Hey, so, theoretically, if Thanos doesn’t end up getting the Space Stone in that opening scene in Infinity War, does it take him longer to get to earth? I can’t rightly tell if he just blips the ship there for Faux-Voldemort’s face off with Tony and Strange or if they actually flew it all the way from the wreckage of Thor’s ship....
Can he just blip a whole space ship???? Is that a thing?
1 - “I love you. I hope you know that.”
2 - “I bought this because I thought you’d like it.”
3 - “I just feel safe with you. Like nothing bad can happen.”
4 - “You’re adorable, and I can’t believe I have you all to myself.”
5 - “Are you warm enough? “
6 - “I don’t like when you say things like that. To me, you’re perfect.”
7 - “I like it when you say my name.”
8 - “I care about you. I’ve always cared about you.”
9 - “You’re soft and warm and I don’t want you to move.”
10 - “I love kissing you.”
11 - “I’m just glad you’re safe. I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you.”
12 - “Welcome home.”
13 - “God, you’re so beautiful.”
14 - “You make me want to become a better person.”
15 - “She’s/he’s not my boyfriend!”
16 - “I always want to kiss you.”
17 - “I’m really lucky to have you.”
18 - “I think it’s adorable how easily you blush.”
19 - “I just want to take care of you.”
20 - “Don’t tell me not to worry, because I’m going to do that anyway.”
21 - “I made you some breakfast.”
22 - “If you’re so cold, why didn’t you say something? Come here.”
23 - “I guess time flies when you’re with somebody you love.”
24 - “I never want you to think you’re anything less than my top priority.”
25 - “You look really cute in that.”
Angst:
1 - “No, I don’t want to say goodbye. Not now.”
2 - “I think I might be better off without you.”
3 - “Don’t tell me what to do.”
4 - “I don’t want to do this without you.”
5 - “I thought we were friends.”
6 - “Stop yelling and listen for a second.”
7 - “What you did what stupid and dangerous and scared the hell out of me.”
8 - “I just want you to be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
9 - “Please, just…be safe. Come back to me.”
10 - “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you trusted me.”
11 - “Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay.”
12 - “Who did this? Who hurt you?”
13 - “I love you, not them.”
14 - “Am I not good enough?” / “I’m not good enough.”
15 - “I’m so, so sorry.”
16 - “This is all your fault.”
17 - “But I only just got home.”
18 - “Don’t say that. You’re going to be okay.”
19 - “Please don’t leave.”
20 - “I know you didn’t mean it, but it still hurt.”
21 - “I wish I didn’t have these feelings, but I do.”
22 - “Why would you think something like that?”
23 - “Look me in the eye and tell me you love me.”
24 - “I thought I’d never see you again.”
25 - “You can’t just leave like this.”
Smut:
1 - “I missed you so much.”
2 - “Like what you see?”
3 - “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
4 - “You’re so perfect. And I’m so fucking lucky.”
5 - “Try to stay quiet, understand?”
6 - “We’re in public, you know.”
7 - “I didn’t know you were so sensitive.”
8 - “Don’t be so rough. There can’t be any marks.”
9 - “Don’t smile at me like that. You know it drives me crazy.”
10 - “I like it when you say my name like that.”
11 - “I heard shower sex is dangerous, but right now, I’m willing to take the risk.”
12 - “I really don’t care. You still look hot and I’m trying not to kiss you senseless right now.”
13 - “You’re so much fun to touch.”
14 - “Can I at least take my shoes off before you pounce on me?”
15 - “Are you sure? Once we start, I might not be able to stop.”
16 - “No, I’m supposed to be making you feel good.”
17 - “Oh my God, do that again.”
18 - “You can be wearing a trashbag, and I’d still want you.”
19 - “I thought maybe we can do a little more than just kissing.”
20 - “I’m going to be late because you can’t keep it in your pants.”
“ i’m not going anywhere. ”
“ you make me feel safe. ”
“ i think i might be in love with you. ”
“ i just like seeing you happy. ”
“ just let me take care of you. ”
“ you’re my family. ”
“ i can stay, if you want. ”
“ you make me feel alive. ”
“ you’re captivating. ”
“ i want you to know i’ll always be here for you. whatever you need. ”
“ you don’t have to tell me anything, we can just sit here. ”
“ i trust you. more than anyone else. ”
“ you have a beautiful soul. ”
“ i feel like i could watch you all day. everything you do has a touch of magic to it. ”
“ i hope i see you in my dreams. ”
“ do you trust me? ”
“ you don’t ever have to pretend. not with me. not ever. ”
“ i love you, every part of you. even the parts you don’t like. ”
“ you make everything a little easier. ”
“ will you just…hold me? please. ”
“ just tell me everything’s gonna be okay. ”
“ you’re enough. you’re more than enough. ”
“ you have my heart in your hands. be gentle with it. ”
“ i wanna be the one you go to. the first one you tell when there’s something good. the shoulder to cry on when it’s bad. and every mundane thing in between. i want to share it all with you. ”
“ i have faith in you. ”
“ i’ve never met anyone quite like you. ”
“ knowing you is like…coming home. like i’ve finally found something that’s been missing all this time. ”
“ every hard thing in my life feels worth it. it all led me to you. ”
“ i feel like i could endure anything as long as i have you to come home to. ”
“ i can tell something’s bothering you. ”
“ what can i do to help? ”
“ come on. let’s get out of here. ”
“ i’m taking you somewhere special. ”
“ where are you taking me? ”
“ i don’t need grand gestures or declarations of love. i just need you. all of you. ”
“ you make me feel like i’m worthy. ”
“ you deserve good things. ”
“ i want to be your home. ”
“ loving you is like something holy. ”
“ i made you something. ”
“ come back to bed. ”
“ stay the night with me. ”
“ are you sure you’re okay? ”
“ you wanna talk about it? ”
“ did you wanna tell me something? ”
“ you’ll always have me. ”
“ i’m proud of you. ”
“ i need you. ”
“ thank you. for always being there for me. ”
“ don’t ever let anyone make you doubt your worth. ”
“ i’m not leaving you. not ever. ”
“ you have kind eyes. ”
“ sleep, my love. i’ll keep the nightmares away. ”
“ there’s so much light in you. ”
“ i want you here. ”
ACTIONS:
❀ for a forehead kiss
✦ for our muses to hold hands
❉ for one muse to nap against the other
✱ for one muse to surprise the other
✸ for our muses to cuddle
❄ for our muses to enjoy the first snow of winter
♛ for my muse to teach yours something new
☂ for our muses to stargaze
♡ for one muse to wake the other with breakfast in bed
♤ for a kiss on the palm
☁ for our muses to get caught in the rain without an umbrella
☀ for one muse to surprise the other with a home-cooked meal
☾ for one muse to hug the other without explanation
♞ for one muse to give the other a massage
✞ for one muse to give the other flowers
✔ for one muse to caress the other’s face
✚ for our muses to shower/bathe together
＄for one muse to catch the other staring lovingly
I’m always a little surprised that the Winter Soldier Meets and Tries to Assassinate Child Darcy is consistently my most popular fic idea, because it was something of a ‘what if’ story line for me and not a plot I put a lot of planning into.
I wonder if it’s because most of my other fic starters are AUs and AUs aren’t as widely liked? When people look for fic do you stick to something that’s closer to the source material or is it more about the characters regardless of setting?
Jane is a scientist who is out to prove the existence of ghosts after the death of her fiancée, Thor, with Darcy as her plucky assistant. Tony Stark is the host of his own ghost hunter show and approaches the same house Jane does for mostly the same reasons except he wants everything televised. Bruce was his partner who was a victim of possession back in the day and finds the paranormal very difficult to be around now. Natasha and Clint are the owners of the house who know more about it’s spectral circumstances then they let on (and that may be the reason they bought it in the first place). Steve Rogers is partnered to Bucky, who is a well known but reclusive medium and Steve’s best friend since a near death experience in elementary school that left Bucky a little too open to the spiritual worlds.
