#i was gonna do marlene as bunny but I HAVE PLANS FOR HER so i had to change it

[poolpvrty]

(3/10) Marlene as Briar Beauty and Dorcas as Lizzie Hearts!

( og post/concept )

[savemefromanepicoftimewasted]

It's the Little Things

Joel Miller X Fem!Reader

Joel hadn't pictured himself a dad to an orphan not after losing his only daughter in a car crash, but when a dear friend is dying of cancer what is he to do but take her in? A/N:this is an AU where the apocalypse does not happen, but Joel is still older than the reader(think upper 40's Joel whereas the reader is late 20's, early 30's)and is a surrogate dad to Ellie, if you do read please leave some feedback! warnings:none really, Joel being grumpy because he's old

This wasn’t the life Joel thought he would have for himself, he’d always thought it would be him and Sarah against the world, before the car accident happened. Now Joel didn’t blame anyone but himself for that happening, even when they were the ones t-boned by an oncoming semi, he should’ve looked both ways twice before turning. Except that wasn’t the case, and now he was being asked to take in his friend’s daughter because she was also dying. It wasn’t fucking fair, and at the rate he was going Joel was sure he’d be completely gray by the end of the year. Ellie was a good kid though, stayed out of trouble when it mattered most. Of course that wasn’t to say Marlene didn’t sneak her out of the house when his back was turned. She always came back in one piece though, and for that he was grateful.

“C’mon, don’t start trying to give me that look, you know damn well the answer is still going to be no,” Ellie had been begging Joel to take her to a concert, claiming she deserved to see what all the hype was about.

Joel on the other hand thought they were too loud and downright obnoxious, they weren’t even playing actual music on the radio anymore, it was just noise. So he dug his heels in and refused no matter how much she begged, or pleaded. Ellie knew he’d eventually give in, it would just take a ton of convincing for him to do so first.

“What if we see a band you like?” Joel simply stared over at the young girl, lips pulled into a frown as he started to consider what she was saying.

It would be a great bonding experience, and Joel wouldn’t have to endure some pop artist he couldn’t even pronounce the name of. If it finally got Ellie off his back for a little while, maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible idea.

“Fine, but after this you don’t ask for anything until your birthday, alright?” Granted her birthday was only three months away, which meant Joel was in for a whole heap of trouble with her.

Ellie was ecstatic, this was absolutely perfect! There was no way Joel could say no if Ellie just so happened to invite Marlene’s friend along with them, it would be so rude if he did. Plus Joel really needed someone by his side, man was grumpier than anyone else she’d ever met. Shit, but what if Joel actually gets upset though? That’s gonna derail the entire plan, and make for a very rough few months.

“What’re you planning over there?” Joel raised a brow at Ellie, waiting to see what was going on in the teenager's mind.

“Just thinking about who we could go and see,” Okay it wasn’t her best lie, but she was working on it.

Joel didn’t pay her much attention, heading off into the kitchen to start prepping everything for dinner. Ellie knew you had planned on stopping by, needing to “drop something off” according to Joel, he wouldn’t say as to why when she asked. He always seemed to get flustered whenever you walked into their house, stumbling over his words like he was a teenager with a crush.

“Holy shit!” That explained everything! No wonder Joel wasn’t willing to go on any date that Marlene tried to set him up on.

“What?! What’s going on?” Joel ran into the room, chef's knife clutched tight in his right hand.

Ellie stared at him dumbfounded, unsure she was willing to blow his cover.

“Nothing, thought I saw a spider but it was just a dust bunny,” Smooth Ellie, real smooth.

Joel’s posture relaxed, shaking his head before going back into the kitchen to continue doing what he was before Ellie had nearly given him a heart attack. Now all she had to do was convince you to go to the concert, wherever it was, when they decided on a band.

“Hello! Anyone home?” Your voice echoed throughout the house as you stepped inside, bag clutched tight in your right hand, cake balancing in your left hand. “Kitchen!” Joel’s voice was booming, much louder than your own, but a clear indicator of where the man was.

You smiled to yourself, making your way to the kitchen with your goodies. Joel had praised your cakes every time you brought one over, so why not indulge the man? It was a recipe you held near and dear to your heart, especially since it was the first dessert you ever made for him.

“Hey there good looking,” You snickered when Joel threw a glare your way, it was all in good fun.

Ellie practically threw herself into you, wrapping her arms around your waist in a tight hug, she was another reason you’d loved coming over. You hugged her back, being careful not to jostle the food that was in your hands.

“Hello to you too miss, why don’t you go hang out in the living room while your dad and I get dinner made,” You wanted to talk with Joel a little more privately, get everything off your chest.

“Did you bring the cake?” Ellie looked more excited about the cake than Joel did, which wasn't too surprising considering the sweet tooth the kid had.

You held the plate up a little higher, showing that you did indeed bring the oh so famous chocolate cake for the two Miller’s. She squealed excitedly, clapping before running off back into the living room. Joel was keeping himself busy cutting vegetables, keeping an eye on the steaks browning in the pan on the stove.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think she can tell,” You set the cake down on the table, turning to face the older man with a brow raised.

“I don’t think Ellie would know if it smacked her directly in the face,” Joel was trying to figure out the best way to break the news to her.

He hadn’t dated since Sarah had passed away, it felt wrong to worry about himself when there were so many other things going on. And then once Ellie came into the picture Joel put all of his focus into helping her settle into the home. Meeting you had been a blessing in disguise, one he’d been thankful for for the last few years you’d known one another.

“Joel, don’t be mean, she needs to focus her energy on something,” You couldn’t help but giggle when Joel rolled his eyes.

“She needs to stay out of my personal business is what she needs to do,” Joel was surprised Ellie hadn’t caught on sooner, she’d been watching him like a hawk lately.

