A/N: Happy Early Valentine’s Day, Y’all! I wrote a lot for the next part of this series, so I decided to split them up in two chapters. I’m posting this one tonight, and the other will be up at some point tomorrow afternoon.
This chapter is in 3rd Person Omniscient for Rogie like the previous one, and the reader will not be in this chapter but the next one, so I apologize if it’s not that good.
Don’t forget to show your support and enjoyment for the fic by leaving likes, comments, and reblogging!
Summary: Roger has a chat with the band, and does some more thinking.
(Roger can be Ben Hardy!Rog or Real!Rog. Whatever stirs your soup.)
WARNINGS: Swearing, s l o w b u r n, Mentions of sex (BuT nO sMuT [yet(?)]), no revision and editing bc I’m lazy, I think that’s it.
This one is leaning more towards an M rating than a T, so read at your own risk.
“Eh… no no no. Take it from the top. Roger?”
The blond looked through the window to Freddie, who just made it to the practice.
He was wearing some ridiculous flashy outfit as usual, a pair of massive white sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose while an equally distracting burgundy coat made its presence known on the singer’s shoulders. Whether he wore a shirt underneath is still a mystery.
In his right hand, Freddie held a steaming hot cup of tea, gripped tight by his long fingers, each nail painted black. From the waist down, although he couldn’t see, Roger wouldn’t be surprised if Freddie was wearing booty shorts.
"You okay, Love?“
He only responded with a simple thumbs up, and an unenthusiastic look on his face; and although Fred didn’t seem too convinced, the music started playing, and Roger tried his part again.
"Been out of the flow all morning,” Brian informed the frontman, biting his thumbnail and crossing his legs from the wall he leaned against. “He got here, and didn’t count us in the first few times we played. Figured he needed some time to play for himself.”
"Hm,“ Freddie acknowledged, taking a peek at some loose papers scattered around the control desk and taking a sip of his tea.
"And how long ago did you two decide this?“
"Forty five minutes ago,” John grumbled at his spot at the control desk, legs crossed, and head propped up with his hand in bore.
"We tried confronting him and he’s not speaking,“ Brian explained. “Gave you a call and no one answered the phone. We assumed you were on your way.”
Freddie looked around the room, and he pointed at the second, empty seat at the control desk. “Where’s–”
After another timing mistake, Roger flung his drumstick towards the window, shouting profanities when the stick just riccoched and hit him right back, and startling the other three men in the process.
"… Y/n,“ Freddie finished carefully, eyes wide and focused on Roger’s movements.
"We both assume she’s got somethin’ to do with it. He won’t say anything.” John mumbled with a shrug.
Freddie pursed his lips, and sighed, scanning the control desk for the PA system’s button.
"Rog, my Love. Just… put the drumsticks down.“
Roger, who was about to send his second drumstick against the wall to meet the fate his first one did, lowered his arm slowly to his side, eyeing his band’s frontman in the window, who was twiddling his fingers at him.
"Good. Now, come on in here. We’re all gonna sit down. Have a chat.“
Roger’s shoulders slumped, and he left the recording room so he could regroup with his three other bandmates. Roger just frowned. Just as he suspected, Freddie was sporting a pair of body shorts.
Freddie moved his eyes from Roger to the empty seat next to John.
The drummer dropped into the chair, letting it roll him a little bit away from the staring eyes of the others.
"The others here tell me you’ve been a little… upset, since you’ve been here this morning."
Roger scoffed, and tried to stand from his chair, but Freddie dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know there’s something wrong,” Freddie quietly mumbled. “We just wanna help you. Tell us what’s wrong, and you’re helping us, too.”
Roger chewed the inside of his cheek, looking guiltily towards John and Brian. “… Hope you know I didn’t mean to shout earlier, yeah?"
"Kind of assumed so, yeah,” John offered a kind smile, to which Roger tried to return, but he just looked uncomfortable.
"It’s uh… it’s just, um…“
"Is… y'know… is y/n okay?”
Roger’s smile fell. “Wait, why? Why would she not be okay? Did you get a phone call from her?!” Roger stood up, “oh my God, is she okay?!”
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, calm down!“ Brian intervened, hands up. "She’s fine. We’ve heard nothing from her. We were just asking you.”
Roger sat back down, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand and sighing deeply. “Look, I’m sorry. Yes. Yeah, it is her. She’s… Driving me nuts right now.”
"Why now? You two were perfectly fine last week.“
"It’s been the interactions with the neighbours,” Roger complained. “do you know how hard it is not to start sweating every time we hold hands in public now?”
