THINKING! About a fanfic with a reader-insert, where the plot goes along normally. They're part of the main characters, they defeat villains, they know everyone's futures and past, help them with their struggles โ but one little thing.
No one knows their name.
They're a foreign-exchange student? The teachers are wondering who tf "Y/N" or "[ name ]" is, but whenever they have to call them out, they suddenly voice out the name.
They randomly appeared in the destination you were supposed to be in? What's that literal BLUR on the ground that LOOKS like a human being?
Might not even be a human being. Could be a slime.
Whenever characters think about them, their characteristics always blurs; what hair? What clothing? Do they have siblings? Why're they so quirky and involved in everyone's lives?
It's seemingly just the little things you're meant to know about someone.
But after they marry the main lead, sharing a last name, suddenly.. it all becomes clear. They gain a name.
That's [ Y/N ] [ L/N ]. You don't know them? Neither do I.
[ ๐ฆ ] โข ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๏ฝ in which James then realizes as to why he kept pursuing Lily for so long despite her constant rejection; he finds that it's not because he was in love with her, more so that it was due to his pride that he never faltered.
[ ๐ช ] โข ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๏ฝ [ third ] person's point of view, profanity, misunderstandings, false assumptions, realization, self-doubt, presumed one-sided attraction; overall fluff!
[ ๐ ] โข ๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ๏ฝ English isn't my first language, I'm so sorry!
Despite the odds of getting an assigned seat near the literal Lily Evans, his eyes stray to the person that sat a few seats away from her.
Unbeknownst to the young man, he has been unable to move his attention away from you since the beginning of class โ however, the other Marauders most certainly did.
His eyes were fully immersed in your frame, his elbow firmly propped up on the desk as he leans his cheek against his fist.
Sirius slid closer to James, careful to not arouse attention from their professor as he discreetly nudged James' side, causing him to painfully grit his teeth before snapping his head at him.
"what?!" James whisper-yelled at Sirius, which made the corners of his lips twitch into a smile that he could no longer push down.
Sirius grinned at him, an apparent twinkle in his eyes as he 'discreetly' wiggled his brows. "you couldn't even be more obvious if you tried."
"Actually, he could." at that, both males jumped back in fright โ almost squealing out in fear of the sudden voice that joined their conversation.
Remus suddenly appeared before them, alerting the both of them of his presence from behind their assigned seats.
"what theโ when did you even get here?!" Sirius squeaked out, hand tightly gripping his shirt in fright as he wheezed.
Remus scrunched up his nose in slight offense, softly bonking Sirius' head with a rolled parchment, "I've been here since the beginning of class."
James finally calms, composing himself before then giving Remus a lopsided grin, "sorry... Iโ we were just too distracted."
Remus blankly stared at him, awkwardly looking around before nodding in acceptance, "yeah, I can... I can see that."
"Why are you all stalking someone?"
"AH!"
Sirius and James jumped back against their seats once more, loudly yelping in fright โ which caught the professor's attention, yet he merely gave them a warning glare before going back to his lecture.
Sirius and James' head snapped towards where the voice came from, which they soon found to be Peter that came from behind the two, who was blinking rather innocently at them as he awaited for their response.
James heavily breathed as he widely stared up at Peter, who sat next to Remus, visibly wheezing as he tried to calm his speedily beating heart.
"I am... I am not... stalking anyone!" James weakly hissed out in defense between harsh breaths, hand tightly clutching his chest.
Sirius, despite still panting to rid himself from the previous shock, breathlessly chuckled at his defense.
"That's the biggest lie of the century, Prongs..."
James scrunched up his nose with a grin, playfully pushing Sirius back with a small laugh. "oh, quit it."
Remus and Peter chuckled at their playful display, softly grinning at the two before Remus shakes his head with a simple smile.
"don't suppose that you've already given up on Lily?" Remus curiously asks, smile never lifting from his face.
James then shook his head, looking rather confused, "no, no... what are you even talking about?"
Remus and Peter shared a look, simultaneously turning back to him with quirked brows.
"I don't know if you noticed, but you weren't looking at Lily." Peter habitually tapped his desk with the tip of his quill, awkwardly looking anywhere except for James' baffled expression.
"what?" James eyes widened in disbelief before he immediately covered it up with an unbelievable cough, "I wasn't looking at anyone."
"well, clearly, you were looking at someoneโ"
"You four, in the back! Pray tell, what might be so interesting that you must interrupt our lesson?" The professor yelled out quite abruptly, his wearied expression deepening into a frown of disapproval.
Approaching the startled students' that found themselves frozen up, desks with much displeasure, he then abruptly stopped in his tracks.
With great displeasure, he then trudged near the horrified males before promptly being halted.
"Professor, I believe they were just conversing about the task you had given us. They hadn't been talking about anything else," in an apparent attempt to defuse a tense situation for the remainder of the class, you startlingly covered up.
Fearing for their lives, the four men held their breath.
The professor, in clear need of some rest rather than having to deal with impassioned students, he then listlessly relented โ walking back to the board with an irritated hiss of a sigh trailing off his lips.
James was just strolling through the halls of Hogwarts before he then caught sight of you, which immediately brought a wide smile to his face.
"[ n / n ]!" James called out with an excited wave, the bright grin that overtook his features widening even further when you waved back.
You smile, pushing your hair back to move it away from your face as he ran towards you in a jogging pace โ yet, it was still notable that he had an excited bounce in his steps.
"sup, lover boy." you casually greet him, somehow making his smile grow larger as he walked in a steady pace with you.
James nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck as he stuffed his sweating hand into his pocket. "you're... really still gonna keep calling me that, huh?"
You jabbed a finger to his chest, grinning in a joking manner, "not my fault that you keep chasing after that Evans girl."
James laughed even more nervously, feeling rather awkward due to the sudden topic, "right, right... that's the reason why you call me that."
James awkwardly coughed, pulling at his tie to lessen the sweat that kept sliding down his neck.
You quirked a brow at him, smirking the slightest bit at his nervous attitude, "of course. what other reasons are there?"
James merely shrugged his shoulder, not finding any need to respond to that if he were truly being honest with himself.
"so, uh... any plans this weekend?" James then asks of you rather anxiously, might I add; though, he found there to be no reason.
"no, no. not at all." a teasing grin then appeared on your face, cheeky it even appeared to be โ amused by his poorly covered up nervousness, though you weren't sure what was the cause of it.
"why? Evans still hasn't taken you up on those dates you keep promising her?"
"hahaโ yeah, yeah. you caught me." quite nervously, James began to rub his nape, feeling a tad bit awkward.
It was rather difficult on James' part as an uncomfortable awkward pause then occurred in the middle of your conversation, which often happened when it came to the oh-so close proximity James tend to have with you.
"so, uh... are you available for Hogsmeade then? y'know, since it... only happens every two months or so." James soon asked, unable to walk alongside you with such an awkward air surrounding the both of you.
Beginning off your response with a bit of a hum, you tilt your head to the side โ feeling rather curious of his intentions as it wasn't often he personally invited you to an outing.