The two of you worked in tandem, helping Joel prep the dinner he’d offer to cook to finally break the news to Ellie. Would it be weird telling her that you’d been together for nearly six months, keeping the secret from almost everyone you knew? Tommy had his suspicions, though it sounded like Maria was entirely sure Joel had someone special in his life. 

“She called me dad last week, don’t think she noticed though,” Joel smiled fondly at the memory, stirring the vegetables around to make sure they didn’t burn.

“Oh Joel, that's so sweet!” You’d known all about Joel’s fears that he wasn’t being enough of a parent to Ellie, she hadn’t hit her rebellious years and the two of you were thankful for that.

Joel peaked around to make sure Ellie wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, something she tended to do way more than he was happy with. He’d nearly told Tommy about you before noticing the tip of Ellie’s shoe sticking out in the doorway. She played it off acting like she wasn’t trying to listen in on what Joel had to say. He was going to finally admit it to her tonight, tell the truth that was starting to weigh on him so heavily.

“Ellie! Dinner’s ready!” You had started to plate up the food, sliding behind Joel to grab enough silverware for the three of you.

Ellie came running into the room, taking the plate from you so she could finish plating her food. You grabbed a plate for Joel, piling the food up higher than you would for your own, the man could eat his body weight and food and still be ready for more. 

“Go sit and eat, I can make my own plate,” Joel nudged you towards the dining table, fingertips lingering on the fabric of your shirt.

“I’ll sit down when you do,” You giggled when he rolled his eyes, grabbing your own plate of food and joining Ellie.

The three of you ate in silence, the sounds of forks and knives scraping against plates. Luna, the cat Ellie had insisted Joel get, was sitting by your feet. Joel was struggling to find the perfect time to bring up your relationship, how he was thinking of having you move into his home. He’d been debating it for a while, unsure of how you’d feel about moving with him.

“Hey, Ellie?” It was now or never, he was either going to tell his adoptive daughter that you were together, or he would continue to chicken out.

“Mmm?” She looked over at him, cheeks stuffed with food while he forced himself not to say anything.

He glanced at you for a brief moment, taking a deep breath to calm the nerves that were beginning to fray at the seams.

“I just wanted to let you know that Y/N and I are together. We’ve been dating since Tommy’s birthday,” There it was all out in the open and therefore no longer a burden on Joel’s shoulders.

Ellie’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, jaw dropping open to show the half chewed food still sitting in her mouth. Joel was ready to scold her, there was nothing more inappropriate than having food fall out of your mouth.

“I knew it!” Ellie leaped off the chair, chewing and swallowing the food that was in her mouth. “What?” Joel was confused, how the hell could she have known?

“You get so giddy whenever she’s around, I just figured it was nothing more than a crush,” Ellie shrugged, laughing at the stunned look on Joel’s face.

You weren’t surprised the teenager had figured out, she had almost caught on during the first month of your relationship when she’d knocked on Joel’s door and nearly caught you in bed together. Sliding under his bed definitely hadn’t been your proudest moment, but neither of you were ready to announce your relationship.

“Wait, so who knows if you’re just now telling me?” She had a put out look on her face, arms crossed over her chest.

“No one besides you knows, and no you will not be spilling the beans to Maria before I can say something to Tommy,” Maria and Ellie were thick as thieves together, getting into trouble when both Joel and Tommy had their backs turned.

“You told me before your brother?” Ellie’s voice was soft, quieter than either Joel or you had ever heard her before.

Had this meant more than they realized? Getting to be in on the big secret about the man who’d become her father. He was going to have to tell Tommy and Maria sooner rather than later anyway, lest they find out through the grapevine and get upset for being out of the loop. You held your arms open, gesturing for Ellie to join your embrace. She didn’t hesitate to run over, arms wrapped tight around your ribs as she sniffled. Joel was thankful that she wasn’t upset they hadn’t told her, there was nothing worse than a pissed off teenager.

“Wait, does that mean you’re staying over?” Ellie pulled back so quickly from your embrace you were afraid the poor girl gave herself whiplash.

“Yes I am, as long as Joel’s alright with it,” You’d never try and overstay your welcome, no matter how much Joel would beg at times.

Before Joel could answer for himself Ellie piped up with a quick “who cares what he wants? We can have a sleepover!” It was adorable how much the teenager adored you, something Joel had been nervous about. He hadn’t brought anyone that wasn’t family, until you came into his life, around her before. The two of you had clicked as if you’d known Ellie her entire life, and not the two hours you’d first spent together. Joel had started heading over to your apartment more often after that, not wanting to be too affectionate around the teenager and give away his secrets. Now that the cat was out of the bag he could breathe easier, until it came time to tell his brother and sister-in-law. Nothing more exciting than telling your family you’ve been seeing someone nearly ten years after you lost your daughter, at least in Joel’s case.

A knock at the door caught everyone’s attention, you were already here so it definitely wasn’t you arriving late, so who the hell would it be?

“Joel! Open the damn door!” Why the fuck was Tommy here?

“Alright! Give me a damn minute,” Joel abandoned you and Ellie in the kitchen, going to unlock the front door to see what was so important.

Tommy all but shoved past Joel, complaining the weather outside was too damn cold for making him stand outside in it. God did he hope you and Ellie stayed in the damn kitchen while he dealt with his brother.

“Can I ask what you’re doing in my house without letting me know you were coming over?” Had he and Maria gotten into an argument? Nah, Tommy knew better than to piss off Maria to the point she kicked him out.

“Ellie texted me, said there was some kind of emergency and that I should come right over,” Oh he was going to strangle that girl until she was blue in the face.

Joel turned and headed right towards the kitchen, not stopping until he came face to face with you, Ellie was doing her best to use you as a personal shield.

“You are dead, you hear me?” Joel reached around you towards Ellie, fingers barely grazing the hoodie she had on.

