AU Fest Fic: The Vitality of Kissing (Drake/Josh)
Title: The Vitality of Kissing
Author: abusing_sarcasm
Prompt: #8: "Audrey and Walter did not marry. Megan tries to get Josh to kiss her so she may boast before her friends. Drake sees this."
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Drake/Josh
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I make no money from this endeavor.
Warnings: Kissing. Lots of kissing.
Summary: Drake attempts to defend his sister's honor, and ends up getting more than he bargained for.
A/N: ~4,600 words. Huge thanks to my always-amazing beta, aki_hoshi, for her encouragement and for coming up with the title!
When Drake walks in the door and sees Megan sitting on the couch crying, he immediately assumes that their mother's been in a car accident or something. For Megan to cry, things have to be dire. He rushes over to her and grabs her hand. "What's wrong, Megs? Is it Mom?"
She snatches her hand back with a sniffle and swipes at her eyes angrily. "No, nothing's wrong. Mom's fine. Everything's fine."
"Then why are you crying? You never cry. You haven't cried since Dad left."
"I was four when he left. Of course I've cried since then. I just don't go around blabbing about it to you," she says, rubbing her eyes hard with both palms.
"Just tell me what's wrong, okay? I want to know. Maybe I can help."
She sniffs. "You can barely tie your own shoes."
"Megan!" He's about two seconds from just leaving her alone to be miserable, baby sister or no.
"Fine!" she screeches, as if it's his fault. "There's this guy… And I tried to get him to kiss me and he wouldn't do it. And now I'm completely humiliated and I can never show my face in public again!" Her eyes are brimming with tears again, and he's ready to kill whichever little punk broke her heart.
"Well, this guy is clearly the biggest idiot ever. We're Parkers. People line up to kiss us. What's this guy's name and could I take him in a fight?"
"People line up to kiss you maybe," she mutters, but there's a hint of a smile there. "And I don't think you should fight him. He's bigger than you."
"Bigger than me? In eighth grade? Is he a giant?" Drake was really hoping the guy would be small, maybe kinda sickly. Someone Drake could hold by the shirt and threaten, and that would be good enough. He's too pretty for a real fistfight.
"He's not in eighth grade. He's a senior."
"What?" Screw pretty. If there's some asshole in his class who's making moves on his little sister, they're going to rumble. "Who?"
"Josh Nichols."
"That guy's gonna wake up dead," Drake vows, trying to think of who Josh Nichols is.
"You can't wake up dead. If you wake up, you're not dead," Megan says.
"Who cares about that? Wait… Josh Nichols?" Drake realizes he knows who that is now. The kid in his Government class. The one who used to be fat, and isn't anymore, but is still a complete dork. The one with the terrible fashion sense who always does his homework on time. "You tried to kiss Josh Nichols?" Drake asks, wondering at Megan's taste in men.
"Well, he's the student aide in my biology class, and he offered to help me with my project for the science fair. And he's just really nice, you know? And funny. And he's so cute."
Drake wonders if she's brain-damaged from crying. "Josh Nichols is cute?"
"All my friends think so. And he's been so nice to me and I really thought he liked me. He said I was really mature for my age."
She looks like she's going to cry again and Drake cracks his knuckles. Josh Nichols might be bigger than he is, but he's a nerd. He likes school and science fairs and being a student aide. Drake's pretty confident he can put the smack down. Hitting on a little girl is just gross. "Where does this jerkface live?"
Megan jumps off the couch. "Don't you dare embarrass me! I only wanted him to kiss me because my friends said he wouldn't, and… If you make a big deal about it, I'll never forgive you! I can't believe I told you in the first place. Gah!" She storms off, still growling.
Drake wracks his brain for information about Josh Nichols, but he's coming up nothing but Government class. Then he's struck with a sudden inspiration. The Premiere! He's seen Josh working there a hundred times, but it never really registered. Probably because Drake only hangs out there when he's on a date, and that means he usually has better things to think about than some loser from school.
Before he can change his mind, Drake snatches up his keys and hurries for the door.
~*~
Drake marches into the movie theater and the first thing he sees is Josh standing at the popcorn counter, smiling his doofy smile for some old lady who seems charmed. Drake wants to run over and inform her that the guy that she's about to tip is a sick, sick puppy. He settles for sitting at a table and watching.
He supposes that Josh isn't completely un-crush-worthy if he just stands there and doesn't say anything. His hair's really dark and sort of floppy, and his face is really pretty; almost in the way girls are pretty. However, every time he opens his mouth, it just gets worse. Drake overhears him talking about magic tricks at one point. Magic tricks!
Finally the crowd thins as most of the matinee shows start and Drake realizes it's now or never. He can do this. The guy's pretty like a girl, and into magic. Drake ought to be able to punch him once and it'll be all over.
He walks over to the concession stand before he can lose his nerve. "Nichols. We have a problem."
Josh looks confused for a split second and then horribly guilty. "It's not what you think, Drake."
"Oh, isn't it?" he asks, getting right up in Josh's face, leaning across the candy counter. "Then why did I come home to find my sweet baby sister crying because some asshole that's way too old for her has been leading her on? Hmmm?" He punctuates his tirade with a firm poke to Josh's chest and is very gratified when Josh winces.
"Can we talk about this over there? I'm at work."
Since Josh is being more than reasonable so far, and Drake doesn't really want to punch anyone, he nods and follows Josh over to the last booth in the row.
"Okay, now listen. I didn't lead Megan on, I swear. I've treated her like she was my own sister since we've been working together. You have to believe me!"
"Then why the crying?" Drake asks, curling his lip into a sneer.
