#JoostFic🐦

[taelophone]

Fresh Linen૮ ․ ․ ྀིა₊⊹

Joost Klein x Reader! TWs: RPF, the softest romance ever!! I made Joost after lucky blue lol W/C: 3,604! A/N: Reader is implied to be something other than white, but its not major. + Some music I found that really matches the vibe methinks!! <3

When Joost first garnered fame, he could never imagine slowing down anytime soon. He was like a rolling boulder ; starting off slow and inexperienced with his rough, jagged edges. But now he’s been rolling for years, refining himself into a smooth stone down the hill.

He said all his life that he had a pretty good idea of things he liked and didn’t like. Kids, cats, feet, all of those icky things.

But here he was, slouched in an ivory arm chair as he brushed his daughter, Adessa’s hair. His life had managed to compress itself down into a tiny, squirming little baby and rest itself on his knees.

You smiled to yourself, lying down on the couch opposite of Joost as you watched him experience pure unbridled adoration. “You’re gonna look sooooooo pretty, Dessie!” He cooed, gently working the bristles of the brush through the long, chocolate brown curls.

He took his time, gently working his fingers through the soft hair before using two blue rubber bands to tie it into two sleek twin pigtails. He fluffed her hair out a little, smiling eagerly as Adessa giggled, clearly excited to see how her hair turned out. 

You loved seeing Joost dote on your baby girl. When you first started dating, he was very firm about not wanting any type of children. But Adessa managed to have him wrapped around her little finger.

“Daddy, why do I have to brush my hair?” Adessa asked, squirming around slightly as Joost struggled to tie the little lace bows around each pigtail.

“So it won’t get all tangled and messy.” He hummed, gently tying the last bow.

You smiled, watching as Adessa began to ramble Joost’s ears off with her little voice. Joost seemed to cling to every single word, leaning forward in his chair and placing his hands on his knees as he nodded. “Ja, natuurlijk.”

“I’m gonna make some bread, do you two wanna help?” You offered, standing up from the couch. “We haveeee...4 hours before we head to the park, so that’s enough time to make a loaf and lunch.” You smiled.

“Yes, I can help!” Joost smiled, standing up slowly from the arm chair as to not knock Adessa off of his knees. “Des, wil je brood maken?” Joost asked, scooping Adessa up from under her shoulders and tossing her up in the air.

Adessa shrieked and giggled, eagerly lifting her arms up as she nodded. “Ja! I wanna help mommy!” She beamed.

You smiled, making your way into the cozy little kitchen, Joost following behind you with Adessa in his arms. You got everything you’d need to make your bread and laid it out on the counter in front of the window.

Joost sat Adessa down on the kitchen counter, leaning against it as well as he watched you set everything up to make sure it would take as little time as possible. 

“I’m…not a good cook.” He chuckled, grabbing the measuring cups and spoons for you in a heartbeat.

“I know, Joost. That’s why I said help.” You giggled, setting the large bowl next to Adessa, who kicked her little legs back and forth off the counter.

“Alright, Dessa! I’m gonna let you pour the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix, okay?” You murmured, filling each measuring cup with its corresponding dry ingredients, and handing them to Adessa one by one.

You supervised her carefully, admiring her with a soft smile as she carefully added the flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast to the bowl.

“Do I mix now?” She asked, staring up at you with her electric blue eyes. She was such a cute girl, with those beautiful pools of blue she had inherited from her dad. But of course, you could see yourself in her face as well.

“Yep! Daddy’s gonna help me add the water, and then we can all knead the dough together!” You explained, handing Joost the one cup, and half cup measuring cups.

“Could you fill these with warm water, my love?” You smiled, turning your head to face him.

He nodded, taking the cups from your hands and pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Yes, baby.” He hummed, filling the cups with warm water and adding them to the bowl of dry ingredients.

“Alright, you two,” you began, stepping in front of Joost as you picked up the silicone scraping spatula, scraping the dry ingredients off the sides of the bowl. 

“There’s a certain way to mix bread. You don’t just go in an aggressive circle,” you showed, aggressively mixing the flour and water together. “Nah. You kind of like…fold it in. Stay from the bottom, and bring in to the top til’ it’s all combined.” You nodded.

“I wanna try!” Adessa gasped, immediately grinning ear to ear as she clasped her hands together in wonder.

“Of course you can!” You smiled, sliding the bowl over to her and handing her the spatula.

She did her best to mix, trying to copy the motions you showed her earlier as her brows furrowed in concentration.

You smiled, placing your hand over Joost’s as he leaned down, leaning his head on your shoulder and placed his hands on your hips.

“I love you.” He murmured, pecking the side of your head.

You smiled, leaning your head against his lovingly. “I love you too.” You hummed, holding his hand gently.

You chattered away with Joost and Adessa, finishing up with mixing the dough before dusting the counter with flour and tranferring the slightly sticky dough onto the powdered, sleek, and wooden surface.

