you know, you just can't hide it
Summary: Joe and you fell in love while filming Stranger Thing, but with time staying together gets harder and harder. Now, after both of you have broken up, you’re force to do the press tour for the final season of Stranger Things together.
Warnings: none, pure fluff, a little bit of angst as well. Its my first story ever so it may be trash sorry. No mention of Y/N. english is not my first language so there can be some errors in the grammar
Word count: 2k (hello?)
You couldn’t believe you were actually at the last press tour you’ll ever do for stranger things.
The last couple months I've been intense. Full of emotions. The filming had wrapped for more than a year now, but now while actually promoting the show, it has started to feel real.
All the emotions were rushing back.You knew that the people you’ve met and become great friends weren't going anywhere of course. It's been more than a year and you still go to the cinema with Charlie from time to time. You still received the most unhinged reels from gaten and caleb - you of course send the some and sometimes even weirded reels to them - So really nothing has really changed, other that you don't work together.
You miss that feeling when you woke up at 5am, walked to the make up trailer to get really, and found Maya and some of the kids already in there. The smell of coffee, of hairspray and that unique smell that was always there.
You miss the laughs when one of you messes up in a scene. When feeling when the scene is perfect.
You miss everything. Every little thing
“Hey, you okay?” Someone touched your arm.
“Yeah, sorry just.. thinking i guess” You were sitting on the couch, already hooked to our microphone, waiting for the rest to start the interview. Charlie sat down next to you, looking at you wanting for you to come clean. He knew something was wrong.
Well, everyone knew. Even the public at this point.
When everyone was ready, the staff gave the interview the sign to start.
“Well first i like to thank you all for talking with me” the interview that wasn't much older than you, probably 25 or so years old, greet you Charlie, Maya, Natalia, Joe and you “ i know this days most be wild for you guys, so thank you”
“Thank you” “of course” “don’t worry about it man” you all say at the same time.
“I don’t want to bother you guys with the same questions you have been asking for the last few days. The show was a 10 year project, but we have known each other for a really long time. You have always been very open about the fact that you guys are very close behind the cameras. It's something about the bond between your characters that you feel has crossed the screen and it has formed part of your bond in real life?”
“Wow that is a great question” Charlie was the first one to talk. “I think, well for me” he laughed “at the beginning cause we were the older guys we were closer, so now in a way, I sometimes still act like parents to the kids” you all laugh.
“I mean, they will always be our kids," Joe said.
“Speacially Steve’s and Charlotte’s” referring to yours and joes character that from season one at this slow-burn/stranger to friends to lovers trope.
Your character, Charlotte or Lottie for short, was an introverted girl and had always had a crush on Steve. Nothing happened between them because of Steve and Nancy’s relationship, but after their break up in season 2, Charlotte and Steve being stuck together with Dustin looking for Dart and eventually working together in Scoops Ahoys, the long tension between them broke after they found themselves being kidnapped by the Russians.
Your story with Joe wasn't that different from Steve and Charlotte’s.
You met in the first season, and besides the chemistry between you was necessary to create Steve and Charlottes, you guys click in a deeper way.
Everyone knew. Everyone could see it.
You were always together. Even when you were filming scenes with someone else, Joe was always there just waiting for you. Looking at you.
You were always touching.
You were sitting together between takes? you were stuck together. From legs to shoulders. You’ll never forget this one time when you were sitting talking with Natalia. You were sitting in the bleachers in the gym set. There were other people, actually Charlie and other people from production were sitting not far away from you, but once Joe entered the set he walked straight to you.
He sat so close to you that your entire right side was touching his left side. You looked at him and all he did was smile and then looked at his phone. There were other seats where he could sit; where he wouldn’t be this close. Or maybe he just didn’t want to be alone. Or maybe he just did it.
When you look back at Natalia she was wearing this expression on her face. You just give her a look that screams “Don’t, please I know”. Because, yeah maybe it was nothing. But you knew. Somehow you knew.
That was one of the thousand moments you both shared in the past 10 years. But just like it happened with your characters, there's a moment where the truth most comes out. Even without any words being said.
For you guys, that moment happened ironically while filming the final scene between your characters in season 2 in which they share a moment that shows the undeniable attraction and adoration between them.
In the scene, Charlotte and Steve start slow dancing to “I want to know what love is” by Foreigner. It’s a beautiful moment between them. Both finally finding a moment of peace.
Joe and you slowed danced to the entire song. And at one point, your character was supposed to take her head off Joe's shoulder and look up to him. The script said “Then Charlotte looks up at Steve. Eyes full of love”.
