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theroomofreq · 3 years

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can you give me muggle jily recs pleaaseeee <3 :D

HOW MANY HIGH-QUALITY MUGGLE JILY FICS ARE THERE?? TOO MANY TO COUNT. *cracks knuckles* BUT I am here for the challenge. Jily AUs are my JAM.

Again, shoutout to our amazing @jilyarchive friends who tag every wonderful muggle jily au they come across. here is the link that will take you to their tags page. You'll find links to specific tropes and AUs :')

I've searched through my own AO3 bookmarks and history tabs, and I present to you 28 jily muggle fics that I LOVE. I am THRILLED thinking about all the good things in store for those that read these wonderful stories. This list took me ages to make because I went through and reread most of these brilliant fics. Happy reading !! xx

properly improper by @lizardcookie

“Marry me,” Mr. Potter repeats, closing the distance between them by striding back up towards the sofa, only to stop and crouch to one knee right there at her feet, looking up at her. Burning. “Pick me,” he elaborates. “Pick me, choose me, love me instead.”

- this fic is the reason why I comment the way that I do (spoiler it's because it's amazing)

The Wedding Ring by @mppmaraudergirl

What is undeniably worse than attending your sister's wedding looking as desolate and forgotten as a wilted houseplant? Drunkenly ringing your ex-boyfriend and asking him to be your date.

- SOBS UNCONTROLLABLY AT THE PERFECTION

Oh my god, they were ROOMMATES by @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world

Silly one-shot, Muggle AU with Fem!Jily as pining roommates and Marlene as their matchmaker.

- the fic that brought me back to jily and inspired my deep obsession of fem!jily

Swipe Right, Swing Left by @downn-in-flames

The unspoken rule of using dating apps in D.C. is that you always start with where you work.

James Potter, it seems, never picked up on that one.

- giddy just thinking about this gem

'Tis the Damn Season by @petalstofish

It doesn't feel like Christmas for Lily Evans, not after losing her parents to COVID before the Holiday season. She anticipates spending Christmas all alone until a boy from her past shows up and offers her a mutually benefiting deal that has her calling him 'babe' just for the weekend. 'Tis the damn season, after all.

- cries in respect for lyrical writing

Watch Me Unwind by @maraudersftw

Lily Evans hates her job, hates the bigoted customers she has to serve as a bartender at the richest club in the city. But the one person who makes bearing all of it worth it has someone else in his arms tonight. (Rated: M)

- obsessed with the way the plot jumps around the time line in this

oil be there for you by @abby10fanfic

Texting/Social Media AU: Lily and James haven't spoken for 2 years. But that's all about to change thanks to Peter and his involvement in an essential oil pyramid scheme. Featuring boss babes, toxin-free lifestyles, binding contracts, and a very oily journey.

- YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW FAB THIS IS

a matchmaking mission by @downn-in-flames

James Potter has a mission: get Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to finally admit that they both fancy the pants off each other by Valentine's Day.

His partner in crime? Lily Evans, Remus' flatmate, who he also happens to be slightly in love with

- DOUBLE the amount of pining idiots in love :")

about time by @jilyss

'sure, yeah, I can accompany you to that black tie event for your work tonight. wait. why are we on a red carpet?'

- this is my emotional comfort fic, your honor

whiskey business by @elanev91

Sirius Black has a (bad?) habit of picking up hobbies that take over his and James' flat -- this most recent one? Homemade vodka that James now has to try and peddle to everyone in the building.

- hysterical! must read!

Fashion Disaster by @maraudersftw

James Potter is roped into an awful dare by his best-mate, which involves him wearing atrocious pieces of clothing for all days until Christmas as dictated by Sirius. If this wasn't terrible enough, he now has to contend with his maddening crush on the beautiful saleswoman at the clothing store.

- classic hijinks that I live for

it wasn't a pity invite by @elanev91

Part of the December "Winter Tropes" Jily challenge. Prompt: my family invites you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and omG i’m so sorry

- awkward Christmas date that owns my heart

spice and honey by @clare-with-no-i

tagging along with her food reporter sister to profile James Potter, London's hottest young chef, is not how Lily Evans pictured her Monday going - especially if he's anything like Petunia’s described.

needless to say, she's in for a whirlwind at Chez Maraudeur.

- I'm one re-read away from printing this out and putting it on my bookshelf.

Waffle Wars by @elanev91

There's only one waffle maker in the dining hall and it literally always breaks. So, naturally, the only reasonable course of action is to meticulously map out when it's working and, ultimately, do a heist.

- the witty narration in this fic can not be matched

You Can Hear It In The Silence by @alrightginger

Lily is non-verbal and deaf in a world where the things your soulmate says about you end up written on your skin. She has known about her soulmate since she was seven, but knows they don't have a clue she exists and possibly never will.

- exquisite, cue me sobbing forever

out the window by @displayheartcode

A new family moves to Ottery St Catchpole.

- everything I could ever want in a fic, forever in my mind rent free

The Christmas Guest by @thegodmachine

An Evans Family Christmas: Petunia is bringing her fiancé and Lily is bringing her…Friend…

- petunia pov that gives me WINGS

Football, Calculus, and Cappuccinos by @moonawrites

At eighteen years old, James Potter has a lot going on. He's a rising star navigating the politics of professional football, the pitfalls of sudden fame, the fallout from choosing his dream over his father's company... and a serious crush on the red headed new barista at his favourite coffee shop.

- I'm still working my way through this fic, but trust me when I say its a GEM

if u like pina coladas by @zephyrcove

Lily is desperate for a date to Petunia's wedding, James has been pining, and their friends meddle ;)

- explain to me how characters can be so perfect via texting fics?

Shelf Awareness by @ghostofbambifanfiction

It's too far out of her way and she's wasting so much money, but Lily can't help but return to the bookstore every weekend, where her passion for good literature has, perhaps, been unexpectedly reignited by the messy-haired, pun-making, rather handsome bloke who works there.

- you absolutely must know that I binge read this and then immediately REREAD it

How to win a witch in 10 days by @adenei

“She’s going to find some unsuspecting wizard, get him to fall for her, and then do all the things that turn men away to get him to break things off! Won’t it be the best way to see what witches do that drives men crazy?” But what happens when the man in question is a blast from Lily Evans's past? A Jily Magical AU based on the romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

- fic based off of a rom com? YES PLZ :’)

The Fight Before Christmas by @ghostofbambifanfiction

The heartwarming Christmas tale of Lily Evans and James Potter - two plucky kids who hated one other, until the day they really, really didn't.

- complete sucker for this one

All This Time by @thejilyship

James and Lily grew up next door to one another. Their bedroom windows giving them glimpses into the others life, and also offering prime opportunities to argue with each other over every little thing. They never figured out how to be friends when they were kids, but now that they've graduated from college and are home for the summer, they have a second chance to get things right.

- one of my favvvv tropes

Let Me Love You by @thejilyship

With only a month until she's set to take the throne of Gryffindor, Lily is informed that she'll have to get married or choose to give up her throne. She never thought she'd have to even entertain the idea of an arranged marriage. Enter, James Potter.

- cries in princess diares AU

The Fabulous Baker Brothers by @frustratedpoetwrites

Lily walks a different route home from work and stumbles upon a cute little Bakery with an even cuter baker in the window.

- yes yes yes to embarrassed pining.

Marigold Mornings by @mppmaraudergirl

This is a fun game she thinks, as she removes her hand from his side and reaches up to run it down his chest. He catches her hand in his own, takes a step forward so that her nose nearly brushes against his shirt. She can feel the heat radiating off of him—or maybe it’s from her. He licks his lips and her eyes are drawn to the motion. She knows it is a bad idea, absolutely knows it.

- incredible storytelling featuring dynamic characters :') a favvv

Welcome to Pettyville by@women-inthe-sequel @alrightginger

When Lily Evans accidentally sends a text to the wrong number, she isn’t expecting to find the right person behind it. She can’t stop talking to Prongs. The only thing is, Prongs can’t stop talking about the girl in his class. What could go wrong, other than the number?

