a/n: sorry about the possibly confusing povs in the last chapter! I'll edit it soon, i just want to finish the series and get it all published before i go back to clean it up :)
Joey warms up to you more after that night. The next day, you drive to school in decently good moods. You even talk a bit on the way there.
As soon as you and Joey meet up with the band, Corey notices a change in his friend. Something was off. You now stand between Corey and Joey, instead of Corey separating the host from the exchange student.
Sid is just pretty sure you slept with him and leaves it at that. Mick, his girlfriend Stacy, and Shawn all secretly think the same. Corey and his girl Alicia consider it as a possibility.
No, all you did was actually get to know Joey last night. You listened to music with him and told him about Czechoslovakia in exchange for stories about Des Moines and how Slipknot came to be. It was quite pleasant to your surprise; Joey is lovely and genuine as a person. Unbeknownst to you, he feels the same towards you.
And thus the seeds of a friendship are sown.
Over the next month and a half, you accompany Slipknot on outings, band practices, and anytime the group hangs out. Stacy and Alicia adore you, Corey and Sid bring out the Czech crackhead in you, Paul is always sweet, and Joey is your absolute best friend. Yeah, best...friend. You're not too sure how you feel towards Joey, but you know you've never felt like this toward a friend before.
Joey also considers himself your best friend, until one band practice where he pulls into Corey's driveway to see you dancing with Alicia and Brenna, Paul's girlfriend, a giant smile on your face as you laugh and sing a Molchat Doma song.
Oh, shit. He can't look away from you. He cannot look enough at you. It's like you're moving in slow motion as you spin Alicia around and let her fall back into you, dramatically kicking her foot out. Just, you. In a moment of letting yourself go in the safety of fellow weirdos, Joey has the luxury of witnessing you dance and sing in a nasty ass garage in Des Moines.
He dreamily retrieves the takeout in the passenger seat and stalks up to the group in the garage.
Could he tell you anything about the rest of that night? No. Only that every time your gaze met his, he wanted to be the one dancing with you.
"He's got it bad, man," Corey smiles at Alicia as Joey pulls out of the drive with you.
"Oh yeah," Alicia nods.
"What about them, do they like him back?"
"Couldn't tell ya," the girl shrugs.
...
"Hey, Y/n, someone on the phone with a Russian accent was asking for you," one of Joey's little sisters informs you as you walk in the house.
"Hm?" you hum until it clicks in your head who it was. "Holy shit, thank you!" you smile and grip the girl's shoulders before pacing into the living room to call your family back.
You're in tears by the time the call hits the 10 minute mark. You haven't heard your parents' and grandmother's voices in an entire month and a half, so hearing them now is overwhelming. Everything about the experience is so surreal. Your physical body is in a living room in Des Moines, but your mind and your soul are now petting your beloved cat in Prague.
Your family asks about the stay, how school is going, and if you've made any friends.
"Ah, well, I have made some friends," you chuckle in Czech. "Most of them are in a band together. They play metal music, it's actually quite good."
"Who are you staying with again?" your mom asks.
"A woman named Jackie, her son Joey, and her daughters," you remind them. "Joey is the drummer in the band."
"Are you going to join it?"
"God no," you scoff. "There's not enough room for me, anyway."
"Well what about Joey? How is he?"
You hesitate for a moment and do a once over of the room to make sure you're in total safety before saying, "He is quite a good guy, I must say. Tough at first, but I think he likes me now and we get along. I would say we're friends."
"You sound a bit disappointed," your mom teases.
"That we're friends?" you raise an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be?"
"Well, do you want to be more than friends with him?"
You pause. "I don't think I would tell you with so little convincing."
...
Joey didn't mean to eavesdrop. He'll swear on it.
He just couldn't resist hearing you speak in Czech. The words fall effortlessly from your lips as you talk to your family, a comfortable smile resting on your face.
Joey turns to go to his room when you lay back on the couch. He ought to give you some actual privacy now. Rest assured that for the evening, your natural Czechian inflection creeps its way into every other thought he has. Then you knock at his door. It's a more harsh rapping than anyone else in his house, so he immediately recognizes it as you.
"Y/n, what's up?" Joey leans against the threshold.
"Well, I'm a bit, uh, bored. Do you want to do something?"
"Like what?"
"Anything not in the house."
"That's doable. Give me a bit and we can go for a drive or something, alright?" Joey proposes.
You smile and nod in response, returning to your room to briefly change and grab your bag.
Joey soon meets you at his car in the driveway with a few CDs and a hoodie in his hand. He gets on a near empty highway and turns, to your surprise, Molchat Doma's volume higher. He hums along as you enunciate the words under your breath, both looking out at the vast, empty plains around you.
Joey eventually turns at a small gravel path and parks next to the bank of a little creek.
"My driving instructor first told me about this place and I've been coming here ever since," Joey explains. "You're not going to get murdered, I promise."
"Hm, this would be a pretty place to die," you shrug, opening your door to breathe in the fresh night air. A chilly breeze nips at your face as you walk around the car to sit next to Joey and enjoy the water as the music continues playing.
"This certainly makes me like Des Moines more, I must say," you admit, letting yourself become comfortable in the scene.
"Damn, I couldn't do that for you on my own?" Joey places his hand over his heart.
"Nah, shut up," you roll your eyes. "You are fine, I guess."
"Ouch," Joey kind of laughs, trailing off after a second.
The conversation dies for a little while. Talking doesn't really feel right. It's just a nice moment to enjoy with your friend.
Right, friend.
You look over at Joey and something about the way he looks makes it seem like it's the first time you've ever looked at a pretty man before.
"Ah, sakra," you mutter. (Oh, damn.)
"What?" Joey's blue eyes meet yours.
Your entire body glitches for a little bit before you're able to force out the most natural "nothing, never mind" known to mankind to launch another patch of silence.
"I...I just want to tell you something," you look down. "I am worried as to how you will, uh, take it."
"I'm sure I've heard worse," Joey jokes. "What is it?"
Oh, shit, this is hard. The sentence is waiting on your tongue, and it continues to repeat in your head until you hear yourself say, "I want you, Joey."
"Y/n," Joey hums.
"I-I know. It is...not ideal, but I just need you to know," you ramble, searching your brain for the right English words.
"You're into me?" Joey asks.
You turn your head, only daring to look into his eyes for a second. "Yes."
"Oh thank god," he exhales. "I've wanted you too, for a while now."
You feel a smile curl your lips as you reach over and envelop Joey in a hug, overwhelmed with joy that he likes you back. Joey holds you just as tightly after the shock of the moment wears off. He pulls you closer to him and presses a gentle kiss to your temple. He's so warm and comfortable, just as you imagined he'd be.
He's not far away anymore. Joey is right in your arms, kissing your forehead and refusing to let you go. You lean up and kiss his cheek before resting your head back into the crook of his neck. Neither of you move until you feel yourself getting tired. God, it would be nice to sleep next to Joey just to know he's there.
"Was that enough of an adventure for you?" Joey smiles as you peel yourself off of him.
"Yes it was," you blush as you stand up.
...
part iii???