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bensbuttercup · 6 years ago

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The Girl Almighty: 1.0

Joe Mazzello and Ben Hardy

Summary: When Chandler Dunne is given the opportunity to play softball for the LSU Tigers she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. But after arriving in Louisiana she learns that giving up on playing the game which she played all her life was harder than first though. With the help of her boyfriend, Joe, and his roommate, Ben, Chandler will learn that giving up the sport she had played her entire life may not have to be reality for long. Facing challenges, heartbreak and new love, Chandler will see if she has what it’s takes to survive Death Valley alongside the boys.

Word Count: 10,108

Thank you to Claire ( @the-claire-bitch-project ) for encouraging me the past few weeks to keep trying new ideas and plots until I fell in love with one, which I managed to do with this story. She also beta read this fic and helped me through the entire editing a writing process. You should go check out some of her works also, they’re all top notch writing.

It was six fifteen on a Friday morning when Chandler’s alarm went off, Shawn Mendes’ voice filling her dorm, she had switched the song from In My Blood to Lost In Japan the night before, the switch being a welcome surprise. She knew her roommate had left already for practice herself, so she didn’t feel bad about letting the song finish playing while she sat up and stretched out her muscles. A few cracks and pops filled the dorm room while she twisted her back to either side , the sun barely peeking through the shades covering her window.

“Alexa,” she spoke, her voice still groggy, “what's the temperature right now?” She cleared her throat at the end, waiting for the device to respond.

“It is currently eighty one degrees and cloudy,” the device switched back to her morning playlist while she finished getting ready. It was six fifteen, almost an hour and a half later than she used to wake up for morning practice in high school, the adjustment wasn’t hard. It was finding the motivation to keep going to practice she considered hard.

After pulling on her sliding shorts and heart guard Chandler wiggled into her softball pants and practice shirt. She found her purple practice belt and threaded it through the loops on her pants, pulling it to the fourth hole. Opening her sock drawer she pulled out one gold and one purple sock, haphazardly pulling them up her legs, she needed to shave later, she’d have to remember.

Chandler picked up her softball bag and adjusted the straps, “Alexa send Joe a reminder to remember his team meeting at eleven thirty.”

“Sending message to Joe,” the device clicked off again while Chandler slid her feet into her slides, her cleats on top of either bat in her bag.

Leaving her air conditioned dorm in the morning had become Chandler’s biggest challenge, it already being in the high seventies or low eighties most mornings. The walk up to Skip Bertman Drive wasn’t terrible, it usually allowed for time to decompress before practice, time for Chandler to really think about what she was doing in life, why she had moved all the way to Louisiana. She started coughing when the humid and heavy air hit her lungs, the humidity mixed with the heat not being the ideal conditions for her asthma, she hoped she remembered to put her inhaler in her softball bag.

The shock of switching from training in New York for baseball to Louisiana for softball had begun to take its toll on both her body and mind. Classes had yet to start, athletes having arrived earlier than the rest of the school, but Chandler knew that once her classes did start managing her time would become even harder than it already was.

Finally reaching Tiger Park Chandler let herself in and navigated down to the locker room. She took a deep breath before pushing the door open, preparing herself for high pitch voices and rushed talking from her teammates about walking past the football team’s morning practice. She understood being able to appreciate pretty boys, but never understood the locker room talk about wanting to sleep with them. They were busy with the season starting soon, they didn’t have time to sleep around with other athletes.

Chandler offered a few waves to some of the girls she passed along with forced smiles before she set her bag down, sitting on a bench and slipping her slides off. Pulling her ankle brace out of her bag she laced it up and tied it tight before pulling her cleats on. “We’re doing fielding today girls!” Coach yelled walking into the locker room.

Thinking back to high school, she remembered how the boys would all already know what they were doing for the day, going to meet coach on the field instead of the locker room. The baseball team’s locker room was a place for fun, for the boys to get out a little bit of their pent up energy before heading to practice or a game. The boys would often chase each other around with shaving cream bottles or try and hit each other with their wife beaters, seeing who could bruise who. There were a couple of times where belts had gotten involved, some boys walking out to practice sporting large red welts.

Now all she got to listen to were the girls scrolling through different social media platforms, talking about the ‘hot’ boys they saw, or who from back home was still easy. Frankly, Chandler never saw any of that to be her business, often ignoring that type of talk when she heard about it in high school. Instead of subscribing to the typical high school drama she often hung back with her boyfriend and the remainder of the baseball team, the friends she had grown up with. She had grown up going to private school in New York, with parents that worked hard to keep her in school she was going to work hard to make sure she made them proud.

“You girls almost ready?” The head coach asked, peeking into the locker room where all the girls were finishing getting dressed for practice. Chandler quickly picked her inhaler up and of her bag, giving herself two pumps of the steroids inside to hopefully keep her airways open for the duration of practice. She traded her normal glasses in for her new LSU Oakley sunglasses and picked her bag up, following the rest of the team up to the dugout.

What had confused Chandler the most in the past two weeks was that the team didn’t stretch together before practice, her and the baseball team always took twenty minutes to stretch together, usually playing some type of memory game while they did. Their favorite had been telephone, the messages usually being incredibly distorted by the time they made it to the last person. Another favorite was playing “keep it up” with a inflated beach ball while they stretched. So far she had noticed that team bonding wasn’t as important here, they were just teammates it seemed, nothing more nothing less. “Dunne!” Chandler looked up after hearing her last name, “you played first back up north?” The head coach, Elizabeth Dieter Torina, asked her.

Chandler nodded, “yes ma’am,” she wanted to stay on the coaching staff’s good side.

“For the boys game?” Chandler inwardly groaned, ‘the boys game’. She had heard that so many times since getting to Louisiana, people calling baseball ‘the boys game’. It could just as easily be a girls game, people just weren’t open to the idea yet.

“That team was just as much mine as it was the boys,” Chandler paused, “I was captain my senior year and I earned that. With hard work.” The dugout went silent and Chandler wanted to kick herself, she was a freshman, she didn’t have the authority to be talking back to coaches.

The assistant coach, Howard Dobson, looked at Chandler and nodded, “if you played the boys game you should have a strong arm, try first today Dunne.” Chandler felt her cheeks heat up slightly while she reached into her bag to pick her glove up. She listened to the coaches give the rest of the field assignments out before she stepped out on to the freshly cut grass along the baseline, the spikes of her cleats digging into the dirt near first base.

The girls who weren’t fielding were given bases to stand on, acting as runners to aid in the girls drills. Initially, the coaches put a runner on second, one standing behind home waiting to run after the first ball was hit. Chandler squinted behind her glasses, holding up her middle and pointer finger against her leg out of instinct, runner symbols her baseball team had used.

She watched Howard throw a ball up in the air before hitting it, the ball flying straight up in her direction, “My ball!” Chandler held her left hand up in the air calling everyone off the ball. After feeling it smack into the glove on her right hand with a slight sting she quickly wrapped her fingers around the ball making sure the runner on second had stayed put.

The softball felt wrong in her hand, much larger than a baseball was in her palm, it was uncomfortable. She threw it back to Ali who stood on the pitcher's mound. After hearing the ball smack into the sophomore’s glove she winced, she didn’t have to throw as hard, right. The majority of practice went smoothly, Chandler gaining more control of her arm, learning how to better control the large yellow ball.

“Last one!” The student coach called from along the third base line. Chandler again squinted behind her sunglasses, struggling to see in the glare. She managed to keep her eyes on Howard, watching as he hit a line drive straight in her direction. With no need to call anyone else off the ball Chandler stepped back to give herself an extra second to properly line herself up with the ball. She was about to take one more step back when her right cleat dig into a soft spot on the edge of the outfield. After feeling the ball smack into her mitt Chandler lost her footing in the soft spot, her ankle twisting as she fell.

From the ground, ignoring the pain in her ankle she pulled her arm back, launching the ball towards third base where they were trying to land a double play. Once the ball had left her hand Chandler laid back in the grass, her eyes watching as clouds rolled by, white and fluffy. “Dunne?” She heard one of the coaches ask.

Sitting up again Chandler held her left thumb up, “I’m good!” She called pushing herself back up on to her feet. Ignoring the pain that shot up her leg Chandler carefully made her way to the pitcher's mound where the rest of the team was meeting. She listened to the critiques and tried to take them in, but she wanted to get to the physical therapist to get her ankle wrapped, hoping they weren’t too busy with the football team to squeeze her in.

Once she packed up and refilled her water bottle Chandler pulled her phone out of her locker, seeing a few texts from her boyfriend that she would answer once she reached the physical therapists office. Not bothering to take off her cleats, wanting the extra support on her ankle she picked up her slides and slowly climbed the stairs back outside into the heavy, humid air that had just peaked at ninety three degrees.

She probably could have asked for a ride to the office, but knew that most of the girls showered in the locker room after practice. Chandler had decided that she was going to be as little of a burden to her teammates as possible, and if it meant walking a little ways on a twisted ankle she wouldn’t complain.

Once reaching the office, Chandler greeted the student who worked at the front desk. His name was Gwilym and he was on the cross country team but was currently recovering from a stress fracture in his ankle. “Morning Chan!” He greeted her with a warm smile. “You had practice?” Chandler rolled her eyes knowing she looked like she just had practice.

Her purple practice shirt had sweat stains under her arms as well as down her back, her hair a sweaty matted mess on top of her head, dirt probably sticking to her scalp. Her pants and socks were covers in dirt as well, and she knew she smelled like sweat and sunscreen, Water Babies, the brand she had liked the best since she was little.

“Yeah,” she wiped her forehead off with the back of her hand, “had a nasty fall. Is Derek here?” Chandler was looking for the baseball team’s physical therapist, she had been going to see him since she had gotten here two weeks earlier. He knew her body better than the softball team’s physical therapist did.

Gwil clicked around on the computer in front of him before he nodded, “he’s here. He’s in the back with Maci, helping loosen up a couple of the soccer players. They have a scrimmage later.”

Chandler knew plenty about the soccer team’s schedule, Joe’s roommate was on the team. “Joe and I are going,” she responded, “you gonna come?”

“Nah,” Gwil shook his head, “I’m going to practice later, I’m trying to ease myself back in.” Chandler felt her smile grow, from her stops in and out of the office she knew Gwil was working hard to get back to running.

“Good luck!” She offered him a high five but quickly rethought the idea knowing she was covered in dirt. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how it goes!”

Chandler waved goodbye before slipping through the glass doors back into the physical therapist’s offices. She peeked into a couple rooms, seeing them empty she hoped that the third time would be the charm because she didn’t want to walk much further without having her ankle wrapped. In the third room she noticed Maci’s purple dyed hair, for football season, and knocked on the door. “Derek?” She asked through the cracked door.

Derek, a taller man in his early thirties, came and pulled the door open, revealing the room to Chandler. Maci was stretching one of the the soccer players out on a bed while the other was empty, the three individuals who were in the room turning to face Chandler when she walked in.

“Dunne!” A British accent said happily from the bed, Joe’s roommate holding his hand out for a fist bump.

“What’s up, Hardy?” She asked sitting on the empty bed. “Excited for later?” Ben Hardy was a freshman on the soccer team. He moved from England to play for the LSU men’s soccer team and had enjoyed it thus far.

Chandler watched Ben clench his jaw as his right leg fell back down on to the table. “Of course!” He squeezed his eyes shut when Maci pushed his left leg up. “Never been more excited!”

“What’s the issue today, Chan?” Derek asked as she laid out on the open bed.

“Right ankle,” she gritted her teeth when Derek moved to start untying her cleat, “I got it stuck in the lip between the grass and infield.” She closed her eyes and folded her thumb into her palm, squeezing it to try and distract herself from her ankle being jostled around. “They do an awful job grading the fields here.”

Chandler heard her cleat drop on the floor next to her. “I’m just gonna take your sock off too,” Derek told her as he rolled her pants up slightly to get access to the top of her sock.

“Joe know?” Chandler opened her eyes when Ben spoke again. She turned her head to see him looking at her. She quickly smiled, shaking her head against the bed.

“You know I don’t want him worrying,” Chandler folded her right arm under her head to prop it up so she could better see Ben, not caring if her sweat stains were on display.

“You, holy shit-” Ben was cut off when his hip made a sickening pop sound as Maci gave it a particularly hard push, “don’t want him worrying but you also don’t tell him what’s going on for him to even worry!” It went quiet for a couple of minutes while Maci finished stretching Ben out, him not being able to form words through the last couple of stretches.

“All good Ben, good luck tonight!” Maci excused herself to go help the football team at their practice. Once Ben had sat up he kept his eyes focused on Chandler who was looking straight up at the ceiling.

Ben reached down and pulled a piece of gum out of his bag that sat on the floor, unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth before throwing the wrapper at Chandler. “Back to you,” he swung his legs slightly as he spoke. “You realize that if you don’t tell him I will right?”

“Alright, Hardy,” she felt Derek run his fingers down her leg, his touch becoming lighter as he neared her ankle, “right there!” Chandler spoke when he pressed on a particularly sensitive spot on the inside of her ankle. “And then when I tell him I’m fine who’s the one he’s gonna believe?” Chandler knew that she had Ben there.

“His limping girlfriend?” Ben was quick to respond. Chandler pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, not knowing what to say, “exactly.”

“Why don't you go shower then I’ll wrap this up on clean skin?” Derek told Chandler, not afraid to interrupt a conversation between two kids. She nodded, sitting up and putting both of her feet down on the floor, wincing when her right ankle had a tiny bit of pressure on it.

Ben sympathetically smiled at Chandler, standing up and walking over to her. He pulled her bats out of her softball bag and set them on the floor before slinging it over his shoulder. “Let’s go, Dunne.” Ben held his arm out for her to balance on, fully intending on helping her down the hall to the showers.

Knowing she couldn’t fight Ben on the issue, and knowing she wouldn’t get far on her own, Chandler wrapped her arm around Ben’s body leaning on him for support. “I’ll tell Joe when I get back to your dorm later,” she grumbled as the pair exited the room.

Once she had showered and tied her hair into a messy knot on the back of her head Chandler wobbled back to the room she was in earlier. Derek was sitting on the table Ben was laying on earlier, scrolling through his phone, supplies that would be used to wrap her ankle sitting next to him. “You’re clean? Don’t smell awful now?”

Chandler plopped down next to Derek on the bed, “I would hope I smell better,” she noticed the inside of her ankle was starting to bruise, “and I hope this is only sprained.”

Derek moved to the rolling chair in front of Chandler and set her heel down on his leg, “I’m going to splint it for a couple days.” Chandler groaned not wanting to be that restricted for a number of days. “Oh relax,” Derek held the splint around chandlers ankle, “hold the top.” She did as she was told, holding the tops of the splint to her leg while Derek started wrapping the ace bandage around it.

“How long am I out for?” She asked, watching as Derek wrapped a layer of purple medical wrap around the ace bandage to keep it secured. “Can I have a gold stripe up top?”

“A week,” Derek shrugged as he did the gold stripe Chandler asked for, “come see me tomorrow morning again.” He pulled his gloves off and started cleaning up. “If it’s more bruised I’ll want to take x-rays.”

“X-rays are a no no, Derek,” Chandler carefully hopped off the table, landing on her left foot. “I’ll be back tomorrow though, I don’t have practice.” She stuck her bats back into the pockets on her bag before fishing out her light blue crocs, carefully slipping her right foot into the correct one. Throughout high school she had accidently worn Joe’s a number of times, the two having the same colored pair, and today she kind of wished she had the bigger size.

Once making it out to the front office again Chandler noticed that Gwil was switching shifts with the girl who had just entered behind the desk. “Chandler,” Gwil called her name, causing her to stop and turn around to face him, “you know I have one of the golf carts I use to get here and back to my dorm right?”

Chandler nodded, she had heard him talking about it the first time she entered the PT office nearly three weeks ago, “yeah-” she trailed off confused why he was asking. “I’ll give you a lift back to your dorm? Or, it’s Joe right? Your boyfriend.”

Chandler smiled at the mention of her boyfriend, “it’s Joe, yeah. Also, only if it’s not too far out of your way. We both live in Annie Boyd,” they had gotten lucky with their living situation. Joe and Chandler were both placed in suite style residence halls for their freshman year, along with most other freshmen athletes.

“Not out of my way at all,” Gwil picked his backpack up and pulled the golf cart keys out of the side pocket, “ready?”

Joe was sitting on his bed, watching an episode of The Walking Dead when he heard the lock on his and Ben’s half of the suite click open. His roomate came strolling in, his sunglasses on top of his head and a smile on his face. “You better be talking to Chandler when she gets here.”

Joe allowed the episode play for a couple more seconds before pausing it, turning to face Ben, “what are you on about, Hardy?” Joe had started calling Ben by his last name since Chandler had been around so much.

Ben started digging through his dresser trying to find the socks he needed for his scrimmage later, “ask her how her ankle feels, I ran into her while I was getting stretched out.” Joe sighed and turned back to his laptop, pressing the play button. Joe had known Chandler was a drama queen since they were five and played tee ball together, but Ben’s attitude could rival hers, putting the two together was almost too much some days.

The roommates fell into silence after that, but Ben came and sat next to Joe on his bed, watching whatever episode Joe was up to. Ben had been determined to catch his roommate up on the show before the new season came out in October. Five minutes into the next episode there was a sharp knock on the door.

“It’s probably, Chan,” Joe mumbled pausing the episode as Ben stood up to answer the door.

“Dunne! Long time no see!” Ben laughed while he closed the door behind Chandler who rolled her eyes, hobbling over to Joe’s bed and plopping down.

“What’d you do now?” Chandler had always been clumsy, so seeing her ankle wrapped up was nothing of alarm to Joe.

Chandler closed her eyes, resting her head in Joe’s lap so he could play with her hair, “I fell.” a happy sigh slipped past her lips when he started massaging her scalp with his fingers, his show now forgotten. “They did an awful job on the field, the lip to the outfield wasn’t even with the infield dirt and I tripped. Twisted my ankle funny.”

“When’d you shower?” Joe knew that Chandler refused to shower in the team locker room and he didn’t think she’d go all the way back to her dorm before going to the physical therapist.

“At the PT office. Ben helped me get down to the showers,” she offered him and air high five across the bed.

Ben poked Chalnder’s crocs, “want these off?” She nodded and opened her eyes to watch Ben pulling her left croc off before he carefully slipped her right foot out. “Hang on,” he climbed off of Joe’s bed and walked over to his own to pick up a throw pillow. He came back over to Chandler and lifted her leg up, setting it back down on the pillow.

“Thanks, Hardy.” She smiled.

Joe closed his laptop and looked down at Chandler, moving stray hands of hair out of her face, “really, Tiger?” he hummed looking down at her ankle. “You didn’t think to call me?” His eyebrows knit together.

Chandler sighed and reached up, running her thumb down the crease trying to get him to relax, “you know I don’t like worrying you,” she let her thumb swipe under his bottom lip. “Besides, I’m off for a week now. I can come watch baseball practice!” Joe sighed, knowing that Chandler wouldn’t be happy with the answer he gave her.

“Coach-” Joe was struggling to find the words, “coach said it’s closed practice, Chan. He doesn't want non-players distracting us and-”

Chander lifted a finger and cut him off, “but I’m not a non-player, there’s the catch.”

“Chandler,” this had been going on for two weeks now, “you are a non-player. You play softball not baseball.” Joe cringed even saying the words, he knew how upset it would make chandler.

“But-”

“I know,” Joe let his hand come to a rest on the top of her head, “you played for most of your life and now you’re stuck playing softball. It sucks, trust me I miss having you next to me. But c’mon, Tiger,” Joe ran his finger down Chandler’s nose. “We can still make the best of it!”

Her eyes opened again, looking up at Joe slightly watery, “you can make the best of it, Joe. You’re not the one stuck playing a sport you have no idea how to play!” Joe watched as a few tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes. “I can’t even get control of the ball! I still throw it too hard without realizing, I literally hurt people every time I throw them the ball!” He reached down and wiped the tears away from her temples. He wanted to help her, he truly did, but he didn’t know how to.

Joe looked over to Ben who was awkwardly getting his soccer bag packed, “I gotta go guys,” he spoke quietly, not wanting to make it a big deal. “I’ll see you at the scrimmage.”

Chandler offered a teary eyed, yet genuine smile to Ben, “We’ll be front row,” the door opened and closed, leaving Joe and Chandler alone.

Joe let his hand card through Chandler’s soft amber brown hair, his fingers scratching gently at her scalp again, not quite sure what to say to fix it. “Remember how hard it was in high school?” He asked her after a couple minutes. “Meeting after meeting every year to get you on the team, but we did it, and it got you here.”

“At what cost?” Chandler looked up, “to be miserable for the next four years?” Playing baseball in high school had been hard work, lots of hard work to get on the school team and then even more hard work to stay on for all four years. It was possible though, playing college baseball as a girl seemed impossible. Chandler and her coach worked for the better part of a year trying to contact college baseball coaches who would let her try out for their teams, let her clinic with their teams. Her stats were outstanding, better than most boys on the team, and she had made it to the state championship tournament with the team twice, winning once.

Chandler knew it wasn’t her record that prevented her from playing, or her stats, it was the fact that she was a girl and girls dont play Division I college baseball, girls don’t have Major League potential. “You won’t be miserable for four years, Chandler,” Joe didn’t know what else to say. “You just have to get a grip on the sport.” He knew that wasn’t the right answer when he saw Chandler’s nose scrunch up, her head shaking.

“I’m here because I’m supposed to know how to play already. I’m not supposed to be ‘getting a grip’” she put air quotes around the words, “on a sport. My scholarship was due to my ‘outstanding talent and ability’. I didn’t get it to learn,” her eyes opened looking up at Joe again.

“I know, Tiger,” Joe shifted so he was laying back on his bed. He tucked Chandler into his side, her head resting on his chest while he tried to focus on her steady breathing, his fingers continuing to gently twist and pull at the ends of her hair. “I have an idea,” Joe spoke up after a few minutes.

Chander opened her eyes and looked up at Joe, her nose close to brushing along the underside of his chin. “A classic Joseph Mazzello idea, let me hear it,” she smiled at the end knowing that teasing Joe tended to lighten the mood.

“So,” Joe sat up again, propping Chandler up on his pillows so she was comfortable. “What if I tried,” he waved his hands making sure Chandler didn’t cut him off, “just tried to see if you could come watch practices. I could tell coach about your record and skills! He’ll be impressed!”

Joe-”

“You can help with the books and then eventually you’ll-” Chandler reached a hand out and put her finger of Joe’s lips cutting his ramble off. She often described him as a puppy to their friends back home, easily excitable, incredibly loyal and also always hungry.

“You’re a freshman, Bubba,” Chandler moved her hand to rest on his knee. “As much as I love the idea, you’re still a freshman.” She saw Joe’s face drop and immediately felt guilty. “Maybe next year I can come watch practice, yeah? You’ll have a little more authority.” Joe huffed and his shoulders dropped in defeat.

Joe’s hand settled on Chandler’s left calf, gently massaging the muscle as he thought, “remember how easy it was in high school after you had authority.” Once the pair had reached senior year they were known as a ‘dynamic duo’ on and off the field. They had been playing baseball together since they were five, league, school and travel, and the summer before senior year a ‘no strings attached’ exploration of different aspects of relationships turned into the pair dating, falling in love with each other.

“I do,” Chandler laughed, “remember when Sophia Burke tried to call me easy because I was still on the team?”

Joe laughed remembering the rest of the story as well, “and then you told her ‘imagine making playoffs,’ because the softball team never goes-”

“And then I had to add the ‘oh wait imagine making the team,’ because she tried out all four years and never made it.” The pair fell into a fit of laughter.

“You Chandler Dunne, are an awful person,” Joe spoke, loving the large smile that now graced Chandler’s face. She shrugged and nodded, not denying the statement before she reached up to poke Joe’s cheek. “What do you want?” Joe mock whined at her.

Chandler tried to wrap her arms around Joe’s neck but the angle made it awkward, “a kiss!” Joe rolled his eyes and carefully moved the pillow that her leg was resting on, keeping it out of the way and allowing him plenty of room to settle his body between her legs. “I said a kiss, Mazzello!” Tatum laughed once Joe had gotten comfortable, his chin resting on her chest right above her boobs.

Joe lifted his head up to peck her lips quickly before setting his head back down on her chest, closing his eyes. “You got your kiss, wake me up when we have to leave for Ben’s scrimmage.”

If her leg wasn’t killing her right now Chandler would have rolled above joe, playfully pinning his hands above his head so she could lean down and kiss him properly. However, now she didn’t have much of a choice but to ask him to kiss her ‘for real’. “Joe,” she whined again hoping to get his attention.

He looked up at her, an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on his lips. “Yes?” He knew exactly what Chandler wanted, but he wasn’t going to cave that easy. “Is there something specific you want?” He pressed the issue further. Chandler nodded with a small ‘mmhum’, nothing more though.

“You gotta tell me what you want, Tiger.” Joe braced himself on his forearms, one arm on either side of Chandler. Their faces were even, Joe’s nose barely missing hers each time he even slightly moved his head.

Chandler closed her eyes and sighed, when they opened again Joe was met with a shade of light blue he had fallen in love with over a year ago. “Kiss me,” Chandler mumbled, she didn’t like asking for things, she never did. “Please?”

“Well,” Joe dragged the ‘l’ out much longer than he needed to, “when you ask so nicely how can I say no?” Chandler smiled as Joe leaned down, brushing his lips gently against hers a couple of times, letting her chase his lips before he pressed his lips firmly to hers. Joe felt Chandler smile into the kiss, one of her hand’s finding its way to the back of his neck, the other sliding under his shirt and up his stomach. Joe shuttered as goosebumps appeared over his skin, Chandler using her teeth to pull gently on his bottom lip.

The sensation of her fingers gently pulling at the baby hair near the nape of his neck, along with her cold hand exploring the warm skin of his stomach was almost too much to handle. He let more of his body weight rest on Chandler when he momentarily broke the kiss. Her eyes opened, pupils blown wide, hardly any of her iris visible, her lips slightly swollen from their kissing. A whine bubbled in the back of her throat, telling Joe she didn’t want him to stop.

“Ah ah ah,” Joe saw that Chandler was trying to sit up and shifted his weight so he could gently push her back into the mattress, “be good, Tiger.” Just as Joe was about to lean down to kiss her again the door opened, Ben walking back in.

He turned a bright shade of red after seeing Joe resting between Chandler’s legs, “sorry!” he practically squeaked out. “I just forgot my shin guards!” Ben grabbed the pair of purple and gold shin guards off his bed and shoved them in his bag. He had the door open and was about to leave but turned around and faced the couple again, “get em’ Tiger.” He winked once before closing the door again leaving the couple alone.

Joe’s face fell into the crook of Chandler’s neck, both laughing about what had just happened. “Well,” Chandler sighed, “at least we weren’t having sex. Right?”

“We could be,” Joe wiggled his eyebrows earning a pinch on the nipple from Chandler. “Ow!”

An hour and a half later Chandler was pulling on her ‘Tiger’s Soccer’ shirt that Ben had gotten her earlier in the week, Joe fixing his baseball cap on his head.

“What’s with the backwards thing?” She asked him through the mirror.

Joe lifted it off his head again, trying to matt down more of his hair, “it’s the style.” He sighed pulling the cap back on, hopefully for the final time. “All the boys on the team wear it like that!”

Chandler nodded, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, tying purple and gold ribbon around the rubberband, making sure the ends were still perfectly curled. “You’re growing up,” she wiped a fake tear away, remembering how throughout the duration of high school Joe refused to wear it backwards.

Chandler was putting on a coat of mascara when Joe stepped up behind her, resting his hands on her hips, “we’re both growing up,” he placed a kiss on the side of her neck. “Need me to find those face tattoos you ordered?” He asked through the mirror. After pulling the mascara brush away from her eyes Chandler blinked a couple times before responding.

“They’re in my base-” Chandler stopped herself, “softball bag.” She nodded towards where it was on the floor, “front pocket.” Joe picked the bag up and unzipped the front pocket, sifting through the tampons that were also thrown in there to find the package of face tattoos. After finding them he opened the package and looked at the face stickers, they depicted the eye of the tiger in a fleur de lis.

Joe peeled one off and looked at it on the tip of his thumb, “these are cute.” Chandler finished putting on her mascara and laughed lightly, watching as Joe was not quite sure what to do with the sticker now that it was off the sheet.

“Here,” Chandler took it off the tip of his thumb with her left hand and gently gripped Joe’s chin between her right thumb and pointer finger, “stay still.” Carefully she placed it under the corner of his right eye, the same place she would be putting hers. “Perfect,” she leaned in and pecked his lips before pulling away, “now we’ll match.”

While Chandler stuck a matching sticker under her right eye Joe went out into the hallway to refill both of their water bottles with the filtered fountain. His was gold and hers was purple, something that his parents had gotten for the two of them before they left as part of a set. “And how do you plan on getting to the soccer field?” Joe asked looking down at her wrapped ankle.

“I can walk!” Chandler knew Joe had a pair of crutches he had brought with him, advice from his father, she just didn’t intend on using them. Joe watched to see if she was putting any weight on the ankle and Chandler confidently tried to set her foot flat on the ground, wincing when she did. “Fine. You win.” Chandler caved watching Joe walk over to the closet pulling the crutches he had once used out.

He carefully adjusted the height before handing them to her, watching as she tucked them under her arm while he shoved their water bottles and a couple of snacks into his backpack, slipping his arms through the straps. “You ready?” He asked Chandler who was making sure she had her balance on the crutches, she hadn’t used them in years.

“I’m ready if you are, Bubba.” With a large smile Joe held the door open for Chandler who crutched her way out the door and towards the elevator. Once outside Chandler realized that the humidity had died down and a cool breeze mad the small amount that was left over bearable. “What’s the temperature?” She asked Joe, who was scrolling through his phone while he walked next to her.

“Eighty-two,” he mumbled before locking his phone, sliding it into the pocket on his baseball shorts. “It’s still kind of buggy,” he slapped his arm, squashing a mosquito that had landed on it. “I’ll get the bug bands out once we get to the Stadium.” Chandler simply nodded, crutching along the path to the stadium which she had looked up earlier, she was still getting comfortable navigating campus.

It fell silent between the couple until they reached the entrance to the LSU Soccer Stadium, a small crowd gathered outside. Joe pulled his phone out of his pocket again before looking through texts for a minute, “you okay sitting with the boys?” He wanted to make sure that Chandler was okay sitting with the baseball team.

“Fine by me, just gotta find where they’re sitting,” She paused, leaning more of her weight on to the crutches rather than her right leg.

Joe nodded, reading through the text from his teammates once more before pocketing his phone again. “I think I know where I’m going.” Carefully, Joe tried to clear a path through the stadium for Chandler, to make sure she didn’t trip. Navigating their way towards the front two rows of seats Joe saw his teammates sitting together, a few others also had their girlfriends.

When an older man stopped right in front Chandler, who he clearly saw trying to maneuver the crowd on her crutches, Joe stepped in and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Excuse us,” he made sure to glare at the gray haired man when he said the words.

“Joe,” Chandler sighed once they reached the steps to get down to the front row of seats, “I’m able to move around, no reason to helicopter me.” D espite saying that, Chandler knew Joe was walking close behind her, ready to reach out and help her to stay stay if it was needed. She had broken plenty of bones and sprained plenty of appendages in her eighteen years of being alive, a good chunk of those injuries happening while she was close with Joe. Even when they were little he was overly protective of her.

She remembered breaking her arm in eighth grade, during the first day of the summer baseball season, the night before finals started. She had been sliding into third base when the third baseman from the other team stepped on her wrist, breaking both her radius and ulna. She had left the game early, tears in her eyes while her concerned teammates watched on from the dugout. Once she returned home that night from urgent care Joe was at her house with ice cream and a few extra pillows, ready to help her finish studying for their Algebra Regents the next day.

That entire summer she had showed up to every game in her jersey and a pair of jean shorts, cleats laced up tight on her feet. She couldn’t do much more than get the bats between players and keep track of the book, but she still wanted to stay close and supportive of her team. She smiled at the memory while she carefully made her way down the steep steps of the stadium, being sure not to lose her footing and really break something.

After the couple had reached the front row Joe made his way in front of Chandler, walking over to his teammates with a large smile, “Mazz!” One of the boys yelled, standing up and ‘bro-hugging” Joe, sitting back down while a few other teammates did the same.

“This the girlfriend we hear so much about?” A ginger asked pointing to Chandler who was awkwardly standing behind Joe, rocking back and forth on the crutches. At the mention of ‘the girlfriend’, Chandler couldn’t help but smile, knowing Joe talked about her to his teammates made a part of her heart fill with pride. Chandler also realized she didn’t actually know if any of the softball players had boyfriends, it hadn’t come up in locker room talk, and she wasn’t going to initiate the conversation that could give her the answer.

“Yes,” Joe sat down, patting the seat next to him, “that’s Chandler.” After she had set the crutched down, Chandler smiled and waved at Joe’s teammates and their girlfriends.

She saw a couple of the boys look between her and Joe before one with blond hair decided to speak up, “you’re the one who played baseball with him throughout high school?” He asked.

Chandler’s eyes widened as she looked to Joe who offered her a shrug, had he told the boys she was disappointed to be playing softball? She hoped not, she didn’t want to seem ungrateful, because she was playing softball for a Division I team. “That’s me,” she responded with a nod, “it was an amazing experience.”

“Finn, and Brian,” Joe leaned over to Chandler pointing to the two boys who had spoken to her so far. She took the opportunity to commit their faces to memory before nodding.

“Heard you play softball now,” Finn added to the conversation, “it’s a shame they stuck you there, sounds like you’re some real talent on the field.” Chandler raised her eyebrow, looking at Joe knowing he must have talked about her quite a bit to know the extent of her talents. The conversation about Chandler playing baseball ended there, one of the girlfriends instead asking what happened to her ankle.

Chandler looked down to her ankle before answering, “sprained it at practice today, the field wasn’t graded too well.” Satisfied with the answer the brunette turned back to her boyfriend and kept speaking to him as both soccer teams made their way out of the locker rooms. The Tigers were playing the Liberty University Eagles for their first scrimmage, the team from Virgina looking much less comfortable in the Louisiana heat than the LSU boys.

“Ben said he’s-” but Chandler cut herself off, seeing Joe talking with his teammates. She didn’t want to interrupt. Instead she turned back to the field watching as both teams took their places on the field. As Ben had informed her earlier in the day he was starting in the Center Midfield position, the coaches wanting to try some freshmen out in key positions for the first scrimmage. She didn’t know much about soccer, not caring for the sport in high school, but she would make an effort to better understand it for Ben. He was one of her friends now. However, Chandler felt oddly out of place just sitting and watching both teams run around the large soccer field. Joe had easily settled into conversation with his teammates, something she would have joined in on in high school. She wasn’t able to settle into the softball team’s dynamic, not having been in that environment her entire life until now, and she didn’t want to intrude on Joe’s relationship with his teammates. So, instead she started playing with the shoulder rest on her crutches, lifting the edge of the foam before letting it snap back down.

Eventually she found her eyes following Ben as he ran up and down the field, his muscled legs easily and gracefully carrying his boy the long distances. He made it seem effortless, the way he side shuffled along the foul line when the ball was further away from him, the way he was able to dribble the ball around the other team’s players, keeping it in his team’s possession. Every few minutes he would smooth back his sweaty curls, keeping them out of his face while he played, it was intriguing. While Chandler was covered in a layer of sweat after practice every day, drops running down her back and face, Ben seemed to be sweating a profuse amount. He must have hydrated a ton before the game with the amount of fluids his body had lost in the first quarter of the game.

While Chandler was focused on the game, she realized that Joe had yet to turn away from his conversation with his team. Although his hand rested on her knee, Chandler knew he wasn’t focused on her or the game playing out in front of her, not until the buzzer ending the first quarter went off.

“First quarter is done already?” He asked briefly looking at the scoreboard, “and we’re up by a goal! You okay?” He looked at Chandler.

She nodded, “yeah,” she said shortly. Joe sighed realizing that Chandler felt out of place, he could read her body language.

“Talk to the boys,” Joe whispered in her ear, his hand moving further up her leg, “they’ll love you.” With a small sigh she turned herself to face Joe’s teammates, a smile finding its way on to her face so she seemed interested in what was being said. Instead of speaking, Chandler listened to the conversations the boys were having, picked up on the nicknames they all already had established for each other. It was the type of relationship her team in high school had, their conversations never seemed to flatter and they fostered relationships with each other on and off the field.

With the softball team Chandler had yet to feel comfortable, had yet to be included. It was something she had missed, the family like bonds that she had formed on her old team.

Despite her efforts to stay engaged with the baseball team’s conversations, Chandler always felt a step behind and found herself becoming focused on the soccer game again. Her eyes never leaving Ben, focused on how he made soccer seem graceful, and for the first time ever she was interested in the game. She hissed when Ben went to slide tackle the ball, coming up from the ground with his sock and shorts grass stained, a large scratch obvius on his lower thigh. She would remind him later to properly clean it, make sure it healed and didn’t get infected.

Once the buzzer went off signaling the end of the scrimmage, Chandler watched both teams line up to shake hands before they parted ways, going to pack their bags up. The Tigers had won by two goals but would again face the Eagles in the regular season, when it really mattered. Chandler poked Joe, trying to get his attention to see if they could leave before the crowd of people watching the game swarmed the staircases. “Joe?” He turned away from the boys with a humm in question, asking what she wanted.

“Can we go?” She didn’t want to be rude, but she also wanted to be able to maneuver her way out of the stadium without too much worry of tripping.

Joe nodded, picking up their empty water bottles and placing them in his backpack. “We’re going to get going, gotta get the cripple here back to my dorm.” He pointed to Chandler with a playful smile. “Practice tomorrow night?”

“Four thirty!” One of the boys responded. After a number of goodbye ‘bro-hugs’ and a few handshakes Joe was walking back up the stairs behind Chandler, making sure she didn’t lose her balance and fall backwards. The air had cooled since the game started, and once outside the stadium the couple began walking along the sidewalk in a comfortable silence.

Chandler found her mind wandering back to how Ben had looked playing soccer. The muscles in his legs rippling when he ran, looking so strong, but carrying him so gracefully. The way the sweat dripped down his forehead and face, the way his fingers carded through his sweaty curls. He was truly breathtaking, and Chandler couldn’t wrap her head around why. She was in love with Joe, she was with Joe. She shouldn’t be thinking about Ben the way she was; he was her boyfriend’s roommate for fucks sake.

After a couple moments Joe moved closer to Chandler, realizing that she was uncharacteristically quiet the entire night. “You okay, Tiger?”

He carefully bumped her shoulder with his, earning a smile out of his girlfriend, “I want to go home, Joe.” she rushed out all at once. Joe felt himself stop in his tracks, she wanted- she wanted to go home? “I can’t keep doing this.” She shook her head. “I’ll go back home, do community college, I’m miserable here.”

“Chandler-” he wasn’t quite sure what to say to make her feel better. He knew that she was disappointed that she couldn’t play baseball, but he didn’t know it was an issue worth going home over. Besides, she had managed to secure a full scholarship for one of the most prestigious softball teams in the country, it wasn’t all bad.

She continued crutching down the pathway, their dorm building now in sight, “it’s fine Joe, don’t worry.” Not another word was spoken between the couple until they reached the door to Joe’s dorm. “That’s cute,” Chandler pointed to the sign on the door. It was a chalkboard name plate with a baseball and soccer ball drawn on it, Ben and Joe’s name inside either ball.

“Oh,” Joe scratched the back of his neck, “we were bored last night, decided to make something little for the door.” Ben and Joe had run out of ideas on how to organize their dorm the night before around eleven. Ben digging the sign and chalk markers out of one of his totes, the two boys sitting down to decorate it before hanging it outside their room with a command strip on the door.

Chandler rested her crutches on the wall next to Joe’s dorm before hopping over to his ben on her good foot, flopping back on the mattress and closing her eyes. “I need to rinse off in the shower fast,” she mumbled after realizing that sweat had her shirt clinging to her body. Joe knew she had never liked to sleep when sweaty, she never seemed able to get comfortable, tossing and turning until she got up to take a fast shower.

“I can help,” Joe was digging through his drawers trying to find clean boxers and baseball shorts, “Ben’s probably going to shower in the locker room and the other two boys in the suite don’t get here until next week. We have the room to ourselves.”

Joe watched Chandler untie the ribbons from her hair, shoving them into her softball bag haphazardly. She opened another pocket and pulled a pair of under armour running shorts, clean panties and a sports bra out. “If you don’t mind helping I won’t complain.”

Joe nodded and gathered three towels and his clothing walking over to Chandler and wrapping an arm around her shoulder so she could hop on one foot to the bathroom. He helped her sit down on the toilet while he started the shower, letting the water warm up. “Need help getting your clothes off?”

“Trying to get me naked?” Chandler asked with a playful smile as she pulled her shirt over her head. Joe tossed a wink over his shoulder while he started taking his own clothes off, he’d put them in the hamper after. Seeing steam rising out of the top of the shower Joe pulled the shower curtain back, reaching out for Chandler’s hand to help make sure she got in okay. The pair wobbled slightly as Chandler stuck her bad leg outside the shower, the warm water covering both of their bodies.

