J.Q. | oneshots

going with the flow

prompt: you stain the bedsheets because of your period and joseph reassures you
pairing: joseph quinn x gn!reader
warnings: mentions of period blood !
author's notes: hello ! i'm ives & this is the first chapter of this fic — joseph is currently the loml and i've been super obsessed. i wrote this in quite the rush so hopefully there aren't too many typos. enjoy ♡

It's bright out when you wake up, sun peeking in through the sheer, white curtains and softly streaming into the room — painting shapes upon shapes of blinding light onto the blanket, the floorboards and the walls.

You groan, eyes tiredly fluttering open as you feel the distant, dull ache of a headache stirring inside your head. The other half of the bed is unfortunately empty, Joseph's unruly mess of curly hair nowhere to be seen. You would have loved a usual round of clingy early-morning cuddles but looks like he's left you in bed by yourself today.

Sighing, you turn to your side to look at the alarm clock on your cluttered side table, bright-red analog numbers flashing 8:02 a.m. You're not one for sleeping in, always up and it early in the morning — but there's a distinct queasy-achy feeling buzzing throughout your body, rendering you nauseous and worn out.

Rubbing your eyes with the heels of your palms, you shift to switch positions and burrow further into the cozy warmth of your blanket, something you immediately regret as a sharp twang of pain pinches you unforgivingly in the abdomen.

"Fuck," you hiss, eyes clenching shut, teeth grinding together. You slide a hand to your stomach, pressing down and trying to soothe the pain. In the meantime you lift the blanket, peering between your legs, heart starting to race when you see a dark red patch blotched into the soft fabric of the bedsheets.

You shimmy out of bed, standing on your feet and craning your head to peer at the back of your pajama shorts, which are also expectedly stained. "Jesus Christ," you sigh, rubbing a hand across your face.

One thing you hate about your period — not that there are things you don't hate about it — is the fact that it's annoyingly irregular, always unpredictable and coming in at the most inconvenient times. You've tried making changes to your diet and your sleep schedule, exercising on the regular and even going as far switching your birth control. Nothing ever seems to work though, your period clearly refusing to be consistent.

You grumble and lean down, shoving the blanket and pillows aside so you can pull the sheets off of the bed.

It's at that moment that the door opens, hinges creaking loudly. "Hey, you awake baby?" Joseph's peeks his head into the room.

Your heart bangs in your chest as you dart around to look at him with wide eyes. "Hi! Yeah, I'm awake!" you force a smile, albeit a little sheepish. "Very much awake and conscious and functioning like a normal human being,"

Joseph makes a face at your rather unusual response, eyebrows knitting together, but he snorts nonetheless as he shuffles towards you. "Gimme a kiss," he says. A set of arms snake around your waist, his lips pressing gently against your cheek, scruff brushing onto your skin. He smells good — all Dior cologne, lavender shampoo and peppermint toothpaste.

"You alright, baby? You seem a bit out of it this morning," Joseph remarks.

"I'm good." you bite the inside of your cheek, squeezing him back. "Just, um — I might've bled into your sheets on accident?" you tell him, wincing.

He startles, rubbing his thumbs against your clothed hips. "Oh? What happened?"

"My period happened," you laugh quietly, your abdomen throbbing coincidentally. "it's irregular as fuck so I didn't see it coming. I'm really sorry,"

Joseph's hands lift to your shoulders, his eyes twinkling with concern. "Hey, what're you apologizing for, love? You've got nothing to apologize for — it wasn't your fault." he kisses you on the forehead, pulling you into him and rubbing your back.

You dig your face into his neck, basking in the scent of his cologne. "I still feel bad about the sheets, though. I know they're your favorite,"

"Nothing a cold wash can't fix," he says, voice lowered to a soft rumble. "You okay?"

"My cramps are killing me and I need to go change before I completely soil my pants but I'm fine." you respond, tired out of your mind. "You?"

Joseph laughs. "Me? Why're you asking me if I'm okay? I'm not the one who needs some TLC right now," he says. "I'll take care of the sheets and you can have a shower, alright?"

You nod silently.

"I think there's a pack of tampons in the bathroom from when you were here last month." Joseph tells you.

"I'll need some pads for the night," you mumble into the fabric of his sweatshirt.

"No problem, baby. I was gonna call for groceries anyway. I'll just add them to cart and have them delivered. You fussy about the brand?"

"No — as long as they aren't scented." you wrap your arms around his middle. "Thank you. You're the best, Jo."

He kisses the top of your head, fingers playing with your hair. "Anything for my baby."

Your chest warms at that and you wonder what exactly you'd done in your life to deserve this angel of a man and, for once, your period doesn't feel like the worst thing in the world.

notes: if you've made it all the way here, thank you so much for reading ! i'm so excited to work on this book — comments & votes keep me motivated so if it isn't too much trouble, please consider leaving some ! please also leave some requests if you have any — i will write anything for anyone as long as it isn't smut. thank you again for reading & i hope you have a lovely day ♡