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#john deacon x you
spreadyovrwings · 3 months
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64 Oslo Square
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"Companion' Middle English. From Old French ‘compaignon', literally 'one who breaks bread with another.
Strapped for cash, John gets a job at a bakery as their new delivery boy. Juggling school and Queen and work is exhausting, but it’s more than worth it. It's worth it because of you.
Warnings for this chapter: obscene flirting... characters realising their life has more to it than their job? other characters learning other people aren't quite so scary and can be trusted? those two characters fancying each other like crazy? yeah.
//
Chapter Nine
Steam billowed from the kettle’s spout. You watched it swell and curl through the air, until it hit the low kitchen ceiling and dispersed. On the mantelpiece, your grandmother’s carriage clock chimed ten.
It was the longest you’d been able to sleep in in years. Though you’d been trying to cast your mind back all morning as you set about making breakfast, you couldn’t recall the last time you’d been able to go to bed without setting an alarm.
Though the days were growing steadily warmer as summer rolled in, mornings were still cold in your little flat. You tucked your chin under the collar of your thick woollen jumper and puffed out a breath to warm your body.
It had not been a good week.
It’s difficult to anticipate how one might react in a situation like yours. You thought if someone had asked you a few months ago what you might say if given life-altering news like the kind Gladys had given you, you probably would’ve said you’d rage and eff and blind until the problem righted itself. You’d go out fighting, at least. But when Gladys set off her grenade, you didn’t say a word. You just stared at her. You stared and stared, and stared some more.
It didn’t take long for you to find your voice, though. Not after Gladys started to describe the whole ordeal. She couldn’t seem to get the words out fast enough, it was like watching someone in confession. Her open mouth was like a gutter, gushing words and apologies and useless explanations until finally, you couldn’t take anymore.
“You selfish cow!”
John came into the room when the shouting started. Mickey was close behind. One of them put a hand on your shoulder, it must have been Mickey because the hand was heavy and solid like a slab of concrete.
“Skip…”
John slipped his fingers between yours, trying to bring you back down to Earth, but you barely felt him.
“How could you do this to us? To Mickey? To me?”
Gladys covered her face with her hands, her chunky rings glinting in the low lights.
“I’m sorry!”
“He’s just had a baby!”
“I know, I know-”
“This is my home!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m- I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t think in a million years he would-”
You stopped listening. John was murmuring close to your ear, telling you to stop now. His long fingers were wrapped tight around yours, keeping you grounded but only just.
“Sweetheart, leave her,” he murmured. “You should get some air. Just come with me and breathe for a second. Please.”
But that didn’t sound like a reasonable option either. You didn’t want to go outside. You didn’t want to keep having this conversation either. Standing here, shouting at Gladys, that was the only thing that made sense.
“How could you be so stupid.”
The words barely made it out from between your gritted teeth.
You felt John’s hand leave yours. Mickey too took a step back. They both seemed to realise this wasn’t their fight, this wasn’t something they had a right to be involved in, even though they were grieving too.
Gladys was the brightest, most joyous person you knew. She flitted from person to person like a hummingbird. With her brightly coloured hair and her clattering jewellery, she was as dazzling on the outside as she was on the inside. But right now, she seemed to have shrunk a few inches. Her colour had dulled. Her light had gone out.
“I just thought he was interested in me,” Gladys looked down at the floor, ashamed. “No one’s ever been interested in me. And he seemed so eager to learn about the bakery and I thought- I thought maybe he was just proud of me. For building this place. For doing something so amazing on my own. But I was wrong.”
You could still feel your pulse pounding in your neck and the base of your skull. You couldn’t recall ever feeling so angry and let down in all your life. Time seemed to be rushing by you, and all you wanted was for John to hold your hand again.
Gladys still couldn’t look at you. In a way, you were relieved. You didn’t think you’d be able to meet her gaze either.
It was difficult to order the feelings surging through you. You loved Gladys. You owed her so much. You’d do anything for her and until today, you would have sworn she’d always put you, or at least Oslo Square, above all else. Despite everything, she was a good person. You knew that. She was enticing and gregarious and too trusting and a fool. And she had let you down for the last time.
“I will never forgive you for this,” you said, then turned and walked into the kitchen, through the back door and out into the alley.
But you didn’t get far. You never would.
Sinking down on the bakery’s back step, you folded your knees up to your body and prayed the pressure would take the ache away. It didn’t. You bit your lip, trying to hold back the sob that lay in wait in the back of your throat.
Sun filtered through into the alleyway, falling on the ground in puddles of light. Above you, the sky was so clear, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. And you just wanted to cry and cry and cry.
There was a sound behind you, the scuff of a boot against the cement steps. You pushed your face into your crossed arms, not ready to face anyone just yet.
“Skip?”
It was John. Of course it was. Who else would they send after you?
He called you by your nickname again, then as he came to sit beside you, your real name, softer, more intimate.
Finally, you raised your head.
He was looking at you closely, his clever eyes switching across your face. He was trying to work out how upset you were, how carefully he needed to tread around you. That was just his way, John was just being a good friend, but right now, you didn't want kindness and gentleness, you just wanted to be left alone.
“John, I think maybe…”
“It’s going to be alright.”
It wasn’t like him to interrupt. Usually, John weighed every word with care, as if each syllable would cost him a great deal, or he had a finite number at his disposal. You had always admired that about him; everyone else in your life spoke so carelessly, like it didn't matter at all.
“John…”
“C’mon,” he said, nodding now, like he’d made up his mind about something. “Let’s go upstairs. We’ll have a cuppa and we’ll-”
You wrapped a hand around his arm and squeezed gently, asking him to stop without a word. John looked so crestfallen, you couldn’t bear it.
You stood up, crossing your arms over your chest, as if it would help to keep the sickness sitting in your throat at bay.
“I think maybe you should go home,” you said as gently as you could. “I’ll call you later. Okay?”
John looked surprised, then a little hurt. It shouldn’t have annoyed you but it did a little. He had no idea what you were going through, he should just listen and know that when you said you needed some time, you meant it.
But the small part of your brain that could still think clearly knew that wasn’t fair. If the roles were reversed, as they had been before, you knew you would badger John relentlessly until he was forced to talk about whatever was bothering him. But this wasn’t about an exam or a tiff with his band, this was your whole life, your whole future, and it had wrenched from your grasp without you even knowing it
“Okay.” John slowly rose to his feet, his hands awkwardly moving from his pockets to his hips, behind his back and then to his pockets again. “I’ll come see you. Later.”
You nodded, your lips pulled back in a grim smile.
“I’ll call you,” you said again firmly.
For a moment, John didn’t move, he didn’t even blink. Then finally, he seemed to get the message.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “Just… Be careful with yourself, darling.”
Then he was gone and you were alone again.
That was two days ago. You hadn’t left your lonely flat since.
You poured boiling water into your favourite mug, waited a few minutes, then added the milk. Your movements were robotic, rehearsed, the habit of a lifetime that required no thought at all, and thank God, as you didn’t have the energy to think or feel much of anything.
The phone rang again but you didn’t even spare it a glance as you padded back to your bedroom and closed the door.
/
Life went on like this for a few more days before finally, you decided to pull yourself together. You got dressed, headed downstairs, and debated whether or not to turn on the ovens.
Mickey hadn’t come into work since the news. You couldn’t blame him, he had a baby at home and a wife to reassure. You had no one. Just an empty flat and a cold, silent bakery. But even that wasn’t yours anymore. Mickey phoned often enough though, asking if there were any updates and if he could do anything to help. You wished you had something to tell him.
You looked around at the old kitchen. The multicoloured tiles from renovation after renovation, the cookers and the ovens, all older than half the buildings on the road, the pots and pans, bowls and utensils, all lying unused. They seemed to stare at you, waiting for answers, just like Mickey, just like the customers you watched from your window, who passed by every day and soon left again, looking disappointed and confused.
Yeah, you thought, me too.
You grabbed some paper from behind the till, scribble a quick note, then sellotaped it to the door.
Closed until further notice.
You stared at the sign, letting the words truly sink in, then turned and went to go hide yourself away upstairs.
Then the door chimed.
“Skip?”
You looked up, heart pounding. It had only been a few days, but it was the longest you’d gone without seeing John for the best part of a year.
You’d somehow forgotten how tall he was, how lanky and gangly he looked standing in the bakery doorway, his perfect, long hair a striking contrast to his shabby clothes.
He smiled at you, shy and unsure, and you wished you could do more than stare back.
“Hi,” John said as he carefully pushed open the door all the way and finally stepped inside.
As the door rang shut again, you gritted your teeth. You thought if he’d asked, if he’d given you the choice, you probably would’ve said that now wasn’t a good time and he should come back later.
“Hi,” you said instead, and watched him pocket the key Gladys had given him on his first day.
John looked at you like he was waiting for you to say more. You couldn’t blame him for that. You’d led every conversation you’d ever shared, guiding him and teasing him, wheedling information out of him with a fine hook. Now, you couldn’t for the life of you think of anything to say.
“You haven’t been answering the phone,” John said eventually. “I was worried.”
He cautiously approached the desk. Perhaps he’d only just noticed the thick tension in the air, or maybe he was just having trouble pushing through it, but he seemed to take careful steps, his eyes fixed on you.
“Well,” You tried not to sound huffy but it came out all wrong. “I’m kind of dealing with something right now. I don’t have time for…”
“What?”
He was challenging you, daring you to say more. You clammed up, feeling chastised.
“Did you talk to Gladys?”
You nodded.
You’d spent the last few days in meetings with your boss, discussing what had happened, trying to figure a way out of this mess, going over the details and again and again until you were both exhausted and resigned to the idea that this place was no longer yours. Everything that Gladys had built, everything you’d worked for, was gone.
“What did she say? What’s going on?”
John came closer until he could rest his hands on the counter. You stared at them, following the outline of each of his long fingers.
He really did have such lovely hands. The round onyx ring he wore on his little finger, the silver one he always took off and pocketed when he was helping out, because it was Freddie’s and he didn’t want to ruin it. The little scars from his childhood and faded burns from mucking about with machines. You’d missed them.
“Did you fix it?”
You pressed your lips together and shook your head.
“No.”
At home, you blankly stared at the ceiling, at the television screen, into the mirror. It had slowly begun to dawn on you that outside of 64 Oslo Square, you had nothing. Friends you saw once in a blue moon, no hobbies, no interests, no idea of what the future would hold. Everything, you’d put everything into the bakery, your whole life. In just a few weeks, you’d even have to find a new flat. Everything was falling apart.
“There has to be something we can do. She’s made a mistake.”
“I know.”
“C’mon, love. We can sort this out.”
It was too much. It was just all too much. You didn’t want to hear positivity and hopefulness, you didn’t want anyone to be kind to you, especially John, not after the way you’d pushed him away. You didn’t want gentleness and softness, because it meant he thought something had happened to warrant that care, and you didn’t want to be someone who needed looking after. You didn’t want to be someone that had had something so awful happen to them.
“I can’t do this.”
You pushed away from the counter and moved into the kitchen, heading for the door to your flat. All you wanted was to crawl back into bed and shut out the world. Compartmentalism had got you nowhere, not when one of the best things about your job had turned up out of the blue asking you a million questions and caring about you far more than you deserved.
You didn’t expect John to follow you, but you heard his boots clunking against the kitchen floor, his voice soft and low as he called out again,
“Skip?”
You bit back a sob. You weren’t Skip anymore. You weren’t the captain of anything. You had no bakery, no business, no prospects, you were just- You were nothing.
“Leave me alone.”
You tried to sound forceful but the words got caught in your throat.
“Love, please-”
John was right behind you as you wrenched open the door up to your flat. You could hear his stupid boots on the stairs.
“John, I can’t-”
“Just talk to me.”
“You don’t understand!”
You stopped in the middle of the stairs and span around. It must have taken John by surprise because he staggered to a halt, one foot hanging in midair, as if he’d been in the middle of a step.
“In a month, I won’t have a home or a job, and this place will be packed up and turned into luxury flats or some half-arsed storefront selling overpriced street food to bastards like him, and I won’t have anything.”
It was as if someone else was doing the talking. You could almost believe you were standing beside yourself, watching as you shouted at John, your eyes shining and your jaw tight. You wanted to tell yourself to stop, that he didn’t deserve to be talked to like that, but you couldn’t close the floodgates.
“And you, you’ll swan off with your band or pack it in and become an engineer, and you’ll forget all about us and this place, and I’ll never see you again.”
John’s eyes flashed but his expression was as neutral and measured as ever.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said evenly. “You really think that little of me?”
“Oh, shut up, I was only-”
“Don’t tell me to shut up. You don’t get to decide how much I care about something. Alright?”
“Why would you care? You’re just the delivery boy. Some student Gladys took pity on cos she can’t resist strays.”
“I love this place too, you know I do. Things aren’t as easy for me as you think.”
You scoffed. It annoyed you that he could be so rational and calm at a time like this, when all you wanted to do was shout and accuse and lash out.
“Oh, poor John. It must be so hard for you, being a genius and having to choose between being rich and famous and being a bloody rocket scientist, or whatever the fuck it is you do. Life must be so difficult.”
Finally, John scowled. He moved closer, so now he was on the step just below yours, your faces level for the first time.
“You don’t know anything about my life.”
“Not for lack of trying!”
“You’re so- I’ve given you more of myself than I’ve ever given anyone!”
“Oh, well lucky me.”
“God, you’re-”
“What?”
“You’re…”
John trailed off. He seemed to realise, at the same time as you, just how close you were to each other.
You waited, hardly daring to breathe. John was maybe a few inches away, his chin tilted up ever so slightly so that he could meet your gaze. His pretty, silvery green eyes were fixed on yours, as if to make a point. You were fighting the same urge, to not look down at his lips, angled so perfectly up towards you, it was enough to make your chest lurch.
Slowly, so slowly it was almost painful, you watched as John’s gaze finally slipped and he glanced down at your mouth. Surrender. You followed immediately, and felt time speed up again. You caught your breath. Your heart was hammering so hard, you were sure John must’ve been able to hear it, feel it.
John’s gaze dropped again and stayed for longer this time, very obviously debating something that terrified and excited you all at once. It was just a matter of who would give in first.
“We’re not going to kiss,” you whispered, not trusting your voice. “Not like…”
You made the mistake of letting your eyes fall to his lips again, one last time. They parted ever so slightly, an invitation, like he was asking you to give in and take what you’d been wanting for so long. You pressed your lips together and immediately regretted it. You’d given yourself away.
The corner of John’s mouth twitched up into a little smile.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmured. “You said some horrible things to me.”
You pulled in a lungful of air and closed your eyes. The moment was gone, but it still took you a second or two to get your feet back on the ground.
“I’m sorry,” You rubbed your tired eyes, feeling guilty and ashamed and dizzy all at once. “I was being stupid.”
John shrugged.
“Just because it was hurtful doesn’t mean it wasn’t accurate.”
“Still, I’m being an idiot. I’m sorry, John. It’s been a fucking awful week.”
He smiled to let you know he understood. Then his eyes dropped to your mouth again, just for a second, but you couldn’t have missed it.
“Not like what?” he asked softly.
“What?”
“You said ‘We’re not going to kiss. Not like…’. Not like what?” John raised his eyebrows. “Not like this, you mean?”
It hadn’t occurred to you that you’d spoken those words out loud. It was jarring to hear John repeat them back to you, and even more surprising to realise that’s exactly what you meant.
You nodded.
“Not like this.”
This wasn’t the right time, as much as it pained you. He was so close, looking up at you so sweetly, telling you how much he cared about you and that he just wanted to help. But John was right, you’d been horrible to him, and you were so sad you could barely breathe. When you did kiss him, you wanted it to be right, you wanted it to be good, you wanted to make the world stop turning.
John nodded, looking down at his ridiculous shoes. When he looked up again, his gaze still lingered antagonistically around your mouth. You wondered if he was doing it on purpose.
“When then?”
“What?”
“When can I kiss you?”
You couldn’t help it, you laughed.
“When you get me my bakery back.”
John grinned. He had such a lovely smile, so bright and honest.
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
“Promise?”
John crossed his index finger over his heart.
“Promise.”
You beamed at each other. For a moment, it was as if nothing had changed, like nothing was wrong, or could ever be wrong. Because John was here and he was smiling at you, and he wanted to kiss you and knew you wanted to kiss him. But then reality slowly seeped in, harsh and so cold, it made you shiver.
“It’s hopeless, John,” you murmured, and pressed your face into your palms.
John wrapped his long fingers around your forearms and squeezed gently. When he carefully pulled your hands away from your face, you saw he was smiling sweetly.
“Shall I stick the kettle on?” he asked.
You’d never heard anything more romantic in your life.
You led him up the stairs to your flat and let him make you a cup of tea, while you sat on the sofa and watched him move around in the kitchen.
It was only tiny. Even ‘kitchen’ was a generous word, it was just the two sideboards, the hob and some cupboards set into the wall, but John moved around them as if he’d lived there all his life, and you were, once again, assured that he was fated to be 64 Oslo Square’s delivery boy.
“I was thinking about finding a flat. For after uni.” John handed you a mug and sat down beside you. “You could, um… Maybe I could start looking now and… You know, obviously we don’t know when things will… But I could look and…”
You blinked at him.
“Are you asking me to move in with you?”
John’s cheeks were tinged pink.
“I just want you to know you have options. I know you’re going to figure this out, but I want you to know you have somewhere safe to stay.”
Your chest squeezed as a wave of affection washed over you. How did you ever get so lucky? It was a small relief, in a way, to know that no matter what happened, you had a friend in John. The idea of moving into a flat together felt unreal right now. The more you pondered on it, the more the severity of your situation seemed to settle in.
“There’s nothing to figure out, John.” You sighed. “Gladys signed the paperwork. You know, she didn’t even really understand what she was signing? He got her drunk then pushed the papers across the table and told her he wanted to invest in the bakery, she just had to sign. Daft cow.”
“How’s Mickey taking it?”
“He’s alright. He’s a fantastic baker, he could find a job anywhere.”
“So could you.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You’re joking. Everything you make is incredible! And you’re passionate and you’re dedicated… You could find somewhere else. Maybe start your own place someday.”
