somebody else.
childhood bsf! jermajesty x reader x jaafar
summary: the jackson family invites your family over for game night! one game after another, a simple round of charades turns the night into something much more complicated.
warnings/content: profanities, more jealous! maj, angst 🫥, slow burn bc i love torturing myself
a/n: this song randomly played while i was listening to my playlist and i immediately thought of maj and jaaf. hihihihi
🩵
As soon as you and your family stepped into the Jackson residence, you were greeted by the welcoming scent of home-cooked meals from the kitchen, the lively chatter coming from the living room, and the excited laughter of children weaving through the halls.
Tonight’s event was one of the most awaited ones between your family and theirs– a tradition neither family had dared to break. Every once in a while, your family and the Jacksons would set aside an entire weekend for one another. No business, no outside plans, no excuses. It was the one date that stayed circled on everyone's calendars months in advance.
“You made it!” You smiled as Genevieve pulled you in for a hug. Pulling away after a few seconds, she greeted your parents and both of your siblings. Being the hospitable host that she was, she quickly grabbed the food you and your family had brought over and called her brothers, Randy and Jaafar, to help with the other items.
“Hey, bug!” Randy greeted as he took your coat from your arms and placed it on the coat rack alongside your family’s coats. “Excited for tonight?” he smirked and you rolled your eyes, knowing what he meant. “Mhm. I’ll beat all of your asses in every game we play tonight,” you replied in confidence.
Randy immediately laughed in disbelief, “You wish! Jaafar, she thinks she can beat us on game night.” Jaafar, who was busy entertaining your older brother with small talk, turned his head towards the both of you and scoffed. “You keep dreaming, angel.”
You rolled your eyes at the nickname he gave you, feigning indifference. You were about to reply but you heard your name being called from the living room. You turned your head and saw Jermaine with little Abu balanced on his hip.
“Hi, sir!”
Jermaine rolled his eyes playfully at the way you addressed him. “Kid, quit playin’ with me. I told you to call me Jermaine.”
You offered him a small smile as you shrugged your shoulders. “I know, I know. But it’s fun seeing your reaction every time I do it. Hi, baby!” You turned your attention towards Abu who was already holding his arms out for you. Jermaine chuckled at his son’s eagerness and handed Abu to you. “Don’t give her any trouble now. I’ll leave you two to it,” You nodded, spinning around and making Abu giggle as Jermaine patted your shoulder. “Oh, Jermajesty’s still up in his room. Please tell him to come down.”
🩵
With Abu still resting on your hips and playing with your hair, you walked up to Jermajesty’s room and knocked on his door. “Jermajesty! Your dad told me to drag you out of your man cave!”
You smiled down at Abu as he nuzzled his face onto the crook of your neck, fingers still playing with the ends of your hair. “What’s taking your big brother so long, hm?” you asked, not really expecting an answer from the toddler.
“Maj!” Your raised fist halted mid-air as the door opened, revealing Jermajesty in just his sweatpants. When you looked down at his bare chest, you let out an awkward cough and averted your gaze towards his doorframe. He chuckled and put on a casual white shirt before gently tugging you towards him. To your surprise, he placed a kiss on your cheek before pulling away and ruffling Abu’s hair then walking away as if nothing happened.
Abu gasped, covering his mouth and giggling in that typical childlike manner, teasing you as you stood there, in the middle of Jermajesty’s room, completely frozen.
“You coming, bro?” Jermajesty called out, pulling you out of your trance.
“Coming! Shut it, Abu.” You narrowed your eyes at the boy in your arms before following Jermajesty downstairs.
🩵
The chorus of complaints echoed through the living room before the current round could even finish.
"That was not the rule!" "It literally was!"
"You changed it halfway through!" "I did not!"
"You absolutely did."
"Okay, okay!" Jermaine laughed, raising both hands in surrender as the overlapping voices grew louder. "I think we've officially reached the point where nobody remembers how this game is actually supposed to be played."
"That's because Uncle Marlon keeps making up rules," Genevieve chimed in with a grin.
"I do not! How dare you—"
"You just did ten seconds ago," Randy Jr. pointed out, earning a wave of laughter from everyone else.
Your sister shook her head fondly from her seat on the couch. "How about we save ourselves another twenty-minute argument?"
"What're you suggesting?" your father asked.
"Charades!" one of the younger cousins blurted out almost immediately. Within seconds, everyone had abandoned the previous game without a second thought. The board pieces were swept back into their box, playing cards disappeared into their case, and the coffee table was pushed farther against the couch to clear a makeshift stage in the middle of the room.
Your brother disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a small bowl, a handful of folded slips of paper, and a pen. "Everyone write your name once. Random pairs!”