“Alright, cover your hands in flour, and then you kinda just…knead it. Don’t be too hard, but don’t be scared of it.” You explained, kneading the dough gently.

You let Adessa try, letting her smack and poke the dough while she snickered and chuckled.

“Joost, roll up your sleeves and knead this for me please.” You requested, watching as Adessa hopped off the counter to go play her iPad. 

He nodded, reluctantly pulling himself away from you and rolling up the sleeves on his white collared shirt. “How do I do it again…” he snickered. “Show me.”

You sighed, smiling softly as you pushed him aside gently with your hip. “Like this,” you instructed, kneading the dough again.

He nodded, shifting behind you again and placing his hands over yours, kneading the dough with you as he hummed quietly to himself.

You kept going until the dough was smooth and matte, grabbing the little baking tin and slotting it into the pan and scoring a little heart into the surface.

“All done!” You smiled, holding up the pan to get a better look.

“You want any herbs on the top, baby?” You asked, craning your head upwards so you could look at him.

He brushed his hands off with the kitchen towel before placing them on the counter on either side of you. “Maybe some sage and rosemary.” He smiled, nodding subtly.

You nodded, slowly pulling away from him to find the sage and rosemary, plucking them from the fridge. You gently sprinkled the herbs on top of the bread before drizzling a little bit of olive oil on top and sprinkling a bit of black pepper as well.

“Put this in the oven for me?” You smiled, handing him the pan. 

He smiled, taking the pan from your hands and walking over to the already preheated oven. He swung open the oven door, wincing slightly at the gust of heat before gently sliding it onto the bottom of the rack.

“There you go, babe.” He smiled, his cheeks going a rosy pink from simply gazing in your direction. “I’ll go get Dessa dressed, and you can do whatever you want.” He smiled, whisking his way over to you, placing a kiss on your cheek and making his way to Adessa in the living room.

You smiled, feeling your sensitive little heart clench and vibrate at how he loved you so gently. Ever since you met Joost, he treated you like the most precious of gems. He wanted to make things easy for you; to dote on and pamper you like you were his most prized possession.

In Joost’s eyes, you and Adessa were his heart walking around outside of his body. When humans first thought of the word love, they described it as an attempt feeling of deep affection. But when Joost thought of love, he thought of laying down with you and Dess, listening to your soft snores as time passed you by second after second.

It was those painfully slow days that reminded him that love has no time limit. Even when he was long gone and miles underneath the earths crust, his spirit would make sure the sun kept shining and the earth kept spinning for his baby girl.

You used the time Joost gave you to prep a small breakfast and pack a little snack bag for Adessa, knowing she would ultimately be hungry after playing in the park. After you finished that task, you tugged your sleeves down on your sweater, fixing your  jeans and leaning against the counter to have a sparkling water.

Joost and Adessa emerged mere minutes later, with your daughter now in a blue and white gingham dress and frilly white socks and cute little Mary Jane’s.

“Mommy, look!” She beamed, running up to you eagerly to show off her outfit. She did a fast little spin, grinning from ear to ear as she gazed up at you for approval.

You gasped, making sure to set down your can before kneeling down to be eye level with her. “You look so pretty, Dessa!” You cooed, giving her a big hug and peppering her face with kisses.

She giggled uncontrollably, trying to push your face away and squirming away from your love attack. 

You sat her back down, giving her one last kiss before patting her head gently. “Daddy did a great job.” You nodded, looking over at Joost and smiling.

He nodded back at you, giving you a thumbs up and blowing you a brief kiss.

What a cute nerd.

You stood up, standing in the kitchen and watching as Joost walked over towards you.

“I made you guys a little charcuterie board.” You smiled, gently wrapping your arms around Joost’s neck as he held your waist and gazed into your eyes.

“Oh thank you, mijn liefste!” He smiled, turning his head briefly to munch on some blueberries. “You’re so sweet, I don’t deserve you.” He mumbled, resting his head on yours.

“Not true!” You fake-gasped. “You’re the best, too.”

“…we the best music..” he whispered, immediately giggling after. 

“Bye.” You giggled, moving to walk away from him, only for him to pull you back gently.

“No, dance with me.” He pouted, swaying with you slowly in the kitchen.

“You’re so corny!” You giggled, swaying with him as well.

“People are afraid to be corny, but I was born on the cob.” He recited, chuckling in your ear. You could really see where Adessa got her laugh from whenever Joost giggled. You recognized that ‘hehehe’ anywhere.

“Daddy?” A little voice asked, Adessa staring up at you with her big round eyes.

“Yes, little one?” He hummed, still swaying with you as he glanced at Adessa.

“Are you and mommy in loooove?” She asked, leaning forward and smiling at the two of you.

“Of course! I’d move planets for your mama.” He nodded.

You snickered, smiling just a little harder at his shameless admission.

“And I would for you, too.” Joost smiled.

