for some reason it wouldn’t let me answer this ask like a normal human being :(( hope u end up seeing this anon!!
cw: me being so in love with this ask (thx nonnie) that i made this so long and i cba to proofread 😭😭xx , general cuteness
you and joe quickly became everyone’s favorite couple.
the fans have been rooting for your relationship ever since your on-screen characters got together.
the chemistry you thought to be astoria hopper and steve harrington’s was yours all along.
the unscripted lingers and brushes, the steamy sessions—these were all you and joe. it took you two a minute to correctly classify your characters feelings as your own, but you did.
you and joe were invited on a show called can you make it?
they bring in celebrities and put them in slightly difficult situations to see if they would survive or tap out. what really made it fun was that the entire thing was live.
you and joe’s mission was to look after two twins—elena and will.
you walked into set—a two story house with camera’s set up in every corner.
“this is nice.” you muttered, taking in the setting.
joe hummed in agreement. “this shouldn’t be too hard.”
“WILL!” roared a little girl. “DON’T BITE!”
“i didn’t bite.” the little boy mumbled.
you turned the corner and saw them playing on the floor of the living room.
they had to be around 6 years old.
you really weren’t given much information on them other than their names.
elena saw you rounding the corner. she scrambled to her feet and jumped over a beanbag to get to you. “he bit me!”
joe saw a camera hoisted on the corner of the room and waved, smiling.
you picked her up and held her on your hip. “that can’t be true!”
“super duper true!” she nodded aggressively, showing you the mark on her tiny forearm.
“oh, no!” you gasped dramatically. “joe, come take a look at this.”
joe picked will up and put him on your hip, just like you with elena. he walked over to you two and gasped dramatically, turning to look at the culprit.
> the way they literally just clicked
“will!” joe gasped, tickling the boys stomach. “did you really?”
“did not!” he said in between refrained giggles.
“he did! he did!” repeated elena wiggling out of your grip.
“i think you should apologize to your sister, will.” joe sighed.
“m’sorry ellie.” he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of joe’s neck. joe rubbed his hand on will’s back and you damn near melted.
> someone give this man a CHILD
“it’s okay, will.” shrugged elena, already over it. she ran over to the couch and stripped it off its cushions. “mister, can you put will down? i want to make a fort with him.”
“‘course i can!” said joe enthusiastically, setting will on the floor. “you can call me joe, ellie.”
elena nodded, paused, and looked at joe. “joe, only will calls me ellie, please.”
he let out a laugh. “no yeah, that’s my fault.”
> oh shit put him in his place i guess
> this CHILD 😭😭😭😭😭 omg i love her
> THE LOOK ON Y/N’S FACE SON IM CRINE
will ran over to his sister and helped her stack the cushions to form walls.
“joe, can you go get blankets? upstairs.” ordered elena.
joe blinked, the smile on his face only growing wider. “on it.”
she looked at you and tilted her head. “y/n.” you informed.
“y/n, can you go get more cushions? room next door.”
“aye aye, captain.” you nodded.
> i genuinely think they’re so shocked they’re just doing whatever she asks
by the time you came back, balancing 6 more cushions, joe was flying down the stairs with 4 throw blankets in hand.
you two collided, you almost landed straight on your ass had joe not dropped the blankets and held you instead.
“careful, silly!” giggled elena, hopping over a cushion that slid over the room to help you carry the cushions.
“no no no, will-” joe held a hand out as if to magically stop the intricate tower of cushions from falling over after he pushed them
elena quickly turned around, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling as she saw all her hard work come undone. “will!” she whined.
“come on, man, your sister worked really hard on that… tower?” joe tried.
“it’s a wall!” corrected elena, hands crossed on her chest with a hmph!
“that wasn’t very nice, will.” you sighed, walking over to the boy. “how about we put the wall back up for your sister? does that sound nice?”
“yeah, will, that was so mean!” she nodded, eyebrow furrowed. “you’re—like—a bully!”
will’s eyes widened and welled up.
he opened his mouth and you were bracing for impact; expecting a cry so loud it would cause permanent damage to your eardrums. instead, came a sound so quiet and weak it almost sounded like a halfhearted cough. it was the saddest huh you’ve ever heard in your entire life.
“you always always always do this will!” elena continued.
“always always always.” mouthed joe to you, eyes wide.
“we’re done for.” you mouthed back.
“hey!” elena caught you mouthing something to joe. “no secrets, missy! mommy says they’re not allowed.”