John frowned. “But… You hold other girls’ hands all the time. Why would y/n be different?”
"I don’t know! I don’t know and that’s why I’m like this!“
Freddie smirked, and Roger could sense the glint in his eyes despite them still being covered by his sunglasses.
"Seems to me,” Freddie popped his lips. “Roger’s in love with y/n.”
John smirked at the thought, and Brian had this wide grin on his face Roger really wanted to slap off.
"Fred, I really don’t think that’s the problem here–“
”‘Ts weird. I’ve always had a thing for y/n, maybe I’m in love with her.“
"Seeing a girl naked by accident doesn’t mean you’re in love with her, John.” Roger snapped back nearly immediately, to which Brian chimed in:
"Funny how you’re the one telling John that when I had to say the same thing to you in high school.“
Roger was mad, but he was even more embarrassed. His face was a deep scarlet, and Freddie wasn’t sure if the colour of Roger’s cheeks were because of his fury, or because he knew Brian was right.
"Come talk to me, Roger. Talk to the King of Love,” Freddie coaxed Roger with his index finger as he fell back dramatically on the sofa against the wall opposite the control table.
Roger simply rolled his eyes and relocated to the empty seat on the sofa by Freddie’s feet. The frontman kicked his bare legs out and crossed them over Roger’s lap while stretching this thin arms and placing them behind his head.
"When’d this all start happening, Rog? I mean the weird feelings.“
To this, the drummer simply shrugged. "Last week we had dinner at the neighbours’. The husband was talking about children, and marriage, and it was like…"
Brian and John raised their eyebrows expectantly.
"It was like I wasn’t acting anymore.”
Freddie gave a knowing smile, and hummed gently. “Did you feel comfortable? Being domestic and romantic with her?"
"Fred, I’ve lived with those two for three years, and they have zero personal space.” Brian’s eyes moved from his reflection in Freddie’s sunglasses to the stressful gaze in Roger’s. “… is it different?”
"Bri, I had women over all the time when we lived with you. I had no reason to have a girlfriend. I slept around, got the physical affection I needed, and she was just a friend…“
John pursed his lips. ”Was,“
Roger nodded a little, his eyes casting downward and burning holes into his already torn jeans. "Yeah. Was."
The blond suddenly looked up at his other bandmates. "We’re pretending to be a couple in a conservative, strict neighbourhood. It’s not like y/n would allow me to invite groupies home with us while catty neighbours spy on us from across the way. I’m not getting the physical attention I used to have, especially since sleeping around is impossible now."
The room then fell silent, and no one exactly made an immediate effort to say anything.
And then John gave a half-shrug.
"Why don’t you ask y/n?"
"Ask her what?”
"Ask her to give you that attention,“ Freddie finished John’s point in a matter-of-fact tone.
”No,“ Roger gasped. "No. No no no!"
"What? It’s a great idea,” Brian tried to reason.
"It’s bloody suicide! What would she think of me?! A sex-addict? A creep? A waste of time?“
”Roger,“ Brian stopped Roger’s listing. "She’s a single, gorgeous woman who loves you with all her heart, romantically-speaking, or not. You two already have this sort of secret commitment thing happening anyways but with housing rather than physical affection.”
"And your point is…?“
Freddie took over for Brian then with a sigh. "She has nothing to lose. You have nothing to lose. Why would adding onto your deal be a bad thing?"
To this, Roger didn’t respond. He didn’t have an answer. Freddie continued. "You sleep with women with no strings attached all the time. Living with your best friend while also bedding her doesn’t seem like a bad idea. What are you gonna do, catch feelings for her? You’re just horny.”
"… Do you really think that’s all that’s wrong?“
"That you’re stressed and just need a good lay?” John clarified.
"Absolutely.“
It was almost as if a weight had been lifted off Roger’s shoulders. All of his past issues were gone, out of his mind.
He had nothing to worry about.
"There’s that smile we all needed,” Freddie gushed at Roger, who lowered his head in mild embarrassment.
"C'mon Rog. Let’s get to work.“ Freddie jumped up to stand before the control table, and Brian took a seat next to John. Roger returned to his drum kit inside the recording room, and after a count-in, Roger started drumming.
Needless to say, practice was flawless for the rest of the day.
_______________________________
A/A/N: I hope y’all enjoyed! Remember, new chapter up tomorrow!
