogsmeade and into a narrow alleyway. They landed on top of a closed skip. James laughed at the roiling feeling in his stomach as Teddy helped him off it. Collapsing in a pile on the cool concrete ground, James found himself nose-to-nose with Teddy.
"All right, Muggle London, now what?"
"Now, we're going to get you properly pissed. Didn't even get the chance to do this on your birthday. I've got to make up for that."
"You were busy," James said, shrugging it off. His eyes were shining in excitement, and he was sure he was bouncing like an idiot, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Teddy had promised him last year on his 16th birthday that they'd go out drinking on his 17th, but that plan had quickly fallen through when Teddy was called in to work in the middle of James' party. Apparently someone had sewn their hand to their trousers with a badly cast patching spell.
None of that mattered now, though. If Teddy was here to get him drunk, James didn't want to waste another second.
"What if someone recognizes us?"
It was Teddy's turn to look excited. "You still have the cloak on you, right? Put it on, quick. Do you like mustaches? Nah, wait, beards. Beards are awesome. You'll love this, watch."
James pulled the silvery cloth out from his belt loop, keeping one eye on Teddy in case he missed something. He thought that he'd have to be blind to miss whatever it was Teddy had planned, but watching his life-long friend suddenly change his appearance to look like a 50-year-old biker was something he hadn't anticipated.
"No, you cannot keep that," James laughed. He tried to stifle the giggles behind his hand, but couldn't help it. He'd never seen such a well-dressed biker before. "You can't, I won't be able to keep quiet."
"Damn." The dark-colored beard shrunk, but didn't vanish, making Teddy look unshaven. He watched as Teddy's face lost its odd wrinkles and scars, smoothing out into familiar contours. He looked like… James brought the Invisibility Cloak over his head to mask his rapidly coloring face. God, he looked like a Malfoy.
"It's that bad?" Teddy asked, sounding put out. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and startled when James grabbed his wrist.
"It's fine this time, really. Can we go now? Don't know how long Lily can keep a secret, or how long Al plans on hanging with Malfoy in Slytherin tonight. I want to--I don't know, get pissed and pass out somewhere before Dad tries to track me down."
"Hold on." Teddy withdrew his wand and pulled out two blank cards. James blinked, leaning forward in confusion. In shock, he withdrew as the cards started filling in, a picture of James appearing in one corner and the bearded Teddy on the corner of the other. He'd seen IDs before, but he'd never got one. His dad had refused for no good reason as far as James could tell, but the Potter No-ID rule didn't appear to apply to Teddy. Pulling the cloak down off his head, James reached for the piece of plastic when it was handed to him.
"You lose this and Uncle Harry'll kill me. Which means I'll kill you. Really. I will."
James nodded. His flipped the card over and over in his hand in elation. And then paused when he caught sight of the birth date. "I wasn't--"
"Yes, you were," Teddy said slowly.
James frowned and sighed. If someone asked, at least the month and day hadn't changed.
"Come on. The place should just be opening up now."
"Where're we going?" James asked, trying to keep up with Teddy's spirited strides without tripping over the hem of the cloak. "A pub?"
Teddy's face lit up when he tugged the cloak back over James' head. His fingers brushed over the front as if removing an invisible wrinkle, and James' heart stopped for a second. "Not at all."
~*~
Bass from the speakers at the front of the club beat through the soles of James' trainers and mingled with his heartbeat. The cloak had long ago been shrunk and stashed in his front pocket. He glanced around the dimly lit dance floor, watching the crowd undulate.
"You brought me to a gay club."
Teddy ruffled his hair and led him over to the bar. "I know, mate. Brilliant, isn't it?"
"But I'm not gay!" James yelped, face heating as someone brushed their hand along his backside. He tried to catch the person, but whoever it was had vanished. "I'm not," he repeated, scooting closer to Teddy's side in case anyone else tried to make a pass at him. If he was going to do this, he would do it right. And by right, he meant he was going to cling to Teddy's side all night so no one else tried to grope his arse.
"Come on, you wanker," Teddy growled affectionately, grasping James by the collar of his shirt to haul him through the crowd. James felt a momentary sense of gratitude toward Teddy. The thought of getting lost in the crowd made him dizzy. He liked parties. Hell, what sort of bloke didn't? But this was beyond a normal party.
Before he knew what was happening, Teddy had released him beside a barstool and had a bottle in his hand. James blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what was going on here. The bartender leaned over the counter, depositing a swift kiss to Teddy's cheek before producing another bottle and setting it before James.
With an infectious grin, Teddy swiped the bottle out of James' numb fingers and popped the cap off. He held the bottle back out and waggled it in front of James' face. "Well, go on then. We might have all night, but it's going to be a long one if you keep sitting there staring at me. Don't make me tell the lads in the Auror department that their freshest trainee applicant can't hold his liquor."
James' eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't." He hadn't meant to sound uncertain about it, but from the way Teddy's smirk grew, James knew he'd be screwed one way or another.
"Hell."