- LOVE SQUARE ANYONE

The Kiss a Stranger Project by @alrightginger

“What’s your name, then?” she asks, realizing they haven’t even properly introduced themselves yet. She nervously crosses her arms.

You shouldn’t kiss a guy without knowing his name first.

Right?

- THIS ONE WILL LIVE IN MY MIND FOREVER

#ror reqs #jily fic #mugge fic recs #jily fic rec list

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jilytho · 3 years

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Blind Dating and Miscalculating

Blind dating au where Lily is on a blind date and wrongly assumes James is her date

Read below or on AO3 :)

“Whew does Mary know how to pick ‘em!” James looked up in shock to see a woman, apparently under the impression some Mary somehow ‘picked’ James leering at him, teetering from side to side as she pulled back the chair opposite him and clambered into it, nearly knocking off the unused wine glass closest to her.

Drunk. Drunk but also gorgeous. Red tendrils that likely at one point in the night were neatly arranged were now flung about her shoulders in partial disarray.

“Scuse me, I’m not quite sure you’ve got the right-”

“I told her I didn’t want to go! I said,” she reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling it towards her, wide eyes locked on his. One look at her bright green eyes (beautifully green eyes, his favorite shade of green, actually) was enough to tell that while the lights were on, nobody was home. “I said, Mary!” She exclaimed, continuing to cradle his hand close to her while gesturing wildly with the other, “Mary I have no interest in dating, period. Nevermind getting set up with some random strange man. Especially with the name Mark. I mean, look, no offense Mark and other Marks of the world but it really is a rather plain name.” She paused to catch his gaping mouth opening and closing not unlike a fish before continuing. “That’s not to say that plain is always a bad thing or that extravagant names are a good thing,” she stumbled over the word extravagant and pushed right past it, “I mean I dated this bloke, Severus, once and I thought wow such an interesting name, fascinating. Nope. Dead boring and borderline stalkerish fellow as it turns out. So you’d think I’d like plain after an experience like that, wouldn’t you?”

She stopped abruptly, eyes staring at him expectantly, apparently waiting for some form of agreement.

“Erm I suppose so?”

“Exactly! You’d think! But I mean, Mark. So mundane. I just assumed the person would be mundane as well. Probably an accountant or a lawyer, blech. Not to mention I was a bit nervous, been a little since my last date if I’m being honest. Not that there weren't offers.” She gripped his hand tighter, “There were offers, Mark. Don’t start thinking I’m desperate. I had offers.” She dropped his hand and folded her arms as if he had suggested otherwise.

“I didn’t say- I’m not, I'm sorry can we back up for a-” his words and thoughts were a jumbled mess.

“Anyway,” she huffed, rolling her eyes and relaxing her arms, “anyway. Anyway, what was I saying? Mark! Yes, Mark. So as I was saying, I didn’t want to go on this date at all but Mary was all ‘it’ll be good for you! He’s so cute! We’ll get drinks first!’ and so I agreed to come meet you, but may have drank more than three margaritas but in my defense it was 2 for 1 and Mary was paying and I can never pass up a good deal. So that's why I’m late. But I am here. I am here with you, Mark, and you are far less boring looking than I expected. Yes, much cuter than any Mark I’ve ever met. Mary did well.” She nodded approvingly, sitting back in her seat and smiling constantly.

From the corner of his eye he saw Sirius walk into the restaurant and see the woman in the chair Sirius had been meant to occupy. James immediately tried to signal with his eyes, “HELP, HELP, HELP” without alerting the redhead in front of him when Sirius, the bastard, winked at him lightly, turned on his heel, and left.

She hadn’t noticed his desperate face as she was busy scanning the menu over and when she wasn’t calling him Mark or yelling in his face she was quite pretty. Extremely pretty, actually. Like exactly the kind of person he’d want to have one a blind date. Or a non-blind date. Any date really. And the girl clearly needed food in her stomach to soak up some of her margarita, really it would be irresponsible to leave her like this. The least he could do would be to keep her company, pretend he was Mark to try and minimize her embarrassment, and then make sure she got home safe.

“You know,” she met his eye over her menu as he spoke, “for someone who seems to have a lot of opinions on my name, I don’t believe Mary ever told me yours.”

She laughed lightly, a beautiful wind chimey, tinkly noise that sent delight shooting down his spine.

“Lily, Lily Evans.” She reached her hand across the table again, this time for him to shake. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine, Lily, Lily Evans.” He shook her hand lightly and looked back at his menu.

Dinner seemed to fly by. Once Lily got some food into her system she sobered up rapidly, yet sobriety in no way impacted her ability to keep him completely enthralled and entertained. Each passing minute made him more inclined to legally change his name to Mark and live the lie for the rest of his days.

Sure their life would be a lie, he thought as she threw her head back laughing over some asinine story he was telling of Sirius, red hair swirling around like flames, but it would be fun.

Not only was she bold, she openly mocked his ordering bourbon, ruthlessly holding nothing back despite only knowing him for a matter of minutes, but she was also unbelievably sweet. Listening intently to every story he shared, telling multiple of her own where despite being an ass kicking journalist she somehow also found time to volunteer at the animal shelter and had fostered three different dogs in the last two months. Ruthless, for sure, as she batted her eyes at him over her water glass causing all sorts of feelings to start to stir. She would give James, correction- Mark, a run for his money and then some. Barely an hour of sitting across from her and he was pretty sure he’d take his dinner knife to Mark's throat if the bloke ever actually did show up. Whether it be from jealousy or fury that any human being could ever stand up this goddess in front of him.

The conversation flowed easily. Leaping seamlessly from her parents professions to his childhood mischief to the time she dyed her sister's dog key lime green. Her dad had a thing for flowers, apparently, marrying a Rose and insisting on making their daughters Petunia and Lily.

“You could keep up the tradition, you know. Get your kids some flower names. Maybe something unique,”

“What?” She scoffed, “and subject them to years of cheesy, thoughtless bouquets of a flower you hardly like just because it’s your namesake? I don’t think so.”

“Then make it a flower they’d want to get! Or an herb, like Basil. Everyone wants a Basil plant around.” He pointed his drink at her as she spluttered incoherently, “are you telling me you don’t love a basil plant?”

“You’re right, how dare I overlook such a top quality name as Basil.” She drawled out in a monotone, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I suppose we’d go with something more colorful though, like Anemone!” She looked like the idea was pure genius and now he was the one spluttering in her face.

He tried not to let his heart burst at her use of we.

“I’m sorry, isn’t that the ocean thing? The Nemo thing? The sea anananamename thing where they live? That’s what you want to name your child?”

Her eyes were screwed shut as she clutched her chest, gasping for air through her laughs.

“What?” He grinned at her, not caring if he had somehow said the wrong thing or appeared dumb when her laughter was so intoxicating. He felt a tingling run straight down his spine.

“A sea,” she gasped out through choked laughs, “anemone!”

“That’s what you just said!” He continued to argue.

“Whew,” she wiped a stray tear from one eye, “truthfully you’re not that far off base at all. Same exact spelling. But they do have anemone for flowers that are on land as well as the sea. I’ve just never heard someone butcher a word so spectacularly.”

“Yes well, you know I’m quite good at that.” He leaned back in his seat as her eyebrow quirked up. “In fact, so good that I have been named the anti-Spelling B Champ,” he nodded matter of factly and continued on as if she wasn’t gaping at him, echo of a laugh still present on her face.

“It’s true! Annually, all the people that hate spelling b’s gather and compete to see who can truly butcher a word the most. I’ve won every time. You’re sitting with a nationally ranked word ruiner.”

“Oh wow, however could I have not known. Do you have any secrets of the trade you could share?”