Adessa nodded, clinging onto Joost’s leg as she giggled. She couldn’t understand slow dancing, but she wanted to be included in anything her parents did. So she danced along with the two of you, eagerly twirling around beside you.

You smiled, watching her with nothing but love. 

“Jojo?” You hummed, resting your hands on either side of his neck gently.

“Ja?” He smiled.

“You wanna watch a movie after we take Dess to the park?” You muttered, pecking his neck gently.

He smiled, stopping in the middle of the kitchen floor before walking you back into the counter and setting you down on top of the smooth wood. 

“Of course.” He smiled, resting his head on your shoulder.

You stayed together in the kitchen for an hour or two, chatting away with each other happily about anything and everything until the oven dinged, prompting Joost to remove the fresh loaf with your pink little oven mitts.

“The bread is finished!” He smiled, placing it on the table.

“Great! Thanks.” You cheered, hopping off the counter to stare at the loaf. You fought off both Adessa and Joost, desperately trying to explain that the bread needs to cool before you cut or eat it.

“Mommy it’s ok, the bread won’t know!” Adessa grinned, standing on her tip toes in an attempt to see above the counter. Joost scooped her up, setting her down on the counter beside him as he admired the fresh baked loaf as well.

“It looks very good! Good job.” He praised, giving Adessa an approving high five. She nodded firmly, crossing her arms at her job well done before suddenly gasping.

“Mommy helped, too! Say good job to mommy!” She squeaked, pointing a finger at you.

He giggled, turning over to you and smiling.

“Thank youuu, amazing beautiful great gorgeous fiancée!” He beamed. 

“You’re welcome!” You chirped, kissing his cheek. “Alright, we can head to the park while that cools.” You nodded, heading into the living room to slide on your shoes and grab your keys.

Adessa followed behind, smiling happily as she toddled behind you, grabbing onto your fingers as she followed you out the door.

“Kom op, papa!” She called, turning her head around to pout at Joost, who was tying his shoes.

“Yeah, hurry up grandpa!” You teased, putting your hand on your hip. “You’d really make a child wait to go play at the park?” You snickered, watching as Adessa mirrored your pose.

Joost looked up, raising an eyebrow at the two of you as the picture finally panned out. He saw just how alike you and Adessa were, and suddenly all the noise in his head stopped. He was happy where he was, and couldn’t ask for anything more.

“Hold on, I’m done I’m done!” He giggled, stumbling out the door behind the both of you and closing the door.

“You got some flour on your nose.” You chuckled. “Coke allegations pending.” You whispered, motioning to the upper bridge of his nose.

He laughed, quickly clearing the flour away from his face.

“I’m not Charli.” He giggled, following behind you and Adessa closely.

“Are you sure? You seem to be bumpin’ that…” you joked.

“Nee, nee nee nee! I’m not.” He giggled.

You walked in the warm sunlight towards the park, taking steady breaths of fresh air as you admired the beautiful scenery.

The Netherlands was a bit of a change from the atmosphere you grew up with, but more grass was definitely a plus.

When you made it to the park, Adessa had set off to go play with the other kids in the grass.

You smiled, wrapping an arm around Joost’s arm and walking with him through the grass. Since Friesland was really small in retrospect, you had no doubt people recognized him, but you were grateful nobody made the move to bother or approach you with your child.

“I never thought I’d be getting married soon…” Joost suddenly blurted, holding your hand gently.

“I know, this all feels so unreal to me.” You smiled.

“I used to just say I was ok with my bloodline stopping at me…and now look, I’m engaged with a daughter.” He giggled.

“Nobody knows where they’ll end up, and that’s ok.” You shrugged, allowing Joost to pull you down and sitting in the grass with him, just far enough to supervise Adessa.

He nodded, smiling softly as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder. 

You stayed at the park for a good hour, running around with Adessa in the grass as she chased you with a magical leaf that would make you go “boom!”

“Alright, Dessa, let’s go home and have some lunch, okay?” You smiled, scooping her up and spinning her around. 

She nodded, wrapping her arms around your neck as she waved bye to her park friends.

The walk back was relatively quiet, and you could tell that Adessa had fallen asleep. You chuckled, gently shaking her awake so she could stay up long enough to eat, have a quick little bath and then go to sleep later.

“Here, I got her.” Joost murmured, gently taking her from your arms. You smiled, thanking him wordlessly as you reached the front door and pushed it open.

You sat your bag and keys down on the side table, slipping your shoes off by the door and heading into the kitchen. You made a quick little sandwich for Adessa with some smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. What a non-picky baby.

You headed into the living room, handing the sandwich to a very sleepy looking Adessa whose head kept drooping onto her dad’s shoulder. Joost chuckled, watching as she perked up momentarily to eat her food.

“I like your bread, mommy.” She murmured, finishing up her sandwich with a little smile.

“Thank you!” You smiled, patting her head softly. “Im glad you like it. I made it with lots of love, just for you!” You explained, booping her little nose. 

