This is rated T for slash. Don't like it? Turn back now.
I am so excited about this. After 10 Dasey stories, I decided to switch it up a bit and write for my second-favorite fandom, Drake/Josh. I've had this idea in my head for a long time, but I wanted to wait until I watched more episodes, because I don't have a handle on the characters the way (I think) I do with Derek and Casey. So any constructive criticism in that department would be great. I'll be back with more Dasey stories soon, but for now I hope you enjoy this fluffy D/J oneshot.
--Brandi
Disclaimer: If "Drake and Josh" was ever up for sale, I'm pretty sure Steph would get first dibs on it. I'd buy Megan, but I think Steph would need her, too, for fic purposes. So I'll just borrow the rights for awhile, and whoever owns the show can just chill while I make the characters do decidedly non-canon things.
out of the closet and into your arms
"If Frank sets me up with Hilary one more time I'm going to…well, I don't know what I'm going to do. But it's going to hurt," Drake fumed.
Josh shook his head. "Stop overreacting. You like Hilary; we both do."
"I'm overreacting? You were the one who spit Mocha Cola all over me when Frank insisted I should pretend to date her."
"I'm just saying, you could have it worse. Come on, in the last six months you've been out with Hilary, Vanessa, Ashley, and AJ. And you had a great time with all of them."
"Yeah, because you were with me, too."
"Aww." Josh ruffled his hair.
"Stop it." Drake smoothed it down and gave him a dirty look. But it didn't stick, as usual, and he buried himself in Josh's shirt. "One of these days the girls I take out are going to realize I don't actually like them. And then what? I'd rather just take you places."
Wrapping his arms around him and lightly placing his chin on Drake's head, Josh sighed. "The girls know they're just publicity dates. Frank makes sure it's just to keep up appearances."
Drake pushed his head up to look into Josh's eyes. "Maybe I don't want to keep up appearances, okay? Maybe I'm done pretending." He pulled a necklace out from under his shirt. "I'm sick of wearing my ring under my clothes."
"You don't mean that," Josh chided. He fingered his own necklace, which held an identical ring. They'd gotten engaged last year, but hadn't gotten around to making it official yet. They couldn't risk paparazzi showing up and wondering why there was a wedding going on without a bride.
He put a thumb under Drake's chin and lifted it up. "It's too soon. You need to make sure people will accept you and your music no matter what."
Drake put on his best begging face. "Joshie, you know I don't care about the fame. I just want to keep making music. The label isn't going to drop me if I announce I'm with you. And Frank's cool with it."
"Pulling out the big guns, huh? You know I melt when you call me Joshie."
Drake stepped back and took Josh's hands with an evil smirk. "Joshiiie," he purred, and Josh did a squirmy little dance.
Soon they were dancing spastically around their living room, goofing around and just enjoying each other's company. Josh had flicked on the radio and soon "Makes Me Happy" blared through the speakers.
…It always gave Josh a rush when he heard one of Drake's songs on the radio. He knew it excited Drake too. And this particular song was his favorite, given the memories attached. When Drake had admitted the song was about Josh, he had gone to pieces. Now every time he played it at a concert, Drake would dedicate it to "a special friend," and Josh would jump for joy inside. He usually ended up jumping for real, too, but since he was backstage in the wings, no one noticed.
A fan had come up to Drake at a signing once and asked if the song was about "that guy you're always with." Drake had politely insisted the guy was his stepbrother, and that the song wasn't about anyone in particular. The fan seemed to accept the answer, but that night Drake's publicist Frank had started setting Drake up on what he called "publicity dates." That way, the public wouldn't get suspicious about Drake's lack of a girlfriend, and so far it had been working. But it was wearing on both of them. Drake hated leading girls on like that, and Josh always got really jealous when he watched them walk down a red carpet on Drake's arm.
Frank said it was too early to come out. Drake and Josh both didn't like that phrase. They had never labeled themselves as gay, because they didn't feel the need. They loved each other; that was that. They hadn't wanted to hide their relationship at all, but they realized it was necessary for Drake's career. The world just looked at "gay" artists a little differently, that was all; they'd wait it out until he was around long enough so that it didn't matter. After all, Lance Bass came out years after NSYNC broke up, and no one cared. But who knows what would have happened had he done it during the height of their fame? That was a chance Drake and Josh couldn't take; Drake's music meant too much to them.
