But We’re Best Friends! || J.M.
Pairing: University Joe Mazzello! X University! Reader
Words: 6.1K
Warnings: suggestive themes, swearing
Gender: unspecified
Request: @queenscoolcat
“If you still need an idea maybe you could write something where Joe is in love with the reader but he thinks they don’t feel the same way until reader kiss him and he just melts and is speechless”
Synopsis: Joe pleads with you to audition for USC’s performance of Rocky Horror Picture show. Partly because he loves seeing you acting, but also partly because he has the biggest crush on you. Though, he doubts you would ever feel the same. You two have been best friends since your Freshman year in college! He would never want to jeopardize that! Would you?
“You HAVE to audition!” Joe whines at you. You scrutinize the poster, the red lips and bloody font pop out at you immediately.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
“I don’t know, Joe. I don’t think that’s my… area of expertise.” You chuckle at his enthusiasm. His eyes widen at your words.
“What do you mean? You’re acting is amazing!” you bite back a genuine grin, your cheeks dusting a shade of red at his compliment. “I MEAN walking around in lingerie and being… sensual? Not really what I’m good at.” At this point Joe looks as if he was a kicked puppy in the rain.
“Please just at least audition with me! If you don’t get in, then at least you can say you tried, right?” he brings out his lower lip. How can you resist those big, brown, beautiful eyes. You press your lips together in thought.
You admit, it would be kinda fun to be in it- the costumes, the music, the general aesthetic were things you adore. Plus, this is your last year at USC, may as well give it a shot, right? You already know Joe will get a lead role- he always does. You really appreciate him being supportive and telling you that you’ll get in. But the fear lingers of showing your body off in front of many people. You decide that it’s worth it, if it means getting into your favorite show, and, like he said, if you don’t land a role, at least you tried.
“Fine, but you’re going to help me with the audition! Payback for making me prepare something the day before.”
“Deal!” Joe exclaims. He takes the pen and fills in your name under one of the few time slots available- Saturday, 7:30 PM. You won’t be going together, but at least you know you’ll have his support.
That day after classes, you go to Joe’s flat and immediately begin updating resumes, working on songs, and dancing around like there’s no tomorrow. Joe puts on a dance for you that is somewhere between the Charleston and the Funky Chicken. You can’t help but break into a belly laugh. “I sincerely hope you don’t have a dancing role.” you snort and throw a pretzel at him from the bag slumped at your side. He feigns insult and puts his hand over his heart. He makes mock crying sounds, inducing another hearty laugh from you.
“Show me what you have, then!” you shake your head, smirking.
“It’s late, Joe, I should get back to my place.” you turn to your side and start packing your backpack.
Joe cocks a brow at you, cracking a shit-eating grin.
“Backing away from the challenge, are you?”
“You know how my flatmate is about waking her up by coming home at “UNGODLY” hours of the night.” You zip up your bag, and Joe groans. Before you have time to get up, he slumps onto you, pinning you to the couch, knocking some of the wind out of you. “At least stay the night! They’re still gonna throw a fit either way.” he begs. You sigh, giving him an even “Okay, okay.” Still he doesn’t get off. You attempt to push him off, but he remains in his spot- total dead weight. You give up, seeing the futility of the situation and let him lay there for a while. However, as pins and needles begin poking at your legs, you ask Joe to get up. He apologizes and gets off you, offering a movie and to grab your extra clothes you keep in the event of nights like this. You nod, and he sets off to his room. On the way, he stops at his flatmate’s door and gives it a quick knock, realizing he didn’t exactly ask if you can stay. “Yeah?” his flatmate calls from inside. Joe enters to find his flatmate taking notes at his desk, face buried deep in a textbook. “Hey, sorry, but is it cool that (y/n) stays the night?” Joe asks. His flatmate looks up from his notes and turns to him.
“(y/n) practically lives here, so, sure?” Joe gives a guilty smile to him and ushers a “Thanks, Tom”. As he is about to close the door, Tom asks, “When are you gonna do it then, huh?” Joe looks back at him, brows knitted together.
“Do… what?”
Tom lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Ask (y/n) out, you idio-” “SHHHH” Joe comes back into the room and closes the door, shooting a glare at Tom.
