cw: 18 + 𝖒𝖉𝖓𝖎. ruffilo’s sister!reader, slow burn, first kiss, fluff, a little hurt/comfort, kissing, yearning, mention of cheating, light grinding.
wc: 4.2k
an: this has been in my drafts for so long that i just needed to get it out 🫣 inspired by an anon who suggested a ruffilo sister!reader, who always hooks up with noah whenever they’re in town, and this is essentially the ‘start’ to that idea. may expand on said hookups in the future for now pls enjoy a little slow burn thing <3
You’ll always remember the first time you saw Noah. When your eyes landed on this lanky, scrappy looking guy with the cutest face and a smile to match, overbite prominent, even when he talked.
He’s hanging out with your brother, Nicholas, the first time you meet him. The two of them are playing their guitars when you poke your head into Nick’s room, ignoring the big ‘knock before entering’ sign. That’s for your parents, not annoying younger siblings, though the two of you barely fight. The moment you peek inside, the playing stops. Noah is the one who looks up first, his expression somewhere between curiosity and amusement before the corner of his mouth quirks upward.
You ignore the fact that Nick has already called over to you, distracted by the obvious—a cute boy in your house.
“Hey! Was there something you needed?” Nick asks. He doesn’t sound mad, maybe just a little irritated you’ve ignored him, but at least he hasn’t thrown a pillow at you this time.
You shake your head, snapping out of your daydream, certain there’d be cartoon birds and hearts around your head if you dared to stare any longer.
“Oh, yeah. Mom says dinner’s ready, and there’s even some for your little friend.”
“Noah,” he cuts in, introducing himself. You lift your hand from where it clings to the doorframe and give him a small wave.
“Meet my pain in the ass sister,” Nick says.
You stick your tongue out in defiance. “I’m not a pain in the ass,” you huff.
Nick chuckles, but it’s Noah who pipes up, setting his guitar down.
“That’s what a pain in the ass would say.”
“Whatever.” You roll your eyes and push away from the door, heading off toward the bathroom to wash up for dinner, and admittedly to change into a shirt that feels less teenager and more desirable, not that it’s going to make any difference.
At dinner, you learn Noah is the same age as you, and that he’s into music just as much as Nick is—if not more, by mentioning that he’s in a band. You ooh and ahh, twirling your hair around your finger in a way that, when you look back years later, will make you cringe, but Noah just laughs and smiles at you.
During the meal, you notice him fidgeting like he’s nervous, and you briefly consider offering a comforting hand. Friendly, sure, but maybe too forward for someone you’ve just met. Instead, you give him an encouraging smile before leaning forward to look past him at Nick.
“Nicky, can we play Smash Bros after this?”
“You have Smash Bros?” Noah asks, eyebrows raised.
“Oh yeah! We can all play after dinner.”
“As long as you both clean up,” your mom cuts in. You and Nick agree with reluctant grumbles.
After dinner, the two of you help clear the table, Noah offering to help, too, before all three of you run upstairs to Nick’s room, where he sets up the game. You lose every round, spending most of the time button mashing, but you’re highly entertained watching the two of them play, especially Noah. You quietly admire him, your heart fluttering each time he glances your way and invites you to play another round.
It becomes routine, something the three of you fall into almost every time Noah comes over, which is nearly every day after school. Until one day, you just stop showing up.
“Where’s your sister?” Noah asks, glancing at the empty spot in Nick’s room where you usually sit waiting for your turn, sneaking looks at him when you think he’s not paying attention.
It’s been a few weeks now since Noah’s seen you at home, not that he’s been counting—almost five.
“I dunno.” Nick shrugs, eyes locked on the screen, fingers tapping over the buttons as he follows his character. “Out with that Jake guy, I think.”
Noah tries not to react, but there’s a faint grind of teeth, a flicker of indignation. He knows about you dating some preppy guy from school—blonde, muscular, on the football team. The complete opposite of him. Not someone he would’ve ever pictured you with.
He couldn’t help the pang of jealousy the first time he saw you talking to Jake. At first, he assumed it was just a quick conversation, maybe you were sending him on his way, only to now find out you’ve been spending nearly all your free time with Jake instead of here, with him and Nick.
That pang only sharpens later that night when he logs onto MySpace. Clicking over to your profile, he finds he’s been bumped from his spot in your top four, relegated to the second row, replaced.
