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katelyn102 · 2 days ago

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lie down with me

summary - a movie night with his best friend derails into joe finally going for it pairing - joe burrow x fem!reader wordcount - 2.5k masterlist

There was nothing inherently weird about laying on Joe’s couch, feet in his lap as he tapped on her calves intermittently with his fingers, for Y/N. It was basically the middle of the night for Joe, i.e. nearing 10:30 pm. His head kept falling to the side, his body trying to force him to fall asleep but he kept his eyes open and pierced to the screen in front of him.

Just five more minutes. Then ten, an hour, maybe two, and so on.

It was the day of their weekly movie night, and this time it was Y/N’s choice, resulting in them watching the next few episodes of the X-Files on Joe’s TV, bundled under blankets. Although the initial deal between the two friends was that it was a movie night – which they still called it – when it was Y/N’s turn, it was the X-Files or Bones. Nothing in between. No movie would touch that screen on her accord.

Joe wasn’t much better, opting for some type of cartoon (nine out of ten times SpongeBob). Usually his were series, too, but to his credit at least sometimes he chose a movie... for kids.

He did have to admit that he had grown to love the X-Files, maybe because of its nostalgic feel or because it validated his belief in extraterrestrials, something he and Y/N often bickered about. But the casual insanity of the show somehow became something he looked forward to, even if he’d never actually admit it aloud near Y/N.

Every time they’d sit down to watch her series, no matter the violence or gore depicted on the screen, his stomach would be doing somersaults trying to avoid the butterflies swarming. All because she’d have her head on his shoulder or her feet in his lap, just like she did right then. And his favorite times – when he felt extra lucky to even be allowed so near – when Y/N let him lay his head in her lap as she scratched along his scalp with her nails, nearly lulling him to sleep.

They’d been doing this for four years, ever since Joe got drafted into the NFL and their time together suddenly got cut in half. Having a set date where they had to hang out was always something for Joe to look forward to, something that would make a great week with a win better, and any losing or exhausting week immediately okay.

“You’re not gonna fall asleep on me, are you?”

Her soft voice cut through the TV, and he now noticed the volume was significantly lower.

“No, of course not,” he said, punctuating his sentence with a yawn.

“Joey,” she sighed, tucking her legs underneath her in a criss-cross manner as she sat up, effectively removing herself from his grasp. The coldness that hit him was instantaneous and jarring, restarting whatever part of his brain was trying to ruin this one night for him. “I can go home if you wanna go to sleep, I really don’t wanna bother you and your grandpa sleep schedule.”

Even though she was teasing him – lightheartedly – he still couldn’t help but crack a smile, before panic set in at the thought of her leaving early. She’d usually leave sometime after 11, calling an uber or driving herself home, depending on how dark it was and how insistent Joe was on her safety.

“No, no, stay. I’m fine,” he hummed, subconsciously moving closer to her.

The movement was obvious to Y/N, and as she knew how stubborn he was, she just straightened back out into her previous position with her back to the armrest of the couch. She sat up for a minute to pull Joe towards her by the collar of his hoodie, making his brain short-circuit for a hot minute.

She let him settle on her stomach, his face turned toward the TV and glasses pushed askew on his face. She knew he needed and wanted to sleep, but would refuse to whether she was there or if she left him, knowing she could’ve stayed, so she thought putting him to sleep herself would be easier.

The glow of the flickering lights from the movie showed up in the prettiest way across Joe’s pale face, creating a landscape of color along the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones and eyes. The lenses of his glasses were nearly a mirrored image of the TV, and with them being as crooked as they were just added to the adorable nature of a tired Joe.

Joe was immobilized, completely frozen in place as his heart pounded and pounded, not finding a reason to slow down with this new position of theirs. He was laying between her legs, arms around her middle, nose pressed into the side of her – formerly his – sweatshirt that smelled just like her.

Even through the anxiety and dizziness, his body automatically relaxed, melting into Y/N’s, the second her nails raked through his curls – which he had been growing out for a while.

“D’you think I should cut my hair soon? It’s getting kinda long,” he mumbled, nearly incoherently but she seemed to have heard him.