Joe pushed his hair out of his eyes while he picked up his body wash with his other hand. After popping the cap he rubbed some between his hands, carefully smoothing his hands down Chandler’s back, her muscles rippling under his touch. “Chandler?”

“Yeah?” She leaned her head forward while Joe’s thumbs dug into her sore muscles.

Joe allowed his thumbs to press a little harder into her shoulders, “you didn’t really mean it when you said you wanted to go home, right?” His hands had moved down to her sides where he playfully squeezed her hips, making her laugh trying to wiggle away from his touch. “Easy,” the word came out of his mouth on instinct.

“I-” Chandler paused for a moment, “no. I just wish it was different.” Joe watched as the bubbles from the body wash ran down Chandler’s body before lathering himself up. “I miss playing with the boys, the girls just aren’t as fun.” Joe laughed, knowing those had been the exact words Chandler said when they were seven and she wanted to stay playing baseball, not wanting to be moved to the softball league. “Not that they’re not nice, I’m just used to the baseball dynamic, you know?”

“You haven’t even given it much of a chance yet,” Joe leaned over to pick up the shampoo bottle. “Need your hair washed again?” When Chandler nodded Joe plopped a dollop of shampoo on top of her head before he started to massage her scalp. “You don’t really know the girls yet.”

“You’re right,” Chandler tilted her head back into the water, “stand in front of me.” Joe carefully shuffled around her so he was now the one in front. “But I don’t have a feel for the sport, and it’s like learning how to play from scratch all over again,” she held her hand out for the shampoo bottle.

Joe let out a happy sigh when he felt Chandler’s fingers start massaging his scalp, working the shampoo into his hair. “How about this-” he tilted his neck to either side letting it crack, “how about you keep making the best of the softball team, and I figure out how to get you on the baseball team?”

“Joe-” after the shampoo was washed out of his hair he turned around and pecked Chandler’s lips to keep her quiet.

“Nope,” he cut her off, “I’m going to figure this out, all you need to do is give me time.” Chandler couldn’t argue with Joe, knowing there wasn’t much of a point, he was just as stubborn as she was. She just nodded while Joe turned the shower off, reaching outside to hand her two towels he picked up. She wrapped one around her body and the other around her shoulders while Joe wrapped his around his waist.

Chandler knew it was unrealistic to think that Joe would magically find a way to get her on the baseball team, and she didn’t know how to break it to him. She didn’t want him to waste time on trying to find a nonexistent solution, she didn’t want him to think he let her down. The couple got dressed in silence, Joe drying his hair with his towel while Chandler pulled her sports bra over her head. She didn’t want to get stuck drying her hair so instead just squeezed as much water as she could out with a towel. Throughout the shower she had managed to keep her splint dry, a small accomplishment that made her night as she usually got casts and braces a little damp during showers in the past.

“Ready for bed?” Joe held his arm out again for her to balance on. Chandler leaned on to her boyfriend for support as she hopped back to the bedroom, again sitting down on Joe’s bed. She tossed him her phone to plug in next to his before sliding under the blanket on his Twin XL bed, the two of them sleeping together on the small bed proved to be a challenge but they had made it work.

Once Joe had tucked into Chandler’s side he opened his laptop, resuming the episode of The Walking Dead where he left off earlier. Chandler watched the show religiously and was already caught up, waiting for the new season to start in October, but she would gladly rewatch the series thus far with Joe.

Her head rested on his chest while his laptop sat on his thighs, the volume just loud enough for them to both hear. Forty minutes into the episode the lock on the door clicked open before the door itself swun open, light from the hallway flooding the room.

“Sorry,” Ben shut the door, dropping his soccer bag at the foot of his bed. He was no longer soaked in sweat, a tee shirt and loose soccer shorts now replacing his uniform.

“Benny!” Chandler happily called from her place on Joe’s bed, a sleepy smile on both of their faces. “You played amazing!” If the room had been light enough she would have seen the blush that spread across Ben’s face and down his neck at the compliment.

Ben sat down on his bed, taking his sneakers off, “I didn’t score any goals.” Chandler rolled her eyes, hating that athletes tended to measure their success on how many goals they scored or how many runs they batted in. Being part of a team was so much more than earning points. “But uhh-” he trailed off.

“But?” Joe asked.

“Coach is going to start me,” Chandler didn’t need to see Ben’s face to know he was smiling. He would be starting the regular season as a freshman in an anchor position, it was quite the accomplishment.

Chandler sat up, looking in Ben’s direction, “that’s amazing!” She would have gotten up and hugged him if her leg wasn’t in terrible shape. After watching Ben plug in his phone, Joe patted the end of the bed.

“Want to come watch the rest of this episode?” Even though Ben was just as caught up as Chandler he nodded, climbing on to the end of Joe’s bed, settling Chandler’s legs over his lap. He picked up Joe’s laptop and adjusted it on the bed so all three could properly see.

It fell into silence, Joe’s fingers carding though Chandler’s still damp hand while Ben’s hands rested over the tops of her legs. She had been up hours earlier than both boys for practice, and crutching around campus took a lot more energy out of her than she had remembered from the past. As Ben started the next episode she found her eyes closing, comforted by the warmth radiating off of the two boys surrounding her. Her worries were soothed as she focused on the gentle touches both were providing her, the thought of returning home suddenly seeming less appealing than she had originally thought.

Tag list:

@the-claire-bitch-project

#joe mazzello #joe mazzello imagine #ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #anna writes #ben hardy fan fiction #joe mazzello fan fiction #soccer player!ben #baseball player! joe #ben hardy x oc #joe mazzello x oc #ben hardy x oc x joe mazzello

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borhapparker · 2 years ago

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special victims unit | borhap cast x female!oc - chapter three

summary: The Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the NYPD, investigate sexually related crimes. Lead by Lieutenant Astrid Morrison, they solve New York’s most sensitive cases, as well as battle with their own demons from the past.

warnings: mentions of sexual assault, lots of talk of conditions, mentions of death, mentions of underage acts, lots of triggers mentioned above

word count: 4.3k

series masterlist | teaser | chapter one | chapter two

It had been another long day, cases replaced by paperwork as Astrid sighed, putting her pen down and closing the folder. She had finally found the time to sit and sign casefiles given to her earlier in the day, and it was only 2 in the morning. The phone on the desk pinged, as she picked it up, smiling.

'You done, beautiful? Need a ride?'

Shaking her head, she smiled before texting back.

'I'm okay, I'll be home soon, promise'

Her office phone rang, as she turned and picked it up. "Morrison."

"Lieutenant, we have a victim. I'll send you the address, we're heading to the apartment right now."

"I'll be there in 10." hanging up the phone, she grabbed her bag, badge, gun, and phone in hand as she locked up the office and headed out.

Driving over to the address texted to her, she contemplated wether or not she should let her partner know that she wouldn't be home just yet. He knows already, he probably heard the call too.

Arriving at the residence, she was greeted with a couple squad cars, as Lucy walked out of the house.

"Lieutenant, she's inside."

"What do we have?" Astrid asked as she walked alongside Lucy, up the steps.

"Victim's name is Kristi, she was raped by her sister's boyfriend. She was asleep on the couch when she woke up to him on top of her. He was aggressive, she broke a glass over his head to get him off her and locked herself in the bathroom."

Astrid sighed, shaking her head. "What's his story?"

"Actually, we were waiting for you," Lucy said as she sighed, "Figured you might want to talk to him."

Heading inside, Lucy directed her to the closed-off room, where the other victim was, bandage on his forehead and dried blood on his face. Ben was there already, looking up and nodding at her, before turning his attention back to him.

"So, Dan, do you want to tell us what happened?" Ben asked him as he sat hunched down, head in his hands.

He shook his head.

"It's quite a mess you've made here, Dan." Astrid spoke up, crossing her arms, "Where's Rachel?"

He spoke up, "I don't remember."

Ben sighed, "Conk on the head give you amnesia? There's no way you forgot raping your girlfriend's little sister."

He looked up quickly, confusion furrowed on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Astrid frowned, "Maybe the precinct will jog your memory."

Ben leaned down and grabbed Dan's arm, pulling him up from where he was sitting as he looked between the two. "Look, you're not gonna believe me if I tell you."

She tilted her head, "Why don't you try us?"

"I did it in my sleep."

Astrid's eyes widened, as she looked at Ben. His hand still on the suspect's arm, he gave him a t-shirt to wear, before taking him outside and into one of the cars.

"That's a new one." he sighed as Astrid nodded, "You ever heard that one before?"

She nodded, "Heard of it, never experienced it before."

Calling Lucy down, she walked with the victim Kristi, guiding her into another car as they all headed down to the precinct. It was still early in the morning, the time now nearing 3am as Astrid grabbed her phone, placing a coffee order for everyone.

As they all pulled into the precinct, Joe met up with them, having called Kristi's father, who was now waiting in the conference room. Ben walked with Dan, escorting him into an interrogation room as Lucy walked Kristi in with her father, who awaited her with open arms.

Ben grabbed the folder Joe reached out to him as Rami walked in with him, both of them ready to question Dan. Ben dropped the folder on the table as Rami opened it, grabbing Rachel's picture and showing it to Dan.

"So, what'd you do with Rachel?" he stayed quiet as Rami continued, "You forget, or you sleepwalk her into a dumpster?"

Dan looked up, "I-I swear I don't remember a thin-"

"Maybe you got into a fight, huh?" Ben began, as he circled Dan, "Get in a fight, get out of hand. Kill her, dump her body."

Dan shook his head, "No, I didn't."

"Then you had to get rid of Kristi before she could-"

"No!" Dan exclaimed as he paused, "You don't understand. Okay, I have this condition."

Rami paused as he looked back, hearing the door open and noticing a woman standing at the entrance, "And I have a headache." he stood upright, as he turned to face her, "You his lawyer?"

She smiled, "Anna Bentley. My client suffers from Arousal Parasomnia." Ben cocked an eyebrow at her words as she frowned, "It's a real disorder. He had sexual intercourse with Kristi McGarrett while he was asleep."

Dan spoke up, "Look, Rachel knows about my condition, okay? She loves it, okay? She says when I'm asleep, it's the best sex she's ever had."

Astrid stood outside the interview rooms, watching as Rami and Ben led Anna, Dan's lawyer, over to the table, pulling up a chair for her to sit in. She turned and walked over to the other window, where Lucy and Joe were interviewing and getting Kristi's statement.

"He was so violent," she sighed, looking down at her water cup, "He was grunting and panting like an animal."

Joe frowned, "How long have you known him?"

"I met him for the first time yesterday at the train station when he and Rachel picked me up," Kristi sniffled as Lucy nudged the box of tissues closer to Krisi, her hand coming up to grab one. "Thanks."

"So you're visiting?" Lucy asked, nodding at her acknowledgement as Kristi only frowned.

"From Boston, I came here to look at colleges." Wiping tears from her eyes, she breathed in shakily, "She told me that she was in love with him. How could he do this to me?"

Astrid sighed, wringing her hands together as she walked over once more to listen to Dan, noticing the tension in the shoulders of her detectives.

"Now, if Rachel's so hot for you when you're, uh, sleep sexting, why'd you rape Kristi?" Rami frowned, looking at Dan as he turned away angrily.

"Rachel must've already been gone."

"Well, yeah because you got rid of her." Ben interjected as Dan looked at him. "That's where the blood in the bedroom came from."

"No!" Dan screamed, "Look, I woke up after Kristi cut me with the glass. When I went in the bedroom to tell Rachel, she wasn't there!"

His lawyer sighed, "You can't arrest my client for a rape he didn't know he was commiting."

She knocked on the glass, as her two detectives walked out, leaving Dan with his lawyer, as she began giving him encouraging statements.

Gwilym was standing outside next to her as Ben and Rami sighed. "Seems like this isn't good news."

He only shook his head. "She's right, we can't charge him with the rape."

Rami shook his head, "If it looks like a rape and acts like a rape-"

"It is a rape. Unless the accused isn't conscious of what his body's doing." Gwilym finished, as everyone groaned, "It's like a sleeping mother who rolls over on her baby. Her body did it, but her mind wasn't aware of it."

Lucy and Joe had joined them as she interjected, clear confusion and anger in her voice. "Well, it still doesn't explain what happened to Rachel."

Neither of them had noticed that Dr. Palmer had joined them, having heard about the case and knowing the rarity of it, she had wanted to know a little more about what they were working with. "Actually, I think it does. When a patient with sexomnia has an episode, he or she will seek sex with whoever's available. I think that he raped Kristi becuase Rachel was already gone."

Ben sighed, "I gotta tell you, it sounds like a cover up for killing Rachel and dumping her body."

"There's never been a case of sexomnia linked to a homicide." Gwilym crossed his arms.

Rami crossed his as well as he looked at everyone around, "So you're telling me there's no connection between Dan attacking Kirsti and Rachel's disappearance."

Dr. Palmer sighed and shook her head, "If she's in love with him, I doubt she'd leave in the middle of the night. I think Rachel was kidnapped."

Astrid walked alongside Kristi through the hallways to the main bullpen, as Kristi wrapped her arms around herself. "Did your sister ever mention anyone bothering her? Giving her the creeps?"

Kristi shook her head, as they rounded a corner, "No, Rachel would've told me."

As they reached the main bullpen, they came face to face with Ben and Dan, as he reached for her indistinctively. "Kristi, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you!"

Ben reached for his arm as Astrid pulled her away and in another direction, "Shut up! Nothing you say will bring my sister home!"

In the heat of the moment, neither the Lieutentant nor the detective noticed Kristi and Rachel's father sitting on the plastic chairs, as he had waited for them to finish their statements. He approached quickly at the sound of his daughter's loud voice, his protectiveness kicking in.

"Kristi! Kristi, is this the guy?" she nodded and acknowledged her father's statement as he lunged at Dan, anger and hatred in his eyes.

His arm swung back and toward him as Dan fell to the ground, Kristi's father swinging once as Ben wrapped his arms aorund him, pulling him up and away from their suspect.

"Back off, back off!" he yelled as Kristi's father grunted and snarled, wanting to get close to Dan to hurt him more than he just got the chance to.

Astrid took his arms and made him look at her as she emphasized how he was feeling, "Mr. McGarett, I understand that you're upset-"

"What do you expect me to do? He took my daughter!"

"We don't think that he's involved."

"What do you mean?" he looked flabbergasted as she let go of his arms, "He raped Kristi, what are you going to do about that?"

She sighed, as Ben took Dan away from them, "There's nothing we can do. He has a medical condition that made him unaware of his actions. Because of that, the law says that we can't charge him."

He sighed, closing his eyes and placing a hand over his face, in an attempt to soothe the anger seething from his pores. "This is a nightmare."

"I promise you, we are working around the clock to find your daughter."

"Good!" he seethed at her, "Because all you've managed to do is hide behind the law! I don't want to hear excuses! Find my daughter!"

He walked off, grabbing Kristi as they headed out, leaving Astrid standing by the corridor, Ben now at her side as the rest of the detectives watched on, concern etched on their faces.

"You okay?" she nodded, letting go a sigh she didn't realize she had been holding.

Walking over to the bullpen where everyone else was waiting, she turned to Lucy, "Did you get anything from the crime lab?"

She tilted her head, and nodded, "They actually just called me. Want me to head over?"

Astrid nodded, as she instructed for Joe to accompany her. They needed to get this case cleared as soon as possible, she didn't want any more casualties.

Not again.

Walking into the crime lab, Joe and Lucy were greeted with the tech Lu, as she crossed her arms, "Ready?"

"What do you have for us?"

"I took a hair from a brush in Rachel's room, typed her DNA and then compared it to the blood on the scene." guiding them over to a light on the wall, she flicked the switch, the film showing the strands of DNA from the test. "DNA on the left is from Rachel's, the one on the right from the scene."

Joe sighed, "They don't match."

Lu nodded and reached behind Joe for another piece of film that had been laying on her desk, "But this does." she placed it up against the light, "It's DNA from a blood sample Dan gave when he participated in a parasomnia study at Hudson Med School."

Lucy crossed her arms, as confusion was etched across her features, nothing making sense. "So Dan told the truth then. He bled all over the bedroom when he went to look for Rachel. At least we know that Rachel wasn't hurt badly."

Joe's phone pinged as Lu continued, "Well, that's all we know for now. Whoever took her didn't leave a shred of forensic evidence." she walked over to her computer and began typing, as Joe opened up his phone to a notification from the Lieutenant.

"I'm getting a text from the Lieutenant, she wants me to turn on Channel 4. Do you mind?"

Lu nodded as she grabbed the remote control and turned on the television hooked to the wall, as all three walked over to watch. On the screen was Rachel and Kristi's father, as he adressed the media.

'Last night, one of my daughters was raped. The incompetent detectives at Manhattan's Special Victims Unit refused to charge her attacker. And if this tragedy isn't horrible enough, my daughter Rachel was abducted from her bed.'

On the screen, a picture of Rachel appeared, as the tagline underneath read 'Rachel McGarrett'

'We're reaching out to the public for help. My family is offering a 50 thousand dollar reward for any tip leading to Rachel's safe return. If you have information, please call Manhattan SVU's tip line.'

Joe and Lucy headed out, thanking Lu for her hard work and promising to follow up if she had anything else. Heading back to the precinct, they regrouped at the bullpen, where everyone was on any available phone, the lines ringing like crazy as everyone scrambled to answer tips.

"Lieutenant, woman claims she saw Rachel eating a chili dog in Times Square. Wants the fifty grand in twenties and tens." Rami sighed as he put the phone down, Astrid only shaking her head.

"Reward offer brings out all kinds of crazy," Astrid breathed out, as she turned to Lucy, who was on a phone and had finished a call.

"One bogus lead after the next." she handed some cards to a fellow detective perched on her desk, "Follow those two."

He nodded and walked off as Joe called everyone over. "Maybe not! I got something, friend of Rachel's. You still there, Ginger?"

The speaker on the phone crackled as the voice talked, "Yes."

"Tell the detectives what you just told me."

"I think Rachel is in another Youniverse."

All of them exchanged confused glances as Ginger gave them her address, inviting them over to show a preview of the game mentioned. Astrid gave Ben a nod as they both headed out, leaving the rest to scramble over more tips.

"Another Youniverse is a virtual reality game. Rachel and I play online all the time," she guided them over to her monitor, as the game was loaded on the screen. "We each have avatars, mine is Tawny Coppercuffs. They are basically alter egos, we each have our own homepages, video clips, game diary, anything you can do in the real world, you can do here too."

"Does Rachel have an avatar name?" Astrid leaned down to look at the monitor.

"Yes, Vixy Platinum."

"Why do your names sound like strippers?" Ben questioned her as she shrugged.

"That's because you're close. We own virtual sex clubs. We use AY to explore our fantasies."

Ben and Astrid shared a look, as she turned to Ginger. "How do avatars have sex?"

"Same way as humans do, only in A.Y. it's just animated." she sighed, "Look, it may look illegal and odd, but it's fantasy and not a crime. We weren't hurting anyone or doing anything illegal."

Astrid nodded, "You weren't hurting anyone, but Rachel may have gotten hurt."

Sighing, Ginger nodded and apologized, before bringing up Rachel's club on the monitor. "She's supposed to be performing today at 2pm, but because she never showed, everyone is worried. All these people standing outside are fans of Vixy, and they've been waiting for her."

"So, all these people outside her club are stand-ins for real people?"

"Yep," Ginger nodded, "Her avatar is 14, hence the pigtails and the name of her club."

The disbelief displayed on both their faces was clear as day, as Ginger shrugged, letting them know she would be looking in and call them if she found anything else. Thanking her, they headed out of her loft, they chatted, both comparing theories on what could have happened to Rachel, and why would such a person go to the lengths of tracking someone virtually. Coming up with no leads, they headed to the bullpen, where everyone was waiting, pictures displayed on the board and the computer loaded up.

"Rachel McGarrett leads a double life," Joe began, "Art student in the real world, fourteen year old hooker in the game."

Astrid and Joe bounced back ideas, Lucy stepping in every once in a while to give her two cents as Rami walked over with a piece of paper in hand, catching everyone's attention.

"The game has it's own sherriff. Erik Winton." he showed the paper to Astrid, who nodded, "He designed the game, which means he will have access to all the avatar's personal information."

"Both of you go, talk to Erik and find out if he can give you any information." Astrid pointed at Joe and Rami, both of them leaving to find and talk to Erik, someone who was more than happy to give them all the information they needed, without a search warrant.

"We have five million players in A.Y. We don't tend to follow all of them around, since we based the game on freedom and desires, so when this happens, we try to shut it down as quickly as possible." Erik's accent was thick, as he motioned with his hands while walking over to the big monitor in his office, cameras from the game displayed on the screen.

"We were thinking one of your player's desire got a little out of control," Ben said as they leaned down to his computer. "We'd appreciate it if you played Big Brother, tell us who Vixy's customers are."

He nodded, typing on his computer as he pulled up her profile, the same one Ben had seen earlier on Ginger's monitor. "This is the club, which is empty now but only because they've moved on. But I can pull a screencap of the time you're talking about."

The characters appeared on the screen as Joe pointed, "These guys are Vixy's regulars?"

Erik nodded, "They live around the world. Berlin, Denver, Tel Aviv, Long Beach."

"How do they communicate with her? Chat windows? Email?"

"No," Erik shook his head, before pulling up her blog, "She writes a blog and they read it. Every avatar keeps one, even though no one really uses theirs."

"Hey look," Ben pointed, noticing the latest entry was a couple hours before her abduction, "There's one there written before she disappeared. It's called Stalker."

"Let's listen." Erik pressed a key before Rachel's avatar came up on the full monitor, her voice echoing through the speakers.

I'm being stalked. Had to ban this scumbag from my club a few days ago. And that's when things got bad. I'm worried my A.Y. stalker has gone real world. Last night, I saw a shadow move, I heard footsteps behind me. To all you girls running clubs, watch out for this creep. His avatar's name is Wit Billions.

They sighed, all three sharing glances as Erik went back to his laptop, typing and looking at her profile. "I scanned her account data. Turns out there was only one regular customer not present at today's vigil."

"Let me guess," Ben and Joe sighed, "Wit Billions."

The screen pulled up the profile for the avatar, as they noticed it's unusual getup. "The Executioner, his real name is Tobin Williams, address right here in the city."

After an odd and confusing interrogation, which left them with more questions than answers, they redirected their attention at the creator of the game once more, wanting to check if he had any partners or had been talking to someone through the game.

"The avatar interaction grid allows me to scan for every meeting between avatars in A.Y." he motioned to the screen as they watched, "If I set the filter to the most interactions, we come down to only two avatars. Vixy Platnium and Smarty Culottes."

"Smarty's gotta be his partner." pulling up his profile, they noticed the interations were frequent, as they got the information from the creator as to who the person was.

Tracking him down, they found the location to be a quaint bookstore, with only two employees: the owner and the young receptionist. Talking to the younger boy, they determined that not only did he not know who was behind Vixy's account, but he was confused as to why one of his clients was in the game. Once again, their discovery led to more questions than answers as they began probing into the game, only to find out that the owner of the bookstore had also become an avid fan of the game, even going as far as to create and invest his own money into the game.

As they searched his apartment, they found obvious signs of him leaving, but also an interesting photo on the wall. On a beautiful oak frame, they found a picture of a young girl wearing a white button up shirt tied at her waist, and her hair in pigtails.

"Lieutenant, doesn't this look familiar?" Lucy motioned to the picture as Astrid grabbed the photo of Rachel out of her pocket.

"Yes," she turned the picture around as Lucy frowned and shook her head.

Lu, the lab technitian had accompanied them as she groaned in disgust, "It's too close not to be the same girl. If that's Rachel's avatar, then who's the girl in the picture?"

Lucy reached up to the frame, as she pulled it off the wall, turning it around to uncover a piece of paper taped to the back. "It's a list. Buy meds, transfer five thousand A.Y. funds."

Lu walked over alongside Astrid as the lieutenant pulled out her phone, "J.T. 718-555-0108." Dialing the number, she was met with an automated voice. "Jepsen-Taylor Realty, how may I direct your call?"

They both exchanged glances as she began to relay information to the woman on the other end of the line, hoping that maybe she could give them some information. After some back and forth, they were given an address, where they met her with a key to a storage facility. She mentioned that he had only done communication via mail and phone calls, never meeting in person. Yet, when she opened the locker and tilted her head, she remembered him relaying information about wanting a secluded cabin in the woods, which she had found odd at the time.

Going inside, they found Rachel tied to a bed, medicine bottles next to her as she was gagged and blindfolded, her pulse thready and slow. As they untangled her from the mess of ties, they heard the rumble of a car engine, as the owner ran off, evading the detectives once more. Exaserpated and annoyed, they called an ambulance, as it picked up Rachel, before they followed behind, wanting to make sure the young girl was okay.

As they headed to the hospital, they got the chance to speak with her for a few minutes, as they wished her a speedy recovery and promised they would find the guy, before parting ways and heading back to the precinct.

"Lieutenant!" Rami called out as Astrid walked out of her office, phone in hand, "Doctor called, the rape kit was negative. Cooper must have used a condom."

"Were there any prints at the warehouse?" she asked as they walked over to where Lucy and Joe were, as they compared notes.

"No, but Joe did get Cooper's information from the DMV." Lucy said as she pulled up the information he got on the monitor, all of them scanning the document displayed on the screen. "He matched the prints from the DMV to the ones in his apartment and another alias showed up, which so happens to be Cooper's real name: Gregory Searle."

"What? So he just changes his whole name and identity?" Ben asked as he crossed his arms.

"Twenty-five years ago he did time at Green Haven in Duchess County."

"For rape?" Rami interjected as he shook his head.

"Kidnapping. Fifteen year old girl named Lauren Molby. Seen her before?" he held up a picture of the victim, as Lucy gasped.

"That's the girl from the picture in Cooper's apartment."

"So, Cooper decided to relive the glory of his old crime in virtual reality."

Astrid sighed and patted their backs, "Well let's find him before he decides to take another innocent girl."

After hours of searching and going back to Erik's apartment, they finally found Cooper, only to let him go minutes after stopping him. They were disappointed, but determined to find out the truth. As they remembered the cabin Rachel had mentioned, they went over to the hospital to ask her more questions, only to be approached by her doctor, with bad news.

"I'm so sorry, but Rachel passed away."

Joe and Ben looked surprised. "What? You told us she was going to make it."

"She suffered a heart attack. I'm sorry."

Joe turned back, and dialed Astrid, as he relayed the bad news.

Well, maybe Erik can help.

Lucy and Astrid drove over to the headquarters once more, as they managed to convince Erik to reveal the lake where Cooper had bought land in the game, that which resembled Twin Island Lakes outside Pine Planes. As Astrid phoned Joe and Rami, who were on the way, Ben meanwhile was following behind Cooper, who was now headed to the airport. Not knowing the exact location of the cabin, he urged Erik to reveal and change the time in the game to daytime, hoping the shadow will reveal the location of the cabin.

Soon enough, they received the information, relaying it to Rami who headed in that direction, a dozen other detectives behind them as they found themselves in front of the cabin. The door opened slowly, as a shotgun appeared between the gap, the officers behind Rami and Joe aiming their guns, ready to fight back.

"Stop right there!" the voice yelled out as Rami raised his hands. "This is private property!"

"This is Gregory Searle's cabin. Who are you?" Rami spoke up as she lowered the shotgun, opening the door and revealing her full figure.

"I'm Lauren," she looked around, eyes brimmed with tears, "Where's Gregory? Is he with you? I've been waiting," she breathed out, tears falling from her eyes, "For twenty five years."

"Lieutenant, we found the cabin."

Search it!

"No need. Lauren's alive."

tags:

@hollandroos @me-a-hopeless-romantic @shuri-owns-my-heart @im-grac3ful-but-fi3rc3 @thebohemianpenguin @misterf4renheit @sofarxitsalright @lolabean1998 @sailing-race @desperately-bisexual @desir-ae @cl0ve @orchideax @thesevenseasofnublar @owensgrxdy @imgonnabeyourslave

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brian-roger-deaky-and-fred · 4 years ago

Text

Puzzle Pieces (Roger Taylor x Reader)

Summary: Roger and the Reader go home for Christmas. Remembering how much you loved Roger as a kid reminds you of how much you love Roger now. But does he feel the same way?

Warnings: A Kiss, Maybe One Bad Word??, A Mention of Alcohol, Slight Angst (With a Happy Ending!!), Fluff :"^), Mentions of Christmas

A/N: Hey everybody! I've missed you all so so much! It's so so good to be posting again! I hope you've all had a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! This is just a little blurb I was asked to write for the A Kind of Magic Fanzine! Check it out guys! You can find it right here! Thank you guys so much for your patience with me. I have so so much to catch up on! I've been working a ton but I've been writing every chance I get! I love you all! Please feel free to comment!! Feedback from you guys encourages me more than anything! I hope you enjoy this lil holiday blurb!

*************************

"My darlings!" Winifred Taylor cooed as she opened her arms to you and her son. "Come in! Come in! You'll catch your death!" You both grinned, bending down to let the little woman hug you.

"Mum-" Roger giggled, hugging her tight. "The whole house smells like Burbon!"

She chuckled happily, giving the same mischievous smile Roger always did when he was up to no good. "I'm only making fruitcake, you nutter! Shame on you! Making a drunkard out of me!" She gave a teasing wink, pinching his cheek lovingly. She rubbed it softly with her thumb, noticing how his skin was still red and cold from the snow.

"Was the trip easy enough on you? You've got to watch out for the black ice, Roger, you know.-" Roger chuckled to himself as he helped you peel off your gloves, icey and wet from the snow. Winifred continued her tittering as she carried in a little tea tray from the kitchen, "It worries me! You driving in that horrible van! You have nice tires right? And you drive slowly in the snow?"

"Yes, mum." He smiled softly as he warmed your hands between his own.

"You're cold!", She exclaimed, suddenly noticing your shivers. "Oh my dear! Come darling, let's get you warmed up. My goodness, you get more and more lovely every time I see you!" You blushed to yourself as she sat you on the couch, draping a quilt over your shoulders and passing you a tea cup and saucer. "Here you are dear...Look at you! I can hardly believe it! I swear, just yesterday you two were sitting on this same couch listening to that little radio show you both loved so much. Always giggling and whispering back and forth..."

Roger's chest went warm at the thought. His best friend...always rough housing and laughing with him until his big blue eyes filled with happy tears. He plopped down in the arm chair beside you, humming. "You remember when you got those rollerskates for Christmas?" He smiled at the thought, chuckling. "The ones that strapped onto you shoes? Little red wheels?"

You grinned, nodding with excitement at the little memory. "My mom kept telling us we'd break our necks if we tried them out while the road was icy!"

He laughed, blushing with embarrassment, "God, we never listened did we?"

Winifred scoffed, "No! You didn't! Cheeky little goblins!" She shook her head amusedly, taking your empty cup from the table. "Do either of you need anything to eat? I'm going to check the cake."

Roger giggled, "Sure you are, mum! You just need another shot!"

She tutted, giving him a teasingly stern glance, "I'm going to need a few shots if you keep razzing me Roger Meddows!"

You giggled sweetly at her playful exasperation as Roger pried himself up from the easy chair and wandered over to plop down next to you on the couch, laying his head in your lap. Smiling, you gently twirled one of his blonde locks around on your finger. He scrunched his nose, giving a big, loud yawn and stretching his arms.

You chuckled softly, "Sleeping Beauty prick her finger?"

"Hey! Some of us didn't get to doze off in the passenger seat the whole ride over!" His voice was sweet and croaky with drowsiness.

"I packed your whole bloody suitcase for you! You baby!"

His jaw dropped, brow furrowing, "I am not a baby!"

You laughed, and Roger couldn't help but grin at the sound. He'd always loved your laugh. It sounded like a bird song. He smirked, "At least I don't talk in my sleep!" You crooked your brow and he grinned, knowing he had you.

"I don't talk in my sleep!"

"Oh yes you do! Mumbled the whole way here!" Your ears started to go warm as he grinned at his cleverness. "Oh, Roger! Roger I'm so in love with you! You're beautiful, Roger!" He mimicked you teasingly, making your stomach sink.

Your cheeks flushed completely red, your eyes going wide. Your throat tightened, and Roger could feel you stiffen. His smile faded.

"I....I....I never...said..." You swallow thickly, gently guiding Roger to sit up from his place against your lap.

Winifred wandered back into the living room, dusting flour from her hands. "Would anyone fancy a movie? Or I have home videos!"

"Actually...I...-"

Her bright eyes faded as she saw the look on your face.

"-...I think I'm going to go onto bed."

Her expression fell. "Oh heavens darling, are you alright? It looks like you've seen a ghost." She cradled your face sweetly, feeling your temperature with the back of her hand.

"I'm alright." You gave a weak smile, holding her wrists. "Truly. Everything is so lovely. I'm just...just tired from the travel I suppose."

She gave a little nod, glancing to Roger, who stood and grabbed your suitcase. Winifred grabbed an extra blanket from the linen closet and a bathrobe. "I planned for you to sleep in Roger's room. Would that be alright?"

You nodded quietly, taking your suitcase from Roger. "I've got it."

He frowned, releasing the suitcase and allowing you to roll it down the hall.

***

Winifred spread the extra blanket over the bed, dutifully smoothing any wrinkles with the back of her hand, "Did he say something rude to you? He's rude at times. I know it. He says things he doesn't mean-"

"Oh no...No he's been so lovely, Winifred, I promise." You combed through your hair gently as you unbuckled your suitcase. "I just...I think I've been a bit silly." Your voice broke a little as your eyes burnt with the beginning with tears. You busied in your suitcase, searching out pajamas.

"Silly, how, my love?"

"I..um..." Timidly, you turn to face her. "...I think I started to let myself believe that...that maybe Roger might love me." You held your pajamas against your chest shakily, A tear escaping to roll down your cheek.

Winifred's expression softened, "Oh darling-"

You sniffled, wiping your tears. "I mean, I know he loves me as...as his friend, you know? He loves the girl he got into trouble with and tested out r-rollerskates with and-"

The little woman frowned as you fought the quivering of your voice.

"But I think I always hoped that maybe he'd...he'd love me in the...the different way." You swallowed thickly, more tears burning. "The way where he'd hold my hand or k-kiss my cheeks o-or-" You broke off into a little sob. Winifred rushed to your side in an instant. Gently, she dried your tears, mumbling little motherly reassurances.

"Oh my goodness gracious, sweetheart, dry up those tears...now now...Roger'll never forgive me if he thinks I've made you cry."

You whimpered a little apology, choking out a sad laugh.

"No, love, no no no...Don't be sorry." You sniffled softly as she sat you down, gently running her fingers through your hair and whispering reassurances. "Now I don't know everything..." She soothed, tucking a strand behind your ear. "But I do know, that the two of you go together like puzzle pieces." Your eyes fluttered shut. "You always have. It's like you're made for one another. You get each other."

Timidly, you nodded, trying to relax your muscles.

"And I also know, that when you find the person that fits you like a puzzle piece, there's not anything on earth that could keep you from loving that person." Your heart calmed, and you sniffled, nodding with tearful eyes. Slowly, she lifted your chin with her warm hands, looking you in the eye with a soft smile. She tutted softly, brushing away one last stray tear. "Oh darling...tell that silly boy how you feel."

***

Is was about two in the morning before you finally worked up the courage to stumble into the living room.

Roger laid across the couch, staring up at the glowing Christmas tree with exhausted, open eyes. Quietly, you walked over, sitting yourself on the floor beside the couch where he laid. He perked up, glancing at you. You met his eyes, heart settling in your chest as he gave you a soft, apologetic smile.

"Couldn't sleep?"

You shook your head gently.

He sighed, "Me either. Guess it's always hard to sleep on Christmas Eve though, huh?" You nodded again, giving a soft smile. "Used to toss and turn all night waiting for..."He yawned, stretching. "Father Christmas."

You smiled dreamily. Even as sleep deprived as you were each Christmas morning, it never stopped you from running down the street to Roger's house to share and brag of your spoils.

"Mhm...It's not Christmas Eve anymore though, is it?" He glanced it the clock, "Merry Christmas, pretty girl."

His voice was still sleepy and rough. Gently, he reached down to take your hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles.

You met his eyes, smiling back at him lovingly. "Merry Christmas, Roger Meddows."

He gave a little chuckle at the mimick of his mother, sighing again and squeezing your hand. "I didn't mean to upset you, earlier. I'm sorry." He shot you a sympathetic look, gauging your response before he moved over on the couch, giving you room to curl up beside him if you wanted. His eyes looked hopeful. Slowly, you climbed up beside him. He gave a happy sigh as you relaxed against his chest.

"I'm...I'm sorry I ran off..." You hummed into his Pajama shirt. He gave your arm a sweet little rub, a silent acceptance of your apology. "I think I just got embarrassed."

"Embarassed..." He whispered sleepily, playing with your hair. You pause, eyes fluttering close as you enjoy his touch.

"B-Because....Because I do think you're beautiful."

His hand paused where it was combing through your hair, and he turned to meet your gaze. His eyes were big with surprise.

"Yeah?"

You nodded shyly, heart speeding as his lips spread into a grin.

"You really mean it?"

You nodded again, a deep blush spreading over your cheeks.

He laid back against the armrest, a lazy, blissful smile on his face. "Blimey.....I mean...Blimey."

You chuckled softly, nervously tucking hair behind your ear, "You're happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, silly thing! You're my best friend." He gave a soft smile, joy in his sleepy eyes. "I've loved you since I was six..."

You felt like your chest was going to burst, "L-Loved you too...for so long."

There was a pause, and before Roger could stop himself, he kissed you chastely, soft and sweet and gentle.

Your breath hitched, slowly processing what had just happened. Roger's eyes were hooded, and he had just started to stutter out a whispered apology when you gave a little whimper, pulling him back for a longer, needier kiss. He hummed against your lips, cradling your face and holding you tight against him. You nuzzled up against him needily, wrapping your arms around him as you finally let yourself kiss the boy you'd longed to kiss for so many years. Roger grinned against your lips, giving a little giggle. "God, you precious thing..."

You grin, blushing and hiding your face against the crook of his neck, "Rog?" You mumbled timidly. "D-Do you wanna sleep in your bed with me?"

He hummed sleepily, his hand tracing up and down your back.

"I just...I want you keep holding me and I think it'd be more comfortable than the couch."

Again, he grinned, groaning as he stood from the couch and scooped you up into his arms bridal style.

You squealed, holding on tight to his shoulders. "I can walk, silly boy!"

"Oh no no. I'm never letting you go again. Im afraid you're stuck with me."

You slept well that night with him curled up beside you, wrapping you up tight in his arms.

In fact, you were sure you hadn't slept so well in your whole life.

And that Christmas morning, Winifred was very pleased to find an empty couch in her living room.

***

#roger taylor #queen band #queen #john deacon #brian may #bohemian rapsody movie #ben hardy #joe mazzello #gwilym lee #rami malek #roger taylor x reader #roger taylor x you #roger taylor x oc #ben!roger #ben!roger taylor x you #ben!roger x you #queen imagines #roger Taylor x reader #queen fluff

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mercurysnitch · 4 years ago

Text

Mother Mercury Part 4: So Take A Chance With Me, Let Me Romance With You

Summary: Important steps are taken in multiple relationships. More of Eve and Mel’s family life is revealed.

A/N: Yes, this fic is still alive! (Just...) After a very long hiatus during which I got a job, lived through one lockdown only to be plunged into a second one which still isn’t over nearly four months later, and utterly lost all inspiration for a while, I’ve finally finished this part (and persuaded myself to stop editing it). Yet again I’ve had to extend the part count, this part was supposed to run to the end of filming but I realised it was getting quite long enough as it was, so I split it into two. The next part’s maybe halfway done, so lord knows when that’ll be published, but hopefully soonish.

I’m not entirely sure about a couple of sections of this, but if I don’t publish it now I never will, and I really want to get to writing part 6 as soon as possible, so here you go. I’m also quite excited about finally sharing a couple of bits of Eve’s backstory that I haven’t been able to talk about yet because they were spoilers for this chapter.

A quick reminder if you’ve forgotten since the last chapter: this fic is based on the idea of Freddie having had a biological daughter via accidentally knocking up a woman while under the influence at a party. (If you’re just joining us, it’s mostly explained in part 3). If you don’t like that idea, move along now. Also, shoutout to @i-lay-my-life-before-queen, whose various Freddie fics were a big inspiration for this story.

Warnings: Discussion of age gap relationships, kids, Eve and her fam are meant to have cats but I forgot to write them in so they might have other pets next part, I have no idea what the word count is but it ain’t short

*******************************************************************************************The secret knowledge that there was a Mercury grandchild in their midst seemed to give the Bo Rhap cast a lift over the following weeks. This proved surprisingly useful, as those weeks were marked by a deterioration in working conditions on the set. The director, who'd seemed frequently out of sorts almost from the start of shooting, kept disappearing for longer and longer stretches, and when he was around the atmosphere was increasingly tense. Everyone tried to get on with their jobs, but the tension was utterly pervasive.

