One For The Road
Joe Keery x fem!reader
Summary: when his car breaks down, there's no other way of escaping his feelings anymore
Warnings: established relationship, fluff, slight bits of angst, Joe has had bad relationship experiences but nothing major
Wordcount: 1.8k
Masterlist, Rockstar Boyfriend Masterlist
The rain wasn't pouring like in the movies. It was softly plopping down on the windshield, reminded the two of them that they were stuck there with it. The little river next to the road flowing as steady as ever but nothing about it could calm her mind from the tension that seemed to grow with every second passing and every word that came out of his mouth as he argued with some mechanic who seemed to have put them on the bottom of his list of priorities.
"It's no use," she tried talking him out of wasting time once more. Never turning her head but her voice carried itself to his ear every time anyway.
Letting out a sigh from the driver side, pinching the bridge of his nose as he had to hear about some 'very important' tree that needed to be taken from the middle of the road again, he finally seemed to see through her words.
"You know what, man, we'll figure it out on our own," he said, sarcasm lacing his words. Hanging up and throwing his phone into the backseat, gripping the steering wheel as if it might help him stay on solid ground and for the anger to convert into leather and plastic.
She only heard him mutter an, "This is so stupid," before a cold shot of air shoved itself inside the vehicle. He appeared again in her peripheral vision, the sound of his shoes on angry ground audible through the metal of the chassis. The hood of the car got pushed up into her view, wrinkles appearing on her forehead as her eyebrows knit together.
Fiddling with the handle on her own side for a few seconds as her fingers repeatedly slipped from it before letting the cold air treat in through her side too. It was colder than anticipated. Wrapping her arms around herself, she walked over next to him.
"If you're actually attempting to fix this, try not making it worse than it already is," she said, concern in her tone as she watched him shift and check different canisters that neither of them could put a name to. Tilting her head as if it might help figuring out the thought behind his actions—if there even was one.
A small hiss was heard from somewhere under the hood—whether it was him or the engine, she couldn't tell, but she hoped dearly that it was the first. Shaking the pain out of his hand, Joe dove back up, holding out his hand towards her. Rubbing the motor oil that stuck to his knuckles off on his white shirt, the stain creating a pattern of his ribs and the flesh that laid over it. The curve of his waist visible in the uneven stripe of black.
"If you actually get anything in there to spit smoke, I might just throw you into the river. At least then I'd have better chances at surviving." Handing him the pack of cigarettes she stored in her jacket pocket and the fire that was decorated with his initials in rhinestones, slightly shoving him with the movement before going back inside.
Leaving the door open in case of needing to flee or help, tapping her foot against the fabric embracing the door in an uneven beat she heard coming from him in the studio an hour prior, staring out into the sky that seemed to get darker the longer she hoped for times to get better. Everything seemed to go against her will these days.
Light blocked her thoughts from continue tumbling down a hill of the unknown as Joe pushed the hood back down. The burning cig still in between his lips, ever glowing as he breathed in the poison. Hands stained heavier, the stark contrast capturing her focus for longer than necessary. Every crease was now defined. Every rill was now identifiable.
Opening her mouth to say something in return to the annoyed look on his face as he sat back in the driver seat, door closing with a harsh force, he spoke before she could. "I don't want to hear it."
Falling back into the seat, resting her head on the edge of the backrest. Looking his way as if the highway wasn't stretched out in front of her with nature to admire. "It wasn't even going to be something bad," she tried defending herself, holding her hands up in defense. Shrugging like it would make her testimony more believable.
Silence stretched like the dark clouds over them, the rain pouring harder up to the point where she had to sacrifice the fresh air that carried out the tension between them for the interior of the car not getting wet.
Neither knew exactly why they were on bad terms. It was one word spoken too soon and another too late. The apology never coming from either and saying nothing became more convenient than potentially making matters worse. Though he still insisted on taking her home instead of her catching a ride with the other guys and she didn't complain when she had to stay longer in the studio to wait for him to finish up.