"That's the spirit," Teddy encouraged, shoving the bottle back into James' outstretched hand. James took it with a helpless look around the club. If he didn't do this now, his reputation would be trashed for virtually the rest of his life. James Potter did not back down from dares, and he had been waiting ages to be allowed to go out drinking.
Holding the bottle up to the dim light over the bar, James inspected the label on the bottle for a few seconds before taking a shallow sip from it. Teddy's look was far from approving; it was downright cocky. Wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve, James met that challenging expression with determination. One sip hadn't been horrible. He hadn't gagged. He didn't even feel slightly dizzy.
James swirled the contents around inside the bottle, watching it move before taking a deeper pull. The liquid burned down the back of his throat, and he must have made a face, because Teddy was suddenly laughing.
"What?"
"Good?"
"What the hell is it?" James asked, setting the bottle back on the bar. The label had been in Swedish or Russian or Fuck-who-knows-ian, and that didn't make him feel any better about being where he was. Maybe if he had more it wouldn't matter that he was in a club where men were bumping groins not even 30 feet behind him. He swore he could hear grunting noises that no man should be making in public places. Why'd he let Teddy drag him out of school again? He cast a baleful glare in Teddy's direction that sent Teddy into another laughing fit.
At least one of them was having fun. Though James thought Teddy's objective was to cheer him up, not put him off public showers for months. He took another swig of the odd drink, crossing his eyes as it tingled all the way down his throat.
~*~
James was pretty positive he'd never licked salt off someone's wrist before. Salty sweat once when he had wanted to gross Al out, but never actual, honest to Merlin, salt. He held Teddy's arm still as he took a long swipe around his wrist, accidentally brushing against the skin with his teeth. A small row of shot glasses littered the bar before them and the longer James focused on them, the more of them there seemed to be.
"I think my tongue," he said, nodding slowly as Teddy wrapped the same arm he'd just been licking at around his shoulder. He buried his nose against Teddy's neck and sighed.
"Let's go," Teddy whispered, words slurring together. On the count of one, James stumbled off his bar stool into the writhing crowds. He grinned stupidly as someone bumped against him from behind. A hand slithered around his stomach, twisting him around. The stranger leered at him and all James could do was smile in response. This seemed to get a confused reaction as the stranger cocked his head to the side and suddenly backed off. He barely protested when another set of hands grabbed at him from behind to tug him away.
"This wasn't what I meant." Teddy's gruff tone sent weird tingly shivers down James' spine and he tottered back into Teddy's loose embrace, wiggling his hips in a bad imitation of those dancing around him. It looked like a hell of a lot more fun than whatever Teddy was trying to get him to do at the moment.
"Dance," James demanded, turning in Teddy's arms to grab onto his shoulders. He missed his mark by a few inches and instead of being able to shake the stiffness out of Teddy's body, he found himself hugging the other boy tightly. "You wanted me here. Yes," James answered his own statement, recalling how unfair he'd felt this situation to have been when they'd first arrived. Teddy had to agree to dance with him. He wanted them to have fun, and James thought this might be the most fun they could have here.
"Yes," Teddy responded. Warm air gusted along the shell of his ear and James shivered again. There was something wrong with what he was doing here. Teddy wound his arms around James' back, fingers dipping along the waistband as he moved in a sinuous fashion. No one had danced with James like this before. A cute, respectable sort of Hufflepuff had tried once to some Muggle crap, bumping him in a way she called 'sexy'. James had barely gone along with it, but all he could remember from the night was the set of tits pressed nicely against his chest and the unsatisfied feeling he woke up to early the next morning.
Teddy was different. His hair flashed dark purple and his features mellowed, before the disguise snapped back in place. James' eyes roved over the subtle differences presented before him, but he couldn't get over the sudden appearance of freckles along the bridge of Teddy's nose. He leaned forward, denim brushing against denim as he pushed his nose up against Teddy's.
"Freskles," he murmured. The word slurred off his tongue along with a confused laugh as he nuzzled his nose against the other boy's.
Teddy sounded like he'd run a long race when he asked, "You like them?"
James nodded and hummed. This was nice. Music washed over James, sinking into his skin, making the room spin and him sway unconsciously. His fingers twirled into Teddy's thick hair as they moved through the throng and when someone crashed into James from behind, knocking him flat up against Teddy, Teddy made no move to shove him away again. Something about this struck James as hysterical and he began to giggle. They were in a gay club. Dancing. Like they were gay and together. Gay, gay, gay. Gay meant happy too, right? It wasn't like he could ask Teddy. He should have known Ted was gayer than Malfoy's peacocks, and those were quite possibly the queerest things he'd ever encountered.
He buried his face against Teddy's neck, trying to hide his laughter in the collar of Teddy's shirt. Instead of the dry skin he expected, his lips pressed against clammy skin. James dropped his hand from Teddy's hair to cradle his neck, thumb brushing lazy circles just under Teddy's chin as he debated on what to do about this. Before he could move though, Teddy fisted James' hair and pushed his lips down against his neck once again. James gasped inaudibly and traced a straight path up the curve of Teddy's neck with the tip of his tongue, stopping just below his earlobe.
