when denise starts worrying that jobe has become distant while living in germany, she asks jude to check on him. expecting to find an overworked footballer, jude instead walks in on an awkward surprise before finally meeting the girl who’s completely changed jobe’s life.
taglist (tw) : jobe bellingham x fem!reader, established relationship, fluff, family fluff, protective brother!jude, ashlyn castro, denise bellingham, implied sex
a.n: starting a f1 series so requests will be closed for now. if you request something now, it’ll be done after a while 😓😓
jude had always thought jobe was the easiest one to worry about.
out of the two of them, jobe had always been the quiet one. the one who never made a fuss, never caused trouble, never needed anyone hovering over him. growing up, he was the kid who would disappear into his room for hours, only emerging when dinner was ready or someone called his name. if something upset him, he kept it to himself. if something made him happy, he’d smile to himself before telling anyone else. he had always carried his emotions like fragile glass.
everyone had assumed that meant he was fine because jobe had always seemed so capable. so mature. so independent.
he was the type of person who insisted he could carry all the shopping bags himself. who’d say, “i’ve got it,” before anyone even offered to help. the type who checked everyone else was okay before even considering how he was feeling.
if anyone could survive living abroad on his own, it was jobe. or at least that’s what jude had always believed. apparently, denise wasn’t so convinced anymore.
“he barely calls,” denise sighed over the phone one evening.
jude leaned back against the sofa, his phone balanced between his shoulder and ear while absentmindedly flicking through channels on the television.
“when he does call, he’s distracted. he sounds tired. i ask him what he’s been doing and all i get is, ‘i’ve just been busy, mum.’”
“mum…” jude chuckled softly. “he’s twenty.”
“i know he’s twenty but he’s still my baby.”
jude smiled despite himself. that sentence had never changed. not when jude moved away. not when he signed his first professional contract. not when either of them became adults. to denise, they’d always be her boys.
he glanced across the living room where ashlyn was curled up in the corner of the sofa, scrolling aimlessly on her phone.
she looked up when she noticed him smiling. “what?”
he mouthed, “my mum.” ashlyn smiled knowingly.
“what do you want me to do?” jude asked into the phone.
“please.” denise pleaded. “i don’t know why, jude. i just have this feeling.”
he rubbed the back of his neck. “okay.”
which was exactly how, on his only free day that week, jude found himself standing outside jobe’s apartment building in germany with ashlyn beside him.
she tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket as they looked up at the building. “your mum’s convinced he’s joined a cult, isn’t she?”
jude laughed. “honestly, i think she’d believe that before she’d believe he’s got a girlfriend.”
they made their way upstairs, jude pulling the spare key from his pocket. their mum had insisted he keep it months ago.
at the time, he’d rolled his eyes. now, he was quietly grateful she’d been stubborn.
the apartment was still. peaceful. the sort of silence that only existed in homes people genuinely enjoyed being in.
jude stepped inside first. “jobe?”
then he heard voices, soft and muffled coming from somewhere further down the hallway. he froze instantly. ashlyn nearly walked into his back. “what?”
jude slowly lifted one finger to his lips.
she frowned as he tilted his head ever so slightly towards the hallway. the voices became clearer.
and then “…oh.” the realisation hit ashlyn all at once. her eyes widened so much they were almost cartoonish. “…oh.”
jude immediately turned around.“absolutely not.”
without another word, he ushered ashlyn straight back towards the front door. they closed it as quietly as they possibly could before practically speed-walking down the corridor outside.
they made it all the way to the lift before ashlyn completely lost it. she burst into laughter, the kind that made tears gather in the corners of her eyes.
“don’t.” jude pointed at her accusingly “don’t even start.”
“he’s never recovering from this.”
“because i am traumatised.”
she laughed even harder. “jude…”
“that’s my little brother.”
“then why do you look like you’ve just witnessed a crime?”
he pinched the bridge of his nose. “because in my head he’s still fourteen.”
“well…” she wiped beneath her eyes. “he definitely isn’t fourteen.”
jude groaned. “please stop talking about it.”
they ended up spending almost an hour at a café around the corner.
ashlyn spent an hour relentlessly teasing him while jude tried very hard to erase the last thirty seconds of his memory.
by the time they’d finished their drinks, he decided enough time had passed.
when they got back upstairs, he made a point of knocking loudly against the open doorway before unlocking it.
footsteps echoed almost immediately.
jobe rounded the corner, stopping so suddenly he nearly stumbled over his own feet. he was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants, put in a rush most likely as they were the wrong way, and halfway through wearing a black tee.
his eyes widened. “…what are you doing here?”
“checking you haven’t joined a cult.”
before jobe could even begin questioning him, another figure appeared behind him.
you paused beside him almost instinctively. you wore a black top (most likely jobes because it was massive) and checkered pyjama pants. you had a small limp as you walked, barely noticeable but short was the first thing jude noticed. you also looked beautiful in a soft way. you smiled shyly as you looked between the two brothers before extending a hand.
before you even finished introducing yourself , jobe slipped yourfingers into his. he squeezed your hand automatically like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“it’s really nice to meet you both.” you spoke gently, smiling wider as you saw ashlyn.
you apologised for the apartment being a little messy, thanked them for making the trip over, and immediately asked if they’d like tea or coffee before anyone had even sat down.
and within five minutes, jude already understood why jobe sounded different these days.
there were framed photographs of the two of them decorated the shelves. one from christmas. one taken at the beach. another where you and jobe were laughing so hard the photo had blurred. a half-finished puzzle sat abandoned on the coffee table and two mugs rested beside it. a blanket had been bundled up in one corner of the sofa. there were tiny signs of both of you everywhere.
while y/n disappeared into the kitchen with ashlyn, talking about their lives, as she filled the kettle, jude finally looked at his brother. “mum’s worried sick.”
jobe sighed dramatically, dropping his head back against the sofa. “of course she is.”
“she thinks you’re shutting everyone out.”
he rubbed the back of his neck. “…i’m not.”
“then why haven’t you called?”
jobe stayed quiet for a moment. his eyes drifted towards the kitchen. towards you . “…because i’ve been happy.” his voice got quieter before saying. “i thought being independent meant doing everything alone.” he smiled to himself.“then she came along.” he laughed softly through his nose.“and suddenly i realised life didn’t actually have to feel that hard.”
© laoiwvq’s work is laoiwvq’s work only and is not free to use!