"She tried to kiss me," he says, blushing - actually blushing! "I didn't even know she had a crush on me. She never said anything… Anyway, I told her that I was glad we were friends, but that I was way too old to be kissing a thirteen-year-old. That it wasn't right."
"It's not right," Drake says, slamming his hand on the table.
"I know, that's what I just said. I'm really, really sorry that I hurt her feelings and made her cry. That's the last thing I'd want to do. Megan's awesome, but she's just a kid."
Drake sighs, the wind gone from his sails. This is a disappointment. He'd been raring for at least a good threatening, and now all he's got is a pretty dork who looks so damn earnest, like a Campfire Kid, assuring Drake that he didn't do anything wrong, cross his heart. It's really just too bad.
"Well," Drake says, at a loss as to what to talk about with a guy who likes magic. "I guess I can't be mad at you, then."
Josh grins, and Drake's completely dazzled for a second, which is just weird. "Sorry. I mean, if she was a few years older, I'd be incredibly flattered. People never pay attention to me."
Drake looks at him, wondering if he's just heard correctly. Drake knows attractive when he sees it - he sees it every day in the mirror, after all - and Josh Nichols is definitely attractive. There have to be some girls who would overlook the dork factor. There are even some decent-looking dorky girls. "There must be girls besides Megan who are interested, right?" he asks, just to be sure.
"This is not a conversation I want to have with Drake Parker, of all people. Let's just agree that I wasn't doing anything untoward with your sister and go back to our usual social stratospheres, shall we?"
Well, that explains some of the striking-out with girls thing, because who talks like that besides someone's grandpa? "Okay," Drake says, sticking out his hand. Josh looks at it for a second and then takes it and gives it a few pumps. His hand is smooth and warm and Drake drops it as soon as he can. He doesn't really need to make friends with a guy like Josh. Even if he does seem pretty decent. "Well, see you in Government." Drake climbs out of the booth and starts walking towards the door.
"Yeah, see you in Government," Josh calls from behind him.
~*~
Drake had expected to arrive at school the following day and have Josh try to talk to him or something. Something to show his nerdy friends that he'd had a civil conversation with Drake Parker, cool guy extraordinaire, and that they were… buddies now.
However, when he gets to government, Josh ignores him. He acts as if there's no more reason for him to talk to Drake than there had been the day before. Josh Nichols rises another notch on Drake's cool meter.
For some reason, Drake keeps glancing over at Josh throughout the class. Normally he spends government looking at Julia Marsh's legs, which definitely deserve attention, but today, even though Julia's wearing a miniskirt, Drake finds himself looking at Josh Nichols again and again. Drake shakes his head. Clearly, this thing with Megan is bothering him more than he thought.
At the end of class, Drake hears someone calling his name. Josh. Great, here it is, he thinks. But all Josh says is, "Is Megan okay?"
Drake shrugs. "I guess so. She's been moping in her room a lot."
Josh actually winces at that. "She wouldn't talk to me when I saw her in class earlier. I was hoping maybe I could come over this afternoon? I really want to apologize to her, and I don't want to do it where her friends might hear. That would just embarrass her more."
Drake isn't sure why, but his first reaction is to snap something about how Josh most certainly can not come over, but he's not sure why he's being so defensive. He shrugs, trying to seem perfectly calm. "Sure. Come before six, though, otherwise my mom will be home, and if Megan starts screaming, my mom'll call the cops."
Josh chuckles a little. "Sure. What's your address?"
Drake grabs a pen and takes Josh's hand. He writes the address on Josh's palm, holding his hand lightly. Drake realizes belatedly that the reason why you write your number on girls' palms is because it's kind of intimate. Holding Josh's hand like that, watching as his fingers twitch the slightest bit when the pen tickles him, does weird things to Drake's head. He drops Josh's hand. "See you later," he says, fleeing from the classroom.
Why the hell is this dorky kid making him all jittery and nervous? Drake can't think of a reason, so he shoves it to the back of his mind. He's not going to waste time thinking when there are girls to kiss.
~*~
Drake hovers in the living room, waiting for Josh to arrive as if he's waiting for a date. He tells himself that he doesn't want to miss the fireworks, but he's not sure that's it.
When the doorbell rings, Drake flings the door open. "You found it okay?" he asks.
"It would appear so," Josh says with a little smile.
Kicking himself for acting like an idiot, Drake backs away from the door and yells for Megan. When she comes around the corner and sees Josh, she freezes. "I'll just go… over here," Drake says, going into the hall like he's going to go up to his room, but he lurks in the hall, watching over Megan.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Josh says.
Megan sniffs a little. "Fine. I only really wanted to do it because my friends bet that I couldn't get you to."
"Listen," Josh says, his voice gentle, "kissing is kind of a big deal. You shouldn't just kiss someone because of a bet or because they're there. It should be something exciting."
His voice is sort of wistful and Drake feels strangely guilty for being something of a kiss-slut. And of course Megan brings that up. "Drake kisses people just because they're there."
"Well, I'm not Drake," Josh says, and Drake wonders if he means that as an insult because it sort of feels like one.
"Fine. Will you still help me with my science project?"
"Of course," Josh says, so firmly that there's no room for doubt.
"Cool. I'm gonna go do my homework, then. See you tomorrow in Biology." With that, Megan hurries away, past Drake and up the stairs. She's clearly still hurting, but it's nothing she won't get over. Rejection is never easy. From what Drake's heard, anyway.
Drake realizes that Josh is still standing there in the foyer and he hurries out of his hiding spot, hoping Josh won't know he was spying. "How'd it go?"