Curious, James bit down on the bit of skin dangling there, grinning when Teddy choked. The noise didn't sound discouraging at all. Not willing to give Teddy much of a chance to stop him, James began to explore. He wanted to hear more of those breathy gasps and maybe, maybe something else too. If James could just get Teddy to make that strangled groan again, he'd know he was on to something. The only other time James had heard Teddy make a noise quite like that one was when Hugo had planted a scorpion in his bed during the Christmas hols. Except this noise was better because he was the cause of it. Darting his tongue out to trace the shell of Teddy's ear, James felt victorious.
"James," Teddy growled as he dug his fingers into James' hips. "Stop."
"Phil."
"What?" James took advantage of the startled expression on Teddy's face to press a fluttering kiss to Teddy's throat. He could feel Teddy swallowing beneath his lips and he grinned.
He fumbled with his trouser pockets for the slim bit of plastic he'd stuffed there earlier and flashed it in front of Teddy's golden eyes, before dropping it to the ground. He really didn't care. "Me."
If that made any sense to Teddy, James wasn't about to wait to find out. He had so much exposed skin to explore and he didn't know what to do with it all. No one had ever made his head ache from confusion like Teddy did. The light burn of Teddy's stubbly beard heated James body when he nuzzled Teddy's cheek. There was something else somewhere lower that took notice as well, but James hardly cared. Teddy's skin was so smooth and the freckles, the freckles mocked him.
"You can't, Jam-Phil, you can't want this." Teddy's hands moved to James' shoulders, making him pout. "Stop. You need to stop."
"No." James didn't glance up to see the effect of his own words as he pressed closer to Teddy, letting the music thrum through him. He wanted to dance. He wanted to have fun. He wanted to forget the stupid reasons why James Potter would need to get drunk, but, more than anything, he wanted to lick that little bead of sweat forming over Teddy's top lip. "No," he repeated, hips moving in slow circles against Teddy's.
Teddy bit down on James' shoulder. A groan shuddered through both of them, and an unrecognizable moan filtered through the blood racing past James' ears. It didn't matter. There were plenty of other blokes in the club who could be watching, maybe even getting their jollies off to the sight of two younger men dancing like lovers. They didn't have to know that James wasn't gay to enjoy the picture. James reckoned you'd have to be paralyzed from the waist down, or straight, not to be affected in some way. Teddy certainly was. James fumbled for the zip in Teddy's trousers. It gave from beneath his fingers easily, slipping down to expose the pants beneath. He didn't mind it when Teddy pulled him closer. Teddy would protect him. That's what Teddy was good at-protecting people. People like James who liked to do things like run the flat of his palm along the bulge he found there.
"Your wand's glowing," he teased with a drunken leer. He tossed his head back and laughed and had to stop himself and then try it again. Something was wrong with his voice. He blinked into the flashing lights of the club for a few seconds, before he rested his forehead against Teddy's chest to watch what his hand was doing. He'd never done this before. Or he couldn't remember doing this before to anyone but himself, and the thrill of power that rushed through him left him reeling. Teddy was completely under his control. James could do anything to him, make him do anything, make him make more of those huffy breathing sounds that were so close to his ear he couldn't hear anything else.
Teddy's fingers dug into his hair and tugged him back. "Come on."
James' hand fell to his side as he stared curiously at Teddy. Teddy had been liking it. He knew. James knew and felt it, so it couldn't be that he was doing that wrong. What bloke could possibly get that motion wrong? He tried to press himself closer to Teddy, but he was refused. Pouting, James scratched his nose and tried to fling his arms around Teddy's neck.
"No fun," he grumbled when Teddy grabbed James by the wrists. The slight smirk on Teddy's freckled face did nothing more than make heat flash through him. James thought he might like to feel that smirk against his own skin, just for a few seconds. Only a few. That wouldn't be gay at all.
"You're completely pissed."
James shook his head wildly, a smile breaking across his face. He felt dizzy and giddy. Teddy would ruin it if he tried to stop them now. There was no way he was going to let that happen. Teddy wanted him here like this. Why else would they be in such a fucking queer place instead of a normal pub? They could have gotten as shitfaced anywhere else, but they'd ended up here. Not that James was complaining much any longer. He didn't want to disappoint Teddy, but more than that, he wanted to take care of Teddy, because Teddy was here trying to take care of him. James tried to again to move forward, but Teddy wouldn't give.
"James, you--no--" Teddy clasped a hand over James' mouth, hissing when James took the opportunity to wiggle his hand back down Teddy's trousers. The heat pouring from Teddy's body warmed James' skin until he felt himself heating in response. "I'm taking you back. This was a fucking dumb idea. I never should have brought you here. Come on."
