Author's Note:
Hello Everybody! It's been a while since I've posted, and I decided to upload something I've been thinking about for a while now. If it's not obvious by the title, this fic is based off the 90s American sitcom FRIENDS. It's an amazing show, probably one of my favorites, and if you've never seen it, you definitely should check it out (all 10 seasons are on Netflix).
Lemme just say here and now that I do not have this things written out. It'll be a kind of write-as-I-go, so I can't guarantee weekly or even bi-weekly updates, but I will do my best. Also, as I've pointed out, I know next to nothing about football - the American kind as well - so if anyone wants to correct, please feel free to comment or PM. I feel I should also point out that majority of the characters are not British (I'm sorry!), but I'll be trying to stay as close to their canon personalities as I can.
Now, I'll let you all be and enjoy the story. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
xoxo Evie
Let's start by setting the scene:
It's 2017, a beautiful, yet humid summer day in Manhattan. The sidewalks are packed as pedestrians try to maneuver their way around construction, food stands, and other pedestrians. Everyone is moving quickly, trying to get to their destination. Anyone lagging is begging to get shoved aside, a glare so offended one would think they had specifically targeted said glarer thrown one's way at the gall they have for even thinking about strolling.
A boy - well, really, a man, though more accurately, a young man, around the age of 25 - moves along like any born and bred New Yorker, his pace brisk, his head held high, his earbuds in. If you take a step closer, you can hear the sound of the Rolling Stones blaring from the tiny white speakers; from a distance, he looks just as impassive as everyone else.
But wait, our protagonist no longer looks so impassive; in fact, he looks a bit surprised. It appears his phone has gone off, as he pulls the black device from his pocket to glance at the screen. He swipes a finger to unlock the device, before pulling out the buds and lifting the phone to his ear. His brows furrow in concentration, his pace never faltering.
In a second, everything changes though. His steps falter, his expression becomes one of disbelief, and he glances at his screen as if uncertain of what he has heard. He lifts the device back to his ear, and this is what he hears:
"You got it," Fabian says into the ear of James Potter, who still thinks his must have some water or shampoo from his shower clogging his eardrums. "I am currently talking to the newest member of NYC FC!"
James blinks, then blinks again. He doesn't know what to say, what to do. He is in total and utter shock. He stops, in the middles of the busy sidewalk, and just stares at the road in front of him. It's like a scene from a movie, where everyone moves like a wave around him, a sea of people parting for this contemporary Moses. The yellow crosswalk sign changes from a red hand to a walking man, as a yellow taxi continues to try to make a left while pedestrians flood the crosswalk. A hot dog vendor is already setting up, despite the fact that it's 8:00 am, and a homeless man curls up on a street corner, his feet protected by a cardboard box.
And there's James, with his messy hair and crooked glasses and his gobsmacked expression. He is totally unaware of the nasty glances and disgruntled grunts people are making as they pass him, as his ears are too busy ringing repeated with Fabian's news.
"James? Jamesy? You there? Have I lost you? Fucking Staten Island; can never get anything over here. It's like an uncivilized barbarian land, or something."
For some strange reason, it's these grumbles that pull James from his trance. He extracts himself from the middle of the morning rush, and leans against the side of a brick building, not far from where the homeless man is curled up. "What are you doing on Staten Island? I wasn't aware people actually went there."
Fabian snorts. "Neither was I, but I go where the talent goes, and this kid, he's goooooood. Almost better than you."
"Hey now, don't talk crazy to your new biggest hit!" James chides, barely able to keep his giddy smile from infiltrating into his voice.
"I would never, Jamesy. You offend me! When I see you, all I see are dollar signs."
James grins. "So it's official then? I'm on the team?" He's so excited, he's barely able to keep still. He has all this pent up energy he needs to get out somehow, and he wants to run and scream, or skip through a field of daisies. Unfortunately, none of these are possible actions in New York City, so he settles for grinning like a loon at the homeless man, who looks slightly scared of the young man.