“No, I like it at this length. It’s easy to run my hands through,” she admitted, not stopping her motions.

Joe thought his heart might burst, or maybe his brain, or his entire being. If he had died right then and there in her arms, the fabric around her frame bunched up in his hand like he used to with his security blanket as a kid, he wouldn’t even have been mad.

“Noted,” he smiled, trying to keep it subdued as much as possible, but he just couldn’t. He closed his eyes, just hoping it would help the rest of his senses take everything in from the scene around him; the thud of her heart beating right above his head, her soft breathing fanning across his face, her nails on his scalp, her other hand on his upper back rubbing soothing circles with her thumb. He didn’t even need to see to feel the innate joy.

“I found that hoodie you were looking for,” she mentioned casually, voice softer and quieter than before as her movements slowed.

“That’s okay, you’ll just have to come over again to bring it,” he grinned, not even trying to hide it. “Or you could keep it, if you’d like.”

“I don’t wanna mooch off of you too much. I’m already stealing enough of your clothes and coming over to your house to eat your food and use all your fancy machines,” she whispered, removing her hand from his back to pause the movie, and not returning to touch him – much to Joe’s chagrin.

As if he was in some half-delirious state thanks to his tiredness, he just groaned, unwrapping one of his arms from around her and pulling her hand back to his shoulder, effectively making her hug him. She only laughed softly in return, raking her hands through his slightly curled dirty blond hair.

“You can take as much as you want from me, I don't mind,” he smiled, turning his head so he could look up at her face, his chin leaning against her stomach. “I like spoiling you, even if it's with things that are mine.”

The heat that crawled up her neck made her breathing pick up, a surge of self-consciousness washing over her along with the embarrassment she for some reason felt.

“Stop it, don’t look at me from there,” she groaned, immediately throwing her head back as far as she could to hide her face. Her neck was fully exposed then, showing the small necklace Joe had given her for her birthday last year. "You'll just see my double chins and every angle you should not see."

Joe didn't even register her words, eyes transfixed on the necklace. A dainty silver chain, with a small gem embedded into it. The stone was light, seemingly changing color with the light. But usually it was a light orange or blush.

It wasn’t as expensive or fancy as he’d wanted it to be, looking for every and any opportunity to splurge for her sake, but he knew she'd like the simplicity of a heartfelt gift over the price of anything designer just for the sake of it.

“You’re wearing the necklace,” he mumbled, giving up on thinking before speaking – consequences be damned.

She smiled, removing her hands from her face as she lifted the pendant up into her view, studying it with her eyes. “Yeah, I love it. I think I wear it, like, every day.”

“And I gave it to you.”

“You did,” she giggled, finding his tiredness adorable. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open, but Y/N couldn’t hold it against him. He did a lot during the day and throughout the year, no wonder he was so tired at 7pm.

He fought to keep his eyes on her face, tracing the slope of her nose and the shape of her eyes. The way her eyelashes clumped together in one spot and her uneven brows. “You’re really gorgeous, y’know,” he mumbled, a lazy grin on his face. "Just in case no one tells you often enough."

Y/N could feel herself start to sweat, and her breath catch in her throat. “I– thank you. You’re pretty, too.”

Joe just continued gazing at her, just as he usually did when drunk – around her he tended to be a happy and affectionate drunk. Her arms settled around him again, as his grip tightened around her.

A quiet moment passed, just filled by the soft hum of the refrigerator and the wind blowing outside.

“I think I might be in love with you,” Joe whispered, unwavering in his eye-contact, deepest blues staring into hers.

Y/N truly didn’t know what to think or feel, much less what to actually say to him. She just let her brain shut off for the moment, just doing what felt right.

And what felt the most right was guiding her hand to his cheek, her thumb stroking his defined cheekbone and tracing his nose, before she whispered, “Can I kiss you?”

Joe laughed softly, not quite willing to believe what was actually happening. He pushed himself up on his arms, nearly crawling up her body to come face to face, heart to heart. “Yeah.”

Neither knew who initiated first, since they both leaned in at the same time. Joe’s lips were surprisingly soft, contradictory to his habit of biting his bottom lip, as they caressed Y/N’s and she felt like she was on cloud nine.