“I usually would never divulge such confidential information but just because you asked so nicely and because you are in fact stunningly gorgeous, I’ll give you one.” He leaned in conspiratorially, hitching a finger for her to do the same, and dropped his voice low. “To really put yourself over the top and seal that victory,” he looked side to side dramatically, checking for eavesdroppers before looking back on her, “is all about the silent Q.” He sat back again and watched her shoulders shake lightly with poorly concealed giggles.

“Personally,” he grinned strongly, all pretense of secrecy gone, “I like to throw a minimum of three in there just to really set myself apart. Once I did a silent q followed by a silent x. I nearly sent the judge to an early grave.”

“You know I bet what would have really done him in is if you followed the x with a p but you pronounce the p like a-“

“Lily?” James reared back to find some bloke standing next to their table staring anxiously in between the two of them. “Are you Lily?” Lily nodded lightly, eyebrows scrunched in confusion, eyes flitting between the newcomer and James.

“Um yes I am, I’m sorry do I know you?”

A wave of cold dread overcame him, realization sinking into his chest. The newcomer, just about their age, polo and khakis, easily could have been a lawyer or an accountant. He had to explain before she realized as well and he looked like a total lying creep.

“Lily, I can explain-“

“I’m Mark, I’m so sorry I’m so late. My car broke down and I didn’t have your number.”

They spoke at the same time, the real Mark reaching a hand out to shake Lily’s.

She didn’t take it. Instead she swiveled dumbly between the two staring accusingly at the real Mark. “You can’t be Mark. I’m having dinner with Mark. You must be here for someone else.”

“Lily, I really can explain if you’d just-“ James started again as Lily whipped around to face him. “You! You liar! Who are you?” She pushed back in her chair looking at him as suspiciously as if he had just announced he liked to moonlight as a serial killer in his spare time.

“I’m sorry, your name is Mark as well?” The real Mark stared down at James politely inquiring, as if this was all perhaps a genuine mix up and not a case of an imposter stealing his date.

“Not quite, its erm James. But truly if you think absolutely it the names are quite similar, the whole second letter being an A and the part about being in the Bible and what not.” Mark's eyebrows rose and Lily did not appear amused by his comparison.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to lie or anything, I just… you sat down and assumed I was Mark and I was actually meant to be meeting a friend but you were just so pretty and funny and I didn’t want you to feel like you’d been stood up so I thought I could come clean later but I just wanted to get to know you. I’m sorry, truly.” She looked at him, hurt and confused, and he just wanted to hang his head low and apologize another half dozen times.

“I can leave so you two can get on with your date,” his heart sank as he stood, gesturing the open chair to Mark without quite meeting his eye.

He forced himself to look up at Lily, “I really am sorry. It was really nice to meet you, have a nice evening.”

He turned lightly and began to head out of the restaurant, feeling Lily’s eyes burning into the back of his head even while he heard Mark sit down across from her and apologize again for his lateness.

He was barely out the door when he heard her yelling his name, his real name, from behind and spun back around to watch her jogging to catch up to him.

He braced himself for her to yell at him or hit him or completely tear him a new one and gave her a forced smile.

“Lily, I-“

“Is your name really James?” she huffed, somewhat out of breath.

“Erm yes. Just James. No Jim or Jay or weird nicknames really…” his right hand came up to ruffle the back of his hair, still anxiously waiting for her to scream at him.

She reached up on her tiptoes, hand snaking around the back of his neck (oh god she was gonna try and hold his head still so she could really hit him strongly) and used it to pull herself up closer and his head down and touch her lips lightly to his.

The light kiss sent shockwaves down his body as he froze, processing what was happening.

“I like the name James so much more.” She whispered against his lips, barely a breath away. That was all he needed to throw an arm around her waist and tuck her snugly against him, the other hand going to caress her cheek and bring his lips back to her, stronger than before. They kissed deeply and sweetly and he felt it down through his toes and in every single nerve in his body.

When they pulled apart, still wrapped up in each other, and she lightly hummed his name against him, he felt suddenly very sure that there was no sound better than her saying his name.

“So, I’d really like to do that again. And the date again. With you knowing my name the whole time preferably. Preferably right now. What's to say I go take care of the bill and you take care of the real Mark and we go get some ice cream, maybe?”

“What’s say we do.” She intertwined their fingers and pulled him lightly back towards the restaurant for a fresh start.

#jily #jily fic #jily fanfic #mywriting #jilytho #james potter #lily evans #harry potter fanfiction #jily au

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wonder-womans-ex · 3 years

Text

Curtain Call

Act One, Scene Seven

Sirius stands there for what seems like hours—though it’s probably only a few seconds—just standing there, staring through the window. Maybe he should forget the whole thing and leave now.

But Alice pushes the door open, waving when Remus and Lily look up. Before he can protest, Dorcas pulls him in by the elbow.

It’s like time slows down when Remus’s gaze flickers past Dorcas and settles on him. He blinks, as though trying to clear his vision, and then he does the last thing Sirius expects.

He smiles.

It’s like Sirius’s brain just glitches. He imagines James’s voice in his head—as he so often does when he’s faced with situations similar to this one—saying ‘Padfoot.exe. has stopped working,’ and the thought is so ridiculous it actually shocks him back into the here and now.

“This is Sirius,” says Dorcas for the second time in under ten minutes, and he waits, practically holding his breath, for Remus’s response.

He’s prepared for anger. He’s prepared for indifference. He’s prepared for maybe, just maybe, ‘Yes, I know.’

He is once again surprised, because he is most certainly not prepared for Remus to lean across the table with his hand out and say, “Nice to meet you.”

“I—um—nice to meet you, too?”

It’s clear to Sirius that no one else—save Lily, of course—has any idea of the significance of this moment, especially because he’s not actually sure what that significance is. Obviously, they’re wiping the slate clean, but is it so they can start over again?

Or so they can pretend there was never anything written there at all?

This is the only thing he can think about as Dorcas slides into the booth next to Lily, motioning for Sirius to sit across from her, and he does, even though it means he’s right next to Remus. Frank squeezes in beside him, and Alice behind Frank, and Mary hesitates a moment before she sits down, too, shoulder-to-shoulder with Dorcas. For a moment, he wonders where Fabian and Caradoc are going to place themselves—there’s no way two more people are going to fit in the booth—but then Fabian pulls two chairs out from a nearby table. He sits down in one, then abruptly stands up again.

“I’ll grab menus,” he says, gesturing with one thumb towards the counter, and Sirius watches him go, if only for something to look at.

Dorcas grins. “So, Sirius, tell us a bit about yourself.”

“Um—”

“Invitations to these get-togethers are rare, you know, but you know what’s even rarer? Second invitations. So start talking, buddy, and let the high council judge your crimes.”

“Dorc,” Alice reprimands, “you’re scaring him.”

“Nah, it’s fine. My brother’s pretty, um, intense, too.”

Sirius’s confidence swells slightly at the laugh that earns him from the rest of the group. “I’m Sirius—I’m twenty-two, but I’m only in first year university because reasons. My favourite food is butter chicken. I was kicked out at age sixteen after I came out as bisexual, and I moved in with my best friend, who also happens to be my brother’s ex-boyfriend. Oh, and I’m an actor. I think that’s the basics?

Except for Remus, who knows most of this already, everyone stares at him, expressions ranging from stunned to well then. Remus is either trying to break the tension or goad Sirius into something embarrassing when he says, “An actor? Have you been in any movies?”

Deja vu smacks into Sirius like a cement truck. If he recalls correctly—and, honestly? There’s no way in hell he doesn’t—that’s exactly what Remus said the first time Sirius introduced himself. So, of course, he responds in the same way he did then, too. “Ew. Absolutely not. Stage life all the way for me, dude.”

Immediately, he wishes he could pull up google. Key words: is it socially acceptable to call your ex ‘dude’? Is that, like, legal?

But Remus just grins and tips his head back in laughter. After a moment, the others follow him in ways that range from a distracted smile (Mary) to a laugh so explosive he imagines Frank would have spit out his tea if he had any.

They’re still laughing, all eight out of nine of them, when Marlene arrives at their table, one pencil tucked behind her ear and another between her fingers as she taps it absentmindedly against her coil-bound notebook.