"There's some paperwork we should go over with Gideon later. Why don't you come in around six? We can all grab a celebratory dinner, then get down to business," Fabian suggests. Gideon was Fabian's twin brother, and James's lawyer. "I'm currently lost, trying to navigate this fucking jungle out here, so I'm not in the best position to discuss specifics." Fabian pauses, and James hears more cursing in the background, and what sounds like an argument with a cabbie, before his agent turns back to the phone. "Lemme just say, I'm proud of you, kid. Talk to you later."
Fabian hangs up, leaving James alone in his state of euphoria. James slips his phone back into his pocket, and grins at the homeless man. "I just got signed," he breathes, unable to believe he's saying the words out loud and that they're true.
The homeless man considers him before picking up a styrofoam cup and holding it up, the sound of change jangling inside. "That means you have more than enough to spare."
James tosses a fiver at the man, and walks down the street. He cannot wait to tell the gang. They'll be just as excited as he is, possibly even more.
He has a strong urge to pull a Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, and just start dancing around in the streets until a cop stops his fun. He doesn't do this though, because this is Manhattan, and while it wouldn't be the strangest thing to ever happen on these streets, James prefers to start his career off with a clean slate, not with a viral video of him being an idiot trying to dance like Gene Kelly.
Instead, he spins on his heel, eager to get to the coffee shop. Unfortunately, in his exuberance, he ends up smacking a pass pedestrian.
It's like everything freezes, time slows down, something from fiction. In the ten seconds it takes for James to turn, he somehow manages to see all of this: his arms hitting a walking pedestrian; said pedestrian is a female; said female is holding a cup of coffee; said cup of coffee is now being knocked out of her hand and onto her body instead.
There's usually a pause, after something horrible or unexpected happens, where everyone seems to be holding their breath and still registering what just happened. That is what occurs as James stands there, staring at the girl in front of him covered in coffee. A few thoughts flash through his mind:
1. That her coffee was iced, so he can breathe without feeling guilty about spilling hot coffee on someone and sending them to the hospital
2. The girl in front of him is by far the most gorgeous girl he has ever seen
3. Beautiful Girl is staring at him like she desires his head on a platter
James opens and closes his mouth, unsure what exactly he should say to this beauty. And fuck is she a beauty. It's her eyes he notices first, big and almond shaped, framed with long lashes, and a bright emerald green color he's never seen in real life before. Her nose is cute and pert, with a slight upturn and a faint dusting of freckles across the bridge. Her mouth is petite, her bottom lip much bigger than her top, and the top lacking a cupid's bow. All of this is placed strategically in a heart shaped face framed by bluntly bobbed blood-red hair, which shimmers and shines in the sunlight. Her fair skin is slowly turning redder, and stupidly, the only thought in James's mind is, Wow. She's even more beautiful when she's angry.
She starts moving her lips rapidly, most likely screaming her head off at him, but he doesn't hear her. He can't hear anything since the ringing is back in his ears again, his gaze solely focused on her pink lips. He finds himself fantasizing about those lips, about how soft they must be, how they would feel pressed against hers. He wants to bite that lower lip, see if it's a plush as it looks.
He's literally snapped out of his daydreams by the girl snapping her fingers in his face. His eyes guiltily snap up to her eyes, which are even brighter in her fury, and he tries to grin charmingly. "I'm so sorry," he says genuinely. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Clearly," the girl replies, her voice heavy with sarcasm. She looks down at the sticky mess all over her clothes, and scowls deeply.
"Lemme me make it up to you," James speaks up, uncertain where this is coming from. She glares at him, waiting for him to continue. He says the first thing that comes to mind. "Let me buy you another coffee."
Wrong thing to say. Her nostrils flare and a flush starts spreading up from her chest. She huffs, and walks past him without a word, violently throwing her empty plastic cup in a trash bin before sprinting across the street just before the light changes.
James just stands there, staring at her red hair until it's totally lost in the crowd of bodies. Even then, he still stands there staring after her. Eventually, he shakes himself out of his daze, but only after getting bumped into by a wandering tourist.
He continues on his way, passing Washington Square park, and walking until he spots Bean Me Up Scotty on the corner of Waverly and Greene. His mind is still focused on the strange redhead from earlier as he absentmindedly makes his way over to the couches. Due to his inattention, he ends up walking into yet another person, causing this person to spill their coffee as well. This has got to be a record or something.
