Favoring The Strong {Drarry}

- l -

James and Teddy are sitting on each end of a long and fashionable couch at Val's place. It's sleek, black pleather, covered in a series of soft fuzzy blankets and pillows. It's a stark contrast to the chaos thats happening in their home.

James is hanging from the furniture upside down, his feet swinging in the air while the blood rushes to his head. He's gone silent again but Teddy doesn't know much about what's going on to try and comfort him with falsehoods about everything being okay. They're both too tired for the same old lie. He's watching from his own seat as Val paces back and forth, wearing a path into the rug adorning her dark hardwood floors. He wants to ask her what's going on, but the way she had called out to his Dad before he'd apparated off again let's him know that she knows just as much as him. Nothing.

"How could he..." she keeps starting before a growl stretches her mouth into a grimace and she goes back to pacing with renewed vigor. He's so confused he doesn't think even that the constant motion could clear his head.

Teddy looks down at where his brother is upside down, face turning steadily redder, and nudges his cheek with a socked foot. James blinks open a hazel eye blearily but doesn't say anything, just bores into Teddy with his stare.

"They're fine," he finds himself saying. It cracks the silence in the room and freezes the constant pacing until he can breathe a little, the weight not as heavy on his chest. After he speaks, James is staring at him with both eyes, his look an obvious plea for an explanation. Teddy looks at James and wishes he had one. The best he can give is that they have to be okay because he doesn't have anyone else. His biological parents died before he was even really a month old and the pain of his Gam's death still lingers and aches in the cavern of his chest.

It's true they have a family with the Weasleys and he knows that Val and Uncle Wyatt would stop everything to take care of them (even if he's practically an adult). He knows that there wouldn't be a shortage of love or family, but it wouldn't be the same as having the love from his family. Having his dads jokingly arguing or making grand exits when one of them is throwing a fit or hearing his dad sing along to old DL Black hits in the shower when he doesn't think anyone is listening. His Gam had been sick for a while and though their dad's haven't been together his whole life, he can't imagine his life without them.

"Dad's the Boy-Who-Lived, remember?" Teddy says, his voice coming out stronger than he feels. "He can handle a few barmy aurors."

"What does that even mean!?" asks Val frustrated. "You all keep mentioning this war and fighting and Draco said that..."

"That Dad died, right?" offers James as he straightens up on the couch. It's the first thing he's said since they've gotten to her place but Teddy's just glad to hear him talking again. Even if it is about something so morbid.

"Jamesie, stop," Teddy tries. She doesn't really need to hear all the rough gruesome parts about magic especially when she barely understands it. James keeps going. Seems like he couldn't keep it all in now if he tried.

"That's what you meant, yeah? How sometimes Dad'll get this look in his eyes like he can't imagine...living anymore. Like he made the wrong decision to come back."

"Jamesie."

"Like he'll look at one of us and his eyes'll glaze over and then he starts having those bloody fucking convulsions and it looks like he's going to—"

"James!" Teddy yells, cutting the younger boy off. "This isn't like that. He isn't going anywhere. They're both fine."

"But you don't know that!" James insists, facing him, his eyes glowing.

"I don't know that, but I trust them. Don't you?"

"No, they're both idiots!"

Teddy is looking between his brother's eyes and he realizes that James isn't mad. He's guilty. He's taken on their Dad's ability to believe absolutely everything is his fault. It'd be honestly hilarious if Teddy didn't know how much it was hurting him. He doesn't think any longer before pulling his brother in for a hug. James is tense in his grip before going lax and grabbing onto the back of his shirt like a lifeline.

"They're okay," Teddy says again, absolute this time. "I promise."

"So it's true?" asks Val quietly as she stands off to the side of the couch. She's stopped her pacing to try and understand what's going on. The boys are looking at her as if she's lost her mind.

Teddy can't imagine how to explain to a muggle that his dad is sort of known as the master of death. That people have been trying to murder him since the day he was born and that once they actually managed to succeed. He doesn't know how to talk about how his Dad's were almost burned alive. Or how when his dad stood in front of the darkest wizard to exist, he didn't cower in fear. He embraced it.

"Doesn't matter," he says instead. "All that stuff's over. You should just talk to him about it when he gets back. He won't be chuffed about it, that's for sure, but he won't hide anything from you."

"They'll be back," says James quietly. Teddy isn't sure for a moment if his brother is asking again, but when he loosens his hold around him he can hear the continued murmuring of him reassuring himself.

"Yeah," Teddy says in agreement anyway. "They'll be back. Any minute now, they're gonna be calling to check up on us."

"And they'll ask if we're okay. Like we were the ones attacked out of nowhere."

"Dad'll say something about how he's still not used to muggle phones or something."

"Yeah."

Teddy can feel the pressure fade from his chest just slightly with each reassurance. It's not a lot, but it's enough to bring a smile to his face.

-&-

hey hey hey futher muckers
how goes it?
hope yall and yall families are safe

i had been trying to do weekly updates but something about this chappie didn't feel finished? honestly, i think some of it was just me projecting

i dont have to tell yall that sometimes i try so hard to make a chapter or a story long enough or good enough or "perfect" enough that i just dont post it. which is crazy, cause nothing ive ever done is perfect (though scorp in mine/yours/ours might be it, just sayin)
i will try to do better about posting things i have like so many fics or like parts of fics from prompts i had that ive literally been working on and drafting for YEARS but didn't think any of you wanted to see that i may just finish up and post for myself.

anyyyyyywhoresssss
hope yall enjoyed this chappie
if ya have anything ya wanna ask or say to me feel free

and as always, love y'all
black lives matter ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