@culturefiendtrashqueen @luvborhap @amy-brooklyn99 @scarsout @kimmietea @ohtheseboysilove @demo-wise @suavishowell @bohemianahoy @pippin248
Guess who’s lacking inspiration for one series
And guess who’s gonna start writing an entirely different series starting tonight
Bohemian Rhapsody · 2018
Queen and Freddie Mercury biopic.
Me when people start talking about Skyrim
Killer Queen - Queen (Isolated Vocals)
fuck. fuck.
Incorrect Far Cry 5 Quotes
The saga continues [ x ]
A/N: Y’all, I know this was kinda filler and may not make a whole bunch of sense bc I was half asleep while writing this, so I apologize if this is shit. I legit thought I was going somewhere with this, but I think I’ll find some more inspiration after posting this part.
Again, I am so sorry.
Summary: Y/n comes down with a case of Baby Fever; She and Roger talk a little more about their “agreement”.
(Whichever Roger you want, real or Borhap. Whatever flies your kite.)
WARNINGS: Swearing most likely, Slow burn, mentions of sex, etc. I’m sorry if I forgot some.
This chapter will be brought back down to a T, but read at your own risk.
When you woke up from your deep sleep the following morning, you weren't expecting Roger to be by your side.
And when you turned to glance over your shoulder, you were in no way shocked to find the space next to you empty.
"At least he didn't show me the door as soon as he woke up," you mumbled to yourself mid-yawn. You stretched your body out, and relaxed again. You nearly fell back to sleep, but you knew you had to get up.
The sun's rays flooded Roger's bedroom through the open window, making the off-white walls appear brighter than they actually were.
You were happy to see the clouds from the previous day dispersed and London was finally getting the sunshine it deserved.
Eventually, after a long while of you trying to convince yourself to get up, you tossed the blankets to the side to start the day, only to find, through your bleary eyes, that you were missing all of your clothes.
You had no problem with this, considering the previous night's circumstances, but you found it strange that you used to hate sleeping naked, though you had the most refreshing sleep in your entire life doing it.
You didn't dwell on the thought much longer. You climbed out of bed and walked around the room, searching for your pyjamas, or underwear, or something to leave the bedroom in.
Then you stopped.
"I don't need fucking clothes." Roger was probably at practice. And even if he weren't, it's not like he hadn't seen all of you before, or was never gonna see all of you again.
You rolled your eyes at yourself, turned on your heel, and moved towards the bedroom door.
You caught sight of yourself in the mirror over Roger's dresser for a split second, and as soon as you reached for the doorknob, you rushed back to the mirror to actually get a good look at yourself.
From the jawline down to your hipbones, dark, painful-looking bruises and prominent bite marks were harshly pressed into the skin of your torso.
You had hickeys and marks on your neck, collarbone, breasts, navel, you name it.
You hissed in pain as you tilted your head back and touched a particularly large blue-violet bruise at the side of your throat. Your flesh was tender, but, much like how you reacted when you woke up nude, you were okay with it.
You started thinking of the night before, and you squeezed your legs shut, though it was somewhat painful to do.
You realized just then that the hickeys did, in fact, pass below your torso.
You shut your eyes and sighed heavily.
You didn't even want to bother looking at the damage down there.
"As long as my foundation can cover the ones on my neck," you concluded to yourself before finally exiting the bedroom.
After showering and making your way downstairs to prepare a cup of coffee, you were pleased to see half a pot was already brewed and ready for you.
You were very glad to see things between you and Roger hadn't changed a bit.
After coffee, you decided to do some cleaning. It was your day off, though you really felt like you needed to be productive.
You started by doing laundry. This included yours and Roger's bedsheets, the throw blankets on your sofa and living room chair, and all of yours and Roger's dirty clothes.
While those were in the washer, you decided to hoover all the carpets and mats, and after that, dusting.
You switched the laundry over to the dryer, and started a new wash. You were basically done everything else, and it was only noon.
You wondered if there was something to do outside, so to pique your curiosity, out the door you went.
You noticed an unoccupied flowerbed by the front window, though gardening wasn't your thing. You continued on.
Your yard's grass was constantly cut by your landlady's husband, you believed his name was Issac Welch; so you didn't have to worry about that.
You stood in your driveway completely defeated, and at a loss for something to do.
"Yoohoo, good afternoon, Y/n!" You heard a melodic call from a woman to your left. In your peripherals, you could see Bethany Lester, a young woman, maybe a little older than you, twiddle her fingers at you in excitement.
You didn't know whether to panic, or to roll your eyes. You were forced to meet seven more of your neighbours after having dinner with the Garrison's, and she just so happened to be one of them.
