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writingfortoomanyfandoms · 6 years ago

Text

Oblivious

Pairing: University!Joe Mazzello x Reader

Summary: They meet through Gwilym but then hit it off but Joe doesn’t think that she sees him as anything more than a friend

Requested: No

Warnings: S L O W burn, swearing, intense stupidity and obliviousness, kinda long, alcohol mentions

A/N: I kinda really love this one ngl, I have such a soft spot for uni!AU’s so please let me know if you like this so I can see whether you want more au’s like this one - I also kinda wanna do a part two to this so let me know?? Please remember to like, comment, reblog and send asks to let me know what you think of this!! I love you all!!

“What are you guys staring at?” Gwilym asked, taking a seat in the dining hall of the university. Ben and Joe looked at him, open mouthed.

“Who was that?” Ben finally asked. Gwilym frowned and looked over his shoulder. It was easy to tell who Ben was referring to because Joe seemed unable to take his eyes off of her.

“That girl?” Gwilym asked and the two boys nodded in confirmation. “That’s Y/N,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Care to… explain?” Joe asked, though his eyes were still locked on the girl on the other side of the room.

He wasn’t sure what it was about her that drew him to her so strongly. She was pretty, that much was obvious. Though there was a certain type of shyness and what could almost be described as insecurity in the way she held herself that made Joe wonder whether the beauty that was so apparent to him was just as obvious to her.

Y/N was dressed simply as well. Black jeans and a large, dark blue hoodie which completely engulfed her form. The sleeves were obviously too big for her and she kept on pushing them up as she stood in the entrance of the dining hall, surveying the room. She was clearly waiting for someone, a thought that was quickly confirmed almost as soon as it came into Joe’s head as her whole face lit up with a dazzling smile and she rushed across the room to embrace a girl in a hug.

“You know, if you don’t stop staring at her she’ll notice and then you’ll just be a complete creep,” Gwilym mentioned mildly, stealing some chips off of Ben’s plate, much to the blond man’s displeasure.

Joe glared at him.

“How do you know her?” Ben asked, moving the conversation on swiftly from Joe’s murderous look.

“She’s an English Literature student so I’ve got a couple of classes with her,” Gwilym shrugged.

“Does that mean she’s going to be in the Theatre Studies lecture tomorrow?” Ben asked, and Joe saw him steal a look at him. Gwilym shrugged, taking another couple of chips.

“I didn’t actually ask, but I suppose she may be,” Gwilym admitted. “I could text her, though,” he added, sending a sly grin in Joe’s direction. Joe rolled his eyes but felt his cheeks heating up.

“Piss off,” Gwilym and Ben both start to laugh at that.

“She’s great, Joe,” Gwilym said.

“I don’t know anything about her - so I don’t get why you guys are making such a big deal out of nothing,” he huffed.

“Because you were staring at her!” Ben informed him, laughter lacing his voice.

“She is really nice,” Gwilym reiterated. Joe shrugged and lent back in his chair.

“Whatever,” he sighed. “I should get to my lecture.”

///

“Hey! Y/N?” The girl turned around, surprised at the call of her name. Her notebook was clasped tightly to her chest and a gentle smile broke over her face as she located the source as being Gwilym.

“Hi Gwil,” she said, her voice was quiet and contained and the softness caused Joe’s heart to skip a beat.

“These are my friends - Joe, Ben and Rami,” Gwilym introduced, gesturing to his friends. When he caught Joe’s eyes he gave a wink and Joe closed his eyes in embarrassment from his actions.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Y/N said, biting her lip as she nodded her greeting to the men.

“Do you want to sit with us?” Gwilym offered. “I’m sure Joe will be happy for you to take that seat,” the words were accompanied with a shit-eating grin and he stretched out his leg to nudge the chair he was referring to. Joe felt colour rushing to his face as Y/N looked at him with a timid smile.