You laughed softly, embarrassed by the compliment. His faith in you was flattering. No one had ever said anything like that to you before.
You reached out and took John’s hand, folding your fingers between his and interlocking them, as if you’d done it a million times before.
“You’re so sweet. But I can’t.” You squeezed his hand gently. “I started working here when I was sixteen. Have I told you that?”
John shook his head.
“I used to pass by on my way to school. Me and my friends would come in every Friday. And every day, Gladys was there, behind the counter. And she was mad and funny and she let us stay all afternoon, even though we only had enough money for a cuppa and a cake. And when I left school, there was one place I wanted to work.”
You looked up at the photo of you, Gladys and Mickey on your mantelpiece. Your tiny, ridiculous, mismatched family.
“I was just behind the counter at first, like you. But it was fun, it was a living. Then Shaz, the head baker back then, she started letting me help out. I loved it so much. The time things took. The attention to detail. The warmth of the kitchen. And it’s stressful but it’s full of love. You know? Everything we make is…”
You squeezed John’s hand again.
“When you see people smiling because of the things you make… It’s the best feeling in the world. I asked if I could start working as a baker and Gladys agreed, and even knocked a bit off the price of this place.”
Together, you looked around at your tiny flat. It wasn’t much but it was home, it was yours. You’d never had anything that was just yours before, and you couldn’t stress it enough, the importance of having space, having ownership, a room of one’s own, especially for a working class woman in 1973, especially for someone making it on their own.
“This is my home, John. And these people, they’re my family. I had nothing and the bakery gave me a purpose. I can’t just find somewhere else. I can’t. I can’t. It’s Oslo Square or nothing.”
John watched you for a moment, and you wondered if maybe you’d bored him with your outpouring. You wouldn’t be shocked. But then he raised your interlocked hands and held them to his chest.
“I’ll get it back for you. I promise.”
You laughed softly. He’d surprised you yet again.
“Where did you come from, New Boy? You really are an angel, aren’t you.”
“I don’t know about that.” John shyly glanced away. “The bakery means a lot to me too now. I want to help. If I can.”
Was it too early to revise your ‘no kissing’ policy? You really wanted to kiss him. Actually, kissing John would probably fix most of your problems. Or, at the very least, make them much easier to deal with. God, you could probably make him moan with just a kiss, you could tell from looking at him that he’d be a noisy one. Or maybe he’d lay you back on the couch and run those stupidly big hands all over you, playing you like one of his instruments. You wouldn’t mind that at all.
“Skip?”
You blinked. John was looking at you expectantly.
“Oh, sorry,” You gave him a wonky sort of a grin. “Just a bit tired, I think.”
John didn’t look like he believed you but he let you off the hook.
“I think you need to get out of the house.”
You had to agree. Aside from nipping to the shops for the essentials, you hadn’t left your flat since Gladys’ news.
“Where do you wanna go?”
“Well, actually,” John said guiltily. “I have to meet the lads at three. I wondered if you wanted to come.”
“To watch you rehearse?”
“It’ll probably be really boring for you, but you’ll get to see a few arguments. And we can get lunch first or dinner after or… I don’t mind, I just want you with me.” John blushed. “But you can say no, I didn’t mean to-”
You laughed softly. He really was the sweetest boy alive.
“I’d love to, John.”
/
That afternoon, Queen were rehearsing in a studio space in South London. John was tempted to grab the tube but you convinced him onto the bus, remembering, as you handed over your change to the driver, that he’d once admitted he was nervous about travelling that way. If he was going to be a proper Londoner, you thought, he had to learn how to use the buses, and the 49 seemed as good a place to start as any.
You watched John watch the world go by. He really was so beautiful and he had no clue. He had some semblance of an idea that he was alright, you knew that. The way John preened in front of every passing mirror told you so. But he didn’t see the lovely slope of his strong nose, or the way his grey eyes shone every time he saw something that piqued his interest, or the way his lovely, funny mouth twitched at the corners just before he was about to murmur something to you in that lovely, funny voice.
You’d tell him, you decided. Soon. You’d tell him just how beautiful you thought he was.
It was only when you followed John through the quiet, carpeted corridors of the recording studios that you began to feel nervous. You’d never been anywhere like that before, it was a foreign land.
As you passed, you peered through the porthole windows of every door to catch glimpses of steely grey microphones and mixing desks in big glass boxes. It was like something out of a film, something you’d only ever seen in magazines and photographs.
John seemed totally at ease. You supposed you were seeing him in his world for the first time. He would protest, he was a scientist, an engineer, he wasn’t a rockstar, but he was a musician, through and through. This world of dials and crossfades and endless electric cables suited him very well.
Eventually, he pushed open a door and held it open for you, gesturing for you to go in first.
The room was only small, probably all he and his friends could afford to hire by the hour. In the corner sat a shiny, black grand piano. Freddie tapped on the keys, humming under his breath as if building a tune just from a few plaintive notes. Next to that, there was a row of guitars all standing to attention, and a drum kit, steadily being put together to just the right requirements by Roger.
He looked up when the door opened.
“Hi, John. We were just saying-” Roger stopped in his tracks and immediately brightened when he saw you come in. “Bakery girl!”
“Hiya, Rog.”
You laughed as he came over to give you a big hug. It had been a while since you’d seen John, so it had been even longer since you saw his friends. You were sure Roger was only sweet to you because he knew it annoyed John but you were more than happy to play along.
John waited until Roger had gone back to his drum kit to stop frowning.
“Brian not here yet?” he asked, a little gruffly.
Freddie scoffed.
“He’s late. Again. He’s teaching somewhere in Balham. He’ll probably be hours, you know how he likes to bang on. You don’t play guitar, do you, love?”
You smiled shyly as Freddie also came over to greet you.
“No, sorry. Just the recorder in Year 3.”
“Ah, you’ll fit right in.”
Freddie beamed.
You didn’t know him as well as Roger but every time you saw Freddie, you practically tripped over yourself to befriend him. He was just so cool, so beautiful, his voice soft and his mannerisms so enchanting. He drew you in, just as he did the crowds when he was on stage, like a siren beckoning in beguiled ships.
“How are you doing?” Freddie held you by the shoulders as his soft dark eyes searched yours. “We’ve heard about this awful business with that twat. Andrew, was it?”
“Alastair.”
“That’s the bastard.” Freddie shook his head. “I’m so sorry, love.”
You wondered how much John had told them. By all accounts, he wasn’t the most talkative of people. In fact, you were still getting used to how much he spoke now. If you compared the boy standing beside you to the boy who first anxiously walked into the bakery that cold January night, you would almost say they were completely different people.
“Thanks, Freddie.”
“Are you staying?” asked Roger.
You glanced at John and he shot you an encouraging smile.
“If it’s okay with you lot?”
“Make yourself at home!”
You found a seat off to the side, just behind John’s amp.
You couldn’t help staring, transfixed, as he got himself set up. You could watch his hands forever, the way his fingers slipped over the strings, how the instrument fit perfectly against his body. Even watching him plug in his bass was mesmerising. It all just seemed to come so naturally to John, as most things did. He really was wonderful.
Queen warmed up slowly, giving Brian more time to turn up, and as they did, they passed ideas back and forth to each other. It was like a foreign language. Musical terms, notes, lyrics, pacing, you didn’t understand any of it, though you loved to listen to the boys figure it all out together.
For the most part, Freddie and Roger talked back and forth, while John watched, thumbing pensively at the thickest string of his bass as he waited to play. But you noticed how they never decided anything without consulting John for the final say, and his word seemed to be gospel.
John looked back at you over his shoulder and shot you a rare confident smile. You just had time to blush before the door opened and Brian fell in, apologising and shaking his head so that his wild, dark curls danced.
Brian waved to you but didn’t waste any time chatting. He grabbed his guitar and struck up a chord that filled the room with that familiar, quintessentially them sound.
They were magic to watch. You couldn’t wait to see what they became.
Soon, Freddie started to complain that he needed a drink to soothe his raw voice, and Roger and Brian went with him. They asked if you and John wanted anything but you both declined quickly, eager to be alone together again.
As soon as the door shut behind them, John turned to you properly and smiled. He nodded down at his bass, asking wordlessly if you’d like to try.
Grinning, you nodded too, and tried not to look too pleased as he ducked out of the strap. John gently lifted it over your head, and you tried to keep still as he settled the bass against you. You’d never held a bass guitar before. You hadn’t expected it to be so heavy.
“Oof, wow.”
You rolled your shoulders back, adjusting your posture so that you could balance its weight better.
“I know,” John’s hands skirted over your shoulders, making sure the strap was sitting comfortably first before he came round to stand in front of you. “I’ll have a terrible back when I’m an old man, I’m sure of it.”
Trying to remember how his hands moved when you watched him play, you lifted your left hand and pressed the tip of your index finger against the first metal string. It was thick and strong, and indented your skin as you pressed down. You couldn’t imagine how he managed to play so quickly, so deftly. The instrument seemed ungainly and oversensitive to you.
“You make it look so easy.”
John just smiled.
It was nice to see him in his element, to see him confident and sure of himself. He’d had once told you that he only picked up the bass because his first band needed it. You found it hard to believe, John and the bass, they seemed made for each other.
“You’ve almost got it. Here.”
You held your breath as John moved to stand behind you again. His left hand came up to cover yours, gently twisting your wrist around so that it was positioned nicely under the neck. With his other hand, he plucked a few notes on the lowest string, then took your index finger between his and showed you how to curl it just right. You swallowed thickly, and hoped he wouldn’t be able to hear your shaky breaths.
“Feels funny,” John said as he watched you pluck out a few tentative notes. “Me teaching you something for once.”
Face hot, you just tried to concentrate on playing right.
“You’re a much better baker than I am a bassist.”
John moved closer to correct your left hand, and now his chest was pressed up against your back. You tensed, trying to keep as still as possible but it was difficult to concentrate with him so close. All questions about whether he was doing it on purpose left your head when he spoke softly by your ear, his breath tickling your skin.
“I don’t know,” John let his hand slip down your forearm, just as it did the neck of his bass, and tentatively let it rest just above your waist. “Looks pretty good from where I’m standing.”
You stopped attempting to play, it was pointless. You couldn’t so much as hold a thought in your head, let alone carry a tune. You turned your head to the side until you could just see John out of the corner of your eye.
“You’ve taught me a lot, you know,” John went on. “Not just the baking. You’ve made me much braver.”
His big hand felt heavy against your side. You were suddenly hyper aware of the slightest movement of each of his fingers. While his other arm was slung across the body of the bass, his fingers tucked underneath it to support its weight, the fingers of his left hand pressed into your soft waist ever so slightly and you had to hold back a gasp. You were touching so much, it was insane, you could barely remember your own name.
“I think I just bullied you into talking more.”
Your voice was shaky and low. You knew John would catch it but you didn’t care. You were too busy thinking about how warm his chest felt against your back, and how if you angled your hips just right, you could sink back into him until his hips were fitted against your arse. Then John spoke again, so close now that it felt like his lips were close to brushing your neck
“I’m glad you did.”
You could practically feel him smile against your skin as he added,
“You’re good for me, I think.”
Slowly, carefully, you turned your head a little further, and John shifted around so that you could meet each other’s gaze properly.
His confidence seemed to slip the moment he knew you could see him, but the hand that rested heavily on your waist slipped down to your hip and squeezed.
“I think you’re good for me too,” you said, and smiled when John blushed under your gaze.
There was no space between you at all. Just one move, one inclination of your head, one press of John’s hand, and you’d be in his arms, your fingers in his lovely hair, your mouth pressed against his with only the bass between you, and suddenly the worst week of your life would be over.
You had just the wherewithal to realise how wrong you’d been. You thought you were alone, you thought you had no life outside of the bakery, but here you were, in the arms of the sweetest boy you’d ever known, listening to his band create some of the best music you’d ever heard, and John truly believed everything would be okay. Maybe you ought to trust him.
John let out a short breath, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, as if he too was nervous and excited and uncertain all at once. How sweet it was to know he felt exactly what you were feeling.
“What you said about, erm, no kissing till I’ve got your bakery back,” John murmured, his pretty eyes fixed unashamedly on your mouth. “Is that a… Is that a hard and fast rule? Or more like a suggestion?”
You smiled, and watched John’s adam’s apple bob in his lovely throat.
“What do you think, pretty boy?”
It was very clear from the look in John’s eyes what he thought about that. He bent his head, slowly and with great consideration, just like with everything he did, until the tip of his nose brushed yours. You felt your eyes close without you needing to think about it, your lips parting as you heard John say,
“You’ve no idea how long I’ve been waiting t-”
“Oh, have we got a new bassist? Lovely.”
Your eyes snapped open in time to see Freddie swoop into the room with a drink in his hand. He was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am, love. You’ll look much better in the costumes.”
John begrudgingly moved away but he was smiling to himself. Caught. When his hands left you, it felt like all the air had come rushing back into the room.
The boys chatted as they filed back in, passing around ideas and thoughts on the next show, but you could barely hear them over the sound of your own heart thumping in your ears.
John stayed close. You couldn’t be more relieved. After today, after this week, you never wanted him to move out of arm’s reach again.
“Thanks for today,” you whispered to him, when you were sure the others wouldn’t hear you. “I needed this.”
John shrugged, then carefully helped you out from under his bass. He slipped it over his head, then swung the guitar round so that it wouldn’t bump against you as he took your hand in his.
“You’ve saved me enough times. It’s about time I returned the favour, Captain.”
“I’m still Captain, am I?”
“Of course! You’ll always be my captain.”
“I was worried… I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to see me anymore, now you don’t have to.”
John smiled.
“It wasn’t the bakery I was coming to see, love. I haven’t been getting up at the crack of dawn and peddling across half of London for the bakery. I didn’t suffer scraped knees and a daft helmet for Gladys and her bloody ancient coffee machine.”
You marvelled at this for a second, then you smiled.
“It’s Mickey, isn’t it.”
John laughed.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah. Can’t get enough of the bloke.”
“I knew it, I knew it.”
”It’s the arms.”
“Who can blame you.”
//
Master List
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imagine-silk · 2 years
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Could I request the Fallout 4 companions' (if not all then at least John Nick Deeks and Mac) reaction to a male ss who has always had a beard but has to shave it for some reason and has a serious case of baby face?
I think your referring to Hancock when you say John, no prob bob. My brother actual has a super baby face when he accidentally shaves it off.
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HANCOCK
He's going to touch your face every chance he gets and has the softest smile while doing it. "You have really smooth skin."
NICK
He softly chuckles and goes back to reading his case. To be completely fair he is a middle-aged man in a robots body. "I always forget how young you are."
DEACON
He doesn't outwardly react but he does comment on it with a shit-eating grin. "And I thought I was a shapeshifter."
MACCREADY
He will laugh in your face, aggressively. Is he throwing stones from a glass house? Yes. "I guess some people can't pull off a clean-shaven look."
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cloveswifey · 7 months
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DRACO MALFOYS MASTERLIST
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Imagine - Fluff: ღ - Angst: ☆ - Smut: ✿
Tired ღ
Your very tired after a long day; what’s better than cuddles from your boyfriend.
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❁ HeadCannons ❁
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imeternallylove · 1 month
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Don't grow up, it's a trap - Brian May; Prologue
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Pairing: Brian May x Reader
Warning: none
Word: approx 1.3k
main mastetlist  | request & ask | prompts
Chapters index
prologue | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part night | part ten | epilogue
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If he knew he had grown up this way.
Perhaps it was preferable to be a youngster who knew nothing except eating, playing, and napping.
People beings grow up in many civilizations. Some are born under a lucky star and are unaware that there is a demon named afflictive and wounded existing in this universe. However, certain persons who were raised. No, it should be called 'lived on their own' 一will have a higher level of immunity than others.
That does not imply their goodness. But it was an essential weapon for survival when facing tough times; it was intended just for anybody like him who lived below the poverty line. It kept on threatening his life, shattering every piece of his bone and cruelly smashing them to the ground. Despite being awake, it seemed like a terror nightmare that he couldn't wake up from.
'Brian May' is an uncommon boy. However, it isn't actually noteworthy. It sounds tricky, doesn't it? But that was his life after his parents' disappearance due to debt, while the whole town was during the world war.
The boy recalled the hectic circumstances at home throughout that extended period of time, and how they remained to be that way, over and over. He nearly lost sight of the definition of happiness and the proper way to smile or laugh.
Delicious food was once the thing on each evening dinner table, but that is starting to change. There were just grilled potatoes obtainable lately, and the soup was given as a side dish to enhance the flavour of the tasteless potatoes that had to be consumed all in one bowl, for the whole family.
He heard his parents arguing constantly, and headphones ended up being his best buddy by default. However, that is not nearly as unpleasant as hearing the creditors' relentless pounding on the door, who appear prepared to burst in at any moment if they are serious about it.
Only in the closet could sixteen-year-old Brian give a hug to his younger sister. With her head pressed against his chest, he protected her even though he was conscious that he wouldn't be able to stop the door from breaking in. After their parents made the decision to disappear without a trace since they had creditors pursuing them. From that moment on, Brian's biggest duty towards his younger sister has been to be strong for her, even when it meant leaving only tears on her cheeks.
Yes, he understands that his parents weren't abandoning him or his younger sister. Nevertheless, it seems that things happened this way because they had to leave this environment. Because his parents are unaware of how creditors would make demands for money if they were there. Which was probably worse than the hammering at the house door, which scared the hell out of him and his sister and made them afraid to leave.
A sixteen-year-old boy whose sole pursuits in life are music and education. To continue living his realities, he had to give go of his fantasies. Give up on the band, put the handmade guitar in the cupboard, and start working a part-time job after school.
For a young boy who had never experienced hardship before, he was unsure about what to do with the remaining money and where it would take him and his sister. However, it was lucky that the uncle next door, who was a neighbour, constantly prepared meals for him. And thus, day by day, he and his sister lived. 'Betty May' is still quite young. Brian does not want his younger sister to have to worry about this. But he had no idea what to do. Because additional money is insufficient, he will soon have to pay tuition. He is unlikely to be able to provide for himself and his younger sister financially. However, requesting a loan from a neighbour, like Uncle David, would be excessive.