She was kind, but a little too bubbly for your liking.
Despite your annoyance, you thought it'd be more civil and appropriate to approach her and strike a conversation, rather than ignore her; even though you wanted so badly to just walk back inside and shut the door and not talk to anyone for the rest of the day.
You turned your head in Bethany's direction and smiled. "Hello, Beth!" You walked to her place, a few doors down, where she sat in a yellow sundress on the concrete with her little boy, Raymond.
He was playing with chalk and writing out letters and numbers, backwards and forwards, and in no exact order.
“ Say hi to Y/n, sweetie," She requested from her son, who turned his head to you, smiled, and said, "Hello! I can draw a doggie! Wanna see?!"
"Sure!" You encouraged. Raymond excitedly got up from his spot and ran to the front door. He returned with a bucket containing many more pieces of chalk, most of which were different colours.
"How've you been, recently?" Bethany asked as she looked away from her son as he began drawing his masterpiece.
"Still getting used to the new place?"
"Yeah, it's still a little weird. But kind people like you are helping me and Roger settle in quite nicely."
Bethany smiled at your comment, and nodded her head.
"We like making newcomers feel welcome. We're all like one big happy family here, us neighbours," she laughed airily.
You smiled tightly, and laughed along with her. You found yourself slipping into a situation in which plans would probably be made before you ended the conversation, though you definitely did not want to make plans.
"Well, that's awfully nice of you."
Raymond shoved his hand into the chalk bucket, and violently moved his arm around until he pulled out, to your surprise, the exact colour he was looking for, before going back to drawing his dog.
Your brief interruption didn't stop Bethany from talking more, unfortunately.
"How are you and Roger, anyways? I always see you two out and about the complex. You two really do make a good couple."
You smiled warmly at Bethany's words, your face growing hot as you, once again, remembered last night.
"He was really great..." you paused for a second, and realized what you'd just said, eyes wide in horror.
"Is. He is really great. He's fine." You took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just... I get all nervous thinking about him."
"Still in the 'Honeymoon Phase’?" Bethany guessed aloud.
"Been together five years. I think we're well past the ‘Honeymoon Phase’."
Raymond stood to his feet again, and turned to look at you. You smiled at him as he approached you, and pulled on your sleeve.
"I'm finished my doggie, Y/n!"
"Well, what are you waiting for?! Show me!"
You let Raymond pull you to the area of concrete he was working on, and he pointed to the round balloon-looking animal proudly.
You could tell it was a dog. He added some pretty identifiable features like a long tail, floppy ears, and a comedic tongue.
You sat down cross legged in front of the drawing, and began complimenting it and going into full depth about how moving the drawing was to you, like how an art critic would speak about another's work.
Raymond, although he probably had no idea what you were talking about, smiled and gushed and laughed about everything you were saying.
You found this utterly adorable, and told him that if you had a bajillion pounds, you would spend every single one of them on one of his drawings if he ever became an artist.
Raymond thanked you endlessly for your kindness until he picked up another piece of chalk and gave it to you.
"Can you draw, Y/n?"
"Well, I can certainly try, but I don't know if my skill will ever compare to yours!"
You tried to draw a cat, as badly as you could, and afterwards tried to claim it as "the best doggie I can draw". Raymond just found this hilarious, and his little giggles were contagious.
You found yourself in a laughing fit, as well.
"You're really good with kids, Y/n."
"I like to think I am," you answered with a smile as you drew a stick person with spiky hair.
"Have you and Roger thought about having kids?" You looked up from your drawing to Bethany.
"Funny you say that. The Garrisons asked the same thing." She shrugged innocently.
"You just... seem like good mother material. And he, good father material." You laughed out loud at that.
You didn't see it for yourself.
"Thanks, Beth, but I don't know if Roger even wants to have children. We're probably not even cut out for the job."
"... You've never spoken to him about it before?"
You shook your head. "No, not exactly."
Bethany frowned a little. "Cole and I had Raymond only two years after we started dating. I was fresh out of college. Your age, I bet."
You looked over at Raymond, who was sticking his tongue out in pure concentration as he tried to draw a perfect circle. You didn't know if you could imagine someone, especially a little kid, sharing your features.
"It's worth it, you know," You turned to look at your neighbour again. "Having kids, I mean. Believe me, it's tiring, and lots of hard work, but going to bed knowing you have someone else to love just..."
Bethany sighed happily.
"It'll make you feel really good about where you are in life."
The conversation you had over at the Garrisons' was more from a paternal point of view, so hearing this from an actual mother roughly your age was actually sort of... helpful.
