◟ I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE ۶ৎ JAAFAR JACKSON
INTRO , ❥ 2.67K coworker!actress!reader x jaafar jackson ◞ after the micheal movie huge succes, Jaafar was contacted by Walt Disney Studios for the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Princess And The Frog, with his friend en co-star Coleman Domingo, who serves as one of the proyect´s writter. There, he meet reader.ᐟ, a talented and rising actress who is well-known for being charismatic and soft-spoken. Neither of them knows what fate has for them. reader and colman know each other from a previous project, so uk who recommended her for the role. reader is a ballet dancer and theater!actress. reader doesn’t have a faceclaim for the moment i couldn’t decide between ayo edeberi and coco jones.
SWEET'S CONTAINS , .✦ ݁˖ slow-burn.ᐟtrope ◞ strangers to friends to lovers. . . Maddie and Jaafar aren’t together. reader known as Queen B. fluffy vanilla love they being cuties reader!shy assf & Jaafar just being Jaafar. previous part
NELLY'S NOTES , ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ HIIIIIYA, CUTIES! i just want to say tysm to everyone is commenting and reposting my fic, i really, really, really appreciate the support.
The following morning had arrived like any other. You would have loved to claim you actually slept the night before, but doing so would make you a liar. Your hours of sleep had been cut down to a miserable five, all thanks to staying up way too late scrolling through a certain gossip page speculating about your outing with Colman the previous night.
Sometimes you found it hard to understand how the media could blow things out of proportion in a matter of seconds. It certainly didn't help that you were active on social media—well, at least during certain periods of time—even though the odds of seeing what people were saying about you were usually slim, they were never zero.
You had learned the hard way that obsessing over social media commentary could completely consume you. A certain controversy with your former co-star, Michael B. Jordan, had taught you that lesson well.
Not only did it drain you mentally, but it was also the primary reason many friendships got torn apart, while the people running those gossip blogs remained completely oblivious to the real damage they caused.
Still, you decided you wouldn't waste your energy on it. After thinking about it for a good while, you climbed out of bed and kicked off your daily routine.
At that exact moment, you were in the kitchen, fixing yourself some toast and eggs, when you heard a couple of light taps at your front door.
Opening it, you were greeted by Catherine’s warm smile.
"I brought breakfast!" she announced, waving a small bag in her hand. You rolled your eyes with amusement and stepped aside to let her in.
"You're an hour late, I'm already making my own breakfast," you called out as you walked back into the kitchen, the brunette following closely behind. "Besides, you know I don't like coffee," you added, hearing her let out an exaggerated sigh.
Catherine placed the bag on the kitchen island and claimed one of the three chairs. She watched your silhouette move with quiet grace as you plated the scrambled eggs.
She cleared her throat to grab your attention.
"So," she began, pulling a chicken sandwich from the bag, while you looked on, waiting for her to finish. "Jaafar and you...?"
Your brown eyes nearly popped out of your head at your friend's words. Catherine, meanwhile, seemed completely absorbed in the taste of her sandwich, chewing with determination and letting out little sounds of satisfaction.
"What do you mean? Jaafar and I, what?" you demanded, pointing your fork at her.
She shrugged, setting the sandwich down just long enough to take a sip of her coffee. "I don't know, I saw the photos they took of you guys last night... did you come home together—?"
Her sentence was abruptly cut off by your voice. "For God's sake, Catt! He just gave me his jacket! Nothing else happened!"
"Why?" she asked again, this time with her mouth full.
You stared at her with genuine confusion, which only seemed to amuse her further.
"What do you mean 'why'?"
"I mean... did you see the way he looked at you? He looked completely mesmerized... and I saw two edits of you guys this morning..."
"Oh, hell nah..." you muttered. Abandoning your plate, you stepped right up in front of your friend. "I don't even know him... and even if I did, I wouldn't bring him home," you said, feeling the heat rise into your cheeks.
Catherine narrowed her eyes, holding back the laughter threatening to break through your flustered expression.
"Relax, Queencey-Booh, I'm just messing with you," she said, taking a massive bite of her sandwich. You could only roll your eyes.
You picked up your plate, sat right next to her, and finally started eating. After a moment, you paused to look at her. "Didn't you have things to do today?"
"Oh, no! I lied, I just wanted to leave... someone was waiting for me at home," the last sentence came out in a tiny whisper, but you heard it loud and clear.
Your eyes widened in exaggeration. "Don't tell me...!"
Catherine nodded before launching into the details of what happened the night before with her supposed ex-boyfriend.
The two of you ended up talking in the kitchen for hours.
Two long weeks had passed since you had last been seen publicly—at least by the paparazzi. You were one of the rare celebrities who actually knew how to blend into a crowd without catching anyone's eye, and you were endlessly grateful for it.
That afternoon, you were on your way to the studio where Colman and Catherine were waiting. According to them, it was time to start the look tests for filming.
From what Catherine had informed you, shooting was slated to kick off in early November with the goal of securing at least two weeks off in December. That came as a massive relief because you desperately wanted to spend Christmas with your parents.