"I don't know... are you only asking me because Evans refused to go out with you?" awfully teasing, you then grinned at him, a tad bit expectant as you watched him begin to stammer at the assumption.
Though you had meant to initially come off as playful, James seemed to think otherwise as he panicked over what you assumed his invitation may have been.
"Whatโ that's not what I meant at all! I just wanted, uh, to have fun with you. Is it really that hard to believe?" a tad nervous, James began to chuckle lightly when he finally took note of the teasing underlying tone you used.
Finding hilarity at the sight of him turning into a nervous wreck, a bit of a laugh was pulled out of you before you shook your head in amusement.
"No, I was just kidding. I'd like toโ"
Rather sudden, the booming sound of the Hogwarts bell then rang through the corridors โ inevitably putting your interaction into a halt.
Having recovered from the interruption, you then turned to him with a snicker, "well, that's my cue... anyways, yeah. I think I'm free this weekend."
"Cool! Yeah, yeah... see ya! see you..." James waved you farewell, watching your departing figure until you've left his line of vision โ assuring that you've reached your destination before his own.
Awkwardly, he pursed his lips after having caught on to his rather odd staring, one that will most definitely forever be engraved into his memories as a moment of embarrassment.
Merlin, what was happening to him?
Long after classes had ended, after having long since finished assigned tasks; the Marauders find themselves prattling over a variety of subjects, one of which became their main topic of the evening.
"Prongs, as much as it's a good thing for you to move on, I don't think it would be a good idea to move on... with [ name ]." Remus slowly began, making James frown.
"and, uh, why?" James reluctantly asks, pondering over what he just might say.
"I mean, [ name ]'s a free spirit โ like you, sure, but I don't really think that..." Remus pauses, not quite wishing to speak out about his opinions.
"[ name ] rarely comes with us when it comes to our pranks and stuff, don't you think you should take in the possibility of them... you know, not romantically seeing you in that way if they think you're... childish?" Sirius continues for him, finally grasping what he had in mind.
Truly, Sirius didn't mean it in an offending way, he just wanted to save James from going through the high possibility of getting brutally rejected once more if he truly believed he moved on from Lily.
James frowns deeper at that, which only Peter seemingly noticed.
"well, they scold us sometimes, but I don't think they outright hate our 'childish' pranks. I might even say they enjoy it." Peter nervously says, hoping to bring back a bit of light into James' eyes, which visibly dimmed even further.
"weโ" Sirius began, nudging Remus's side as he referred to the both of them โ which received a pained grunt from the latter.
"โjust think that we all should be aware of the fact that there's a high possibility of [ name ] rejecting you because they'd think you're using them as a rebound." at that, James practically blanched at such assumption.
"what? I'd never! why would they even assume that? I'm not that much of a prick!" James defensively retorted, feeling much offended.
"It has little to do with your personality and more so.. your reputation." In hopes of lessening the impact of the confrontation they were hoping on achieving, Remus continued on with an awfully tense smile.
"They're an awfully honest person. And seeing that you're.. you've pinned for Lily an ordeal lot of time now," Peter peered from the shoulder of Remus, throat scratchy with the feel of his heart hammering against his chest.
This already felt as though it wouldn't go quite well.
A brief laugh left James, having calmed his nerves with the intent of shaking off the concerned thoughts of his friends โ tender smile eased on his face.
"Who says I'm still not pinning over Lily?" A concerning crack held within his tone was much apparent despite the insistence of James.
"You know, I feel quite crossed with you, Prongs," Sirius then began.
Their question concerning James's rather abrupt change of attitude had struck a chord within him.
"It's going to be... al-right."
There James stiffly stood in the great hall; urged by his friends to pursue Lily once more due to their fear of him getting blatantly rejected by their best friend, which they feared might result of her leaving their friend group.
Nervous, he felt. James was suffering through conflicting feelings whilst trying to organize his perplexing thoughts.
Sirius nudged his side, handing him a flower of sorts, "you know we can't have you accidentally making [ name ] run away from us. this is just a precaution."
James sighs in dismay, accepting the flower as he mindlessly followed the other Marauders to their table despite wishing to run away.
Truly, James didn't understand what issue the other three had with him taking the chance to move on from someone who barely even showed interest in him.
It was understandable for them to fear losing their connection with you, yet James couldn't help but feel as though he was the reason why they didn't agree on the idea of asking you out.
Perhaps they knew something, perhaps it was even possible that you had a secret lover of sorts and he never stood a chance in the first place.
Perhaps James was just the problem in general; far too childish for your specific type, possibly eliminating any chances he could've ever had with you.
James' eyes hesitantly looks around, partly believing that he shouldn't have allowed himself to get dragged off by his friends without first organizing his own thoughts.
Now, he had to recount the times he unrelentingly asked out Evans without care of how he came off to her โ which he was sure to happen once again.
However, the only reason why James agreed on trying to pursue Lily once more was because he couldn't even understand his own feelings.
He wasn't quite sure if he truly even moved on from Lily or if it was merely a temporary distraction from her.
Which James believes to be one of the many reasons as to why the other three didn't think it would be a good idea to 'rashly' ask you out.
Remus lightly tugs on James' robe, discreetly pointing at a familiar girl that sat among her friends in the Gryffindor table, "there she is!" Remus whispered in his ear.
James nervously gulps down his nerves before tidying up his uniform, tightly gripping the single flower in hand.
Here goes nothing.
Continuously tapping his foot underneath the table, James frustratedly fiddled with his thumbs as he stared hard at his food โ gritting his teeth in worry as his eye twitched.
Frustrated, he now feels. Dare James even say he felt anxious as his eyes trailed over to the redhead that sat a few feet away from him.
Now, James ponders over how he'd go about this.
Perhaps James should resume his usual unrelenting and rather arrogant attitude, perhaps even act a bit more romantic than what's usually expected of him.
James' eyes trailed over to the flower he was twirling in his hands, causing him to heavily sigh.
Remus frowns in worry, elbow lightly nudging his arm to get his attention away from the poor flower.
"Prongs, don't worry. nothing wrong's going to happen, you've done this before." yet, even so, Remus knew that the chances of James possibly messing up in some way or form was heightening by the minutes that passed spent wastefully.
James gave a disgruntled grunt, eyes having yet to tear away from the flower held loosely in his hands, "why do I have to do this again?"
"because you might fuck it up with [ name ], and if you did fuck it upโ" Sirius merely shrugged, expression much notably blank โ pausing for dramatics before then continuing; โwho knows.โ
Visibly deflating, James felt even more disheartened by such implication โ grip tightening around the fragile stem of the flower; just how bad did they think he could've possibly messed up?
Even though their concerns were meant to be as such, concerns that should've pushed him on, he felt incredibly discouraged.
Though, with the comforting hand Remus laid on his shoulder, alongside the daring looks Sirius and Peter sent him โ his competitive side chose to take on their challenge, not seeing the upcoming events as an issue at all.
So, with a pretend confident expression, he finally abruptly stood from the comforts of his seat โ finally gaining the pretense courage needed to act upon what was needed to be done.
