#jamesm

You were snapped out of your thoughts by familiar music coming out of a store that you were passing. No, it wasn’t a store, but it was something more welcome. Thank goodness for franchises like Starbucks which were worldwide. At the very least, you knew that you would be able to get your favorite drink to help warm your belly when the wind started to grow a bit cooler. You stepped inside and hummed along with the song as you stood in line and got your drink.

Alas, the good feeling was not to last very long. The Starbucks was small, and it’s entryway even smaller, so as you tried to exit the cafe, someone ended up sliding past you. It was a bit rougher than you had expected, and the two of you were so close. It was inevitable that your drink would end up getting onto his jacket. “Fuck,” The man swore in a Scottish accent. It took you a couple of seconds to work out that the drink ended up on you too, splashing on the both of you. “Are you alright? That’s really damn hot.”

“I - I’m so sorry.” You said, stepping back inside with him. Immediately, you went to grab some napkins and handed them to him. The jacket looked expensive, and the coffee appeared to have made a horrible stain. “Are you alright? I’ll um - I’ll pay to get it dry cleaned. Damn, I am so-”

“Whoa, take a breath.” The man put his hand on your shoulder lightly, the other one holding napkins to his jacket, trying to soak up at least some of the mess. “I asked if you’re alright, and don’t worry about the jacket. I’ve got plenty back in my room.”

“I’m alright,” You said. You took his advice and took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. You moved your eyes away from his jacket, up to the bright blue of his eyes. Well, that hadn’t helped at all, for once you saw who the man was, your breathing stopped once more and you nearly went into a panic.

You really hadn’t woken up today expecting to spill coffee over James McAvoy.

AKA The actor you had a weird crush on since he dressed up as a faun in a children’s fairytale movie.

“Here, y/n, let me buy you another one.” He took his hand off his shoulder, took your half empty cup out of your hands and turned it to look at the order. You gaped at the fact that James knew your name, but as he spun the cup around, you saw it was written by the barista. With a slightly embarrassed smile, you nodded.

“Thank you - but I should be buying you one. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.” You started, but James shut you up with a glance. It wasn’t a quick one. You might even be correct if you thought that he was checking you out. How your cheeks turned red at the thought of that!

James smiled and touched you again, hand lightly on the back of your shoulder, guiding you back towards the counter where a starstruck barista was waiting. You thanked him again as he said your order outloud, and then gave his own. “I really do owe you though. At least for the jacket. I don’t have much money to get you a new one but perhaps I can get it cleaned-”

“She’s adorable, isn’t she?” James cut you off, speaking to the barista about you. You stopped talking in that moment, and finally your mouth closed. You weren’t sure how to respond to that. He paid for the drinks with a credit card, and waited patiently by your side. “I can tell from the accent that you’re not from here,” He said, making conversation with you, despite the looks that he was getting from just about everyone in the place.

“You’re right, this is just a little vacation.” You said, trying to relax. He was being extraordinarily kind, the least that you could do was be the same way in return. “What are you here for?”

“We’re shooting here in the city,” James said, casually. He pulled out his phone and seemed to go through his messages. “Thankfully it’s a day off today for me. Eighteen hour days.” He sighed.

“I’m surprised you’re not still in bed. I would be if I had to work that long,” You chuckled.

“And waste a beautiful day like this? No, never, that’s why I’m getting coffee.”

As the last word escaped his lips, the barista put the two cups on the counter, one with your name and one with James’s. You took yours and held it close to your chest so that if it were to spill, it would be more so on you this time, rather than on your present company. A part of you did expect for this to be the end of your little adventure with the famous actor, but he surprised you by opening the door for you and followed you outside. “So where are you staying?” He asked pleasantly.

You named the hotel, wincing as you did so, since it had such a corny and romantic name. It was a hotel that basically screamed ‘Honeymoon’. As you said it, you saw James look away from you, slightly bashful.