Darcy has never believed in ghosts but supports her boss 110%, so when more people than expected show up to the Romanov household looking for proof of a haunting, Darcy gladly litters their paths with spooky pranks. It isn’t until she and Jane start seeing a man whose face is drenched in red that Darcy starts to think there may be some truth to the ghost stories after all
Jane is a scriptwriter known for two acclaimed films who cares deeply for her craft and insists on being involved in the films she creates which means she doesn’t work well with a lot of people. Darcy is her assistant/wrangler who smoothes over a lot of the negotiating as well as keeping Jane comfy while she’s working. They’ve been working together since the beginning, when Darcy was an undecided major and Jane was just looking for an office assistant while working on her first script. (6 years now, two major films, first one was with Thor)
A/N: this is dipping my toes into something a bit darker than my usual, please do read the tw just beneath the cut and if I’ve missed anything do let me know and I’ll add it on. <3
TW: sexual harassment, sexual harassment in the workplace, closeted characters, threat of outing an LGBTQA character, homophobia, panic attacks
The next movie they start working on is a spy film featuring a Krystyna Skarbek-esque character that Jane also wants a hand in producing since her first two films have garnered her some money and acclaim. They’ve already scored a leading lady (Natasha Romonov, known for her role as the iconic black widow a few years back, about a woman who escapes a violent family situation via murder and later in life convinces a friend to do the same), but are still looking for their leading men.
Tony Stark runs the production company that Jane signs with, and a family acquaintance of his, Obadiah Stane, has offered to finance the film. Bruce Banner is directing and has worked with Tony before.
James Buchanan Barnes signs on as one of the leading men at the beginning of the story, and suggests a friend who’s only really done a few arthouse films for the role of the other man. Jane happens to be there for Bucky’s casting (he’s not familiar to her) and feels that he nailed it, so when he suggests Steven Rogers she wants to screen him as well and encourages bringing him in.
He blows the competition out of the water and Jane gets him in front of Tony and Bruce. Bruce is all for it and Steve is quickly brought into the fold.
Meanwhile, Darcy’s had some unfortunate run-ins with Stane. She’d always heard that Tony was the one to watch out for- there’s always rumors in their industry- but it’s Stane who turns out to be handsy and always a bit too close for her liking. He makes some uncomfortable comments about her body and Darcy gets a bad vibe and tries to keep the younger staff away from him/shield Jane.
Then one day she’s asked to do some menial task or another that is not in her job description, and while she’s at it she gets cornered by Stane who, knowing they’re alone and she won’t have proof, threatens her job and then tells her to do something vulgar. Steve walks in on the uncomfortable silence that follows and notes how scared Darcy looks, and recalling other times Stane has said something out of line he clocks what might have happened and gets Darcy out of there real quick, claiming Jane is looking for her.
Darcy is grateful and tries not to freak out too much in front of Steve- she can’t honestly say how she would have reacted if the situation hadn’t been interrupted, or what else Stane might have done. She doesn’t go into detail about what happened but Steve can guess well enough and turns around to go pummel him. Darcy stops him and says she thinks he was just messing with her, besides which, what can they really do about it? He didn’t do anything, she doesn’t have it on record that he said some gross shit, it’s his word against hers and she knows how these things usually go. She’s been keeping other staff away from him, she’ll just have to be a bit more careful herself.
Steve isn’t pleased with this but relents, as it’s Darcy’s decision, and tells her if she ever needs a hand or someone to talk to, he’s there. She thanks him and he asks if they can eat lunch together; a little surprised by the invite but pleased, she says yes.
Steve and Darcy grow closer over the next week or so, and as such Darcy ends up spending more time with Bucky. He catches on to the Obadiah situation when Steve helps hide Darcy in the makeup trailer one day and though he asks about it Darcy doesn’t share any details (she doesn’t feel entirely comfortable around him). They continue their banter and later he tries to bug it out of Steve, but is told it’s not his story to tell. Steve asks him to keep an eye on Darcy for him though, and Bucky complains but agrees.
Meanwhile Stane finds more reasons to turn up at Jane’s portion of the studio and Darcy becomes even more cautious on set as he grows bolder with his advances. She flat out tells him to stop and that his wife probably wouldn’t be fine with what he’s doing but he claims she’s has so many affairs he’s lost count, and they have an agreement, what one might call an open relationship- he asks if she’s had any experience with that kind of thing, seeing multiple people at the same time, and Darcy brushes him off and makes more of an effort to never be alone with him.
While all that nonsense is happening, Steve and Darcy spend more time together and Bucky can tell Steve is falling for Darcy pretty hard, while Darcy is trying to keep her crush on her new friend under wraps. Then one night after filming the crew is all heading home at the end of the long day and Darcy walks in on Steve and Bucky making out in one of the quieter areas of the set. She leaves discreetly and they don’t notice her, and that moment causes her to acknowledge that Steve is far more out of her reach than she thought (the potential superstardom thing was enough to make her hesitant but this is an obvious ‘he’s never gonna notice you and is not available’ to her).
She doesn’t exactly go out of her way to distance herself but she pulls back from their relationship a little and she can tell Steve is hurt and confused. When he asks why she isn’t spending her lunches with them anymore she tells him Stane stopped bothering her so he doesn’t have to worry about it, which she knows wasn’t the whole reason they were spending time together, but she needs a way out without admitting her attraction to him.
Bucky, on the other hand, just gets straight up angry. He bitches her out when there’s finally a quiet moment between the two of them and Darcy just bites her tongue, not wanting to humiliate either of them by admitting what she saw and why she’s more hesitant around them (aka breaking her own heart).
Something about the conversation keeps bothering Bucky and the next time he goes to leave the set at the end of a shoot he notices her car’s still there. He decides to stay and get a real answer out of her.
Darcy is picking up a notebook of Jane’s that she’d forgotten when she turns to leave and runs smack into Obediah Stane. He’s creepy as usual and then pushy, a hard hand grasping at her throat, asking why she ducked out so quick on him last time, and then asking about her time with Rogers and Bucky. He drops a slur and she slaps him, finally angry enough to snap out of her fear, and he tells her she’s gonna regret that. He lets her go to touch his now bloody lip and tells her she has ten seconds before he comes for her- he likes a chase- and Darcy darts out into the hall and heads through studio, as the parking lot is on the other side. She books it but she’s also wearing heels, trips and skins her knee in her jeans, and doesn’t get far.
An arm snags her from out of the darkness and she screams, bringing Obediah in her direction. It turns out to be Bucky who grabbed her, and he pulls her into a dark corner of the set (an old 1940’s diner). When Darcy calms he asks her what’s going on and Obediah’s voice drifts through the hollow studio, taunting Darcy. Bucky tells her to head to the parking lot and not to worry about this, his car is unlocked. She asks what he’s going to do but he tells her to just head out.
Darcy refuses, and they stand up to Stane together. He’s not pleased, after insisting he was just teasing Darcy and having Bucky tell him he’ll report him, so he lashes out and tells Bucky he knows all about his exploits with his ‘friend’ Steve and threatens to out them to the press. Stane also says Darcy already knows and he’s surprised everyone on set hasn’t caught on to their arrangement. Darcy steps in at this and shoves Obediah back, calling him a real piece of shit and saying if he says anything about Bucky and Steve to anyone she’ll move press charges against him for sexual harassment. Stane reluctantly relents after a few sneered threats and she and Bucky leave, both shaken.
They’re quiet when they get in Bucky’s car (Bucky insisting she can’t drive herself home while she’s still shaking) and Darcy says he can just drop her off at the bus stop- Bucky interrupts to insist he take her home. After settling into silence again, Darcy quietly apologizes for involving him in this mess. Bucky snaps at her not to apologize and then reigns himself in, realizing his tone. He tells her it’s not her fault that guy is a fucking creep and lets out a long breath. He asks how long this has been going on for and Darcy hesitates before telling him for about a month now.
Bucky clenches his hands on the steering wheel and when it becomes clear Darcy isn’t going to volunteer any information asks if he’s ever put his hands on her. Darcy thinks back to him slapping her ass while walking by her in Jane’s office, to copping a feel of her chest right in front of people when she dropped some papers and he stooped down to ‘help’ her, and tonight, when he put his palm flat against her sternum and then grasped her throat. She swallows, not quite knowing how to answer because she knows this isn’t really what Bucky is asking, and opens her mouth but she’s taken long enough and he can see from the look on her face what she wants to say. He pulls over and stops the car.
He asks if she’s okay, and she nods and says she just needs some air, getting out of the vehicle to crouch at the side of the road and gasp. Bucky gets out and says he thinks she’s having a panic attack, and holds her hand through it when she reaches out for him. She’s okay, calms down after a few minutes, and is left feeling weak and tired. Bucky gets her back in the car and asks where she wants to go- he can take her home. She hesitantly admits she doesn't want to be alone, and Bucky, telling her not to worry, gives Steve a call while she dozes off asking if they can come to his place.
Darcy wakes up when he opens the driver side door, and he helps her to her feet after coming around to her side to open her door as well. She’s still sluggish but resists his offer to carry her, and he tucks her arm into his as they head to the front door of a one story. Steve answers the door and is very confused, and Bucky tells him Darcy needs to crash here for the night- so will he. They’ll explain later.