"I... I think I may talk to him. Tonight, actually. About this whole... baby thing."
"You should. I thought I wanted to wait until Cole and I were married, but things changed and now look at us: Engaged and with a three year old boy who means the world to us."
You smiled sadly at that.
It hurt because this was something you knew you may have wanted.
And it hurt even more because this was something you knew you were never going to have.
"Hey, Bird," you heard a familiar, startling voice behind you, and you turned to see, as you'd guessed, Roger, who held a hand out to pull you back to your feet.
"You're... You're back from practice early," you commented in a flustered tone, taking his hand anyways and letting him help you up.
"We figured we'd cut things short today, go home to our girlies." Your skin rose with goosebumps, and you blushed when Roger cupped your face and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.
"Hey, Beth, nice seeing you again," Roger said after pulling away from you, to which you puffed out a sigh of relief, though he slid an arm around your waist all too soon, and you felt your face burning again.
"It's nice seeing you too, Roger."
"Hi Roger!" Raymond waved enthusiastically to the drummer, and he returned the greeting by going over, getting down on his knees, and high-fiving the kid.
Raymond offered to show Roger the drawing of the dog he did, and you watched as Roger picked up a piece of chalk out of nowhere and started adding to the picture.
Your nervous stare melted away and transformed into one of admiration as you watched Roger bond with Raymond.
Bethany got to her feet, and approached you, her eyes on her son as he offered blue chalk to Roger, who took it gratefully and drew a flower.
...
At least you think it was a flower.
"Still having doubts about being parent material?" Bethany asked rhetorically, nodding towards the sight before you.
You knew all of this was a charade, but...
Watching Roger behave like this, with a child, had some sort of effect on you.
And you knew you needed to talk to Roger about this problem sooner than later, because you really didn't want the whole neighbourhood waiting on you two for engagement news or pregnancy announcements that were clearly not coming.
_____________________________
You and Roger eventually returned home after saying good bye to Raymond and Bethany. The both of you stepped into the house, shut the door, and that's when the both of you noticed how quiet the atmosphere was.
Roger was looking at you in a shy manner, and your face warmed up as he mumbled a quiet "Hi, Y/n."
"Hey, Rogie," you breathed back softly. He smiled a little, and toed his shoes off. You followed suit.
"How uh... how were you this morning?" He asked, frowning a little afterwards. "... I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. I just... I didn't wanna bother you."
"It's okay," you spoke as gently as he did. You didn't know why you were talking so quietly, but you both just silently agreed that it was necessary at that moment.
"I had a good sleep."
"Well... that's good. Um... I did too."
"Good."
"Yeah."
Silence took over again, and Roger, leaning against the front door, looked around the hallway to find something other than you to look at. He didn't like staring, but it's all he wanted to do when you were around.
You, leaning against the wall adjacent to Roger, was looking around the room with the same intentions.
After finding nothing else to really look at, Roger just decided to interact with you.
He pushed himself off his spot against the door, and slowly moved towards you. His arms slid around your body in a warm, comforting manner. His embrace was welcoming, and you found yourself giving in to his affection.
His lips kindly pecked your forehead like how he did outside, and you smiled a little at the gesture. He kissed your forehead again, and then your cheek.
Roger knew if he didn't pull away, he would just end up taking you to bed like he did the night before, but he didn't want you to feel like he was just using you for sex.
As much as he wanted to keep up with the physical affection, he knew he had to separate from you at some point.
You looked up at him, and as he pulled away, it was as if you were gravitating towards him. You wanted his touch to linger for as long as possible, so your body moved with his hands as they fell to his side.
You cleared your throat awkwardly when you took notice of how close you'd actually gotten to Roger, and you expanded the space between the both of you by stepping back.
"... Are you hungry?"
Roger only nodded to your question, and you wordlessly moved to the kitchen to find something to make for lunch.
Roger followed along, and watched as you started searching the cupboards for something to eat.
You picked up and put down many cans, pretending to read them before setting them back on their rightful shelves. Your mind was too preoccupied with the societal expectations this complex had, and that the stress was finally catching up to you.
Eventually, after picking up the same can of vegetable soup for the seventh time in a row, Roger made his way over, put the can back for you, and closed the cupboard.
He waited silently for you to start talking, and you felt defeated.
"Roger, they're expecting us to have a baby."
"I know."
"And they want us to get married."
"I know."
You frowned.
You thought back to how you and Roger behaved with Raymond.
Like you thought then, it was everything you may have actually wanted, but you couldn't have.
