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thomasshelbydrabbles · 1 year

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Everything’s a Negotiation (8/?)

Pairing: Modern!Tommy Shelby x OC, Modern!Alfie Solomons x OC

Warnings: series typical violence, language, sexual situations, possessive behavior, consensual public sexual situations

Summary: Mac decides to take the train up north, per Sydney’s suggestion. What she hadn’t expected was company during the ride.

Word Count: 4039

A/N: Let me know if you would like added to the tag list.

Mac considered ordering a taxi to get her to the train station, but still thought her best chance of getting out of town unnoticed by the gangsters of London would be public transport. It wasn’t that she thought they couldn’t find her, but more her belief that they would be less likely to cause a scene on the tube. Leaving town mid-week meant slightly less foot traffic. No matter how many times they’d ridden the tube, Mac still found herself surprised that Zeus truly enjoyed it. There were always a lot of people for him to make friends with, even more smells for him to enjoy, but she had wondered if all of it would be a bit too much. He sat leaning against her legs as they rode the Northern line towards Euston station. A young girl with pigtails glanced up at her.

“Can I pet your doggie?”

Mac smiled, glanced up at the adult standing with the young girl. “He’s friendly, but it’s your choice.”

She watched the girl look pleadingly up at the woman. Mac smiled to herself because that’s exactly how Zeus looked at her when he wanted something, and since he always wanted something, it was the main expression on his furry little face. When the woman nodded her okay Mac smiled down at the girl and knelt down next to Zeus.

“This is Zeus,” she said as she scruffed his muzzle. “He loves to make friends. And if you pet here behind his ears, he’ll be your friend and might even try to lick your face.”

At Euston station, Mac waved goodbye to the young girl as she and Zeus made their way to the platform. She’d gotten good at navigating with the dog and her small roller bag, but she still had to deal with people knocking into her, grumbling until they saw Zeus. She found an uncrowded section of the station and pulled Zeus over to sit while she pulled up the ticket on her mobile. Walking towards the first-class cars, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Of course, she figured Tommy had some of his people watching her, but now she wondered if Alfie did, too. Were they to just watch and report, or would one of them try to stop her from boarding the train? Pulling Zeus in a bit closer, she hoped they’d leave her be. No need to start a scene at the train station, but she would.

“Ticket?”

She smiled as she showed the host her mobile.

“Pleasure to have you aboard today, Miss Theil. Can I help with your luggage?”

Mac nodded as she passed off her roller bag. She got Zeus settled into the car before setting up her laptop at a table near the window.

“Can I get you something to drink before we depart?”

“G&T, please.”

Just as the server left, Mac felt a wet tongue against her hand. Thinking it was Zeus demanding treats for his good behavior on public transport, she smiled before reaching down to scratch behind his ears. However, the fur beneath her hand did not belong to her dog.

“Well hello, sir,” she greeted the giant mut standing next to her, tail wagging. “Aren’t you just adorable?”

“Cyril, you fuckin’ menace come ‘ere.”

At the sound of Alfie’s voice, both Mac and Cyril looked to see him striding into the car. Adeline frowned as she shook her head. She’d been right that one of them would come find her. Since Alfie was the one on the train, she imagined it wouldn’t be long before whatever minions Tommy had tailing her would report back to him about this most recent development. Would he just show up when she got settled in Lancaster? Or maybe, he’d stew on it. Be waiting for her when she came back to London. Neither option pleased her.

“Seems the dog isn’t the only one who’s a menace,” Mac said as she stood from her seat.

Alfie grinned at her. She didn’t want to like the way he looked at her. She did. In fact, she found herself preening a bit under his gaze. The small smile on his face gave a youthful, almost playful air to him. She could almost feel the way his neatly trimmed beard would feel against her skin, the way his plump lips would linger on hers, teasing. Startling her from her daydream, one which, given the knowing look on Alfie’s face she’d been caught in, Zeus came trotting over, tongue hanging out as he moved to sniff at Cyril in greeting. The dogs seemed pleased enough with each other’s company and wandered off to the far side of the car to become the best of dog friends. Mac fought down the urge to call Zeus back to her side. The empty first-class car suddenly felt increasingly small. What was it about these men? Mac found it quite rude that they took up all the oxygen, all the space, as though forcing her to devote her entire focus to them.

Not that calling Zeus would have helped because Alfie swept her into his arms and captured her lips in a kiss before she’d really even come to terms with him being with her on the train. He was so warm. Like a heated blanket on a cold winter day. His hands spanned most of her back, his large fingers pressed into her, holding her tightly against his chest. She brought her hands up, intending to push him away, but instead, they wrapped around his neck, brushed along the nape of his neck, feeling the smooth, silky texture of his hair beneath her fingers. Since he’d taken all the oxygen with his presence, returning some to her was the least he could do. She sighed as she gave herself over to the feel of him, the way he ignited butterflies in her stomach. He, of course, took advantage of this and dipped his tongue into her mouth, chasing the taste of her.

The door to the car opened.

Her drink.

She broke the kiss, his arms stayed wrapped around her, keeping her close to his body. His hands settled on her hips, thumbs stroking along her hip teasingly. A blush bloomed on her cheeks as the host set her drink on the table. She tucked her face against Alfie’s neck, ignoring the way his body shook with silent laughter. Reaching down, she pinched his ass, which caused his whole body to sway forward against hers. The feel of his hard cock had her breath caught in her throat. Through the material of his slacks, through the fabric of her jeans, he still felt…impressive. Long and thick. She groaned as he rolled his hips forward again, teasing her. Testing her.

Alfie’s hands slid up her body, fingers grazing the side of her neck causing her to shiver. His hands cradled her face, thumbs caressed her jaw as he tilted her face up.

“What are you doing here, Alfie?”

“Innit obvious, pet? Thought me holding you in me arms and kissin’, yeah, kissin’ your gorgeous face would be a bit obvious, right?”

Given how her own arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and her lips still tingled from where his beard rubbed against her face when he’d kissed her, then yes, what he came here to do did seem fairly obvious. She still felt as though she’d wake up, find the train gliding along the tracks. Perhaps fan herself a bit, and then go back to her real life.

“Tell me you didn’t get on a train just to give me a kiss.”

Instead of answering, he lowered his face, connecting their lips again in a kiss that was slow, sensuous - as though he literally had all the time in the world to stand here on a train and kiss her senseless. Again, she fell into it, her body molding to his as her hands moved from his shoulders up to his hair. Her fingers sunk into it. The thick strands wrapped around her fingers as she tugged him closer to her. Her whole body fit in the shadow of his, his broad shoulders made her feel small, delicate.

This time it was Alfie who pulled back first. His fingers combed through her hair before tucking it behind her ear.

“My family, we’re bakers. Going back generations, baking bread. Brown bread, white bread…loaves and loaves of it. Now, that’s not all that interesting since many people, yeah, many people can bake bread, but what it does mean, pet, is that I’m good with me hands, right, very good with ‘em.”

As he spoke, Alfie moved around her body. His hands began kneading her shoulders, down her arms, around to the small of her back. A low moan passed her lips as he dug his fingers into her muscles, loosening them even as other parts of her tightened in response. She felt as much as heard his laugh along her spine, his breath warm on her neck.

“Know you’ve been feeling a bit of stress, a bit of stress these past few weeks, pet. Some of it caused by me and that’s bad, right, bad of me. So I’m here, right, I’m here to apologize for my behavior in your office,” Alfie whispered, his lips teasing along her neck.

“You always apologize like this?”

He chuckled, low, masculine - the sound had her vibrating. “No, pet. I don’t make it a habit of apologizin’. See, men in my line of work, right, my particular business, can’t be seen apologizin’ for things because it allows people to get ideas, see, stupid fuckin’ ideas about me, about my nature.”

Mac groaned as she arched like a cat under his hands. “And what exactly am I meant to understand about your nature, Alfie?”

“You, pet? I did not like the way we left things in your office, not a bit. I know it’s mostly my fault because I’m a man accustomed to things going the way I want them, see, and when they don’t, well…”

Alfie’s hands had moved back up to her shoulders. She could imagine him baking bread, could almost see him stood in the kitchen, apron around his waist, kneading the dough with his big hands. Her shoulders began to relax as he continued to weave a magic spell over her body.

“If the whole gangs of London thing don’t work out for you, I’d be your first customer at your massage place.”

“You forgive me, pet?”

Mac’s head rolled forward as Alfie’s thumbs dug into her trapezius. It wasn’t fair. She’d agree to anything right now, and…

With a great degree of reluctance, she slowly drew away from his hands, and turned to face him.

“Why are you here, Alfie?”

“Work for me.”

“No.”

Mac looked around the empty car, brow furrowed. “How is the car this empty? Not that I mind because that would have been quite a show for anyone who might have been in here, and I’m not about giving folks a free show. But it is odd.”

