✧Potion- Chapter 15✧
Joe Keery x Reader
Summary: You’ve been friends with Javi for years,the kind of years that turns someone into family. He’s the one who pulled you into his inner circle, which just so happens to include Joe Keery. You’ve liked Joe for forever, and somehow the only person who hasn’t figured that out is Joe himself. So what happens when you finally decide to tell him?
Previous Chapter
A few weeks later and for the first time in what felt like forever, life had settled.
Not slowed.
Never slowed.
Joe’s rehearsal schedule still filled most of the calendar pinned to your refrigerator. Some mornings began before the sun had fully climbed over Manhattan, and some nights ended with him stumbling into your apartment long after you’d changed into pajamas, script tucked beneath his arm and exhaustion written across every inch of him.
But he’d been right.
He was trying.
Trying looked different than you’d once imagined.
It wasn’t grand declarations or sweeping gestures.
It was a sleepy phone call while he walked home after rehearsal because he wanted to hear your voice before either of you fell asleep.
It was coffee left outside your apartment door before an early morning callback with a sticky note that simply read:
Thought you’d need this more than I do. ❤️
It was rushed lunches squeezed into forty-five minute breaks, fingers intertwined across tiny café tables while Joe inhaled a sandwich between laughing at something Javi had texted the group chat.
It was canceled plans followed by immediate apologies.
“Can I make it up to you tomorrow?”
And every single time…
He did.
Because trying wasn’t about being perfect.
It was about showing up.
Every chance he got.
You’d never realized how safe consistency could feel.
Your phone buzzed against the kitchen counter.
Javi: Blue & Gold. Seven. Wes: Don’t let Broadway Boy bail.
You smiled before another message appeared.
Joe: Excuse me. Broadway Boy is standing right here. Javi: Then stop reading over my shoulder. Joe: Never.
A picture appeared moments later.
Javi looked thoroughly annoyed.
Joe, somehow, had managed to catch him mid-eye roll.
Even Wes was laughing in the background.
You couldn’t help but laugh with them.
Some things, thankfully…never changed.
The evening air carried just enough of a breeze to chase away the lingering warmth of the day as you made your way down the familiar block.
The glowing blue neon sign came into view before the bar itself, just as it always had.
You couldn’t help but smile.
It was strange how somewhere could become home without you ever realizing exactly when it happened.
Blue & Gold had seen every version of the four of you.
The awkward beginnings.
The laughter.
The secrets.
The nights that stretched far longer than anyone intended.
The heartbreak.
And somehow…
It was still standing, waiting for all of you.
You pushed open the heavy door, immediately greeted by the familiar chorus of conversations, clinking glasses, and the unmistakable smell of burgers and fried food that somehow never changed.
“About time.”
You looked toward the back booth to find Javi already pointing a fry in your direction.
“I was starting to think Joe kidnapped you.”
“He tried,” you answered easily, slipping your jacket off. “I escaped.”
“I heard that.” Joe’s voice carried across the room before you even saw him.
He emerged from the hallway leading toward the restrooms, one hand pushing his hair back while the other balanced two fresh pints. His Broadway script was tucked beneath his arm, the corners worn from weeks of rehearsals.
“Hey you,” he said, a smile spreading across his face so naturally it made your chest warm.
He reached you without hesitation.
No awkwardness.
No wondering if he should.
He leaned down, pressing a quick kiss against your temple before setting one of the glasses in front of you.
“I come back for thirty seconds and she’s already making me the villain.” Joe laughed.
“You disappear for ten minutes,” Javi replied, “and suddenly you’re carrying scripts into bars.”
“They don’t stop existing because I want a beer.”
“They should.”
“They don’t.”
Wes laughed into his drink.
“You two argue like an old married couple.”
Joe didn’t even look up.
“I hate how accurate that is,” Javi muttered.
Laughter rippled around the table.
The kind that came easily.
The kind that needed no explanation.
The conversation had drifted somewhere between rehearsal stories and whatever ridiculous rabbit hole Wes had sent the group chat down earlier that afternoon.
“…I’m just saying,” Wes insisted, pointing his bottle toward Javi. “You cannot survive on coffee and breakfast sandwiches.”
“I’ve been doing it for years.”