The room buzzed with conversation as the slips were passed around. Some folded theirs neatly while others crumpled them into tiny balls before tossing them into the bowl in the center of the coffee table. Jermajesty leaned forward from where he'd been sitting on the floor beside the couch, dropping his paper in with the rest before giving the bowl an exaggerated shake.
After everyone’s names were collected , Jermaine took the bowl and did the honors of drawing the names. One by one, he announced the pairs, each met with cheers, groans, or playful teasing depending on who had been matched together. Soon enough, only a handful of names were left in the bowl.
“Jermajesty…” Jermaine called out as he reached for another name. “And (your brother’s name).” Jermajesty’s shoulder immediately slumped while your brother clasped his hands together, already making his way towards him. Jermaine pulled the remaining two names and smiled, “Last but not the least, Jaafar and Y/N.”
From where he sat on the floor, Jermajesty watched the easy smile spread across your face as Jaafar bumped your shoulder with his own. He forced a smile as everyone continued joking around, quietly reminding himself that it was only a game.
🩵
It was finally you and Jaafar's turn to play, the competitiveness already radiating off the both of you as you stood and made your way to the middle of the room. “I’ll act first,” Jaafar offered, which made you nod your head. He reached into the bowl, unfolding the tiny slip of paper before immediately biting back a smile.
“Don’t mess it up, J,” you warned, playfully pointing a finger at him. Before he could respond, your father clapped his hands together. “30 seconds starting… now!”
Jaafar straightened, quickly miming the motion of spinning an invisible basketball on one finger before pretending to dribble down an imaginary court.
"Basketball!" someone shouted. “Aye, it’s her turn to guess! Don’t help her out!” someone else scolded.
"No!" He pointed enthusiastically at the person.
"Sports?"
He shook his head.
"N—NBA!"
Another shake. You narrowed your eyes, studying every movement instead of blurting out the first thing that came to mind. Jaafar pretended to bounce a ball once more before raising both arms high above his head, wiggling his fingers as though something had just swished through a net.
You stared for another second before guessing. "...Slam dunk?"
He tilted his hand.
"Three-pointer!"
He pointed at you excitedly before tapping his finger against his wrist to portray time and then covering his ears.
"Buzzer beater!"
He threw both fists into the air, “Yes!” The room erupted in cheers as gave you a high-five. “Okay, angel. Your turn.”
You smiled as your family cheered you on. You shuffled the pieces of paper with your fingers before finally picking one out. Internalizing the word, you smiled and tucked the paper in your pocket before looking back at Jaafar. “You ready?”
“Of course, angel.”
Across the room, Jermajesty shifted in his seat, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes never left you, watching as that smile of yours grew every second you were with his brother.
"Thirty seconds," Jermaine announced. "Go!"
Without wasting a second, you raised both arms behind your back, flapping them exaggeratedly like a pair of wings. Jaafar blinked, “...Bird?” You vigorously shook your head as you continued to flap your arms.
“Uh, eagle!”
You shook your head again.
“Chicken?” Laughter erupted around the room and you groaned. “Seriously?” you mouthed incredulously.
“What? It has wings!” he replied.
You rolled your eyes before trying again, stretching your arms wide and gliding around the makeshift stage.
"...Airplane?"
"No!" You screamed in frustration.
"You can't talk!" Randy Jr. laughed.
You let out a dramatic sigh before wiggling your fingers beside your shoulders as if they were delicate wings.
Jaafar snapped his fingers and pointed at you. “...Butterfly?"
No. “Ugh! Bat?"
No!
"...Fly?"
"You've got twenty seconds!" your brother announced, making you pinch the bridge of your nose. Jaafar immediately urged you to continue acting the word out.
Thinking quickly, you lifted both hands above your head, shaping an invisible halo before clasping your palms together as though you were praying.
"...Church?"
You groaned.
"...Prayer?" he guessed.
"Oh, come on!" Genevieve whined. "It's so obvious!"
"It is not!" Jaafar defended.
You looked up at the ceiling for a brief second, silently begging for patience. Then, with only a few seconds left, you dropped your hands. You pointed at yourself then directly at Jaafar.
“What?” he frowned. You pointed at yourself again then at him, eyes widening expectantly. The room had gone noticeably quieter, everyone watching the two of you with growing amusement.
Come on, Jaafar. You literally call me this.
Jaafar stared at you for another second, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck as he wracked his brain for an answer. Panicking, you looked at the time and let out a muffled scream at him, indirectly telling him to think faster.
After a few more seconds, his face lit up. "...Angel!"
You immediately pointed at him with both hands. "Yes!"