“Honeymoon then? Where’s the lucky man?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Your smile had entirely disappeared at this point, and you shrugged. It was rough to say, but honestly, James seemed to be interested so you gave him the truth.

“I honestly have no idea, though the last I heard, he was in Hawaii with his new fiance. I ran into his mom a couple of days ago and she was more than pleased to talk about his rich girlfriend and all the places she took them so far.”

“Well, fuck,” James said, mouth slightly open, clearly not expecting that answer. “So you just came out here by yourself, then?”

“I already had put down the deposit, and it seemed like a waste not to? That’s really weird, isn’t it, wow.” You chuckled, just realizing how odd it really was.

“Maybe a little,” He said, laughing along with you. “Well, since you paid and all, why don’t we make sure that you have a good time while you’re here?’

“I’m already having a good time... though what do you mean we?” You questioned, pausing your walk to turn towards him with a puzzled look.

“I mean you and I. I was invited to a club tonight, and it’s not really my thing, so you should come with me. Well, us, the rest of the cast is going too. Here, give me your phone, I’ll give  you my number, so you don’t feel pressured.” He held his hand out to get my phone from me.

“My phone is actually dead,” You admitted, bringing it out and showed him the black screen. “I can give you mine though, if that works.”

“Yeah, that works. You can even give me a fake one, and I’ll get the message to just fuck on off.” He said with a pleasant smile. Your cheeks were beyond flushed as you put your phone number in his phone, saved under your name along with the word Starbucks so he would know who you were. Here you were, alone on what was supposed to be your honeymoon, and you ended up giving your phone number, your real number, to James McAvoy of all people.

“I gotta turn up here but I’ll shoot you a text later, give you the address of the place. I’ll make sure you get on the VIP list.” He started to lean in for a hug, but then seemed to second-guess it, which was probably for the best. You wanted that hug badly, but it might have caused your actual brain to burst. Instead, he gave you a smile and made his turn, his phone in his hand the whole way back to where he was staying.

-

The club had a line going around he building - lots of people were anxious to go in. You kept the texts from James in the forefront of your phone, just in case the bouncer didn’t have your name on the list like was promised. But he let you in without a second thought, and a hostess guided you straight to the VIP area where James was waiting for you.

“About time!” An actress who looked vaguely familiar said, putting her arm around you. She smelled like she had a couple of drinks already. “James over there was perking up like a puppy every time someone new came in.”

You looked over at the blue-eyed actor and saw that he had red cheeks, much like you had earlier in he day. “Oh come on, come on, leave her alone,” He said, swatting the actress’s arm off of you. “Do you want a drink, y/n? It’s on me.”

“Yeah, so you’ll buy the lady drinks, but when it comes to the rest of us-” One of James’s co-workers said with a good-natured laugh.

“Or we can go to the dance floor, where it’s a little quieter,” James muttered.

“I can go for a dance,” You said, paying attention to only him. “I do love this song, actually.”

“Good, yeah, me too.” James said. He put his arm around your back, and unknowing to you, flipped off the rest of the VIPs in the process, leaving them laughing hysterically. You didn’t actually know the song that was playing, but you could understand why James wanted away from the teasing. You both found a spot at the corner of the dance floor, and managed to move around each other without much awkwardness.

“They seem like a nice bunch,” You said with a smile. His swore under his breath and you giggled. “Oh come on, I think it’s sweet. If my friends were here, they’d be doing the same thing to me, I’m sure of it.” You assured him, putting your arms around your neck to get closer to him so you could hear his reply. His hands rested on your hips, rubbing them slightly as you swayed back and forth to the music.

“Is that so?” He asked, eyes shining brightly blue under the strobe lights. “And why would they be teasing you?”

“Because I’m dancing with you. Someone who I think I’m quickly beginning to fancy.” You were feeling bold. You were wearing your best outfit, the one you had hesitantly packed, not expecting to wear it but your best friend convinced you to. You were invited out by James McAvoy of all people, whose friends had teased him about you. There was every reason to be bold.