Mel had even noticed a growing nervousness in the relative isolation of the costume department. Her boss Barbara tried to reassure her, but even she was worried. "We can't keep on like this, the ADs can't do it all themselves. Apparently Singer says he's been taking care of his mother, but I don't think anyone believes him." "Surely he has to be sacked?" Mel suggested. "I hope so" Barbara agreed. "Hopefully the producers can make the studio see sense and replace him before too long. I don't think anyone can take much more of this."

Privately Mel wondered whether Roger and Brian might be able to help. They were executive producers after all. Then again, would the studio listen if they raised concerns about the director? Mel suspected not, in normal circumstances. But she got the feeling plenty of people on the set would be voicing similar complaints before long. Perhaps Roger and Brian leading the charge would be enough to convince the studio take action. Mel only hoped something would be done sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, Mel and Ben could at least take comfort in each other. They’d quickly reached the point of spending nearly every night together, and now, after only a little over a month, Ben was wondering whether it was too soon for the ‘relationship’ conversation. He didn’t think it was, really, and he very much wanted to take the next step with Mel, small though it might be, but he was still plagued by nagging doubt about the age gap between them.

Ben tried very hard to keep his mind on work while he was on set, but the combination of a light day and an impending date that would be a very good opportunity for that important conversation had left him very preoccupied. He managed to get through the few takes he had to shoot without incident, but he knew the rest of the band could tell something was up even before he took the first possible opportunity to escape to his trailer during the break. He was hoping to be able to brood in peace, but that idea went out the window when he bumped into Roger en route. Normally this would have been a welcome coincidence, but today Ben was not in the mood. Not that Roger noticed.

“Ben! Just the man I was looking for. Just wanted to see how you’re going with the preparation for that next performance scene coming up. It’s a pretty straightforward song, but there’s a couple of…” The older man trailed off when he noticed his portrayer wasn’t listening. “Earth to Ben? You still here?” Ben started at the sound of his name. ‘Wha-? Oh, sorry, spaced out for a minute there.” Roger chuckled. “Yeah, just a bit.” There was silence as Ben realised they’d arrived at his trailer. “D’you wanna come in, chat in the warmth?” he offered. “Thanks” Roger replied, following through the door. The second Ben closed it Roger rounded on him.

“Right, what’s going on?” “What?” Ben was confused. “Something’s bothering you” Roger explained. Suddenly he softened slightly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but talking about it might help.” Ben hesitated. He did want to spill his guts about his dilemma, but he wasn’t sure Roger was the best choice of confidant. So he stalled. “How can you tell?” “That you’re worrying? You were obviously miles away before, you weren’t actually hiding it” Roger explained. Ben was suddenly ashamed. “Sorry.” “It’s fine” Roger assured him. “So, what’s on your mind? Is it that prick of a director? I can talk to-” “No, no, it’s not work” Ben said unthinkingly. His eyes widened when he realised what he’d just said. “Oh shit.” He’d really done it now: Roger suddenly looked very interested, and perhaps a touch… was that really concern in his eyes?

“Not work…” Roger echoed wonderingly. “Love life then?” He smiled as he saw a flicker of alarm cross Ben’s face. “Ah, definitely love life.” “If… if I tell you will you keep it secret?” Ben asked nervously, eyes wide with worry. “Of course” Roger assured him. “Now, spill. It’ll help, truly.” Ben sighed. “Well, alright then.”

“The thing is, well, me and Mel are… going out, I suppose” he explained. Roger smiled triumphantly. “I knew it, I knew there was something-”“It’s been a month now” Ben went on, ignoring Roger’s crowing. “And I want to be official, but I just… I’m not sure.” Roger was puzzled. “Why not?” “Because of the age gap” Ben clarified. “I’m worried it’s too much. She’s only 21, and I’m… nearly 27 really, and I just… I don’t know.”

Roger stared at him. “That’s not actually much of a gap, you know.” “Well it feels like one” Ben countered grumpily. “I’m sure it does” Roger soothed. “But why does it bother you so much?” Ben looked at Roger as if he was mystified at the older man’s lack of understanding.“An older man with a younger woman’s supposed to be bad, isn’t it?” “You’re asking the wrong bloke, mate” Roger chuckled. Ben suddenly looked horrified. “Oh lord, I forgot, I didn’t mean-” “It’s fine, I know what you meant” Roger assured him. “I used to hear it a lot, when I started seeing Debbie. She was only 25, you know, and I was nearly 40.” “That… 21 and 27 seems like nothing next to that” Ben mused. “It’s not nothing” Roger assured him. “But it seems like more of a gap because she’s so young.” “More of a gap?” Ben questioned. Roger nodded. “Look, if you heard about a 27-year-old woman and her 33-year-old boyfriend the age difference would hardly register, would it?” “I s’pose not” Ben agreed.

“But you know why people get worked up about young women and older men? They worry the men are taking advantage of their younger immature partners who won't fight them because they don't know any better.” Suddenly Roger peered seriously at Ben. “Now, does Mel seem like a girl who’s easily led into doing things?” “No” Ben declared. “I’m not sure anyone could ever force her to do something if she didn’t want to do it.” Roger grinned. “Thought so.” “I’d never try to, either” Ben added defiantly. “Of course not” Roger agreed. “So, you know there’s no… unhealthy power dynamic, shall we say, and she's not overly immature, is she?” Ben grinned. “Definitely not. She’s a lot more mature than I was at 21. Maybe even more than I am now…” “Women mature earlier” Roger replied, nodding sagely. “Anyway, there’s clearly nothing wrong there, so why not take things further?” “But people might say-” Ben protested. “Oh, bugger that” Roger interrupted. “People say a lot of things, most of them absolute rubbish, there’s no point listening to any of them.” Ben knew, in his heart, Roger spoke the truth.

“Look Ben, you’re not wrong to think about these things, but I know you’re not the sort of man to try and push a woman around” Roger pointed out. “And I’ve seen you and Mel together, you…” Suddenly his voice softened, and he looked at Ben fondly. “You’ve got something special there. I think. If I were you, I wouldn't want to give that up so easily” Ben smiled, significantly reassured. “Thanks Roger.”

That very evening Ben and Mel had dinner at his flat, and a very important conversation. Mel was absolutely thrilled to officially be Ben’s girlfriend, and shared almost none of his concerns about the age gap. Much to Ben’s relief, she was happy to take things slowly from hereon in, though she was a little surprised at his request.

“It’s not you” he assured her. “I just… my last relationship I was with her for nine years, and we only broke up at the start of this year, I wasn’t looking for this to happen again so soon. But…” “I know” Mel said softly. “Neither was I.” There was a slightly awkward pause as they reflected on the unexpected events of the last few months.

“Can I- Can I ask what happened?” Mel asked hesitantly. “I mean, nine years…” “It’s ok” Ben reassured her. “We were teenagers when we got together” he explained. “Kids really. It was good for a while, but we just sort of… grew in different directions. Too different, in the end.”

“Well that’s…” Mel wasn’t quite sure what to say. She almost felt bad for even asking, but Ben assured her it was only human to be curious about these things. Even so, a distinct awkwardness had settled in the air, but fortunately Mel was soon able to change the subject.

“As we’re… official… now, how would you feel about meeting my family?” Ben was surprised. “Isn’t it a bit soon for that?” “Maybe,” Mel shrugged. “But we’ve got the Thanksgiving break coming up, and we always have a big family supper then, it’d be nice if you were there.” Ben was still uncertain. “As long as you think I won’t be intruding, or anything…” “You won’t” Mel assured him. “Besides, you’ve already met my mum, it’s not like you’re a total stranger.” “I s’pose not” Ben agreed, grinning.

He paused, suddenly thoughtful. “Why do you mark Thanksgiving, though? It’s not a British holiday.” “No” Mel agreed. “Have you heard of a guy called Joe Fanelli?” she asked. Ben nodded. “He was one of the ones who lived with Freddie, wasn’t he? The… chef, or something.” “Well, he was American” Mel explained. “He introduced the others to the tradition, and then Jim and my mum sort of kept it up.” Mel’s expression rapidly grew sad. “Joe died of AIDS too, only months after Freddie” she said softly. “The first year they decided to do a dinner to commemorate him… it was around Freddie’s anniversary too, it was always a time they wanted to be together.”

“I’d forgotten about that anniversary” Ben commented. “It’s Gwil’s birthday too, we might be busy that day…” “Poor Gwil” Mel joked. “Mum should be alright though, Vi’ll make sure she’s with her.” “Vi?” Ben echoed. “Mum’s wife” Mel explained. Ben looked shocked. “Wife?” Mel smiled mischievously. “Did you really expect Freddie Mercury to produce a straight child?” she quipped. Ben couldn’t help grinning; she had a point. His smile vanished when he noticed how Mel was looking at him, almost pleading with her eyes.

“Will you come then?” she asked softly. “To Thanksgiving supper?” “Of course” Ben told her, smiling reassuringly. Suddenly his expression shifted to a look of near-panic. Mel was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong?” “You’re not expecting to meet my family any time soon, are you?” he questioned. Mel shrugged. “Not if you don’t want me to. I mean, of course I want to, but I’m happy to wait if you’re not ready.” Ben exhaled in relief. “Oh good.” Mel suddenly glared at him. “I do want to introduce you to them at some point” he hurriedly clarified. “But I'm not ready to just yet, and I don't think they are either." "You don't think they're ready to meet me yet?" Mel questioned. "Why?" Ben sighed.

“It’s just… my ex, I was with her for so long, they all thought I was gonna marry her” he explained. “They really wanted me to marry her, actually. My parents absolutely loved her, I think they're still getting over the fact that she's not going to be their daughter-in-law.” “So you think they might not be entirely ready to hear you’ve found someone new” Mel suggested. Ben nodded. “I actually haven’t even told them about you yet.”

Mel grinned. "Should I be worried?" Ben shook his head. "No, no, they'll be fine" he assured her. "I just… this is still pretty new, y'know, I don't want my mum getting overexcited about us too early." Mel nodded. "That's understandable. I mean, I hope this lasts, but it has only been a month. And I know you've just agreed to meet my family, but I think Mum's planning to get you all round for tea at some point, so you'd be meeting them sooner or later anyway.” "I suppose.” Ben agreed. Suddenly he smiled softly. “By the way, I hope this lasts too."

Later, having finished dinner with much less serious chatter, Ben and Mel agreed that, happy though they were, it would be best to continue keeping their relationship quiet for the time being. This was exactly the kind of news that would travel extremely fast on the set, and Mel had absolutely no desire to find out what her bosses would say if they knew she was in a relationship with one of the stars of the movie. Ben was almost certain it wouldn't actually be an issue, but he knew if word did get out he wouldn't be the one bearing the brunt of any consequences. And he wouldn't put it past Singer to be an asshole about normally inconsequential things like on-set relationships.

Both Ben and Mel wondered whether their buoyant moods and satisfied smiles would give them away at work the next day. Fortunately, the attention of the rest of the band was diverted by the twin distractions of yet more unpleasantness from the director, and another set visitor.

Rami had assured Eve she would be welcome to stop by any time, but since her first fateful visit a month ago she simply hadn’t been able to find the time for another, until now. Naturally, Rami was thrilled to see her. “Eve! You made it!” She could see his grin from a mile away as she approached the wardrobe van. She trotted over eagerly, but when she got close enough to see his outfit she stopped in her tracks.

Rami was wearing the moustache today, and a short wig. For a moment, Eve thought she was seeing things. She’d known there was a resemblance, of course, but this was like looking into a time warp. “Are you alright?” Rami’s concerned voice cut through her reverie, breaking the spell. Eve suddenly realised she was getting teary. “I’m fine, I just… I never realised how much you look like him, with the moustache and all” she said, rather awed. Rami was confused. “But… you’ve seen me in costume before?” he questioned. “The glam rock days were before my time though” Eve explained. “But the 80s look… that’s the Papa I knew.” Understanding suddenly dawned on Rami’s face. “Oh of course. I, uh… Sorry?” “Don’t be” Eve assured him. “You’re doing nothing wrong.” Rami’s expression suddenly grew more thoughtful. “I just hope I can do him proud.” Eve smiled. “Oh, you will.”

Eve was quickly sent back to Rami’s trailer to see the rest of the band. She wasn’t terribly surprised to see her daughter there too, sitting apparently very comfortably on Ben’s lap. Mel was of course pleased to see her mother, though she couldn’t quite shake the feeling she and Ben were on the brink of being revealed to the rest of the band. Perhaps she shouldn’t have sat in his lap, but then nobody else had batted an eyelid at their apparent cosiness. At any rate her mother had shot her a wry glance when she noticed where her daughter was sitting, but said nothing. Maybe we'll get away with it this time, Mel thought to herself.

The band all greeted Eve warmly when she arrived, and they were soon chatting happily about all the happenings she’d missed on-set, good and bad. Mel wasn’t surprised to see her mother grow incensed at the way the director had been behaving in recent weeks. “All that and they still haven’t sacked him?” she exclaimed. “He’s on thin ice now” Rami assured her. “One more disappearance’ll probably get him fired.” “We live in hope” Joe quipped. “This is a good movie, but boy am I glad it’s nearly Thanksgiving, I am so ready for a break.” Eve smiled. “Looking forward to the holiday, then?” Joe nodded. "So much."

Still smiling, she turned to her daughter. “The little ones are so excited about the big dinner this weekend, they’ve been missing their big sister.” “I’ve been missing them too” Mel told her. “I’ve just been so busy lately… it’s been too long since I’ve been home.” Suddenly Mel noticed the rest of the group eyeing her curiously, apparently unsure whether to speak. Eventually, Ben cleared his throat, breaking the sudden silence.

“Ah, the little ones?” he asked casually, not wanting to sound too interested in Mel’s personal life in front of the others. “My other kids” Eve explained. “They’re a lot younger than her, so she’s always been the big one and they’re the little ones.” There was a sudden outbreak of nods of understanding, before Rami spoke up. “So, how old are they?” “Well, my son just turned eight and my other daughter is three” Eve told him, her face alight with affection.

“That is little” Gwilym commented sympathetically. “Yeah, but she’s very sweet” Mel assured him. “Most of the time” Eve quipped. Meanwhile, Joe was smiling slightly. “Eight’s a cool age though, I bet your son’s getting into sports and stuff now” he said, half-questioningly. “Yeah, he’s becoming a big football fan lately” Eve agreed, grinning though she sounded almost regretful. "I’ve never been that interested in it, actually, but my wife’s football-mad, so she’s pretty happy."

A slight ripple of shock went through the group at Eve’s reference to a wife, apart from Ben, who desperately hoped his lack of surprise at this revelation wasn’t too conspicuous. Eve herself was simply amused at the effect of her words. “You know, I honestly forgot that you lot didn’t know about Vi” she commented. “It’s fine” Gwilym assured her. “We just weren’t expecting it is all.” Eve grinned. “Given who my father was it shouldn’t have been that surprising” she quipped, to general murmurs of agreement. “But never mind that now.”

She paused, turning towards Rami. “I’m guessing all the Americans are going home for Thanksgiving?” Rami nodded. “Yeah, why?” Eve smiled. “I was going to say that if anyone was feeling lonely over the break, they’d be most welcome to spend it with us” she said kindly. “But I suppose everyone’s accounted for already.” “Pretty much” Rami confirmed. “Ah well, I’ll have to have you all round for tea some other time” Eve declared ruefully. Mel surreptitiously flashed Ben a look that quite clearly said 'I told you so.' The others merely smiled. “That’s very kind of you” Gwilym commented. “Perhaps we could make it a celebration, when the film wraps.” The others nodded, murmuring enthusiastically. “Good idea” Eve agreed.

“In the meantime, if any of you have any questions or anything, do feel free to ask” she added. “I have one” Joe said, rather uncertainly. “Do you know John Deacon at all?”

Both Eve and Mel instantly cracked near-identical knowing grins. Joe stared at them suspiciously. “What?” “We know him very well” Mel told him calmly, evidently enjoying Joe’s confusion.

“He and Veronica are practically my other parents” Eve explained. “When Papa died he sort of entrusted me to them. Well, to John, mostly.” “Entrusted?” Joe questioned. “He knew I needed a father figure, and he gave John the job” Eve clarified. “John and Veronica raised me just as much as Mum and Papa.”

Suddenly Eve smiled mischievously. “And then I repaid them by having a baby at 16 who they also practically raised.”

Joe grinned as understanding finally dawned. “That’s how Luke knows you, isn’t it?” he asked Mel, who smiled fondly. “Yeah, I sort of grew up with him and Cameron” she explained. Joe nodded as he turned back to Eve, uncharacteristically nervous.“Could I… could we, I mean…?” “Talk about Uncle John?” Eve suggested. “Of course. Let’s have lunch some time so we can chat properly, it could be a very long conversation.” Joe grinned with relief he hadn’t been shot down. “Thank you” he said simply, before his jaw suddenly dropped as the full details of Eve's response finally registered.

“Wait, ‘Uncle John’?” “I told you, we’re very close” Eve explained, with a slight laugh at Joe’s surprised expression. “Now, does anyone else have any other questions while I’m here?”

There was a pause while the rest of the cast considered the offer, before Lucy cautiously spoke up. “D’you have anything to do with Mary Austin, ever?” “Not anymore” Eve said darkly.

“So you did once?” Lucy questioned. “She used to visit a lot, when I was a kid” Eve clarified. “Looking back I think Papa probably wanted us to be close, but I’m not sure she ever did.” Lucy was surprised. "She wasn't… did you get on with her, at least?" "Oh, she was perfectly nice to me when Papa was around" Eve said airily. "And, I mean, I was a child, I took everything at face value then. But after Papa died, and I got a bit older, I started to realise a bit more about what she'd been up to, even back then."

"What she'd been up to?" Lucy echoed. "I think she always sort of resented me" Eve explained. "Obviously she knew none of this was my fault, but I think I still reminded her of all the things she would never have with Papa, …everything she'd thought they'd have together, before he realised the truth."

Lucy was taken aback. “That’s… actually quite sad, really” she said thoughtfully. “I just wonder, you know, I’ve heard such different things… some people say she was just very devoted to Freddie, but then often she’s painted as quite selfish, happily using the connection to her own advantage.”

Eve nodded. “Oh yes, she’s definitely not the devoted angel some people seem to portray her as.” Lucy merely nodded, but Rami was honestly a bit shocked. “She’s not?” he questioned. “But I always thought they loved each other very deeply?” “Oh they did, very much” Eve confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t capable of getting nasty to other people.”

“Can I ask how nasty?” Lucy said gently. “I’m sorry if that’s a bit forward of me, it’s just I’ve heard a few rumours about things she did after Freddie died, but no-one seems to know exactly what went on…” “It’s fine dear, I don’t mind” Eve reassured her. “Don’t share this around, but she tried very hard to challenge Papa’s will.”

The others were baffled. “Why would she do that, though?” Gwilym asked. “Because Papa left a lot of his estate to me” Eve said simply. “And she felt she was owed a bigger share than she was given.” “Owed?” Lucy echoed. “For everything she’d lived through with him” Eve clarified. “This is just my opinion, of course, but in hindsight I think some part of her always blamed Papa for things not working out between them. Even so, she was happy enough being the most important woman in his life, until I came along and knocked her down a spot. So in her view he owed it to her to give her something to make up for her suffering.” Eve’s voice was laced with contempt.

Lucy’s curiosity, meanwhile, was thoroughly piqued. “When you say she felt owed something…was she after something in particular?” she asked Eve. “She wanted the house” Eve revealed. “I was only eleven, so I couldn’t actually own it for several years, but Papa and Miami had set up a trust to hold everything until I came of age. At any rate Papa’s wishes were very clear, but Mary claimed that Papa had told her she would get the house and I would get the money, or something.”

Eve suddenly smirked. “Needless to say, Miami knew it was utter rubbish” she explained. “So then she tried to say he’d wanted her to live in the house until I inherited it, because she had a 'proper family' or something but that didn’t work either.” Suddenly Eve sighed. “Eventually she started threatening to challenge the will in court” she said sadly. “My mum never liked Mary much, actually, but I don't think I fully understood why until she did that.”

“So what happened?” Lucy asked, utterly intrigued. “It never went to court” Eve revealed. “Mary had absolutely no proof of anything being wrong with the will, no lawyer would touch it." "And the house?" Rami asked. Eve grinned. "Is mine to this day."

The band, Allen, and Lucy exchanged amazed looks. Meanwhile, Mel cracked a Cheshire Cat grin, knowing what they were all thinking. “So that means… you're the mysterious 'Lady of Garden Lodge' Rami marvelled.

Eve looked so baffled at this he immediately felt the need to explain. "I read a bunch of articles for research, some of the more recent ones talk about the situation with the house now, the bits they've heard at least." Eve nodded in understanding. "I know dear, I'm just surprised you'd heard any of that stuff."

Rami shrugged. “Oh, you know, I wanted to read all I could, it’s all useful.” Eve snorted. “I doubt the bits from the tabloids were terribly helpful.” “Not so much” Rami conceded. “But it’s still… I don’t know, I found it interesting seeing how they tended to present him, how it changed over the years.” At that Eve smiled mischievously. “Yes, I know. What fascinates me is the fact none of them have ever quite managed to put all the pieces together and guess who I actually am.”

“Surely that’s a good thing though, if you can stay anonymous and live a normal life” Gwilym pointed out. “It is” Eve agreed. “But it means I’m always wondering whether today’s the day someone gets a photo of me, or sees something, and works it all out. And any time I see Papa in the tabloids again I have to look, just to see if they’ve finally got the real story this time.” The others were rather taken aback at this. They’d never really considered what it would be like to live with a secret like Eve’s.

“I hate to say this,” Rami said, sounding distinctly uncomfortable, “but if this movie does as well as they’re hoping, it might mean…” He trailed off, unsure how to word what he wanted to say. “It might mean what?” Eve asked urgently. “It might mean more interest in Freddie, from the public” Rami explained. “Which would also mean-” “More interest from the tabloids” Eve completed. “I realise that’s a possibility” she assured him. “And I’ve got contingency plans set up if need be. If the secret does get out, I’ll be alright.”

Rami was reassured, but he also realised he’d never really considered the broader implications of making a movie to put Queen back in the public consciousness. Of course, the movie could still flop, it wasn’t even finished shooting yet, but deep down he really did think it could do well once it was completed. And he was beginning to wonder, if it was a hit, just how much it would affect everyone’s lives.

The next day marked the final day of shooting before the break. That evening, Ben stayed over at Mel’s to celebrate. But she had some slightly unexpected news.

“Mum told me to tell you Luke and Cameron Deacon are coming to supper tomorrow” she announced over dinner. “Okay” Ben replied uncertainly. “Should I be worried?” he joked. “No, no, they just want to get to know you” Mel assured him. Ben smiled gratefully before growing thoughtful.

“So it’s just your family and them tomorrow, no other guests I should know about?” Mel nodded. “Yeah, just them. All the Deacons have a standing invitation, but the rest of the kids are all busy, and Uncle John’s never in a social mood in late November…” Ben hoped he didn’t look too relieved at this news. “Oh, of course not.” Suddenly Mel smiled knowingly. “You will get to meet him eventually” she told Ben. “But I don’t think we’re at that point just yet.” “There’s no rush” Ben assured her.

The following day was largely spent relaxing at Mel's place, both Ben and Mel luxuriating in not needing to be anywhere for a change. Ben rather liked Mel’s house. He always enjoyed coming downstairs of a morning, padding into the kitchen, and being able to look out into the garden over his first coffee of the day, and that morning was no exception.

He'd gotten as far as sitting at the dining table with his cereal, looking over the living room and trying to ignore the fluffy white cat staring at him from the next chair, when Mel joined him. She smiled when she spotted the cat.

"I see you've got company already." "I think Mab'd rather I wasn't here, honestly" Ben commented. "No, no, she likes you a lot" Mel assured him. "She's just… trying to work you out." Ben smiled slightly. "Does she like me as much as her human does?" he joked. Mel grinned. "Almost" she quipped. "But I think her human likes you juuust a bit more."

Their banter was suddenly interrupted by loud purring emanating from beneath the table. Strangely, Mab hadn't moved from her prime perch. Mel, totally unphased, reached under the table to pat the sleek black cat rubbing himself on her legs. "Morning Jupiter" she said cheerfully. But Jupiter withdrew from her hand almost immediately, leaping onto the chair at the end of the table, directly opposite Ben. "Not in a parting mood today" Mel commented. Ben smiled. "Ah well, at least he's happy to look at me now." "He's come a long way" Mel agreed.

Jupiter had taken a while to warm up to Ben. The first time the blond stayed over he'd taken one look at the strange new person and fled upstairs, remaining in his bed in the study on the top floor of the house until Ben finally left the next morning. It had taken another two visits before he would finally choose to stay in the lounge room while Ben and Mel were watching the telly together. Even now he tended to keep his distance, though he would happily greet the couple if they arrived home together.

After breakfast the day wandered on in a lazy, unhurried sort of way. However, as the afternoon drew on Ben was increasingly aware of the time, keen to make a good impression by not being late to supper. Mel, though, wasn't phased. "We don't have far to go, it's only round the corner" she reassured Ben. “I know” he told her. “I’m just being nervous and paranoid, I’ll be fine.”

As he started to busy himself getting ready for the evening a thought occurred to him. "Say, why are you so close to your mum's? Is that just coincidence or-?" "It's not coincidence" Mel told him. "This used to be my gran's house, she left it to me when she died." "Your gran’s house?” Ben echoed.

Mel nodded. “She and Mum lived with Freddie for a few years, but after he got sick and the paparazzi started hanging around, they had to move out” she explained. “But Freddie wanted them close by so it would be easy for him to see Mum as much as possible in the time he had left, so he bought this place for them.” Ben’s jaw dropped.

“I knew he was generous, but a house?” he marvelled. Mel grinned. “Yeah. But he and Miami arranged it so it was his money, but the house was in Gran’s name.” Ben looked baffled. “Less conspicuous that way” Mel added hurriedly. “Wouldn’t raise as many awkward questions if people found out.” Ben nodded, considering the recent revelations.

“She renovated it a bit, later on” Mel reminisced. Ben nodded. “I noticed.” The first time he visited he'd realised the open plan kitchen and living room must have been the product of a later redesign of the old row house.

“I think once Mum took over the big house, after I came along, she realised she wanted her own space, set up the way she wanted” Mel mused. “She was always happy to have me round though.” She smiled. “I just about moved in when I did my A-levels. Lavender was born that year, I was a bit desperate for some peace and quiet.” "So the spare room used to be yours, then?" Ben asked. "No, I had the room up the top" Mel explained. "So I could stay separate from the other goings-on in the house while I was studying."

By the time they were ready to go Ben had managed to calm most of his nerves. But as they began the short walk to Eve’s house a worrying thought occurred to him. “Hey love, I’m about to meet your family but you’ve said nothing about your dad all week” he pointed out, trying to sound casual. Mel looked him over curiously. “My father,” she said pointedly, "won’t be there tonight, if that’s what you’re wondering."

Ben was slightly surprised at this. Though he'd never asked, he got the impression Eve had split up with Mel's father many years ago. However, he knew so little about Mel's family that he wasn't at all clear on the kind of relationship she and Eve might have with her father.

“He won’t?” he asked curiously. “He’s not in our lives any more” Mel clarified. “He left Mum when I was only a baby which could've been fine, but then he fucked off to New York when I was eight and I’ve hardly seen him since.” “That’s really shit” Ben sympathised. Mel shrugged. “True, but he was barely around even before he left, I mean, he left for uni when I was only a year old” she explained. “It didn’t make much difference to me, really.”

Ben was still considering the implications of this when Mel’s irritated voice cut through his thoughts. “Look, can we talk about something else, I really don't want to think about my father tonight." Ben smiled apologetically. "Of course. I'm sorry I brought him up now." Mel smiled reassuringly. "It's okay" she told Ben. "You couldn't have known what you were wading into."

At this point Ben was mildly surprised to find they were almost at the threshold of Garden Lodge. “It’ll be fine, you’ll be a hit” Mel said encouragingly, spotting his nervous expression. Ben wasn’t so sure, but there was nothing to be done about that now. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Eve beamed when she let the happy couple in. “Welcome to the manor” she joked. Mel immediately started asking about her younger siblings, but Ben stared around, trying not to be too overawed by the period splendour surrounding him. It was… well, it was definitely fancy, but still stylish, rather than ostentatious.

He was shaken from his reverie by a nudge from his smirking girlfriend. “Nice, isn’t it?” “Yeah, it’s… I was expecting it to be a bit, you know… but it’s very, um, elegant” he agreed. Eve smiled. “Thank you, dear.”

She led the guests through the house to the main sitting room, where the rest of the family was waiting. Ben had barely registered the three figures standing by an antique sofa when a little girl with long sandy hair came barrelling towards Mel.

“Mellie!” she cried happily, only to stop short when she noticed Ben. “Who’s dat?” she asked, suddenly uncertain. Mel immediately swooped down to pick her up. “Lavvie, darling, it’s alright, this is my friend Ben” she explained, settling the child against her chest. “This is Lavender” she added quietly to Ben. “She’s a bit shy with new people.” “Hello Lavender” Ben said gently. Lavender smiled shyly at him, but quickly turned away, burying her head in Mel’s shoulder.

Meanwhile Ben’s attention was quickly drawn by Eve clearing her throat. He looked up to find her standing next to a tallish woman with a friendly face and fine golden-brown hair cropped short, who was accompanied by a dark-haired boy who was evidently at the awkward in-between 'older kid' stage, not quite on the threshold of adolescence just yet, but clearly no longer a little kid either.

“This is my wife, Violet, and our son, Jamie” Eve introduced. Ben smiled as he shook Violet’s hand. “Pleasure.” “It’s lovely to finally meet you” Violet said warmly. “I’ve heard plenty about you.” “All good things” Mel assured him, noting his worried expression. “I’m glad” Ben joked, moving over to shake Jamie's hand.

Jamie shook politely while regarding Ben with curiosity. "D'you like football?" he asked. "I do" Ben told him. Jamie smiled. "Who's your team, then?" "West Ham" Ben replied. "Oh, they're rubbish" Jamie declared, clearly dissatisfied with Ben's answer. Mel smiled apologetically at her boyfriend, who merely gave her hand a quick squeeze to assure her he was fine as he continued the conversation.

He did feel slightly out of place, not having much experience with kids, but Jamie was quite chatty, and clearly enjoying the attention. At any rate the time passed very quickly, and it wasn't long before the doorbell rang again and Eve was leading the two youngest Deacon children into the sitting room.

Ben was slightly nervous when they were introduced, knowing Mel considered them both her big brothers. He'd already met Luke, of course, albeit briefly, and he wasn't sure he'd made a particularly good first impression that day. Luke, though, greeted him warmly, and it was soon clear that Cameron was just as friendly and welcoming. Nonetheless, Ben couldn't quite shake the impression they were here in large part to scrutinise the new boyfriend, though they were evidently quite happy to socialise with the rest of the family too.

It wasn't long before Violet ducked off to check on the food, which was Eve's cue to start leading everyone to the dining room. Luke took the opportunity to chat to Ben alone while the others were preoccupied.

"You know, I was a bit surprised when I heard you'd be here" he said casually. "You were?" Ben questioned. "Didn't think you two were that serious" Luke clarified. "I asked Joe about you and Mel, actually, that day I saw him, and he didn't even think you were a thing… yet." Ben raised an eyebrow. "Yet?"

"Joe's words, not mine" Luke told him, shrugging. "Well, he wasn't wrong" Ben commented. "We went on our first date the night before you visited." Luke grinned. "Did Joe know about that?" Ben shook his head. "No, and he still doesn't, actually." "Well don't worry, I wouldn't dream of exposing you both like that" Luke assured him.

Luke took a breath. "Look, I'm not here to do the whole overprotective big brother bit, you know." "You're not?" Ben echoed, surprised. "No" Luke confirmed. "Mel's a big girl, she can handle herself. And you must know she's quite capable of destroying you all by herself if you are stupid enough to hurt her." "I… suppose I do know that" Ben said thoughtfully.

Luke smiled slightly. "I think you're smarter than that, though" he said. "So I just wanted to say, it seems like Mel sees a proper future with you, a-" "So do I" Ben admitted, cutting Luke off. "We haven't been together long, I know, but I can already see it." Luke's smile grew at Ben's confession. "Good. I hope it works out, truly."

Ben was relieved that Luke seemed to like him, but he didn't have time to dwell on their conversation as he was soon finding his place at the enormous mahogany dining table. Naturally he went to sit next to Mel, which meant he found himself down one end, next to Violet at the head of the table. Luke was sitting opposite, a move Ben was quite sure wasn't a coincidence, with Cameron next to him. Ben felt slightly awkward sitting opposite the Deacons, but fortunately the conversation flowed easily.

Cameron was very curious about film-making in general, and Ben’s career in particular. “So, what else’ve you done? Anything I might have seen?” he asked cheerfully. “You do look a bit familiar, actually.” Ben suppressed a groan at the inevitable appearance of his least favourite question, knowing Cameron meant no harm.

“Um, I was in X-men Apocalypse?” he suggested. Cameron shook his head. “Haven’t got around to watching it yet” he explained. Ben smiled reassuringly. “Well, I’ve been in a few things, but that was the biggest, so if you haven’t seen it…” “There’s one thing he probably has seen” Mel piped up, smiling mischievously. Ben wasn’t quite following. “Yeah?”

“He was on EastEnders for a while” she told Cameron and Luke. “Omigod, really?” Cameron gabbled exicitedly. Ben let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah, I was… I played Peter Beale.” Cameron was very excited at this revelation, which served only to make Ben feel even more disappointed.

Mel patted his hand reassuringly. “He means well, darling” she murmured. “I know” Ben sighed. “I just wish that bloody soap wasn’t the only thing people knew me from, it just makes them think of me as 'the hot one'.” “Everyone who matters knows you're much more than that, darling" Mel assured him. "Besides, with a bit of luck they’ll all know you as Roger soon."

Fortunately the others soon started chatting about their own work, and the rest of the dinner passed quite enjoyably. The grownups were all very welcoming to Ben, and Jamie chattered away about football, school and all his other current interests, clearly enjoying having a few big boys around for a change. Lavender too had warmed up in the presence of more familiar adults, gabbling happily to whoever would listen.

In seemingly almost no time at all, the dessert dishes were being cleared away and the adults were apparently gearing up to leave the table. "What's going on?" Ben whispered to Mel. "Next tradition" she explained. "The littlies need to get to bed soon, but they want to join in with this first." Ben suddenly realised everyone else was leaving the room. "Where are we-?" "The music room" Mel told him. "Just… follow my lead, yeah?"

Ben nodded his assent as she led him away from the dining room to one of the smaller rooms towards the back of the house. Its' main feature was a gleaming, full-sized grand piano. "Was that… his?" Ben asked, in an undertone. "Yep, it was Papa's" Mel confirmed cheerfully. "He taught Mum on it, and then she taught me, when I was little." “Wow” Ben marvelled. His reverie was soon interrupted by Eve coming to stand by the piano stool, just as Mel led him to sit on cushions on the floor, next to Luke.

Eve smiled at the assembled company. “Alright Jamie, Lavender, it’s nearly bedtime, but you’ve got time for one song each. Which ones do you want today?” “One, doo, free, four!” Lavender cried, clapping her hands with glee. Eve agreed easily, but Ben was utterly baffled at what was going on until Mel retrieved a guitar from a corner behind the piano, and handed it to Luke, who tuned it up and began picking out the cords to ‘All Together Now’ from Yellow Submarine. And then Mel started to sing, and Ben was utterly amazed.

She sounded a fair bit like Freddie, undoubtedly, but she clearly had her own sound too. Ben couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard a better singer. She looked at him once she finished, and he absolutely beamed at her.

“We started her on the Beatles recently” Mel explained quietly. “She’s been obsessed with that song ever since.” “You didn’t tell me you could sing!” Ben marvelled. Mel smiled. “You never asked, darling.” Mel started to explain that singing together was something she’d always done with her mum, and it was their little tradition to sing together at Thanksgiving in Freddie’s memory, but she was called up to the piano before she could finish.

Jamie had asked for something called ‘Leeroy Brown’, a title Ben thought sounded vaguely familiar, though he didn’t think he knew the song. Violet got up too, to sit with Eve at the piano, and when Eve started to play Ben was shocked to hear the couple harmonising in the choruses behind Mel’s wonderful voice. He didn’t recognise the song, as it turned out, but it was a fun honky-tonk sort of song, and he picked up the singalong chorus quickly enough. Though he did feel slightly embarrassed at his lack of prowess in the midst of so many excellent musicians.

When the song finished he had to resist the impulse to applaud. But all too soon all eyes were on him. “Ben, you’re the newbie” Eve said kindly. “Any requests, before the junior choir has to retire for the evening?” Ben blushed slightly.

“Uhh… could you play something by Queen?” “Most of the back catalogue, actually” Eve quipped, smiling. “But let’s see, what sounds good with just the piano… ooh, I know. You ready?” she asked Mel. “When you are” Mel confirmed. “Alright. Ben, I think you might know this one actually” Eve told him.

There was a slight pause before she started plunking out a very familiar repeating note. Ben smiled in recognition just as Mel came in with “She keeps her Moet et Chandon,…” Again, Eve and Violet harmonised on backing vocals when appropriate. Ben found himself fighting the urge to bounce his leg in time with the beat, one he’d been playing quite a lot recently. And he couldn't quite stop himself singing along with the chorus.

When he wasn't joining in, he was watching Mel intently, and very much enjoying himself. She seemed very comfortable in front of an audience, and Ben was struck by how much her stage manner, as it were, reminded him of the videos he'd been watching of Freddie performing in the early glam rock days. Not in a deliberate way, there was just something about the way she moved, the cheeky faces she made while singing, that very distinctly resembled Freddie's particular brand of showmanship.

All too soon, the song was over. Mel returned to a grinning Ben as Violet declared it was bedtime for the children. Jamie immediately protested that he should be allowed to stay awake longer as he was so much older than Lavender.

"That was amazing!" Ben gushed. Mel smiled bashfully."Oh, thanks darling." "No, really, you're amazing" Ben insisted. "And your whole family is… Well, your mum I sort of expected I suppose, but Violet can sing too?" He was deeply impressed, but Mel seemed unfazed. "That's actually how they met" she said quietly. "Mum joined a choir, and when she went to rehearsal Violet was there, and, well… you know." "That's quite cute, actually" Ben commented. "So d'you perform ever? Outside the music room, I mean."

"I want to be in musical theatre" Mel revealed. "But I haven't gotten any of the auditions I've had since I finished drama school." Ben's jaw dropped. "Drama school? I thought you did costume design." Mel grinned. "Oh, I did a couple of electives, that was enough for the assistant job, apparently."

"Clearly" Ben quipped. "But anyway, that's really awesome you've been to drama school, why didn't I know that?" "We've never really talked about school and stuff" Mel pointed out, shrugging. "No, I s'pose we haven't" Ben agreed.

Their conversation was interrupted by Violet's announcement that Lavender was going to bed, Jamie's protest having successfully won him one more hour with the grown-ups. Mel soon ducked off to help tuck in her little sister while the others drifted back to the dining room for hot drinks and biscuits. Ben felt rather uncertain without Mel next to him, but the Deacons and Jamie kept him chatting until she reappeared, grinning.

"I think Lavender likes you" she told him. "She asked when we'd be coming round again, if it'd be soon." Ben smiled. "Well, that's two down" he joked. "Oh, I think you're pretty popular with the brother" Luke observed. "He loves having the big boys around, I think he feels a little bit outnumbered as the only boy sometimes" Mel explained. "And you like football, so you're definitely alright in his book." Ben grinned. "Perhaps we'd better come back soon, then."

"We might not have time for the next few weeks, there's some big shooting days coming up" Mel mused. "And a big night, don't forget you'll need time for that" Luke chimed in. Ben was utterly confused, but Mel just smiled.

"Oh yeah, the Christmas party." Luke nodded. "Yeah, you're both 'very welcome' apparently, which means Mum's definitely expecting you to turn up." He rolled his eyes, though he was smiling slightly. "I think Dad's actually hoping to meet you, too" he told Ben, who was rather taken aback. "John Deacon wants to meet me?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. He was always a little bit curious about all of you blokes playing Queen, actually, but he's especially interested now that he knows his beloved Mel's been shagging the one playing Roger." He smirked at Mel, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Very delicately put, Luke, if you're not careful you'll get the guest blushing." Indeed, Ben was now stood next to Mel looking extremely sheepish. Luke simply grinned. "Me? Indelicate? Never" he teased. "You're never living that one down, you know."

Turning to Ben, he let his teasing expression drop. "Seriously though, we'd love to have you to the party, if you're not busy" he said kindly. "I'll do my best" Ben assured him.