And it hurt the more you repeated that in your head.
"... What if this wasn't such a good idea?" You asked Roger, eyes casted down at the clean marble countertops you wish you'd grown so accustomed to the previous couple of weeks living there.
"Hey, hey," Roger's hand squeezed your shoulder, and you looked up at him with sad eyes.
"You wanted this place, Y/n, and we sacrificed so much to get it for you!"
"... But it wasn't my idea to pretend we're a couple just for a house, Roger."
The glimmer of hope in Roger's eyes, like a candlewick, burnt out when you said that.
Was it really his fault you two were in this situation?
You sighed. "We agreed at the very beginning of this arrangement that things weren't going to change. We were going to avoid the neighbours at all costs, and live here for as long as we could as nothing but friends."
The more you spoke, the more deflated Roger felt.
So that's how you felt about him.
Nothing more than a friend.
"We can keep this arrangement going, as well as the uh..." you cleared your throat. "You know..."
You gestured between the both of you and Roger nodded slowly.
He was rather relieved that was still on. You had a rockin' body, and you definitely knew how to use it.
".. But I don't know how much longer we will survive here if we don't shut up."
"Yeah." Roger tried to interrupt the silence between voices to make things a little less awkward, and suspenseful. "Yeah, no, okay. Okay, I got it. No more talking." He frowned.
"You need to stop talking too, y'know," he said quietly, in the kindest tone he could. "You tend to panic and say random shit and that may not be good for us, either."
You nodded. "Been trying to work on that. It's hard to avoid these people!"
"This morning, Charles was standing outside and immediately started a conversation with me. It was almost like he was waiting for me."
You shivered unpleasantly. "That's pretty creepy," you mumbled in a funny voice, all of a sudden. It was one you used in high school all the time when Roger was turned down by a girl; and, believe it or not, happened a lot more often than one would think.
"Tell me about it," Roger responded through a giggle, his eyes began to shine like they had been when you'd first walked into the kitchen, ecstatic you decided to lighten the mood with your little side comments.
You offered him a pleasant smile, and reached up for the cupboard's handle again to properly search for something to cook, but Roger closed it again with the palm of his hand.
"... I really hope you know that... everything I said last night... about you, and how pretty you are..."
You looked from one blue eye to the other in wait. You would have hated how many times Roger paused during a conversation, but... it made your heart soar.
"Everything was true."
And that is when your heart skipped a beat.
"I know, Rogie," was all you said in response, reaching up and kissing his cheek before moving past him to look into the other cupboards for lunch-potential foods.
Roger was grinning from the innocent peck you gave him, though you were unaware of it because his back was turned to you.
But you had a feeling that's just what he was doing.
Though you were happy Roger was feeling a little better, you still had this dark feeling hanging over you.
If you wanted a domestic life with a husband and children, you would have to leave Roger, and this house.
But on the other hand, this was your home; Roger was your home. And to stay with him, you would have to give up your dreams of being a caring mother, and a loving wife.
You leaned your head sadly against the cupboard door.
You silently wondered if there even was a way you could have everything you wanted.
_____________________________
A/A/N: After editing a little, I don’t think this part is horrible, but it’s not the best. Hopefully the next chapter will be good enough for us to forget about this one.
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A/N: Yeah, I’m totally about to drop this, and a new chapter for TCND today. I don’t know how many of y’all like the Beatles, but I wrote this, and wanna see if anyone will really want another part.
OKAY SO I’m gonna say right now that I do not own, or are affiliated with the Beatles in any way (RIP), and this story is based off of/ heavily inspired by the 2007 movie Across The Universe, but the main characters, Jude and Lucy, are represented as Paul and the Reader. All of the characters mentioned, or are in this chapter (Other than Vick) are either real people, or characters from the movie.
Although all of the descriptive writing is mine, the concept was taken from the movie. A lot of the writing here has been altered from the movie to better fit the characters and situations they are in. I’ve added/ changed parts that weren’t in the movie in the first place, and I left a little out, again, for the purpose of the plot to kinda make more sense. This fic will be more focused on the relationship developing between the two love interests than in the movie, so lots of iconic scenes from the movie (Such as Prudence’s first scene, Jojo’s introduction to New York, etc) won’t be included in the fic, though those characters will make appearances at some point.
I will make up for the lack of content there with more scenes of Paul and the Reader interacting/ in situations that didn’t happen in the movie.