“(y/n) can hear you!” he whispers urgently. Tom smirks and rolls his eyes, making Joe huff irritably.
“Sorry, jeez,” Tom sighs. “But seriously when are you going to do it. You make goo-goo eyes at (y/n) every time you two are in the same room.” Joe bites the inside of his cheek and shrugs. “I- I don’t know. We both have a lot going on between school and the show and-”
“Excuses, excuses. What is it about (y/n) that scares you? Cuz you act like a pussy every time I ask this.” Joe looks down sheepishly. “W- Well… (y/n) is just so...perfect and authentic and sweet….” he lists off the qualities he loves about you effortlessly. Though, he catches himself mid lecture on you and snaps himself out of his out trance.
“...but we’ve been friends way too long. I’d hate to ruin that, y’know? Besides, I highly doubt (y/n) would feel the same.”
At this point, Tom is almost ready to throw his psychology book at Joe. He rubs his temple before clapping his hands together and sitting back in his desk chair in mock therapy mode.
“Okay, then let’s weigh our scenarios. Hypothetically- just work with me here- you ask (y/n) out let’s say… after the show or some shit.” his roommate brings up his hand as puppets. Joe sits on the bed, folding his arms, ready to humor whatever silly thing his flatmate is about to do. “Oh, (y/n)! (y/n), you looked so gorgeous and sexy onstage I loooove you, will you go out with me?” he says in a spoofed version of Joe’s voice. Joe looks at Tom as if he’d grown a third head who continues nonetheless. “First scenario….” he changes into a version of your voice. “No, cuz I think of you as a brother! Besides, I think your roommate is much more handsome and-” “Okay, okay, I get it!” Joe lets out an exasperated sigh. Tom raises his brows and looks down. “Okay, second scenario- (y/n) says yes and you two date, fuck, marry, live happily ever after, so mote it be, blah blah blah.”
Joe pinches his nose and sighs. “Please, be serious.” he groans. Tom claps his hands together again and leans forward toward Joe, brows tightly knitted together. “Look, you love (y/n), right?”
Joe smiles to himself.
“More than I’d like to admit.” “You want to be more than friends?” “Well, yeah, but-”
“Has (y/n) ever left you for dumb shit before?”
“Well, no, but I-”
“Do you value your friendship more than a hypothetical relationship?”
“Of course I do! But I-”
“Worst case scenario is that (y/n) rejects you and you still remain friends. My point is, there’s nothing to lose! So please do yourself and (y/n) a favor and do it before we graduate next semester.”
Joe weighs his options further. Though he doesn’t want to admit it, Tom’s is right. He just nods, thanks Tom for his time and goes to grab your clothes and a movie. Once he comes back he finds you curled up on the couch texting. You look up at him, giving him a sweet smile, one that sends his stomach into loops.
“I was beginning to think you passed out on me.” you tell him. A blush creeps onto his lips. He presses his lips together and hands you your clothes. Come on, just ask already he wills himself. Still he doesn’t. You notice his hesitation and get up to grab your clothes from him. “Everything okay, Joe? You seem tense all of a sudden.” Say something!
“Uh- yeah, I’m good. Just… stressed about the audition I guess?” you let out a breath in amusement at his anxiety. It’s just like him to worry about an audition, even one you know he’ll land. “You’re gonna be great Joe- look at the acting gigs you’ve had, even when you were a kid!” you lay a hand on his arm, and his anxieties melt away. He doesn’t understand it- You have this ability to both make him weak in the knees, yet feel completely at peace all the time.
“Thanks, (y/n). You will too.” he says to you, his normal demeanor returning. You give him a quick hug and he reciprocates happily. As you part, you let out a yawn. Looking down at your phone, you realize how late it is. 3:27 AM
“I think we should get some sleep before tomorrow, eh? Thanks for helping me out.” you say, sleep already creeping into your voice. “No worries, what are friends for?” you nod and go into the bathroom to change into your extra clothes. Joe watches you leave for a moment before returning to his room. Once you change, you come into his room and settle in the bed beside him as you normally do when you stay over. Swiftly, your tiredness overtakes you and you fall asleep.
