#joelxfem!reader

The light at the end of the tunnel was dissolving into nothing, snuffed out by something bigger than you thought you could ever be. It hurt, more than you could explain. The physical pain that came with the stress, the sleepless nights and the emotional draining days affecting you to the point where you were running yourself into the ground; desperate to please anyone, or just someone. All it takes is the pop of the screen, the disappearance of your work, to cause you to crack into pieces. You can feel the tears stinging at the corners of your eyes, hopelessness settling in your stomach as you dig your nails into your palms, leaving sharp indents in the soft flesh.

 “What the fuck is going on?” demands Joel, rushing into the small office of your apartment, eyes groggy from sleep, and a hand messing with the back of his hair. “Did you get electrocuted or something?” You numbly hear his knees colliding with the cabinet in the hallway, the shudder of picture frames ringing in your ears.  He pulls to a sudden stop when he sees you, hunched and defeated, nothing more than a black mass in the dark. “Y/N, what’s happened?” he asks, gently this time, carefully coming up besides you, placing a large hand on your shoulder reassuringly. You shudder under his touch, frustration bringing you to the point of breaking down. Raising a quivering hand, you point at the monitor, before allowing it to drop into your lap. He waits for a moment, silent, then bends to the floor, knees cracking as he kneels. Holding your hands in his, he patiently watches you, and you draw in a desperate breath, looking down at him.

Joel’s eyes shimmered warmly, even in the dark, the softness reaching out and touching you the way words simply couldn’t. You sit like this, slowly trying to level your breathing, your chest tight and constricting, whole body heavy from the loss of hours upon hours worth of work. He tugs on your hands lightly, drawing you in, and you go willingly; seating yourself on his knees. His arms wound themselves around you as tears fell silently, leaving blackened smudges against his shirt. He beckons you closer, curling you against his body, resting his cheek against your chest, listening t the fluttering of your heart. With his arms around you, hands pressed firmly against your back, you wrap yourself around him, hugging his head to you, laying your cheek against the top of his head, the dampness of his hair from the late shower cooling your red and stressed cheeks.

WC: 935

“No Joel, I haven’t seen that damn cup. I hadn’t seen it yesterday, and I haven’t seen it today!” Jack’s voice hinted only at slight frustration, having listened to Joel’s frantic questioning about some coffee cup. He watches the man, throw his arms above him, his eyes shut tightly, and though trying to envision what might have happened to it. “Why is it that important? We have plenty of paper coffee cups under the sink” His eyes snap open, looking at Jack incredulously. “If I wanted some shitty cup, I’d have gone and gotten one! This one was special!” Joel’s voice verged on panic, his eyes mad with confusion, willing Jack to remember something, anything. “Why?” Jack asked, shaking his head a little taken aback. “It’s not as though it had the winning lottery numbers, or the stock prices, or a girls number-“ He stops, watching as Joel rocks forwards slightly, his eyes widening, mouth pressing into a thin line. “Oh my god, a phone number?” “C’mon Jack!” he exclaims, clasping his hands onto his shoulders, shaking his good friend. “Specific’s aren’t important, what’s important is tha-“ “And here we have the Achievement hunter office, you’ll have to watch out for them; the lads get a little rabid. Geoff doesn’t behave much better. Things will be thrown at you. Just find something bigger and throw it back.” Burnie’s voice floats up the stairs to where Joel and Jack stand, suddenly quiet and listening. “I didn’t know we had a new employee” jack says, looking to Joel for an explanation. “What makes you think I’d know?” He retorts, beckoning Jack to follow him across to the railing, peering down. “And this is the kitchen; we don’t normally use anything in here. Most of the time we go out for food, or order pizza or something. I think the microwave works though, and the stove may just need switching on.” Joel takes in a sharp breath, pulling away from the railing with a loud exclamation of “holy fuck!” avoiding Burnie’s gaze as he turns to find the source of the outburst.

  You follow Burnie’s gaze, unable to see anything past the railing that was raised above you. He looks at you with a smile, as if to say ‘it happens all the time’, and you return with a wider grin. Burnie has been nothing but hospitable since your arrival, merrily showing you around after the interview process had finished – of which you feel went surprisingly well. Stage 5 was larger than you would have imagined, each room with a wall dedicated to fan art for whichever team member dwelled there. The Achievement Hunters were nice, Ray being first in line to greet you with a warm smile an embarrassed laugh. Burnie had warned you about the ‘team lads action news’ and that you may get bombarded at any given time during your period of working at Rooster Teeth, but rather than worrying you; the prospect was exciting. Around every corner something new was being created, production and creativity oozed from every member, and even Gus happily shook your hand. With a wave of his hand, Burnie motioned towards the stairs, “shall we go on?”

  “Oh my god Jack, holy fucking fuck – fuck!” Joel begin pacing furiously, running his hands through his already wild hair, suddenly energised. “What? What is it?” Joel quickly runs back to Jack, and again grabs his shoulder’s shaking him. “No time for questions!” he cries, letting go of the man. “How do I look?” “What?” Jack asks, lost. Joel’s body shakes, hold back the urge to bounce in frustration. His fingers curved into stiff fists at his side. “How do I look, how do I look?” “err... scruffy?” “Oh fuck!” He messes with his hair, attempting to tame the unruly structure. “Not as bad as normal though” Jack offers with a shrug. “Luckily you’re not wearing shorts” “Hey, what’s wrong with my shorts?” A noise behind the two snaps their attention, and they turn to see Burnie ascending the stairs, chattering happily.