Chapter Text
Somebody to love starts coming through his phone’s speakers and Joe slowly opens his eyes, letting the song he’s had as an alarm for years fill the room with the music for a bit. From laying on his side, he turns on his back and stretches an arm. The other side of the bed is empty. He rolls again towards it and presses his face against the pillow, groaning into it. He hates mornings, always has but he can’t stall getting out of bed today.
He rolls on his back one more time and palms for his phone on the bedside table, turning his alarm off before even squinting at the lit up screen. He checks it and there’s a few unimportant notifications that he ignores but just as he’s about to put his phone down, a text comes in.
Nick: Picking you up in an hour, babes. 😘
Joe sighs and leaves his phone, forcing himself out of bed and into the shower where he washes away his sleep and wills himself to fully wake up. It absolutely does the trick and once he’s dry and dressed and ready for the day, he finally ventures out of the room and straight towards the kitchen.
The smell of an actually cooked breakfast (and not whatever he used to put together quickly for just himself) and the image of Ben standing in the kitchen making said breakfast, looking positively dreamy with his tousled bed hair and sleepy face is something that Joe will never get tired of and will kick himself forever for refusing himself to have it for so long. It’s been a month since he’s been waking up to either this image or Ben actually in bed entangled with him, Ben’s face buried in the crook of his neck.
After Ben came back from New York they talked. A lot. If they were really going to finally do this, they both needed to be sure and on the same page. Ben was adamant about this and he was right to be because it’s not just them. It’s Phoebe too and she’s more important than all the lost time they want to make up for. There was no room to “see where this is going” or “try things out.” It was all or nothing. In a way, Joe was actually relieved by that. He didn’t want to have to think about next steps. The next step was only one: all in. And he was.
“You’re up!” Ben says and grins at him, beams at him just like he does every morning since he’s temporarily moved to London and Joe notices he’s been staring from where he is by the door frame, lost in his own thoughts.
“Morning.” He smiles and finally pulls away from where he’s leaning to come closer to Ben in front of the stove. He plants a kiss on his neck and wraps his arms around his waist.
“Coffee’s just brewed. These will be done in seconds.” Joe watches Ben scramble some eggs on a pan over his shoulder and his stomach rumbles but he won’t get to have those.
“I’m having breakfast with Nick and the team. He’s picking me up in a bit.” He says and feels Ben immediately tense up in his arms. He chuckles softly. “What? Do I need to remind you this was your idea?”
“If he tries anything -”
“He won’t try anything.” There’s a bit of laughter in Joe’s words. It’s ridiculous that Ben’s still jealous of Nick when he was quite literally substituting one Brit for the other and admitted it to him. As awful as it sounds and as awful as it makes him feel, it’s the truth. Yet, Ben gets protective of him whenever Nick is brought up. “You know he won’t.”
“He better not.” Ben says and turns the stove off, turning in Joe’s arm. Spatula still in hand, he wraps his arms around Joe’s neck and kisses him briefly. “You’re mine now.”
Joe looks over Ben’s face for a moment, letting the words sink in.
Ben is right. He might be more right than he realizes. The “ now” makes it seem like this is something new. A new development in Joe’s and his life. In reality Joe knows he safekept his heart for Ben since the first time the blond kissed him all those years ago and changed everything he thought to be true about himself. So yes, Ben is right. Joe is his now . But has been his all along and will be for as long as Ben will have him, as unbelievable as that feels to be certain of.
Joe pulls Ben away from where he’s resting against the kitchen counter so he can sway them both, dancing to the tune of two hearts that finally found their rhythm together.
“I am yours, I promise.” He whispers against Ben’s ear and hugs him while they keep slow dancing in the morning’s peace and quiet, in the middle of the kitchen.
That peace and quiet is soon interrupted by running steps towards them. Phoebe crashes against their legs and hugs them both.
“Good morning!” She greets them and they pull away only for Ben to pick her up in his arms quickly and bring her into the hug. “How are you feeling about your first day?” she asks Joe, giving a few small claps and grinning excitedly.
A week into being in London, Ben had convinced Joe to call Nick and talk to him about producing Undrafted. Joe was reluctant for many reasons, most of them excuses: That the story was too personal and no one would be interested. That he only wrote it for himself. That he should actually be looking for a real job at the moment instead of playing pretend. But Ben had a counter argument for all of his excuses and wore him out so Joe finally made the call.
