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moonlit-han · 5 years ago

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my favorite flower ↠ han jisung

(gif by @han-jisung)

genre: fluff, florist!Jisung x barista!reader word count: 2k warnings: none request: Sort of? Enjoy, Sara! a/n: credit to @junhuisflower for the idea for this fic~

✧ masterlist & tag list info in bio✧

*✧･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Jisung was having a dreadful day.

The florist where he worked was overrun with people buying their significant others flowers for Valentine’s Day, even though it was still a week away, and they all insisted on their bouquets being impeccably arranged and be-ribboned. Those who bought the little trinkets the store offered, in addition to the large array of flowers, wanted them wrapped nicely—with a gift receipt included, please, if it’s not too much trouble. It was also rainy and cold, which meant customers kept tracking water and mud into the shop, making the floor ever so slightly slippery. He’d already dealt with one child slipping and the subsequent meltdown, and really didn’t want to go through that again. And, to cap it all off, he had a headache, which had started around 2 pm and would not go away.

Since a holiday was fast approaching, Jisung was working later than usual and had a break before the evening rush. He decided that what he needed was coffee and lots of it, preferably with several shots of espresso to keep him awake and to quell the pounding in his head. So, he threw on his coat and scarf, kicking himself for not remembering a hat nor an umbrella, and headed across the street.

As soon as Jisung entered the small, cozy cafe, he relaxed. The sharp smell of coffee and the sweetness of baked goods mingled tantalizingly before his nose, and a lazy smile spread across his face without him even realizing it. He joined the mercifully short line to the counter, thinking that he could really go for something simple, as long as there was plenty of caffeine in it. Preoccupied with his phone, Jisung didn’t notice he was at the beginning of the line.

“Hi, what can I get for you this evening?” a light voice asked. After a pause it said again, “Hello?”

Jisung’s head shot up, looking a bit sheepish, and he blinked. A beautiful young woman stood in front of him, head cocked to the side and waiting to take his drink order. Suddenly, his day had gotten a lot better.

“I- Sorry. Um, could I have a medium latte with an extra shot of espresso, please?” Jisung said, trying his best to seem casual when, in reality, he was practically shaking.

“Sure, that’ll be ready in a few minutes at the counter to the right,” you said as Jisung paid and went to stand to the side.

He knew it would be rude to stare, but he couldn’t help it. Jisung was instantly drawn to you without prompting nor reason. You were the prettiest person he’d ever seen, and he was friends with Hyunjin, whose delicate features usually drew the attention of every person in a room. Maybe it was your smile and the way your eyes sparkled. Maybe it was the way the loose strands of hair fell around your face. Or maybe it was just the mellifluousness of your voice. He could barely think. Oh no, he really needed to keep it together since he was in public.

Jisung went to the counter to retrieve his coffee once it was ready, and tried not to yelp as his hand brushed yours. He scurried out of the cafe as quickly as possible, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore than he already had.

The next morning, Jisung returned to the little cafe across from the florist. He went back the day after that, and the next, and even the next day after that. Without fail, he was there at 8:30 am to get his latte and sometimes a bun. He never stayed long, since he had the shop to open, but it was nice to have this new routine. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t gone there before. By the fifth morning of him going to the cafe, you knew his order and even had the coffee almost ready.

“Morning!” you said brightly, “Same as usual?”

“Yeah, and a bun, too, please. Any flavor is fine!”

“Sure thing! Also, what’s your name? You come in here all the time and I can’t believe I’m just now asking,” you wondered.

“Oh!” Jisung was surprised you’d even ask. He was just a customer, no one special, right? “My name’s Jisung. Han Jisung. You’re Y/N, right? I noticed your name tag and all.” He stopped before he could say more, not wanting to admit that he’d noted your name the first day he saw you and committed it to memory.

“Yep, I’m Y/N,” you said, “And you have a lovely name. It sounds like the wind blowing through willow leaves. I like it.”

Jisung blushed, not used to compliments, especially from a pretty girl on whom he had such a crush. “Th-thank you. I like your name, too.”

You finished swirling steamed and frothed milk, espresso, and caramel together as Jisung squirmed on the other side of the counter.

“So, you work at the florist, right?” you said. “Has it been as busy over there as in here? I feel like I’ve seen at least twenty couples of high schoolers going on awkward coffee dates just in the past week.”

“Oh my god, it’s been crazy. Everyone wants special flowers and we only have so many because, wow, it’s the middle of winter. People just don’t seem to get that flowers have to grow and that takes time. The rain hasn’t been helping moods, either. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear the rants of a frustrated florist.” Yet again, Jisung’s mouth had tried to run away of its own accord. “Those high schoolers must be annoying, though—I can’t imagine having to deal with them. At least my customers are mainly adults.”