Brian sensed he was in trouble. However, seeking assistance from others should be done in moderation.
Humans have a tendency to do dumb things when they feel hopeless. Yes, Brian feels this is the case. When he sat looking at the square screen with his hands on the keyboard in a computer lesson, his friend from the computer science department was overjoyed to show him it was a prototype. He looked like he suffered from a lack of sleep while learning how to use with.
The sixteen-year-old boy stared at it for a moment before writing the tragic tales of his own life on a blank page, and thanks to his highest grade at Imperial College, he had the kind privilege of receiving a tiny article published in the newspapers for the entire city of London, which has at least three million readers per day.
Brian couldn't recall what he had written, and he didn't want to. It might be filled with disappointment in life, what he was excellent at, or the whole agony that has been suppressed in his heart. Asking for help in vain and not knowing whether anyone will respond with a boy who has no idea who they are and no interest in life.
But it wasn't too horrible. When God told him to believe in, 'the miracles' one more time.
Not long afterward, the professor contacted him to schedule an appointment. He said that someone had seen his letter in the newspapers and offered to help with schooling and monthly expenditures, even if it was a small amount. So he asked Brian if he still needed lend a hand in helping, because here was his opportunity.
The boy was dumbfounded by what he had heard. He was thinking about hitting himself in the face once to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Is it truly feasible for somebody to reach out and support kids who do not know who they are? Brian sat calmly for quite some time, and his professor was silent, indicating that Brian, his student, wanted to concentrate.
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Brian was still half believing and half unbelieving. It wasn't until he received a cheque with credit to cash at the bank, along with a huge shopping bag with a pair of black and light brown suit-and-tie sets and black leather shoes. He noticed a pair of freshly released flower pattern shift dresses for ladies in other bags, as well as maroon Mary-Jane heels, with a short message and charming calligraphy expressing delight in him and Betty, which the tall boy could guess was from whom.
The boy finally discovered the world wasn't all devils around him. Who were these people? How did the benefactors who saved his and his sister's lives appear? The boy was confident that they were angels. The boy vividly recalls the emotion of the first moment; even the corners of his eyes turned blazing red and his younger sister had to hold and soothe him.
Brian returned to see his professor the next day, this time wearing a new pair of gleaming black leather shoes. After staying up all night wondering, 'Why are the benefactors so kind?', he was keen to find out who the wonderful person was who rescued him and his sister from the demon hordes. Why did they decide to help? Because even if the entire world is full of lack of thoroughness, and depth of character and he is much too young to confront it, that person seems not to be concerned whether the message he has written is a falsehood or real.
As his professor consultant was done with some papers, he smiled softly as he informed his student. "Her name is Y/N..."
Brian fails to control himself; he gasps suddenly with his mouth open and barely knows how to breathe, just because he eventually discovered their name, noㅡ her name.
"Miss Y/L/N. Y/N Y/L/N."
oh hi
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eileen-crys · 1 year
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I know Halloween is very past due but here's another lil doodle from my Witches x Monsters AU! 🥰💕 It's been a while since I made a chibi drawing so here's a good dose of cuteness with these two heheh 💖💕💜💖💕💜
Please do not copy or repost! Reblogs and comments are welcomed! 💜
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REQUESTS
please feel free to request things that you would like to read.
as you know i do write for Eddie.
but for Wednesday characters I'll write for Xavier and Ajax. NO Tyler. we do not like tyler, Tyler is no good.
also, i feel like i want to write for Roger Taylor and John Deacon from Bohemian Rhapsody, so you can request something for them too if you want
(that includes Joe mazzello and any of his characters)
but yeah.
if you went to see something, please say so because i do need ideas, and i would like to give you guys what you want
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vladr2566 · 1 year
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How tf do I do a poll?
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venus-haze · 7 months
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You're My Best Friend (Homelander x Reader)
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Summary: Homelander was a test tube baby, raised in isolation in a cold, clinical lab. But that doesn’t inspire America, does it? Vought tasks you with creating the idyllic backstory for its hero, and what starts as a limited comic run spirals out of control when Homelander himself demands your help in making the story a reality.
Note: Gender neutral reader, but no other descriptors are used. Based on a request by @crash-and-cure as well as a bastardization of one of the sweetest love songs ever written (sorry, John Deacon!) This got kinda meta? Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.
Word count: 2k
Warnings: Emotional manipulation, I guess some gaslighting on Homelander’s part? Do not interact if you’re under 18.
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When Vought hired you to create their long-awaited Homelander origin comic series, you were thrilled—until they gave you so little information about his childhood to work with, you weren’t even sure you could come up with one comic, let alone the ten they requested. The details about his childhood were minimal, not even a full printed page—a loving mom and dad, played baseball, did well in school, strong sense of justice from a young age, his friends called him “Johnny.” Your requests to meet with Homelander so you could get some stories from the man himself were constantly denied.
You almost considered dropping the project, until you decided to throw caution to the wind and pull from your own childhood and set it in good ol’ generic suburbia. Some of the storylines were based on your own experiences or things that had happened to people you’d grown up with, though you changed enough names and details to not link it to anyone in particular. Except yourself, of course. Using a pseudonym professionally meant you felt no need to change your own name in the comics. Sure, making your cooler fictionalized self Homelander’s childhood best friend was a bit self-indulgent, but no one would know, really.
To your relief, the editors at Vought loved your ideas, making minor changes before bringing the storylines to their comic artists to bring it to life. The result was Finding Homelander: A Boy’s Journey To Be a Hero. The issues flew off shelves when they were first released, ironically praised for their relatability and authenticity. Vought extended your contract, asking you to produce the cartoon adaptation and another ten issues.
Still, in all of that, you’d never met Homelander. A representative from Vought emailed you to let you know to tune in to his interview on a talk show one day, saying that he’d be talking more about the cartoon project on it. You recognized the host, Tracey, always chipper and having some extravagant giveaway for her audience members. Daytime TV was never your thing, though.
“I think what resonates with so many people is how relatable your childhood is,” Tracey said, holding up a copy of Finding Homelander issue #3, where he saved ‘you’ from getting hit in the face with a baseball at one of his games, catching it with ease. It’d been the happy ending to a short storyline of him struggling to find his place on the team and you encouraging him to not give up. “You and Y/N were pretty close, do you still keep in touch?”
“You know, Tracey, not as much as I’d like, unfortunately. Adulthood can be so busy, you need to cherish those childhood memories,” Homelander said. “I did give them a call when the comics first came out, and wow, the laughs we had over those old antics of ours. Talk about a walk down memory lane!”
You guessed the bullshitting was all part of the promotional circuit for Homelander. Knowing this childhood of his was your own fabrication, you couldn’t help but wonder what else about him was fake. Maybe he wanted to maintain his privacy, you could certainly understand that. You couldn’t shake the voice in the back of your mind that said it wasn’t so simple, that the narrative Vought pushed was a cover to hide something in Homelander’s past.
“Now, I’ve heard rumors of a cartoon show based on the comics in the making, is this true?”
“It is! I’m excited for this project, getting back to my ‘roots’ so to speak. I’ll be voicing myself, of course, but it’s funny you’d bring up Y/N, because they’ve agreed to voice themself, too.”
“How fun!” Tracey exclaimed over the roar of the talk show crowd’s applause and cheers. “I guess this is the hopeless romantic in me, but I hope this reconnection leads to something a little more. I’m just a sucker for childhood sweethearts!” 
Homelander laughed along with the host’s giggles, “Well, you never know.”
You balked at the television, mouth agape. Surely he couldn’t be talking about you. ‘Y/N’ could be anyone with your same features. Vought had probably hired a professional voice actor for the role and were pushing the authenticity angle. The whole situation felt odd. 
When you checked your work email again on your phone, you nearly dropped it on the floor. 
SUBJECT: Meeting with Homelander This Week
The email contained a list of days and times throughout the week wherein Homelander would be free, apparently wanting to meet you to thank you for the success of the comic series and discuss upcoming work. Yeah. That last part you sure as hell wanted to discuss too. You responded with the soonest time available, in a meeting room in Vought Tower the following evening. As soon as you hit ‘send’, you wondered what exactly you were getting yourself into.
Anticipation filled your gut as you went about your day leading up to meeting the supe himself. What would he be like, really be like? Was there even a version of Homelander that wasn’t hopelessly manufactured for the masses? You knew then that his upbringing was a lie, and thus stood the probability that so much else was, too. 
When you stepped into that meeting room, you hadn’t been expecting his face to light up at the sight of you. 
“Homelander, hi, it’s great to—“
“No need to be so formal, Y/N! You can call me Johnny, just like old times,” he said cheerfully, in on a joke you clearly hadn’t been aware of.
“Sorry, Johnny,” you said, playing along. “It’s great to see you again.”
He pulled you in for an unexpected hug that you returned. “Figured we should catch up before things really start getting crazy, don’t you think?”
You nodded, your nose brushing against him as you did so. Just as your lips parted to offer an apology, he smiled, shooing away the assistant who’d accompanied him out of the room. 
He sat down, motioning for you to do the same.
“Gotta say, I’m a fan of your work,” he said.
“Thank you,” you said. “I’m not sure I understand exactly what’s going on, though.”
“What’s there to understand? I’m not allowed to know more about my best friend, our lives together growing up?”
“How did you know it was me?”
“Wasn’t hard for me to put two and two together, but considering everyone else around here has their head up their asses, they have no idea,” he said, before lowering his voice conspiratorially and giving you a charming smile. “I haven’t told anyone. What’s a secret between friends?”
You nodded, overwhelmed by the intensity of his attention on you. “What do you want to know?”
He sighed, resting his head on his hand. “Everything.”
So you told him. Not quite everything, of course, but enough to abate his curiosity. At least for the time being. His interviews were sharper, more specific with details rather than rattling off whatever had been in the comics. You watched in shock as convincing photos of his Little League days were posted to his social media accounts, anecdotes provided by his increasingly frequent conversations–or more like interrogation sessions–with you, but in his style, of course. It was almost scary what the graphic design team at Vought could accomplish, not that you’d ever know how, exactly, as they were all under the same strict NDA that you were.
He started spending more time with you, too, and after a while, it did seem like you were old friends. Part of you flinched whenever you called him Johnny, because Johnny wasn’t even real, but with your complacency, this fabrication was slowly morphing into a strikingly tangible memory. With each conversation, he drew you deeper into the world you’d been paid to create for him until you found yourself slipping up.
You’d been showing him a goofy stuffed monkey on your desk, a cute little thing with big sparkling eyes. A prize for getting two out of three at the ring toss. Probably spent more money winning it than it was actually worth, but it was about the effort, the memories made.
“You remember, don’t you? You won it for me at the county fair,” you said without thinking.
He laughed in agreement, as if he actually had. Except he hadn’t. Your high school boyfriend won it for you a week before graduation. Sensing the mood shift, he set down your prize and looked at you with the same intensity he had when you first met.
“It’s been a while since we were there, huh?” he said. “Why don’t we go back?”
You furrowed your eyebrows. “Go where?”
“Home.”
With a strong arm around your waist, he took off for your hometown. You could hardly tell which way was up or down, he was flying so high, but he didn’t seem to mind the way you clung to him at all. When he finally landed, you recognized the community baseball field where all of his fictional games were set. 
“Geez, it’s like nothing’s changed,” he said cheerfully.
You looked at him in disbelief. How long was he going to expect you to go along with it? Or maybe the question you should have been asking was, how long were you going to enable him? The end wasn’t anywhere in sight as he took your hand, and you walked him through your childhood, further enmeshing him in it until you arrived at the house you grew up in. 
The middle of the day, no one was home, and so you let yourselves in like you owned the place. Suddenly, the house seemed too small for a man like Homelander to occupy, but he was engrossed in the details of it. He scanned the kitchen, no doubt inspecting the contents of the fridge and cabinets with his x-ray vision. Moving onto the living room, he stared at photos on the wall, the magazines and DVDs that were strewn on the coffee table, giving away your parents’ taste in entertainment.
“Which one was your room again?” he asked.
You swore you could feel his breath on the back of your neck as you wordlessly led him to your room. Each step down the hall felt dangerous, as if you were about to walk into a trap. Face-to-face with the closed door, you opened it, standing aside while Homelander looked around, from what you had hanging on the walls to the knick-knacks you’d left behind.
An uncomfortable tension settled over the room when Homelander closed the door of your childhood bedroom. An odd blend of hurt and amusement spread across his face as he observed the way you were eyeing him, body ready to fruitlessly run from him the way a rabbit would a hawk.
“C’mon, after how long we’ve been friends, I would never hurt you,” he said, as if reading your mind. “We’ve been through so much together. I mean, we were each other’s first kiss.”
You froze. Issue #9. That was something Vought’s editors had added, claiming a romance angle would make the series appeal to the younger female demographic. You hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
He slyly backed you into the wall, leaning over you as you slinked down the slightest bit.
“Show me how we did it,” he whispered, his hand caressing your cheek. “So clumsy and nervous, I can even feel you…quivering.”
“Homelander, I don’t know what you’re—“
He tsked. “Y/N.”
You let out a shaky breath, “Johnny—“
He hummed in satisfaction. “It’s alright. I know it’s been a while.”
You let him kiss you, sweetly in a way that put your actual first kiss to shame. His lips were soft against yours, his tender movements intentional as he cradled your face, pulling you the slightest bit closer to him when you kissed him back. 
A sense of familiarity settled over you, warm and comforting like pulling a blanket out of the dryer on a chilly evening. Every time it seemed like you were beginning to overthink the situation with Homelander, he drew you back in with the kiss, a more than effective distraction until you pulled away with a dazed smile on your face.
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bloodynereid · 1 year
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hey i was wondering if you could write a warren rojas x reader fic where the reader is an absolute rockstar and what their relationship would be like since they’re two musicians dating one another while living with the six
i love ur writing
tyyy 💕💕💕
Rhythm of Our Love
pairing: warren rojas/rhodes x fem! reader
a/n: hi! tysm for ur request and hopefully I fulfilled it the best I could. also u didn't specify if you wanted fem or gender neutral reader so i kind of just went with fem if that's okay. also this fic kind of ran away from me so I guess you just get to spend 5.3k words falling more in love with warren (I personally like longer fics). oh and there's a lot of billy bashing in this, which wasn't really intentional but yk it happens. oh and btw i hadn't watched the new episodes yet when i wrote this so this is really just mixed with some book events so book spoilers (!!) - reader is kind of like female pete if that makes sense
tw: drug mentions (mescaline, weed, pills), addiction mentions, billy bashing (don't know if that qualifies as a warning lmao), swearing, cigarette smoking, mentions of cheating (billy and camila - not warren + reader)
description: the rise to fame of a band and the love story between the drummer and bassist that accompanies it.
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Y/N (bassist for Daisy Jones & The Six): Is this on? Yeah okay right. So where do you want me to start? The beginning. Geez okay let’s start at the beginning then.
You grew up living next to the Dunne brothers and ended up taking up bass after listening to Queen and The Beatles. John Deacon and Paul McCartney made those songs what they were and you were proud to be able to play something similar to them. So it was only natural that you ended up joining the Dunne brothers after Graham accidentally heard you playing one summer night.
Y/N: God I can remember the first time I played with them so clearly. They had become a pretty established band in Hazelwood but Chuck had quit, wanting to go to dental school or some shit like that, so they were going to give the bass part to Eddie, until Graham found me.
Eddie: Y/N was a lifesaver. I would have to play bass if Graham hadn’t gotten her to join. Plus she was one of the best things that could have happened to the band.
It was a chilly night but you rocked up to your neighbor’s garage wearing a pair of flared jeans and a butterfly top. Your bass slung over your shoulder and a cigarette between your lips. 
Warren: Y/N was a total rockstar from the beginning. And the way she carried herself that night, man, she was the most attractive woman I had ever seen.
“So are we ready to get this show on the road? I’ve been working on the sheets that Graham gave me yesterday.” You said as you entered the small room where all the boys were already tuning up and Warren was playing a random rhythm on the drums.
“We’re opening for the Winters in two days. Make sure you aren’t still ‘working’ on those sheets.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” You gave him a little salute whilst rolling your eyes which learned a few laughs from the group and a frown from Billy.
“Whatever, let’s just get this going.”
Graham: Billy was an asshole when he first met Y/N. Similar to how he was with Daisy, but he knew we needed her. 
Eddie: Y/N handled Billy better than I think anyone ever has. She met his challenges with blunt sarcasm and humor. Anyone who could deal with his bullshit made an instant friend with me.
Warren: I don’t think she knew how hot I found her at that moment.
Y/N: I knew. I mean I had been harboring a little crush on Warren since middle school. I wanted to impress him and I would say I succeeded.
Warren: She had a crush on me in MIDDLE SCHOOL? If I had known that it would have made things a hell of a lot easier.
Y/N: Fast-forward two days, came the night that changed everything. I mean my first gig was the time we opened for the Winters. My fingers were cramping and I had a horrible backache from the amount of practice I had been doing. On a plus side I got to meet Camila. She was just… incredible. God knows that Billy doesn’t deserve that wonderful woman at all.
You were running on a total of 2 hours of sleep. The past two nights had been spent practicing the pieces over and over again by yourself. And then the days were filled with practice with the boys. The band needed this to be perfect and you understood the weight of that completely. You were a rockstar. You were meant for this. At least that’s what you kept telling yourself as you walked into the performing area, staring wide eyed at the space.
Y/N: All I was thinking was: “You better not fuck this up.” That was the night we also met Karen. Karen Karen, my soon to be best friend. She was the keyboardist for The Winters and let’s just say Graham fell in love at first sight.
Right before we were about to go on stage a sudden crushing feeling started to encompass your chest. You were actually going to do this. Oh fuck.
Warren: I could tell she was having a freakout. I mean if it was my first time playing with a new band AND I had only had 2 days to practice I would have been hyperventilating. So I went up to her.
“What’s your favorite fruit?” That silky voice brought you out of your spiral with the most absurd question that had ever been uttered.
“Uh what?”
“What’s your favorite fruit? Mine personally are strawberries.”