“Is that so?” He asked, smiling as he looked away. He was thinking that you were just too adorable to handle at the moment. How someone so beautiful could have such an endearing personality as well, he didn’t understand. And he certainly didn’t understand how someone could cheat on you, but it seemed to be to his advantage. You nodded to his question and a comfortable silence surrounded the two of you as you continued to dance throughout the night.

As it was coming to a close, James walked you out into the slightly chilly air. It must have rained while the two of you were inside, but what else could you expect? It was Europe after all. “So, headed back to the hotel then?” He asked, not wanting the night to end.

“I suppose so - not sure where else I would be going,” You breathed in the fresh air, which felt amazing after the heat of the club. “What about you? Back to your trailer?”

“I don’t have to be on set until tomorrow afternoon...” He looked at you with a cheeky grin. You were catching his meaning, and you bit down on your lower lip, feeling the anticipation.

“Do you want to come back to the hotel with me?”

-

You could not believe what just happened. You were laying in bed, completely naked, beside an equally unclad James McAvoy. Both of you were breathing heavy from the sexual acts that you just performed, and though you were now covered in sweat and a little sore, you rolled onto your side to nuzzle against his chest.  

“I’ve never done that before,” He said, wrapping his arms around you, bringing in you in closer.

“Neither have I,” You said, assuming that he was talking about bedding someone that you just met that day. He chuckled and kissed your temple, though there were wet strands of hair stuck to it.

“I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing,” He said, eyes shining bright blue against the pink of his face. You raised your head up to question what he was meaning then. “I meant - I’ve never fallen in love at first sight like this before.”

“You do remember that we met when I spilt my drink on you, right? It’s not the most romantic setting,” You joked, though you were tickled pink at the fact that he was already saying that he loved you. This was like a fairytale come true - what your honeymoon should have been like. Never had 24 hours been so full of emotions for you. “It’s just a shame that you have to leave in the afternoon.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” James blurted. “If it’s about money, I can pay for the hotel-”

You shushed him by pressing another kiss on his naturally red lips and ran your fingers through his hair. “I can stay for a little while,” You assured. “But I do have work to get back to, my friends, my family...”

“I’ll come with you when we’re done,” James said, confident in that decision. “I’ll have a break for a while... we can see where this goes.”

“Okay, whoa there, I think you would say that he blew it.” You said, hardly phased by the action. What was it about sports that brought out the anger in people? “Is your name Sinclair, because if not, don’t put that blame on yourself.”

Had the man not straightened his back and turned to face you, you never would have guessed that the thick Scottish brogue belonged to one James McAvoy, an actor whose work that you knew very well. Were you not in a sports bar that you were a regular in, you might even have had a fan-freak out but you maintained your composure in the comfortable environment. He just looked at you, laughed, rolled his eyes, and then looked back at the game. “Things aren’t going to go well for me if this game doesn’t turn out with a Celtics win, I’m afraid,” He spoke.

“You bet money on them?” You questioned, and the slight nod told you all that you needed to know. “Things definitely aren’t going good for you then. Whenever I’m in this bar when my team is playing, they always win - and that’s my team that yours is up against right now.”

James groaned, then ordered himself another drink. After a minute, both yours and his arrived at the same moment and you wrapped your hands around the cool bottle, eyes on the game. It was getting a bit tense, since the Celtics kept taking hold of the ball and making their way down to the net. But they couldn’t seem to get the goal, and even got a few penalties for all their trouble.

It ended up in a shouting match between James McAvoy and the telly behind the bar, which you really wished you could film without him noticing because this would definitely make you laugh later, watching back. Or you could post it online, but you weren’t that mean. Your attention went mainly to the game, and every time that James groaned or yelled, you did a happy dance. When he would cheer because his team finally got a goal, you would sigh and blow raspberries at him.