An obligation, this felt to be.
Yet, he much feared what would come to be between the two of you if he were to actually take accountability for his conflicting feelings โ much more than he feared the crowd that awaited for his mischiefs to come into play.
With a shaky breath, James' eyes drifted to the redhead that sat a few seats away from the Marauders, his grasp on the flower tightening.
He could do this. He could do this.
James felt himself awaken of sorts when the entire great hall quieted down, a few snickers shared amongst his peers as his cocky demeanor faltered while he stood on the Gryffindor house's dinning table.
Embarrassed, he felt. That must've been a first after all those years he spent terrorizing most students of Hogwarts for a laugh โ a feeling James had never felt even when he was caught doing dangerous acts that were mostly pranks.
From the corner of James' eyes, he found you in the crowd of gossiping students, catching the curious and rather amused look you threw at him โ which made his thoughts scatter even more.
Part of James wondered whether or not you actually believed that he was retaking his nonexistent chances with Lily, wholly believing that, perhaps, you had no chance with him.
Perhaps the part of him wishing that you'd gaze upon them in jealousy was nothing but wishful thinking.
Perhaps, he finally came to terms that he merely continued pursuing Lily because he wanted to receive a certain look from you.
Yet, clearly, James wouldn't be getting it any time soon.
With a pained gulp, James abruptly backed away from Lily as he tightly gripping his uniform, eyes never meeting Lily's own worried ones.
I can't do this, James could only think to himself before he immediately left the great hall, away from the prying eyes of his schoolmates.
Soon after he left, laughter began to erupt from a handful of students, with a few remaining beginning to whisper about his abrupt exit.
The other Marauders shared looks of worry before then following after him. Questioning looks were thrown at them, yet they paid it no mind.
Meanwhile, as your peers chattered amongst themselves, you remained seated with a rather calculating expression, which was soon replaced with an amused smirk of sorts.
James laid sprawled over his bed with numerous pillows stacked up to create a comforting barricade around him, where he then proceeded to bury himself in. The doors were even locked to disable anyone from entering.
Pride, he now knew. That must've been what James had initially felt in the first place. The significant drain of his self-esteem. That must've been what James had been trying to replenish through the years by relentlessly pursuing Lily.
Sudden hurried knocks were banged on the door, which made James groan before he then covered his face with a pillow.
"James! open the door!" he heard Sirius worriedly yell from outside the dorm, which made James groan even louder as he squirmed around in an attempt to block of his yells.
"James, come on... we just want to talk to you." James then heard Remus calmly say, tone laced with anxiousness as Sirius repeatedly banged against the door.
"James Fleamont Potter, I swear, if you don't open this damn door โ I will break it down!"
"no, get out..." James' muffled voice weakly replied, face still stuffed with a pillow as he rolled to his side.
Clearly, his voice was far too quiet as Sirius' knocking hadn't relented and even began to get louder soon after.
James gritted his teeth, burying himself further into the stack of pillows before he suddenly heard an explosive blast.
He hastily sat up in a panic before immediately calming at the sight of Sirius exaggeratedly panting after having exploded the hinges off the door with a spell.
James soon fell right back against his bed in an ungraceful manner, arm reaching out to cover his face with a pillow once more.
"just leave me alone..."
With much baffling speed, Sirius pried off the pillows that acted as a barrier around himself โ leaving him groaning in annoyance, dreading the confrontation that was about to take place.
"James, what the hell happened out there?" though that came off in a criticizing manner, Sirius made it much apparent that he was merely worried about him.
Remus seated himself near James' curled legs, gently stroking one of them in a comforting manner.
All while Peter cautiously neared them, yet he kept his distance with his forehead creased in worry, frown kept in place.
Worried he may be, Sirius have become less lenient with James' constant changes in mood โ he knew plenty of those conflicting thoughts could get to a person, but he fears that this may just be James' breaking point.
"That never happened before," Sirius began with note as his tone quieted down in fear of further jolting the man, his hand reaching over the blanket sprawled over James, pulling it up his body to provide a bit more comfort.
James began fidgeting from within the loose blanket, hands clasped together before he released a shakey sigh that appeared rather pained.
With much exhaustive effort, James rose from the bed before leaning back against the stack of pillows.
"Yeah.. that.." he took a strenuous swallow of saliva upon feeling an inch in his throat, "never happened before."
James then raised his head with much unswerving determination that utterly baffled the others, his brows deeply furrowed as a grin graced his cheeks.
"guys.. I think I'm in love."
The breathless tone had silenced the few in mere seconds, the room being uncomfortably empty yet filled with much rushing thoughts of its occupants.
"You've said that before, Prongs." win the beat of the silence, and with much confusion apparent, Sirius had risen his arms โ finding little qualms of concerning himself with the sudden yet often proclamation of his friend.
"I know! I know.. but this time, it's different, you know?" Ever so joyous, a notable grin began spreading across the man's face; his cheeks flushing as he released a breathy laugh.
"It felt so wrong earlier.. with Lily, I mean."
"Maybe.. I've been wasting my time with the wrong girl, afterall," James meekly stated with little hopes of them having heard him, casting a forlorn glance to the side.
A rather thoughtful yet undeniably pitiful look was shared among the group, an audible brief sigh erupting from within the peace.
James had felt his breath hitch upon feeling a sudden hand firmly placed over his sagging shoulder, and with much utter unwavering support, Remus had merely shared a tender smile with him.
"Then do what you gotta do,"
James snapped his head upwards with great shock, finding the other two providing the most supportive grins one could make.
A brief smile of relief left him, "okay."
With a sway of your hips, you strutted into the room with no care apparent in your features due to the shades covering your eyes, catching the eyes of those in your surrounding.
With your hands kept inside your pocket, posture giving off the feel of arrogance, and head thrown back in an uncaring manner โ many would even say that you were simply a rich person with no care of anyone around you.
Yet even so, James eyes couldn't leave you at all. By no means did he think that he came off as a creep, but the other Marauders sure thought so.
"i'm getting slightly disturbed." Sirius awkwardly whispered to the other two, his hand continuously poking his food as his eyes never left James.
"James' giving heart eyes to [ name ], he never gave heart eyes to Lily!" Peter harshly whispered to the other two, his eyes unblinking as it went back in forth between you and James.
Remus softly exhales, biting the insides of his cheek as he turned away from the others, "maybe we should just let him be... I mean, I honestly think he actually does like them."
"Well, what do you suppose we do? What if he messes up with [ name ]? What if he drags us into that mess?" Peter then relentlessly questioned, fearing the outcome the plausible path they're pushing James to take.
Peter then abruptly leans forward โ his face unbearably close to Remus' own, "they'll never talk to us ever again if he ruins everything between them!"
"You don't actually think that James would drag us into his love life, right?" Remus felt bothered by the fact that they were doubtful of James' capabilities, even if he had failed a few dozen times.
"uh, wellโ"
With much apparent sarcasm, Sirius then jabbed a finger at Lily's direction for emphasis โ dramatically gesturing towards her to further prove his unstated point.