You laughed, and Jisung thought he’d never heard anything so free and beautiful. “It sounds like a busy week for you, too! Yeah, they’ve been a bit . . . loud? Constantly here?” You handed Jisung his coffee and one of the special currant buns the owner of the cafe had made just that morning. “Here you go, Jisung!”

“Thanks, Y/N. Good luck with the high schoolers.” Jisung took a sip of the coffee. “Oooh, caramel! Thanks!” he said, appreciatively, meeting your eyes and praying that you wouldn’t notice him blushing while he paid.

“Well, at least they have dates for Valentine’s Day,” you said, looking directly at Jisung. “Good luck with the last minute flower orders. See you tomorrow, then!”

Jisung smiled in response and made his way to the door. Had you been trying to hint at something? It was the day before Valentine’s Day, after all.

Throughout the day, Jisung couldn’t stop thinking about you. How, despite only seeing you six times in his entire life, did he manage to have such a big crush on you? How?! As he helped customer after customer who wanted roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and every other fancy flower they could find, Jisung wondered which flowers would suit you best. Certainly something happy and carefree, yet strong and beautiful. You weren’t one for opulence—he could guess that much. Maybe sunflowers or tulips would do.

During his lunch break, Jisung went into the refrigerated room that held the flowers waiting to be brought out into the shop proper. He wanted to make you a bouquet, and it needed to be perfect. Jisung walked up and down the row of flowers in buckets, trying to find complementary blooms for one large sunflower and four deep crimson tulips. Every so often, he’d stop and bring a flower to his nose or hold it next to the sunflower and tulips. He finally choose a few fern fronds, and sprigs of baby’s-breath and feverfew. The white and green would set off the deep yellow and red nicely. The bouquet almost seemed to smile at him, the colors were so warm and bright. Just like you.

Jisung set the flowers down on his station, arranged them to his satisfaction, and carefully wrapped protective paper around the bouquet. He even tied a deep red ribbon around the paper to better highlight the tulips. Pleased with his work, he continued his break and the rest of the afternoon with a light heart. When it came time for him to leave that evening, Jisung gathered his things and the bouquet, and steeled himself. If he didn’t do this now, he guessed he’d never be able to bring himself to do it again.

Jisung stepped into the cafe, hiding the bouquet behind his back. You looked up from the book you were reading, since, somehow, there was a lull in the steady stream of customers you’d had all afternoon. The smile on your face when you noticed it was him gave Jisung the extra courage to walk up to the counter.

“Jisung!” you exclaimed. “You’re back! What’s up?”

“Um, well, I wanted to give you these,” Jisung said, only a little nervously. He handed you the bouquet, hoping you’d like it. “You’re really pretty, Y/N. And, you said you didn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, so I thought I’d see if you wanted to go on a date with me! I understand if you don’t, since we’ve only seen each other a handful of times, but it’s always nice to have company, right?” Jisung finished, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“Thank you!” you said earnestly. “H-how did you know these are my favorite flowers?”

“I guessed?” Jisung’s blush became more pronounced and he glanced away before meeting your eyes again. “You’re my favorite flower, and you’re always so cheerful—but also steady and strong—so I thought sunflowers and tulips would be perfect. I hope that wasn’t too forward . . ..”

“Jisung, this is perfect,” you said, beaming at the young man in front of you. “I’d love to go on a date with you! You’re always so sweet and, uh, you’re pretty cute, too.”

The look on Jisung’s face should have been distilled for future use as a remedy against sadness, he was so happy. “Really? You’ll go out with me?” he asked, still not quite believing it.

“Of course—how could I resist being courted with flowers? Oh! We should go ice skating!”

The next evening, Valentine’s Day, Jisung met you at the outdoor ice rink. You’d brought hot tea—you had enough of coffee at work—to fend off the chill. He was glad to have a chance to just stand with you in comfortable silence as you watched the other skaters. You were easy to be with, and didn’t feel the need to talk all the time, which immediately endeared you to Jisung even more. When the two of you did speak, it was all the more meaningful because you shared what you really cared about: books, music production, the cutest small animals you could think of, etc.

Jisung hadn’t been skating in years, so he laid himself at your mercy to help him stay upright on the ice. It also gave him the excuse to hold your hand for long stretches, but you didn’t seem to mind either. It wasn’t long until he got his feet back under him and was skating smoothly.

