Audrey had told all of the people to teenagers in her house to call their parents at eleven. Those whose parents said they were fine with their child driving home were allowed to leave with a severe lecture from Audrey to be careful, what to expect in a storm this bad, and several different numbers for several different scenarios. Those whose parents had said they were more comfortable with their child staying where they were and waiting out the storm were granted harbor for the night.

At midnight, left with fifteen teenagers that weren't her own, and one of them a girl, Audrey set about making a sleep-table. Carly would sleep in Megan's room. Seven of the boys would sleep in the living room. Three would sleep in the spare room, and unfortunately, the other four would sleep in Drake and Josh's room. Drake had been less than thrilled with that, but it was the way it had to go, Audrey had said.

At one in the morning, after Walter had made it home, but not before Josh had returned, everyone went to bed, and Audrey and Walter went into their room. They told Drake to tell them when Josh made it home, or wake them at two if he hadn't returned. After they were in their room, Drake went to the kitchen, glad that it, at the very least, was empty. He took his cell phone out of his back pocket and pressed speed dial one. Leaning against the counter and pressing the phone to his ear anxiously, he waited impatiently for Josh to answer and set his nerves at ease.

"I'm driving, Drake," came Josh's voice after the second ring.

Drake pushed away from the counter, happily, now that he had steady feet under him again. "Where are you? You should have been home a half hour ago."

He heard a sigh come from Josh, and then, "A lot of the roads are flooded already. I had to find a couple new ways to get home."

"But you're okay, though, right?" Drake asked eagerly, having been worried since Josh had called to tell him that he was on his way home.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Josh said with a chuckle. "But I've got to get off the phone and concentrate on the road. It's still pretty bad out here."

"Okay," he said, looking at the door absently yet alertly, making sure no one would come in. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Be home soon."

Drake closed his phone and returned it to his back pocket. He went to the fridge and grabbed a mocha-cola, taking a sip to calm some of the left over nerves that had come from the night. First his concert had been flooded out, a group of girls had cornered him demanding to tell him who his best kiss was, and Josh had to drive home in this terrible weather, which had been the cause of a better part of his panic tonight.

He set the can on the counter and went out to the living room to grab the chips he had left on the kitchen table. However, just outside the doorway was Carly looking swamped in nightgown that his 

mother had leant her. He jumped back in shock, not having expected to see her there, and honestly, not having wanted to see her there.

"Carly," he breathed, revealed and upset at the same time.

She smiled. "Hi, Drake," she said taking a small step toward him. "What're you doing?"

He looked around, with a look of disbelief covering his face. "I'm waiting for my brother to get home," he said looking at the door out of habit and hope. He really didn't want to deal with Carly right now. He was tired. He was uncharacteristically worried about Josh…and he wanted his chips!

Her smile turned seductive and she looked up at him through her lashes. "You wanna go wait for him in the garage?" she asked with a wink.

He blinked, considering it for a moment, even though he wasn't really thrilled with having her around him. He was kind of getting bored and aggravated with her. But hey, sex was fun, right? Just as quickly though, he dismissed the idea. He really wanted to wait for Josh, and even though, sex was great and all, he just didn't want to be around her.

Pretending to be confused, he said, "I won't be able to see Josh when he comes home if we're in the garage. He comes in through the front door."

Now it was her turn to blink, in authentic confusion. "Drake," she said, finally figuring out that he hadn't gotten her hint. "We can have alone time, though." She ran her hand down his chest and stomach, resting on his belt buckle.

Okay…that was working on getting him in the mood, but still, Josh was on his mind. He was going to wait for Josh! "My parents are still awake upstairs. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"They won't hear us!" she insisted. "We'll be really quiet."

"No," he said, resolutely. "I don't want to make my parents mad. I told them I'd wait for Josh, so I am."

She took a step back and huffed. "I didn't know you were such a do-gooder," she said, before turning on her heel and going back upstairs.