Steve lends Darcy a sleeping shirt and some oversized sweatpants and tucks her into bed as she’s still disoriented. She thanks him and passes out to the sounds of their quiet voices on the other side of the bedroom door.
The next morning when she wakes up, Steve is making breakfast. Bucky has gone out for fruit to go with the pancakes, Steve tells her as he pours her a coffee and ushers her to a seat. He’ll be back soon. When Darcy quietly sips her drink, Steve asks while hovering over the oven how she’s feeling, and she shrugs, kind of numb now and also the situation is surreal to her. Without looking back at her he asks why she didn’t say anything to him.
Darcy clutches her coffee like it’s a lifeline and Steve clarifies that Bucky told him last night that she knew about the two of them. Her tension drains a bit, knowing he’s not talking about the situation with Stane, and she clears her throat, trying to think of a way to say it was none of her business without being rude, or giving away that she’s actually way too into him considering how unavailable he is and it hurts. Steve keeps his back to her as he cooks, and she says he didn’t talk to her about it and they were obviously keeping it secret. She didn’t want Steve to feel like he’d have to act differently around her, or think that she was like spying on them or whatever. She just didn’t want to get in the way of what was going on with them.
Steve tries to ask how she could have gotten in the way, scoffing, and she says it’s always the three of them together, and she doesn’t know what their deal is- a relationship or just casual or whatever- but it’s clear that he and Bucky truly like each other and she was basically taking up their alone time. Steve quietly says that it wouldn’t have bothered him or Bucky and Darcy hmms into her coffee, not quite sure how to reply.
She settles on telling him she’s happy he has somebody who cares for him so much, he and Bucky are always connected at the hip, and Steve turns slightly to give her a once over. She baldly asks if they’re dating while she has his eye and Steve turns back to the pan, and says it’s complicated. Darcy says it seems like it and that the industry can be a tough place to be if you’re not out. Steve nods and adds that all Bucky has ever wanted to do was be a leading man, get those action roles. And he’s not sure that’ll keep happening for him if their relationship is discovered. Darcy apologizes and says it shouldn’t be like that.
Bucky unlocks the door to the two of them brooding and asks what happened, sensing the foul mood. Steve perks up and tells him pancakes are almost done, and Bucky gets to the sink to wash the berries and grab some plates for them. He asks Darcy how she slept and watching the two of them in such a domestic setting has put some butterflies in her stomach for some reason. She clears her throat and says she slept great, thanks Steve for letting her stay again. He’s plating the pancakes as Bucky hands him dishes, and tells Darcy she’s welcome any time.
They sit, Steve with a huge stack of pancakes, Bucky with a slightly lesser plate, and Darcy grabbing a measly two in comparison, and she thanks them for breakfast while digging in. Bucky smothers his in whipped cream and Darcy goggles at him while he scarfs it down, almost impressed. Steve takes a bit more time with his meal and asks Darcy if she wants a ride into the office with them today. She mentions her car is still in the lot and thanks him for the offer, and Bucky says through a mouthful of pancake and blueberries that he can walk her to her office. She tells him it should be fine, Stane isn’t supposed to be on set today, and Steve puts down his fork.
It takes a moment for her to realize that he’s gone from 0 to 100 in the span of a second, but Bucky slows his eating and a silence descends upon their tiny kitchen table. Darcy looks up in the weight of that quiet to find Steve staring her down. He carefully asks why she’s bringing up Stane, and then asks if this has to do with whatever happened last night?
Darcy swallows her food and looks wildly to Bucky, thrown. She starts to ask whether Bucky said anything about it but she doesn’t even get the whole question out before he shrugs and says it wasn’t his place to tell. He crosses his arms and leans back in his chair to watch the impending explosion as Darcy hisses that he might have let her in on that earlier.
Steve says she told him Stane had stopped bothering her and Darcy doesn’t have anything to say to that, squirming guiltily in her seat, so he presses on, asking what happened, looking to Bucky who simply gestures back to Darcy. Steve asks again, gentler this time, seeing how uncomfortable Darcy is, and she keeps her eyes on her plate when she says she lied about Stane stopping. It hasn’t stopped. In fact, it’s gotten worse.
She peers up at the ceiling and starts blinking away tears in an effort not to cry, not sure if it’s because of all this shit built up with Stane or because she feels like she’s sabotaged her own relationship with this person she really likes. The guilt over stepping away from Steve hits her like a ton of bricks but she pulls herself together as Bucky lays a hand over hers on the kitchen table. She spills what’s been happening the last week to Steve whose face grows stonier with every word, and then confesses exactly what happened in that room before she ran out and into Bucky. She turns her hand in his to clasp it and thanks him for the first time, and to her delight he seems vaguely uncomfortable with her sincerity, flushing while he tells her he didn’t even do anything.
When Darcy is nine, she’s at a political parade watching from a hotel window (her little brother is sick so they stay in instead of going out to watch) and sees a running candidate shot in the chest. As it just so happens, the shooter is exactly opposite her window, and when he looks up he notices her. Nothing happens for a few days- her parents continue on their vacation and try to coddle her against what happened at the parade -and then she’s in a souvenir store along a popular strip of shops when a man crouches down next to her and she recognizes his face.
He doesn’t say anything, and she slowly hands him the squishy ball she was playing with a moment before. “You didn’t see anything,” he says, low and gravelly, and she nods in agreement, but he sees in her face it’s the fear pushing her now and he doesn’t think it will be enough later. With her little brother calling for her around the corner, he takes his knife and slides it into the soft part of her neck, quick as a bee sting, and then he’s gone, and she’s bleeding out on the floor.
As it so happens, there’s a vet in the store, and so they’re able to staunch the bleeding and she’s taken to the hospital, where the story leaks to her family and the police get involved. They’re then approached by witsec, who tells the family it’s best if they declare darcy as dead.
When Darcy wakes up, she’s in another hospital with vague memories of her family crying over her and a social service/witsec worker at her side. The woman tells her that for her safety, she has to stay away from her family for now (and when Darcy finally calms down and understands, she asks how long and there is no answer).
She goes to stay with a family within SHIELD but things are rocky from the get go and she can’t stop the anger and resentment that builds in her. The grief and lack of understanding over the loss of her family is overwhelming. In the end, the family contacts SHIELD because they’re afraid she might harm herself or blow their cover, and an older woman arrives with the SHIELD social worker (Angie Martinelli) who takes a personal interest in Darcy’s case.
Peggy Carter has more than a few grey hairs by the time she meets 9 year old Darcy Lewis, but she sees how alone Darcy is and can’t bring herself to just let SHIELD shuffle the child around to another house. She makes a promise with Darcy that one day she’ll be able to go back to her family, but until then Darcy can stay with her and they can keep each other company, because they’re both alone.
Darcy grows up in the Carter household with Peggy as a stand in for family, and thrives. Nothing could ever make her forget her true family, out there somewhere surely missing her as well, but she manages to hide that wound with her fondness for Peggy and Angie, who she learns to trust, and Sharon, who’s only a little older but very protective of Darcy.
Darcy finds her way to Culver as she grows older, and without letting Peggy know (though she suspects) looks up her bio family and keeps an eye on them. She grows restless with her schooling and Peggy catches her out with the spying and scolds her a bit. This is also when Peggy reveals that she has Alzheimer's but begs Darcy not to reach out to her family out of fear for her. Out of frustration and hopelessness, Darcy gets drunk and applies to Jane’s internship, and is accepted the next day
~*~*~*~
When Peggy dies, Darcy sits with Sharon at the funeral and spots Steve in the crowd. Darcy explains to Sharon how things have been with Jane since Thor left and how they’re looking for more investors and Sharon mentions SHIELD but Darcy gives that a hard pass. Sharon excuses herself to say hello to Steve and Darcy doesn’t approach them, too in her own feelings, and leaves quietly after saying goodbye to Angie.
~*~*~*~
Some time later, after Darcy has stood beside Jane through Thor and Dark World and since the Asgardian has left their life, Jane has been working with a smattering of other scientists to create a bridge to Asgard for herself. Darcy supports her boss in this endeavor if only to take a swing at the lunk herself, but they’ve fallen on hard financial times when an offer from an unknown source comes in, Jane accepts a meeting even though it’s under mysterious circumstances.
When Nakia is the one to meet them, clad in a gleaming coral suit and with tech Jane has never laid eyes on before, they’re intimidated, but knowing she comes from Wakanda and the offer to work with her and who she represents may be something that leads to a breakthrough for Jane, Darcy encourages the contract the Jane agrees.