James looks up, an apology on his lips before he notices who the victim is. Staring down at his stained apron, shards of the ceramic polka-dot covered mug and brown liquid at the floor near his feet, stands Severus Snape, one of BMUS' baristas.
The barista slowly raises his gaze to meet James's, his black eyes like an endless void of fury as he stares down the culprit. "Damn," James says, semi-sheepishly. His hand automatically goes for his hair, as is his nervous habit, but he stops this motion when he swears he sees tiny flames spring up in Severus's eyes. "Sorry Sniv- I mean, Snape. I wasn't paying attention to where I was looking."
Snape's nostrils flare as he tries to reign in his anger. James knows that Kevin Scotty, owner of the coffee shop, has had to lecture Snape numerous times about how to treat customers. His greasy hair, long, crooked nose, and all-around dour demeanor are not exactly what most people would want in a barista, but unfortunately, Severus made a rather mean cup of Joe, so much so that BMUS was rated one of the top coffee shop's in all of Manhattan, a feat within itself.
Severus doesn't say anything, just stares at James unblinkingly until the messy-haired man slowly slinks away, muttering weak apologies all the way over to the couches. He watches as Snape sighs heavily, his hands clenched in fists at his side. He barks at one of the other baristas - Mary, James thinks her name is, the new trainee - and points to the mess. The mousy haired girl quickly scurries over, cowering under Snape's close watch as she gets on her knees to clean the mess. James will make sure to tip her generously later, sure the girl is about seconds away from an emotional breakdown.
He turns back around to face the couches, and grins sheepishly as the gang situated there all grinning up at him with mirth. "Oh Jamie," Marlene is the first one to speak up, shaking her head with a fond grin on her lips.
Remus merely shrugs, turning his attention back to the textbook in his lap. "What else do you expect of him? He's a walking disaster."
"Prongs, I would pay to watch that on the big screen!" Sirius smirks, lounging on the floor with his arms resting on the only open cushion on the green velvet couch. "Though, I wouldn't drink anything he gives you now."
Emmeline snorts. "Only someone as simple-minded as you, Black, would pay to see that again. It was painful enough the first time."
James crosses his arms over his chest. "Hey! It's been a topsy-turvy day! Give a guy a break." He shoves Sirius's arms aside, collapsing on the couch next to Remus.
"Ex-ca-use me," Sirius says in a sassy voice. "I was in support of your actions. Snivelly needs to be taken down a few pegs every now and then."
"Did you really just say 'topsy-turvy'?" Emmeline asks, glancing up at James over the top of her reading glasses.
"I was hoping no one would notice," James grins sheepishly. His friends all shake their heads.
"You should know better by now, Jamie," Marlene says, nursing a giant mug with googly-eyes on the front. James sticks his tongue out at her, a gesture she reciprocates.
James picks up the chocolate chip muffin in front of Remus and takes a huge bite out of the pastry. It's warm and soft, and chocolate coats the inside of his mouth, making him moan. "Dis is so goot!" he somehow manages to get out.
Remus glares at his friend. "Exactly. That's why I got it for me," he sighs heavily. "I haven't eaten since dinner last night, and I'm starving."
James glances at his watch, winces when he notices it's about 11:30. "Sowy," he mutters, struggling to swallow. When he finally manages it, stealing a sip of Sirius's americano, he asks, "Why haven't you eaten?"
"I just got off the night shift," Remus explains. "I haven't even gone home yet. I've got an exam at four I need to study for, otherwise I'd be sleeping. Mrs. Abbott-"
"Is she the one that calls you 'Sweet Cheeks' and pinches your tush every time you walk past her?" Emmeline interrupts.
"No, that's Mr. Vardner," Remus sighs, ignoring Sirius's and James's snickers. "No, Mrs. Abbott is the one with dementia." Everyone nods sadly, waiting for Remus to go on. "Anyway, she shit herself last night during a seizure, so I had to give her a sponge bath and stay a few extra hours to monitor her."
Sirius snorts. "That's what you get when you decide to take care of old people instead of becoming a plastic surgeon! You could be looking at tits all day, but instead, you get to stare at wrinkly asses 24/7."
Remus rolls his eyes. They've had this discussion before. "I like geriatrics. The elderly always have the best stories to share. Plus, as you point out so often, it's not glamorous or popular, so there's always a need for someone to fill a position."