“Hi,” she says, glancing from person to person. “What can I get you tod—Sirius?”

“Hiya, Marls.”

“Fancy meeting you here.” They both smile a bit at this, because it really isn’t that surprising—neither of them ever spends a whole lot of time away from Frankie’s, really. “Where’s James?”

Sirius gasps, pretending to be affronted. “I do have other friends, I’ll have you know. He and I aren’t joined at the hip.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Well,” he says, deciding to change the subject, “I’ll get the, uh…” it feels wrong to order fries without James there, and he’s only just now realizing that he hasn’t actually tried anything else on the menu. “The BLT. And a Nanaimo bar, please.”

“Branching out a little, are we?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, okay. And for you?”

Without even thinking about it, he, too, turns to look at Remus, who’s got his nose buried in the menu. “A croissant,” he says, just like Sirius knew he would. “Wait, no. Two croissants.”

“Plain? Chocolate? Cheese?”

It seems as though Remus sits up straighter. “Chocolate?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Marlene jokes in typical Marlene-fashion.

“Telling. Croissant. Chocolate. Yes.”

(A month ago, Sirius would have leaned over and whispered that he thinks the embarrassed blush colouring Remus’s cheeks and nose is cute. But now is not a month ago. Now, everything is different.)

Lily orders a Greek salad and an iced coffee, but Sirius isn’t paying attention to her. No, he has eyes only for the way Remus, seemingly out of sheer boredom, takes his phone out of his hoodie pocket and unlocks it, grinning at whatever he sees. Sirius wonders, somewhere in the back of his mind, whether that’s the same way Remus used to smile when he got a text from him. It doesn’t matter anymore, but he can’t help but hope that once upon a time he, too, made Remus that happy.

He doesn’t speak again until everyone else has ordered, too (grilled cheese and a sundae for Alice, poutine for Dorcas, and bagels for both Mary and Frank; Fabian and Caradoc say they’ll share a banana split (could those two get any cuter, honestly)) and even then it’s only because Dorcas asks him a question.

“What?” he says, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

“Marlene—is she your friend? Girlfriend?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re friends. We’ve known each other for years. Community theatre, mostly, and I see here when I come here, which is probably way too often. But no, we’re not together—Marls swings completely the other way.”

Dorcas nods. “Cool. Think I have a shot? Am I her type?”

“Depends. Do you like Titanic?”

“The movie? No.”

“Then yes, you’re her type.”

He laughs under his breath when she adjusts her collar and tucks her hair behind her ear. It’s the classic ‘Preparing-to-ask-a-girl-out’ routine—he’s gone through it himself on many an occasion; here’s to hoping she has more luck—and he looks away to one side to hide a smile. Unfortunately, Remus has had the same idea, and their eyes connect for a few painful seconds.

This time, Sirius makes himself look away first.

He finds his gaze drawn to Lily, who’s scrolling through something—probably Instagram—on her phone. He tongue flicks out every once in a while to nudge at her lip ring, and he finds the movement almost mesmerizing.

Just out of curiosity, he thinks about kissing her. Her hair would be soft between his fingers. For some reason, he imagines it smelling like citrus. Her lips look soft, but in his head they’re slightly chapped, cool and warm at the same time as they press against his, and he pulls away to look into those shining amber eyes—

Wait, Lily’s eyes are green, not amber. He is most definitely thinking about someone else—someone with twelve freckles on his nose and golden hair that curls around his ears.

Three guesses who it is.

But no, he scolds himself, he is not here to mope over cute boys he used to date. Or any cute boys at all, for that matter. He’s here to have fun. To make friends. To eat good food. If Remus wants to play strangers, they’ll do just that.

“So,” he says, turning his head sideways. “You’re John, right? John Lupin?”

Maybe, just maybe, someone will explain the whole fake name thing.

And for once, his prayers are answered.

“Well, no,” Remus says, and Sirius searches those beautiful eyes for any trace of the fact that they both know he knows this already. He’s not sure whether to be bitter or hurt or simply sad when he finds none, so he settles for a bit of all three. “Actually, John’s my middle name. My first name’s Remus. But if you’re a literature student with a name like Remus Lupin, the only people who are going to take you seriously are the ones—well, the ones with names like Sirius Black. So I started going by John, and it just sort of stuck.”

“Remus.” Sirius twists his mouth around it, enunciating both syllables carefully, like he’s saying it for the first time. He supposes he is, in a way—after all, by unspoken agreement they seem to be starting over.

“It’s like—do you ever get—do people ever think your name’s just a stage name?

“All the time.” He can’t quite be sure whether or not they’ve had a conversation like this before; it does seem familiar, but most things do these days. Even if they haven’t really discussed this already, they almost certainly have in Sirius’s head. Or something similar to it, anyway.

“It’s like that. People assume it isn’t my real name, so I changed it.”

“Huh.” Tilting his head slightly, Sirius puts on an ‘innocently curious’ air that he knows Remus will be able to see right through. “Anything else I should know about you?

“I turn into a bloodthirsty werewolf on full moons,” Remus says without skipping a beat. It’s impressive, really, how long he holds a completely straight face, and Sirius watches carefully to try and catch even a glimpse of a smile. “All right,” he says when it becomes clear none will appear. “Monsters are people too, I guess.”

And there it is—that wide, oh-so-brilliant grin that still makes his breath catch in his throat. No, he reprimands. No. Absolutely not. You are not going to fall in love with him again. It will only end in pain. Your pain.

That’s right. He’s not in love. He’s not even in crush. He’s just becoming friends with someone he used to date. No biggie. Plenty of people do that, right? James and Regulus broke up almost a year ago, and they still hang out.

Sufficiently reassured, he plows bravely on. “What else? Have you, I dunno, killed anyone?”

“No, but I do have three tattoos.”

Sirius blinks slowly. He can picture one of them—the crossed ski poles on the inside of Remus’s ankle—but he doesn’t think he’s seen the other two. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a pair of ski poles on my foot—I’m from Whistler; practically grew up on the hills—and here, on my wrist—” he pauses, rolling his sleeve up to expose his inner arm “—I’ve got the Illuminati symbol.”

There’s a beat of silence as Sirius waits for the ‘just kidding.’ None comes, however, and apparently none will, because now he can see the small triangle inked there, plain as day.

“I was eighteen, okay?” continues Remus. “And I hadn’t slept in like four days and I might have been slightly drunk. Everyone who has tattoos also has tattoo horror stories, and this is mine. Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging you.” And he’s really not. He knows what it’s like to make bad decisions when one is young and tired—he fights off the flashbacks of a sixteen-year-old James piercing his left ear for him at two in the morning—and hey, at least Remus has learned to laugh about it now. “What’s the third one?”

“The third tattoo?”

“Yeah.”

Pulling up his sleeve even farther, Remus points to a patch of tiny lettering on the inside of his elbow. “It says ‘Leviticus 18:22.’”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a bible verse. You’ve probably heard it before, or some version of it—'thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, ‘tis an abomination.'”

Sirius feels as though his thought process has been unceremoniously dumped into a blender. What? Remus can’t be a homophobe. Remus dated him, for heaven’s sake.

(He’s also right—Sirius has heard that before. As soon as she found out he was queer, his mother pulled a bible out from he’s not sure where and read that verse out to him. It was, like, a whole thing.)

The only thing he can think of to say is ‘what,’ so that's what he says. “What?”

“Don’t worry,” Remus hurries to assure him, “I’m not a bigot or anything. I like guys, too. I just did it for the edge factor, y’know? It’s ironic; it’s supposed to be funny.”

“You have a really weird sense of humour.”

“I know.”

Slowly, Sirius shakes his head in disbelief. “So three tattoos—ski poles, Illuminati, and bible reference?”

“Yep.”

Then he hears, from the end of the table, “And the one on your neck.”

Both Sirius’s and Remus’s gazes dart to Fabian, who has stopped fiddling with the salt shaker and is looking over at them quizzically. “That constellation thing. The one you only got a couple months ago.

