Pairing: younger!Joel x f!reader
Summary: Set in the 90s. Your relationship with Joel hits a bump. Hurtful words and endless arguments lead to the end of your relationship.
Warnings/tags: No outbreak/au. Joel and reader are twenty two. Mention of sex. Kinda infidelity?—Joel gets caught….miscommunication. Alcohol consumption. A bit of drinking and driving(don’t do that!). No description of Joel or reader, so imagine game!joel or the Pedge <3 Part One of Three
a/n: if this story sounds a little familiar…no it doesn’t🤣
The first warning sign wasn’t the job. It was the way Joel looked at you when he found out it was a guy who got it for you.
When you’d told him you finally landed a job at the little video rental store on the edge of town, you’d been practically bouncing on your toes. “I got it!” you’d squealed, throwing your arms around his neck.
Joel had smiled—really smiled—lifting you off the floor for a second. “‘Bout damn time,” he’d laughed. “Knew somebody’d be smart enough to hire you.”
You’d kissed him twice before blurting out the rest. “It was Ethan.” Joel’s grin faded just enough for you to notice.
“…Who’s Ethan?”
“The guy we knew from high school. He said his uncle owns the place and put in a good word for me—he works there too.”
Joel nodded. “Oh.” That was it. Just…Oh.
You hadn’t thought much of it. You should have.
At twenty two , you and Joel had been together almost a five years, friends for eight. Everyone said you two were inseparable. Tommy joked he was sick of seeing the two of you draped over one another whenever you were over.
Your parents teased that if one of you walked into a room, the other was usually only five seconds behind. It had always been easy. Movie nights, late drives with the windows down. Cheap burgers. Stargazing from the hood of Joel’s truck, sometimes you had sex, sometimes you didn’t.
You’d honestly believed this was it. That kind of love people wrote songs about. Then Ethan happened.
The video store wasn’t exactly glamorous. But you needed to save up for your own place. It was rows of VHS tapes, sticky carpets. A popcorn machine that only worked when it felt like it, but you loved it. You got paid to recommend movies, alphabetise shelves and argue with customers who swore they’d returned Die Hard when you knew they hadn’t. Ethan worked most shifts with you. He was friendly. Funny, a little cocky—and painfully obvious.
“You still with Joel?” he’d asked on your second shift. You’d smiled without even looking up from the shelf you were stocking.
“Yeah.”
“You guys serious?”
“Very.”
He’d sighed dramatically. “Ah well, nevermind—I got all the time in the world.”
— · ✦ · —
Joel noticed everything. How Ethan called the house asking if you could cover shifts.
How he’d bring you home after work talking to you in the parked car while Joel sat there and waited. None of it crossed any lines, not really. But every time Joel saw it…something inside him tightened.
“Whys he gotta be around so much?”
“He’s my friend and my colleague, Joel.”
“Mhm.”
“What does “mhm” mean?”
“Nothin.”
The arguments started out small. Little comments, little silences. Then they got longer. Sharper and so had words. Words were harder to recover from.
Weeks passed. Joel stopped asking about your day, you stopped telling him. He’d drop you at work without kissing you goodbye. You’d climb out of his truck wondering what you’d done wrong this time.
Sometimes you’d catch him watching Ethan laugh with you after your shift. His jaw would clench. His hands would tighten around the steering wheel. The drive home would be silent, until one of you finally snapped.
“You like the attention from him.”
The words hit you like cold water. You stared at him from the kitchen. “What?” Joel folded his arms. “You heard me. Standing there with him all laughing and smiling.”
“I’ve told him we’re in a relationship. I’m just being polite!”
“Seems real friendly.”
Your eyebrows shot up. “So now I can’t fuckin smile without asking?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, you’re just accusing me of something that I haven’t even done.”
Joel just stares at you with a plain expression. “You know he wants you.”
“And I’ve never given him a reason to think he has a chance!” Joel laughed bitterly. “You sure about that?”
That one hurt. Your face fell. “….You actually don’t trust me.”
He looked away.
You already had your answer. And neither of you realised it then…but that was the moment things truly started falling apart.
The arguments had become more frequent.
At first, they were easy to move past. One of you would apologise, the other would cave, and before long you’d be laughing again, stealing kisses, having sex in Joel’s room and pretending the fight had never happened.
But lately, it was getting worse.
One evening, Joel was over at your parents’ house. The two of you had been fighting for over an hour, voices growing sharper with every exchange. What started as frustration had turned into something far more hurtful.
“Oh my God, Joel, just stop.” You dragged a hand down your face, exhausted. “Fuck… I can’t keep doing this. It’s the same fight over and over again.” You let out a shaky sigh. “God…we need to take a break.”
You turned and walked out of your bedroom, desperate for a moment to breathe. Thanking God your parents weren’t home.
Joel stood there in stunned silence for a beat before his jaw clenched. “Fine.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Y’know what? Fine. We’ll take a damn break.”
Before you could even mutter a word, he brushed past you, shouldering past with barely a glance. His heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs as he snatched his jacket from the coat rack.