So they'd waited five years; five long years of Drake playing progressively bigger crowds, Josh graduating with a degree in Business from UCLA, and of inviting Mindy to visit and pose as Josh's girlfriend. They had remained friends after breaking up the second time, and she was all too happy to help them out, holding hands with Josh walking down the street and mugging for the photographers. She called them at least once a month with cries of "Look, Josh, I'm having your love child!" and "They got me at a really bad angle this week, remind me not to wear that top again!"
Because they really did become tabloid darlings. Maybe it was Drake's hotness, or the fact that they lived in LA and hit up the trendiest spots, but whatever it was, they were always in pictures. In the first few months they had been afraid that Megan would sell some of her most incriminating pictures to the rags, but even she wasn't that heartless. In fact, she'd been really great to them since they'd told the family. She was away at school this year, but they were better friends with her now than they'd ever dreamed possible. Walter and Audrey came to just about every one of Drake's shows, and they were usually happy to supply quotes to the media, but they did have to get a PO Box and change their phone number. They chalked it up to the price of fame.
The family's reaction had been encouraging, but Josh could see the headline now: "Drake Parker gay and in love with his brother!" That wouldn't be pretty. It wasn't really common knowledge that Josh was his stepbrother until they taped an episode of Cribs, and since they shared a bedroom, Drake had to point to a closet and say it was Josh's room. The camera guy had looked at him funny, so Josh made a big show of disappearing into the closet, pretending to go in for a nap.
It was a sad metaphor for their life, really, the idea of living in a closet…
When the song ended, they flopped onto the sofa, limbs entangled. Drake poked his head out from under Josh's elbow. "Jimmy Kimmel's probably on, wanna watch?"
Josh checked his watch, "Dude, it's over. It's two o'clock."
"Oh, well. We can just go to bed, then." He wiggled his eyebrows and Josh couldn't keep from laughing.
"We just got back from an excruciatingly long award show, and I'm ready to go to sleep," he emphasized. Drake pouted.
"And don't you dare call me Joshie again," Josh admonished when he saw that Drake was about to speak.
"Fine. Can I call you Nancy then?" Drake lifted a pillow from underneath his arm and tossed it at Josh's chest playfully.
"That's Miss Nancy to you, sir," Josh said with a straight face, but they both dissolved into giggles as Drake hit him with the pillow again.
XXX
The next morning, Drake woke to the sound of his cell phone chiming insistently. He stumbled to the chair where he had left his jacket from the night before, reached into the pocket for his phone, and flicked it open with a yawn.
"Hey, Frank."
"Morning, kiddo."
Drake blanched. He hated when Frank called him "kiddo." But the guy was smart, so he put up with him. "Uh, morning. What's up?"
"Word on the street is, ABC wants you for New Year's Rockin' Eve."
"What?"
"Yeah, they saw your concert in the Hills on Saturday and it sounds like they're already working on their lineup for the night. You'd be able to play two songs. Be a great way to promote the new record."
"Wow, yeah, thanks, Frank!"
"No sweat. Have Josh call Jerry at Spin City to work out the details. Later, kiddo!"
Drake hung up the phone, a little dazed.
He looked over at Josh, who was sleeping with one arm stretched across Drake's side of the bed, and the other draped over his eyes. Drake recognized that as his "I'm awake but I'm not ready to get up just yet" posture.
He crawled back into bed and held up Josh's limp arm; Josh groaned. Drake began kissing Josh's fingers one by one until Josh finally removed his other arm from his eyes and sat up.
"That was Frank?" Josh asked thickly, still trying to wake up. He rubbed his eyes. "He usually sleeps in too. What's going on?"
Drake couldn't speak just yet. He sat there grinning widely until Josh couldn't take it anymore. "Tell me!"
Drake's grin got even wider. "Five words for you," he began, and then thought better of it. "No, wait," he counted on his fingers. "That's six." He paused for dramatic effect, and Josh rolled his eyes. "Dick. Clark's. New. Year's. Rockin. Eve."
It took a second for it to sink it, but Josh soon let out a shriek and began bouncing up and down, making the whole bed shake.