As the two of you skated around the ice rink, the snow started to fall gently as other couples laughed and spun around you. You looked up at Jisung. He had his head tilted up to the sky, much like a sunflower, and was catching snowflakes on his cheeks and eyelashes. He had a blissful smile on his face and paid no mind to the strands of blond hair falling into his eyes.

“Jisung?” you said.

“Hmmm?”

“If I’m your favorite flower,” you mused, “then you’re my sunshine, right?”

Jisung’s eyes flew open and he skidded his skates so the two of you stopped. “Yes, of course,” he murmured as he wrapped you in a tight hug, and, surprised as you were, you hugged him just as tightly. When Jisung drew back slightly and looked at you, a gentle smile touching his eyes, you leaned up and kissed him. It was just a light touch on the lips, but it felt as warm and sparkling as the first truly warm day in spring when the sun breaks through clouds to dispel any lingering tendrils of frost or cold wind. Everything just seemed so right with Jisung—you couldn’t explain it but the feeling was lovely and you wanted it to stay. After all, a sunflower needed the sun to grow and the sun needed things on which to shine.

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almostafantasia · 7 years ago

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more than a name

wayhaught hogwarts au | chapter 9/?

Being an Earp at Hogwarts is tough. Being the youngest Earp and constantly living in the shadows of two older sisters is nothing short of a nightmare.

Willa, newly appointed Head Girl and Slytherin’s sweetheart. Wynonna, the notorious troublemaker who spends more time in detention than out of it. And then there’s Waverly, whose life crumbles into tiny pieces when she doesn’t get awarded the Prefect badge that she spent her first four years at Hogwarts striving towards.

Enter Nicole Haught – Hufflepuff, Muggleborn, and general bundle of sunshine – whose unexpected but not entirely unwelcome arrival into Waverly’s life puts Waverly on the path to discover who she is in more ways than one.

Read on AO3.

“Are you excited?” asks Nicole, as they walk arm in arm down the winding path from the castle to the little village of Hogsmeade.

It’s Valentine’s Day – their first Valentine’s Day as a couple – but also the first time that there has been a Hogsmeade visit since they became girlfriends. And so, despite the amount of time they’ve spent together in the last month, this technically makes today their first date. Nicole did it properly, asking Waverly if she would like to accompany her to the village for a date, as if Waverly wasn’t already planning to spend the entire day with Nicole anyway.

And now here they are, following the crowds of students down to the local village, and though Waverly’s heart is warm with the prospect of spending an entire day in the company of her girlfriend, she also feels the flutter of nerves deep within her gut.

“Yes,” answers Waverly, before she adds, “and a little bit nervous, actually.”

“Really?” queries Nicole.

“Well, this is our first proper date, isn’t it?” explains Waverly. “It’s only natural to be a little nervous.”

Nicole lets out a long groan, raising the palm of one hand to her forehead as she exhales, “Shit, you’re right. What if we realise that we’re not compatible after all?”

Waverly has a brief moment of panic, barely half a second where she thinks that Nicole’s words are serious and that Nicole is doubting whether their relationship can survive the strain of going out on an actual date, but then Nicole’s face cracks open into a huge grin.

Slapping Nicole’s arm playfully, Waverly rolls her eyes and teases, “If you carry on like that, there won’t be a date.”

“So what do you want to do today?”

Waverly shrugs her shoulders, and then answers, “I don’t mind. We could spend the day repotting Mandrakes and I’d still enjoy it if I was doing it with you.”

“Great,” says Nicole, tightening the arm that is looped through Waverly’s as she leans a bit closer and says, “because I thought we’d start the day off with a little visit to Madam Puddifoot’s Teashop and then…”

Waverly stops in her tracks, unhooking her arm from Nicole’s and placing both hands on her hips in an attempt to look fearsome, a look which is probably completely offset by the thick cloak and scarf she’s bundled in, as well as the knitted bobble hat pulled down low enough to keep her ears warm against the icy February wind.

“What have I told you about winding me up?” she pretends to scold Nicole.

“I’m sorry, baby,” says Nicole, wrapping one of her arms around Waverly’s back as she attempts to steer Waverly back towards the village, “but it’s not my fault that you’re so cute when you pout.”

“You’re lucky that you’re so pretty,” Waverly mutters playfully.

“Just to check, Madam Puddifoot’s is a no?”

Waverly shudders at the thought of having to visit Hogsmeade’s vile little teashop. She’s been there once before – Champ thought it would be cute to take her there for their first date, probably thinking that the baby pink décor and the frills and bows that decorated everything inside it would be Waverly’s perfect idea of romance – and she was appalled her surroundings.

