summary: you always had a thing for jj, while you thought he had a thing for kie. you couldn't have been more wrong..
warnings: none i think
notes: i have absolutely no clue how to play poker, so please don't grill me lmao
the water glistened, reflecting the afternoon sun. you dunked your feet inside, hanging from the bridge you were sitting on. it was lightly moving due to the waves beneath it.
you kept your eyes trained on the horizon, but looking at nothing in particular.
jj came running from the shore, sitting down beside you, letting his feet dangle into the water next to yours. "john b is making food"
"what could he possibly be making?" you smiled, clearly knowing that there wasn't much left in the pantry. you got through the day alright, thanks to both of you working, but you didn't buy any extraordinary things to make sure you had enough money to pay everything else.
“we’re having toast,” jj smirked, then paused for dramatic effect. “but we raided heyward’s for tomatoes, and kiara brought guac from her mom. so it’s fancy toast.”
“fancy toast! the ritz could never.” you hugged your knees to your chest, resting your chin on them, but a smile crept up on your lips.
"what are you even doing out here alone?"
"i'm thinking"
"about your dad?" jj asked carefully. "you know I’m here if you need to spill. no judgment. not even if it’s super depressing.”
"thanks, i know" you were thankful that you had such great friends. people that were like family to you and always made sure you were alright, even if they didn't have much to give themselves, apart from kiara.
"are you going to surf the surge tomorrow?" jj changed the topic, interpreting your silence as answer enough.
"heard agatha's gonna be a bitch" you shrugged. "must be nice to lose a few unnecessary limbs"
"don't be ridiculous, i'm a pro" jj took the sunglasses off his head and pushed them on your nose instead. "are you coming or not?"
"i prefer not to" you giggled, slapping his hand away as he tried to readjust the rest of your apperance. "gonna look good for cps"
"they won't even make it out here, agatha will arrive too soon for that"
"well, then i should be thanking her, right?" you looked up to the sky, the sun still breaking through the slowly arriving clouds, but the darkness of them made it evident that it wouldn't take too long for the storm to arrive. "thanks aggy! sorry for calling you a bitch"
"if that isn't nice" jj grinned. "look at you! such a polite lady"
"told you i could behave better than you" you stood up and waited for him to do the same. "i'm pretty sure they just told you to go and get me not to wait out until they had finished the food, right?"
"caught me" jj shrugged. you knew him well enough to guess that he was trying to escape more work than necessary. "but it did take some time to find you. you weren't in the tower john b locked you in"
"oh, maybe i'm not as well behaved as we thought" you shrugged, following him back to the beach. "you need those sunglasses soon?" you liked the red tinted look of them. you had worn them before and you loved that they made you look like a hippie or vanessa hudgens going to coachella in 2014.
“keep ‘em,” jj shrugged, giving you an exaggerated once-over. “you look better in them anyway.”
you raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. “how much did these cost?”
jj spun around, pretending to be offended. “whoa, whoa! don’t insult me like that. i didn’t pay for them.”
you laughed. “you stole these?”
“they were like six dollars, okay? i stole them out of principle.” he wiggled his eyebrows like that somehow made sense.
you shook your head amused. “jj, that’s still stealing.”
“nah, see, i was planning on giving them to you for a while, so really, it was a selfless act. call it proactive gift-giving.”
jj’s face lit up, the trademark smirk in place as you walked side by side back toward the beach. he kicked at the sand a little, glancing over at you every few seconds like he was waiting for you to laugh again.
you could hear the others before you saw them—john b shouting something about the toast burning, and kiara’s voice cutting through with, “how do you even burn toast?!”
“so, what’s the plan after we survive this gourmet meal?” you asked, your tone only half-teasing.
jj rubbed his hands together with a glint in his eyes. “well, after we feast on fancy toast and whatever leftovers kiara’s mom sent, i was thinking… poker.”
“poker? don’t we always lose when we play with pope?”
