joe meeting a young fan (maybe like 5 or 6) at a meet n greet or smt, and theyre like crying js talking abt how much they adore him, and once joe gets home he gets like emotional- help idk it sounds cute
joe gets baby fever uwu
baby fever
pairing: joe keery x reader
word count: 1.2k
hanâs notes: this is so cute thank u for the request! hope u like it!
joe loved meeting his fans. getting to see the people his work impacts makes it all worth it to him.
with that said, joe couldnât wait for this album signing to be over. it was just one of those days; long early morning meetings about album and tour, the coffee shop he stopped at got his order wrong (and he was far too nice to tell them so), the jeans he wanted to wear were in the dirty clothes, most importantly he had to leave you cozied up in bed.
minor inconveniences stacked upon each other that just made his day seem to drag on. he discreetly checks his watch for the umpteenth time during the signing and sighs. almost over.
âexcuse me, mister joe?â
joeâs gaze shifts back to the table in front of him, eyes slightly wide in surprise at the small voice. his eyes land on a little girl, no older than five, peaking over the table, a copy of the crux cd clutched in her hand.
âoh, hello there.â joe smiles, leaning forward across the table.
âhi!â the girl beams with a wide smile. joe fondly notes the missing front tooth.
âwhatâs your name?â joe asks, reaching his hand out as she slides her album across the table.
âsarah!â
âitâs nice to meet you, sarah. iâm joe.â he says as he signs her cd before giving her his undivided attention.
âoh my gosh!â the girl whispers loudly to herself causing joe to chuckle. he reaches his hand across the table, holding it out towards her. she stares at it with wide eyes before she places her small hand in his large one. that was all it took.
the girlâs eyes became glassy and her bottom lip wobbled.
âi love you so much,â the girl wails softly bringing joe to full alert.
âoh, donât cry sweetheart.â joe says as he stands up and rounds the table to crouch in front of her, holding his arms out. âcan i have a hug?â
the girl nods quickly and falls into joeâs arms. she sniffles against his chest and joe swears he can feel his heart melt.
he doesnât pull back until the girl does, and when he does, he smiles warmly at her.
âcan i tell you a secret?â joe asks, and the girl once again nods, tears slowly drying up. joe leans in and lowers his voice to a whisper.
âyouâre my favorite fan. iâm so lucky to get to meet you.â the girlâs eyes lights up and she lets out a soft gasp. she glances back at her mom in disbelief while joe just smiles fondly.
they snap a quick picture and he gives the girl one more hug before sheâs skipping away, exclaiming to her mom that she hugged joe keery.
it makes something warm settle in joeâs chest as he watches her walk away. the feeling lingers through the rest of the signing and follows him on his way home. on the train, he canât help but let his mind drift back to the interaction and how much that little girl stole his heart.
his mind began to drift towards you and how you interact with children. the two of you had never talked about it seriously, but joe knew he wanted a family with you someday. and he knew you would be a great mom.
the image of the little girl in his head slowly began to morph into a different version. one with your nose and smile and, hopefully, your eyes. one with joeâs messy brown curls and freckles. one that was a perfect mix of both you and him.
the thought brings back that warm feeling in full force. a soft smile settles on joes face and stays there the entire way home.
when joe stumbles into the apartment, kicking off his shoes and setting down his bag, youâre in the kitchen looking through the pantry trying to figure out dinner.
you glance you as he enters the kitchen and smile. âhi baby. how was your day?â
âlong. missed you.â joe mumbles as he walks over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head against your shoulder.
âyeah? howâd the signing go?â
joe smiles against your sweater before he pulls back enough to look down at you.
âit was good. really good.â you catch the fond look on his face immediately. you raise a brow, unable to help but mirror his soft smile.
âwhatâs that look for?â you ask, wrapping your arms around his neck.
âthere was this girl there.â
âshould i be worried?â
âno, not like that. a little girl. she had to be, like, five or six. cutest damn thing. she came up to the table with her own album and everything. she called me mister keery.â
you snort. âmister keery. thatâs adorable.â
âyeah. and then she started crying.â joe adds.
âjoseph, did you make a child cry?â
âno! no, not like that. she started crying and said she loved me so much. it was really sweet.â
you could tell by the look on his face that it really affected him. he had this soft look on his face that he got when he was feeling sentimental.
âi donât know, i just,â joe shakes his head, emotion welling up in his eyes. âit just made me start thinking.â
your heart jumps in your chest at the tone of his voice and the implications of his words. you smile, bringing one of your hands to brush against his cheek.
âoh yeah?â
âyeah. i started thinking about you and how good you are with kids and how youâd know just what to do with the girl so naturally. then i started thinking about our own little girl.â
âour little girl?â you ask, your smile widening slightly.
âyeah. sheâd have your nose and eyes and your smile. maybe my hair, probably my freckles. sheâd be kind like you. i would teach her about music and we would go to the beach house during the summers. i dont know, itâs probably silly.â
âitâs not silly, joe.â you insist. in fact, his ramblings filled you with that same warm feeling that joe held in his chest. âi can see it.â
joeâs face lights up softly as he looks at you. âyou can?â
you nod. âiâve always been able to see it. our family. definitely a little girl. i think itâs in the cards for us one day.â
âyeah? good, thatâs good.â joe smiles, clearing his throat to keep his voice from cracking with emotion.
âi want all of that with you. our own little family. youâre the only person iâd dream of doing life with.â
you smile at joeâs words before leaning up to peck his lips. âgood. because youâre the only person iâd wanna do that with too.â
joe grins, squeezing your hips as he pulls you in closer. âi canât wait.â
you stand in the kitchen in each others arms for a few moments, relishing in the warmth of the moment until joe breaks the silence.
âso, i guess we should practice, huh?â he teases in your ear. you pull back and slap his chest softly.
I hope by now you know just how much i love your work.
I saw that your request are open so im just passing by sending some ideas that i have in mind.
Yo be honest i love the yearning so, if you could write something, maybe joe and reader have feelings for each other but they are stubborn and between them they have this tension but they keep teasing each other and then reader sees joe with a friend he invited to a party and sheâs jealous so she tries to move on and brings a date to a show or event or hang out (whatever) and joe realizes he canât loose her so he yearns like please leave him or something.
I donât know if my idea is clear haha, something i donât know how to put in words my thoughts but, if you like the idea feel free to write it, and if you donât like it, feel free to pass.
Anyway, iâm so happy to have you here, i hope youâre having an amazing week.
Btw, english is not my first language so, iâm sorry for the misspelling or wear phrasing
choose me
pairing: joe keery x reader
word count: 2.7k
hanâs notes: this was so cute thank u for the request! ur the best always! there might be some error as i did not proofread oops hope u enjoy!!
youâd met joe around a year ago through mutual friends and you clicked instantly. honestly, you had never warmed up to someone so quick. your personalities just meshed.
so it came as no surprise to all your friends that you and joe developed feelings for each other. specifically your friends. if anyone asked either of you, both would deny it profusely.
it annoyed your friends to no end, the painfully obvious feelings. the constant flirting, the lingering touches, the way you were always attached at the hip in a group setting.
once, when confronted about it by wes, you immediately denied it.
âplease, joe and i are just friends. besides, he totally doesnât see me like that.â
wes was unconvinced, but he knew, at this point, it was like arguing with a brick wall.
joe, on the other hand, was more defensive.
âyouâre so gone for her, man.â jake has said to him one night at the bar as joe stared longingly at you from across the room. god forbid you spend even ten minutes apart.
when the words left jakeâs mouth, joes head whipped around to his friend, eyes narrowing.
âwhat? no iâm not. youâre full of shit.â
jake just stare at him with a deadpan expression.
âweâre just friends. nothing more. donât be ridiculous.â joe scoffed, taking a sip of his beer. jake held his hands up defensively.