“Oh umm I don’t know, I kind of like Y/F/F (your favorite fruit).”
“Cool, you good?” That was when you realized what he had done. You sent Warren a blinding smile and leaned to give him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Yeah thanks I owe you one.”
Warren: Call me a sap or whatever but I can still feel that kiss. I treasured that for a long time. Anyways, she was incredible that night. 
Y/N: There was like this electrifying feeling of being on stage and playing to all those people. I wanted to feel like that forever. Maybe it was also pure exhaustion but I swear it felt like I was on a high.
Billy: She played really well, I mean for a person who had two days of practice.
Y/N: We met Rod Reyes after our set. The man was a douchebag but he planted that LA dream in all of us. I was probably too exhausted to have been making decisions of that kind but…
“If you all will have me, I say fuck it let’s go to LA!”
“Let’s go to LA!”
Y/N: None of us stayed for the Camila and Billy drama, so Warren dropped me off last. We smoked weed for a while. We talked about all that weird philosophical shit that you talk about when high. Then I crashed for a few hours.
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It was raining buckets. You pulled up in your dad’s car outside of Warren’s house. You had those weirdly unattached parents who really didn’t give a damn about what you did. They already had their hopes pinned on your older brothers so when you asked if you could move to LA, your parents couldn’t have helped you pack up faster.
“Bye dad.”
“Bye sweetheart. Don’t forget your bass.” He gave you an uncomfortable hug before passing your last suitcase filled with small remnants of your life.
“Hey Mr. L/N. I can take that.”
“Thanks Graham.” He quickly put up your few suitcases on the roof and you waved at your dad as he disappeared into the blankets of rain.
“Ready?”
“Definitely.” Warren helped you into the van and you got situated in a comfortable spot. You lit up one of your cigarettes and opened up the pages of your slightly damp book, waiting for a while until finally everything seemed ready to go. Well not everything.
“Got room for one more?” Camila got into the van and sent you a little smile before cosying up next to Billy.
Y/N: That road trip was one of those things that was both horrible and incredible at the same time. But when we got to LA man wow it was like we were transported and then we met Rod Reyes, again. He was such an asshole but at least we finally had some gigs lined up and a house, but calling it that might actually be a bit generous. 
Warren: Graham insisted we kept the haunted room for Karen. And obviously Billy and Camila got a room. Which meant Y/N was either stuck on the couch or rooming with one of us. And… Graham and Eddie already called the bunks.
“This is so fucking unfair! Why does your non-existent girlfriend get a room and I don’t?”
“She’s not my girlfriend!”
“Fuck you Graham. Where the fuck am I meant to sleep then huh?”
“Uh well Eddie and I are sharing the bunks.”
Y/N: It was like a really bad romance movie.
“You have got to be kidding me! Did any of you even think to count the rooms in this house?”
“Guys just shut the fuck up. Y/N you’re going to sleep in Warren’s room and that’s final. You’re all acting like children.”
Y/N: That was also one of the many times that Camila basically acted like our mother, in a good way.
“You know what, fine! I hope you’re happy Graham.” You said as you slammed the door to your new room and unpacked in a furious hurry. 
Warren: There was a king sized bed that took up basically the entirety of our room. Honestly it was one of the worst rooms in the house, but at least it wasn’t haunted! 
Y/N: Warren wanted to take the floor but if you saw that room you would know that the floor basically consisted of like a slab of wood. The closet and the bed took up the entire space and then there was this huge window. It didn’t even have curtains! Whoever designed that room was an idiot. But we didn’t have the money for anything else.
Warren: I tried to be a gentleman about it but like I would never have been able to sleep on the floor and I wasn’t sleeping outside.
Y/N: Not going to lie after that first night I was kind of grateful to Graham. Don’t tell him I said that though. Anyways we played so many gigs and were getting nowhere. And we were slowly running out of money. Oh and Karen did end up joining the band and she got the room.
You were all seated in some random diner with Camila counting out all the money you had gotten from gigs and your little part-time job working at a movie theater. On your side of the table sat Karen, Warren, you and then Eddie.
“Why are we still called the Dunne brothers, anyway?” That ended up sparking up a rather loud discussion of our side of the table against Billy. You rolled your eyes and leaned your head on Warren’s shoulder. You could see his stupid smile as he looked down at you so you just poked him in the ribs and he laughed.
“I for one am for changing the name.” You said as you took a drag of your cigarette, adding to the already thick cloud of smoke that surrounded the band.
“You see, Billy, basically the entire band is against you on this one.”
“No, no. The band name is what gives us credibility if we change it then all of our reputation goes out of the window.”
“Oh our Pittsburgh reputation really? Or maybe the reputation of not being able to get good gigs.” You barked back at the already angry man which made Eddie send you a grateful smile.
Then came the barrage of horrible name ideas, including one from Warren that made you look up at him from his shoulder in confusion and slight disgust.
“Look okay, the seven of us will never agree on the name.” That’s when it came to you.
“What about The Six?”
“Huh?” Everyone turned to you as you sat up and took a sip of Warren’s coffee.
“I mean no offense Camila but you aren’t technically part of the band so there’s six of us. We can be called The Six. The Five is used too much and The Seven sounds like way too many members so how about The Six?”
“You know what, I like it.”
“Me too.”
Y/N: So we had a shiny new band name, my relationship with Warren had gone from band mates to really good friends. And no I don’t mean that in an innuendo way but you get really close to someone you have to share a bed with every night. We had some good nights.
Warren: I always thought that Y/N would end up moving in with Karen after she joined but she didn’t. I think she knew that that room was haunted.
“So who do you think the most attractive person in the band is?” You and Warren were lying on the bed in a drug addled haze after taking some mushrooms he had gotten from one of his hippie friends.
“Huh?” You sluggishly turned to look at his face, finding that his eyes were already on you.
“Who do you think is the most attractive in the band?”
“Hmm I don’t know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I mean Graham and Billy aren’t my type. Eddie is hopelessly in love with Camila-”
“Wait what?”
“Dude are you blind?”
“No? I mean I know Graham likes Karen but she doesn’t like him.”
“That is like the most obvious observation I have ever heard.”
“Hey! So that just leaves… Camila, Karen and me. Wait, is Camila the person who you find most attractive? I’m not judging if she is.”
“I can’t lie she’s really pretty and Karen is absolutely stunning but no not the person I find most attractive.”
“Me?”
“Yes dumbass. Now it’s your turn to answer the question.”
“Oh that’s easy, you obviously.” You smiled bashfully at him as his mischievous smirk grew.
“You are too charming for your own good.”
“I could say the same thing about you.” That was when you both fell silent. Maybe it was the confidence the drugs gave you but you quickly gave him a kiss before backing away.
“You like me back?”
“Obviously you dumbass, I've liked you for ages. Why do you think I’ve been cuddling with you for the past few months? I don’t do that with every single person I know.”
“I don’t know.”
“Just shut up and kiss me again.”
Y/N: As I said, a really cheesy romance movie. But I found Warren and we fit like puzzle pieces.
Warren: We were high on shrooms when she kissed me. We didn’t do much else that night, other than kissing and then sleeping.
Y/N: I may have loved Warren but we weren’t sleeping together until I knew he was serious. I had seen him with the small amount of groupies that we had. I’m not a jealous woman but that right there boiled my very core.
Warren: I stopped hanging out with the groupies after that night. Y/N became the light of my life, I wasn’t going to ruin the only good thing going for me that wasn’t the band.
Y/N: Then Billy convinced Teddy Price to listen to one of our songs. I have no idea how he did it. The next few months after that song were the most anxiety I had ever experienced but they were also the happiest. I was doing what I loved and I was doing it with the person I loved. Then we got to record the album. 
Karen: Y/N and Warren went official a few weeks before we got the album deal. They were the most obnoxiously cute couple I had ever been around. And they complemented each other incredibly well.
Graham: Honestly I take it as full credit to my genius that those two first got together.
Camila: Oh Y/N and Warren… god they were one of those strangely healthy couples. They were living the life, they had each other, the band and the drugs. They were insanely happy together.
Y/N: We were going to go on tour! That was huge for us and for me. A few days before we went though, Camila told us she was pregnant. They got married that night.
Warren: The wedding? Oh I don’t remember it that much. Mescaline… well it’s a powerful drug.
Y/N: Did Warren tell you we were on mescaline the entire night? Yeah. God, I wish I had been more present in that moment but we truly were having the time of our lives. Camila being pregnant also put things into perspective for us. Protection wasn’t a big thing in the 70s but I had been taking birth control after I read a few books. I wasn’t taking any chances. 
Warren: Yeah we had a deep discussion about that. I think that was one of the many times where I realized how shit it was to be a woman of that time. I supported whatever she wanted to do fully.
Y/N: We went on tour. It was fine. Billy was an asshole but he went off the rails. I mean Warren and I were a bit out of control cause you know… fame. But Billy, he went hard on all the drugs and the groupies.
Warren: We were there to have a good time but I also recognized something in Billy that I never wanted to be. I stayed away from the hard drugs and sure we hung out with groupies but I would never betray Y/N like that.
Y/N: Then Camila arrived, heavily pregnant and she found Billy getting it on with some groupie. Fuck, I really tried to call her but you never want to hurt someone like that you know. Fast forward a few shows and well we found out Camila had given birth. Teddy put Billy in a rehab center. We cut the tour short and that fucked it up with the label. I think it also made me realize how incredibly lucky I was to have found Warren.
Warren: The next few months the band was idle. Y/N and I did a ton of mushrooms and we helped babysit Julia. It was actually really nice and domestic.
Y/N: I was bored out of my mind. I wasn’t suited for an idle lifestyle. When Billy decided to stop being an idiot and rejoined the band, things finally started to look up. And then we all met Daisy Jones.
“Why can’t we just have Karen or Y/N sing this stuff? If you want an edge we have that already.”
“Oh no way, Billy. I don’t sing, I’ll help with backing but that’s it.” You said as you stamped out your cigarette on the tray.
“I’m with Y/N. Plus I agree with Teddy, it will give us a new sound.” Billy stormed out of the room at that leaving you and the rest of the band to chuckle at his dramatics.
Y/N: We were all enraptured with her when she first walked into the studio. She was wearing a button down shirt and no pants. That made one hell of an entrance. And of course, Billy wasn’t pleased.
“Hi nice to meet you Daisy. I’m Y/N.” You said as she walked into the recording studio while Warren’s arm was secured around your shoulders.
“You too. Thank you all for having me.”
“You’re welcome.” Graham answered.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.” You and the rest of the band left the room and went into the production booth.
Y/N: She was incredible. Even if she did try to change up Billy’s song. Personally I always liked her version. After that recording session it all kind of blew up. Billy wanted to keep the song as it was and obviously he did that until Daisy showed up to one of our shows at The Whisky. We then headed out to our world tour, The Numbers tour as it was dubbed featuring Daisy Jones.
Warren: We were making money, a ton of money at that. Sold out shows everywhere we went.
Y/N: I’m pretty sure that was the tour that Karen and Graham started hooking up. Warren didn’t believe me, he had his own theories. Like he thought Bones, our lighting guy… *cue you breaking out into laughter*, sorry sorry, but geez yeah Warren was honestly the most clueless guy I had ever met and I loved him for it. Then came the show for Rolling Stone, that was an incredible show but Eddie… that man had basically become my brother at that point. What Billy did was one of the worst things he could have ever done to him.
Eddie: I couldn’t take it anymore so I had to do something.
Y/N: I understood why he smashed that guitar. I would have done the same thing. But my bass was also something I had basically built all by myself. I wasn’t going to hurt my baby.
After all of the drama, you quickly made your way over to Eddie before Jonah Berg came down. A cup of water in hand and a cigarette dangling from your lips. 
“Ed?” You walked up next to your best friend and gave him a little shoulder nudge.
“Oh hey Y/N.” His voice sounded thick with underlying rage. One that you recognized all too well.
“I’m really fucking sorry.” And you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
Y/N: When you spend a long time around someone you kind of learn their tells. Warren and I were incredibly good at reading each other. And I was just incredibly similar to Eddie, so I knew how to help him… we both have really horrible tempers. Warren and the drugs had been helping but Eddie didn’t have a Warren.
Eddie: What Y/N did after that show… she knew I didn’t want to talk about it. She became my sister at that moment.
Y/N: I think Warren and I should have probably stopped Daisy. But we were sort of mooching off her stash. We promised each other to not go on the hard stuff but I think I was getting addicted.
Warren: Drugs were a normal thing in the 70s and we were having fun! But yeah I was feeling like I was starting to depend on pills.
Y/N: I was getting sloppy with my playing so I knew I needed to start weaning myself off it. We didn’t know much about addiction back then so it was hard to stop but we did the best we could. Well for one thing we didn’t go cold turkey.
Warren: When she told me, I understood her completely, I was feeling the effects of it too. We kind of talked through it a bunch and decided we should probably lay off the heavier psychedelics. Being rockstars meant you were down to have fun but if she wasn’t happy then I was going to try and remedy that.
Eddie: I think after the whole Glasgow thing I saw Y/N become more level headed. The same with Warren. I think they made some decision to get like moderately clean. They were still smoking pot and stuff but stopped with the pills and harder stuff.
Karen: I swear I thought they were either trying to get pregnant or Y/N already was. The fact that after that Rolling Stone interview they suddenly stopped taking anything stronger than weed is probably what made me suspicious.
Y/N: I ended up sitting next to Eddie for most of the flight back, leaving Warren to sleep. I think we were the only two band members that weren’t consulted about Daisy, but I honestly didn’t give a damn. It was nice to have another girl around and… I was probably feeling the withdrawal.
Warren: When we got back to LA, I bought a one-bedroom Gibson.
Y/N: Warren bought a boat and I bought a little house which has a boat dock, it was kind of like a perfect compromise. 
Warren: I kept my boat mostly at Y/N’s house but we occasionally went on little trips. Mostly we drank beers on it and spent nights at the house. Y/N took up sports for some reason but I wasn’t going to complain, she looked hot.
Y/N: Yeah, I took up surfing, boxing and got into soccer. I was still practicing bass daily but without the band getting together much that summer, Warren and I kind of just did whatever. We smoked a lot of weed too. We were moderately clean and we were happy but I think deep down we missed life on the road.
Warren: Neither of us were ones for settling down. That’s probably why Y/N got into sports and I bought that boat. Oh and Eddie was around a lot. At first I thought he was trying to get into Y/N’s pants or something but they have this weird bond that reminded me of how my sisters and I acted.
Eddie: I visited Y/N and Warren A LOT. I don’t think they minded me being there, I basically took up permanent residence in Y/N’s spare bedroom. Y/N and I actually wrote a lot of songs during those days and we both got into surfing. And the LA surf scene was something else but I was itching for the road and they were too. So when the call came in from Graham we were all ready to leave. 
Y/N: We got together in The Rainbow and that’s where everyone just started to talk about everything and what parts they wanted to play. I mean I was already writing my bass lines so I was fine in that department. Warren and I mostly stayed out of the conversation, just smoking and making little jokes.
Graham: I think this was one of the only times that Y/N was completely silent around Billy. I mean Warren and her had always been pretty independent but they seemed like they were in their own little world. Well that was at least until Eddie stepped in.
“Look I don’t want us to turn into some kind of pop group dynamic.”
“You know what I agree with Eddie.”
“Oh so you’re finally going to talk.”
“What the hell?! I didn’t have anything to contribute and was making it easier for you and now you’re getting mad at me for actually pitching in?”
Billy: Y/N and Eddie hated me. I don’t know what I ever did to them but they got on my nerves constantly.
Daisy: Y/N was a spitfire. Eddie and her kind of had this team dynamic that was based on ganging up on Billy. Not that he didn’t deserve it but there was always underlying tension.
Y/N: I never hated Billy. He just wasn’t someone I particularly liked. He thought the world revolved around him and he loved trying to be the boss. He never once listened to my ideas, even if I had been there from basically the beginning. Eddie and I were just getting fed up.
“Okay, everyone just calm down. Billy, Eddie does have a point.” Teddy Price was always the peacemaker in these things. You scoffed and leaned in closer to Warren who had taken to rubbing circles on your arm to calm you.
Y/N: We walked out of there with a new name: Daisy Jones & The Six. I guess you can call that the beginning of the end. While Daisy and Billy went off to compose, the rest of us worked on Aurora together. By the time we were going to play it for Billy I think it sounded pretty incredible but… he hated it. You could see the revulsion on his face but Teddy convinced him to keep it. Oh but Daisy loved it! I knew I liked her for a reason.
Warren: Daisy got on really well with Y/N and I during the entire time we made Aurora. We had that easy way of suggesting things for each other and giving feedback that we all followed.
Daisy: I wish I had a relationship like those two. They respected the other person in a way I had never seen before and they were so hopelessly in love with each other. I knew it was only a short time before they would get married. I was honestly jealous of what they had.
Y/N: I never went to one of Daisy’s infamous parties. Not because I didn’t want to but because I was happier. Which sounds really fucked up cause everyone else wasn’t doing that great around that time. I think the fact that I stopped taking drugs helped A LOT. Warren and I were enjoying life so you know we obviously took the next step. We got married.
Warren: We didn’t tell anyone we were getting married. And no one really knew until the band broke up.
Y/N: We got married in a little chapel on this hill near Long Beach. I refused to do a Vegas wedding even if we were eloping.
Warren: She was insanely beautiful that day. We both showed up in pretty casual wedding clothes.
Y/N: I was wearing a long sleeve all-white prairie dress that I had bought the day we decided to do it. It wasn’t my style at all.
Warren: We spent our honeymoon at our little house. And we didn’t answer the phone for like a solid four days. Good times.
Y/N: The band was freaking out by the time we came back to rehearsals on thursday. They thought we died or something.
Eddie: We thought they went on some kind of bender or disappeared into the horizon with Warren’s boat but no they arrived on thursday with these huge smiles and a new car.
Y/N: We extended the honeymoon after the band broke up. We went to Hawaii with Warren’s boat. I don’t think that was safe but we did it anyway.
Warren: Oh, the car. Did Eddie mention that? Yeah we put some of our money together and bought an Aston Martin. You know the James Bond car.
