James shouldn't have run to Landon. He knew that was only likely to incriminate him further. He was fully aware of every single wrong move he was making. But he found be couldn't help but to make them. Landon was comfortable as well as comforting, especially after Teddy's completely justified irrational violence.

"Jesus, James," Landon hissed when he opened the door. He looked back into his house, making sure no one else knew who was standing on their stoop. Not that it was all that wild for James to show up there whenever he felt like. "You shouldn't be here," he continued once the front door was closed firmly behind his back. But he kept his fingers securely around the handle likely as a means of easy escape. "Why are you here?"

Shrugging, James nervously combed his fingers through his hair. A few glass shards tinkered to the concrete and another dug into one of the cuts on his palm. He winced, unable to meet Landon's waiting look. "I know you asked me not to…but I told Teddy…."

Panic turned swiftly to concern and Landon seemed to just notice the many lacerations. "What the fuck did he do to you?" he asked, his tone much softer. Much more friendly, affirming that coming here was the right decision. At least for the moment. "I swear I'll fucking kill him if he hurt you."

"I've never seen him so angry. So violent…." James' voice sounded fragile even to himself. He'd never felt so shaken. He'd grown up fortunate enough to never have felt a fear for his life. But back in Teddy's apartment? That came close. "He tossed a cup at the wall," James was quick to say when he noticed Landon's threatening grip on his wand. "I should have been more careful with the glass, but I guess I forgot how to…to make sense of things for a minute." Teddy wasn't completely wrong in saying James had deserved it. What he and Landon had done….

Thinking about it just then, James' cheeks pinked and he violently tore his hand away from being gently examined. "I probably shouldn't have come here," he stated plainly, but made no move to leave. He did, however, definitely back up a step when Landon reached for his hand again. "I guess I shouldn't come here again, apparently."

"Oh, sod off," Landon snorted. "I'm not tryin' to make a move on ya. We tried that and I…. I'm not fuckin' interested, bruv." He reached for James' hand again, forcibly turning it upwards. "What I am interested in is gettin' this glass out. Hold still."

It was hard not to feel a deep intimacy in every thing Landon did. The image of this man spread out before him was still fresh in his mind. His particular tightness and the weight of his moans were ingrained in his memories. They'd already established in many harsh words that their actions shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't ever be repeated. But knowing this didn't keep him from irrational feelings.

There was likely a more concise spell to fix James' hand, but neither of them knew what that might be, resulting in a smattering of various incantations that saw them standing too close for too long. The proximity helped, though. The longer it took, the more hope James had for their relationship returning to normal. At the end of it, Landon smiled and there wasn't a single trace of awkwardness left in it. "Good as new," he muttered and jammed his wand back in his pocket.

"Thanks." James massaged the freshly healed marks on his palm, still feeling a bit of hidden hesitation. "Sorry for showin' up all hysterical. I think I was just in shock."

Landon waved it off and leaned back against the front door, the fingers of his other hand poised back on the handle to resecure his quick getaway. "It doesn't sound like Teddy to be violent. Then again…what you did wasn't exactly like you, either." While he wasn't sure if that was entirely true, James nodded. "So, what're you gonna do now?"

Fiddling with his ring, James shrugged. He honestly didn't know. He didn't know if this was the end of them or just a hiccup. He didn't know if he felt safe with Teddy any longer. He didn't know how to reconcile his straying feelings or his insecurity. He didn't know and it was suffocating. "Obviously…I've got a lot of thinking to do…. But, uh, we're cool, yeah?"

It took a pensive moment, but in the end Landon's laugh was just as bright and comforting as ever. "I mean, yeah…it was a humiliating low point for me that I can never take back…but we're cool, man. You're my brother. A bit of buggering doesn't change that. As incesty as that sounds…."

A soft smile found it's way to James' lips as well as he gave in to the ease of his friend's company. "And with that unsettling thought, I'm leaving."

"Let me know what you decide about…things."

James nodded, a silent promise, and took a quick look around to ensure he wasn't being watched before disapparating. Landing with a churning stomach and quaking knees on that dangerously important beach in Majorca. Stubbornly determined to not leave without a definitive answer for his future.

Resolving himself to whatever fate this might bring him, James stripped off his clothes before he could hope to change his mind. In the light of the near full moon, he succumbed himself to every feeling and sensation this place had brought him to feel. This was where he had first decided to give in to all the most dangerous temptations currently and suddenly up for question. The waves crashed over his feet, the cold of the ocean throwing everything into shocking focus. Knowing it could clear the rest of his mind, he walked into the full of the swells and let the ocean take him. He needed a place to think, weightless and solitary.