The next morning, you wake up before Joe, who is out like a light next to you. You smile at him, watching his chest rise and fall. After a moment, you creep out of bed, quietly gather your things, and head out the door and go back to your apartment. Once there, you begin rehearsing everything Joe helped you with last night. Luckily, your flatmate had already left for work, so you could sing loudly. You practice some of your dancing and manage to get to a place where you’re comfortable with the movements and have memorized your song. Looking at the clock, you realize you need to get to the arts building in about 2 hours. You figure that’s enough time to get a shower in and make yourself half-decent.
7:30 hits and you are waiting anxiously outside the door of the theater, resume held tightly under your arm. Most of your friends are auditioning the next day, so you are stuck with several people you don’t know well. You go over the choreography to your song mentally, taking deep breaths in the process. You get a text before you go in from Joe. You open your flip phone and look at the message. [Joe]
Hey! You’re going to do great tonight! Break a leg :) I’ll pick you up after if you want.
You smile down at your phone and reply back.
Sounds good! I’ll text you when I’m out. I’m thinkin fast food honestly.
Soon after you get a reply.
[Joe]
Sounds good. See you then!
You place your phone back into your pocket and continue going over your audition material. A few names are called before you. You grow fidgety with excitement as your name gets closer and closer.
“Next is Whimic. (l/n), you’re on standby.” the girl bringing people back calls out. You get up and move to the lobby. As people come out, you spot one of your friends finally. You couldn’t mistake that grunge-y girl if you tried. “Nicole! Hey! How was it?” you trot up to her giddily. Nicole smiles at you and gives you a hug. “Hey, honey. It was okay. Be prepared to do some weird shit after your song, though. I had to spell my name as if I was having an orgasm.” she snorts. You laugh as well.
“Yikes, alright, I’ll keep my mind open, I suppose. What role are you going for?”
“Hopefully Magenta, but we’ll see what happens. I gotta head out, though. Meg is gonna be pissed if I don’t get back in time for date night.” You chuckle and give her one more hug. “No worries! Fingers crossed for ya!” you separate and Nicole walks away. “You too, babe!” she calls back. Soon after, your name is called to come in. You follow the person that called you into the house and greet the director, tech assistant, and music director with a smile. You set your resume and head shot down on the table and go to the accompanist. You show them where you’re starting on the sheet music you hand them and then move to center stage. Once there you turn around, you take a deep breath in and out and begin your slate.
“Hello, my name is (f/n) (l/n), and I will be singing “Big Spender” by Shirly Bassey” the accompanist comes in with your music. Surprisingly, you are able to move in time, despite how nervous you are. Still you push through, and as the first few bars of singing come in, your anxieties begin to melt away. The stage is your home and you feel as if you’re the only one in the theater. You move around the stage with a newfound confidence as the director scribbles down some notes. As you finish the song you strut back downstage. “Hey, big spender” you jut your hips in time with the pianist.
“Spend, a little time, with me.” you move your hips to the end of the song, finishing with a wink and turning on your foot to walk back upstage. As the song finishes, you turn back around and bow your head. “Thank you.” you project. The director smiles at you and the three members all usher a thank you to you as well.
“Before you go,” the director calls to you as you grab your music from the accompanist. “Do you mind just screaming at the top of your lungs for us?”
You are slightly taken aback by the request, but you understand it is likely for the show.
“Uh- yeah sure.” you offer. The director nods and sits back.
“Whenever your ready.”
You take a deep breath and let out the loudest scream you could. It bounces off the back of the theater’s walls and almost pierces your own years. Though, the three audience members seem completely unfazed. “Thank you. That will be all.” they say.
“Thank you for your time.” you bow your head and leave.
Once outside, you text Joe that you’ve finished your audition. He texts back an ‘Okay!’ and pulls up not long after. You hop into the car, giving him a side-hug.
“How was it?” he asks you excitedly.
“Really good, actually! Thanks so much for making me audition, honestly.” A wide smile plasters itself onto his face. “I TOLD you! Now let’s get something to eat! I’m starving!” he turns on the radio for you, letting you choose whatever station you want. You flip to an oldies channel and “Bohemian Rhapsody” plays in the middle of Brian’s first solo. You both mimic the guitar sounds, giggling the whole time.
“You know, this is the first song I ever downloaded on Napster.” he says, turning down the volume to speak.
