Pairing: 90s!Jarvis Cocker x reader
Summary: Wine tasting on a date that was never meant to be.
Cw: Drinking, Jarvis is a coward, light angst, tension is at max, mutual pining, not proof read, no smut sorry
The invitation almost went unnoticed—too casual, and too simple to be anything more than a passing comment.
"There's a wine tasting next Saturday," Jarvis had stated, seemingly more focused on driving than the words spoken. "Unless your plans have changed suddenly, I'd like for you to come with."
You agreed because it wasn't phrased like a date; it wasn't a date. But here you were standing outside an amber-lit wine bar, a black umbrella being held over your head by a man dressed far too fancy for this to be a casual hangout, and you matching right along with him.
The pair of you stepped inside, Jarvis shaking off his umbrella before closing the door behind him. You were immediately greeted with a breath of warmth and the low conversations of people seated at tables, glasses clinking together. A faint scent of alcohol lingered but was overpowered by wet wood and Jarvis's laundry detergent from behind you. A jazz record hummed lightly in the background, making the bar seem lighter.
"Reservations for Cocker," Jarvis told the hostess who immediately grabbed two small menus with endless wines from around the world listed.
You both quickly followed the woman and sat down at a table in the corner near a window dotted with the drizzle of evening rain. Jarvis glanced around and slid his palms across his lap, trying to dry them some. Your eyes lingered on his glasses that had become slightly foggy since your entrance to the warm room.
"Anything you're looking to try in particular?" Jarvis questioned as he glanced down at the list of wines, almost all of them being unpronounceable.
You broke out of your small trance to look down at your copy of the menu.
"Not really. I'm not rich enough to try fancy wines like you," your smirk making it obvious you were teasing.
Jarvis gave a faint laugh and shy looking smile.
"That's why I'm taking you out. You deserve a break from all those shenanigans work puts you through. It seems almost inhumane."
"Maybe I'm overexaggerating," you giggled giving his foot a gentle kick underneath the cloth of the table.
The sommelier interrupted lightly with a tiny introduction and what selections they had for the night. Jarvis seemed vastly interested in the catalogue and the host went to go fetch them the first wine everybody started with this evening.
When the wine arrived Jarvis gently lifted the glass by the stem and swirled it. You honestly had no clue what you were doing so you followed. He sniffed it then smiled.
"It smells a bit like dirt," he chuckled.
You scrunched your nose when you smelt it.
"Why would anybody drink this?"
"It's considered classy or something," Jarvis took a sip and you copied.
Immediately your face pinched, "It tastes like dirt. Dirt soaked in vinegar."
Jarvis burst into laughter, setting down his glass.
"It absolutely does not!"
"The notes mentioned lavender."
"If you want to call rocks lavender then yeah. Whatever you want," you rolled your eyes but finished your glass just to be polite.
Jarvis's shoulders shook with restrained laughter.
By the fourth glass of wine the conversation had flowed into more personal things. Jarvis was in the midst of telling you about how his father had come back to England and wanted to see him. It sounded a bit depressing, but Jarvis seemed unfazed. His father was a confusing man as he put it.
"It's just difficult for my mother I think," he hummed, sipping at the wine he had ordered for you two.
You liked this one more, it was fruity and maybe even sweet.
"Why wouldn't it be? He just packed up a left," you mused looking up at the yellow light above your table, making everything feel much warmer.
Jarvis continued on about something but you didn't listen. Your eyes drifted from the light, to the wall, to his face and finally his mouth. You always thought his lips were a bit funny looking, but in the best way. Oddly small and stuck in a permanent pout. Kissable perhaps...but thinking about your best friend that way was disrespectful.
You weren't too sure what you guys were actually. Not dating, that's for sure, but also not just friends. He would kiss your cheek and tell you that you were oh so dear to him. You did the same, yet here you were on something that felt more like it was for partners, not whatever you two had going on.
"You're looking at my lips like I might eat you," Jarvis chuckled, snapping you from your thoughts.
A deep red glazed over your face and you hoped it was just from the alcohol.
"Sorry— I was spacing out," you smiled sheepishly.
"Mhm, I can tell. I was asking you what wine you'd like to try next."
"Oh uhm...what about this one? The host said it was fruity," you pointed to some name you couldn't quite figure out how to pronounce.