“Bought the whole car when I found out that you’d purchased a first-class ticket for yourself because I did not want us to be disturbed. We have business to discuss, pet, and I thought it best we be alone for it, yeah?”

“And all the bread-making you did when you walked in?”

Alfie smiled. Damn. She wanted to hate it. But. Just like Tommy that smile was her undoing. Made him seem like a friendly teddy bear. Of course, she knew both he and Tommy would bite, but she’d never been good at learning lessons the easy way. Given how flustered they both made her, she did find it a bit of a miracle that they both continued to be so keen on having her work for them. Certainly, the could go to another firm and find a woman who could refrain from becoming a needy ball of sexual tension.

“I told you, pet, that was an apology from me to you for my poor manners in your office. My words, right, they upset you that day, and I found myself not liking, right, not liking that my words had upset you.”

“Now that you’re done apologizing to me, you want me to work for you.”

“Yes.”

Mac reached for her G&T and took a long swallow. She grimaced because a lot of the ice had melted, and she hated how watery it had become. Still, she gulped it down like it might be the last drop of gin this side of the Atlantic.

“Are you and Tommy always like this?” Mac paused, brought a finger to her chin. “Although, I can’t imagine you make out with everyone you want to do business with. Both because I’d feel much less special and because that just seems like a lot of work for you. I’ve explained why it would be a foolish decision to work for either of you. Yet, both of you seem to think you can change my mind by seducing me, and while I’m flattered, and more than a bit overwhelmed, I value my business. As a businessman yourself, I’m sure you can understand my position.”

“I do understand.”

“Then what the fuck, Alfie?”

Her tone drew Zeus’ attention, and soon both dogs had trotted over to where they stood nose to nose. She felt Zeus lick her fingers and she reached down to scratch behind his ears. She wanted another drink. Actually, she wanted to sit down in that chair near the window, put in her earbuds and listen to her true crime, guilty pleasure, podcast.

“Write the contracts in your benefit, pet. You’re clever, and ruthless - I know what you took from Ollie that day,” Alfie said with a wink. “Write them up in such a way that it’s deleterious to either myself or Mister Shelby to betray each other.”

Mac knew her jaw had to be on the ground. He couldn’t possibly have just said that to her.

“What, like bloody primary school? I send you off to the corner when you decided you can’t share the crayons anymore?”

“A bit like that,” Alfie said slowly, his hand stroked his beard. “It is a bit like that, yeah. Because men like me and Thomas Shelby, right, we just can’t help ourselves, pet. And we need, we need someone to provide the boundaries. And in return we make you a wealthy woman, keep you safe.”

She laughed. A great involuntary sound. It had a manic note to it she thought appropriate for the situation, if a bit dramatic. “I swear it’s like you two read the same script. I don’t need money, Alfie. And if it weren’t for you both, I’d not need protecting.”

“Pet - ”

Mac held a hand up to stop whatever nonsense would come out of his mouth next and took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s pretend for a moment that I’ve gone mad, and I’m entertaining this ridiculous idea of yours. Let’s say I have my team of highly paid, very, very nasty barristers draw up a contract that gives you little worms no room to wriggle, one that makes me the queen of fucking everything you bastards own if you so much as glance at the other’s crayons with ill intent. I do that. I have it drawn up. Everyone signs in blood. Everyone’s happy. Until. Until one of you decides that happy is boring. Men like you, Alfie, men like Tommy - you just get bored, don’t you. Just exactly like bloody toddlers, and when you get bored, you break things. But, now, you’ve got this fancy contract that makes me the last man standing. So instead of breaking toys, you break me instead.”

She paused. Met his eyes. He had a good poker face. It wasn’t cold and aloof like Tommy. It was just vacant. Like he’d gone somewhere else in his mind.

“I know how that scenario ends, Alfie.”

“If,” Alfie began slowly. “If there came a time that Thomas and I decided our little agreement, right, our promise to each other, to you, no longer worked for us, right, by the time that happened, Thomas Shelby would be so in love with you that he’d not have you killed, pet. Couldn’t do it.”

Mac ignored the way her heart beat a bit faster at the thought of Tommy being in love with her. Given how he’d responded when Rodney had shown up to her flat, and the way he’d had Michael escort her immediately to him when all Hank had done was cause her a bit of emotional upset, she could see it. What startled her the most was realizing she could imagine herself loving him back. Veering sharply away from that line of thought, she instead focused on what Alfie didn’t say.

“And you, Mister Solomons? Would you be ‘so in love with me’ that you’d not have me killed?”

The silence hung between them. She couldn’t even be angry about it because she knew. He’d told her that day in her office. Forever wasn’t a promise Alfie Solomons could offer to her. Instead, she got massages and promises of Fabergé Eggs. Perhaps giving the order to see her killed would be difficult for him. Maybe he’d even consider a course of action that didn’t end with her lifeless body in a nice pine box. Yet she knew Alfie. At least, she knew the type. Business would come first. And in the end, when it all went tits up, that’s all she would be…a loose end that needed to be tied up. All in service of business.

She nodded. “I believe we have reached an impasse, Mister Solomons.”

“Perhaps not,” Alfie said.

Mac didn’t like the serious tone he used. So many thoughts flashed through her mind.

“Ollie, small thing that he is, found somethin’ useful. Not that he meant to, no. Hurt his feelings you did that day. He went lookin’ for somethin’ to use against you, but you’re good at your job, Miss Theil, very good at your job, yeah, so he couldn't find anything. Moped around like a child. For days. Like a fuckin’ child. Then, one day, he comes into me office excited as I’ve ever seen him, and he learned something about you, pet, about your family.”

Mac stiffened. Beside her, Zeus stood, moved to a guard position in front of her.

“None of that, pet. I’m not here to harm you, no. But your family, an uncle of yours I believe, goes by Hank, and what a fucking stupid name that is, but very Gentile, yes, very fucking Gentile that name, Hank. Well, it appears that he has recently made some business purchases that you might find interesting. Thames Security and Clover have been purchased, and see these names, pet, they seemed familiar. I’d seen them before on that nice list your office sent me the first time you told me no. Both companies were on the top of that list.”

Mac stumbled a bit. Alfie reached out and steadied her, hands warm on her skin. She wanted to push him away, but she didn’t want to fall on her ass, so she leaned into him. Felt his fingers card through her hair. Damn him. Damn them all. Why did it have to feel so good?

“He doesn’t have the capital for that kind of move,” Mac said as she pulled back. “He’s old money, but he relies on the reputation of that name, of the fucking gentry politics more than any sort of funding. He’s not broke, but those are large companies, strong companies. How the fuck did he get that kind of money?”

“Before you jump to conclusions because I know my actions might have you thinking foolishness, I didn’t give your uncle, right, I did not give that man any money. Not a bloody pence of my money went to him. Ollie dug up the court documents, right, the documents containing information about his atrocious behavior and the things that he said to you, the fucking words he spoke in a court of law about you. Ollie found those and gave them to me. I read them. Yes, I read them, and you are a good person, pet, a fucking good person for not having him killed for what he said, and for what he did to you, to your family.”

She couldn’t breathe. Zeus whimpered, nudged her with his nose. When had the walls gotten so close to her? Hadn’t there been windows in this car? Hank’s smug, bloated face hovered in front of her, little grin tugging his thin, mustached lips. Mac squeezed her eyes closed, but Hank only grew larger. There wasn’t enough air in the room. She couldn't feel the tips of her fingers. Couldn’t breathe.

Warm fingers on her face gently stroking her cheek. A broad hand on her chest. Her own hand pressed against a warm body. She could feel a steady thump, thump, thump beneath her fingers.

“Breathe with me, pet.”

She knew the voice. Knew it would keep her safe. She tried to do as he said. Kept her hand against his chest, took a breath in through her nose, released it through her mouth.

Blinking slowly, she forced her eyes open. Alfie knelt on the ground in front of her, eyes tracking her movements, concern etched into her face. She hated how weak her family made her. The panic attacks started when her uncle first brought the suit against her. They increased as litigation continued. Thankfully, she’d never had one in front of him. It was bad enough that both Tommy and now Alfie had seen her have one. She knew men like them shouldn't have this kind of power over her. As Alfie said, Tommy might grow to love her enough for it not to matter, but Alfie would always be a wild card.

“Give me a reason for him to keep breathing, pet. This uncle of yours deserves a shallow grave, pet, not worth wasting the work of a proper burial.”

“He’s not worth it.”

“Bollocks.”

Mac laughed. The noise startled her. Now, though she had a problem. Alfie had leverage. And now Hank was making moves that made little sense to her. This all might lead to her needing the protection Tommy and Alfie could offer to her firm. She doubted any respectable lender would front Hank the money, gentry or not. Even more so, she knew the owners of both companies. They had no reason to sell. She sighed.

“Birmingham New Street.”