âlook man, i only call it like i see it.â he tells joe before he slips away from the bar and back to the group. joe frowns, eyes following jake as he reaches the group then shifts his eyes over to you.
ridiculous, he thought. but joeâs gaze lingered on you as a warm feeling filled him. he smiled to himself before picking up his beer and heading back to the group. to you.
it surprised no one when joe strolled up to you, slipping an arm around your shoulders. without even missing a beat in your conversation with matt, you leaned against joe, fitting into his side perfectly.
after a few seconds, you looked up at joe and gave him a smile. âmissed ya.â
âi was gone for five minutes.â
âtoo long.â
joe smiled down at you softly, pulling you closer to him.
it also surprised no one when you and joe left the bar together, performing your usual irish exit you tended to do when you were together. they all just shook their heads knowingly as they watched your figures slip out the door through the crowd.
like all the times joe walked you home, the air was charged with a tension. not an uncomfortable one, one that youâd gotten used to. one that held a lot of unspoken feelings. your fingers or shoulders would brush, his arm would drape around you.
it was a choreographed dance between you and joe. the teasing, the touching, the longing gazes. and when you stopped at your doorstep, youâd both linger. all smiles and nervous giggles. joe would make a joke and youâd roll your eyes before pushing your door open and telling him youâd see him later.
neither of you lasted too long, not able to go twenty minutes after parting before joe is sending you a text about something he saw on his walk home. which more often than not turned into a phone call that lasted late into the night.
so really, it was inevitable that you caught feelings. joe was just an all around good guy. like straight from a romance novel that only the mind of a woman could conjure up. falling for joe was easy. pushing away those feelings, not so much.
but there were times, laying in bed after hanging up the phone call with joe, when you thought maybe, just maybe, wes was right. maybe joe did feel the same. that bit of hope made you fall asleep with a smile on your face.
it was that same bit of hope that gave you motivation some nights. like, maybe you should tell joe how you feel. throw it all out there. at the very worst, you could trust him to handle your feelings well and reject you easily. but something always stopped you.
not tonight, though. no, tonight you were determined. you would both be going to a party with your friends, the type of party you always snuck away from together a couple of hours in and walked to the nearest late night bite open.
you were ready. you woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed and had gone through your day with a mostly positive mindset. the first crack, however, came when you were standing in front of your closet, planning your outfit, when a text from joe came through.
Hey sorry Iâm not gonna be able to pick you up tonight. Iâll make it up to you! See you there!
oh. oh⊠okay well, just a small bump in the road, you thought to yourself. still plenty of time to tell him tonight. itâs not like you were gonna tell him as soon as he picked you up. so you replied like it was no big deal.
oh no worries! iâll see you later!
except, in hindsight, it was a big deal. had you known then what you know now, that is. because youâd been at the party for exactly thirty seven minutes already and there was no sign of joe.
he probably had something work related before hand, heâll show, you thought to yourself. except those thoughts didnât do much to soothe your nerves. neither did the confused look on javi and jakeâs faces when the saw that youâd arrived without joe.
you brushed it off as much as you could. then joe walked in. not alone, but with a girl in tow.
youâre instantly nauseous, your heart plummeting to your feet.
oh. oh. of course.
silly you, how could you possibly think someone like joe actually felt the same way about you? you watched in horror as joe quite literally beamed as he brought the girl around to various people, introducing her with a hand on her back.
you couldnât bare to watch anymore. you slipped away from the group of girlfriends youâd been standing with chatting and drinking. suddenly you felt like an imposter. despite forming friendship with each of joeâs friendsâ girlfriends, you didnât belong with them. chatting and laughing like you too were a girlfriend. you never would be.
you excused yourself to the bathroom where you spent the better part of twenty minutes collecting yourself the hyping yourself up enough to walk back out there. when you finally did, you made a bee line for the door, only being stopped once briefly by wes, who gave you a confused turned sympathetic look.
you made your way home in silence, holding back the tears that threatened to escape your eyes. you held them in for ten blocks, for the climb up three flights of stairs to your apartment, and only let any slip out once you were face first on your bed.
by the next morning, you were telling yourself to move on. so you sat at your breakfast nook, cup of coffee forgotten long forgotten and grown cold as you downloaded the dreaded app.
the very app that you had sworn off (multiple times) ages ago.
you hated every second of it but it felt like the logical next step. in order to move on from joe, you needed to get out there and go on dates. easier said than done, especially when you havenât been on one let alone thought about going on one since you met joe.
you did eventually match with one guy who was decent enough. sure, he was no joe, but he seemed nice and he was cute. the two of you talked throughout the course of a couple of days before finally making plans for a date. conveniently, the post animal boys were playing a small show at a local club so you invited him to come along with you.
you definitely absolutely did not have any ulterior motives there.
you met up with the guy at a bar before the show to grab a couple of drinks and despite your best efforts, the entire time you wished it was joe sitting next to you.
it was just that the guy was kind of boring! not in a mean way but he didnât keep you engaged in the conversation like joe did. he didnât make you laugh truly. he didnât ask hardly any questions about you.
but this was just date number one. thatâs what you kept telling yourself. that youâd have to sort through a couple of bad apples before finding your person. you just wished that person was someone you already knew. such is life.
by the time you got to the club, you were honestly over it. but you put on a smile and told yourself to just get through the night. you quickly find your friend and wait for the show to start.
when the guys finally step on stage, joe finds you instantly. except, the wide smile he was wearing quickly fades when he sees the man standing next to you, leaning down to whisper something in your ear.
the sight threw joe off almost completely. he almost missed his cue, he stumbled over a couple of chords, earning him some confused glares from the other guys.
joe couldnât take his eyes off of you the entire time. he watched as you talked and laughed with the guy and never once met his gaze up in the stage. he was confused, he was hurt, but most of all, heâd finally come to his senses.
joe hated seeing you with another guy. this was the first time since becoming friends that youâve ever brought a date along and the sight made joeâs stomach twist.
maybe jake was right. maybe he did have feelings for you. oh, who was he kidding? he was absolutely in love with you. and now he lost his shot.
it was up on that stage as the guys closed out the set that joe decided the ship was already sinking, he might as well go down with a fight.
at the after party, joe materialized at your side out of no where. you were listening to dalton and javi talk about the set when there was an arm settling heavy around your shoulder. it was familiar and warm and definitely not your date, who stood on your opposite side.
âhey! you like the show?â joe asked, smiling down at you with that look that always made you melt. this time, it just made your heart ache. you pursed your lips and nodded.
âit was good. you guys did great.â you said with a half smile. your tone was flat and it made joeâs smile falter. usually, you praised him specifically to no end and he would bask in your attention. but now, you were cold, leaving joe hurt and confused. heâs brought out of his thoughts by a hand extending in front of him. when he looked up, your date was staring at him with a cocky smile, ready to introduce himself.
joe slid his arm off your shoulder and shook your dateâs hand, listening to him unconvincingly compliment the performance. joe could only nod in acknowledgment.
you, on the other hand, felt like you were about to explode. you thought you could handle being around joe but you were wrong. this was all a terrible idea and you shouldâve stayed home.
âiâm going to get a drink.â you said before you slipped away from the group and made your way to the bar. joeâs gaze burned into your back the entire way. it didnât take long for him to follow, of course. joe was always drawn to you like a moth to a flame.
when he slid in next to you at the bar, you didnât acknowledge him. the bar tender came over and got him order before leaving the two of you alone again. joe drummed his fingers against the stained wood of the bar top before he finally spoke.
âso, is he your date?â
you cast joe a side look before nodding. âhe is.â
âhe seems⊠nice.â joe said unconvincingly.
âhe is.â
joe frowned at your lack of words and your usual self. he racked through his mind trying to think of if heâd done anything that couldâve upset you, but came up short.
he says your name softly, bumping his shoulder against yours gently. âcan you look at me, please?â
you chew on the inside of your lip, keeping your gaze forward for a few moments before turning towards joe.
âwhatâs wrong? did i do something to upset you?â
âno, joe. everythingâs fine.â
but joe refused to take your dismissiveness as genuine. instead, he reached for the seat of your stood and tugged you closer to him, causing you to let out a surprised yelp.
âtell me whatâs going on. youâre being weird and you havenât been answering my texts. we always tell each other everything.â
finally, you looked up at joe unable to hold back anymore.
âit was time we had some distance. i knew that weâd inevitably both get significant others and weâd have to stop being as close as we are. i just donât think your girlfriend would appreciate it.â you replied with a shrug as twirl the little straw around in your drink.
joe is confused and just speechless. he allowed your words to settle before he shook his head.
âgirlfriend? what girlfriend?â
âthe girl from the party the other night. look, iâm happy for you, joe-â
âsheâs not my girlfriend.â joe cut you off with an adamant tone.
your face twisted in confusion. âwhat?â
âsheâs not my girlfriend.â joe repeated, this time with a small chuckle. âsheâs just a friend. and i am one thousand percent not her type.â
âoh.â you cheeks burned in embarrassment but you quickly shook it away. âwell, regardless, my point stands.â
âyour point absolutely does not stand.â joe smirked.
âjoe-â
âno, i need you to listen to me. do you honestly think i could survive not being as close with you as i am? i honestly think iâd go crazy. heâll, iâm going crazy right now with you being just a little bit distant.â
âyouâre exaggerating.â
âiâm not. do you know how unbearable it was to have to see you bring around another guy? i canât stand it. and it made me realize something.â
you looked up at him, trying to to let your hopefulness shine through. âwhat?â
âi canât lose you.â joe replied, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. âiâm madly in love with you and i canât bear the thought of you with someone else. you belong with me, not some cocky douche like that.â
both of you glanced over to where your date was and find him unsuccessfully chatting up some other girl. you and joe laughed before looking back at each other.