“You were going to tell him anyway, just rip the bandaid off!” She was doing everything she could to avoid Joel’s grasp, slipping under his arm to run into the living room.

Joel groaned lowly, Ellie was going to tell Tommy before he could even open his mouth and say a single word himself.

“Let’s go tell him together, okay?” You laced your fingers together, leading Joel out to the living room so he could finally face his brother.

Tommy and Ellie were having a heated discussion about what sounded very close to dinosaurs, that was a small win.

“Ellie called you over here because she wanted me to tell you, and if Maria had been here too, that I’ve got a girlfriend,” It felt weird admitting to his younger brother that he was dating someone, let alone someone as gorgeous as you.

Tommy stared dumbfounded for a brief moment before bursting into a full belly laugh that left Joel more confused than anything. Was it really that surprising he was dating someone that everyone felt the need to laugh at him? Ellie shrugged at him, unsure as to why Tommy was laughing.

“C’mon Tommy, don’t be mean to dad, he’s old and fragile,” Tommy was still laughing though much quieter.

You and Joel were stunned, it was the first time in the almost two years that Joel had that Ellie had said anything of the sort. He didn’t want to make it awkward though, there was nothing worse than making her feel uncomfortable.

“I am not being mean to him at all, stop being dramatic, if anything you’re the one calling him old and fragile” Tommy pointed a finger at her, catching the comment she’d made about Joel.

“Well it’s true, even Y/N agrees with me, isn’t that right?” All eyes were suddenly on you, leaving you flustered and unsure whether you wanted to answer truthfully.

You threw your hands up in surrender, not willing to answer the question that Ellie had so gladly thrown your way. That wasn’t to say you hadn’t made plenty of old man jokes with Joel before, he was forty-eight which in his eyes meant he was ancient. Ellie knew you were younger which explained why she never seemed suspicious of you and Joel spending time together.

“Really? You think I’m old and fragile there darling?” Joel stepped closer to you, quickly closing the space that separated the two of you.

“I mean I may have made a joke once or twice,” You backed away slowly, reaching blindly behind you to make sure you wouldn’t fall over and hurt yourself.

“I’ll show you old,” Joel lunged forward, fingers barely grazing your arm as you turned and ran towards the front door.

The sound of your combined laughter echoed throughout the house, the two of you running around in the front yard. The neighbors had seen the two of you running around like fools in the past, so this was nothing new to them. You knew better than to let Joel win though, he would hold it above your head for weeks and would brag if that happened.

“Should we get them back inside?” Tommy looked over at Ellie, watching as the couple tussled outside.

“Nope, Joel will eventually catch her and they’ll probably say a bunch of cheesy shit before coming back inside. Y/N brought her famous chocolate cake and there’s no way dad’s going to miss out on that,” Ellie would fight someone for a slice of that cake, it was earth shatteringly good.

Tommy thought better than to ask anymore questions, he’d gotten an answer already and would wait to see what all the fuss was about. A loud squeal echoed before the two of you hit the ground, Joel reigning victorious. Luna was sitting in the doorway watching the pair, she’d been patiently waiting to be fed her dinner and this was another thing holding everything up.

“Wait, you’re saying that like they’ve done something like this before, but you just found out they’re dating,” Tommy was suspicious now, had Ellie secretly known about the relationship?

“I did just find out, but they’re like a couple of kids whenever they’re around each other. I swear I’ve never seen him so happy before, damn how did I miss all the signs?” Ellie muttered the last few words to herself, thinking back on all the time Joel came home late, claiming he’d been working with Tommy when in reality he’d been on a date with you.

It didn’t hurt, finding out that Joel had kept something like this hidden for so long, he was more worried about raising Ellie without pushing his own beliefs onto her. She was a kid with a personality, and thoughts, Joel wanted to give her a chance to figure out who she was. You and Joel headed back inside a few minutes later, grass stains covering most of your clothes as you laughed together.

“Can we have dessert please?” Ellie was ready to beg, the cake was whispering things and damnit she was hungry.

“Yes, we can have cake,” You pressed a kiss to Joel’s cheek before rushing off to cut a slice of cake for everyone.

Tommy could see the lovesick smile on his brother's face, the way it radiated through his body like a beacon of life. It was sickeningly sweet. Ignoring his brother in favor of eating some cake Tommy made his way out to the kitchen with Ellie. Joel headed into the pantry to get food for Luna so she wouldn’t scream at them all night for being fed a little later than usual. Once everyone was sat down at the dining table you handed out plates and forks, settling close to Joel’s right side.

The cake was fluffy and delicious, the icing just sweet enough without being overbearing, it was truly a slice of heaven. Were you a baker that Joel had been keeping hidden, or was this something you just did on the side for the people you liked? 

“I might have you bake a cake for my wife’s birthday, this is amazing,” Tommy would have to introduce the two of you first of course, but once she’d taste a slice of the cake Maria would surely be won over.

“Well if you two are free this saturday we could do a double date so she can meet Y/N, Ellie will be fine at home by herself,” Joel had stuffed the last piece of cake into his mouth, groaning happily at the taste.

Ellie was ecstatic, Joel only left her home alone if he was working late to make sure nothing went wrong with any of his contractors, this would be so different. Tommy nodded in agreement, it wouldn’t be hard to get his wife to agree to a date night, she liked Joel well enough that spending a few hours with him and his girlfriend didn’t sound like a chore.

“Sure, I’ll ask her when I go home tonight,” The night had started out a little strange, having to drive over to his brother's house because of Ellie’s panic, but now it just felt right.

You offered to cut a slice for Tommy’s wife, saying that there’s no way the three of you could eat anymore cake. Joel protested immediately, stating that he could eat nearly half the cake himself before he would need to stop. Ignoring the man you’d fallen in love with, you sliced a hefty piece of cake and set it into a container for Tommy to take home.