“You CRIMINAL!” you retort jokingly. He laughs at your remark and gives you a small shove. He turns the music back up, and you both come back in with the operatic section- terribly out of key, as one does. You lean over onto his shoulder as he drives, sending electricity through his body. He melts at your touch, though you don’t notice, still singing dramatically.
You both pull up to the fast food joint and head in. You order your food and sit down, chatting about the audition.
“Did they make you do anything weird?” he asks you.
“It wasn’t the worst, I just had to scream at the top of my lungs.” you shrug. “I’ll make sure I keep that in mind.” he giggles. You continue to tell him about what went on, Nicole’s story, and Joe listened closely the whole time. Watching you speak so animatedly is something he loves most about you. In truth, you can likely turn the most boring lecture into the most interesting for him, so long as you are excited about the topic.
Suddenly, your buzzer goes off to grab your dinner. You both go up together, grabbing your trays and drinks. As you sit back down, Joe’s phone rings.
“Hello?” he answers. “Hey, Joe! You have a minute?” his agent chirps through the phone.
“Uh- yeah, what’s up?” He looks at you nervously. You cock a brow at him and he mouths the word “Agent” to you. You nod and let him continue.
“We have a movie offer for you, but you need to take the next few months off to film if that’s okay!”
Joe’s heart falls a moment upon hearing that. This offer will help him further his acting career, but that would mean he wouldn’t be able to do Rocky Horror, assuming he gets in, which you assured him over and over that he would.
“Uh- I’m not able to check my planner at the moment. Am I able to call you back?” You both exchange gazes at each other as you take a sip of your drink.
“No problem, but the sooner the better! Talk to you soon!”
“Yeah… Talk to you soon.” Joe hangs up the phone and slips it back into his pocket, sighing. “What’s up, Joe?” you ask him. He looks at you, eyes full of guilt.
“So… That was my agent.” he starts out.
“Uh-huh?” “And they’re offering me a TV deal.” Your eyes light up. “That’s amazing Joe! Are you going to take it?”
His grimaces at you, causing the light to fade from your sunny demeanor.
“Well, if I do it means I can’t do the show, so I can’t do the show- let alone audition.” His heart breaks at the expression this induces from you.
“I- don’t have to take it, though! I’d love to do the show.” he rambles. You shake your head and take his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. The action soothes his surging mind slightly.
“You should take it, Joe. You want to do film more, anyway.” you assure him, though, Joe catches your voice faltering a bit. He bites his lip anxiously.
“I’ll…. I’ll think about it.” You nod at him with an almost unreadable expression. He can’t seem to figure out where your head's at, but, when he asks you, you tell him you just want to see him happy. You both continue eating, changing the subject to Joe’s relief and are back to your typical silly antics. After dinner, he drops you off at your flat, waiting until you’re inside before driving back to his place.
Once home, Joe drops his keys into the bowl aside the door and slumps down on the couch. The only sound is the whirring of the AC and the incessant clicking of Tom’s keyboard as he works furiously on an essay due at midnight at the kitchen counter in an otherwise silent flat. After a few moments, Joe looks up at him and sighs exasperatedly before going into his room. He shuts the door and changes into some fresh boxers and a white t-shirt to relax in. However, that’s the last thing he can do right now. Staring at the phone in his hand, he continues weighing his options in terms of the deal. He gets up and paces back and forth, trying to come to some conclusion. He knows He’d feel incredibly guilty if he didn’t audition tomorrow, but he knows you would too if he didn’t because of you. Finally, he huffs and opens up his phone to make the call.
+++
“Joe! You’re gonna do great!” You assure him, helping him pull his luggage out of the trunk of your car. Joe pulls his other suitcase out and sets it down, letting out a breath as he does. You two are very early for his flight to New Hampshire to film The Hallow- nearly two hours before takeoff, but that’s LAX for you.
“I know, but I’m going to miss you.” he says with a sad smile. You look at him with a sympathetic expression on your face. You touch his arm gingerly, and Joe bites the inside of his cheek. It’s your softest touches and send Joe on high alert.
“I’m gonna miss you too, but, hey! Call me or text me when you can- oh! And I have something for you.” Joe’s eyes widen in shock.
Did you just confess?
“You- you do?” he says hesitantly. You chuckle at his words.