âheâs so lame. i wanted to shove ice picks into my ears before we even got to the show.â you joked, leaning in closer to joe who laughed with you.
âsee, you deserve someone who doesnât want to make you stab your pretty ears with ice picks.â
you scrunched your nose up, pulling back slightly, making joe laugh. âwhat?â
âyou called my ears pretty.â
âthey are!â
âweirdo.â
the two of you laughed for a moment before it dissolved into something softer.
âi didnât think you felt the same way.â you finally said with a sad smile. joe rolled his eyes as he cupped your cheek.
âiâd be a fool not to be in love with you.â
âso you love me?â you asked teasingly, making joe groan playfully.
âagainst my better judgment.â
âshut up.â
âmake me.â
then, as both of your laughters lingered in the air, you leaned across and pressed your lips to joeâs. it was everything youâd imagined it would be and more. it was warm and soft. it was perfect. and it was right.
when you finally, and reluctantly, pulled back, joe hopped off his stool before holding his hand out to you.
I saw your post about keeping your read later fics you want. Idk if this helps, but I keep a running notes app entry of the links of all of my âsave for laterâs. I tend to mostly read on my phone, so I just add the newest to the top. I always like the posts first thing, so by the time I get to the link again, I know Iâve already read it.
I also code them by emojiâs and highlight my favorites!
this is actually so smart iâm gonna do this THANK U
henderson!reader x steve where reader dated/kissed Jonathan once in their teen era like steve and nancy and during seasons they kind of couple swap and in s5 it gets kinda awkward because of the tense competition between jonathan and steve and Nancy's confused feelings, dustin also doesn't help with his rebellious phase and throwing some provocative jokes at them. but stevw and the reader loving each other so much cause he deserves someone who CHOOSES HIM! and, I'm not a slut, but who knows đ«Łđ€·ââïž maybe some smut?
love you love you
stress relief
pairing: steve harrington x henderson!reader, mentions of jonathan byers x henderson!reader
word count: 2.9k
hanâs notes: WARNING 18+ CONTAINS SMUT (oral f!receiving) - idk i kinda started hating this not even halfway through writing and i kinda feel like itâs not exactly what u asked for so im so sorry. also i donât feel like smut is my strong suit so IM sorry if thatâs bad too đ also yall know the drill this ainât proofread
the past twelve months have been a direct cause of a tremendous amount of stress in your life. between an evil dark wizard set on torturing you and your friends on the loose, said evil dark wizard literally ripping your small town into pieces, and the insane government presence that you were secretly defying every single day, yeah itâs safe to say your life has been nothing but stress.
it didnât help that your former best friend and your boyfriend couldnât put their differences aside, despite having been part of the same cause for four years now, for even a second.
your friendship with jonathan byers was the byproduct of each of your little brotherâs friendship. will was the first friend that dustin made when you moved to hawkins all those years ago.
what started as a bond over your little brothersâ friendship turned into a bond over shared interests. you and jonathan liked the same music, movies, and books. when he got his license, he would pick you and dustin up on the way to school.
it was a canon event that you fall in love with jonathan byers. you were fourteen and never even thought about boys like that before (well, besides harrison ford or tom cruise, but they didnât count). all of a sudden, youâre passenger seat in jonathanâs car with the torn leather seat on your way to pick up your brothers from a dnd session and the moonlight is hitting him in a way that made your heart flip.
you had spent an entire summer pining over jonathan byers before you had worked up the courage to kiss him.
you were in his room, listening to a band heâd just discovered, the smiths, sitting cross legged on his bed. you awkwardly leaned over and pressed your lips to his. jonathan stiffened for approximately five long seconds before kissing you back just as awkwardly.
you donât even think you and jonathan ever technically, officially date. in fact, you could count on one hand that summer than you kissed or held hands combined. you were convinced you were smitten because jonathan was so cool in your eyes and jonathan, well, he did it because he thought it was right.
in jonathanâs mind, you were his best friend, you were a girl he spent a lot of time with and enjoyed the company of. and yeah, you were pretty. so obviously he liked you, right? that what jonathan told himself during your brief relationship, if you could even call it that.
all came crashing down one day, days before sophomore year started, when you were picking your brothers up from the wheelerâs.
nancy wheeler had opened the door, fresh back from a summer camp for aspiring young journalists and it was like the world stopped, for you and jonathan. jonathan felt something awakened in him. it was like something clicked into place and he finally understood what all those cheesy romcoms were about.
sure, he always thought nancy was pretty. but that summer, puberty hit and along with it nancy beauty shifted into something less childlike and more of a young woman.
jonathan byers was smitten. absolutely gone. flustered at the hands of nancy wheeler.
you, on the other hand, could only stare in horror as you watched your best friend and crush stare at nancy with literal hearts in his eyes. something ugly twisted inside you, jealousy maybe. all you knew was that jonathan was looking at nancy the way you wanted to be looked at. and you hated it.
things between you and jonathan very quickly shift back to completely platonic after that. neither of you mentioned it, there was just a very sudden, obvious drift.
you were angry at first. hurt and jealous even. but as time went on, you realized that you didnât even like jonathan as much as you thought you did. in fact, maybe even at all. all you knew was that hormones were confusing.
still, things never quite went back to normal with you and jonathan. you remained friends, but there was a lingering tension that crept in at times. tension that became louder months into the school year when the two of you teamed up with nancy to help find a missing will, which turned into monster hunting together.
it didnât surprise you when jonathan and nancy started dating. it surprised you more than nancy very publicly (and kind of harshly) dumped steve harrington for jonathan.
you and steve never interacted before the upside down. but unfortunately, things like that will bond you to someone. which is how you found yourself taking in a freshly dumped steve harrington like taking in a stray dog.
you didnât get along. at all. not at first. you thought he was frustrating, he thought you were hot-headed. but despite that, you made a good team. you worked well with one another, almost on instinct. when you defeated the demogorgans together for the second time, you expected to go your separate ways and go back to your respective levels of the high school food chain.
fate had other plans. as did your brother.
because soon after the events of november â83, steve harringtons beamer would roll up to the curb in front of your house, horn honking twice. your little brother, dustin, would then bound out the house, curls bouncing beneath his cap as he hopped into the front seat.
you thought it was bizarre that steve âthe hairâ harrington, king of hawkins high, was willing hanging out with your thirteen year old brother. you were suspicious at first, but then you saw them together and it made you see a different side of steve.
one that you ultimately fell for. finally, you understood what jonathan felt that summer when he stood on the porch of the wheelerâs house, staring at nancy. this is the feeling you were chasing with jonathan. the feeling that was never there. and it was steve harrington that caused it.
it was inevitable, you and steve. even though it took months of pining and painfully obvious feelings to everyone except for one another, you did finally start dating in â85. and it was the best decision youâve ever made.
fast forward to today. hawkins is in lockdown and your rag tag group is planning crawls behind the backs of the military that has stationed itself in the center of town.
for the first time in this whole thing, everyone is working in close proximity to each other. no one is breaking off to investigate other leads, no one is fighting separate battles. which meant that you saw a lot of nancy and jonathan.
this was never something that bothered you before, being around them. sure, it was a little awkward, considering you all switched partners, but it was only awkward when you made it awkward. and quite frankly, you were never around each other enough for it to get overbearing.
but now, nancy and jonathan are always around. you spend most of your time at the squawk with steve and robin, either helping them run the radio broadcast or planning for the next crawl (and selfishly just wanting to be around your boyfriend). but when nancy, or specifically jonathan, came around, you couldnât help but feel dread.
see, the thing with jonathan is that he has issues with feeling inferior towards steve. that paired with he cannot seem to fully accept that steve has changed and is a good guy, thereâs always high tensions.
and steve, well, he just loves competition. he loves to show off, specially for you. he would do anything to earn your praise and attention, even if that meant riling up jonathan.
so since jonathan got back from california, there has been a never ending, unspoken competition between the two men. one that got old very quickly. one that mainly just results in eye rolls from you, nancy, and robin.
it didnât help that nancy and jonathan were obviously going through a rough patch. youâd suspected jonathan felt insecure compared to steve so you doubted that your boyfriendâs competitiveness helped that. he just couldnât help it.
and as if all that werenât enough on your plate, your baby brother has officially hit the angsty stage of his teen years.
you couldnât blame him, after losing eddie in such a brutal way. that would mess anyone up. and given how much the boy meant to dustin and how much of the town still placed blame on him for the events of â86, you werenât surprised he was depressed and acting out.
you tried endlessly to get through to him, but over the past few months dustin had become more sharp tongued than youâd ever witnessed him before. heâd disappear for a day, going about some reckless pursuit in the name of eddie and hellfire. then heâd slip back into the house far after curfew with a bruised eye and bloody nose.
it was the new norm for dustin, and a battle you stopped trying to fight months ago. and as much as it hurt seeing your little brother lose his spark, you knew it was something he needed to navigate on his own.
for the most part, you like to think you handle all of this well. but sometimes, everything seems to pile up and suffocate you. like today, when dustin didnât come home until 6:30 in the morning, stumbling into the house while you were getting ready for work. then, during robinâs morning broadcast, nancy and jonathan rolled up to the studio, both not in the greatest of moods. talks of plans for the next crawl meeting had steve and jonathan butting heads, which was only made worse when nancy had defended a point steve made. you thought jonathanâs head was going to fly clean off his body.
youâre annoyed. youâre stressed. which is why youâve shut yourself away into a storage closet at the squawk, busying yourself by flipping through old records.
youâve been there for about twenty minutes before thereâs a soft knock on the door and the knob twists. you knew it was only a matter of time before he sought you out.
