Look at Me - Jermajesty fic
(friends to lovers) x black reader
summary: you meet jaafar in acting class and became friends and he invites reader over to his family’s house in Havenhurst for a barbecue they’re throwing. Jermajesty is there but he comes in late but immediately wants to get to know you.
warnings: none just fluff
Chapter 1
You hated this class with a passion; the professor had this weird way of pairing y'all off with people you didn't know. On the bright side, this was nearing the end of the semester. Walking into class and unfortunately for you, someone has stolen your ‘ unassigned assigned seat’ in the back, so now you're sitting in the front row next to the class know-it-all Jaafar. He was sweet, but it's like he knew how to answer each question before you could formulate the thought correctly. The other issue is, you know, Jaafar… well, you knew his family. Well, more specifically, you had a special interest in his uncle. To be fair, it's freaking Michael Jackson! So you tried to play it cool because he didn't want anyone to know who he was, which was fair.
Today’s lesson is different because now you're paired with him and the assignment seems simple; however, Professor Gamble wants the partners to hang out at least once outside of class and come back Monday with a script based on the hangout.
After class, you and Jaafar walk together to get an idea of where you can hang out. As y'all are discussing what an ideal place and time is. You decide that maybe you should let the cat out of the bag.
“So, I know we've been in class together for a while, so I just want you to know that I know who you are.. No judgement though”
He raises his eyebrows, “Oh! What do you mean?”
You giggle a bit. “No need to be coy, I won't tell anyone”
He smirks, then “How do you know, is my next question.
With a grimace, you admit to your Michael Jackson interest and casual deep dive from time to time.
The only thing heard after that is the cars passing by and the distant conversations from groups nearby, when he fully laughs. The line by his face crinkles, and he almost has tears in his eyes. And you swear you could see the lightbulb go off in his head.
“ No freaking way, so you are aware of us already. Well then that's perfect because my family is actually having a barbecue this weekend, I think that's a good opportunity for us to hang out!”
“ Uhh, sure, I'm down at what time?”
“ 3 o’clock, and you don't have to bring anything. Here’s my number so you can call me when you get there.”
“ I’ll be there! Thanks for the invite”
He winks, “See you tomorrow, y/n”
Now a whole different issue has arisen. What the hell do you wear to a Jackson family barbecue? A swimsuit? Two-piece set? A dress? So you call your best friend, Imani, naturally.
“So, um im going out today.”
“With who?!?!”
“It's just an assignment for class, but Jaafar invited me to his family BBQ.”
“Oouu, I need all the details and just wear a cute set to make it easy!”
“Thank goodness you knew, and I will be debriefing you as soon as I get in the car”
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~
You made it with 15 minutes to spare, because you hated being late to anything. So you call Jaafar to come get you from the car, because you also hate walking up to random places alone. He comes and looks at you with a hint of joy in his eyes that you actually came.
“ Well, hello! Everyone is almost here; my brothers are always late, so they'll be here later”
“ Hey! I can't wait to have some fun.” You shyly say as you walk with him to the backyard.
“Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.” he winks as you cross the threshold of the gate.
The party is in full swing. Kids are running around, uncles are trying not to burn the meat, aunties and moms are sitting around the fire pit drinking wine coolers and laughing aimlessly. Jaafar makes his rounds introducing you to everyone, and everyone adores you!
You are sitting at the edge of the pool talking to Jaafar about the assignment when, just as predicted, his brothers did in fact arrive late.
Jermajesty and Randy Jr pulled up with gas station snacks and loud air horns shouting “ the party has arrived.” You jump a little
Jermajesty and Randy jr make it over to where you both are sitting. With a roll of his eyes, Jaafar introduces you to both of them, as annoying brothers one and two.
Randy Jr, snuck away to hide from any cooking responsibilities. So that meant Jaafar got pulled away to help cook; in turn, he is leaving you with his younger brother for the time being. Fortunately, though, you and Jermajesty hit it off quickly and start talking about anything and everything under the sun. You find out about his obsession with Naruto and even get to see the infamous video of him and the headband.
