✓ ❘ 𝐄𝐌𝐎 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 ─ 𝐌𝐂𝐑. 𝐏!𝐀𝐓𝐃. 𝐅𝐎𝐁. 𝐓Ø𝐏.

Altar. (Joe Trohman x Reader)

Listen to the above song while reading.

She'll take you straight to the bank
Don't marry that gutter skank
I know the pressure is high
And she's gonna cry
But that old news needs to die

"I'm telling you," you jeered, frustratedly swiping the coffee cup from the barista counter before turning around and walking out the door of the coffee shop with Pete next to you, sipping on his drink, "She's just using him. She's a lying, gold-digging, manipulative bitch and she's not at all worthy of having him as a boyfriend."

"Dude, I agree with you one hundred percent," Pete half-chuckled, a light shudder coursing through him as his thoughts drifted to the horrible human being Joe called his girlfriend. "She's even more of a bitch than you are."

"I know, right?" you scoffed as you held out both hands, going along with Pete's little joke. "And I'm a major bitch, so that's saying a lot."

Laughing, you rounded the corner together and made your way to Pete's car.

"Why don't you talk to him about it, (Y/N)? He listens to you," Pete suggested, retrieving the car key from his jacket pocket and unlocking the door.

Opening the passenger door, you snorted. "Ha! Yeah, that's a great idea! Send in the ex-girlfriend to talk him out of proposing to the current girlfriend," you mocked, "Good one, Pete."

He rolled his eyes and climbed into the car; you followed suit.

"Look, all I'm saying is that," he put the key in the ignition and started the car, "you were always his go-to girl for everything, even before you guys got together. If there's anyone that can get through to him, it's you."

~

You're standing at the altar, baby
I'm coming straight for you
The getaway car is waiting
And we'll ride into the blue
Church bells don't ring,
Church bells don't ring too soon
You're standing at the altar,
I'm coming for you

You rapped your knuckles against the hard wooden door, entering once Joe announced that you could.

"Hey, J," you greeted, slinging your bag off of your shoulder and onto the nearby table.

"Oh, hey, (Y/N/N)," he smiled, crossing over to place a chaste kiss on your cheek. "What's goin' on?"

"You have a minute to talk?" You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear before nervously twisting your fingers.

"Oof," he grimaced, but still led you to the couch to take a seat. "That doesn't sound good."

"Yeah..." you inhaled and exhaled heavily, "There's no easy way to go about this, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it."

"Alrighttt..."

"You can't propose to Shannon."

I know that she has a gun,
It's an emotional one
And in your vulnerable state,
She loves to manipulate
And when you're weak and in pain,
She comes around again

Joe nearly choked on his own saliva. "Uh, what?" he chuckled nervously, facial expression showing his obvious confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You can't marry her," you reiterated, shaking your head to emphasize how serious you were.

"And why's that?"

"Because she's using you. Everyone can see it, except you. She doesn't really love you, Joe."

You're standing at the altar, baby
I'm coming straight for you
The getaway car is waiting
And we'll ride into the blue
Church bells don't ring,
Church bells don't ring too soon
You're standing at the altar,
I'm coming for you

"Is she, now?" he patronized, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Yes," you averred, trying your upmost to not reach forward, grab Joe and shake some sense into him. "The only time she ever shows any amount of interest in you is when she wants something, she's utterly terrible to the rest of the guys, and she spends as little time around you as possible. Now, I know that I'm far from the perfect girlfriend," you sniggered, raising both hands defensively, "but even I know that that's not the qualities of a good one."

She'll never love you like I love you
'Cause we were born to be together, babe
So, don't you leave me for another
Don't say "I do"

You're standing at the altar, baby
I'm coming straight for you

"Mph."

Your eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "Really? 'Mph'? That's all you have to say?"

"You seem to be doing a pretty good job of talking. Continue."

A spark of anger ignited inside you. "You know what?" you relented, standing up and preparing to storm out. "All I was trying to do is help you – because I actually love and care about you – but if you're gonna be a jerk about it, then maybe I should just stop trying."

With that, you circled around the back of the couch and headed for the entrance; Joe's next words froze you in place.

"You're right about her, (Y/N) – you all are. I realised that. Which is why I'm not asking her to marry me."

You're standing at the altar, baby
I'm coming straight for you
The getaway car is waiting
And we'll ride into the blue
Church bells don't ring,
Church bells don't ring too soon
You're standing at the altar, oh

Slowly, you turned to face him. "You... you're not proposing to her?"

"Never even considered it."

"Seriously?"

He nodded deliberately.

"But, I mean, the ring..." you spoke, making vague hand gestures, "Pete and I saw the box."

"That wasn't for her."

"It wasn't?" you questioned, earning a shake of the head in response. "Who's was it, then?"

You're standing at the altar, baby
I'm coming straight for you
The getaway car is waiting
And we'll ride into the blue
Church bells don't ring,
Church bells don't ring too soon
You're standing at the altar,
I'm coming for you

"Isn't it obvious, (Y/N)?" he cocked an eyebrow. "It was meant for you."

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x