James licked Teddy's palm and grinned smugly when Teddy released his mouth to rub his hand down his trouser leg. He whined at Teddy when his hand was forcibly removed from Teddy's impressive bulge. James had never been into comparing cocks with anyone before, but Teddy's was massive in James' mind. Bigger than his, and James used to think his was no laughing matter. He didn't get much more chance to think on the matter though, because Teddy was leaning in close to his face and looking very severe about something. James tried to focus on Teddy's eyes, but his own eyes kept crossing with the effort. He let them fall closed to stop the dizziness.
"God," Teddy muttered, and without warning, dry lips brushed along James' and disappeared. James' eyes popped open in time to find himself being dragged toward the loo at the back of the club. Once inside though, James had to shut his eyes once more to block out the harsh light of the dingy bathroom. He heard stall doors slamming into the metal walls as Teddy checked through each in the small row to make sure they were alone. James leaned back against the door and fought to not run from the room's bright lights back to the smoky darkness of the club they were leaving behind.
"Quit whining and get over here." Teddy held out a hand. "We're leaving."
James sucked in a breath and staggered over to where Teddy stood. "What for?"
Teddy wrapped his arms around James' back and held him for a period of time that James thought might be inappropriate, but he couldn't feel anything but warmth. His own arms curled around Teddy's neck, and with a start, he felt himself being squeezed in at the sides as the familiar pressure of Apparation took hold of him. Teddy kept his arms securely clinched around James until they arrived in a familiar flat. James teetered a little, falling forward into Teddy's arms as he narrowed his fuzzy gaze to take in the messy sitting room.
Smiling drunkenly up at Teddy, James hummed unconcernedly. He hadn't been here since the summer which seemed like ages ago by his estimation, much longer than was fair. James noticed the look of concern on Teddy's face as the disguise slipped away to reveal the normal features James had come to associate solely with Teddy. Turquoise hair, darker than normal, but no less blue-green than it should have been, grew in over the blond coloring from before, and James grinned.
"Hello, Teddy," he laughed, tilting his head back. Their chins connected and their teeth clacked. James laughed harder at Teddy's soft swear. His chin barely smarted, but he had always knew known he was made of tougher stuff than Teddy. At least his chin was at any rate. Teddy still looked concerned, but a little peeved and that was fine with James. James knew how to deal with an angry Teddy now and all it took was one little thing.
James pressed himself fully along Teddy's body before nuzzling his cheek. "You smell like smoke."
"Get off me, James."
"Get you off?" James smirked, shaking his hair out of his eyes. He cupped Teddy through his trousers and squeezed.
Teddy grabbed James' wrists and glared. "You aren't gay, so quit pretending to be."
James made a face. He didn't need to hear this, he knew this, but he also knew he liked to make Teddy feel good. "You're the one who took me out."
"And now I'm the one telling you to knock it off! So knock it off, all right? It was stupid of me to take you there anyhow." Teddy dropped onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. He didn't look up before continuing, "If Uncle Harry hadn't asked me to get you out of the castle, you wouldn't even be trying. So just stop."
Wind rustled the curtains behind the telly. The thick cloth blew over the dusty television set in gentle waves that held James momentarily spellbound. He didn't know what to think anymore. All he knew was his head was killing him, and Teddy's sour mood wasn't making it better. James couldn't tell if he was drunk or hung over any longer. Neither were going to make getting back into the Gryffindor common room easy, especially not if Teddy wasn't going to help him.
"Take me back then."
"In the morning," Teddy promised, lifting his head from his hands as he rolled onto his side. He kicked off his shoes and curled up on the sofa. "You can take the bed for the night."
James frowned, taking a wobbly step toward the sofa and his head spun. "I can't stay out here?"
Teddy gazed up at him for an uncomfortable second, before nodding slowly and scooting closer to the back of the sofa. James took the invitation and scrambled onto the sofa beside Teddy, settling down on the very edge.
He wasn't sure what he wanted. James didn't think he would for a long while.
Whatever! :D
Title: Night Out
Author/Artist: faynia and chibitoaster
Recipient: loony4lupin
Pairing: Teddy Lupin/James Sirius Potter
Rating: R
Word Count: 4,315
Medium: pencil
Warnings: James is underage (17)
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: James Potter isn't gay.
Author's Notes: A great heaping pile of thanks to my betas joanwilder, florahart and bewarethesmirk and to everyone who shook their heads at me and told me that my story was fixable in the long run when I was having a smut block! ^_^
Written for the hp_summersmut fest.
Sneaking out of Hogwarts turned out to be much easier than James anticipated. He expected Prefects and ghosts and demon-eyed kitties, but not the ease with which he maneuvered through the halls of Hogwarts under his dad's old Invisibility Cloak glanced around again as he slipped out the door of Honeydukes onto the empty street. Hogsmeade was quiet, the usual ebb and flow of customers having died down hours before.
A flash of blue out of the corner of his eye made him grin and turn around. Teddy stood behind him, arms stretched wide as if he were in mid-pounce. James sniggered at the flustered expression that crossed Teddy's face. Whatever force holding Teddy back broke. James yelped when wiry arms wrapped enthusiastically with great enthusiasm around his shoulders.
