Requested by Snackycake1975
Warnings: lots of fluff, protective sex, language
I've known Joe for four years. We met on the set of Stranger Things. He played Steve Harrington while I worked in the costume trailer. Two years ago, he finally asked me out. We've been together ever since.
Joe and I decided to move in together on our one-year anniversary. We found a small house on the outskirts of LA. It was close enough to Netflix's set while still giving me the small-town experience.
Every day I've spent with Joe has been one of my favorite days. He means the world to me. I used to think that the only time I'd been in love was in high school. Until I met Joe. I've never felt love like this.
But lately, things have felt a little off. Joe's been gone a lot more than just work. He's been on his phone more, constantly texting someone. Whenever I've asked, he's shrugged it off and told me it was something to do with work.
It almost felt like he's been keeping something from me. I didn't let myself spend time thinking about it because when I did, it made my stomach turn sour. I tried talking to some of my friends about him and what was going on but they instantly accused him of cheating on me.
I had just finished the laundry when I heard the front door open and shut. I heard Joe kick off his shoes and hang his keys by the door. I waited for him to call out to me or come find me but he didn't.
"Joe?" I called out as I carried the laundry basket out of the laundry room. "Is that you or a burglar?"
"If I was a burglar, you should call the police," Joe said, sounding weird, "not call out to them."
I stopped when I saw him still standing in the doorway. I put the laundry basket down before walking over to him. I reached up and gently cupped his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked under my breath. He started to say he was fine, but I cut him off. "What happened at work today?"
"Maya, Joseph, Natalie, Charlie, and I were supposed to go to lunch," he started to explain. "We got cornered by the damn paparazzi. Again."
"I'm sorry," I sighed, pulling him into my chest and wrapping my arms around his neck. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No," he said, slowly going back to his regular self. "Just being with you is enough."
Joe leaned in and pressed his lips delicately to mine. He started to try and deepen the kiss but I broke it before he could. I smirked up at his pout.
"Cheesball," I teased before turning on my heel.
Joe stopped me before I could walk away. He pulled me back into his chest, a different look in his eyes.
"I had an idea about dinner tonight," he said.
"Okay," I shrugged. "What's your idea? I went grocery shopping today so I could make. . ."
"Let's go out," he interrupted. "And I don't mean our usual places."
"Did you have a specific place you wanted to go to?"
"Antonios."
"What?" I asked, slightly laughing. "Baby, that place is extremely hard to get reservations. You have to call like six months in advance."
"Not unless you know the host," Joe said with a teasing smirk, "which I do."
"You're kidding," I said slowly. "No, you're not."
He pulled me closer, pressing his forehead to mine. He chuckled as he rubbed our noses together.
"I'm not," he whispered. "Here's what I want you to do, baby. Go upstairs and take a nice, hot shower. I want you to get dressed in your favorite dress, the one that makes you feel the sexiest. Do your hair, makeup, the whole nine yards. And then I am going to take you to dinner."
"That sounds amazing," I sighed. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his.
We instantly started moving our lips messily in sync. We broke the kiss, laughing as he picked me up and started carrying me upstairs. He dropped me on the bed, instantly crawling over me.
"As much as I would love to do this," he moaned, "we should start getting ready. Mikey made our dinner reservations for 7."
"I can shower and get ready in an hour," I teased, dragging my hands up his chest.
"Baby," he moaned, pressing his lips to mine. I giggled against his lips as he started undressing me. He broke the kiss long enough to add, "You're the reason I'm always late for work."
I pushed on his chest, making him break the kiss. I couldn't help but smirk as Joe looked at my body which was partially revealed to him.
"You're the one who loves spending time together in the morning."
"Waking up next to your gorgeous body," he teased, "can you blame me?"
* * * * *
After we finished, I started to shower but Joe joined me. My shower was longer than normal with Joe behind me. Eventually, we finally finished showering and got ready for dinner. As we pulled into the valet parking at the restaurant, a sick feeling flooded me.
