════════════════

For: @gayasever

Request: i want this to be during high school. y/n gets bulled by joe but just because he loves her. after school one day they run into each other and she asks him why. you can choose how he answers. i thought it'd be cool.

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED.

*

Note: Fun fact – this is based off of two of my real life best friends. Their relationship is quite... complicated.

════════════════

There you were, strolling down the school hallways, in a good mood for the first time the entire week. You had completed and handed in all assignments, exam season was officially over, and it was Friday – life was not shitty, for once.

Then, you rounded the corner and when you approached your locker, all inklings of happiness flew out of the metaphorical window. Because there, leaning against your locker and thumbing through their phone with earphones in their ears, was the bane of your existence.

Joe Trohman.

You drew in a deep breath and screamed internally as you mentally prepared yourself for the interaction that was about to occur.

The two of you had been friends since the first day of high school; now here you were, a couple months before you graduated and left high school behind forever, and you still hadn't managed to get rid of the guy.

You see, the term 'friend' is used very loosely, here – there was very little love lost between the two of you. Joe had joined your friend group when (Y/B/F) had taken a liking to him in freshman year; the two of them grew close quickly and as a result, you too were stuck having him around.

You weren't sure what it was – if it was that your personalities clashed, if you both wanted the title of (Y/B/F)'s best friend – but whatever the reason, you and Joe were constantly at each other's throat.

But, oddly enough, that was only half of the dynamic of your relationship. While, yes, you fought (a lot), you were both still incredibly close. It was weird. He was still one of your best friends, but you hated him.

It was confusing to everyone who had the privilege of being in the company of the two of you, but it was even more confusing to you. You knew he regarded you as a close friend, so why would he constantly bully you by doing stuff like this?

"Joe!" you yelled in aggravation as the boy pulled the hair tie off of your hair, letting it fall down in a way that was not at all elegant. "Stop being such a-"

You cut yourself off by gasping as he 'accidently' stepped on your foot with his heavy boots. You frowned and responded by angrily punching him in the arm, to which he answered with a small laugh and a flick to your cheek.

"Why are you here?!" you all but shouted in his face, groaning in annoyance as you fixed your hair and roughly shoved your books in your locker.

"We always walk out together," he reminded, gesturing around at the rest of your friend group that was heading towards you, having just finished at their own lockers.

"I know." You slung your backpack over your shoulder and shut your locker door. "I meant why are you here – in my life?"

"Aww, I love you, too," he put on a sickeningly mushy voice and scrunched his face up as he pinched your cheek in mock affection.

You instinctively pushed his hand away and stomped off to stand on the other side of the group – far away from him.

"You know you two are gonna get married one day, right?" one of your guy friends leaned in and whispered to you.

You laughed. "Not a chance in hell."

~

"Oh my god!" you complained as your unopened Powerade was ripped from your grasp and unforgivingly gulped down by the imbecile you were forced to associate yourself with. "I just bought that!"

Joe shrugged and swallowed the remainder of the blue liquid before wiping his hand over his mouth. "So go and buy another; it's not like you can't afford it."

Before you could register what was happening, one of Joe's hands had reached out and swiped your purse from where it was tucked under your arm. With no shame whatsoever, he unzipped it and grabbed a couple notes – much more than was necessary.

"Look," he made a show of holding up your money before starting off, "I'll even go get it for you."

With a two-fingered salute, the curly-head shot you a smile before swaggering off – in the opposite direction of the vending machine – leaving you fuming.

And painfully thirsty.

~

You were deep in conversation with one of your friends, relaying your plans for the upcoming break while simultaneously trying your hardest to ignore the constant flurry of punches being thrown at the junction between your forearm and your shoulder.

"OW!" You jerked your head to the side when Joe landed a particularly hard punch, and glared at the male. "That hurt, you fucking abortion!"

He only laughed at you, in a mixture of shock and amusement, and went for another punch; only this time, you countered it and delivered six solid ones to his arm instead.

"Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me," you growled, accentuating each word with a strike.

He paid no mind to your request, instead choosing to seat himself on the bench next to you, turning up the volume on his ever-present earphones.

You released a small yell of frustration as you turned back around; your friend just shook their head and took a sip of their coffee, already used to seeing this scenario play out.

"Totally gonna get married."

~

It was the next day and school had let out about a half hour ago. After having finally escaped the throes of Joe Trohman – at least for today – you were on your way down to the local coffee shop, with an extra foamy caffeinated beverage the only thing on your mind.

A tiny sigh of content slipped past your lips as you opened the door and the wonderful aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries wafted through the air. You sat down at your usual spot in the corner booth after placing your order, and got comfortable in your seat.

The comfort and happiness was temporary, though. Because who other than Joe would walk in not a minute later, ordering a coffee and paying with what was no doubt money he took out of your purse.

Cursing under your breath, you slouched down into the booth, praying that he wouldn't spot you. He did, of course, and a huge grin broke out on his face as he bounded over to you.

"Hey, bitch," he greeted, sliding into the chair on the opposite end of the table. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I always come here on Wednesdays, dickface," you retorted, "You know that."

"Hmph," was all he offered as a reply, because his mouth was already filled with a bite of your bear claw. He reached for another piece and you shoved the entire plate towards him, suddenly losing your taste for it.

"Look," you breathed tiredly, shoulders slumping, "I come here to escape the hell that is being around you. So, if you will, kindly fuck off."

A pained expression formed on the curly-head's face. "Ouch. Why do you hate me so much?"

Your jaw dropped so far that it almost hit the table. "You're kidding, right? Oh, please tell me you're kidding," you laughed in disbelief.

He looked genuinely confused – like a little puppy – and you scoffed.

"Oh my god," you mumbled, shaking your head before leaning forward and resting your forearms on the table, "You make my life hell every single day. You constantly bully me, you're always going out of your way to piss me off, and you honestly have no idea why I don't want to be around you most of the time? How stupid are you?"

Your outburst caught Joe off guard, and he leaned back in his chair as he widened his eyes and held his hands up in defence.

"Woah, hey. All of those things are just me messing around. That's our thing... isn't it?" His confidence wavered towards the end of his speech, leaving a bout of uncertainty hanging in the air.

"Our thing?" You nearly jumped out of your skin. "In what world is torture considered a 'thing'?!"

He narrowed his eyes and held out one hand to you. "'Torture' is a bit of a strong wor-"

"You have made yourself the bane of my existence for the past four years, Joe!" You didn't give him a chance to finish, too invested in your implosion. "And for what reason, I don't know."

"'Cause I love you," he blurted.

There was quiet as the two of you just sat there, staring at each other, not daring to blink.

Then...

"You're not funny, you fucker," you clicked your tongue, a frown forming on your face. But you couldn't stop the laugh that escaped your mouth at the absurdity of it all.

When you realised that Joe hadn't joined in on the laughter, your face fell and a knot formed in your stomach.

"You are joking... right?"

The panic in your voice and on your face was evident, which was what caused Joe to break. He started laughing seconds later.

"Obviously," he rolled his eyes before wheezing and gesturing between the two of you, "Do you honestly think that we could ever...? No. Definitely not."

Your relief was clear by the way your posture relaxed. "Okay, that's it," you blew a raspberry and gathered your belongings and drink, "I'm way past my Joe limit. Don't enjoy the rest of your day, asshole."

You wiggled your fingers and gave a fake smile before heading for the exit, leaving Joe to toss a crumpled up napkin after you and yell his own goodbye.

"Yeah, better go fix that nest on your head!"

His snarky comment earned him a middle finger in the air, courtesy of your retreating figure, and he kept that stupid grin on his face as you tossed him a final glare.

Then, as you turned around and started down the street, his gaze turned into a solemn one and he watched you walk away, wondering if he would ever be able to let his true feelings show.

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x