Jermajesty’s voice carried over the loud music as you teased him about the slight fixation of it all. You can't compare the characters of Naruto to those of another anime because it's definitely not the same. “Apples and oranges, dude, that doesn't make sense!!” “You must be watching different shows than I am, man”
“You're obsessed with the wrong show and opinion jer!”
“Well, I wouldn’t say obsessed, but it could be an unhealthy hobby ”
“Oh, so you in full cosplay isn't obsessed?”
He looked genuinely offended. “ That's different! We were going to a party!”
You gave a skeptical look. “Wait, it wasn't even Halloween yet…”
“And you're done”
Surrendering, you let up on him for now “ alright fine, it's an unhealthy hobby. At least you never post it on social media”
An embarrassed look crossed his face. “It's actually circulating on TikTok and Twitter right now”
You howl a laugh, “ Oh my- you better be glad I only have Instagram”
~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the roof of the house, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold before darkness settled over the neighborhood. You and Jaafar came up with a semi-script for Monday. The afternoon was filled with stolen glances you caught from Jermajesty across the yard, the slight smirk you would give him back once he realized he was caught, and laughs at jokes told from the bickering of uncles. The string lights hanging above the backyard gradually became the primary source of light. You realize it's getting later than you expected, so you start bidding goodbyes when you see Jermajesty doing a slight jog to you.
“ Hey, wait! I'll walk you to your car!”
Caught a bit off guard, you tried to play it cool: “Oh no, you don't have to!”
From a distance, you hear his mom scream, “ He better! I raised them right!”
Earning a laugh from both of you, you start walking to your car.
Together they made their way down the driveway while the sounds of the party faded behind them.
“You know, I didn't expect you to be as cool as you are”
You sigh, “What can I say, im a cool girl “
He rolls his eyes but has a smirk playing on his lips. “Let's not push it now”
Bumping him playfully, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, thanks for walking me to my car. I appreciate it ”
“Just make sure you follow me back on Instagram”
Getting into the car and with a small smile and wave, “I will, and tell Jaafar thanks for today”
As soon as Jermajesty entered the house, all eyes were on him. Jaafar’s smile widened, and Jermajesty already regretted sitting down.
“You like her!”
“I barely know her!”
Luckily for Jermajesty, their mom came to his rescue, shouting for Jaafar to leave him alone. However, that night, everyone went to their rooms. He couldn't help but replay the whole day. Pieces of the afternoon kept replaying in his head. Small moments. Random comments. Fragments of conversations that should have been forgettable but somehow weren't.
As promised, you called your best friend immediately, and before you could get a hey out, she was cutting you off immediately. “Tell me what happened from beginning to end.” “Well, hello to you too!” As you relay to her the contents of the evening, you can't help but smile and giggle at the things that transpired. It doesn't help that your best friend is a hopeless romantic because she's overly giddy about it. “Oh my gosh, bitch you're about to get a boyfriend!!!” You went to stop her immediately. “Absolutely not, he's cool, but I'm friends with his brother now. I've met the family, but boyfriend is too soon, sis.” “Yeah, yeah, I'll pick out my bridesmaid dress”
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
@/Jermajestjjackson has followed you!
You internally start freaking out because he actually followed you like he said he would. You almost start spiraling, thinking about his newfound fans and what they would say about a new follower, a girl no less. But regardless, you followed him back.
@/y/nonthescene has followed you back!
He was overly excited that you followed him back, but to seem level-headed, he didn't text you right away. He wanted to play it cool because he wasn't too sure if you liked him or if you were just being friendly. He, too, needed to figure out what this pull in his stomach was every time he checked your profile.
chapter 2
a/n: be kind please, this is my first ever fanfic. i wrote this for my friends. Suggestions comments are welcomed c:
tags: @kidsol-ar