“yeah, but he’s working today, so we have a chance.” jj wiggled his eyebrows as if this were the best news in the world.
you laughed, shaking your head. “so, your plan is to take all my money after i generously agree to participate in poker?”
jj’s smirk deepened. “well, since you’re wearing those shades, you’re bound to win. you’ve got that poker-face-hippie thing going on.”
you shrugged, pretending to think about it. “true. i could absolutely bluff the hell out of you all.”
he nodded seriously. “exactly. so really, it’s your civic duty to play.”
“civic duty,” you repeated, laughing. “sure, sure.”
"sit down, you two" kiara ancouraged when you walked onto the patio.
"where have you been that long?" john b questioned, looking at you suspiciously. "you're always sneaking around together"
"don't be ridicilous, b" you shook your head. "we were just watching the waves"
kiara and jj exchanged glances you didn’t quite understand. it made your nerves tweak to not know what they were hinting at.
“i bet it was a sight so see” kiara said softly, a smirk on her face.
jj nodded. “as always” he shrugged, his eyes still on her.
you had to try hard not to let your face distort into jealousy. you had had a crush on jj for as long as you could remember. and the two of you were close, but nothing ever really happened with your brothers best friend.
being in love with jj was confusing. most of the time, he treated you just like anyone else, acting completely normal. but then, out of nowhere, he'd start flirting, leaving you unsure of what to think.
even though you tried your best, the crush on the boy always resurfaced when he would flirt with you once more, keeping your hopes up.
the meal continued without anything happening and you found yourselves cleaning the table to play a few rounds of poker like jj had promised.
"looks like you're in a tough spot" he grinned.
kiara had put down her cards, while you were trying hard to keep a straight face, knowing you would probably lose.
you shrugged. "i don't see you putting down anything valuable, maybank"
"ohh" kiara and your brother hollored at the same time.
"well, let's see then" kiara nudged jj's shoulder.
the blonde smirked before he revealed his cards to you, flushing a street. "you've underestimated me, guys"
john b and you sighed simultaneously, accepting defeat as you threw your own cards in the middle. while jj was busy mixing the cards, kiara took a look at her phone.
"i think i better head out" she smiled, standing up from her chair. "my mother's gonna go crazy if i'm late again"
you played a few more rounds after the girl had left, john b and you losing to jj each time. you were sure he had gotten help from pope, knowing that his time would come.
john b threw down his cards after one more uneventful round. "i'm heading to bed" he nodded, pulling his snapback down, before he highfived jj and pressed a kiss to your hair. "don't stay up too late"
"night, b" you smiled as you watched after him.
"one more round?" jj giggled.
"i'm all out" you shrugged, pointing at the pile of money on the table in front of him.
"well, if i lose you can have all of it"
"this sounds almost too good" you muttered. "okay, what if i lose then?"
"you'll take off your shirt" he shrugged.
"jj!" you pushed a hand to your mouth, draining out the scream of outrage that threatened to errupt in the air between you.
"what?" jj smirked, looking up at you with wide blue eyes. "am i making you nervous?"
"not a chance," you shot back, trying to keep your voice steady despite the way your heart was hammering in your chest. jj's smirk widened, the mischievous glint in his eyes only growing as he shuffled the cards one more time.
"alright then," he said, dealing the cards smoothly. "prove it."
you glanced at your hand, trying to keep your expression neutral. jj's eyes flickered up to meet yours, watching you intently, and you couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not.
you took a deep breath and played the first card, trying to focus on the game instead of the way jj was watching you like a hawk.
the next few minutes were tense, each of you placing cards with care. it was almost suffocating.
"you're really dragging this out, you know that?" you muttered, glancing up at him.
jj just grinned, his eyes glinting with amusement. "patience, sweetheart. good things come to those who wait," he replied, his voice low and teasing. you rolled your eyes but couldn't help the slight tug at the corners of your mouth.
finally, it came down to the last card. you had one left in your hand, and so did jj. your eyes met, the room silent except for the sound of your heartbeat in your ears. You hesitated for a split second, then threw down your card.
jj's eyes flickered to the table, his face breaking into a triumphant grin. he laid his final card down with a laugh.