“A definite no. I don’t know how that place is still in business.”

“Straight people,” Nicole offers up as an explanation, and Waverly grins like it’s an inside joke that only they understand. “I know it’ll be packed, but how about we start off at Honeydukes?”

“So that I’ll be able to taste sugar mice on your lips every time I kiss you for the rest of the day?” asks Waverly. She looks at Nicole, as if the answer is obvious – which, Waverly thinks, it is – before she replies, “Um, yes please!”

After a visit to Honeydukes, where Nicole insists on being the one to pay for the paper bags full of sweets that are now nestled in the pockets of Waverly’s thick cloak, they step back outside onto the cobbled street. Waverly’s breath hits the cold air in a billowing cloud of condensation and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, rubbing her mitten-covered hands together as she tries to warm up against the sudden drop in temperature.

“Come here,” says Nicole, wrapping both arms around Waverly and pulling her in close, wrapping some of the extra fabric of her cloak around Waverly too as an extra barrier against the cold. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“My hero,” grins Waverly.

“Where to?” asks Nicole. “I bet the Three Broomsticks is warm. How about a Butterbeer? On me, of course.”

“Nicole, you’ve already bought enough sweets to rot all my teeth,” whines Waverly. “You can’t pay for my drink too.”

“Yes I can,” counters Nicole. “I asked you out, it’s only fair that I pay for the date too.”

“You know that I would be spending today with you whether you’d asked me to come with you or not?” sighs Waverly, as she looks up at Nicole and raises one of her eyebrows. “It’s not like you need to impress me by paying for everything. I’m already your girlfriend.”

“And I am so incredibly grateful for that,” says Nicole, brushing her lips against Waverly’s forehead. “I’m not doing it to impress you, I’m doing it to treat you. To thank you for putting up with me for a month and to promise you that I’m going to take care of you for as long as you’ll let me.” When Waverly opens her mouth to object, Nicole is quick to continue, “And yes, I know that you don’t need somebody to care for you, but I like being here for you, you know, just in case you ever do.”

Waverly pouts, though her heart contradicts her brain by swelling with affection with the knowledge that Nicole wants to be the one to look out for her.

“You can pay for one drink,” she tells Nicole. “If we stay for a second then I’m buying my own.”

Nicole’s face cracks into a huge grin.

“Deal.”

Nicole’s hand seeks out Waverly’s and her fingers slip between Waverly’s easily, knotting together as she leads the way across the cobbled street to the Three Broomsticks.

“So have you thought anymore about the Astronomy Club?” Nicole asks, dropping Waverly’s hand when they step inside so that she can unravel her scarf from around her neck as they cross the crowded pub and wait to be served at the bar.

“I’m sort of waiting to see what Willa says when you ask her about it at the Prefect’s meeting tomorrow night,” answers Waverly.

“Jeremy and I have worked out what we’re going to say to her,” Nicole tells her. “We think we can get the support of at least one or two more Prefects. If you like we can go over it with you tomorrow before the meeting?” Turning her attention to the barmaid, Nicole says, “Hi, two butterbeers, please.”

“I’d like that,” nods Waverly. “Though to be completely honest, I don’t think Willa is going to back down now.”

There’s a pause in the conversation as the barmaid slides two frothing tankards of butterbeer across the wooden bar top, while Nicole counts out the correct change and pays for their drinks. With her drink in her hand, Waverly leads the way over towards an empty table by the window.

“So we need to go over Willa’s head, then,” says Nicole, sitting down opposite Waverly and taking a sip from her drink.

Waverly nods in agreement, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand to get rid of the froth that has collected on her upper lip from her own drink, and then says, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. I was going to try Professor Nedley. He’s my Head of House and I spend a week of every summer at Chrissy’s house so I’m more than just another student to him. I think he’ll be willing to listen.”

“And you’re basically top of his class,” grins Nicole. “He won’t be able to say no to you.”

“Let’s just hope that he has the power to help us.”

The door to the Three Broomsticks swings open, letting in an icy gust of wind that Waverly isn’t prepared for. With it, enters a familiar figure, her dark mane unruly from the wintery weather,

Wynonna’s eyes scan the pub as she shakes the snow off her boots, and they light up when they land on the table in the corner where Waverly and Nicole sit huddled over their tankards of butterbeer.

“This is cute,” Wynonna says as she approaches them, removing first her fingerless gloves, then the red and gold scarf from around her neck. Oblivious to the date that she’s interrupting, Wynonna drags an empty stool over from a nearby table and sits herself down at their table. “Girls day out. No boys allowed, am I right?”