“oh my god.” you laugh, not being able to contain yourself. “you’re just the cutest thing i’ve ever seen, no you’re so right. no secrets, i’m sorry.”
> okay can they adopt her or something im loving this dynamic
will narrowed his eyes at his sister. he saw a nearby toy truck and rolled it full speed towards elena’s ankle.
she let out a roar of pain when it collided with her ankle. “WIIIIIILLLLL!” she whined.
you were sure it was permanently engraved in your ear now.
“what!” he spluttered, looking around, acting confused.
joe smirked and sat next to him on the floor. “i have a feeling we’re gonna get along just fine, bud.”
“let’s redo the wall, yeah?” hummed joe, earning another nod from will.
> boy dad joe? didnt know this was an option
you and joe did most of the fort-building. elena gave her very useful insight.
“half an inch to the left—wait, no! the right.”
“tilt it diagonally a littttttllleee bit.”
“stop stop stop! a big cushion goes on the bottom, silly!”
will only stared, apple slices that were previously cut in hand.
when joe laid out the blankets, signaling the fort was ready for its inhabitants, the twins dived in it.
“put the secret life of pets on!” said elena.
“what do we say?” you asked, very keen on manners.
“please and thank you!” she added.
> i can genuinely see them as a family im literally crying
> the only parents to ever exist
> she’s so serious about her manners omg
“what snacks do you guys want?” joe asked as you scrolled through netflix.
“gogo squeez, please.” said will.
“yeah, bud, i’ll go check if there’s some in the fridge.” his eyes softened. “what about you, elena?”
“are there more fruit slices?”
“i’ll cut up some fruits for you.” you said, pressing play on the movie. “stay put, kay?”
you and steve headed to the kitchen.
he opened the fridge and saw a full box of gogo squeez. “aren’t these for… babies?”
“don’t judge a kid!” you gasped dramatically.
you opened a cupboard and pulled out a green, plastic chopping board. “microplastics go crazy.”
> we love an educated woman
> i feel like she’s lowk starting to care about them
you grabbed some fruits from the fruit bowl (apples, bananas, and pears) and started cutting them up.
you felt joe slither his hands along your waist. he rested his head right where your neck and shoulder met and pressed soft kisses.
“joe, the cameras.” you said in a singy songy voice.
he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at the first camera he saw. he snaked his arm all the way up to rest against your hands, making you stop cutting elena’s fruits.
> i’m lightheaded im dizzy
> Y/N GIRL UR SO MUCH STRONGER THAN ME 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
you set the knife and the pear down and leaned your head back on his shoulder. he picked up the utensil and continued cutting elena’s fruits.
“being a parent is so exhausting.” you groaned.
“you tired?” he asked, earning a mhm from you. “we’re here all day, baby. it’s barely past noon.”
you tilted your head to position your mouth right next to his ear. you whispered something that left him red in the face. he scooped up the sliced fruit and put it in a plastic bowl.
before he walked away he leaned and whispered something in your ear that made your eyes widen.
> in the words of a very wise young lady.. NO SECRETS MISSY!!!!!!!
> i jus know they freaked out
> dk if i should be jealous of y/n or joe
steve took the snacks to the kids and you washed whatever dishes accumulated.
“oh, come on, will!” whined elena for what felt like the millionth time. this cannot be how the usually behaved. if it was, you were thinking of sending over a huge bouquet of flowers to their mom.
“oh, that’s not good.” sighed joe.
you took a deep breath in and wiped the water on your hands on the back of your jeans
> somebody’s gonna get yelled attttt
“will, this is my most favoritest dress ever and you ruined it!” pouted elena. you rounded the corner and saw half of will’s gogo squeez on elena’s dress.
“that’s not very nice.” you said, crouching to get a better look at the stain. “will, can you say sorry to your sister?”
his eye darted from you to elena to joe then back at you. his eyes fixated on the tv.
“will.” joe tried. “you made your ellie feel upset. can you apologize so she feels better?”
“i don’t want will anymore!” elena’s eyes were drowning in tears. “he ruins everything!”
“come on, you don’t mean that!” you sighed, already wiping away the tears that had fell.
you and joe exchanged glances.
this was going to be a long day.
you held your hand out for elena. “let’s go get you in a new set of clothes.”
you took her to the bathroom—since that was the only room without a camera—with a new dress elena had picked out for herself.
