#THE NEXT COUPLE FICS ARE ALL JOE ONES I'M SORRY I PROMISE THERE'S A SAV ONE IN THE WORKS

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

Caught Up In You (Joe x Reader)

((This short little idea initially came into my head in August of 2020 upon listening to the song I stole the title from/song in the fic... and just a brief bullet point of this idea proceeded to sit in my drafts for nearly 2 years until I started writing this in May. It's dumbassbitchboyfriend!Joe time!))

Words: 1,565

Summary: You and Joe have your first fight as a couple, and Joe, being the clown that he is, finds his own "Joe" way of apologizing...

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(1984, Dublin, Ireland)

"Joy, I'm not in the mood to go out!" you insisted for at least the fourth time as she tugged your arm, "I'm too pissed..."

"But I don't want to go alone!" Joy whined back, "If I go alone, someone might ask me to sing!"

"Well I don't know what you expect from karaoke night at the pub!"

She'd been trying to drag you off the couch and downtown for the past ten minutes. It wasn't exactly like her to do that, as you were normally the one to drag her, but the tables had already been turned just a bit today. 

When she let go of your arm, she adjusted her shirt and suggested, "Mind you, I was trying to give you a girls' night, if you must know. You can't deny it's what you need right now after you and Joe had it out today."

Your shoulders slumped down by a smidgen. A pinch of guilt crept up on your expression and in your body language as well. 

Joy was correct, alright; you did need a girls' night.

She knew your reason for denying her so many times in the first place was because of men. It was because of men, and how upset they made you. More specifically, it was your man who had you so hung up and steamed. 

Despite knowing each other for years, you and Joe had never started dating until shortly after the end of the Pyromania tour a few months prior. With the whole band settled in Dublin trying to bring to the next album to fruition, it caused you and Joe to finally settle and grow romantically close to each other. 

Everything felt new and wonderful, but with this new relationship came new milestones, too. Today's milestone? It was the first fight you and Joe had as a couple. 

It was stupid- you both new it- but tensions were fresh, and you still felt the sting. 

"But it's his fault-!" you burst at Joy again.

"Oh I know it is! But are you just going to stay here and be upset, or are you going to keep your chin up and strut away from him in a super sexy dress?"

Your eyebrows scrunched together at her argument. You hated to admit you already had a dress in mind. 

"Alright, fine!" you flung your hands up and looked at the floor, "We'll go to the pub."

She clapped her hands once in victory, "There she is! Now come on, make yourself up like you want to show that lump what he can't have."

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Smoothing out the tight dress you put on, you and Joy happily strutted up to the pub as the sun descended in the distance. For the first time all day, you actually felt excited and happy. With Joy kicking your feminine energy into power, you felt much more confident and not at all hung up and guilty; you felt nothing short of unstoppable.

And then Joy stopped you. 

"What?" you halted yourself as she swung her arm out in front of you. 

She appeared to be listening to the inside of the pub, but staring off into space.

"I thought I heard something," her face remained still and neutral, "-never mind."

"By the way, I wanted to thank you for getting me out of the house. I really do need some time with more... females, I suppose."

Your companion had a brief flash of something in her eyes that almost looked like guilt as she reached for the door, "Yeah, sure thing. Anytime, mate."

She opened the pub door, the sound of the karaoke already surrounding both of you. 

As you strolled in with a smile on your face, one look inside was all it took for it to vanish. 

"What are you guys doing here?" you asked the four Leppards.

"We're watchin' karaoke night!" Sav motioned to the stage. 

When your eyes looked over to the stage in reference, you saw a tall man hop onto it from the side. In a flash, you realized you hadn't seen Joe in the group where he would normally be found. 

At the same time, you realized you'd been duped. It was no wonder why Joy wanted to get you out of the house so bad, just as it was no wonder why she was listening outside the pub- and just as it was no wonder why Sav made you look at the stage when he did.

It was all carefully timed so you would be standing right where you were when Joe started to sing to you.

"I never knew there'd come a day," now on the stage, Joe bopped his hips from side to side, "When I'd be sayin' to you-"

You were only a few feet in front of the stage, so it was easy for Joe to direct his act to whoever was in the front row. In the few seconds you were in the pub for, Joy had somehow made sure that the front row was you. 

"'Don't let this good love slip away, now that we know that it's true'-"

Your mouth fell open in surprise and frustration. Rolling your eyes, you looked back at Joy, watching her avoid eye contact and laughter. 

The only thing you supposed you could've done at that point was heave a heavy sigh and continue to watch Joe with annoyance still on your face.

"Don't, don't you know the kind of man I am? No- said I'd never fall in love again-"

He strutted and acted as if he was really playing a show, but on a much smaller scale (and with a southern rock song that was most certainly not up his alley). It was very clear he was trying to get you to forgive him through song and humor.

But it wasn't going to work; it was too stupid. It was too hilarious. He looked like an idiot. 

He was making a fool of himself for you, and it was your weakness. 

Joe even further proved this as he stretched his arm to motion to you, "But it's real, and the feeling comes shining through- I'm so caught up in you, little girl!"

It was the chorus that broke you. He pointed right at you, and fuck, you couldn't fake being mad anymore. You let out a scoff and started to laugh at him quietly. Hell, you even started to move to the music with him a bit. 

"And I never did suspect a thing- so caught up in you-" Joe flicked his hips to the side at you like some kind of bad David Lee Roth impersonator, "-little girl!'

The other Lepps and patrons in the pub whooped and cheered him on, and you pinched the bridge of your nose with embarrassment. This was Joe's own form of an apology, you concluded. He knew just how to press your buttons to get you to see it, too. 

"That I never wanna get myself free- and baby it's true, you're the one who caught me, baby, and taught me how good it could be..."

He'd suddenly leaned down to you and carefully tilted your chin up towards him, caressing your jaw briefly before straightening back up to continue his "show". It was at that point you could no longer hide a bashful smile because god, you were so caught up in him. You couldn't help but love whenever he acted like a complete dork. 

"It took so long to change my mind, I thought that love was a game..." 

In terms of dorkiness, your boyfriend had somehow hit an all-time high. With his impromptu dancing and fake womanizer attitude on that tiny stage in front of everyone at the pub, you didn't know how he'd ever top it.

"I played around enough to find no two are ever the same- you made me realize the love I missed, so hot, love I couldn't quite resist-"

You puckered your lips and kissed the air in front of you, both proud of and embarrassed by your idiotic rockstar of a lover. He jokingly "caught" the kiss you blew at him by patting his cheek flirtatiously. 

Despite Joe being a complete dumbass at the moment, it was unlawful how cute he was while doing do. 

You knew Joe, and knew he wouldn't choose just any song if he was going to apologize via music. He wasn't one to be cheesy in that sense; he was always sincere and wouldn't ever make music tell a lie. Not only that, but no one had ever proclaimed their feelings for you like this before. That's how you knew Joe meant it. 

"When it's right, the light just comes shining through..." Joe playfully winked at you. The words he borrowed from the song were the ones you completely understood; the irrelevant fight from earlier was water under the bridge. 

Turning to Joy, you asked, "So, any other surprises for me tonight? Besides tricking me into watching my boyfriend sing southern rock?"

She giggled and looked over at you, "Just wait until the others join him for the harmonies."

"Wait- the what?" you barely had time to get the words out before the other four Leppards began standing up. 

"Oh my god-" you framed your reddening face with your hands, "I'm banning all of them from karaoke night after this."

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(Caught Up In You by 38 Special) (playlist of all songs I've used in my fics)