You carefully pushed open one of the building's doors. You didn't even need to stop at reception; the ID badge hanging around your neck let everyone know you had all-access clearance.
After walking down what felt like an eternity of corridors, you spotted the silhouettes of Colman and Catherine. To your surprise, Jaafar was standing right there with them.
Your stomach did a strange flip at the sight of him. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie paired with grey sweatpants. Despite having the hood up, he also had a baseball cap pulled low. You tightened your grip on your bag, trying to ignore the sudden rush of tingles spreading through your body.
"Good morning," your voice came out just as sweet and calm as ever, drawing everyone's attention.
Colman was the first to wrap his arms around you, placing a light kiss on your forehead. "I thought you weren't going to show up, darling."
"And miss all this? Nah, I have to face my fear of people all on my own. Tiana's going to help me with that," you joked, walking over to Catherine, who pulled you into an affectionate hug as well.
"I brought donuts," she whispered playfully in your ear.
When you pulled back, you noticed Jaafar's eyes fixed on you. Though you couldn't be sure, he looked entirely expectant—unsure if he was going to get a hug or a polite handshake—so he simply stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Colman and Catherine mentioned something about needing to greet the hair and makeup crew. You nodded, watching them head off toward the adjacent studio.
"Hey," you said, turning your attention to Jaafar. He looked at you and smiled.
"Hey," he replied, sliding his hands into his coat pockets.
Without thinking twice, you walked right up to him and wrapped your arms around his waist. Taken completely by surprise, he hurried to return the embrace, sliding his hands over your shoulders.
"Isn't this awkward?" you asked, leaning back just enough to meet his bright brown eyes.
"Not at all," he replied, giving you a gentle pat on the back. "Besides, I guess we need to get used to being this close anyway."
"Because you're going to be my princess, and we're probably going to be pretty close on set."
You furrowed your brows in confusion, and when the realization finally hit you, your eyes went wide.
"You accepted the role?!" you blurted out, a smile breaking across your face.
"Yeah!" Jaafar answered with a soft chuckle. Your stunned expression was equal parts funny and adorable to him.
"Oh, my god! I'm going to work with Jaafar Jackson!" you exclaimed, giving a little hop of excitement.
Jaafar simply smiled, watching you intently. Your reaction was so genuine that the grin on his face widened until his cheeks ached.
You, on the other hand, were slowly processing the gravity of the situation: you were going to work with Jaafar Jackson. It wasn't every day you got the chance to collaborate with someone from that family. If you did, you had to consider yourself incredibly lucky and grateful—that family was overflowing with talent.
Michael Jackson was living proof of that; more than a decade after his passing, he was still breaking records.
You took a breath to calm yourself and stepped back into your previous spot in front of Jaafar.
"Sorry, I think my inner fan-girl for your uncle just took over," you apologized, tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear.
"Just my uncle?" Jaafar teased, pulling a funny face that made you laugh all over again. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing..." you denied, still giggling. You pointed at his baseball cap. "Why the cap and the hood at the same time?"
"Oh... nothing, just didn't want to catch anyone's attention," he answered before taking it off, letting his hair fall loose. From what you could tell, his curls had gotten a bit longer.
Before you could say anything else, Colman's voice cut through the air.
"Time to work, lovebirds!"
You both shared an amused look before walking over to him.
You were sitting in front of a mirror while a couple of makeup artists fussed over your face, using a classic cartoon reference image stuck to the vanity with a piece of gum as their guide.
"I think we can add a little brown shadow right above the eyelid..." one of them murmured, pausing to study your features.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. It'll contrast nicely with Tiana's yellow uniform, right?" Both stylists agreed while you watched them through the reflection.
Minutes later, they wrapped up their work, scrutinizing your face from different angles.
"Do you like how it looks, honey?" one asked. You nodded with a shy, small smile.
"Well, we'll leave you alone for a bit, we'll be back later to figure out the hair..." the other said, packing her tools into a small case. "I think I heard Colman mention something about wigs, but nothing's confirmed yet..."
You nodded, tracking their every move.
"Thank you so much for your hard work!" you called out as they slipped out the trailer door, earning a quick "you're welcome" before you were left in peace.
You looked at yourself in the mirror again. Sometimes you found it amusing how much your face transformed during time spent on movie sets. You couldn't deny that you loved seeing yourself in different styles.
Smiling, you pulled out your phone to snap a quick photo, knowing you couldn't post it—at least not for a very long time.
The trailer door suddenly swung open, making you let out a little squeop of surprise. You clutched a hand to your chest as Catherine leaned against the doorway with a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"We need to do a screen test, so get your butt up and let's head to the main studio," she announced, exhaling smoke through her nose. You rolled your eyes and stood up.
"Do you even know how to knock?"
She just shrugged with a teasing grin.
Ugh, Catherine was seriously going to be the death of you.
A laugh slipped past your lips as you listened to Colman's directions, shifting positions and pulling various facial expressions in front of the camera sitting mere inches from your face.
"Alright... I think we could swap out the lipstick for a slightly darker shade... maybe line the top lip with a darker nude and blend some brown shadow on the bottom," Colman instructed the makeup artists who had been with you earlier. They nodded while one of them scribbled notes.