“will is so mean to me.” she told you, her head coming through the neckline of her new dress. “i think he hates me.”
“i don’t think he hates you.” you countered. “i think he just wants people to notice he’s there, y’know?”
“i know you do! i think it’s just cause joe and i are new and he wants our undivided attention.”
“undivided attention.” she nodded, almost like she was testing the words out on her tongue.
“yeah. all our attention on him.” you provided an explanation.
“he’s weird.” she hummed.
“he’s your brother.” you reminded, hand holding hers as you walked back to the living room.
“i had a little bit of a talk with will.” announced joe. “he was a bit upset we weren’t giving him all the attention. he just thinks we’re so cool and awesome he couldn’t handle sharing us. but he knows now that y/n and i are for the both of you, right?”
you and elena exchanged mused glances. “told you so.” you mouthed, earning a giggle from her.
“right.” mumbled will in a voice just above a whisper.
“it’s okay, will.” elena sighed, taking her seat next to will. “we can share y/n and steve. we can share the fort too, right?!” she asked her brother, hopeful.
“yes!” it was the loudest you’ve ever heard him.
“that’s very kind of you, elena. thank you.” joe thanked, laying down next to will, who was now completely curled up into joe’s side.
“you two are the best sharer’s i know.” you said wholeheartedly, laying down next to elena. she placed her bowl of fruits between you two.
> the only family to ever exist
> can they take them home? like forever?
> this is making me want them to have kids
by the time the movie ended, will had fully shifted onto joe’s chest and fell asleep with his cheek pressed up against his collarbone. joe had a limp hand in will’s hair, one that was scratching his scalp before he fell asleep too.
you poked elena’s arm and pointed at the two of them. she giggled quietly and scrambled to her feet, picking up an extra throw blanket joe had brought earlier. she unfolded it—which was quite hard because it was four times her size—and threw it over them.
> i can’t i can’t i can’t
> they need to adopt them like rn
> those are THEIR children fair and square
“you’re so kind, elena.” you praised, hand resting on her shoulder.
“i know.” she grinned proudly.
you and her moved to the kitchen since she requested ice cream, and who were you to say no?
you scooped out the ice cream and pushed the bowl towards her.
“i have a question.” she announced.
“shoot.” you nodded, taking a seat next to her.
> bonding over ice cream this is peak mother-daughter event
“have you ever had a crush?”
“oh, yeah.” you nodded, eyes wide.
“really?” she returned your expression. “but you have joe? how can you have a crush?”
“but you have him now. it doesn’t feel the same.”
“it so feels the same.” you said. “i still get butterflies in my stomach when he accidentally touches my arm. i smile like crazy when i see him across the room. i daydream like a loser whenever he’s gone. it’s all the same.” you listed. “why do you ask?”
“i think i have a crush.” she whispered. “but i don’t think i should tell you who.”
“my, oh my! you don’t have to tell me who if you don’t want to. did you meet your crush at school?”
“no.” she shook her head. “i only met him today.”
your eyes held an amused glint. you leaned closer to her and whispered. “is it joe?”
“don’t tell!” she shook her head frantically.
“calm down!” you put your hand on the top of her head to stop her from getting whiplash. “i won’t tell, chill. i totally understand, though.”
“definitely. it’s so easy to have a crush on him, right?” you hummed, earning a nod from her.
> elena the realist person i’ve seen on this show
> y/n saying she has a crush on joe even though they’ve been dating 😭😭😭😭😭 omg i love them
“your secret’s safe with me.”
“okay. now let’s eat the ice cream back in the living room and wake them up so we can color.”
“alright.” you nodded, taking her bowl and yours back to the living room.
elena, free and practically shaking from a sugar rush—though you weren’t sure if it was from the ice cream or if that was just how she is—jumped on the couch over the armrest and jumped over a couch cushion.
she repeated the action, singing some song from frozen repeatedly until joe and will stirred awake.
“elena, your ice cream is practically soup now!” you pointed at her bowl.
will emerged from the fort. “ice cream?”
“after dinner.” joe crawled out after him. he took out his phone and tapped on the screen.
“what do you guys want for dinner? joe’s an amazing cook-”
“burger king!” elena jumped down from the couch. “please, please, please, joe!”
“i just can’t say no to you!” he picked her up and twirled her. she giggled and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
joe ordered burger king for you guys and you ate in the fort, watching the secret life of pets 2.
