#stephwrites

I got carried away & put my own little spin on it...hope you love it! please do let me know x

call it what you want with Jordan Henderson

I don’t want to remember life before him, before us. Of course, I do - how could I forget? After years of cataclysmically bad press surrounding my latest two albums, subsequent hate and the overwhelming threat of irrelevance that pulled me under and kept me indoors and out of the public eye for months on end - I stumbled, quite literally, into my Jordan. 

It was late November, cold and dark in dreary Liverpool. Don’t ask why I was there - perhaps it was because I had a friend living in Merseyside who promised I could fly under the radar because “no one here cares about anything other than the pub or football, or watching the football at the pub”. Unsurprisingly, I became one of these people because there I was at the local, carrying myself a pint of apple cider with just a little bit of ice in it and bumping into Liverpool’s captain. At first I kept moving, after apologising, with my eyes set and keen on the table with my friend waiting for me with her mouth screwed up trying not to laugh at my well known clumsiness. 

I’m not sure if it was the yellow lights in the garden area or the beanie that covered what I now know to be his dirty blonde, yet forever golden, hair - the warmth that encapsulated my soul with just a look in his eyes and a mumble of “no problems” from his mackem mouth was enough to set my grey world alight. You can call it what you want, but this was the exact moment my world changed. 

My baby's fly like a jet stream

High above the whole scene

Loves me like I'm brand new

After months of relentless messages and lowkey, albeit it slightly underground, dates I eventually gave in to what was inevitable - he was my person. He taught me how to be loved irrespective of what has been tied to my tired heart. He loved me like I was brand new and in a way, I was. I was brand new to him. I was brand new to us and our snowballing love which, like its namesake, seemed to grow at an immeasurable rate. 

He respected my boundaries with the media and press, I knew who he was on our first date - he was honest and told me about his profession, I was honest and told him about my career as an artist. He asked what I was doing in little old England, I told him I needed a break from myself. He made sure I felt safe enough with him that I could be blissfully unaware of the outside world, if it was my choosing to do so. In saying all of this, I also admitted my own mistakes with many of my past relationships and owned up to all of the burned bridges left in my path, however I was sure that in my past life I must have done atleast one thing right to end up in his path. This world may be a mess but laughing with him under the covers on a mundane Tuesday evening made everything ok. His starry eyes truly do brighten up my darkest nights. You can call it what you want, but I know that this is simple, pure and honest. 

I want to wear his initial

On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck

Not because he owns me

But 'cause he really knows me

11 months after that first spill, of both my drink and my heart, it was my birthday. We had agreed no presents - from both of us, for each other, for all occasions. This birthday of mine was the first in many years where I truly didn't have a wish for anything different than what was currently in my life. This birthday was also the first in many years where my wish was for someone else, for Jordan, to feel the same happiness that I do every time I look at him. 

He had respected my boundaries with going public and never pressured me, we had kept this love bubble secure for 11 months already - with only our nearest and dearest being allowed in. I supported him wholeheartedly in every venture, both professionally and personally in private. If anything that the last almost-year had shown me was just how much it meant that he had taken the time to get to know me, and care about me enough to do so. No one else had ever taken the time. 

So there I was, the evening of my 29th birthday, sitting upstairs in my dressing room while my friends and his - our friends - sat around the table downstairs laughing and chattering and reminiscing on life both before and after the amalgamation of both Jordan and I. Looking at myself in the mirror, for the first time not wanting anything to change, wishing I could freeze this moment in time forevermore. I didn't even hear Jordan come into the room let alone come up behind me, wrapping both arms around my shoulders and resting his left cheek to my right one, both of us breathing each other in. 

“I have something for you” I whispered into the silence. 

“But it’s your birthday, why am I getting a gift” He whispered back. 

“This is for me, as much as it is for you” 

In the reflection of the mirror, he watched me pull the drawer out and pick up a chain. I looked up and held his eye contact. He held out his hand and I dropped the chain in his palm. He pulled his chest away from my back, pulled my hair to one side and looked back at me in the mirror. 