Briefly reminded of James' persistent pursue of the redhead, the oddity of his former infatuation towards Lily Evans, Remus merely pursed his lips.
"Okay, but he involved the entire school with that one, she doesn't count."
Having thrown on the invisibility cloak over himself, he had began to follow you around as you went about your usual schedule throughout the day.
He had been doing so for the past couple of days, the other Marauders had even commented about how lucky James seemed to have been as you've yet to even notice his suspicious acts.
Cheeks heavily flushed, he clumsily hid behind the wall to hide from your view when you had began to look around.
In a cautious manner, James slowly peaked behind the wall before then sighing in relief when you began to walk away without having noticed him.
He then slowly began to sit down with his back against the wall, shoving off the invisibility cloak as he hastily wiped away the sweat that had began forming on his neck before then loosening his tie.
Bloody hell, he felt like a creep.
James began to wonder as to how you have yet to take notice of his constant presence around you, practically stalking you whenever you were near like some sort of obsessed predator.
Depressingly, he sighed. James knew that if you had known about his tendencies to creep around you, you would've beaten him with a flying broom by then.
He fears that if you knew, it would lessen his chances of receiving a positive reply when he finally gets the courage to ask you out.
The thought of it all was sending painful shivers of fear down his spine.
Though, James find himself not being able to blame the hypothetical version of you โ because if he knew someone was stalking him, he would also beat that same person with a broom.
He released a disgruntled groan, contemplating on what his presumably next step should be.
There were plenty of possibilities to take into account, many of which his paranoia have already partially corrupted with the bizarrest of insecure thoughts.
James weighed on the option to perhaps casually converse with you about his particular dilemma in an equally casual manner instead of downright confessing, as if referring to someone else.
However, this then led him to fearing that he just might accidentally utter out a confession, which he would then have to counter with a pretentious cover before then pretending that he had just pulled a harmless prank.
Which he fears that it just might force you to push down your hypothetical feelings for him โ which meant he'd lose all his hypothetical chances altogether.
A mess, James felt himself to be. Hair disheveled as his hand went through the twisted tangles from within his curls, chest heaving ever so slightly as he thought over his next move.
One that would preferably avoid the same reactions he often received from Lily when he genuinely pursued her from before.
Releasing a soft sigh, arguably looking much stressed as ever, James then sluggishly raised his head โ taking a moment to process what was currently happening.
Soon turning rigid after a moment passed, a sudden jolt coursed through his entire being.
"AHHโ"
Scrambling to his feet in a frantic manner, a nervous laugh then left him as he rushed to boot away the invisibility cloak behind him.
Backing up against the wall, James leaned against it with his arms crossed in hopes to not having come off as bizarre and instead feigned a suave stance.
Though known for being charismatic, he wasn't one to succeed in fooling those he felt attracted to โ especially not one who was as observant as you.
Standing before him, there you were with your posture looking rather lax with a bit of a teasing grin stretched across your face.
Paying no mind to his rather skittish behavior, you further neared his personal space to keep as much little distance between the both of you.
"H-hey, [ name ]! What's, uh... what's got you here?"
"What's got me here in the halls... near divination class?"
You've considered the probability that he could barely function, so much so that he failed to take notice of the fact that classes have long since ended, giving few reason for you to near any classrooms.
James then scrambled a response, realizing he might possibly be discovered for his somewhat strange behavior โ hoping to prolong a much-needed diversion to avoid blurting out his long-awaited inquiry. "Oh! right, right..."
However, you cared little for continuous pleasantries and small talk, "But what are you doing here?"
Ever expected, you awaited an immediate response to your question and was highly irritated by his current lack of confidence.
"A date!" unexpectedly, James practically squeaked out as his pulse raced โ choking back a pained groan. "I want to take you to Hogsmeadeโฆ o-on a date!"
James's shoulders stiffened with bated breath; he could almost feel a frown set over his face.
"A date, it is, then."
"Huh! A-a date? A date..."
Ever so slowly, a genuine grin then starts to stretch across his face at the revelation โ paying little mind as you made your way off, his mind then drifting.
"Huh... a date. heh..."
ยฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ โ reposting, editing, and plagiarism (whether it be in another website or any other) is strictly prohibited. โ ๏ธ
[ ๐ ] โข ๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒย ย | ย this short story focuses on a derived version of "The Future's Keeper" by Summerblack; one of which [ name ] and Aizawa are the same age, with Aizawa portraying "Odysseus" from the Musical: EPIC SAGA โ which is also posted on Quotev.
[ ๐ฆ ] โข ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ย ย | ย Thoughts of returning to the comforts of his betrothed's arms carried along a longing that became desperate, begging to hold his son โ one of whom may have long since grown. Unrelenting determination coursing through his veins as he led his own men to their very own end; yet where has he gone?ย
"Hah! You're awake!" Boisterous laughter accompanied the rather obnoxious voice that had pierced through his ears, brows curling in a disgruntled manner as he forced his eyes open โ facing the bright sunlight above him.
"Good morning, sleepyhead! You know, you've been resting for awhile!" Bearing little care of raising his sights on the woman before him, his tiresome fatigue dragged on his physical state, offering no refusal as he felt a much smaller pair of hands wrapping a clean fabric around his notably sore arms.
"Did you know you talk in your sleep? Tell me, though, who's.. [ name ]?" Gingerly, the woman had tightened the wrapping with a perceived carefree smile, having raised her head in order to meet with his sights.
An utterly disgruntled expression was then sent her way, Aizawa's teeth clenched โ brows deeply creased as he ripped his arm away from her grasp.ย
"..She's my wife."
Lengthened emerald hair swished through the rapidly fastening air, Aizawa catching sight of a rather crazed look in her eyes as it subtly twitched; the curve of lips resisting the urge to go downwards into a sneer.ย
Her fingers weaved through her curled locks, falling past her shoulders as she breathed out a tense grin โ much differing from her first greeting.
"Anyways! I've got all you can want here, all you can need here! Just you and me, my love, in Paradise!ย Soon into bed we'll climb and spend our timโ"ย
The woman had grabbed onto his arm, shortening the distance between the both of them.
"I'm not your man." Abruptly snatching his bicep from her unfamiliar hold once more, a spiteful sneer spread across Aizawa's scarred face; looking awfully disgusted at her 'offer.'
"Listen, here. I can kill you from where you stand.. we are not to bed together neither am I 'yours.' I am a married man!"ย A piercing red gaze was then sent her way, his anger becoming much apparent as the locks of his hair frolicked with the air that began to pick up.ย ย
"Awh, handsome! You may try, but.. really, I swore no one could kill a Goddess." A rather agonizing breathy laugh then echoed through Aizawa's ears, taunting and oh-so mocking.ย
Dread overcame Aizawa's face, paling as his neck turned โ chest heaving as a fist on his side clenched in utter terror.
"Goddess?"
A brief laugh had left the woman, chilling the breeze that flew by as she looked on with much amusement directed towards him; leaping from the trunk of the palm trees she leaned on.