What if all of this was to make him feel better about cheating?
I shook my head, forcing myself to push that aside. I knew Joe. He would never do that to me.
A valet was about to open my door but Joe stopped him. He nodded to the guy in appreciation before opening my door. He grabbed my hand, helping me out of the car. The butterflies went crazy, trying to tell me something, but I instantly ignored them.
We walked into the restaurant and didn't have to say anything to the host. Joe's friend Mikey nodded at him and grabbed two menus. He led us through the restaurant to a private room in the back. I tried to ignore the look that Joe and Mikey shared before Mikey walked away.
Throughout dinner, Joe was his normal, charismatic, charming self. I tried to go back to my normal self but I couldn't ignore the pit in my stomach.
"You alright?"
I looked up to see Joe scanning my face. He reached over and grabbed my hand.
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "I'm just. . . I think the wine is giving me a headache."
"You only had two glasses," Joe said, clearly overthinking things. I smiled when he reached up and gently felt my face. "You're a little flushed. I hope you're not coming down with anything."
"I'm fine," I tried to reassure.
"How about a walk on the beach?" Joe suggested, sounding a little strange. "Maybe the fresh sea air will help."
"That's a great idea."
After leaving the restaurant, Joe and I walked around the park by our house that we liked to go to. We started getting close to our favorite gazebo and I noticed he started to slow our pace.
"Do you remember the day we first met?" Joe asked.
"Of course I do," I chuckled. "It was my first day at my new job. They needed me to fix a zipper on one of the outfits that Nancy wears. I was running late because I couldn't find a needle or the thread the first costume designer used."
"You were swearing up a storm," he teased. "I walked into the costume trailer because they told me I needed different sneakers and all I hear is a girl swearing like a sailor."
"To be fair, I had no idea you were there," I defended myself.
"No need to be embarrassed," Joe chuckled. "That first time we met, I fell head over heels in love with you. I had to get to know you better. I figured it out extremely fast that those days I didn't see you, were some of the worst. So, I made sure to stop by every day."
"Even if it meant ripping off one of your shirt buttons?"
"It seemed like a small price to pay," he shrugged. Suddenly, the look in his eyes changed. He led me over to our gazebo. We got to the middle of it when he finally let go of me. I wrapped my arms around myself as he walked away.
"Joe." I was about to tell him to hurry up and end things but he flipped something on. I gasped as the whole gazebo lit up.
"What is all of this?" I stuttered as I looked around. There were lights strung up around the gazebo and flowers that added to the lights but felt slightly out of place. "Did you. . . Did you do all of this?"
I turned around, my breath getting stuck in my throat when I saw him down on one knee. I tried to catch my breath but it was useless.
"To answer your question," he chuckled as he grabbed a dark red velvet box out of his pocket, "I may have had some help, but yes I did all of this. And before you ask, you're worth it."
"Joe," I whispered his name. I was going to say more but decided against it. Whatever he was doing, I doubt he wanted me to interrupt.
"I'm gonna keep this as simple as I can. I love you, Y/N. I have loved you since the very first moment I met you. I knew an actor dating a crew member was against Matt and Ross's rules, but I was willing to break any rule I had to to get near you. After weeks of flirting back and forth, before I asked you out, I begged Matt to let me. I had to sign a bunch of agreements that I wouldn't sue Netflix if something happened between us but when he told me I could. . . One date and I knew. I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with you."
Joe paused as he looked down at the velvet box in his hand and slowly opened it, showing me the ring he bought for me.
"So let's start that now," he said, his voice dropping. "I love you with everything I have. I promise that I will spend every day making you happy. I will spend every ounce of energy I have to give you the life you deserve. You'll want for nothing. As long as you have me. As long as I have you, I won't need anything else. I love you, Y/N, and I have been dying to ask you a very special question."
"Please," I whispered, "ask me, Joe. I've been dying for you to ask me."