> this is so incredibly domestic im crying
> they need to play parents on a show omg
> they need to play parents IN REAL LIFE 😭😭😭😭😭
it was 7:30pm when production knocked on the door. you frowned subconsciously; your day was coming to an end.
they invaded the guest room with blinding ring lights and huge cameras. they took elena first.
“if you were to rate y/n and joe out of 10, what would you give them?”
“ONE BILLION!” she screeched. “they were so so so so so funny and nice and fun!”
“two thousand billion.” she said surely. “y/n gave me food all the time and helped me change my clothes when i got them dirty. joe was really nice too. he ordered dinner for us and helped me build my fort again.”
“if you were to pick a favorite, who would it be?”
“y/n. joe is very pretty, but y/n is my bestest friend now. she deserves my undivided attention.”
“that’s a big word, elena! did she teach it to you?”
“yes! she’s an amazing teacher! i’m gonna miss her but i think she has my mommy’s number so she can just hang out with me whenever she wants.”
“oh i bet. thank you elena!”
“you’re welcome.” she smiled before hopping out of the chair and to the living room.
> her little crush on joe is so cute 😭😭
> y/n x elena the duo we didn’t know we needed
> she’s so confident omg bless her soul
she ran into your arms and gave you a big fat hug. she whispered into your ear. “you’re my favorite.”
you pouted and pulled her into another hug. “i’m gonna miss you, elena.”
back in the guest room, will was perched on the chair.
“so, will, if you were to rate y/n and joe out of 10, what would you give them?”
he held up ten fingers, tongue poking out in concentration.
“oh, wow! that’s all your fingers! what do you rate them as parents?”
“ten also.” he nodded. “i was being bad at the start and they didn’t get upset with me. joe took a nap with me and he was very comfy.”
> need to test this out asap
> that kid is so lucky and he has no idea
will went red and froze, right before nodding.
“alright, will, thank you, bud!”
will gave the camera a curt smile before he shimmied off the chair and ran back to the living room, straight in joe’s arms.
there you two sat with children in your lap, and you were the happiest you’ve ever been.
some crew member came rushing and snagged a photo of you before giving you a thumbs up and running away.
all four of you exchanged weird glances before cracking up.
“joe and y/n, we’re ready to have you.” called out a member of production.
you two nodded and set the kids down.
“the kids seemed to very fond of you two. elena rated you a two thousand billion.”
“oh wow!” joe’s eyes widened.
“that’s a big number.” you added.
“you two have taken the babysitter role in the hit tv show stranger things. do you think that helped you at all today?”
“with the patience—definitely.” you said. “joe and i spent the last 10 years on that show and we watched the kids grow up. we were there for all their little mood swings and teenage hormones.”
“yeah, i mean, i’m pretty sure you can throw any amount of sass at us and we’ll bounce right back.” joe added.
“everyone expected joe to get along with elena, and y/n to get along with will. it seems like the opposite seemed to have happen.”
“will reminded me so much of y/n. when he hurled that toy truck straight at elena and acted confused,” he paused to laugh. “classic y/n move.”
“oh, like elena’s little ‘no secrets missy’ wasn’t something you’d do.” you rolled your eyes teasingly.
joe paused to think, head tilting. “i think i have.”
“you did! season 2, me and sadie. god forbid two girls on set confide in each other!”
> THEY GOT ALONG WITN THE KID THAT REMINDED THEM OF THE OTHER 😭😭😭😭😭 SHOOT ME
> they’re so cute i can’t do this
> if they don’t give us our 6 little nuggets someone is getting sued.
“so would you say you got along with the kid that reminded you of the other the most?”
“i guess i would, yeah.” joe nodded, a small grin on his face as he draped his arm across your chair.
you rolled your eyes jokingly at his attempt to act nonchalant.
“6 foot dreadhead.” you muttered.
“what?” blinked joe, completely confused.
“excuse him, he has no social media presence.” you sighed turning back to the camera.
“that’s all the questions we have for you two today, thank you for joining us!”
“thank you for having us!” you said.
“we hope to be back soon.” joe added, earning a firm nod of agreement from you.
you said your goodbyes to the kids and their parents, giving elena and will big fat kisses on their cheek.
when joe gave elena her kiss, her eyes went wide and her cheeks burst in an angry red. she held his face and pressed a kiss to his cheek, giggling wildly.
once you two got in your car, he turned to look at you. “i think elena has a crush on me.”