"Aren't you just adorable?" A tinge of a gleaming light erupted from within her striking eyes, looking far more inhumane as her feet detached from the ground โ a harsh wind surrounding the both of them as she rose her hands in presentation.
"Bow down now to the Immortal; Emi.. Fukukudo."
An expression filled with sheer grueling exasperation, the man felt his stomach drop upon the woman that stood before him.
What had he gotten himself into?
A lone figure stood hunched in the middle of a room, adorned in fine armory and white silks of fabric; long locks of raven hair draped over her shoulders.ย
"Seven years.. seven years, she had entrapped you in her control, old friend."ย
The woman's frustration was much apparent upon the scattered scrolls drenched in holy water that was poured over from broken basins within the dim room โ steadily standing against the only basin kept in tact.ย
Nemuri's eyes were incredibly tired as her hands clutched onto the edges of the circular basin, a quiver in her lips as her armory gradually felt much heavier.
"Time can take a heavy toll."
His figure had notably slimmed, the lines on his face having grown weary as his flesh lightly sagged throughout the years that have long since past;ย how long has it been?
He didn't know. Aizawa had incessantly refused the unrelenting advances of the Goddess that resides within the isle, yet unsettling masquerade that drape over the dark exterior of the land has gradually worn him down.
However, not quite in the way Emi had intended.
Adorned with a loose blanket that unsteadily hurled through the whirlwind, droplets of rain graced her cheeks โ legs poorly bearing through the wind as she reached the steep area of the cliff behind her palace, the rain fighting against the polished magical paradise that surrounded the land.
"Shouta? Dear," Emi called out through the raging winds, fearful of the position that the lone figure held at the edge of the rocky mountain.
"All I hear are screams," though the cries of the raging clouds grew louder, a quiet voice filled with painstaking agony still rang through.
"Shouta! Get away from there, you're gonnaโ"ย
After taking a single step towards him, she promptly closed her mouth as the cliff's edges fell beneath her, scurrying back to avoid falling.
"You.. you don't know what happened to me! Everything I've suffered through, all of them.. all of the people that've died. My comrades," with a tremble in his voice, his knees buckled alongside it as he further neared the edge.
"It's going to be okay..! I-I know you've went through so much, your life's been hard.. but please! You're here now, we're together."ย Emi tightly clutched onto her flailing blanket, the fabric incredibly drenched from the storm.ย
"Let me close my eyes.."
Her hair frantically blew through the wind as she slowly neared, a tense smile gracing her face as she offered a hand โ hoping, wishing he'd just take it, "So, come back.. to paradise."
Paradise.
Desperation coerced through his veins, a pulsating feel that he swore he'd no longer felt since the deaths of his fallen members; their deaths clinging onto the chiton he once proudly worn on his back, thoroughly ripped and dirtied throughout the wars it had faced.ย
Numerous of voices stacked together blazed through Aizawa's ears, the feel of deathly cold hands grasping onto his staggering frame as they seemingly compelled him to near the ledge.
How could he ever return home with the souls of those that would never unite with their loved ones?ย
"Stay in my arms," Emi pleaded.
"Stay in my arms," you had offered.
A distant yet oh-so familiar voice rang through his head, tightly grasping onto the crevices of his skull as he fell onto his knees, belonging to a man with the bluest of hair that soared graciously in the wind,ย "this life is amazing when you greet it with open arms.."ย
.
.
"N.."
.
.
"n.."
.
.
"NEMURI!"
The unbearably slow turn of the ticking clock rang through her ears, the waves of the ocean unable to hide away the desperate cries of her mentee.
.
Tick...
.
Tick...
.
Tick...
.
"He needs my help."
ยฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ โ reposting, editing, and plagiarism (whether it be in another website or any other) is strictly prohibited. โ ๏ธ
[ ๐ฆ ] โข ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๏ฝ in which James then realizes as to why he kept pursuing Lily for so long despite her constant rejection; he finds that it's not because he was in love with her, more so that it was due to his pride that he never faltered.
[ ๐ช ] โข ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๏ฝ [ third ] person's point of view, profanity, misunderstandings, false assumptions, realization, self-doubt, presumed one-sided attraction; overall fluff!
[ ๐ ] โข ๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ๏ฝ English isn't my first language, I'm so sorry!
Despite the odds of getting an assigned seat near the literal Lily Evans, his eyes stray to the person that sat a few seats away from her.
Unbeknownst to the young man, he has been unable to move his attention away from you since the beginning of class โ however, the other Marauders most certainly did.
His eyes were fully immersed in your frame, his elbow firmly propped up on the desk as he leans his cheek against his fist.
Sirius slid closer to James, careful to not arouse attention from their professor as he discreetly nudged James' side, causing him to painfully grit his teeth before snapping his head at him.
"what?!" James whisper-yelled at Sirius, which made the corners of his lips twitch into a smile that he could no longer push down.
Sirius grinned at him, an apparent twinkle in his eyes as he 'discreetly' wiggled his brows. "you couldn't even be more obvious if you tried."
"Actually, he could." at that, both males jumped back in fright โ almost squealing out in fear of the sudden voice that joined their conversation.
Remus suddenly appeared before them, alerting the both of them of his presence from behind their assigned seats.
"what theโ when did you even get here?!" Sirius squeaked out, hand tightly gripping his shirt in fright as he wheezed.
Remus scrunched up his nose in slight offense, softly bonking Sirius' head with a rolled parchment, "I've been here since the beginning of class."
James finally calms, composing himself before then giving Remus a lopsided grin, "sorry... Iโ we were just too distracted."
Remus blankly stared at him, awkwardly looking around before nodding in acceptance, "yeah, I can... I can see that."
"Why are you all stalking someone?"
"AH!"
Sirius and James jumped back against their seats once more, loudly yelping in fright โ which caught the professor's attention, yet he merely gave them a warning glare before going back to his lecture.
Sirius and James' head snapped towards where the voice came from, which they soon found to be Peter that came from behind the two, who was blinking rather innocently at them as he awaited for their response.
James heavily breathed as he widely stared up at Peter, who sat next to Remus, visibly wheezing as he tried to calm his speedily beating heart.
"I am... I am not... stalking anyone!" James weakly hissed out in defense between harsh breaths, hand tightly clutching his chest.
Sirius, despite still panting to rid himself from the previous shock, breathlessly chuckled at his defense.
"That's the biggest lie of the century, Prongs..."
James scrunched up his nose with a grin, playfully pushing Sirius back with a small laugh. "oh, quit it."
Remus and Peter chuckled at their playful display, softly grinning at the two before Remus shakes his head with a simple smile.
"don't suppose that you've already given up on Lily?" Remus curiously asks, smile never lifting from his face.
James then shook his head, looking rather confused, "no, no... what are you even talking about?"
Remus and Peter shared a look, simultaneously turning back to him with quirked brows.
"I don't know if you noticed, but you weren't looking at Lily." Peter habitually tapped his desk with the tip of his quill, awkwardly looking anywhere except for James' baffled expression.