"looks like i win," he drawled, his voice smug. your eyes widened as you stared at the cards, disbelief washing over you. how did he keep doing this?
"you've got to be cheating," you grumbled, pushing back from the table. jj laughed, the sound warm, filling the quiet night air around you.
"well, you agreed to do this" he shrugged, like he was completely in the right.
you looked at him without any expression on your face, before you sighed, your fingers dipping down to meet the material of your shirt, as you stood up.
jj's eyes widened at your movement, standing up at the same time. "it was a joke, y/n" he muttered quickly. "you don't have to do anything you don't want to"
you halted in your movement. "if you had won, would you have given me the money, like you promised?"
"of course" jj answered without so much as a thought.
your smile deepend, before your fingers gripped the hem of the shirt, pulling it over you head in a quick motion. revealed was your bikini top. the one jj had seen you in a million times, but still his eyes widened even further.
jj's mouth opened slightly, his usual cocky demeanor vanishing as he stared at you. he remembered seeing you in it before, but this still felt different. maybe it was the intimacy of the dimly lit patio, or the way you stood before him now, your eyes steady and unwavering. you had called his bluff, and he was utterly speechless.
"see?" you said, trying to keep your voice light despite the rapid thudding of your heart. "no big deal. just a bikini, jj."
he swallowed hard, finally snapping out of his daze. "right," he said, his voice cracking slightly. he cleared his throat, his gaze darting away before quickly finding its way back to you. "just a bikini."
you walked around the table, pushing yourself between him and the discarded chair. "this can't really be the reason you're so uneasy"
you tried to read the emotion on his face, but he just looked at you, at a loss for words. you softly pushed your hand to rest against his chest. your eyes widened in surprise. "your heart is racing" you declared with a soft whisper.
"yeah" jj finally found his words. "you're so close"
you looked up at him, surprised at what he was hinting at. "i'm sorry if i'm making you uncomfortable" you tried to step back, but his hand shot out, holding you in place by your elbow.
"jj" you muttered, your voice barely audible. you could feel your heart beat just as fast as his did.
"have i ever told you how beautiful you are?" jj's voice was soft and tender, like he was trying not to disrupt the calmness of the moment.
"no" you sighed, unsure. he came closer, your noses were almost touching. his eyes were ready to close, not far from kissing you. your voice rung out before he could do anything of that sort. "what about kie?"
"what?" jj blinked in surprise, stepping backwards.
"what about kie?" you repeated a little bit louder.
"what about her?" jj laughed, before he saw the confusion in your eyes.
"i thought there was something—“
"between me and kie?" he smiled, shaking his head. "well only that she knew about my crush on you"
"you have a crush on me?"
"i thought it was kinda obvious" he pointed a finger between the both of you. "can i please finally kiss you now, routledge?"
you smiled, your heart fluttering in your chest at his confession. "of course" you watched him step closer once more, before you grinned. "but what about—?"
"—oh would you shut up now?" he pushed his lips against yours, drowning out your giggle as your smile touched his mouth like it was supposed to.
Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me. Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
Dedicated to my friend @hollanov-cocktail79 on her birthday ~ love you so much <3
prompt from @loca4moony: Hi! I've come with a prompt and a dream. Taylor Swift has a song called the Alchemy and says "where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me." I love the idea of Barty who plays Rugby/Quidditch and his team just won a really big competition but instead of going to the trophy he just runs to kiss/hug fem!reader (I'm okay with gender neutral too). Btw, I ADORE your Barty, I'm obsessed with him but your version is something else.
Barty Crouch Jr x fem!reader who is his treasure trophy [1.1k words]
CW: Barty's childhood and Barty Crouch Sr's A+ parenting, writer who has never once watched a rugby game does her fuckin' best, written with a fem!reader in mind though no pronouns used but gendered use of hero in "heroine" so I labelled it as fem!reader to be safe
Barty’s entire life had been a constant cycle of needing more, doing more, and never being enough. He needed more extracurriculars, needed more A-levels, needed more academic awards.