Joe smiled up at me, happy tears building in his eyes. "Y/F/N LY/L/N, will you marry me?"
"Yes," I said, the second after he asked me.
Joe smiled as he slipped the ring on my finger. He jumped to his feet and pulled me into his chest. He leaned down and kissed me. I instantly ran my fingers through his hair as our lips moved in sync. We would've gotten carried away if it wasn't for the applause.
We broke apart and looked toward the parking lot to see our friends and family running toward us. I looked at Joe to see him smirking at me.
"What?" He teased. "You really think I would propose to you and not have our closest friends and family nearby to celebrate with us?"
"I love you," I said, my voice breaking.
"I love you too, baby."
After the proposal, we all went to a nearby restaurant that Joe had rented out for our engagement party. The entire night, through all the congratulations and stories, I couldn't keep my eyes off of my fiancé. Every time he caught me looking at him, he'd send me a wink that made my stomach flip.
I went to the bathroom and when I was done, Joe was waiting for me in the hallway outside the bathroom. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his chest.
"Finally," he sighed, slightly moaning, "we're alone."
We were about to lean in and kiss but my sister came running toward us. "There you two are!" She giggled. "They just ordered more champagne."
Joe and I sent each other looks before following Y/S/N back to the party. A little while later, I couldn't handle it anymore. I walked over to him, smiling at an old coworker he was talking to. I think his name was Jason. He excused himself, freeing Joe so he was all mine. I grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to me. I stood on my toes, pressing my lips to his ear. I felt him shiver as I whispered into his ear.
"Let's go home."
* * * * *
We were barely inside the house before Joe's lips were on me. He grabbed me from behind and started kissing my neck. I giggled as his hands started rubbing my hips. I closed my eyes and leaned my head to the side, giving him more room to explore my neck. I shivered in delight as he started nibbling on my earlobe.
"Baby," he groaned into my ear, "let's go upstairs and celebrate."
"We've been celebrating all night," I teased. Joe grunted before grabbing my hips and spinning me around.
"Not the way I want to," he said through his teeth. I gasped as he roughly pressed his lips to mine. Without breaking apart, Joe backed us more into the house. We laughed into the kiss when we hit the wall.
Joe tore his lips away from mine and attached his lips to my neck. He knew I loved when he spent time exploring my body. He grunted as he pushed me further up against the wall.
I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging on as many pieces as I could. Joe pulled away, grunting as he grabbed my hands, pulling them out of his hair. He started moaning my name but his moan got stuck in his throat when he looked down at the ring he put on my finger a few hours ago.
I smirked when Joe got back down on one knee. He looked up at me, not breaking eye contact as he took my left hand and brought it up to his lips. He started delicately kissing the back of my hand. I bit my lip when he kissed my ring finger, directly above my ring. I finally let the moan out I was holding back as he took my ring finger and put it into his mouth, all the way up to my ring.
Joe slowly pulled my finger out of his mouth. I let out a shaky breath as he grabbed my thighs, rubbing his hands up and down them. Joe smirked up at me before tucking his head under my dress. I let out a shaky breath as he started kissing my thigh.
I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes as he went up my thigh before switching to the other one. I gripped his shoulders tightly, not sure what else to do with my hands.
"Joe," I said, his name getting stuck in my throat.
I threw my head back when Joe started using his tongue to push into me through my underwear. I whined when he pulled his head out from under my dress just as I was starting to get into what he was doing. He slid his hands up my body as he stood up.
Joe gently grabbed my hands and placed them on his shoulders. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned down and grabbed my thighs. I jumped, helping him pick me up. I leaned in and started kissing his neck as he carried me to our room.
When we got to our room, he dropped me, catching me so I wouldn't fall. I slid my hands down, playing with the buttons of his shirt. Joe leaned down and kissed me again as I started unbuttoning his shirt. I slowly slid his shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall behind him.
