Warnings: Death of a family member & related conversations, angst

Word Count: 2178

Request: Hiiiiiii, would you mind writing a Josh x reader inspired by screen, where the reader just got really bad news, like a family member dying or something, and tries to hide the pain, but Josh sees through their facade? Mostly fluff? Thanks!💕💕

Author's Note: Another request to hopefully take your mind off of prove me wrong for a little. I hope you enjoy it :)

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"There's something I have to tell you, Y/N."

You didn't like your mom's tone of voice when she said it. She was speaking quieter than normal, a clear indication that what she was about to say was inevitably going to upset you in some way or another. Already bracing yourself for the worst, you set down the spoon you had been mixing with and turned to lean your back against the counter.

"What's going on?" you asked. Your mind was already racing with possibilities.

"Your cousin Sam was involved in a car accident yesterday. He was rushed into emergency surgery, but his injuries were too bad and he didn't make it."

Your hand flew back to grip the counter, keeping your shaky legs steady. The information hadn't fully processed in your mind yet, but your stomach was already twisting so bad that you thought you might puke straight into the sink. You didn't have the chance to see your cousins often because of busy schedules, but when you did get together you were always laughing and enjoying one another's company. You and Sam had always been particularly close because of your similarity in age. Now that he was gone, something felt off in the world.

"He died?"

"Yes. Your aunt called me earlier today to let me know."

"Thanks for letting me know, Mom."

"Of course. Do you need anything from me, sweetheart?"

"I think I'll be ok. Josh should be getting home from his meetings soon and he'll be able to take care of me. Should I start looking at plane tickets home?"

"Not yet. It won't be long until a funeral is planned and you can schedule around that. Just focus on taking care of yourself right now. I know this is hard."

"I will," you said, already beginning to feel the lump that was forming in your throat. "You should do that, too."

"I am. Your dad and I are going over to see your aunt and uncle later today."

"Can you let them know I'll be keeping them in my thoughts?"

"Of course. Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok, Mom."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

You slowly pulled the phone away from your ear and set it on the counter, never letting your eyes leave the spot on the floor that they were glued to. Your entire chest felt hollow, void of any emotion other than shock. Tears prickled at the corners of your eyes, but you simply wiped them away and turned back to the food you had been making for dinner. There would be time for crying later, when Josh was there to hold you close and calm your shaking body.

The music you had turned on to help distract yourself was still playing when Josh walked through the door, carrying a number of folders in his arms. His mouth was drawn in a tight line, the polar opposite of what it usually was when he returned home after a long day. You waited in the kitchen, not wanting to overwhelm him by demanding his attention the moment he walked in the door.

"Hi, love," he said once his shoes were off and he had joined you in the kitchen.

You smiled as he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his side, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. His fingers rubbed small circles into your hip.

"Hi. How were your meetings?"

Josh sighed and tilted his head so that it was resting on top of yours. "Terrible. Tyler and I had to fight with management practically the entire time because they weren't doing what we asked them to. Tyler was more upset than I was, but seeing him that angry affected me too. I'm just glad to be home and relax and not have to worry about anything for awhile."

You bit down on your lip and nodded, keeping your eyes away from Josh's. After hearing about his hard day, there was no way you were going to dump all the stuff about your cousin on him. He just wanted to have a relaxing night, so that's what you would give him.

"Dinner smells delicious, by the way."

"Thanks," you smiled, giving the bowl in front of you one final stir. "It should be ready in an hour or so, once I get it in the oven."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Nope. Why don't you grab a drink and sit on the couch for awhile? I'll join you once the food is ready."

"Alright, let me know if you need anything."

Josh gave you another kiss before grabbing something to drink from the fridge and walking off to the living room. Once he was gone, you stopped and leaned forward onto the counter, burying your face into your hands. Seeing Josh had brought on a fresh wave of emotions about your family, but you were determined not to let him see, at least for now. Maybe you would be able to talk to him later tonight, once the stress of the day was no longer the first thing on his mind.

You finished up dinner and stuck it in the oven, taking the time to regulate your breathing and keep the tears out of your eyes. Once everything was cleaned or cooking, you grabbed your own drink from the fridge and decided to join Josh on the couch. He had already made himself comfortable and turned on your favorite TV show.

"Is there room for one more on the couch?" you smiled.

"Always," Josh smiled, adjusting his position slightly and holding an arm out for you.

You took a seat next to Josh and curled up under his arm, making sure to lay in such a way that you would still be able to drink without spilling it all over Josh or yourself. When you were settled, Josh wrapped his arm a little tighter around you. You felt calm curled up next to him; maybe it would be enough to keep you from breaking down for the rest of the night.

"How was your day here?" Josh asked. "I forgot to ask earlier in the midst of talking about the meetings."