Wynonna grins at them with a twinkle in her eye like she’s in on some big secret, though Waverly can’t help but internally laugh at the irony that Wynonna couldn’t be further out of circle.

“You could say that,” Nicole mutters under her breath.

“Mind if I join you?” asks Wynonna, though the fact that she has already taken up a seat at their table indicates that she clearly isn’t expecting them to say no.

“Wynonna…” Waverly starts to whine, disheartened that her special day of having Nicole all to herself has been interrupted.

“I get it, babygirl,” says Wynonna, holding her hands up in concession.

“I really don’t think that you do,” Waverly mumbles, earning a little snigger from Nicole beside her.

“You don’t want your big sister cramping your style,” continues Wynonna, having either not heard Waverly’s soft interjection or chosen to ignore it completely. “But let me remind you that Nicole is just as much my friend as she is yours.” Wynonna gives Waverly a knowing look, while beside her, Nicole is struggling to keep a straight face. Pushing back her stool with a scrap of its wooden legs against the flagged stone floor, Wynonna says, “I’m going to get a drink, I’ll be back in a sec.”

Waverly manages to keep herself together for long enough to let Wynonna get out of earshot, before she lets her head fall into her hands as she groans out, “We have to tell her.”

“Are you sure?” asks Nicole, reaching out to rest a comforting hand in the crook of Waverly’s elbow.

“Yes,” insists Waverly, but then she wavers and contradicts herself with, “No … I don’t know.”

It’s the truth. Waverly doesn’t know. She knows that she wants Wynonna to know about her and Nicole, but the idea of coming out to Wynonna is so much easier than the reality. It’s so simple to tell herself that Wynonna will be fine with it, that her life will just smoothly transition from Wynonna not knowing to Wynonna knowing without any hiccups, but Waverly doesn’t know how she’s supposed to physically have that conversation. The hey I’m dating somebody and surprise, it’s a girl conversation seems to require a lot more courage than Waverly thinks she’s capable of mustering up.

It’s been so straightforward with everybody else. People have just found out organically without Waverly having to make some big announcement, and Waverly thinks she almost prefers it that way.

“You don’t have to tell anybody anything if you aren’t ready for it yet,” Nicole reminds Waverly, tangling her fingers through Waverly’s underneath the table.

“Do you think we could just make out in front of her and let her figure it out herself?” asks Waverly.

“I would say yes, but this is Wynonna,” shrugs Nicole. She grins at Waverly, and then says, “She could catch us both naked in bed together and would probably still think that we’re just really good friends. Gal pals.”

Waverly flushes at Nicole’s casual implication of them getting intimate with each other – not that Waverly hasn’t thought about it herself, but it’s very different to have those private thoughts while daydreaming alone in her four poster bed at night or during a particularly dull History of Magic class, than to hear the suggestion coming from the mouth of the very person that Waverly has such decadent thoughts about.

Instead, she chooses to push it to the back of her mind for later, and picks up on the last thing that Nicole said.

“Gal pals?” she queries.

“It’s a Muggle thing,” Nicole offers up an explanation. “Sometimes when two women are so obviously in a relationship with each other but the media chooses to see it as them just being very close friends, they’re referred to as gal pals. So the Muggle lesbian community has adopted the phrase as…”

Nicole trails off mid-sentence as Wynonna returns with a drink, a tankard of frothy butterbeer that she places onto the table with a metallic thunk. Nicole shoots Waverly a meaningful look, then turns her attention to Wynonna as she begins to speak once more.

“Waverly and I were just talking about that new species of dragon that a wizard in Croatia,” says Nicole. Waverly frowns in confusion, because they were talking about no such thing, but when Nicole’s eye flick across to her, the realisation of what Nicole is trying to do dawns on her. “What do you think about that, Wynonna? You see, I think that what he’s actually discovered is…”

“Ugh,” Wynonna groans predictably. “Snooze alert. How about we talk about something more exciting? How about Quidditch? Specifically, how we’re going to stop Willa and her team of thugs from winning the cup.”

Waverly’s heart sinks. She can already see how this is going to go down. Her first date with Nicole – her perfect first date where they spend an entire day together holding hands and pressing soft kisses to cold cheeks and chapped lips and where Waverly protests at Nicole’s insistence on paying for everything even though she secretly loves her girlfriend’s desire to be so chivalrous – is going to get hijacked by Wynonna and her Quidditch talk.

Waverly resigns herself to this.