Drake couldn't stop smiling. "Hug me, brotha!" he cried, and opened his arms. Josh dove into them with another shriek.
He pulled away and immediately began spazzing. "I have to call Jerry. What songs will you do? What will you wear? Can I come? We have to tell Mom and Dad!"
Drake continued to sit and smile while Josh raved, and when he finally finished, Drake patted his arm. "You done?" Josh nodded. "Good. Call Jerry."
He handed Josh his phone, and got out of bed, heading into the bathroom. "See if you can book me a show in New York that weekend, too!" Drake called over his shoulder as he left.
Josh just shook his head in amusement. Drake was such a workaholic. "Hey, Jerry? It's Josh. I hear they want Drake for New Year's Rockin Eve?"
XXX
"Great, thanks, Jerry. Yeah, don't tell him. It needs to be a surprise. Just make sure he knows we're booked for January second. Thanks." Drake hung up as Josh entered the room with his suitcase, ready to pack for New York.
"What's January second?" Josh asked, as he opened the bag and began picking out clothes to put in it.
"Oh…a gig," Drake said.
Josh gave him a strange look. "A gig?" he repeated, looking wary.
"Yeah. No big deal."
Josh remained unconvinced. "You're not going to try to get me an audition for Beauty and the Geek again, are you? Because that really wasn't funny the first time."
"Sure it was," Drake laughed. "They loved you. Heck, it's a good thing you wore your Oprah shirt that day, too. What a perfect coincidence!"
Josh was fuming. "It was not funny. And there is nothing geeky about Oprah," he huffed, as Drake just laughed harder.
XXX
They boarded their plane and sat side-by-side, Drake hiding his face by staring out the window. They had the money to fly first class, but they'd never had a problem in coach before, and Josh liked to keep things as simple as possible. (Though to be fair, they did splurge on brand new cars now and then; how could they not?)
Unfortunately, as a teenage girl passed by their seats, she recognized Josh.
"Ohmigosh!" she squeaked, holding up everyone behind her who was trying to board. "You're Josh Nichols, aren't you? Drake's manager?" She dug in her pocketbook for a pen, and thrust her boarding pass stub out to Josh. "Sign it?"
Ignoring the grumbling of the passengers behind her, the girl waved the stub impatiently at Josh's face until he grabbed the pen and signed it with a forced smile. The people behind her began to push, and it was then that she chose to look at the person next to Josh. "Omigosh! It's Drake Parker!" She was still screeching as the line of people pushed her completely out of view. Several people turned to look at Drake when she said that, and a few broke into smiles when they realized she was right. Drake inched down in his seat and gave Josh a look that clearly said, "Get me outta here!"
Throughout the flight, fans kept approaching Drake, and sometimes Josh, if they recognized him, for autographs. They tried to stay upbeat, but one look at Drake told Josh they were flying first class from now on.
One guy came up to them and spoke in a soft whisper. "Hey guys, listen. I have to know something. Are you two together?"
"Pfft!" Josh spluttered. "That's crazy talk!" he cast a glance at Drake, who nodded.
The guy begged to differ. "Come on, it's okay. I won't tell anyone. It's just, in pictures of you together you're always laughing. You just look like you're dating. And I know half your songs are about Josh, Drake."
"Dude," Drake hissed, looking warily at Josh, who was equally as disturbed. "You don't know that."
The guy shrugged. "It's kind of obvious. But I pick up on that stuff, I guess. I just came out to my family last year, and listening to your music has been my lifeline."
Drake's expression softened. "Look, we'd love to talk to you about this, okay? But we're not gay. I'm sorry."
The guy looked at him sadly. "I understand why you have to lie to me, but trust me, you're my role model. I just hope I can find my Josh one day." He smiled and headed back to his seat.
Josh looked around frantically. Luckily, no one else seemed to have heard, because the whole conversation had been conducted in whispers. He exchanged a smile of relief with Drake, but didn't relax for the whole rest of the flight.
XXX
"You know," Josh said as they settled into their hotel room in New York, "What that guy said today really got me thinking."
Drake felt relief wash over him. "About…"
"About how we're always hiding our true selves. I want to be able to kiss you the next time you win a Grammy, as you get up to accept it. I want to hold your hand when we're walking around LA. I feel like we're superheroes with secret identities."