The weeks you spend dating Jake feel long and agonizing. Noah sees you less and less outside of school, and even inside, it’s usually only in passing—in the hallways, or occasionally at lunch. His own habit of ditching to hang out with Nick at the tattoo shop downtown doesn’t help.
There are still the occasional texts exchanged, but nothing more, and all the while, Noah feels like he’s watching you from a distance, pining for something he’s starting to believe will never be his.
“You should come,” Nick insists, glancing over from his little work station while Noah flips through the latest Kerrang! magazine.
“What? To your sister’s party? You really think she’s gonna want either of us there?”
“Technically she only wants me because I can buy the alcohol. And she’d want you there because, well—you’re her friend.”
Something about that word doesn’t sit right with Noah. It never felt like you and he were just friends. Maybe briefly, but now it feels less like that and more like he’s just some guy nursing an unrequited crush. Being around you only opens the door for heartbreak.
If Nick has ever suspected anything, he’s never said so, never tried to warn him off when it came to you. Honestly, Noah doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“Is she still with that dude?” he asks, unable to keep the irritation out of his tone.
“Jake?” Nick glances up before continuing. “I think so. I know he’s coming.”
There’s a pause. Noah weighs the idea of going, eyes narrowing at the magazine in his hands. His brows are drawn together in a distinct furrow, but Nick only casts him a quick look before turning back to his work.
“C’mon, dude. It’s her nineteenth. It’s only gonna happen once.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Noah rubs the back of his neck with a slight huff, then nods. “Fine. But if it gets too dull, I’m going home.”
“Whatever you say.” Nick lifts his hands in mock surrender, but Noah swears he sees the unmistakable twitch of a grin at the corner of his mouth.
The party is exactly as expected: most of your friends, a couple of Nick’s friends who you know by extension, and then there’s Noah.
The sight of him both surprises and pleases you the moment you step off the bottom stair just as he’s coming through the door, the height difference between you more noticeable than ever.
“Hi…” Your features soften, and Noah greets you with a warm smile and an open arm for a hug. You step into it without thinking, wrapping your arms around his lean frame, tucking yourself close. It’s been far too long since you last saw him, and you can’t help nuzzling into his chest, especially when his chin dips against the top of your head and he murmurs, low and fond, “There she is. The birthday girl.”
The words make your stomach flutter with butterflies, and there’s a twinge of guilt, because in all the time you’ve been with Jake, you’ve never felt that. In fact, you’d only agreed to a date with Jake all those months ago in hopes of forgetting Noah, but instead, you’ve only found yourself longing for him more. No matter how much distance you’ve tried to put between you, he’s still there in your mind.
“It’s been too long,” he says, pulling back to look down at you. “I’d accuse you of purposely hiding from me if I didn’t know any better.”
You laugh, but there’s a faint quiver in it, nerves maybe, because his words are too close to the truth.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy.”
“So I hear. A boyfriend, huh?”
If he’s hurt, nothing in his face gives it away. Maybe, deep down, you’d been hoping he would be, hoping for some sign that he likes you as much as you like him.
“Yeah…”
“How’s it going?”
“Good.” You nod, though not convincingly. It’s not easy dating the guy who’s considered to be pretty and popular, especially with the kind of attention he gets from other girls.
Suddenly there’s a loud crash from somewhere behind you, followed by cheers. You roll your eyes with a huff.
“Will you excuse me?”
You brush past him, quietly thankful for the excuse to escape the guaranteed awkwardness of this conversation, and silently praying that nothing important just got broken.
“How’d that go?” Nick’s voice comes from behind him, and Noah turns with a shrug.
“Good. Why wouldn’t it?”
“Because it’s felt like you’ve both been avoiding each other for months now.” Nick raises a brow, almost conspiratorially, and whatever idea he’s got in his head, he might not be entirely wrong.
“It’s nothing.” Noah shakes his head. Nick just sighs before offering him a beer.
“If anyone asks—”
“No idea where these came from.”
They share a brief, amused grin before Noah takes a swig and slips off into the small crowd, finding somewhere to settle and falls into conversation with some of Nick’s other friends who came over for the festivities.
“What are you doing out here all on your own?” Noah asks when he spots you sitting on the bench swing at the back of the empty garden.
He’s stepped out for some fresh air, the music from inside the house still booming but growing distant as he approaches. He catches the quick brush of your hand against your cheek before taking a seat beside you with a quiet sigh.