Y/N: We had some money left over from royalties and stuff so when we pooled it we had just enough to buy that car and start putting some more of it into retirement.
Warren: We still have that car. And we still live in that same house. And Y/N hasn’t made me sell the boat yet so we’re doing pretty good.
Interviewer: So how did the band react to you two getting married?
Y/N: Well, I told Eddie first. He obviously reacted as expected.
Eddie: I was happy for her but mad that she didn’t let me be at the wedding. Y/N made up for it though when she allowed me to officiate their vow renewal.
Graham: I found out a few weeks after the band broke up. I was obviously not doing well after all the Karen drama. But I went up to their house to see them and when I walked inside I saw the rings on their fingers and the rest is history. I got to be Warren’s best man at the vow renewal, I mean it was my entire genius that got them dating in the first place, it was the least they could do.
Karen: I knew when I met up with Y/N and Camila for drinks. She showed us the ring and honestly we were both very shocked.
Camila: I didn’t think she would go through with it but wow I couldn’t imagine a better match. When she asked us to be maids of honor for her wedding, I obviously accepted.
Daisy: I didn’t go to the vow renewal. Being around Billy was going to be a trigger and I knew that. But I still meet up with them a lot. Their kids love being around mine.
Billy: Yeah I was happy for them, sure. Camila told me after they went out for dinner I think.
Y/N and Warren Rojas live in that small house on the coast of LA with their three kids, Lily, Vivienne (Viv for short) and Javier. Y/N went on to be the bassist for many well-known artists like Kate Bush, Billy Idol and even worked with members of the Beatles. They are currently celebrating their 20 year anniversary, which was marked by a vow renewal a few months ago.
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this is very much self indulgent - i will be writing a bunch of angst next so prepare yourselves.
taglist: @pinkdaiisies @yesshewrites1 @lisbeth122605
1K notes · View notes
petitemistletoe · 1 year
Text
The Concert
Pairing: James Potter x Reader
Warnings: smut, angst, dom! James x Regulus, some hate fucking sort of? enjoy this!
Word Count: 5K+
A/N: This is a part 2 to Hate, hope you all enjoy it :)
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“I have such a good idea!” You said with a large grin on your face as you dropped yourself down at the table in between Marlene and Remus. 
“Where did you come from?” Sirius asked, turning fully around to look behind him. 
“Stayed to help Binns after history,” you grinned, helping yourself to a large piece of the meaty pie that was on the table for dinner.
“What’s your idea?” Lily asked, sensing the excitement radiating off you.
“I heard from Yaz who heard from Dorcus who heard from Daniel who heard from Michael who heard from his cousin who lives in Soho that Queen is doing a pub concert in London on Friday and we have to go!” You beamed. 
“I don’t care for Queen.” Remus shrugged.
“The Queen sings?” Marlene cocked an eyebrow. 
“No! The band Queen! Freddy Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May, John Deacon. Come on! They’re the biggest band in the world right now! How can you guys not want to go?” You were severely displeased with your friends’s lack of enthusiasm. 
“Hey! I know I would love to hear the Queen perform. I’ve never been to a muggle concert before.” James said, getting up from his place across the table and squeezing himself between you and Sirius so he could wrap an arm around your shoulders. 
“It’s just Queen, Prongs, and your opinion doesn’t count you would do anything to keep your girlfriend happy.” Remus rolled his eyes as he looked at you and James comfortably seated together. 
“Uh, Remus? She’s not the only one who would be happy to see Queen.” Lily said with a grin, pointing her fork at Sirius. Remus turned to look at Sirius who was red faced with excitement and had somehow transfigured his sweater into a Queen t-shirt.
“Oh no,” Remus sighed, “don’t tell me you’re a Queen fan? Padfoot! What happened to taste?”
“I don’t know why you don’t like them, Moony. They’re amazing and you’re a snob. Also I’m excited for us to listen to a great band, get pissed, and snog uncontrollably.” Sirius crossed his arms and glowered at Remus. 
“I don’t want to go if all you’re gonna do is snog,” Lily sighed. 
“Yeah! I don’t want to watch the Potters and the Lupins snog all night. I’m out,” Marlene said, tossing her napkin on the table and crossing her arms across her chest in a pout. 
“I’ll come if I can bring Roman. We’re supposed to go on a date but I’ve been wanting a dastardly little rendez-vous in a pub bathroom.” Mary shrugged, standing from the table and making her way over to the Hufflepuff table.
“Hold on, what makes you think I would take James’s last name?” You asked. 
“Yeah! What if Moony and I wanted to hyphenate?” Sirius protested. Before Remus could rebut, Yasmine made her way over to the table and grinned at Marlene.
“Marls are you going to the Queen concert in London? I’d love to see you there.” She smiled at Marlene again who could only offer a goofy wave and a nod in return, her eyes trained on Yaz’s ass as she walked out of the great hall. 
“Okay so what is the official headcount for the concert then? Who’s coming?” James asked, surveilling the group.
“We’re going,” Sirius said quickly, sending Remus a look. Remus rolled his eyes and nodded. 
“I’ll come!” Peter said, his mouth still full of mashed potatoes.
“Roman and I will be there,” Mary said with a nod as she walked past the table, arm in arm with Roman. 
“Marlene, you coming?” You asked. Marlene still had a dumbstruck look on her face as her fingers ghosted over her shoulder where Yaz had rested her hand.
“What about you Evans?” James asked, looking at the final member of the group who had yet to respond
“No! I’ll be the,” Lily took a second to count the people in the group, “ninth wheel. I’d rather stay back and do almost anything else.”
“Peter will be alone. You can go with him,” Sirius offered but to everyone’s surprise Peter shook his head and squeaked, 
“I’ll be going with Dorcas.”
Lily looked like she wanted to die. You cleared your throat and sent a look Lily’s way.
“Lily, why don’t you bring Severus?” You offered her a gentle smile and you slapped one hand against James’ mouth and the other against Sirius’. You could feel both of their mouths moving against your hands but you weren’t letting go any time soon. You forgot, however, that there was another person in the group who despised Snape just as much as James and Sirius and you were out of hands. 
“Why the hell would we want Snape at a concert that I don’t even want to go to?” Remus said with a look of disgust. 
“Yeah!” Sirius said after biting your hand. You snatched your hand back and wiped it on Sirius’s shirt with a scowl, “That little snake will probably bring my brother too just to piss me off.”
“You think Regulus will be there?” James asked. You and James hadn’t really spoken about your incident with Regulus a few months ago where Regulus had watched you and James fuck. You tried to bring it up a few times but James shut it down, though you could’ve sworn you heard James murmur ‘Regulus’ under his breath a few times during sex. Regulus had been avoiding you and the Marauders like the plague since. 
“Regulus would never be caught somewhere with that many muggles.” Remus shook his head. 
“Lily is our friend so we have to baseline tolerate her friends. Lily why don’t you ask Severus if he’d like to come.” You said. Lily shook her head and sighed,
“I should stay home.”
“Lily you love Queen. Either come with us on your own or ask Severus.” You placed your hand over Lily’s and she made a face, 
“Your hand is wet.” 
“Sirius.” You rolled your eyes. Your other hand was still over James’s mouth and you finally looked at him and he smiled at you with his lust blown eyes. You moved your hand down so it was on James’ tie and pulled him up. 
“We’re going now,” you said, looking at the group, “I’ll get us twelve tickets. We’ll talk more at breakfast tomorrow.”
“Walk him like a dog!” Sirius called after you both. You led James to the prefects bathroom and started undressing. James fell back into the steamy, bubbling baths and you set yourself down on top of him. He was kissing up your neck as you seated yourself on James’s cock. 
James moaned into your open mouth as he helped move you, guide you up and down on his cock. 
“God, I love you so much baby,” James was babbling, the way he usually did when he was close. He was moving you faster and faster and he choked out a desperate “don’t stop!” His hand was fisted in your hair and he stumbled out a “Regulus,” before he came. He took several deep breaths, resting his forehead on yours and smiling. 
“I think we need to talk about something, James.” You said, getting off him and sitting next to him. 
“Alright? What’s up?”
“Have you realized that since the incident with Regulus-”
“I don’t want to talk about that.” 
“I know. But I think we need to. Every time we’ve had sex in the last two months you’ve moaned Regulus’s name. I think you want him James.” You said. You could practically see the gears turning in James’ brain.
“I…this is really confusing.” James shook his head. 
“You don’t need to do anything, James. Just think about what you want.”
“I want you!”
“I know you do. But you can want more than one thing.” You said with a small smile. You and James did not discuss it further.
Finally, Friday was upon you all and you were more than excited to see Queen. You had been ready for hours and you were sitting up in the marauder’s dorm watching the boys get ready. Remus was pouting as he sat on his bed wearing a normal pair of jeans, sweater, and tennis shoes. Sirius, on the other hand, was going all out. He was wearing a tight pair of trousers and a leather jacket with no shirt underneath. He was currently lining his eyes with a dark eyeliner and snapping at Remus, 
“Moony so help me god if you don’t change I’m going to hit you.”
“I don’t even want to go!” Remus protested. You sat down on the bed next to Remus and laid your head on his shoulder, 
“Remus. Just change so you can shut Sirius up.” 
“Fine!” Remus got up and started rifling through his trunk.
“Where’s my boyfriend?” You asked, looking around the dorm. Peter was looking between two graphic tees that his sister must have sent. One was for the Beatles and one was for Bowie.
“Which one do I wear?” Peter asked, obviously bewildered. 
“Bowie.” You nodded.
“I’m here!” James said, walking out of the bathroom. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a smart looking sweater, and a leather jacket. He was also walking uncomfortably, presumably finally breaking in the pair of doc Martens that you had bought him for Christmas a year back. 
“You look good,” you said with a smile. 
“So do you,” James winked at you. You were dressed how you assumed most girls at the concert would be, a Queen shirt that Mary had cut up for you, a leather skirt, and your own doc Martens. 
Remus had finally changed and was now in a stiff pair of jeans, a thin long sleeve t shirt and a leather jacket. You had never seen so many wizards in leather. There was a knock at the door and you knew it could only be the other girls, finally ready. You let them in and Mary ran immediately to Sirius, helping him finish his eyeliner. Mary was dressed like you, with a cut up t shirt and a pleated mini skirt. 
“Mary, is that your skirt from third year?” You asked. 
“Yes! I needed a skirt I could cut shorter and Marlene knew a spell to expand the waistline!” Mary beamed. Marlene and Lily were dressed a little more conservatively. Lily was wearing a v-neck sweater and a pair of jeans and was twisting her ring on her finger nervously. Marlene was wearing leather pants and a tight top that rode up at times to show off her toned stomach. Marlene reached up to grab a flask that was sitting on a high shelf and Peter gasped and said,
“Marlene! Is that belly button piercing?” 
Marlene blushed bright red and immediately tried to pull her shirt down. 
“Ah ah! Too late McKinnon!” James said and laughed. 
“How did I not notice that before? Did you guys see that?” Lily said, turning and looking at you and Mary, who both shook your heads. 
“Yaz did it over the break,” Marlene mumbled, her face staying that same unnatural shade of red. 
“So Lily,” you could sense that Marlene was getting uncomfortable so you changed the subject, “is Severus coming?”
“Ah, sort of,” Lily shrugged, “he’s going with a few other Slytherins. Said he’ll see me there.” 
“Who are the other Slytherins, Evans?” Sirius asked, his eyes even more piercing now against the thick black eyeliner. 
“I think Barty and Regulus.” Lily sighed. 
“Oh my god! My damn brother! Get over here Moony! You’re wearing eyeliner.” Sirius commanded. 
“What? No!” Remus protested. 
“If Regulus is going to be there I need to make him as angry as possible. Seeing my boyfriend at a concert with thick eyeliner will do it.” Sirius snapped. 
“Just let him do it, Remus. He’ll poke out your eye before he backs down.” James said with a head shake. So twenty minutes later, Remus’s eyes were thickly lined and you all were on your way to Hogsmeade to apparate into London. You and James apparated first, since Yaz had left the tickets at will call for you and as a half-blood you were one of the few in the group who were familiar with the muggle world. 
“Hiya,” you greeted the man at will call, “picking up tickets. They were left by Yasmine Patel.”
“What’s the name on them?” The man asked. You gave the man your first and last name and he shook his head, “Sorry. I don’t have them under that name.”
“What!” You looked at James a little panicked. 
“Is it under Potter?” James tried. 
“Yep. Enjoy the show.” The man handed you the tickets. 
“Why would Yaz leave them under your name? She told me about the tickets.” You said, taking your ticket from James as you waited for the others to arrive. 
“Look again at the name on them,” James chuckled. He handed you the sticky note that was stuck on the tickets. Written there was your first name but instead of your last name there was Potter.
“Oh she’s hilarious.” You said with an eyeroll, crumpling up the sticky note. The rest of the group made their way over and took their tickets. 
“What’s that in your hand?” Sirius asked you as you made your way into the pub. It was pretty crowded but your large group was able to spread itself over a few tables comfortably. Marlene ran off almost immediately to see Yasmine, Mary and Roman had disappeared, and you could see Peter and Dorcas chatting with a few Hufflepuffs. Seated at the table was just you and James, Remus and Sirius, and Lily. Lily offered to grab a round of drinks first, but you knew was looking around for Severus. It didn’t seem like any of the Slytherins had made their way to the pub yet. 
“Oh, nothing. Look what Yaz left the tickets under at will call.” You handed Sirius the crumpled paper against your better judgement. Sirius immediately started laughing and said,
“Mrs. Potter! Thank you so much for arranging this visit!”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Lupin.” You teased back. Lily returned with a tray of drinks for you all as you heard a man tap a few times on the microphone. 
“Hello everyone, thank you for coming to our pub. All shots of well liquor are half off for the rest of the night. Without further ado, Queen.” The man stood back to let the band run on stage. Sirius started screaming at the top of his lungs and grabbed Remus by the hand, running to the stage. 
It was only 11:30 when Queen left the stage and everyone had had a great time, even Remus who nodded his head a few times during Get Down, Make Love. You all agreed to stay and continue drinking as a smaller local band took the stage to play some background music for the pub. 
Remus and Sirius disappeared at one point in the evening and they returned to the table with Sirius's eye makeup smudged, Sirius was wiping his mouth crudely with the back of his hand, and Remus had a dumb little grin. Sirius took his seat back at the table as Remus disappeared off.
“Did Severus not come, Lily?” You asked. You were secretly a little upset that you hadn’t run into Regulus again. 
“No, I don’t think so.” Lily said, a little crestfallen. 
“Don’t worry,” Remus said, holding a tray of shots that he got from the bar for you all, “Snape, Reg, and Barty all have a table near the bar. Don’t worry, Lily, they’re as enchanting as ever.” 
“Oh!” Lily shot up and ran over to the table. 
“If they come over here, I swear.” Sirius said, grabbing his and Lily’s shots off the table. 
“You think Regulus will come over here?” James asked. You could detect the glimmer of hope in his voice. 
“Why?” Sirius teased, “Got a crush? Better watch out Mrs. Potter.” 
“So,” James said hastily, “are we going to take this shot or what?”
“Sooner is better than later,” Remus said, nodding his head over to the group of Slytherins that were following Lily back over to your table. You all clinked the glasses together and took the shot, chasing it with sips of your soda, or in Sirius’s case chasing it with Lily’s shot. 
“Look who’s here!” Lily said with a nervous smile. Snape was glowering at the group as was Barty. Regulus was only glaring at you. 
“Reg,” Sirius said coldly. 
“Sirius. You look like Bellatrix.” Regulus said, He hadn’t meant it to be funny but you all burst out laughing.
“You do!” Remus said between gasps for air. 
“I’m going to go buy,” Sirius took a minute to count, “eight shots for myself.” 
“Don’t be like that, Black!” Barty called after Sirius as he took a seat next to Remus at the table. The energy was a little uncomfortable at first but you quickly learned that the Slytherins had no experience in holding muggle liquor and they were very, very drunk. But, you all were very drunk to the point were words were being slurred. 
“I can get the next round,” you said, standing up and immediately stumbling. Regulus reached out to steady you. 
“Thanks Mrs. Potter!” Remus called. 
“I’ll help,” Regulus said, following you to the bar. 
“Thanks Reg. You know, you’re not so bad.” You said with a giggle, reaching up to ruffle Regulus’s hair. 
“I hate you,” Regulus said. He had been chuckling so you chuckled back but his face became stony as he looked at you again, “I hate you so much. So much. It eats away at me. It makes my stomach hurt. Every time I see you I think about how much I want you dead.” 
“Regulus,” you breathed in sharply and wrapped your fingers around the wand that was stuck in the waistband of your pants. You didn’t want to think about the consequences of using magic in front of a giant group of muggles but if Regulus really did mean you harm, the consequences of not using magic would be much worse. 
“Everything okay over here?” James asked, his hand on your lower back. 
“Fine,” you said, your heart still hammering inside your chest, “I’m going to get some air.” You walked out the back area of the bar where a few people were out there smoking cigarettes and talking on the payphone. There was a couple that were furiously making out and looked like they were near the point of stripping layers. You looked a little closer and saw it was Mary and Roman, unsurprisingly. You leaned back against the wall and fished a cigarette from your pocket and started patting up and down your pants for your lighter. 
“Fuck,” you cursed, looking around to see if anyone around looked kind enough to lend their lighter. The scarce few smokers didn’t seem very friendly and more and more people were leaving the creepy back area by the minute. 
“Need a light?” you heard a voice ask. You looked up gratefully but immediately drew your wand when you saw that it was Regulus. He was holding out a lighter but you refused, pointing your wand directly in his face.
“Get away from me, Regulus.”
“You didn’t let me explain,” Regulus took a step towards you but you snapped, 
“Don’t come closer.” 
“Okay,” Regulus said, his hands up. “I hate you because I’m so jealous. I’m so jealous of you and James.”
“Me and James?” You said, lowering your wand slightly. 
“I just,” Regulus pressed his fingers to his temples, “I haven’t been able to think since that night in the history classroom.”