“Course I do! You think I’m going to send my best friend away without an early birthday gift since he’ll be gone? It’s in the back. I’ll grab it.” Joe snaps out of his trance. “O- Oh.” he deflates as you root around in your backseat. Under your coat, which you threw on top to hide the gift, is a small, green bag with ruffled paper in it. You bring it around back to Joe and hand it to him.
“I- I don’t know what to say.” he murmurs, thumbing over the colored bag. You grin at him and urge him to open it, giggling excitedly. Inside is a little white box with a locket inside with a shrunken down picture of you two from a Halloween party. You’re dressed as a dinosaur and Joe is in a makeshift Tim Murphey outfit. Joe is screaming as the dinosaur head on your costume “chomps” down on him. “It’s nothing much, but that way you have me wherever you go.” you tell him somewhat bashfully. Joe stares down at the photo, mouth slightly open.
“Thank you…” he finally says, though, his tone is more disappointed.
“Do you… not like it?” you ask him. His gaze snaps back at you, brows raised. “No- I do! I really do. Oh my god, (y/n) I love it! I just- No, it’s perfect. Thank you so much!” he wraps you in a big hug, squeezing you. Once you part you help him put it on, even if he will have to take it back off for security.
“Text me when you land, okay? Wanna make sure you get there safely!” you tell him. He nods, not trusting his tone anymore as a lump forms in his throat. “I will.” he pulls you into one more hug, this one longer than before. His eyes grow slightly misty as he pulls away and grabs his luggage to go into the terminal. “Thank you again for dropping me off, by the way.” “No problem! Now go catch your flight, dork!” you laugh. He nods with a smile before turning on his heel and heading in.
The following weeks, you two text nonstop, wracking up minutes like there’s no tomorrow. You tell him excitedly on the night the cast list comes out that you’ve been cast as a Transylvanian.
“That’s awesome! I told you you’d get in, didn’t I?” he tells you ecstatically on the other line. You grin at his enthusiasm.
“Nicole got in too! She’s going to play Magenta!” “She’s going to do great, but I think you may steal the show.” Joe chuckles. You scoff at him before following in his laughter. As the laughing dies down, there is a moment of silence between you two.
“Will you be back in time to see it?” you ask him. Joe thinks for a minute and checks the calendar.
“The premier is the 23rd of October… Opening night is, what, the 29th? Go through Halloween?” “Yessir.” you say. “Uhhh, I should be able to get back before then, depending on if they need me for press, but they probably won’t!” You practically squeal through the phone. “I’m so excited to see you again!” Joe bites back a smile, looking down at the floor.
“Me too, (y/n).”
“Please just don’t make fun of me onstage.” you joke. Joe scoffs at you. “Oh, have SOME faith in me! I’m not gonna make fun of you… much.” he laughs. “I gotta head to bed, though. They want me onset by 6 tomorrow morning.” You make a mock barf noise through the phone, making Joe laugh again. “I couldn’t agree more.” he snorts. “I’ll talk to you later then, movie star.”
“You too.”
“Goodnight. Love ya.”
Joe sighs happily. “Love you too.” The days crawl by without you. Joe finds the thing he looks forward to most is getting to text or call you when he can- not that shooting The Hallow isn’t fun- He loves everyone in the cast so much. He just misses you. He finds himself staring at the picture in the locket more than usual. His cast mates have teased him about it, which he brushes off playfully. They say he’s so lucky to have “a partner that cares enough to send something like that.”
“O- Oh we’re not- No we’re just friends.” he stammers, a rosy color dusting his cheeks.
“Really? The way you look at the locket made it seem like you two were a thing.”
He shakes his head rapidly. He knows you would never feel the same, though. He’s gone way too often for you two to be an item. Not to mention you’ve seen him at his absolutely worst, and he values being your friend more than anything else. But one can’t help but think…
+++
As the opening night creeps up, hell week commences, meaning the stress is up as everyone scrambles for last minute, tech, blocking, and costuming. After a particularly long rehearsal you swing by Nicole’s place to watch the newly released The Hallow to decompress. The whole time, you are at the edge of your seat, watching Joe’s character with much intensity every time he comes on screen. As the credits roll through, you get up to help Nicole wash the popcorn bowls you two used.