Remus does not look like a deer in headlights. He looks like an escaped criminal caught in the flashlight beam of a police detective.

Matters are only made worse—or better, Sirius reasons, depending on how you look at it—when Alice joins in. “Yeah, Moony! That’s the coolest one, if you ask me.”

Remus blushes. It’s only because of the close proximity that Sirius hears his mutter “No one did,” under his breath.

“This fucker here,”Alice says, seemingly oblivious to humiliation radiating from Remus’s corner of the booth, “Came home—we live together, Lily and Remus and Caradoc and me—in… what was it? January? With yet another tattoo, and he wouldn’t tell us why. My guess is that he just walked by and saw the design in the window and decided he liked it. Impulsive one, our Moony.”

Sirius decides that he’s not going to ask where the nickname comes from. He has a sneaking suspicion he doesn’t particularly want to know.

“It’s kind of funny, actually. Took him like a week for us to bully him into letting us see it, and it turns out he’s got the Sirius constellation right there above his collarbone.” She pauses. “Sirius. Huh. I guess Remus just, like, subconsciously decided you two should be friends, even though he hadn’t even met you yet. Maybe he’s psychic or something.”

Even if his life depended on it, nothing in the world could make Sirius look at Remus right now. If he does, something terrible is almost definitely going to happen—one of them will drop dead of a rare kind of heart attack, or Frankie’s will blow up and kill them all before their food gets there, or Sirius will start crying.

A tattoo. A fucking tattoo. It doesn’t make sense to him, no matter the number of times he adds it up in his head, because tattoos are something for people who are forever.

It’s one of those things you just grow up learning—you don’t get tattoos of another person’s name (or the thing they’re named after; potato, potahto) unless you’re absolutely sure, and sure does not mean kissing other people at parties.

Unless, apparently, you are Remus John Lupin.

“Really?” Sirius asks. “Huh. That’s cool. Aren’t neck tattoos supposed to hurt, like, a shitton, though?”

There’s a pregnant pause, like the universe is holding its breath. Finally, Remus smiles tightly and says, just barely loud enough for Sirius to hear, “It was worth it.”

***

If Sirius was held at swordpoint and told to recount what the rest of their conversation entails, he would say ‘stab me.’ All he can say for sure is that whatever discussion is had, it stops as soon as Marlene arrives with the food.

“Two croissants for you, Sir,” she says, placing Remus’s plate in front of him. “And an iced coffee and Greek salad for you, my lady; a banana split for the two utterly charming earls here; a grilled cheese and triple hot fudge sundae for our duchess and one whole grain toasted bagel with cream cheese for her duke, a plain untoasted bagel with cream cheese for the princess with the colourful hair, and one serving of poutine for the absolute queen I see in front of me.”

Sirius is positive Dorcas actually swoons a little at the ‘queen’ comment. Were this a cartoon, her eyes would now be comically large pink hearts.

“Oh, and how could I forget. A BLT and Nanaimo bar for our resident court jester.”

He sticks his tongue out at her. What can he say—he’s immature. And dramatic. The best combination, truly.

Dorcas watches Marlene turn with a smile and walk back to the counter, and, once she’s sure the object of her affections is safely out of earshot, she sighs. “I think I’m in love.”

“She snores,” Sirius tells her, to no avail. “Like a pig.”

“I love pigs.”

“No, Dorc.” Fabian’s eyes are glittering. “You love bacon.”

“You guys are teaming up on me! This is homophobia!”

“I’m literally gay.”

“Fuck off.”

Sirius catches Fabian’s eyes across the table. The ginger waves his ice cream spoon around his ear in a ‘crazy’ motion, and Sirius agrees wholeheartedly. Dorcas is, indeed, crazy.

“You’re crazy, Dorcas.”

“Crazy in love.”

(At this point, he could probably tell the whole story about the tomatoes—acting out the best parts, no less—and it would not change her mind in the slightest.) (That’s a good thing, actually; no one deserves Marlene unless they can accept the tomato story in full.)

Beside him, Remus is already halfway through his first croissant. Some would say he must be hungry, and those people clearly do not know Remus Lupin. He’s not hungry—well, he might be—he just loves chocolate that much. There were times during their relationship that Sirius joked about Remus loving chocolate more than he loved Sirius himself.

Well. He supposes that now, after everything, it’s probably true.

(No! Bad Sirius! No moping!)

His sandwich, he finds, when he takes a bite, isn’t actually that bad. It tastes—well, it tastes like bacon and lettuce and tomato and bread, which it is. It’s quite a good combination, he thinks, and he wishes he’d thought of it first.

Finally, Dorcas motions for Mary to move out of the booth into the aisle. “I’m going for it,” she says, holding her hand up like a microphone. Sirius can’t help but laugh at the announcer voice she uses, and laugh more when she adds, “Wish me luck, my friends.”

“You won’t need it,” Remus assures her through a mouthful of croissant.

“Who cares if I need it? It’s about the principle of the thing.”

“Good luck, Dorcas.”

“Thank you, Lily.”

It would seem fitting, Sirius reasons, if they had popcorn right now. They’re certainly all watching intently, as if it's a movie, the shy way Dorcas and Marlene smile at each other before they start talking too quietly to hear. When Marlene starts twisting her blond hair around her index finger, Remus leans over to him.

“You’ve certainly come on the right day—episode one of ‘Dorcas tries to woo the girl of her dreams.’”

‘You’re too close!’ Sirius screams in his mind. ‘How am I supposed to not fall in love with you when you’re whispering in my ear and your breath is warm on the back of my neck and if I turned my head we would be kissing and—’

“Look, she’s handing her phone over,” he says instead, and Remus moves away to rest his elbows on the table.

“Would you look at that. It seems that Operation: get Dorc a girlfriend has progressed past stage one,” Alice jokes.

Sirius leans forward to look over Frank at her. “What’s stage two?”

“Make sure said girlfriend doesn’t find out about the cactus shrine.”

“...I don’t think I want to know.”

“No, you really don’t.”

But now Dorcas is walking back over to them, and she’s beaming, and she holds out her phone excitedly. “I got her number! She saved her contact in my phone, too—’Marlene; red heart emoji; parrot emoji.’”

The first one to start is Lily, and Remus follows soon after. When Alice, too, brings her hands together, Sirius joins in, and soon they’re all slow clapping. He can’t quite be sure whether this is a sincere slow clap or an ironic one, but, judging by the way Dorcas’s grin only grows wider, he’s going to go with the former.

“Thank you, thank you!” She bows dramatically, and Sirius looks around him at the other smiling faces of booth seven, and he can’t help but think, ‘Oh my god, I have friends.’

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hh-rose · 3 years

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James Potter and the Retelling of the True Story Chapter Four: Happy Days, Happy Times

ao3

masterpost

Listen to the bells and chimes. Sorry, I had to. Anyway, seventh year passed in a flash. We all knew there was a war hanging over our heads, and we wanted to have as much fun as humanly possible. So, we went on double dates to Hogsmede every week. We skipped class. We played pranks. We just had fun.

On our last night at Hogwarts we all snuck into the Room of Requirement. Remus and Sirius were sitting in a large chair, Sirius in Remus's lap. Lily and I were laying on a couch with my head in her lap. Peter was sitting in a chair, ever the fifth wheel.

"Where do you think we're going to be in ten years?" Lily pondered. We all thought about it for a second.

"Well, me and you will be married with a bunch of little tykes running around," I said, smiling up at her. "I'll be a famous auror, and you'll be a potions master."

"Me and Remus will be married in the wizarding world but not in the muggle world because they're all wankers," Sirius said, and Remus kissing him on the cheek.

"Maybe we'll be able to find a spell that can allow one of us to get pregnant or something," Remus said causing Sirius to chuckle but there was a hint of sadness there.

"And hopefully I'll be married with my own kids because I really don't want to just be living vicariously through your families the rest of my life," Peter said, causing us all to laugh.