“Oh,” your heart was thudding in your chest but for a different reason now. James made his way outside and said,
“What’s going on?” He looked between you and Regulus and saw your wand drawn and he stood in front of you, drawing his own wand, “What did you do, Regulus?”
“James.” You finally lowered your wand and put your hand on James’ arm. “He wants you.”
“What?” James looked at you like you were insane. 
“He wants you.” You repeated. James looked back and saw Regulus’s expression. It was odd, Regulus had a look of yearning and desire and a it was a little pathetic but you thought it was also kind of attractive. And it was certainly having a similar effect on James. His brown eyes were lust blown and he was breathing heavier than usual. He lowered his wand and looked at Regulus, 
“Is that true?”
“Yes,” Regulus nodded. Before you could discuss anything further, Sirius stumbled out, laughing drunkenly. 
“Hey, so I,” he paused as he took stock of the situation, “everything okay?”
“Fine.” You said quickly. 
“Anyway. Peter threw up everywhere so they’re kicking us out of the pub. You all ready to apparate back?” 
You all apparated back to Hogsmeade. There was an odd energy between you, James, and Regulus but everyone else seemed to be too drunk to notice. Sirius was practically hanging on you with his arm heavy over your shoulders. You had your arm around Sirius’ waist and you were using all your strength to keep him upright as he spouted his drunken nonsense. 
“Oh Mrs. Potter you’re so good to me.” Sirius giggled, pressing a kiss to your cheek. 
“Oh Mr. Lupin I wish you would walk on your own.” You responded. You saw in your peripheral vision that Regulus made a face when Sirius called you ‘Mrs. Potter’. 
“I think I can get him upstairs,” Remus said, pulling Sirius’ arm over his own shoulders and heading upstairs towards the Gryffindor dorms, Peter trailing behind them. Barty and Snape made their back downstairs towards the Slytherin dorms and you, James, and Regulus were left alone in the corridor. 
“We should talk,” James said. 
“Let’s get out of the corridor before we get a detention.” You said. James nodded and pulled out the marauders map.
“Looks like the charms classroom is open.” James grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the charms classroom. You stretched your own hand out to Regulus but he shook his head and followed a few paces behind. 
“What did you look at?” Regulus asked, looking over at the map that James was pushing back into his pocket. 
“Just a map,” James said quickly. You made it to the charms classroom and you sat on top of one of the tables and just watched James and Regulus. 
Regulus was nervous, you could practically hear his heavy heartbeat. James, curiously, did not seem very nervous. He was looking at Regulus with a calm and even expression.
“What did you say to my girlfriend?” He asked. 
“What?” Regulus was gasping for breath. He looked uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of James’ dark eyes. 
“You must have said something to her to make her draw her wand at the bar,” James seemed completely calm but you could see that his knuckles were white as he tightly gripped the edge of a desk. 
“I, I…” Regulus was just gaping and struggling to form thoughts. 
“He told me he hated me.” You said. 
“That’s unacceptable,” James shook his head. “Take your shirt off.” He said it so suddenly and which such force that you had your fingers on the hem of your own shirt before you realized that James was talking to Regulus, not to you. Regulus tore his shirt off and you took a moment to appreciate his delicate, blemishless skin. His skin was so fair you could almost see every single blue vein underneath. Regulus looked back up at you before looking back at James, waiting for the next command. 
“Take your panties off,” James said to you this time. You obeyed, pulling the red panties off and holding them in your hand. James walked over to you and took them in his own hands. He held them up to his nose and sniffed before focusing his attention back to Regulus.
“She smells good, Regulus. So good.” 
“Can I,” Regulus wet his lips and cleared his throat, “Can I taste?”
“On your knees.” James nodded and Regulus dropped to his knees. James walked over to you and stuck two of his fingers deep inside you. You gasped and grasped James’ wrist in surprise. He didn’t keep his fingers inside you for long and he took them out almost as quickly as they were in. He walked over and held his outstretched fingers in front of Regulus’ lips. Regulus wrapped his lips around James’ fingers and sucked like his life depended on it. James grabbed Regulus’ jaw roughly and pushed his fingers down deeper into Regulus’ mouth. Regulus took them well at first but James pushed his fingers farther and Regulus began to gag and his eyes were starting to water but he showed no other signs on resistance. 
“Good,” James said, a little breathless, as he removed his fingers. Regulus had a little bit of spit rolling down his chin as he kept his eyes trained on James. You felt soaking wet at the whole display and you shut your legs and started rubbing them together, trying to find some friction. Regulus’ eyes shot over to you then back to James. James then looked over at you. 
“I’m sorry, darling,” he said, walking over to you and pressing a kiss to your forehead, “I’ve been neglecting you.” He sunk down his knees and carefully parted your legs. He sent a look back at Regulus before diving into your pussy. His tongue entered and exited you quickly as his nose bumped up against your clit. Your fingers reached for his hair and you locked eyes with Regulus. Regulus was studying you like a painting as you moaned and bucked against James’ face. James added his fingers and pushed his mouth up to your clit and you were done for, panting and moaning until you came. James came back up and kissed you, his hand in your hair this time. He broke away and rested his forehead on yours, just staring at you. He stretched his arm out behind him and snapped his fingers at Regulus. 
“Come here.” He said, without even looking over at him. Regulus scampered over and sat on his knees again, looking up at James. 
“What do you want?” James asked Regulus, finally turning away from you. 
“You,” Regulus responded, his eyes big and starry. 
“Just me?”
“Just you.”
“Well you can’t have just me,” James said, gesturing to you, “we’re sort of a package deal.”
“I don’t want her,” Regulus pouted. 
“Hey!” James slapped Regulus across the face, ”watch your mouth.” 
“If it means I can have you, I’ll have her too,” Regulus said, swallowing against the lump in his throat. You felt awkward, uncomfortable, like you were intruding on a very private moment between James and Regulus. 
“It’s not entirely dependent on your terms,” James exhaled through his nose.
“No, no! I can be good. So good I swear,” Regulus said, sticking two of his own fingers in his mouth to wet them before sticking them inside you. You gasped and looked rapidly between James and Regulus. “I’ll be so good!” Regulus repeated, using his free hand to pull James pants down and spitting in his free hand before stroking James. 
Regulus was very talented with his hands, as evidenced by yours and James’ simultaneous moans. Regulus made you cum quickly and he pulled his fingers out of you to focus his attention on James. You got up off the table and joined Regulus, taking the tip of James’ cock into your mouth and kitten licking it. James was looking at you both, beneath him, with lust blown eyes. You outstretched your hand and gently pushed Regulus’ mouth towards James’ cock. Regulus took James into his mouth and you could hear him control his breathing as he took James as much as could. James was rougher with Regulus then he was with you and you could tell Regulus was trying to control his gag reflex but James was borderline fucking Regulus’ face. 
“James,” you said softly, putting your hand on James’ stomach to slow him, “be gentle.” James slowed his movements and let Regulus pull off and take a gasping breath. 
“I’m sorry,” James panted, “your mouth just felt so fucking good oh my god.” James ran a hand through his hair. 
“Don’t be.” Regulus said, “It was hot.” 
You were overcome for a moment and you pulled Regulus in and kissed him. Regulus was shocked at first but he kissed you back. It was sweet and gentle, lots of lips and tongue and soft breathy moans. You broke away and you pulled James down to your level. You gently pushed Regulus and James closer together until James finally crossed the distance and kissed Regulus. This was rougher, harder. More teeth and light biting and desperate moans. Regulus and James pulled away and James said, 
“I want to try something.”
“Anything for you,” Regulus responded. James positioned Regulus so he was above you and Regulus pushed into you. Regulus’ body was a contrast of yours. His sharp contours against your soft ones. James watched as Regulus fucked you. Then, James pushed himself into Regulus. Regulus released a strangled moan and practically collapsed on top of you, his face in your neck so you could hear his moans. You locked eyes with James and James leaned over Regulus’ body to kiss you. 
Regulus came first, inside you, an action that you would think about later. You came shortly after still around Regulus’s cock and you were far overstimulated but Regulus couldn’t pull out of you as James was still chasing his own orgasm. James finally came, pulling out Regulus quickly and cumming all over Regulus’ back. Regulus pulled out of you and you all just laid in the charms classroom for a few minutes, breathing and savoring the silence. 
“Sirius is going to be so mad when he finds out about this,” you said, chuckling at the shocked expression of the two men in front of you. 
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spreadyovrwings · 6 months
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"Companion' Middle English. From Old French ‘compaignon', literally 'one who breaks bread with another.
Strapped for cash, John gets a job at a bakery as their new delivery boy. Juggling school and Queen and work is exhausting, but it's more than worth it. It's worth it because of you.
Warnings for this chapter: self… induced… smut…. and some more flirting
//
Chapter Eight
John leaned his weary body up against the door to his room after it clicked shut behind him. His digs had never felt more empty, more dark or unwelcoming.
The last of the day’s light was still filtering in through his tiny, square window, alighting on the scratchy old carpet and highlighting a pile of textbooks he’d forgotten to put away the night before.
With a sigh, John flung his bags down on the floor, then carefully propped up his bass in the corner of the room. He let his fingertips drag along the spine of its leather case, a sort of thank you for helping him play so well tonight. It had become a ritual, though John would rather die than admit that, to himself or to anyone else.
His stomach growled, a dog pawing at the back door, waiting impatiently to be let in. John thought about making some dinner but it was late, he didn’t want to disturb the others as he crashed around in the kitchen. A cup of tea could have been a reasonable substitute, but the process (another usually calming, nostalgic ritual) seemed exhausting and tedious. He just wanted to sleep.
Luckily, John had a good amount of leftover food from the bakery stashed away. He grabbed a couple of the white boxes from his shelf and dragged open their satiny scarlet ribbons. You’d saved him again.
Chewing gratefully on a flaky croissant, John flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. He was so tired, they stung at first and he had to blink a couple of times so push away the pain.
He polished off the croissant, flicking his fingers over the side of the bed to get rid of any remaining pastry crumbs. He already felt a little better.
John drew in a long breath then slowly released it again, until all the muscles in his body had finally unwound and he had sunk further into the mattress.
“You sure you won’t come in? The sofa’s got your name on it. Or, you know…”
John opened his eyes and stared blankly up at his low, beige ceiling.
How could he have been so stupid. You had stood on your doorstep, asking him, plain as day, if he wanted to stay the night, and just when it mattered most, he’d chickened out.
“You were such a good boy for me.”
John groaned. What a moron. He turned and pressed his face into the pillow. Maybe if he pushed hard enough, he’d get lucky and suffocate.
He could still feel your soft skin against his palm. John found himself curling his hand around the ghost of your cheek, his eyes closing as he pictured you gazing up at him, smiling, always smiling.
“They need you, New Boy.”
“Don’t you need me?”
“I want you, that’s different.”
You got all shy after you said that. John didn’t think he’d ever seen you look so bashful. You wanted him. He knew it. And, God, he wanted you too.
It was late. He had an exam in the morning. He was still hungry and dehydrated after the show. He’d said ‘no’ to you like an idiot. He really shouldn’t do anything but sleep.
John unbuckled his belt with one hand.
He closed his eyes and pictured you laying beside him, the what-would-have-been if he hadn’t been such a colossal git. With a soft, relieved groan, he forced his hand down the front of his trousers, just as the you he’d conjured in his head kissed him hard enough to bruise.
/
Not too far away, you were also staring at the ceiling. Try as you might, you couldn’t sleep. You’d eaten late, you’d stayed up too long, you had a million things to worry about - you’d almost managed to convince yourself these were the reasons you couldn’t drop off. Almost.
With a sigh, you turned over onto your side.
You could still feel John’s big hands in yours. You loved those hands. Skilled in electronics and an expert at the bass. He’d probably play with you just as well, if not better.
You sighed dolefully.
Maybe if you’d been more insistent, if you’d asked again and maybe been more obvious about what you wanted, John would’ve followed you home and you wouldn’t be lying here, alone, pressing your thighs together and trying to ignore the ache between them.
You stared at the wall. You stared and stared and stared, willing sleep to claim you. Behind your closed eyes, images of John on stage awaited you, daring you to do something about how delicious he looked that night.
“Oh, fuck it.”
You stuck two fingers in your mouth and swirled your tongue around them, the way you’d been picturing John doing ever since his trick with the ring. His lovely, funny mouth. You’d give anything to have it between your legs right now.
Whispering softly to yourself, you closed your eyes and imagined how it might’ve started, what you might’ve done if you’d been brave enough to entice him in properly, and all the while you gently coaxed at your swollen clit
You’d have to sit in his lap again. You’d simply die if you didn't get the chance to do that again soon. John had felt so small beneath you but so warm and sturdy too. You could wrap his hair around your fingers as you lazily kissed him, whispering sweetly against his lips as he gasped and rocked his hips against yours.
So close to each other, you seemed to be sharing one breath, you imagined yourself breaking away to mouth down his neck, sinking your teeth in here, sucking a dark mark there, until John was whining and struggling to sit still.
/
His face burning, John pictured you under him, your arms wrapped around his middle, your lovely hands pressing into his back and keeping him close as you moaned into his mouth. He wanted to make you feel so good, just wanted to make you see how much he cared about you with his lips, his hands, his teeth and his tongue.
But it didn’t seem right. His very limited experience (and magazines he would rather die than you ever find out he read) were a guide, but those girls weren’t you. For some reason, John knew this wasn’t how it would go and something in the back of his head was telling him to flip the situation.
You, with your champagne smile and daggerish words. You weren’t going to let anyone push you around, especially not him, especially not when it came to sex. You’d back him up against the wall and push your knee between his thighs, your hands on his hips, squeezing tight as you whispered awful, naughty things against his lips that made his knees buckle.
John wriggled out of his trousers and pants, so desperate he didn’t even bother pushing them both all the way down. He raised his hand to his face, dragged his tongue across his palm, and immediately wrapped his hand around his cock again, squeezing and tugging desperately as he imagined you pushing him flat on his back and smiling down at him.
He moved his free hand so that it rested up by his head, just where he knew you’d place it, and tried to imagine your fingers wrapped tight around his wrist, your nails just beginning to sink into his skin.
“Fuck…” John hissed between his teeth, his eyes squeezing shut.
/
“Fuck- John…”
Your face flushed. You hadn’t meant for his name to slip out. But God, it felt good. It felt right. It felt perfect.
You drew your knee up then let it flop to the side, giving you better access, and all the while you thought about John’s lovely hands pushing your thighs apart so that he could bury his face between them.
“God, you’re so good, you’re so good…” you muttered to yourself, finding your own praises and moans turned you on even more as you rubbed at your clit.
Pictures flooded through your head. You couldn't settle on just one for very long. John’s tongue pressing inside you, his pretty mouth falling open as you slipped your hand around his throat and squeezed gently, the look in those clever grey eyes as he rocked his hips into yours. It was all so much, too much, and even though you felt a flash of guilt for thinking about John like that, it was soon drowned out by the soft little moans and grunts you knew he’d make as you sank down onto him and rode him within an inch of his life.
/
Sweat beaded John’s forehead as he twisted his wrist in just the right way, thumbing at the slit of his cock just to tease himself. His bottom lip clamped between his teeth, he fucked his hand, his eyes squeezing shut as warmth began to pool in the pit of his stomach.
It had been so long since he’d been able to get himself off. The stress of uni, coming home exhausted after gigs, never having much time on his own, it meant it had been weeks since he’d been able to touch himself like this. And now he had a million ideas he’d never allowed himself to entertain before, ideas about you.
Your knees pressing into his sides as you straddled him, the way you’d moan softly as you looked down at him, approving, studying him like you did your recipes, your lovely eyes switching back and forth across his face, his chest, his stomach - now much softer than when he started - and down and down and down.
John groaned, letting his wrist go limp as his hand slipped up and down his cock. He kept trying not to let his hips leave the bed, but it was too much, soon his back was arching like the girls in his magazines.
“Come on, sweet boy…” Your voice, so real he could almost believe you were murmuring by his ear, was soft and sweet and oh so in control. “Are you gonna cum for me, honey? Gonna cum just from being inside me at last?”
John bit his lip harder, trying not to make a sound, but the growing pressure pooling below his navel made it almost impossible. The hand he’d laid by his head made its way into his tangled hair, still damp with sweat from the gig. John wrapped his curls around his fingers and tugged, hard, a move that made him let out an embarrassingly reedy groan.
“That’s it, good boy. Good boy… You look so perfect like this, Johnny. Could cum just from watching you touch yourself. Come on, pretty boy, let me hear you…”
/
You were so wet, you could hear your fingers as they worked. It made your cheeks prickle. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had made you feel like this, so desperate and single-minded.
All you could think about was John, how he’d look beneath you, how he’d whine and gasp as you rode him, his hands up above his head, his pretty chest rising and falling raggedly as he tried to catch his breath, his whole body covered in a sheen of sweat.
You knew he’d let you do anything you wanted. You knew he’d beg you to touch him, to look at him, to take him to places he didn’t think were possible, and wouldn’t stop until you were finished with him. Such a smart, enthusiastic boy.
You could picture him sitting up against the headboard, his face pressed between your breasts as you rocked your hips, his hands gripping your hips, your arse, as he mouthed at your flushed skin, leaving trails of kisses and bites and saliva in his wake.
/
He’d turn up at rehearsals the next day, covered from head to toe in love bites and bite marks, a map of your lips, and he’d wear them all with pride.
John huffed sharply through his nose, his eyes rolling back as he fucked his hand.
Come on, come on, come on, so close, so close, so close…
He pulled at his hair again, just as something began to tighten in his lower belly, and John’s back arched off the bed again, his eyes rolling shut as he whispered to himself.
“Please, please, please… Fuck- Ah!”
He came moaning your name, his mouth hanging open as pleasure rolled through his body. He bent double, folded like a deckchair, the hardest he’d ever cum in his life. John’s hips jerked out of rhythm but he didn’t stop moving his hand, because he knew you wouldn’t. He didn’t stop until it started to ache.
John let his body flop back onto the bed, completely spent. He’d never made that much noise before. He just prayed his neighbours hadn’t heard him.
/
Across the city, your fingers were starting to cramp but, determined, you kept your pace.