She’d not noticed the chime for any of the other stops. In her defense, she’d been highly distracted by a man she figured practiced distracting folks daily.

“That’s me, pet. You’ve the rest of the ride to yourself. Bought the car out as far as Lancaster, so you’ll not be disturbed. I’ll ‘ave them bring you another drink, right, another one when I get me and Cyril off.”

She nodded mechanically.

“Think about my offer. Do your research, right, figure out what that worm of an uncle of yours is doing, yeah, and make a plan. Be clever.”

“I can’t exactly say thank you and mean it, but I’m glad I know now.”

Alfie nodded. “Fair enough, pet.”

He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. It didn’t so much feel like a goodbye, which is what she’d expected. Instead, it felt like a placeholder. As though he’d simply pressed pause on their…bread making.

When the door closed behind him, she fell heavily into the chair. Zeus sat near her feet, his head resting in her lap, eyes staring up at her. She scratched behind his ears.

“I have no idea what we’re going to do, buddy.”

The door opened again, and she just about expected to see Alfie again, maybe even Tommy. Thankfully, it was just the host carrying a tray with another G&T and a charcuterie board. Just as it was set down on the table near her, her stomach let out a loud growl. She chuckled to herself. Damn the gangsters in her life. Damn them all.

Master List

Tag List: @allie131313 @highgardenrosexx @stevie75 @polishcrazyone

#peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #Alfie Solomons #alfie solomons x oc #Tommy Shelby #thomas shelby x oc #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x oc

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allwaswell16 · 9 months

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- 2023 Fic Fest Participation -

Number of fests: 5

Number of fics: 8 out of 13

Favorite fest/fic: @louisrarepairfest because it's mine lol. I get so excited not only to write for it, but of course, to read all the fics that get written for it. It feels like the greatest gift ever! I ended up writing 3 fics for my fest this year. My fav of those is probably: One

Fests you would love to do again this year (if they come back): Obvs @louisrarepairfest and the newly reformed @1domegaverseficfest

Tagging: @voulezloux @enchantedlandcoffee @letthemusicmoveyou28 @justanothershadeofblue @nouies and anyone who wants to do this, just say I tagged you!

Fics & thoughts under the cut

Do You See What I See for @faithinthefutureficfest

T, 2k, Louis/Harry | vet Louis, humor, stray animals

I don't know what to say for myself here. I had already signed up for another song for this fest, but this one didn't have anyone signed up for it so I said I'd write a second fic for the fest. I apologize to SIBWAWC for writing the silliest fic ever for it. I have so so so enjoyed the comment section for this though hahahahaha! Loved everyone's screaming :)

Bitter Ends Turn Sweet for @faithinthefutureficfest

E, 30k, Louis/Harry | songfic, famous/not famous

Well, this is the fic I actually meant to write for this fest lol. The first time I listened to Chicago I was at an 11 waiting to hear what it sounded like and as I listened this whole story appeared in my head. And I was just like...nah, not gonna write a long kid fic, am I? Turns out I did.

All This Time for Knot in my Name (multi-fandom event)

T, 1k, Louis/Harry | omegaverse, flower shop

So this has a complicated backstory that I won't get into lol, but I noticed this event happening to counteract AI and was like ohhh that's very cool and when I went to the collection I saw @louisthiccsexyglitteryass already had fics there and I was like ooh there are already 1D fics there? So then I felt comfortable joining in, too!

On That Note for a defunct fest that is now @1domegaverseficfest

E, 6k, Louis/Harry | omegaverse, office au, epistolary

Someone suggested a prompt based on a Reddit post that I liked about co-workers who only spoke through random notes on their Dropbox folders. And I saw a post on Tumblr about feral omegas and so I put those things together for this. And I really loved the omega friendships in this one. And it was fun to write the little notes that went back and forth between Harry and Louis.

Ace of Hearts for @sevenseasofharryandlouis

E, 10k, Louis/Harry | pirates, sequel

I had been saying I would write the sequel for Ace of Spades for a YEAR when I saw this fest and asked if I could join way after sign ups closed because 1) it fit the theme and 2) a deadline was the only way it was going to get written lol

Crush for @louisrarepairfest

T, 1k, Niall/Louis | co-workers, office

I decided I wanted to write rare pairs I hadn't ever written before and Nouis just felt right for the prompt. I found the prompt on Tumblr about how some office himbos tried to cheer up their co-worker who had just been dumped by her boyfriend. And they thought maybe mac & cheese would help.

Daydream for @louisrarepairfest

T, 2k, Zayn/Louis | girl direction, coffee shop

Another rare pair I'd never written AND I'd never written girl direction before. I got the prompt from a fic I read in another fandom about two strangers who see each other at the coffee shop everyday and what happens after one of them doesn't show up one day. But then I started writing and it all got chaotic and a bit different than that prompt lol. I think it turned out really fun though!

One for @louisrarepairfest

E, 4k, Louis/Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders)

SO. Obviously a v rare rare pair. BUT I had been wanting to write Louis/Cillian Murphy for years and couldn't figure out the right story for it. And finally it occurred to me that what I wanted to write was Louis/Cillian's character on Peaky Blinders lol. And then it all fell into place. I really enjoyed writing this as a historical Peaky Blinders fic and playing around with the structure a bit which is why the title is One. You follow Louis from the start, then one month later, then one week later, then one day later, then one hour later...and it actually really worked!

#tag things #my fics #2024fics

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c1tyhaunts · 9 months

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STATISTICAL CHARACTER PERSONALITY TEST. take the linked quiz from the perspective of your character, then select 5 - 10 results from the complete matches list that you feel resonate with your character the most.

Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights) - 85%

Mark (The Room) - 83%

Adam Groff (Sex Education) - 80%

Denver (Money Heist) - 79%

Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead) - 79%

Arthur Shelby (Peaky Blinders): 78%

Billy Butcher (The Boys) - 77%

Mac (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia): - 73%

Tyler Durden (Fight Club): - 70%

stolen from: @dynamoprotocol <3 tagging: you

#▶⌜ch. richard fritz / jacket⌟#▶⌜richard fritz / jacket. lore⌟#Y'ALL... THIS ONE WAS WILD #WE GOT BENDER FROM FUTURAMA ON THIS LIST???#SHREK????#HOMER FUCKING SIMPSON #my boy has main character syndrome and it tracks #▶⌜richard fritz / jacket. musings⌟

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dogmetaph0r · 8 months

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Canis Vulgaris: A "Sic 'Em" Playlist

"Of course you must learn to love, to love always and love entirely and to be wounded by nothing so much as the violence of your own love."

- Andrew Kane, How To Be A Dog

A/N: Tadaaa! This is going to be somewhat of an ongoing project as Sic 'Em evolves and as I find more music (one of the benefits of a music-friendly workplace is that spotify is always giving me new material lollll). I've categorized each song by what it mainly connects to and tried to organize them in a roughly chronological order to show how everything has developed over time.

Song list below:

Characters

Florence-Maria Lee

Sisters - Saint Motel

My Kind Of Woman - Mac DeMarco

$20 - Boygenius

Ophelia - The Lumineers

This Woman’s Work - Lady Maisery

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

Gap In The Clouds - Yellow Days

Baby I’m Yours - Cass Elliot

Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift

Samuel Lovell

Youth - Daughter

Blackbird - The Beatles

Saint Bernard - Lincoln

Northern Attitude - Noah Kahan

Gale Song - The Lumineers

West Coast - Lana Del Rey

It’s Called: Freefall - Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Army Dreamers - Kate Bush

Relationships

Sam Lovell x Florence-Maria Lee

Lay Me Down (cover) - Hozier

Bruno Is Orange - Hop Along

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Work Song - Hozier

See You Again (alt. intro) - Tyler the Creator

A Pearl - Mitski

Anything - Adrianne Lenker

Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Rey

Vampire Empire - Big Thief

Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac

I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski

All The Burning Lovers - Isaac Gracie

Samson - Regina Spektor

In The Kitchen - Renée Rapp

A House In Nebraska - Ethel Cain

Lay Me Down - Sam Smith

Sam Lovell x Thomas Shelby

Satanist - Boygenius

It's Only Sex - Car Seat Headrest

One Of Your Girls - Troye Sivan

Caroline, Please Kill Me - Coma Cinema

Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long (cover) - Light Sleeper

Jealous - Labrinth

To Someone From A Warm Climate - Hozier

Papa Was A Rodeo - The Magnetic Fields

Sober To Death - Car Seat Headrest

Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin - The Magnetic Fields

Moon Song - Phoebe Bridgers

Doomsday - Lizzie McAlpine

Me and the Devil - Soap&Skin

I’m Your Man - Mitski

Burning Hill - Mitski

Midnight Doomer Cruise - Any Two Words

I Will - Mitski

Story

Chapter 1: Fetch

De Selby (Part 1) - Hozier

Chapter 2: Speak

De Selby (Part 2) - Hozier

The Distance - Cake

D is for Dangerous - Arctic Monkeys

#music #fic: sic em #oc: samuel lovell #oc: florence maria lee #peaky blinders #peaky blinders oc #idek what to tag these posts with. how does this work