“Thanks for the offer - but I’m actually already sitting with someone,” she admitted, a look of true regret crossing her face. “Maybe next time?” The question was clearly directed towards Gwilym and yet Y/N’s eyes flicked to Joe’s. Joe finally managed to return her smile, though it was a far cry from the wide grin that was normally on his face.

“Definitely,” Gwilym agreed, laughing. “I’ll see you in Professor Nicholls’ lecture?” He asked.

“See you then,” Y/N walked off and Joe watched her shy smile melt off her face to be replaced by a full grin as she hugged a blond woman in greeting - the same woman who Joe had seen her with the previous day.

The two of them cast a look back at Joe and his group of friends before the blonde said something to Y/N and Y/N giggled before replying. She then nudged her friend with an elbow, a loud laugh filling the room as the blonde woman blushed scarlet.

“She’s pretty,” Rami spoke up.

“Y/N or the other girl?” Gwilym asked, already having turned back to his notebook, preparing for the lecture to begin.

“Well Y/N is pretty but I don’t think I’m allowed to say that,” Rami looked at Joe with a teasing glint in his eyes. Joe huffed in frustration, sliding down in his chair, his face burning with embarrassment. “But I was talking about the other girl,” Rami confirmed.

“I think she’s in a few of our other lectures,” Ben mused, glancing up and over at the blonde girl again. “Film studies?” He offered.

“I think you’re right,” Rami agreed, still not looking away from the two girls.

It came as no surprise to anyone when Rami approached the blonde girl at the end of the lecture. He greeted Y/N but then turned his full attention to the other girl, whose name Joe later found out to be Lucy. What did come as a surprise for the other three men was that, when asked out by the complete stranger that Rami was, she agreed to go out for dinner with him.

“But, like, how did you manage that?” Joe cackled. “You looked like a complete creeper!” He insisted and Rami scoffed at his friend.

“I think they figured I couldn’t be the creeper of the group seeing as though you have been staring constantly at Y/N for the past two days,” he snapped back, causing Ben to laugh at the quick response.

“But seriously, Rami,” Ben said, shaking his head in wonder at his friend. “I swear girls always say no when you first meet them,” Rami shrugged, grinning bashfully at the floor.

“Lucy mentioned that she had seen me around - during Film Studies lectures - and that I seemed an alright kind of guy. And then Y/N told her that if I hung out with Gwil then I could hardly be an arsehole,” he said with a laugh. He looked to Joe with raised eyebrows. “I guess that logic must go for you too if you wanna get in there,” Rami wiggled his eyebrows at his friend and Joe groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance.

“She told you all of that on a first date?” Ben asked and Rami looked away in mild embarrassment.

“We’ve been texting a lot too,” he admitted. “I invited her to sit with us during the next lecture - that’s okay, right?”

“Of course,” Ben shrugged. “I mean, we are in dire need of friends.”

///

Lucy was sat on Rami’s lap in the little diner they had gathered in for dinner. They had been together now for a month and acted as sickeningly adorable as they could manage. The diner was at the end of the road where most of the students from the university resided and so it was a convenient place for the four men to go when they felt too lazy to cook for themselves.

However the fact that it was so near to the rest of student residence meant that the fact that Y/N walked in as they were eating should not have been as much of a surprise as it was.

Y/N didn’t seem to notice them as she wandered into the diner. She was plugged into her headphones, eyes on the ground and a few books held to her chest. It wasn’t until Lucy hopped off of Rami’s lap and jumped up at her that she was brought back into reality with a yelp that caused Joe and his friends to laugh.

They spoke for a few minutes and Y/N cast a look over at the four men. Rami and Gwilym both waved her over but Y/N bit her lip, uncertainty clear in her face. Lucy pleaded with her for another few minutes and Y/N rolled her eyes before shrugging in defeat. Joe watched Lucy punch the air before returning and taking her seat back on Rami’s lap.

“She’s going to sit with us after she orders,” she informs the men. Lucy threw Joe a wink. “You’re welcome,” Joe groaned and glared at Rami.