"TIME!" Cheers erupted throughout the living room. Your brother, ever the teaser, pointed at Jaafar and burst into laughter. “Dude, it took you the entire 30 seconds to get that?” he said in between laughs.
Jermaine looked between the two of you, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "...Angel?" he repeated. "Why'd that finally make sense?" Jaafar rubbed the back of his neck, laughing sheepishly. "I..." He glanced over at you. "...I call her that sometimes."
A chorus of oohs instantly filled the room. You couldn't help but smile, shaking your head as the teasing only intensified. "Come on, guys. It's not a big deal," you insisted.
Jaafar laughed in defeat, throwing his hands into the air. "Can we move on?"
Across the room, Jermajesty leaned back against the couch, forcing out a quiet chuckle that never quite reached his eyes.
Angel.
He'd heard Jaafar call you that more times than he could count. It had always seemed harmless, just a normal nickname. But hearing everyone gush over it, watching the shy smile spread across your face as Jaafar unconsciously looked at you before explaining himself left an unpleasant weight settling in his chest.
Why does it bother me so much? he thought. It's just a stupid nickname.
He exhaled through his nose and looked away, rolling his eyes before anyone noticed he'd gone quiet. “Hey, I’m feeling kinda dizzy. Y’all mind if I retire for the night?’ The crowd immediately asked questions to which Jermajesty dismissed, telling everyone he was just tired and feeling a little under the weather. Eventually, his father agreed and told him to get some rest.
🩵
Your gaze instinctively wandered toward the couch where Jermajesty had been sitting only moments ago. Empty. You frowned. That was unlike him. Usually, he'd have a sarcastic comment ready after every failed guess, or he'd be the loudest one laughing whenever someone embarrassed themselves. But after the teasing surrounding you and Jaafar, he slipped out of the room.
It wasn't obvious enough for anyone else to notice. But you'd known him for far too long to miss it. "Be right back," you murmured to your brother, nudging his shoulder as you stood.
"Hm?" He barely looked away from the game. "Bathroom?"
You simply nodded, not bothering to correct him. You quietly slipped out of the living room, the sounds of cheering growing muffled as you made your way down the familiar hallway. Without thinking, your feet carried you straight to Jermajesty's room.
The door was slightly ajar but you knocked twice against the wood anyway. "Jer?" You pushed it open just enough to peek inside. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, absentmindedly spinning a basketball between his palms.
He looked up at the sound of your voice. "Oh." His expression softened almost immediately. "Hey."
"There you are." You stepped inside, gently closing the door behind you. Silence settled between you for a moment. You sat down beside him and nudged his shoulder with yours. “You okay?”
Jermajesty looked down at the basketball again, giving it another slow spin.
"...Yeah."
You narrowed your eyes. "Liar."
A small laugh escaped him. "You always know."
"I do. So, what’s wrong?”
Finally, he sighed.
You. Jaafar. And whatever the hell was going on between the two of you, he thought.
He wanted to say it out loud so bad but fear took over him instantly. He glanced at you, opening his mouth before shaking his head. “... I just needed a breather. Don’t worry.”
You scoffed at his reply. “How can I not worry? You rarely back out of game night.”
He stayed silent. You sighed softly and looked around until your eyes landed on a framed photo of you and him on his nightstand. You smiled and took it in your hands, making Jermajesty look over and smile softly too.
You were still kids, not older than the age of 6. Your hair was styled in two high pigtails and you were wearing a shirt that matched his. His smile mirrored yours, big and bright, as he held out a peace sign and placed it at the back of your head while your arms were around him, wrapping his tiny body into a tight hug.
“Time flies, huh?” You muttered, tracing the edges of the photoframe lightly. He shifted closer to you and nodded while wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Mhm.” Placing the frame on your lap, you let your body lean against his as you looked up. “What really bothered you tonight, Jer? You can tell me.”
No, I can’t. If I say it out loud, there's no going back. He thought.
“There’s no point in lying to me, Jermajesty. I can read you like an open book,” you chuckled, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. He looked down at you, his face inches before yours, and stared.
Then why haven’t you figured it out yet? He thought, his heart aching desperately for you to finally understand.
You could see the thoughts running in his brain as clear as day. Sighing, you laced your fingers with his and offered a soft smile. “Okay, I won’t push. But you can always talk to me, okay? You know I don’t judge.”
He raised an eyebrow at you and you laughed. “Unless necessary. But, really. If there’s anything you want— or need— to tell me, I’m right here.”
He nodded. “I know, baby. Thank you.” He kissed the top of your forehead and sighed in content. “Let’s stay like this for a bit, yeah?” You nodded and placed the photo back on his nightstand before going back into his arms.