The memory coming back, the melody still lingering in the back of her head.
"What was that song you played around with back in the studio?" she tried again, lifting her leg high enough to nudge his thigh and get his attention on her. Stretching it out over his lap, smiling when his hand caressed her calf without thinking twice about the action. Soft massages easing the muscles in her body and the strain in her brain.
"Nothing worth dwelling on," he brushed it off.
Pulling her leg closer, leaving enough space for the other one to follow. Untangling the laces of her shoes, pulling them off gently and readjusting her socks when they came down with it. Throwing them into the legroom without hitting her. Drawing little shapes and incoherent words on to her skin as the melody came back into his head. A heart following her name. Some sort of lightning traveling down her leg as he changed the tone of his voice while humming.
"It sounded good, a bit calmer than the other stuff you've been working on lately," she said in between his thoughts, trying to catch his attention without catching him out of his train of thought. "It's a nice contradiction, some soft contrast that still hold weight when you look at it."
"You like it?" he asked, finally looking over at her. Squinting as if he couldn't believe what she was saying to him.
"Of course, I do." Reaching out to play with the hair that grew out for too long so now it stood up against his ear, she could feel him lean into her touch. "I like all of your stuff."
"It's about you," he confessed, closing his eyes to hold the memories back that came before her. The stuttered out excuses and laughter that held too much weight to make him laugh too. But she was nowhere close to comparison. Instead of stretched out silence and hesitated movements, she hummed while her hands traveled further down. Outlining his jaw and the shape of his lips.
"Can you sing it again?" she requested, nuzzling deeper into the passenger seat. "This time clear enough for me to follow you."
Looking over, he could make out the genuine interest in her eyes. The rain still falling heavily onto the roof. Accompanying the rapid beating of his heart.
Reaching behind himself into the backseat to get to the guitar case that was still closed, he opened the metal clasps, taking it out with a sort of care he reserved for those things that seemed too precious to harm in any kind. Placing it in his lap, her feet now drawn back, knees against her chest, he started strumming the chords that were stuck in his head for the last couple of days.
Humming the soft melody that she could already imitate perfectly, adding a new layer to it simultaneously, he started pulling broken words and phrases from his mind. Lines he'd written months back in the past at midnight when she was already softly asleep beside him and he couldn't help but her beauty into poetry and rhymes. Focusing on the chords and how his fingers moved instead of her gaze that was pinned to him without the needle intending to harm him.
It didn't feel complete when he finished it. Letting his hands fall to his side, draping them over the outer-body of the instrument, he turned his head far enough to see the faint blush that crept up on her face during the duration of the song. She never understood how he could make her flustered so easily, all it took was his smile and a soft dedication that would slip over everyone's head who wasn't intentionally looking for it.
"You still like it?" he asked. Somewhere in between the promises and rose-coloured pictures of their future, he still had a voice in the back of his head, nagging him about her chance of rejection and unwanted affection.
"It's perfect like this," she nodded. "I don't think there should be more than you and the guitar. Maybe a soft piano melody but only in the background. You should be the focus."
"I thought about one more thing," he said, placing the guitar back in its case. "I want you on it."
Bonus: The Studio
Her nerves had been up since the night before as he told her about his plans for the upcoming studio session. Drenched in low lights and a soft humming of static and technology, it was a place that usually eased her mind. Joe's sound engineer, Matt, was already waiting for the pair. Smiling reassuringly as they entered.
"It'll be alright," Joe comforted her, running his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe and saddle her mind. "It's just us, no one else."
Settling in the booth next to him, her fingers trying to become familiar with the sheet music and the black and white keys, Joe sat waiting patiently. Going through his own notes, talking with Matt to set up the mics and amplifiers.
His hand on her thigh, squeezing it once to get her attention. "You good?"
"What if I mess it up?" she asked, looking at Joe in panic as the thought settled in: she would be responsible for the outcome of this song.
"You’re gonna be great. You always are."
So she started playing. Listening to his voice close to her.
