happy st patrick's day !i decided to write a little special AU for today, featuring our favorite duo 3 john/brendan my fav half irish

He swore that after this they wouldn't be friends anymore. He knew he shouldn't play Robert's stupid games, but he thought this a harmless game of football. He couldn't have known that his best friend would have prepared a penalty for the loser and that it would be this. But here he was, in a pub in Leeds, on Saint Patrick's Day, wearing a "Kiss me, I'm Irish" t-shirt.

Robert had told him, chuckling that it made sense since he was part-Irish, John couldn't see why it was so funny and also suspected that this penalty had been specially made for him regardless of the result of the game. Since his divorce from Vera, some months before, Robert had been hell-bent on putting John back on the dating market, to John's greatest despair.

So, John was drowning his sorrows at the bar. Not with alcohol, though, he had given up on that after the accident which had left him with a knee injury and the will to divorce. Vera had once again dragged him to the bar, they had once again fought and had taken their car, both drunk. He had been the one driving. After two months of rehab, he had slowly been working his way towards complete sobriety. He was now a month sober. It felt weird to sit at the bar like he had done every day for so many years, but he didn't feel tempted by the drinks, even as he looked around the bar to the people partying, most of them very tipsy. He was doing great, even if right now the only thing he wanted was to go home, and probably to kill Robert too.

His eyes caught a blonde haired woman on the dancefloor, she was dancing with her friends: a brunette and a redheaded girl. She was wearing an emerald green dress and black heels. Her hair was curled and cut mid-length. John thought she looked like an elf, kind of those you see in Lord of the Rings. He was mesmerized by her and couldn't keep his eyes off her, but at some point, she caught his glance and he panicked. He turned back to his drink, silently praying that she wouldn't think him a creep.

He thought his heart had stopped when he felt lips on his left cheek and turned to be met by piercing stormy ocean blue eyes. She was even prettier as he observed her, breathless.

She chuckled and said with a tinge of tipsiness in her voice, "I'm sorry, that was very straightforward, but I've seen your t-shirt and I couldn't resist."

He blinked, then remembered he was wearing that stupid t-shirt. He wanted to hide somewhere far from here. Damn you, Robert. This beautiful woman must have pitied him and decided to do a nice gesture, he thought. He hated this idea. She was very brave though, walking to a stranger to offer him a kiss. He was even more intrigued by this mysterious elf.

"Would you like to sit down?" He offered. She nodded and sat on the stool next to him.

"I'm Anna Smith" she handed her hand out to him for him to shake. Her eyes were sparkling. She was probably a bit drunk, which would explain her gesture.

"John Bates," he shook her hand, which was very smooth. John looked behind her to see her friends laugh and whisper to each other. Maybe this was a prank. They had bet she wouldn't be brave enough to kiss that old and sad man sitting at the bar.

"Oh my, I think I drank my whiskey a bit too fast," Anna complained, massaging her temples.

"Here, let me offer you some water," he said, ordering some to the barman.

"That's very kind, thank you" she said. When her drink was placed before her, she finished it in a single, long gulp. "I don't usually drink this much, but I just got dumped by my boyfriend. We were supposed to come together tonight, but he stood me up and decided to break up with me -oh sorry I don't know why I'm telling you this"

John smiled. "Don't worry, I'm a great listener, and my evening was pretty boring anyway…"

She smiled back and ordered an iced tea. Tracing the rim of the glass with her finger, she spoke again : "I was hurt at first, but… I realised I should celebrate getting rid of that dickhead"

John's eyebrow rose at this word.

"No, really, he was. Alex couldn't stand that I was doing something with my life, while he was just playing video games all day. I was too independent for him, I guess" Anna explained. John nodded comprehensively.

"Yeah, he seems like a right prick," John said. They laughed. "So, what are you doing with your life?"

"I'm a journalist"

"Wow, that's impressive !"

She asked him the same question and he answered that he is a writer, although not a very successful one.