âthere you are. shocker.â steve teases softly as he slips into the closet, shutting the door behind him.
heâs wearing a henley, one thatâs soft and worn and youâve definitely stolen once or twice to sleep in. it was one of your favorites.
you sigh, turning back to the boxes of records. steve was good at that, immediately distracting you from things with his mere presence.
steve slides up next to you, planting a soft kiss to the crown of your head as his hand finds the small of your back. âyou wanna talk about it?â
you shrug, fingers pausing on a stack. âi dunno. iâm just stressed out. iâm fine though.â
âyouâre not fine, youâre in your thinking closet.â
you look up at steve, pulling a confused face. âmy thinking closet?â
you snort.
âyeah. you come here when youâre upset or stressed or just need to think. so you might as well just tell me whatâs going on in that pretty head because iâm gonna find out one way or another.â
steveâs voice is soft as he coaxes you into his arms and back into his chest. you instantly relax against him and then in his arms.
âiâm just stressed. nothing new. the next crawl is more risky so thereâs more logistics to figure out before it gets here, you and jonathan are having yet another pissing contest, and i think dustin is trying to make me grey prematurely.â you lament as your forehead rests onto steveâs chest, face smushing into the soft fabric of his shirt.
âhey! i am not having a pissing contest with byers, okay? heâs just being his usual charming self.â steve huffs sarcastically.
âyou egg him on, steve.â you chuckle, looking up at him.
âi canât help that heâs sensitive.â steve teases, making you roll your eyes.
âthe crawl is gonna be fine. the plan is solid, we just have to make sure everyone has their part down pat.â steve brushes a strand of hair behind your ear, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead. âitâll be fine.â
âyeah, i know. everythingâs just a lot right now. you know dustin didnât come home until this morning? black eye and all.â you sigh, pulling back to lean against the shelf behind you.
âwhat?â steve asks, exasperated. âheâs got to cut this shit out. i donât care if we have to corner him.â
âsteve.â
âno iâm serious! heâs being completely reckless and heâs making both of us worry and he doesnât even care. itâs getting too far.â his arms flail out to his side in frustration before his hands find his hips.
âstevie. i know. i donât really wanna talk about it right now.â
steve can hear the defeat in your voice. he sighs, hands dropping to his sides before he reaches for you, pulling you into him. his hands run soothing circles into your back as you melt into him once again.
âeverythingâs gonna sort itself out. donât worry your pretty little head, baby.â
you stand there in each others arms, nothing but silence and the occasional creak of the old building settling around you.
âyou know what you need? some good old fashioned stress relief.â steve mumbles against your neck, and you can feel his smirk growing as his hands slide further down your back.
you snort, pinching his sides as you pull back.
ânot here.â
âcmon, weâve done it before.â steve lips chase after you to trail down your neck.
âyeah, and robin almost caught us.â
âentirely her fault. please, honey? let me help you relax. just a little.â
the annoying thing about steve is that you canât say no to him, especially not when his mouth is kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin of your neck and his fingers are already sliding around to the button in your jeans.
the other annoying thing about steve is that he knows you canât say no to him. he knows the exact moment you become putty in his hands. your body relaxes and you let out a little sigh, and thatâs all steve needs to smirk against your neck and undo your pants, sliding them down your thighs.
steveâs fingers find your core without hesitation, gliding over you through the already damp cotton of your panties.
âhm, and here you were telling me not now when youâre already soaked.â steve mutters with a tsk.
âdonât get all cocky on me.â you groan, wiggling your hips to give some sort of friction against his hand. steveâs chuckles affectionately before he gives your clothed core a soft pat and tugs your panties to the side.
you bit down on your lip to keep yourself from moaning as steveâs fingers trails along your slit, collecting your wetness like honey before he brings his fingers to his mouth and sucks them clean. he moans around his fingers, eyes fluttering shut in pure bliss.
âyouâre always so sweet.â he says after he pops his fingers from his lips. steve gives you one last peck on your lips, the faint taste of you lingering on them, then gets onto his knees.
your panties are pulled down all the way, along with your jeans, and steve gently pries your legs apart. tender kisses are trailed up each leg painfully slow. you hands find his hair and you give it a tug, silently begging for him to move where you need him the most.
steve smiles against your skin and obliges, tongue darting out as he reaches your core to lick one long stipe along you. itâs enough to pull a moan from you.
steve takes it as encouragement and delves his tongue in deeper, rolling it against your clit. his fingers reach up and tease your hole gently before he slips two in, curling them at just the right angle.
âfuck, stevie.â you moan through gritted teeth. steve knew his way around your body. it was something he took great pride in. and you knew now that you werenât gonna last long at all. not with the way his tongue was massaging your clit.
steve carefully pushes your legs open widen and he latched his lips around your bud, sucking gently. the suction paired with the way his fingers were repeatedly curling into your sweet spot, the knot in your stomach quickly began to unravel.
âfuck stevie, iâm not gonna last.â you whine softly and steve moans against your core, picking up his pace.
the knot came undone and you felt a wave of pleasure wash over you. your fingers tugged steveâs hair harder and you pressed his face closer to you.
steve let you ride out your high for as long as you needed and when you were down he gave a few more soothing kisses to your core before pulling away. when he looked up at you, steve wore the most satisfied smile youâve ever seen.
âsâgood baby.â he mumbles, pressing a few kisses to your hip before he helps you pull your clothes back on.
once he stands up, he pulls you into his arms.
âyou feel any better?â
âyeah, i do.â and you did. it felt like some of the weight on your shoulders was replaced by a euphoric feeling. but you knew that you didnât need an orgasm to feel that. just being in steveâs presence alone was enough to give you that feeling.
you smile up at your boyfriend, letting him press kisses to your face.
âiâll give you a more thorough stress reliever later.â he says cheekily, before capture your lips in his.
guys i have been OBSESSED with a girls guide to love and monster hunting on ao3 is so so so good and itâs been having me back DEEP in my steve x henderson! reader era pls go read if u want an amazing steve fic
and also if u have any henderson!reader requests⊠send em in. i miss her and wanna write about her!
hii could you maybe write something for joe where heâs cutting readers hair as heâs lowkey the unofficial barber of the group anyway
personal hairdresser
pairing: joe keery x reader
word count: 849
hanâs notes: this was so cute. i love the idea of joe cutting your hair. heâs on his way to opening his very own salon
youâd been flirting with the idea of getting layers for months now. youâd been growing your hair out for quite some time, but it sorta laid a bit flat and shapeless.
you just couldnât for the life of you justify spending over eighty dollars for someone to cut layers in your hair. so until you could justify it, or work up enough courage to do it yourself, you settled for the current state of your hair.
to be honest, youâd come close to doing it yourself multiple times. youâd watched and favorited enough tiktok tutorials to feel like it was simple enough. but once you stood in the bathroom in front the mirror, that confidence left you.
your boyfriend, on the other hand, gave himself haircuts on the regular. and while sometimes, he did chop his bangs a little too short, he was pretty decent at it. his confidence made up for any mistakes made. not only does joe cut his own hair, but he has also designated himself as the barber in his friend group.
so it shouldnât have surprised you when joe was sat next to you on the couch, chin resting on your shoulder, watching as you watched yet another tutorial had offered up his services.
âwhy donât you just let me do it?â
you crane your neck to look at him, a bewildered look on your face.
âyeah right.â you snort, shaking your head as you turn back to your phone.
âbabe, iâm serious. i can do it. i cut my hair all the time. and wes and javi and jake.â joe says with a pout.
âyeah, and all four of you have the same exact haircut. you only know one haircut and iâd rather not look like an oasis reject.â you tease.
âyouâre so dramatic. just let me do it. look, iâve been watching tutorials too. just let me do a little bit and if you hate it or i mess up, i will pay for you to have your hair done.â
you stare at joe for a long while. and maybe it was his pleading puppy dog eyes or the fact that you really did trust him, but ten minutes later youâre sat in the bathroom with a towel draped over your shoulders.
you watched as joe set out his scissors and your hairbrush then dug around in his drawer for a comb.
it was cute, the way he was taking this extremely seriously.