"I want to have a weekly dinner," Remus stated. "It's not going to be like school. We're not going to see each other every day. Well, we might see each other at work, especially with Order business, but I want to just have one dinner a week when it's just us having fun."

"Alright, every Sunday we can have dinner," Lily said, offering Remus a smile. "We can rotate whose house we do it at every week."

"What? No, I'm not going to have dinner in Wolfstar's sex cave," I said. They both glared at me.

"We told you to stop calling us that."

"You'd be lucky to be invited to our sex cave."

"We're not going to have a sex cave, Sirius," Remus chastised. "We're going to have a very normal, very mundane flat."

"Boing," Sirius responded, but he kissed Remus all the same.

"It's not gonna be that different though, right?" I asked sitting up. I'm going to be honest, I was completely terrified. Lily squeezed my hand.

"It's going to be different, but we'll all be fine," Sirius said in one of his rare moments of being sincere. We shared a look, and I nodded.

"We're gonna make it through just fine," Remus said. "We have each other, and we have the Order."

"We've got this," Lily said, kissing my cheek.

"We're all in this together," Peter said.

I could say that looking back, it's all very funny, but that would be a lie. I don't think I'm quite ready to laugh about being murdered because of one of my best friends and not being able to see my son grow up. It is ironic though that that's what he chose to say. It is also fucking heartbreaking that we were just kids with these dreams of the future and they all got ripped away.

We did stay true to some of those promises though. We had our dinners every Sunday, rotating between our three houses. We did that for two whole years. Then, on one special night, we had a dinner that was just a little bit different.

Now, I'm going to be honest, I'm a total romantic. I wanted more than anything to have the best proposal ever. Instead what happened was Lily and I were sitting on the couch one night, and I looked at her and said "Marry me." She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry. What?"

I got off the couch and knelt in front of her, and I asked again. She started crying, and so did I. She obviously said yes. We immediately flooed over to Remus and Sirius's to tell them. They both cried. Then, we told Peter. He was happy, but he didn't cry.

But, like I was saying, for the first time after two years we didn't have our normal Sunday dinner. That was because it was instead Lily and my wedding. We had the most beautiful wedding. I cried the entire time. As soon as Lily started to walk down the aisle I began to cry. Sirius, my best man, was practically wailing next to me, Remus, Lily's man of honor, was crying with a little more dignity, and Lily, my love, let a few tears fall but didn't blubber.

I'm not really sure how to describe a wedding. We danced and drank and ate. It was a party, you know. Well, our first dance was perfect. We danced to some muggle song called "Close to You." I'm kidding. It wasn't just some muggle song. It was Lily's favorite song, and I learned it all first year because I wanted to impress her (I didn't).

After our dance, the other couples were welcomed to the dance floor. I watched as Sirius dragged a blushing Remus onto the floor. Everyone knew about their relationship at that point. Nobody gave a shit, obviously. "Your Song" by Elton John was playing, and I knew full well that that was their song.

"When is it gonna be your turn?" I asked them as Remus spun Sirius around me and Lily.

"Whenever Remus wants," Sirius announced. "I've wanted to marry him since the moment I saw him."

"I have an idea," Lily whispered in my ear before dragging me off the floor to tell me about it. Did I expect her to shag me? Yeah, I did, but I was just as happy with the actual thing she wanted to tell me.

We left a dancing and laughing Sirius and Remus on the dancefloor when we went to talk about the plan. When we came back, Sirius's head was on Remus's chest, and they were swaying softly. I wanted to curse them for being a cuter couple than the bride and groom, but I didn't even have it in me to be mad about it. Then the speeches began.

"Hello, hi, everyone. I'm Remus Lupin. Well, most of you already knew that," Remus started. Sirius shot an assuring grin at him and Lily squeezed his hand from where she sat at the end of the table.

"When Lily asked me to be her man of honor, I told her that that was a made up thing, and it was completely ridiculous. In reality, I only said that because I was too busy trying to hold back tears because I was so overwhelmed with the fact that she thought of me to be such an important part in her wedding," Remus said, eyes welling up. Then, he chuckled.

"I'm sure most of you thought that me and Lily were the sensible ones who kept the others in line. The truth is, Lily and I are both just as crazy as our other halves on. I'm also sure that it took all of you a long time to figure out how smart Lily Evans could ever end up with our resident wildling, Mr. James Potter."

"Hey!" I interjected. Remus just kept on with a chuckle.

"James Potter might be the biggest prankster that Hogwarts ever saw, but he's also the kindest and most caring person on the planet," Remus said, and I immediately started to cry. I loved Remus so fucking much.

"He was the real mum of the Marauders, more so than Lily or I ever were. These two lovely people are genuinely the best-matched couple I have ever seen. They're both equal parts caring and crazy. They're quite literally soulmates. If you don't believe me, ask their matching patronuses.

"So, let's raise a glass to the best damn couple this wizarding world has ever seen," Remus announced, raising his glass. Everyone cheered. "I love you both to the moon and back."

Lily and I were both trying to keep ourselves together at that speech and that beautiful line at the end. He came over to hug both of us, and I sobbed on the poor bloke.

"I love you so fucking much, Moony," I said into his shoulder. He chuckled, but I felt a tear fall onto my shoulder. He then hugged Sirius whose speech was next. He whispered a don't embarrass me in Sirius's ear causing him to laugh heartily.

"I said I didn't want to follow Remus up because honestly there's no way that I could ever top that," Sirius said with a chuckle. "My better half just stood in front of you lot and gave the most heartfelt speech I have ever heard in my entire life. I'm not going to stand here and cry though, even if that does shock you. No, instead, I want to take this opportunity to embarrass the fuck out of my best mate."

"Oh, Merlin," I whispered, putting my head in my hand. Lily squeezed my thigh with an evil grin.

"James first saw Lily when we all got sorted into Gryffindor on the first day of school. Lily first saw James when the poor girl sat down at the table across from us, which caused James to choke on his water and spit it all over the table. A brilliant first impression in my opinion," Sirius stated, causing everyone to laugh. "That night as we all went to sleep, James whispered 'I'm going to marry Lily Evans one day.'"

"Cute, no?" Sirius asked. "Well, I'll tell you what wasn't cute. Having to hear about Lily every single second of every single day for the next six years. I mean, I love you, Lils, but I was ready to kill your husband, I swear. Not only did he talk about her constantly, but at least once a week, he would ask her out and get rejected. The man could not take a hint."

"He was persistent, I'll give him that. That doesn't make it any less embarrassing," Sirius said. Lily laughed and kissed me on the cheek. "Now, Miss Lily, don't think you're getting away with anything here."

"Black," she warned. Sirius's eyes sparkled.

"During our fifth year, Remus, Peter, and James all got detention for doing their only prank that I wasn't involved in. That left me and Lily alone together," Sirius explained. Remus and I looked at each other in shock. We had never heard about this before. "Some firewhiskey was drunk, and some secrets were spilled. At one point, Lily looked me in the eyes and said 'I'm going to marry James one day.'"

"She what?" I asked, completely stunned. Sirius barked a laugh, and Lily turned a deep shade of red.

"Clearly, these two lovebirds are completely meant to be," Sirius stated. "Their love was written in the stars. So, let's raise a glass to these proper soulmates. I love you loads."

"Before we all get sappy and hug Black and get back to this party, we have something to say," Lily said, pulling me up to stand in front of everyone with her and sitting Sirius down. "Sirius very carefully left out the part about that night in fifth year when he said 'I'm so bloody gone for Remus John Lupin, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.'"

Remus blushed, and Sirius just kissed him on the cheek. I smiled and said, "They both just stood in front of you and said how perfect we were for each other, but Remus and Sirius are just as made for each other as me and Lily are."

"They've been talking about getting married for a long time, and it's honestly codswallop that they're not already together. So, we have a little surprise if you're interested," Lily explained. Remus and Sirius were both ridiculously confused. "We know you can't get married in the muggle world so there's no need for a marriage license, and we do still have an ordained minister here."