A sports announcer took over the television as the game came to an end, with your team kicking ass. You held your beer up in celebration, and managed to chug the last of it down without spilling any of it on your shirt, which did have your favorite team on it. Then you put the empty bottle back on the bar for the bartender to take, and smiled with satisfaction. “Your money is gone, man, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be celebrating that,” You laughed. Your gain was his loss. Your eyes caught onto his blue ones as he crossed his arms with an annoyed look on his face. But it did start to fade rather quickly. You smiled again, but weaker this time.

“It’s alright, I can afford it,” James said. It was starting to get late, and more people were coming into the bar, celebrating the win of the obviously better football team. You were pushed a little bit closer to James as more people were coming up to the bar to order their drinks. A chuckle came out from his lips as the man behind you shifted which accidentally sent you nearly right into his chest. You backed up immediately and laughed nervously, hoping that he wouldn’t be offended. “You and your stupid team won fair and square.”

“Turns out every time I come here to watch the games, my team wins, you were doomed from the start.”

“Which you could have told me from the beginning so you wouldn’t have to see me lose my cool.” James said, running his fingers through his hair. You laughed, shaking your head.

“I don’t think you would have believed me.” You told him, which he did nod to, agreeing with you on that.

“You’re probably right,” He conceded. “But it happened anyway. And I think I should buy...” He paused for a moment, looking at you with an eyebrow raised. It took you a beat too long to realize that he was asking for your name.

“Y/N, and you don’t have to-” You said, but he began talking over you with a smile, making you close your lips.

“Y/n, I should at the very least buy you and your friends a drink.” He motioned his head over to the table that you had left earlier that had filled up with a group of men and women who were celebrating the winner of the game enthusiastically. It then occurred to you that somehow, this very attractive actor had noticed that you had been sitting alone at that very table.

“They’re not my friends, I just gave them the table.” You explained to him quickly. James then looked a little too happy, before his actor side came through and he went back to a neutral expression. “Though I’ll take that drink, if you’re offering, if you don’t mind it being just me.” You finished.

“It would be my pleasure,” He grinned, calling the bartender back over. “I’m James.” He said quickly, before ordering the two beers. You had to grin at that - here was this famous actor, known around the world, and here he was acting humble as if anyone within twenty feet of him wouldn’t know who he was. Really, it was absolutely adorable.

“Your team lost, I should be buying you a drink to cheer you up,” you said, but didn’t complain when your drink was put in front of you.

“But that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me, would it?” James questioned. “You can buy the next one, if you want.”

“You want there to be next one?” That made your heart skip a beat.

“Well, I was hoping so.” He said, and looked over your shoulder towards the back of the bar. He backed up a step, carrying his drink with him. “I’m here alone, you’re here alone, we might as well get that table over there?”

You nodded, and let him lead you towards a recently abandoned table that had just been cleaned by a waitress. He was even kind enough to let you pick which of the chairs you wanted to sit on, and you chose to face the door, just to save him the embarrassment of being recognized by anyone walking in. He was quiet for a moment and so were you, while trying to think about what to say. Worried that he would lose interest, you said whatever was on your mind.

“You were great in Muppets Most Wanted,” You sputtered out, then immediately regreted it. “Anything I say from now on, actually, I’m just going to blame on the alcohol. Sometimes it makes me a bit ... silly.” Any potentially ruin the night, you thought to yourself.

To your surprise, James just laughed at that, the action mixed with the alcohol bringing a lovely flush to his cheeks, which only brought out the blue of his eyes. The reaction did make you feel a little more relaxed - at least he didn’t think you were stupid. “All of the things that I’ve been in, and you recognize me from The Muppets?”

“But your role as a UPS man was superb - anyone can play Professor X.” You joked. James just laughed again at that, sitting up straight and started to spin the coaster on the table around. “You’re really good in that too though, I admit.” Your sense of humor wasn’t for everyone, you knew that, and you started to become a bit worried that he was going to get offended by you.  