Remus was studying to be geriatrician. He was in his last year of medical school, and had already started his residency at a local home. He spent most of his hours bouncing between the home and the lecture hall, but somehow he hadn't been discouraged by the hours. James often admired Remus's drive, and wished he was as ambitious, sometimes.
"Still, you're missing out on both good money, and interesting cases. You could be removing rare tumors from people's brains, and getting your name in medical journals everywhere," Sirius persists.
"Yes, because you're the person I should be taking career advice from," Remus retorts sarcastically.
"Dare I even ask?" James ponders, glancing around.
"Might as well," Emmeline sighs, shaking her head and hiding a grin behind her latté.
"Ooh, ooh, I'll do it!" Marlene waves her hands energetically. She sits up straight, and with a rather motherly looking expression, asks Sirius, "What was it this time?"
"Well," Sirius begins, a mischievous smirk spreading across his handsome face as he leans back against James's legs. "It all started about Friday of last week, when they hired a new salesman, Amos-"
"Wait!" Marlene holds up her hands. "I forgot where this is again? Are you still at Applebee's?"
"Nooooo," Emmeline waves her off. "That was months ago!"
"Yeah, this time it's Abercrombie & Fitch," James nods sagely.
"No," Remus scrunches up his face. "That was two weeks ago. I think this one is the cupcake shop."
Sirius holds up his arms for attention. "Shut up, you little shits! I'm trying to tell a story here!" They all instantly shut up. "And for the record, it was J-Crew." There is a resounding groan of understanding as Sirius nods and continues. "Anywho… so Amos Diggory got hired as one of the new salespersons, and I was asked to train him. Of course, he thought I was gorgeous-" There is another unanimous groan, this time one of agony.
"Lemme guess," James says in a jaded tone, glancing around at the three others. "You got caught fucking in the dressing rooms?"
"No."
"The storeroom?"
"No."
"Oh no, not again! On top of the mannequins? Really, Padfoot!"
"That happened once, Moony, and the mannequin fell on top of us," Sirius glares at the intern. "No, no. We got asked to close up one night, because the manager had some hot date with his mom or something, and for whatever reason, he decided the new guy and I were the best people to do the job. We closed up and everything was all fine… until the manager saw footage of us fucking in the window display."
"Aw, gross!"
"What the fuck's the matter with you?"
"Have. You. No. Decency!" Emmeline exclaims, punctuating each would with a slap using the decorative pillow from the seat behind her.
"I know you're intrigued, Emmy. Don't deny the tension between us," Sirius waggles his eyebrows, leaning towards Emmeline.
She recoils in disgust. "Never, never, never! Never in a million years. I only date employed straight men!"
Sirius was a pansexual, unemployed part-time model. The unemployed part referred to the fact that Sirius had a hard time keeping any day jobs. His modeling career and family inheritance were more than enough to keep him well-fed and on-time with rent, but after he'd spent three months being a couch potato after moving in with the guys, James and Remus had made him apply for a job. The biggest flaw in this plan was the fact that Sirius could never keep it in his pants. He would sleep with anyone, literally, and had no respect for public decency. This meant he was often discovered by co-workers or customers in rather compromising positions, which resulted in him being unemployed more often than not. Sometimes, James thought it might just be better to let Sirius become a couch potato again, but the stories were always a great source of amusement on a bad day.
"That sounds rather homophobic Vance," Sirius says, leaning closely to Emmeline. "Got something against gays?"
Emmeline rolls her eyes. "You know I don't. I told you about my stint in college."
Marlene giggles. "That was one time, Emmy. Hardly makes you a lesbian."
Emmeline crosses her arms over her chest. "If I had something against gays, I wouldn't hang out with either of you. I was merely implying that I'm not gay, and would rather date a guy who is also hetero and employed."
"But what about that stint in college," James asks innocently, bumping knuckles with Sirius.
"Call it my bi-curious stage." Before she can go on, the sound of Taylor Swift's Shake It Off starts blaring from her phone. She glances down at the screen and groans. "It's the governor again."
"The governor?" Remus asks, looking up from his textbook, his curiosity peaked.