I danced my hands across his abs, smirking when I felt the goosebumps form under my fingers. Joe moaned against my lips as I started undoing his jeans. He bit my lip when his pants hit the floor. He broke the kiss and scanned my still-dressed body.
"Keep the ring on," Joe said as he breathed heavily. "Take everything else off."
"Yes, sir."
Joe let out a shaky breath, a shutter going down his spine at what I called him. I smirked as I reached up and slowly slid my dress straps off my shoulders. Joe bit his bottom lip as my dress fell to my ankles.
I gasped, turning into a giggle, when Joe gently pushed on my shoulders, making me take a step back. My knees hit the edge of our bed and I fell back onto the mattress. He smirked as he slowly climbed over me, not looking away.
He stopped when he got to my hips. Without breaking eye contact, Joe slipped my underwear off. Once they were discarded, he straddled my hips. He finally broke our eye contact long enough to glance down at the only piece of clothing I was still wearing.
He groaned, his boxers tightening, as I reached up and unclasped my bra from the front. I smirked as I tossed it aside. Joe quickly closed the gap between us and smashed his lips to mine. The momentum from the kiss made us fall back onto the mattress.
Our lips moved messily in sync as our bodies grinded against each other. I pulled on his hair as he massaged my hips. Our tongues were in the middle of an intense wrestling match when Joe grabbed my leg and wrapped it around his waist.
Joe slightly pulled away from the kiss to grab a condom out of his bedside table. He pressed his lips back to mine as he opened it. He was about to slip on the condom but stopped. He broke the kiss and looked at me, something in his eyes changing.
"You know," Joe whispered as he hovered over me, "we could get a head start on our family."
"No," I said, my breath getting caught in my throat. "Not yet, I mean. I want to focus on just us for a little while. Enjoy marriage and then build our family."
"You got it," he said before smashing his lips back onto mine.
As our lips moved in sync, Joe finished slipping the condom on. I bit his lip when I felt him push into me. I started chewing on his lip as he pulsed in and out of me. I arched my back, breaking the kiss. I struggled to catch my breath as Joe started kissing between my breasts.
I grabbed his waist, pushing him deeper into me. Everything about us fell in sync; our kisses, our thrusts, our moans. Our orgasms. We knew exactly what the other wanted in bed. We knew where the buttons were and how to push them.
It's just one of the reasons Joe and I worked as well as we did. In as long as we've been together, we've never had any issues with communication. I understood that sometimes his work schedule was crazy and he'd miss our weekly date night. He understood that I often saw other guys shirtless when they came in for a fitting. We understood each other.
We were perfect for each other.
* * * * *
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Joe whispered. He reached over, moving some hair out of my face. "What's on your mind, gorgeous?"
"I feel like I should apologize to you."
"What for, sweetheart?"
"I thought. . . This is going to sound ridiculous," I said, glancing at the ring on my finger, "but the last couple of weeks I thought you were cheating on me."
"What?" Joe asked, not an ounce of anger in his voice. He actually let out a small laugh.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I was confused and insecure. I felt like you've been jumpy lately. Checking your phone a lot more. I thought you were even checking my phone a couple of times. Talking to our friends."
"Let me explain," Joe whispered, pulling me so I was laying on his chest. He started rubbing his fingers up and down my back. "The time you caught me with your phone, I was getting your father's number so I could call and ask his permission. I was talking to your friends to get your ring size and your preferred diamond shape. The times you caught me on the phone and I ended the call quickly when you walked in the room, I was talking to your family and our friends so they could help me plan the surprise party after I asked you."
"I'm sorry," I sighed. I looked up at him, overcome with guilt. "I can't believe I would think that you would cheat on me. You'd never. . . I'm so sorry, baby."
"It's okay," he chuckled. He grabbed my chin and leaned down, pressing his lips to mine in a soft kiss. When he broke it, he looked into my eyes and nowhere else.
"I love you, Mrs. Future Keery," he whispered.
"I love you too, Mr. Future Husband."