Final chapter up now! Featuring the rescue of our three marooned victims and the defeat of Barbossa. Hope you enjoyed the fic :)

please let me know if you’d like to be part of my tag list on my writing blog @moiraes - this means getting little updates and excerpts on my wips and just getting notified when i add something new. i plan to start posting some excerpts soon, so i’d really appreciate it if you spread the word! simply message me directly, or send me an ask if that’s easier, requesting a place on my tag list, if you feel like you’d like to be a part of it ♡

She was on the way out of the volleyball meet when she saw it. Yellow petals poked out from under her watch, where before there had been only line art. As April watched, the color bloomed and spread, green seeping down the stem of the daffodil. She unclasped her watch and let the metal slide off to reveal the tattoo underneath. The color was definitely fresh, still swirling around, becoming more saturated by the second as it settled into the lines which had appeared on her skin years before.

On her soulmate’s twelfth birthday (a month before her own), April’s tattoo had appeared in line form. Today, at the moment she met her soulmate, it had started to color itself in. If April hadn’t been running late to that first meet, after getting lost in the unfamiliar campus of Samwell University, she might be able to think her soulmate was just any random student she had passed that morning. She had checked the time as she walked into the practice facility, however, and so she knew she had met her soulmate in that room.

She turned just as one of the other freshmen reached the door. April stepped aside without acknowledging her, and rose onto her tiptoes to try and see who else was there. Nobody on the team had a name like Daffodil, or Narcissus or Daphne that could be shortened to Daff or Fleur or any of the names April and her best friend at middle school had compiled as potential names to result in the flower tattoo.

*not my gif*

OF COURSE HE DOES 

he prefers silver over gold (thinks it’s more elegant) 

a mood ring from Lily “I’m not saying i believe in your muggle antics Lilith but it’s pretty groovy when it changes colors like that”

he wore one with the Black’s family crest for a really long time… until he was blasted off of the family tree/map

Regulus wears it now

loves the ones with bright stones

but also simple bands with like patterns

particularly fond of a silver band with moons on it 

‘s got one with the Gryffindor lion on it

receives one from James with the Potter crest on Christmas and cries. he never takes that one off

they contrast beautifully against his pale skin, against the dark of his hair when he runs his fingers through it

you’ll never catch him without one or two

he looks so elegant in them

when he and Remus get married, he stops wearing them, only adorning the wedding band on his ring finger and the one with the Potter crest on the other hand

I have a half dozen different plot bunnies I’m playing with right now, of which I will be lucky if I manage to finish even one of them. In the spirit of attempting to motivate myself, I thought I would post a couple of excerpts below the cutoff for anyone who might be interested. The excerpts are listed in order from “closest to complete but still super far off” to “LOL I’ll be lucky to even reach the quarter point”.  

requested: kind of? someone asked something about James using the reader as a crutch when shit doesn’t work with Lily and it triggered this writing

warnings: angst, cursing, hints of sex

word count: 2.2k

*gif’s not mine*

Falling for him was easy.

Potions was spent passing notes while you muffled your giggles. Charms with his fingers intertwined with yours, your head rested on his shoulder. Dinner was spent discussing Quidditch teams and players or new pranks he was excited about. The chilly evenings were spent on the common room couch, his body draped over yours, his head on your chest as you ran your fingers through his hair and he talked to you about his family or things that were troubling him. 

The nights were spent in his bed, you in one of his old jerseys or sweaters, his fingers tracing patterns along your hip as he talked about things he’d never told anybody else. You spilled your secrets not even your sister knew, those beautiful hazel eyes never once sharing a judgmental stare. He knew you like the back of his hand. He was your best friend. 

He’d recently become fond of platonic kisses. Kisses on your forehead that set butterflies off in your stomach and chest. Kisses on your cheek that made you blush furiously, causing him to smile brightly. “Cute,” he’d brush his fingers softly along your face. 

But they didn’t even compare to the short brush of his lips against yours. They always lasted a second and left you flustered and desperate for more. He’d grin stupidly and say he’d see you later and leave you standing there with your eyes glazed over until you came to your senses. He was driving you mad.

And you were completely and irrevocably in love with him.

But that didn’t matter. Because soon enough, she was all he could talk about. Fewer and fewer nights were spent in his bed until they stopped all together. You’d traded your seat beside his for one next to Moony, holding his hand and resting your head against his shoulder instead. 

“It’s your own bloody fault i hope you know,” Remus had shaken his head as you watched James and Lily walk into class together, “You should have told him what you felt when you had the chance.”

“Moony please… don’t scold me now.. i can’t handle it,” you sighed and he frowned, pulling you in and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Lets get to Potions yeah? Sirius knows the drill, you can sit with me and he’ll sit with James, keep him entertained with Quidditch or whatever,” he took your hand and you nodded, following him into class.