"what?" James eyes widened in disbelief before he immediately covered it up with an unbelievable cough, "I wasn't looking at anyone."
"well, clearly, you were looking at someoneโ"
"You four, in the back! Pray tell, what might be so interesting that you must interrupt our lesson?" The professor yelled out quite abruptly, his wearied expression deepening into a frown of disapproval.
Approaching the startled students' that found themselves frozen up, desks with much displeasure, he then abruptly stopped in his tracks.
With great displeasure, he then trudged near the horrified males before promptly being halted.
"Professor, I believe they were just conversing about the task you had given us. They hadn't been talking about anything else," in an apparent attempt to defuse a tense situation for the remainder of the class, you startlingly covered up.
Fearing for their lives, the four men held their breath.
The professor, in clear need of some rest rather than having to deal with impassioned students, he then listlessly relented โ walking back to the board with an irritated hiss of a sigh trailing off his lips.
James was just strolling through the halls of Hogwarts before he then caught sight of you, which immediately brought a wide smile to his face.
"[ n / n ]!" James called out with an excited wave, the bright grin that overtook his features widening even further when you waved back.
You smile, pushing your hair back to move it away from your face as he ran towards you in a jogging pace โ yet, it was still notable that he had an excited bounce in his steps.
"sup, lover boy." you casually greet him, somehow making his smile grow larger as he walked in a steady pace with you.
James nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck as he stuffed his sweating hand into his pocket. "you're... really still gonna keep calling me that, huh?"
You jabbed a finger to his chest, grinning in a joking manner, "not my fault that you keep chasing after that Evans girl."
James laughed even more nervously, feeling rather awkward due to the sudden topic, "right, right... that's the reason why you call me that."
James awkwardly coughed, pulling at his tie to lessen the sweat that kept sliding down his neck.
You quirked a brow at him, smirking the slightest bit at his nervous attitude, "of course. what other reasons are there?"
James merely shrugged his shoulder, not finding any need to respond to that if he were truly being honest with himself.
"so, uh... any plans this weekend?" James then asks of you rather anxiously, might I add; though, he found there to be no reason.
"no, no. not at all." a teasing grin then appeared on your face, cheeky it even appeared to be โ amused by his poorly covered up nervousness, though you weren't sure what was the cause of it.
"why? Evans still hasn't taken you up on those dates you keep promising her?"
"hahaโ yeah, yeah. you caught me." quite nervously, James began to rub his nape, feeling a tad bit awkward.
It was rather difficult on James' part as an uncomfortable awkward pause then occurred in the middle of your conversation, which often happened when it came to the oh-so close proximity James tend to have with you.
"so, uh... are you available for Hogsmeade then? y'know, since it... only happens every two months or so." James soon asked, unable to walk alongside you with such an awkward air surrounding the both of you.
Beginning off your response with a bit of a hum, you tilt your head to the side โ feeling rather curious of his intentions as it wasn't often he personally invited you to an outing.
"I don't know... are you only asking me because Evans refused to go out with you?" awfully teasing, you then grinned at him, a tad bit expectant as you watched him begin to stammer at the assumption.
Though you had meant to initially come off as playful, James seemed to think otherwise as he panicked over what you assumed his invitation may have been.
"Whatโ that's not what I meant at all! I just wanted, uh, to have fun with you. Is it really that hard to believe?" a tad nervous, James began to chuckle lightly when he finally took note of the teasing underlying tone you used.
Finding hilarity at the sight of him turning into a nervous wreck, a bit of a laugh was pulled out of you before you shook your head in amusement.
"No, I was just kidding. I'd like toโ"
Rather sudden, the booming sound of the Hogwarts bell then rang through the corridors โ inevitably putting your interaction into a halt.
Having recovered from the interruption, you then turned to him with a snicker, "well, that's my cue... anyways, yeah. I think I'm free this weekend."
"Cool! Yeah, yeah... see ya! see you..." James waved you farewell, watching your departing figure until you've left his line of vision โ assuring that you've reached your destination before his own.
Awkwardly, he pursed his lips after having caught on to his rather odd staring, one that will most definitely forever be engraved into his memories as a moment of embarrassment.
Merlin, what was happening to him?
Long after classes had ended, after having long since finished assigned tasks; the Marauders find themselves prattling over a variety of subjects, one of which became their main topic of the evening.
"Prongs, as much as it's a good thing for you to move on, I don't think it would be a good idea to move on... with [ name ]." Remus slowly began, making James frown.
"and, uh, why?" James reluctantly asks, pondering over what he just might say.
"I mean, [ name ]'s a free spirit โ like you, sure, but I don't really think that..." Remus pauses, not quite wishing to speak out about his opinions.
"[ name ] rarely comes with us when it comes to our pranks and stuff, don't you think you should take in the possibility of them... you know, not romantically seeing you in that way if they think you're... childish?" Sirius continues for him, finally grasping what he had in mind.
Truly, Sirius didn't mean it in an offending way, he just wanted to save James from going through the high possibility of getting brutally rejected once more if he truly believed he moved on from Lily.
James frowns deeper at that, which only Peter seemingly noticed.
"well, they scold us sometimes, but I don't think they outright hate our 'childish' pranks. I might even say they enjoy it." Peter nervously says, hoping to bring back a bit of light into James' eyes, which visibly dimmed even further.
"weโ" Sirius began, nudging Remus's side as he referred to the both of them โ which received a pained grunt from the latter.
"โjust think that we all should be aware of the fact that there's a high possibility of [ name ] rejecting you because they'd think you're using them as a rebound." at that, James practically blanched at such assumption.
"what? I'd never! why would they even assume that? I'm not that much of a prick!" James defensively retorted, feeling much offended.
"It has little to do with your personality and more so.. your reputation." In hopes of lessening the impact of the confrontation they were hoping on achieving, Remus continued on with an awfully tense smile.
"They're an awfully honest person. And seeing that you're.. you've pinned for Lily an ordeal lot of time now," Peter peered from the shoulder of Remus, throat scratchy with the feel of his heart hammering against his chest.
This already felt as though it wouldn't go quite well.
A brief laugh left James, having calmed his nerves with the intent of shaking off the concerned thoughts of his friends โ tender smile eased on his face.
"Who says I'm still not pinning over Lily?" A concerning crack held within his tone was much apparent despite the insistence of James.
"You know, I feel quite crossed with you, Prongs," Sirius then began.
Their question concerning James's rather abrupt change of attitude had struck a chord within him.
"It's going to be... al-right."
There James stiffly stood in the great hall; urged by his friends to pursue Lily once more due to their fear of him getting blatantly rejected by their best friend, which they feared might result of her leaving their friend group.
Nervous, he felt. James was suffering through conflicting feelings whilst trying to organize his perplexing thoughts.
Sirius nudged his side, handing him a flower of sorts, "you know we can't have you accidentally making [ name ] run away from us. this is just a precaution."
James sighs in dismay, accepting the flower as he mindlessly followed the other Marauders to their table despite wishing to run away.