"Yeah, aren't there more important people he should be calling?" Sirius drawls.
Emmeline shoots him a dirty look. "I'll have you all know that I got promoted today," she says superiorly. Before anyone can celebrate, she swipes and answers. "Hello Governor," she says, her voice superficially polite and perky. "No, no. I'm not busy at all."
Snape comes fluttering over, looking like a spazzing, greasy crow as he flaps his hands in front of Emmeline's face. "No cellphones allowed!" he hisses, pointing to a sign over the counter.
Emmeline waves him off, but makes her way to the door nonetheless, completely unaware of the stares she receives for the way her pencil skirt emphasizes her perky ass.
Marlene shakes her head slowly. "All the yoga I do, and I'll never get an ass like that," she sighs. "Someone cheer me up."
James, his memory sparked by Emmeline's announcement, sits up straight. "I've got some good news."
Everyone turns toward him, looking at him expectantly. He puffs out his chest, smirking as he says, "You're all looking at the newest striker for NYC FC."
There's a pause as his friends absorb this. James stares expectantly at them, waiting for them to react. "Um, guys," he says with irritated urgency. "Hello, this is a big deal."
"Are we sure he hasn't been drinking?" Sirius stage whispers to Remus.
"He's never been much of a day drinker. Plus, you both know what a lightweight he is. We'd know if he was drunk," Marlene says, staring at James like he's a bomb about to explode.
"Moony, go do some doctory things and make sure he doesn't have a fever," Sirius says.
James stares dumbly at his friends. "Guys, I'm serious!"
"Nope, that would be me!"
James glares at Sirius. He can't believe his friends aren't throwing a party for him right this instant. It's like they've all become Severus, just staring at him like he's an idiot. He's so upset, he feels like he could cry; he was expecting them to be as excited as he is.
"I can't do it anymore," Remus says, turning James's attention away from his misery. "He looks like a kicked puppy."
"Aww, Moony!" Sirius whines. "Why? He was about ten seconds from bursting into tears. I was at least expecting Lena to be the one to break first."
"I nearly did," Marlene says, a smile starting to grow on her face.
"I'm confused," James says, staring at the three of them.
All three of them grin widely, and start shouting at the same.
"PRONGS! YOU'RE OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL!"
"Good job, Prongs. I had complete faith you'd make it this far!"
"Oh Jamie, I just know that if your parents were here, they'd be so proud of you!"
James stares, still confused, just barely aware of Snape shushing the trio. "What?"
Marlene walks up to James, wrapping her arms around him. Marlene is tall for a girl, but even she only comes up to about James's shoulder. She rests her head against his neck as she hugs him tightly. "Gid called the apartment while you were out, and told us the news," Remus says, slapping James on the back as James wraps his arms around Marlene.
Sirius throws his arms around James, crushing Remus against his back. "Finally, someone else famous in the group."
"Padfoot, you did one ad for Calvin Klein, and it didn't even make it to print," Remus points out, his voice muffled against James's back. Sirius ignores him.
Emmeline walks back in, and spots the group hug. "You guys did it without me?" she whines, pouting.
"Really?" James asks, feeling slightly grumpy.
Emmeline grins, and joins in the group hug, throwing her arms around James and Marlene. "You know we're all proud of you Jamie. We'll be there in the front row for your first match."
The group hug lasts for an abnormally long time, until Severus has to come over and tell them hugging is not allowed in BMUS. It sparks an argument with Sirius, who demands to speak to Kevin to confirm whether this is true or not.
James proceeds to hold court on the couches, his friends attentive and asking rapid fire questions about his new position. They all know it's been James's dream to play professional football - and it's football, not soccer - since he was little boy, and he finds it hard to believe that his dream is actually coming true. He can only imagine what his father would say if he were still around.
Eventually, the conversation drifts from football to various topics, the group never running out of things to discuss. At one point, Emmeline and Marlene sneak off to the girls' room so Emmy can show Lena the new lingerie set she picked up as a gift for herself for getting a promotion. As the girls disappear into the back, James, Sirius, and Remus all look up at the sound of the bell over the door tingling.
A beautiful, buxom blonde walks in wearing a tiny sundress and wedges, a confident smirk on her red, red lips as she walks up to the counter. "I love summer," Sirius sighs. "Everything is tinier this time of year."