âokay so the easiest way is to do the two ponytails and cut from there. letâs seeâŠâ joe mumbles, mostly to himself. he brushes through your hair then begins parting your hair meticulously, even going as far as to find the apex of your head with the comb. a very important detail, according to him.
your eyes follow his every move in the mirror as he over directs your hair to the front of your head, tying it into two ponytails.
âthis seems like a horrible idea,â you mumble and joe smirks.
âiâll only do a little, donât worry.â he replies, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of your head.
joe gets to work cutting off a few inches of each section. heâs locked in, his glasses are sitting low on his nose as he carefully examines each cut before he makes it.
soon enough, heâs setting the scissors down and taking the hair ties out your hair. your hair falls around your face and joe begins to straighten it out.
âthat was alarmingly quick.â
âshh.â joe hushes you, picking the scissors back up. âiâm not done.â
you huff, closing your eyes tightly as he begins to take sections and make more cuts.
ânow youâre just cutting willy nilly.â you gripe, biting your lip nervously.
âiâm perfecting it. let me cook.â
after a few more minutes, joe steps back, sets down his scissors, and dramatically dusts off his hands.
ânot to toot my own horn, but i think i did a pretty damn good job.â
you stand from you chair and brush of some of the hair littering your shirt before looking in the mirror.
âjoe!â you gasp, hands immediately flying to your hair. your fingers rake through the strands and the freshly done layers.
âi know, i know. call me picasso.â he says smugly.
it looked perfect. in fact, it looked just like how youâd imagine it would look after getting it done at a salon. and you got it done for free in your bathroom by your boyfriend.
âiâm actually so impressed, babe. you did so good.â
âsee, you shouldâve never doubted me.â joe says from behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. he takes in your appearance, your new hair that suited you so well, your bright smile that suited you even better.
âyou look beautiful.â he says as he rests his chin on your shoulder. you meet his eyes in the mirror and smile softly as you lean back into him.
âthanks to you. my new personal hairdresser. congrats you are now my elite employee.â
Hey! I love your work!! Just saw you asking for requests and I have one đđ
How about joe x reader, where reader just had a song blow up on tiktok (similar to EoB) and suddenly their music career blew up so they moved to NY? For how they meet, I was thinking maybe reader went on that Triple J show or something like that and decided to cover Egg (or another Djo song) and Joe liked it so much he found a way to reach out? Or maybe they run into each other at the electric lady studios? Iâm a sucker for the yearning, so honestly Iâll take anything thatâs about the *before*, you know?
THANK YOU đ
the before
pairing: joe keery x musician!reader
word count: 3.4k
hanâs notes: for the sake of the story (and my inability to make up a random song title đ) letâs pretend ceilings by lizzy mcalpine is the readerâs song. k luv ya enjoy!
youâd started posting covers in your senior year of college. your friend had told you about this new app called tiktok and encouraged you to post yourself singing on there. you were reluctant, but you downloaded the app nevertheless.
the traction started slow, a couple followers here and a handful of likes and comments there. you werenât dedicating a lot of time and effort into it. besides, you were finishing up your last year in your music production and writing degree. that took up most of your time.
then the pandemic hit. your final exams moved online, your graduation canceled, you at a crossroads of what to do now. in reality, there wasnât much to be done, with everything shut down. so you spent quarantine in the bedroom of your college apartment that you shared with three other girls writing and recording music.
you began dedicating more time to posting your covers and this time, you quickly grew a following. your followers doubled overnight, then tripled. you pushed out more short covers with nothing but your voice and your guitar.
then you started to post some original songs. and you blew up.
the first original you posted was the early stages of âceilingsâ. everyone went crazy for it, begging for the full version, demanding it be put on spotify.
you were overwhelmed, to say the least. this was the first time that you felt your music was this appreciated. a dream you had since you were a little girl was slowly coming true.
so after a couple of months, you released the official studio version of ceilings. recording completely on your own using equipment borrowed from friends of friends.
it got a thousand streams in the first hour of it being posted and you had to pinch yourself to make sure you werenât dreaming.
by the end of that week, it had become a trend.
one month later, you were signing a record deal and moving to new york, your dream city.
youâd been riding the wave of that success, putting out more music and even your first album in the past few years. you were beyond grateful for the fans, success, and opportunities ceilings brought you.
so when triple j reached out asking if you would come on, you immediately jumped at the opportunity. you loved watching their videos of your musicians covering songs.
you immediately began thinking of what song you wanted to cover. the possibilities were quite literally endless. it didnât help that you were kind of an indecisive person.
in the end, you went with something more niche. something you loved but also, in a way, paid homage to your favorite triple j cover (cough, cough- gasoline). a song youâve had on repeat from a new album youâve also had on repeat and were obsessed with.
you decide on âeggâ by djo, but you, of course, put your own spin on it. you somehow made it sound so devastating and so you. it quickly blew up.
people went crazy over it, especially the overlapping fandoms between you and djo.
then, djo posted it on his story and followed you. you tried to play it cool, you reposted his story with a quick note saying thank you and how crazy this was. but in reality, you screamed when that notification came through.
and when he sent you a dm, you thought your soul left your body.
Hey! Loved the cover. I feel very honored you chose my song :)
if only he knew how many times youâd had his cover of gasoline on repeat.
hi! thank you so much! i love egg and the crux so much. def my album of the year
the short conversation had continued sporadically throughout a few days, mainly kind words about the otherâs work. until it eventually hit a lull when you got paranoid you were mistaking his politeness for genuine interest and stopped replying. well, overthought your next reply to the point where you put it off so much you forgot about it.
it had been a week. you were back in the studio today and the dm with joe was the last thing on your mind. in fact, the only thing on your mind right now was this song that you just couldnât get right. it was one of those things where you knew the sound you wanted but no one was able to create it.
you were sinking back into the plush leather couch, guitar laying haphazardly across your lap with your eyes closed in frustration. your producer sat at the soundboard messing around with some controls. you just needed a quick mental break.
when you door cracked opened, you ignored it, figuring it was an electric lady employee or someone that was popping in for your producer. but then you heard the voice.
âoh! iâm so sorry.â your eyes flew open and you turned your gaze to the door where a surprised joe keery stood.
you shot up to sit straight and you couldnât help but gape at him becauseâŠ. what the hell are you doing here sir?
âsorry i just came to see if i left my bass pedal here yesterday, hi.â he said with an easy smile that immediately made you stomach flip violently.
âhi, um come in. sorry, hi.â you say, standing and setting your guitar down. your eyes land on the embarrassing amount of coffee cups littering the table and you begin to quickly gather them into a neater pile.
âsorry about the mess. rough session. wow, what a great first impression.â you say laughing nervously before standing up straight and finding joe already looking at you with an amused smile.
âno worries, i sort of snuck up on you in here. i didnât know you would be here. iâm glad you are though, itâs nice to finally meet you. iâm joe.â his hand stuck out and he smiled wider, a dimple forming in his cheek.
your cheeks burned.
âitâs nice to meet you, joe.â you tell joe your name, just like he did, like neither of you already knew that. joe smirks, nodding his head.
âoh i know. iâm a real big fan.â
you roll your eyes as a smiling creeps onto your face at his words.
âyouâre just saying that because i covered your song. how egotisticalâ
joe chuckles, holding up his hands in defense. âyou caught me.â
joe spotted his forgotten pedal and grabbed it from the desk, offering a polite greeting to your producer. he lingered for a second and it made your mouth move quicker than your brain.
âhey, can i run this by you? iâm really stuck on this melody. maybe a fresh perspective could help.â you say, gesturing to your guitar and song book. joe smiles and immediately nods.
âabsolutely. iâd be honored .â
then that turned into a five hour studio session, mostly just the two of you messing around. somewhere around the two hour mark, you and joe just sprawled out on the floor just talking.
you talked about childhood, how each of you go into music. he talked about his sisters and acting and you talked about what you were doing before moving to new york.
it surprised you how easy it was to talk to joe. he made you nervous but also at ease. he just radiated this warm energy. it was addicting.
by the time you were leaving the studio, you were exchanging numbers and making plan for the next day.
and thatâs how it began. somehow after that, you and joe became inseparable.
what started as studio sessions together turned into lunch and dinner dates. then those turned into going to some small jazz club because joe saw a poster for some band he wants to check out. now, only weeks later, joe just shows up on your doorstep.
sometimes itâs just a grin and flowers, requesting you join him on some spontaneous adventure. sometimes itâs with your favorite takeout that youâll eat on the couch and argue over whether you were going to watch survivor (joeâs pick) or jersey shore (your pick).
you and joe were friends. at least, as far as you were concerned. sure, you spent a lot of time together. you had gotten closer with him quicker than youâve ever gotten close with anyone before.
but nothing was established. no boundaries were crossed, no moves were made. joe just genuinely saw you as a friend, at least thatâs what you thought.
but, honestly, you were oblivious. painfully so.
and youâre best friend from back home had no issue telling you. especially as you sit on facetime with her as you get ready to go to one of joeâs friendâs birthday party.
