Rating: For all audiences.

Word Count: 3101 words (not including the notes).

Summary: Teddy Lupin has joined the Muggle army and it is time for the family to say their farewells. James S. Potter avoids doing it until the very last moment. Soon it becomes apparent that he's madly in love with the older boy and he's devastated about his departure.

A series of one-shots throughout the years: Teddy/James.

Warning/s: Mentions of 'sex': nothing big really. Nothing graphic. Simply the word is written but it has not gone into detail.

Ship/s: Teddy/James, (in association to Teddy/Victoire): Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Bill/Fleur, etc. All cannon pairings for the Golden Trio are present.

Author's Note: They always say: "It's easier to write when it's all you feel". Please drop a comment if you can! Those give me life! Thank you for choosing to read my story.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

For reference:

James is 19, Teddy is 25 and Victoire is 24.

¥¥

Farewell

January 12th, 2023

James Sirius Potter had known that Edward Remus Lupin was joining the army for a good six years before it had actually happened.

He had known that Teddy was thinking about it for a majority of their friendship.

He had also known that Teddy hadn't made any final decisions until James had hit thirteen. Teddy had been nineteen at the time, but he had certain obligations he had to see to before actually joining the army.

The family thought that Teddy would marry Victoire and at least start a family before he would be off.

James knew the truth though.

He knew that Teddy and Victoire had ended things earlier this year due to a mutual agreement that feelings just weren't there and that they had never really been there to begin with.

Expectations of those around them had clouded their judgements and their own feelings about things.

The news of their break-up had not reached the family yet, but it would soon enough. The pair had decided that the only reason they had even gotten engaged, or even dated, was because the whole family had expected it.

There was little room for their individual opinions among the rest of their families'.

It was not even a year ago that Teddy had learned that he did not even like girls, but he only shared that information with James, too afraid of everybody's reactions.

James had thought Teddy to be stupid, for having been engaged to his cousin for several years before realising the true reason they had not tied the knot was because the groom didn't fancy his bride all that much.

James didn't blame him; Victoire Weasley was high-maintenance and rather hard to live with.

But the girl was part-veela.

She was born to be one of the most beautiful girls around. James didn't fancy his cousin, of course. He felt sorry for her, rather.

The reason their partnership had worked so well was because Teddy's werewolf genes counteracted Victoire's veela genes. Her powers were ineffective on the boy.

The truth is, James knew their relationship wasn't going to work from the moment they got engaged. It was quite clear.

There were countless signs that suggested they had separate lives and had no intentions, at any point, of joining the two together.

Their separate flats, for one, were a warning bell to the younger boy. Then from separate flats it became separate timetables that hardly left time for the other.

They also never seemed too couple-y when they had visited the Burrow.

It was also alarming that they had gotten engaged after only dating for merely a year – and that wasn't even the flashing red light.

James called that the amber light, just like the Muggle traffic lights. It could mean either 'wait' or 'slow down' which is essentially the same thing.

The red flashing light had been that Teddy had not consulted James on it to begin with because once upon a time Teddy had told the boy everything.

James had felt out of the loop for the first time ever in their friendship. They were supposed to tell each other everything. James had no idea what happened to that.

Teddy had made a life-changing decision on a whim without consulting anybody at all.

The idea of it had been ridiculous and had even scared James.

How much thought had Teddy really put into that engagement, James had pondered when the 'perfect couple' had shared the news to the whole family.

They had all expected that James had helped Teddy so they all 'thanked him for supporting his best friend'. James shrugged and told them 'not to mention it' because he had no part in it at all.

He hadn't been proud of his best friend in that moment.

He had felt a sinking feeling in his chest that suggested something dark. James never did figure out what the feeling was.

They had been best friends since James was four and the other had been ten. They were inseparable from the moment James could finally walk and play too.

There had never been a time when that feeling was present. James couldn't describe it or name it for the life of him.

Victoire had only been eighteen when Teddy had asked her to marry him. Their family had thought they were rather young but knew that Teddy would wait a few more years before actually tying the knot.

A year or two, tops, perhaps.

James' considered Victoire's lack of reaction a clear indication she had not entirely expected the proposal and didn't fully want it either. James had found that peculiar but even more so when their engagement had passed the two-year waiting mark.

It had then reached the six-year mark.

Another alarming bell went off to James on that day. He knew their engagement wasn't going anywhere.

Teddy had been sad for the majority of it. He didn't seem like himself. He had been distant to a lot of people.

When he had decided to go to the army and made that final decision that it was definitely happening, James was sure he would change his mind once he married Victoire.

But as the wedding got pushed on the back burner, the army seemed more appealing every day.