“Joel, wait—” The front door slammed so hard the windows rattled. The words died in your throat.
— · ✦ · —
Joel met up with Tommy at a graduation party their friend Tony was throwing. “Here’s to our future, everyone!” He screams. The crowd erupted into cheers, bottles clinking as everyone drank to the toast.
The brothers escaped the noise, leaning against the porch railing with beers in hand.
Tommy stared at Joel. “She broke up with you?” He could hardly believe it. The two of you had always been inseparable. As far as Tommy was concerned, you and Joel were supposed to end up with your own happily ever after. “You sure?” Tommy asked, leaning in. “What exactly did she say?”
Joel let out a long, tired sigh. “We were arguing…and she said, ‘We need to take a break.’” He shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t bother him. “And that was it. I left and came here.”
Tommy shook his head, still struggling to believe it. Before he could say anything else, Chloe sauntered over, her fingertips trailing across Joel’s shoulders. “Hey there, Miller.” She flashed him a sultry smile. “Why the long face?” She oozed confidence, dressed in the shortest skirt and the lowest-cut top she could get away with. She’d never been shy about flirting, and everyone knew she’d had her eye on Joel for a while.
“Wanna come somewhere quieter?” she purred. “We can talk about it.” Her hands wandered over his shoulders and down his arms without invitation.
When Joel didn’t answer. “So…” she teased, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Where’s the little woman? Oh no…” She pouted dramatically. “Is she the reason you’re looking so miserable?”
Joel didn’t dance around it. “Yeah,” he muttered. “She dumped me.”
Chloe’s expression brightened for the briefest moment before she masked it with another sympathetic smile. “Then come with me, Miller.” She slipped her hand into his. “I’ll make you feel better.” She gave his hand a gentle tug. Joel hesitated for only a second before pushing himself to his feet and following her inside.
Tommy opened his mouth to stop him. “Joel…”But Joel didn’t even look back. He followed Chloe upstairs without giving it a second thought.
You’d spent the entire night calling Joel’s house. Every time, one of his parents answered they both sounded genuinely sorry for you. It was obvious they couldn’t believe their son was treating you like this. On the fifth call, his dad finally remembered something. “Tommy mentioned a graduation party. Maybe Joel’s there.”
So you grabbed your keys and walked over to house party.
The music was loud, people spilling out onto the porch with drinks in hand. It didn’t take long to spot Tommy. The second he saw you, his expression turned sheepish. “What’re you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Joel—we need to talk more. Make the relationship work—focus on going forward.”
Tommy looked genuinely confused. “I thought…ya know…you and Joel broke up. You dumped him, didn’t you.”
Your brows knitted together. “What? I never dumped him.” Your voice cracked. “I said we needed a break—from, the arguing.”
Tommy’s face drained of colour, then slowly, his eyes drifted upstairs.
Your stomach dropped. “Where’s Joel?” The tears were already beginning to sting. Tommy didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. Without another word, you hurried inside and darted upstairs.
You didn’t know the layout of the house, trying a couple of doors before something in your gut told you the room at the end of the hallway was the one.
Then you heard it—a woman’s breathy moans. You recognised the voice instantly—Chloe. The cheerleader who sounded like Betty Boop. Your stomach churned. For one stupid, desperate second, your mind convinced itself it couldn’t be Joel. Maybe another guy had wandered upstairs with Chloe. Maybe Joel had left to come find you.
Then you heard him—his moans. The ones you hear when you give him head or he fucks you with such a force. It was unmistakably him.
Your heart shattered. You stood frozen outside the door, tears silently spilling down your cheeks. If you opened it…it becomes real. If you saw it…youd never unsee it.
Your hand trembled as you reached for the handle. The door creaked open and there they were. Chloe lay sprawled across the bed while Joel pounded into her over and over, completely unaware you’d entered.
For a moment, anger flared. You wanted to scream. To drag her off the bed, to hit him. Instead…all you felt was heartbreak. Your throat tightened as you whispered, “…Joel.”
He didn’t hear you. Chloe did though. “Oh shit…Joel, stop.” Joel looked up, breathing heavily, sweat clinging to his forehead. The haze left his eyes the instant he saw you standing there.
Crying.
“What the fuck…” He scrambled away from Chloe while she yanked the sheets over herself. Joel hurriedly pulled on his jeans before grabbing his shirt. You wiped at your nose with your sleeve, your shoulders trembling. “Joel…” you whispered. “W-what are you doing?” Your voice sounded so defeated it barely resembled your own.
He looked completely bewildered. “Why’re you upset?” he snapped. “You broke up with me.”
You stared at him. “What are you talking about?” You roughly wiped away your tears. “I didn’t fucking break up with you.” Your voice rose. “I said we needed a break from the fucking argument!”
Joel’s face drained of colour. The realisation hit him all at once. “Oh…”
“But Jesus Christ…” You looked down at your watch through blurred vision. “It’s been, what…three hours?” You laughed bitterly. “And you’re already fucking someone else.” Your eyes flicked toward Chloe. “This fucking slut.”