You were beginning to feel bad for Remus. You followed him everywhere and avoided James like the plague. 

“You’d tell me if i was irritating you right?” 

“Y/n your constant asking of that question is irritating me. I’m happy for the company. I can never get those idiots in here for more than an hour.”

“You’re really great to be around Moony… and that’s why you’ll agree to be my date to the bar tonight,” you grinned widely, batting your eyelashes when his eyes narrowed.

“Flattery will get you no where,” he shut the book he was reading and placed it back on the shelf, reaching for another one. You took advantage of this momentary distraction to wrap your arms around his waist, nearly knocking him over.

“Please Moony, please! I don’t want to run into James while he gushes over Lily and Sirius is just gonna ditch me as soon as some pretty girl walks along. Please!”

“What bar are you talking about? The Three Broomsticks?”

“No.. everyone was talking about… sneaking off to the neighboring village…”

“You’re crazy,” he shook his head and you pouted. 

“I’ll buy you chocolate….” he huffed and you grinned when he finally rolled his eyes and nodded. 

“Alright! But I’m not dancing.”

******

You leaned into your mirror, brushing your hair out of your face before applying your lipstick. You stood back and smiled at your reflection. 

You looked good. 

It was a rare feeling with you to ever appreciate the way you looked but tonight you knew you’d turn heads. Not that any of them mattered if one particular head didn’t turn. You shook your head as if to clear the negative thought and smiled, smoothing out the front of your black dress. You loved the way it accentuated your curves and the length of your legs. A small knock on your door interrupted your dreams of being on the runway, “Come in!” 

“Ready?” He shut the door behind him. You turned to look at him, a blush creeping along his face when your eyes travelled down his body. 

His curls were combed neatly, some of them spilling onto his forehead in a fringe like manner. The top three buttons of his charcoal grey button down were worn undone and his sleeves rolled up his forearms. 

“Damn Moony, you look hot,” you grinned and he chuckled, a ghost of the blush still present on his face. 

“You’re looking pretty stunning yourself, y/n,” he smiled then immediately frowned, “you’re not ready? Come on, we’ll be late and there’ll be no point in going.”

“We might not leave the room at all,” you winked and he smirked.

“Stop flirting with me, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I’m ready, just help me, knee highs or ankle boots.. heels?”

“Knee highs! Merlin, I always thought those were sexy.” You chuckled as he slumped on your bed and watched you pull on your boots. You pulled on your coat then took his hand, pulling him up and he stood beside you. You smiled, admiring your reflection. You glanced at your intertwined fingers and then back at him.

“We look hot.”

“Yes you do,” he lead you out of your dorm and out of the castle grounds. 

All eyes were immediately on you as you walked in. The girls, and some guys,  practically undressed Moony with their eyes. Despite all the jokes, he really did look great. You made your way to the bar with him and sat on a stool besides Sirius.

“Well hello you two. Aren’t you looking ravishing tonight,” he grinned as he passed you cups of punch, “can i take one of you home tonight?”

“Maybe if you’re lucky you can take us both home,” you winked and he chuckled. 

“I’ll take you up on that.” You started to loosen up with the drinks, Sirius had a brilliant talent of cheering anybody up. He could make a room of lethargic people laugh. You sighed happily, resting your head on Moony’s shoulder as you turned to face the dance floor. Your smile fell apart slowly when you saw them. 

He looked good. 

His usually messy hair was worn tousled, his glasses worn haphazardly low on the bridge of his nose. He wore a charcoal grey sweater that contrasted beautifully against his pale skin. He smiled a beautifully, amazingly happy smile at her and a frown etched itself along your face. 

“Come on,” Remus took your fourth cup, or was it your fifth? 

“Where we goin?” you stumbled when you hopped off the stool and he shook his head with a small chuckle. He lead you to the jukebox and put in a quarter, something slow starting up before he placed your hands on his shoulders and pulled you in. You grinned widely, feigning a dramatic gasp. “I thought you said you weren’t dancing?”

“Humor me,” he shrugged and you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“You’re really great for someone who doesn’t like to dance. Pretty light on your feet Mr. Lupin,” you said in your very best posh voice.

“Alright,” he rolled his eyes but the smile that spread across his face betrayed him. 