“You’ve also forgotten your own birthday twice.”
“That happened one time.”
“It happened this year.”
Javi waved him off.
“Details.”
Laughter rolled around the booth, easy and familiar.
Joe sat beside you, one arm stretched comfortably along the back of the booth behind you.
Every now and then his fingertips brushed your shoulder when he laughed.
Neither of you seemed to notice anymore.
At one point, you reached for his drink without thinking, taking a sip before handing it back.
He accepted it just as absentmindedly.
Just like a habit.
Wes caught it first.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth before he looked toward Javi.
Javi had already seen it.
Of course he had.
He simply leaned back in the booth, studying the two of you for a quiet moment with the smallest smile.
Then he looked at Joe.
“So…”
Joe glanced up.
“So?”
Javi lifted an eyebrow.
“…Is the cat out of the bag yet?”
The table grew quiet.
Your heart skipped.
Joe looked at you first.
His smile softened.
Then he looked back at Javi.
“I guess it is.”
Javi’s grin only widened.
“Good.”
He pointed between the two of you.
“Because I’ve been sitting on this for weeks, and pretending I didn’t know was getting exhausting.”
Joe laughed. “You knew?”
Javi gave you a look.
“I’m her best friend duh.”
He turned toward Joe again. “And you looked like someone had handed you the moon every time she walked into a room.”
Joe ducked his head, laughing quietly into his beer.
“I wasn’t that obvious.”
All three of them answered together.
“You were.”
The laughter lingered around the table long after the conversation had moved on.
Javi was already insisting he’d known before either of you did.
“You absolutely did not,” Joe laughed.
“I absolutely did.”
“You thought I was just stressed.”
“I thought you were stressed because you were in love.”
“…That’s annoyingly specific.”
“I know you. I know all of you.”
There was something comforting in that.
For so long, it had felt like every conversation danced around something no one wanted to say out loud.
Now…there was nothing left to hide.
The bartender passed by, collecting empty glasses as another round found its way to the table.
Music hummed quietly from the speakers overhead.
Someone started a game of pool near the front of the bar.
Blue & Gold carried on around them exactly as it always had.
Only this time…everything felt lighter.
“I’ll grab another round,” Wes said, sliding out of the booth.
“I’ll help,” you answered instinctively.
He gave a small nod.
“Come on.”
The walk to the bar wasn’t more than a few steps, but it gave the booth just enough distance for the noise around you to soften.
Wes rested his forearms against the worn wood while the bartender finished another order.
He glanced back toward the booth where Joe was deep in conversation with Javi, laughing over something neither of you could hear.
“I haven’t seen him laugh like that in a long time.”
Your eyes followed his. “He deserves this.”
Wes nodded.
“So do you.”
The bartender set four fresh drinks on the counter.
Neither of you reached for them right away.
Instead, Wes looked at you one last time.
“I’m really glad it was him.”
Your throat tightened.
“Wes…”
He shook his head before you could apologize.
“No.”
A soft smile crossed his face.
“I meant what I said.”
He nudged your shoulder gently.
“You picked the right guy.”
For just a second, emotion threatened to settle between you.
Then, as if reading your mind, Wes grinned.
“But if he ever makes you cry…”
You laughed.
“I know.”
“I’ve still got access to all his embarrassing high school photos.”
You laughed harder this time.
“I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”
“Damn right.”
He picked up two of the glasses, handing one to you.
“Come on.”
He glanced back toward the booth where Joe was now looking around, clearly searching for the two of you.
You followed his gaze.
Joe’s eyes found yours almost immediately.
The moment he saw you smiling beside Wes, his shoulders relaxed.
You smiled back.
Wes caught the exchange and chuckled quietly to himself.
“…Yeah,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. “He finally figured it out.”
You looked back at Wes, your smile softening.
“So did we.”
For a moment, neither of you moved.
Then, without thinking, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him.
He let out a quiet laugh, surprised for only a second before hugging you back just as tightly.
“You know,” he said, “you’re making me look emotional.”
“You are emotional.”
“I have a reputation to protect.”
You smiled against his shoulder.
“I love you, Wes.”
His arms squeezed gently around you.
Not the kind of love that wondered what if.