Drake watched her go with a small frown on his face. She was most definitely a soon-to-be-ex. He shook his head wearily, wondering how he would go about this break up and what excuse he would give her. He thought briefly on telling her the truth. He could just imagine that. 'Sorry, I can't date you anymore because currently your type isn't my type.'

'Oh, Drake, what do you mean?'

'Well, you see, you're a girl…and right now I'm just not digging that."

He snorted as he grabbed his chips off the table, stepping over random bodies on the floor. Of course, that wasn't the entire truth. He didn't really care one way or the other who it was he was dating or 

whether or not it was a chick. But he and Josh had something going for them that he didn't necessarily think he could reach with anyone else. He knew everything about Josh. Josh knew everything about him. They already lived together, so there would be no adjusting. They just had so much together without even really having to try.

He probably wouldn't tell her that though. He would probably make up some lame excuse about how he had to move to Argentina…that was a country, right? It would probably work, because even if Carly didn't believe him, she was a smart girl. She'd get the hint that he didn't want to be with her anymore. He sat down in one of the dining room chairs, careful not to make too much noise and wake anyone else who would just have to talk.

He was just so drained from the night's events. He really just wanted to see Josh, vent, kiss a little, and go to bed in his crowded room. Was that too much to ask for?

Thunder boomed outside, startling him, and reminding him once again of the storm that raged outside and kept Josh away from him, not to mention locked fifteen other teens in the same house with him. He tossed his head, swinging his hair out of his face as he popped a chip in his mouth noisily. For half an hour he stayed that way, listening to the storm and eating chips. Each minute that passed by made him more anxious and he itched to grab his phone. Where was Josh?

He chewed his lips subconsciously, glancing back at the door. He saw headlights through the door's glass window, and felt his anxiety leaving, being replaced by relief. He stood up, pushing the chair back carefully yet again, and made to go outside before he remembered what had happened last time he had gone outside in this storm. He took a step back, almost stepping on one dude's head.

Waiting as patiently as he could, which wasn't that much, he watched the door.

Finally the door opened and Josh jumped in, shutting the door hurriedly before any torrents of rain burst in. He was soaked to the bone, having, like everyone else, expected for it to be a nice clear night and water was dripping off of him.

Despite how wet Josh was, and that he hadn't gone outside so he would stay dry, he quickly rushed to Josh, jumping over bodies in his way and pulled Josh into the empty kitchen, before he could even get his wet jacket off.

"Drake, wha…" he began as Drake looked out the open window in between the kitchen and living room.

Before he could finish the sentence though, Drake grabbed the back of his neck and pulled down, smashing their lips together. He pressed his body to the other, not caring how much water was transferred from Josh to his person. Josh responded quickly, moving his lips against Drake's, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him even closer, sharing body heat. Drake moved his hand up from the other's neck, tangling it in wet hair, happily.

Josh pulled away slowly, but Drake didn't want to loose any contact. He moved his lips quickly to the taller man's jaw, lapping up little drops of water that had collected there.



Josh moved his hands under the hem of Drake's shirt. His hands were cold, and Drake flinched at the initial contact, but he didn't pull away.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what's with the physical hello?" Josh asked, with a smile evident in his voice.

Drake barely moved away from the wet skin he was kissing. "I'm just happy you're home," he whispered, still conscientious of someone being awake. Still, whispering turned out to be a better idea just for the fact that it sent a shiver down Josh's spine. He smiled against the other's skin, smugly.

Josh was a smart kid. Drake didn't normally give physical contact as a hello, even when they were alone. He was prone to a 'hey,' and if he was feeling love-y a quick peck on the lips. But tonight he was practically clinging to Josh and getting his nice clothes wet. He pulled the smaller man away from him and asked, "Why? What happened?"

Lightening brightened the kitchen and thunder clapped quickly behind it, illuminating their faces briefly and drowning out the answer Drake wanted to give for a full twenty seconds.

"You invited two of my exes and my current soon-to-be-ex to the party tonight," Drake said with a sigh as the thunder died down and he finally took a step back. He crossed his arms, looking at Josh with a small pout on his face.