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thematthewscrew · 5 months

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“The food was amazing!! Ethan loves the mac and cheese and the caprese salad was so good! Eve when’s your cookbook coming out? 😄”

Thank you both! You’re way too kind 🥹. I’m so happy that the kids enjoyed the food too! I don’t think I’m good enough for a cookbook but I can send you my recipes! 😊

Yes please I'll take all the recipes! ☺️ the girls enjoyed themselves so much!-Shelby

@mayabrazton

@jilibrd

#themattewsfamily #shelbymatthews #askthematthews #eveanon #colinmatthews

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mvnvgedmischief · 6 months

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evergreen

tags: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Lesbian Marlene McKinnon, Butch Marlene McKinnon, femme dorcas meadowes, Butch/Femme, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - no Wizarding War, No War AU, Period-Typical Homophobia, 1980s, Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), mechanic marlene mckinnon, Healer Dorcas Meadowes, marlene has a lesbian posse that she hangs out with, one of whom took her in when she ran away dorcas and friends have all felt pretty abandoned by her, there is indeed some gay s*x

summary: Marlene Mckinnon used to be one of the most promising witches at Hogwarts. she used to have friends, she used to have dreams, she used to have a lot of things, but none of those things were authentic. Running away seemed like the only option, so that was what she did. She built a life in muggle London, with friends who cared about her, a job that fulfilled her, and found herself. She found a way to express herself, and her butchness, without fear of whispers and hexes, and without fear of her friends finding out. Now, seven years later, everything has changed. But her world was about to shift once more, when she found a familiar, beautiful, stranger out one night with her friends.

words: 16,411 chapters: 4/16

this is a butch/femme fic predominantly from marlene’s perspective! this is a no war au, in which marlene has become a muggle mechanic. she has a muggle friend group, and has integrated herself into muggle life, after running away seven years ago in the midst of her final year at hogwarts. dorcas is a healer at st mungo’s, living a life without her best friend for seven years. how will things change when marlene’s past confronts her, and the two lives collide?

read it on ao3 here!

On her way home, Marlene felt like she was floating. She had no idea how she had ended up here, but she was so excited to be in this position, rekindling any kind of relationship with Dorcas. The only thing she didn’t know was how to actually navigate it. This was where she tended to defer to Mac. She didn’t always know how to deal with people who weren’t her inner circle. This confusion felt like a more pleasant version of what she had gone through with Shelby three years earlier. Shelby was definitely not on her shortlist of people to discuss this with, for fear of having to face one too many of her previous shortfalls.

Shelby. Shelby was once in the same position Dorcas found herself in the other night, a beautiful stranger who caught Marlne’s eye. She was a baby then, not knowing all of the subtleties of how a femme courts a butch, and vice versa. But then again, ten months into dating, Shelby found out she didn’t know them either, because she realized that her presentation was fitting her like a dress that was too tight. Marlene loved butches, but not the way Shelby did. Shelby was Marlene’s first experience with someone who was butch for butch in her personal life. She had seen it in the Gateway, she knew that was a predilection some lesbians had, but she had never met anyone who felt that way. But as Shelby changed the way she walked through the world, their relationship evolved from partners to best friends. Shelby became Marlene’s first baby butch, they spent nights sharing the secrets of their respective objects of affection. Mac taught Marlene how to be butch, but in many ways, Shelby taught Marlene how to love a femme. Right now, she was thankful for the training.

I missed you. The words rang in Marlene’s ears her entire way home. Sure, she could have apperated home. But the walk in the fresh air would do her well. Plus, if she was honest, she wanted to walk by the river, to just think. It was hard for her to figure out how to make this work if it even could. Reintegrating Dorcas into her life was going to be difficult if it was even something she wanted. It felt unfair to her, the way her heart skipped a beat in her chest when she thought about the way Cas twirled her hair around her fingers or the way the sun caught her eyes. She remembered the way it felt to fall deeply into those deep brown eyes, to focus on the little glints of gold that were the purest form of magic. How would she be able to handle this, to explain the way that Cas pulled her in like a gravitational force? Mac would want to know everything. How would she explain? She was lucky for the way no one asked questions. But Cas was an unknown. There was no story that Marlene could come up with that explained how they knew each other and didn’t expose her.

She arrived at her home, seeing yet another letter from Dorcas, and an owl sitting on her window sill. God, Dorcas was going to need to get a landline if they were going to keep talking. Either that or Dorcas would need to start begging James and Sirius for their two-way mirrors so she could talk to this bloke she fancied. She wondered if Dorcas would do either of those things or find her way of communicating with a bit less intensity than by owl.

When will I see you again? I really would love to see you.

♡ Dorcas

Marlene smiled softly as she read over the letter, grabbing a pen to scrawl out a reply. Her chicken scratch handwriting hadn’t changed much since they last saw each other, and she hoped that it would bring Dorcas the same level of nostalgic joy as the woman’s bubble letters brought Marlene.

Cas,

I’d love to take you on a proper muggle date. I could do tomorrow night? I have work but after?

♡ Mckinnon

Marlene lit a few scented candles in her home and put on No Need to Argue. Perhaps Marlene’s love of the Cranberries was influenced by her memories of dancing with Dorcas and a bottle of fire whiskey in her youth, listening to whatever music the Gryffindor boys brought back to the dorm. She remembered the way that Sirius and Lily would make fun of her for bringing the enemy into their quarters. Dorcas was so carefree in those days, and Marlene had always been so jealous. She wished she felt like she fit in the way that Dorcas always had. Now she knew that Dorcas must have felt out of place, at least sometimes, but that envy of her youth had burned for a long time.

Even now, she felt some of it. Cas had found a way to hide in plain sight. Marlene could never achieve that. Not when it came with so many compromises she had no way of achieving. Skirts were just one part of the pathetic equation. Worse still were the lies, which stacked up around her like bills and broken hearts. She didn’t know how to keep up with lying about everything. Perhaps that was the biggest reason she ran. It was one thing to pretend she had a crush on a bloke. It was completely another to hold back from Cas, and even more heart-wrenching was pretending that her skin didn’t crawl with her uniform, or her reflection didn’t look like someone she recognized. She had the opportunity to look in the Mirror of Erised once in her days at Hogwarts, but she couldn’t, because she already knew what she would see. She would see herself, in men’s dress robes, with a cropped haircut and a lust for life. That would have been all the more heartbreaking.

The owl returned from its trip to wizarding London shortly, as Marlene made herself dinner. She wanted so badly for this to be a normal situation, where she could call Dorcas on her landline, instead of doing something as asinine as sending letters back and forth across the city. She knew that there was a time she would’ve held on to all of these letters, exemplified by a small, unassuming pewter box in her closet full of letters that were sent to her repeatedly in her time integrating herself into muggle London. She wondered how Dorcas had even gotten those letters to her; they didn’t come by owl, so she wasn’t sure how they arrived. Maybe someday she’d ask about the letters she re-read over and over, never responding to Dorcas’s desperate pleas to find her.

Marls,

What’s a proper muggle date even entail? We could just do a night out at the Green Dragon! I’m sure everyone would be excited to see you, plus we always talked about going out there.

I really think you should consider seeing everyone. We can pretend that you know whatever bloke they think i’m trying to see. No one’s gonna ask you anything.

Dorcas

Marlene needed to shower off the day. She was tired of feeling the discomfort of the grime of central London, and the grime of her shop. She knew she should have showered before she went to the Leaky Cauldron if she didn’t want to feel this way, but she also didn’t want to keep Dorcas waiting. So instead, she had rushed out to meet Dorcas, with grease trapped under her fingernails and a less than stellar outfit of a jumper and trousers. Washing the day off of her was exactly what she needed. What she hadn’t needed, or at least hadn’t expected, was to hear the loud CRACK of apparition into her living room. She wasn’t sure who it could be, but she had never wished that her wand was in her hand more than now. Her heart dropped. Had someone seen her today? Had someone followed her home? She couldn’t help the way she nervously clutched her towel, and slowly opened the door.

“Marlene?”

Dorcas’s voice rang through Marlene’s one-bedroom flat, and Marlene felt herself relax just slightly. “Cas,” She called out from the bathroom, before opening the door. There, in the center of her living room, was Dorcas. She watched the look of confusion evolve into a look of embarrassment. “Shit, Marls I–“

“You can’t just apparate into my flat, Cas.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just–“

“I’m gonna run and get changed first, Cas.” Marlene grins wryly, “Unless you want to come.” She chuckled, correctly anticipating the other woman wouldn’t follow. She pulled out her usual uniform of boxers, men’s denim, too tight jogbra, and a white t-shirt. Marlene had a strong handle on the way she wanted to look. She tried desperately to flatten her chest if only to maintain some level of safety. She wore men’s denim, that sat low on her hips, held up by a brown leather belt, with a cuff at the ankles. Walking through the world, in this gray area between masculine and feminine felt right. It felt safe. She shook out her hair like a dog, before making her way back to the living room. It appeared that Cas’s embarrassment still had yet to subside.

