"friends who kiss occasionally" PART 5! FINALE!!!
joe keery x reader smau!
summary: reader and joe have been co-stars since season 1 on stranger things! reader plays 'lottie ralphie' who is 'steve harringtons' love interest. you've developed a small crush for joe, and by small you mean you're head over heels for that man. joe feels the same way but everytime something happens you both are idiots and blame it on alcohol. this time? its different. you even make it KNOWN this time. but but of course, its ruined.
info/warnings: face claim is nina dobrev!, this is NOT. a ship. i repeat this is NOT A SHIP!, y/n used, mentions of drinking/getting drunk, i coa to get everyones instagram users so i just made them up Imaoo, fwb mentioned kinda(not in this part), friends to lovers to friends to distance to co-stars to lovers trope LMAOO!, lowk slow burn be they're all idiots
wc: 2-3k
taglist: @sexyvixen7 @beth-mirrorball @amirafloral
part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5
you’re trying.you really are. your friend is mid story, hands flying everywhere, the table laughing but everything sounds distant. like you’re hearing it through water.
you nod at the right times, smile when you’re supposed to. but your mind is still stuck. at the bar. on him. on everything you just said.
“like i care more than you do.”
you swallow, reaching for your drink again. “okay” one of your friends says suddenly, narrowing her eyes at you, “you’re not here”
you blink. “…i am?” “no, you’re not”
your other friend leans in slightly. “you keep staring over here like you’re trying not to look over there”
you let out a small breath. they already know. of course they do. “…we argued” you admit. both of them immediately react. “what??” “like..bad?”
you hesitate. “…i brought up before.”
they both go quiet for a second. “oh..”
“like… before before?”
you nod. “yeah.” they exchange a look. “okay” one says carefully, “that explains the face.”
you huff out a quiet laugh, dropping your gaze to the table. “he said sorry”
“for tonight?”
“…for everything.” that gets their attention. “oh.”
“okay wait - that’s actually-”
“i didn’t answer him” you cut in. they pause. “you didn’t?” you shake your head. “i didn’t know what to say”
because sorry doesn’t erase standing alone in that closet. it doesn’t erase years of pretending nothing happened. it doesn’t erase how easy it was for him to walk away and how hard it was for you to forget.
outside the bar, the cold air hits him immediately. joe exhales, like he didn’t realize how tense he was inside. his phone is already in his hand. your chat open. he reads your name like it might disappear. then types.
j- i’m sorry
j- not just for tonight
j- for before too
j- i should’ve handled that differently
he stares at it. then sends it before he can overthink. a second message from him.
j- i’m gonna go
j- text me when you get home?
j- please..?
he locks his phone. waits. nothing. he nods to himself slightly. “yeah. okay.” like he deserves that.
back inside, your phone buzzes. you freeze for half a second. your friend notices immediately. “…him?” you nod slightly, already reaching for it. his name on the screen makes your chest tighten. you read the messages. once. twice.
“for before too”
your fingers hover over the keyboard. you start typing. stop. delete it. lock your phone. set it face down. “i’m not answering” you say quietly.
your friends look at you. “are you sure?”
you nod. even if it doesn’t feel solid. “yeah.”
20 minutes later
you last twenty minutes. that’s it. twenty minutes of pretending everything’s fine. twenty minutes of thinking about replying. twenty minutes of not replying. you grab your bag. “i’m gonna go”
your friends look up. “already?” you nod. “yeah. i’m tired.” they both soften slightly. “text us when you get home, okay?”
“i will” you hesitate. then add, quieter “…i’ll text him too.”
they don’t say anything. just nod.
the air is colder now. quieter. you step outside, pulling your jacket around you, finally letting your expression drop. no more pretending. your phone is in your hand before you can stop yourself. his messages are still there. you read them again.
please.
your chest tightens. you type.