"You okay, mate? Didn't want to make a fuss and barge into the school. Well, Uncle Harry didn't want me to. He suggested kindness and sympathy. I gave that to Albus. Did he sulk off? I bet he did. You look all right." Teddy pulled at James' lips in inspection. "Everything seems to be functioning." His eyes narrowed. "How'd the exit go?"
"Not even a ruddy cobweb. It was depressing."
Teddy laughed, the sound airy but genuine. James swallowed thickly, his arms going around Teddy's waist. He sucked in a trembling breath and let it out again. The familiar smell of peaches and sweat tickled his nose, and he felt himself relaxing. If Teddy still raided his grandmother's shampoos, then maybe things weren't all that bad.
"So," James mumbled, cheeks suffusing with color as he realized where they were standing. Yes, the street was empty, but it was still embarrassing. "Where are we going?"
"Muggle London. Come on," Teddy said as he looped an arm around James' waist. He didn't wait for an answer. Teddy tugged James in close and Apparated them out of Hogsmeade and into a narrow alleyway. They landed on top of a closed skip. James laughed at the roiling feeling in his stomach as Teddy helped him off it. Collapsing in a pile on the cool concrete ground, James found himself nose-to-nose with Teddy.
"All right, Muggle London, now what?"
"Now, we're going to get you properly pissed. Didn't even get the chance to do this on your birthday. I've got to make up for that."
"You were busy," James said, shrugging it off. His eyes were shining in excitement, and he was sure he was bouncing like an idiot, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Teddy had promised him last year on his 16th birthday that they'd go out drinking on his 17th, but that plan had quickly fallen through when Teddy was called in to work in the middle of James' party. Apparently someone had sewn their hand to their trousers with a badly cast patching spell.
None of that mattered now, though. If Teddy was here to get him drunk, James didn't want to waste another second.
"What if someone recognizes us?"
It was Teddy's turn to look excited. "You still have the cloak on you, right? Put it on, quick. Do you like mustaches? Nah, wait, beards. Beards are awesome. You'll love this, watch."
James pulled the silvery cloth out from his belt loop, keeping one eye on Teddy in case he missed something. He thought that he'd have to be blind to miss whatever it was Teddy had planned, but watching his life-long friend suddenly change his appearance to look like a 50-year-old biker was something he hadn't anticipated.
"No, you cannot keep that," James laughed. He tried to stifle the giggles behind his hand, but couldn't help it. He'd never seen such a well-dressed biker before. "You can't, I won't be able to keep quiet."
"Damn." The dark-colored beard shrunk, but didn't vanish, making Teddy look unshaven. He watched as Teddy's face lost its odd wrinkles and scars, smoothing out into familiar contours. He looked like… James brought the Invisibility Cloak over his head to mask his rapidly coloring face. God, he looked like a Malfoy.
"It's that bad?" Teddy asked, sounding put out. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and startled when James grabbed his wrist.
"It's fine this time, really. Can we go now? Don't know how long Lily can keep a secret, or how long Al plans on hanging with Malfoy in Slytherin tonight. I want to--I don't know, get pissed and pass out somewhere before Dad tries to track me down."
"Hold on." Teddy withdrew his wand and pulled out two blank cards. James blinked, leaning forward in confusion. In shock, he withdrew as the cards started filling in, a picture of James appearing in one corner and the bearded Teddy on the corner of the other. He'd seen IDs before, but he'd never got one. His dad had refused for no good reason as far as James could tell, but the Potter No-ID rule didn't appear to apply to Teddy. Pulling the cloak down off his head, James reached for the piece of plastic when it was handed to him.
"You lose this and Uncle Harry'll kill me. Which means I'll kill you. Really. I will."
James nodded. His flipped the card over and over in his hand in elation. And then paused when he caught sight of the birth date. "I wasn't--"
"Yes, you were," Teddy said slowly.
James frowned and sighed. If someone asked, at least the month and day hadn't changed.
"Come on. The place should just be opening up now."
"Where're we going?" James asked, trying to keep up with Teddy's spirited strides without tripping over the hem of the cloak. "A pub?"
Teddy's face lit up when he tugged the cloak back over James' head. His fingers brushed over the front as if removing an invisible wrinkle, and James' heart stopped for a second. "Not at all."
~*~
Bass from the speakers at the front of the club beat through the soles of James' trainers and mingled with his heartbeat. The cloak had long ago been shrunk and stashed in his front pocket. He glanced around the dimly lit dance floor, watching the crowd undulate.
"You brought me to a gay club."
Teddy ruffled his hair and led him over to the bar. "I know, mate. Brilliant, isn't it?"
"But I'm not gay!" James yelped, face heating as someone brushed their hand along his backside. He tried to catch the person, but whoever it was had vanished. "I'm not," he repeated, scooting closer to Teddy's side in case anyone else tried to make a pass at him. If he was going to do this, he would do it right. And by right, he meant he was going to cling to Teddy's side all night so no one else tried to grope his arse.