It wasn’t hot or overly passionate, just sweet and comfortable. Joe lingered, and Y/N could feel a smile spreading across his lips as they kissed.

The longer kisses faded into short pecks, some missing her mouth and eventually moving all around her face. Joe kissed her nose, her jaw, her cheeks, the side of her head – any part of her he could get ahold of.

Tucking his arms under hers, Joe settled down onto her chest with his head under her chin, glasses foggy and completely crooked on his face. He hugged her tightly, sighing deeply before succumbing to a small fit of giggles.

“I can't believe that just happened,” he laughed, his voice bubbly despite the small cracks in it caused by his tiredness.

“Me neither,” Y/N smiled, one arm around Joe and the other on the back of his head, playing with his hair.

“Will you stay here? For the night?” he asked, eyes wide and full of unbridled hope.

“Do you want me to?” she asked, just to make sure.

“Well, yeah, of course,” he smiled, his breath tickling her skin.

“I think the guest bedroom still has–”

“Sleep with me,” he said easily, innocently.

“I’m sorry?” she sputtered, completely taken aback.

Joe scrunched his face up and buried it in the collar of her hoodie, letting out a soft laugh. “No, I meant like, lay down with me, in my bed. To sleep,” he clarified. “No funny business, I promise.”

“Okay,” she whispered, looking down at him softly.

He quickly got up, maybe a bit too fast as he nearly stumbled over, losing his footing as his vision turned black. He held out a hand to her, ever the gentleman, before tugging her up alongside him.

He kept her hand in his as they walked upstairs, making sure to turn off the lights first – without letting go of each other. They giggled and playfully shoved each other down the hallway, before finally getting to Joe’s room.

After having been friends for so many years, they’d had their fair share of sleepovers, long before Joe had the luxury of offering his guests their own room. Back then, she’d sleep in his twin-sized bed, underneath his space themed comforter, Marvel and Brees posters above his head, while he slept on the floor next to her.

The night not being too far out of the ordinary, at least in part, offered a sense of peace and routine, letting the two fall into old habits. Joe fished a t-shirt out of his closet for Y/N, knowing she ran hot when she slept. He couldn’t wait to see her in it either.

Grabbing the tee out of his hand, she thanked him with a quick kiss to his cheek before disappearing into the bathroom to change. Not a minute later she came back out, her sweatpants and hoodie in hand. She didn’t even feel bare, even if she was only in her underwear and a shirt, because the shirt reached mid-thigh, covering everything it needed to.

As an added bonus it smelled just like Joe.

Joe had “changed”, too. But it only consisted of pulling his hoodie off, leaving him in his sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

“Do you have a spare toothbrush?” she asked, folding her clothes up in a pile on an empty chair.

“Yeah, I have one in the bathroom,” he said, walking into the ensuite, Y/N close behind. He rummaged through some drawers before he found one.

There was something about standing side by side brushing their teeth that made Joe’s heart swell. He was getting too far ahead of himself, picturing the rest of his days and nights the same.

He’d wake up next to her, kiss her good morning, make her breakfast before going off to work. When she’d get home from her job he’d kiss her hello, ask about her day, before cuddling up in front of the TV just like they’d done today. Then when the sun set, they’d brush their teeth together again, before falling asleep tangled in each other’s limbs.

Even with a blue toothpaste stain on her cheek, he thought Y/N was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

Not reading too far into it, he wiped it off with his thumb before kissing her lips gently.

“Wanna go to bed now?” she asked, a hand on his shoulder softly guiding him out of the room before he even had time to answer. She could see the slight droop in his eyes, and the way he swayed where he stood, and knew she’d kept him up longer than she should’ve.

Finally settling beneath the covers wasn’t odd. Especially since they weren’t touching at first. They just laid face to face, comforters tucked up to their chins as they just looked at each other, before Joe pulled her into him, his head landing above hers. Y/N’s cheek was flat to his broad chest, arms around his torso, the steady beat of his heart putting her to sleep quicker than ever before.

Safe to say it was the best sleep of Joe’s life, without a shadow of a doubt.

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