- i’m leaving now
you stare at it for a second. then hit send.
his phone buzzes. he almost ignores it. almost. but something in him says don’t. he checks. and the second he sees your name
he stops.
i’m leaving now
it’s small. careful. but it’s not silence. and that’s enough. he turns around immediately.
you’re halfway down the street when “yn-!”
you stop. slowly turn. and there he is. again. slightly out of breath. like he didn’t think, just moved.
“you said you were leaving” he says. “…i am.”
“i know, i just-” he exhales, running a hand through his hair. “i didn’t want you to go without trying again.” your heart stutters. “we already tried.” “no” he shakes his head. “we argued.”
“…same thing.”
“not to me.”
the street is quiet.no music. no distractions. just you and him. again. “i meant what i said” he continues. “about before.” you swallow. “okay…”
“no, not just okay” he says, stepping closer. “i really mean it” you don’t respond. you’ve waited years to hear that and now that it’s here, it doesn’t magically fix everything. “i didn’t leave because i didn’t care” he says.
your eyes flick up. “then why did you?”
he hesitates.. he cant respond because he knows that no matter what he says, he doesn’t have an answer for you.
not yet.
you turn first. start walking.
“goodbye, joe.”
“wait- yn!”
you don’t look back. you don’t trust yourself to. but you can feel it. it’s something different because this time, he doesn’t walk away first. and for once neither of you is pretending this meant nothing.
you’re lying in bed. lights off. phone in your hand. you’ve read your messages at least six times. you still haven’t texted him. your thumb hovers over his name. you think about the bar. the argument. the way he didn’t leave this time. the way he stayed. you exhale and finally type.
- i’m home
you stare at it for a second. then hit send. it delivers instantly. he replies even faster.
j- thank you for texting me
j- are you okay?
your chest tightens slightly. you type.
- i don’t know
three dots appear. disappear. come back.
j- that’s fair
j- can i see you? not tonight
j- but soon?
you stare at the message. your heart does that stupid thing again.
- maybe
- i need a few days
his reply comes slower this time.
j- okay
j- take all the time you need
j- i’ll be here
you read that one twice.
i’ll be here.
you don’t respond. but you don’t need to.
three days later…
you almost don’t knock. you stand there for a solid thirty seconds, staring at the door like it might open on its own. your heart is racing. this feels bigger than it should. but it isn’t. not really. not with him.
you finally lift your hand and knock. a few seconds pass. then the door opens. and there he is.
joe.
he looks surprised. but not confused. like part of him was hoping it would be you.
“…hi”
“hi.”
there’s a pause. a quiet one. “can i come in?” you ask.
he steps back immediately. “yeah - yeah, of course.”
his living room is quieter than you expected. no music. no distractions. just you and him again.
but this time there’s no running, no crowd to disappear into, no excuses.
you both just stand there for a second. then..
“i’ve been thinking” you say. he lets out a small breath. “yeah. me too.”
you nod. “i don’t think i handled that night very well either.”
his brows knit slightly. “you don’t have t-”
“i do” you cut in. “i kind of… dropped something huge on you and expected you to just - handle it.”
he shakes his head. “no, that’s not-”
“joe..” you say softly, “i told you i loved you in a closet at a party.” he lets out a small, breathy laugh. “…yeah. you did.”
“that’s a lot.”
“it didn’t scare me because it was too much” he says.
you pause. “then why?”
he looks at you. really looks at you. “because it felt right.” your breath catches. “…what?” “that’s what scared me,” he says. “not that you said it but that part of me wanted to say it back.”
your chest tightens, hard. “then why didn’t you?”
“because i didn’t trust myself not to mess it up” he admits. “and then i messed it up anyway by leaving.” you stare at him. “…yeah well.. you did.”
“i know.”
a small, sad smile tugs at your lips. “we’re kind of idiots.”
