Cup of Joe | A Joe Jonas Fanfiction

c h a p t e r e l e v e n .

Sore muscles and crusty eyes.

Winter's body ached. Everything was heavy and stiff with sleep. The muscles in her arms and legs were begging to be stretched, but she didn't dare to move. Beside her, Joe was still fast asleep. One arm remained curled around Winter and the other covered the top half of his head. The steady inhale and exhale of his breathing was relaxing to Winter and she smiled as his breath ruffled her hair.

Reality came crashing down. And it came down fast.

While the warmth of Joe's chest provided a blissful haze in her mind, she was aware that he would wake up soon enough and the peaceful moment would be replaced with awkward discomfort. She had slept with Joe Jonas. Not in the typical way the phrase is used, but the literal sense. How would he react? Winter fretted, running through every worst case scenario that her mind could think of, but time wasn't on her side. A slight movement from her sleeping partner informed her that he was being pulled from his slumber. Winter shifted herself over to give him space. Bile rose in her throat while the multitude of thoughts spun around in her head.

"Good morning." Joe murmured.

There was something about the sleep-filled voice of a man that she found incredibly sexy. Winter bit her lip. Right now wasn't the best time to be having these thoughts. "How'd you sleep?"

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he gave a yawn and faced the ceiling. "I slept great. What about you?"

"Good." Frustration with herself bubbled up and she brought her finger to her lip to bite at her fingernail - something she did out of habit. "Are things going to be awkward between us now?" Winter couldn't stop herself from blurting the words.

Joe laughed with his groggy, sleep filled voice before rolling over onto his side. The expression on his face was full of genuine amusement. "You think things are going to be awkward because we shared a bed? No way. Now, here's something that would be awkward." He took hold of the finger that Winter had been chewing on and he put it to his lips. Then, in true Joe fashion, he gnawed on her fingernail in the most dramatic and cartoon way possible. "See, that was awkward."

Winter rolled her eyes, doing her best to suppress the urge to smile at his goofiness. A weight felt as though it had been lifted off of her shoulders. Trauma can make people do things they normally wouldn't do, and inviting Joe to share a bed is something that she would have never otherwise offered. A busy morning awaited them both but neither of them seemed particularly motivated to get the day started. Joe and Winter had another dance rehearsal at 10:30am and she groaned inwardly, thinking about how her battered body was going to feel worse after the rigorous practice. Once she felt awake enough, Winter dragged herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After her shower, she dressed herself in the tights and leotard she had worn to the first rehearsal and tied her hair into a low ponytail.

Roscoe and Joe were talking in hushed tones in the kitchen. Winter narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What are you two boys chattering about?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Joe walked around until he was behind her and started pushing her towards the door. "But for now, rehearsal awaits!"

Dance practice was exhausting. Every limb throbbed from Anna's choreography, though the incident with Nolan the day prior most likely played a hand in her fatigue. The rhythm and chemistry between them was as natural as their first rehearsal which seemed to please Anna more than their actual technique. Joe and Winter matched each other step for set for the entire four hours. By the end of practice, their feet were sore but their hearts were energized.