The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly, and by the time the guests started to leave, having seen Jamie to bed and toasted Freddie several times, Ben felt as though he'd been very much welcomed into the fold. At the very least he'd made a good first impression with all the ones he hadn't met before. Later on, snuggled up in Mel's bed, he reflected on the events of the night. "Well, I think that went quite well" he declared. "They loved you" Mel assured him. Ben smiled. "I liked them too, you know." "I thought you would" Mel told him happily.

"One thing though, love" Ben said, content but still slightly curious. "What's this Christmas party we're invited to?" "Oh, it's just the Deacon family party" Mel explained. "Auntie Veronica and Uncle John have all the kids round for drinks and finger food a couple of weekends before Christmas, and we're always invited too."

Ben was confused. "Why do they get together before Christmas though? Don't they all go home for Christmas dinner?" "Not every year" Mel explained. "I mean, Luke and Cam do, but the rest have partners and kids. In-laws to visit and all that. Having the party means they can all get together and see each other every Christmas even if fitting in a visit home on Christmas Day turns out to be too much of a faff." "Makes sense" Ben mused.

"So, should I go to this party with you?" Mel nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely, dear. John and Veronica are lovely, they'll be so pleased to meet you." Ben smiled. "I'll put it in my calendar then."

That night, Ben had a few things on his mind. The Queen movie wasn't even finished and it was already changing his life. It had brought him to his wonderful, amazingly talented girlfriend, and his equally awesome new friends. And now he was going to meet John Deacon. John Deacon actually wanted to meet him, who'd have thought that would ever happen?

Sure, he sometimes had to remind himself not to think about the fact that he was shagging Freddie Mercury's granddaughter, but at the very least he was pretty sure he hadn't incurred Freddie's wrath, so far. In fact, he was starting to wonder if he might in some small way have gotten Freddie's blessing.

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A/N 2: Just in case anyone’s confused, the middle song that Mel sang is Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, by Jim Croce. Which was of course (part of) the inspiration for Bring Back That Leroy Brown (written after Jim Croce died in a plane crash, iirc). Also, yes, John Deacon will be appearing in the next part.

#ben hardy x reader #ben hardy fic #ben hardy imagine #roger taylor x reader #ben hardy x oc #bohemian rhapsody fic #bohemian rhapsody imagine #joe mazzello x reader #gwilym lee #rami malek #freddie mercury imagine #freddie mercury fic #bohemian rhapsody cast #bohemian rhapsody movie

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mrsalwayswritex · 5 years ago

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Masterlist

This is just gonna be super basic until I get a few things put together, but here you go! I have officially written enough to need a master list!

Updated: January 31, 2022

BORHAP

Ben Hardy x Reader:

Your Prize

Premiere Night

End Up Here

Everything I Wanted (Billy/Four!Ben)

Don’t Wanna Be in Love (Billy/Four!Ben)

Birthday Surprise

Heart to Break

Hazy Blazy Days

Call Me Fighter

Joe Mazzello x Reader:

All His Fault (Joe x oc)

SONS OF ANARCHY

Jax Teller:

Daughters of Mayhem (Jax x oc)

OUTER BANKS

This isn't you (Routledge!Reader)

Traitor (JJ x Reader)

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banana-bread-thread · 6 years ago

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How I feel...

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wewillwriteyou · 5 years ago

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Crazy Little Thing Called Love || Chapter 11

A few elements from the main plot: A fine line falls between fiction and reality: what starts as a musical slowly becomes a game-changer. Tables will turn and it will get clear as the sun that the only unstoppable power in life … is love.

Summary Chapter 10: Elizabeth and Joe finally have the chance to spend some time alone. Will it be the right time for them to admit their feelings?

Word count: 4.8K+

Warnings: SMUT! (protected sex and graphic descriptions) towards the end of the chapter - Please read it only if you’re 18+; cuteness and FLUFF are all over the place & some language here and there as usual

A/N: Believe us, folks, you are not ready for this chapter! Sit down and enjoy the ride, a pretty wild ride if you ask us 🌶😏💗

Tuesday, 24 December 2019

“Because you are the only one for me.” “How can you be certain? We were all fooled by the spell cast by the love filter…” “I never needed a spell to look into your eyes and see love”

“Do you think he’ll keep his mouth shut?” Joe asked, without averting his eyes from the book he was holding. He was laying on Elizabeth’s bed, his head on the pillow and the book in one hand, while the other flipped the pages.

“Who?” Elizabeth asked, briefly looking in his direction without stopping her pen on the notebook. She was practising drawing buildings in perspective and she had chosen the 9th dormitory as her first try: she knew that building like she knew the insides of her pockets.

“Ben,” Joe answered and Elizabeth stopped drawing to look at him. She was sitting crossed legs beside him, her back leaning on the bed’s headboard.

“Why wouldn’t he?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Dunno, - Joe licked the tip of his finger to flip another page – no reason, I guess… Just wondering if we should be more careful…”

Elizabeth hesitated a moment: did he meant he regretted moving in with her? Was that his way of telling her?

“Joe, - she took a deep breath – if you’re having seconds thoughts about this I understand, I-”

Joe shut his book and sat up to look at her, “What? No that’s not what I meant.” He gently threw the book at the end of the bed and turned to cross his legs as well, “I’m just worried something could jeopardise my year… or yours, for that matter… or even the play, I don’t know what I’d do if they expelled me or worse… - he took a pause – if they cancelled the play.”

Elizabeth chuckled while going back to her drawing, “You need to sort out your priorities…”

Joe laughed, “Ron Wesley? Seriously? You’re throwing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to my face?”

Elizabeth slowly nodded, biting her lip to keep from laughing as well and drew another windowpane to the building.

“It’s your fault, Hermione… – she giggled – Your life spins around that play a bit too much if you ask me…”

Joe opened his mouth and brought a hand to his chest, exaggerating his shock, “Excuse me?!”

Elizabeth couldn’t stop giggling and she knew her lack of concentration was messing up her drawing, “Stop making me laugh! I can’t work like this!”

She uncrossed her legs to get up and go sit at her desk, but a hand trapped her arm and made her fall on her back on the mattress. She squealed and left the grip on the notebook, that fell on the floor with a thud.

The girl giggled and realised she still had the pen in her hand. It took less than a second to Joe to understand what she was going to do and he reacted immediately, but he wasn’t fast enough. Before he could trap both her hands by her sides, Elizabeth had managed to draw a small line on his cheek.

For a fraction of a second, they stared into each other’s eyes.

Joe raised an eyebrow, “Really? How old are you? Five?”

Elizabeth giggled shrugging her shoulders, “It was self-defence”

“Oh really? – Joe grabbed both her wrists with a hand – And how do you defend from… the tickle monster?”

“What! – Elizabeth widened her eyes and tried to wriggle herself free from his grip - Let me go, Joe”

She got out of it before it was too late and she swiftly turned around to trap him against the headboard, the pen in her hand and a wily smirk on her face.

“Don’t mess with me” she theatrically threatened him.

Joe couldn’t stop smiling and giggling like a dork, he was well aware of that. But he didn’t care. Because in that moment, in that room, there were only the two of them. And it felt like a jump in the past when they were in middle school and they were always at each other’s houses.

He didn’t want to interrupt that moment of silliness but he couldn’t resist. He began chuckling to himself, “You know? This will sound weird but… this reminds me of when we were thirteen – he looked at Elizabeth and she had sat back in front of him, deposing her fearful weapon - I’d sleepover at your house and you at mine and we’d play Nintendo till past bedtime… I still remember your mom yelling at us to turn off the light and us laughing and turning it off just to turn it back on once we’d hear her climb under the covers.”

Elizabeth giggled, “Yeah, I remember that too… And my mom does too, for that matter…- Joe chuckled as well – She still asks me about you sometimes.”

Joe was surprised, “Really? Martha asks about me?”

Elizabeth lightly slapped his arm, “Of course she does… she wants you to stop keeping me up playing Nintendo games all night”

Joe chuckled, “So I’m the bad influence on you?”

Elizabeth forcefully nodded, “Sure, she says I should really stop seeing you… - Joe acted shocked and she couldn’t keep a straight face – But don’t worry. I’ll never get rid of you, babe”

And in saying so she theatrically and gently caressed his cheek.

It would have been completely normal for them to act that way, but in that moment, as she caressed his cheek, even if she was play-pretending, she suddenly felt embarrassed and the warmth spreading on her cheeks betrayed her. She blushed evidently, partly because of what she realised she’d sad and partly because of how close they were in that very instant.

From Joe’s point of view, the situation had become awkward as soon as Elizabeth had trapped him against the headboard and he couldn’t help but think about what else could have happened there besides threatening each other with a pen.

When her soft hand had caressed his face and redness had spread on her cheeks, he’d understood she had probably perceived the awkwardness as well.

He cleared his voice, “Well we should tell Martha, that her daughter’s not very good either… she draws on people”, he decided to say instead, trying breaking the tension.

Elizabeth lightly chuckled and without thinking about it twice, she licked her thumb and rubbed the black line she’d drawn on him. It was a reflex, something that had looked innocent in her head. Something she had already done in the past and it had been fine.

But that night, it was everything besides fine.

It was like everything they did they could only make the situation more awkward.

Did we lose our chemistry?, she asked herself. Are we not friends like we used to?

She feared those three weeks of reacquainting with one another had been a waste of time. What if their friendship had been damaged permanently?

Joe gulped, the tension was back to make his spine stiff again and his ability of reasoning weaker.

Elizabeth let out a burst of constraint laughter, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me tonight…”

She shifted on the bed and instead of sitting in front of him, she sat by his side, her back leaning on the headboard and her head abandoned to fall backwards.

Joe glanced at her and cleared his throat again, his voice serious, “It’s okay, Liz.”

He saw her closing her eyes, biting her lip and lightly shaking her head. She probably thought it was imperceptible but he’d seen her.

He took a deep breath. He had to say something. He had a feeling all that was happening for one reason. And he didn’t know whether to be happy, confused or scared that the reason might actually have been what he was hoping for.

“Liz, - he started quietly, slowly turning to look at her as she did the same, the head still resting on the headboard – you remember how we used to play true confessions in high school?”

Elizabeth sluggishly chuckled and nodded.

“Well, - Joe continued – I have a confession to make.”

He paused for a few seconds, knowing he was going down a one-way road, with no chance of turning back.

She frowned, “What, Joey?”

Joey, he thought to himself. If on the outside he looked nervous, the mention of that stupid nickname was causing a storm of emotions inside his head. Joey and Lizzie were how they called each other anytime the other needed to talk about something serious: those nicknames had always made them laugh so they seemed perfect to mention when all the other person needed was a smile.

It worked like it had every time before.

Joe smiled before continuing and Elizabeth smiled at him back.

“Lizzie, - he started again with a half-smile – I know I’ll be talking nonsense from now on, so please stop me if you decide you don’t want to hear it. Because once I say it I won’t be able to get it back…”

The girl furrowed her eyebrows again. Her instinct was telling her she already knew what he was about to say. At least, she thought she knew. She hoped, she knew.

She shifted again and turned her body towards him, leaning on her side on the headboard, a silent gesture to say ‘I’m listening’.

Joe exhaled for the hundredth time in those last five minutes.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now - he began slowly - Well actually I didn’t know I wanted to tell you at first… I thought I was misreading things and I tried to forget about it all, but then Gwilym happened and I didn’t know how to talk to you… you had disappeared from my life and I couldn’t stand –”

Elizabeth’s smile widened. She still didn’t know how to feel about what was happening. She was feeling too many emotions to choose only one.

“Joe-Joe–” she tried interrupting him, but he kept on talking, his sentences speeding up as they followed one another.

“But when I saw you that day at the park and I told you I was fine, I knew you knew I wasn’t and when I found you alone there, I couldn’t help but feel relieved, even it that makes me a terrible friend to Gwilym. I was happy I could try again and-”

“Joe could you just-” she chuckled: it was like trying to have a conversation during a rapping contest.

“And then, – he continued undaunted, his lips curving into a smile because he knew she had caught on where he was leading to - I came here to tell you because I wanted to know what you wanted to say to me that same day at the park but I saw-”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, the biggest smile lighting her face.

And without thinking of it twice, she shut him up properly.

She swiftly turned and, placing a hand on his cheek, she guided her lips onto his.

Joe hadn’t registered immediately what was happening and the kiss remained barely a long-lasting smack for a couple of seconds.

When he realised words weren’t strictly necessary to let her know what he wanted to say, he smiled against her lips and, bringing a hand behind her neck, he inclined his head to deepen the kiss.

Elizabeth felt like someone had lighted a hot air balloon inside her chest. She couldn’t stop smiling between one kiss and the other and Joe curving his lips in a smile as well could only make her smile more.

They pulled away at the same time, both breathless and with a spark in their eyes. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few instants, before bursting out laughing in unison.

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes, trying recomposing herself. Joe placed a hand on his belly to stop himself from laughing more.

“Why are we laughing?” he asked, still chuckling.

Elizabeth brought a hand to her forehead and shook her head with a small giggle, “I really have no idea…”

They both sat back, their gazes fixed on Elizabeth’s desk at the end of her bed.

“So…” Joe started again.

“So,” Elizabeth echoed him, turning her head to look at him, a small shy smile on her face.

“So, you liked my confession?…” Joe asked and Elizabeth pushed her shoulder against his chuckling.

She looked at her hands fidgeting in her lap, “I don’t know why I did that”

The smile slowly vanished from her face as she thought about it. She had been impulsive. Again. Just like she had done with Gwilym. And look where it has brought you…, she thought to herself.

She hated jumping back and forth from happy to worried all the time. Doing something and then overthinking about it. She was sick of it. Why couldn’t she be more decisive? Why did she have to always question everything her own mind thought?

Joe slowly stopped chuckling and stared at the weaved blanket at the end of the bed, confused. What did that mean? Why had she kissed him if she was already regretting it? Had it not meant the same to her as it had to him?

“Did you… - he tried to find the right words – …want that?”

Elizabeth forced herself to think about the answer. YES. More than anything I’ve ever wanted, her heart shouted. And please tell me you wanted it as much as I did.

“Yes, - she said instead calmly – but I wish it hadn’t happened… I think I might have made things weird”

“Oh, - Joe replied, more disappointment in his voice than he’d wanted to let transpire – then… why did you do that?”

Elizabeth knew he wouldn’t have stopped asking questions until she’d told him the truth and sometimes she hated how well she knew him.

She huffed, “I don’t know, Joe…”. She got up from the mattress and picked up the notebook.

Yeah, I do, she thought to herself.

“I think you do,” he replied, a little bit of anger mixing to the set of emotions he was feeling in that moment.

“No, I don’t”, she walked to her desk to put down notebook and pen.

Stop lying!

“Yes you do, Liz, stop lying!” Joe got up as well to follow her.

“Stop reading my mind!” she shouted back, not realising that was supposed to be just a thought.

Joe raised an eyebrow. Anger and confusion were having the better of him, “Why can’t you be honest? I exposed myself over there! – he pointed at the bed where they’d been sitting – Why can’t you do the same?”

“I’m trying to protect you!” she shouted back staring at him, her eyes slightly watered by the emotions she was trying to push down.

When he frowned again, she averted her eyes and looked outside the window, where darkness had already taken over the sky.

“I don’t want it to happen again, - she confessed under her voice – not with you”

Joe’s expression softened, “Can you please articulate your thoughts?”

Elizabeth forced her hands down her sides so that she could stop fidgeting.

“I don’t want what happened with Gwilym to happen with you as well” she repeated.

She huffed and brushed her hair away from her forehead, “Nothing good comes from when I get impulsive. I only get myself into trouble and end up hurting myself and others - she paused for a second – I already lost a friend. I don’t want to lose you…”

Joe furrowed his eyebrows shaking his head, “Who says you’re going to lose me? – he took a step closer and fixed a loose strand of red hair behind her ear – Just because it didn’t work with Gwilym doesn’t mean it won’t for us…”

Us. At the bare thought, she could feel butterflies flying in every direction inside her stomach. She had never felt that way. With anyone in her whole life. Maybe it’s a sign, her hopeful heart commented.

“How can you already talk about ‘us’? - she half-smiled – And even if what you say is true, do you really want to risk everything? Knowing it might not work out and it might end like it has for me and Gwilym? Do you want to sacrifice everything we’ve built for an impetuous decision on a casual Christmas night?”

Joe registered everything she had listed and he really wished he could think everything through. Twice. But he had already made up his mind at the first half-smile she had given him.

“Liz, - his lips curved into a smile, unable to contain the excitement of the anticipation – you are worth the risk.”

He watched the redness spreading on her cheeks and the smile gleaming on her face but he didn’t give her the chance to reply. Before she knew, his lips were on hers and his hands were already holding her.

Joe had longed for that moment for such a long time he couldn’t believe it was happening. He thought at any time his alarm would have rung and he would have woken up like he had done several times in those last few months.

And somehow even if he had imagined it, kissing Elizabeth was nothing like he’d thought. He figured there would have been hesitation and shyness from both sides, but it couldn’t be further from reality.

There was an unspeakable hunger for the other person from both sides. They looked for each other in every kiss, every touch, every breath, and faster than they could realise, they let passion drive their bodies.

Without breaking the kiss, Joe stepped forward to the desk, making her walk backwards and hit the wooden surface with her lower back.

She effortlessly jumped on it and opened her legs to let Joe stand closer to her. He smiled on her lips when she did that and adrenaline shot up to her brain. She wrapped an arm behind his back and pulled him closer, while his hand found the way behind her neck beneath her loose hair.

Joe felt like soaring a hundred feet above the ground. The scent coming from her hair was inebriating and he felt like he was losing the last brims of lucidity he had left. He felt incredibly happy and the excitement of finally being with her was almost overwhelming.

He was well aware of her doubts and he felt like he could not blame her after everything he had watched her go through. But somehow his gut was telling him that anything could have happened to them and they still would have made past it. Together.

Elizabeth could feel the excitement running through her veins, a sensation she’d never experienced before. Not at that extent at least. It was like someone had poured fire inside her veins and in the few fractions of a second she was lucid, she thought that with Gwilym it had been nothing like this.

Her ability to think straight was being obfuscated by Joe’s hands holding her tight and roaming around her back, but she was well aware of what she was feeling. And she knew, deep inside her self, that Joe could have been endgame.

She suddenly pulled away to stare into his eyes, looking for something even she wasn’t quite sure of. Something to tell her this time her instinct may have been the right path to follow.

Joe simply smiled, asking with his breath short, “Is everything okay?”

She cupped his chin with her hands and lightly brushed her thumbs on his cheeks, returning him the smile, “I’m okay”.

Joe’s smile grew brighter as he leaned in to kiss her gently. He slid his hands down to her lower back and moved her legs to wrap around his waist, picking her up from the desk.

Elizabeth broke the kiss giggling, “What the hell are you doing?”

He did not seem to be handling it well and chuckled, trying to hide the effort he was actually putting into it.

Elizabeth could not help but laugh the whole way to the bed – which took three steps – and her laughs grew louder when he dropped her on the mattress and collapsed beside her.

Joe tried to push down his laughs as well not to interrupt the rather passionate moment, but her laughter was too damn contagious.

“I thought it’d be hot and romantic…” he said between chuckles, a tingle of disappointment in his tone.

Elizabeth got up on her elbows, laughter slowly fading away, “I’m sorry, Joe – she extended her arm to caress his cheek and guide him closer – It was really romantic”

Joe chuckled and shook his head, “You’re a terrible liar,” he said, closing once again the distance between their lips.

He rolled on top of her, holding himself up on the elbows. Her hands climbed up his back, beneath the sweater and t-shirt and it felt freezing cold against his hot skin. That contrast only helped his excitement to grow and a hushed groan disappeared into the kiss.

Elizabeth ran her hands up to help him get his head out of the sweater and for a brief moment they shared a look that meant ‘is this really happening?’.

He came down to kiss her again, hands flying at the brim of her sweater, taking it off with a few rapid motions. His lips left hers only to trace a trail down her neck and above her collarbone. Elizabeth exhaled deeply, her hands roaming on his back and through his hair to keep him close to her body.

The moment he nibbled at the skin underneath her ear, her brain was no longer in control of her actions. A hand rushed to the edge of his shirt and pulled it up so that she could throw it on the floor.

Pulling away for an instant, he got her out of her t-shirt as well. His brain was acute enough to realise it was not the first time he had seen her bra, but it sure was the first time he had seen it and felt the urge to rip it off.

Without a warning, Elizabeth got up and undressed from her pants, while Joe followed with a burning gaze. From a drawer in her desk, she pulled out a silver square and with all the nonchalance she could find, she walked back to the bed, pulled back the covers and gestured him to join her.

Joe was still startled and had trouble thinking and acting straight. The direction they were heading towards was pretty final and irreversible and he couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.

He got out of his pants as well, suddenly feeling… exposed in front of her. He kneeled back on the bed and looked for comfort into her eyes. He could see she was thinking the same. As she rested a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him closer to crash her lips onto his, he kept thinking how crazy it was doing all that with her.

They shifted so she could lay down on her back again and without breaking the kiss, Elizabeth reached out and turned off the switch of her abatjour, leaving the room in almost complete darkness if it wasn’t for the street lamp outside the window and the decrescent moon watching over them.

He lowered himself and broke the kiss to trace a trail of kisses down her neck to the middle of her breasts. She hushed a moan and ran her hands in his hair, as his lips proceeded down her belly until the elastic of her panties.

“Joe,” she uttered, lifting her hips to help him pull down her knickers.

He smirked on her skin, planting a kiss right where the elastic had been and climbed back up to kiss her lips again. Her hands grazed his skin till the elastic band of his briefs and very slowly pulled them down.

Joe thought he could have cum just because of how slow she was rolling them down: it was torture. He shifted so that he could climb out of them with a sigh of relief.

As he came up to hover her again, he slid a hand underneath her back and unhooked her bra. She got out of it and threw it on the floor with the rest of their clothes, exposing the last piece of herself.

They looked for each other’s eyes in the darkness for one last proof it was all real and just smiled, nodding at each other.

This is it, that meant.

She opened the silver package and Joe adjusted himself and after another brief glance of reassurance, he sank into her, hushed groans leaving his pink lips.

Elizabeth arched her back and exhaled heavily, quiet moans escaping her lips as Joe found a slow pace. Her arms and legs involuntarily wrapped around his body as if to cling to him and keep him as close as she could.

At that new angle, Joe was nearly overwhelmed with pleasure, he shut his eyes and bit his lips to hush himself from groaning out loud.

“G-God… Liz, you’re killing me…” he managed to say and she let out a brief breathless chuckle but couldn’t bring herself to articulate any words.

She roamed her fingertips up and down the soft skin of his back, causing him to mutter something that sounded like fuck under his breath.

While he had slowed the pace to rest a little, she held the grip with her legs and rolled both of them over so that Joe was now laying on his back. As she sat up and started circling her hips in a slow deadly pace, Joe ran his hands through his hair, moaning and muttering swear words.

When his hips spasmed upwards, signalling he was close to his climax, Elizabeth let her head fall backwards, overcome by a rush of pleasure. It felt like electricity in her veins. She felt her core clenching and she knew she was very close as well.

She stopped her hips and lowered herself to kiss him again. Joe took the chance to roll over and thrust a few times more before letting the climax rush through him. As he kept moving for a few seconds after, waiting for Elizabeth to come undone as well, he intertwined his hand with hers and held it tight.

They collapsed next to each other. And for a few seconds, the room was dead silent. The only noises were the radiator and the freezing wind shaking the plants outside.

Elizabeth was still incredulous of what had happened, and even if she may have thought about comparing the experience with Gwilym’s before, she knew she had no reason to. She didn’t want to. They were two completely different matters.

“You literally know everything about me now,” she whispered, a dopey smile on her face.

Joe slowly chuckled, sliding his arm under her neck and intertwining their fingers together, as Elizabeth rested her head between his shoulder and chest.

He hesitated, suddenly vulnerable and insecure, “Did you… regret this?”

Elizabeth tilted her head back so they could look at each other in the eyes, “This may be the first time in my life when I am sure I have done the right thing.”

Joe’s smile widened as he let out a sigh of relief and leaned to kiss her forehead.

“Well, you have done me, - he continued in his usual playful tone – so that would make me ‘the right thing’?”

Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head, “You’re a doofus as always”.

Joe was glad she looked relaxed: he’d worried he’d forced her into something she didn’t want to be dragged into, but now that they were back to their usual shenanigans, he knew they were fine.

“Funniest thing is – Elizabeth continued – Hardy thought we had already done this… I mean from the look he gave us, he seemed to think, if we hadn’t already, then we would have done it soon…”

“Well, we proved him wrong…” Joe sarcastically said they chuckled, as their fingers kept intertwining and untangling.

Elizabeth’s phone lighting up partially ruined the quiet atmosphere. She excused herself and got up to fetch it from the desk, while Joe headed to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.

“It’s my mom… It’s past midnight,” Elizabeth said, before realising she was standing butt naked in the middle of the room.

As she picked up her knickers and Joe’s pijama t-shirt, Joe reappeared into the room with a new pair of boxers and a sweet smile on his face, “Merry Christmas, Lizzie”

He walked up to her and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Merry Christmas, Joey - she replied with a smile, - We are in big trouble…” she added, rotating the screen of her phone in his direction.

Joe furrowed his eyebrows confused and tried focusing on the chain of notifications, “Holy crap,” he just commented.

2 voicemails.

5 missed calls.

3 missed video calls.

37 texts.

All from Alex, the last one saying: ‘I am gonna kill you, woman’

Chapters: ⬸ previous | next ⤑

Pretty spicy and damn cute, don’t you think so? Let us know your opinion, reblog and like the chpater if you enjoyed it! Stay safe during these hard times! 💖

Cheers, folks! xx 🌷

Tag List: @littledarlingwellaway - @petriwhore�� - @bohemiandelilah - @misshystericalqueen - @loki-lover095 - @inthelapofthe39 - @starsoflovingness-wq - @minetticatinwonderland - @cairdes20 - @friendswillbefriendsblog - @o-holynight - @trash-record-collection- @please-stop-me-now - @imgonnabeyourslave - @babygotblueeyes - @mi55chanandlerbong - @deaky-with-a-c - @luckytrashgooprebel - @thosequeenboys - @rogerismyfairyking - @killer-qu33n-of-disaster - @sunshine112 - @a19103 - @queenlover05 - @modymody99 - @bensrhapsody - @peterwandaparker - @sjeunhaelover - @franciu95

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freddieswhistle · 6 years ago

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Ben as Roger: not with those teeth mate.

Ben as Ben 5 seconds later: RAMI I DIDKT MEAN ITNIM SO SORRY

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queensdivas · 5 years ago

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Bubbles

This is for my boo boo @bonafiderocketqueen because she’s my best friend and I hope she enjoys it!

Enjoy!

@mexifangorl @leah-halliwell92 @i-live-for-queen @its-funny-til-its-not @brianmydear @painkiller80 @jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels @mayplantstarrwaters

Masterlist

It had been snowing in non stop since I arrived in England to spend a week with Ben. Dear God it has not stopped since my plane literally touched down on the runway! Yet it hasn’t bothered me except when Ben isn’t around because he’s off reading for another movie. Not that I’m not grateful he’s off getting into more movies for himself and making his career better. Hells yeah for him for wanting to further his career. But when you live across the pond and can only see each other every so often. It kind of bums you out.

Tossing my book down onto the couch as I wrapped myself up in my blanket counting down the minutes till he came home from his read through. Dinner was already made since I wanted tonight to be just relaxing. Homemade chicken and noodles was exactly going to warm us up from all this stupid snow.

His dog Frankie climbed up onto the couch with me as he curled up into the blanket then tucking himself into a large ball. My fingers began scratching the top of his head as I was beginning to fall asleep with his soft breathing and the sound of winter frost blowing outside.

Before I completely passed out on his couch. Ben came bursting through the doorway with a large paper bag in his hand. It scared Frankie and I as we both almost fell off the couch. Frankie ran to him as he jumped all over him as Ben scooped him up in his arms. I shook my head a little so I would wake up and see what he was so excited about.

“Anne you would not believe what just happened!” He was bouncing off the walls with excitement as he placed the paper bag down on the coffee table then sitting next to me. Frankie was still attacking him with kisses then bouncing over to me to give me all kinds of kisses to me!

“I got the role!” He cheered as I put Frankie down on the ground so I wouldn’t hurt him on what was coming next.

“AH BEN!” I jumped on top of him to pecking my lips all over him till we now fell off the couch. Frankie jumped all over us till Ben pulled him into our dog pile laughed as we sat up in front of the couch.

“Told you they would absolutely love you!”

“I knew they would.” He smirked as I scooted closer to him then wrapping myself around him. He had his hands on my hips as his soft lips pressed against mine. Stopping myself to get a hint of his..was he working out?

“Ben why do you smell like a gym?” Dear God he smells like a very sweaty old man! Phew! Dear God he really needs some sort of bath!

“Part of the role was being able to crazy stunts and I ended up climbing up and down ropes. So I got a really great workout today because of it.” God he really stinks!

“Ben dear God you stink! I love you but damn!” Climbing off to walk into the kitchen as he got a grumpy look on his face that quickly turned into a soft smile. Are we having bath time? Dear God his bath is one of the best since it’s got jets across the wall, a small tv that hangs on the wall so we can binge watch Letterkenny while we relax, and enough room for a cheese plate!

“I’ll get the bath ready.” Well I’m hungry so I will be eating while were in the tub. Just not homemade chicken and noodles. For obvious reasons. Getting into the fridge to grab a bunch of cheese slices, grapes, and then the bottle of pink moscato for celebration! We still have two wine glasses from the other night so this is absolutely perfect!

Before I carried the tray into the bathroom. Frankie stood directly under me with his tail wagging waiting for a piece of my cheese! It’s getting close to his dinner time anyhow so I think a little peanut butter will hold him over in the end. Placing the tray down on the counter to grab his small bone from the floor then the peanut butter from the cabinet. Scooping a little of his favorite peanut butter to stuff it in his bone as he began bouncing around in excitement around my feet.

“Ah. Now you sit!” He immediately sat down for me to place his bone right in front of him. He grabbed it to wander off into the living room to start chowing down on his peanut butter bone. Now time for bubble bath!

“SHIT!” Ben yelled as I grabbed the tray of goodies to walk into the bathroom. Oh no what did he do now!? Please tell me we don’t have to buy him another phone! He and Joe once thought it would be a really good fucking idea to go skinny dipping while they were drunk. Problem is that skinny dipping meant just jumping into the closest body of water. So his phone was destroyed.

“What happened?” Asking as I walked into the bathroom to see that the bubbles in the jacuzzi were really getting out of control. Oh my god it looks so beautiful!

“No. I dropped the bubble maker and now the bathtub is going to be extra full. Damn it at this point it’s probably going to flood the entire bathroom.” And? Now our bathroom is going to smell like, what is it honey? Yes honey!

“So? Now instead of nothing, the bathroom is going to be smelling like honey and soap. Is that such a bad thing?” Placing the tray down on top of the sink as I immediately threw off all my clothes on the floor. Ben watched me as I sunk into the bubble covered jacuzzi. The jets were on low as the water was a little hotter than how I usually like it. Ben stripped down until he grabbed the tray of goodies to put right on the large corner.

He climbed down into the water as our feet entwined with each other as he turned up the jets to medium. One of them was hitting my back making me moan a little because god damn these are some wonderful jets. The bubbles kept rising as it hit the bottom of my chin, Jesus how much of the bubble liquid got out? I felt the plastic bottle floating around next to me, lifting it up to Ben as he nodded.

“There it is!” I tossed the bottle out of the tub. Shit he put the tray on his side of the tub! Hope we won't mind if I sneak over to grab some grapes. Moving from my spot in the tub to start moving towards him to we were face to face with each other. Almost about to kiss him as I moved past him to grab a grape and a cheese wedge.

“You’re a brat.” He giggled as he pulled me into his lap as the bubbles bounced around us. Jesus the stupid bubbles are still forming oh my god! Grabbing a bunch to place on the top of his head then snapping it to look like a Hershey’s kiss.

“Wait wait!” I began molding a bubble beard on his face then styling it with a nice mustache. He looked absolutely stunning!

“Ben! Picture perfect!” Looking over the edge to see my phone so I could take a picture of him and all his glory!

“If you think you’re leaving this tub without a beard you’re wrong.” Ben told me before I could even grab my phone. Smirking as I stood still for him to grab a hand full of bubbles. He began placing them all over my face trying to avoid my eyes and lips to form a Santa Claus beard on my face.

“Am I pretty yet?” He shook his head to grab more bubbles from the tub to place on top of my head. Except no Hershey kiss style hair, more like 70s Afro kind of hair.

“Now you’re gorgeous. Wanna watch the office?” I just binged watched season four while he was gone so I’m kind of feeling something a little more stupid. Not saying that the office is stupid because Creed is my spirit animal for as little time he has on screen.

“Letterkenny?” Asking as he grabbed the remote from the corner along with a cheese slice to turn on hulu. Dear God do I love Letterkenny. It’s one of the shows that’s so damn stupid that you have to love. Yes a few of the characters are a little wow but it’s so great.

Turning myself so I could scoot back into him with my back pressing against him so we could cuddle. My hand reached back for a small vine of grapes to chow down on a little. Oh my god it’s the Canadian Goose episodes yes! My absolute favorite episode out of the entire show.

“IF YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH CANADA GOOSES YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH ME AND I SUGGEST YOU LET THAT MARINATE!” I yelled along with Wayne because dear god I love this show! Ben squeezed me a little to then start kissing the back of my neck which made me giggle.

“Does everyone in Canada feel the same about Canada gooses?”

“Gooses! They’re beautiful majestic birds that must be protected at all cost! Born leaders and heroes!” I think I just watch this show way too much now at this point. Oh well. We went back to start watching the show as he began kissing my neck again then giving me another tight squeeze to make me giggle.

“Anne. You know I love you right?”

“No Ben. I’m naked in a bathtub with you because I consider us friends.” I have very bad sarcasm and I think it gets out of control sometimes.

“Alright smartass. But seriously. I want to ask you something because I know if I don’t I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” I stopped eating my grape to turn around completely ignoring the show now. Please don’t tell me he’s going to propose because we haven’t discussed this part of our lives yet and I’m not sure if I’m ready!

“Anne you’re my world now and I hate the fact that we live so stupidly far apart. Move in with me. Or I can move over to America with you. I don’t like the fact that we only see each other for one of two weeks out of the month. Your the person I wanna wake up in the morning and go to bed with you at night. When you’re gone. Frankie and I are just an absolute mess without you! Ask Gwil because I do nothing but bug the living hell out of him whenever you go back home! Poor Frankie crawls under my bed until you walk into my apartment and you can’t imagine the sad look on his face when you’re not around!” No I’m not crying you’re crying! But sadly I can’t take him serious with the bubbles on top of his head and around his beard! I started laughing a little in this very serious moment.

“Are you making fun of me?” His voice cracked as I placed my hands through his bubble beard to give him a kiss. My lips continuing to peck him till he stopped waiting for my answer.

“Yes Ben. I’ll be your roommate for life. Only for Frankie because poor Frankie shouldn’t be suffering!” Frankie came running into the bathroom as he began trying to get into the tub with us.

“No Frankie that’s weird!” Ben laughed till he jumped into the empty spot of the tub for water and bubbles to go all over the place! He began splashing around in the tub with the bubbles flying all over the place, in the food, and more on Ben and I! I grabbed Frankie to get him out of the tub so we could get back to our bath time. Once out he stayed right next to the tub staring us down.

“Gonna be honest with you Ben, really don’t feel comfortable with Frankie watching us in the tub.” He turned off the jets as I pulled the plug from the drain.

“Fair enough. Besides. We now have all the time in the world for those pleasantries since you’ll be here for now on. Or they. Where exactly are we going to live now?” Good question.

“We’ll figure that out later. Homemade chicken and noodles tonight for dinner with some carrots?”

“Sounds absolutely delicious.”

#Ben Hardy #Ben Hardy x reader #Ben Hardy x OC #ben hardy fluff #ben hardy x female reader #Joe Mazzello #Gwilym Lee #Rami Malek #Lucy Boynton #Bohrap #Bohrap Boys

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borhapparker · 5 years ago

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special victims unit | borhap x female!oc - chapter two

summary: The Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the NYPD, investigate sexually related crimes. Lead by Lieutenant Astrid Morrison, they solve New York's most sensitive cases, as well as battle with their own demons from the past.

warnings: mentions of sexual assault, mentions of alcohol and drugs, lots of triggers mentioned above

word count: 3.9k

series masterlist | teaser (read before this) | chapter one

Astrid's phone rang in the dark room, curtains pulled shut to prevent light form coming in, as she reached over, grabbing it and answering.

"Morrison." she answered, the figure next to her on the bed shifting at the sound of her voice.

"Lieutenant, we have a victim. Meet us at the hospital, we're on our way." Lucy's voice rang from the other end as Astrid rubbed her face with her other hand.

"Yeah, I'll be there. Give me twenty minutes."

Ending the call and placing her phone on the nightstand she got up, before an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into the covers.

"Five more minutes." the voice said as she smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling his body closer to hers.

"Just five more minutes." she said, closing her eyes.

"Who called?"

"Lucy. New case, she's on route to the hospital." she said, as he groaned.

"Why can't we stay here the whole day?"

"Well, you have work, and I do too." she paused, before letting go and getting out of his grasp. "Alright, let's go."

Groaning once more, he got out of bed and headed to her bathroom, as she checked her texts for updates on the victim.

Twenty minutes later, Astrid walked into the hospital with a coffee cup in hand, as Lucy approached her, frown on her face.

"What do we have?"

"Avery, transgender female, was injured in a fall from a bridge."

Astrid sighed, before nodding to the room. "I want to see her."

Lucy led her inside the room, where the victim was waiting, Detective Ben with her and the parents.

"Hi, I'm Lieutenant Astrid Morrison with the Special Victims Unit." she said, as the parents introduced themselves. "So, Avery, can you tell me what happened?"

"I was taking pictures on the bridge when they surrounded me."

Ben spoke up, notepad in hand as he took notes. "Avery, can you describe them?"

"Black, my age." she slowly breathed in, "They were giving me the look."

"What look is that?" Ben asked.

"The freak needs to learn a lesson look." the parents looked at Astrid, hurt spread across their features as one held her hand and the other placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "I tried to go but they started saying stuff."

"What were they saying?"

"Tranny. He-She. My personal fave." she paused, "I told them to leave me alone. One grabbed my skirt, another my camera. I was pushed and I tripped on my heels."

Astrid took a step forward, "Avery, can you remember anything else about the boys, anything they said or that they did?"

Tears pooled in Avery's eyes, "It was all a blur of shoving, people laughing," a tear streamed down her cheek, "Taking video."

The father spoke up, "This isn't the first time, and the local precinct never follows up."

"We will." Astrid reassured the family, "We take this very seriously. I give you my word, Mr. Parker."

Returning back to the station, all the detectives got to work on trying to find anything they could to ID the boys that had pushed Avery. Lucy finally found something, pulling Astrid out of her office.

"What do you have?"

"Well, we were checking social media, lensing the area where the crime occurred, and these finally popped up." she led her back to the big round table in front of a large screen tv, where the rest of the detectives were.

"These three separate cell phone videos so far. They all begin after it started, but you get the idea." Joe said, pressing play as they watched.

"Let's see slut. What's under there?" "Beat his ass!"

Someone smacked Avery across the face in one of the videos, "Oh, he's slapping him around."

"Darius, we're going to get in trouble!"

"All these people watching. Nobody helps."

"How long do they go on?" Astrid asked.

"Till the fall." Rami says.

"You're not getting that camera back, uh-huh." "Aw, she likes you, Darius." "They dancing."

"Just give it back." "Get off me you freak!"

A boy pushes Avery, as she topples over the edge of the bridge, the crowd in the videos gasping.

"Do we have any idea who posted these?"

"Well, according to Facebook, it's two sophomore kids and one junior from Shirley Chisholm."

Astrid looked between her three detectives, "That's it, guys, let's go, full court."

They all drove to the school, heading inside and looking for the administration in charge, who directed them to where a bunch of students were, three that had posted the videos.

"I didn't do nothing. I just took a video." a girl said, holding a pencil between her fingers as she wrote down notes for an essay.

"You watched a person get assaulted and thrown over a bridge." Lucy said.

"I didn't touch that freak show, and why is he wearing a skit, acting all -- whatever."

"Who were the guys messing with Avery?" Joe asked.

"I don't know." she said, pointing the pencil at both Lucy and Joe, "That's your job."

They walked off, as Ben and Astrid were with a teacher, showing him the video of the incident.

"This is deeply disturbing."

"Yes, it is, and three different students from your school posted those videos."

"Well," he handed back the tablet, "Let me be clear. This behavior is in no way indicative of our community. We strive for inclusion."

"We understand." she changed the video to three pictures, showing the three suspects. "Who are these kids?"

Having now got the names of all three students, Astrid and Ben headed to another full classroom, where students were throwing around pieces of paper and chatting.

"Alright, quiet." the same teacher that had spoken to them spoke to the class, as the class lessened their chatter. "Keon Williams and Markus Green, come with me."