What she doesn’t expect, is for Nicole to step in like she does next.

“You know what, Wynonna,” says Nicole, draining the last of her butterbeer and placing the empty tankard down on the table, “I would love to have this conversation with you and we will have it soon, but I’ve just remembered that Waverly and I have something else to do.” Nicole’s attention shifts to Waverly as she asks, “Didn’t you say that you had a book that you really wanted to buy, Waves?”

Waverly frowns, because although she kind of assumed that their date might take them to Hogsmeade’s bookshop at some point later today, there isn’t any particularly book that she needs to buy and she doesn’t know why Nicole thinks there would be.

“No, I don’t remem- oh!” Realisation dawns as Nicole uses just her eyes to give Waverly a meaningful look, the kind of look that says ‘please just go along with this’. Waverly’s own eyes widen as she understands that Nicole is throwing her a lifeline, and she exclaims, “The book! Yes! Thank you for reminding me, Nicole. I had completely forgotten about that.”

As Nicole gets to her feet, wrapping her scarf around her neck and adjusting her cloak so that it falls over her shoulder in a way that will keep her body warm against the chilly wind outside, she tempts fate by addressing Wynonna and asking, “I don’t suppose you want to come with us?”

Waverly’s heart races, worried for a moment that Wynonna’s hunger for company will lead her to say yes.

“To a book shop?” snorts Wynonna, grimacing as she takes a sip from her drink. “I’d rather eat a Hippogriff turd.”

Waverly sighs in relief. At least Wynonna can be counted on to be as predictable as ever.

“I’m really sorry, Wynonna,” says Waverly, feigning regret that they have to leave, though deep down she is bursting with glee. “See you later?”

“It’s fine,” grumbles Wynonna. “Just leave me…” Wynonna pauses for dramatic effect and shoots Waverly a look, eyes full of forced sadness and lips pouty, before finishing, “…like everybody else always does.”

Waverly hurries out of the Three Broomsticks with Nicole right behind her, and it is only when they are outside in the street once more, that she mutters, “Wynonna needs to get over herself.” Glancing up at Nicole, Waverly smiles ever so slightly and then asks, “There’s no new species of dragon in Croatia, is there?”

“No, but Wynonna’s not going to go away and fact-check, is she?” grins Nicole. “I was only trying to bore her into leaving us alone.”

“You know, this is why I love you.”

Waverly doesn’t realise what she’s said until the words have already left her mouth. She doesn’t mean it in that way, but rather as the same kind of affectionate I love you that she would say to a member of her own family, or to a close friend, or to anybody else who she cares about. But it’s only once she says it aloud, once she sees the surprise on Nicole’s face, that Waverly really feels the weight of the words and realises that actually, yes she does mean it in that way.

And with that realisation, Waverly feels her body become overtaken with sheer panic.

“I’m sorry,” she stammers, “I didn’t mean … it’s too soon…”

“You love me?” Nicole asks breathlessly.

“No, I just meant…”

Waverly tries to wriggle out of the situation before she digs herself into too deep of a hole without leaving herself a way back out. But she sees the hopeful surprise slide off Nicole’s face in a flash, replaced by disappointment that leaves a heavy weight in Waverly’s gut, and she realises that there are too many lies and uncertainties in her life at the moment without her adding another one between herself and the only thing that feels like an inevitability.

“No, wait,” Waverly shakes her head, contradicting herself immediately. She takes a deep breath, and then confesses, “I do love you. And I don’t care if I’ve said it too soon or if I’ve said it for the first time by accident instead of through a great romantic gesture, because I mean it. I’m in love with you, Nicole.”

They’re in the middle of the street in Hogsmeade, but Nicole kisses Waverly. Students amble across the cobbles as they move from one shop to another, Wynonna could glance up from her butterbeer and look through the window of the pub with a clear view of them, but Waverly doesn’t care who sees them. She’s in love with Nicole, and that announcement hasn’t scared Nicole away, like she feared it might, but instead initiated a kiss that bruises Waverly’s lips with the reciprocated affection, and Waverly thinks that maybe Nicole might just be in love with her too.

“You love me,” Nicole repeats, pulling back from the kiss only far enough to rest her forehead against Waverly’s. She phrases is as a statement this time, not as a question, and Waverly nods, more certain of her feelings with each time that she hears the word ‘love’ spoken into the air between them.

“I love you.”

Nicole smiles, and then says, “I love you too.”