Truly, James didn't understand what issue the other three had with him taking the chance to move on from someone who barely even showed interest in him.
It was understandable for them to fear losing their connection with you, yet James couldn't help but feel as though he was the reason why they didn't agree on the idea of asking you out.
Perhaps they knew something, perhaps it was even possible that you had a secret lover of sorts and he never stood a chance in the first place.
Perhaps James was just the problem in general; far too childish for your specific type, possibly eliminating any chances he could've ever had with you.
James' eyes hesitantly looks around, partly believing that he shouldn't have allowed himself to get dragged off by his friends without first organizing his own thoughts.
Now, he had to recount the times he unrelentingly asked out Evans without care of how he came off to her โ which he was sure to happen once again.
However, the only reason why James agreed on trying to pursue Lily once more was because he couldn't even understand his own feelings.
He wasn't quite sure if he truly even moved on from Lily or if it was merely a temporary distraction from her.
Which James believes to be one of the many reasons as to why the other three didn't think it would be a good idea to 'rashly' ask you out.
Remus lightly tugs on James' robe, discreetly pointing at a familiar girl that sat among her friends in the Gryffindor table, "there she is!" Remus whispered in his ear.
James nervously gulps down his nerves before tidying up his uniform, tightly gripping the single flower in hand.
Here goes nothing.
Continuously tapping his foot underneath the table, James frustratedly fiddled with his thumbs as he stared hard at his food โ gritting his teeth in worry as his eye twitched.
Frustrated, he now feels. Dare James even say he felt anxious as his eyes trailed over to the redhead that sat a few feet away from him.
Now, James ponders over how he'd go about this.
Perhaps James should resume his usual unrelenting and rather arrogant attitude, perhaps even act a bit more romantic than what's usually expected of him.
James' eyes trailed over to the flower he was twirling in his hands, causing him to heavily sigh.
Remus frowns in worry, elbow lightly nudging his arm to get his attention away from the poor flower.
"Prongs, don't worry. nothing wrong's going to happen, you've done this before." yet, even so, Remus knew that the chances of James possibly messing up in some way or form was heightening by the minutes that passed spent wastefully.
James gave a disgruntled grunt, eyes having yet to tear away from the flower held loosely in his hands, "why do I have to do this again?"
"because you might fuck it up with [ name ], and if you did fuck it upโ" Sirius merely shrugged, expression much notably blank โ pausing for dramatics before then continuing; โwho knows.โ
Visibly deflating, James felt even more disheartened by such implication โ grip tightening around the fragile stem of the flower; just how bad did they think he could've possibly messed up?
Even though their concerns were meant to be as such, concerns that should've pushed him on, he felt incredibly discouraged.
Though, with the comforting hand Remus laid on his shoulder, alongside the daring looks Sirius and Peter sent him โ his competitive side chose to take on their challenge, not seeing the upcoming events as an issue at all.
So, with a pretend confident expression, he finally abruptly stood from the comforts of his seat โ finally gaining the pretense courage needed to act upon what was needed to be done.
An obligation, this felt to be.
Yet, he much feared what would come to be between the two of you if he were to actually take accountability for his conflicting feelings โ much more than he feared the crowd that awaited for his mischiefs to come into play.
With a shaky breath, James' eyes drifted to the redhead that sat a few seats away from the Marauders, his grasp on the flower tightening.
He could do this. He could do this.
James felt himself awaken of sorts when the entire great hall quieted down, a few snickers shared amongst his peers as his cocky demeanor faltered while he stood on the Gryffindor house's dinning table.
Embarrassed, he felt. That must've been a first after all those years he spent terrorizing most students of Hogwarts for a laugh โ a feeling James had never felt even when he was caught doing dangerous acts that were mostly pranks.
From the corner of James' eyes, he found you in the crowd of gossiping students, catching the curious and rather amused look you threw at him โ which made his thoughts scatter even more.
Part of James wondered whether or not you actually believed that he was retaking his nonexistent chances with Lily, wholly believing that, perhaps, you had no chance with him.
Perhaps the part of him wishing that you'd gaze upon them in jealousy was nothing but wishful thinking.
Perhaps, he finally came to terms that he merely continued pursuing Lily because he wanted to receive a certain look from you.
Yet, clearly, James wouldn't be getting it any time soon.
With a pained gulp, James abruptly backed away from Lily as he tightly gripping his uniform, eyes never meeting Lily's own worried ones.
I can't do this, James could only think to himself before he immediately left the great hall, away from the prying eyes of his schoolmates.
Soon after he left, laughter began to erupt from a handful of students, with a few remaining beginning to whisper about his abrupt exit.
The other Marauders shared looks of worry before then following after him. Questioning looks were thrown at them, yet they paid it no mind.
Meanwhile, as your peers chattered amongst themselves, you remained seated with a rather calculating expression, which was soon replaced with an amused smirk of sorts.
James laid sprawled over his bed with numerous pillows stacked up to create a comforting barricade around him, where he then proceeded to bury himself in. The doors were even locked to disable anyone from entering.
Pride, he now knew. That must've been what James had initially felt in the first place. The significant drain of his self-esteem. That must've been what James had been trying to replenish through the years by relentlessly pursuing Lily.
Sudden hurried knocks were banged on the door, which made James groan before he then covered his face with a pillow.
"James! open the door!" he heard Sirius worriedly yell from outside the dorm, which made James groan even louder as he squirmed around in an attempt to block of his yells.
"James, come on... we just want to talk to you." James then heard Remus calmly say, tone laced with anxiousness as Sirius repeatedly banged against the door.
"James Fleamont Potter, I swear, if you don't open this damn door โ I will break it down!"
"no, get out..." James' muffled voice weakly replied, face still stuffed with a pillow as he rolled to his side.
Clearly, his voice was far too quiet as Sirius' knocking hadn't relented and even began to get louder soon after.
James gritted his teeth, burying himself further into the stack of pillows before he suddenly heard an explosive blast.
He hastily sat up in a panic before immediately calming at the sight of Sirius exaggeratedly panting after having exploded the hinges off the door with a spell.
James soon fell right back against his bed in an ungraceful manner, arm reaching out to cover his face with a pillow once more.
"just leave me alone..."
With much baffling speed, Sirius pried off the pillows that acted as a barrier around himself โ leaving him groaning in annoyance, dreading the confrontation that was about to take place.
"James, what the hell happened out there?" though that came off in a criticizing manner, Sirius made it much apparent that he was merely worried about him.
Remus seated himself near James' curled legs, gently stroking one of them in a comforting manner.
All while Peter cautiously neared them, yet he kept his distance with his forehead creased in worry, frown kept in place.
Worried he may be, Sirius have become less lenient with James' constant changes in mood โ he knew plenty of those conflicting thoughts could get to a person, but he fears that this may just be James' breaking point.
"That never happened before," Sirius began with note as his tone quieted down in fear of further jolting the man, his hand reaching over the blanket sprawled over James, pulling it up his body to provide a bit more comfort.
James began fidgeting from within the loose blanket, hands clasped together before he released a shakey sigh that appeared rather pained.