“This way she can see if she might want me to bake a cake for her birthday,” You playfully glared over at Joel as he tried to protest once more, huffing and crossing his arms as you all but shoved the container into Tommy’s arms.

The three of you said goodbye as he left, saying he would ask Maria about the double date to make sure she didn’t already have plans. You waited patiently for Ellie to say something, or even Joel as you all stood in the living room together.

“Alright, it’s late, you need to get to bed and I need to take a shower so time to get a move on,” It was barely past eight, but Joel liked to stick to a regimen.

For once Ellie didn’t put up much of a fuss about having to get ready for bed, or getting ready to relax for the night. Normally she’d complain and say that “well I’m not a baby, I don’t need to go to bed at eight” and Joel would brush it off. Now though? He was shocked as she all but ran up the stairs to head into her own bathroom and shower. Joel turned to look at you, raising a brow in silent question. You knew exactly what it entailed, happily following him up to his bedroom and into the ensuite.

Joel’s touch was always so gentle, whether the two of you were simply cuddling with a movie on, or were engaged in more intimate moments. Right now he was being careful not to irritate your skin, noticing that when you tackled one another you’d both manage to get a slight turf burn. It wasn’t anything serious, nothing worse than explaining to your coworkers why your arms had burns from spending the night with your boyfriend. Maybe you could steal one of Joel’s flannels so no one would ask questions.

While Joel washed your front, you spent that time scrubbing any dirt and grass that had managed to get in his hair. He was ready to melt in with the water that washed down the drain, your hands always felt so good.

“Don’t fall asleep on me Miller, we have to get into bed first,” You smiled watching the way he grumbled, claiming he wasn’t about to fall asleep on you.

It took a few more minutes, the two of you enjoying a quiet moment under the scalding spray from the shower head. Joel had redone both bathrooms by himself when he moved in, complaining the people before him had been stuck in the seventies. It was more modern, but with a comforting touch about it, that was partially due to you. Sarah had once occupied the room Ellie was in, updating it with her interests the older she got. It was Ellie’s turn now, the walls covered in posters of different musicians and some of her favorite comics covering the dresser and nightstand.

“I’m stealing your clothes, need something comfy to sleep in,” You had clothes hidden away in some of Joel’s drawers, mainly so Ellie hadn’t seen them, but his clothes just felt better.

“That’s alright hun, take whatever you want,” Joel grabbed his own pajamas, giving you some privacy to get dressed.

Most people were shocked to hear that you and Joel weren’t getting freaky nearly all the time, but it wasn’t at the forefront of your mind all the time, plus with Ellie not knowing about the relationship that made things more difficult. It wasn’t as if you didn’t want to, there were definitely times you wanted to jump his bones, but you behaved. Joel crawled into bed first, pulling the blanket back to help you settle in.

“I was thinking, I want you to move in,” Joel was terrified. What if you said no and broke things off with him because he was moving too fast?

“Oh you’re lucky my lease is about to run out Miller,” You cuddled into his chest wrapping an arm around his waist.

“Is that a yes?” His heart felt as if it stopped, there was no way in hell you were actually agreeing to move in, he was obviously dreaming.

“It’s a yes, but you get to help me move any of my furniture out that you don’t want to keep,” Granted you had planned on donating almost all of it, except for your mattress since it was nearly as old as Ellie.

Joel chuckled to himself, tightening his arm around you to pull you flush to his side, tonight went better than expected. Ellie had welcomed you with open arms, and now you were going to be living with him permanently. He laid back against the pillows, listening to your soft slow breathing as you succumbed to sleep.

“I love you so much darling, sweet dreams,” Joel pressed a kiss to your hair before falling asleep himself.

And if you had all of your things moved in that weekend, well that was no one’s business besides yours and Joel’s.

[missmoodring]

Act 1 Chapter 2 Part 2.2

“You kids and your modern dating!” Marlene exclaimed. “The social bunny and nightclubs. Who would ever have imagined?!”

The conversation during dinner time was filled with wedding talk. Natalia over saturated the conversation with talks about floral arrangements and her custom wedding gown. Cheyenne fed into it with offering to style Natalia’s makeup for her big day.

“I am still looking for a makeup artist…” Natalia contemplated.

“Makeup, hair, nails. I do it all.” Cheyenne offered.

As the girls talked about all things wedding, Evelyn drifted from the conversation. She was sure that she was over talking about this wedding. Sure, she was happy for her brother but how many times did she have to hear about it? Evelyn excused herself from the table to step away.

Evelyn found herself in the women’s restroom splashing water against her face to help sober her up. She didn’t realize that she was now on her third drink even though she had made a promise to herself to stay sober. She threw another handful of water against her flushed cheeks hoping it would help with her dizziness.

“Are we really gonna do this?” Evelyn jumped back at the sound of Cheyenne’s voice.

“Did you just ambush me?” Evelyn asked, still startled that this girl followed her into the restroom.

“Girl, please. Why are you acting like you don’t know me?” Cheyenne questioned. Evelyn swallowed the large lump in her throat. They both knew why.

“So this is the life you really live, huh? Nice. Fancy dinners with your family and planning million dollar weddings. So do you just dance at strip clubs for fun?”

“Let’s get one thing straight: I never danced at a strip club!” Evelyn corrected.

“Whatever you say, weirdo. But if this is any consolation, I won’t blow your cover. There’s nothing to gain in that, cousin.” Cheyenne said before going back to the family dinner. For the first time in a long time, Evelyn felt her chest decompress as if she finally exhaled. Evelyn had been waiting for the day where her past would finally and come back to haunt her. It looks like it was just starting.

She needed fresh air. She needed to get away. She had to go.

As soon as Evelyn got back to the table, Sabrina offered her niece another glass of wine. Apparently, while she was in the restroom the waiter had bought out another bottle.