~*~*~*~
Just days later, an airship picks them up with their meager belongings and Darcy and Jane are both impressed with the ride. Their escorts are not very talkative and they settle in for a long flight.
~*~*~*~
Landing is like the reveal of an oasis- Darcy can’t remember visiting a place as beautiful or lush as this. Of course Jane would rather head straight to the labs, lured by the promise of science, and the guards that escort them there introduce Shuri as a princess. Shuri waves that aside, unconcerned, and Jane launches into questions at the sight of her control board. Darcy phases out the conversation to wander the lab a bit.
A few weeks pass with Shuri and Darcy becoming fast friends. The Princess doesn’t need an assistant but enjoys showing off her work to Jane and the back and forth she and Darcy form. Darcy also starts a very onesided flirtation with a guard who looks like she could snap Darcy’s neck with the force of a glare, and Shuri loves to see Darcy falling all over herself in the process.
Jane doesn’t have much interest in meeting the king, which is an anomaly to Shuri but it amuses her and though sometimes their methods clash, it’s gratifying to find someone who can appreciate her level.
~*~*~*~
Eventually Darcy is wandering to the labs with Jane’s lunch one day and when she gets there she hears an unfamiliar voice talking with Shuri. She opens the door to find a bulky man standing with his back to her and a chill goes down her spine. Something doesn’t feel right. Almost like time has slowed for Darcy, she watches the man turn as Jane addresses her, and his face, placid and unconcerned, is something Darcy recalls from her nightmares.
She drops the food and apologizes, and stammering and in pain with hot soup soaking into her tights she flees the room. She makes it to the hallway before sinking to her knees and then Jane is at her side, trying to help her up, but she’s struggling, and then He’s there, lifting her up, tucking an arm under her legs even as she tries to stammer out ‘don’t’. Her breath is coming too quickly and even as Shuri directs them to the lab, realizing Darcy is having some sort of panic attack, Darcy blacks out. When she wakes she’s on the lab floor and Jane is leaning over her. A shawl is under her head- His shawl- and she feels like her body’s just been slapped with a cold sweat.
Jane chastises her for scaring them and Shuri, quiet and a little more keen to what might have happened, asks if Darcy is feeling better and helps her sit up to drink some water. Darcy says she is, she doesn’t know what happened, and Jane says maybe she’s sick- has she been overworking her? She knows she doesn’t give her vacation time but she always figured Darcy would tell her if she needed anything…
Darcy reassures her she’s fine and Shuri says they can schedule her a check up, just in case. Darcy agrees halfheartedly, just wanting the conversation to be over, and says she thinks she has to go lie down for a bit. The two scientists watch her leave with very differing opinions of what just happened.
~*~*~*~
Darcy shuts the door to her room and locks it, then strip her clothes and huddles in the shower. She tries to convince herself it’s not possible, how could it be him, he looked exactly the same and it was years ago, but her gut tells her otherwise. Paranoid, she leaves the shower in a bathrobe and hops on her computer, searching out her family again and relieved to find them still functioning as usual- credit cards are still making purchases, her brother’s still logging into his instagram. She then shuts her laptop and tells herself she can’t do that again until she knows for sure who this guy is and why he looks so much like the man who tried to kill her as a child.
Hermione and the others are brought to Malfoy Manor but when Bellatrix attempts to torture her and Greyback steps in, she runs through the manor and finds a chest to hide in that sends her back in time- specifically when the marauders have graduated and are just starting their lives (1980)
partially inspired by Ela_Elle’s Two Things Are Infinite on ao3.
~*~*~
General Info
Hermione – 18 at the beginning of the story
Sirius - 21 when H arrives/ regulus dies in 1979, as does his father /owns a flat in Daigon alley/already a member of the order/owns his motorbike/doesn’t trust lupin at this point/
Remus – 20 when H arrives/is financially supported by james as it’s difficult for him to find a steady job/
James 20 when H arrives
Peter – 20 when H arrives
Lily – 20 when H arrives
Alice longbottom- auror, member of the order, 24 when Hermione arrives
Frank longbottom- auror, member of the order, 25 when Hermione arrives
Narcissa – 25 when H arrives Lucius – 26 when H arrives
Severus Snape – 20 when H arrives
This fic would be rated explicit on AO3 and this updated version of the outline represents that. I don’t go into detail as this is merely the general plot, but please be aware that the following does include mention of sex.
~*~*~
(Late October) Young Narcissa comes across the battered girl stumbling through the manor hallways in the dark and secrets Hermione to the flu as she doesn’t want to deal with her husband’s dirty laundry and assumes Hermione is a muggleborn they’ve been torturing. She dumps her into the Leaky Cauldron- the owner (Rupert) and bartender there doesn’t want trouble.
When she first arrives the other patrons think she’s drunk because she can barely stand on her own. When he realizes she’s bleeding and suffering effects of the Curciatus, he and his barhand (alfie) have a quick back and forth and decide to throw her out, not wanting any part in the current political climate. Frank and Alice and some friends step in and argue with the owner, and when Alice realizes how injured Hermione is she says they’ll take her (but disagrees with Frank about mungo’s because they don’t know who they can trust, they bring her to a friends).
They end up at Sirius’s apartment, just a few blocks away above a shop, with Frank banging on the door, and Sirius is astonished to find them all there but ushers them in and upstairs when he realizes the situation. Hermione is laid out on the couch as Alice and Sirius disappear to go through his med-kit (kept on hand for all aurors and order members). Frank tries to soothe her and ask questions, but Hermione is still mostly in shock, and says no to Mungo’s. Alice tends to her when they return and Sirius grabs a towel from the kitchen to press it over her wound- once Alice scourgifies it they realize what it really is and in the silence that follows Sirius presses the towel to her arm and holds her hand, telling her she’ll be alright. Alice gets her to agree to some dreamless sleep and Hermione nods off to Sirius wrapping her arm and Frank and Alice having a rapid fire, hushed discussion on the other side of the room.
~_~_~_~
Sirius watches as she passes out, still holding his hand, and he’s startled at how protective he feels over how young and vulnerable she looks. He tucks a blanket around her before turning to Alice and Frank. He asks where they found her and Frank angrily tells him she stumbled out of the flu at the leaky and the owner wouldn’t have her on premises. They don’t know where she came from.
Sirius asks if she said anything about who did this to her and Frank acidly responds that she wasn’t quite up for a chat. Alice, not really part of the conversation, mentions how thin she is, almost starved. She wonders aloud if she was being held somewhere, and neither Sirius nor Frank like where that thought takes them. Alice mentions how young she looks as well, and Sirius can’t take how maudlin the conversation has become. He asks if Alice has anything else she can do for her and Alice mentions a cream maybe, for the scarring, they have some at home. She looks to Frank and tells him it’s under the bathroom counter, in the kit, and he nods when she says she’s going to stay with her.
Frank leaves and Sirius asks if it’s alright to pick her up, he can move her to the bed. Alice agrees, telling him to just be gentle, and he pulls the tiny girl into his arms.
~*~*~*~
When she wakes, it’s in the dark on a bed and Alice is sleeping in a chair next to her. Hermione gets up, parched, throat raw from screaming, touches her arm, and heads into the hall. She’s still in her ratty old jeans but her jumper is now a clean t-shirt, probably to make sure sleeves don’t bother the wound. She passes a washroom and finds her way into an open living room or kitchen space with a divider, and she wanders into the kitchen feeling adrift. It takes two cupboards before she finds the glasses, and as she stands on the tips of her toes to reach one someone behind her asks if she needs a hand.
Hermione fumbles the glass and it drops and shatters on the floor. Sirius apologizes and throws his hands up attempting to look innocent. Says he didn’t mean to startle her. Hermione, faced with someone who seems like a ghost and the youthful version at that, doesn’t know what to say and stays where she is. He pulls his wand out of his pocket and when she shuffles into the counter he says he just wants to clean it up, gesturing to the glass. He charms the cup back together, repairing it seamlessly, and stoops to pick it up from the floor, saying he doesn’t know why he bothers with anything breakable anymore, he smashes one of these every other week. As he hands her the cup he introduces himself as Sirius Black, and Hermione simply looks at the floor, trying to blink away tears. When she doesn’t respond, he asks if she needed something to drink and gently takes the cup from her hands and moves around her to the sink, filling the cup. Her hands are still shaky when she takes it but she thanks him and it’s the first time he hears her speak without pain in her voice. She drinks it down quickly and puts it on the counter, wiping her mouth, and he asks, “Another?”