She smiled, leaving the crusts on her plate and placing it down on the coffee table. “All done.” She murmured, rubbing her eyes as she leaned on Joost’s shoulder again.

Joost sat up slowly, ensuring she wouldn’t fall over on the couch before picking her up. “Bed time!” He beamed, dancing and twirling up the stairs with Adessa.

“I got her, just go get comfy!” He smiled, turning back to you briefly before disappearing upstairs. 

You cheered quietly, quickly setting up downstairs for movie night. You laid out the blankets, snacks, and drinks before shuffling upstairs to your shared room to change into some pajamas.

You decided on a matching pair of pink fuzzy shorts and a pink fuzzy hoodie. You glanced in the mirror, smoothing out the hoodie delicately and making sure you looked ok, even thought you knew Joost wouldn’t care even if you didn’t, because in his words “it’s okay to not be okay.”

You smiled, giggling at yourself briefly before making your way to the bathroom to check on the two of them, only to see a tub overflowing with bubbles and an Adessa with a soapy Mohawk.

“What the actual hell, Joost.” You murmured, eyes widening at the height the bubbles had managed to somehow reach. Adessa was lost in the midst of it, blue eyes just barely visible through the forest of bubbles.

Joost smiled, instantly freezing in place before slowly turning to you.

“Hello!!” He waved, slowly putting down the bubble bath solution.

“How much of that did you use!” You half-chuckled, half-scoffed, watching as the blue coloring practically spilled over the floor.

“Mommy it’s okay, I’m the bubble princess!” Adessa giggled, raising her arms up through the hoard of suds.

You sighed, but smiled softly. The cleanup would eat you the fuck alive, sure, but at least she was happy.

“Of course, sweetie.” You giggled, heading back out the bathroom slowly. You retreated downstairs to the couch, taking in the warm, orange-y yellow lighting that consumed the room. It reminded you of fall, with the sweet spices and crisp days that brought you so much joy.

You waited for no more than 5 minutes on the couch before the little pitter patter of feet came down the stairs. 

“Mommy!” The little voice whispered from the top of the stairs. “You gotta come say goodnight to me!”

You chuckled, standing up from the couch and jogging over to her. “Of course I do! C’mon!” You whispered, heading upstairs to her all pink princess themed bedroom.

Even though she had sworn her allegiance to nothing but pink time and time again, she still had the cover art for her dad’s beloved albums up on the wall next to her bed, courtesy of her father.

She scurried into bed, giggling as Joost pecked her little forehead gently. He had to completely sit down to be close to her bed, which was almost comical to see, but you didn’t wanna laugh at how massive he was just yet.

“Alright, goodnight sweetie.” You whispered, gently tying a little scarf around her head so her hair wouldn’t look crazy in the morning. “I love you!” You cooed, peppering her face with kisses.

She giggled, leaning up to kiss your nose before laying back down and rubbing her eyes. “I love you too…” she murmured, trying her best to keep her eyes open as she watched you and Joost turn off the lights and slowly leave.

You closed the door behind you two, smiling at Joost before giggling and scurrying down the steps like eager children. You crashed onto the couch together, cuddling up as Joost snatched the remote off the armrest and turned on the TV.

“This parenting shit is easy. W’s in the chat.” He giggled, pulling you as close as he could.

“I don’t know about easy, but you’re definitely a great dad!” You smiled, resting your hand on his chest.

He rolled his eyes, snickering quietly as he kissed your forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

©Taelophone<33

[taelophone]

Good To Growᯓᡣ𐭩.ᐟ ⊹

Joost Klein x Childhood Bsf!Reader TWs: (very very) Brief masturbation joke, The WORST mutual pining ever, google translate Dutch, RPF!!! W/C: 4,130 A/N: probably needs a pt2

Life had always been a little…different for you. You grew up quiet, and preferred to distance yourself from a crowd most of the time. Like now.

You sat in the long, warm blades of grass as your parents were probably frantically searching for you somewhere by the playground they had placed you in. You fidgeted with the metal buckle on your jean-and-plaid Minnie-mouse jumper, admiring the embroidered familiar face and bow on the little chest space.

You didn’t like that you had to move all the way from your hometown. After all, Friesland doesn’t have your favorite playground with the metal rocking chairs just waiting to break any little limbs it could access. But you were learning to adjust.

It was calm, and peaceful. The mysterious ball of light beamed down on you and illuminated your skin, basking in its slightly sticky and uncomfortable rays of heat.

“Oh-! Agoeie!!” A little, but unfamiliar voice said from above you as the sunlight suddenly disappeared. 

You glanced upwards, craning your neck to see what was blocking the warmth to see a tall, almost hazardously pale boy with rosy cheeks and eyes like blue diamonds.

“Huh…?” Is all you managed, not recognizing the unfamiliar phrase as your little brows furrowed in confusion.

“Je papa en mama zijn naar je op zoek!” He smiled.

What.