"Yeah, so?" Josh said, not understanding what a big deal this was.

He waved his arms in the air, saying, "They all gathered in this group and they giggled."

Josh nodded, slowly. "I can see how giggling would cause you apprehension," he said sarcastically.

Drake opened his mouth, but hesitated. Blinking in awe that he may have actually understood what one of Josh's big words were, he asked, "That's like stress, right?"

Josh let loose a proud grin. "Yes, Drake."

A cocky grin broke over his face momentarily before he returned to his venting. "Well," he said haughtily, "they wouldn't tell me why they were giggling like all night. Finally, I cornered them and told them to tell me."

Josh leaned against the counter, putting his hands in his pockets."Yeah? And what were they talking about that caused my Drake such pain?" he asked with a small, condescending smile playing his face.

"They were tabling about all the boyfriends they'd had and who the best kisser was."

Josh frowned suddenly feeling that he had a clue as to what had upset Drake. "What? Did they say you weren't a good kisser?"

Drake snorted. "No! They all agreed I was the best."



He rolled his eyes. Of course. "I don't see the problem then."

"They wanted me to tell them who my best kiss was," Drake said dejectedly, remembering the side-stepping and running-away he'd had to do. They had been adamant in getting an answer out of him and if it hadn't been for his mother suddenly telling Drake to go check the generator in the garage and then Helen's group activity, he didn't think they would have stopped.

A line of tension was suddenly visible in Josh's shoulders, and though he tried to play it cool, jealously was obvious when he said, "You sided with Carly, right?"

Drake shook his head vigorously, still upset at her over everything that she had pulled tonight, which judging by Josh's tense shoulders, would be best not to mention. "I avoided the question."

"You should have told them your girlfriend was your best kiss. Always side with the one you're dating," Josh said knowingly with bitter now blatant in his tone. He had probably gotten that bit of advice from Oprah, and felt he should both share with Drake and make him feel guilty about having a girlfriend again.

"Soon-to-be-ex," Drake corrected as if it would make it better. He shook his head when Josh's face was still tight. Moving over to the other man, he said, "And I couldn't tell them that."

"Why? Are you planning on going back with one of your already-exes?" Josh asked his pitch changing radically as the simple thought of Drake getting yet another girlfriend constricted his throat. He knew why Drake did it. Really, he did. Drake had to keep up appearances, and he wanted to get a good reputation in his music career before he just stopped dating girls. It was respectable, but Josh sometimes felt…used.

"No," Drake said petulantly, drawing designs on Josh's wet shirt. He didn't want to look up at Josh's eyes, knowing they would only make him feel even guiltier for putting him through this. "I just didn't want to lie, but…I couldn't tell them the truth either," he said quietly, honestly.

"It wasn't any of them?" Josh asked, looking down at Drake finally.

"Uh-uh."

"Who is it?" Josh asked, and Drake looked up at him incredulously. They started at each other momentarily, and when it was apparent that Drake wasn't going to say anything, Josh said, "Seriously Drake, tell me. I'm curious now."

Drake rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's you!" he whispered harshly, not believing that Josh hadn't gotten that. He shouldn't have been surprised. Though, Josh's weight loss had given him a lot of confidence, when it came to romance, he was still painfully unaware.

"Me?" he laughed depreciatingly. "Okay, seriously, I want the truth this time."



"That was the truth, Josh!" Drake said, smacking the taller man's shoulder. Josh look disbelieving as he normally did, but this time Drake was determined to make him see. "No matter how awkward, less-skilled, hurried, harsh, quick, unsure…"

"I get it, Drake, really!" he said loudly, uncaring of the people who were in the living room, until Drake shushed him harshly. He managed a small blush, visible even in the dark.

Drake sighed, "Regardless of all that, kissing you has always felt like…home. That's what makes being with you so great."