Josh shrugs. "Okay, I guess. She's still kind of pissed at me, I think."
"Well, you know how girls are."
"Not really," Josh says with a self-deprecating smile.
Drake remembers what Josh said the other day, about girls not liking him, and he takes a breath. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
Josh shakes his head. "Okay, I don't know why you're suddenly interested, but I don't really need to be Drake Parker's charity case. I do just fine on my own."
Bristling, Drake says, "I'm just making conversation."
"I think I should just leave, okay?" Josh puts his hand on the doorknob, and Drake starts to panic.
"Just… wait! I'm trying to talk to you. You seem pretty cool. For a guy who likes magic. Do you want to come up to my room and hang out for a while or something?" Drake wishes he could take the words back as soon as they leave his mouth. It is Friday, and he mentioned to a few girls that he'd be at the Premiere later.
"Okay."
Suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable, Drake nods and then turns, letting Josh follow him. When they get upstairs, he opens the door and gestures to the couch. "You want a soda?"
"Sure, whatever you've got is fine." Josh sits on the couch, looking just as freaked-out by this turn of events as Drake feels. Drake wonders why he didn't just keep his mouth shut and let Josh walk away. He hands Josh a can of Mountain Fizz and sits on the other end of the couch.
"So… Girlfriend? Yes? No? You never said." Drake's been accused of having a one-track mind, and he's starting to understand why. However, the notion of a guy getting to be mere months from his high school graduation and still being that inexperienced is rather mind-boggling.
Josh rolls the can between his hands and then takes a long drink. "Listen, Drake. You seem like a nice enough guy and I guess I trust you not to tell everyone you've ever met, so I might as well tell you the truth. I haven't dated a girl or even kissed one, but it's not because I couldn't. It's because I don't want to."
Drake ponders this for a moment. At first, he's stuck on the 'never kissed' thing, but then the 'don't want to' part creeps up on him. There's really only one reason that he can think of for why a guy wouldn't want to kiss girls. "Oh."
"Yeah," Josh says, looking at the floor.
Drake prides himself on being open-minded, though, and he's not bothered by the idea. He doesn't get it, but he's okay with it. It makes more sense now why he's been drawn to Josh. See, every guy is competition to Drake. Fortunately, he's cuter and sexier and more charming than the majority of them, but still - some girls have weird taste. But here's a guy who's not competition at all; someone he doesn't have to brag about his conquests to or prove his masculinity with.
He considers trying to say something profound about how he's not grossed-out or anything, but instead he just says, "So how many guys have you kissed?"
Josh immediately blushes. "What? I tell you this and that is what you say to me? You're a weird guy, you know that?"
Drake shrugs. "Why would I care? More girls for me. And you didn't answer the question."
"How many do you think? Do you know of any gay guys at our school?"
"Well, one, now," Drake says, realizing even as he says it that it's not what Josh means at all. He means that there aren't any others, which means he's saying that he hasn't kissed anyone ever which is just totally pathetic, even for a dork. "Dude…"
"It's not that big a deal," Josh says, looking embarrassed. "I have high hopes for college."
"It is a big deal! That's like, unnatural, or something. People have to kiss."
"No, people have to breathe. Kissing isn't vital for survival."
"You're only saying that because you're not doing it."
Josh sighs. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."
"Good," Drake says, a plan already forming in his mind. "Let's go out tonight, then. I'll be the sensei and you can be the grasshopper guy. I'll teach you everything I know."
"You know a lot about kissing guys?" Josh asks, and Drake gets a funny tingle in the pit of his stomach, kind of like anger.
"I don't think it's any different. Everyone has lips. And tongues."
Josh blanches on 'tongues.' "You know, I appreciate this, but I'm not going out somewhere to try to pick up some random guy to kiss. I mean, I'm going to look like an idiot. What are we going to do? Go to some gay bar where everyone's all… experienced? I'm going to look like a vir - … Like a moron."
"I'll teach you. You can kiss me. You know, for practice." It's another one of those things that Drake immediately wishes he could take back. He doesn't have any clue what possessed him to say it, and the look on Josh's face is kind of scary.
"Is this your idea of a joke?" Josh asks, his voice low and dangerous.
"No! No, I swear," Drake protests. "Fine, forget I offered. It's just that I've kissed like hundreds of girls and I know what to do. I was trying to be helpful."
"Why?" Josh asks, nearly shouting.
Drake shrugs, honestly not sure. "I guess because you were nice to my sister. You treated her right and you did even more than you had to do to try to make her feel better. I can tell you're a good guy. And maybe I just want to do something nice for you. But if you'd rather not, fine with me."
Josh licks his lips before saying, "You mean that?"
"Yeah. It's not a big deal, really."
"Okay, fine. Teach me to kiss."
Now that it's out there and they're really going to do it, Drake's stomach flip-flops in an alarming way. His palms are sweaty, and he feels slightly dizzy. He doesn't quite know what's wrong. Kissing a guy can't be any different. He's an open-minded guy, he reminds himself. He's not scared of the idea of kissing a guy. Really. He's not.
In fact, he seems to be excited for it, which is kind of strange. But he figures it sort of makes sense. He's kissed pretty much every girl in town, and it's sort of old news by now. This is something new. For a kissing connoisseur like Drake Parker, it only makes sense that he'd be excited by a new kissing frontier.
He takes another swig of Mountain Fizz, not wanting his mouth to taste stale. Josh hurriedly does the same thing, and Drake feels a little thrill. He does like educating people, particularly in one of his favorite subjects.