Joel stepped around the bed, hands raised cautiously. “Baby—”
Your voice cut through the room. “Don’t you fucking dare call me that.” You looked straight at Chloe. “You can fucking have him.” You reached the doorway before stopping. Without turning around, you say. “Just so you know…I’m gonna go fuck Ethan.”
Then you slammed the door behind you.
Joel cursed under his breath. He hastily threw on the rest of his clothes, nearly falling over trying to get his boots on. Behind him, Chloe sat up, letting the sheet slip from her shoulder. “Oh, come on, Joel.” She smirked. “Let’s finish what we started. It won’t be cheating now.”
Joel shut his eyes. “What the hell was I thinking…” He grabbed his jacket. “Chloe… just stop.” Without another glance, he rushed downstairs. Taking the steps two at a time, he nearly collided with Tommy at the front door. “What the fuck, Joel?” Tommy barked. “You told me she dumped you!”
Joel shoved past him. “Where’d she go?”
Tommy pointed down the street. “Left.”
Joel sprinted after you. Halfway down the road, he spotted something hanging over a white picket fence. Your shirt. His shirt. The one you’d stolen after the first time you slept together and practically wore every night since. He picked it up slowly, staring at it.
At least he knew he was heading the right way. He searched the streets before finally giving up and heading to your parents’ house.
They answered the door, confused. “She hasn’t been home since this afternoon.”
Joel didn’t know whether to believe them. Either way…he left.
— · ✦ · —
You’d turned left, then left again near a cul-de-sac. Your chest felt tight, everything felt suffocating. You yanked Joel’s shirt over your head and threw it onto a nearby fence. “Fucking. Asshole…” Instead of taking the next right—your usual route home, you kept walking ahead.
A few minutes later, a beat-up car rolled alongside you.
“Hey.”
You looked up. Tommys wide smile just had a small hint of sadness. “Get in. I got Jack Daniel’s.” He held up the bottle. “I figured… maybe we park somewhere and have a drink.” You climbed in without another word. Tommy reached into the back seat. “Here.” He handed you one of his old T-shirts. “Might smell a bit.” You pulled it over your head, and sat back against the seat.
“I’m thinking the park,” Tommy said softly. “Few drinks… then I’ll take you home.”
You nodded absentmindedly. “…Actually…can I ask a favour?” He glanced over. “Sure, sweetheart.”
“When you take me home…I need to pack some stuff…then can you take me to the train station?”
Tommy frowned. “The station? Where’re you going?”
“My sister asked me to stay with her for a while. She just got out of a relationship.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. “I’m gonna quit the video store, and take a break. A few days to myself. Think about things.”
Tommy tried everything he could to convince you to talk to Joel now. You couldn’t. You didn’t want to. Even if Joel genuinely believed you’d broken up…three hours was all it took. You’d always believed he was your soulmate. The one person who’d never stop choosing you. Instead…he chose someone else.
“Don’t worry,” you whispered. “I’ll call him when I get there. I’ll er arrange to meet him…when I’m ready.”
Tommy shook his head, “okay sweetheart. Come on, let’s go for a drink.” He puts the car into drive and you two head off.
Joel finally gave up searching around half past eleven. He dragged himself home exhausted. His mother was waiting outside his bedroom. “The poor girl called here five times, Joel Miller,” she said angrily. “She was crying.” His mother threw up her hands of him and goes downstairs.
Joel rubbed a hand over his face before collapsing onto his bed. His father remained standing in the doorway. “…Who was she?”
Joel didn’t bother lying. “Some damn cheerleader from high school.” He sighed heavily. “Don’t even like her.”
His father shook his head. “Son…a woman’s heart is delicate.” He folded his arms. “It’ll forgive a lot. But once her mind convinces her that she’s better off without you…” He sighed. “…that heart stops fighting for you.”
Joel kept quiet.
“You’d better go fix this, son. Before it’s too late.”
— · ✦ · —
Joel climbed onto the porch roof outside your bedroom like he’d done dozens of times before.
Your window was cracked open, he climbs inside and your room was silent. No tv, no music. No sign of you. His stomach twisted because for one awful second, he wondered if you’d gone to Ethan’s after all.
Then he noticed it. Half-empty drawers. Your toothbrush was gone, the bathroom cabinet had been cleared out. His heart sank. You hadn’t just left for the night.
You’d left. He stood there for several minutes before finally accepting he had no idea where you’d gone and had no idea what to do. So he went home, and waited.
Around two in the morning, Tommy’s car screeched into the driveway. Joel heard him stumbling through the front door.
“You been drinking and driving?” Joel called from the hallway. Tommy held his fingers an inch apart. “Little bit.”
Joel rolled his eyes and helped him into bed. “I can’t believe you’ve been driving, you’re such a dickhead.” Tommy mumbled something incoherent into his pillow. Joel lingered in the doorway.
“I couldn’t find her, Tommy.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I think she’s gone.”
Tommy was already half asleep.
Joel returned to his own room and lay staring at the ceiling, wondering where you’d gone.
Still…he convinced himself you’d call, eventually.
You didn’t—not until two weeks later.
And, you never came back home.