With much exhaustive effort, James rose from the bed before leaning back against the stack of pillows.
"Yeah.. that.." he took a strenuous swallow of saliva upon feeling an inch in his throat, "never happened before."
James then raised his head with much unswerving determination that utterly baffled the others, his brows deeply furrowed as a grin graced his cheeks.
"guys.. I think I'm in love."
The breathless tone had silenced the few in mere seconds, the room being uncomfortably empty yet filled with much rushing thoughts of its occupants.
"You've said that before, Prongs." win the beat of the silence, and with much confusion apparent, Sirius had risen his arms โ finding little qualms of concerning himself with the sudden yet often proclamation of his friend.
"I know! I know.. but this time, it's different, you know?" Ever so joyous, a notable grin began spreading across the man's face; his cheeks flushing as he released a breathy laugh.
"It felt so wrong earlier.. with Lily, I mean."
"Maybe.. I've been wasting my time with the wrong girl, afterall," James meekly stated with little hopes of them having heard him, casting a forlorn glance to the side.
A rather thoughtful yet undeniably pitiful look was shared among the group, an audible brief sigh erupting from within the peace.
James had felt his breath hitch upon feeling a sudden hand firmly placed over his sagging shoulder, and with much utter unwavering support, Remus had merely shared a tender smile with him.
"Then do what you gotta do,"
James snapped his head upwards with great shock, finding the other two providing the most supportive grins one could make.
A brief smile of relief left him, "okay."
With a sway of your hips, you strutted into the room with no care apparent in your features due to the shades covering your eyes, catching the eyes of those in your surrounding.
With your hands kept inside your pocket, posture giving off the feel of arrogance, and head thrown back in an uncaring manner โ many would even say that you were simply a rich person with no care of anyone around you.
Yet even so, James eyes couldn't leave you at all. By no means did he think that he came off as a creep, but the other Marauders sure thought so.
"i'm getting slightly disturbed." Sirius awkwardly whispered to the other two, his hand continuously poking his food as his eyes never left James.
"James' giving heart eyes to [ name ], he never gave heart eyes to Lily!" Peter harshly whispered to the other two, his eyes unblinking as it went back in forth between you and James.
Remus softly exhales, biting the insides of his cheek as he turned away from the others, "maybe we should just let him be... I mean, I honestly think he actually does like them."
"Well, what do you suppose we do? What if he messes up with [ name ]? What if he drags us into that mess?" Peter then relentlessly questioned, fearing the outcome the plausible path they're pushing James to take.
Peter then abruptly leans forward โ his face unbearably close to Remus' own, "they'll never talk to us ever again if he ruins everything between them!"
"You don't actually think that James would drag us into his love life, right?" Remus felt bothered by the fact that they were doubtful of James' capabilities, even if he had failed a few dozen times.
"uh, wellโ"
With much apparent sarcasm, Sirius then jabbed a finger at Lily's direction for emphasis โ dramatically gesturing towards her to further prove his unstated point.
Briefly reminded of James' persistent pursue of the redhead, the oddity of his former infatuation towards Lily Evans, Remus merely pursed his lips.
"Okay, but he involved the entire school with that one, she doesn't count."
Having thrown on the invisibility cloak over himself, he had began to follow you around as you went about your usual schedule throughout the day.
He had been doing so for the past couple of days, the other Marauders had even commented about how lucky James seemed to have been as you've yet to even notice his suspicious acts.
Cheeks heavily flushed, he clumsily hid behind the wall to hide from your view when you had began to look around.
In a cautious manner, James slowly peaked behind the wall before then sighing in relief when you began to walk away without having noticed him.
He then slowly began to sit down with his back against the wall, shoving off the invisibility cloak as he hastily wiped away the sweat that had began forming on his neck before then loosening his tie.
Bloody hell, he felt like a creep.
James began to wonder as to how you have yet to take notice of his constant presence around you, practically stalking you whenever you were near like some sort of obsessed predator.
Depressingly, he sighed. James knew that if you had known about his tendencies to creep around you, you would've beaten him with a flying broom by then.
He fears that if you knew, it would lessen his chances of receiving a positive reply when he finally gets the courage to ask you out.
The thought of it all was sending painful shivers of fear down his spine.
Though, James find himself not being able to blame the hypothetical version of you โ because if he knew someone was stalking him, he would also beat that same person with a broom.
He released a disgruntled groan, contemplating on what his presumably next step should be.
There were plenty of possibilities to take into account, many of which his paranoia have already partially corrupted with the bizarrest of insecure thoughts.
James weighed on the option to perhaps casually converse with you about his particular dilemma in an equally casual manner instead of downright confessing, as if referring to someone else.
However, this then led him to fearing that he just might accidentally utter out a confession, which he would then have to counter with a pretentious cover before then pretending that he had just pulled a harmless prank.
Which he fears that it just might force you to push down your hypothetical feelings for him โ which meant he'd lose all his hypothetical chances altogether.
A mess, James felt himself to be. Hair disheveled as his hand went through the twisted tangles from within his curls, chest heaving ever so slightly as he thought over his next move.
One that would preferably avoid the same reactions he often received from Lily when he genuinely pursued her from before.
Releasing a soft sigh, arguably looking much stressed as ever, James then sluggishly raised his head โ taking a moment to process what was currently happening.
Soon turning rigid after a moment passed, a sudden jolt coursed through his entire being.
"AHHโ"
Scrambling to his feet in a frantic manner, a nervous laugh then left him as he rushed to boot away the invisibility cloak behind him.
Backing up against the wall, James leaned against it with his arms crossed in hopes to not having come off as bizarre and instead feigned a suave stance.
Though known for being charismatic, he wasn't one to succeed in fooling those he felt attracted to โ especially not one who was as observant as you.
Standing before him, there you were with your posture looking rather lax with a bit of a teasing grin stretched across your face.
Paying no mind to his rather skittish behavior, you further neared his personal space to keep as much little distance between the both of you.
"H-hey, [ name ]! What's, uh... what's got you here?"
"What's got me here in the halls... near divination class?"
You've considered the probability that he could barely function, so much so that he failed to take notice of the fact that classes have long since ended, giving few reason for you to near any classrooms.
James then scrambled a response, realizing he might possibly be discovered for his somewhat strange behavior โ hoping to prolong a much-needed diversion to avoid blurting out his long-awaited inquiry. "Oh! right, right..."
However, you cared little for continuous pleasantries and small talk, "But what are you doing here?"
Ever expected, you awaited an immediate response to your question and was highly irritated by his current lack of confidence.
"A date!" unexpectedly, James practically squeaked out as his pulse raced โ choking back a pained groan. "I want to take you to Hogsmeadeโฆ o-on a date!"
James's shoulders stiffened with bated breath; he could almost feel a frown set over his face.
"A date, it is, then."
"Huh! A-a date? A date..."
Ever so slowly, a genuine grin then starts to stretch across his face at the revelation โ paying little mind as you made your way off, his mind then drifting.
"Huh... a date. heh..."
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