“Let me guess—‘It’s your party and you’ll cry if you want to’?” His tone is teasing, earning a halfhearted laugh from you.
“Idiot,” you mumble under your breath.
He leans in, giving you a light nudge. “Why are you out here alone and crying?”
You freeze at the last word, exhaling slowly before answering. “Because this is the worst possible birthday.”
“Why?” It comes out quicker than he means, but he’s not trying to pry, he just cares.
Through muffled sobs, he catches the words Jake and some girl up in your room. Noah’s jaw tightens, teeth grinding, blood boiling at the thought of what he could, and would happily, do if he got his hands on him. His arm slips around you, pulling you against him in comfort. You fall into him easily, hiding your face against his shirt as the emotion rolls over you, another wave of tears following.
You never expected things with Jake to be serious, not really, but it still hurts to find him kissing another girl. In your room of all places.
“He never deserved you.” Noah’s voice is soft, but there’s no hiding the truth in it. You’ve always deserved better than some preppy asshole.
You don’t disagree or argue; you just nuzzle closer, his arm tightening as he holds you.
“It’s not midnight yet,” he murmurs. “Your birthday still isn’t over. We can still turn it around.”
“Oh yeah?” You sniffle, lifting your head slightly to look at him as you wipe your eyes. “And how do you plan to do that?”
Instead of answering, Noah reaches out, taking your chin in between his thumb and forefinger, and tilting your head back just enough to lean down and kiss you. It’s soft and tentative at first, barely a brush, before you slowly melt into it, returning it just as delicately, your hand coming up to cup his cheek.
Your chest bursts with emotion, tears welling again, but this time, they’re not from sadness. They’re from happiness. From relief. From finally having an answer to the question you’ve always carried.
Noah more than likes you back.
Nothing more happens that night between you and Noah. In fact, nothing more has happened since. Still, you’ve been spending more time together, hanging out with him and especially his bandmates now that he and Nick have fully formed something solid.
It’s nice, getting to watch them practice in the backroom of some venue that lets them rehearse as long as they clean up afterward. Right now, they’re preparing for an upcoming tour. They’re only the opening act, and it’s a Warped Tour style setup, but you couldn’t be prouder—not just of Nick, but of Noah, remembering that first night, dinner with your family, when he talked about his dreams. Now you’re watching him live them.
While everyone else is clearing up, Noah approaches where you’re sitting at the side of the room. “So, are you going to come watch us play?” Noah asks, leaning back against one of the large equipment cases.
“Didn’t I just?” you tease.
He leans in, nudging you playfully. “You know what I mean.”
Nothing might have happened between you that night, but it doesn’t change the flirting that has started, subtle but undeniable. There’s a whole new undertone to your friendship.
“I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah, you can’t come. But why not just one show?” He gives you the most hopeful look, puppy eyes and all, rocking side to side. He’s been trying for weeks to convince you to join them on the tour. Even Nick has agreed, and your parents have no issue, yet you’re still digging your heels in. Maybe because you know what’ll happen if you go, and the last thing you want is to feel like some unintentional groupie.
“Maybe if you did a show here. Besides, you’ll meet some hot girl on the road and forget all about me.” You brush it off lightly, but his expression shifts, a flicker of genuine hurt crossing his face.
“You really think I’d forget about you like that?” he asks.
He doesn’t deny the pretty girl part, but the way he says those words makes you believe him.
Before either of you can get too caught up in the conversation, Folio—their new official drummer, calls Noah over. Having him around is like having a puppy twenty four seven: younger than all of you, full of relentless energy, but when that energy transfers to the drums, it’s incredible.
Watching Noah fills you with pride, it’s like seeing someone find not only their passion, but their people. Finding a place where he finally belongs.
In Noah’s room, you fall back onto the bed with a soft thud, sprawled across it as Noah drops down beside you. His head turns toward you, and his leg stretches out to gently nudge your side.
“Don’t even try it,” you murmur from beneath the arm draped over your face.
“I wasn’t going to do anything,” he teases, reaching a hand toward you. You can hear the grin in his voice without even looking at him.
“Mhm.” You hum before moving your arm behind your head, glancing over at him. “You’re not going to try and convince me one more time to join you in the back of a minivan with, what, four other dudes?”
“Five,” he corrects.
You roll your eyes, the corner of your mouth quirking with a small grin. “I think I’ll be better at home.”
“Well, I’ll miss you then.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.”