More, more, more.
So he did; he did more extracurriculars, he took more A-levels (bloody well aced them too), and he won more academic awards.
It was not enough. It was never enough.
The ringing in his ears ceased and he registered the volume in the stadium again once he had the familiar weight of the ball in his arms, his body working off of muscle memory as he took off in a god honest sprint towards the tryzone.
He had a ball cradled in his arms, he had two working legs, and he had a destination; that was what Barty was working with as he shoved one of his opponents out of his way. It wasn’t enough, he needed more; he needed to create more space.
Shoving one bloke out of his way left him with some breathing room, but he still had players on his heels and a fair distance to run.
He needed more; more speed, more distance.
He offed the ball to Rosier to his left as he deked around the player in front of him; barely missing the hands grabbing at him from behind as he heard another body hit the ground. Potter doing his job watching his back as he raced to keep up with Rosier.
His legs and lungs were burning but it was working, the goal line in his sights as he regained the ball after Rosier tossed it and an opponent fumbled it back over in Barty’s direction, and he urged his legs to carry on. His eyes darted to the scoreboard - 16 seconds left. It wasn’t enough, he needed more; he needed more time.
But 14 seconds was also a lot of time, a lot could happen in 12 seconds; the other team could thwart his efforts, they could keep their three point lead, they could beat his team - beat him.
The final 10 seconds of the final play of the final game of the playoffs - the Super League Trophy was currently in the stadium, waiting for the final whistle to sound before it made its appearance.
6 seconds left, less than 22 meters to the goal line. The other team had a three point lead, but-
Barty hit the ground with a thud seconds before the whistle sounded, the ringing in his ears back in full force as any air that had been left in his lungs exited with a forceful whoosh.
The air returned to him at the same time as other bodies did - teammates grabbing at him, patting him on the back, shrieking and hollering as the stadium erupted. Fans dressed in the team’s colours bouncing and shouting as the lights flashed and hugs were exchanged.
The clock had run out, they had won - Barty had won - with a two point lead.
“Fuckin’ hell!” Potter shouted as he picked Barty up by the waist. “That was fuckin’ brilliant mate! Just bloody brilliant!”
“We did it.” Barty whispered mostly to himself as his feet hit the ground again, though Fenwick hollered in agreement. “We fuckin’ did it! We won!”
The team's mascot came sprinting out onto the field alongside the substitutes from the bench as cameras rushed out to capture it all.
Barty’s entire life had been a constant cycle of needing more, doing more, and never being enough.
But that wasn’t the case anymore.
He had aced his A-levels, he had amounted an abhorrent amount of scholarships to whatever school he pleased even though his father could more than afford to send him to university, he won so many academic records that he stopped bothering to try and display any of them; most of them lived in some sideboard that once belonged to his mother’s mother’s mother.
He’d made a name for himself in rugby and went professional.
He met you.
His treasure.
“That was next level mate, I’ve never seen you run so bloody fast! What the fuck are you on?” Fenwick joked as he roughly jostled Barty by his shoulders.
“Heroin.” Barty laughed airily, though he added an E to the end of that word in his mind as he started towards the stands.
“Oi! Mate! Where’re you going? The trophy’s this way!” Rosier tried calling after him, but it was no use; Barty didn’t listen.
Because his trophy was waiting for him in the stands.
He momentarily spun on the spot as he tried to remember what side of the stadium you’d been sitting in when he spotted you waving - clearly aware that he’d been looking for you - as you stood with a beaming smile on your face.
He forced his aching legs to take off in another sprint as he made his way across the field where you were bundled up in a team sweatshirt with his jersey on top.
“You did it!” You shrieked as he made it to you, but your name - whispered like a prayer - had barely fallen from his lips before he was reaching over the screens that divided the field from the stands to pull you into a bone crushing hug.
He was sweaty and filthy and covered in grass stains but he hoisted you up over the barrier and onto the field with him much to the chagrin of the stadium staff, allowing you to lean back far enough to take his face between both of your hands.