"Why?" one spoke up.

"We didn't do nothing." another said.

"Now."

Both of them stood, walking to the teacher and out the door with Astrid and Ben following behind.

Meanwhile, Joe and Lucy were talking to another teacher.

"Why are you looking for Darius?" she asked, arms crossed in front of her door.

"It's a police matter. Where is he?"

"He was here before school began, very upset about something. I told him we could talk after lunch."

"He live nearby?" Lucy asked as the teacher shook her head negatively.

"He won't be there. He hates the projects. There is one place he likes to go." she paused, "Book Culture."

"Let's go." Joe said to Lucy as they thanked the teacher and headed off to the bookstore. Walking through the various shelfs full of books, before they spotted him sitting against a shelf with a notebook on his lap and a pencil in his hand. "Darius McCrae?"

"Hey, NYPD." Lucy parted her coat, showing him her badge. "Darius," she motioned with her hand and walked to him, "Get up."

"Come on, I-I didn't do anything." he said.

"Come on, Darius, stand up. Let's make this easy." Joe said, as Darius frowned and got up, placing his notebook in his bag.

"Yes, sir."

In an interrogation room, Ben rolled up his sleeves of his shirt, before supporting his weight on his hands, leaning into the suspect. "So, you're saying it wasn't your fault?"

"That tranny started it, all up in our face with, you know, being weird."

The mom next to him spoke up, "That boy goes around dressed like a girl? You should be talking to his parents, not my son."

"Well, they're in the hospital, and you're here, so think about that." he walked towards the door, opening it and closing it behind him.

"Markus, did you beat up on a girl?" the grandmother asked her nephew, who was sitting with Rami.

"He's not a girl, grandma. He's one of them he-she's." he said as she smacked his hat off.

"Wow." Rami said, Ben walking over to him.

"Acts like one, wears makeup."

The grandmother looked up at Rami, "Why would he do that?"

"That's not the issue." Rami said, "The issue is your grandson pushed a kid off a bridge."

The grandmother gasped, "You did what?"

"I didn't push him off the bridge, grandma! I swear!"

"Then you better tell them who did."

He looked down, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know."

Ben glared, "Markus, look at me." he looked up, "I know that your grandmother did not raise you to lie."

Markus was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up, "It was Darius. He's a grade above me."

Right as he said that, Darius walked through the door, Joe and Lucy escorting him into another interrogation room.

"Am I going to jail?" Darius asked as Lucy crossed her arms.

"When your mom gets here we need to talk, but the best thing to do is to tell the truth."

"You want a soda, sandwich or something?" Joe asked Darius as he groaned, his arms cuffed behind his back.

"My stomach's not feeling good."

"Darius?" a voice was heard through the entrance as everyone turned to the sound of the voice.

"This way, ma'am." Ben said, escorting her to where Darius was sitting with Astrid, Lucy and Joe.

"I'm Lieutenant Morrison."

"Ms. McCrae, I'm Detective Joe Mazzello. This is Detective Lucy Boynton."

"I'm sorry, mom." Darius spoke up. "I didn't mean to do anything bad."

"What do they think you did?" the mother asked.

"A teenager was assaulted in Fort Tryon Park and is now in the hospital."

"I didn't mean to hurt him."

The mother looked at Joe and Lucy, "Darius is a good kid. He takes care of his little sister. He goes to -- to church."

"Okay, well, ma'am, we still just need to talk to him, okay." Lucy reassured her.

"But he's only fifteen." she said.

"Which is why we waited for you." Astrid spoke up, "We needed you to be here when we read him his rights."

"We were just talking to him." Darius said, now in an interrogation room with his mom next to him, "I asked what was up with the dress.

"So Markus and Keon were telling the truth? It was your idea?"

"Yes, but we were all messing with him, tried to lift up the skirt."

The mom frowned, "Darius, why would you do that?"

"I didn't want my friends to think I was gay."

"So you were being tough around your boys. Is that why you pushed Avery?" Lucy asked.

"No, he fell on me and I just pushed him away. I didn't mean for him to fall over the bridge."

"Then why'd you run?"

"Because it was the worst thing I ever did. I thought I killed someone."

Through the glass, Ben and Astrid were watching the interrogation. "This kid seems genuinely upset. The other two, they just think it's funny."

Astrid spoke up, hands on her hips, "Yeah, well the other two didn't push Avery off a bridge. I mean, she could've died."

"Bright side, all three confessed. We got the video evidence, we're done." Ben said, following Astrid to her desk.

"Look, the video is shaky. The kids are underage. I just don't want anyone claiming that those confessions were coerced." she sighed, rubbing two fingers on her temples. "Let's see if Avery can come in and make an ID."

"You got it." Ben said, leaving and heading to his desk, where he called the family and asked for a lineup ID. They agreed, driving over in less than twenty minutes.

They prepared the lineup, as Avery and her family arrived. Placing them in front of a glass window, Avery got up, as the boys walked in. Looking through the lineup, she pointed one out.

"Number four."

"Number one."

"Three."

Astrid knocked the correct amount of times on the glass for each suspect, before turning back to Avery. "You did great, Avery."

"They look smaller in there." she sat down on her wheelchair, groaning slightly. "Scared."

"Well, they should be, Avery." Ben said, "They're in trouble."

"Did they say why they did this to me? I'm not stupid, I wasn't being cheeky."

"It wasn't anything you did," the mom reassured her. "We need to get back to the hospital."

Darius' mom spotted the daughter and the parents, getting up from her chair. "Excuse me."

The family stopped at seeing her.

"Are you the Parkers? I'm Darius' mother." she said as Astrid approached her.

"Ms. McCrae, now may not be the best time."

Avery spoke up, slightly shifting in her wheelchair. "Hold on. I want to hear her out."

"My son is really sorry for hurting you."

"Did he tell you why he did this to me?" Avery asked.

"Avery, let's go," the mom said as her dad slightly pushed the wheelchair.

"Just wait a minute." Avery said, reaching out a hand for Darius' mother, who sadly smiled and gripped his with sympathy, "Ask him, please."

The mother and father separated both, anger coursing through them as the other detectives watched. "Okay, we need to leave. Now."

"Come on, this way folks." Joe started leading them to the doors, as Astrid watched them walk away.

Joe turned, getting Ms. McCrae's attention and escorting her to sit in a chair next to his desk.

"Wait, my son has to spend the night here?"

Joe reassured her, sitting across, "No, he's gonna be able to go home. The desk sergeant's gonna give you an appearance ticket for tomorrow in family court."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "I have work tomorrow. I'm a home care attendant."

"Well, you're gonna have to call in sick. You gotta be there."

She exhaled in frustration, looking around before nodding, waiting patiently for the sergeant to come back.

Lucy served herself a cup of coffee in the break room as she heard footsteps, before Ben appeared in the doorway.

"Those poor parents, right?" he asked as Lucy only nodded.

"You want one?" she gestured to the coffee as he smiled in confirmation, leaning against one of the counters opposite from her.

"Hey, Lucy, let me ask you something." he paused, collecting his thoughts, "What makes a boy decide to be a girl? I mean, is it that he likes boys? He just doesn't want to be gay?"

She thoughtfully came up with her answer as she stirred his coffee, "There's a difference between gender identity and sexuality, Ben."

"Yeah." he thanked her for the coffee, taking a sip and smiling, "You know, my parents, they think this is all about getting attention."

Lucy chuckled, "You were a 14-year-old boy once. And would you or any other boy you knew put on a skirt, if it didn't come from a real place?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, "No, not a chance."

Joe, Lucy and Ben were at the Office of Corporation Counsel, waiting with Marcus, Darius and Keon. The counselor approached, as she turned and looked at the sitting audience.

"Good afternoon, which one of you is Marcus Green?" he raised his hand as she nodded, "Come with me please."

Joe spoke up, "Counselor, you want us inside?"

"If I need anything, I'll let you know."

She headed inside a room, as everyone waited patiently outside. Forty-five minutes later, Marcus walked out with a smug look, as she called on Keon next, Ms. McCrae confused as to why her son wasn't called before.

She waited, as Keon walked in, and walked out forty-five minutes later, a smug look adorning his mother's features, as she shook hands with Ms. Cox, the counselor.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Cox. I promise you, Keon has learned his lesson."

They walked away as she turned to Darius, who stood up and walked over, his mom behind him. Walking inside, she closed the door behind them and motioned for them to sit, explaining the deals the other boys received as punishment.

"The other boys got probation?"

After that, they kept talking, trying to figure out a suitable deal for Darius, one that hopefully wouldn't jeopardize his future. They finished and walked out, Lucy heading straight for Ms. Cox and Ms. McCrae for Joe.

"This is not fair. The other boys get probation but she wants my Darius to do three months in juvie?"

"That's what she wants. A judge still has to rule." Joe said, trying to reassure her that it wasn't over.

"She also told me that if it goes to trial, Darius could get a year. I said I wanted to talk to a lawyer but she said no one was available today."

Lucy walked over, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, that's your right. They're gonna have to wait."

She listened, before turning to Joe, "Talk to that lady about Darius. He's no thug, and he's had a lot to deal with."

"I'll do what I can."

She turned to Darius, tugging on his shirt as he stood up and headed to Joe. "Detective Mazzello, can you make sure Avery gets this? Tell him to know I'm sorry."

He walked away as Lucy turned to Joe, who opened the drawings to inspect them. "What's that, drawings?"

"It's an apology."

"Well, and it's an admission of guilt. You know, if you were Avery, would you want to hear anything that Darius has to say right now?"

Joe sighed, "My brother got the crap kicked out of him when he was a boy for being friends with a gay classmate. No one ever apologized to him."

Back in the hospital, Ben was with Astrid, as Avery looked happier than she was. "Darius McCrae wrote something for me?"

Astrid smiled, "He did. He wanted to apologize."

Avery's dad looked at her, "You don't have to read it if you don't want to."

She looked up, "No, I do."

Astrid handed her the file with the drawings, as she opened them, a smile on her face.

'If I could get a do-over, I wouldn't do it.'

The smile dropped from her face as she examined the drawing, her parents sharing a look of concern.

'But I wish I could erase it. I hope one day you can forgive me.'

She looked up, "Did you tell him I was into graphic novels?"

"No, we didn't know." Ben answered, as Astrid smiled.

They walked out with Avery's parents, as questions began to spill from the dad's lips. "We heard the boys took a plea, does that mean Avery won't have to testify?"

"The third boy, Darius, is speaking with a lawyer, so we should know more tomorrow." Astrid answered as the parents nodded their heads in confirmation.

"What Avery's gone through, she's a tough kid. You must be proud."

The dad smiled, "We are."

Suddenly, the hospital lights flashed, "Code blue, code blue."

The doctors rushed in the direction of Avery's room as the parents turned to each other with a look of concern. "That's her room!"

They all ran over, as the doctors began to use a defibrillator, restoring a heart beat inside her body.

"Clear!"

"My baby!" the mother cried out, catching the nurse's attention.

"Please, you have to wait outside."

"No!"

Ben and Astrid began slowly motioning for them to head outside the room, the parents wanting to make sure their daughter was okay, as the doctors worked on her.

"Check the heart.." "No pulse." "Let's go again." "Nothing." "Come on, Avery honey, stay with me." "Clear!"

The doctor comes out, a frown on her face as the parents break, bursting into tears and sobbing over their daughter.

Ben's growing concern escalates, as he begins to interrogate the doctor in charge. "One minute Avery's fine and then she's gone just like that?"

"What happened?"

"A fatty embolism." the doctor answered.

"Oh no. From the fractured leg, right?" the doctor nodded, as Ben crossed his arms.

"When the femur fractured, fatty globules were released. They traveled to the lungs. Death is almost instantaneous."

"So this embolism was a direct result of Avery's fall?"

"No question," the doctor shook her head.

The doctor walked away as Astrid rubbed a hand over her forehead, Ben turning to her with a disappointed look on his face.

"What do we say to them, I'm sorry?"

"Never gets easier." Astrid answered as they both walked over to where the parents were grieving, as she sat next to them, "Mr. and Mrs. Parker, I'm so sorry."

They nodded, before the husband erupted into a sobbing mess, the wife cradling him in her arms as the detectives rubbed their backs in consolation, before excusing themselves and returning to the police station, where everyone else was.

"What happened?" Rami asked as Astrid frowned.

"Avery died."

A few days later, they were all waiting for the results from the M.E. as Ms. Cox walked in with a blue folder in hand, Astrid walking out of her office to meet her.

"The M.E. confirm cause of death?"

"Saddle embolism to the lungs, direct result of the broken femur from the fall. No intervening cause."

Astrid sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"What does that mean for these boys?" Lucy spoke up as Ms. Cox turned around.

"Well, Markus and Keon didn't push her. They didn't cause the death."

Rami spoke up, crossing his arms, "But Darius McCrae did."

Another lawyer walked into the station, catching everyone's attention. "Lieutenant, we need to talk about the Avery Parker murder."

She turned, nodding, "Of coourse. Kenneth O'Dwyer, meet Pippa Cox."

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. Cox. You'll want to be in on this meeting too." he said, as Pippa nodded, following them to Astrid's office. "The D.A.'s office is taking over the prosecution."

Dumbfounded, Rami had joined them, as Astrid lightly tilted her head, "Now, you know Darius McCrae's only 15 years old?"

"Yes, and if he's tried in family court, he'll be charged with juvenile delinquency and be back out on the street again when he's 18."

"Wait, you're looking to charge him as an adult?" Astrid asked as O'Dwyer nodded.

"Second-degree manslaughter."

Pippa spoke up, "We can charge that in family court."

"We can, but we won't, and I want to attach a hate crime."

It was silent for a few minutes, as Astrid sighed, "Okay, wow."

O'Dwyer spoke up again, "There's an epidemic of attacks on trans persons. We have to take a stand."

Astrid interjected, "Yes, but I don't think that this is that case. Darius seems like a good kid."

"He went after Avery, he taunted her and he pushed her off a bridge."

"But you want to charge a 15-year-old as an adult?" Rami asked, furrowing his eyebrows, "He could get 20 years."

O'Dwyer sighed, "It's more like seven. And while I appreciate your sympathy for Darius McCrae, we can't wait for a more overtly evil perp. We have to draw a line."

Rami and Astrid exchanged a look, crossing their arms as they sighed in unison.

Lucy was visiting Ms. McCrae, informing her of the charges, as she paused her, concern etched on her features.

"Darius and I, we feel horrible that Avery died, but that was because of something that went wrong at the hospital."

"Well," Lucy began, wringing her hands together, "The autopsy showed that it was a complication resulting from the fall."

"So, what does -- what does that mean?"

"They're charging him with manslaughter," Rami spoke up, "He'll be tried as an adult."

The mom was dumbfounded, as she frowned, "My Darius? No no no.. He's -- he's just a kid."

"But the DA and the mayor want to send a message that hate crimes aren't acceptable in New York City."

"Hate crimes?" she breathed out, "The only person Darius hates right now is himself."

"I'm sorry," Rami apologized, "This is where we are."

Lucy got up from the chair, adjusting her blazer, "You said Darius was in his room?"

"You have to take him right now?"

"Yeah, he's got to be arraigned. Can you call him please?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms.

They escorted Darius out of his home and back to the police station, as they booked him in for the night, waiting to be arraigned in the morning.

tags:

@hollandroos @me-a-hopeless-romantic @shuri-owns-my-heart @im-grac3ful-but-fi3rc3 @thebohemianpenguin @misterf4hrenheit @sofarxitsalright @lolabean1998 @sailing-race @desperately-bisexual @desir-ae @cl0ve @theimpossiblehologramtree @peachllobotomy @rrrogah-tayluhh @allaroundaddict @orchideax @thesevenseasofnublar @owensgrxdy

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brian-roger-deaky-and-fred · 6 years ago

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THESE DRAMATIC ASS HEADLINES ARE GONNA GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK

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zwiezraczek · 5 years ago

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The Perks of Being Roger's Girl... [Chapter 1]

SUMMARY: Anna is Brian’s friend, his childhood best friend. They were separated for a long time, but when Smile performs at the Royal Albert Hall, Anna is here, invited by Brian. There, she meets Roger, the dentist drummer, a loverboy.

CHAPTER 1: Begining - CHAPTER 2

WORDS: 6.4k

Anna walked into the concert hall. It was hot in there, she could almost feel herself sweat as she entered the place. She thanked herself for wearing only a long coat above her red dotted white shirt and her brown fabric bell-bottoms. She touched nervously her afro, before going towards the bar to have a beer. It was exciting to see Brian, her friend, playing on stage. It was something she missed a lot. She heard that he was playing in a band, she even went to some of his early concerts. But, sadly, her studies disabled her from coming to see her friend, she only wrote letters to him while being in Cambridge as a broke student for several years. But now, she was back home, to work and study – that she could now afford, not being too busy at University. She could even afford a small flat, nothing too cozy, but nothing in too bad shape; after all she wasn't paying much.

When she heard some agitation near the stage, after her first beer, she looked in that direction. The band was there, Smile. She immediately recognized Brian's luxurious hair, she missed her long-lost hair twin during the years they were apart. She was extremely happy to see him embracing his natural hair, because she remembered the times when he used to straighten it. Real massacre.

Anna rose from her seat at the bar to go see them clearer. She tried to catch Brian's gaze while he was adjusting his guitar, the Red Special as he used to call her. She waved at him, he saw her – who wouldn't recognize this afro in a crowd? – and shyly waved back before the beginning of the show.

Introductions were made. She swore that Brian spoke about four members, not three; but somehow, during that night at the Royal Albert Hall, only three of them were here, on stage. Tim, the lead vocalist and bassist, Roger the blond drummer and Brian, her friend, no Chris. Something must have happened, but for now it wasn't important.

They began to play. People around her seemed to know their music by heart, sharing their energy with the band which was exciting and beautiful. On her side, she was mesmerized by their performance. They were in such symbiosis that everything around her – cigarettes scents, alcohol, the crowd – seemed to fade away. Brian was absolutely amazing, she definitely knew it before but this performance brought it on another level – she had to admit that the last time she saw Brian perform was a few years ago. The other members of the band were mesmerizing too, Tim seemed so passionate about his singing, and so concentrated while playing bass and on the other hand, Roger looked so carefree, so wild while playing the drums. Everything looked so perfect, everything was enchanting.

When the magic ended she could go backstage to join Brian and the band. She had to make her way through the crowd towards the stage and to almost fight with the guards around the scene while explaining to them that she was invited by one of the members of the band, no she wasn't a groupie, no fuck off. Finally, Brian had to come and tell the guards that it was okay for her, that she was indeed his friend and she was invited backstage. Anna felt relieved, she had a haughty expression while getting there before it faded when she was alone with Brian, almost alone. She was so happy to see her old friend that she hugged him, a little more than usual. He was still taller than her, something that she always found irritating because she was used to be the tallest around. This was how they began their friendship, height and hair. He was doing well, he was still studying astrophysics, still playing music, and still full of talent. She always admired how versatile he was, it was one of his biggest qualities. Anna on the other hand was just studying English literature, nothing big, but she was good at it. She used to write with Brian when they were in high school, he had such a way with words. Anna only added some touches when he was writing, telling him what sounded better in her opinion, and he listened to what she had to say; they could discuss about the text for hours. Good old days.

Brian showed her around, leading her to the band's small space backstage. The question about not being four burned her lips and finally the fire started, Brian put an end to it by explaining why Chris had to leave them – argument, Chris Smith was out now, ugly argument really. Brian didn't give names, but something told her that Roger, this troublesome friend of his, the dentist, was the cause. She referred to Roger like that in their letters, which amused Brian a lot. When he pushed the curtain a bit, Anna and Brian came across the room dedicated to the band. Everything was blurry from smoke, heat, groupies. A lot of groupies on the couch, three groupies, for a small space three too much. She first met Tim, sitting on one of the chairs while discussing with a man with a peculiar face, but peculiar in a good way, it was something about his teeth... Tim shook her hand with a smile on his face, bringing her back to reality. She told him that she really enjoyed the show they put on tonight and he thanked her, he seemed genuinely relieved that she enjoyed the show. And then, Anna saw this blond head with this little smile, looking at the girls gathered around him on the couch, both hands spread on the headrest. The dentist. Yes, she now remembered that Brian told her about his “attractiveness”, which on the one hand brought them fans but on the other was a pain in the ass, Brian's words. But Roger seemed to enjoy the mess he made around him, if we believed the smile displayed on his pretty face. A loverboy. He smirked when he saw Anna. A dentist loverboy. Great. She wasn't sure if it was their coming or their hair that caught the drummer's attention when they entered the small space. Brian sat in front of Roger, on an armrest while Anna made herself comfortable in the same chair.

“Hey, Rog, this is Anna. You remember, my friend, the one I invited tonight,” Brian precised while pointing at Anna who waved shyly. Brian quickly looked at the three girls gathered around Roger, all having a good laugh with the drummer.

“How could I forget mate,” Roger replied, Anna and Brian had his full attention now. It was quite spectacular to see two persons with such hair in the same room, near each other. “I'm Roger Taylor, nice to meet you Anna”, he said looking at her. “Damn, you two look like twins, even the look and stuff. Brian, you didn't tell me you had a beautiful sister!”

“Rog, please”, Brian seemed to have enough of all of this, he only sighed and looked at Anna with an apologetic smile. She wasn't upset, she liked the idea of them looking alike, it always was fun to be taken for siblings. Especially with Brian. Hilarious situations came to her mind at that moment. Like the time they tried to convince a man while entering a bar that Brian was Anna's twin, the guy was slightly drunk but he saw most of the trick, but let them in anyway. Good time.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” she replied, with a kind expression which reassured Brian. “Great show, great drum work and all,” she wasn't really a specialist, she knew it, but she found the performance really interesting, and her compliments were absolutely genuine. Even if they were not totally important, at the end, who was she to judge their performance? A mere mortal.

“Oh you know, these hands can do wonders”, he answered with a cocky smile making the girls around him burst into laughter and cuddling up a bit more against him. Anna just looked up at Brian, a little confused, a little amused. Brian wasn't surprised at all.

“As you can see, I didn't lie to you when describing Roger in my letters to you,” Brian said with a little smile on his face, just to tease the blond. Anna absolutely knew that little smile of his. Classic Brian.

“Described me? What letters?”, Roger asked, loosening the cuddling position he was in. A wave of incomprehension crossed his face, he seemed to be processing every information he heard, slowly, without understanding everything, what Anna found quite funny.

“Oh, the dentist things, he only described the dentist things”, Anna playfully answered, then casting a knowing look at Brian. “Only dentist things, right?”

“Brian, for the love of God I won't become a dentist,” one could hear determination in Roger's voice. He became petty, pretty petty, and this blond hair was only enhancing his childish look which made him look so innocent, even if, from what Anna could read and see, he wasn't at all.

“If you say so, Rog.”

Roger processed the information, he had the whole process of thinking on his face, his eyes slightly shut, his mouth open a little and a gaze into nowhere. Anna didn't really know how to react to that... Absence. Brian elbowed her, as if everything was alright, and then started to ask how Cambridge was. They had so much to catch up, she had so much to tell him, she had so much to hear. Everybody in the room had their occupation, beer in hand, Anna having a great time speaking with Brian about the crazy stuff she did while in Cambridge while laughing, cross-legged in the chair, Brian laughing wile leaning closer to her to hear what she actually said to him because of Roger's girls laughing at his jokes. It was getting later and later, darker and darker outside and Anna had to go back home, into her small flat. Something she didn't enjoy much, she was having a great time there, with Brian, just like in the good old days. But everything had to come to an end. Sadly. Brian offered to walk her home, just in case and she gladly accepted that offer. Brian took his guitar, excused himself for not helping with the instruments tonight but he had to walk her home, safety first. Roger smiled, a knowing smile.

“Roger, she is my friend.”

“Yeah, for sure mate,” he winked at her, while hugging on of the girls more against him.

“Have a very, very pleasant night,” Anna commented while smiling at him. He pissed her off a bit, but nothing to serious, it was all in fun.

“You too girl, tell me if Brian was nice enough then,” he commented and Anna's attempt to reply was covered by one of the girl's laugh. Great.

And while Anna a Brian left the room, Roger was still thinking about Anna.

~~~~

Seeing Anna around during their gigs was something absolutely normal by now. She came back to London four months ago, and for the past two months she was going to see them perform as much as she could. In London, at home, everything was easier.

She finally became a huge fan of the group, it was inevitable with Brian's texts. He had some talent, no doubts. She was very fond of Doin' Alright, she always enjoyed when it was played during gigs. Something soothing the atmosphere, dulling the rumble of the crowd, making everything blurry when she was sitting legs crossed at the bar, a beer in hand and watching the stage from afar. And obviously then, she went backstage with them. There, she met Freddie, Tim's friend, the one she saw the first time she came, a talented art student. Shy and exceptional. He had extra teeth, something that made Roger laugh at first, but when he heard Freddie's singing voice, he, and his falsettos, got their jaws dropped. Anna herself was amazed. His performances, she guessed, will be bomb.

Tonight, Roger came in long after Anna – Anna was usually the last one to come into the band's space, knowing how much they needed a bit of rest after a gig – something that became normal, usual with the bringing girls ban Brian and Tim established especially for Roger. So now, Roger came in late. Everybody knew why, nobody wanted to hear it. But Freddie was always teasing him about it. When he showed up with a sheepish smile, some lipstick on his neck and a napkin with numbers on it, Freddie couldn't resist the urge to comment.

“Darling, you're always playing the perverted part after gigs,” and Roger just rose his shoulders, innocently, a dazzled look, a flirtatious smirk for Anna and a reply.

“You know, somebody has to play that part, I don't really see Brian playing it, nor Tim,” he explained, it sounded as a self-sacrifice for the greater good of the band. So dramatic. So Roger.

“Sure Rog, I could definitely not be as perverted as you are,” Brian replied and the looked at Anna, smiling. He once told her a Roger's adventure, when two girls showed up after their gig, claiming they were his girlfriends. He had an immense pleasure watching Roger hiding in closets while the girls were chasing him. Anna made a funny face, and could only nod in order to not burst into laughter while thinking about it.

“What “sure Rog”, mate? And you, what was that nod for, huh?” Roger looked at both of them, suspicious, straightening himself on the couch, scrutinizing them and their chemistry.

“Nothing Roger,” she replied amused, “nothing in particular. I mean, Brian could never be as good as you are at this kind of games.”

“You're on tight rope, Anna,” he warned her with dark yet smiling eyes, pointing right at her. He wanted to know why he was the butt of the joke, right now.

“Literature students are always on tight rope, Roger, I'm used to it. Plus, when you have Brian's hair because you're half black, being on tight rope is your destiny,” her answer was full of sarcasm, but full of truth too. She had difficult times with her hair, really difficult ones. But now, with her hair pal, everything seemed lighter, more joyful.

“Be careful Roger, she's taller than you,” Brian warned him changing the subject.

“And? What does that change exactly, mate?”

“She's taller, that's the joke,” Tim insisted encouraged by Freddie's laugh.

“Fuck you”, Roger replied, arms crossed on his chest, looking from time to time to see if Anna was looking at him. And she was. This dentist was a funny guy after all.~

~~~~

Smile was dead. God save the Queen.

Smile had to fade to let Queen rise. This was how Brian explained Anna that Tim wasn't playing with them now, they separated after a few more gigs together, but remained friends. Funnily enough, the one replacing Tim was Freddie. The Freddie that Roger first called a “dental freak” to what Freddie replied that a drummer dentist shouldn't give any opinion on his teeth, especially when he couldn't sing properly. Roger was red, and Brian and Anna were only laughing, covering their mouths while doing it. But then, they became friends, even when Freddie called him a perverted little brat. Even then, Roger could only be more bitchy than ever and cock-fight with Freddie about who had more sass. Anna secretly loved these small challenges.

As Tim left the band, they needed a bassist. Freddie wasn't really suited for the bass, and God knew they tried to make him play – it was a disaster that Anna never wanted to forget, seeing Brian's absolutely jaded expression while Roger was screaming at Freddie for not playing it alright, a priceless moment – but this never really worked, and they needed a bassist. Quickly. And there he came, John Richard Deacon, born on August 19th 1951. He was studying electric engineering, nothing too fancy, he looked like a shy person who had nothing to do on stage – Roger's words when he came in, according to Brian – but he shortly proved that they absolutely needed him in the band while softly playing the bass, with such passion, yet stiffly but they could work on that. And when Anna saw the whole band for the first time, during one of their rehearsals, as Mary, Freddie's friend was sitting next to her on the couch, she immediately saw, and said to Mary, that these guys were going to go places. Mary agreed. Both of them thrilled by the aura the group made.

Anna was already in bed, her hair in a a blue turban, thick socks on and under a huge blanket when somebody knocked at her door. She wondered who could bother her at that hour. First, she thought that something happened to her parents, so she rushed towards the door, but instead of gloom and doom she found Freddie, mist coming from his rosy lips as he smiled when he finally saw her open the door. It was cold outside, and Anna asked herself how Freddie was not freezing his ass out there.

“Freddie,” she yawned. Then, she rubbed her shoulder in order to heat herself up a bit. “Come inside, it's so damn cold outside. I'll make some tea and you'll explain to me what's happening to you.”

“Oh, nobody's dead, darling,” he playfully said while sitting on one of the chairs around the small round wooden table. “Not yet.”

If this sentences was meant to reassure her in any way, it failed its purpose. Truly. Anna turned around to face Freddie, the water was boiling behind her, two cups with jasmine tea were ready to be used. Her expression was perplexed, she was still sleepy, and didn't get the joke nor any other information.

“Nobody's going to die, darling, I swear,” Freddie said after a small chuckle as he looked at this sleepy-head. “I just need another genius to help me with a song, nothing more, darling,” he finally told her as he put a small notebook on the table. It once was a small notebook, but now it was composed of hundred different papers flying around and some brown pages. All Freddie's works. Every one of them better than the previous one. And Anna was supposed to... Help him? She heard the boiling water and poured it into the cups before serving them on the table. She sat in front of Freddie, thoughtful.

“I don't know how I could help you,” she admitted and drank a sip from her cup after the water became brown, “ I mean, Brian is a better specialist than...”

“Darling,” he interrupted her abruptly, “here lays the whole the fun. Brian won't know anything about it because we will rewrite Keep Yourself Alive together before Queen's first performance! Isn't that fantastic?” he frantically asked her, absolutely thrilled about the idea of creating something new out of this song.

Anna wasn't sure about what was going on. She wanted to help Freddie, so badly, but at the same time Brian should know about the changes before their first concert which was in a few days... But everything was so exciting, adrenaline ran through her veins at the thought of being part off a secret project like that. And Anna liked surprises, she liked to surprise Brian a lot, he always made funny faces when something unusual happened around him, and she secretly enjoyed these funny faces and these moments when he lost his composure, just for a second.

“Show me these lyrics, Freddie,” she said and drank some of the tea from her cup, “we'll work this out and this will be the best song ever I swear!”

“Your enthusiasm is so divine, I love it Anna!”

They both smiled before beginning to look at the pieces of paper. And so was the song, divine.

Anna and Mary were in the crowd in the small bar Queen performed in, standing along strangers, standing close to one another, waiting for them to begin their performance. She then felt a presence, some guy tried to touch her hair in the back, drunk as hell, she absolutely told him to fuck off while Mary just put her arm around Anna's shoulders to keep her closer and to – somehow – avoid another unwanted contact. When Anna rose her eyes on the stage, she saw Roger's expression. It was a true mixture of rage, incomprehension and anxiety. She could ready each one of these emotions from where she was. She was curious to know why he had such expressions imprinted on his pretty face, why he had to experience these feelings all together. Suddenly, Freddie's voice broke the hubbub in the room after Brian's introductions and some cheers for Roger, who wasn't clearly paying attention to whoever shouted his name in the crowd.

“Hello beautiful people,” Freddie cheered the audience as a voice rose asking where Tim was and who this “Paki” was.

Anna and Mary looked back at the man and almost killed him with their eyes; but as soon as they turned back to face the stage, they saw Freddie struggling with the microphone during the beginning of the song. Nearly hitting John, nearly killing John on his first performance, with the microphone. Yet, he still managed to catch audience's attention while singing so perfectly the song they all knew, or thought they knew. As soon as the lyrics began to change, Freddie winked at Anna and the grin on his face grew.

Brian's expression went funny. Anna could kill – metaphorically speaking – to see this expression on Brian's face; she could almost hear him saying “Wrong lyric, Fred” while continuing to play on his guitar, which was absolutely hilarious when you were aware of the little trick Freddie had prepared.

The band's meeting just after this gig was the best one Anna assisted to so far. When Mary and her entered the space, Freddie almost ran to hug Anna tight. She hugged him almost as tight as he did.

“Thank you darling, thank you for helping me,” he exclaimed after breaking the hug a while after and fondly looking at Mary then. “Anna's the other genius who wrote this song.”

“The other what?!” Anna could hear irritation in Roger's voice. She wasn't sure what it was about. Was it about what happened just before they came on stage, when his expression was a monstrous medley of emotions or because of the change of the lyrics?

“Anna you didn't,” Brian interrupted while looking at Anna, somehow disappointed, or just maybe weary.

“We worked all night long,” she admitted as she sat on the armrest of the couch, playing nervously with her afro, “and the result isn't as bad as I thought it could actually be.”

“I feel betrayed,” Brian said, looking like a sad puppy at Anna who just sent him a kiss across the room. “No kiss will heal the betray of a friend, Anna.”

“Soothe the pain maybe then?”

“I can go for a kiss as an apologize,” Roger said while looking at Anna from across the room with a playful smile on his face. “I'm all for negotiations.” She blew him a kiss, jokingly and then began to laugh. Roger's face became paler than usual, he went silent for a long moment, maybe for a too long moment.