Taking a deep breath, he scoots closer to Josh. They're both sitting half-turned towards each other, one foot on the floor, the other curled on the couch. Drake looks at Josh. On closer inspection, he's really, really pretty. It's unnerving. His eyes are this really clear green with long, dark eyelashes that aren't clumped with mascara. His lips look nice too.
Drake hopes that this won't be too weird. He'd feel terrible if he made the offer and then had to back out because the touch of guy lips sent him running for something to barf into.
"Okay," Drake says, realizing Josh is waiting for him. "The important thing is to tilt your head so your nose isn't in the way." Josh cocks his head to the side expectantly and Drake smiles. "Not until we get closer together. It's weird like this. If you get ready ahead of time."
Josh looks down. "This is stupid."
"No, it's my fault. See, usually the person who wants to kiss you will just kind of go in there."
"Go in where?"
Drake restrains himself from rolling his eyes. "Never mind. Just… Close your eyes, okay?" He slides the last few inches until his knee is pressed against Josh's. Josh's eyes flutter closed, and Drake takes a breath. He reaches up and slides his hand along Josh's jaw. Josh opens his eyes, looking scared.
"What're you…?"
"Close your eyes. Trust me. I'm an expert," Drake tells him, still touching his face. He slides his hand up Josh's jaw and leans in. He applies enough pressure with his hand to tilt Josh's head enough, and then their lips touch.
The first time, it's so brief that it hardly registers. Josh exhales through his nose as if he's scared. Drake holds his face more firmly and rests his other hand on Josh's knee. He presses his mouth against Josh's more firmly. Other than the stubble under his fingers, it's really no different at all. Josh's lips are warm and soft, and Drake starts to kiss him in earnest.
Josh is a fast learner, it seems, as he moves his mouth against Drake's with surprising confidence for a kissing-virgin. Drake parts his lips a bit more, trying to taste more of Josh's mouth. When Josh's lips separate, Drake sucks on the bottom one, gently, teasingly.
It's everything like kissing a girl and nothing like kissing a girl at the same time. There's no sticky, flavored gloss on Josh's lips, and even his breaths are different, harder, faster. Josh's hand moves to Drake's leg, just above his knee, and the pressure is firmer, more intense.
Drake summons his courage and slides his tongue along Josh's full bottom lip. Josh makes a little whimpery noise and opens his mouth just enough that Drake can lick the silky skin where lips become mouth and all of a sudden, Drake realizes he's more than a little turned on.
He pulls back, startled, and presses a hand to his mouth, wondering what treachery it's committed. Josh is staring at him with huge eyes.
"You're right," Josh says, finally. "That's better than breathing."
Drake chuckles a little, always thrilled by a compliment about his kissing prowess. Josh's stunned reaction gives him his confidence back, so he smiles and says, "Want to keep going?"
"Going where?"
"I needed to catch my breath," Drake says, knowing Josh won't realize the truth. "But we were just getting started on the lesson." He leans forward again, but Josh holds up his hand.
"Can I…? Can I try the 'going in there' part?" he asks, his cheeks pink.
Drake nods, unsure about taking the passive role with a guy. However, he's gone this far and there really isn't much sense in pulling the plug now.
Josh takes a deep breath and reaches up to touch Drake's face. His hand is big, much bigger than any other hand that's been in that position, so when he slides in, his fingers creep around the side of Drake's neck, his thumb resting on Drake's cheekbone. Drake feels small and almost vulnerable, but before he has a chance to freak out about it, Josh is leaning in to kiss him.
It gets intense quickly this time and the moment Drake's tongue touches Josh's lips, Josh's mouth is open and asking. Drake slides his tongue over Josh's lower lip and drags it right across Josh's tongue, full-out. Josh moans a little and clenches Drake's face tighter.
Drake has gone past 'a little turned on' and he can't deny the fact that this is really making him want. He pulls away again and slaps his hands on his thighs loudly, making Josh jump.
"Well, that was good. You clearly have natural talent. My work here is done." He stands up and walks to the other end of the couch, fidgeting with his shirt.
"Oh," Josh says, looking disappointed.
"Yup. All done. Should we go out now, maybe? This is a big city. There have to be some gay bars around here. We can find you a nice guy."
Josh nods. "A nice guy. Right. Someone to kiss." He runs his thumb across his bottom lip which is slightly swollen and pinker than before. Drake remembers what it was like, sucking it into his mouth, teasing it between his own. He thinks about someone else, some 'random guy,' someone 'experienced,' kissing Josh.
He thinks about how Josh blushes when he's embarrassed and how he really doesn't know what he's doing yet. He thinks about how Josh likes school and magic tricks, and is nice to old ladies and little sisters. Guys at some club would eat him alive.
"You know what, maybe you need a little more practice. I think you're probably not ready for your first public appearance just yet." He smiles at Josh, thinking about how it felt to stare at Josh across the classroom and how it felt to write on his hand.
Then Josh grins again, that same smile that made Drake a little crazy before, and Drake decides to stop thinking so much. Apparently his body is okay with this. His body has always been faster than his brain. He goes over and sits on the couch next to Josh again. His brain will catch up eventually.
Josh smiles, all teeth and happiness, even as Drake kisses him again. Drake reaches up and gets a handful of Josh's floppy black hair in his hand. It's just starting to get intense again when the door slamming open and hitting the wall startles both of them and they break apart frantically.
Megan is standing in the doorway, smirking at them. Drake gulps. "Megan, I can explain…"
She snorts. "I doubt you can. But I don't really care. You two boobs can do whatever you want. I have a good story to tell my friends now. And that's all I ever really wanted."
Drake and Josh look at each other for a moment. There are a lot of things Drake wants to say, but what he wants to do most of all is kiss Josh again. So he does.
