Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (JoeMazzello!JohnDeacon fanfic)

ninety eight

i wanna ask for your guys opinion on something. would you prefer if i updated both stories at once? for example on a Saturday? or i could do them different days like one on Monday's and one on the Sunday? it's just so i can give myself plenty of time to try and think out chapters and the like. i'm going to update both stories today but you can let me know in the comments or fire me a message! thank you!

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Lillian and Cathy were both obviously thrilled that they were going to be having another grandchild, Cathy even more so since this time, she was going to be involved.

She knitted clothes for them, all white and neutral colours because they didn't know the gender, rang Roxanne every week to see how she was keeping and if everything was alright.

And while the young woman was excited to have her mum this time around, sometimes, she could be a little bit overbearing.

"Love," John calls as she steps out of Arthur's room, having just put him down for a nap - that he really didn't want to go down for, "Your mum's sent us another parcel."

This was the fourth parcel that her mum had sent this week and it was only Wednesday.

She needed to cool it. Especially now when Roxy had more pressing things to worry about.

Casper was missing. He'd gone out the cat flap a few days ago with Amos like he always does but he hadn't come back with him. At first, neither Roxy or John were worried - he was a cat, he did this. He'd go off exploring or go round the neighbourhood to try and scrounge food off of the other houses.

But after three days, Roxy started to worry. He'd never been gone that long.

And that's why Roxanne had tried to go out looking for him, John stopped her at the front door, telling her that he'd go.

He didn't want her going out and then, if god forbid, Casper had been hit by a car or something, he didn't want her finding him. He didn't particularly want to find him either but he rather it be him than her.

He looked everywhere that he thought a cat would go, under bushes, up some trees...he even went next door to ask Louie's owners if they'd seen him but nothing. And there was no sign of him by the time he started heading home either which was at least an hour later.

Roxanne must have been watching for him to come home because as soon as he stepped into the hallway, she came out of the living room to greet him.

"Did you find him?" she asks, toying with her hands nervously, biting down on her lip when he shakes his head, "Where could he be?"

"He's done this before, Rox," he replies as he shrugs off his coat, "We know he has."

"But it's been four days, John," she frets, "He's never gone this long before."

Arthur's shouting is a welcome distraction and his wife ducks back into the other room to see to him and John leans against the door to watch their son playing with Amos.

He says playing but really, Arthur I'd dragging a string across the floor and the cat is ignoring it.

He follows Roxanne into the kitchen, watching as she fills a glass of water, "What if someone's taken him?"

"I doubt that happened, Rox. Maybe..." he stops which makes his wife look at him sharply.

"Maybe what?"

He has to tread carefully here. Her mood can switch like the flick of a switch. He's starting to think he's digging himself a hole...

"John?"

He moves to stand in front of her so they can keep their voices down for the sake of Arthur, "I'm just saying...maybe he's run off to...y'know?"

"No," she shakes her head, "I don't know."

He opens the fridge so he can get some stuff out for dinner, "You know what people say, love. Sometimes cats go off on their own to...pass on."

"What?" she asks, "I-I didn't know that."

"That's what people say," John says softly, leaning against the counter once he's put the ingredients down, "And maybe it's better that way. I mean, you don't want to be finding him like that, Rox."

Roxanne turns to look out of the kitchen window, looking at the hedge that Casper always used to sleep under as if doing that is going to make him come back out. She bites her lip to try and stop herself from crying but John of course, sees right through her act and he steps forward, turning her around so he can wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

He hoped that he was wrong.

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Over the next few days, though she tried to stay optimistic, Roxanne was starting to think that maybe, John was right. It was looking increasingly likely that Casper wasn't coming home.

Amos was...it was heartbreaking to watch him, he'd wander around the house as if he was searching for his friend, letting out some of the saddest noises she'd ever heard.

He'd also become a lot more affectionate; he'd curl up on John's lap at night whereas before, he tended to just sleep on couches or chairs. He'd follow Roxanne around the house as she did the housework or stay with Arthur, lying beside him on his playmat as he played with his cars. It was strange to see such an independent cat change so suddenly. 

A week and a half after Casper's disappearance, Roxanne got a visit from Freddie. John had taken Arthur to the park and she was upstairs when he arrived and she swears that she'd almost wet herself when he slammed the front door open with his arrival.

"Roxanne, darling?"

She appears at the top of the stairs, "Freddie?"

He steps into the living room and Roxy slowly makes her way down the stairs (she was almost seven months now) and follows him to see that he's sat on the coffee table watching Amos sleep.

"Oh darling," he says, getting up to come round the back of the couch to wrap her up in his arms, "John told us about Casper. How are you doing?" 

Roxanne smiles, sitting down beside him and he keeps a tight grip on her hand and Amos wakes, stretching before jumping down to go into the kitchen.

"I'm alright," she finally murmurs, "I mean it's strange not having him here but..."

"But?"

"He was fine," she frowns, "He was eating, being the same little shit he always was..."

Freddie nods in understanding, squeezing her hand, "The can be little buggers sometimes. They don't let anyone know that there could be something wrong with them." He then picks Amos up as he comes ambling back through from the kitchen, setting him down on his lap, "And what about this one? How's he doing?" 

She reaches out and to scratch under the cat's chin, "He's adjusting. He's particularly fond of John right now though." 

"Yes, he mentioned that." 

"It sounds silly," Roxy murmurs, "But it's going to take me a little bit to get used to him not being here." 

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so it was kinda sad hours for this chapter which i'm sorry about. i felt like i had to put something...sad in, y'know? next chapter there's gonna be a massive time jump cause it's me and i'm really starting to think that this story is going soo slow