“You got Roger but not me,” Brian continued, and Roger internally thanked him for his intervention at that particular moment, when he felt maybe too much, when he remembered how pissed Anna looked when that guy touched her hair while he was on stage, not able to tell him to fuck off and when he remembered that she blew him a kiss, jokingly. Softly. He got shivers down his spine, body relaxed, his mind being somewhere else for a long moment as he lost himself into her blue eyes.

~~~~

As Queen was rising, Anna became a regular in their rehearsing room along with Mary. The two girls were always sitting somewhere in the room, doing their things as the boys were playing music. Anna found it absolutely calming, even when they were trying to rip their heads off – when Roger tried to rip Freddie's head off mostly – because the music they made right after was divine. Especially when The Night Comes Down was performed next to them, the two girls caught themselves moving their heads in rhythm with Roger's drums while listening to the song. One of Brian's masterpieces, and Anna, as an English major, went crazy when she heard it for the first time. She had already read the lyrics and found them particularly beautiful, but hearing these in Freddie's mouth was another experience, an experience worth living for. She immediately stopped writing whatever she was writing and endlessly looked at them playing, Freddie sitting on the chair next to the piano and Brian carelessly touching the strings of his guitar while John was in the back, playing softly, stiffly. And Roger, Roger never seemed so calm and focused. Anna remarked how glowy his porcelain face was when he was playing, making kissy faces unknowingly as he played. His hair was smoothly moving along with his sharp and precise movements, and sometimes, she managed to catch his eye. His glistening eyes looking at her, and for a second, his confused face became a smiling one: he winked. She chuckled, shaking her head still in rhythm.

On other days, while Mary and Freddie were speaking, Brian in the small kitchen space drinking another tea and Roger somewhere, over the rainbow probably, John and Anna found themselves in the room, each of them sitting on a chair, in perfect silence. Anna would lie if she told that she found this silence awkward, it was, indeed, a great silence. Mostly, John was scribbling something on a notepad, Freddie gave it to him a few months after he joined the band, as a gift and John felt really happy about it, genuinely happy, and Anna would sit an try to write an essay about another lecture she had or about another poet's feature. The would look up, lock their eyes, smile and finally, go back to their activity. It was strangely relieving. John wasn't talkative, and Anna usually neither and somehow this kind of relationship brought them close. It became a ritual, nobody – except Roger, – would disturb them.

“What are you doing,” Roger finally asked, after making so much noise that Anna could hear John sigh while writing something, so she rose her eyes and smiled. He smiled to. Roger smiled too and came nearer. She hoped that he wouldn't ask questions, vain hopes.

“Magic as you can see,” she sarcastically answered as Roger was peeking over her shoulder, “trying to cast a spell to maybe become rich and famous someday and to have a good grade. But the grade part is optional actually,” she admitted while looking up. She saw his beautiful eyes looking down at her, nearly veiled by his fringe. He had a halo made of light-bub light above his head.

“Want some help?” he offered.

“You're a dentist, Roger.”

“Fuck off Anna,” he replied visibly annoyed. But this comment didn't prevent him from sitting next to her in the couch. “I may be a dentist, but that doesn't mean I don't know shit about literature and whatever you're doing here.”

“Oh really? Wow, Mr. Taylor will help me with my essay,” she teased him as he looked at her. “Okay, let's see what you've got then. See?” she asked while pointing at the line she was actually studying, “I need to find the exact definition of the term, so I'll be able to...”

They spent an hour and a half trying to understand what exactly the author meant in this poem, what could be useful to comment upon this Nightingale. Roger was smart, smarter than Anna thought and she was ashamed to admit it. He frowned when he couldn't get the point of the author, trying to analyze the structure of the line as well as he could, while Anna was analyzing the stress pattern of the line, iambic pentameter, fade away... They didn't even notice when Freddie's voice could be heard from the other side of the room, complaining about Roger being “so involved” that Brian had to seriously talk to him, for his own sanity. And maybe John's.

“Rog, Freddie will rip your head off if you don't get up and come banging your drums,” he said, as both Roger and Anna looked up at him, in great confusion. “You're late Roger, and you're lucky that I'm the one coming and not Freddie.”

“I heard that darling,” Freddie commented.

“Shit, sorry!” Roger said, understanding finally what was going around him. The bubble burst, and the moment he was sharing with Anna was over. “I was helping Anna with this analysis and then...”

“Freddie, I'm absolutely sorry,” Anna said looking at Freddie across the room, “it won't happen again! I won't steal your drummer any longer I promise!”

“He wasn't bothering you?” Brian asked, a bit off and confused as he got a nasty look from Roger.

“Hey, I'm not the botherer here, mate!” Roger commented, with or without innuendo.

“He was actually quite helpful, Brian! Who knew something was under this blond wig!” she joked.

“First of all, fuck you Anna and second of all, don't you give me that look Brian I can be helpful!”

“If you say so, Rog,” Brian commented , a smile on his lips after Anna's comment.

“Yes darlings, be all lovey dovey while John and I are dying out here because we can't rehearse,” Freddie remarked, striking a dramatic pose that made Mary chuckle as John just rose his shoulder, having his bass hanging on one side.

“I'm ready Freddie, let's do your thing,” Roger said while getting up, before turning again to look at Anna. “Mr. Taylor was pleased to help you, Mrs. Anna,” he winked at her, with a teasing smile. Anna could hear Brian sigh and catch a glimpse of his deary expression. The poor guy had to deal with this group – Freddie and Roger – all day long, courageous man. “So, we're playing what now?”

“Liar,” Freddie answered, his look full of surprises, Mary standing next to him.

“Very funny Fred,” Roger remarked as he reached his drum set and sat, waiting for them to begin.

John and Anna were sitting in silence, each one of them trying to focus on their work, on anything while the band took a small break. Strangely, Roger was nowhere to be seen, no shouting, no talking, no peeking, nothing. When both of them heard light footsteps next to them, they rose their heads to find Roger: Anna gave John a knowing look as the man just nodded before heading back into his work. Russian roulette: who Roger wanted to bother today? Anna already felt that her essay's conclusion was to be forgotten, not done here, not today actually but how wrong she was. Roger sat on the couch where she was, on the opposite side with a pen and a small notebook. He curled one leg up on the couch, as he put the notebook on his lap and began to think, deeply think as he frowned. He then began to scribble on his paper. John and her exchanged a curious look, as Roger sat silently and began to tap his fingers on the hard cover of the notebook. Curiosity killed the cat. Anna approached his side of the couch, leaving the conclusion of her essay, and began to peek over his shoulder, as he always did either to John or her.

“What are you doing here, Roger,” she playfully asked, as he always did when he came in the room to bother John or her.

“Magic,” he sarcastically replied mocking her as her eyes opened a bit wider in confusion, “trying to cast a spell in order to have a great song, the great part is actually optional.” She chuckled as she remembered saying the exact same thing to him the other day.

“I guess you could use some English major help then,” she offered as Roger always did.

“You're implying that I can't write all by myself?”

“I'm implying that you came here because you wanted either John's”, she began to say before noticing that John was already on the other side of the room, speaking with Freddie, “or my help. But it seems that I'll be the only one offering help here,” she suggested. “What's the title of the song?”

“Modern Times Rock'n Roll,” he proudly answered looking at her.

“Very evocative of... Rock'n roll?” She had a little smile on her face as she wasn't really sure what to say about the song.

“You're so perceptive it hurts Anna, I'm impressed,” he admitted nodding slowly.

“Show me that thing, I want to see the lyrics Mr.Taylor!”

He put the notebook on her lap and she looked at the lyrics with great attention. It wasn't Brian's fondness and delicateness put on page, but something more... Effective? She knew absolutely nothing about rock compared to Roger who was following every trend, many bands, reading, writing about it... And these lyrics weren't made to sound only “pretty” – these actually weren't what Anna could call “pretty” but “accurate” and “well chosen” for this subject – but to state something: the changes in the rock world. So, it didn't require a lot of metaphors, no love interest, no Kings nor Queens, but only words, raw words arguing about the new rock facing the old one. And Anna would lie if she didn't admit that it was pretty interesting to see lyrics under this perspective. She laid her eyes on him, on this porcelain face framed by blond strands of hair and asked if he could sing it. Bloody yes, was his only answer. He looked as excited as a child on Christmas Eve. He closed his eyes for a moment, began to tap his fingers on the couch they were sitting on and sang. So he did. His raw and raspy voice was everything the lyrics needed. Anna could not imagine Freddie singing this song, not with as much passion as Roger did with his own song, with the knowledge, the wisdom. Freddie was amazing, but this was Roger's turn to show off – besides his falsettos that they once discovered when the man saw a spider and began to cry his lungs out, a marvelous moment as Freddie recalls. Anna's mind was dazzled, impressed.

“So?” he finally asked, looking at her a bit longer than he should, making her realize that she went silent for a moment.

“So?”

Nothing to say?”

“You want compliments or real judgment?” she said joining her hands around her knee and leaning back.

“Do I look like somebody craving for compliments?”

“Kind of,” she joked as he frowned before she continued. “It was really good, I'm pretty impressed,” Roger's ego was puffing in front of Anna as a mating pigeon.“But”, she continued as his enthusiasm faded immediately away, “I have a problem with this line, let me show you...” She looked at the paper, searching with her finger for the line that didn't sound good to her ear, not as good as the rest of the song. “Here! And my musical's life lookin' // Like a long Sunday School cruise, the idea is good but... It doesn't sound well actually... It lacks something...”

“Lacks something?” he asked, astonished by her remarks as she began to bit her thumb while thinking about something better. The verb “lookin'” was really bothering her, there was an alliteration in “l” which should be nice, but as a matter of fact it gave a heavy tone to the line...

“It seems a bit off, you know what I mean?”, he frowned even more, but now in incomprehension. She remained silent for a while, thinking about what could replace this verb to make it more airy, a sunny afternoon, a light afternoon... “What about changing lookin' into feelin'?”

“This was the only thing bugging you, like really?” his voice was almost full of reproach, but more full of relief. He thought that his song was absolutely off, lacking something more essential, but here, she was just going into details. Which was good. Actually really good.

“Shut up Roger!” she said as she straightened on the couch and pointed at the lyrics. “The alliteration in “f” will be more effective here, it will give a lighter effect than the one in “l” which is basically heavier... Try with feelin' then.”

“You became a musicologist or what?” he joked as she elbowed him with a small chuckle.

“Poetic studies specialist would be more accurate,” she corrected him, “I want to hear it, try it please!”

Her excitement was remarkable. Roger sang the lines as she requested, and it felt lighter, gave some air into the structure of the song. But this wasn't Anna's only remark, the real work only began here. They finally sat there, for a few hours, figuring out ways to make the text as light in sounds to contrast with the heaviness of the thoughts. At one point, their shoulders brushed against each other. They were so close to each other, invading the other's personal space a lot, Anna putting sometimes her hand on Roger's shoulder while he was singing again to give birth to the text again. When she leaned closer, her hair tickled his nose making him sneeze and Anna could only laugh. Roger joining the fun right after. Sometimes one could see some blushing faces when both of them realized how close they were.

#roger taylor #roger taylor x oc #ben hardy!roger taylor #brian may #freddie mercury #john deacon #queen band #queen #mary austin #ben hardy #gwilym lee #rami malek #joe mazzello #lucy boynton #borhap cast #bohemian rhapsody movie #queen fanfiction

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mercurysnitch · 5 years ago

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Mother Mercury Part Three: Breakthru

Summary: Eve’s history is finally revealed. Meanwhile, Ben and Mel experience some interesting developments in their relationship.

Author’s note: As promised, it’s finally arrived. As always it’s way behind schedule, but I think we’re all used to that by now 😂 As ever I can only hope part 4 doesn’t take as long. I know where I want the story to go now, but I still have to work out how to get there from where I am now. Just as a heads up, as of now it’s looking like the next part will go up to about the Bo Rhap premiere, and then there’ll be one part of drama before the flufftastic finale (for which I already have many ideas). Also I am never writing a series ever again (well, I say that now...)

This is the part where there’s finally some explanation of how Freddie managed to have a lovechild, but rest assured it’s not explicit. That said, I hope it’s fairly clear what went on. I did write a small flashback with Roger which goes into a little bit more detail, but I decided not to try and fit it in here in the end. It might grow into a oneshot at some point though - I would quite like to write a bit more of Freddie as a dad, and the band’s reactions are an important part of that.

I’ve tidied up the perspectives this time (I think) though there’s still a few shifts. There’s also a flashback to Eve’s childhood written from yet another perspective that I’m not sure I explained very well. Just in case it’s not clear, Daphne in the flashback is Eve’s mother. Also I think the whole tension cliffhanger-y thing I was trying to do has well and truly fallen over at this point, but oh well.

Warnings: Writing about real people, mentions of drug use, allusions to smut (no actual smut though) multiple perspective switches, probable missed typos, I have no idea what the word count is but this ain’t a short fic

*******************************************************************************************

Recap: ...Rami was sat at a table in the hotel restaurant, buzzing with excitement. Freddie Mercury's biological child was sitting in front of him! What a day. Eve smiled with amusement as his obvious enthusiasm. "So I suppose you have a few questions you'd like to ask?" Rami grinned. "Oh, hundreds." "Well, go on then" Eve encouraged. "I guess the biggest one is this" Rami said thoughtfully. "How exactly did a man like Freddie Mercury manage to father a lovechild anyway?"

Eve smiled. "It's… complicated, darling" she explained. "Just give me the Cliff Notes version, then" Rami suggested. “Well, back in 1979 my mum was in Munich, working at a recording studio” Eve began. “And while she was there Queen turned up.” Rami nodded. “So your mum worked with them.” Eve shook her head. “Not really, she was just a secretary” she explained. “But she was friends with some of the technicians, and they used to take her to the parties they’d get invited to.” Eve paused for a moment.

“Apparently,” she continued, “there was one particular party that Freddie was at that got quite… wild. There was lots of alcohol, and drugs, and… well… things happened. Very… indecent things, and apparently nobody thought to take precautions. Or remembered who'd done what the next morning." Eve expected Rami to be shocked, but he continued to listen intently, apparently unperturbed by this revelation. At this point, after all his research on Freddie, it wasn't really that much more scandalous that what he'd already heard.

“Anyway, about a month after that party my mum found out she was pregnant" Eve went on, apparently on a roll now. "She was already engaged to my dad, so she went home and married him like they'd planned. And I was born in April of 1980, about six months later.” Rami looked surprised. “But wouldn’t everyone have realised that must have meant she was pregnant when they got married?” Eve shrugged. “That wasn’t so uncommon back then. It wasn’t even that scandalous any more. Suddenly she looked downcast. "Apparently my dad went along with it because he thought it might have been his baby - they got engaged while he was visiting her in Munich, not long before the party. But there was always some doubt, not that he ever admitted it."

Rami knew he should be shocked, but he was mostly eager to know more. "So did Freddie know he had a child?" he asked curiously. "I guess someone must have known for those rumours to reach the tabloids…" Eve smiled. "He did know" she said gently. "Not straight away, but he worked it out eventually." "So how did he find out?" Rami asked.

"Well, you must know Queen went back to Munich in 1980" Eve pointed out. "My mum had left the studio by then, and because she'd left so suddenly, of course people wondered why. When she quit she said something about being needed to look after a sick relative back home, but her friends worked that was just an excuse pretty quickly." "And they suspected she might be trying to cover up the fact that she was pregnant" Rami suggested. Eve smiled in amusement. "Not quite, dear. That party she went to, where Freddie was, became a bit infamous among the studio staff. So people wondered whether something had happened there that, you know, upset my mum or something." Eve paused for breath while Rami stared, utterly enthralled in the story. "But nobody thought much of it until they heard I'd been born… almost exactly nine months after that party.” Rami's eyes widened in understanding. “So people thought it happened…” “Yeah,” Eve agreed,“they started to put two and two together pretty quickly.”

"And then Freddie heard the rumours around the studio?" Rami guessed. Eve nodded. "In a nutshell. He would have been there around the time I was born, actually, so when my mum's friends there got her little announcement he heard it too. He wasn't sure what to think at first, because he knew there'd been other men at the party, and my dad had been around as well. But he knew it was quite possible I was his, and he agonised over what to do about it for months."

Rami stared at Eve with wide eyes, wondering what had happened next. "So did you ever know Freddie?" "I did" Eve nodded. A question suddenly occurred to Rami. "Wait, how do you know all this? Did he tell you?" Eve smiled rather sadly. "My mum told me some of it, when I was old enough. Papa wanted to do that too. But when he realised he wouldn't be around by then, he started writing down everything he wanted to tell me. And he-" Eve's voice caught for a moment, but she recovered quickly. "He made videos for me, when writing was too hard. He'd get Jim to hold the camera, and Papa would just sit and talk to him, tell him all the things he wanted me to know." Eve looked down, suddenly downcast. "They're hard to watch, some of them, he just looks so frail, and I hate seeing him like that." She went on, her voice brightening somewhat. "But I'm grateful for them, because they told me so much I wanted to know. If he hadn't done that… there would be so much I wouldn't know about my own history."

Rami smiled. "By all accounts Freddie was a very caring person. He must have cared deeply about you, going to all that effort to tell you the full story." Eve smiled gently. "Oh he did." Rami looked at Eve curiously. “So how did he get from knowing about your existence to being your Papa?” Eve grinned amusedly. “Well, to start with he wrote my mum a letter.” “A letter?” Rami echoed, mildly surprised. “I know,” Eve agreed, “it seems so mundane, but it’s true. He disguised it as a Christmas card or something, so no one would get suspicious.” Rami raised an eyebrow. “Was that likely?” “Well my mum was married” Eve pointed out. “He didn’t particularly want my dad reading it, for a start.” “Oh of course” Rami murmured.

“Anyway,” Eve rolled on. “Mum got this letter, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.” Rami looked perplexed. “She wasn’t?” Eve nodded. “Her life was all sorted, she didn’t want anything messing it up” she explained. “But she realised Papa wasn’t looking to make trouble for her. Even so, letting him into my life would be making a tricky situation even more complicated.” Rami smiled knowingly. “She obviously wrote back though” he deadpanned. Eve smiled. “She did. Papa was thrilled, he said, even though he didn’t get to meet me for a long time.”

“When did you meet him, actually?” Rami asked casually, peering over his plate. “I was three” Eve recalled. “We went to Hyde Park, near the lake.” As she spoke a faraway smile crept onto her face. “I don’t really remember much of it, but I know Phoebe was there too. And Papa gave me a present, which I still have somewhere, actually.” Rami eyed her curiously. “What did he give you?” “A cat” Eve replied. “Not a real one, a soft toy” she hurriedly clarified, noting Rami’s shocked expression. “Well, this is Freddie Mercury we’re talking about, I wouldn't put it past him…” he quipped. “You’re not wrong” Eve agreed.

“So what was he like as a parent?” Rami asked, his curiosity running wild. “As a parent?” Eve smiled as though she was recalling a satisfying memory. “Indulgent, of course, he always enjoyed spoiling me. He tried to have a few rules, but his household were never very good at enforcing them for him. Joe was always good for an extra treat before supper, and Phoebe could never deny me anything if I begged for it, and Papa knew it." Eve paused, looking thoughtful. "But he also never wanted to shelter me from anything. If I asked him a question he’d answer it truthfully, or point me in the direction of someone who could. Which usually meant Brian, he seemed to know everything Papa didn't.” Rami grinned. “So you knew the band then? Growing up I mean.” Eve nodded. “Papa didn’t want to introduce us at first, but we had to meet eventually. Although I think our moving in to Garden Lodge may have forced the issue somewhat…”

Rami's eyes widened even more than usual. "You lived in Garden Lodge?!" "Shh!" Eve chastised. "I don't want anyone overhearing this." "Sorry" Rami mumbled sheepishly. "It's alright, you’re forgiven" Eve reassured him. "So anyway, you lived with your Papa?" Rami prompted. "Yes, well, Mum and I didn't have much choice in the end" Eve commented. "My parents split up when I was about five" she explained. "My dad - I mean he wasn't biologically but that's how I refer to him-" Rami nodded. "Yeah, I get it." "Well, he left my mum, but he wanted her to move out. With me" Eve explained. Rami looked shocked. "Asshole." "Pretty much" Eve agreed. "But he was sort of justified. Slightly. Thing was, the house we lived in wasn't actually his, technically, or something. Basically he didn't legally own it so it couldn't be included in the assets when they started dividing everything up. Which meant my mum had no right to ask him to give her the house and move out, either. And he knew that when he ended things with her." Rami whistled. "Jesus." Eve nodded. "Yeah. So my poor mother was terrified, not knowing where she could go or what she would do. And then she told Papa." Eve paused dramatically. "What did he say?" Rami asked. Eve smiled. "Well…"

"The princess is safely distracted, dear, so tell me what's on your mind." His tone was light, but Daphne knew he really wanted to know. "Oh, it's nothing…" "It's not nothing" Freddie countered, clearly not believing her for a second. "Just tell me. I won't tell anyone else, I promise." Daphne sighed. "Well, the thing is… I'm getting divorced. And he wants me and Evangeline out of the house pronto" Freddie was scandalised. "He wants to boot out the two of you, even though he ended it? Can't you ask for the house or something?" Daphne shook her head. "It's an old family property, his father inherited it and let us live in it, but it's not ours legally. And he knew bloody well what that meant when he asked for a divorce." "That utter bastard" Freddie commented. "I know," Daphne nodded, "and the worst bit is I have to find somewhere else to live even though he knows I can't afford it unless he pays me alimony or something, and I really don't know what I'm going to do."

1985

Daphne was extremely worried. Her soon-to-be ex-husband wanted her out of the house, with her daughter, but she had nowhere to go except her sister's, and Rose hardly had the room for two extra people on top of her own little ones. She'd tried to put it all out of her mind for Evangeline's lunch outing with Freddie, but it clearly hadn’t worked. Freddie was peering at her suspiciously across the table as little Evangeline worked away at her lunch.

"I do" Freddie grinned. "You're both going to come and live with me for now." Daphne gasped. "Freddie, I couldn't possibly…" Freddie waved away her protests. "Don't be ridiculous dear, you can and you will. You can both have your own rooms. And a bathroom all to yourselves." Daphne opened her mouth to argue again, but Freddie cut her off. "I've plenty of room, darling, and I'll use it however I like." Suddenly his expression softened. "Besides, you know I could never let my princess want for anything" he said softly, looking lovingly at Evangeline across the table. Daphne smiled. "No, you couldn't. And neither could I."

“It was great, the years we lived with Papa” Eve reflected, smiling. “Queen was doing well, Papa was finally properly happy with Jim, Mum and I had everything we could possibly need at our fingertips… but of course it couldn’t last.” “Because he got sick” Rami supplied. Eve nodded. “Exactly.” “When did you find out?” Rami spoke gently, but he was clearly curious. “1988, I think it must have been” Eve told him. “They were going away to record again, he didn’t want to leave it hanging over him while he was away.” She paused, suddenly a little melancholy. “He told Mum first. She was there when he told me, sat next to me, helping answer my questions.” Eve looked up, smiling sadly. “He was as straightforward as he could be with an eight-year-old” she recalled. “Didn’t sugarcoat it, didn’t try to downplay it, just laid out the truth of the situation and helped me understand it.” Rami’s jaw dropped. “Gosh, that must have been hard. For all of you.” “It was” Eve agreed. “I don’t think I fully understood at first what it all meant.” “What it meant?” Rami asked. “That it meant he was going to die” Eve said quietly. “It took a while for that to sink in, I think.”

2016

Rami smiled at Eve's story. "That's the other thing he was as a parent" Eve commented. "Always kind and incredibly generous." "He was a great man" Rami agreed. “And a good parent, I’m sure.” Eve smiled. “He was.”

Eve was quiet as she remembered those times, holding herself back before she got lost in the emotions. Suddenly Rami’s soft voice broke the silence. “Did you stay in the house while he was ill?” He asked gently. “If you don’t mind me asking.” “It’s fine” Eve assured him. “We didn’t, actually. When all the bloody photographers started hanging around in droves my mum realised she’d never be able to keep me secret if we kept living there, so we had to move out.” “Was it… how bad were they?” Rami asked, curious to know how much truth was in the stories he’d heard from Roger. “Well we left before it got really bad” Eve commented. “But it was nasty even then. Mum couldn’t dash to the shops without twenty people taking photos, I think she just got sick of it in the end.” A thought suddenly occurred to Rami. “So how did you get in and out then? Without being spotted, I mean” Eve smiled. "Good question. I used to hide in the back seat covered in shopping a lot.” Her expression shifted as she remembered the less pleasant times. “Then there was a car with tinted windows, or I’d meet Phoebe round the corner and huddle in the boot of his Range Rover.” Rami smiled at the mention of Phoebe. “They all looked after you then, everyone at Garden Lodge.” “Oh, absolutely” Eve gushed. “In fact, Jim never stopped til the day he died.” Rami nodded, obviously pleased to hear Jim’s name.

“So did you… were you around when your papa died?” Rami was almost apologetic as he asked the question, but Eve knew he meant no harm. “Not at the very end” she clarified. “But I visited a lot before then, and they made sure I got in to see him when they knew it was close.” “How did they get you past all the journalists?” Rami asked curiously. “Well, there was the old car boot trick of course” Eve said, smiling slightly at the memory. “But we only moved down the road, so I used to just walk to the back entrance, and Phoebe or someone would drive out the front gate to distract them all while I went in the back door.” Eve paused. “Sometimes someone else would pick me up on the way and I’d go in with them, pretending to be their kid or whatever.” She smiled. “I used to pose as a Deacon a lot, John had so many kids that no one ever cared about him arriving with a kid in tow. Or several. Strangely enough no-one ever seemed to notice when he brought an extra daughter.”

Rami laughed. “God, there’s so many things I want to ask you about all of them.” Suddenly he looked thoughtful. “Actually, Aaron would probably love to talk to you too.” Eve was confused. “Aaron?” “The guy playing Jim” Rami explained. “Oh of course, I forgot they were squeezing him in” Eve said airily. “As they should, even if it’s not historically accurate.” Rami nodded automatically before the full meaning of Eve’s words registered. “Wait- how do you know what’s in the movie?” Eve smiled conspiratorially. “Don’t tell anyone, dear, but Miami gave me a copy of the script. At least I assume it was Miami. Just to check I didn’t have any objections, you know.” “He’s a good man” Rami enthused. Suddenly he looked seriously at Eve. “Would it be ok if I told the others about you? I mean, I think some of them would probably quite like to talk to you at some point…” Eve looked uncertain. “The others?” “The guys playing the band” Rami clarified. “And Aaron and Lucy, I suppose. And I guess probably Allen too, it’s not fair to leave him out of it” “Do you trust them?” Eve asked seriously. “With my life” Rami replied, without hesitation. Eve looked at him thoughtfully. “Well Mel’s probably told Ben by now, I suppose it wouldn’t be fair if the others were left out of it.” Rami looked confused.

"Wait, why would Mel tell Ben?" "He spotted us leaving" Eve explained. "And now they're having dinner together, she texted me after I had to cancel dinner with her." Rami grinned. "Oh, finally!" "That's been going on for a while, has it?" Eve deadpanned. "Since they met, so over a month" Rami explained. Eve stared at him in mock horror. "Good lord, I could barely stand to watch it for one day. But anyway, how did we get onto Ben?" "Mel's probably told him about you" Rami prompted.

“Oh of course, yes” Eve agreed, remembering. “Well, it's alright. You can tell the rest of them. But it doesn’t go any further than that, you understand?” Rami nodded. “Of course.” Eve's expression softened immediately. "I do trust you, dear, I just don't want this getting out, you know?" "I do" Rami agreed. "And I get it. I can't imagine what it was like back then, all those photographers... But I never want to find out." Eve nodded gravely. "It wasn't much fun, I must say."

Suddenly her smile brightened. "Now, enough about me, darling, I want to get to know you, too" she said eagerly. Rami blushed. "Oh, there's not much to know..." Eve grinned. "Nonsense. Tell me, where were your parents from exactly? I heard something about the Middle East..." Rami barely suppressed a comment about just how much Eve sounded like Freddie just then, but he managed to answer the question with a straight face. "Egypt, originally, but I was born in America." Eve nodded. "Some people would think it's sacrilege, an American playing Freddie" she commented. "I was just glad they actually got someone Arabic. But now I'm beginning to see why they cast you specifically..."

They hurried out of the restaurant, both feeling the tension rising between them. Suddenly Ben stopped, turning to Mel with a gentle smile. "What?" "I just realised, I haven't done this yet" he said huskily, leaning down to join his lips with hers. She was surprised, but quickly relaxed into it. It was, frankly, heavenly. Mel had been wondering almost since the first time she'd met Ben what those plump lips would feel like, but this was even better than she'd imagined.

Meanwhile, in a different restaurant Mel and Ben were enjoying a surprisingly relaxed first date. She supposed it helped that she and Ben had known each other for over a month already, so they were thankfully past the 'awkward small talk' stage. The conversation flowed as easily as ever, and it turned out they liked a lot of the same things, so they had plenty to talk about that wasn't work-related. Dinner positively flew by, and before they knew it they were both contemplating the dessert menu. Suddenly Ben looked oddly conflicted.

"What's up?" Mel asked casually. Ben looked sheepish. "Oh, it's just... It's nothing." He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I'm sure it's not" Mel countered. "But it's fine, whatever it is. There's no need to be shy, I'm not that young." She pulled a playful expression that was so Freddie-ish Ben almost did a double take. "Well, if you must know, I realised that normally at this point I'd be suggesting you come back to mine" he explained, looking mildly uncomfortable. Mel was confused. "But you're not because..." "I don't want you to feel like you have to if you're not comfortable" Ben explained, still not looking entirely at peace with the topic of conversation. “And why wouldn’t I be comfortable going home with you?” Mel asked, her eyes wide and her tone mockingly innocent. “Well, if it’s not something you’ve done before…” Ben suggested hesitantly. Mel nearly scoffed. “God, how young do you think I am?” “Well you did say this was a new experience for you” Ben pointed out. “Having a grown-up dinner date” Mel clarified, with an exasperated sigh. “Up to now it’s usually been a visit to the chippy or something.” Ben seemed to be relieved by this new information. “So I’m not your first then?” Mel laughed. “Not by a long shot, darling.”

Ben suddenly flashed a very flirtatious smile. “So, d’you want to come back to mine, then?” "Are you suggesting shagging on the first date, Mr Hardy?" Mel teased, pretending to be scandalised. "Only if you want to" Ben reiterated hurriedly, grinning slightly despite himself. Mel immediately smiled flirtatiously. "Well, etiquette suggests the proper thing to do would be to decline your very tempting invitation, but where's the fun in that?" At that Ben finally relaxed, smiling slightly in both relief and anticipation. "I'll get the bill then."

They were both panting when Ben finally pulled back. "Wow" Mel breathed. "I hope that was okay" Ben told her, smirking slightly. Mel grinned. "Much more than okay, I thought.” Ben smiled flirtatiously. “Good. Now let’s get back to mine, shall we?”

Mel was a bit disoriented when she woke up the next day. It took her a minute to remember why she wasn’t in her own bed. And why Ben was snoring next to her. But she smiled when it all came back to her. Dinner, that kiss, the excruciatingly slow journey back to Ben’s flat, kissing and giggling nearly the whole way to his front door… not to mention the long and very satisfying session that had ensued when they finally made it into his bedroom. She would have quite happily stayed there for hours, basking in the afterglow of a good night, but they both had jobs to get to. And quite soon, if the time on Mel’s phone screen was accurate. She cursed quietly when she realised she needed to leave very soon if she wanted to be at the set on time.

Ben grumbled when Mel woke him. “But I don’t have to be in for ages.” “You don’t, but I’m supposed to be there well before you” she pointed out. “And it’s an extras day, they’ll actually need me for once.” “Can’t you just go in ahead of me?” Ben pleaded. “My car’s still at the set” Mel reminded him. Ben sighed. “You’re right, I’m just being an arse. D’you want to shower before you go?” “We both should” Mel suggested. “We didn’t last night, we’re still sweaty.” “Maybe we should shower together then” Ben suggested, smiling naughtily. “I have no objections” Mel agreed. “Just a shower though, we don’t have time for anything else.” Ben looked disappointed. “Another time, darling” Mel assured him. “Unless… you want this to be a one-time thing?” she added uncertainly. “God no” Ben assured her hurriedly. “You want to do this again, don’t you?” Mel grinned flirtatiously. “As soon as possible, dear.”

Somehow, they made it out the door in under an hour, and by some miracle Mel arrived on set with fifteen minutes to spare. As they drew up to the boom gate Mel was hit with a sudden fit of worry. “Should we be seen arriving together? Will I get in trouble?” Ben was unconcerned. “I don’t think the security guard cares who turns up with who, love.” Mel was only slightly relieved. “Yes, but what about other people?” “Look, plenty of actors date behind-the-scenes people, I doubt anyone’s going to be that bothered” Ben reassured her. “Anyway, why don’t you hop out before I park, and I’ll see if I can get to my trailer without being seen.” Mel smiled. “Good idea.”

Ben watched Mel hurry off into the distance for a moment, before getting back to the task at hand. Parking was simple, of course, and it was early enough in the day that there weren’t many people around yet, so he got to his trailer without incident. Thankfully the few crew members who did spot him along the way didn’t seem to notice anything odd about him being on set an hour before his call time. Stranger things had happened on film sets, Ben supposed. He used the extra time to freshen up and practice his lines before he was needed in makeup. And also wipe the satisfied smile off his face. If Joe saw him looking like that first thing in the morning he’d never hear the end of it.

Mel, meanwhile, hit the ground running the minute she reached the wardrobe area. She was required to inspect the gaggle of extras who’d turned up for a seventies scene that morning, checking their outfits were period-appropriate and lending them items belonging to the production if necessary. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but the lengthy queue of extras at least held a pleasant surprise for Mel. A youngish man with messy, dark brown hair stepped into the wardrobe van. “Um, I‘m going to be an extra today, I was told to come for a costume check…?” “Yeah, let’s have a look” Mel said, turning to face the newcomer. His face immediately lit up in surprised recognition. “Mellie?! You didn’t tell me you were working here!” “Luke, oh my god, you didn’t tell me you were coming to set today!” Mel gushed, equally excited. Luke Deacon threw his arms around Mel, hugging her enthusiastically. “God, it’s been far too long.” “It has” Mel agreed. “But we’ve both been busy. Good outfit, by the way, with that hair you look just like your dad.” Luke laughed. “Do I look 70s enough then?” “Not quite” Mel quipped. “But there’s a jacket here somewhere that’ll get you looking absolutely perfect.”

Mel followed Luke over to the actual active set, only to find they were still setting up and wouldn’t be ready for at least another half an hour. But at least all the extras were still properly attired, which meant Mel had time to drag Luke over to meet “the stars” as she called them. He was pleased to meet them all, as were they, but Joe seemed particularly excited. “I’m so pleased to meet you, man.” His voice softened suddenly. “Thanks for coming here, I know all this can be a bit overwhelming at first.” “It’s definitely a bit weird seeing you all dressed like that” Luke concurred, gazing around the group. “But I’m pleased to meet you all, too. And to see where Mel’s been slaving away all these months.” He turned to face Joe directly. “If you want to chat a bit more, when you’ve got a break or something, I won’t mind.” Joe’s face practically lit up. “I’d love to” he said breathlessly. He seemed eager to go on, but at that moment the extras were called to get into position. “We’ll catch up properly, later, yeah?” Luke hurriedly asked Mel. “Of course” she assured him, urging him away with a wave. Joe turned to her looking extremely curious. “So how do you even know Luke Deacon?” Mel sighed. “It’s a long story, I might tell you later.” He grinned wickedly. “Oh there is no way I’m letting you off that easy.” Mel laughed with him, but she knew she’d be telling Joe the full story before long.

The big extra shot proved fairly straightforward, which meant Luke was soon free to try and catch up with Mel while she worked. She clearly enjoyed Luke’s company on set, and her good mood even seemed to spread to the band as the day went on. Well, apart from Ben, who seemed oddly grumpy and terse all day. Eventually Mel had enough. At lunchtime, once Joe had whisked Luke away somewhere, she hauled Ben off to a private corner.

“Alright, what is your problem today?” “Luke” Ben said simply. “How do you even know Luke Deacon, and why are you so close to him all the time. I really thought we had something going last night, this morning, but now…” Mel laughed. “Me and Luke, are you serious?” Suddenly she looked at Ben gravely. “Ben, I’ve known him my entire life, he’s basically my big brother.” Ben’s jaw dropped. “Your whole life? How?” Mel sighed. “John’s Mum’s… godfather, I suppose you'd call it, he’s practically my grandad too” she explained. "Godfather?" Ben echoed, still confused. "He was put in charge of looking after her after Papa died" Mel clarified. “He and Veronica were like another set of parents to her. And to me, really. He looked after me a lot when I was small, I sort of grew up with Luke and Cameron.”

Ben's expression suddenly turned extremely sheepish as comprehension finally dawned. “Well don’t I look silly.” “You do” Mel agreed. “I’m so sorry, I guess I just wasn’t sure where we stood after last night, but I didn’t want to push it, and then you seemed so close with Luke and I s’pose I just assumed the worst when I really shouldn’t’ve.” Ben looked rather chastened as the words tumbled out. Mel, fortunately, seemed amused rather than upset. “Oh, have some faith in me, dear.” She looked at him conspiratorially. “I know I carry on a bit, but the truth is I am absolutely and entirely yours” she whispered, more tenderly than Ben thought he’d ever heard her speak. He practically beamed. “Well that’s good, because after last night I’m pretty sure I’m all yours.” Mel leaned up at the same moment he leaned down, and they kissed rather more affectionately than they had the night before.

Ben went back to work looking considerably happier. Unfortunately his lifted mood didn’t go unnoticed. “You look pleased with yourself” Joe noted, when the band returned to Rami’s trailer after lunch. “So do you” Ben countered. “Well I just had lunch with-” “We know, Joe!” Gwilym and Rami chorused, clearly exasperated. “Sorry, he hasn’t shut up about it since he got back, it’s been unbearable” Gwilym added, in response to Ben’s confused expression. “Say, where’ve you been? You disappeared at lunch, no one knew where you went.” “Yeah Ben, where’d you go at lunch?” Joe echoed. Ben hesitated, momentarily wondering whether he should be telling them about Mel. But when he heard Rami telling him to spit it out he knew he had no choice.

“I was with Mel, alright?” Strangely none of them looked surprised. “Ooh, alone with Mel. Were you having fun?” Joe teased. “We were just talking, christ” Ben insisted. “Is that what you were doing last night, too?” Gwilym quipped, smirking. Ben was shocked. “How do you know I was with anyone last night, let alone her?” “No one saw you leave yesterday, alone or otherwise, and you were silent on the band chat all night, so you were obviously busy” Joe pointed out. “Not to mention, you looked very pleased with yourself when you got to makeup this morning” Rami added, casual as ever. Ben felt his stomach drop. He was rumbled. Bugger.

“Alright, fine, I was on a date last night” he admitted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Now will you please drop it?” Joe grinned mischievously. “‘What, don’t wanna give us all the juicy details?” He teased. “No, I don’t” Ben huffed, exasperated. "Will you at least tell us who you were with then?" Joe whined. "Absolutely not" Ben declared. "It was a first date, I'm not sharing anything this early on." This declaration caused an outbreak of oohing and aahing from both Joe and Gwilym, but Rami suddenly cut them off.

"Well, Ben's not the only one who had a big night last night" he announced. "I had dinner with Eve." The others stared at him, but he caught Ben's eye as he spoke. Ben smiled gratefully, realising his friend had deliberately spoken up to distract the others from their questioning of him. He suddenly had the oddest feeling Rami knew exactly where he'd been last night, but somehow he knew Rami would never rat him out to the others.

Meanwhile, Gwilym was confused. "Eve?" he echoed Rami. "You know, Mel's mom?" Rami clarified. Recognition dawned on Gwilym's face. "Oh, that Eve." "Wait, why were you having dinner with Mel's mom?" Joe questioned. Rami smiled slyly. "You remember those rumours we were discussing the other day? About Freddie possibly having-""-A lovechild?" Joe completed. "Well yeah, but what's that got to do with Eve?" He clearly wasn't following Rami's line of thought, but Gwilym understood almost immediately. "She's the child, isn't she?" he said quietly. Rami nodded. "She's a Mercury." Suddenly his face turned serious. "But that does not go beyond us, ok? She doesn't mind me sharing with you guys, but no further, alright?" The others nodded. "Yes, sir" Joe quipped.

There was a moment of silence as they all absorbed Rami's revelation, before Joe piped up. "So if Eve's a Mercury, that means-" "Mel is too" Ben completed.

He was already aware of that fact, but somehow its full significance hadn't quite registered yesterday. And of course, circumstances had changed significantly since he had first learned the truth about Eve. Unless he was much mistaken, Ben was now dating Eve's daughter. Which meant he was going out with Freddie Mercury's actual granddaughter. Christ. As if his life wasn't ridiculous enough, what with being catapulted into the middle of a major Hollywood movie by flat-out lying about being a drummer. But perhaps Ben randomly meeting and bonding with Freddie Mercury's secret lovechild was a sign from the universe. He only hoped it was a good one.

*******************************************************************************************

So, not really a cliffhanger this time. But, Ben and Mel are a secret. How long do we think that’s going to last? And how long will it take Joe to find out about Mel and the Deacons?

Taglist: (always open, let me know if you want to be added) @wandering-at-midnight @royal-avengers @trumanjo @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @itsametaphorbriansblog @theedwardscollection @bookish-oreo @simplyvictoria-93 @kotoamor @j1224 @closertothesunwhenimwithyou @florenceivy @jennyggggrrr @mercurycrowley @xstrawverrymilktaex

#ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x oc #ben hardy fic #queen fic #bohemian rhapsody imagine #ben hardy imagine #freddie mercury fic #freddie mercury imagine #ben hardy #freddie mercury #rami malek imagine #rami malek #joe mazzello fic #gwilym lee fic #roger taylor fic #brian may fic

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doing-all-write · 5 years ago

Text

star light, star bright

Joe and Ben take a trip on a boat for a ice relaxing Guys Weekend. What Ben doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the owner of the boat. Or to drunkenly sing karaoke with her.

Pairings: Ben x O.C.

Rating: E (18+, PLEASE do not interact if younger than 18)

Warnings: S M U T. Dom!Ben, but mainly Soft!Ben, bad karaoke and lots of boat and ocean puns (I’m a monster)

Word Count: 14K

Inspired by this iconic photo:

A/N: HELLO. IT’S ME. BACK FROM THE DEAD (Or I had three events in a row at work and wanted to D I E) but to make up for it, have a nice thiccc 14K, smutty fic!! This is my first time writing smut so PLEASE don’t judge me too harshly on it!

But as always, feedback, reblogs and comments are always appreciated! I hope you love it!

ALSO!!! In my most favorite turn of events EVER, I have someone who wants me to tag them! So: @itsabenthing, you’re a real one. (If anyone wants to be tagged in future fics let me know!!)

The sun beat down, scattering nets of diamonds across the water. The slow roll of Jimmy Buffet's guitar mingled with the waves slapping against the hull of the boat. The gulls screeching as they whirled through the air, diving down when they spotted dinner swimming underneath the surface. The wind fluttered the pages of the book held in her hand as she adjusted the sunglasses on her face.

The pole she was leaning against warmed her back. She laid the book down and turned her face toward the sun. It warmed her bones and she took a deep breath in, letting the sea, salt and wind fill her lungs.

She checked her phone, made note of the time and stretched her legs and arms out, almost purring as she uncurled from her reading position. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes to soak up this moment as she patted the deck of her boat.

She had grown up around boats. Her parents owned the Nereid marina and her earliest memories were of sitting on her mom's lap putting her small hands on top of her moms soft ones, feeling the wheel turn smoothly as she memorized the movements. Pretty soon, she had been the one steering the boat and "learning the ropes" as she loved to tell people and thrived off of their pained groans.

She worked at the Nereid every day, learning from the people who came into the port. Incessantly asking questions. Asking about their boats, their lives, where they had come from, where they were going. Her parents had teased her for being so inquisitive but she was in awe of the people who came to the Nereid.

In her mind, they were great adventurers, living a free wheeling life on the sea that she wanted for herself. She would watch people leave and the pull in her stomach to follow them was so strong she could feel her legs tensing, as if getting ready to jump into the ocean to swim to their boat, desperate to join them in whatever adventure they had planned next.

Her parents had expanded the Nereid so several of them littered the coast of California but the original one had passed into her care after she had graduated college. Her parents still helped out and offered guidance when she asked but overall, the original marina was hers to make the calls. It had a charming appeal to it, and between word of mouth and the incredibly Instagrammable mural she had added to one wall, people flocked to it.

As she sat there, soaking up the warmth, she was grateful she had gotten out of bed before the sun had risen. She had woken up early, the last of the stars in the sky fading as the horizon turned from inky black to lilac as the sun began its ascent from the horizon.

Her dad had always told her that each sunrise was different. And that each one had details that would tell her how her day would go. It wasn't until she was much older and in the habit of waking up early that her father would confess he had made it up to coax her out of bed that early.

Some people had their horoscopes, she had sunrises. Whenever she could, she would haul herself out of bed, and clutching a thermos of coffee, watch the sun rise and predict how her day would go. This morning she had a feeling in her gut that today, the sun rise would be incredible. So she slipped out of her apartment above the marina, jammed her feet into flip-flops, crammed a hat on her head and set out.

The sun rise this particular morning had been various shades of pink. The colors closest to the sun a deep red. She had thought to herself that those colors must be what it's like to be in love. She felt a tug in her heart as she contemplated how long it had been since she had been with, well, anyone since she had broken up with her last boyfriend. She quickly shook herself from her melancholy thought and cracked open her book as the sun's rays grew stronger.

Now, the sun was beating down, making sure to fry away every last bit of the chill there had been that morning. She decided she should head back to the Nereid and check in, see how things were going and if she needed to put out any fires. She chuckled as she murmured to herself and one gull that had landed next to her boat, bobbing with the waves, "Well if there WERE any fires to put out, thank god we're by a ocean."

The gull squaked and flew away.

She shook her head ruefully as she stood up and raised her arms above her head, the crochet tank top she had put on over her bikini rising up above her denim shorts.

The sea unfolded before her, reminding her constantly how wide the world was. How many people there were to meet, so many stories to hear and places to see. Her body shivered involuntarily as she contemplated the vastness of it all.

~~~

Somewhere close by to where her boat had just been anchored, another boat was getting ready to pull into the Nereid marina.

"BEN! HOIST THE BOOM AND GET 'ER READY TO COME STARBOARD."

"Do you know anything about boats, mate?" Ben scratched his head as he contemplated Joe's Captain Morgan pose.

"No, not a damn thing. But it sounded convincing right?"

"Yeah, it's the confidence, ya know?"

"It's all about confidence Benny boy." Joe said, slapping Ben's shoulder as he joined Ben at the rail.

Ben offered him a beer which Joe accepted with a quick thanks, the sharp crack of the tab opening piercing though the air.

Ben held his can aloft in a silent cheers and Joe brought his over to gently tap the rim of Ben's. They nodded to each other and raised the drink to their lips as they took a sip.

The sun beat down on them, warming the tops of their heads as the ocean stretched out in front of them.

Joe took another sip as Ben asked, "So, are we getting to port soon? What's the plan?"

Joe considered it, "Well, we plunder first,"

"Obviously."

"Then we do some light pillaging,"

"Of course,"

"Then have a nice meal together because you're my friend"

"That's lovely buddy thank you." Ben leaned into Joe as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving him an awkward side hug.

"Anything for you, Ben."

"Hate to interrupt this touching display of male friendship but we're almost to port" Rich, the actual captain, called down to them as he deftly steered the craft towards land.

Joe peered up at Rich from under the brim of his baseball cap, "Shouldn't I be the one making those announcements? I am the captain after all."

Ben snorted, "Correctly identifying the starboard and port side does not a captain make."

"You're just jealous my nautical knowledge is so much better than yours."

Rich barked out a laugh as he shook his head, "The amount of nautical knowledge you have wouldn't even fill a Post-It note."

Joe pointed a thumb back at Rich, "I'm not sure we should trust this guy with our safety out in the open sea."

"I feel much safer in his hands than yours." Ben chuckled.