“I didn’t mean to show up while you were in the shower,” Cas offers, bright brown eyes crinkling at the corners in a combination of humor and embarrassment.

“I know Cas,” She chuckles, “You would’ve mentioned that in one of the owls if you had meant to join me in the shower.”

“I just wanted to know what you meant in your letter.” She explained, taking a look around the room, “ This is your flat?”

“Yeah, Cas. This is where I live. You got a problem?”

“No it’s just –“ Marlene watched as whatever Dorcas had wanted to say died in her throat. It was interesting, that there was a time when Marlene knew exactly what Dorcas was going to say before she said it. However, that time had long since passed. She had no idea what Dorcas was thinking right now, she only wondered how she was going to navigate this conversation without embarrassing herself any further than she already had.

“It looks like your dorm,” Cas explained, taking a step closer to the other woman. “It looks like you. There are things here that I don’t understand or recognize, but it looks like you.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been imagining what my flat looks like for the last seven years!” Marlene interjected, trying to make light of the situation. She was just so uncomfortable with everything. Namely, she was uncomfortable with how desperately she wanted to take a step forward and close the distance between them. She felt uncomfortable with how exposed she felt, and she felt exposed because she didn’t know if Dorcas wanted the same things she did.

Cas, on the other hand, was feeling just as desperate. She desperately wished she could push Marlene down on the couch, climb into her lap, and crush their lips together in a passionate kiss. It didn’t entirely matter what she wanted. Courting a butch was a delicate dance, and she had to make sure she hit all of the steps. Or else, this delicate dynamic could fall apart. Cas was new to conducting herself through these dances. She knew how to court a butch for a night, but she didn’t know how to handle anything deeper than a few sexual encounters. It wasn’t like the wizarding world was crawling with butches, and it wasn’t like Cas could open up to muggles for anything emotional. For once, she was talking to someone she feasibly could have a future with. The fact that the butch in question was her Marlene, was icing on the cake.

“Maybe,” Dorcas responded, sly smile crossing her face, “Or maybe I’ve just been imagining for the last few days, wondering when I’d end up in your bed.”

Oh. That was bold. Marlene was caught off guard by the boldness, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy it. She liked that Dorcas wanted to be bold, she wanted Marlene to know she was wanted. It was a feeling Marlene was not used to. She was used to being the pursuer, and the subtlety and coyness of a femme being pursued She enjoyed that Cas didn’t want to just be pursued, she wanted to drive Marlene wild.

Cas took a step towards Marlene, bridging the gap between them just a bit more. “There are lots of things that I think about you, Marls.” Marlene followed in suit, taking a step closer to the other woman. She could cut the tension between them with a knife if she wanted, a deep desire tying them together. She leaned down, connecting their lips hungrily. The kiss was desperate and dirty and pure and loving all at once, and Marlene couldn’t put her finger on why Cas drove her so crazy. But she felt as though Cas was feeling just as desperate about her feelings.

“You should tell me about those things, sometime,” Marlene responded, pulling away from Cas with a grin.

“Take me out first.”

“I’m trying, you wanker!” She chuckled, “Can I please take you on a proper muggle date?”

“What does that mean?” Cas responded, her eyes bright with her curiosity.

“Let me take you to dinner, I’ll shine up properly, and we can go to the gateway afterward.”

“Sure,” Cas responded, a bright smile crossing her face, “But only if you let me take you out for a proper date in Diagon Alley.”

“Cas,” Marlene sighed, “I don’t want to see everyone. I’m not ready.”

“But–“

“Cas.” She cut her off with a shake of her head, “I get it. But maybe we could go on a few dates before you try to reintroduce me to the fold.”

“ Whatever,” Cas sighed, “but you better get dressed if you want to leave the house at all.”

Marlene couldn’t lie, the electricity crackling between them made it all the more difficult to want to leave. But especially given that Cassie was trying to bring her back into the fold, Marlene was nervous. Her skin felt like it was on fire, but she needed to cool down. She needed it desperately, if she was honest because she didn’t want to freak out.

“What do you mean whatever?” She responded, knowing it was a bad idea. Should she be taking a step closer, when all she had was a towel wrapped around her? No, probably not. Should she be starting a fight? Definitely not.

“I mean it’s fucking moronic that you won’t just come out and see everyone,” Cas responded, looping an arm around Marlene’s neck. “And I mean it shouldn’t be so hot that you’re so stubborn.”

The blonde leaned down placing a fierce kiss on Cas’s lips. It was unfair for her to be so angry and so in her element. This was a dance she knew. Maybe it was because she always liked them feisty and angry. She remembered the last femme she got into like this. All gnashing teeth and crackling fire underneath her skin. Her calloused fingers brushed under Cassie’s chin, pulling her even deeper to the kiss.

Marlene pulled away just as soon as Cassie seemed distracted, “Drop it, Cas.” Then she was pressing kisses just so along her neck. Theoretically, this would work. She couldn’t guarantee it or anything, but she wasn’t exactly new to this rodeo. Before (or after, really, who was to say) there was Cas, and there was Trish. Trish was the last femme that Marlene had cruised in Gateway.

For a short eight and a half weeks, they argued, fucked, argued again, fucked again, and did the run around several times over. She and Trish didn’t like each other, for some bullshit reason. If Marlene looked at it objectively, it was petty. They argued because she had beaten Trish one too many times at the pool, and Trish had respectively done the same one too many times in darts. Then there was the touchy subject of Lou. Trish and Lou had some kind of past that didn’t end well. Lou, being one of Marlene’s best friends, added fuel to the fire. So they argued, they did one of many dances that butches and femmes do. A reverence and anger at play within their fingertips. That wasn’t personal for Marlene, but this was. She was starting to understand what Trish must have felt like, playing cat and mouse with Marlene. Because here she was, playing it again, but feeling so much more invested in it.

“No–” A breathless giggle, “But seriously, McKinnon,” Cassie grinned, pulling away from the kisses Marlene was lining down her neck.

“It would be so fun to have everyone together again.”

T hat hadn’t worked. Gone was Marlene’s desire to pull Cass’s clothes off, painfully slowly just to watch the other woman squirm. Well, maybe not entirely. Instead, it was replaced with a somewhat indignant frustration that ran right through her. Damn how much the butch wanted her, it didn’t change her irritation.

“Do you want to have this out right now?” Her tone was pointed, but she continued her path from Cass’s collarbone to the hollow space behind her ear.

“What’s that supposed to—“ A short gasp, “mean?”

Bingo! If nothing else, she was distracting from the conversation. She felt the gasps from the femme stir something within her core. Fuck, holding back kept getting harder.

“It means stop riding my dick,” She responded, her tone full of venom. Teeth grazed over the Cas’s earlobe, “unless you want to ride my dick.”

“Who said I didn’t?” That made the wetness in her boxers just that much harder to ignore. “I just think you’re being a knob about it.”

Now was Dorcas’s turn to lead in this dance. One hand slipped under the hem of Marlene’s shirt, the other tangling in the short hair at the nape of Marlene’s neck and pulling her into another kiss. Cass’s teeth pulled lightly on her lower lip, which drove Marlene crazy. It made her dizzy, and overwhelmed her. Cassie’s sharp fingernails ran up her torso, practically inviting Marlene to want her more.

How fragile was this exchange of passion and anger? With a swift shift in perspective, the whole thing would fall apart. Yet here was Cas, stripping her down to basic desire bit by bit, with the slightest move of her hands.

Cas’s fingers dragged back down the expanse of skin beneath her bra hooking onto the waistband of her boxers. Fuck, Marlene wanted her. Her desire fueled her just as much as her aggression, but right now the only thing she could do was think about how much she needed this. Maybe she could blow off some steam and finally relax.

Her calloused hands slid up Cas’s smooth upper thighs, sliding beneath her tiny pleated skirt. When her fingers met the soft lace at her hip, Marlene suppressed a shudder. She was overcome by how much she wantwantwantwanted this. She needed Cas and needed her now.

“We’re never going to make it out of here if you don’t stop.”

“Who said I wanted to, Cassie?” Marlene offered up a wry smile, dragging her fingers painfully slowly down the seam of Cas’s underwear, “what I want is for you to stop talking.”