Always so obedient. Always so eager to do well. And not for just anyone, for you. Oh, you’d seen the way John preened every time you paid him the littlest compliment, how he beamed with pride whenever you were sweet to him and how eager he seemed to reassure you that you could do anything you wanted to him.
“You’re in charge, Captain.”
Maybe you could learn to like the nickname.
And maybe it wouldn’t take much convincing to get John to let you have him, his lovely hair strewn across the pillow, his back back arching off the bed as you slipped inside him. God, how he’d bounce and roll his hips, his moans rising higher and higher as he begged you to fuck him harder.
“Fu- Johnnn…”
The band across your belly snapped, and you came moaning the delivery boy’s name.
Exhausted, you let your body sink into the bed. Already, you could feel sleep beginning to overwhelm you. You just about had the wherewithal to pull your hand from the front of your pants before you turned over and fell right asleep, your body still pulsing and your mind still buzzing with the thought of John’s whines of pleasure, and the way his hands had felt in yours as he walked you home.
/
The next morning, you danced around the bakery’s shop floor, wiggling your hips and kicking up your heels as you tugged tables and their accompanying chairs into place. It did occur to you why you might’ve been in such a good mood but you chose to ignore that.
Cold, morning sunshine flooded in as you placed some of the goods you’d baked that morning in the window, then the rest behind the display counter. All the while, you sang along with the radio, waggling your head to T-Rex and smiling to yourself.
The world seemed at ease, just for a moment.
“Well, she ain't no witch and I love the way she twitch, uh-huh. I'm her two-penny prince and I give her hot love, uh-huh…”
A sharp knock at the door made you look up. It was about quarter past five, the bakery wouldn’t be open for more than an hour, so you immediately went into defensive mode. Thankfully, you recognised the face pressed up against the glass.
“Roger?”
You opened the door.
John’s drummer almost fell into the shop but he caught himself well.
“Alright, Bakery Girl?”
Roger grinned, wide and youthful, and clearly unaffected by the early hour. He was bundled up in a warm jacket, his shoulders drawn right up to his ears as he glanced over your shoulder into the dark, empty bakery.
You had to smile. This boy was even easier to read than John.
“I’m good, I’m good, yeah. It’s a nice mornin’, innit?” You nodded over your shoulder. “D’you wanna cuppa to take to work with you?”
Roger accepted your offer so eagerly, he almost tripped over his own feet getting through the door.
“You’re in a good mood,” he said, perching on one of the tables you’d set out.
You realised you were still humming to yourself. Try as you might, you couldn’t force down your smile.
“Just- You know.” You shrugged, trying not to look too sheepish. “How’s the market?”
“It’s fun! Hard but… We’re surviving. Barely make enough money to eat but it’s a good laugh.”
He spoke with such brevity, the soft corners of his pretty mouth tugged back into a toothy smile. Still, his words struck you. Roger and Freddie seemed so happy, so at ease in themselves, that you’d hardly believe they were struggling. You made a conscious decision to add them to your list of scrawny, ridiculous boys who needed looking after.
“Well, that’s all that matters, I s’pose,” you said, forcing a smile.
If Roger noticed your worry, he didn’t show it. He was too busy eyeing up the cakes and pastries behind the glass display case.
“Fred’s got this mate in Chiswick says he’s got a ton of swimwear and things for us. It’ll be summer soon, people’ll want stuff like that. Then maybe we can rent a bigger patch in the market. Maybe start selling LPs as well.”
“That’s the dream then, eh?”
“Oh, no,” Roger raised his head, his pretty eyes wide and soft in the low light. “No, the dream is… Walking out of EMI with a contract and my best mates… The whole world and our whole lives out in front of us. That’s the dream. Me and my mates, working together and seeing the world. I want to make things, you know? Be useful. Help people. Help someone.”
He couldn’t know it, but Roger had single-handedly unwound all your worries about your future with John. The way he spoke about it, it seemed so easy, like he was talking about any other job, and the warmth in his voice… Roger really believed it would happen for them. They were going to make it. Maybe you didn’t have to focus your energy on a plan you’d devised years ago. Maybe you could afford to have the same faith Roger did.
“Well,” you said, smiling too now. “When you put it like that.”
Roger sighed with an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders.
“It’s just a dream, Bakery Girl. But that’s all I’ve got.”
“What about John? What’s his dream?”
“Something a lot more pedestrian, I think.” Roger raised his eyebrows. “You probably factor in somewhere.”
Face burning, you turned away to make his tea.
“Shu’ up.”
“Ahh, you know I’m right. I reckon he still thinks he’s gonna end up working in some lab or drawing up blueprints, or somethin’. We’re working on an album, you know. But I think he still thinks it’s just a laugh.”
“But it’s not?”
Roger smiled but his bright eyes, blue as the sea he grew up by, were serious and certain.
“No.”
You twisted your mouth.
“Rockstar or genius scientist.”
“I know. Leave some for the rest of us.”
You both took a moment to marvel at John’s seemingly unlimited potential. Then Roger smiled.
“Has he asked you out yet? I’ve been coaching him. Trying to make him act for once in his bloody life. Grab the bull by the horns.” He waved a hand. “So to speak.”
It proved too difficult to hide your smile, so you gave up trying. Instead, you passed him two steaming paper cups and warned him that they were still too hot to drink from just yet.
While the tea steeped, you set about putting together his breakfast.
“I dunno,” you shrugged. “I could ask him out.”
“Oh, I’d love to watch that.” Roger laughed and shook his head. “He’s great, isn’t he. I really like him. Most people just…”
He made an ineffectual sound and waved his hand again. It seemed Roger too had had his fair share of people letting him down, sadly just by being fundamentally people.
You followed his hand as it came to rest by his thigh again. His fingertips were bandaged. John’s fingers had felt a little coarse the few rare, wonderful times he’d brushed them against your skin. These boys wounded themselves, altered themselves for what they loved. You thought of your own scarred, roughened hands. There was a kinship there you never could have imagined.
“But John’s great. Always there when you need him. Brian bores me half to death most of the time but John’s clever in a nice way. You don’t feel like you’re being quizzed ‘n’ tested when you’re with him. You’re just… With him.”
Roger had the faraway look of someone realising just how lucky he was. You knew he wasn’t just talking up his friend, he really believed every word. You’d never seen someone so proud or so fond of his friends.
“Anyway, he’s a pain in my arse too, don’t get me wrong. But he’s great.”
Beaming, you passed Roger a bag filled with pastries, and a carrier for his and Freddie’s morning cuppas.
“I think so too.”
/
“New Boy!”
The shout was so sudden, John almost fell off his bike. He gripped the handles tight, wobbling dangerously as he stuck out his heels and dragged himself to a slow and graceless stop.
It was late in the afternoon. John had just finished his last round of deliveries and was looking forward to spending the rest of his day with you, helping out in the kitchen, and trying not to think about kissing you - the usual day to day.
You were standing in the bakery’s doorway, smiling so broadly, orbiting astronauts could probably see it. You were keeping the door propped open with one hand, the other was outstretched towards him.
“Mickey’s ‘ere! And he brought the baby!”
Before he knew it, John had been ushered inside. Your lovely hands switched dizzyingly between his hips and the small of his back as you guided him to the kitchen, where Mickey was waiting with a tiny bundle of pink cloth gathered up in his enormous arms.
“Oh, Mick…” John couldn’t help beaming as he leaned in to take a closer look. “She’s lovely.”
There had been photos posted up by the phone for weeks now, of little Dot just a few hours old, waving one tiny hand at the camera. You’d put up a few more recent pictures of Mickey and his family just the other day, all of the Caines squashed together to fit in frame. Nothing compared to seeing something so small and beautiful in person for the first time.
“She’s a righ’ terror,” Mickey beamed down at his little girl. “Drives her mother insane. An’ her old dad. Reckon she’s gonna be singer with the way she goes on. Maybe she could front your band one day, Johnny Boy.”
“She’d give Freddie a run for his money, I bet.”
John held out one finger and brushed it delicately across the back of one of Dot’s tiny fists.
“So, who does she look like more, d’you reckon? You or Rita?” he asked.
You snorted.
“You’re ‘avin a laugh. She’s perfect. She’s all Rita.”
“Ahhh, she’s got my charm. And my devilish good looks.”
Mickey finally tore his gaze away from his little girl to smile at John.
“Do you wanna hold her?”
“Me? Are you sure? I’ve never really…”
“Don’t be daft. C’mon, you’re part of the family now.”
With careful instructions on how to position his arms, Mickey gently passed Dot over, settling her against John’s chest.
The baby made a soft sound of disapproval, she never liked being far from her father’s warm, broad chest, but she soon settled. Her eyes closed, Dot sighed softly and went right back to sleep.
“There. You see?” Mickey patted John’s shoulder with a hand the size of a bear’s paw. “You’re a natural, mate. Won’t be long till you’ve got a few of your own.”
It took all John’s strength not to glance at you.
“She’s amazing, Mickey.”
John smiled as he ever so gently began to sway from side to side, trying to remember how his parents had soothed his little sister when she was just a baby.
He only looked up when he felt your hand on his arm. You were looking down at Dot, smiling gently, but your warm touch, the way your fingers pressed into him, that was a secret, just for the two of you.
“She’s so perfect. Shame you didn’t name her after me but…” You grinned. “Hang on, I have to take a photo. Stay right there, don’t move.”
John watched you go. He didn’t tear his gaze away until the door up to your flat had clicked shut behind you.
It was strange, but he already missed you. Just being near you set his whole body at ease. He could think clearer, his heart kept a regular pace, at least, until you smiled at him, or touched him, or looked in his general direction. When you were gone, it all came rushing back, like the pressure in the room had changed. He’d never needed to be near someone before.
John caught Mickey smiling at him and turned his attention back to the baby in his arms, hoping he didn’t look as he felt, like a love struck idiot who couldn’t concentrate whenever you weren’t around, let alone when you were.
“So,” Mickey was grinning now, much to John’s chagrin. “How’s things with you and the Captain?”
“They’re good.” John kept his eyes down, hoping in vain that it would obscure how red his face was getting. “We’ve been seeing quite a lot of each other but… No official date yet.”
“So you’re not goin’ together?”
John grimaced.
“I haven’t really asked her properly. It’s my fault,” he said sheepishly.
Dot began to fuss in John’s arms. She raised one of her little fists in the air, as if she too disapproved of his cowardliness.
Mickey reached over. John thought he might want to take his little girl back but he just brushed one finger across her clenched fist and whispered to her sweetly. Dot settled again, a look of contentment on her angelic face.
“She’s like her dad. Never ‘appy unless she’s complainin’.” Mickey smiled fondly. “So what’s keeping you? Last time I saw you, seemed like things were movin’ along a bit.”
“They were. They have.”
John thought about the night before, how soft and open your eyes had been as you gazed up at him. He had held your face, your hands, practically admitted everything he felt for you, and you’d smiled and said you wanted him too. God, why hadn’t he kissed you?
Because, John thought, because he was afraid. Even after everything you’d said, everything you’d done together, he was terrified that you didn’t actually care about him, and this was all a roll of the dice that would end with him losing the first place he’d felt safe in years, and a second family he didn’t want to ever say goodbye to. And he could lose you too. The thought made him sick to his stomach.
“What if she doesn’t like me?” John said quietly. “Not like that?”
Mickey shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“She does.”
John huffed.
“She thinks I’m useless.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“She thinks I’m quiet and funny-looking-”
“She thinks the world of you, you muppet-”
“And too skinny.”
“She loves you!”
The words hung in the air, like dust after a building collapses, crawling and curling their way through the kitchen, until they had filled John’s eyes, his lungs, his mind.
He blinked, heart sore, begging Mickey not to make fun of him with just a look. But Mickey nodded earnestly as he tucked Dot’s blanket under her back, as if promising her, or perhaps on her, that he would never joke about something so serious.
“She adores you, mate,” he said, just before the door opened again and you came bounding through, camera in hand.
“Okay, hold still. Say cheese!”
John tried his best to lower his head so that he and Dot would be in frame together without disturbing her. He felt Mickey wrap an arm around his shoulders and realised he was smiling without having to be told.
The camera clicked, flashed, then whirred as it spat out the polaroid.
“That’s one for the album,” you said as you stared at the photo, waiting for it to develop. “Shame Glad isn’t here. Where is she?”
Mickey scoffed.
“She ‘avin’ lunch with his nibs.”
“Well then,” You placed your free hand on your hip. “I’d say that’s lunch then, boys.”
You didn’t flip back the sign on the door. John tried not to look too surprised, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen you pass off an opportunity to keep the bakery open. Money was tight, this place was your whole world, you had a lot invested in 64 Oslo Square.
Perhaps you’d simply grown tired of working yourself to exhaustion when Gladys couldn’t even be bothered to show up. Perhaps it didn’t feel right to work when there was such an important visitor. John didn’t care what had driven this decision. He was just pleased to see you take some time for yourself. You’d more than earned an afternoon in the sun with your family.
/
You took John’s hand and led him across the road to the chippy, where you handed over loaves of bread, sweet pastries, and cups of tea in return for three bags of chips, cod for Mickey and a battered sausage for you and John. Michael’s Fish Bar had been kicking about for almost as long as the bakery; this bartering system had existed for far longer than you’d worked at 64 Oslo Square.
After dishing everything out, you pressed a plate into John’s hands and led him out through the kitchen doorway to the alley. You sat down together, side by side on the top step, your knees touching, and happily tucked into salty, hot chips that burnt the tongue and soothed the soul.
“So what’re you reading at the moment?” John asked, after a few minutes of comfortable silence had passed.
Beside you, Dot gurgled in her pram. You hadn’t had much experience around children, especially babies as tiny as her, but you knew enough to gingerly push the buggy’s back wheel with the toe of your shoe, gently rocking her back into her dreams.
“Oh, nothing at the moment. Been too busy,” you said through a mouthful of chips. “You got any recommendations?”
“Uni is so intense right now, all my suggestions would be written by Seymour Hammond.”
“Right,” you said, bewildered. “No, yeah. He’s fab.”
John picked up another chip and stared at it. He was chewing on his bottom lip, tugging the skin between his incisors as he thought.
You watched, mesmerised.
“You know, when I first moved here, I hated London. The smell, the crowds…”
“The price of fish and chips.”
That made John smile. He stopped worrying his lip and finally popped the chip into his mouth.
“But when I’m here, I see it.”
“See what?”
“Home, I suppose. This place feels like home. Or it’s starting to, at least. Does that make sense?”
In the ocean of your heart, something was stirring. Towering waves of fondness, warmth, and something you were beginning to seriously suspect might be love, rose up, crested, then broke, washing over your heart again and again, gently but firmly, undeniably.
“I think you’re a bit mental but… Yeah, it makes sense.”
You glanced over your shoulder. Mickey was on the phone to his wife, letting her know he’d be home soon and asking if she needed him to pick up anything on his way. You and John were alone.
You shrugged.
“Maybe it’s Gladys’ tea.”
John snorted.
“Or the free food.”
“Or the good company.”
“You do tend to make things a bit brighter, I’ve found.”
John looked at you, really looked at you. Gone were the days when he could hardly hold your gaze. Long gone. He had the most beautiful eyes you’d ever seen.
“I don’t fancy your drummer,” you said, cheeks beginning to burn at how abrupt you’d sounded.
John’s eyebrows pulled together, his nose wrinkling.
“I didn’t-”
“I know you think I do. He’s nice but he’s not my type.”
John didn’t look convinced but he was still smiling.
“I thought you liked pretty boys.”
“I do.” Heart pounding, you turned your body towards his. “Pretty boys with pretty hair and lovely eyes, cute noses and a funny mouth.”
“My mouth isn’t funny.”
“Then why are you smiling?” You grinned. “Very presumptuous of you, by the way, John.”
Pink dusted his cheeks. It was such a lovely sight, you could barely resist brushing your fingertips along the path laid out for you, across his cheek, down his neck, to his chest and beyond.
Then he moved, turning his body in towards yours, so now your knees were pressed against his upper leg. John was so tense, you could practically feel the muscles in his thigh jump at your touch.
He lowered his head, as if to whisper in your ear, but his eyes never left yours.
“Call it a theory,” John said. “One I’ve been mulling over for a while.”
You watched, hardly daring to breathe, as he leaned in closer. Your fingers itched to wrap around the collar of his shirt and pull him in, but the thought of moving right now seemed impossible.
“And have you managed to mull up a hypothesis?”
“Oh, definitely,” John’s eyes dropped to your mouth. “Trust me, I’ve had lots of thoughts about you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m having one right now, actually.”
You wanted to respond with something clever. You wanted to take the next step in this dance you’d fallen into. You wanted to see if you could make John’s ears go as red as his cheeks. But you couldn’t think of anything to say. You couldn’t think at all.
You felt your hand move without your say so. It slipped over his knee and found a home on John’s thigh, keeping him close, keeping yourself grounded.
He was looking at you so intently, you could hardly breathe. Sunbeams filtered into the alley, light particles that had travelled hundreds of thousands of miles, just to get tangled in John’s lovely hair. The shadow cast by his aquiline nose, the tiny smile at the corner of his brilliant mouth, the softness of his gaze. How could you resist?
“John…”
Your heart was aching in your chest, pressing against your ribs, pushing you forward towards him. You had to draw in a breath to try and ease the pressure in your chest, but it shuddered through, and there was no way John couldn’t have noticed.
He smiled, sweet and reassuring, as he bent his head, murmuring your name under his breath.
Footsteps behind you made you straighten up. You hadn’t even noticed that you’d closed your eyes.
“‘Scuse me, lovebirds,” Mickey barged between you carrying two enormous black rubbish bags. “Bin man comes at seven.”
You weren’t violent by nature, but suddenly the idea of knocking Mickey’s lights out and shoving him into a dustbin seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea.
John looked about as mortified as you felt. But he was still enticingly close. He hadn't moved away.
You were still squeezing his thigh. Part of your brain screamed at you to take your hand back, to apologise and pretend like it had never happened. But there was another voice, braver, softer, that told you it was alright, to just trust yourself, to trust John, and to never, ever let him go.