I advise you watch Across The Universe, or have already watched it before you read to prevent spoilers, bc there will probably be a lot of those. (Watching it when high makes it even better tbh, there’s some trippy stuff in that)
A L S O , In this AU, the Beatles do not exist, although it is set in the 60′s!! Paul is legit just a 23 year old guy who wants to see the world.
Summary: Paul decides to head to the United States; You say good bye to your boyfriend before he leaves for Vietnam.
WARNINGS: Swearing, mentions of War, Mike McCartney calling Paul out on some bs, probably a couple of grammar errors bc it’s like... 5:30 AM where I am, and I haven’t slept yet :)
This little fic will be rated T. just because of the swearing
Prom went just as you'd expected it to: You had a nice meal, and did some wonderful dancing with your boyfriend. Despite the blisters on your feet from your shoes, you disregarded them as a temporary memory of one of the last times you'd see Daniel before he took off for the war.
When he got the letter in the mail, he opened it in your presence. Up until the day he died, he felt guilty for making you one of the first to know of his draft.
He cried in your arms for a long while, and you put all your strength into holding your tears back to bring him comfort in such a difficult time.
America had only just entered the Vietnam War, and it didn't seem real to any of you until the day Daniel got that fucking letter.
After talking it over with him, Daniel proposed that the both of you should just enjoy the remaining time you had before he'd have to leave.
And that's what put you here, in the passenger seat of Daniel's car, his mouth leeched onto your neck as his fingers tangled themselves in your hair.
"My mum and dad are home," you explained gently; solemnly. Daniel pulled away from your neck, instead moving to rest his lips on your forehead. "Of course."
He pulled away completely then, stepping out of the car and moving to the other side to hold your door open for you.
You stepped out, and Daniel interlaced his fingers with yours as you both walked up the drive to your house. The both of you listened to the clicks of Daniel's shoes on the pavement-- you were barefoot, your heels hanging from your fingers.
When he'd brought you up the porch, you turned to lean against one of the house's banisters. Daniel saw the look on your face, the one that just screamed 'please don't leave.'
"I'll be home soon," he said confidently, reaching out to squeeze one of your hands. "They give you a furlough after boot camp."
"And after that?" You never got a verbal response. Daniel just wrapped his arms around you tightly. You squeezed your eyes shut, and hugged him back with all the strength you had.
_____________________________
And at this time, across the Pond in Liverpool, England, Paul McCartney was walking home his girlfriend Molly, who he'd been out at a bar with all night, drinking and dancing to the live bands said bar had to offer that evening (and morning).
"Who'll take me out next week? You'll be halfway around the world." She threw a glance over her shoulder, and all Paul could do was offer her a cheeky smile.
"Well it better not be Phil Scully."
Honestly, Paul knew he deserved the shove Molly gave him not moments later, but he just threw his arms around her with a laugh as they turned down her street.
Paul tried to slip into his back door as quietly as he could, being sure to force a fake cough so he could discreetly lock the door.
He was finally safe. He took the time to puff out the air he'd been holding in his lungs, and he rested his forehead against the door.
"... Finally back, I see?"
Paul cringed.
Fuck.
"Yeah... sorry, Dad."
Paul turned around, and sure enough, there his father was: at the table, an empty plate of crumbs sitting in front of him, a cup of tea in his hand, and the Liverpool Echo in the other.
"Your brother just got home, too," Mr. McCartney mumbled as he brought his mug to his lips.
"He was with his girlfriend."
"I was, too," Paul defended as he opened the refrigerator and snagged an apple off one of the shelves before kicking the door shut and leaning against the counter.
Mike, Paul's brother, had just stepped into the kitchen with the same intention as Paul: getting breakfast.
"Mornin!'"
Paul nodded his head to his brother, mouth already full of apple.
"But I know who Mike's girlfriend is, James."
"Ooh," Mike smiled wickedly. He'd come in at just the right time. "Yeah, James, Dad knows who my Bird is."
Paul cringed a little at the name. James. The only people he really allowed to call him James was his parents.
"I just haven't... found the right time to introduce her, 's all," Paul excused after he swallowed. To avoid saying anything else, he went in for another bite of the fruit.
"No, it's because I actually love my girlfriend," Mike chortled as he popped a slice of bread in the toaster by Paul's arm, which just resulted in a playful shove from his older brother.
"I love my girlfriend," He argued back.
"But have you even told her that?"
Paul rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... not exact--"
"Point proven," Mike pointed to his brother, eyeing his father proudly.
"Look, all I'm saying, James, is that clearly, if you're stalling an introduction, you don't plan on keeping her 'round," Mr. McCartney explained.