Marlene pushed Cas back towards the bedroom, her skin on fire with desire. In an instant, Cas was pushed back on the bed, with Marlene leaning over her. Looking down at the other woman, seeing the expanse of cleavage exposed by the small strap of her tank top sliding off of her shoulder, was enough to drive her crazy. She felt another pang of need in her boxers, desperate to move even closer and to satisfy the hunger within her.

Seeing Cassie below her was quickly proving to be too enticing, and she was full of desperation. “Fuck,” Marlene mumbled, sliding her hands under the tank top, and across the femme’s smooth skin. “Off,” she groaned, sliding the garment up and over Cassie’s head. She had half a mind to just rip the femme’s clothes of her body, but they’d never make it out if she did that.

Cas’s perfectly manicured fingernails met the waistband of Marlene's jeans, fumbling with the buttons until she could slide them off. Her bright brown eyes met Marlene’s with wanton need and an ashamed desperation. God, she was so hot with her desperation. In an instant, Marlene was slipping out of them, and reattaching her lips to Cas’s neck. She wanted to hear the breathless, guttural desire the femme had for her.

“Please,” the femme whimpered, eyes fluttering and lower lip working between her lips. “Tease me,” The statement made her boxers even more sticky with her desire. It was like Cas’s voice was echoing in the throbbing of her clit.

The blonde straddled her thigh, and flipped her pleated skirt up, out of her way. Beneath it was a sheer, tiny thong, that made Marlene impossibly hornier. She wanted that thong ruined by the end of this, so Cas had no choice but to wear her boxers or nothing at all beneath her tiny skirt. A calloused finger dragged slowly up the soaked fabric, pressure barely there, to tease the other woman. “Fuck,” Marlene mumbled, watching Cas’s back arch with her desperation.

“What?” The femme responded, her voice tinged with just a bit of shame. It was hot, and Marlene wanted her to know it.

“You’re so wet for me,” Marlene replied, grinning wolfishly at the femme. She ground her hips down against Cas’s hard thighs and let out a bit of a shudder as if to say nothing to be ashamed of.

“I’ve been thinking about this all week,” Cas mumbled, burying her face in Marlene’s neck and pressing delicate kisses there. Marlene could feel the heat of Cas’s flushed face against her skin, and it made her all the more desperate.

“Please touch me,” She whispered, hips bucking up into Marlene’s hand unconsciously. It was like the femme had lost control, and was begging for Marlene to do whatever she wanted to her. This was something she could get used to.

Marlene slipped her hands under the soft lace on Cassie’s hips and pulled down, trying to hold back from just ripping the thong off. Long calloused fingers met the wetness between the femme's thighs, and they were matched with their satisfied sighs.

Cassie had been dreaming about this since she had kissed Marlene in the bar. At the time, she had no idea Marlene was the butch in her dreams, but here, with Marlene playing her like an instrument. She felt overwhelmed by her desire, combined with just how good this felt. Her open-mouthed breaths combined with her eyes rolling back in her head gave away just how badly she needed this release. Her desperation and her desire were on display, and the hunger for Marlene was palpable between them. “Fuck, baby,” She mumbled, “I– it– it feels so good,” she stuttered.

God, that went straight to her boxers. Her fingers slipped into Cassie effortlessly, her thumb pressed up against her clit. She circled the bud easily, pumping her fingers in and out at a stable rhythm, Her fingers curved just so, to make sure she was pressing up against the spot that made Cassie stutted. She knew she could have pulled out the strap, could’ve strapped up like the champion butch she is, but she didn’t have the time to pull it from her nightstand with Cassie’s desperation. She couldn’t make the femme wait when she was practically drooling with desperation. She picked up her rhythm, feeling Cassie clench around her. How had Cassie been able to even focus and function, when clearly this had been everything that she needed? She was distracted by the swell of the other woman’s chest, her free hand sliding up to knead and pull at the femmes tits.

She could barely focus on anything but her need to satisfy the femme beneath her. Her brain buzzed with each of Cassie’s moans, and she wanted desperately to push Cassie to the finish. She didn’t have to wait long before the femme was moaning and crying out hushed pleas and clenching around her. “Fuck, I’m going to– I need to–”

“Finish for me,” the butch whispered, her voice husky and full of gravel in Cassie’s ear. The command was enough for Cas, and she was falling apart, pliant and thoughtless under Marlene. Watching her eyes roll back in her head, hearing her need in her moans was enough for the butch, and she was drinking up Cassie’s attention like it was water.

Cas was thoroughly fucked out, and Marlene could tell. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was moving as though she was submerged in honey. It was an ego boost for Marlene, if she was honest. It was good for her pride to be the sole reason for Cas’s thoroughly satisfied smile. She spent so long just floating through life, falling into bed with the prettiest femme she could find, fixing cars, and pretending she didn’t miss anything she had left behind. She went out for beers with her friends, she worked every day until four, and she toiled on her own fixer-upper bike project. But she didn’t forget about any of it. Cas was proving to be an excellent change of pace.

“Can I–” Cas slurred, looking up at Marlene expectantly. She was trying to ask Marlene if she wanted her to return the favor, to slide her perfectly manicured hands into the butch’s boxers. Unfortunately for Marlene, as horny as she was, she could tell Cassie could barely string together a sentence. On top of that, for as fun as fucking Cas’s brains out had been, she didn’t actually trust Cassie to do the same. She didn’t feel like taking part in such intimacy, when she wasn’t sure that this was actually a sustainable friendship, let alone something more than that. She wasn’t super comfortable being emotionally vulnerable. So instead, she could finish this up under the hot water of her shower when she was alone.

She pulled herself out of bed, offering a quick, “You want something to drink?”

Cas shook her head, taking a look around the room, “But you need to get an owl or something.” She chuckles, before reaching into her purse. She produced a small mirror from her bag, holding it out to Marlene. “Or you could use this.”

A small smile crept across her face, grabbing the mirror from Cas’s hands. She let their fingers brush up against each other, feeling the electricity of their connection grow between them. Courting a femme like Dorcas required the subtlety of these kinds of interventions, they built desire and desperation between them. It was a part of the dance that they did with each other.

“Where did you get a two-way mirror?”

“I picked up a couple on my way home,” Cas smiled, “I figured it’s easier to yell at you face to face.”

“Do you wanna grab dinner together?”

“Is this the proper muggle date?”

“Nah, we can do that tomorrow after work. But I’m figuring that you don’t want to cook and you don’t have a house elf. I’m famished.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Cas smiled, looking over at the other woman. “Although I’m sure I could come up with something for you to eat.” She grinned wryly, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. There was something so endearing and fun between them, and Marlene couldn’t help the way that she enjoyed it.

Marlene grabbed her usual items, her wallet, her keys, a pack of smokes, and her lighter. She wondered what Dorcas could possibly keep in a purse such as the one she carries with her. She knew that the wiles of femmes came with secrets, and one of those secrets was what was kept in a purse. Maybe someday, if she had a femme on her arm like Dorcas, she would know what was kept in the mysterious bag.

With a sweet smile, Marlene directed Cas out the door. There wasn’t really anything else to do, but corral her towards Marlene’s favorite curry spot for a takeaway. She was thankful they never asked too many questions, and even more so that she had the brilliant idea of grabbing a takeaway. For as much as her home was a space of isolation, she didn’t want to spend too much time in public without the protection of being in spaces built for them. After all, it wasn't exactly safe to be out on a date when they weren’t careful. Should something happen to them, they couldn’t rely on anyone but themselves to take care of it. Maybe that was why it was so shocking that Marlene didn’t carry her wand anymore. She was just as defenseless as any other muggle. But if she had carried it, used it to protect herself, she opened herself up to questioning by the Wizengamot. They would take one look at her and decide that she, a humble mechanic and a witch by blood, should be thrown in Azkaban for revealing herself. Damn the context, because she was different from them. She didn’t fit in the box, she couldn’t be a part of their restrictive society. That was why she had to run away if she was honest. Because she knew she was never going to fit in.

She remembered begging to wear pants with her uniform in school. She remembered snagging a pair from Sirius, and the number of detentions she received for it. She remembered the look on Minny’s face as she demanded Marlene’s precious contraband pants, and gave them to Filch for safekeeping, remanding her to a skirt that made her feel vulnerable and disgusting. She remembered being told that her hobbies were not becoming of the lady she was training up to be, that she balked too often at the traditional roles of the witches around her. It was uncomfortable for Marlene. The gender roles baked into the world around her made her feel so claustrophobic. Those same authority figures that had influenced her decision to run had either imparted their beliefs upon the members of the Wizengamot or learned from them, and Marlene wasn’t keen to find out which way that happened.

“How do you do it?” Cas asked as they walked down the stairs of her walk-up. That threw Marlene off. It felt like a trick question if she was honest.

“How do I do what? You’re going to have to specify, Cassie.” Marlene responded, studying the femme’s face for some indication of how she was supposed to answer the question. How was she supposed to know what the right thing to say was?