"Yeah," Remus murmurs distantly, his eyes on the woman's legs.
James finds the woman rather plain, especially when his mind supplies him with the image of blood red strands and unusual green eyes. He feels a zing of excitement and sits up straight, turning to his friends. "I saw the most beautiful woman ever today."
Remus and Sirius exchange a look. "What, did you FaceTime with Theresa?"
James freezes. How could he have possibly forgotten about his girlfriend? He instantly floods with shame before he pauses himself and forces the shame away. He's allowed to think other women are attractive, so long as he doesn't act on it, and Theresa never finds out.
Remus and Sirius catch his guilty look, identical mischievous grins spreading across their faces. "Ah, so this is some other chick then," Sirius says, scooting closer. "Do share."
"She was… gorgeous! I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful woman in my life. Even prettier than Farrah Fawcett," James grins, feeling triumphant when Sirius looks scandalized.
"How dare you," he gasps, no doubt thinking about the poster of the 70s beauty in a red bathing suit she's posing in for the poster on his wall.
Remus rolls his eyes. "What did she look like, this most beautiful woman in the world?"
James shakes his head, uncertain he'll be able to do her justice. "She was this tiny little thing, barely came up to my chest, but she had the most amazing curves. She had red hair, so red, but so dark, like a bottle of red wine... or blood, and these beautiful green eyes… I've never seen eyes so green before."
Sirius cocks an eyebrow. "You're sounding like a chick, Prongs."
"How did you meet her?" Remus asks sensibly.
"Spilt her coffee on her," he says casually as he takes a sip of his own coffee.
Sirius faces palms, shaking his head in shame. "Have I taught you nothing, Prongs?"
"Trust me Padfoot," James says, leaning back on the couch. "Even you would have been falling at her feet begging for a quickie."
"Good thing Theresa isn't around to hear you talking about other women like this," Remus smirks, turning back to his textbook.
James rubs a hand over his head guiltily. "I should probably call her and tell her the good news."
His friends don't bother to respond as he stands up and pulls up Theresa's contact. He hits the call button and strolls outside to talk to her, ducking into the alley on the side of the building to avoid being in the way of pedestrian traffic. He gets her voicemail the first time, so he dials once more, Theresa picking up after the fourth ring.
"Hello? Jamesy, baby?" comes a tinkling little voice.
"Hey babe," James says into the phone, a small grin coming to his face. "How are you?"
Theresa giggles lowly. "You're not calling me to check in. We did that last night."
James smirks. "I think last night was more than just a check in."
Theresa giggles again, and James grins. Theresa's always been the more serious of the pair, so he enjoys any time he can make her laugh. "So, what's up?"
"Sooooo," he starts. "I've got some good news."
Theresa gasps dramatically. "Oh my god! When are you due?"
James goes into a falsetto, "End of January. I'm thinking Elvendork is a good name; it's unisex." Theresa giggles again. "But I do actually have some big news," he continues in his normal tone.
"Hold on, Jamesy," Theresa says. He hears the sound of a muffled voice on the other end, and Theresa comes back a few seconds later with a heavy sigh. "I gotta go Jamesy. Bart is wants to practice our presentation one more time before we go in to present. Was it really important?"
James feels his heart drop a little, but he tries to hide it from showing in his voice. "Nah. Call me later and we can talk about it," he says in what he hopes is a casual tone.
"Okay baby. I'm sorry. I'll call you later. Love you," Theresa says hurriedly.
"Love you too," James says, but the line's already dead. He sighs heavily, and stuffs his phone in his pocket. He tries not to let this get him down, he can still celebrate with his friends. With Emmeline's promotion as well, it's pretty much guaranteed that the gang will be going out to McSwirlies tonight for drinks.
He opens the door to BMUS, and makes his way back to the couches. He's glancing at his phone, reading a text he just got from Gideon, whilst simultaneously saying, "Hey guys, who's up for a couple of rounds at McSwirilies?"
"James," Emmeline says, calling for his attention. James glances up from his phone, and freezes, his eyes meeting those of a beautiful pair of emerald green eyes. "I'd like you to meet Lily Evans."