"Merlin," Remus said, his eyes going wide.

"We would like to extend this ceremony to include another betrothal if you're interested," I said. The look on Sirius's face was the best thing I had ever seen. "What do you say?"

"Rem," Sirius whispered. Remus was looking at me and Lily, shaking his head fondly. He looked over and Sirius with this huge smile.

"I want to marry the pants off of you," Remus stated, causing Sirius to laugh and snog the living crap out of him.

"I want to marry the pants off of you," Sirius stated. And, that was exactly what they did.

"James," Remus said, while Sirius and Lily were talking after the ceremony. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do that."

"Of course, I did," I said plainly. "You're my best mates, my brothers. I want you to be happy."

"We're going to be very happy," Remus replied, looking absolutely lovestruck as he looked across the room at Sirius.

A double wedding, how insanely beautiful. Now, the happy times are not over just yet, but let me just say something. If my four best friends had a double wedding and didn't include me, I would probably also have them killed.

#James Potter #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #Lily Evans #Harry Potter #peter pettigrew #Marauders #wolfstar #jily

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marlmckitten · 6 years

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Blackstar Coffee Co Chapter 2: A Tip

A/N: I cannot believe the amount of kind comments and excitement I got over my first chapter. So here it is, chapter two. Is it going to be a slow burn? Maybe. Do I have the patience for it? Probably not but we will see. I am excited to introduce James in the next chapter. And eventually have some Jily on the sidelines. And for any of you who like long chapters, I’m sorry but I like them short.

And even more importantly, again all based off my experience as a barista. You two working a 1-9 only to work a 5-12 the next morning and not be grumpy. Thank your baristas. Give them tips, be kind to them.

Tag list: @thelaziestgeek @marlenemarauders @prongsmischief @padsmcfoot @jily-swan-hinny1 (If you wish to be added just let me know. Also technically only the first one here asked the rest I just read your comments and appreciated them. I won’t tag you next time unless you want me to, because I don’t want to annoy you.)

Marlene was honestly shocked that she did not receive a phone call the following day requesting for her not to go into work. Her and Lily were sitting at home watching movies together until it was time for her shift to start. Assuming she no longer had a job, Marlene did not bother getting ready for work at all. Lily had a week off before she started her new paid internship with a marketing company and so the friends decided to take a day to themselves before Marlene started looking for new jobs again. She had a quick temper but she was charming enough when she needed to be that it was never too hard for her to find work. (Once again Lily suggested Marlene try to find something more fulfilling to do with her life, but Marlene brushed her off, claiming to be too young to think so seriously.)

1:00 hit and Marlene’s cell phone went off. She recognized the number of her store and she rolled her eyes, made a face to Lily and answered it.

“Where are you?” Her supervisors voice rang out. “Your shift started right now and we have breaks to run!”

Marlene’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?! Marlene McKinnon get your ass to work, no excuses.”

“But- you actually want me there?” The blonde tilted her head and shrugged when Lily mouthed something to her.

There was no humour in her supervisors voice. “What’s that suppose to mean? I swear to God Marlene, you shift stared at 1:00. And this phone call has wasted two minutes. If you’re not here in the next ten, then you have no job to come back to!”

Both girls starred dumbfounded at the phone once the line cut off for thirty seconds. Then Lily suddenly yanked the blanket off of Marlene, “Get up, go! It takes fifteen to get there so you better make a miracle happen, Mar!”

Marlene stumbled off the couch, ran into her room and found the first black t-shirt and pants she could find on the floor. She pulled them over her pyjama shorts and ran out. “Bring my my stuff later!” The girl demanded of Lily as the door swung shut behind her.

Without a bra on, she held onto her chest as she ran record speed down the street. She got to Blackstar Coffee with one minute to spare, took a pen, spun her hair around it so it was up and out of the way, before throwing an apron around her neck and stepping behind the bar. Her chest heaving she smiled broadly at her supervisor. “Made it.”

“Twelve minutes late. That’s still a write-up Marlene. Don’t be late again.”

Still trying to catch her breath, the girl nodded and washed her hands before starting on a coffee order ahead of her.

The rest of the day slowly improved. Lily dropped off a bag for her that had her keys, something to eat, her purse cell phone and even a bra. They chatted for a few minutes and Marlene thanked her about a hundred times while the supervisor asked why Lily couldn’t stay with them and Marlene quit instead. Marlene laughed dryly at her joke and the supervisor let her for on a fifteen minute break so she change properly. Catching her reflection in the mirror, Marlene saw that she really was a complete mess. She took her clothes off so she could finally take off her pyjama shorts and put on the proper bra and underwear Lily brought her. Being able to take a few minutes to get redressed, run her fingers through her hair and pull it back into a much tidier ponytail, the blonde felt better and managed to return to the floor presentable and in a significantly improved mood.

You forgot my eyeliner! Marlene texted Lily once the supervisor made her exit for the day.

You’re welcome for saving your ass at all, ungrateful twat. Don’t get fired!

Marlene laughed and tucked her phone into her back pocket, deciding to focus on her job and the customers so she wouldn’t let Lily down. The entire shift passed with Marlene wondering why she didn’t get in trouble though. She almost felt like she was waiting for something to happen but nothing did and it was as if the night prior was just a dream.

The following day she got to work on time. She worked her shift for a full 8 hours without being rude to a single customer and had never been more proud of herself. It was the day after that when she was scheduled for an opening shift that Marlene got back to her grumpy self. It was 5:00am when her shift began. At 5:30 the doors opened and she shuffled to the till. It was too early for her to bother with makeup, brushing her hair or even keeping her eyes open. “What the hell sort of torture is this hour of the day anyway?” She blandly asked her coworker.

“Welcome to mornings, Marlene. They’re not that bad. Mind if I pop in the back to organize the milk fridges?”

“You want to do more work? You should get your brain checked.” Marlene retorted but the girl was already around the corner on her way to do whatever tasks she decided on. The grouchy blonde leaned her head against the till, dishevelled hair in her face and she could have fallen asleep right there.

“Ahem.” A voice interrupted her attempted nap.

Her head snapped up. “Hi, coffee. You want?” She rubbed her eyes and when her hand came down standing in front of her was the easily recognizable attractive but overconfident Sirius Black. Her posture straightened and she attempted a smile. “Welcome to Blackstar Coffee Mr Black, what can I get you today?”

“Drop the act, you were cuter falling asleep at the till.”

She groaned, “Can you just fire me already, Black? I fucked up and I want to go home.”

“Fire you? Why would I do that? I’m not your manager.”

Marlene’s face fell, “Don’t act all modest, you could and you were going to. Or do you like torturing innocent girls?”

He had the audacity to laugh at her. “No offence but you don’t strike me as the innocent type. I just wanted a coffee today, can you do that without yelling this time?”

“No.” She replied argumentatively.

“I’ll tip you?”

“Then maybe.” Spinning around, she went to grab the coffee. Her eyes looked between the medium and dark roast and her head hung, “Can I chose for you, so you don’t piss me off again?”

“Only if you smile.”

She wanted to gag. But instead she poured his coffee and turned, the fakest smile she could muster on her lips. “Goodbye Mr Black.”

“Actually I prefer Sirius.”

“And I prefer sleep, but your family likes to pay us minimum wage to be up first thing in the morning. Where’s my tip?”

A cocky grin took over Sirius’ features. He grabbed a pen from behind the counter and took a card out of his pocket. He scribbled something on it and handed it to her. “Just for you.” And turned to leave. Marlene looked down and scoffed at his little joke. It was his business card, but handwritten on the back was a phone number. What sort of game was he playing at anyway?

#Blackinnon #just another coffee shop au #marlmckitten #blackstar coffee co #Sirius Black #Lily Evans #Marlene McKinnon #James Potter #marauders #Jily #(eventually)#tag tag tag #fanfiction #au

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padfootdidit · 7 years

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okay rhiannon i can't choose one so here and you can choose which inspires you c: 20, 49, 51, 54, 58 & 60

‘marble hearts collide’

#58 “I was going to kiss him, but then my friend texted me about going to Taco Bell, and, well, there’s this cashier that works there who is way cuter, so I bailed on the rest of the date.”