Josh smiled again, feeling his heart inflate happily. "You really know the way to a guy's heart," he said, pulling Drake against him again. The fabric of his wet shirt was cold so when pieces that hadn't been touching him collided with his warm skin, he shivered involuntarily. His skin was itchy in the way that only rainstorm water could make skin itch. He still had water in his shoes too. He paid that no mind though, as he moved to kiss Drake for the second time that night, gently nipping at the shorter man's bottom lip until he was granted access into Drake's warm mouth.

The petite man made a small noise of contentment as their tongues met and danced together in his mouth. He wrapped his arms around Josh's neck, moving with Josh as he turned them around for Drake to lean against the counter. Unfortunately Drake's foot hit the cabinet door, which echoed loudly in the quiet of the house.

They both cringed and pulled away from each other as a sudden snort came from the living room. Outside, the storm had died down into a mild rain with random flashes of light and quiet rumbles across the sky. Drake sighed when it was apparent that their noise hadn't woken anyone, resting his head gently against Josh's wet shirt.

The man with jet-black hair basked in the all too infrequent alone time. Wrapping his arms loosely around Drake's shoulder, he asked lightly, "Anything else exciting happen?"

Drake wanted to continue venting about the night; he wanted to tell Josh about Carly wanting him to go into the garage and have 'alone time.' However, remembering the way Josh had tensed at the 'Kissing' conversation, he thought it would be best to leave it alone, even if he had been virtuous. So instead he went with the safe route, telling Josh, "Mom is letting like fifteen kids stay at our house tonight. We've got four people sleeping in our room with us."

Josh groaned. "That's just fantastic." Drake agreed through a yawn that snuck up on him out of nowhere, and spread contagiously to Josh. With his mouth wide open, he said, "Come on. I'm tired."

The brunette laughed a little and said, "Yeah, me too."

They moved away from the counter slowly, heading out of the kitchen. Moving up the stairs, Drake told Josh to knock on their parents' door and inform them of his arrival, which he does while Drake continued to their room.



Drake entered the room, flipping on the light switch without caring who he woke. He was tired and he didn't want a broken nose just because he tripped over a body. He smirked when he saw three of the boys in Josh's huge bed, and one on the couch, leaving his small bed open for him and Josh to snuggle into. He hopped up his ladder and turned on the lamp before moving across the room to turn out the light, just as Josh walked into their room.

Josh immediately took notice that once again his bed was being occupied by someone who wasn't him and sighed, looking at the three people crammed on top of his bed. "Why is it always my bed?" he asked as he moved over to his dresser.

Drake shrugged, already halfway done with getting into dry pajamas. "Your bed is bigger," he said trying to think of the most likely logical reason everyone always went for Josh's bed. He turned around, and in the dim light of his lamp, watched as Josh stripped his wet clothing off of his body, which Drake had to admit, was very delicious.

"How come no one's in your bed?" Josh asked accusingly as he yanked his boxers up. He went to pull his pajama bottoms on, but looking over at Drake he decided against it. Drake may be relatively small, but he gave off an ungodly amount of body heat.

Drake rolled his eyes at Josh's whining and said, "Just shut up and get up here!"

"It's annoying," Josh said as he moved over to the ladder, with a sad look on his face.

"What?" Drake asked teasingly. "Having to share a bed with me?"

"No!" he said vehemently as Drake scooted towards the wall, letting Josh in beside him. He was once again thankful that his bed was so small because Josh practically had to mold his body around him. Josh huffed as he lay down facing Drake and continued, "That they always go for my bed."

Drake kissed him gently, then said with a small smile on his face, "At least, we have an excuse for cuddling in the morning."

A/N:…This was supposed to be a quick exchange of dialogue, one kiss, and then some happy cuddling. Drake and Josh…they had other plans, and I bend pathetically to the will of cute boys with killer smiles…just ask my boyfriend.

This takes place after The Storm, because there was a lack of Josh, and the scene where Drake leaves the living room to have private conversation time with Josh was just cute in a sense that I can't explain. It's like they can't have people listen to them when they talk and say I love you and all that. I don't know. I'm just rambling, 'cause I'm tired.

I hope you liked this.

InnocentGuilt