"Come on, you wanker," Teddy growled affectionately, grasping James by the collar of his shirt to haul him through the crowd. James felt a momentary sense of gratitude toward Teddy. The thought of getting lost in the crowd made him dizzy. He liked parties. Hell, what sort of bloke didn't? But this was beyond a normal party.
Before he knew what was happening, Teddy had released him beside a barstool and had a bottle in his hand. James blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what was going on here. The bartender leaned over the counter, depositing a swift kiss to Teddy's cheek before producing another bottle and setting it before James.
With an infectious grin, Teddy swiped the bottle out of James' numb fingers and popped the cap off. He held the bottle back out and waggled it in front of James' face. "Well, go on then. We might have all night, but it's going to be a long one if you keep sitting there staring at me. Don't make me tell the lads in the Auror department that their freshest trainee applicant can't hold his liquor."
James' eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't." He hadn't meant to sound uncertain about it, but from the way Teddy's smirk grew, James knew he'd be screwed one way or another.
"Hell."
"That's the spirit," Teddy encouraged, shoving the bottle back into James' outstretched hand. James took it with a helpless look around the club. If he didn't do this now, his reputation would be trashed for virtually the rest of his life. James Potter did not back down from dares, and he had been waiting ages to be allowed to go out drinking.
Holding the bottle up to the dim light over the bar, James inspected the label on the bottle for a few seconds before taking a shallow sip from it. Teddy's look was far from approving; it was downright cocky. Wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve, James met that challenging expression with determination. One sip hadn't been horrible. He hadn't gagged. He didn't even feel slightly dizzy.
James swirled the contents around inside the bottle, watching it move before taking a deeper pull. The liquid burned down the back of his throat, and he must have made a face, because Teddy was suddenly laughing.
"What?"
"Good?"
"What the hell is it?" James asked, setting the bottle back on the bar. The label had been in Swedish or Russian or Fuck-who-knows-ian, and that didn't make him feel any better about being where he was. Maybe if he had more it wouldn't matter that he was in a club where men were bumping groins not even 30 feet behind him. He swore he could hear grunting noises that no man should be making in public places. Why'd he let Teddy drag him out of school again? He cast a baleful glare in Teddy's direction that sent Teddy into another laughing fit.
At least one of them was having fun. Though James thought Teddy's objective was to cheer him up, not put him off public showers for months. He took another swig of the odd drink, crossing his eyes as it tingled all the way down his throat.
~*~
James was pretty positive he'd never licked salt off someone's wrist before. Salty sweat once when he had wanted to gross Al out, but never actual, honest to Merlin, salt. He held Teddy's arm still as he took a long swipe around his wrist, accidentally brushing against the skin with his teeth. A small row of shot glasses littered the bar before them and the longer James focused on them, the more of them there seemed to be.
"I think my tongue," he said, nodding slowly as Teddy wrapped the same arm he'd just been licking at around his shoulder. He buried his nose against Teddy's neck and sighed.
"Let's go," Teddy whispered, words slurring together. On the count of one, James stumbled off his bar stool into the writhing crowds. He grinned stupidly as someone bumped against him from behind. A hand slithered around his stomach, twisting him around. The stranger leered at him and all James could do was smile in response. This seemed to get a confused reaction as the stranger cocked his head to the side and suddenly backed off. He barely protested when another set of hands grabbed at him from behind to tug him away.
"This wasn't what I meant." Teddy's gruff tone sent weird tingly shivers down James' spine and he tottered back into Teddy's loose embrace, wiggling his hips in a bad imitation of those dancing around him. It looked like a hell of a lot more fun than whatever Teddy was trying to get him to do at the moment.
"Dance," James demanded, turning in Teddy's arms to grab onto his shoulders. He missed his mark by a few inches and instead of being able to shake the stiffness out of Teddy's body, he found himself hugging the other boy tightly. "You wanted me here. Yes," James answered his own statement, recalling how unfair he'd felt this situation to have been when they'd first arrived. Teddy had to agree to dance with him. He wanted them to have fun, and James thought this might be the most fun they could have here.
"Yes," Teddy responded. Warm air gusted along the shell of his ear and James shivered again. There was something wrong with what he was doing here. Teddy wound his arms around James' back, fingers dipping along the waistband as he moved in a sinuous fashion. No one had danced with James like this before. A cute, respectable sort of Hufflepuff had tried once to some Muggle crap, bumping him in a way she called 'sexy'. James had barely gone along with it, but all he could remember from the night was the set of tits pressed nicely against his chest and the unsatisfied feeling he woke up to early the next morning.
Teddy was different. His hair flashed dark purple and his features mellowed, before the disguise snapped back in place. James' eyes roved over the subtle differences presented before him, but he couldn't get over the sudden appearance of freckles along the bridge of Teddy's nose. He leaned forward, denim brushing against denim as he pushed his nose up against Teddy's.