But Evelyn explained that she wasn’t here to throw another glass back. She was just grabbing her coat and leaving. “I’m not feeling well,” she’d explained. A partial truth, but a truth nonetheless. And with that, she went with the wind.

Beginning \ Previous\ Next \ Directory

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Headlines

A fun cubs come out fic!

Characters and their world by @lumosinlove

@im-oknutzy-trash - here you go!

(Just one last note - there is one scene with a little spicy quip but it doesn’t get in any way explicit :))

“I’m home!” Finn called as he came through the door to their apartment, duffle bag falling off his shoulder and crashing into the door.

“Wow.” Logan commented, coming over to help him. “Home for less than a minute and you’re already trying to wreck the place.”

“Oh hush.” Finn said, dropping his bags and pulling Logan in by the waist. “Hello to you too.”

Logan grinned and went soft, leaning into Finn’s kiss. “How was Alex?”

They moved away from the door to the couch, Logan setting Finn’s bag aside to be dealt with later. 

“Good, Kase and Nat are going out to see him in a few days so he was all excited.” 

Logan laughed, kicking off his shoes to curl his feet under him. “Now that I get.”

Finn smiled and glanced around. “Where’s Leo?”

“He just had to pop out to the shop. We’re out of milk. He should be back soon though.”

Finn nodded, looking down at his hands, fiddling with his fingernails. “Hey Lo?”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking about… well what if… So like, you know Cap and Loops, right?”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “Our teammates? Yeah I think I’m vaguely familiar with them.”

Finn huffed, rolling his eyes. “Wow sassy. You know that’s not what I meant.”

Logan tilted his head to the side in acquiescence, letting Finn continue. 

“I want to be like them.” Finn said quickly. “Can we be like them?”

He watched Logan frown for a moment, trying to figure out the difference between Remus and Cap and them. “Wait,” He murmured, eyes meeting Finn’s. “Do you mean?”

Finn nodded. “Yeah. I think maybe we’re ready?”

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Leo coming in. 

“Hey Lo!” He said, without even looking around yet. “I got milk and that bread you like. Did Finn message you yet, he definitely should have landed by now.”

Leo reached the counter, putting the milk in the fridge before turning around and finally noticing the two boys in the room.

“I think his flight landed.” Logan said dryly, watching Leo take in Finn’s presence. 

“Hi baby.” Finn said, with a smile, truly grinning when Leo left the shopping bag half-empty and came over to kiss him hello instead. 

“Hi.” Leo said, slipping into the gap between his two boys. “I missed you.” 

Finn heard himself make a pleased noise as he leaned in to kiss Leo again. “Missed you too.”

“So,” Leo said as he pulled away, pulling Logan’s feet onto his lap. “What’re we talking about?”

Finn met Logan’s green eyes, pausing for a moment. “Um, I uh…”

Logan kicked his foot forward to nudge it against Finn’s thigh. “I got it Harzy.” He then turned to Leo. “We were thinking, maybe it’s time for us to come out? It’d be nice I think, not having to hide.”

Finn watched Leo carefully as the younger boy blinked in surprise before a small smile took over his face. 

“Yeah,” He breathed, looking between Logan and Finn. “Yeah that would be nice.” He bit his lip, looking smug and mischievous and Finn thought he might be falling in love all over again. “But I think we should have some fun first.”

****

Logan stumbled off the bus wearily - that four hour bus ride had just seemed to go on forever. Reporters stood outside the door to the hotel, despite the cold and the late hour but Logan leaned into Leo’s side anyways, Leo’s arm around his shoulder, Logan’s hand beneath his jacket. Photographers went wild, cameras shuttering quickly and Logan hid his smile in Leo’s jacket. This was going to be a whole lot of fun. 

****

Leo looked up as Marlene entered the locker room, glancing around to see who might be ready and available for an interview. Leo caught her eye and waved her over. 

“Hey Leo, how about a quick video for social media? I won’t keep you longer than five minutes.”

Leo smiled, he didn’t mind, this was all a part of their plan, the team and the rest of the staff had been made somewhat aware. Plus, he liked Marlene so he never had a problem with the interviews. “Sure.”

“Okay great!” She gave him a thumbs up as she started recording. “So, just last night, pictures of you and Logan Tremblay were released as you got off the bus - have you anything to say about them?”

Leo nodded, grinning. “Don’t forget James photobombing in the background. I think he was going for a ‘bunny ears’ effect but it ended up looking like he was doing it to Kasey instead. I think I need to get a copy framed.”

Marlene laughed, moving on. “So you and Logan are close then?”

Leo looked around the room comically. “What? You mean right now? Cause He’s in the PT room so a lot of the guys are closer.”

Marlene bit her lip, her eyes sparkling. “How do you feel about this game then?”

Leo sat back, finally going to answer a question honestly. “I’m feeling good. We’ve had a great start this season and I’m pretty confident.”

Marlene gave him another thumbs up and headed off to go chat to some of the other guys. A few stalls over, Finn met Leo’s eyes and blew him a kiss. 

*******

“The media seems to have calmed down a bit.” Logan commented as they all sat at home watching a movie. “Think it’s time for our next one?”

“Ooh, yes!” Finn enthused. “I call being in this one.”

Logan laughed and pulled out of the way so he could take a picture of Finn kissing Leo’s cheek, Leo’s face all scrunched up in a smile. 

“There you go, post it.”

Finn grinned, going to Instagram and putting up the picture with the caption ‘Days like this’ before tagging Leo for good measure. 

“That should entertain them for a couple of days.” He said, satisfied as he tossed his phone to another chair and leaned back into Logan’s warmth, kissing the spot just below his ear. 

“You and me next baby,”

****

Leo Knut and Finn O’Hara?

More than one couple in the Lion’s Den?

Knut cheating on Tremblay?