“You’re not going to go around telling everyone that Professor X goes to bars alone to shout at the football matches, are you?” It seemed like a serious question, not a joke, so you took it seriously.

“It wouldn’t do me much good, would it? This bar would fill up with your biggest fans in no time, and I wouldn’t be able to get the opportunity to do this again.” That made him smile again, and you decided that you liked that smile very much and hoped that it would stay on his face forever. And it made you feel pretty damn good that you were the one who put it there.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to fall into a steady conversation. You didn’t ask him too many questions, for you didn’t want to make him feel like he was in an interview, which he had plenty of recently. It was him asking you questions about your work, your family, your favorite animal, and you asking those in return. But things did take a rather unfortunate note when he brought up that he had gotten a divorce in the last couple of years, and he had to go stag to a wedding last weekend, which was embarrassing.

“The last wedding I went to, I went to alone as well,” You admitted. “You’re not the only one, if that helps anything.”

James didn’t let you buy the next drink, although he said that he would. He automatically said it was on him when both of yours were finished, and got up to get them. While he was at the bar, he looked over his shoulder at you and smiled, which made you smile back. You were the center of his attention in this bar - not the beautiful women who were sneaking glances over at him, not the pretty bartender, and not the TVs that showed off the highlights of the game that you just watched. You. “They’ll probably lose again next week but I was wonderin’ if you’d come make them your team so they have a chance.” The actor proposed once he was back with the drinks.

You raised an eyebrow and tapped your chin thinking about it. “The Celtics as my team - just for you, I think I can come and cheer ‘em on.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” James said, raising his drink in celebration of your acceptance. You grinned and held your drink up as well. He wanted you to come around and watch another game with him - now that was something special that you couldn’t say no to. “That would be great, I mean, give them a chance.” His little addition made you smile all the more. He did have to check his phone when it went off and frowned at it. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again.

“Your phone bring you some bad news?” You asked, taking a sip of your drink. He shook his head and put it back into his pocket.

“Your charm is making the time fly by ... too fast.” The actor admitted. He then finished his drink in a quick motion. “Of course the stupid car is already waiting outside.” He mumbled.

Usually, you were much more reserved than this, especially with someone that you just met, but you couldn’t help yourself - you reached out and put your hand over his. “You better get going then - but I’ll see you next week here, and we’ll get your money back.”

“Yes, definitely, I’ll see you next week.” James said, seeming relieved that you had reminded him about it. He got off of his stool and you finished your drink as well, figuring that it was time that you left to get home. “Do you want a lift somewhere?” He asked, pausing by your side. “Get you home to ... whoever might be waiting for you...” He trailed off.

“My roommate and my slow cooker?” You chuckled. “Though that’s very kind of you, I don’t live too far, but thank you.”

“Y/N, it was very nice to meet you,” James finally said, taking your rejection well. He did offer you a hug, his arms outstretched just a little, which you accepted. His cologne, which you just managed to get a whiff of, smelled absolutely amazing and it was hard to back out of the hug.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” You replied back. “See you next week - I might be able to borrow a Celtics shirt off of someone too, just for you.”

“I appreciate it.” James chuckled. He didn’t want to leave, and it was evident in the fact that he was only taking small steps to the door. You waved goodbye, and started to prepare to leave yourself - taking the empty bottle and glass back to the bar, when the blue-eyed man came right back to you. He didn’t even make it to the door. “Actually - would it be alright if I got your number? Just so you can let me know if you get that shirt. If not, I’ll bring you one.”

“Sure!” You said, grinning. He handed his phone over to you, and you put your number and name in. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was the attention that he was lavishing on you, but you pressed on the photo icon and moved next to James, setting the camera into front mode. “Just so you don’t forget me!” You laughed, and took a selfie with James, set it as your icon and handed the phone back.