Across the room he huffed, watching as you two danced. It had been so sudden, the way you’d just started to disappear. Suddenly you were all about Moony, wearing his sweater instead of James’, sitting next to him in potions and holding his hand. 

“Hello? Are you even listening Potter?” Lily waved a hand in front of his face before following his gaze and shaking her head. “You’re a real git you know that? Maybe next time you’ll take the time to sort out your feelings before asking me out on a date, hmm?” she stood up irritatedly and stormed out. 

“Lils…” James called after her halfheartedly before turning back to the dance floor. What was wrong with him? He’d waited ages to date Lily… but being with her only seemed to remind him more of your absence and how… she wasn’t you. He stood and made his way towards the dance floor, clearing his throat loudly to catch Remus’ attention. “May i cut in?”

Remus turned to look at you, raising an eyebrow before you nodded. “I’ll be right over there if you need me,” he whispered before walking away. 

Your stomach dipped when he placed his hands on your hips and you cursed yourself internally for still allowing him to have that influence over you. 

“Hello stranger,” his smile was forced, his expression unreadable. 

“James,” you smiled softly and he sighed deeply.

“I’ve really missed you. Why did you disappear…. Just gone and replaced me with Moony?” 

You stopped cold as your smile fell, you stared at him incredulous, “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that…”

“You don’t like to hear the truth?” he asked bitterly, condescendingly. 

“You’re a real prick…” you whispered before turning towards the bar and grabbing your coat. “Don’t follow me,” you mumbled to Remus when he began to ask and rushed out of the bar. The cold didn’t phase you as you stormed back to the castle. You couldn’t believe him…. the audacity! the nerve of him! You dropped your coat on the sofa and slumped into it before the sound of the portrait swinging open interrupted you. You grabbed your coat and started towards the stairs before he caught your arm.

“Why? Why did you replace me?” you yanked your arm from his grip.

“You idiot!”

“You fancy him now? Hmm? Prefer him over me? Just tell me!”

“No!” you yelled over him, watching him visibly shrink as you advanced towards him. “He was being a good friend to me when I needed one! Did it never occur to you that you were hurting me by talking about her nonstop when I was in your bed? That all you did was gush about her while your head was on my chest? And then you’d kiss me or hold my hand in class and ditch me for her again. How could you be so selfish? You only thought about your own feelings not mine. I can’t keep doing this back and forth with you James, I’m not her, and i won’t allow you to keep hurting me with your indecision,” you shook your head, your voice growing quieter as tears sprung to your eyes and you lowered your gaze to the floor, “I didn’t replace anybody… you replaced me.”

A look of hurt marred his features when you brushed away your tears. You’d never talked to him about your feelings but they couldnt have been more obvious. He should have known you’d felt the same. He should have known what he was doing to you. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want to make you happy, the way you make me happy. Seeing you with Moony,” he sighed and shook his head because he knew, “it really hurt because that used to be me. I love you,” he pressed his hands to your face to make you look at him, brushing your tears away with his thumbs before pressing his forehead to yours, “Im sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“You’re such an idiot,” you whispered, and he shut his eyes.

“I know,” and then his lips were on yours. It was more than you could have ever imagined. How long had you waited to hear those words? It wasn’t exactly ideal to have somebody confess their love to you through an apology, but you’d finally heard it. How long had you waited for him to properly kiss you? To have his fingers tangle in your hair as his tongue caress yours? You didn’t know but nothing in your wildest fantasies or imagination could have prepared you for the way he groaned against your lips as he lifted you and wrapped your legs around his waist before carrying you to his dorm. 

*******

You woke to a stream of sunlight coming through the curtains of his fourposter bed. You turned to face him and his arms tightened around you, pulling you into his chest before he settled in again. You ran your fingers softly along a love bite on his chest, your cheeks coloring as memories of last night’s events came flooding back into your mind. The feel of his lips along your skin, not leaving an inch uncovered. His fingers bruising into your thighs and hips as he made love to you. The string of moans and profanities against your neck as he reached his release. You pressed your face into his chest, unable to contain the smile that spread across your face. 

“Good morning love,” he mumbled, his voice deep, thick with sleep. 

“Hi,” you turned to look at him and he smiled, removing a strand of hair from your face and placing it gently behind your ear. His fingers caressed your cheek softly and you sighed, leaning into his touch. He began to lean in when a knock at his door interrupted you. You moved off him and he pulled on his sweats, picking up an old t shirt before answering the door.

“Lily?”