To which she looks up at him, finally catching his eye, and says maybe she needs something stronger. He cracks a bit of a grin and says he knew she was his type and then laments that she probably cant take firewhiskey with the various brews Alice had given her. Alice, Hermione says quietly, is that the woman next to the bed when she woke up?
Sirius tells her yes, and her husband should be back soon; they brought her from the leaky cauldron, does she remember that? Hermione starts trying to figure out how much she can say and how much she can’t, and in the process she starts thinking about her torture at the hands of Bellatrix. Sirius notices her hands are shaking and suggests they sit, guiding her to the chair at his tiny kitchen table.
After he seats her he asks what she can remember, and this is when Hermione must come up with a story. She tells as much of the truth as she can- she was with her friends, they were abducted, they tortured her and she ran. She heard her friends escape. Or at least she hopes they did. Sirius tries to pry details out of her but Hermione feigns that she doesn’t recall, and eventually Alice shows up, woken by their talking, and tells Sirius to lay off. She goes to Hermione and kneels down beside her, introducing herself and asking Hermione’s name. Hermione tells her, and then Alice asks is there’s anyone she can owl for her. Hermione shakes her head. Alice sighs and puts a hand to her cheek and asks how she feels.
Hermione gets caught up in the moment when she realizes this is Neville’s mum, and says none of this feels real. She starts crying and Alice pulls her in for a hug and stares Sirius out of the room.
~*~*~*~
Later, after she’s cried her fill (for the loss of her time, for her fear for Harry and Ron, for herself) Alice tucks her back into Sirius’s bed. Hermione notes such and Alice tells her not to worry, he’ll be taking the couch like the gentleman he pretends to be. She instructs Hermione to get some rest and says she’ll be out in the living room as well, to call if she needs anything. Hermione agrees and, exhausted, drifts to sleep.
~*~*~*~
In the living room, Alice tells Sirius he shouldn’t have pushed her and Sirius says if he’s giving up his bed he wanted some answers. Alice scoffs at him and says he’s let women into his bed for much less. He rightly points out that the bed was shared and then his expression dims when he says besides, she’s not a woman. That’s a kid in there.
Alice sadly agrees, and says Frank will be back soon and they’ll have to take her to see Dumbledore. Not the ministry, Black asks, and is relieved when Alice says no, they can’t be trusted right now. There’ve been attacks all over Diagon, and those skull markings have increased. The other day Frank found one graffiti’d in a ministry entrance, that one with the phonebooth? Nowhere is safe.
Sirius darkly agrees, and looks toward his bedroom.
~*~*~*~
Hermione jolts awake in the throes of the nightmare to a bright room- it’s practically midday and she’s still sleeping. She gets up to find Alice on the couch reading, who asks her if she’s hungry, would she like some breakfast? Hermione agrees and asks after Sirius, who had to go into work. Alice also tells her she’s called in sick and she never knew lying to your boss could be so liberating. She sits some tea in front of Hermione and busies herself making eggs. When Hermione offers to help, Alice shushes her and they fall into an easy silence.
Alice, still concentrating on breakfast, says when she asked yesterday if Hermione had anyone they could contact she said no, does she have any relatives to speak of? Hermione says no. Alice asks if she was living by herself and Hermione says with her friends. When Alice says she can take her back there, Hermione quietly says that it’s gone now. She’s revealed more than she meant to and focuses on her tea, trying not to feel so bereft.
Alice brings her her plate and squeezes her hand, telling Hermione now she has them.
~*~*~*~
Sirius comes home to a much more energetic Hermione; there’s talk of where she should stay. Alice and Frank were seen with her at the Inn and are already known to the wrong people so they tell Sirius she should stay with him. He reluctantly agrees, knowing his apartment is small but that he can make room for one tiny girl.
Cue Sirius trying to keep her busy with books, reluctant to let her go outside in case anyone sees her that might have something to do with her torture. They think about polyjuice and she accompanies him out a few times in disguise, grateful to be out of the house.
Alice also visits her as much as she can (to the point where Sirius tells her people will think they’re having an affair) and when Alice discovers Sirius hasn’t been bringing girls home while Hermione is there she’s rather pleased. She tells Frank perhaps Hermione will be good for Sirius Black.
Sirius comes back to find Hermione sleeping and tucks her in.
She goes for a walk with him once and they visit Karuzos’ Cast, Hermione’s interest in dry things something Sirius pokes fun at.
(all in a period of two weeks)
Hermione eventually convinces Sirius it’s safe for her to take a from home gig and begins working for Karuzos’ Cast, delivering her readings once a week with no escort (the only part of this Sirius was really worried about). It keeps her busy and less fussy so Sirius eventually relaxes into the idea of her going outside by herself.
Hermione also has nightmares, and only searches out Sirius once when she wakes up fully bawling. They sleep side by side and Sirius knows then he’s in trouble.
~*~*~*~
Remus eventually visits without any notice, showing up wounded while Sirius is away, and since he’s in need of help Hermione doesn’t mince words with him. He’s startled to find a random woman in Sirius’s apartment, especially one that looks so young, and draws his wand on her first, but Hermione makes no move to defend herself and identifies him immediately, claiming to have seen him in the photos around Sirius’s house, which is not a lie. She hustles him to the couch to patch him up and they have a quick back and forth about how much one knows about the other- Remus trying to suss out if she knows about his Lycanthropy and if she’s seeing Sirius because he’s heard literally nothing about her, and Hermione assuring him he’s in capable hands but he should take better care of himself.
She was in the middle of making dinner when he came in and so she feeds him as well. Assumes he was on a mission he can’t talk about and he’s intrigued to see how seriously she takes it. While discussing her work (arithmancy for the order + freelancing for Karuzos’ Cast, a store that provides reading via runes and arithmic charts), Sirius comes home and is startled to find his old friend and schoolmate there. The reception isn’t as warm as Remus hoped and Hermione is surprised at the distance Sirius puts between them. She tries to soothe the chilly mood with dinner, and coaxes Sirius to sit with them and eat. Remus realizes they’ve been living together for a while now and is astonished at how well they get on considering Sirius’s history with women. Hermione seems totally comfortable with him and he with her.
When he brings up that they’re not really in a relationship then, Sirius nearly chokes on his pasta. Hermione rolls her eyes at her housemate and tells Remus there’s no way she could be with anyone so immature. Remus smiles and decides he quite likes her. Sirius sees that smile and deduces it means trouble.
Later, when Hermione wanders into the living room to finish up some charts, Sirius and Remus have a glass of firewhiskey in the kitchen and Remus asks when he was going to tell him about her. Sirius says the situation is only temporary, until she gets on her feet. He then tells Remus to keep it to himself and when Remus scoffs that he feels like his hiding Sirius dirty little secret for him, Sirius insists it’s not like that. Remus doesn’t seem to believe him, so Sirius says Alice and Frank found her at the leaky. She’d been crucio’d and carved up and somebody dumped her through the flu like tossing out trash. They brought her here because they didn’t know what was safe for her, and she had no one else to go to. So he said she could stay.
In the silence Remus takes that all in, and Sirius muses that they fit well together. Never thought he’d ever be able to live with a bird, but she’s sweet even when she’s bossing him about.
She has no one? Remus asks, sounding raw.
Sirius shakes his head and says you wouldn’t know to look at her, what she’s been through. He’s sure she hasn’t told him everything. But he’s decided he won’t push her any more than he already has. Dumbledore has okayed her, and she’ll talk to him when she’s ready. Remus says that’s rather adult of him, and Sirius credits Alice, saying she’s been a big help.
Remus asks if James and Lily have met her and Sirius says god no, can you imagine the dressing down Lily would give him living with a girl barely legal? Might be good for her to have some more people to talk to, Remus reasons, she seemed awfully lonely when he came by. Sirius tells him not to get any ideas, and Remus tries to tell him it’s not much of a life, just work and then this tiny apartment. Does she ever go out?
No, Sirius admits guiltily, they usually stay in, that’s what she seems to prefer. Perhaps, Remus offers, that is something Sirius can push a little.
~*~*~*~
Remus leaves later than he planned, full of alcohol and better spirits, and says goodbye to his friend before stepping in the flu. Hermione also breaks from her work to say goodbye, and gives him a hug as she tells him it was lovely to meet him. Remus is overwhelmed with her scent, and embarrassed at the immediate reaction he has to her quickly detaches himself and hurries through the flu.
Sirius scowls after him, irritated with Hermione’s blissful mood and newfound friend.