âheâs always around you. he cooks you dinner! he buys you flowers! he wants you to meet and hang out with his friends!â her voice progressively gets louder through the speaker as she emphasizes her words.
âheâs just being nice. thatâs literally just how he is. a painfully good guy.â you sigh as you apply some lip gloss. you twist the tube closed and toss it into the counter before you step back. you examine your appearance in the mirror closely.
the party was casual, so you opted for your favorite worn jeans, your trusty ballet flats, and a floral blouse tank that looks like it came straight from your pinterest board.
âare you sure i look okay?â
âfor the millionth time, yes! you look like you. you look amazing.â your friend reassures you and you take a deep breath, messing with your hair again.
youâre about to worry some more when thereâs a knock on your front door. you gasp, feeling your stomach twist.
âheâs here.â
âwait keep me on the phone while you answer the door!â
âabsolutely not. why the hell would i do that?â you whisper, as if he could hear you all the way in the hallway of your building, as you flip the light off in your bathroom and make your way out to the living room to grab your purse.
âin case he has flowers for you! i wanna witness it!â
âyouâre insane and iâm hanging up. goodbye.â
âhave fun! make good decisions!â you cut her off quickly by ending the call before taking a deep breath and looking at the door.
you pull your purse over your shoulder and cross the distance to the front door and pull it open. joe is already smiling when you open the door, looking at handsome and radiant as always.
âhey,â he grins, pulling his hands out his pockets. âyou look beautiful.â
your cheeks heat up as you smile up at him, stepping out into the hall then turning to lock your door.
âthank you. you clean up pretty well yourself, keery.â you tease over your shoulder.
the walk to his friendâs apartment was actually pretty nice. it was a fifteen minute walk but it felt shorter. you and joe talked about your days and he kept his arm loosely slung over your shoulder, something you chose not to read into.
âyouâre really sure itâs okay that i come?â you ask joe, probably for the fifth time since he first invited you, as you walk up to the building.
âof course. in fact, dalton even told me to invite you.â joe insists as he holds the door open for you. this was news to you.
âoh? i didnât even know your friends really knew about me, let alone enough to ask you to invite me to their birthday parties.â you laugh. you and joe start up the stairs, following the music coming from three floors up. your hands brush as you ascend side by side, another thing you chose not to read into.
joe shrugs, playing it off. âyeah, theyâre uh, big fans.â
not entirely convinced, you narrow your eyes at him playfully then drop it.
when you walked into the party, joe spent a good twenty minutes parading you around each of his friends. he introduces you with a big smile on his face, his hand never leaving your back.
it surprised you how many of them greeted you with some variation of having heard so much about you. when you look up at joe expectantly, he just shrugs and give you a bashful smile.
eventually, the party naturally divided into two. joe had drifted into daltonâs home studio with the boys, leaving you with the girlfriends in the living room.
âso, you and joe?â mattâs girlfriend asks, smirking at you over the rim of her wine glass. all the girls seem to alert at the new topic.
you feel your cheeks heat slightly as you raise your brows, slightly confused. âwhat about us?â
âare you official yet?â javiâs girlfriend asks eagerly, making you almost choke on your drink.
âofficial. oh, no, weâre just friends.â you insist.
the girls exchange unconvinced looks and you shift uncomfortably.
âwhat we mean is,â one of them speaks up, noticing your unease. âjoe talks about you all the time. like actually never shuts up. youâre always spending time together, he takes you on pseudo-dates. we just figured he wouldâve grown some balls by now since itâs painfully obvious to everyone around him.â
youâre quiet for a moment. a few moments, actually. youâre practically stunned into silence as you take in the information that was just unloaded onto you.
sure, you and joe had gotten close and you did spend a lot of time together. and sure, you were, against your better judgement, developing feelings for the man, but that was it. there was nothing going on between you. joe didnât see you as anything more than a friend and comrade in the music scene.
âsorry guys, weâre just friends. i think both of us prefer it that way, anyway.â you say, giving an awakes laugh before you take a sip of your drink.
unfortunately, joe had just slipped back into the room in time to catch that last sentence leave your mouth. he freezes in the door way, face falling, but he recovers quickly. he gives you a quick, forced smile then crosses over to the balcony door and slips out.
the girls exchange looks while your gaze burns into the shut door joe had just gone through. the girl next to you nudges your arm gently.
âyou never know what someone else is thinking or feeling for certain unless they tell you. you might be surprised.â her words gently reassure you. you nod, taking one final sip of your drink before pushing up off the couch to follow after joe.
when you step out onto the small, cramped excuse for a balcony, the chill of the night air and the smell of smoke hits you instantly.
joe is leaning against the railing, lit cigarette between his fingers as he stares out onto the quiet neighborhood. he doesnât look over to see who just joined him. he doesnât have to. he can sense your presence from a mile away.
âhey.â you saw softly, crossing your arms tightly over your chest to conserve your warmth. you slide up next to him, shoulders brushing.
âhey.â he replies, lifting the cigarette to his lips before holding it out to you in offering. youâd been drinking, so what the hell you thought. you take the cigarette from his fingers and took a drag before giving it back to him.
âyou and the girls having fun?â joe asks and you nod.
âtheyâre cool. theyâre all really nice.â
âgood, iâm glad you like them.â he says.
you turn and look up at him. how the glow of the street lights illuminates the side of his face so beautifully.
âare you okay?â you ask softly, almost a whisper.
joe steals a quick glance at you before taking another puff. he doesnât answer for a moment as he sorts through his thoughts.
âyou know i like spending time with you, right?â
you furrow your brows, frown a bit in confusion. âyeah, i do.â
then your mind began jumping to the worst case scenario. joe liked spending time with you but he thinks itâs been too much time. joe liked spending time with you but now heâs bored. joe liked spending time with you but now he wasnât interested anymore.
âdonât do that.â joeâs voice pulls you from your ruminating. heâs looking at you with that soft, sort of amused gaze he often looks at you with.
âdo what? i didnât even do anything.â
âyouâre overthinking. it was just a question. donât start thinking of the absolute worst.â he teases gently, making you roll your eyes and bump his shoulder with yours.
âyou know me too well.â you mutter.
âyouâre right. i do.â joe says, almost fondly. you look up at him as he turns to face you, stubbing his cigarette out against the iron railing.
âi heard what you were telling the girls.â joeâs eyes glimmered in the streetlight. they reminded you of puppy eyes. âabout us just being friends.â
youâre insides twist nervously. âdid i say something wrong or too much? iâm sorry, they were prying and i was just trying to be honest. sorry if you didnât want me saying anything.â
joe chuckles, shaking his head. âno, honey, iâm not mad. a little bummed but iâm not mad.â
you breathe out a sigh of relief, though your insides still churn. âwait, a little bummed?â
âyeah. because i think you have some of your information a little wrong.â
your frown, instantly thinking back to your conversation with his friends. oh god, did he not think of you as friends? were you really just two musicians hanging out like coworkers? had you entirely misread the entirety of the past month?
âyouâre doing it again.â joe chuckles, reaching out to press his thumb gently to the crease between your brows. your cheeks burn in embarrassment as you meet his gaze again.
âsorry, iâm just⊠what do you mean?â
joeâs hand slides to cup your cheek, thumb brushing under your eye.
âi mean, when you said both of us prefer us just being friends. youâre wrong. at least partially.â
your heart was beating out of your chest. you ball your fist up so tight that your fingernails slice sharp crescents into your palm.
âi donât understandâŠâ
âi, for one, love being your friend. but i would prefer if we were more than that.â joe says softly. was this a prank?
âjoeâŠâ
âyouâre so beautiful. youâre funny, intelligent, so incredibly talented. i feel so drawn to you in a way iâve never felt before. i talk about you all the time, i think about you more than that. itâs pathetic, really. but i donât even care. i really fucking like you.â
cut the cameras, you wanted to scream. ashton kutcher can come out now because surely this was a prank.
but then you look into joeâs eyes, his beautiful, warm, hazel eyes that glimmer as he looks at you. and all the doubt leaves your body. because he has always looked at you like this. and that isnât how you look at someone who youâre just friends with.
âyouâre right. i was completely wrong, not just partially.â you say with a small smile growing on your face. joeâs smile widens, almost splitting his face in two.
âi knew it, i know you like the back of my hand.â he tease, bringing his other hand to cup your cheek.