“Do we have no secrets anymore?” He asked. Rami grinned and shook his head, reaching around to peck Lucy’s cheek.

“I have to tell her things, Joe,” he teased.

“It’s fine, Joe! It’s really sweet, really,” Lucy assured the man, clearly picking up on Joe’s discomfort.

It was true that, since Gwilym had introduced the men to Y/N his interest in the girl had only increased and he struggled at this point to pay attention during Theatre Studies’ lectures, knowing that she was sat across the room with Lucy.

Even though Lucy and Rami were now dating, Y/N and Lucy had yet to join the men during lectures as Lucy informed them that Y/N didn’t always do well around new people. That, and that during the lectures Lucy and Rami did sit together in, they almost always ended up distracting both each other and everyone around them so it was probably for the best that they remained a safe distance apart.

“Hey,” Joe was jolted from his thoughts by her sweet voice coming quietly from the end of the table. Greetings were chorused back to her and she smiled shyly at the friends.

“Joe, Ben, shove the fuck up,” Gwilym laughed and Joe felt all his blood rushing to his cheeks as he realised that meant he would be sat so close to Y/N.

Y/N took a seat down on the booth, though she was perched at the end, clearly unsure of how okay it was so sit close to the man she had only before met in passing.

“Come on, sit a little closer on or you’ll fall off,” Joe said quietly after everyone had returned to their own conversations. Y/N looked at him, clearly surprised by the acknowledgement but he smiled at her and she returned it, albeit timidly and quickly. “I promise I don’t bite,” he chuckled. Y/N joined in, biting her lip and moving closer to him in the booth. “I’m Joe, by the way, in case you forgot,” he introduced, offering her his hand.

Y/N took it, and Joe revelled at how small her hands were compared to his. She shook his head at him. “I didn’t forget - Lucy and Rami talk about you a lot,” she informed and Joe groaned.

“Oh no, that doesn’t sound good,” he laughed.

“Your reputation for burning pasta does precede you,” Y/N said with a giggle, Joe joined in, admiring how adorable she looked when her face was lit up with unadulterated joy.

“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you about the tequila slammers during freshers to be honest, that’s always been his favourite story,” Joe rolled his eyes as he told her and Y/N’s widened, letting out a gasp.

“Holy shit that was you?” She asked and Joe laughed at her clear shock.

“I thought everyone knew that?”

“I knew it was a Joe but I didn’t realise it was… the same Joe,” Y/N admitted and Joe held his hands up.

“Guilty as charged, I’m afraid,” he said and Y/N shook her head.

“This is crazy, dude, my sister thought you were a legend when I told her,” Joe’s heart fluttered in her chest at her admiration but he played it off, wiggling his eyebrows at her instead.

“You’ve told your family about me? But we haven’t even had our first date yet,” Joe accompanied his words with a playful wink that sent Y/N into peals of laughter and she shook her head quickly. She went to explain herself but Joe held his hands up for silence, shaking his head solemnly at her. “It’s fine, I understand, just talking me up to the in-laws, I get it,” Y/N’s eyes were shut with how much she was laughing.

Joe watched her with an affectionate grin, loving that it had been him who had this much of an affect on the shy girl from his lectures. He looked over to the rest of his friends who were watching him and Y/N interact with raised eyebrows. Lucy was beaming, and it seemed as though it was taking a lot of her effort to refrain from clapping her hands in joy.

Joe blushed under their intense looks and bit his lip to hold back his own grin.

///

“Are you busy?” Y/N asked as soon as Joe opened the door to his apartment. He raised his eyebrows at the sudden appearance of the girl he had begun to consider one of his best friends.

“No, what’s up?” He asked, stepping back to allow her to come into his home.

“Wanna die with me?” Y/N offered, falling onto Joe’s sofa. Joe laughed a little and joined her, lifting her feet so they lay on his lap.