~*~*~*~
Hermione teases Sirius about being jealous and assures him Sirius is still her favorite, to which he says he better be. He tells her to be careful around Lupin, trying to put it lightly, and she tells him she’s perfectly safe, and reassures him that Remus is a true friend to him. A little thrown, Sirius agrees in order to let go of the conversation.
The next day Sirius comes home to her busy with work and she falls asleep next to him on the sofa when he sits down. He carries her to bed and when she sleepily grabs his hand and brings it to her cheek his heart jumps a little. He brushes it off and thinks about how much he cares for her as a sister, reminding himself that she’s a child.
~*~*~*~
Eventually Sirius finds Hermione in some sort of compromising position (fresh from the shower with no towels, she left the loo to grab some clothes naked) and, terrified of his apparent sudden attraction to her, he goes out the next night to find someone to sleep with. Drunk off his ass, he brings them home assuming he can get past Hermione without waking her which he clearly does not (he introduces her as his cousin to the girl). Hermione, having not had to deal with this before, suffers for a minute as they forget to put up a silencing charm, and so she wards the living room herself.
The next morning the woman sneaks out while Hermione is making tea, and doesn’t take her up on her offer of breakfast. Sirius arrives to the kitchen doubly ruffled and Hermione, incensed for reasons she doesn’t want to look at too hard, is off to the shop without pouring him a cup.
~*~*~*~
And the next night the same thing, and then next, and the next.
At work, her boss notices she’s in a mood and after she divulges some of what happened the night before he mentions that he surely pays her enough to afford her own flat. Hermione somewhat wilts at that, but he doesn’t notice and mentions that Fortesque’s is actually looking for someone to rent the apartment above them; it’s been recently refurbished and he knows the owner quite well- perhaps he can have a chat and introduce them?
Hermione finds this to be a mental stumbling block she hadn’t anticipated, but her boss tells her to think it over, she may get a good deal out of it.
~*~*~*~
The next night Remus visits, and as usual he and Hermione get on so well it unsettles Sirius. After he leaves, Sirius busies himself with dishes to avoid Hermione, and she tries to drag the reason why he’s been so sour out of him. He claims he’s just tired and Hermione snarks that maybe he should stop bringing home girls every night. Sirius drops his plates in the sink and says it’s his apartment and he’ll bring home who he bloody well likes.
Hermione, slapped by the suddenness of his anger, says she wasn’t telling him he couldn’t bring people home, and Sirius whirls around to tell her he’s moved his whole life around for her, and Hermione, irritated with how meek she sounds, says she knows, and she appreciates that.
Her immediate white flag is too sudden for Sirius, who doesn’t know what to do with all this anger in the face of a truce, and he curses and storms out. Hermione tries to call after him but he floos away and she’s left in the apartment by herself.
Suddenly very unsure and scared, and when he doesn’t come back in an hour she floos Remus, who again has just left, and steps into his house.
She catches him off guard; he’d taken a shower and changed into pajamas, and though he’s a little embarrassed, the sight of her in near tears quickly clears away any hesitation. He ushers her to the couch and pours her a drink, waiting for her to tell him what Sirius has done.
She starts to say she doesn’t know why he’s so angry, she understands that she’s an interruption to his life but she’s tried her best not to be a burden on him and to help where she can and she likes him. And she thought he liked her. She thought they got along so well. She downs the entire drink in one go and asks for another.
Remus refills her glass and tells her that in some ways- most ways, Sirius is still a child. He probably doesn’t quite know why he’s angry either. Remus can’t give her any answers, he doesn’t portend to read minds, but he knows Sirius likes Hermione. She’s a soft spot for him. He’s never seen him get on with a woman like he does her. Hermione scoffs and says that because Sirius doesn’t think she’s a woman at all. She explains that the other day she thought he wasn’t home and took a shower without realizing there weren’t any towels left. Unconcerned, she left the bathroom starkers only to run into him in the hall. He cursed, and turned away, saying it was like peeping on a 12 year old and that he felt disgusting.
Hermione laughs bitterly while it dawns on Remus that she doesn’t have the full grasp of the situation. He waits until a silence settles and is unsure of how to start the conversation that comes next. As she puts down her empty glass, her sleeve falls back just the tiniest bit and he sees the beginning of that scar he’s heard about. As she goes to tuck her hands in her lap he catches one and says, “May I?”
When she nods her permission he slowly pushes the sleeve up, until just past the elbow, and the word is revealed in its entirety. He carefully strokes a thumb over the ‘M’ and Hermione, nervous now, admits that glamours wont seem to stay on it. It was a cursed blade, you know, and that’s probably why nothing she’s done will get it to fade. She wishes she had another drink, when Remus runs his thumb over her wrist again, and says he’s had similar issues, but then some scars are always easier to hide than others.
He looks up and catches her eye, and then without looking away slowly brings her wrist to his mouth and presses a hot, lingering kiss to the edge of her scar. You’re not a child, he tells her, and nuzzles another kiss against the ‘U’. His free hand lands on her thigh and grips it tight. You’re not disgusting in the least, he says, presses his lips to the ‘D’, and slides closer to her, and she instinctively grasps at his hair when his tongue licks out over the ‘B’. In fact, he says and kisses the ‘L’, I’d say you were the exact opposite. Another planted on the ‘O’
Beautiful, Remus breathes out and sets his teeth against the last ‘O’
Brilliant, he tells her as he settles even closer, a leg sliding between hers, and at last he gently and chastely kisses the ‘D’
He keeps her eye as she keeps her hand fisted in his hair, and dreamily tells her she’s perfect. When her breath hitches he leans in that final distance and kisses her on the mouth, his hands roaming to settle at her waist. She kisses him back furiously, and delights in the noise he makes when she tugs on his hair. When he pulls away she tries to follow him, but he tells her he doesn’t want to take advantage. He needed her to understand, that’s how he sees her, that’s how she is. After a couple steadying breaths, he quietly admits that that’s how Sirius sees her too.
That takes a moment to sink in and Hermione denies it of course, but Remus insists he knows his friend, and the way he looks at her sometimes- it’s not the way someone looks at a little sister. It’s the way you look at someone you want.
CONT. FROM LAST POST
He picks up their drinks and tells her he’s not at all excusing his friend’s terrible behaviour- he thinks it’s high time he had a kick in the ass –but he does think it will help Hermione deal with him to understand why he’s reacting the way he is. And also, he adds belatedly, the way Remus reacts to her. He smiles briefly and puts the drinks on the counter, then collects some floo powder to send her home.
Hermione, still catching up, asks if he’s really just going to tell her all this, kiss her like that, and then send her home, and Remus asks if she wants to stay then. She hesitates and his eyes darken a bit. He tells her he’d very much like to spend the rest of the night proving she is in every way what he wants, but he could hardly take advantage after he’d gotten her tipsy. She narrows her eyes at him and he smiles and ducks his head down to kiss her again quickly, then bids her goodnight and sends her through the floo.
After she leaves, he groans into his hands and ponders whether he’s just made a number of mistakes.
~*~*~*~
Hermione comes home to find Sirius still isn’t home. She’s relieved and heads to her room, her mind full of thoughts. She hears him come back hours later, unable to sleep, and his staggered pacing tells her he’s been drinking. He opens the door to her room and says her name, but she’s too nervous to reply, and he simply apologizes and closes the door, assuming she’s asleep.
~*~*~*~
The next morning, Hermione wakes before Sirius and begins making breakfast. He stumbles into the kitchen twenty minutes or so after and she plates some eggs and sausage for him, and when she sits down across from him to eat he begins to apologize for being sharp, but Hermione cuts him off.
She tells him she’s going to look at an apartment today. One close to her work. She watches Sirius’s face very carefully as she sips her tea.
He seems thrown and asks what for, so she tells him the obvious, that it’s for her. The last few days alone have been enough to show her she’s outstayed her welcome here, and while she appreciates all he’s done for her she won’t lean on him any longer. Sirius’s first instinct is to tell her that’s not true but then he thinks of how young she is, of his overwhelming draw to her, and he swallows his tea and says that’s probably for the best.
Hermione sadly agrees, a part of her hoping he’d object crumbling, and she resolutely gathers her dishes to the sink and says she’ll be out for the day then, and gets ready to leave.
~*~*~*~
Hermione meets Fabian and Gideon, a bit of a shock to see Fred and George’s duplicates as her prospective landlords. They’re just as pushy as the twins she’s come to know, but she handles them well and they agree to lease her the flat above the ice cream parlor. Gideon hits on her at least once and Fabian urges his brother away with a wink.