"It was good!" you lied, putting perhaps a little too much forced excitement into your voice. "My mom called so I got to talk to her for a little while, which was nice. Jenna also stopped by for a little while. I'm going to lunch with her on Tuesday."

"That will be fun. Where are you going to go to lunch?"

You reached over and grabbed Josh's free hand, idly playing with his fingers. "Not sure yet. We're going to see how we feel on the actual day."

"Makes sense."

You nodded and leaned further back until your head was leaned on Josh's shoulder. He brought his other hand up and brushed your hair back out of your face so that he could see you a little better.

"What did you and your mom talk about?"

"Oh, you know, normal stuff. How things are at home and all that."

Josh nodded. You watched as his eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed again. He turned to you, making sure to meet your eyes.

"What's going on with you, love?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not acting quite like yourself. I don't how to explain it, but I can tell that something is bothering you that you're not talking about."

You shook your head, maybe a little too much, "No. No, I'm ok."

You tried to force a smile to go along with it, but your lip began to quiver. Josh took notice of this and wrapped both of his arms around you, completely enveloping you. You reached past him and set your drink on the side table next to his so that you could totally wrap your arms around him and hold him close.

"I'm sorry," you mumbled into his chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to break down because I know you've had a hard day but- Josh, I don't know what to do."

"Hey, don't apologize for being upset," he said, though you could hear the worry in his voice. His hand started to move along your back, rubbing it gently. You kept your face buried in his shirt, trying your best to hold back sobs. "I don't want you to ever hide anything from me, ok? Even if I've had a bad day, my main priority is taking care of you. I can forget about my own problems for awhile to help you with yours."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, so why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"When my mom called, she told me that my cousin Sam got in a bad car accident and," you paused to take a shaky breath, "they took him in for surgery, but he didn't make it. I don't know what to do with myself, Josh. How do you move past something like that?"

"Oh, Y/N," he said, tightening his grip around you even more. "Losing family is hard, I know, but it's going to be ok. You don't need to make sense of anything right now. Sometimes it's ok to just be upset."

"It's just so unfair. He was so young and was going to go so far in life and that was all taken from him. And I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to him because I just assumed I would see him at the next reunion, but now my whole family just has this hole in our lives. I'm angry and sad and confused."

Josh tucked your head under his chin, moving you slightly so that your ear was right over his heartbeat. His arms were still tight around you, reminding you that you weren't alone in any of this. He was going to be by your side.

"Life just doesn't make sense, sometimes. Terrible things happen and we lose people we love, but it doesn't mean that they're gone. Your family isn't going to forget him anytime soon and I bet he's still watching over you, ready to laugh along with all your jokes just like he did when he was alive. And you still have all your memories together; those won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

You nodded against Josh's chest. It was rising and falling steadily, giving you something to match your own breathing to.

"Thank you, Josh. That means a lot. Really."

"Your welcome. Just don't beat yourself up for feeling a lot of different emotions, ok? It's ok to feel them."

"I'll try not to."

"Now I vote we spend the rest of the night right here on this couch cuddling and eating snacks and watching whatever terrible TV our hearts desire."

"Am I allowed to cry?"

"Crying is encouraged," Josh said before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

"Ok."

Josh began to find a TV show for you two to watch while you readjusted into a more comfortable position to watch TV. Your heart still felt heavy, but Josh's encouragement and the simple knowledge that he was going to be there to comfort you was enough to put a small smile on your face.

When the oven eventually went off, Josh immediately got up and went to the kitchen to finish making dinner so you could remain curled up on the couch. He came back a few minutes later, carrying two filled plates and fresh drinks for the both of you.

"Thank you," you smiled as he carefully rested your plate on your lap.

"Of course."

You waited until Josh sat down and got comfortable before starting the TV show again. It had only been on a few minutes before you paused it again and set your fork on your plate.

"Are you ok?" Josh asked. He had made a habit of asking every time you did something that seemed a little off.

"Yeah, I just... wanted to say thank you again."

"For what?"

"For noticing that I was upset and asking about it, even though I tried to brush it off. It means a lot that you care about me that much because a lot of people wouldn't do that for me."

Josh's mouth curled up into a smile. He reached out and grabbed one of your hands, squeezing it tightly. "It helps that your emotions are easy to read," he laughed quietly. "But you know I care about you, Y/N, and I would do anything for you. And although I didn't agree with the decision, it means a lot that you were willing to stop worrying about your own problems to take care of me after a stressful day."

"I think we both need to be a little bit more selfish about our problems," you laughed.

"Yeah, maybe."

"I love you, Josh.

"I love you too, Y/N."

You both leaned forward and gave each other a quick kiss before going back to watching TV like nothing had happened.