“Always but why?” Y/N huffed, clearly unhappy with the position and sat up, turning around so that her head was on his lap rather than her feet. Joe took the cue and began to play with her hair. Y/N let out a content sigh, melting in his lap and Joe smiled.

“Just uni, man,” Y/N admitted.

“Professor Nicholls?” Joe asked, knowing that Gwilym had also been complaining about his Gothic Literature workload. Y/N sighed and nodded.

“There’s just so many assignments, Joey,” she groaned. Joe’s heart flipped at the nickname, as it always did when it tumbled past her lips.

“I know, lovey, but you’re doing awesome,” he comforted and Y/N snorted.

“How the fuck would you know that?”

“Because you haven’t dropped out or actually ended your life yet?” He offered. Y/N laughed and turned so her face was nuzzling into the soft flesh of Joe’s stomach.

“You’re so cute,” she mumbled. Joe chuckled and tugged on her hair lightly, running his fingers through the strands to tease out all of the knots.

“So my mum tells me,” he mused. “How come you came here?”

“You mean aside from the fact that Lucy and Rami are anything but quiet when they’re fucking?” The bluntness of the question from the girl who was normally so quiet and reserved around anyone who wasn’t her close friend caused Joe to burst out into loud laughter.

“Do they ever stop?”

“Sources say no, they’re basically rabbits,” Y/N said, feigning sadness. “I feel as though I haven’t seen you in ages,” Y/N moaned.

“You’ve been busy, lovey,” Joe sighed, though he too had been feeling her absence more keenly than he’d care to admit.

“I know… I just missed you, Joey,” she admitted and it was as though fireworks had been lit in his chest as a goofy grin spread across his face.

“I missed you too, Y/N/N,” he mumbled, leaning down to kiss her temple. “You seem exhausted,” Joe commented. Y/N looked up at him, her eyes drooping with tiredness and a sleepy smile on her face.

“Rabbits, remember?” She murmured and Joe chuckled.

“Go to sleep, lovey, we can hang out later,” he promised, smoothing his hand down her hair.

“What about you?” She yawned, though from the way that she turned to cuddle in closer to Joe for his warmth he could tell that she wasn’t about to argue with the suggestion.

“I’ll get some rest too,” he promised, though he knew, really, that he wouldn’t and would, most likely, read through his lecturers notes again until she woke up. He had lied when he said he wasn’t busy - he had an exam coming up this week on Drama Theory and had planned to spend most of the day revising for it. But, as it turned out, he never had been able to say no to Y/N.

So that was the position Ben found them in when he returned home from his lectures an hour later - Joe reading through some notes and Y/N napping contentedly on his lap. The blond man raised his eyebrows at his best friend.

“Just friends?” Joe huffed a laugh and shook his head at him, a little sadly.

“Don’t, Ben. Please,” Ben frowned at Joe’s melancholy plea.

“You okay, man?” Joe shrugged, one hand still playing with the strands of Y/N’s hair.

“Just painful, you know?” He responded finally.

“You should just tell her,” Ben shrugged. “It would make all of this a lot easier for both of you,” Ben hesitated. “Besides, you two are really sweet together,” that part came out reluctantly and Joe gave a gentle laugh at the uncertain words.

“I dunno, Ben, what if it fucks everything up with her - I’d rather have her in my life as a friend than not have her at all,” Ben rolled his eyes, exasperation clear in his expression.

“She likes you too, Joe,” Ben said. “You literally have to be blind to not notice that,” Joe’s heart flip flopped in his chest at the idea of Y/N possibly liking him back.

She stirred on his lap and Ben smiled, taking that as his cue to leave and two seconds later Joe heard the kettle beginning to boil. Y/N’s hands tightened a little around Joe and she nestled closer to his chest briefly.

“Joey?” She mumbled. Joe gently scratched her scalp with his fingers and he could have sworn he could have heard her purr like a cat.

“Right here, lovey,” he replied, though his voice was thick with emotion that so desperately wanted to break free.