Logan laughed as he scrolled through the headlines and posts from fan accounts, taking screenshots of some of the art of them that had already begun to bubble up. Thomas was on the other side of him, watching a video of a fan analysing the teams interactions, trying to figure out who was actually in a relationship, laughing every few minutes. 

“Knutty,” Logan called, summoning Leo. “Look at this one.”

Leo took his phone and read the caption out loud. “Knut’s betrayal making Tremblay tremble?” He looked up and met Logan’s eyes, his face blank. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“I do!” Finn interrupted, coming up behind Logan and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “Okay Lo, you hold up the article, now someone take our picture please!”

Logan ginned and relaxed into Finn as James snapped them together before posting it to his own account. ‘Doesn’t seem to be trembling to me.”

****

“I’m gonna go get some coffee, do you guys wanna come?” Leo said, the three of them still lying in bed. Finn shook his head, still mostly asleep, but Logan perked up.

“From the café down the street?”

Leo nodded, laughing when Logan was up like a shot, pulling on his clothes. 

“We’ll bring you back some, okay sweetheart?” Leo said as he leaned over the bed once more to kiss Finn goodbye. Finn just nodded and burrowed deeper into the duvet. 

“Love you.” He mumbled and the two boys left him to his dreams, slipping out of the room quietly. 

They walked down the street, hand in hand, going mostly unnoticed by the public. It was still early and a Sunday, so there weren’t too many people up and about, but even those that were paid them very little attention. It was easy to forget, in moments like this, that they had entire fan pages dedicated to them and many days they weren’t even recognised on the street. 

They got their coffee and drank it there, holding hands over the table outside the front door, watching the people passing by and chatting idly. Leo thought he spotted someone taking a not-so-discreet picture of them, but they didn’t care. Logan went inside to grab Finn’s cup to go and Leo lounged in the sunshine for a moment, breathing in the cool, sharp air. 

He opened his eyes to find Logan standing over him, looking down amusedly. “D’accord, mon choupinet?"

Leo smiled and stood up, stretching lazily. “Oui.”

They came back home to Finn still in bed, and joined him under the covers while he sipped his coffee.

“Oh, look we’re back in the headlines.” Leo commented as he angled his phone for them both to see. A photo of Leo and Logan from just a half hour ago stared back at them, Logan laughing at something Leo had said. 

“That’s such a cute picture,” Finn noted, putting on his glasses to take a closer look. “You should save that.”

Knut and Tremblay reunited? No news yet on how O’Hara is taking this latest blow.

“O’Hara would be doing fantastic if he had another kind of blow.” Finn grumbled, then blushed when he realised he had spoken out loud. “I mean-”

“Oh, we know what you meant.” Logan said, taking the nearly empty coffee cup from Finn and setting it on the nightstand as Leo eased Finn back, slipping under the covers as Logan captured his lips. “And that can be arranged.”

****

“So when do you guys think you’ll let them know what’s actually happening?” Remus asked Leo as he helped the blond boy with his stretching. 

Leo bit his lip as he thought. “I don't know? Soon maybe though, because this is fun and all but I’m tired of being analysed all the time now. At least if we tell them the truth, they’ll be chasing after us for a couple of weeks but then it’ll all settle down and be nice and quiet again, you know?”

Remus nodded, smirking when Leo took a sharp intake of breath as he pushed his legs a little further apart. “Yeah for sure. It’ll be pure chaos for a bit, but then they’ll quickly move onto the next big thing, I promise.”

Leo nodded, a little lost in thought. “Yeah, I’m ready to have a bit of privacy again. I think I’ll say it to the boys tonight.”

Remus nodded and pushed Leo a little further, laughing when Leo cursed under his breath.

“Fuck, if I’m alive after all this that is.”

****

“Alright, we’re doing this so?” Logan confirmed, making sure everyone was in agreement. 

“Yup.” Leo said, popping the ‘p’.

“It’s time.” Finn confirmed as they all pulled up the same picture they had chosen to post - a photo of the three of them taken at a party at Dumo’s. Logan sitting in Leo’s lap, head tilted up as he kissed Finn who was handing them their drinks. 

“Captions ready?” Finn asked and the other two nodded.  “Okay. Three,”

“Two,” Leo said.

“One.” Logan breathed and they all clicked ‘post’ at the same time. 

The next day, all the headlines were their Instagram captions-

Leo and Logan.

Finn and Leo.

Logan and Finn.

(Three’s not a crowd).

[pufflezy]

Authors Note: Everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.

Comment down below if you would prefer to see Wolfstar or Sirius x Marlene in this fan fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter! xoxo

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CHAPTER FOUR: She’s Perfect

James’ POV:

I was sat on the couch in my new head common room, working on my Charms essay. It was quiet, until Lily came in. She walked into the common room, her beautiful, perfect red hair flowing over her shoulders, her amazing emerald eyes shining in the light.

“Hi.” I said smiling.

“Hello, James.” Lily replied, seductively, “I have something to tell you.”

“Ok. What is it?” I asked, as I sat up. She walked over to me and stood right in front of me, looking down at my face.

“I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for a while now, I just didn't know how to tell you.” She informed me. 

“Really?” I asked, shocked.

“Really! I want to be with you for the rest of my life, James Potter!” She said before leaning down and kissing me. 

It felt like heaven. I never wanted to let go of her. Her soft lips touching mine. Her hands in my hair. I never wanted it to be over. 

“Prongs?” I heard a voice say.

“James!”

“James! Would you stop making out with your pillow and get up?” I knew that voice. It was Sirius. Of course Sirius had to wake me from this amazing dream. This amazing dream where I was finally with Lily.

“What do you want?” I groaned, in my sleepy voice.

“Wake up! You were supposed to meet us for breakfast half an hour ago!” Sirius replied.

“Go away!” I said, throwing a pillow at him.

“Stop dreaming about Lily and get downstairs! We’re waiting for you.” 

“Why are you waiting for me?”

