OH! DARLING | joey tribbiani

fifty six

Quinn and Joey, as well as Joey's parents, travelled up north to Montreal to celebrate the New Year with Quinn's family. Every year, the Sullivans throw a party on the 31st of December that was not to be missed and the Tribbianis were finally experiencing it for themselves. Joey got to meet more of Quinn's friends from back home, found out that he is unbeatable at beer pong when he teams up with any of the Sullivan siblings, collected a few bruises while playing street hockey and most importantly, received Quinn's grandmother's Claddagh ring from her dad for when he eventually proposes.

The jewellery was beautiful and so Quinn, Joey knew from the moment Mr. Sullivan handed it to him that this was the ring he was going to propose with. It was gold and the heart was made of a garnet stone, her birthstone, just like the stone of the necklace he bought her, the one that led to their first kiss and the push forward in their relationship.

Quinn had taken the entire first week of January off at work so she would have all the time she needed to show her boyfriend her favourite winter activities in town and make him experience a cold Montreal winter.

But Quinn and Joey's holiday was cut short.

On January 2nd, they received a call from Monica saying that there had been a fire at the couple's apartment, something to do with the old radiator in the bedroom, and they had to come back to New York as fast as possible. Once they took in the extent of the damage and met with the landlord, it was clear they couldn't stay in their home for the next month at the very least.

1998 was off to a great start for them.

Thankfully, Tom insisted that the couple stay with him and Chandler and even gave them his room. "I don't mind sleeping on the futon for a month, after you helped me find this place so fast and welcomed me in your friend group with such warmth, it's the least I can do," he told them after Quinn and Joey had denied his offer three times.

Living the four of them together in an apartment made for two people was certainly a challenge, but they quickly formed a routine to get by without stepping on each other's toes. Tom didn't spend most nights at the apartment anyways, instead going back to his dates' homes now that he didn't have the privacy of a room anymore, so it helped a lot. But still, Quinn and Joey missed their apartment and couldn't wait for the repairs to be over. Joey even found a job at the museum where Ross works to get a more stable income that would help him pay for said repairs without all of the cost falling on Quinn's shoulders.

"Hey! You guys! Check it out, check it out," Joey stumbled in Rachel and Monica's apartment, a blue blazer on his shoulders and Ross following in toe. The commotion made the two girls, Quinn, Tom and Chandler, who had been playing some game where they throw cards at a vase in the middle of the table, interrupt their game and turn around to face the newcomers. "Guess what job I just got," he stood proudly behind the couch, in between where Quinn and Monica were sitting.

"I don't know, but Donald Trump wants his blue blazer black," Chandler attempted to joke but frowned at the little mistake he made.

"What?" Ross voiced out the question that was on everybody else's mind.

"Blue blazer back," Chandler corrected. "He- he wants it back."

"But, y-you said black," Rachel pointed out, a silent agreement falling over the friends to make fun of Chandler's slip up now that he was the one who had made a fool of himself. "Why would he want his blue blazer black?"

Chandler's lips pressed in a thin line, quickly understanding he wasn't going to get out of this one as swiftly as he would've liked. "Well, you- you know what I meant."

"No, you messed it up," Quinn said in a mocking and infantilizing tone, standing up from the couch.

Chandler turned around to face the redhead, his mouth now in a frown as he realised his best friend wasn't going to spare him.