Joe gasped and brought a hand up to his chest, "I'm being attacked! My character is being demolished by my best friend and Rich!"

"What? We aren't best friends?" Rich deadpanned.

"Not with those insults you keep hurling my way, buddy." Joe wheeled around and pointed an accusing finger at Rich.

Ben laughed and stared back out at the horizon. He obviously knew the world was round but he could almost understand why people thought the world was flat for so long. He felt like if he stared at the horizon long enough, he could fall right over the edge and into the swirls of a galaxy.

Joe sidled up to his friend, eyeing him as he watched Ben's shoulders loosen up.

"You enjoying being in the cold grasp of that fickle mistress, the ocean, Benny?" Joe broke the silence as he clapped a hand down onto Ben's shoulder.

Ben snorted, "Absolutely. A pirate's life is a wonderful live and all that."

"It sure is." There was a. pause as Joe contemplated how he wanted to best introduce the next topic.

Finally settling on, "Speaking of she's and fickle mistresses and all that, how have you been doing since the breakup?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "It comes and goes in waves, ha." Joe let out a snort at his friends unintentional ocean pun.

"No, but, some days I think I'm okay and then something happens to remind me of her or our time together and I feel a twinge but," here Ben paused and cocked his head to the side, "I think that's just normal."

Joe nodded sagely, "Yeah. give yourself time, man. That was a long relationship. You're not going to get over it right away."

Ben nodded as he brought the beer can back up to his mouth to take a sip and surveyed the horizon. He could see the brightly painted mural getting larger by the second.

Rich sighed as he deftly steered the boat toward the Nereid. He had worked with Az and her family since he was young. He and Az were basically siblings, which is why, when he saw her standing on the deck of her boat tying it up, he laid on the horn.

Az jumped a foot in the air, dropping the rope she had been holding and managing to hit her head on the boom all at once.

"Fucking hell..." her voice drifted off as she turned around to see what asshole was responsible for taking ten years off of her life.

When she saw Rich pulling into the port with their most expensive boat she extended both middle fingers in a salute, complete with huge grin.

Rich laughed as he saw Az's two-fingered salute but the horn blaring had caused both Ben and Joe to jump and spill some of their beer.

"What the hell, man?" Ben shouted as he stared up at Rich.

"Yo, Rich, what was that about? Did someone cut us off?" Joe asked

Rich shook his head, "Sorry guys, I saw Az and wanted to fuck with her."

Ben and Joe looked at each. Joe cocked an eyebrow and Ben shrugged. They wandered over to the front of the boat to see what was going on.

Ben's first glimpse was of the sun reflecting off of her hair, causing it to look like gold. Then the two middle fingers raised high.

Joe noticed the shit-eating grin before he realized that she was directing her two prominent fingers at the man standing near the top of their boat.

Az noticed the other two figures on the boat about a second too late and lowered her hands, feeling bad that they may have thought she was flipping them off. She raised one hand in a sheepish wave as they pulled closer.

She laughed ruefully to herself as she turned back to securing her boat, Figures, she thought, the one time Rich actually has two cute guys in the boat I'm flipping them off. She took one final sweep of the deck as she shoved her book into her backpack and swung it over her shoulder.

She leapt from the deck of her boat onto the dock, landing with her arms raised triumphantly, waiting for Rich to cast judgement on her landing.

"And Az sticks the landing! The crowd goes wild! The judges give her all 10's!!" Rich imitated the screams of an energetic crowd as she waved and gave an exaggerated bow to her audience of...three now.

She came out of her bow and saw the two guys she had accidentally flipped off standing behind Rich, clapping along with him.

"Thank you, thank you. Please, no, c'mon, it was nothing." She said with mock modesty as she laid a hand across her heart and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

"How's your head doing?" Rich asked as he engulfed her in a hug.

"Well, I DID hit it on a large piece of wood so...not great."

"Ahh, c'mon. We were just having a good time."

"Were we?" She shot back as she stepped back and looked over his shoulder, "Hi, I'm Az, I definitely wasn't flipping you two off. I felt bad when I realized he had you guys on board."

"Oh no, I'm used to pretty girls flipping me off, it's fine." Joe said as he stepped forward with a hand extended.

Az let out a bark of laughter as she slipped her hand into his as they exchanged pleasantries.

Az turned to the blonde standing next to Joe and was barely able to keep the "Jesus FUCK you're gorgeous" from falling out of her mouth.

But he WAS. From a distance she could tell he was going to be cute but up close? Az was eternally grateful that someone as beautiful as this man could exist and be right in front of her.

He was checking all her boxes too; blond hair, dazzling smile, beautiful body (God she should ask who his trainer was and send them a fruit basket and a thank you note) the only thing that would really make him perfect was-

"You alrigh'?"

A fucking British accent.

Her eyes widened and Rich smirked. They both knew that she was well and truly fucked.

~~~

"Hey, Sal, how's it going?"

"Great, Az, the fish are biting and the sun is shining. Can't ask for more, eh?"

"Got that right. You stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Back at ya, sweetheart."

She waved at him as she continued down the marina. The sound of her flip-flops thwacking against the wood alerting her arrival to both regulars and newcomers at the Nereid alike.

Joe, Ben and Rich were sitting on the edge of the dock, feet dangling over the clear blue, watching her make her way down the boardwalk. After introductions had been made, Az had parted apologetically, saying she needed to do a lap but she would love to properly show them around once she came back.

"Does she talk to everyone?" Joe asked as he saw her stop at the dock next to Sal's and start talking animatedly to the woman there.

"Pretty much. I mean, she does own this marina so it would be kind of shitty if she didn't." Rich shrugged and readjusted his sunglasses.

Ben shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket, "She OWNS this marina?"

"Yeah, her parents opened it and she took it over when they started branching out to other locations. This one's the most popular though, mainly because of her," Rich inclined his head to her retreating back. "And it's because she talks to everyone. Everyone loves Az."

"I've been meaning to ask, is her real name Az? Like, A Z?" Joe asked.

Rich snorted, "No, her real name is Azure which is a sick name but she thinks it's pretentious so she shortened it."

Joe nodded while Ben kept his gaze glued on Az as a little boy ran up and tugged on her shorts. She laid a hand over her heart as the child handed her a seashell with a huge grin on his face. Ben felt a smile growing on his face as she bent down to accept the gift, handling the shell with extreme delicacy, listening to the little boy as he told her everything he went through to get it.

Ben was entranced by her. When they had pulled into the Nereid he could tell she was cute. But when he had seen her up close, felt the full effect of her smile, how her eyes sparkled in the sun, the freckles dusted across her cheeks, he felt his breath hitch.

He could vaguely tell that Joe and Rich were talking about other things but he kept his eyes trained on Az. On her hair falling down her back, the way her hips swayed as she walked, the way it caused her ass to move-

"BEN. Come back to us buddy."

Ben jolted as he almost lost his grip on the edge of the dock, catching himself before he landed in the water, "What?"

"Rich said Az knows some good places for us to grab dinner and they'd love to take us out, does that sound good to you?" Joe asked as he furrowed his brow, reaching a hand out to steady Ben.

Ben cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, that sounds great, thanks man." He inclined his head at Rich who just stared back at him, eyes inscrutable behind black Ray-Bans. Ben's gut suddenly dropped to the bottom of the ocean as he had the horrifying thought that maybe Rich and Az were dating.

Ben quickly dropped his gaze to the blue depths underneath his feet, wondering if it would be worth it to just jump in, start swimming and never look back.

Suddenly, Rich sprang up from the dock, "I'm gonna go check on Az, see what her ETA is to be done. I'll be right back." And with that announcement, strode off.

Joe's brow furrowed as he stared at Rich's back. "I don't know what just happened but I would say that we pissed off our captain."

Ben grunted as he kept his gaze laser focused on the fish cutting swiftly through the waves.

Joe tapped his foot against Ben's, "Hey, man, you know, you can communicate with me through more than monosyllabic sounds."

Ben huffed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I know. Sorry. I got myself all turned 'round but I'm okay now."

Joe's eyes cut over to Ben and as casually as he could, asked, "Was it about Az?"

"Uh-I mean-Not, like, explicitly but-"

"Well the way you were checking out her ass was pretty explicit I gotta say, Benny boy."

Ben's cheeks immediately turned red as he raked his brain for something witty to say. He finally sighed and dropped his head into his hands, "It was pretty obvious wasn't it?"

"You looked like one of those cartoon characters when they see a pretty lady and their eyes bug out of their head."

Ben groaned into his hands, "Dammit! She's just so hot and I don't know, maybe it's the ocean air doing something to me but I couldn't stop staring at her and then I saw Rich staring at me staring at her and now I'm worried that she and Rich are dating and I fucked up."

Joe slowly nodded his head as he contemplated Ben's predicament, "Well, it's good that we're by the ocean. If that's true you can always just drown yourself."

~~~

"He was drooling over you."

Az made an indelicate "OOF" noise as Rich grabbed her arm, doing a do-si-do move so she was facing him.

"Who? The Springer's dog? Because they just told me they tried some new medication to help with that-"

"No. What?" Rich furrowed his brow, "Is that really a thing you can do for dogs?"

Az shrugged, "I guess so. I'm not a vet, nor do I own a dog so my knowledge of cutting edge veterinary practices is sketchy to say the least."

Rich glanced over his shoulder to stare at the basset hound that was, indeed, sporting no less than three uninterrupted strands of drool which was three less than what he normally had.

He shook his head as he turned back to Az, "Okay, that's BESIDES the point. Though I do want to talk to them about that, I'm intrigued...ANYWAY. No. BEN was."

Az stared at Rich for three full seconds before bursting out laughing. Rich sighed and crossed his arms, waiting for the hysterics to die down.

Az dabbed her finger under her eye, "God Rich, that's hysterical. But seriously, why did you come over here."

"His eyes were so laser focused on your ass that I'm surprised there's not a hole in the back of your shorts."

Az's hands instinctively went to the back of her shorts, "Thank god I wore my cute bikini bottoms then."

"You fool. You absolute buffoon. One of the most attractive men I've ever seen in my LIFE was so absorbed by your ass that he almost fell off the dock when Joe yelled at him. I may be ace but that doesn't mean that I can't tell when someone is so thirsty for you that he would willingly drown for it."

Az stood there, staring over Rich's shoulder taking all this information in. The horizon spread out before her, various shades of blue.

"The title of my memoir should be called '50 Shades of Blue'" She finally muttered under her breath.

"AZ."

"Sorry, sorry! I heard you. I just-"

"It's always 'just' with you. You just can't because of the marina. You just can't because you're focusing on yourself. You just can't because of a million other reasons. You know what it JUST is with you?"

Az winced with each accusation hurled at her, "Jesus, just tell me so this can be done."

Rich took a deep breath and gripped her shoulders as he leveled his gaze at her, "You just don't believe you deserve this. You just are scared that someone will leave and you'll be left hurting like you were when your ex left you. But you know something? Even if this perfect replica of Michelangelo's David doesn't work out, you'll a) have a great story and TWO-"

Az's lips quirked into a half smile at Rich's lame attempt at humor.

"Is that you'll at least have given it a try. And I'll always be here for you to sing-scream 'thank u, next' with if he turns out to be a dick."

A laugh bubbled its way out of Az's throat, "Okay but like, we've already done that so often they threatened to call the Coast Guard on us."

A steely look settled over Rich's face, "And Barb from port five can still eat my entire ass. MY POINT though," at this, Rich ducked his head down to look right into Az's eyes, "just go for it, Az. Please."

Az's eyes flickered down at the water lapping underneath the boardwalk. The sun filtered through the cracks of the woodwork causing small sparks to light up as it hit the water flowing underneath.

She heaved a sigh, "Alright, FINE. Besides, if he's truly as into me as you say he is, this should be easy."

Rich clapped his hands, "Oh sweetheart, it's going to be easier than getting the Springer's dog to stop drooling."

~~~

To lighten the mood, Joe had started throwing rocks and bits of wood into the water yelling, "she loves Ben, she loves him not" with each plop while Ben kept threatening to push Joe into the water.

"You almost hit a fish with that one." Ben said, in a desperate attempt to distract Joe.

"He looked at me funny."

"They're fish. They look at everything funny."

"Fair point."

"Oh fuck, there's one swimming right at me."

"GET HIM, BEN. SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS." Joe yelled.

Ben squinted one eye and gently tossed the piece of wood into the water near the fish.

"I'm going to call the cops." Came Az's voice in a sing song from behind them.

Ben turned around to find Rich and Az strolling back towards them. Az's arm hooked through Rich's which caused Ben's stomach to plummet.

She slipped her arm out from Rich's and dug her phone out of her pocket, "Hello? 9-1-1? Yes, this man here is abusing fish."

"Fuck, dude, we gotta get out of here. I can't go back to the slammer again." Joe laughed as he hauled himself up.

Ben smiled as he swung his legs up onto the dock. His feet fell next to Az's, encased in flip-flops, toenails painted bright pink as he traced the line of her legs up to meet her eyes.

Az's hand trembled a little as she offered it to Ben, "Need a hand?" A soft smile grew across her face as his blue eyes met her own.

The blue of the ocean was nothing compared to how blue Ben's eyes were, Az decided.

The green of Az's eyes were the most beautiful color he had ever seen, Ben decided.

The silence stretching between Ben and Az had gone on long enough, Joe decided.

"SO. Rich. What restaurant are we going to?" Joe loudly asked as he clapped his hands together, breaking the spell.

Az blinked and giggled nervously as she helped haul Ben to his feet. He smiled down at her and thanked her.

"No worries, you're lighter than expected."

"These are fake muscles. A pain in the ass to inflate every morning but so worth it."

The burst of laughter that erupted from Az made Ben smile wider.

She reached a hand out and wrapped it around his bicep, "So, if I squeeze too hard it'll pop?"

"Like a balloon."

She kept her eyes trained on Ben's face as she squeezed his arm and holy god she was not prepared for how solid it would feel. It took all of her will power not to get on her knees and beg him to choke her right there in front of God and everyone.

She cleared her throat, "Haven't heard anything pop yet."

"Well, clearly, your hand strength needs to be built up."

"I think there are some guys who would argue my hand strength is just fine." Az said without thinking. Her eyes widened as she realized the words that had fallen out of her mouth. Ben's breath caught in his throat as the image of Az's hand wrapped around his cock infiltrated his senses.

Rich's mouth dropped open as Joe made a noise that sounded vaguely like a hamster getting strangled.

Az ripped her hand from Ben's bicep "Well, I don't know what we're doing standing around here for, I promised you guys a tour so let's get started." She sped away down the pier, mentally chastising herself for coming on way too strong.

Rich stared at Ben, standing stock still, then at Joe who looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a two by four, and muttered, "Well, this is going to be easier than I thought."

~~~

"And this is the mural I commissioned from a local street artist. I actually caught her tagging a wall and I loved her work so much I hired her on the spot."

Ben and Joe stepped closer to take a closer look at the mural that depicted the ocean in a psychedelic fashion. Brightly colored fish, seaweed, shells, sea nymphs ("mermaids are overrated, it's all about sea nymphs now." Az had declared when Joe made a Little Mermaid joke) dolphins, sharks, even an octopus, in neon colors adorned the side of the building.

"It's really popular with Influencers and such. Tourists come to take pictures of it, it's been nothing but an incredible draw." Az said as she trailed her fingers over it as she walked down the wall. Her finger tips landed on the shark and she turned to look over her shoulder, "This guy is my favorite."

Ben meandered closer to get a better look at it, "Why is that?"

Az shrugged as she moved to stand beside Ben, "I've always liked sharks. I think they're fascinating and get a bad rep. We're the ones infiltrating their home. If someone tried to come into my home and polluted it at the same time, I'd probably consider eating them too."

Ben nodded slowly as his gaze drifted over the mural. "I like the octopus."

"Yeah? Why's that."

"He has a chill vibe about him."

"I can respect that."

Watching Ben and Az joke about the killer weed the octopus had, Joe hesitantly asked the million dollar question,"So, Rich, how long have you and Az been together?"

Rich snorted, "Too long." Hearing the squeak that came from Joe, hastily realized what he meant, "Oh, like, romantically? You think Az and I are, like, together together?"

"Um, yeah dude. You seem pretty comfortable around each other and I just assumed..." Joe's voice trailed off as a bemused grin melted over Rich's face.

"Are Az and I close? Yes. Do I love her? Absolutely. Is she a giant pain in my ass? Since day one when she told me I give off too much of a 'Jimmy Buffet' vibe. Am I also ace so therefore have no desire to date her or anyone? Oh you bet your sweet ass."

"So...Ben's clear to shoot his shot?"

"Ben's so clear to shoot his shot the whole fucking playing field is barren."

"You don't know the first thing about sports do you?"

"Not a thing my man." Rich confirmed cheerfully.

~~~

The sun had begun to make it's descent and the first whispers of orange and pink began to crawl their way up into the sky.

Seeing how small the gap between the sun and the horizon had gotten, Az clapped her hands together as she turned to the group, "So, if you guys are interested, there's a great bar nearby that I can get us either free or deeply discounted drinks. You in?"

Joe stared at Az for a beat then threw an arm around her shoulder, "I've never loved anyone more."

Az laughed as she rested her head onto Joe's shoulder, "And I'm sure it was me flipping you off that won you over and not the promise of free drinks."

"I've never been so into anything in my life." Ben muttered as he stared at Az. The words came out more intense than he intended. Az felt a warmth spreading through her stomach as she lifted her head from Joe's shoulder.

Ben blinked at his own intensity but didn't break his gaze from Az's as he stepped closer to her. The movement of her throat as she swallowed was the only thing that broke his gaze.

Rich's eyes were ping-ponging back and forth, relishing in the sexual tension.

Joe slowly slid his arm off of Az's shoulders and hesitantly stepped back.

Az could feel the heat building in her belly, a flush spread across her cheeks as she blinked up at Ben. The voice in her head finally snapped to attention and reminded her to say something, anything.

Her tongue poked out to swipe across her bottom lip. Ben shifted as his eyes darted down to track its journey, using his willpower not to capture her lips with his.

"Good, because the night's just getting started." Az said thickly as she slide her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

Only Rich caught her trying to wipe off her palms in her shorts and rolled his eyes.

He knew from personal experience that Az's palms always got extra sweaty whenever she flirted, clearly even a target as easy as Ben couldn't escape her clammy palms.

He just prayed that he wouldn't try to hold her hand in the next 20 minutes.

~~~

Az jiggled the worn handle on the innocuous wood door. She turned her head to glance back at Ben, "Don't worry, this is usually what happens."

"Good, because sketchy unmarked door? In an alleyway? I figured you had just lured us back here to murder us and wear our skins."

"Fucked up that you thought that. I would never wear your skins. I'd preserve them, stuff them and then use them as tasteful decor."

"JESUS Az." Rich declared as he stared at her, slack-jawed. Joe's face was caught in between amusement and horror.

Az winced as she finally got the doorknob to turn, "Too much?"

Ben waltzed through the open door, "Don't think there's ever 'too much' of you, love."

Az's cheeks flushed and she squirmed as he aimed a wink in her direction before stopping in the doorway to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

There were Christmas lights strung all around the perimeter of the bar. Tables haphazardly littered the floor with chairs floating in between tables like so much debris. The back of the room was taken up by the actual bar. To the right, a small, hastily constructed stage with a karaoke machine looked to be the only thing that hadn't been there since the 70's.

Vintage concert posters promoting The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Carol King, Fleetwood Mac, Queen and more were wallpapered in a collage. The jukebox standing guard to the side of the front door was playing Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. There was a low rumble as patrons and bartenders talked to each other.

When the door opened and Ben stepped in, most of them turned to peer curiously at who had just entered but didn't paid him, or Joe, any mind. A few hands went up and some greetings were called out in response to Rich's greeting as he waltzed into the establishment.

Then Az walked in.

"AZ!"

The bar exploded in a flurry of sound and movement as chairs were abandoned and tables shoved as a crowd foamed up around Az. Ben, Joe and Rich were forced to shuffle to the side as hands and bodies crowded around her. Most of them offering to buy her a drink or updating her on events that had transcribed since they had last seen her. Az took it all in stride. She smiled and laughed and nodded and let herself be carried by the crowd to the bar.

When she reached the bar she turned her head and Ben saw her eyes flitting from corner to corner, trying to locate them after the crowd had bum rushed her.

Ben raised a hand and her eyes locked onto the gesture at once. She smiled and he saw her shoulders relax. She turned back to the grizzled fisherman that was either greatly exaggerating the size of a personal body part or talking about a fish he had caught earlier in the day.

He desperately hoped it was the latter.

A sharp jab to his kidney brought him back to the present, "What are the odds she's getting drinks for all of us?" Joe asked as he surveyed the crowd that was three deep by the bar. Ben shrugged as Rich weaved his way to a table that was right in front of the karaoke stage.

Ben and Joe followed Rich and sat down as if this was another normal Saturday night for him. Joe kept staring at the bar when he finally broke, "So, is that a normal occurrence? Or did you tell everyone to pull that stunt so we'd think she's cool?"

Rich snorted, "God, I wish we were that coordinated. No. This is Az's favorite bar. And again, she grew up here so a lot of those people have known Az since she was just a wee tot."

He shrugged, "Everyone loves Az, I don't know what to tell you."

Ben felt his head nodding in agreement, then without thinking, asked, "Do you love Az?"

Rich's head snapped up so quickly he felt something pop in his neck and Joe's eyes widened a comical amount at Ben's boldness.

Rich coughed as he tried to find the right words, "Yeah, but like a sister. I'm ace, so, romantic feelings? Not my thing."

Ben felt like he was going to pass out. Joe could see the gears turning in his friends head and decided to help drive the point home and asked Rich point blank, "So, you and Az are not dating?"

"Nope." Rich popped the 'p' with extra verve, keeping his eyes trained on Ben.

Ben coughed into his hand, "So, uh, is she-uh-dating anyone, then?" He slouched down in his chair, hoping to offset how nervous he sounded with some laid back posturing.

Rich watched the full grown man in front of him sink so low into his chair he almost fell off of it and thought, Jesus, they're both such idiots. I hope they bone all night.

"No. And there hasn't been anyone in a while." Then realizing how that sounded tried to make it better, "Not that there's anything wrong with her! She's amazing, she just puts all of her energy and focus into the marina. Not saying that she wouldn't do the same in a relationship, it's just-AZ! Thank GOD you're back!" Rich flung his arms into the air as Az approached their table with a tray full of drinks.

Did you say something that didn't sound great then to make up for it you talked more which made it sound worse?"

"We've known each other too long haven't we?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be right back." She turned and went back to the bar to return the tray Penelope had given her to transport the drinks.

Penelope managed the bar and was always willing to let Az pick up some shifts bartending when she needed some extra cash. When summer time got to be particularly heady, Penelope would entice Az to work with promises of free shots and unlimited baskets of deep-fried mac and cheese.

"So, Az. Your new friends are, how do I want to say this? Absolutely stunning."

Az kept her eyes down as she slipped the tray on top of the stack behind the bar, "Yeah, I guess. I don't know if I would describe Rich as stunning but-"

A sharp sting landed on her hip causing her to yelp, "What was that for?"

Penelope stood with the towel already rewound and ready to strike again, "You know damn well I'm not talking about Rich and if you don't tell me why blondie can't keep his eyes off your ass I'm gonna smack you again."

She pulled her arm back to show she was serious and Az scampered to the other side of the bar with hands held up, "OKAY! Okay! I'll tell you, just-be cool man. Put the towel down."

Penelope stared at her.

Az rolled her eyes, "If I sleep with 'blondie' tonight do you really want me to be covered with tiny red marks and he's so disgusted by my disfigurement he jumps into the ocean to get away from me?"

Penelope's eyes narrowed as she considered, "Alright, fine." The towel lowered as she tucked it into her back pocket, "But I still want answers. No one that beautiful has come into this bar since last time you came in."

"Lop, you flatter me."

"I know. It's a tactic to get more information from you."

"I should be mad but I'm just so honored you think I'm beautiful I'll tell you anything."

"Alright, what's your social security number?"

"Not that flattered."

"SPILL. NOW." Penelope ordered, slamming her hands on the bar.

Az rolled her eyes, "ALRIGHT, GOD. I went out on my boat this morning and as I pulled back in so was Rich with-"

"I so wish you had said pulling out."

"Will you let me FINISH?"

"Bet you won't be saying that later tonight. Blondie looks like he knows how to eat pussy."

Az threw up her hands, "You know what? No. You don't get to know ANYTHING now because you can't behave yourself. Are you HAPPY?"

Penelope shrugged, "Not as happy as I would have been if you'd said you'd pulled out."

"You're impossible."

"So I'll see you in the morning for coffee and a recap of your sexual escapades?"

"Of course. Love you."

"Love you too," Penelope said to Az's retreating back.

~~~

As she slid into her chair, Az lifted her glass in a toast, "Cheers, I'm glad Rich picked your guys' sorry asses up."

Her eyes met Ben's in the gloom and he saw the Christmas lights reflected in her eyes like so many stars.

"I'm glad that he picked us up too." Ben smiled at Az and let his gaze linger with hers as he took a long pull from the glass.

Az couldn't stop herself from staring at his lips. How full they were. How good they looked wrapped around that glass. How good they would look wrapped around certain parts of her anatomy.

Rich and Joe exchanged glances as Ben and Az fell into a loaded silence. Rich took a gulp from his glass and slammed it onto the table, "WELL. I, for one, am not going to let this night go to waste. It's karaoke time."

Az's eyes lit up as she whipped her head, "You're so right. It absolutely is."

Joe was bouncing up and down in his seat, "Thank GOD someone else brought it up because I was about to ask if I could get dibs on first round."

Ben groaned, "Do we really have to do this? I'm not much of a karaoke guy."

Az turned to him, "You will be after you have about five more of those," indicating the half finished beer in front of him, "so drink up. Because I have a feeling Turn Around Bright Eyes is going to be our big duet."

Ben's mouth fell open in shock as Joe cheered and Rich rolled his eyes, "God, Az. I fucking hate that song. Even when they covered it on Glee it was still a trash heap."

"Everyone hates that song but by god is it the perfect karaoke number."

Rich opened his mouth to argue, mulled over Az's statement and shrugged his shoulders in defeat, "I can't argue with that logic."

"Oh real help you are." Ben shot to Rich.

"Sorry Benny Boy. We all gotta pay the piper for free drinks somehow. In this case, it's total humiliation in front of an audience." .

Ben rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his drink as Az, Joe and Rich cheered. "Let's get this fucking over with."

~~~

"CAUSE I'M MISTER BRIGHTSIIIIIDEEEEE! GUITAR SOLO!" Ben launched into an epic air guitar solo, complete with white man overbite, as Rich gawked.

"Holy shit, he's such a dork, I can't believe you want to sleep with him, Az. Az?" Rich looked over to see Az flailing as she air drummed along, threatening to hit anyone within a five foot radius.

Joe was blissfully jamming to the air bass guitar, eyes closed, not a care in the world.

Rich shook his head in amazement as he finished the last of his drink.

The table was littered with pint glasses, most empty, a couple filled with a sliver of amber liquid. They had worked their way through most of the karaoke classics. Joe's rendition of Livin' On a Prayer brought the bar down and Az's version of I Wanna Dance With Somebody definitely had Ben feeling some type of way.

They were well into hour three of karaoke, with most of the patrons clearing out after hour one. Penelope had gotten several incriminating videos of Az that she could barely wait to show her in the morning.

Lop was currently wiping down the counter, eyeing the plug of the karaoke machine as the final notes of Mr. Brightside died out as Ben looked up, surprised to find himself on his knees after his impassioned performance.

Az, Rich and Joe were on their feet, whopping and clapping wildly as Penelope gave Ben a nod, the most encouragement she had given him all night.

Ben stood up and gave a bow then stumbled as a whirlwind of laughter and cheering enveloped him in her arms, carrying the scent of coconut and salt with it. Az was laughing in his ear as she hugged him and pulled back to reveal her smile, making the whole room seem to glow. He stared at it, committing it to memory.

"C'mon Benny boy, it's last call." Az was saying as she wrapped an arm around his waist, "and Lop does not like it when we push our welcome."

"Some of us have things to do Az!" Lop called from the bar where she was stacking glasses.

Az rolled her eyes as Ben slung a heavy arm around her shoulders. Joe and Rich were by the door holding it open for the two of them as they sauntered through, the alcohol leaving them warm and loose but coherent.

"So, have you seen the boat we arrived on?"

Az snorted, "You mean the one that belongs to my marina? Yeah, I may have seen it once or twice." She pinched his waist as he protested, "Alrigh'! It was a conversation starter. You know? One of those things were I say something, then you say something else?"

"I know how conversation works, Ben."

"Are ya sure? Because you've been pretty quite."

Az's mouth dropped open in shock as she stuttered a response and Ben chuckled warmly as he pulled her in closer to his side, "'M jokin' love. Don't worry."

Az's head lolled into his chest, trying to hide her grin at being called love, as she groaned, "Have I told you you're a giant pain in my ass, Hardy?"

"A few times, maybe." Ben smirked as his hand slid down her back to rest on the curve of her back that sloped down to her ass.

Az inhaled sharply as she felt his hand move lower. Ben tried to act like he hadn't heard her but his widening smirk gave him away.

They rounded the corner and saw the marina rise up before them. The sound of the ocean softly lapping against the hull of the boats bobbing up and down momentarily bringing a sense of serenity to Az.

Ben was transfixed by the change that came over her when she stared out at the ocean. The wind picked up her hair, like the wind was trying to pick her up and take her where she needed to go. Her eyes were fixed on a spot out on the horizon and Ben wanted to follow those eyes wherever they went. He inhaled the scent of the sea and knew that he would always think of Az whenever he smelled the ocean from now on.

"Sing us a SONG on the PIANO man! Sing us a SONG TONIGHT!" Ben turned to see Rich and Joe stumbling up the dock, arms wrapped around each other and he couldn't figure out who was helping who continue to be upright more.

"Are they both managing to hold themselves upright? On each other?" Az had turned in Ben's arms when she heard the singing. She had drapped her arms around his neck, peering over his shoulder and could feel his chest vibrate as he laughed.

"We shouldn't judge too much, we're kind of doing the same thing." He murmured into her ear.

"Yeah but, we're not THAT intoxicated. I can stand up perfectly fine on my own, see?" Az extricated herself from Ben's hold and he immediately shivered at the loss of contact. Az stood before him and over-exaggeratedly stamped her feet into the ground and put her fists on her hips as she beamed at Ben.

Ben couldn't help the smile that broke over his face and Az's own smile grew wider as she contemplated the beautiful boy before her. His eyes reminded her so strongly of the ocean, always changing color but still feeling like home. He was charming, kind and funny. She was smitten. And she was fairly sure he was as well.

But she didn't want to assume. It would rip her from the inside out if she made a move and he gently let her down with that accent and those eyes looking at her with pity. She couldn't handle that.

Ben watched as a conflict raged behind Az's eyes, causing her posture to deflate. He tilted his head, trying to decipher what had happened but was jolted forward as Joe rammed the full force of his body mass into Ben's back.

Ben had a height and muscle advantage on Joe but when Joe had alcohol and the love he had for his friends coursing through his veins, no one stood a chance.

"BENNY BOOOY THE PIPES THE PIPES" Joe belted into Ben's ear, causing him to flinch,

"Hey buddy, you doing okay?"

"Ben, I am better than you have ever been or ever will be." Joe's eyes were going in two different directions as he tried to rest a hand on Ben's shoulder but missed by a mile.

Az laughed at Joe as Rich tucked his head into the crook of her neck and started whining about how he just wanted some french fries.

"I uh, seem to have done more damage than I anticipated doing." She sheepishly.

Ben shook his head, "Nah, karaoke brings out the worst in others. It was inevitable."

"Or the best." She said softly and looked at Ben with wide eyes and bit her lip. Ben shifted as he tried to come up with a response but it was challenging with Az staring at him like that and Joe trying to climb Ben's body so he could get a piggy back ride back to their boat.

"AAAAAZZZZZ. Please, I just want some fries!"

Az rolled her eyes and the moment ended as she turned to face Rich and grabbed the sides of his face, "Then by GOD man we are going to get you some fries."

Joe's face lit up, "FRIES? I also want those!"

Az giggled as Rich planted a sloppy kiss to the side of her face, "You're worse than the Springer's dog but c'mon gang let's get some starch."

Joe and Rich cheered as they stumbled down the pier towards fries and Az tried to herd them away from the sides so they wouldn't fall into the water. Ben watched them leave and shoved his hands into his pockets. He needed time to think. To be alone. So he made his way on board the boat they had come in on.

He climbed the ladder all the way to the top deck and laid out on his back. His arms crossed behind his head to offer some cushion as he gazed up at the stars.

He wondered what had made Az lose confidence in herself. He assumed he had made it clear he wanted her. Maybe she didn't want him? Maybe that glimmer in her eye was her way of realizing that she just wasn't as into him as he was into her?

He didn't think he could stand watching those eyes fill with pity as they tried to let him down gently.

He sighed, picked out the brightest star and sent up a desperate wish.

star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

~~~

"I love fries. Almost as much as I love you Az."

"Thanks Richy that's very sweet. And after watching you eat a whole basket of cheese fries in under two minutes that really means something."

Rich mumbled something about how potatoes were his one true love as he drifted off to sleep, curled up on the recliner in Az's living room while Joe had taken up more space on the couch than a man that size should have. Checking to make sure both were asleep and not in danger of choking on their own vomit, she exhaled and scanned her apartment for her phone. The soft glow of it alerted her to its presence on her kitchen counter.

She crept over to pick it up only to be greeted by a text from Lop,

Can't wait to see all the hickies you have tomorrow at breakfast.

She rolled her eyes and wiggled her thumbs over the keyboard as she tried to formulate a proper response. Should she tell Lop the truth? That she was so terrified of being rejected by Ben that she wouldn't even take a chance? Or should she just ignore her text and go to bed?

She groaned, letting the weight of her head fall forward until it. thunked against her phone as she contemplated what to do.

She lifted her head, locked her phone and slide open the balcony door. The ocean air filled her with calm as she surveyed the boats bobbing in the waves.

She looked up and found the brightest star she could. She closed her eyes and with her whole heart started to wish.

star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

~~~

30 minutes had crept by and her eyes refused to close. She did everything she could think of to relax and fall asleep. She had counted sheep. She had focused on her breathing. She had pulled up an ASMR YouTube channel.

(She quickly exited out once she realized she was only clicking on videos that had ocean sounds in them and realized how idiotic that was.)

In a moment of pure frustration she threw a temper tantrum, flinging her limbs, beating the mattress with her fists. She cursed her body and brain for failing her when she needed peace the most.

She took three deep breaths and wondered where Ben was for the 500th time that night. After leading the Drunk Brigade to get cheesy fries and when she asked him if he wanted anything and didn't receive a response, that's when she realized he wasn't with them.

When she tried to get Joe to give her Ben's number so she could check on him, he had pulled up Spotify and started blaring "Boss Ass Bitch" which meant Az had to wrestle it from him and put a stop to it before the other drunk individuals standing in line started a mosh pit.

After making peace with the fact that she definitely wasn't going to sleep any time soon, or even at all, she got up and hoped a walk would clear her head. Walking along the dock always put her at ease.

As the wind whipped around her, she pulled the sweatshirt she had thrown on over her shorts closer to her to combat the chill. She had planned to walk to her boat but something pulled her towards the boat that Rich, Ben and Joe had sailed in on. She liked going to the very top of it, it gave her the best view of the stars. When she was younger she liked to spend nights up there, reaching her hand up and pretending she could pluck the stars out of the sky.

She got to the top and froze as she saw a figure laying on the ground. Immediately her heart sped up and she thought through all the possibilities.

It could be some homeless person. They wandered the boardwalk sometimes. Maybe I could just leave and deal with it in the morning?

Oh god, what if it's a dead body? Was her next immediate thought, Then I'll somehow be blamed for the murder and go to jail and my whole life will be ruined.

When the body stirred, the relief she felt was short lived as she realized she would have to deal with a very LIVE body.

Direct action is the best action. Catch them off guard, knock them out, then call the cops. She slowly slid her phone out of her pocket and dialed 9 1. She nodded to herself, took a deep breath in and raced onto the deck waving her phone over her head,

"YOU BETTER TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE COPS GET HERE ASSHOLE"

Ben jolted awake, not even realizing he had fallen asleep, and tried to sit up only for his head to collide with something solid, causing him to fall down on his back groaning.

Az rubbed the spot where her head had made contact with the mystery perp and wondered briefly if she was out of her depth if this person was willing to stoop so low as to headbutt her.

Ben carefully opened his eyes as the voice said, "Okay, headbutting someone is low ESPECIALLY when you're the one who broke onto MY boat and besides, NO ONE wins in a headbutt."

He recognized that voice.

He knew that voice.

"Az! Az. Az, look at me. Look! It's me! It's Ben! And I didn't mean to headbutt you, but, christ, you have a dense skull."

Ben? Az lowered her arm as the words cut through her adrenaline fueled rampage. She looked down at the figure below her and fully understood what had happened when her eyes met the blue ones staring up at her.

"Jesus, woman. You know how to give a wake up call."

Az breathed a sigh of relief, "Well you know how to scare someone! Why didn't you tell me you were up here?"

Ben looked down as he shuffled his feet and muttered, "Needed some time by myself." Az cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as she chewed over what he had just admitted to her.

Why did he need time to think? Was he worrying about her? That unspoken moment on the pier that was ruined by Az's overthinking and Rich's need for potato products after a night of drinking?

"Wait, why are you up here? Shouldn't you be holding Rich's hair back as he vomits into a toilet or something?" Ben shot back at her accusingly.

It was Az's turn to become sheepish and she rubbed the back of her neck, "I, um, I couldn't sleep."

Ben looked at her for a loaded moment before scooting over and patting the spot next to him, "Well, you're welcome to join me. I don't think I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon. Too much adrenaline coursing through my body."

Az whacked him on the shoulder as she settled next to him and the smirk on Ben's face grew as he turned his face up to the night sky.

"You come out here a lot when you can't sleep?"

Az hummed, "It's peaceful. Helps me put things into perspective."

Ben nodded, "Wish I lived near water. But I've forests near me which helps. Something calming abou' trees ya know?

"Yeah. Forests. Oceans. Mountains. Anything in nature that's bigger than you that reminds you of how small you are and how big the universe is. And how lucky we are to even be here at all."

"Oh, we're jumping right into the Deep Thoughts, huh?"

Az smirked, "I'm quite quick Hardy, ya gotta keep up."

Ben knocked his elbow against hers, "Well if we're jumping into deep thought territory, every time I look at the night sky I find the brightest star and wish on it. Helps me realize what I want to focus on in my life."

Az's eyes grew wide, "Wait, for real?"

"Yeah. Been doin' it since I was a kid. Why?"

"I do the same thing."

"You're joking."

"I swear on my LIFE."

Ben chuckled, "Well, I don't think we have to go that extreme, I believe you but, wow. Huh. Guess the universe is trying to tell us something."

"Guess so." Az smiled back at Ben and when he didn't drop his gaze, dropped hers first.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she drew her knees into her chest, still feeling the intensity of Ben's gaze on her.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? Not allowed to look at you?"

"You are but it just, I don't know, makes me nervous?" She flinched at the uptick that ended her remark and mentally chided herself for not sounding more confident.

"I make you nervous?" Ben could hear the smugness in his voice and knew he should tone it down but couldn't find it in himself to do so.

"Oh my god, I'm going to regret telling you this, but, yeah. I mean, obviously."

Ben leaned back on his hands as he studied Az's profile, "Why do I make you nervous? Not like I'm intimidating."

"You kind of are though?" When Ben made a shocked noise Az straightened up to face him, "No! No, no. Not in like, a bad way? Just in like, a, ah, you're very attractive?" She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt and balled them up, "And, uh, for someone like me, that's very intimidating."

"You're intimidated by me because I'm...attractive?"

"Yes, Ben! I think you're hot! Smoking! A total smoke show! You happy? And I know that you think I'm just some dorky girl who likes cheesy 80's ballads but," she flung her hands towards the heavens as if to illustrate how fruitless it would be for him to like her, "here we are."

Ben could barely contain the smile that threatened to break his face in two. "Alrigh' well, first of all, thank you for sharing your real feelings." Az clambered up, muttering about how she had embarrassed herself enough when Ben hoisted himself up and grabbed her wrist, "but don't assume you know what I'm thinking."

Az's body stilled and Ben knew she was listening despite her not meeting his gaze, "You just thought I felt one way abou' you? That's a little short sighted. You ever assume you know everything about the universe? I've got whole universes inside me too!"

Az peeked at Ben through her eyelashes, "You get that line from the last John Green novel you read?"

Ben gently grasped her chin with his thumb, angling her head up so she would fully look at him, "Maybe I did. There's a reason he's so popular. But don't interrupt me." Az pouted and Ben traced the outline of her lip with his thumb.