"I think we should stretch the eyeliner a bit more, too," you chimed in, pointing playfully at your own eyes.
"Yeah, that too..." Colman agreed.
Right then, the door pushed open and Jaafar walked in, looking just as transformed by hair and wardrobe as you were.
You couldn't deny they had done a fantastic job with his look. Involuntarily, you bit your lower lip and quickly looked away.
"You arrived at the absolute right moment, son!"
You scrambled out of the way so Jaafar could take your spot. He stepped up and followed the same routine you had just finished—taking direction and cycling through expressions while the camera rolled.
"Queen," Colman's voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked his way. "Get back to where you were," he instructed. You immediately complied. Jaafar tried to shift out of the way, but Colman stopped him with a sharp tsk. "Uhm, stay right there, Jackson."
You both froze in place while Colman turned to confer with the director, who glanced over at the two of you.
"We're going to run a quick chemistry test. I know you don't have a script yet, but I'll give you a few prompts and you'll improvise, sound good?" Both of you nodded.
A spike of panic hit your heart at the man's words, freezing your blood and stalling every thought racing through your brain.
It was rare for chemistry tests to happen completely unscripted, but you knew the script wasn't fully finished or was still undergoing revisions—you barely remembered any of Colman's instructions as the panic fully set in.
Jaafar, on the other hand, looked entirely at ease, staring straight ahead and waiting for the director's cue.
"Alright, stand face-to-face," the director ordered. The rushing noise in your ears made it hard to catch everything, but you heard that loud and clear. "Look at each other."
Reluctantly, you forced yourself to gaze into Jaafar's brown orbs.
Up close, you noticed how they caught the light—though you couldn't tell if it was just the studio lights or some natural spark in his gaze. Subconsciously, a small smile crept onto your face, earning a nod of approval from the director.
"Put your hand on her waist, Jaafar."
Without hesitation, Jaafar slid one hand onto your waist, closing the distance between your bodies. "There it is! Keep holding that gaze."
At that point, the director's voice faded into white noise. You two were locked in a staring contest to see who would look away first. Jaafar was winning by a landslide because your sudden shyness forced your eyes away every few seconds.
"Step a little closer..."
Jaafar took the initiative, leaning down slightly to match your height. Your noses brushed briefly, catching your breath right in your throat. You tried to mask your surprise by looking right back into his eyes, and he shot you a knowing, playful smirk.
It's just acting, it's just acting, it's just...
Your thoughts screeched to a halt when your gaze dropped to Jaafar's soft, pink lips—and you noticed he did the exact same thing to yours. You both leaned in just a fraction, causing your noses to graze once more.
That exact same fluttery feeling from earlier that morning rushed straight back to your stomach, making you involuntarily close your eyes and sigh.
"Great job, guys!" the director called out, bursting the little bubble that had formed around you. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause for our Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen."
The studio filled with a wave of loud applause. You let out a breathy laugh and leaned against Jaafar's chest, while he smiled, waving a hand to thank the crew.
A gentle squeeze at your waist startled you slightly. You had completely forgotten that Jaafar still had his hand on you.
You looked up to find that same sweet smile waiting for you. You didn't hesitate to return it before turning back to the team and offering a polite, grateful bow.
"The way he was looking at you, Queen!" Catherine gasped, waving her chopsticks dramatically in the air.
The two of you were sitting in a small Chinese restaurant not far from your house. After nearly three hours in traffic coming back from the studio, neither of you had the energy to cook, so sushi was the default winner.
"That's why they call it acting, Catt. Nothing that happens or that you see is real..." you retorted, giving an unbothered shrug.
"Girl, stop lying to yourself... I saw you, too!"
"Oh, for God's sake, Catherine!" you burst out laughing before popping a piece of sushi into your mouth.
The brunette's expression softened slightly as she tapped her chopsticks against her fingers.
"You know? I've heard actors fall in love with their co-stars all the time," she murmured, catching your attention. You looked at her incredulously.
"The last time I tried something with a co-star, it ended horribly," you pointed out, arching a brow. "And I'm pretty sure you just made that statistic up."
"Of course not!... Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams? Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield? Oh! Don't forget Zendaya and Tom Holland," she fired back, pointing a chopstick at you.
"Out of those three, the only one still standing is the last one," you tilted your head, making her groan in frustration. "And seriously, stop trying to set me up with Jaafar. I don't even know him, and nothing is going to—"
Your words were cut short by a notification chime from your phone—Instagram.
jaafarjackson started following you.
jaafarjackson liked your posts.
You spun your head around to look at Catherine, who raised a single eyebrow. Before you could even form a sentence, another notification buzzed.
This time, it was a direct message.
"So..." Catherine propped her chin in her hands, her eyes wide and brows raised as she paused. "What were you saying?"
೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 🍄🟫 ⠀ ᰋ 2026 © JAAFARL
My work and writing is absolutely forbidden to be translated, used without my permission or plagiarized on any platform without my consent.
— request are currently open.