///

So maybe it was one of his worse ideas. It had all just become a little too much for him. It was far too difficult for him to be around her as often as he used to. To hear her laugh. To see her smile. To have her curl up into him whenever they hung out at his home. His heart couldn’t take it.

So he stopped.

He stopped inviting her over and he stopped popping over to her apartment unannounced whenever he was bored. He stopped sitting next to her during Theatre Studies lectures (instead taking the ever-empty seat next to Ben) and he stopped saving her a seat when their group went out for dinner. He stopped asking her to meet him at the library and he stopped suggesting study-dates-turned-movie-nights.

When he first put an end to all of those things, Y/N didn’t give up easily. Ben told Joe that she had just assumed he was busy with exams and she herself had figured it was a good idea to cut back on the amount of time they spent together as she truly did have so much studying to do.

But then his phone had slowly stopped lighting up with constant texts and snapchats from her. She stopped calling him every Friday night after the latest episode of her favourite show had been released. She stopped coming over to his home every time Rami and Lucy kicked her out of her apartment only to then be told by Ben that Joe wasn’t in.

He was in. He was always in.

“Ben, please, I know he’s in,” Joe could hear her pleading from down the hall and it caused a crack in Joe’s heart as he realised he was the cause of that sadness. Joe closed his eyes, praying that Ben would send her away. He wasn’t sure he was able to deal with pretending to not have a crush on her today.

“Look, Y/N-” Ben tried only to be cut off by Y/N.

“Please, Ben, I just really fucking miss him,” she whimpered. Joe knew, even before Ben’s next words that he was done for.

“Hey, Y/N,” Joe said, walking out of his room. Ben cast him a grateful look and grabbed his jacket and keys.

“I’ll… leave you in peace,” he decided Y/N gave him a smile and Joe nodded.

The door closed behind him and Y/N and Joe starred at each other for a moment.

“What did I do - because whatever it is I’m so sorry, Joe,” Y/N said, twisting her fingers nervously. Joe sighed and shook his head.

“It’s not you, Y/N/N,” he said.

“I must have done something!” Y/N’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears and it sent a stabbing pain through Joe’s chest. He opened his arms and Y/N fell into them, tears falling down her cheeks. “I really miss you, Joey,” she mumbled. Joe squeezed his arms a little tighter around her and nodded.

“I know, I’m sorry. I suck,” he sighed, smoothing his hand down her hair. He felt complete like this, with Y/N hugged tight against his chest. It was a position he never wanted to leave, though he was aware that he had to let go.

“Why did you do it?” She mumbled. Joe sighed and nuzzled closer to her.

“Promise not to laugh?”

“I’d never laugh at you, Joey,” she declared before adding: “unless you put a can of tinned beans in the microwave again,” the words were said slyly through a giggle and Joe groaned loudly.

“That was one time!” He laughed. Y/N squeezed him again.

“I’m never going to let you forget it.” Joe kissed the top of her head.

“I know you’re not.”

“So what’s going on?” Nerves filled Joe like a swarm of bees and he swallowed awkwardly, breaking out of the comforting embrace Y/N was giving him.

“Can you, like, not look at me when I say this?” He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

“Joe?”

“No, actually, you’re right. I’ll turn around. That way I don’t have to see it when you leave,” he mumbled, turning in the hallway to face back into his room.

“Joey? What’s happening?”

“I really like you, Y/N, I have for… pretty much as long as I’ve known you and… I figured you didn’t like me back so I thought…”

“You thought you’d give me distance,” Y/N finished. Joe nodded, still refusing to turn and meet her eyes. “Joe?” Y/N tapped him on the shoulder and Joe sighed, turning around, a defeated look on his face.

Y/N gave him a gentle smile and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You’re an idiot,” she proclaimed. A small smile grew on Joe’s features but he tried to squash it, not wanting to get his hopes up. “But you’re my idiot,” Y/N whispered, slowly pulling down Joe’s head to meet her lips in a long-anticipated kiss.

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