“John, I-”
The bakery door opened. You turned your head in the direction of the sound, frowning quizzically. That was odd, you thought, you’d definitely locked it.
Then you heard Gladys’ voice. She was calling out for you. Something twisted in your chest, though you couldn’t be sure why.
Squeezing John’s thigh reassuringly, you gave him a quick smile.
“Don’t move,” you said firmly, then scrambled to your feet before he could say any more.
You didn’t look back as you hurried through the kitchen. If you did, you feared you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from grabbing his face and having another go at kissing him senseless.
Heart still hammering, you made your way into the bakery where Gladys was standing in the centre of the shop floor. She looked pale, her usually lively eyes dull and almost unseeing.
For a moment, you worried that she was angry with you for shutting the shop. You tried to summon a smile, your hands automatically reaching out to make her a cup of tea.
“Gladys! I thought you were-” You cleared your throat, your mind still spinning from the dark, soft look in John’s eyes as he leaned in to kiss you. “Doesn’t matter. Mick’s here and he brought the little’un!”
“Where is everyone?”
Gladys’ voice was hollow. She was gripping a slip of paper in her hands so tightly, you could see it was beginning to tear.
“They’re outside having a fag. Well, Mickey’s having a fag and John’s got chips. We just stopped for a late lunch.”
When she didn’t say anything, you frowned.
“Are you alright? What’s wrong?”
“He’s taken it.”
“Taken..?” You shook your head, trying to ignore the sickening, churning dread in the pit of your belly. “Who, Glad? What’s going on?”
“Alastair,” she whispered the name like it was bad luck. And perhaps it was. “He’s taken the bakery.”
Time slowed, choked, before finally falling to its knees. An age passed. Civilisations came and went. Stars burned and died. And all you could do was stare. The bakery had never been so silent.
“What are you talking about?” you asked once you’d found your voice again, hoarse and reedy as it was.
Gladys’ face crumpled like the paper in her hands.
“I shouldn't have. I know I shouldn't have but he- The way he explained things, it… He had me change the names on the deeds. It felt like a good idea at the- It’s his. It’s all his.”
Tears filled Gladys’ eyes.
“It’s gone, love. It's gone. Alastair owns the bakery.
//
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Behind the scenes pictures of Queen on iconic I Want to Break Free music video gives extraordinary glimpse into closeness of the band
The fascinating pictures show the band fooling around on the video shoot 
By DAN SALES
Published: 03:42 EST, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 04:20 EST, 24 September 2023 (x)
Never-before-seen pictures of Queen making the trailblazing I Want To Break free music video shows the incredible bond between the band members. Candid images - all shot by veteran photographer Simon Fowler - show the sheer joy and fun of the group during the now-legendary filming of the promo. The video stunned music fans when it came out and had the rockers dressed up as housewives in a suburban home. In one of the newly-revealed pictures the band are shown in hysterics, with one crewmember wiping away tears of laughter as Freddie Mercury fools around behind a bewigged John Deacon. Freddie appears to be pretending to be a hairdresser as John chuckles in his seat, as Brian May beams by a back wall as they stare into the mirror at their new look. Later Brian can be seen clutching his curlers as he gazes into the distance as he is captured on film. Roger Taylor also looks to be having a ball in one of the archive pictures, pouting in his schoolgirl-style costume. Photographer Simon, who took pictures of the group throughout their career, opened up his archives to allow MailOnline to publish some of the incredible shots.
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The band are seen having a great laugh backstage as they get ready to shoot the video promo
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Roger Taylor in costume pouts as his picture is taken on the set of I Want To Break Free in 1984
He said he had no idea the theme of the video before he had turned up at Limehouse Studios in London to take the pictures. Simon recalled: 'On Break Free I didn't get any idea of what it was going to be. I turned up and saw them and thought "Whoa, what is going on?". 'It was obviously a pastiche of Coronation Street. I remember on the day everybody was just fooling around laughing. 'It was so much fun that I was amazed that they actually got a video done. 'They had no concerns about doing anything that was unusual - they would just do it. 'They were just messing around in between the filming. I remember one funny moment when they were trying the stuff on and asking each other "what do you reckon of this wig?". 'That was the great thing about it, you have got Freddie with his big old 'tache, giving it all. 'It was without doubt the most fun shoot I have done. 'Every time I think about it I smile, the day just went so fast because everyone was having such a good time - it just whizzed by.
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Simon revealed that the band preferred to be photographed all together for their promo shots
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Brian May looks like he has awoken from a deep sleep with the curlers in this of Simon's shots
'When you get there I didn't know the story and the PR told me and I thought "that sounds great". 'I went backstage and the first thing I saw was them getting all their clobber done.' Simon had photographed the band before after getting a phone call during the recording of their Hot Space album. That record spawned the Under Pressure anthem and at first the photographer admits he had no idea who he would be going to shoot. He recalled: 'I got a call out of the blue to do a job and originally thought they had said Cream at the time, which I thought couldn't have been right. 'Back in those days you would get millions of calls. I only realised later it was Queen and I was told I would only get ten minutes with them and it turned into three hours. It was for the album Hot Space. 'I think we just got on pretty well - I wasn't expecting much time at all and it was brilliant. 'Roger actually got me to do a bit of tapping when they were recording. I like to think I'm on Hot Space somewhere. It just went from there really.' The band loved his work so he was invited back and ended up doing numerous shoots with them.
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John Deacon - whose character in the video was miserable - laughs in a moment of down time
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Freddie Mercury poses up on the set, leaning on a cabinet as he looks to the side of the room
But he counts his work on I Want to Break Free as one of the most exciting jobs of his career. He admitted: 'I knew when I got called in for it, that it was going to be interesting. 'They wouldn't scrimp on stuff with the videos, they were big productions. If CGI was around then I am sure that would be what they were doing. 'When you were on set you would have to have eyes in the back of your head in some of the bigger productions, where there were cranes and stuff going round.  'When we went for lunch Brian was on the catering bus talking to me. He was still in the outfit with the curlers. 'I remember thinking "that's Brian May opposite me". It was so surreal. 'At the end of the day we saw the cut and it just looked great. 'I remember John taking a nap during the day, which he would have needed because the reality is they would have got there very early. 'They were trailblazers with videos, they really were. Queen were so unique in whatever they did. Brian with the sound and the guitar. I loved every minute of it 
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Veteran music photographer Simon Fowler is selling prints in aid of the Mercury Phoenix Trust
'Freddie was a trooper right up until the end. One of the things people don't notice about pictures of Queen is that you could never often get them out of the line-up 'They would not often move out of all four of them together for pictures. 'I think that's because they were a band but they were also incredible close friends too. 'They all had each others backs, none of them thought of themselves as the star - they were all equals.' The behind-the-scenes pictures were brought back into the spotlight as Simon as he compiled Fine Art Prints of Freddie, Brian, Roger and John from The Miracle shoot. They are being sold to help the fight against HIV and AIDS, with 50 per cent of proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Simon added: 'I was thrilled to do this and just give something back and help a really great cause. 'I was delighted by the response and hope it can keep helping people.' (x)
Prints of Freddie, Brian, Roger and John from The Miracle shoot can be found here 
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Garrett X British Vampire Mate Reader.
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"Ben!" you laughed as he puled you in for a tight hug "Bloody hell, it's been ages. How've you been?" you spoke, pulling away from his embrace as Carlisle and Esme stood a few paces behind you.
"Y'know, been inside the tomb where Amun has been trying to keep me out of sight. How about you, the last I herd you were in the Mediterranean."
"Golden sands, blue sea. Got kinda borin' after a while."
You had met Benjamin on your travels a few years before. Well, you had met Amun and had ended up befriending Benjamin whilst you were in Egypt. Essentially, you had been all over the world, but every now and then, you made your way back to Egypt to see Benjamin, Tia, Kebi and Amun, who had become like a second family to you.
Two days later, you were back home in the Cullen's house with the vampires who had come as witnesses.
You sat out on the porch, looking out over the woods and reading your 'The Hobbit' 1939 edition as a few more vampires arrived. You smelt something more beautiful, more delicious than anything ever before. Your eyes flicked up to see Garrett and your heart dropped. He hated British people. You were the only British Cullen. You had been changed by Esme, back in 1942, at the age of twenty, when your plane had crashed in a field and she found you, barely alive. That had ended you serving in the war as Y/n L/n became officially killed in action. So, Y/n Cullen was born.
"You know how bad that book is, don't you, Y/n?" you herd an all too familiar voice speak as you bookmarked the page and closed the book. It was the only possession you had of your past life before the crash, as you had no recollection of your past.
"Well, if it isn't the American who loathes all Englishmen and women." you knew about his backstory, Carlisle had warned you, just in case it would come up.
"Not all of them, dear Y/n." he said with a smirk.
"Really? Whatever changed?" you smirked back over your shoulder as you walked into the house.
'That woman will be the death of me.' Garrett thought as his eyes lingered on where you had been.
Twenty minutes later, you sat on the floor, a cushion under you, your trusty guitar in hand, your fingers idly moving across the steel strings. "I remember a time when you used to be able to play any Queen song on both the piano and guitar." Alistair spoke, making his presence known in the room where he had been lingering for the past twenty minutes. He was right. There had been a time when you two had been roommates for a while and you would constantly be playing some Queen song or another. He was the one who had introduced you to John Deacon, who went to the college you were in at the time.
"No, you can't." Emmet spoke in utmost disbelief. You cracked your fingers and neck, ready to prove the man wrong.
"Watch me, vampire boy." you muttered, knowing he herd when he let out a huff. "I expect everyone to sing, by the way." you said, looking directly at Garrett, who had been staring at you since you sat at the piano. Edward's fingers danced over the keys as you stood up, putting the guitar strap over your head and began to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the guitar.
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landside, No escape from reality Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see, I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to Me, to me
Mamaaa, Just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, Now he's dead Mamaaa, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away Mama, oooh, Didn't mean to make you cry, If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all The time Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth Mama, oooh I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.
I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!
Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me Galileo, Galileo Galileo, Galileo Galileo, Figaro - magnificoo
I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me He's just a poor boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity Easy come, easy go, will you let me go Bismillah! No, we will not let you go (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go (Let me go) Will not let you go (Let me go)(Never) Never let you go (Let me go) (Never) let you go (Let me go) Ah No, no, no, no, no, no, no Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia, let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, For meee
So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye So you think you can love me and leave me to die Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby, Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here" you played the guitar solo effortlessly as you walked around, as if you were on stage.
"Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me Any way the wind blows..." you played the last notes of the song, waiting for the piano to finish.
"Let's Live Aid this shit." you said, immediately launching into Radio Gaga. Bella seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, and so did the others as the song began.
"I'd sit alone and watch your light My only friend through teenage nights And everything I had to know I heard it on my radio
You gave them all those old time stars Through wars of worlds invaded by Mars You made 'em laugh, you made 'em cry You made us feel like we could fly (radio)
So don't become some background noise A backdrop for the girls and boys Who just don't know, or just don't care And just complain when you're not there
You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio (radio)
All we hear is radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio, what's new? Radio, someone still loves you
We watch the shows, we watch the stars On videos for hours and hours We hardly need to use our ears How music changes through the years
Let's hope you never leave, old friend Like all good things, on you we depend So stick around, 'cause we might miss you When we grow tired of all this visual
You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio (radio)
All we hear is radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga
All we hear is radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio, what's new? Someone still loves you
Radio ga ga (radio ga ga) Radio ga ga (radio ga ga) Radio ga ga (radio ga ga)
You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio (radio)" the song finished as you bowed extravagantly, putting the guitar on the stand in the corner of the room.
"I think I've exhausted my abilities for one day." you said dramatically as you sat in-between Garrett and Bella, who had Renesmee on her lap, Garrett's arm going around your shoulders. If you could blush, you would be a tomato. As if she sensed this, Bella started a conversation with you.
"That was awesome. How did do do that?"
"I was a guitar tech of Queen's from '68 to '91. I was a friend of John Deacon's, after Alistair introduced me, and Brian needed a guitar tech, so, Deacs recommended me. I will never forget the day that I punched Paul Prenter in the face in May, 1987 after he made up a load of crap about Freddie and told the papers."
"You spent twenty three years with the same four humans?" Garrett spoke from beside you, somewhat surprised by this.
"Yeah, and they knew. The also accepted it as long as I didn't feed on them. I only left after Freddie died." You spoke again after a few seconds of nostalgia-filled silence "Anyway, I'm gonna go for a walk, stretch my legs. I'll see you guys later." with that, you had left the house at vamp speed.
It was true. Freddie's death had been too much for you to handle, and after a year of grieving with the three friends you had left, you decided it was best to leave, before you hurt them more than they already were. You spent years wandering the world after that, doing various jobs. You had been a blacksmith, a jeweller, even a mechanic at one point, but you never had the flare you once had with the band. Never threw yourself into your work like you had done previously.
You wandered idly through the forest for an hour before coming face to face with the person you least expected, sitting on a fallen tree before you. Garrett. You braced yourself for the snide comments at your nationality, but they never came.
"I wanted to apologise." you raised an eyebrow at this as you sat beside him, "When Carlisle told me about you, I got this, picture, shall we say, in my head about what you were going to be like, according to the past interactions I've had with British people. But, you're not that bad, for a mate."
"Not that bad?" You scoffed playfully and crossed your arms, a smirk evident on your face.
"Yeah, I mean, you could be worse. A lot worse in my experience." he laughed.
"Garrett?" he turned to face you when you spoke. Grabbing his coat collar, you continued "shut up." your lips met in a love and passion filled kiss. After all, he had spent enough time lusting after you whilst knowing that you were mates. Naturally, like you, he assumed you wouldn't be interested. You pulled away to look into his ruby orbs.
"After this is all over, I'll follow you anywhere, woman."
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eileen-crys · 1 year
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what about some johnica hurt/comfort after the tribute concert or when john retired?
This is such a good prompt, thank you! 🥺💕 I chose John's last appearance with Elton John and the Bejart ballet in Paris, which was also one day before their wedding anniversary in '97, so here it is a little drabble. It came out a bit introspective but I hope you'll like it anyway! Mind that as usual this is all completely fictional! ✌🏻
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Veronica knew it was coming. Everyone knew, it was only a matter of time, and John had only been delaying it.
"Would you come with me in Paris for the show?" He asked quietly a month before, right after he ended his call to confirm that he was indeed going to play once more with Brian and Roger. And Elton, too. Veronica gave him a knowing glance, aware that he was asking only because he already booked the hotel for both, and nodded. "We... we can celebrate our anniversary in Paris, sounds nice doesn't it?" He grumbled.
"It sounds great, love. I'll join you, don't worry." She winded her arms around him, feeling his shoulders relaxing a bit. He still needed her, after all, and she knew.
And now, after the show ended, John stormed out the dressing room and winded his arms around her shoulders, engulfing her in the tightest hug.
His face throughout the rehearsals and the show was a clear mirror of his soul, not even the cigarette's smoke could cover it with its fog. He tried and tried and tried again, but Freddie's absence was still too much to handle in these public occasions where he was everywhere and nowhere to be seen at the same time. Too painful, too powerful, even after six years, no matter how much Roger and Brian tried to involve John.
Veronica was aware that this one was going to be the last post-show hug they shared, the last time she'd hold her husband like this, sweaty and trembling for the adrenaline, his fingers burning from the bass' strings, and his heart racing after performing on the stage. Sad, really, that this had became a painful outcome rather than the excited result of a thrilling show.
"Did you tell the others?" Ronnie asked, and John simply nodded against her neck.
"We can go, then."
A couple of people from the staff reached out to help John, but he simply slid in the car with his wife and she ordered the driver to bring them to their hotel, without any bass and wearing the jacket directly on the sweaty suit. He didn't speak a word, closed in the silence of another cigarette, and Veronica looked at his darkened eyes which lately -at home- were more often replaced by light and smiles for the children. He did quit for good this time, and she saw how it hurt, but how it was also a necessary, inevitable move.
At the hotel, Ronnie dragged him in the bathroom, helping him undress until they stood embraced in the shower, letting the flowing water wash away the guilt and sadness. Tomorrow they'd celebrate their wedding anniversary in a beautiful restaurant in Paris just the two of them, and then back again to their home in London, to live like a normal, big family.
Veronica hugged John tightly, warm drops and salty tears sliding between them, and felt his heart beating. Up above, John kissed her forehead. He was free.
Thank you so much for the prompt! 🥺💕💕💕 I received another lovely one but that'll take a bit more and I want to post it on ao3 so be patient 🥰
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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 700 FOLLOWERS!
thank you for your support on my page!
part 2 of FIRST PLACE will be out today so look out.
I didn't think so many people would like that but apparently I was wrong so. I'll try my best to tag all of you that you wanted to be tagged in it.
but thank you all for your support I appreciate you all so much!
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danses-with-dogmeat · 9 months
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2K Event Prompt Masterlist
Here is a list of all the prompts for my 2K Celebration Event! I'll be updating as I go with the links, so you should be able to click on any of them once it's fully completed 😊
Please be sure to pay mind to the ratings of each work as well, and to the details on the prompts themselves once you click on the links so that you're mindful of any saucy explicit material!
Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy! 😁
A: Arcade Gannon -- Fluff -- SFW
B: Benny Gecko -- Fluff -- SFW
C: Charon -- Fluff -- NSFW
D: Deacon -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
E: ED-E -- Fluff -- SFW
F: Fawkes -- Fluff -- SFW
G: Gob -- Fluff -- SFW
H: Mr. House -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
I/O: Old Longfellow -- Hurt/Comfort -- NSFW
J: John Hancock -- Fluff -- NSFW
K: The King -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
L: Lily Bowen -- Fluff -- SFW
M: Mysterious Stranger -- Angst -- SFW
N: Nick Valentine -- Fluff -- NSFW
P: Preston Garvey -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
Q/U/X: Ulysses -- Fluff -- SFW
R: Raul Tejada -- Hurt/Comfort -- NSFW
S: Sunny Smiles -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
T: Three Dog -- Fluff -- NSFW
V: Veronica Santangelo -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
W: Whitechapel Charlie -- Angst -- SFW
Y/Z: Yes Man -- Hurt/Comfort -- SFW
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