"Making a living out of your passion is difficult" she assured him, kindly. As they were talking, John realised that they had been for probably 25 minutes. He smiled internally at the thought that she might not be here out of pity.

"So, John, why are you wearing that t-shirt?", she asked, chuckling. Oh no, she would be pitying him for real now, he thought.

"Uh… My best friend made me wear it. I'm half Irish and he thought it would be fun"

"And you're not of that opinion?" she teased him, which made him smile.

"I feel like a fool", he said

"You are not a fool. I thought you looked rather handsome", she commented, looking at the unruly lock of hair on his forehead, she was blushing slightly.

John blushed too. "You're pretty too"

Anna smiled and blushed some more. "I love Ireland, but I've never been. I would love to"

They talked some more about his Irish side. He told her about his hometown, Cork. He learned that she was a born and bred Yorkshire girl, which he could tell from her accent. They talked and talked until Anna surprised him by asking him to dance with her.

"Would you like to dance with me?", she nodded to the dance floor.

"Oh, I don't really dance," he nodded to his cane. Anna hadn't seen it when she approached him. He hoped she wouldn't be put off by it.

"I'm stupid, sorry" she apologised profusely, looking away in awkwardness.

"It's okay…" he reassured her before telling him the story behind this injury. Anna felt bad for him. She put her hand on his knee, looking at him. Their eyes met, everything disappeared around them and it felt like they were the only people in the room.

Around 1 am, after hours spent chatting, they felt tired and decided it was the time to go home. John proposed to drive her home. She came here in her friend's car. Anna looked around the room for her friends. Gwen was kissing a girl near the door while Ethel was dragged by a guy to the exit. John and Anna walked towards them, stopping Ethel and that guy in their tracks.

"Girls, this is John. He proposed to drive me home. You guys are gonna be alright?" Anna asked, sensing that Ethel might be too drunk to think about anything.

"Hi, I am Charlie" the guy handed out his hand but Anna didn't shake it. She kept her eyes on Ethel who looked worse for the wear.

Gwen and the girl she had been kissing came their way.

"Anna! We thought you had left already. I see you've found a lucky pot 'o gold" Gwen joked, nodding knowingly to John, who blushed.

"He wants to walk me home. I was looking to see if you guys were okay with that but…" she looked at Ethel and that guy. Her friend saw her look.

"Don't worry about Ethel, Marian and I will get her home safe" her friend assured.

"But she was with me" the guy retorted.

"She won't be going anywhere with you, lad" John intervened. Anna looked at him with a smile, before looking at the guy with a hint of defiance. The guy, pissed off, looked as if he would hit John, but he held back when he saw his cane and left Ethel with her friends.

Anna parted with her friends, kissed them goodbye and left with John. They walked to his car, got in and he drove to her place. Once stationed, they left the car because John insisted on accompanying Anna to her door. They faced each other on her doorstep.

"I had a great night, John."

"Well, believe me, I had the best night of my life tonight. You've made what was supposed to be a shitty night of lonely drinking and wallowing over that stupid shirt and my divorce", he assured her with a chuckle.

"You're welcome. We should do that again."

"Meeting in a pub on St Patrick's Day ?" he laughed, not sure if she was being genuine.

"Going on another date.." she chuckled. John's breath stopped. She wanted to go on a second date with him. God he wanted that too. Badly. He must have been stunned for too long, because Anna was looking at him with apprehension.

"I'd love that," he told her with a big smile. He wanted to lean in and kiss her. He saw that Anna leaned in too, her eyes closed. Her lips were so close to his that he could feel her hot breath on his own. In a whisper, she said "I guess I can properly kiss you now, after all you're half-Irish". His chuckle was smothered by her kiss. Their lips moved together with urgency, only parting to gasp for air. Eventually, the kiss came to an end. Anna smiled and rested her forehead on John's who was also smiling.

"Happy St Patrick's Day," they said in unison, laughing.