“I think it needed more gore.” she says. “Nikki, it was fine! You’re such a horror snob!” you snort. Nicole shoves you playfully.
“Would you have me any other way?” she cocks a brow at you, opening her arms out.
“Shut up.” You spray her with sink water, earning a yelp from her. She laughs and squeezes the sponge, water hitting your upper body.
“Oh- Hey, is Joe gonna be back for the show?” she asks, coming down from her laughing fit. “I think so. He said it may not be until closing night, though.” you replies. She hums.
“Hope so! I bet he’s excited to see you, especially with how you open the show.” she waggles her eyebrows at you. You look at her confused.
“Whaddaya mean?” you say, finishing up drying a bowl and placing it back in the cabinet. Nicole turns toward you and leans on the counter.
“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’? He’s TOTALLY into you.”
“He… is?” Nicole scoffs at you. “Honey, he’s really not that subtle. He looks at you like how I look at a high-quality matte black lipstick!” she laughs. You smirk at her comparison. Though, looking back, you can’t help but realize she’s right.
“Maybe…”
+++
Opening night hits and only a few things go wrong- mostly sound issues, but they’ve since been fixed. By closing night, you have grown much more comfortable showing your body in front of people by this point- call it literal exposure therapy. Closing night feels bittersweet as usual as you put on the rest of your makeup backstage. Nicole is beside you, finishing up her smudged liner before turning to you.
“How do I look?” she asks, striking a pose and fluffing her kinked up hair. You smile at her and give a thumbs up.
“Meg is gonna go crazy over this look.” you say. Nicole gives a triumphant grin. She pulls down her collar to reveal a small purple mark at the base of her neck, admiring her girlfriend’s work in the mirror. “I sent her pics during tech week. She already has.” she smirks. You roll your eyes at her, chuckling. You go into a changing room to put on a suit that Joe had lent you for the show and hat over your costume.
In the house, Joe takes his seat close to the stage where Transylvanians are supposed to sit a row in front of him. He waits excitedly for people to come out. The director and assistant stage manager come out, going through rules and initiating the virgin games. Tonight, virgins are split into teams and had to pass a dildo between their knees to teammates. Joe finds himself laughing quietly at the struggle. The team that wins are all given packets of mayonnaise as a prize. They all go back to their seats. The stage manager puts a chair center stage, and the show is about to begin. The lights dim and you step onstage, a spotlight hitting you. There are “whoops” and “hollers” by your friends in the audience. Joe smiles at you, even though you can’t see him with the light in your face. He can’t help but feel weirdly...warm inside seeing you in his suit. You pull it off very well, though. Not to mention how well you’re about to literally pull it off.
As the music begins playing, you begin to sway your hips. Already this catches Joe’s attention. You take off your hat and throw it to an audience member and run a hand sensually through your hair, really wanting to make a meal out of your last show. Slowly you untie the tie around your neck, rolling your head to one side. You slip off the fabric effortlessly and place it onto the chair. You face your back to the audience, still swaying as you unbutton your shirt. The fabric slipping down your arms at a pace that snails could beat. You sway your hips some more to the rhythm before you turn around, the only thing on your chest are nipple pasties shaped like the lips in the logo. Joe subconsciously licks his lips and throws his jacket over his lap, his cheeks growing more flushed than before. More “whoops” and “ow!”s emerge from your friends in the audience. Joe is paralyzed. He feels dirty watching this, but he can’t help but keep watching, eyeing your every movement. You shimmy out of your pants, revealing some rather skimpy black underwear and garters attached to fishnet stockings, and Joe clenches his jaw. As the song fades out, you strike a pose and blow a kiss to the audience. All your friends wolf whistle at you and yell your name. You bow and gather the clothes before you saunter backstage to put on a slightly less revealing set of lingerie on.
The show goes on without too many hiccups. You come back out with the rest of the Transylvanians for songs and dances. Once numbers finish, you find your spot in the audience. You all do your callbacks loudly. In quieter moments, you scan for Joe. Once you find him, you attempt to gauge his reaction. His gaze is fixed on the show, jaw clenched, expression unreadable. Huffing slightly, you turn back to the show. Obviously you aren’t going to get the reaction you’re looking for right now. However, Joe is not exactly paying too much attention to the show itself- the image of you strip teasing out of his suit is seared into his memory like a brand. Each time you’re onstage, though, his gaze is only on you. Your whole performance sends his mind reeling.