“Barely.” He scoffs and shuffles closer, resting his chin on your shoulder as he looks at you. For a moment, you linger in silence, gazes locked. You feel the faint brush of his fingers along your side, dipping where the fabric of your shirt rides up.
“Do you ever think about it?” Noah asks at last.
Somehow, you don’t need him to clarify. You have. You do. You find yourself coming back to it more often than you’d like to admit.
You bite down on the corner of your lip and turn your head away, gaze dropping. “Sometimes…” you confess softly.
“All the time,” he breathes.
You turn back, meeting his eyes again just as he leans in. His lips brush yours, soft, just as they had been the first time but when your hand grips the front of his shirt, you’re the one who deepens it, pressing yourself closer. His hand slides down to the small of your back, pulling you flush against him.
“Tell me if you want to stop,” he murmurs between kisses.
“I don’t,” you breathe, chasing his lips once more.
You roll fully onto your back, pulling him with you. The bed creaks beneath you both, his knee sliding up between your thighs, first to part them, then pressing firmly against your jeans. The kiss turns more heated, his tongue slipping into your mouth, and your hips grind down against his thigh. Your hands tangle in his shoulder length hair, grazing his scalp, tugging, a moan spilling out with your desperate rutting.
It’s been years. You’ve had another boyfriend since that first kiss, but nothing sets you alight the way Noah does. He’s been all you’ve thought about, all you’ve craved.
Little do you know, he’s wanted the same, finding you in his thoughts far more often than he’d ever admit.
From downstairs comes the slam of the front door, echoing through the quiet house, followed by the call of, “Noah!”
You’re no longer alone in the sanctuary of his home. Your brother has returned, his sudden arrival causing you and Noah to quickly part, scattering like teenagers expecting to be caught by their parents.
From beyond the bedroom walls, you hear the creak of the stairs and heavy footsteps as Nick takes them two at a time, jogging his way upstairs. By the time he reaches Noah’s room and swings the bedroom door open, you and Noah have put at least a few feet between yourselves. Noah is across the room in the computer chair, spinning idly, while you sit with your back against the wall, facing the TV and flicking through channels in search of something to watch.
“Oh, hey! I didn’t know you were here.” Nick doesn’t bother hiding his surprise, though if he has any suspicions about you hanging out in Noah’s room, he doesn’t let them show.
“I was waiting for you!” Shuffling to the edge of the bed, you stretch before offering Noah the remote and hopping to your feet. “Since you only have a couple more days before you leave me forever—”
“For, like, a few weeks…” Noah interrupts, correcting you.
You continue anyway, pressing a hand dramatically to your chest. “And I’ll be all alone—”
“With our parents,” Nick adds.
“I felt it was only right to have at least one more hangout night.”
Nick's brows knit together as he studies you for a moment, as though internally debating your motives for being here. Eventually, he lets out a long sigh. “I suppose.”
He rolls his eyes playfully, and you scoff, reaching out to smack the front of his shoulder. “Hey! You’ll miss me while you’re gone.”
“More like I’ll miss the peace and quiet while dealing with him and the other guys.” Nick jerks his head toward Noah, who’s stopped spinning and is now staring at the two of you, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.
“What did I do?!”
The guilty look that flashes across Noah’s face sends your own pulse racing before Nick suddenly bursts into laughter. You quickly follow suit, the two of you shaking your heads at Noah while he remains thoroughly confused.
“Come on,” Nick says, pulling the door open. “We’ll go downstairs, order some food, and watch a movie.”
You follow him into the hallway, hearing Noah shuffle after you.
“Fine, but it better not be Lord of the Rings again.”
It is.
At this point, you’ve lost count of the number of times he’s rewatched it alone, let alone with Noah. While your brother sits curled up at one end of the L-shaped couch, you and Noah sit on the same side, close enough that the fingers of your hands resting on the same cushion brush against each other beneath the blanket you’re sharing.
It’s barely a graze, and yet his touch has a way of igniting the same spark in you that it has since that first kiss you shared on your birthday—the same kiss you’ve often fantasized about, daring to wonder what might have become of things back then had you pursued it further.
You’re distracted, enough so that when Nick begins to speak, quoting the movie as he always does, you visibly jump. Your hand pulls away from Noah’s reach, a flash of panic rushing through you at the thought of being caught.
