Neither you nor Joey want to go home, so what ends up happening is you find a gas station that's miraculously still open and pull into it to buy some snacks and drinks. You two walk in with your arm over his shoulder and his hand holding your waist. Public affection is always difficult for you, but Joey helps make it more secure. Besides, it's just you, him, the employee at the counter, and like three other people here.
Joey pulls you down the snack aisle to study the absurdly many varieties of Pringles while you look for a specific kind of Sun Chips that Paul shared with you one day. During your continued search, you can't help but feel like you're being watched. It's like at home when a crusty old man would follow you and your friends around, so you stick by Joey until you absolutely need to go to the bathroom. Joey, ever confident in himself, is more sad that you have to let go of him, but is soon approached by his father and his girlfriend.
"Hey, Joey," his dad smiles as he struts over to Joey. The girlfriend trails behind him with a forced smile. "It's so weird to see you here, it's late."
"Yeah, I just wanted to get out of the house," Joey shrugs, making a move to turn away before his dad reaches out for his shoulder.
"We saw you were with someone tonight, is that your...special friend?"
"Huh?" Joey is more astounded that his own father just asked him if he was a friend with benefits.
"Yeah, the Russian sounding one!" his girlfriend adds. "I'm impressed."
"They're Czech, actually."
"Czech? That's still around?"
"They say Czechoslovakia is bound to collapse at any moment," Joey reaches around his dad to grab a bag of M&Ms. "Once that happens, they'll be from the Czech Republic."
"I'm just gonna call it Eastern European," Joey's father waves dismissively, looking at his girlfriend.
"Czech has less syllables," Joey mutters. God, where are you? "Seems you've got a special friend, too."
"This is my girlfriend, Monica," the man pats his partner's shoulder.
"It's good to meet you, I've heard a lot about you, Joey!" Monica chirps.
"Yeah, yeah, good to meet you, too."
It's at this point that you emerge from the bathroom and spot Joey talking with two people, a man and a woman, and Joey looks very uncomfortable. You glare at the people, knowing that it won't do anything until they see you. Eastern Europeans have a powerful glares that you've learned strikes fear into Americans' hearts.
You take a few steps towards the cluster, your heavy boots hitting the ground as you catch Joey's attention. The people he's talking with turn to see you.
"Oh my god, are you the Russian? Er, eastern european?" the woman asks excitedly.
"Czech," you reply flatly. "You must be the American, then?"
"She's my girlfriend," the man pulls the woman to his side. You give Joey a questioning glance.
"Y/n, this is my dad," Joey introduces.
"Ah," you nod, taking a step closer to Joey. Is it appropriate to be an asshole to him, considering all you've heard about him?
"We heard you're quite...close with Joey," the man smiles.
"Já...I do not understand," you answer.
"He's asking if we're dating," Joey clarifies.
"Jsme?" (Are we?)
"It's new," Joey says.
"Aww, it's amazing to see you with someone you clearly like a lot," Joey's dad grins.
"Yes, you would know. Did you not just follow us through the store?" you raise an eyebrow and take a few things from Joey to alleviate his cramping hands. "Sledovat nezletilé v obchodě nemůže vypadat dobře." (It cannot look good to be following minors in a store.")
"Listen, commie--"
"What?" you snap your gaze back to the man before pacing toward him. "You ignorant, pathetic little man, do you know how many of my people were killed to stop communism? You do not. Your country forgot about us as we starved in the streets behind what you called the 'Iron Curtain' so you could pretend you could not stop it. You bastard, I wish you get to see the graves in the forest of the people you helped kill by not saving. You are with a survivor of Communism and yet you will be lucky to be a survivor of a Czechian."
The man's insides churn under your glare.
"I would be careful, American," you squeeze his shoulder just enough to hurt.
Joey is speechless and not at all turned on by you threatening his father as you stalk over to him and walk him to the counter.
"Your English is getting really good," Joey compliments in the car, laying his bag of stuff between his legs as he cools himself down.
"Thank you," you smile. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yeah, fine," Joey keeps his eyes fixed on the windshield.
You pause.
"Do you want me to yell at you like tha-"
"Yes."
"Sakra, co jsem to udělal?" you roll your eyes. (Damn, what have I done?)
...
low key my favorite series to write