Not the kind that asked either of you to choose.
Just the kind that had carried you through one of the hardest seasons of your life.
“I love you too.”
When you pulled away, he smiled—that same easy, familiar smile that had always made everything feel a little lighter.
“Now,” he said, handing you one of the glasses with a grin, “go rescue your boyfriend before he starts pretending he’s not watching us.”
You laughed, taking the drink from his hand.
“I don’t think he’d fool anyone.”
“Definitely not Javi.”
Together, you headed back toward the booth.
You slipped back into the booth beside Joe.
He turned toward you immediately.
“You okay?”
The question was simple.
Gentle.
You nodded.
“I’m really good.”
His expression softened, as though that answer alone had lifted something off his shoulders.
“Good.”
You reached up, smoothing a stray piece of hair away from his forehead.
“I just wanted to check on you.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“I think that’s supposed to be my line.”
“It can be both.”
He smiled.
“I missed you.”
“You saw me two minutes ago.”
“I know.”
“But you were over there.”
You laughed, leaning over to press a lingering kiss against his cheek.
“You’re adorable.”
“So I’ve been told.”
As you pulled away, movement near the end of the booth caught your eye.
Javi was slipping out the front door, beer still in hand.
He glanced back just long enough to catch your eye before tipping his head toward the sidewalk.
An unspoken invitation.
You looked back at Joe.
“I think your best friend is stealing me for a minute.”
Joe followed your gaze to the door before smiling knowingly.
“He usually has good timing.”
“He does.”
He gave your hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.
“I’ll be here.”
“I know.”
You smiled one last time before sliding out of the booth and following Javi into the cool evening air.
The summer air had cooled just enough to make standing on the sidewalk comfortable, the sounds of the city blending into the music spilling softly through Blue & Gold’s open door.
Javi leaned against the brick wall, nursing the last of his beer.
He looked over as the door swung shut behind you.
After a moment, you looked over at him.
“Thank you.”
He frowned slightly.
“For what?”
You smiled to yourself.
“For breakfast.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“…Breakfast?”
“The blueberry muffin.”
“The coffee.”
“You ordering food when I couldn’t even decide what I wanted.”
“The nights you walked me home.”
“The nights you didn’t ask questions because you already knew the answers.”
Javi looked down at the bottle in his hands, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I was just being your friend.”
“I know.”
Your voice softened.
“But you were exactly the friend I needed.”
For the first time all evening…
Javi didn’t have a joke ready.
He just looked at you.
“You would’ve been okay.”
“Eventually,” you admitted.
“But I don’t think I would’ve found my way here without you.”
His expression warmed.
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do.”
Silence settled between you again.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Then Javi nudged your shoulder with his.
“You know this doesn’t get rid of me.”
You laughed.
“I’d be pretty upset if it did.”
“Good.”
He smiled.
“Because Joe might be your boyfriend…”
He paused just long enough to make you smile.
“…but I’m still your emergency contact.”
You laughed so hard you had to wipe at your eyes.
“I think he’d agree with that.”
“Oh, he absolutely would.”
Then, without another word, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him.
His hug came instantly.
Strong.
Steady.
The kind that had carried you through more than either of you could count.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.
“Go live your life.”
You looked at him.
“I will but with you in it.”
He was quiet for just a moment before smiling.
“Good.”
“I was kind of hoping this wasn’t the part where I got written out.”
“Never” you say.
The weeks that followed somehow managed to move both impossibly fast and painfully slow.
Broadway became everything.
Rehearsals stretched from morning into late evening. Costumes replaced jeans. Coffee became a food group. Scripts grew more worn with each passing day, corners bent and pages covered in scribbled notes only Joe seemed to understand.
Some nights, he barely made it through your apartment door before falling asleep with his head in your lap while you quietly quizzed him on lines he’d already memorized.
Other nights, the two of you wandered the city long after rehearsal ended, splitting a slice of pizza on the walk home because neither of you had remembered to eat dinner.
Sometimes the dates lasted hours.
Sometimes they lasted fifteen minutes on a bench outside the theater before he had to run back inside.
Before either of you realized it…opening night arrived.
The city felt different that evening.
Maybe it was the excitement humming beneath the streets.
