As soon as he saw Teddy’s face that night as they all opened their Santa requests, though, James knew it.
Albus had switched the notes.
The parchment Teddy’s was holding was crumpled around the corners, and the brief flash of ink James saw smeared and blotchy. The words were still clear though, and so was the delighted and almost hopeful expression on Albus’s face as he watched Teddy read. He’d switched the notes. Albus had switched the fucking notes, which meant that Teddy had not received James’s request for that statue of a duck wearing a monocle, which he and Teddy had seen while shopping the week before. No, Teddy’s face did not say that he was reading ‘Dear Teddy, for Christmas I want you to give me a duck with unexpected eyewear, please,” but that Teddy was in fact in current possession of a note politely requesting that he fuck James.
Please.
Oh, shitting hell.
James sat stock still, eyes glued to Teddy’s hands and the note they held. He was just wondering if he could somehow take out Albus’s kneecaps, Obliviate Teddy, then escape out the side door, when Lily interrupted the charged silence enveloping the sofa James and Teddy were sharing.
“So, what does James want, Teddy?”
“Nothing!” James blurted, itching to grab the parchment Teddy was still staring at. Kneecaps, Obliviate, door. It sounded more and more like a reasonable plan.
“No, he definitely wants someth―” Albus started, but James cut him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Lily laughed, oblivious. Albus smirked, rubbing his side. Teddy still hadn’t looked up, his only reaction the faint colour on his cheeks, the barest hint of mauve filtering through his hair. He said nothing, eyes locked intently on the creased parchment.
James wanted the sofa to swallow him.
“Go on, what does it say?” Lily asked again, determined. “Is it something embarrassing?” James cringed, mortified. Yes. “Or something weird?”. Yes. “Or something hard to get?” God, yes!. “What does James want, Teddy?”
“I told you, noth ―”
“A pony,” Teddy said quietly, his gaze still fixed on the paper. Slowly, he looked up to meet James’s horrorstruck eyes. “James wants a pony for Christmas,” Teddy repeated evenly.
James held his breath, Teddy’s face unreadable. There was deep colour on Teddy’s cheeks, but he didn’t look angry, embarrassed, uncomfortable. James felt almost light-headed at the sight of him, from the queasy, exhilarating thrill of Teddy now knowing what he wanted.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it James?” Teddy’s eyes never left his, his voice low and soft. “What you wrote on this note?”
James opened his mouth, then shut it again. He licked his lips, the words stuck in his throat even though he wanted to scream them out. He nodded instead, wiping one sweaty palm on his jeans.
Teddy’s eyes darkened, his lips twitching up into a heated smile. James’s cock was thickening in his pants. Beside him, he could practically feel Albus vibrating with happiness, the scheming weirdo.
Carefully, Teddy folded the parchment in two, eyes never leaving James’s as he slipped it into his pocket. James tracked the movement with his eyes, too wound up to breathe, to move. He jumped when Lily laughed again, loudly.
“You want a pony?” Lily cackled. “Since when, James? You don’t even like horses!”
“Nah,” Albus answered before James could choke a word out, “James loves anything he can really ride ― ow! What was that for?”
Lily raised another roasted chestnut, ready to pelt that at Albus’s head, too. “You were being crass,” she said archly, smirking harder when Albus laughed. She screeched when he launched himself off the sofa, aiming a dried cranberry down her top.
Teddy quickly filled the space Albus had vacated.
“Later,” Teddy whispered, lips close enough to touch James’s cheek, his breath lifting James’s hair. He tucked it behind James’s ear, fingers trailing down his neck. James leant into it, heart thumping.
“Later, Jamie,” Teddy repeated, and he was gone, leaving James alone on the sofa, his head spinning and his cock aching and his siblings covered in cranberries and chestnuts around him.
Albus had switched the notes.
The parchment Teddy’s was holding was crumpled around the corners, and the brief flash of ink James saw smeared and blotchy. The words were still clear though, and so was the delighted and almost hopeful expression on Albus’s face as he watched Teddy read. He’d switched the notes. Albus had switched the fucking notes, which meant that Teddy had not received James’s request for that statue of a duck wearing a monocle, which he and Teddy had seen while shopping the week before. No, Teddy’s face did not say that he was reading ‘Dear Teddy, for Christmas I want you to give me a duck with unexpected eyewear, please,” but that Teddy was in fact in current possession of a note politely requesting that he fuck James.
Please.
Oh, shitting hell.
James sat stock still, eyes glued to Teddy’s hands and the note they held. He was just wondering if he could somehow take out Albus’s kneecaps, Obliviate Teddy, then escape out the side door, when Lily interrupted the charged silence enveloping the sofa James and Teddy were sharing.
“So, what does James want, Teddy?”
“Nothing!” James blurted, itching to grab the parchment Teddy was still staring at. Kneecaps, Obliviate, door. It sounded more and more like a reasonable plan.
“No, he definitely wants someth―” Albus started, but James cut him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Lily laughed, oblivious. Albus smirked, rubbing his side. Teddy still hadn’t looked up, his only reaction the faint colour on his cheeks, the barest hint of mauve filtering through his hair. He said nothing, eyes locked intently on the creased parchment.
James wanted the sofa to swallow him.
“Go on, what does it say?” Lily asked again, determined. “Is it something embarrassing?” James cringed, mortified. Yes. “Or something weird?”. Yes. “Or something hard to get?” God, yes!. “What does James want, Teddy?”
“I told you, noth ―”
“A pony,” Teddy said quietly, his gaze still fixed on the paper. Slowly, he looked up to meet James’s horrorstruck eyes. “James wants a pony for Christmas,” Teddy repeated evenly.
James held his breath, Teddy’s face unreadable. There was deep colour on Teddy’s cheeks, but he didn’t look angry, embarrassed, uncomfortable. James felt almost light-headed at the sight of him, from the queasy, exhilarating thrill of Teddy now knowing what he wanted.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it James?” Teddy’s eyes never left his, his voice low and soft. “What you wrote on this note?”
James opened his mouth, then shut it again. He licked his lips, the words stuck in his throat even though he wanted to scream them out. He nodded instead, wiping one sweaty palm on his jeans.
Teddy’s eyes darkened, his lips twitching up into a heated smile. James’s cock was thickening in his pants. Beside him, he could practically feel Albus vibrating with happiness, the scheming weirdo.
Carefully, Teddy folded the parchment in two, eyes never leaving James’s as he slipped it into his pocket. James tracked the movement with his eyes, too wound up to breathe, to move. He jumped when Lily laughed again, loudly.
“You want a pony?” Lily cackled. “Since when, James? You don’t even like horses!”
“Nah,” Albus answered before James could choke a word out, “James loves anything he can really ride ― ow! What was that for?”
Lily raised another roasted chestnut, ready to pelt that at Albus’s head, too. “You were being crass,” she said archly, smirking harder when Albus laughed. She screeched when he launched himself off the sofa, aiming a dried cranberry down her top.
Teddy quickly filled the space Albus had vacated.
“Later,” Teddy whispered, lips close enough to touch James’s cheek, his breath lifting James’s hair. He tucked it behind James’s ear, fingers trailing down his neck. James leant into it, heart thumping.
“Later, Jamie,” Teddy repeated, and he was gone, leaving James alone on the sofa, his head spinning and his cock aching and his siblings covered in cranberries and chestnuts around him.