The director had told you that this was it. This is the moment that Charlotte can no longer hide her feelings. The moment she falls in love with him. The moment where she just looks at the guy she’s in love with. No secrets.
The instruction could've sounded intimidating but it wasn’t. It could’ve been when it was Joe. The man who always holds every door open for you. The man knows that your favorite movie is Little Women so on your birthday he rented a cinema for you both to see it. The man that always gives you hugs ‘cause he knows how much you love them.
So when you look up at him. How could you not fall in love with him? Just like Charlotte, in that moment you couldn’t deny it any longer. You love him. Of course you did.
When Joe - or Steve - look down at you. A hand in your waist, the other in your jaw while his thumb struck gently your cheek; eyes full of adoration and love. You knew that he was experiencing the same thing. You knew that it wasn’t Steve looking at Charlotte. It was Joe looking at you.
Long after the director called cut either of you had let go of one or other until someone from production approached you to retouch your and Joe’s make up and hair. The moment you could you left the set, not daring to look at Joe. Overwhelmed by it all. But just like Charlotte and Steve’s relationship after that scene, Joe and your’s was never the same.
After that there wasn’t denial about what was happening with you two. Eventually you talk and from then on, things just go more and more intense.
You knew he liked you, a lot. He knew you liked him, a lot. From there things just happened.
They started to hang out more publicly. Started being more forward with each other, hugging a lot, holding hands. Until you finally kissed.
It kinda just happened and both of you laughed afterwards about the fact that finally one of your first wasn’t Steve and Charlotte’s as well.
Months when on. Eventually a year, two, three. You spend birthdays togethers. Christmas with my family. You were almost every day. So of course, you thought that even though you never had the talk, you were together. The public did two. Even though you never confirmed, the pictures and the way you acted in events said it all.
But now, years later, both of your careers are taking off. Both of you started doing music. You wrote a song about him, so did he. Never confirmed it when people asked, but it was obvious.
Things were great, until he wasn't. Both of your careers demanded so much time and energy. Things that used to feel like second nature started to feel like work.
With time things didn’t get better. You fought more, talked less. Until one day.. you were over.
He was the one to imply it. He regretted it the moment the words were out of his mouth but they linger between you. So you were done.
The worst of it all, is that life goes on. The show was over so you weren’t forced to see each other, not until the press tour started when you were inevitably going to be paired up together because of your character's story.
Until then, you two went noncontact.
Well.. not entirely. You talked though your music, that part for you dynamic didn’t change.
The first one to address the break up was him. “Fly” was released exactly 2 months after you broke up. You released “Honeyboy” a week later. It was a song that you were working on while being together, the reason why the beginning can be so a little happy, and the end hurts.
After that the song didn’t stop. You missed him, and it felt that now the only way where you could be with was in your songs.
“Yeah” Joe responded. You said nothing.
After the interview the media team started to tell you the instructions for the next round of interview. Charlie, Nataly and Maya would stay to continue, Joe and you would go to the rest alone.
You sat down, waiting for the interview and his team to settle. Once he is ready, both you and Joe stay professional, trying your best to keep it light and fun. Trying to be as natural as possible.
At one point the interview asks “You know that Steave and Charlotte’s is one of the favorite couple of the fans, do you have an idea of why that must be?”
You smile, and for the first time i was genuine “ I think that people love them because they were always, from the beginning, so honest and “ you struggled to find the proper words “just in love, you know?”
When you said that last part, you couldn't help but look at Joe. “Nowadays a lot of portraits of love tend to wall into the same pattern. They have tension, kiss or straight up have sex. They get together, say i love you and then the guy does something and they break up. The girl takes him back, happy ever after” You couldn’t help to go on. You loved the love story both of you built for your characters. You had fought for them to have a different outcome and storyline that the writers first intended for them.
“But with Steve and Charlotte it's not like that. They got to know each other at their own pace. They were friends, and when they finally got together, they were honest and never really hurt each other. Not really. And I think people saw that connection and care and found something different and… I don't know sweet?” You laugh toward the end, realizing how much you talk for a “simple” question.
You turn to look at Joe after realizing how silent he was. And what you find made your heart speed up, and stomach turn because he was looking at you the same way that he did those years ago, while slow dancing as Charlotte and Steve.
Joe smiled “Yeah..” without leaving his eyes from yours “what she said. People just saw how much they loved each other. How much Steve loves Charlotte. Just that simple”
The interview keeps going after that, but you knew something had changed between you two. Right now while he keeps his eyes on you? It felt that there was still a chance for you both.
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