~*~*~*~
Sirius asks her how the meeting went when he gets home and they sit down for dinner, and she tells him well, she’s signed a lease. He tries not to act like it’s happening too quickly, thinks they still have a week and a half left until the end of the month, and then she tells him they’ve generously agreed to let her move in early, so she’ll be out of his hair in about three days.
A little shocked, Sirius murmurs she’ll be glad to have some space, to which Hermione does not reply.
~*~*~*~
Alice helps her move her things, as she only has a small amount to begin with, and they discuss furnishing the place a little more- Alice offers a table from her place and a dresser that they don’t use, which Hermione gladly accepts. They talk about having a housewarming party that weekend, though there wont be many invitees Hermione does want to have people over, and Hermione shyly asks Alice if she could owl Remus about it. Alice, sensing something there, immediately agrees, wanting to get Hermione’s mind off of Sirius.
They talk about inviting Sirius too and Hermione agrees it’s the right thing to do/wants to thank him for putting up with her. Alice keeps her thoughts to herself but surmises Sirius has royally fucked up.
~*~*~*~
Remus, Alice, and Frank all arrive with snacks and booze for her housewarming, and they show up early, so when an hour passes and Sirius still isn’t there it’s obvious he won’t be coming. (Hermione’s place doesn’t have a flu connection so they apparate at the door). Hermione is a little disappointed with the no show but it’s not entirely unexpected and so she has a lovely evening with her friends and gets a little sloshed. At the end of the night Alice and Frank go to leave and Remus lingers- Alice pulls Frank out as she senses the atmosphere between Hermione and the werewolf, scolding him for getting in the way.
Remus starts to help Hermione tidy up a bit and when they bump into each other while passing into the kitchen Remus finally leans down and kisses her, taking the plate from her hands to put them down on a sidetable and walking her back into the hallway wall. He tells her he’s been thinking about this for weeks and she melts into him, though when things start to go further she shyly asks that they turn off the light. Remus assures her she’s beautiful but acquiesces.
Meanwhile Sirius has spent the night getting sloshed by himself at home and staring moodily at the invitation Hermione had left at his door. He finally resolves to visit her- others must have left by now but he knows how late she stays up, and he wants to see her. To apologize maybe? He’s not quite sure. He takes a bottle of Odgen’s with him and transfigures some pretty ice flowers on the way (Mid Dec). When he gets to her door he knocks but no one answers and after deliberating for a moment he tries the door, which is unlocked. He decides she won’t mind if he just comes up and does so quietly. When he thinks of how he might startle her he clears his throat and goes to say her name but a low moan silences him.
Dread creeps over his skin and he drops the flowers on the stairs, palming his wand and wishing he hadn’t had so much to drink, and when he just reaches the crest of the landing to see into Hermione’s apartment for the first time he finds her against the wall, her blouse undone and her skirt shoved up and a man kneeling between her legs.
In spite of himself it takes a moment to fully realize what he’s seeing, but then her hand cards through the man’s hair and it comes to him. It’s Remus kneeling in front of her and she’s trembling but holding him to her as best she can. He watches the quick rise and fall of her chest for a moment, enraptured with her expression, and then quickly peels back the way he came, mortified.
He closes the door behind him none too gently and uncorks the bottle of Odgen’s where he stands, taking a long swig and resolving to wipe the image of her from his mind.
-
Hermione pulls Remus away when she hears something from the stairs, but he’s too dazed to pay any real attention, and they quickly move to the couch. The fooling around escalates and soon both of them are naked but Remus is very sensitive to how nervous she is, and though they both get off in the end they agree to hold off on full out sex.
He spends the night and she wakes up the next morning flustered but satisfied and they make breakfast together. They make plans for a date in a few days and he sweetly kisses her goodbye when he leaves. Hermione, warmed to her toes, sees a puddle on her steps and wonders what that’s about, does she already have leaky pipes?
~*~*~*~
Hermione spends Christmas mostly by herself as Alice and Frank invite her over for dinner but she doesn’t want to overstay her welcome (Lily and James are there as well and it makes her sad). She becomes maudlin but doesn’t want to inflict it on anyone, missing her family and Harry and Ron. Remus is away doing something for Dumbledore and she knows she can’t bother him.
She sends a gift to Sirius but doesn’t hear from him (unknown to her he’s busy getting plastered and diving between any pair of legs that will open for him). She keeps Remus’s present at hers, hoping he’ll be back soon.
~*~*~*~
Remus knocks on her door on new years eve and she bursts into tears she’s so happy to see him. They sit down to the meal of Chinese food she’s ordered for the night and she give him the present she made for him- a variation of wolfsbane that will dim the pain of transformation (she’s been reading a lot and while she knows she can’t make the exact wolfsbane she can definitely give him something to help). Remus guiltily admits he hadn’t the time to get her anything but she doesn’t care she’s so happy to see him. They end up snogging on the couch for a good while, and eventually Hermione works up the courage to straddle him, telling him she ready for more. Their first time is with her riding him, in control, and he makes sure she reaches her peak before his own.
Later when they move to her bedroom they cuddle and he promises to stay as long as he can, and they fervently go at it again.
~*~*~*~
Hermione and Sirius have a run in while out in town, and their conversation is stilted, Hermione not really knowing how to address him now and Sirius replaying that scene in her hallway in his head. Flustered, he thanks her for her Christmas gift (a worn leather jacket that cost more than she’s willing to admit) and saying he’ll buy her a hot chocolate, he didn’t get anyone gifts this year, too sloshed.
Hermione ignores his joking tone and gently refuses the drink, saying she really must being going. She tells him to take care of himself and leaves Sirius to stare after her, his chest oddly aching.
~*~*~*~
Later Sirius goes to an order meeting and spends a moment talking with Frank and Alice after the group goes it’s separate way. Alice says Hermione got them the most adorable baby mobile and they hadn’t even told her Alice was pregnant yet. Sirius grows quiet and Alice pointedly says they missed him at her housewarming, to which he snorts.
Frank wanders off to get a drink and Alice finally snaps at Sirius to straighten the fuck up, what’s he doing with her, why didn’t he show up to the housewarming. Sirius insists that he did, but he got there too late and Alice surmises something happened between Remus and Hermione but keeps it to herself. She tells Sirius he has only himself to blame, you know, Hermione is a grown woman who makes her own choices but if all he was going to do was push her away what did he expect.
He expected at least a little friendship, he snaps at her, and she laughs in his face.
Friendship? She says, when he looks at her like she brings the dawn? I’m no fool, she tells Sirius, and you aren’t either. Wake up, Sirius.
She leaves him speechless as she wanders off in search of her husband.
~*~*~*~
(Early Jan) Much later, after Hermione has settled in to her new apartment, she spots Snape one day while at work. She chases him down daigon alley and corners him in a fury, telling him the worst of what his actions have wrought. Fabian (one of her landlords) sees the altercation happening the pulls them apart as Hermione warns Snape of what’s to come.
She calms when they’re a block away, and though they don’t discuss the particulars Fabian knows Snape runs with a dangerous crowd and tries to tell Hermione. She tells him she already knows and he should also be careful. He tries to brush it off but she’s so serious about it she scares him.
~*~*~*~
Hermione’s throw down with Snape has the unintended consequence of a home invasion, which she thankfully is somewhat prepared for. She notices her wards are off one night and prepares herself for fight or flight. When the deatheaters have her trapped, Hermione escapes through her bedroom window, climbing down the fire escape.
She takes off down an alley, in her pajamas and shoeless in the freezing cold, only to be snatched up by a man wearing a Death Eater mask and shoved against the frigid brick. When she struggles he whips off his mask and she finds Severus Snape glaring down at her. He asks how she knew about Lily and Hermione snarls at him, trying to shove him off. He calls her a foolish girl as he muffles the area and says he’s trying to save her life, again demanding how she knew about Lily.
Hermione tells him if he follows the path he’s on he’s going to cause her death, and she knows she’s fucking with the timeline now but she truly wants to scratch this man’s eyes out. He spots the scar on her arm for the first time and somehow his hold gentles though he doesn’t let her go. Hermione decides to throw caution to the wind and tells him the Dark Lord will promise him Lily will remain safe but he lies, and Peter will be the once to break faith with the group.
Snape finally decides to believe her, the words ringing true, and he drops his hold. She falls to her knees on the cobblestone and he tells her to run, he’ll cover her escape. Hermione doesn’t thank him but nods and takes off, the cold air urging her faster.