“Pretend this is your world. How do you just fit right in here?” Bright eyes sparkled with curiosity. The look on Dorcas’s face was familiar, like all of those nights she spent picking Marlene’s brain back in school.

“This,” Marlene sighed, opening the door to her building, “is my world. Has been for a long time at this point,”

Cas shrugged in return, failing to keep the dissatisfaction off of her face. Evidently, Marlene had not answered the question correctly.

“Maybe when I take you out tomorrow, you’ll see what I mean,” Marlene shrugged. Moto-boot-clad feet carried her down the streets, stride confident. She had done this walk so many times over, it was like she could do it in her sleep.

It took about an hour for them to get their curry take away, and make their way back to the flat. On the walk back, Dorcas had begged Marlene to just apparate already, and despite her anxiety about it, Marlene had obliged. She was sure Cas just wanted an excuse for Marlene to hold onto her, and who was Marlene to deny her that simple pleasure. However, standing in the living room of her flat, her stomach turning in her body, reminded her of why she had never liked apparitions in the first place.

“I’m sure you have a million questions.”

“I do,”

“Well, we might as well get that shite out of the way so we can have fun on a date.”

“Picking your brain is my idea of a fun date, McKinnon.”

“Well it’s not mine, Meadowes, and I’m planning this one.”

“But it could be a good time!” Cas protested, and Marlene was smiling despite herself. God, why couldn’t she just chill out? Why did it have to feel so intense?

“Cas, I’d rather not waste my time if you don’t like the answers,” She was being short and she knew it. Maybe this was the way Dorcas stripped her of her machismo, and got in to the soft, gentle butch locked behind her wall of gruffness and intensity. But Marlene didn’t know if she could handle this loss well a second time when writing her notes gave Marlene a moment of imagining that perfect life she had so many times over as a baby butch. She had to let go of the imaginary life with Dorcas in order to move on. She had spent seven years becoming comfortable, becoming herself, and part of that was letting go of what she thought was the impossible. But here was Cassie, in her home, making her reconsider what she thought was the most concrete thing in the world. In reality, this didn’t threaten everything that she had built for herself. She had to keep herself grounded in reality.

“What makes you think I won’t like the answer?” Cas looked at her, wide-eyed and concerned. It was like she had never considered that this was a difficult decision. God, why was it so easy for Cas to disarm her?

“Because I was there, Cas.” Marlene shrugged, “Wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

“And you think I won’t want to be around you because of that?” Cas looked a bit wounded, and suddenly it was rushing back to Marlene why this was a bad idea. Because Cas had all of the cards. Cas could expose her for everything. Cas could tell everyone where she was, could give all of the people she used to know license to find her, and what they’d find would be enough to enact violence. Her fears were not all that different from the ones she had about the men she worked with or the people who crossed the street when they saw her coming.

“Cassie,” Marlene sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew that this reunion was going to be difficult, but if she wanted something special with the beautiful woman who caught her eye at the bar, or the girl she grew up in love with, she’d have to figure this out. It was frustrating, sure, but it was doable.

“How’d you become a mechanic?” Not where Marlene thought this was going but okay.

“Mac found me, and asked if I was good with my hands...” Marlene trailed off with a light shrug. Keep it light, Marlene. Don’t get too deep, because as much as Cassie wanted to pretend, this wasn’t exactly the safe space either of them wanted it to be. One wrong move and Marlene was in hot water all over again. She looked down at the curry in front of her, trying to steel herself against her own fears. This was her house, she didn’t need to do anything she didn’t want to.

“Had to start paying my share somehow. How was graduation?”

“I thought I was asking the questions,” Cas laughed, “What do you mean found you? You didn’t apply?” Her bright brown eyes sparkled with her confusion. Fuck, Marlene was so screwed. She remembered why she fell in love with the other woman when they were just kids.

“On a bench,” Marlene sighed, “Are you sure you want to talk about this?” She cautioned, glancing up from her curry. She should stop just pushing the food around her plate, considering she spent twenty whole dollars on the takeaway, but unfortunately, she was so nervous she couldn’t decide whether or not she could stomach it. Conversations about her getting out made her nauseous.

“They found you on a bench?” Cas raised an eyebrow, “I want to know everything that happened.”

“I was sleeping on a bench in Kensington, and I was trying to convince one of the squats London Feilds to take me in even though I had no documents, no skills, no education, and no money. Not exactly good tea conversation.”

“Why didn’t you just come back?”

“I couldn’t come back. I burned every bridge I had in Scotland and in Godrick’s Hollow on the astronomy tower, not to mention everything that happened with Nora Treadwell.”

Nora Treadwell. The name lingered in the air between them. In their time at Hogwarts, no one discussed what happened to Nora Treadwell. The witch was from a strong wizarding family who had cut her hair short, been kicked out by her family, and moved out to Brixton. Nobody knew what happened to Nora Treadwell. What everyone knew, less Marlene, was that Nora cut all of her hair off in the prefect’s bathroom in her final year at Hogwarts, and got into some kind of “physical altercation” with a group of Gryffindors. Marlene remembered the way everyone called her a poof and a queer, who deserved it for being such a queer.

Marlene could see the way Cas’s face fell like she barely even remembered why Nora Treadwell would be relevant to Marlene. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe all she remembered was Nora getting in a fight and didn’t know what caused all of it in the first place. Marlene; however, could do nothing but look exasperated. She wanted to shout “Don’t you see, they’d do it to me too!” but she couldn’t. The words died in her throat just like her appetite, and she wondered where this conversation could go next.

“ Nora Treadwell is why you didn’t come back...” Cas repeated softly, trying to parse through her mind to make it make sense. Nora had been largely irrelevant to her, aside from the proof that not all Gryffindors were the morally pious do-gooders that were better than everyone else. Cas already had so much that people had biases about, being a Slytherin is just another mark on her ledger. “You were sleeping on a bench?” Her eyebrows raised in sheer shock, and Marlene wanted to cry.

God, this was a fucking roller coaster. It was one thing to be a homeless teenager, it was completely another to revisit it at twenty-five because she thought a girl was pretty. Shame bloomed in her chest, heating up her cheeks and making her heart drop out of her chest and into her stomach. This wasn’t fair. Why did she have to be sized up by all of these questions? It felt so fucking unfair to have so many questions being beamed at her, but in the back of her mind, she always knew this would happen if she ever reconnected with anyone from her past. One of the most freeing feelings about being friends with other lesbians was that they never asked. Her friends knew that it was too painful. A light-hearted joke here or there about how far she’d come, a read about how she was still just the little dyke on the bench, but no questions. No panicked breathing as her heart hammered away in her ears, no nurturing the roots of shame in her chest, none of it. She was so grateful for the way they let her distance herself from it all. Not Cas, never Cas, she was much to comfortable picking and prodding they had once upon a time.

“So Nora Treadwell is why you thought it was a better idea to sleep on a bench than come home...” She looked like she was teasing out what she thought was such an interesting lead, and Marlene hated it. She felt like a specimen under a microscope, with every question Cas was focusing the lens just a bit more.

“Aye, that’s what I said isn’t it?” Marlene grumbled, shoving her chair out from the table.

“I guess I just can’t imagine that,” Cassie responded, brown eyes wide with her own surprise. If Marlene stared long enough, she could parse out just how disappointed Cas was with her statement. Unfortunately for Cas, there wasn’t much she could do to change the answer, since Nora and Marlene were actually very similar butches who knew each other pretty well. If Cassie thought back far enough, she might remember that Nora’s mom, Elsie, was good friends with Marlene’s mom.

“Cassie, there’s no point where you’re going to feel satisfied with the answers about why I left.”

“I just–”

“You’re never going to understand. You’re not like me.”

“I’m just as much of a shirt lifter as you are, or did you forget the part where we met at Gateway and had sex an hour ago.”

“But people can’t tell when they look at you. You’re a femme. You don’t have to face the violence unless anyone finds out you’re a lesbian. I’m a bulldyke. People can see it as soon as they look at me. I get lucky if people think I’m a man and leave me alone.”

It sucked, but it was true. The butch was only ever safe when people didn’t see her, or saw her as a man. Either way, being a witch people knew of, whose family was notable, and being butch meant that she’d never be able to make herself a home in the wizarding world without regressing into a feminine version of herself. Something that would never happen.

“I guess you’re right...” Cassie finally agreed, “I have to head back. Call me on the mirror?” She was just stepping down because she could tell Marlene was getting upset. She didn’t want to keep pushing something that was clearly hurting her.

“Yeah, Cas. I’ll see you soon.”

With a loud CRACK, Cassie was off, disappearing the same way she came in.