Teddy felt lost in his identity by the fifth year mark and had gotten drunk once with James. The night was a massive blur.

James didn't remember it, but he remembered one thing: Teddy had left earlier than him, but he had not come back to the flat he shared with James.

They had moved in together after James had graduated. They had lived together a year by this point and it was the first night Teddy hadn't come home without telling James where he was.

James awoke the next morning worried about him. His bed was made, as if untouched all night.

By noon, the blue-haired boy had come in slamming the door behind him. He was in search of another alcoholic beverage. He shouted for James, asking where they kept all their alcohol.

James had come in, telling him that they had finished it all hence the idea to get more the night before.

That was how they had ended up in a muggle bar on the other side of London.

Teddy had turned around, attempting to wear that angry look but upon seeing James, his face bore only guilt.

James knew, he just didn't fully understand the extent of Teddy's actions.

James frowned, feeling bad for his best friend. It wasn't even that much later that Teddy had come out to him, saying that he had made the actions of that night a regular occurrence.

James only had one question: "But what about Vic?"

Teddy had reassured him that Victoire had been cheating on him for the last year anyway. Between her spontaneous trips to France, she had somehow acquired her own lover of sorts.

Teddy knew it was his fault because he had never wanted to sleep with her. He always used the marriage card but deep down, the two both knew that marriage would never go ahead.

Sure enough, a year followed, and their break-up had become official. James couldn't say he was surprised. He knew they would never make it as a couple from the get-go.

Teddy spent more time with James than his own fiancée. His actions spoke louder than his so-called 'words'.

The real issue wasn't their failed relationship though, no, it was that James thought after six years and Teddy's twenty-fifth birthday recently rolling around that the idea of the army had been scrapped.

James had thought terribly wrong.

Their break-up had finally given Teddy the push he needed to finally do it. He went and signed up and it was all ready to go. He had passed the muggle general knowledge test and he had received rather high results.

He could do any job in the army he set his heart to. He had options, and James was proud of him for that but that didn't mean that the sinking feeling that was present six years ago, hadn't come back in full force.

Teddy had passed even the fitness test and he was to leave in two months. He had shared the news with the family, hoping that on the day he left, Victoire could share their other news while Teddy was away.

He planned to be away for a while, long enough for Victoire to 'move on' in the eyes of the family. Enough for her to start a family and that their relationship would be old news by far.

Also, just enough time for even he to be 'old news'.

Teddy planned to be gone for a long time, and even told James he would miss a few Christmases (that was the only leave a solider got without having to ask for a formal, extended one).

James had hardly heard anything as he slipped into his own world.

During family dinners, James hardly ate or spoke. He would say that he wasn't very hungry and after a few minutes, he would excuse himself to go up to his old room.

He was avoiding his own flat because he knew Teddy would be there.

The Teddy that dared to betray him and leave him without so much as a proper explanation. Teddy was leaving him and for a long time at that.

James was going to be alone once more but in a very different way.

Plans had been made six years ago.

James would convince him to stay and have children with Victoire shortly after they married. There would be little time for the army between all the kids James had planned for them.

He would suggest the 'four in four' idea: Four kids in the span of four years.

Teddy should've been twenty-five with four kids under the age of five.

For even good measure, James had named the kids: Remus Lupin II (would be age four), Lyall Lupin II (age three), Hope Lupin (age two) and John Lupin.

James knew that the idea was rather stupid, and he doubted that Teddy would name his kids after his grandfather – who was an exceptionally horrid man – or after the grandmother that was absent.

James often scratched the names and tried new ones, but nothing ever felt right. The idea of them being half Teddy and half Vic had always made him queasy.

He suspected it was because she was his cousin and he had to be a little protective. He was the oldest male cousin, after all.

Sometimes his ideas would even reach the cruel side: Teddy could always lose a limb. The army didn't want people without arms.

But after the thought would cross his mind, James would forget it because it would cause a dull ache in his chest. There was a possibility he'd lose it anyway during his time in the army.

James had all these dumb ideas because he was desperate for Teddy to stay.

He just needed the boy not to leave him. There wasn't anybody else that James had felt as close to.

Teddy was the sole person he confided in.

However, James had failed to tell him the most important thing of all: Teddy was not alone because he, too, had realised he was gay. He was just afraid of what the world would say as well.

How would they react, James had pondered for years. He had never told Teddy, but he had a chance the night Teddy had come out to him, but he felt like it just wasn't the right time.

He felt like Teddy needed his moment alone, to sort stuff out and to have his own meltdown. He didn't need James stealing the show.

He wished he had said something because now it was too late.

James would have to come out sooner or later and by then, he would have nobody to lean on. He would have to face the world and all the newspapers by himself. He would have to shame his father on his own.