She can’t think of anywhere nearby but Sirius’s and heads there, hoping she doesn’t bring trouble to his door. She dims the lights along his street and huddles to his door as she knocks. When he finally answers he’s in boxers and is shocked at her state, though she doesn’t wait for him to invite her in. She asks if he has guests and if very relieved when he says no, saying she won’t stay, she just needed to get to a flu so she could-
As she grabs the powder he grabs her wrist and asks what exactly she’s doing. She blankly tells him she’s going to Remus’s and he tells her no, to which she becomes irate, repeating the no? to him and telling him what choice does she have, she’s not about to bring them to his doorstep, and when she finally admits it’s death eaters Sirius’s grip only tightens and he tells her she’s staying here.
Hermione scoffs and says that worked out so well last time, insisting he let her go, struggling now. Sirius wrenches the powder from her hand in the struggle and she shrieks that he didn’t want her there so she’s leaving-
Before she can finish shouting at him his mouth is on hers and he’s backing her into the couch, pushing her down onto it and straddling her so she can’t get up. She reluctantly returns the kiss, so confused, and when he pulls away he cups her face and asks her please not to leave. He wants her to stay. Stay and tell him what happened.
Her head tilts back into the couch and the last few hours overwhelm her suddenly. She tears up and he hushes her, apologizing, saying he was a right prat and he never should have treated her like that, he worried every day she was gone. He moves off of her to pull her into his lap instead and cuddles her as he tells her he missed their breakfasts together, he missed tucking her into bed, he missed her face. He cups her cheek as he says it and kisses her again through the tears, smoothing her hair back as he does. Hermione wraps her arms around him and buries her head in his neck, trying to keep from crying, confessing that she missed him as well.
He rubs her back soothingly and asks if she’ll tell him what happened now, only just noticing her knees are bloody. He very reluctantly detaches her from him, peppering her face with kisses, and tells her to stay where she is. He returns with some dittany and kneels down to attend to her leg, carefully smoothing it over her skin. She’s quiet as he touches her and shivers when he plants a kiss on each knee. She touches his face in wonder, sliding her hand into his hair and he’s vividly reminded of that night in the hall.
Trying to keep to safe topics, he croaks out ‘anywhere else?’ hoping that’s the last of her wounds, but she brings a hand to her throat and he sees the beginning of bruising as he leans up to inspect her. He curses and asks who it was, and Hermione debates telling him but then thinks better of it and says they were wearing a mask, she doesn’t know who. He smoothes more dittany onto her throat and she swallows, caught still in the moment. Sirius leans in to place a soft kiss on her neck and she carefully pulls back from him, unsure, and admits that she’s seeing Remus.
Sirius keeps a level gaze with her when he says he knows. His hand wanders from her chin as he explains what happened the night of her housewarming while he touches her, and how he couldn’t stop thinking about it, or her.
She tells him she can’t just be one of his many girls he brings home, she couldn’t take it. She- she cares for him, she admits haltingly. It freezes him where he is and she continues- ‘quite a bit’. He gives her a hard kiss on the lips and admits the same, telling her he didn’t want to ruin things while she was here, and she remembers what Remus told her that first night she flooed him. When things get a little heavy Hermione slows them down, saying she can’t do this to Remus. She covers her eyes and confesses that she cares for him too. Sirius agrees to wait, but asks that she stay with him tonight and pulls her up from the couch to his bedroom where he ushers her into his bed and slides in next to her.
She can feel how ready his is when he cuddles her but he tells her not to worry about it, to get some rest.
Emotionally exhausted, Hermione quickly falls asleep in his arms.
~*~*~*~
The next morning is quiet. She wakes still in his arms and when she tries to get up from bed he rolls her under him. She shrieks playfully and insists he get off but he soon distracts her with kisses, trailing down her neck. She tries to dissuade him, saying she needs to send word to her landlords about what happened, as well as Alice who was supposed to meet up with her today, but it’s her mentioning Remus that slows him down, and he quickly moves off her and offers breakfast, to which she scoffs that she knows he doesn’t cook and offers to go through his icebox.
They have a genial breakfast and trying not to break the mood Sirius asks what she’s going to tell Remus. Hermione hazards that she should tell him the truth, and then says besides, Remus already knows she likes him. When Sirius gapes at her she says Remus told her Sirius liked her as well.
He blusters over that fact, asking why she didn’t come speak to him sooner, and she says she didn’t believe Remus and Sirius was always treating her like a child. Plus all the women he was bringing home… Sirius nods, agreeing despite himself. He can see why she wouldn’t of said anything. He asks if she’ll stop seeing Remus and Hermione is surprised to find she doesn’t have an answer for him. She says she has to talk to him and when Sirius presses, she admits that she doesn’t know. She asks if that bothers him and he reflects back to that night and finding them in the hall.
He confesses to Hermione that when they were in school, there was a girl they both liked. When they both asked her out after betting who would date her they discovered she’d said yes to both of them, and oddly enough they didn’t see the need for either of them to stop seeing her. Hermione takes this in quietly, flushing. Sirius says he’s not telling her this is the same situation, he’s definitely changed from when he was 16 (barely, Hermione scoffs and he side eyes her) but catching them in the hall didn’t bother him like he’d thought it would. In fact it was rather hot.
There’s a weighty silence and then Sirius asks in a low voice what else she’s done with Remus.
Hermione’s face goes completely red and she collects her dishes to the sink, saying she’s not going to entertain his perversions- he interrupts to say it’s hardly that perverted- before talking to Remus.
Gleefully he says beg your pardon, and she primly repeats that she has to talk to Remus before they do anything of a sexual nature. Even talking about it, Sirius wheedles, caging her into the counter, you can’t even talk about it? Hermione tries to elbow him away but he’s persistent, listing off what he ‘knows’ they’ve already done, chasing her to the bathroom with it. When she shuts the door in his face he tells her he should at least be on par with what he’s seen so far- he tells her his hallway walls are quite comfy and he’d love to try them out. Hermione’s reply is to turn on the shower.
It’s while she’s in the loo that Remus comes barreling through Sirius’s flu, out of sorts. He’s frantic when he asks if Sirius has heard from Hermione- her apt was ransacked, he explains, and he couldn’t find a trace of her. Alice has contacted the Order and they think-
He hears the shower going and finally slows, his eyes narrowing on a more than slightly guilty Sirius Black.
Sirius eeks out ‘she just turned up on my doorstep, she’s fine, we were going to flu you-‘ but remus is already shoving him aside and heading for the washroom. He doesn’t pause to knock, just alohamora’s it open (Sirius manages a shocked ‘hey!’ surprised at how distraught his friend is) and steps into the tiny room to pull aside the shower curtain. Hermione shrieks and covers herself and Sirius, after debating for a moment, looks away. Remus instantly starts asking if she’s hurt, what happened, he stopped by for breakfast and she was just gone- all the while running his hands over every part of her he can reach.
Hermione sees how scared he is and lets go of her own anger, gently telling him she’s fine. There was an attack but she got away without a scratch. She smiles grimly and takes hold of his hands, repeating that she’s fine until he hears her. When Remus calms, Sirius clears his throat and Hermione’s eyes dart to the open bathroom door, blushing. Remus snarls and slams the door shut, then turns back to a soaked Hermione and climbs, fully clothed, into the shower with her, pressing her back against the tile wall and kissing her for all he’s worth.
He confesses how frightened he was between kisses, how her empty trashed apartment had scared him. He’s shaking when she starts peeling his clothes from him, and he’s down to just trousers and shoes when he tests her readiness and then unbuckles his belt.
-
Outside the washroom, Sirius leans against the wall with hands in his pockets and listens to his best friend and the woman he can’t admit he loves go at it.
-
Remus notices a mark on Hermione’s neck and comes to the obvious conclusion, asking if it was Sirius. When she confesses yes, it pushes him harder, and she continues that not much else happened while he pulls details from her. At the end, Remus leans into her shoulder and bites rather hard, drawing a cry from her. They slowly sink to the bottom of the tub and he asks if she thinks Sirius heard any of that. When she says of course he did, Remus says good and draws her into another filthy kiss.
He apologizes for the bite, running his thumb over it and saying it won’t infect her, and she just cuddles into him and says she knows. He says it seems like they have quite a bit to talk about, and Hermione agree, but first maybe they should clean up?
~*~*~*~
Much later the couple emerges to find Sirius in one of his kitchen chairs, sipping tea. Hermione is bashful, Remus unrepentant, and Hermione has to be the one to offer tea to Sirius’s best friend. When the conversation doesn’t start naturally, Hermione says it seems clear that they’ve got a dilemma on their hands. She passes Remus his tea to have him snatch her hand up and kiss her knuckles, and she slaps at him irritably, knowing he’s just doing it to get a rise out of Sirius.
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