"Like Batman and Robin! You're Robin, of course," Drake joked.
"I mean it, Drake."
"So, you think we're ready to stop hiding?" Drake was willing him to say yes with all his might.
"Well…I think it's a possibility. The media might go crazy for awhile, but so far everyone that knows has only said positive things. I mean, look at that guy today."
Drake broke into a grin. "Yess!" He pumped his fist into the air and leaned over to give Josh a peck on the cheek. Josh looked at him with surprise.
"I have it all worked out," Drake said.
"Huh?"
"Tomorrow night, we're going to tell the world we're together."
"Explain, please?"
"Well…" Drake began to outline his brilliant plan.
XXX
Ryan Seacrest put on his announcer voice. "Welcome back to New Year's Rockin Eve! The crowd is pumped, because next up, we have Drake Parker, whose new CD just dropped last month. How are you tonight, Drake?"
Drake waved to the camera. "Cold!" Ryan chuckled. "Seriously, Ryan, it's great to be here! I'm excited that people are really responding to the new album and I'm happy to be here tonight."
"Well we're glad to have you here. Have you ever been to New York for New Year's before?"
"No, this is my first time. I love the energy!" Drake waved to some fans who were chanting his name by the barrier.
"So do you have any resolutions for next year, Drake?"
"Yes, sir. I'm going to try to keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully things will fall into place for my world tour this summer."
"That's great! One more question, because I know you have to go on. Do you have anyone to kiss at midnight tonight?"
Drake winked at the camera. "Of course."
"All right, it was great talking to you, Drake, and I wish you luck this year."
"Thanks, Ryan!" Drake waved to the camera and jumped up onto the stage.
XXX
After performing two songs, Drake got off the stage and ran over to sign autographs and chat with the crowd.
He didn't see Josh again until about five minutes to midnight.
"You ready?" Drake asked.
Looking a little pale, Josh responded, "Uh, yeah."
Drake put a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Joshie."
"Shh!" Josh hissed, taken aback at the public use of his nickname.
Drake just smiled at him.
Dick Clark started the countdown. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4..."
Drake cupped Josh's face and stared into his eyes. "I love you, Josh."
"3…"
Josh wrapped his arms around Drake and replied, "I love you too, Drake."
"2…"
They pressed their foreheads together.
"Happy New Year!"
Their lips met as the crowd around them erupted into cheers. They continued their kiss, oblivious to the people around them, who were slowly beginning to realize what was happening, and cheer for a different reason.
Josh could hear clapping, but the sound of his and Drake's hearts thumping in rhythm all but drowned it out.
Television viewers across America gasped as ABC's montage of people kissing turned into Drake Parker…and a guy. Only the hardcore fans knew it was Josh, and most of them reveled in the fact that they had suspected it all along.
As they finally pulled apart, Drake saw the cameraman, whom he'd paid to film them, give him a thumb's up.
"This is it. Our lives are completely different now," Josh said, still hugging Drake.
"Yes they are. And I have a surprise for you." Drake grinned mischievously.
"Well, out with it!" Josh was beaming.
"Guess who is interviewing us about our big kiss?"
"Who?"
"What talk show host can you think of that would love to talk to us about our relationship?"
"Not…"
"Rhymes with Moprah."
Josh let out a whimper and stared directly into Drake's eyes.
"Are you serious? You're really serious? We're going on Oprah?" Josh planted a big kiss on Drake's forehead, and the crowd members who were still watching let out an "Aww."
"I think I'm going to faint," Josh cried breathlessly, and Drake laughed.
"I knew you'd be happy. I'm just glad you agreed to this whole thing. Then I would have had to cancel."
"Happy? Happy? This is beyond happiness. This is…"
"Nirvana?" Drake joked. "Smells like teen spirit."
"Smells like Josh is the luckiest guy on the planet!"
"Nah. I'm the luckiest guy on the planet, because I have you." Drake's face turned red as he said it.
"Ya old softie," Josh chuckled affectionately, tugging on Drake's earlobe. "We'd better get going; I want to check TMZ and Perez Hilton and see if anyone's blogged about us yet."
Drake laughed. "Let's go."
And they headed out of Times Square, holding hands for the world to see.