“We were gonna plan the first prank of the year, remember? We’ve already had two days of classes and no pranks! We need to do something big! And the weekend is the perfect time to figure it out.”

“Oh, fine! I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Ok. Make sure to give your pillow a kiss goodbye for me.” Sirius teased, before walking out of the room.

I got out of bed and got dressed before walking downstairs to join the boys. I was quite sad I overslept. The past two days of being back I had gotten to see sleepy Lily. Not that I hadn't seen her sleepy before. But this time it was right after she woke up. She had bed head and she was still in her cute little bunny pyjamas. She looked adorable. Of course there was also the grumpiness. Lily is definitely not a morning person. She can be quite irritable in the mornings. But she still looked adorable.

“Hey guys.” I said, as I walked over to the boys and sat on the couch.

“Hi.” Peter replied.

“So, you had another dream about Lily?” Remus asked, smirking. 

“Yes.” I sighed.

“You’ve got to get over her, mate!” Sirius said.

“It’s not that simple.” I replied, running my hand through my hair.

“Well, you’ve got to at least stop kissing your pillow. It’s just sad.” Sirius said.

“Haha!” I said, sarcastically.

“Maybe if you dated another girl you’d forget about Lily.” Remus suggested.

“Moony, that's a brilliant idea!” Sirius said, patting Remus on the back.

“I guess. But who?” I asked.

“Anyone. Prongs, any girl at this school would love to go out with you!” Remus said.

“Yeah, but, I don't really want to go out with any of them.” I replied.

“Why?” Peter asked.

“Because none of them are-”

“None of them are Lily. Yeah, yeah, we know.” Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m sorry, but no girl compares to Lily! She’s perfect!” I said.

“There are other girls, James. Maybe if you start dating, you’ll find another girl who you think is perfect.” Remus replied.

“No girl is as perfect as Lily.” I said, with a sad smile.

“Maybe not. But, Prongs, you can’t stay hung up on her forever!” Sirius said.

“I know, I know. If only she would like me back!” I replied.

“I think you’ve done all you can do, mate.” Sirius said.

“That’s not true! C’mon, you cant give up! You’re James bloody Potter! You can do anything!” Peter said.

“I don't know, Pete. Maybe I should just give up on Lily.” I replied, sadly. 

“No! You cant give up! I’m rooting for Lames!” Peter yelled.

“Lames?” I asked.

“Yeah, Lames.” Peter said, casually.

“What the bloody hell is Lames?” I asked him.

“It’s Lily and James put together. Lames!” Sirius explained.

“They made that up years ago!” Remus said, going back to his book.

“Lames? Lames. Wouldn't Jily be much better?” I said.

“No way! Lames for the win!” Peter yelled.

“Lames? What's that?” Marlene asked, as her, Alice, Hestia, and Lily walked in.

“Uhhh” Peter looked over at me, panicked.

“It’s a muggle term. Peter learned it in Muggle studies yesterday!” I said, quickly. 

“A muggle term? Lames is not a muggle term.” Lily laughed.

“Oh, uhh. Maybe I misheard what Professor Burbage said.” Peter replied.

“Yeah, probably.” Lily laughed again. Her laugh was so cute. It always made me smile, even when I was in the worst mood possible.

Marlene, Hestia, Alice, and Lily walked over and joined us on the couches. We sat around and talked for a while before Alice pulled out her Potions homework and started working on it with Remus. Soon enough, everyone was working on their homework.

“James, do you want to get started on the prefects schedule?” Lily asked me, about an hour after they joined us.

“Oh, sure.” I replied. Lily got up to grab the list of prefects and a piece of parchment from her desk. When she returned she sat next to me rather than across from me like she was before. 

Now that she was next to me her perfect scent was all around me. She smelt of strawberries and cinnamon. My favourite smell, by far. 

“So, I’m thinking that we take rounds on Wednesdays. Then the weekends would be free for studying and Quidditch. I think that we should make sure any prefects that are on a Quidditch team, have the weekends off.” Lily suggested.

“Hmm? Oh, uhh, yeah, sounds good.” I replied. Truth is, I didn't hear a word she said. I was trying to listen, but she was so close to me. Our legs were touching. Her scent was all around me. Her perfect lips, were too distracting.

“James, are you even listening?” Lily asked, annoyed.

“What? Yes, of course I am!” I said, running my hand through my hair.

“What day are we doing rounds on, then?” She asked me. She had that look on her face like ‘I'm about to prove you wrong’. 

“Umm, Saturdays?” I asked, hopefully. She sighed and I heard Sirius try to cover a laugh with a cough from behind me.

“James! You have to pay attention! We’re supposed to be making this schedule together!” She said, putting enthesis on ‘together’.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll pay attention now.” I said.

_____________________________________________________________

Lily’s POV:

“Ok, so the fifth year Ravenclaws want to do rounds together.” James stated, reading off the list to me.

“Ok, got that. We’ll put them in the early evening, every other Sunday.” I said, as I wrote it down on the schedule. 

“We’re gonna have to make a group of thee, unless someone does rounds alone. There’s an uneven number since I wasn't a prefect.” James said.

“Oh c’mon, James! Why do you have to screw everything up!” Hestia teased. James laughed.

“We’ll just have to make a group of three then. It’s not safe to do rounds alone.” I said as I continued writing stuff on the schedule.

“Ok.” James said. I could hear in his voice he wasn't fully paying attention. He had zoned out three more times since we started working on the schedule. It was really getting on my nerves.

“Remus, is there any day you’d prefer to do rounds on?” I asked.

“No, any days fine.” Remus said, smiling.

“Ok, I’ll put you on the evening shift every other Tuesday. James, who did we decide Remus was doing rounds with?” I asked.

James didn't answer. He must have zoned out again.

“James!” I said, turning to look at him. When I looked at him, I saw that he was already looking at me.

