Author's Note: Written for Dueling Lessons, Task 1: Write about trust between two people. TLWA is killing me on the inside, sorry guys. It's gonna be a while before there's an update there (also, my Beta is super duper busy).
Double Edged Sword
The thing about best friends was that they were there when you needed them, that they would show up in a heartbeat just so that you knew they were there. They were supposed to be superheroes, people who would fight so that they could defend your honor.
There was supposed to be a bond that wouldn't break, something that was forged in fire and blood and sweat- and, more importantly, a few first years in a carriage that linked their arms together and refused to let go.
Best friends were supposed to be there when you fell. They were supposed to grit their teeth and show the world that they could handle anything. They were supposed to be against the world, together.
But things just didn't work like that. Nothing worked like that. Everything was harder, more difficult to push through.
Because trust wasn't always equal. Sometimes there was a pull and a push, sometimes there was an uneven balance.
James would go to the end of the earth for his friends. He would have moved the world for Peter Pettigrew, he had for Sirius, and he was always pushing for Remus.
Sirius held the Marauders above everything. They were family, they were friends, they were his culture and his breath.
Remus carried them in his arms, he cradled their hopes and dreams and nurtured them until they could wander, fully grown.
Peter trusted only as far as he could. He had been burned once, twice, three times. He couldn't just let his heart go like the others did.
But he did with James
James treated him different than the others. He treated him like a brother, someone who was worth it. There was nothing uneven about their relationship, there was nothing faked. They both poured their heart into it, they pruned it and kept it strong.
Of course, he knew he would never be as trusted as Sirius. He would never be that close. It just never bothered him.
James trusted him, and he trusted James.
That's why it hurt so much when Peter tore that in half without a second thought.