“What?” You murmured, pouting slightly.

“Wat?” The boy responded, his brows now mirroring your confused expression. He tilted his head to the side, shrugging his shoulders before lifting you up from under yours. If you had grasped the concept of stranger danger, you’d have been wailing and shouting by now. But the strange boy was met with little to no resistance as he whisked you along with him, back in the direction of the park you had abandoned earlier.

If you hadn’t known any better, which you didn’t, you would have assumed he was a friend of your parents. Which he wasn’t. His mother simply told him to be on the lookout for a small child around his age with bandaged knees and jean overalls.

But you were only five. You weren’t able to piece together that your parents and Joost’s mom had actually known each other, nor that the child carrying you was her son. Or if you did, you didn’t care enough to acknowledge it.

“Ik heb haar gevonden!” He beamed, carrying you over to your parents. His arms were wrapped around your torso  awkwardly, letting your ankles dangle above ground. 

And ever since then, you two became inseparable. More or so because your parents force proximitied you to death, but that’s not the point.

Joost spent his free time carrying you around, dragging you along with him on adventure after adventure. He made sure to hold your hand extra tight, out of pure fear that you’d get up and get lost again like you had managed to do time and time again.

“Where are we now..?” You murmured,  clutching onto your ivory leather messenger bag. It had been roughly four years since you met, leaving just enough space for the language barrier to be slightly bridged over.

Joost giggled, his eyes crinkling slightly as he shrugged. “I don’t really know.” He snickered. It wasn’t entirely a lie; he certainly wasn’t familiar with the area. However, he did know the way back home.

You followed him still, taking in the pretty flowers and grassy fields and the amount of dust you kicked up with each step on the dusty trail.

“Do you really think we should be this far?” You asked, looking up from the ground momentarily. 

“It’s okay.” He nodded, smiling at you warmly. “I know the way back home.” He reassured, swinging his arms back and forth and taking your hand right with him. “We are gonna get…what is it?” He hesitated, looking at you for help.

You hesitated, watching as he pointed to the field of pretty tulips in the distance. “In English.” He nodded.

“Flowers? Tulips?” You offered, smiling at him in return as you giggled. 

“Yes! Tulips, yes yes.” He beamed. “We are going to get tulips, and then climb the trees.” 

The walk towards the actual tulip field was silent, occasionally broken by Joost pointing out something or giggling at the occasional bunny that passed by.

“See! The tulips are very pretty. Just like you!” He giggled, hopping a little brown picket fence with little to no hesitation. You winced, placing your hands on the fence as you looked over at him. 

“Should we be here..?” You asked, hobbling over the fence anyway.

“It’s okay, it’s open to the public!” He nodded, sitting down in the multicolored plain. “And it is just so, so it will be okay.” He smiled, watching as you cautiously made your way over to him, weaving in between the tulips carefully.

Joost had always thought you were the most adorable girl to walk the earth. You never outgrew your habit of silence, but that was ok. He enjoyed your presence regardless of what you said or did.

When you did find yourself stumbling back into your words again, you had a LOT to say. Random topics, asking for translations for your Dutch homework, whatever It may be, he was happy to hear it.

“How long do you think it took to plant all of these flowers?” You asked, grinning as you stared at the lively section of pink.

“A long time, maybe.” He nodded. He ran his hand across one of the delicate flowers, taking his time to appreciate how the soft flora felt under the pads of his fingers.

“I really love flowers…I wish I had a garden so I could grow a bunch.” You spoke, gently running your hands through the flowers as well. 

“I think a garden is nice.” He nodded, plucking a white tulip and placing it in your hand. “You look nice in white.” He nodded, gesturing to your white ruffle tank top paired with your light blue jeans.

“Oh thank you!” You smiled. “This top is actually my mom’s, I think…But it matches my bag so she let me wear it!”

He smiled, nodding his head eagerly at your explanation. 

“I like it. It’s very pretty.” He smiled, placing a gorgeous white tulip in the loop of your messenger bag.

“Oh thank you.” You giggled, gently knotting the stem around the silver loop.

“Oh, and my mama said if you want to come over later that you should. We’re going to have cookies.” He nodded.

And you did. For many many weekends, you spent as much time as your parents would allow over at Joost’s house. Baking cookies, trading secrets, getting each other ready for your first day of freshman year, everything.

You were even there when he made his little YouTube channel, prompting you to change his contact name to “EenhornHandsome🦄” in your phone.

You had seen the many homes he had experienced; every last one of them.  After all, packing your entire life in a set amount of boxes was never a one man task.

“So what are you doing for college?” Joost asked, completely snapping you out of your media-fueled stupor.

“It’s between nursing, or psychology…” you mumbled, nodding in approval as you scrolled down your phone while kicking your legs in the air.

“I wanted to go to vet school for a bit…but nah.” You huffed, tossing your phone somewhere around his boyish room. “What about you? You still quittin’?”

He chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes as he straightened his posture a bit, now leaning against his black headboard.

“It’s not quitting, I just want to take paths…other than school.” He smiled.

“For sure. You’re not dropping out, just exploring your options.” You snickered, furrowing your brows at him in faux disbelief.

“Happy early 18th though fuck face.” You snorted. “Couldn’t even let it marinate for a week before dropping out. That’s not fair, who’s gonna tie my shoes and kiss my boo-boo’s!” You guffawed, struggling to get the words out before erupting into snorts and sniggers.

“Stop it, stop it!” He laughed, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he turned a shade of flush pink. “Go find a boyfriend to do that.” He giggled.

Silence. And not the kind of haha shock value silence, slight hurt silence. Despite knowing each other for god knows how long, the topic of love and dating had never been visited. 

“Nahhh,” you began, clearing your throat and forcing a breathy chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll date anyone in college.”

Joost perked up a bit before furrowing his brows in confusion. “Okay.” He shrugged, rolling forward off his bed and stretching.

God, if there’s one thing Joost was, it was tall. You took a moment to say a prayer as his black hoodie rode up just a bit, appreciating the sliver of pale skin it revealed.

“You like pink right? Girls like pink?” He randomly chuckled, searching his dresser momentarily before holding a little blue box.

“You could’ve just asked if I liked pink.” You huffed, staring at what was clearly a jewelry box as he flopped back down on his bed. “But yes. I like pink.

“I got this a bit ago.” He shrugged, handing you the velvety box with his face buried in his pillow.

“Oh thank you!” You smiled, flopping on top of his back, causing him to let out a surprisingly girlish yelp.

You chuckled, opening the box impatiently to see what rest in its contents.

And it was absolutely gorgeous. A small little silver chain with a cute little flamingo pink heart charm. It seemed to glow and glimmer with each movement, the eye-grabbing crystal trapping the sunlight in its glassy confines of Aphrodite’s greatest gift.

Joost hoped somewhere deep in his mind that you’d keep the necklace forever. To never take it off or let go just as he couldn’t let go of you.

“This is so pretty! Thank you!” You beamed, immediately standing up to dart to the mirror in an attempt to don the necklace. You fidgeted with the difficult chain, trying and failing to clip the little loop.

You sighed, turning back over to Joost, who was now hanging off his bed and probably watching Vine.

“Joost.”

“Ja, man?”

“Can you help?”

“Mhmm, hold on.”He hummed, giggling at his phone like a child as his phone said something about road work ahead.

He pulled himself together before slowly peeling himself out of his bed again, making his way over towards you in the mirror.

“I don’t know how I am supposed to do this.” He giggled, taking the small clasp from your hands. His fingers brushed against yours momentarily, sending small sparks down your spine.

You watch as he squinted in the mirror, bending his knees a little so he wouldn’t have to break his spine. He was trying his best. You could see it in the way his eyes completely zoned in on the small pieces of silver, carefully clipping it together.

You smiled, adjusting the necklace a little bit in the mirror. It wasn’t short enough to be a choker, but was long enough to rest right in the center of your collarbone.

“Thank you!” You chimed, staring at the pretty necklace in the mirror.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. It wasn’t tense.

It was layered. A wave of emotions and whispers taunting at your senses just beyond your reach.

You leaned back a little, flopping against Joost as you smiled up at him gently. “I’m gonna miss you, man.” You huffed, pulling his hoodie strings abruptly to try and distract from the distant but noticeable pining.

“I’ll miss you too,” he chuckled, placing his entire hand over your face and squishing it slightly before yelping.

“EW DON’T LICK MY HAND!” He squealed, backing away and wiping his palm on his hoodie. “You don’t know WHERE hands have been!” He grimaced, fake gagging and shaking his head at you.

“The fuck does that mean, you don’t leave your house.” You chuckled, rolling your eyes. 

“Still! Not good!” He half-scolded, going bright red in the face. “I was gonna say I’ll miss you but I need to give you away” he giggled.

“Oh hush” You quipped, rolling your eyes at him. “You’ll start blowing up my phone when you see it on Snapchat and not hear it from me.” You giggled, lying down on the fuzzy cream-colored carpet.

“Don’t do that…” He murmured, tilting his head to the side as he smiled at you. “I’ll drive there if I find out some jackass is taking you to parties.”

“Ew, no!” You gagged. “I’d rather die than date some…blonde frat boy.” You huffed. 

“Ouch.” He giggled, placing a hand over his heart and pretending to dramatically collapse, now sitting next to you on the floor. 

“I swear to god one day I’m gonna sell you.” You muttered, widening your eyes at him.

“You wouldn’t date me? Really?” He asked, giving you a smug but boyish smile.

“Friends don’t ask each other shit like that, Joost.” You chuckled.

“You ask your other friends all the time! Like Ana, Lizzie, Fle-“

“Those are girls. That’s normal, they’re my friends.” 

“I’m your friend, too!”