Author: abusing_sarcasm
Prompt: #8: "Audrey and Walter did not marry. Megan tries to get Josh to kiss her so she may boast before her friends. Drake sees this."
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Drake/Josh
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I make no money from this endeavor.
Warnings: Kissing. Lots of kissing.
Summary: Drake attempts to defend his sister's honor, and ends up getting more than he bargained for.
A/N: ~4,600 words. Huge thanks to my always-amazing beta, aki_hoshi, for her encouragement and for coming up with the title!
When Drake walks in the door and sees Megan sitting on the couch crying, he immediately assumes that their mother's been in a car accident or something. For Megan to cry, things have to be dire. He rushes over to her and grabs her hand. "What's wrong, Megs? Is it Mom?"
She snatches her hand back with a sniffle and swipes at her eyes angrily. "No, nothing's wrong. Mom's fine. Everything's fine."
"Then why are you crying? You never cry. You haven't cried since Dad left."
"I was four when he left. Of course I've cried since then. I just don't go around blabbing about it to you," she says, rubbing her eyes hard with both palms.
"Just tell me what's wrong, okay? I want to know. Maybe I can help."
She sniffs. "You can barely tie your own shoes."
"Megan!" He's about two seconds from just leaving her alone to be miserable, baby sister or no.
"Fine!" she screeches, as if it's his fault. "There's this guy… And I tried to get him to kiss me and he wouldn't do it. And now I'm completely humiliated and I can never show my face in public again!" Her eyes are brimming with tears again, and he's ready to kill whichever little punk broke her heart.
"Well, this guy is clearly the biggest idiot ever. We're Parkers. People line up to kiss us. What's this guy's name and could I take him in a fight?"
"People line up to kiss you maybe," she mutters, but there's a hint of a smile there. "And I don't think you should fight him. He's bigger than you."
"Bigger than me? In eighth grade? Is he a giant?" Drake was really hoping the guy would be small, maybe kinda sickly. Someone Drake could hold by the shirt and threaten, and that would be good enough. He's too pretty for a real fistfight.
"He's not in eighth grade. He's a senior."
"What?" Screw pretty. If there's some asshole in his class who's making moves on his little sister, they're going to rumble. "Who?"
"Josh Nichols."
"That guy's gonna wake up dead," Drake vows, trying to think of who Josh Nichols is.
"You can't wake up dead. If you wake up, you're not dead," Megan says.
"Who cares about that? Wait… Josh Nichols?" Drake realizes he knows who that is now. The kid in his Government class. The one who used to be fat, and isn't anymore, but is still a complete dork. The one with the terrible fashion sense who always does his homework on time. "You tried to kiss Josh Nichols?" Drake asks, wondering at Megan's taste in men.
"Well, he's the student aide in my biology class, and he offered to help me with my project for the science fair. And he's just really nice, you know? And funny. And he's so cute."
Drake wonders if she's brain-damaged from crying. "Josh Nichols is cute?"
"All my friends think so. And he's been so nice to me and I really thought he liked me. He said I was really mature for my age."
She looks like she's going to cry again and Drake cracks his knuckles. Josh Nichols might be bigger than he is, but he's a nerd. He likes school and science fairs and being a student aide. Drake's pretty confident he can put the smack down. Hitting on a little girl is just gross. "Where does this jerkface live?"
Megan jumps off the couch. "Don't you dare embarrass me! I only wanted him to kiss me because my friends said he wouldn't, and… If you make a big deal about it, I'll never forgive you! I can't believe I told you in the first place. Gah!" She storms off, still growling.
Drake wracks his brain for information about Josh Nichols, but he's coming up nothing but Government class. Then he's struck with a sudden inspiration. The Premiere! He's seen Josh working there a hundred times, but it never really registered. Probably because Drake only hangs out there when he's on a date, and that means he usually has better things to think about than some loser from school.
Before he can change his mind, Drake snatches up his keys and hurries for the door.
~*~
Drake marches into the movie theater and the first thing he sees is Josh standing at the popcorn counter, smiling his doofy smile for some old lady who seems charmed. Drake wants to run over and inform her that the guy that she's about to tip is a sick, sick puppy. He settles for sitting at a table and watching.
He supposes that Josh isn't completely un-crush-worthy if he just stands there and doesn't say anything. His hair's really dark and sort of floppy, and his face is really pretty; almost in the way girls are pretty. However, every time he opens his mouth, it just gets worse. Drake overhears him talking about magic tricks at one point. Magic tricks!
Finally the crowd thins as most of the matinee shows start and Drake realizes it's now or never. He can do this. The guy's pretty like a girl, and into magic. Drake ought to be able to punch him once and it'll be all over.
He walks over to the concession stand before he can lose his nerve. "Nichols. We have a problem."
Josh looks confused for a split second and then horribly guilty. "It's not what you think, Drake."
"Oh, isn't it?" he asks, getting right up in Josh's face, leaning across the candy counter. "Then why did I come home to find my sweet baby sister crying because some asshole that's way too old for her has been leading her on? Hmmm?" He punctuates his tirade with a firm poke to Josh's chest and is very gratified when Josh winces.
"Can we talk about this over there? I'm at work."
Since Josh is being more than reasonable so far, and Drake doesn't really want to punch anyone, he nods and follows Josh over to the last booth in the row.
"Okay, now listen. I didn't lead Megan on, I swear. I've treated her like she was my own sister since we've been working together. You have to believe me!"
"Then why the crying?" Drake asks, curling his lip into a sneer.