"Freskles," he murmured. The word slurred off his tongue along with a confused laugh as he nuzzled his nose against the other boy's.
Teddy sounded like he'd run a long race when he asked, "You like them?"
James nodded and hummed. This was nice. Music washed over James, sinking into his skin, making the room spin and him sway unconsciously. His fingers twirled into Teddy's thick hair as they moved through the throng and when someone crashed into James from behind, knocking him flat up against Teddy, Teddy made no move to shove him away again. Something about this struck James as hysterical and he began to giggle. They were in a gay club. Dancing. Like they were gay and together. Gay, gay, gay. Gay meant happy too, right? It wasn't like he could ask Teddy. He should have known Ted was gayer than Malfoy's peacocks, and those were quite possibly the queerest things he'd ever encountered.
He buried his face against Teddy's neck, trying to hide his laughter in the collar of Teddy's shirt. Instead of the dry skin he expected, his lips pressed against clammy skin. James dropped his hand from Teddy's hair to cradle his neck, thumb brushing lazy circles just under Teddy's chin as he debated on what to do about this. Before he could move though, Teddy fisted James' hair and pushed his lips down against his neck once again. James gasped inaudibly and traced a straight path up the curve of Teddy's neck with the tip of his tongue, stopping just below his earlobe.
Curious, James bit down on the bit of skin dangling there, grinning when Teddy choked. The noise didn't sound discouraging at all. Not willing to give Teddy much of a chance to stop him, James began to explore. He wanted to hear more of those breathy gasps and maybe, maybe something else too. If James could just get Teddy to make that strangled groan again, he'd know he was on to something. The only other time James had heard Teddy make a noise quite like that one was when Hugo had planted a scorpion in his bed during the Christmas hols. Except this noise was better because he was the cause of it. Darting his tongue out to trace the shell of Teddy's ear, James felt victorious.
"James," Teddy growled as he dug his fingers into James' hips. "Stop."
"Phil."
"What?" James took advantage of the startled expression on Teddy's face to press a fluttering kiss to Teddy's throat. He could feel Teddy swallowing beneath his lips and he grinned.
He fumbled with his trouser pockets for the slim bit of plastic he'd stuffed there earlier and flashed it in front of Teddy's golden eyes, before dropping it to the ground. He really didn't care. "Me."
If that made any sense to Teddy, James wasn't about to wait to find out. He had so much exposed skin to explore and he didn't know what to do with it all. No one had ever made his head ache from confusion like Teddy did. The light burn of Teddy's stubbly beard heated James body when he nuzzled Teddy's cheek. There was something else somewhere lower that took notice as well, but James hardly cared. Teddy's skin was so smooth and the freckles, the freckles mocked him.
"You can't, Jam-Phil, you can't want this." Teddy's hands moved to James' shoulders, making him pout. "Stop. You need to stop."
"No." James didn't glance up to see the effect of his own words as he pressed closer to Teddy, letting the music thrum through him. He wanted to dance. He wanted to have fun. He wanted to forget the stupid reasons why James Potter would need to get drunk, but, more than anything, he wanted to lick that little bead of sweat forming over Teddy's top lip. "No," he repeated, hips moving in slow circles against Teddy's.
Teddy bit down on James' shoulder. A groan shuddered through both of them, and an unrecognizable moan filtered through the blood racing past James' ears. It didn't matter. There were plenty of other blokes in the club who could be watching, maybe even getting their jollies off to the sight of two younger men dancing like lovers. They didn't have to know that James wasn't gay to enjoy the picture. James reckoned you'd have to be paralyzed from the waist down, or straight, not to be affected in some way. Teddy certainly was. James fumbled for the zip in Teddy's trousers. It gave from beneath his fingers easily, slipping down to expose the pants beneath. He didn't mind it when Teddy pulled him closer. Teddy would protect him. That's what Teddy was good at-protecting people. People like James who liked to do things like run the flat of his palm along the bulge he found there.
"Your wand's glowing," he teased with a drunken leer. He tossed his head back and laughed and had to stop himself and then try it again. Something was wrong with his voice. He blinked into the flashing lights of the club for a few seconds, before he rested his forehead against Teddy's chest to watch what his hand was doing. He'd never done this before. Or he couldn't remember doing this before to anyone but himself, and the thrill of power that rushed through him left him reeling. Teddy was completely under his control. James could do anything to him, make him do anything, make him make more of those huffy breathing sounds that were so close to his ear he couldn't hear anything else.
Teddy's fingers dug into his hair and tugged him back. "Come on."
James' hand fell to his side as he stared curiously at Teddy. Teddy had been liking it. He knew. James knew and felt it, so it couldn't be that he was doing that wrong. What bloke could possibly get that motion wrong? He tried to press himself closer to Teddy, but he was refused. Pouting, James scratched his nose and tried to fling his arms around Teddy's neck.