“yeah” he exhales. “we really are.”
there’s a pause. but it’s softer now. less sharp. “and now?” you ask quietly. he steps a little closer. “now i don’t want to pretend anymore.” your heart stutters. “you say that, but-”
“i know!” he cuts in gently. “i know i’ve said things before and then done the opposite.” you nod slightly. “so what makes this different?”
he doesn’t hesitate this time. “you.” you blink. “me?”
“yeah” he says. “because you’re about to walk away from me for real this time. and i don’t think i could handle that” your chest tightens. “joe-”
“no, let me finish” he says softly. “i’ve had years to figure this out. and i didn’t. but the second you actually started pulling away?” he shakes his head. “that scared me more than anything you’ve ever said.”
your eyes soften slightly but,
“that doesn’t fix everything” you say. “i know”
“you hurt me”
“i know”
“more than once..”
“i know”
you cross your arms slightly. “and you don’t just get to decide you want this now and i fall into it”
“i’m not asking you to fall into anything” he says. “i’m asking you to choose it”
you hesitate. “…i don’t know if i can trust you”
“then don’t” he says.
you blink. “what?”
“not fully” he clarifies. “not yet. just… enough to try”
your heart pounds. because that - that feels real. not perfect. not ideal. just honest. you step a little closer without meaning to. “and what happens if it goes wrong?” you ask. he meets your eyes. “then at least we didn’t spend another few years pretending it wasn’t there”
silence. thick. heavy. but not bad. you look at him and for the first time you don’t feel like he’s going to run.
“…i hate that you’re making sense” you mumble. he huffs a small laugh. “yeah, me too.”
a tiny smile slips onto your face. and that’s when it shifts. again. something softer. closer. you’re standing a lot nearer now. neither of you really noticing how it happened. until
“yn?” his voice is quieter now.
you look up. “yeah?”
he hesitates. just for a second. “can i kiss you?”
your breath catches. and for once, you don’t overthink it. “yeah”
he doesn’t rush it. his hand comes up slowly, brushing lightly against your jaw before resting there. like he’s making sure you’re still here. like he’s not about to lose this again. and then he leans in. the kiss is soft at first. gentle. but it doesn’t stay that way. because this time you don’t hold back.
your hand grips his shirt, pulling him closer, and he responds immediately, his other hand finding your waist, pulling you in like he’s been waiting years to do it properly. it’s not rushed. not careless. it’s intentional, every second of it. like you’re both making up for every moment you didn’t let this happen.
you pull back slightly, breath uneven. foreheads almost touching. “i meant it” you whisper. his thumb brushes lightly against your cheek. “yeah” he says softly. “i know”
a small pause. then
“…i love you too by the way” your heart literally stops. “you don’t get to say that so casually” you whisper.
he smiles slightly. “i’ve had a lot of time to think about it”
you let out a breathy laugh and then kiss him again. this time deeper. real. no hesitation. no fear. just, finally.
one week later
you’re staring at your camera roll. specifically a photo of joe. not even a big moment. just him sitting across from you, half-smiling, looking at you like he forgot anyone else existed.
your thumb hovers over post. “are you doing it?” your friend asks. you glance up. “…i don’t know.” “you literally have been seeing him all week.” “i know.” “soft launch. do it.”
you look back at your phone. then post it.
no caption. just a photo of him.
@ynuser
mayaha, finnwf and 23.1k others liked this story
his phone buzzes so he naturally opens instagram sees your story and immediately smiles. then takes a picture of you. sitting across from him now. not looking at the camera. just there, smiling to yourself he posts it.
but he adds a caption.
@.djotime
caption: gorgeous girl🤍all mine. @ynuser❤️
nattyyd, sadiees and 62.5k others liked this story
your phone buzzes again so you open it and freeze. because it’s his story. it’s you. your heart does that thing again. but this time it doesn’t hurt.
and just like that. it starts.
it’s real, its exciting, its magical.
but most importantly.
its you two. together. and that’s all that matters.
EEEEKK!! i cant believe this series is overr
PLEAAASEEE send requests to meemeee so i can write something elsee