"She tried to kiss me," he says, blushing - actually blushing! "I didn't even know she had a crush on me. She never said anything… Anyway, I told her that I was glad we were friends, but that I was way too old to be kissing a thirteen-year-old. That it wasn't right."
"It's not right," Drake says, slamming his hand on the table.
"I know, that's what I just said. I'm really, really sorry that I hurt her feelings and made her cry. That's the last thing I'd want to do. Megan's awesome, but she's just a kid."
Drake sighs, the wind gone from his sails. This is a disappointment. He'd been raring for at least a good threatening, and now all he's got is a pretty dork who looks so damn earnest, like a Campfire Kid, assuring Drake that he didn't do anything wrong, cross his heart. It's really just too bad.
"Well," Drake says, at a loss as to what to talk about with a guy who likes magic. "I guess I can't be mad at you, then."
Josh grins, and Drake's completely dazzled for a second, which is just weird. "Sorry. I mean, if she was a few years older, I'd be incredibly flattered. People never pay attention to me."
Drake looks at him, wondering if he's just heard correctly. Drake knows attractive when he sees it - he sees it every day in the mirror, after all - and Josh Nichols is definitely attractive. There have to be some girls who would overlook the dork factor. There are even some decent-looking dorky girls. "There must be girls besides Megan who are interested, right?" he asks, just to be sure.
"This is not a conversation I want to have with Drake Parker, of all people. Let's just agree that I wasn't doing anything untoward with your sister and go back to our usual social stratospheres, shall we?"
Well, that explains some of the striking-out with girls thing, because who talks like that besides someone's grandpa? "Okay," Drake says, sticking out his hand. Josh looks at it for a second and then takes it and gives it a few pumps. His hand is smooth and warm and Drake drops it as soon as he can. He doesn't really need to make friends with a guy like Josh. Even if he does seem pretty decent. "Well, see you in Government." Drake climbs out of the booth and starts walking towards the door.
"Yeah, see you in Government," Josh calls from behind him.
~*~
Drake had expected to arrive at school the following day and have Josh try to talk to him or something. Something to show his nerdy friends that he'd had a civil conversation with Drake Parker, cool guy extraordinaire, and that they were… buddies now.
However, when he gets to government, Josh ignores him. He acts as if there's no more reason for him to talk to Drake than there had been the day before. Josh Nichols rises another notch on Drake's cool meter.
For some reason, Drake keeps glancing over at Josh throughout the class. Normally he spends government looking at Julia Marsh's legs, which definitely deserve attention, but today, even though Julia's wearing a miniskirt, Drake finds himself looking at Josh Nichols again and again. Drake shakes his head. Clearly, this thing with Megan is bothering him more than he thought.
At the end of class, Drake hears someone calling his name. Josh. Great, here it is, he thinks. But all Josh says is, "Is Megan okay?"
Drake shrugs. "I guess so. She's been moping in her room a lot."
Josh actually winces at that. "She wouldn't talk to me when I saw her in class earlier. I was hoping maybe I could come over this afternoon? I really want to apologize to her, and I don't want to do it where her friends might hear. That would just embarrass her more."
Drake isn't sure why, but his first reaction is to snap something about how Josh most certainly can not come over, but he's not sure why he's being so defensive. He shrugs, trying to seem perfectly calm. "Sure. Come before six, though, otherwise my mom will be home, and if Megan starts screaming, my mom'll call the cops."
Josh chuckles a little. "Sure. What's your address?"
Drake grabs a pen and takes Josh's hand. He writes the address on Josh's palm, holding his hand lightly. Drake realizes belatedly that the reason why you write your number on girls' palms is because it's kind of intimate. Holding Josh's hand like that, watching as his fingers twitch the slightest bit when the pen tickles him, does weird things to Drake's head. He drops Josh's hand. "See you later," he says, fleeing from the classroom.
Why the hell is this dorky kid making him all jittery and nervous? Drake can't think of a reason, so he shoves it to the back of his mind. He's not going to waste time thinking when there are girls to kiss.
~*~
Drake hovers in the living room, waiting for Josh to arrive as if he's waiting for a date. He tells himself that he doesn't want to miss the fireworks, but he's not sure that's it.
When the doorbell rings, Drake flings the door open. "You found it okay?" he asks.
"It would appear so," Josh says with a little smile.
Kicking himself for acting like an idiot, Drake backs away from the door and yells for Megan. When she comes around the corner and sees Josh, she freezes. "I'll just go… over here," Drake says, going into the hall like he's going to go up to his room, but he lurks in the hall, watching over Megan.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Josh says.
Megan sniffs a little. "Fine. I only really wanted to do it because my friends bet that I couldn't get you to."
"Listen," Josh says, his voice gentle, "kissing is kind of a big deal. You shouldn't just kiss someone because of a bet or because they're there. It should be something exciting."
His voice is sort of wistful and Drake feels strangely guilty for being something of a kiss-slut. And of course Megan brings that up. "Drake kisses people just because they're there."
"Well, I'm not Drake," Josh says, and Drake wonders if he means that as an insult because it sort of feels like one.
"Fine. Will you still help me with my science project?"
"Of course," Josh says, so firmly that there's no room for doubt.
"Cool. I'm gonna go do my homework, then. See you tomorrow in Biology." With that, Megan hurries away, past Drake and up the stairs. She's clearly still hurting, but it's nothing she won't get over. Rejection is never easy. From what Drake's heard, anyway.
Drake realizes that Josh is still standing there in the foyer and he hurries out of his hiding spot, hoping Josh won't know he was spying. "How'd it go?"
Josh shrugs. "Okay, I guess. She's still kind of pissed at me, I think."