Jarvis leaned over to look and you felt your breath hitch. The low murmur of the jazz record, clinking glasses and conversation from the neighboring tables faded into a dull buzz, swallowed by the suffocating closeness of him. You could faintly make out marks on his glasses, ones you wouldn't notice if it weren't for his proximity.
The heat radiating off of his body was a harsh contrast to the chilly rain that was still clinging to the windows. His laundry detergent and the earthy rich scents of wine invaded your nose, a smell that would now never leave your head.
His face was so close, only inches. You could see each eyelash flutter with every blink, and the small shadows they cast over his cheeks. His eyes flicked up from the menu for only a fraction of a second to meet yours, then he smiled. He was back in his normal position before you could even register it. You wished you kissed him, tasted the wine on his lips.
“You seem to like the sweeter stuff hm?" He asked simply, already knowing the answer.
You rolled your eyes and sighed, resting your head on your hand as you tried to avert your gaze from the devastatingly handsome man sat across from you. You could swear you felt his eyes lingering but it was most likely the alcohol making you think things.
You lost count of how many wines you’ve tried by now. It was late and the conversations around you were slowly ending and filtering out. Jarvis mentioned leaving since you had work in the morning. You agreed.
Jarvis paid for the whole thing and even bought a bottle of the wine you mentioned you liked the most, making you lean into his shoulder and whine about how he shouldn’t have.
“Jarvis you didn’t need to. Wine isn’t a necessity,”
“I wanted to, darling. It’s a gift for coming along with me tonight. I would’ve been bored to tears without you,” he gave you a sweet little drunken smile that made your heart flip.
He carried the bag with the wine tucked safely inside as the two of you exited the bar. Jarvis struggled slightly to open his umbrella which made you start laughing, but eventually he got it.
The night was frigid, making you tug your coat closer.
“Do you want my coat?” he noted how your body shook as rain pattered against the pavement.
“I’m okay” you muttered, accidentally bumping into his side.
The streetlights blurred as the two of you stumbled in the direction of your flat. Jarvis had the way memorized.
As cars drove by Jarvis seemed to pull you closer to ‘avoid the rain’ but beneath the drunken haze you knew it was a coverup. You didn’t mind at all. Being pressed into his side was the most wonderful feeling you’d experienced all week. It made your heart skip and your brain foggier than it already was. He was warm and despite his lanky stature, very comfortable. You fit there in his arms like it was meant for you.
“I think you’d be a horrible boyfriend Jarvis,” you mumbled, filter gone.
He raised an eyebrow. “And whys that, love?”
“You’re too tall to kiss,” you looked up at him and laughed brightly.
He gave you a confused look but laughed back.
“I can always bend down. It’s not that hard y’know.”
You thought about kissing him in that moment with the streetlights creating a soft halo around him. It never happened.
He pulled you back into his side as you lazily noticed you two had taken the longer route back to your flat. A sense of happiness fell over you, glad the night wouldn’t be over as quickly.
You were both silent but content in an oddly intimate way. It felt right to be here with him. No stress from your job, no family issues, no crushing weight of the music industry. It was all just…quiet. Happy.
Jarvis stopped walking and you nearly fell. He caught you quickly, an arm around your waist. A familiar door was in front of the two of you. It made you pout slightly. You didn’t want this to be over, but here was your door.
“Get some rest. I’ll call you,” Jarvis mumbled into your ear, his hot breath making you shiver.
You nodded and rummaged through your bag for your keys, the dark and the wine making it harder to coordinate what you were doing. Finally you pulled them out and unlocked the door.
Jarvis’s eyes followed you as you stepped inside and turned around to face him.
“Thank you, Jarvis,” you motioned for him to come closer and when he did, you punctuated your words with a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
It made him dizzy but you barely noticed a thing. He pulled back reluctantly and gave a small nod, handing you the bag of wine. Suddenly he felt so small, standing there and looking at you through drunken eyes. He wanted to say something. He wanted you to invite him in. He wanted to tell you that he was so deep in love he didn’t think anything could pull him out of it.
His mouth opened and closed, almost like a fish before he settled on a simple, “Goodnight.”
@i-dream-of-you thank you for this lovely idea. I had a lot of fun writing this!
theartofmadeline
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