“Hmm, what?” He said, with wide eyes.

“Why cant you focus? We could have been done this by now if you just payed attention!” I said, annoyed.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I just keep getting distracted.” James said.

“By what?” I asked, getting more annoyed by the second.

“You.” He said smirking, “You look really adorable when you’re focused.” I didn't know what to say. I couldn't think of a witty comeback. I always had a witty comeback! I could hear the girls giggling from the other side of the coffee table. I could feel my face warming up. Why was it doing that?

Oh my god! I’m blushing! I have never, once in my life blushed at anything James Potter has said to me! What was happening?

I didn't know what to say. So I just looked down at the paper again so hopefully he wouldn't notice that I was blushing. I heard him laugh and then pick up the list again.

“The sixth year Hufflepuff, Jamie Straw,  wants to do rounds with seventh year Slytherin, Kate Pran.” James said.

“Ok.” I chocked out, writing that down on the schedule. Why was I acting like this? What was happening?

About twenty minutes later we had the schedule finished. Everyone else was just sat around talking and working on homework.

“Do you guys want to go get something to eat?” Marlene asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Alice said.

“I’ll come too.” I replied, as I stood up.

“Hestia?” Marlene asked.

“Sure.” Hestia said.

“You guys coming?” Alice asked the boys.

“No thanks. We’ve got some planning to do.” Sirius said.

“But I’m starving!” James whined. 

“Well then maybe you shouldn't have missed breakfast to make o-”

“Ok! Ok! I’ll stay!” James said, giving Sirius an angry look.

“Ok, well we’re gonna go.” Hestia said.

“Bye.” Remus said.

“Bye, guys.” Marlene replied as we walked out the door.

We went down to the Great Hall and sat in our usual spot in the middle of the Gryffindor table. Almost immediately after we got our food Marlene smirked at me. I knew what was coming although I was really hoping to avoid the subject. 

“You blushed!” Marlene said, excitedly.

“I did not!” I replied.

“You so did!” Alice said, giggling.

“I so did not!” I said, annoyed.

“Yes you did!” Hestia laughed.

“I did not!” I said, through gritted teeth.

“Stop denying it, Lils! You’re a red head, it’s so obvious when you blush and you were totally blushing!” Marlene replied, smiling.

“I don’t think I've ever seen you blush from something James has said before!” Alice said.

“Because I've never blushed at anything James has said! And never will!” I said, annoyed.

“You totally blushed.” Hestia replied, smirking.

“Do you like him or something?” Alice asked.

“Oh, that would be amazing! Could you imagine if they started dating?” Hestia said, smiling.

“Their kids would be gorgeous! Ou, can I be godmother?” Marlene asked.

“Guys! I do not like him and I am not having his children!” I said, sternly. 

“But, they would be so cute!” Hestia whined. I rolled my eyes and went back to my sandwich.

“You totally blushed.” Marlene said under her breath.

__________________________________________________________

Severus’ POV:

“I know, I know. We’ll figure it out, but we need to wait until people have settled in and we know how many there are in each house.” Mulciber said.

“Well there's none in Slytherin.” Avery replied, proudly. 

“Yes, I know, Avery! But that makes it harder for us to get to them.” Mulciber stated, annoyed.

“True. But we already know where one is. And it won’t be too hard to get her. I mean, she has her own dorm, its not like we can confuse her with anyone.” Macnair said, smirking.

“Very true. And she’ll be one of the first!” Mulciber replied, smiling.

Once the meeting was over, I decided to go for a walk. I had been sat in that dark corridor with them for hours.

I was walking down the corridor near the library when I saw her. It really isn't hard to miss her, with her fiery red hair, and bright emerald eyes and her perfect smile that could light up a room. 

“Hi, Lily.” I said, when I got close enough to her.

“Oh. Hi, Sev-erus.” Lily replied. 

“How was your summer?” I asked her.

“It was alright. I didn't really do much. I hung out with the girls and met Petunias new boyfriend.” 

“Petunia got a boyfriend?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah. He’s perfect for her! He’s rude, doesn't care about other peoples feelings, and hates me! Its a match made in heaven, really!”

“Yeah, sounds like it.” I laughed.

“So, how was your summer?” She asked, politely.

“It was fine. Moms been gone a lot lately, but I worked on some new potion recipes.” 

“Sorry about that. But the potion stuff sounds cool! Are you making your own potions or just changing some instructions on other potions?”

“A bit of both.”

“That's great. Maybe you could tell me about one of your potions some time.”

“Yeah, of course! As long as its just you. I don't really want to be sharing my potion inventions with your new friends.”

“My new friends?” 

“Yeah. Potter and his little gang.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. When did you become friends with them anyways? They’re jerks. Why do you even like them?”

“We became friends at the end of last year. And they are not jerks! They’re actually really nice people.” 

“They seem like jerks to me! Don’t you remember all the things they used to do? They were jerks to both of us!”

“Yes I remember! But they’re not jerks anymore. They've grown up, and so should you!” Lily said angrily before storming off.

“Well, great.” I muttered to myself before walking off in the other direction.

___________________________________________________________

James’ POV:

“Yeah, I saw it too. She was kind of flustered.” Remus agreed.

“She didn't even say anything! She always has some kind of comeback to get me to shut up and back off, but she didn't say anything!” I added, excitedly.

“Maybe she didn't want you to back off.” Sirius said, smirking.

“Maybe.” I said, smiling. “Did you see her blushing? She looked so cute. I’ve never seen her blush before!”

“Yes, we saw her blushing, Prongs.” Peter replied.

“I wanna see her blushing again!” I admitted.

“Then make her blush again.” Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

“Ok! I will! She looked so cute. But she always looks cute. She’s perfect” I gushed, as the boys rolled their eyes and went back to planning.

“She’s perfect.” I smiled to myself.

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Chapter five up now!