"Well, you know how girls are."
"Not really," Josh says with a self-deprecating smile.
Drake remembers what Josh said the other day, about girls not liking him, and he takes a breath. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
Josh shakes his head. "Okay, I don't know why you're suddenly interested, but I don't really need to be Drake Parker's charity case. I do just fine on my own."
Bristling, Drake says, "I'm just making conversation."
"I think I should just leave, okay?" Josh puts his hand on the doorknob, and Drake starts to panic.
"Just… wait! I'm trying to talk to you. You seem pretty cool. For a guy who likes magic. Do you want to come up to my room and hang out for a while or something?" Drake wishes he could take the words back as soon as they leave his mouth. It is Friday, and he mentioned to a few girls that he'd be at the Premiere later.
"Okay."
Suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable, Drake nods and then turns, letting Josh follow him. When they get upstairs, he opens the door and gestures to the couch. "You want a soda?"
"Sure, whatever you've got is fine." Josh sits on the couch, looking just as freaked-out by this turn of events as Drake feels. Drake wonders why he didn't just keep his mouth shut and let Josh walk away. He hands Josh a can of Mountain Fizz and sits on the other end of the couch.
"So… Girlfriend? Yes? No? You never said." Drake's been accused of having a one-track mind, and he's starting to understand why. However, the notion of a guy getting to be mere months from his high school graduation and still being that inexperienced is rather mind-boggling.
Josh rolls the can between his hands and then takes a long drink. "Listen, Drake. You seem like a nice enough guy and I guess I trust you not to tell everyone you've ever met, so I might as well tell you the truth. I haven't dated a girl or even kissed one, but it's not because I couldn't. It's because I don't want to."
Drake ponders this for a moment. At first, he's stuck on the 'never kissed' thing, but then the 'don't want to' part creeps up on him. There's really only one reason that he can think of for why a guy wouldn't want to kiss girls. "Oh."
"Yeah," Josh says, looking at the floor.
Drake prides himself on being open-minded, though, and he's not bothered by the idea. He doesn't get it, but he's okay with it. It makes more sense now why he's been drawn to Josh. See, every guy is competition to Drake. Fortunately, he's cuter and sexier and more charming than the majority of them, but still - some girls have weird taste. But here's a guy who's not competition at all; someone he doesn't have to brag about his conquests to or prove his masculinity with.
He considers trying to say something profound about how he's not grossed-out or anything, but instead he just says, "So how many guys have you kissed?"
Josh immediately blushes. "What? I tell you this and that is what you say to me? You're a weird guy, you know that?"
Drake shrugs. "Why would I care? More girls for me. And you didn't answer the question."
"How many do you think? Do you know of any gay guys at our school?"
"Well, one, now," Drake says, realizing even as he says it that it's not what Josh means at all. He means that there aren't any others, which means he's saying that he hasn't kissed anyone ever which is just totally pathetic, even for a dork. "Dude…"
"It's not that big a deal," Josh says, looking embarrassed. "I have high hopes for college."
"It is a big deal! That's like, unnatural, or something. People have to kiss."
"No, people have to breathe. Kissing isn't vital for survival."
"You're only saying that because you're not doing it."
Josh sighs. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."
"Good," Drake says, a plan already forming in his mind. "Let's go out tonight, then. I'll be the sensei and you can be the grasshopper guy. I'll teach you everything I know."
"You know a lot about kissing guys?" Josh asks, and Drake gets a funny tingle in the pit of his stomach, kind of like anger.
"I don't think it's any different. Everyone has lips. And tongues."
Josh blanches on 'tongues.' "You know, I appreciate this, but I'm not going out somewhere to try to pick up some random guy to kiss. I mean, I'm going to look like an idiot. What are we going to do? Go to some gay bar where everyone's all… experienced? I'm going to look like a vir - … Like a moron."
"I'll teach you. You can kiss me. You know, for practice." It's another one of those things that Drake immediately wishes he could take back. He doesn't have any clue what possessed him to say it, and the look on Josh's face is kind of scary.
"Is this your idea of a joke?" Josh asks, his voice low and dangerous.
"No! No, I swear," Drake protests. "Fine, forget I offered. It's just that I've kissed like hundreds of girls and I know what to do. I was trying to be helpful."
"Why?" Josh asks, nearly shouting.
Drake shrugs, honestly not sure. "I guess because you were nice to my sister. You treated her right and you did even more than you had to do to try to make her feel better. I can tell you're a good guy. And maybe I just want to do something nice for you. But if you'd rather not, fine with me."
Josh licks his lips before saying, "You mean that?"
"Yeah. It's not a big deal, really."
"Okay, fine. Teach me to kiss."
Now that it's out there and they're really going to do it, Drake's stomach flip-flops in an alarming way. His palms are sweaty, and he feels slightly dizzy. He doesn't quite know what's wrong. Kissing a guy can't be any different. He's an open-minded guy, he reminds himself. He's not scared of the idea of kissing a guy. Really. He's not.
In fact, he seems to be excited for it, which is kind of strange. But he figures it sort of makes sense. He's kissed pretty much every girl in town, and it's sort of old news by now. This is something new. For a kissing connoisseur like Drake Parker, it only makes sense that he'd be excited by a new kissing frontier.
He takes another swig of Mountain Fizz, not wanting his mouth to taste stale. Josh hurriedly does the same thing, and Drake feels a little thrill. He does like educating people, particularly in one of his favorite subjects.