Thank you Grace! I chose this one because I had an idea for it as soon as I read it and so… that’s what this is I might make this a thing ?? like a series

modern + muggle au

“I was going to kiss him, but then Gemma texted me about going to Taco Bell, and, well, there’s this cashier that works there who is way cuter, so I bailed on the rest of the date.” Lily’s telling him this, aware that she sounds loopy, and she can’t help the blush on her cheeks but she’s also had a few glasses of wine, a few really meaning five, and really, it needs to be said. “So, anyway, I’m standing in front of this cashier guy and he really, really is cute. Like, textbook, chick flick, cute. Probably has a good shot at a career on Instagram. And he asks me what I want. And you know what I don’t want?” She pauses, doesn’t give him time to answer, takes another sip of the drink in her hand, drink meaning gin and tonic, and continues, “Him! I don’t want him! So, now I’ve bailed on my date to ask another guy out on a date and I go to ask this guy and I realise I don’t want to go on a date with him! He has to use a calculator to work out my change. I only paid with a fiver!” She throws her hands up and almost sends her glass flying and Sirius takes that as his cue to intervene.

“Hey, Evans,” he says, stilling her hand, “breathing is a vital part of staying alive.”

She looks at him with wide eyes, wide eyes meaning eyes that can’t focus on one thing. “I’m breathing.”

“Good to know.” He slips her legs off his lap and stands, cracking his neck, before snatching her glass from her hand. He downs it before she can protest and just grins at her pout. “Everything in moderation.”

“Including sobriety.” Surprisingly, drink never seems to hinder Lily’s vocabulary. It just makes her sound like a character out of an American coming-of-age film.

“So the date was bad then?” Sirius asks, placing her empty glass on the drink tray and opening a new bottle of scotch. He only pours one glass and her pout spreads to her eyes.

“He said his favourite film was Fight Club,” Lily winces just thinking about it.

“Yet, you were still going to kiss him?”

He rejoins her on the sofa as she shrugs. “He had a nice jaw.”

“A perfectly acceptable excuse to kiss someone.” Sirius raises his glass in a faux toast, “I still don’t understand how you ended up here, though.”

Lily rolls her eyes dramatically, as if that in itself is a journey which needs a film trilogy to explain it. “Well,” she lifts her legs back onto Sirius’ lap, “he gave me my change and I asked him if he knew what my name was. And he didn’t! The cheek! I’m a regular in there, at least when Mary’s in town which is like, 80% of the year. So, I’m standing in front of him, thinking that I was about to ask him out and he doesn’t even know my name! And then I ask how old he is and, get this,” she raises her eyebrows to emphasise her words, “he’s seventeen.”

“You naughty, naughty cougar,” Sirius smirks, shaking his head.

“I know! So, now, on top of him not knowing me, I’m basically like, breaking the law just by looking at him, and I’m sorry, but what seventeen year old can have a 5 o’clock shadow? None of you four managed it!” It’s a sore point and Sirius punishes her by pushing her legs off. “Anyway, so I just run. Mary is pissed because she hadn’t finished her taco, and so I tell her to just go back because I need to talk to you. So I get on the tube, walk like, the billion miles to your house, and here I am.”

“You left out the part where you threw your heel at my window to wake me up,” Sirius says.

“This isn’t Verona, there aren’t just convenient pebbles lying around,” Lily says this as if he should have thought of this immediately.

Considering he pays a guy to clean his driveway, he probably should have considered there wouldn’t be any pebbles for her to throw. “Well, you’ve certainly had an eventful evening. I’m guessing you want to sleep here?”

“I’m guessing you haven’t changed your silk sheets for cotton?”

“Never,” he says.

“Then yes please.” She accepts his helping hand up, and obediently follows him to the guest room. As always there’s a robe, matching the one Sirius is wearing except for his monogrammed initials, hanging up, two mints on the pillows, and a fire going. “God, I love you.”

“You love my money.”

“And your hair,” she goes up on her tippy toes and pecks him on the cheek. Sirius leans in the doorway, casually elegant, and somehow beautiful despite the fact that she woke him up at two am, and watches her as she gets ready for bed. They’ve been friends for years and, as a result, she has no qualms about slipping out of her dress in front of him. As she disappears into the en suite, knowing there will be make up wipes and face wash ready for her, he swirls the scotch around his glass.

Then, nonchalantly, “You know Potter is coming home tomorrow?”

In the en suite, something falls into the sink. “No! I thought he wasn’t due back until, like August.”

“No, tomorrow.” Sirius takes a swig, waiting to see if she says anything. Nothing. “I did tell you recently.”

“Must have slipped my mind.” Lily’s voice sounds oddly high pitched. Sirius can imagine her dragging out the task of removing her make up, not wanting to face him. Not wanting to face him meaning not wanting to admit the truth.

“He put it in his Easter newsletter,” still, Sirius sounds completely nonchalant, casual as a wolf with its mouth around a rabbit.

“I don’t read those,” Lily says, “they’re each as long as Ulysses.”

Sirius makes a considerate noise. “Well, I’m sure you won’t see him anyway. You’ve got such a busy schedule, you’ll probably have to leave early before he gets here.”

“Oh, no, I’ve got tomorrow off. They’re renovating.”

“Just for a day?”

Lily hums in agreement, just loud enough for him to hear, “Yup.”

In an attempt to lure her out, Sirius doesn’t reply. Just waits. And, as expected, it works because, a few minutes later, Lily leaves the en suite, some stubborn eyeliner still left around her eyes. She walks proudly, in only her bra and knickers, to the bed and climbs in between the silk sheets, burrowing down until only her eyes are visible.

“So, still in denial?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She says it as if she knows exactly what she’s talking about. Which she does. He’s talking about how she always manages to be around whenever James is due to arrive back from his latest trip. He’s talking about how she knows everything about James, from his shoe size to his least favourite restaurant in China Town, to his mum’s middle name, to where he wants to be buried, to the number of moles on his back, to his favourite Fast and Furious film. He’s talking about how both she and James have known each other as long as Lily has known Sirius and never once kissed, not even on the cheek. He’s talking about their shared aversion to sitting next to each other at the dinner table, even though they spend the rest of the meal talking to no one else but the other.

It’s infuriating. For him, for every single one of their shared friends, to anyone who spends more than two minutes in the same room with them. It’s so obvious, it bites the air, strains against whatever leash they’ve put it on, shouts to be heard. Yet, they both ignore it.

Ten years ago, Sirius had hated the fact that his best friend had fallen for someone. Now, he hated the fact that his best friend refused to admit he’d fallen for someone. They were 26 for fuck’s sake. For Sirius, who knew he was never going to marry and had no interest in any of that bollocks, this was okay. But, for them, who should stop wasting time and get on with it before they were 78 and still looking at each other from across the room, it wasn’t. It was time for them to break the leash and stop wasting time.

Sirius finishes the scotch. “If you say so.”

The wine and the G&T have worn off, and it’s obvious in her voice, as she says goodnight, “Sleep well Black, I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”

“No you won’t,”

“No I won’t.”

“Goodnight, Evans,” he blows her a kiss from the doorway and then switches the light off, closing the door softly behind him. Once in the hallway, he pauses for a moment and shakes his head. Then, he walks up the stairs to his own bedroom and goes back to sleep, making a mental note to call someone about the heel-shaped crack in his window.

#prongsno #jily #rhiannonwritesdrabbles #sirius black #au jily #ot3 hair arse and legs #hiddenpolkadots #alrightpotter #theodoornott #pocketpadfoot #jiilys #braveremus #yes Sirius lives with James in a big mansion #and has monogrammed robes #and silk bed sheets #and a chaise #he's Extra #rhiannon replies #brotp starbucks

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