"Dad, it's... it's complicated." Paul was rubbing the back of his neck again before taking another bite from his apple.
"There's just no point in wasting your time with someone you're just gonna throw away,"
"Whoa whoa whoa," Paul put his hands up at his brother's comment. "Who said anything about throwing anyone away?!"
"Well, you are going to America in a couple of days," Mike pointed out, grinning widely as his toast popped. He moved around the kitchen for a knife and some butter from the table.
"You really gonna stay with her when you're gonna have all those single American girls around to choose from?"
Paul didn't answer. He just shoved the apple into his mouth, rolled his eyes, and moved to the other side of the room, where the staircase leading upstairs was located.
He took a seat on the first two steps as he continued eating away at his breakfast.
"Paul, when I was your age-- maybe even younger than you, I met your mother. I knew she was The One after our first date. I took her home to meet my parents immediately."
Paul waited patiently for his father to get to the point.
"If you're not bringing her 'round, maybe she ain't the right one. Just think about it."
No one really said much else. Mike had started eating his toast, and Mr. McCartney turned his attention back to the paper, so Paul went upstairs.
He shut the door to his room when he arrived, and sighed happily at the sight of his bed. He climbed right on without taking his coat off. He kicked his legs up and stared at the ceiling as he finished off his apple, tossing the core into the waste bin next to him.
He understood where his father was coming from, and maybe he was right. But, Paul wasn't exactly looking for a long-term partner like all his other friends had done after they graduated from school.
Even Mikey had hopped onto that gravy train.
Paul was twenty-three. He still had plenty of time to find a girlfriend and settle down. That's why he decided to take off to The Land Of Opportunity. He wanted to get out and experience what it was like outside his dreary hometown before he devoted the rest of his life to a wife and kids, and living as a boring, stereotypical family until the day he died.
Did he have a Visa to legally work in America?
Fuck no. But it's not like that was gonna stop him from finding some form of income, whether or not it was technically legal.
Paul sat up in his bed, turning to peer into his closet.
He was pulling his suitcases from there moments later, and he unzipped all of them to begin packing. There was nothing he really needed to pack rather than his clothes, cigarettes, passport, a photo of his mother, and a small notebook containing all the phone numbers he'd had to keep over the years.
His cousin's number was the one he was particularly packing the book for. Paul managed to convince him to make room for him at his place he shared with his friends just outside the Princeton University Campus, where he was currently studying.
"You're a lifesaver, Vick" Paul mumbled as he tossed the book into one of the suitcases, and zipping it back up.
_____________________________
"Sometimes I feel like you're not tellin' me everythin'," Molly mumbled as she pulled away from the swelling kiss Paul was trying to leave her before he parted for America.
"I just need a break from here, Molly. I'll be back before you know it," he tried to comfort her with his gentle words, but she just looked upset.
"N'd a break from me," it sounded more like a statement.
"Don't be ridiculous," he offered a smile, but when she didn't really react to it, Paul slipped his fingers into her hair, and threw it behind her shoulder.
"I'll be missing you by tomorrow,"
"I bet," she mumbled, eyes fixed on a pebble on the sidewalk between her feet.
Paul pinched her chin, and tilted her head so she was looking right at him. He looked more serious now.
"I'll write home everyday."
"You better."
"N'd I'll send all my loving to you."
And that's all it took.
"You bastard," Molly tried concealing her grin, but Paul had her wrapped around his finger, and she gave in to his charm.
And not long after, she was giving into another one of his desperate kisses.
_____________________________
"I promise, every day I'll write, babe. I love you so much," Daniel rushed his words out between quick kisses he left on your lips, his hands squeezing your own tightly. He pulled away soon enough to give you a smile, and then the car he was in started driving away.
His hands slipped away from yours, and you suddenly felt cold.
You wanted to chase after the car, but your feet stayed glued to the road. Your heart felt strained as you watched the car drive off and around the corner.
Good-bye, Danny.
_____________________________
A/A/N: If you want me to continue on with this, please let me know! I really really like the Beatles, and I wanted to give Paul x Reader a try. As always, likes, replies, and reblogs are always appreciated. And I promise, the next chapter to this will be much, much longer, if y’all want it enough <3
I posted this a year ago whY ARE MORE PEOPLE FINDING IT OUT OF NOWHERE??
I just remembered I have a tumblr to post my art on, jfc. Why not post my favorite drawing, then.
Roger Taylor in Queen’s MV of Somebody To Love
(If you want more, I mainly post my art on my insta @/julia.dowson.art)
You can find my masterlist here
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