Taking a deep breath, he scoots closer to Josh. They're both sitting half-turned towards each other, one foot on the floor, the other curled on the couch. Drake looks at Josh. On closer inspection, he's really, really pretty. It's unnerving. His eyes are this really clear green with long, dark eyelashes that aren't clumped with mascara. His lips look nice too.
Drake hopes that this won't be too weird. He'd feel terrible if he made the offer and then had to back out because the touch of guy lips sent him running for something to barf into.
"Okay," Drake says, realizing Josh is waiting for him. "The important thing is to tilt your head so your nose isn't in the way." Josh cocks his head to the side expectantly and Drake smiles. "Not until we get closer together. It's weird like this. If you get ready ahead of time."
Josh looks down. "This is stupid."
"No, it's my fault. See, usually the person who wants to kiss you will just kind of go in there."
"Go in where?"
Drake restrains himself from rolling his eyes. "Never mind. Just… Close your eyes, okay?" He slides the last few inches until his knee is pressed against Josh's. Josh's eyes flutter closed, and Drake takes a breath. He reaches up and slides his hand along Josh's jaw. Josh opens his eyes, looking scared.
"What're you…?"
"Close your eyes. Trust me. I'm an expert," Drake tells him, still touching his face. He slides his hand up Josh's jaw and leans in. He applies enough pressure with his hand to tilt Josh's head enough, and then their lips touch.
The first time, it's so brief that it hardly registers. Josh exhales through his nose as if he's scared. Drake holds his face more firmly and rests his other hand on Josh's knee. He presses his mouth against Josh's more firmly. Other than the stubble under his fingers, it's really no different at all. Josh's lips are warm and soft, and Drake starts to kiss him in earnest.
Josh is a fast learner, it seems, as he moves his mouth against Drake's with surprising confidence for a kissing-virgin. Drake parts his lips a bit more, trying to taste more of Josh's mouth. When Josh's lips separate, Drake sucks on the bottom one, gently, teasingly.
It's everything like kissing a girl and nothing like kissing a girl at the same time. There's no sticky, flavored gloss on Josh's lips, and even his breaths are different, harder, faster. Josh's hand moves to Drake's leg, just above his knee, and the pressure is firmer, more intense.
Drake summons his courage and slides his tongue along Josh's full bottom lip. Josh makes a little whimpery noise and opens his mouth just enough that Drake can lick the silky skin where lips become mouth and all of a sudden, Drake realizes he's more than a little turned on.
He pulls back, startled, and presses a hand to his mouth, wondering what treachery it's committed. Josh is staring at him with huge eyes.
"You're right," Josh says, finally. "That's better than breathing."
Drake chuckles a little, always thrilled by a compliment about his kissing prowess. Josh's stunned reaction gives him his confidence back, so he smiles and says, "Want to keep going?"
"Going where?"
"I needed to catch my breath," Drake says, knowing Josh won't realize the truth. "But we were just getting started on the lesson." He leans forward again, but Josh holds up his hand.
"Can I…? Can I try the 'going in there' part?" he asks, his cheeks pink.
Drake nods, unsure about taking the passive role with a guy. However, he's gone this far and there really isn't much sense in pulling the plug now.
Josh takes a deep breath and reaches up to touch Drake's face. His hand is big, much bigger than any other hand that's been in that position, so when he slides in, his fingers creep around the side of Drake's neck, his thumb resting on Drake's cheekbone. Drake feels small and almost vulnerable, but before he has a chance to freak out about it, Josh is leaning in to kiss him.
It gets intense quickly this time and the moment Drake's tongue touches Josh's lips, Josh's mouth is open and asking. Drake slides his tongue over Josh's lower lip and drags it right across Josh's tongue, full-out. Josh moans a little and clenches Drake's face tighter.
Drake has gone past 'a little turned on' and he can't deny the fact that this is really making him want. He pulls away again and slaps his hands on his thighs loudly, making Josh jump.
"Well, that was good. You clearly have natural talent. My work here is done." He stands up and walks to the other end of the couch, fidgeting with his shirt.
"Oh," Josh says, looking disappointed.
"Yup. All done. Should we go out now, maybe? This is a big city. There have to be some gay bars around here. We can find you a nice guy."
Josh nods. "A nice guy. Right. Someone to kiss." He runs his thumb across his bottom lip which is slightly swollen and pinker than before. Drake remembers what it was like, sucking it into his mouth, teasing it between his own. He thinks about someone else, some 'random guy,' someone 'experienced,' kissing Josh.
He thinks about how Josh blushes when he's embarrassed and how he really doesn't know what he's doing yet. He thinks about how Josh likes school and magic tricks, and is nice to old ladies and little sisters. Guys at some club would eat him alive.
"You know what, maybe you need a little more practice. I think you're probably not ready for your first public appearance just yet." He smiles at Josh, thinking about how it felt to stare at Josh across the classroom and how it felt to write on his hand.
Then Josh grins again, that same smile that made Drake a little crazy before, and Drake decides to stop thinking so much. Apparently his body is okay with this. His body has always been faster than his brain. He goes over and sits on the couch next to Josh again. His brain will catch up eventually.
Josh smiles, all teeth and happiness, even as Drake kisses him again. Drake reaches up and gets a handful of Josh's floppy black hair in his hand. It's just starting to get intense again when the door slamming open and hitting the wall startles both of them and they break apart frantically.
Megan is standing in the doorway, smirking at them. Drake gulps. "Megan, I can explain…"
She snorts. "I doubt you can. But I don't really care. You two boobs can do whatever you want. I have a good story to tell my friends now. And that's all I ever really wanted."
Drake and Josh look at each other for a moment. There are a lot of things Drake wants to say, but what he wants to do most of all is kiss Josh again. So he does.