“It’s different. You’re my only GUY friend.” You clarified, turning over a little so you faced his direction.

He rolled his eyes, looking down at you. “We are too close for you to act like that.” He huffed.

“I think I’d date you…” you murmured, nodding hesitantly as you scanned hi a face over. “You’re very pretty.”

He smiled, a gorgeous shade of rose painting his cheeks for a brief moment before he nodded.

“I’m gonna take a nap.” He stated, making his way back over to his bed and lying down.

“Oh bet, move.” You blurted, immediately flopping down next to him. “Nap time!!”

You wasted no time in getting comfortable beside him, wrapping your arms around his torso while he leaned his head on top of yours.

“You’re really cold…” Joost mumbled, resting his arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer to him. “Are you anemic?”

“No, you blonde himbo.” You huffed. “Your room is fucking freezing if you haven’t noticed.”

“Ehhh, it’s not that cold.” He shrugged from the comfort of his thick black hoodie and blue pajama pants.

“I should bite you.”

“Please no, be kind.”

You giggled, watching Joost’s screen as he began to play around with his phone. He scrolled through Instagram, chatting back and forth with his YouTuber friends.

“Joost.”

“Ja, man?”

“What are you gonna do when I leave for college? Are you still gonna do the YouTube thing?” You asked, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Nah, I will do something else.” He shrugged. “I think I will do something with music. I’m just not sure what yet.” He murmured, looking away from his phone briefly. 

“Ooh, good luck! I believe in you!” You smiled, giving him a small squeeze.

“You should come to my future shows!” He beamed, immediately latching onto the idea like a magnet. He could see you backstage, separated from the crowd for your own safety (or because he’d go home if you even got slightly jostled,) while he lived out his dreams.

He thought it was a dream come true. But it made him so fucking sick.

He dreaded the day you’d call him and tell him about a new love interest or an encounter you had with another man that left you a giddy mess. The idea of you standing backstage, watching from the eyes of a friend and nothing more ate him alive.

“Oooh, like Coachella! For sure.” You nodded. “I think college is flexible with that type of shit.”

“I think so. Or you could just stay with me and not go.” He smiled.

“Harr-de-har. No. I need my education.” You chuckled. “But you’re more than welcome to cover some student debt!”

“You wouldn’t have debt if you stayed with meeee..” he mumbled, tossing his phone somewhere before wrapping both arms around you, immediately engulfing you in a hug.

“What am I gonna do without my best friend…” he grunted.

“I dunno maybe get some bitches,” you giggled. “Explore. Breathe some air that’s not mine?” 

“Nah, that’s wack.” He stated. “Why breathe air when I can breathe yours? Besties share.”

“Can we share some personal space?” 

“No.”

“Okay.”

You sat in silence for a few minutes. Or maybe hours. Time seemed to warp and twist when you were with Joost, and you never seemed to mind.

Eventually it was time to say goodbye, and for a good while too. You cried a bit, of course. But only a little.

“I’ll come and see you whenever I can, I swear…” you sniffled, wiping your eyes gently as you waved to Joost.

“Don’t cry, I’ll come see you when I get rich.” He reassured, giving you a cozy hug. “I’ll miss you so much!”

You nodded, reciprocating the hug before he lifted you up off the ground. 

And as days passed and you spent more time in college, you remained in contact to the best of your ability. Frequent FaceTimes, Facebook messages, and daily calls.

But the more you talked to other boys, you found yourself disappointed again and again. Every single time, you would silently ponder how Joost would never do something or say something like that. 

Seasons passed and time flew by. Two years of your life slipping through your fingers. But on the bright side, you could finally fly back to the Netherlands to see your best friend!

He had dropped a song about…Bitches, oddly enough. Which made you chuckle.

Your pink and furry Ugg boots crunched in the snow as you trekked your way to Joost’s new house. You were glad he found a permanent place to get situated, and every fiber of your being was so proud of him.

Nursing had been so very fucking hard, all you wanted to do was crash on Joost’s bed and take a nap with him. Just like old times.

You knocked on the door, a huge grin on your face as you patiently waited on the other side.

Joost lifted a brow, confused at the unexpected knock. He threw open the door, instantly grimacing at the undead frost of December. And then he looked down.

His face lit up almost immediately, his eyes crinkling with joy as his jaw hung open with pure excitement.

“AGOEIE!! HELLOOOOO, I’VE MISSED YOU!” He shouted, giving you no time to react as he threw his arms around you and snatched you away from the cold.

“Hey!” You laughed, wrapping your arms around his torso. “I missed you too!” 

He smiled, placing you back down on the floor and patting your head. “How is nursing? You look tired.”

You sighed, shrugging off your furry coat and hanging it up on the coat hanger. “You don’t even know.” You sighed, taking in the surprisingly neatly decorated home. “I didn’t know you could do minimalism.”

He rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. “It’s a cover up.” He shrugged. “Game room is better.”