It takes a moment to register that you haven’t been, but instead of sliding your hand back into place, Noah grows bolder. His arm extends until his hand finds the inside of your thigh, the touch no more than a brief stroke before it settles there comfortably, giving a gentle squeeze.
Before he can move any further, you press your thighs together, trapping his hand between them as though holding it hostage. Yet it seems to be exactly where he wants to be, evident in the way his fingers curl slightly against you.
Every movement Nick makes has you holding your breath and squeezing your thighs tighter, though it does little to deter Noah. The constant awareness of his touch is enough to keep your attention fixed anywhere but the movie, your thoughts drifting despite your best efforts to focus on what plays across the screen.
Instead of relaxing, your entire body stiffens. You fear being caught, but you don’t want Noah to stop. If anything, you long to feel his touch against your skin, without the barrier between the heat of his fingers and the puddle he’s turning you into with such a simple act.
The movie feels twice as long, your patience wearing thin, all while knowing there’s no chance of dragging Noah upstairs to his room or finding an opportunity to slip away and continue what had begun between you. Instead, you’re forced to sit with the tension he leaves coiled tight in your stomach, a feeling that only grows as the minutes crawl by.
When the movie finally ends, you drag yourself up from the couch, trailing behind as they both head upstairs. Noah leads closely ahead of you, one hand tucked behind his back, his fingers catching the tips of yours and holding on until you reach the top of the stairs, where you’re forced to split off in opposite directions.
Nick has already disappeared down the hall toward his room. You turn toward the guest room, shoulders slumped, not daring to look back at Noah, only to nearly jump when a hand suddenly catches yours.
Spinning on the spot, you almost collide with Noah. He’s standing close, gazing down at you. His already dark eyes are nearly swallowed by the shadows, illuminated only by the faint glow spilling from the bathroom light farther down the hall.
“Noa—” you breathe, but he gently hushes you, guiding you backward toward the guest room. His free hand reaches behind you to ease the door open as he ushers you over the threshold.
For a second, you simply stand there, your heart pounding in your chest. Your fingers remain encased in his larger hand, his grip tightening briefly before he lets go. He lifts that same hand to your face, his thumb tracing softly along your lower lip as he leans closer.
“I meant what I said earlier.”
Your breath catches.
His lips brush yours as he continues, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I think about that kiss all the time.”
Noah seals his confession with a kiss that leaves your knees weak and sends a shiver racing down your spine. Your head goes pleasantly fuzzy, and for a moment you’re too caught up in him to fully process what’s happening. The gentle pressure of his thumb and forefinger against your chin, the way he tilts your head just enough to keep you close, determined to savour every second.
His touch feels almost searing, surrounded by the scent of him, familiar and comforting all at once, until he’s pulling away.
Silence settles between you in the darkness. Noah’s forehead rests against yours, as though he’s fighting a battle with himself not to stay. The words ‘don’t go’ rise in your throat, only to die there before they can ever reach your lips.
“Goodnight…” he finally says, breaking the silence.
In the same breath, you echo the word back in a whisper.
The reluctance in his departure lingers long after he steps away. The warmth of his touch feels imprinted on your skin, and the scent of him clings to you as he retreats to his own room.
Across the hall, after Noah climbs into bed, he spends the next several minutes tossing and turning before finally going still. Staring up at the ceiling, he eventually drifts off with one simple thought: that wishes he was lying next to you.
taglist: @hed0nistt @i-love-the-smell-of-your-blood @evrythngistkn @xmads-omensx @flowery-mess @freakoutgirll @hannahvanvelzor @catboy-vessel @th4t-em0-k1d @bluehairpunklol @ferduttini @whatiscute-blog @branika182 @fear-its-beauty @thirstomens @givemesomethingbeautiful @jayunbroken @nosubtlestuff @badomensspecter @vibecops @jestersnotebook @nefugus @lacy1986 @r3prise @likeavilllain @pathion @darksigns-exe @buttercupbabyyy @ami-gami @nogoodsailors @fadingangelwisp @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @nikki-plum @dodgersnotebook @english-fucker @trvshdxddy @theservantbones @itsfarbettertolearn @icybansheesoul @sallyba3 @mapsychoticimagination @fadingintothegrey @oobleoob @romanreigns-supreme @omens-seeker @lobolocaamo @respectfulrebel @courta13 @meddleabout2 @leosunshine @dominuslunae @sleepycactus-omens
join taglist .ᐟ