Waverly’s heart soars when Nicole says it back. She still has to pinch herself on a daily basis just to check that Nicole is actually her girlfriend, and not the product of a far-fetched and elaborate dream, but when she hears Nicole say those three little words, Waverly is pretty sure that she transcends reality entirely, moving to an entirely new realm of being full of confessions of love and void of sisters that are either aggressively homophobic or just complete idiots.

“I’ve been in love with you for longer than you probably realise,” Nicole adds, when Waverly says nothing.

“How long?” Waverly dares to ask, her breath catching in her throat in anticipation.

“Do you remember that first day in the library, when the rest of the school was down at the Quidditch match and it was just you and me?” asks Nicole, smiling to herself as she recalls the memory of the day that they first met. “And you broke your quill because you were writing so fast but instead of swearing you just said “oh rats!”? I’m pretty sure that’s the moment I fell in love with you.”

Waverly’s eyes widen, and she says with a small trace of sadness, “I don’t remember there being an exact moment with you. Only that I can’t remember what it feels like to not be in love with you.”

Nicole grins, and asks, “Want to go and be in love with me in the bookshop?”

“Oh, absolutely!”

It’s the best day of Waverly’s life.

She loves Nicole. And Nicole loves her back. Waverly is pretty sure that she spends the entire afternoon bouncing around Hogsmeade, rather than walking, while the words Nicole loves you too play over and over in her mind with about a zillion exclamation points after them.

Waverly can’t quite believe that it’s true.

The walk back up to the castle would be a sad one if Nicole didn’t keep casually reminding Waverly that she loves her, as if saying it the once wasn’t already enough to cause Waverly’s heart to have palpitations in her chest. But with each time that Nicole says it, and with each time that Waverly says it back, the words become more and more of a certainty, as if Waverly’s entire life up until now has been building to the moment when she is in love with Nicole and Nicole is in love with her too.

And so, when Waverly steps through the huge door at the front of the castle and returns to normal school life, the bubble isn’t burst, but instead placed gently inside a carefully padded container and stored away safely for later.

Professor Nedley stands in the Entrance Hall, welcoming students back to the castle after their trip out of school grounds, and Waverly remembers what she told Nicole earlier about her plan to ask Nedley for his help reinstating the Astronomy Club.

“I’m just going to speak to Nedley,” Waverly tells Nicole. “I’ll be right in.”

Nicole nods and brushes her lips against Waverly’s cheek, before disappearing into the Great Hall for dinner.

“Professor Nedley?” says Waverly, approaching her Head of House as the other students returning from Hogsmeade mill past them into the Great Hall.

“Oh, hello Miss Earp!” Nedley greets Waverly brightly. He leans a little closer and, with a twinkle in his eye, asks, “I don’t suppose you know the whereabouts of your sister’s Charms homework?”

“If you’re talking about Wynonna, I suspect that there isn’t any Charms homework to know the whereabouts of,” Waverly answers good-naturedly.

“I thought as much,” nods Nedley in agreement. He clasps his hands together in front of him and asks, “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the Astronomy Club.”

“Go on,” he prompts Waverly for more information.

“Well, Professor, it’s been disbanded by order of the Head Girl,” explains Waverly, “and I was wondering if there’s anything we can do to get it reinstated?”

“Disbanded?” repeats Nedley, his voice full of incredulity that is matched by the surprise that passes across his face. “That club has been a part of this school for centuries!”

“Exactly!” agrees Waverly. “But Willa says that there’s a safety issue and that it’s the responsibility of the Prefect team to supervise, which they aren’t willing to do in the middle of the night.”

“I hate to break it to you, Waverly, but your sister is right,” says Nedley, his expression apologetic. “All out of hours activities are at the discretion of the Prefect team. There’s nothing I can do if the Head Boy and Girl have decided that the club can’t continue to meet.”

“But sir…” protests Waverly.

“I’m sorry, Waverly. I wish I could help but the matter is out of my hands.”

Waverly nods reluctantly, her shoulders slumped in defeat, and she forces a grateful smile onto her face as she politely says, “Thank you anyway, Professor.”

Waverly enters the Great Hall, easily picking out Nicole’s familiar red braid amongst the students lining the benches at each of the four long tables, sitting with Wynonna and Jeremy. She makes her way down the space between two tables and sits down next to Nicole.

“I just spoke to Nedley,” says Waverly, her words for both Nicole and Jeremy’s benefit, “and he says that there’s nothing he can do about the Astronomy Club. If Willa has disbanded it, then it no longer runs.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says, and Jeremy shoots Waverly a sympathetic smile too.