“I felt like you’d have a game room.” You nodded. “You still collect those figurines and things right? I brought you back some Funko Pops!” You beamed.

You fidgeting with your tote bag, pulling out Po, Q Bert, and Kirby Funko pops. “I feel like you’d like these…” you nodded.

He giggled like a child at the Kirby and Q-Bert toys, immediately hugging them close to his chest. “Thank you!” He beamed.

“You’re very welcome!” You smiled, getting comfortable on his couch almost immediately.

You talked for hours, following him around the house as he proudly showed off every room. He showed you his now massive collection of action figures, video game posters, and even some arcade machines. Because why not.

“This is so dope! I love that you got a lil collectors room, I’m so proud” You smiled, watching as he put the Funko Pops on display.

He blushed, giving you a grateful smile. “Thank you!”

“Do you want food, by the way? I’m gonna order.” He asked, making his way back to the living room.

You followed behind him, settling down on the couch, watching his screen intently. “Yeah I kinda want pasta…” you murmured.

“You always do that, oh my goddddd” he giggled.

“Do what?” You asked.

“Stalk my phone” 

“OUR. Phone. We are one” You snickered.

“Ja, man, totally.” He laughed, leaning closer to you so you could see his phone. “Is this what you needed?” He teased, bringing the phone closer to your face.

“Yes, totally. This is so perfect.” You giggled, his phone so close to your face you could feel the warmth of the screen.

He giggled alongside of you, ordering pasta for you and probably something with steak for him.

“So how is school!” He asked, smiling sweetly.

“I’ve never felt so fucking exhausted.” You sighed, fixing the necklace around your neck so the pretty heart charm was no longer backwards. “I’ve basically been doing nurse assistant work.” You frowned.

“It’s okay,” he nodded. “You’ll just be more ready when you become an official nurse.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” You nodded. 

“It will be okay, just keep going!” He smiled.

His optimism seemed to be a gift from whatever god sat upstairs. After everything he had been through, he could pull himself together and assure himself that everything would be ok. Year after year, day after day.

You smiled at him, leaning your head on his shoulder gently as you curled up on the couch. “I love your positivity…You should give it to me.” You chuckled.

“You should work on affirmations!” He beamed, pulling you over into his lap and resting his head on yours. “They work for me.”

“I tried them, maybe I wasn’t consistent enough.” You shrugged.

“That’s ok, they’re not for everybody.” He smiled.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around his torso lovingly as you used his body heat for shameless comfort.

“So how was it? You find anyone?” Joost asked, poking at your face.

You chuckled, rolling your eyes at his sudden interest in your love life.

“No, Joost, you would have been told before. Plus the men at my school are literal dicks. It’s either a misogynistic himbo or someone I am just not attracted to.” You shrugged.

“And I’m fine with that, I don’t have to have love right now,” you chattered, letting Joost fuck around with your hair as he listened to you intently.

“But nursing and college in general has forced me to be soooooo much more vocal” You added on, having experienced the borderline unnecessary amount of communication you had to do with all your classmates for notes, homework, and much more.

Joost giggled quietly before instantly composing himself, trying his best to hold a neutral face.

“What…?”

“Nothing nothing.”

“No, Joost, what is it?” You groaned, staring at him to see what could possibly be so funny.

“I just can’t imagine you being…vocal.” He snickered.

“What does that even mean, Joost.”

“Nothing, nothing.” He smiled, shaking his head to get back in line. “It’s ok, you have me. You don’t need a boyfriend”

You furrowed your brows a bit, cocking your head back slightly at his words. “Weird flex, but ok..”

“What? You don’t.” He beamed, squishing up your face in his hands gently.

“Gross, you’re so clingy…I haven’t been gone that long,” you chortled, voice muffled and squished now that Joost had your face practically scrunched up in his palms.

“It’s literally been 2 years…plus I missed you.” He shrugged.

You smiled at him sweetly, as a warm, burning sensation overtook your cheeks for the first time in forever. Joost had always felt like home; something you could run to for comfort when shit got rough.

He stood tall like a pillar, shielding you from the burning hot sun and keeping you away from the negatives of adulthood that constantly loomed over you. He was your landmark—, you’d always know exactly which direction to go when in need of affection.

It was so bittersweet that you could almost hear the the thin, paper wrapper of your heart rip whenever you got too close, scrunching up your face at the sudden citrusy love that overcame you.

But when the feelings all mulled over, you were left with that sweet, sweet sugar that you fell addicted to time and time again.

And as Joost’s fingers twirled and toyed with the silver chain around your neck he could pinpoint from any angle of the world, he had only one question on his mind.

“I know you slammed me for asking this years ago…” he practically whispered. “But would you still date me?”

“Is this you actually asking…orrrr..?”

“…maybe.”

“Of course I would.”

[taelophone]

get excited🔥🔥

[taelophone]

fresh linen releases today!! Then I can do my master list, and my request page🩷🫶🏽