“You bloody did it! You fucking won!”
“I fucking won.” Barty agreed before pressing a searing kiss to your lips.
His father had laughed at him when Barty told him he was pursuing a professional career in the sport; ‘you may have managed to be the best on campus, Bartemus, but there’s no point trying to be the greatest in the league. You’ll amount to nothing.’
“I fucking won.” He repeated as he held his forehead to yours, cradling the base of your skull so gently as though it was a holy relic.
“I’m so proud of you, Bee.” You whispered with a breathy laugh as he noticed tears pooling along your waterline as your eyes turned glassy.
He heard his team behind him, calling him over for pictures as they began shaking bottles of champagne and handing around celebratory necklaces in preparation for the cup to come out.
He simply kissed you again, hoisting you up and forcing you to wrap your legs around his hips as he all but tried to fuse both of your bodies together.
“I fucking won.” He whispered again as he looked up at you. “I fucking won.”
yay i love joshua i wish more people wrote for him and stuff. can i request like smth where reader is like joshua’s support and he celebrates with her in front of everyone after their win and like reveal their relationship
a/n: i also wish more people wrote for him but i'm happy to lead the charge!!! (lmk if you want to be an emoji anon i love your reqs <3) also how could i not make this about taylor swift i've always wanted to write a fic inspired by the alchemy so thank you!!!
taglist: @jordiemeow @artaussi @gibsongirrl @jesuistrestriste @imperishablereverie @challengers4ev
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you'd never felt true anxiety till you'd started dating joshua and started to attend race weekends. sitting in vip areas with a glass of champagne in your hand, gripping it so hard that you feared it might shatter into a million pieces. until finally, after 70 laps with your heart beating out of your chest, joshua pearce had made it across the finish line in one piece, he was a first time race winner.
cheering echoed all around you but you were too stunned to move, watching on the oversized screens as he stepped out and then onto his car, fist pumping in the air as the crowds roared. as he jumped into the arms of his team, you reached for your clutch and began hurrying over to the podium, knowing looks from various sponsors and celebrities following you.
the wind whipped around you as you ran, as best as you could in flashy high heels, crowds of fans still whooping after every word of the interviews.
'joshua, talk to me. first race win of the season, how are we feeling?' the interviewers warm voice boomed through the microphone.
joshua offered a blinding smile of relief in response, 'yeah...yeah man, it feels amazing. uh, it was close for a few laps there but it's great to have fan support-.' he's cut off by more whooping from the grandstands, he's still beaming as he wipes sweat off his forehead. 'yeah, a really good race.'
'of course, you mentioned it being close just then, we saw some strong defense from you, especially in the early laps.' the interviewer pressed on.
'yeah no, it's tough when you're all bunched up together like that and...' his voice trailed off, distracted by something, or someone coming closer.
distracted by you, who'd finally made it to the podium, pushed forward by eager mechanics till you were now stood awkwardly just a few feet away, watching him with sweet adoration and overwhelming pride in your eyes.
'i'm so sorry-' joshua put down his microphone, 'i've just gotta-'
as cameras turned to follow him in suprise, joshua was sprinting towards you with the biggest grin on his face and the whole world watched with bated breath as he lifted you high up into his arms. he span you round as you squealed and laughed with delight, your arms wrapped around his neck. the sounds of applause from fans fading into the background as you looked into his big brown eyes, breathless.
'you did it...' you murmur in awe, hands cupping his sweaty face as he lowered you back down.
he shakes his head, 'we did it, darling. i couldn't have done it without you.' he says earnestly.
you blushed, hard and pressed your lips to his in a loving kiss, his burly arms pulling you impossibly close, not wanting to let you go.
the kiss breaks as the two of you collapse into laughter again, still in shock. 'i think we're being watched.' you joke, pointing to the cameras, fans and even the mechanics, as he rests his chin on top of your head.
'let them.' he smirks, pressing a kiss to your scalp, breathing in the scent of your shampoo, at peace.