âif youâre such a know it all, why donât you get it over with and do something about it.â that was all it took for joe to pull your face to his, pressing his lips sweetly to yours.
the kiss was everything you dreamt it would be. gently but firm, full of emotions. you felt yourself melting into him instantly, smiling into him.
when you eventually pull away, itâs not very far. joe rests his forehead against yours, breathlessly smiling widely. you did too, so much your cheeks hurt. but you couldnât even feel it.
âiâve been wanting to do that for far too long.â joe whispers, brushing his nose against yours.
âso have i. it was worth the wait, though.â
the two of your giggle softly like lovesick teenagers, basking in this new beginning. itâs cut short by a thud on the window behind you.
you both turn, still in each otherâs arms, to see all of joeâs friends crowded by the window, watching. wes, the culprit of the thud, had knocked his head against the glass, too eager to get a glimpse of the action. he was receiving a scolding from jake when everyone noticed theyâd been caught and dipped away from the window.
âoh my god.â joe groans, throwing his head back. you chuckle, resting your head onto his chest.
âiâm sorry about them. theyâre so embarrassing.â he mumbles, kissing the top of your head. you smile against his chest, hugging your arms tightly around his waist.
hi! i love your writing! could you possibly do a request for when reader and joe fall in love on set during stranger things? reader meets joe during season 4 and plays steveâs love interest throughout the end of the series but joe falls in love with reader (&vice versa) in real life as well?
love on set
pairing: joe keery x actress! reader
word count: 3.5k
hanâs notes: loved this! i do have this fic that could technically serve as a part two to this so check it out once u finish this! -also this isnât proofread and i started writing this in past tense for some reason then subconsciously kept switching to present tense. i tried to catch most of the tense switches but if thereâs any i miss as i wrote ignore it asdfjkglf
when you got the call that you landed the role in your favorite show, you knew your life was about to change. you just didnât know exactly how much it would.
while your agent rambled on about the role and the schedule for filming and meetings, your mind went into overdrive.
you told yourself this was like any other acting gig. sure, you hadnât had many, you were still starting out. but your were going to be joining a show you had watched since the beginning in its fourth season as a new character. the stakes felt high.
your character, katherine miller, was the new girl in hawkins. already, you related to her. you just hoped that, like catherine, you weaved your way into the group seamlessly.
when you showed up to the table read, you thought you were going to puke from nerves. but, to your surprise, that feel disappeared the second you walked intro the room.
never had you met such a kind and welcoming group of people. they instantly made you feel like you had been there the entire run of the show.
you thankfully got along instantly with maya and joe, who youâd share most of your scenes with, turning their on screen duo into a trio.
what surprised you the most was joe. he was the first one to approach you, the first to invite you to dinner with the core group, the first to fill you in on any inside joke thrown around.
joe was just a good guy. the kind of good no one believed existed anymore. the kind that seems unattainable, that lived only in female written romance novels.
it was overwhelming, really. you sometimes had to discreetly pinch yourself when spending time with him.
which you did a lot of.
you sort of had to. your character, katherine (or as steve so lovingly called her, kat), was not only the newest addition to the monster hunting group in season four. but she was also the new love interest of steve harrington. one meant to put an end to the tired love triangle between him, nancy, and jonathan.
though, hanging out with joe never felt forced or strictly professional. the two of you had a lot in common, but at the same time perfectly balanced each other out. maya often joked that you two were like yin and yang.
your relationship with joe shifted like the seasons.
when you met, there was a period of time you spent learning each other. learning not only how the other person worked and ticked on set, but learning each other.
joe learned your coffee order, you learned which toppings he preferred on his pizza but would settle for anything to please everyone else. you learned his favorite niche bands and albums and he learned your favorite authors and foreign films.
you danced around each other in a warming newness, equal parts shy and welcoming. all the while, something more was blooming. something beautiful beneath the surface, like spring flowers.
by the summer months, you had fallen into a routine.
summer in georgia was hot and sticky, making set somewhat hellish. but the june sun couldnât compare to the warmth you felt standing next to joe.
in a way, joe radiated warm energy. he was like the sun and you were some planet drawn to him, orbiting him in awe.
joe also filled you with a different sort of warmth. the kind that settled in deep, causing butterflies to erupt in your belly and your heart to skip a beat.
it was just your characters, youâd tell yourself at the end of the day, when you were melting with exhaustion into the chair in the makeup trailer.
when you caught joeâs soft gaze lingering a little too long, when he smiled brightly at you, when he would playfully nudge you between takes. it was just method acting. right?
as your characters fell in love in small moments between the bigger plot, it all felt a little too real. when the cameras cut, the feelings didnât fade.
you almost wanted to chase that feeling. you wanted the scenes to keep rolling, if that meant you could stay in joeâs embrace. you could keep hearing his soft professions of love.
even if it wasnât joe talking. even if, in reality, it was steve saying those things to kat.
meanwhile, joe was going through it.
he liked to think of himself as a professional. he never caught feelings for a coworker, in acting or otherwise.
but now, as he stood on set with you without the cameras even rolling, his heart raced. he felt lighter around you, happier in a quiet, content way.
âyouâre in looooove.â maya had told him jokingly one morning before you had gotten to set.
âyouâre ridiculous. weâre just best friends. who, you know, happen to play two characters falling in love. if itâs convincing, it just means iâm doing my job right.â joe insisted.
but maya shook her head. âyou donât need to do your job when the camera isnât rolling. not to mention when youâre not even on set. face it, joseph.â
joe sat quietly, letting mayaâs words settle in while the girl proceeded while a dramatic wailing of âso this is loveâ from cinderella.
joe was conflicted. he had never had the lines blur for him while acting. he thought back to previous on screen love interests. did he feel this way when he and natalia shared romantic scenes? or when his characters in other projects had to flirt or kiss someone?
but he kept getting the same answer. no. joe had never felt this way while acting in romantically driven scenes.
then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
fuck. he was falling in love with you.
joe decided, at least for the time being, he would keep his discovery to himself. the last thing he wanted was to cross boundaries, ruining your friendship and making you uncomfortable at your place of work all in one fell swoop.
but there were moments when joe wanted to risk it all. moments that came all too often.
like during downtime on set on long days, when you and joe sat cross-legged on the ground in the corner of set, knees knocking together as you played cards to pass the time. and you won go fish again, smiling widely as you laid down your last match and wiggled your shoulders excitedly. it took everything in joe not to lean in and close the small gap between you, kissing the grin off your face.
instead, joe settled for smiling at you fondly, letting the feelings simmer inside unbearably.
or when you were at joeâs apartment in a small town outside of atlanta on a night off. the two of you a bottle of wine in, music playing softly from a speaker and joeâs guitar laying across your lap.
your fingers strum, playing a chord you completely made up yourself. truthfully, it sounds awful, and you know it. youâre just goofing off. but it was music to joeâs ears.
you play something wonky that bounces off the walls and laugh, making something twist pleasantly in joeâs chest. he echoes your laugh and, against his better judgement, reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ears.
you meet his gaze and blush.
âhow do i sound, mr. music man?â
joe snorts softly. âhorrendous.â
you gasp playfully. ârude!â
the two of you giggle before you knock your shoulder into his.
âif iâm so horrendous, teach me.â
joeâs heart leapt in his chest. he moves to make room in front of him, pats the cushion. you bite the inside of your cheek and roll your eyes, but slot yourself in front of him nonetheless.
as joe wraps his arms around you and the guitar, he guides your hands along the strings. your faces are inches from each other, enough for his breath to fan across your cheek.
both of you are trying to keep your cool, completely oblivious to the fact that youâre both going through it.
at one point, after a little while of trying and failing to play something, you sighed defeatedly. you throw your head back against joeâs shoulder with a groan.
âi have zero musical bones in my body.â
joe chuckles turning his head to look down on you. he prayed you couldnât feel his heart pounding against your back.
âyou just gotta keep practicing, sweetheart. weâll get you there.â
you roll your head to the side, looking up at joe. but your faces end up closer than anticipated. your noses almost brush and your breath catches in your throat.
you donât know how long you hold each otherâs gazes, but joeâs eyes flicker down to your lips and something snaps in him. he pulls away quick, leaving your cheeks burning.
you clear your throat, moving to the opposite end of the couch after setting his guitar down. joe put on a movie and the tension dissipated as soon as it appeared.
but the elephant in the room remained.
it all finally came to a head a few months later.
it was technically fall. but early fall in georgia was still warm. the nights faded into a slightly cooler breeze that felt a little more like autumn.
youâd had a rough week. you had gotten to the more intense scenes as you neared the end of the season. there was more drama, more action, and, of course, the scene where steve finally confessed to katherine.
you supposed the stress was finally getting to you. it didnât help that you were tired, thanks to months of long days, late nights, and chaotic sleep schedules.
and you felt like you just couldnât nail this scene.
your character was overwhelmed. between the âmurdersâ, learning about the dark truths beneath hawkins, looking after max (whom she quickly grew a soft spot for), fighting a dark wizard named vecna, and your feelings for steve. it was all a lot.
and it was something you wanted to perfect.
the pain for steve throwing himself into danger. the desperation of wanting him to see her instead of nancy. all the feelings that bubble over and reach a breaking point before the final battle plans.
you were trying to run your lines in your head while final adjustments were made to the lighting, but your gaze was locked onto joe across the field as he had his hair touched up.
it was take three of your confession scene. one of the duffers called for places, you were sure which. it wasnât important to you right now.
you took your spot sitting on a crate and joe flashed you a smile and thumbs up, which you halfheartedly reciprocated before locking in.
the scene started with catherine sharpening knives, having a moment alone. steve enters, trying to make a lighthearted joke that doesnât land. reality was too real at the moment.