Maybe it was just you.
You’d spent far too long deciding what to wear before finally settling on something simple, something that felt like you.
Joe had laughed when you told him you were nervous.
“You’re not the one walking onstage.”
Easy for him to say.
Your phone buzzed as you stepped out of the subway.
Joe: You here?
You smiled immediately.
You: Almost.
Three little dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Joe: Okay.
A second later—
Joe: I just wanted to know you made it.
Your heart melted.
You slipped your phone back into your bag, smiling to yourself as the theater came into view.
The marquee glowed against the darkening sky, people already gathering along the sidewalk, dressed in everything from jeans to evening dresses, voices blending together in that unmistakable pre-show excitement.
You stopped for just a moment.
Not because you had to.
Because you wanted to.
Joe had talked about this.
Not this theater specifically.
Not this show.
But this feeling.
The one where years of auditions, rejection, callbacks, long rehearsals, tiny apartments, impossible schedules, and countless moments of wondering if he’d ever get here…
Finally led to one night.
Opening night.
You couldn’t help but smile.
“You made it,” you whispered to yourself.
Not because he could hear you.
Just because it felt important to say out loud.
Taking a steadying breath, you made your way inside.
The lobby buzzed with conversation.
Programs changed hands.
Champagne glasses clinked softly somewhere off to your left.
An usher smiled as they checked your ticket before pointing you toward your seat.
You thanked them, following the aisle into the theater.
You stepped carefully down the aisle, your ticket folded between your fingers as you searched for the row number.
Halfway there…you recognized a familiar laugh.
Javi.
He was already standing, waving you over with both hands as though you could possibly miss him.
You laughed despite yourself.
“I was beginning to think I had the wrong theater.”
“Nah.” He grinned. “We just got here obscenely early.”
“That part was his idea,” Wes said, jerking a thumb toward Javi.
“I wanted good snacks.”
“You wanted to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
“…That too.”
You smiled, sliding into the empty seat beside them.
For a moment, you simply looked around.
Javi on one side.
Wes on the other.
The stage in front of you.
The lights dimmed.
Conversations faded into whispers before disappearing altogether.
One by one, the house lights sank into darkness until the only thing left illuminated was the stage.
Your hands folded together in your lap.
You hadn’t realized you’d been holding your breath until the orchestra began.
The curtain rose.
For a heartbeat…nothing else existed.
Then he walked onstage.
The applause that greeted his entrance was warm, immediate.
You felt your heart climb into your throat.
It was Joe.
And somehow…it wasn’t.
Everything about him shifted the second his feet carried him beneath the lights.
The familiar smile you’d seen across coffee shops and crowded bars belonged to someone else now.
The quiet confidence he’d spent months searching for filled every word he spoke.
Every movement.
Every pause.
He wasn’t trying to become the character.
He was.
You couldn’t stop smiling.
Every late rehearsal.
Every canceled dinner.
Every highlighted script left forgotten on your couch.
Every moment he’d wondered whether he was good enough…
It was all right there in front of you.
And he was incredible.
At some point, you forgot to be nervous for him.
You simply watched.
Proud didn’t even begin to cover it.
Time moved strangely after that.
Scenes blurred together.
The audience laughed.
Fell silent.
Laughed again.
More than once, you caught yourself glancing toward Javi.
He’d stopped pretending not to get emotional somewhere around the second act.
Wes noticed too.
Without saying a word, he nudged Javi’s shoulder.
Javi sniffed dramatically.
“I have allergies.”
“In a theater?”
“…Very aggressive allergies.”
You laughed quietly, shaking your head.
Neither of them looked away from the stage.
Not once
When the lights finally faded for the last time…
Silence settled over the theater.
Only for a second.
Then the room erupted.
Applause thundered around you.
The entire audience rose to its feet almost as one.
You found yourself standing before you even realized you’d moved, your hands aching as you clapped harder than you ever had before.
Beside you, Javi let out an ear-piercing whistle.
“That’s right Joe!” he shouted over the applause.
Wes laughed, joining in.
“That’s our guy!”
Your vision blurred before you realized why.
Tears.
Happy ones.
The cast stepped forward together.
They bowed.
Once.
Twice.
Then Joe lifted his head.