Wynonna swallows her mouthful of food and gestures emphatically with her fork as she says, “I want to be clear that what I’m about to say doesn’t change that fact that I think academic clubs are nerdy as shit, but shutting down the Astronomy Club is a bit of a dick move by Willa. The power has gone to her head. She’s basically strutting around the castle showing off what a big shiny badge she has.”

“Well, she isn’t getting away with this,” Waverly announces determinedly. “I’m ready for a fight!”

“Yes, Waves!” Wynonna eggs Waverly on, pumping one fist in the air enthusiastically as she sares a wicked grin. “Let your inner Earp out!”

Waverly forces a smile onto her face, though the Earp name leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, knowing that it is because of somebody else with that name that the whole debacle with the Astronomy Club is happening anyway.

Perhaps sensing Waverly’s discomfort, Nicole speaks up, easily steering the conversation away from Willa’s recent behaviour.

“Waverly, could you pass the potatoes please?”

Waverly reaches for the dish of potatoes to her left, passing it across her own plate to where Nicole sits on her right. With a charming smile, she says, “Anything for you, baby.”

It slips out. After an entire day of being unapologetically affectionate with her girlfriend, Waverly forgets the present company and speaks as though they are the only two in the room.

It almost passes unnoticed. Jeremy, who is very aware of Waverly’s relationship with Nicole, doesn’t falter. But Wynonna, blissfully oblivious up until this moment, lets out a little snort that alerts Waverly to the fact that she’s let the pet name slip in front of her sister.

“Baby?” Wynonna repeats, arching an eyebrows at Waverly. “You two have the weirdest friendship ever.”

Jeremy chokes on his food and for a moment, Waverly doesn’t have the chance to feel anything but concern for his wellbeing as Wynonna’s focus turns to slapping his vigorously on the back as he coughs and splutters. But when Jeremy wheezes that he’s okay, taking huge gulps of pumpkin juice from his goblet, Wynonna’s smirking attention returns to Waverly.

Waverly falters momentarily, her brain fumbling for an excuse, no matter how flimsy it might be. Perhaps she can pretend to be tired and that it just slipped out, or pass it off as an inside joke between her and Nicole. But none of those excuses do Nicole justice, and Waverly finds herself unable to think of a reason why she should continue to keep the truth from her sister.

With a surge of bravery fuelled by the confessions of love that have taken place since the conversation with Nicole about coming out to Wynonna earlier, Waverly no longer fears Wynonna’s reaction, but looks forward to a future with Nicole where she doesn’t have to hide.

“Friendship?” Waverly scoffs, though her heart pounds in her chest loud enough that Waverly is certain it must be echoing around the Great Hall. She reaches for Nicole’s hand and laces their fingers together over the table, displaying them proudly where Wynonna can see them. “Wynonna, Nicole is my girlfriend!”

Wynonna’s gaze moves in a triangle, flitting across to Nicole, then down to their joined hands, before finally returning to look at Waverly, a confused crease between her eyebrows as she struggles to figure out whether Waverly is telling her the truth or if it’s all just a hoax.

“Girlfriend?” asks Wynonna tentatively, as if testing the word out on her tongue.

Waverly nods once to confirm, and Nicole’s hand tightens in her own, a comforting anchor in the whirlwind of uncertainty as she waits for Wynonna to say something.

Wynonna’s response is explosive, but not in the way that Waverly expects.

“Come on, dude!” she whines, looking at Nicole. “That’s my sister!”

Waverly is startled by Wynonna’s outburst, and Nicole is equally as dumbfounded beside her. Before Waverly can figure out how to respond, Wynonna turns her attention to her and speaks again.

“Nice one, babygirl,” Wynonna says to Waverly. “I mean, compared to Champ Hardy, you could be dating the giant fucking squid and I’d still approve, but I’m glad it’s Nicole.” Wynonna’s gaze glances momentarily across to Nicole and she shoots her a wink so tiny that it’s almost missed, before looking back at Waverly and concluding, “You picked a good one.”

Waverly’s entire body relaxes in relief and she suddenly can’t remember why it ever seemed like a good idea to keep this from Wynonna, when Wynonna’s reaction was never going to be any different to this. Waverly should have trusted in her sister, she should have known that Wynonna would be more interested in whether the person Waverly chooses to date is a good person or not, rather than their gender.

She smiles appreciatively at Wynonna, trying to convey the happiness that she can’t find the words for, and Wynonna smiles back, before turning her attention to Nicole once more.

“Seriously though, my sister?”

Waverly can’t help but laugh.

#wayhaught #wayhaught fic #waverly earp #nicole haught #wayhaught fanfic #wayhaught hogwarts #hogwarts au

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