âhey, you okay?â joe recited his line effortlessly, falling perfectly into steveâs character.
âhow can you joke right now?â you scoff, sharpening the blade harder.
joe, steve, frowned, taking a seat next to you. âtalk to me.â
you sighed, pausing your movements.
âyou almost died, steve. you could still die. all of us can.â
steve couldnât help himself. âif you knew many times iâve almost died in the past few years, you wouldnât be so upset right now.â
you drop the blade and the sharpener to the ground, both clattering to the ground. the camera moved in closer but you tried to ignore it.
âyou donât get it, do you? you almost died steve. hell, i thought i lost you! and here you are making jokes like we arenât risking our fucking lives! god, you know, sometimes i really just wish youâd get your head out of your ass. youâre a real idiot sometimes. but i guess we have that in common.âyou laughed bitterly, your voice cracking as you dug deeper into the scene.
joe reacted perfectly, just like heâd done when rehearsing and during the previous takes. he wore that confused, hurt puppy dog look of steveâs so well.
âkat-â
âno, steve! this is insanity. i feel like im going crazy. last week, i was passing notes about mr. lewinskyâs bald spot with robin during calculus and eating all the popcorn at family video while you sorted the tapes that keith specifically asked me to do because he said i have been slacking off. and now iâm fighting a monster from another dimension thatâs been terrorizing and killing my classmates. all the while, i have to sit here and watch you make heart eyes at snooty nancy wheeler, who totally hates me, by the way!â you had run out of breath by the time you finished your rant, avoiding joe, or well, steveâs gaze.
the tension that settled over you felt all too personal. those lines between real and acting were beginning to bleed together.
âi think i love you, katherine.â steve replied, but all you could hear is joe. blame it on your exhaustion, but this was were you began to fall apart in the scene. every take, without fail.
because you were desperate to hear joe say those words to you, but you knew you would have to settle for his character confessing to yours. youâd have to live vicariously through her.
and that did something to your psyche.
when you lifted your gaze to find joeâs eyes burning into you, so fully in character, it made your heart leap and your mind blank. your mouth opened but your lines didnât come out.
âCUT!â
it was ross and matt had thrown cold water over you with that one word. they might as well have.
âletâs break for lunch. i think we need a breather to regroup.â one of the called out.
you bolted from set faster than anyone could register. you didnât even stop for joe as he called out for you.
you found a quiet spot behind one of the farthest trailers parker in the lot and sat there for a while. you talked yourself down, telling yourself it was just nerves and exhaustion taking their toll.
your thoughts are interrupted by a small tray containing a sandwich and some chips being held out in front of your face.
you followed the hand, which you recognized instantly, up the arm and to the face of joe smiling down at you, holding his own plate in his other hand.
âbrought you lunch.â
âhowâd you find me?â you asked with a slight pout, but still mumbling a thanks as you take the food. joe sat down next to you, placing his plate on his lap.
âi think i would be able to find you anywhere.â
you didnât let yourself read into that answer, no matter how much if made your stomach flip.
you pick around at the sandwich, peeling the crust off in little bits to eat slowly. joe watched intently for a moment before he knocked his shoulder against yours.
âtalk to me. whatâs going on?â his voice was so soft it instantly soothed you. it always had that effect on you.
âiâm just tired and overwhelmed. things are getting more intense.â you shrugged.
âwhat about this scene are you finding so difficult? we can work it out.â you wanted to hate joe. everytime he opened his mouth or heâll, even existed, he made it more and more difficult not to love him.
and that was something you couldnât do. and you certainly couldnât tell him you did. so you shook your head.
âlike i said, itâs just a lot. iâll be fine after lunch and a break.â
joe frowned, unconvinced. see, what you failed to consider was that over the past however many months, joe had come to know you like the back of his hand.
joe knew you in ways your oldest friends or your family didnât know. he knew that when you lied, your left eyebrow twitched upwards ever so slightly. he knew that when something was weighing on you, you got that far off look in your eyes and you chewed on the inside corner of your mouth.
all three of which were happening as he looked at you.
âsweetheart, you can tell me anything. you know iâm here for you. always am. i just want you to not bottle anything up thatâs bothering you.â joeâs words made your eyes prickle with tears. the softness of them. the sincerity. the stupid pet name guys definitely donât casually call their best friend slash coworker, and yet, joe had called you that from the beginning.
âfucking hell.â you mumbled as you rubbed your hands harshly down your face. âi donât know how much longer i can keep doing this.â
joe furrowed his brows. âwhat? the show? acting?â
âno, joe. this. i donât know how much longer i can be around you.â
joeâs face fell.
âwhat? did i do something?â
âeverything, joe! thatâs the problem! everything you do drives me crazy. at first i thought, surely, i only feel this way because my character is in love with yours. but thatâs not true at all. and maybe iâm a horrible actress for letting the lines become blurred in my head but youâre you and youâre perfect and i just couldnât help it!â
joe stared. mouth agape. his brows were knitted together in the way they do when heâs processing something. you knew that look, of course you did. joe wasnât the only one who knew someone like the back of his hand.
âwhat exactly are you saying?â joeâs voice softened into a tone you only heard in quiet moments together. when everything was warm and soft around the edges.
âyou know what iâm saying joe. and iâm sorry this happened now instead of after filming. i donât want to make things uncomfortable or ruin our friendship but iâll just have to deal with the consequences.â
then joe laughed. a bubble of laughter escaped him before he could stop it. he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered idiot to himself under his breath.
you wanted to shrink away. close in on yourself and shrink away into nothingness. you rolled your eyes, mostly in effort to subtly rid the tears forming in them, then go to stand up.
but joe caught your wrist, keeping you sat next to him.
âsorry, iâm the idiot. not you. i mean, hell, do you know how many times iâve wanted to kiss you these past few months? way too many for me not to grow some balls and do it. but i was scared.â
you could barely hear joe over the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. surely, this was some kind of joke. some sick hazing prank on the newbie, month later. but the look in joeâs eyes made any doubt fade.
because you knew joe. you knew that there wasnât a malicious bone in his body. you knew he loved and cared deeply about anyone that crossed his path. you knew the way he looked at you, that look reserved for only you. this was your joe.
so instead, you scoffed lightly, shaking your head. âyeah, you are an idiot.â
âhey! letâs not forget this is a two way street miss iâve been in love with you for months!â joe defended with a chuckle.
âi never said that i was in love with you.â
âyou kinda did.â
ânot specifically.â
you watched as joe stared at you, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from lifting fondly. you couldnât help it, that look he gave you triggered something in you and made you lower all defenses.
âiâm in love with you, joe. a ridiculous amount. so much it hurts.â your voice now came out as a whisper, almost like you were still scared to admit it. because you werenât scared of loving joe. in fact, itâs the easiest thing youâve ever done. you were scared of the repercussions had he not felt the same, even now.
joeâs face crumpled into the softest look youâd ever seen. his hand found your cheek and cradled it gently.
âiâm in love with you too. and iâm a fool for not saying anything sooner. but youâre such an amazing woman and i didnât want to jeopardize anything we already had. iâd rather pine after you for the rest of my life than tell you how i feel and lose you because you didnât feel the same.â
âyou could never lose me, joe.â
âi know. but the thought of it alone terrified me.â joe brushed his thumb across your cheek and you leaned into his touch.
âfrom now on, we donât keep anything from each other. iâm not gonna run away from you or us.â
joe nodded his head. âdeal.â
âdeal.â you echoed then looked at him expectantly. âokay, you can kiss me now.â
joe laughed, the kind that made your heart feel light, then leaned in.
âi love you.â he said gently before pressing his lips to your in a long awaited kiss. but it was well worth the wait. because really, youâd wait several lifetimes just to kiss joe. you smiled into the kiss at the thought.
i hate when iâm writing and iâm on a roll and im like wow i just wrote SO MUCH and then i check my word count. less than 1k. ohâŠ.. yes thank u so much