For just a moment…he scanned the audience.
And then his eyes found yours.
Immediately.
The smile that spread across his face wasn’t the smile he’d worn all evening.
It wasn’t his character’s.
It was Joe’s.
Small.
Unbelievably soft.
The kind of smile that said everything words couldn’t.
You smiled back.
There you are.
He didn’t say it.
He didn’t have to.
You could see it.
And somehow…across an entire theater filled with people… it still felt like the two of you were the only ones in the room.
Backstage buzzed with an energy unlike anything you’d ever experienced.
Congratulations echoed from every direction.
Flowers changed hands.
Someone laughed loud enough to be heard down the hallway.
Cast members embraced one another, the adrenaline of opening night still written across every smiling face.
You stood just outside the dressing rooms, your fingers twisting together as people hurried past.
“You okay?”
Wes appeared beside you, two paper cups balanced in one hand.
You smiled.
“I think I’m more nervous now than I was sitting out there.”
He chuckled. “Yeah…looks like it!”
Before either of you could say anything else, Javi appeared from somewhere down the hallway.
“I found him.”
Your heart skipped.
“Well…”
He grinned, stepping aside.
“…He found you.”
You turned.
Joe stood at the end of the hallway.
His stage makeup was still faintly visible beneath the harsh backstage lights, his tie loosened, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled to his forearms. His hair had long since surrendered to opening-night chaos.
For just a second…neither of you moved.
Then his face broke into the biggest smile you’d ever seen.
“There you are.”
The words were barely louder than a whisper.
You laughed, already crossing the hallway before you’d even realized your feet had started moving.
Joe met you halfway.
His arms wrapped around you the second you reached him, pulling you against his chest with enough force to make you laugh again.
“You were incredible,” you whispered.
He buried his face against your hair for a moment before letting out a long breath.
“I was terrified.”
“You hid it well.”
“I’ve been acting my whole life.”
You pulled back just enough to look at him.
“I mean it. You were seriously incredible.”
For the first time all evening Joe looked like he believed it.
His smile softened.
“Thanks.”
He glanced toward the stage doors for a brief moment before looking back at you.
“I kept looking for you.”
“I know.”
“I found you every time.”
Your throat tightened.
“Joe...”
Without another word, you leaned up and kissed him.
Not because everyone was watching.
Not because it was opening night.
Simply because you could.
A loud whistle echoed down the hallway.
The two of you broke apart laughing.
“Gotta interrupt the romance sorry!” Javi called, already making his way over.
Joe barely had time to react before Javi wrapped him in a bear hug that nearly lifted him off the floor.
“You did it, man.”
Joe laughed into his shoulder.
“We did it.”
Wes reached them a second later, pulling Joe into another hug the moment Javi finally let go.
“I’m proud of you.”
Joe smiled.
“Thanks man.”
For a while the four of you simply stood there together.
No rehearsals.
No almosts.
No wondering.
Just laughter.
Just relief.
Just home.
One of the cast members walked past carrying a bouquet nearly as tall as they were.
They slowed just enough to smile at the four of you.
“Friends?”
Joe looked around the little circle without hesitation.
At Javi.
At Wes.
Then finally at you.
A quiet smile spread across his face.
“Family.”
Silence settled over the group for just a heartbeat.
Then Javi wiped dramatically beneath one eye.
“I swear if any of you tell people I cried…”
“You cried in the second act,” Wes replied immediately.
“I had something in my eye.”
“You had tears in both eyes.”
“They were synchronized.”
You laughed so hard your stomach hurt.
Joe reached for your hand without even looking.
His fingers slipped effortlessly between yours.
Like they’d done it a hundred times before.
Like they always would.
Outside, New York buzzed with its usual rhythm, completely unaware that, for the four of you, the world had quietly shifted.
The theater lights still glowed behind you.
The city stretched endlessly ahead.
Joe gave your hand a gentle squeeze.
“Ready?”
You looked at him.
Then at Javi and Wes already arguing over where to celebrate.
Finally, back toward the city waiting beyond them all.
You smiled.
“Yeah.”
Together, you followed the people who had become your home, disappearing into the New York night.
Not toward an ending.
But toward everything that came next.
The End 🖤
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