Ben made him feel like he could do anything, made him believe in himself for once and take a chance.
It was also very convenient for both of them because it meant Joe would stay in London while pre-producing the movie which gave them some time to coexist in the same city for the first time in years for more than a week or so.
Joe thought he would be terrified about the idea of living with Ben but he felt just right in Ben’s house, sharing his space, doing things together from going out on little dates whenever they could to just washing and drying the dishes side by side or watching movies the three of them with Phoebe.
Joe had never felt so at ease in a place. He never thought he would call anywhere that wasn’t New York home but he realized that the only place he would call home now was wherever Ben was. And if it was London, then he’d make the city his new home.
“Feeling good.” Joe finally says with a nod. “Are you excited you finally had your way and I’m staying here for a while?” He gives her a small smirk and a tickle to her side and she giggles and nods.
“Very much so!!” She then turns to Ben. “Are you excited daddy?”
“Very much so!!” Ben agrees with her cheerfully and offers a hand to high five her. “Are you ready for school? Breakfast is ready.”
Phoebe nods enthusiastically and Ben brings her to one of the stools in the kitchen island sitting her there. He brings their breakfast over and sits with her. Joe stands on the other side of the island, watching the image of this little family he’s stumbled into. A family he always thought was missing something, too slow to realize the only thing it was missing was him .
Joe moves across the kitchen and comes to stand behind them, kissing Phoebe's head and Ben’s cheek before he grabs his things in the living room from the desk they got for him. His laptop goes into a backpack as well as the script, a pencil case and a notes book.
“Do you need me to bring anything tonight?” Joe asks when he’s back in the kitchen. He grabs his phone to check the time, Nick should be there any time now.
“Just your beautiful self.” Ben replies and Joe rolls his eyes but he laughs. Phoebe giggles too. Apparently she likes that her dad is a sap. “I’ll cook dinner, don’t worry. Text me later to tell me how it’s going?”
“Yes, I will update you on how much Nick didn’t do, don’t worry.” Ben mouths a f-you and Joe laughs. “Speaking of, he’s here.” He says as his phone pings and he checks the text that confirms it along with the sound of an engine outside.
Ben stands from his stool way too fast, almost tripping on himself. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Ben, come on!”
Joe laughs again but before he can protest, the blond is opening the door for Joe and leaning on the doorframe as Joe walks past him. Nick is actually standing outside of his car waiting for Joe, leaning on it, on his pastel pink button up and his black slacks, sunglasses out up into his golden locks. He looks too smug to be taking him away from Ben so Joe shakes his head and turns to his boyfriend (still crazy to be thinking of him that way.)
“Does he have to be dressed like that ?” Ben asks with his eyes practically burning a hole in Nick’s face, even while Joe is cupping his face to make him look at him.
“Hey. Love you.” He says softly and Ben finally looks away from Nick and back at Joe. His entire face softens and he nods.
“Love you.”
They kiss briefly and just as Joe is pulling away, Phoebe comes to join them at the door, opening it wider.
“Good luck, Joey!” She gets between them and hugs Joe’s legs so he kneels down to give her a big hug.
“Thank you, princess. I’ll see you tonight.”
Joe stands up and walks backwards a few steps waving at them before he finally turns to Nick.
“Hey beautiful.” He says loud enough to be heard by Ben.
“Don’t be an ass.” Joe elbows him on the ribs softly, but he’s smirking a little because honestly, the fact that this is his life right now is entirely too ridiculous to be true. But it is.
“What?” He protests, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically before opening the car’s door. “It’s just a fact!”
As they drive off through the streets of London, Joe can’t help but feel his heart full, reflected on the grin on his face as he watches the houses turn to buildings the closer they get to the city. He is on his way to the first day of his dream job and he’s just as petrified as he’s happy, which he thinks it’s only fitting because the scary part it’s what makes it all real.
It might have taken him 10 years to get there and most of the time he was his worst enemy and biggest obstacle and sure, there are many things he wishes he would have done differently, sooner, better. But he’d go through it all again for this.
Against all odds, his happy ending.