Intermission hits, and Joe immediately gets up to get some air, feeling slightly lightheaded by your performance. Meanwhile you sit backstage with the cast getting ready for the second act. People in the cast come up to you telling you how good you looked. You thank them profusely and then continue to make yourself as decent as one can for Rocky Horror at your table.
“You looked SO hot up there!” Nicole exclaims, hugging you from behind. You grin widely at her in the mirror and hug back. “Thanks, Nikki. You look hot all the time!” you giggle. She lets go of you and sits in the chair to your left. “I bet Joe had a nice view.” she says with a shit eating grin on her face. Your eyes widen and your face goes red. “Oh god… I forgot he was coming tonight!” you groan, throwing a hand to your face. Nicole chuckles and rubs your back.
“It’s okay, babe.”
Not long after, the ASM calls for you places, signalling that it is time for the second act. “Thank you places!” you and Nicole yell in unison before getting ready for the next scene.
The second act goes relatively smoothly, with the exception of someone forgetting their blocking. You take your spot back in the audience, feeling yourself easing back into the environment. At the end of the show, you all take your bows and the audience members either come up to meet the cast or head out, feeling… different. You and Nicole take a picture together and laugh with your group of friends who are gushing about how good both of you did. The post-show adrenaline courses through you as you laugh and gush back to them about preparing for that opening. You look away for a moment, gaze interlocking with a pair of familiar eyes, and you utter a gasp. Joe is smiling at you from across the house. Seeing that he has your attention, he begins to make his way over to you. You excuse yourself from your friends and shimmy your way through the crowd, meeting him halfway.
“Great job tonight!” he grins at you.
“Thanks, Joe! Oh my goodness I missed you!” you exclaim, throwing your hands around his neck. He hugs you back tightly.
Without thinking, and full of adrenaline from the show and seeing his face again, you kiss him on the lips. It catches him extremely off-guard. You pull back and step away from him bashfully upon realizing what you’ve done. Joe just stares at you like a deer in the headlights. You bite the inside of your cheek anxiously, unable to figure out his reaction.
“Sorry- uh. I- I don’t know what came over me.” you stammer out, your cheeks becoming extremely flushed. Suddenly a finger is under your chin and Joe is staring at you with the most loving, sappy gaze you’ve ever seen. “Can you uhm…. Do that again?” he begs. You lick your lips hesitantly and nod. You both lean in this time, Joe melting into you completely, forgetting there’s a crowd of people around you. He holds his arms securely around your back and yours make their way around his neck. You move your head slightly to deepen the kiss, earning a small groan from deep in Joe’s throat. Nicole gives you both a wolf whistle and you both pull back immediately into reality, faces beet red.
“Bout time!” she snorts at you two as she makes her way over.
“About time?” Joe echoes. You press your lips together shyly, and Nicole breaks into a laugh. “(y/n) would NOT stop talking about you the whole time you were gone, dude!”
“That so?” Joe looks at you with a newfound confidence. You grow warm under his gaze. Nicole snorts and nods.
“Seriously the amount of goo-goo eyes this one makes whenever you text is fucking RIDICULOUS.”
“Thank you, Nikki.” you say abruptly as you shoot Nicole a desperate plea to stop. She obliges, still choking back some laughter. “You coming to the cast party, by the way? It’s at my place this year. Joe can come too if he wants.” she winks.
You look at Joe and he looks back at you for the ultimate decision. You shrug and look back at Nicole. “I think I’m gonna skip out this time ‘round. Next show for sure.” you tell her. She feigns insult, though, she knows exactly what your plans are for tonight. “Whateverrrr,” she laughs. “You lovebirds have fun.” she says and gives you a hug. As you part you snake a hand around Joe’s middle, and he brings an arm over your shoulder.
“You too, Nikki.”
Nicole points a finger gun at you and walks off with Meg, leaving you and Joe together. “All the time, huh?” Joe smirks.
“Just help me grab my stuff.”
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@littlemisscaptainfandom A/N: I hope you liked it, Caro! Thanks for requesting!!!