"No fun," he grumbled when Teddy grabbed James by the wrists. The slight smirk on Teddy's freckled face did nothing more than make heat flash through him. James thought he might like to feel that smirk against his own skin, just for a few seconds. Only a few. That wouldn't be gay at all.
"You're completely pissed."
James shook his head wildly, a smile breaking across his face. He felt dizzy and giddy. Teddy would ruin it if he tried to stop them now. There was no way he was going to let that happen. Teddy wanted him here like this. Why else would they be in such a fucking queer place instead of a normal pub? They could have gotten as shitfaced anywhere else, but they'd ended up here. Not that James was complaining much any longer. He didn't want to disappoint Teddy, but more than that, he wanted to take care of Teddy, because Teddy was here trying to take care of him. James tried to again to move forward, but Teddy wouldn't give.
"James, you--no--" Teddy clasped a hand over James' mouth, hissing when James took the opportunity to wiggle his hand back down Teddy's trousers. The heat pouring from Teddy's body warmed James' skin until he felt himself heating in response. "I'm taking you back. This was a fucking dumb idea. I never should have brought you here. Come on."
James licked Teddy's palm and grinned smugly when Teddy released his mouth to rub his hand down his trouser leg. He whined at Teddy when his hand was forcibly removed from Teddy's impressive bulge. James had never been into comparing cocks with anyone before, but Teddy's was massive in James' mind. Bigger than his, and James used to think his was no laughing matter. He didn't get much more chance to think on the matter though, because Teddy was leaning in close to his face and looking very severe about something. James tried to focus on Teddy's eyes, but his own eyes kept crossing with the effort. He let them fall closed to stop the dizziness.
"God," Teddy muttered, and without warning, dry lips brushed along James' and disappeared. James' eyes popped open in time to find himself being dragged toward the loo at the back of the club. Once inside though, James had to shut his eyes once more to block out the harsh light of the dingy bathroom. He heard stall doors slamming into the metal walls as Teddy checked through each in the small row to make sure they were alone. James leaned back against the door and fought to not run from the room's bright lights back to the smoky darkness of the club they were leaving behind.
"Quit whining and get over here." Teddy held out a hand. "We're leaving."
James sucked in a breath and staggered over to where Teddy stood. "What for?"
Teddy wrapped his arms around James' back and held him for a period of time that James thought might be inappropriate, but he couldn't feel anything but warmth. His own arms curled around Teddy's neck, and with a start, he felt himself being squeezed in at the sides as the familiar pressure of Apparation took hold of him. Teddy kept his arms securely clinched around James until they arrived in a familiar flat. James teetered a little, falling forward into Teddy's arms as he narrowed his fuzzy gaze to take in the messy sitting room.
Smiling drunkenly up at Teddy, James hummed unconcernedly. He hadn't been here since the summer which seemed like ages ago by his estimation, much longer than was fair. James noticed the look of concern on Teddy's face as the disguise slipped away to reveal the normal features James had come to associate solely with Teddy. Turquoise hair, darker than normal, but no less blue-green than it should have been, grew in over the blond coloring from before, and James grinned.
"Hello, Teddy," he laughed, tilting his head back. Their chins connected and their teeth clacked. James laughed harder at Teddy's soft swear. His chin barely smarted, but he had always knew known he was made of tougher stuff than Teddy. At least his chin was at any rate. Teddy still looked concerned, but a little peeved and that was fine with James. James knew how to deal with an angry Teddy now and all it took was one little thing.
James pressed himself fully along Teddy's body before nuzzling his cheek. "You smell like smoke."
"Get off me, James."
"Get you off?" James smirked, shaking his hair out of his eyes. He cupped Teddy through his trousers and squeezed.
Teddy grabbed James' wrists and glared. "You aren't gay, so quit pretending to be."
James made a face. He didn't need to hear this, he knew this, but he also knew he liked to make Teddy feel good. "You're the one who took me out."
"And now I'm the one telling you to knock it off! So knock it off, all right? It was stupid of me to take you there anyhow." Teddy dropped onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. He didn't look up before continuing, "If Uncle Harry hadn't asked me to get you out of the castle, you wouldn't even be trying. So just stop."
Wind rustled the curtains behind the telly. The thick cloth blew over the dusty television set in gentle waves that held James momentarily spellbound. He didn't know what to think anymore. All he knew was his head was killing him, and Teddy's sour mood wasn't making it better. James couldn't tell if he was drunk or hung over any longer. Neither were going to make getting back into the Gryffindor common room easy, especially not if Teddy wasn't going to help him.
"Take me back then."
"In the morning," Teddy promised, lifting his head from his hands as he rolled onto his side. He kicked off his shoes and curled up on the sofa. "You can take the bed for the night."
James frowned, taking a wobbly step toward the sofa and his head spun. "I can't stay out here?"
Teddy gazed up at him for an uncomfortable second, before nodding slowly and scooting closer to the back of the sofa. James took the invitation and scrambled onto the sofa beside Teddy, settling down on the very edge.
He wasn't sure what he wanted. James didn't think he would for a long while.