#dorcas meadows #marlene mckinnon #dorlene fic #marlene mckinnon fanfiction #dorcas meadowes fanfiction #marauders era #no war au #lesbian smut #nsft

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sodascherrycola · 7 months

Text

Instagram Intros (Noel Gallagher's Kids)

Malcolm Flynn Gallagher (@colmgallagher)

DOB: September 2nd 1985 Age: 39 years old Hometown: Manchester, England Nicknames: Mal, Malc, Mac, and Colm S/O: Claire Durney Kids: Kayleigh and Riley Best Friend(s): Cristofer Hensley, Shelby Bennett, & August Webster Aesthetic: Malcolm grew up with a strong relationship with both his teenage parents and his grandmother, Peggy. He was often babysat by his nana while both her parents worked to afford housing and food for the three of them. He loved hanging out with his Uncle Liam and spent most of his time with him. Liam introduced him to football, and eventually became obsessed. His father ended up working doubles to make enough for Colm to join a local team. This is something that he would try to bond with his younger brother over, though James didn't seem as interested with this. Colm ended up playing football for 14 years, going to uni on a scholarship.

James Conrad Gallagher (@jamesconradgallg)

DOB: May 18th 1990 Age: 34 years old Hometown: London, England Nicknames: Jamie, Jay, JJ, Con, Connie S/O: Michelle Michaels Kids: None Best Friend(s): Kiersten Krause Aesthetic: James was a very shy child, always seeming to like being alone. He wasn't always this way, before being extremely talkative and expressive. When James was around 5 years old he was one of 4 James' in his kindergarten class, and a note was sent home to his parents explaining that he needed to have some sort of nicknames so the 4 don't get mixed up. He started getting referred to as his middle name, Conrad, or Connie for short. Kids were not kind to him afterwards and he got heavily made fun of for this. He became very quiet and introverted to a point that he wouldn't even speak to his parents. Noel slowly started to introduce him to the music industry, in hopes that it might be a good outlet for his young son. Luckily for him, James took to this and actually became a producer as he got older.

Molly Quinn Gallagher (@mollywally)

DOB: February 19th 1997 Age: 27 years old Hometown: Camden, England Nicknames: Molls, Wally S/O: Darren Maguire Kids: Sophia, Leon, and Elliot Best Friend(s): Teagan Hale, Jordyn Conley, and Caitlin Cunningham Aesthetic: Molly was always Noel's quiet favourite. He would never admit it, but she was. She knew it as well. The minute she flashed her big blue puppy dog eyes, she got whatever her heart desired from Noel. Mary was not a fool for this trick however and has had to have multiple talks to Noel about toughening up and being a bit more strict with her, but he can't help it. Molly looks just like her mother and Noel can't seem to see through it. She was a very expressive young girl, always doing some sort of art or sport. She took a liking to her mother's song-writing and has helped her on many occasions writing tunes for her father or other famous celebrities. Molly was named after her mother's maiden name, Quinn, being Mary's previous surname. This was because her mother and father had recently gotten married after finding out they were pregnant with their daughter. Mary was devastated to say the least, when she realised that Quinn wasn't going to be her last name, and that it was now Gallagher. Of course, it was her decision to change her name but it still upset her nonetheless. So Noel went to the nurse while Mary was feeding their wee one, and gave her the name. The rest was history.

Beckham Eoin Gallagher (@bekywitdagoodhair)

DOB: July 25th 2000 Age: 24 years old Hometown: Camden, England Nicknames: Beck, Bex, Becky S/O: Natalia Brooks Kids: None Best Friend(s): Justus Rush, Jayden Reyes, and Finley Holt Aesthetic: Where to even begin with THE Beckham Gallagher? For starters, he was born prematurely and scared the life out of his parents. He almost died, something about his lungs not breathing properly. Noel was trying to see what was wrong with his son but the nurses wouldn't let him even hold Beckham. He eventually decided to just pick him up, ignoring the words from the nurses, and held him against his bare chest like he had done with his other 3 children. Like a miracle, Beck started breathing normally, matching his breaths to his fathers. As he grew up he became more and more rambunctious, only ever having the energy of a mosh-pit at all times. The amount of times he's woken his parents up is too many to count on a hand, the amount of times he's gotten in trouble for not staying still in class is too many to count on a hand. Beckham never got any smack from his parents though, of course not, he's their miracle baby. Noel and Mary are just happy that their little boy has the lung capacity for all the gleeful screaming and running around he does all the time. When he was a teenager he stopped all the girl's hearts too. No one was every pined after more than Beckham Eoin Gallagher in his high school. So much so in fact, he had 3 dates to the prom because he was too nice to say no. He switched them out every little bit, and never got caught surprisingly. His future wife, Natalia, was the school's prom photographer and has photos of him with all 3 dates and will never fail to use it to her advantage.

Kieran Connor Gallagher (@kier_gallagher)

DOB: October 11th 2003 Age: 21 years old Hometown: London, England Nicknames: Kier S/O: Janey Moore Kids: None Best Friend(s): Jackson Hughes and Leah Olsen Aesthetic: Kieran was well mannered and polite. He had a strong relationship with his twin sister, Cecilia, and they were stuck together like glue. They had gotten split apart in year 2 at school, and it was such a mess Mary had to go in there and try to negotiate with the principal to put them back together. They had been in the same classes up until high school, this is when they wanted to be as far apart from each other as ever. Kieran ended up befriending Jackson Hughes, Mary didn't like him too much. He was kind of a bad influence on Kieran, introducing him to alcohol and drugs at the beginning of year 9. This is when Noel had to have a conversation with him, sit him down and have a proper talk about his behaviour. He was just acting out in ways Noel didn't think he would have to worry about with his youngest son. Kieran had always been an easy-going kid, so what was he going on about? He was struggling with school, a cocaine addiction, and his best friend Leah, had quietly chosen to be friends with Cecilia when the two decided to split ways. Kieran was diagnosed with depression when he was 15, after he had attempted to… Noel had held him so damn close that night, fearing that he almost lost his little boy. He had gotten better after his mother started him up at therapy, he started gaining his relationship back with Cecilia, and is all together better now.

Cecilia Bridget Gallagher (@ceciliagallagher)

DOB: October 11th 2003 Age: 21 years old Hometown: London, England Nicknames: Cece, Celia, Sicily S/O: Nathaniel Carson Kids: None Best Friend(s): Jamie York, Leyla Watts, and Leah Olsen Aesthetic: Cecilia was a simple kid, never wanted anything, never asking for anything, even though she knew her dad would give her anything her heart desires at the snap of her tiny little finger. She was very smart, excelling farther than her twin brother, which did put a bit of a strain on their relationship. The two were never not in the same classes and were constantly being compared to one another, mainly Kieran to Cecilia. She never understood why he was so angry, he was cool, had loads of friends, and people liked him. Why would he be so upset about not being like her. Cecilia just made him feel dumb. This was the cause of their fallout. She went off to be a proper student with their friend Leah. She ended up having a good social group and superior grades. She had many times offered to help tutor Kieran, but gave up when she could feel the glare he gave her from across the dinner table. Celia couldn't stand being so distanced from her built in best friend. When Kieran had nearly died, she stayed by his side the whole time in the hospital, not even leaving to go to school. The two eventually reconnected and became closer than ever. She became a journalist in The Sunday Times when she was 19 years old and is quite well-known in England.

Penelope Niamh Gallagher (@whos_pennygallagher)

DOB: September 10th 2010 Age: 14 years old Hometown: London, England Nicknames: Pen, Penny, Elle, Ellie S/O: No One Kids: None Best Friend(s): Malik Rhodes, Skyla Garrison, and Kole Cross Aesthetic: Penelope is the definition of youngest daughter. She's absolutely spoiled in every way, and she likes to get what she wants. She is in no way though, a brat about it. Penny, being the youngest and by a good amount of years, had a lot of her parents attention. Mary always dotes on her because it's her last baby and she just wants to cherish it as much as she can. Noel just can't say no to a little girl her wants a pretty pink dress and princess shoes. Yes, her parents were getting old, and yes, that sucked for her, but her siblings always stepped in when her parents couldn't. In fact, Penelope was the closest with her oldest sister Molly and older brother Beckham. They adored her. She was born to be a princess and every one knows it. She became really into fashion at a young age, and she is now her own little fashion icon. Gen Z took a liking to her unique outfits and she blew up on tiktok. She often got Noel to join in on her tiktoks too, which people loved! He was very gentle with her, he didn't mind being goofy if it meant Pen would giggle away. Everyone thought it was precious. Penelope is also known for tricking people into thinking Oasis was getting back together, showing her Uncle Liam and Aunt Sarah whenever she could in videos just to make her father mad. Mary did put an end to this if you were wondering.

#oasis #oasis oc #oasis next gen #oasis introductions #Malcolm gallagher #James gallagher #molly gallagher #Beckham gallagher #Kieran gallagher #cecilia gallagher #Penelope gallagher #noel gallagher #Mary gallagher #Mary quinn #instagram introductions #oasis next generation

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