He doubted his dad would get very mad other than being upset James never spoke up, but he had a feeling his mum would be madder. She had always sided with Uncle Ron on these kinds of issues.

Hence the reason Teddy had never spoken about his sexuality to anybody other than James.

Somehow, he knew James would understand and James wished he could speak up because only Teddy understood what he was feeling inside.

Shame sat upon his shoulders every time he sat down at the Burrow to eat. His face was directed at his food and he hardly ate or spoke.

On this particular occasion, the table had followed suit. Conversations were non-existent. Nobody was there to pick on James' silence or try to understand it.

He was nineteen, an adult, and he could do what he wanted.

He'd spent so much time fighting his mother on 'babying him'. He should've spent more time asking her how she had felt when Harry had been away during the war.

If anybody would be able to identify this feeling in his chest, his money was on Ginny Potter.

The sound of Teddy Lupin's words as a departure broke him out of his stupor. He looked up as the older boy turned and left. He left nothing more than a 'thank you' and a 'I'll miss you all'. He didn't even utter a single 'I love you'.

James knew it would be too hard for him to lock eyes with anyone on his way out.

James' whole body argued with his lack of movement. They protested internally, screaming for him to do anything.

He could stand up and shout. He could run after him. He could stop him, but James didn't. He sat quietly.

James finally began to eat properly after two weeks. The family didn't question the sudden change of behaviour. They, on the other hand, no longer had an appetite.

Silence surrounded them. The only two people who were eating happened to be Ron Weasley and his nephew, James. Even Hugo knew better than to stuff his face on this occasion.

Teddy Lupin would be surely missed.

Suddenly, as if the sound of a pop made all the difference, James was up and out of his seat. He had to move quickly if he were to stop his best friend from leaving him.

Things were different now.

It wasn't six years ago.

This was the real world.

Happy endings didn't fall out of the sky, written like a perfect novel for you. They were in one place, waiting for you to go out and find them: claim them as yours.

This was 2023.

This was the year – the exact day - Teddy Lupin would finally leave for the army. This was the start of a Teddy-less life: A life without his jokes or his laughter. This would be an end to their pranking careers.

A day even the happiest of families couldn't crack a smile. The very day Hugo Weasley had to slap his father's hand, to tell him that it wasn't time to eat.

The very first Christmas where a letter in the family photo would be missing and an Easter hunt with one less pair of eyes searching for eggs. A thanksgiving with one chair missing and one less thanks shared around.

More leftovers would be left over than ever before: Seasonal holidays would never be the same.

The only person, who made those dumb holidays tolerable, was the one who wasn't going to attend anymore.

This was the one person who made bad days into good days, who James could never have an awkward silence with and could never be mad at for long. The only person James had ever confided in about the issues that really plagued him.

Teddy was one-of-a-kind and always knew how to make things better.

He was James' lucky charm.

He was James' saviour in most ways.

He was James' answer to all the unanswered questions.

He was James' 'one in a million'.

Teddy was James' best friend and soul mate.

James' last warning bell had hit.

And with a pop of his own, James was off to tell those three words Teddy had never heard before: words that actually held the meaning they were made for.

James was going to mean it when he said it, not like the way he hadn't back in Fifth Year when he told Simona Huckleberry that they'd be together 'forever'.

This time his 'I love you' was going to be for real and it would speak volumes. The volumes that could move the waves Teddy's departing boat floated on.

As soon as he appeared on the dock, he ran like his life depended on it. He felt the wind in his hair and he had never felt so free.

He was finally doing something for himself, just like Teddy. He wasn't following rules anymore. He was doing what he wanted when he wanted those things.

Unfortunately, he got to the end of the dock by the time the Navy boat had already begun sailing away.

James stopped, his heart breaking in his chest as his eyes watched the boat sail off into the distance.

He was puffed out, breathing rather heavily. He knew running down the length of the dock was rather dramatic as he could've easily pop-ed up right here, but it would've risked the exposure of their kind.

Sometimes things were just a little bigger than them.

"I love you," James whispered, mocking himself in a way.

A teardrop trailed down the length of his cheek. His brown eyes began to turn red. He had missed his chance to tell Teddy how he felt.

He had missed the chance to stop him from leaving.

Devastation was one of the many feelings that swirled inside his chest, alongside self-loath. He hated himself for not reacting sooner, to not having stopped him months ago before it was even finalised.

All in all, the outcome of this was all James' fault and he couldn't blame anybody else but himself.

Teddy wasn't coming back and James ought to live with the consequences of that.

James turned around, wiping away his tears as he slowly walked back to land, waiting for a safe moment to go back home where he belonged.