She shuddered at the contact and Ben stared into her eyes, "I've wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw your hair shining in the sun and your two middle fingers greeting us as we pulled into port. I couldn't believe someone as beautiful as you wanted to hang out with someone like me. I mean, fuck, Az," he wheezed out a laugh, "I've been losing my mind trying to find ways to be closer to you. Make you laugh. Make you smile. I sang fuckin' Turn Around Bright Eyes just because you asked."

"And you were the best duet partner I've ever had for that song."

"While I take great pride in that, I'm on a role here."

"Sorry. Please continue."

Ben took a deep breath in, "Az, I've wanted you ever since I saw you. But then I got to know you and, fuck, that feeling has just increased. So please," his voice dropped to a whisper as he ducked his head and his lips brushed over Az's as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Az's breath came out in shaky bursts and she didn't trust herself to move. She nodded and Ben's lips melted against hers as he cradled the back of her head and wrapped an arm around her waist.

It felt like everything in Az was aflame. The fire that had been building in her ever since she laid eyes on Ben had reached a fever pitch.

His lips moved against hers and he groaned. Her lips were just as soft as he expected them to be.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He grasped her waist with both of his hands, fingers digging into her sides to ground her to him. As if he needed to make sure that she was real and she wasn't going anywhere.

Az had no plans of leaving anytime soon. She stroked the short hairs that grew at the nape of his neck, causing Ben to grip her waist tighter and she let out a moan.

Ben almost came as she moaned into his mouth. He could feel his cock growing harder and when Az pressed herself closer to him she could feel it as well.

She pulled back from his mouth with reluctance and let out a shaky breath, "Someone's excited." Ben threw all delicacies to the wind, "My cock has been hard since we started hanging out." Az's eyes grew wide and Ben could clearly see how blown out her pupils were.

The wind blew a few strands of hair across her flushed cheeks and with a glance down, Ben could see her chest rising and falling rapidly. With that thought, he traced his hands slowly up her sides as Az's breath hitched in her throat.

"Is this okay?" Ben whispered as his hands crept up her sides, agonizingly slow, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as Az nodded. She could barely keep herself upright, there was no way she could form words.

Ben smirked down at her as his thumbs grazed the sides of her breasts and Az jumped. "Easy, it's okay" he whispered as he leaned down to capture her lips with his once again.

"I know but, fuck, Ben. I've wanted you all day." Az whined and Ben was certain in that moment there was nothing more attractive than the sound Az breathlessly telling him how badly she wanted him.

"Well, you don't have to wait anymore." He whispered against her lips and Az pressed her lips to his as she gripped his shoulders.

Ben's hands continued their agonizingly slow pace to the front of Az's chest where he realized she wasn't wearing a bra and he let out a groan, "Fuck, Az, I need you."

"Who's the impatient one now?" Az smirked as she nipped at his bottom lip and Ben whined.

"Is there anywhere we can go? Preferably with a bed?"

"Inside, there's a room at the end of the hall."

Ben planted a deep kiss on Az and pulled her down the hall. Az's head was still reeling with how he had just kissed her and was only slightly aware of Ben leading her through the door and down the hall of the boat to one of the bedroom's that was located on board.

Ben turned the knob and let the door swing open as he pressed another kiss to Az's lips. Her hands were clawing at his back and he registered distantly that he might have scratches on there that he would have to explain to Joe.

Not that he cared.

Az fumbled behind her as she kicked the door, briefly hoping it was closed enough. Ben had moved down to kissing her neck and she couldn't think about anything else.

She bent her head back to allow him more access as he nipped at the column of her throat, causing her to release little moans every time that were sending Ben's head spinning.

Az yelped as Ben picked her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist instinctively, and he deposited her on the bed where he stared down at her as she pushed herself up to her elbows and stared back. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "What?"

"Nothing, you're just...fuck. You're beautiful."

Az's smile was bashful and she suddenly found it extremely hard to look Ben right in the eye at that moment.

Ben, sensing her shyness leaned down so he was hovering over her body and whispered, "Now's the time when you tell me I'm beautiful."

Az laughed, and remembered this was Ben. Sweet, caring Ben who she had spent all day pining over. She wasn't going to waste another moment getting caught up in her own head.

Ben went back to sucking and licking at Az's neck as one hand reached up underneath her sweatshirt and traced the outline of her breast, causing Az to arch her back.

She whined, "Ben...please."

Ben smirked against her neck, "Please, what?"

"Touch me. Please. I've wanted this all day."

"Hmm, I don't know..."

"Please, sir. I'll do anything." Az breathed out before she could stop herself.

Ben pulled back and stared with wide eyes. Her own eyes were half-lidded as she stared up at him, pupils blown out, cheeks flushed, chest heaving, hips bucking.

Ben cleared his throat, "What-uh-what did you just say?"

A look of worry washed over Az, "Uhm, sir?"

"That's what I thought." he growled.

He leaned down so his lips were right against her ear, "And since my good girl asked so nicely...I guess I'll give her what she wants."

He traced a circle that got smaller and smaller until he was tracing around her nipple as he swung his other leg around so he was straddling her and started to grind his clothed cock into her cunt. Az was only briefly embarrassed thinking about how she could cum from grinding against Ben fully clothed like some pre-pubescent 13-year old.

She babbled. "Please, sir. Yes. Oh my god. Fuck. Ben. Please, I need more."

Ben chuckled, "I've barely touched you. If this is how you're reacting now I can't wait till I tease your little cunt with my fingers, tongue and cock."

"Oh my GOD Ben, please. I need more. Please, I'm begging you."

Ben smirked as he started tweaking her nipple with deft fingers. He brought his other hand up to stroke her throat, testing the waters, "How do you feel about me touching your throat? Do you like that baby girl?"

Az whimpered and nodded as she desperately tried to grind her pussy against Ben's aching cock even more. He hadn't even registered how hard he was. He was so focused on Az and how needy she was, his own needs almost escaped him.

He gently laid a hand over her throat and squeezed the smallest amount which caused Az to throw her head back and let out a moan so loud that Ben was sure every boat in the marina would hear it.

It made his cock twitch.

"That's my good girl." he cooed as he continued to tease her nipple. Az whimpered and reached her hands up in a grabbing motion,

"What is it sweetheart? Use your words."

"Kiss me. Please."

Ben smiled and moved his hand from around her throat to cradle her cheek, "Of course sweetheart." The kiss he gave her was sweet, gentle and deep which caused Az's head to spin even more at the difference between this kiss and his filthy actions. Az wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him as close to her as possible.

Ben chuckled, "You're already so needy."

Az rolled her eyes, "Shut up." and went back in for another kiss.

Their lips moved together as Ben reached his hands down to the edge of Az's sweatshirt and gave it a little tug.

Az pulled away and ripped the sweatshirt off in record time. Ben sat up and stared down at Az's body, finally exposed to him.

"Holy shit."

Az fidgeted under his gaze, "What? Not what you thought?" bracing herself for him to tell her he had changed his mind.

"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you having a body as amazing as the one you have."

He leaned down to wrap his lips around her nipple as his other hand came to play with the one his mouth wasn't currently occupying. Az groaned but couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she reached a hand up to tug at his hair.

Ben switched from one nipple to the other as he glanced up at Az, "Couldn't let the other one feel left out."

"God forbid" Az breathed out as she arched her back after he gave a particularly hard nip.

He chuckled as he came up to plant another kiss on her lips, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

Her eyes snapped open as she felt his hands travel down her body, past her breast, where he gave her nipple one more tweak, down her waist, down to the top of her thigh as he danced his fingers up her inner thigh. Teasing her as he brought his fingers close to where she most wanted him.

"Ben..."

His fingers stilled, "What did you call me?"

She whimpered, "Sir..."

"Better." His fingers danced closer to her cunt.

"Sir...please. I need you." Her hips were bucking desperately and Ben looked down at the beautiful woman underneath him and couldn't believe he had gotten so lucky.

He fiddled with the edge of her shorts, as she whined. He smirked and moved to trace the outline of her pussy through her underwear, he took in a sharp intake of air, "Fuck, baby girl. You're soaking wet for me."

Az whined, "That's what you do to me. That's all for you, sir. Please."

Ben groaned as he bent his head down to capture her lips with his as he dipped a finger into her panties and teased the lips of her pussy open.

Her thighs fell open easily as she bucked her hips to get more of his finger inside her. Ben slowly dipped one finger inside of her, when he felt how wet she was, he added a second, and then a third.

Then removed them entirely.

"Baby girl, flip over onto your stomach for me."

Az looked at him curiously but did as she was told, "Like this?" she asked as she looked back at him and bit her lip. Ben groaned and palmed himself through his pants as she looked up at him with her big eyes.

She glanced down at his bulge, "Can I suck your cock?"

Ben almost choked. "Holy fuck sweetheart. You're gonna make me cum if you keep talking like that."

Az giggled and then moaned as Ben thrust his fingers back into her, "I would love for you to suck my cock but first, I really want you to cum for me." He said as he kept thrusting his fingers in and out of her dripping core.

The angle had his fingers hitting her sweet spot right away. He kept palming himself through his jeans. He pumped his fingers slowly into Az's cunt, feeling her walls clench around his fingers, her ass moving up and down as she fucked his fingers, trying to fill herself up more. She whined when Ben ripped his fingers out of her.

"Ben..." She looked behind her and saw that his shirt was off and was making equally quick work of his jeans and boxer briefs. "Take off your pants. Now." he growled as he stepped out of his own, letting his cock spring free. Az was transfixed by it. It was huge. She licked her lips as she saw the pink tip, leaking pre-cum. She groaned as she imagined wrapping her lips around it, making Ben cum down her throat. Swallowing every single drop of his cum as he moaned.

"Baby girl?" Ben's voice broke Az out of her reprieve and she quickly reached her hands down and shimmied out of her panties and shorts and threw them into the room.

She pushed herself up to her hands and knees and stared at Ben over her shoulder, "Well?"

Ben licked his palm and stroked his cock a few times as he admired the view of Az's ass in front of him, her pussy glistening with her wetness.

He licked the fingers that had been in Az's cunt and tasted how sweet she was as he walked forward. He inserted his fingers back into her cunt making her hang her head and groan.

He pumped them in and out a few times and smacked Az's ass, "Lie down on your back."

She yelped but did as she was told. Ben looked into her eyes as she laid down, "I'm so sorry, I should have asked before I spanked you, I'm so sorry-"

Az cut him off with a kiss, "No! No. It was so hot. Sir." She added as she smirked up at him. Ben chuckled as he kissed her lips and moved to kiss down her body.

Az's breath got shallower the closer he got to her pussy. He nipped at the inside of her thighs as he just barely brushed her clit with the tip of his tongue.

Az almost levitated off the bed, "FUCK. BEN. Please!"

Ben chuckled and inserted two fingers into her cunt and started making obscene sucking noises as he sucked on her clit. Az always used to say she didn't understand why people made so much noise during sex but now? With Ben working his magic on her with his fingers and tongue? She didn't know how she could be quiet.

All too soon, she felt the familiar burning sensation in her stomach as she reached her edge, "Ben..Sir.."

He hummed against her clit which made her throw her head back and let loose a new wave of moans, "FUCK. If you do that again, I'm going to cum."

"Cum on my face then. Please." Ben said as he hummed against her clit and made a come hither motion with his fingers causing Az to completely unravel. The heat that had been building inside of her all day consumed her body as her vision went white.

Ben kept lapping until she whimpered and tried to move away, even then he kept slowly pumping his fingers in and out of her.

"Ben, please..." her voice came out as a whisper as she tugged on his hair to indict she wanted him to move up. Ben placed a final sweet kiss on her clit before slowly kissing his way back up her body.

Az let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and let the few remaining pulses of pleasure wash over her, relishing in the attention he was bestowing upon her.

Ben paused as he took in Az's body, stretched out below him and whined in the back of his throat.

The green of Az's eyes were revealed as she smirked at the needy sounds that escaped Ben.

She quickly pushed Ben off of her and before he could protest too much she straddled him and bent her head down to nip at the line of his throat which caused him to cry out.

Az giggled, "Does that feel good sir?"

Ben's eyes were rolling into the back of his head as Az's core ground against his exposed cock, he could feel the wetness as he bucked his hips up into her, "God, yes, sweetheart, please that feels amazing, don't stop..."

Ben's voice trailed off as Az started kissing his collarbone, then his chest, then his stomach, when he finally registered what her intentions were, he moaned as his eyes fluttered closed.

Az peered up at him through her lashes and couldn't stop herself from admiring how beautiful he looked. Eyelashes resting on his cheeks, chest heaving, cheeks the color of an English rose and his eyes...were staring right at her as she placed a soft kiss onto his cock.

He whined and Az's hips bucked involuntarily at the noise. She smiled up at him and he reached a hand down to caress her cheek.

She hummed and pressed a kiss into his palm. She turned her head back to the more important, and pressing, task at hand.

She kissed Ben's thighs as he threw his head back and sighed in ecstasy.

In between kisses, Az teased "I've barely touched you and you're already this needy."

Only a sliver of blue could be seen as she looked up at Ben, "If I wasn't so desperate for you to suck my cock, I would have a much better comeback" he breathed out in between moans.

Az smirked and curled her fingers around his cock as she licked her lips in anticipation.

Ben was huge. She shouldn't have been surprised, Lop had even said he carried himself with an energy that seemed to imply he was hung, but god.

She wrapped one hand loosely around his cock and licked a wide stripe from his balls to the tip where she placed a gentle kiss on it.

The groan Ben let out had her swinging a leg around so she could grind her core into Ben's thigh as she continued licking his cock.

She finally, agonizingly slowly, wrapped her lips around the head of Ben's cock and started to bob her head up and down.

Ben reached his hands down to grasp her hair and move it out of her face.

Az spit on his cock and started working her hands up and down as she peered up at Ben, "Thanks for the hair tie."

Ben bucked his hips up into her hands as he gasped, "Not so much for you, mainly wanted to see your lips wrapped around my cock. Been thinking about that all day."

Az laughed and kept one hand pumping the length that she couldn't fit into her mouth. She looked up at Ben through her eyelashes and heard him mutter, "Fuck. Having your lips around me is even hotter than I imagined."

Az hummed and Ben screamed, "FUCK" and pulled her off of his cock, mashing his lips against hers in a frenzy, "If I don't fuck you now I'm going to hate myself forever."

Az laughed gently against his lips, "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Ben nipped at her bottom lip as he brought a hand up to lightly smack her ass, "Someone seems to have forgotten their place, baby girl."

Az whimpered as she felt the sting, "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"Damn right," Ben said and stilled as his eyes met Az's with concern, "I don't have any condoms on me. Are there any on this boat?"

Az pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I have an IUD. It's fine. Just, please fuck me right now. Please? I'm begging you."

Ben exhaled and grabbed Az's hips with such strength that Az knew for certain there'd be bruises the next day.

Az clambered on top of him and lined up her entrance to the tip of Ben's cock, she slowly lowered down and the feel of her walls being stretched by his girth had her letting loose a string of curses that were almost drowned out by Ben's.

"Fuck, Ben, you're so big, god." Az squeezed her eyes shut as she bottomed out.

Ben squeezed her hips as he took every ounce of willpower not to buck up into her and fuck her until all she could say was his name, "Jesus, sweetheart, you feel incredible. This is so much more amazing than I ever could have imagined."

Az let out a shaky laugh as she started to roll her hips forward and back. Getting used to Ben's length, working it over. Ben couldn't take his eyes off her as Az's hips started rocking harder and harder against his cock.

He reached his hands up and grasped her breasts, rolling her nipples in between his fingers as Az threw her head back and let out a moan. Ben didn't think there was a better view in the entire world than this one.

Az reached a hand down to rub her clit as she rocked her hips back and forth and Ben's hips snapped up into her as his hands worked on her nipples. She felt her core tightening and that familiar warmth start building inside her for the second time.

She gasped, "Ben...sir...Ben..I'm so close, fuck, please don't stop, please"

Ben growled, "I don't plan on stopping any time soon, sweetheart."

Az moaned as she rubbed her clit harder and finally with a tweak of her nipples, Az felt herself coming undone around Ben's cock.

As she came out of her haze she could hear Ben babbling about how good she was, how tight she was, how he wanted to cum so badly. Az slowly leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ben's lips, causing him to pause in his actions.

She pulled back and smiled at him and he smiled at her. He gently stroked her sides, then grabbed on to her waist and flipped them over so Az's back hit the bed with a "OOF" and Ben ended up on top, hands on either side of her head.

He grinned down at her as she rubbed her hands up and down his arms, "Think you're so special huh?"

Ben's grin grew wider as he snapped his hips into her and Az broke down into moans and strained to get more of his cock inside of her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Yeah, I like to think so."

"Please. Just fuck me."

Ben breathed out a laugh, "You don't have to ask twice." And started thrusting into Az as she grasped onto his shoulders, arching her back.

Ben could feel his thrusts getting sloppy and knew he was close. He reached a hand down and rubbed Az's clit, "Baby girl, think you got one more in you? I want you to cum with me."

Az nodded as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, "Uh-huh, yes sir, please, I want to cum again so badly, please please please please..." the last please fell on deaf ears as Az reached her climax for the third time. Her walls clenched around Ben's cock, pulling the best orgasm he'd ever had in his life out of him shooting thick, hot ropes of cum into her pussy as they both moaned and held onto each other as if they were life rafts keeping each other afloat.

Ben opened his eyes as he and Az caught their breath. They looked at each other and burst into laughter as they came down from their highs.

"Wow, uh, that was-"

"Amazing?" Ben asked, shyly.

Az's eyes grew warm as she brought a hand up to caress his cheek, "Yeah. Definitely worth the wait."

"Well, sorry. I didn't want to assume you wanted this as badly as I did." Ben whispered as he gazed down at Az with a soft look in his eyes

"Hmm, yes. Because a man who looks like a Greek god and can also make me cum THREE TIMES is clearly someone I don't want anything to do with." Az joked as she pulled Ben's face down to give him a gentle kiss.

Ben rolled his eyes as Az giggled. Which turned into a whimper as he pulled his cock out of her and he chuckled when he saw her pout, "Alright love. None of that. I'll be right back."

Az sighed and stretched out on the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom and Ben emerged with a warm washcloth.

He sat on the bed next to her and gently pulled her knees apart as he cleaned her up. Az smiled her thanks as Ben returned to the bathroom to clean himself up.

He walked out and saw Az had gotten underneath the covers, as he pulled back the covers he smiled, "Is this spot taken?"

A slow grin split her her face as she shook her head and patted the spot next to her.

Ben clambered into bed beside her and when he opened his arms wide, Az snuggled right into them. She sighed contentedly as Ben placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

As they both drifted off to sleep, they both thanked the star they had wished on for making their dream come true.

High above, the star they had both wished on, seemed to shine a little brighter as it hung right above the sleeping couple.

~~~

Rich woke up the next morning with a headache, the feeling that he had fuzz all over his tongue and the need to never consumer alcohol ever again. He groaned as he sat up and saw Joe, who was snoring louder than a man that size should, was still sleeping.

Rich stretched and slowly made his way to the bathroom. As he finished up and walked back out to the living room, he peered into Az's bedroom and saw her bed was empty. He shrugged, Az usually got up early so he figured she was already out on her boat.

After making coffee and taking it out onto Az's porch, he saw her boat still in the port with no sign of activity. He cocked his head, mentally going through a list of places she could be at.

His feet were heavy as he meandered down he dock. When he got closer to the large boat, he had arrived on the other day, he saw that the door on the uppermost floor wasn't closed all the way. Grumbling about how Joe would make a terrible captain, he lumbered aboard to take care of it.

After closing the first door, Rich did a quick sweep of the other areas to make sure everything was good to go to take Joe and Ben back out on the boat today. If Joe could stomach being on a boat after drinking so much. As he reached the floor by the uppermost deck he saw the bedroom door open at the end of the floor with light coming through it.

He crept closer and peered through the crack. He saw Az and Ben, both sound asleep, Az curled up into Ben's chest, Ben's arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

Rich slapped a hand over his mouth and sprinted back to Az's apartment, pumping his fist the whole way.

He quickly dug his phone out of the recliner cushions and texted Lop a million exclamation points, peach emojis and eggplant emojis.

Almost immediately Lop texted back, "I fucking knew it."

Rich laughed as he crept back downstairs, leaving the lovers to wake up in each others arms and to thank their lucky star.

#ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy one shot #ben hardy smut #joe mazzello #original character #OC #original female character #original male character #ben jones fic #ben hardy fic #ben jones smut #ben jones oneshot #boats #i want a BF who sails so badly fuck #ben hardy x reader #ben jones x reader #joe mazzello fic

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forever-rogue · 5 years ago

Text

Bad Guy

A/N: Hey y’all! Here’s some bs that nobody asked or called for. But here it is anyway. Enjoy! Also....please let me know if you’d possibly be interested in a part 2...??

Pairing: Joe Mazzello x Reader

Word Count: 5k

Warning: light smut, light language

PART 2

»»————-　♔　————-««

"Take a picture," Y/N smirked at Joe, taking a moment to ruffle his auburn hair as she walked past him to get another drink at the crowded bar. It was round four? Five? She'd stopped counting a while ago, but also wasn't bothered in the slightest. It was Saturday, and after a hectic, long week of work she had decided that she deserved to cut lose.

That's how she ended up at the loud, overly packed bar that was almost vibrating with the thump of the music. She'd come with a couple of friends, who brought a couple of friends, which is how she found herself under the intense scrutiny of one Joseph Francis Mazzello III. She knew he hadn't been able to keep his soft hazel eyes off of her body all night, watching them slowly get darker and darker as time ticked by.

She would have been lying if she said it hadn't been flattering. He'd caught her own eye as soon as he had arrived with her friend Ben. A friend of friend was her friend too, and friends will be friends, right? She was glad she had made an extra effort to look good that evening; the tight, low cut red sequined dress was coming in handy for once. She had purchased it on a whim, wanting something they made her feel good in her own skin, and was eager to break it out. She wasn't interested in just hook up, a tragic one night stand that would end up with her stumbling out of a stranger's apartment the next morning, but some well deserved attention wouldn't hurt. And that's exactly what Joe was giving her, fueling her fire and the slight tingling between her legs.

But he came in looking just as good as the best looking men she had encountered. The dark, well fitted jeans, the shoes that displayed large feet, the tight button with the leather? Purely unfair and she wanted nothing more than to rip it all right off of him, ravage him, and leave him begging for more. He played a typical game, acting as if he was so tough and cool, but she could see right under his facade. Underneath it, she could spy the man he was, the kind that loved being taken down by a woman but would never admit it to another soul.

"Can I help you?" she pretended to be annoyed as she felt him standing behind her, almost too close for comfort, and yet not close enough. She turned around, fresh drink in and a hearty buzz ruining through her veins. She felt warm and sticky from hours of dancing, but being in such close proximity to him had her feeling bothered in all sort of ways.

"That depends," there was a little bit of a mischievous smirk on his face and he seemed to have gained a sense of bravado and swagger. The shot she saw him consuming before making her way to the bar must have finally hit him.

"And just what is it dependent on?" she raised an eyebrow at him before taking the class in her hand, filled with a vodka soda, and downing it in one long drag. She wasn't drunk yet, slowly and steadily getting there, and found it becoming easier and easier to throw drink by drink back. Joe's confident look flattered for a moment as he wasn't sure if he should be concerned or impressed.

"What's your MO?" he asked curiously, running a large hand along his stubble, trying to decipher her. She threw back her head in laughter; she knew her reputation, the effect she had on men.

"Haven't you heard?" she asked, coming down from her fit of giggles. He shrugged innocently and she pressed her empty glass into his hand, "I'm the bad guy. Duh."

She sauntered away, making sure not to let him let him get another word in edgewise. Swaying her hips back and worth purposely, she turned around and gave him a wink before disappearing into the large crowd on the dance floor. She made sure she was concealed, just enough to were he could catch glances, but not enough to satisfy him. He was wanted to see much, much more of her already.

"Oh mate," Ben snickered as he made his way back over to Joe, handing him a cool, sweating bottle of beer. Joe sighed as he gratefully took the bottle and clinked it against Ben's. They both took long drinks before Joe let out a long sigh, "you've already got it bad for her, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that," he countered weakly, not even putting up a large fight. Yeah, he had it already, hook, line, and sinker, "but she's...interesting to say the least."

"Interesting?" Ben almost spit out his sip of beer, coming close coating Joe in little droplets of the golden liquid. Joe gave him a look of surprise, but Ben swallowed it quickly, "that's not the word I'd use. Y/N L/N is interesting, but there’s much, much more to her than that. That and the fact that you're starting after her, clearly fighting a boner, would suggest that you think otherwise."

"Ben!" he hissed, shifting slightly so he could vainly attempt to cover the hard on that was indeed already prevalent. He had hoped it wouldn't be that obvious.

"No shame," he rolled his eyes, following Joe's eye line, where he was trying to pick her out among the crowd of people, "I love her, really, she's an excellent friend. But otherwise, I'd stay away from her. She's a maneater by every definition."

"Oh?" Joe's curiosity was peaked and he couldn't help the fact that he wanted to know more about her. He'd met her a few times here and there due to the fact that they had a plethora of mutual friends, but those had all been casual outings during the week. This was a whole different experience, this was like getting to see an animal in its natural habitat.

"She can get any man she wants, no matter how much of a tough guy they are, but enough to make your mum sad, make any girlfriend mad," he explained and Joe's eyebrow raised higher and higher until it almost disappeared into his hair, "like I said, love her, wouldn't touch her."

"That sounds like a bit of a challenge," he downed the rest of his drink and set the bottle on the table in front of them, "she's one person, how hard can she be? I'm sure she'll be easy to break soon enough."

"Mate, it wasn't a challenge," Ben could already picture the impending disaster. If Joe went and tried to make a move on her, it would only end up in a mess or he'd be practically begging Y/N to show him some sort of mercy, "it was definitely a warning. No matter how much of the Mazzello charm you give her, she'll get her way."

"And just what is her way?" Joe knew, of course he knew, but he wanted to hear the words of out of his mouth. Ben just sighed and rolled his eyes, polishing off the last of his own drink, a few lone droplets running down the side of the bottle.

"Sex," he answered bluntly, "she likes sex with people she approves of. Her standards are pretty high so consider yourself lucky if she's interested. She's not interested in relationships, she just wants the benefits. I've heard nights with her are...memorable to say the least. Not one stands exactly, but not relationships. She’s not that kind of girl, she prefers her independence.”

"And you've never-"

"Never," Ben responded firmly. Not that he hadn't thought about it, because he had, many times. But his boundaries were never crossed and he held her close as a friend, "I've known her since college, she's been a good friend and that's what she'll remain. Her friendship is priceless, truly. I'd get on her good side, but don't waste your shot."

"Oh, Benny Boy, I'm going to shoot my shot," he promised him, "but it won't be wasted, trust me. I’m going to win her over before the end of the night.”

“Or she’ll break you down-”

“Not a chance,” Joe smirked, patting his shoulder gently, feeling his confidence grow as the alcohol working its way through his system.

He left without another word, leaving Ben standing there in a daze, shaking his head. He flagged down a waiter and got another beer as he saw Joe's retreated back, "your funeral mate, your funeral."

Joe felt the music vibrating throughout his whole body, mixed in with nervous anticipation as he prowled the floor keeping a sharp eye for Y/N. He would be able to spot her, of that much he was positive. Her beautiful face was already emblazoned thoroughly in his mind, combining with the red sequined dress she had decided to sport. She had dressed to impress and had definitely succeeded, as every head, man or woman, was snapped in her direction.

A couple of women tried to grab for his hands or wrists, but he just pulled away, shaking them off without another glance as he made a direct beeline for Y/N. A couple of women huffed at him, shouting obscenities at him, taunting him for not wanting them. But tonight there was only one woman that was on his mind tonight and she was currently surrounded by a group of her girlfriends, as she shimmed to and fro, her dress glinting brilliant in the club’s lighting.

Almost as if there was an invisible force pulling them together, Y/N looked straight at Joe, a wicked little grin forming on her face. She turned to whisper something in her friend’s ear, jerking her head in Joe’s general direction as she made her way over to him.

He tried to keep his thoughts from going straight into the gutter as he practically undressed her with his eyes, unaware that she was doing the exact same thing to him, curious as to what he was packing. She already knew he was big, it had taken about five seconds for her to figure that from her sly examination of his feet; she’d had enough experience with all sorts of men to know how to judge. Besides that, there was something about him that just exuded big dick energy. He wasn’t cocky per se, but he knew exactly what he was doing, but didn’t feel the need to show it off.

“Couldn’t let it go, huh?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, doing so right under her breasts and pushing them up ever so slightly just to give him a peek. Even if he thought he was being subtle, the light flush that colored his cheeks spoke volumes. She leaned closer to him, her soft lips almost brushing his earlobe, breath causing all the hair on his body to stand up, “are you sure you’re not making a mistake?”

“No,” he licked his lips as his eyes flicked to hers, “I don’t think so. Perhaps you just think too highly of yourself. Maybe you’re just a little girl playing at being the bad guy? This could all be a grand facade of you wanting to feel like you’re in charge, but underneath all the glitter and talk, you’re just looking for the right person.”

“And maybe you think you’re the right person?” she kept her body close to his, inhaling the scent of his cologne. It was even more intoxicating than the alcohol she had running through her system; his natural musk mixed perfectly with the woodsy smell, and she wanted nothing more than to be bathed in it. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, giving her a cheeky eyebrow raise. She laughed, putting her hand on his cheek and gently pushed him a step back, “get over yourself. You’re not that special. What makes you think you’re any different from all the rest of the men and women here? I could have any one of them, and perhaps I will.”

“I got your attention,” he countered, waiting for her smart response, but she seemed taken aback, unable to think quickly on her feet. He reached forward and grabbed a lock of her hair, twisting around on her finger, “and you’re still here, talking to me, not telling me to go away.”

“Normally I’d cut a hand off if someone touched my hair without permission,” she told him, grabbing his wrist and giving him a firm look. She took his hand and hovered it over her chest, just to taunt and play with him a little - it was working judging from how quickly he swallowed, his chest rising and falling rapidly, “but I’ll spare you. You’re right, Mazzello, there is something about you.”

“It’s all part of my undeniable charm,” he tried to put on an air of bravado, to make it seem like he was much confident than he was, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she could see through his game. There was something about her that made appear to be some sort of Oracle, like she could take one look at him and she completely through him. Y/N remained silent over a few moments as they silently studied each other, waiting for the other to break first.

A waiter walked by, carrying a tray of drinks and Y/N casually grabbed two of them, handing one to him and keeping one, “bottoms up.”

“Cheers,” he concurred as the two of them quickly polished off the fresh alcohol. He wanted to cringe a little bit as the alcohol burned the back of his throat, but he hid it as best as he could when he saw that Y/N didn’t even flinch.

“What’s your MO?” she posed the question back at him, tapping the glass thoughtfully against her lip, trying to figure him out. She’d have a few interactions with him before, seeing him around their friend outings, but never thought much about him before. Sure, he’d caught her eye, he was good looking and funny after all, but something tonight had her feeling all sorts of ways.

“Same as yours,” he answered as he grabbed her glass and set it down at a nearby table. As much as she tried to suppress the smile that was forming on her face, it was slowly becoming a lost cause, as she continued to win her over, “I’m just here to have a good time.”

“Bullshit,” she laughed as she stepped closer to him, deciding to be bold and wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn’t stop her, his arms finding her waist, gripping them tightly over the sequined fabric. A little victorious smile appeared as she kissed his cheek, relishing in the feel of his stubble under her lips, “are you trying to prove some sort of point that you can win over any girl, or are you actually interested? I know my reputation precedes me, but I can play nice.”

“Can you?” he asked, letting a hand wander ever so slightly over her bum, seeing how much she’d let him get away with. She wasn’t about to stop him; his large hands left her feeling warm all over. Biting her lip, and she gave him a small nod as they started moving ever so slightly to the thumbing beat. It was like time had slowed and they were the only ones there, despite the fact that they were in a crowded club.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a girl, probably no older than twenty-one, staring hungrily at Joe, her eyes raking all over his form. Growing almost immediately annoyed, although she had zero reason to be, she dropped her arms from around him, gave him a quick kiss, startling him with surprise as she made her way over to the girl.

“You might want to be a little less obvious, love,” Y/N wrapped an arm around her shoulders, her voice dripping with honey. The girl’s eyes widened as she realized she had been caught red handed. Her eyes heated up as she opened and closed her mouth a few times, “it’s okay, I understand. He’s pretty good looking. But tonight he’s mine and maybe, just maybe, I’ll give you left overs if there are any.”

“I-I didn’t mean to stare at your boyfriend, I’m sorry,” she was embarrassed and couldn’t even make eye contact with Y/N.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Y/N laughed, causing her a bit of confusion, “he’s just mine for the evening. I don’t date friends.”

“He’s looking at like he’s a little more than a friend,” the girl shrugged and Y/N fought hard to keep herself from looking back at him, but she could feel his eyes on her, “I dunno, I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Y/N’s face fell slightly as she realized she was quickly moving into something a little more involved with Joe than what was normal for her, “sorry for bothering you, sweetheart.”

She didn’t let her get another word, leaving her and making her way back over to Joe, a curious expression on her face.

“What was all that?” Joe wasn’t sure what had just happened. Y/N just shook her head and pulled his face closer to hers, “how can I help you?”

“I have a sort of policy,” she explained to him, wanting to make sure he knew the ground rules, “it’s a one and done deal. I don’t do relationships, okay? If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve got the wrong girl.”

“Bold of you to assume I can’t change your mind,” he interrupted her, crashing his lips onto hers. She made a sound of surprise, but didn’t pull away, enjoying the feel of his soft lips on hers. Only when she was breathless, dizzy from his delicious feverish kisses, did she pull away from him.

“Bold of you to assume I won’t kill you for that,” she countered, stepping back from him and attempted to give him what she considered to be a hard look, “I’ve done much worse to men for much less.”

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” he was playing the game and playing it well. Biting back a smart remark, she decided on just giving him a small nod. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head so she was looking at him, “what’s the matter, sugar? Cat got your tongue?”

“Are you going to take me home or keep trying to work up the nerve? I don’t like when people make me wait,” she asked asked after a few moments of silence, taking his hand and deciding to be bold by lightly sucking in his thumb. He inhaled sharply but took his hand and grabbed hers, leading her off of the dance floor.

“Let’s go,” were the last words out of his mouth as he led out her out of the loud club, eager to get home as quickly as possible.

Ben had watched them go, shaking his head as they left without another word. He had a feeling this would happen at one point another, and he was curious to see where it would go.

“Fools,” he said quietly to himself as he finished his round off, “passionate fools.”

"You probably think you're in charge, huh?" Y/N teased in between kisses, as Joe's hands tried to roam her body. She kept swatting them away, giggling as he became more and more desperate to touch her.

As soon as they had stepped into his bedroom he had kicked the door closed and slammed her against, kissing her with every bit of force and passion he had within him. She’d let him think he was going to have her with him, deciding to play with him a little. He had his body fulled against her, moaning desperately between every kiss.

"Y/N," he almost whined as he felt himself growing more and more needy (and hard) with each passing each second. She finally pulled completely, sliding out from under him, pressing her finger to his lips and giving him a wicked grin.

"Shhh," she said quietly. She was thoroughly enjoying this; but this was what she was after. Individuals that wanted her and she could take control of. But there was something about him that was different and kept her interested - part of her already knew that she wanted to see him again.

She kissed his lips before working her way along his jaw, slowly down the column of his throat, earning a few small whines from him. When she reached the apex of his chest, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, taking her time to languidly undo every single button. She pressed a kiss to each spot of his skin that became exposed, sinking lower and lower until she was on her knees and face level with his erection that was strained against his jeans.

"Oh silly boy," she looked back up at him, feigning innocence with large doe eyes. His hazel eyes were dark with lust as she stood back up, leaving him worse off then before, no sort of relief achieved. She backed him until the back of his legs hit the bed, "I'm in charge here. I'm always in charge."

"Y/N-" his voice almost crack as though he was experiencing a bit of puberty as stood there, feeling like he was going to combust at any second.

"Lie down," she commanded with one eyebrow raised. He quickly obliged and laid down on the bed, eagerly anticipating her next move.

Whatever it was, he hoped it would lead to them both finally getting what they needed. She remained silent but kept her eye trained on him as she slowly unzipped her sequined dressed, letting it cascade down her body before it land with a soft thud on the floor. She was left standing in only her black, lacy bra and panties, glad she had worn that particular set, as it left very little to the imagination.

"Just because we're at your place doesn't mean you're in charge," she smirked as he watched her with widened eyes, breath hitching in his throat. Tying up her hair into a messy bun, she scanned his dresser, zoning in on an almost empty bottle of cologne. This must have been his favorite one since he appeared to use it religiously, the same one she had smelled on him earlier.

She picked it up and sprayed herself with it, breathing in the scent that she decided that she it was now one of her own favorites. Joe thought he might cum then and there, just from the sheer sight of the intimate moment. She titled her head to the side and offered him a lazy smile.

"They always say she's scared of me," she commented as she made her way over to him, "she is always some girl or another that I've apparently stolen a man from. I mean, I don't see it, but maybe it's because I'm always wearing their cologne. I like this one the best, I think I’ll keep it.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” his voice was weak and any resolve he had remaining for taking even an ounce of control was rapidly disappearing. She was good and she was getting exactly what she wanted - dominance and to frustrate him beyond measure. She just gave an innocent shrug before tugging on his pants, as if to ask why he was still wearing them. He immediately understood, wiping away the sweat that had formed on his brow from all the anticipation before hastily unbuttoning his jeans with long, shaky fingers. He cursed himself for wearing such tight jeans that evening, hissing as he gingerly maneuvered them down his already weeping erection.

“I don’t know, Joseph,” she let his name roll slowly off of her tongue, taking a moment to test it out and see how it sounded. She liked it, was the quick determination she came to, and she very much like the sight of him, laying on the bed in front of her, remaining only in his boxers. Letting her eyes graze over his pale, freckled skin, a smile came to her face as she decided that she was going to leave him covered in marks. That way everyone would know that he was hers - at least for the time being, or until she grew bored of him.

“You’re going an awfully good job of it,” he croaked as she reached into her bag and pulled out her lipstick; it was Mac’s Ruby Woo, her favorite that she reversed for only the few she deemed worthy. Studying her face in the mirror, she could see his gaze linger on her ass, taking in all the curves of her backside. Swiping it on quickly, she blew him a kiss in the mirror, followed by a cheeky wink. Every move was calculated and purposeful - the plan was to get him to his breaking point before finally indulged in her every carnal desire.

“Where are your ties?” she asked quickly, earning a confused glance from him, “don’t worry about it, just tell me where they are.”

“Hanging in the closet,” his voice trailed off as he jerked his head in the direction of the closet. Giving him a brief, she sauntered over to the door he had indicated, swaying her hips with every step, just give him something to think about. It took him a few a few moments to figure out why she was suddenly interested in his fashion taste, but he quickly put two and two together. His mouth dropped open and formed a wide O. She really was going to be the death of him at this rate.

“I like all the blue and greens,” she called from the walk in and he could hear her moving things around, the hangers screeching lightly against the metal rod, “I’m sure they bring out your eyes and look lovely against your creamy skin. But you know what I really like?”

“Tell me,” it was a desperate plea, as he was left hanging on each word that came from out of her mouth. She laughed, a musical sound, much too soft for her current demeanor as she clambered back into his line of sight.

“I like red,” she held up two ties, in different shades of brilliant crimson, one displayed proudly in each hand, “red is the color of passion, lust, desire...everything.”

“Red’s my favorite color,” he choked as she came back over to him and reached for one of his wrists, taking and gently tying it to his headboard. That way he could move ever so slightly, just enough to make him think he had any sort of mobility felt.

“Of course it is,” she teased, pausing before she grabbed his other wrist, “tell me you’re okay with this. If you’re not, I’ll stop right now.”

“No,” he wanted nothing more than for her to carry and have her way with him, “please continue.”

“Whatever you say baby boy,” she winked at him before going to the other side and repeating the same on his other wrist, “do you want a safe word, or do you think you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be okay,” he reassured her. She may have control at the moment, but this was far from his first rodeo. Granted, it was usually the other way around with him being in control and asserting his dominance, but he was eager to play the reverse role for once. Something told him it would be all worth it, and she knew exactly what he needed, “but I swear if you don’t touch me soon, I might lose it.”

“Don’t worry,” she grabbed his face with her and turned it so he was looking directly at her, “it’ll all be worth it. You’ll have the night of your life.”

He wasn’t able to find words, but instead made a few incomprehensible sounds as he nodded. She smirked before kissing him with some urgency, already leaving bright crimson marks on his face. Truth be told, she was just as eager to experience him as he was her; the fact that her panties were almost soaked through was evidence enough of that.

She crawled onto the bed and straddled his hips, making sure to brush her wetness over his erection as she starting to grind against him ever so slightly. He craned his head up and captured her lips as he out a low moan at the much needed friction he was experiencing.

“Tell me what you want, Joseph,” she asked breathlessly in between kisses as she started to feel needier with each passing second.

“You,” he promised her, “I only want you.”

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