This has just been lying around in My Documents for months and months now. I can't even remember when I finished it or why in the world I never posted it. It's typical. It's an alternate ending for 'Josh is Done.' I'm certain there are fifteen-thousand others like it. Get over it. That being said, enjoy!

Drake laid by himself on the ping pong table that took up almost half of he and Josh's room, staring off into space somewhere, his mind sore from too much thought and his head aching from an evening of too much crying. It was almost eight o'clock at night and Josh still hadn't come back home—or, at least, he hadn't come back to their shared bedroom. Drake had poured half of his heart out to Josh right in front of their entire chemistry class earlier that day and was still waiting for his stepbrother to return so he could continue where he left off; he still had so much more he wanted to say, even if none of it would make Josh forgive him and he couldn't reconcile their friendship. He sighed, his mind beginning to finally calm down. He rubbed at his now-dry eyes, feeling little more than sleepy, but he would jump out of the bedroom before he let himself sleep without showing the person he cared most for in the world how truly sorry he was.

When, any number of minutes later, Drake heard the knob turn slowly and the door open almost cautiously, he whipped up from his position on the table and his eyes flew to where Josh stood, his backpack still on his shoulder. He looked at Drake for a few seconds before he averted his glance nervously and shut the door behind himself, walking the short distance to his own bed where he dropped the backpack. The former watched him carefully.

"Josh…" he said softly, his voice gentle and cautious, trying to avoid with every fiber of his being Josh telling him that he didn't want to talk. Of course, even if he did say that, he'd still go on talking until Josh had the nerve to force him to be quiet.

Josh looked up to meet his stepbrother's eyes, his own conveying vulnerability and a hurt that Drake couldn't bear to see. He had to know the full story—why Drake needed him the way he did. He needed to know everything. It couldn't stay like this.

"Look… there's so much you don't know," Drake continued, his voice remaining the same, and he stood up and took a step toward where the other stood.

"Drake, you already apologized," Josh began, "and in front of our whole first period. It's more than I expected from you in the first place, so… it's okay. We're cool."

Drake felt his heart race and he changed his direction, instead heading for the couch, where he sat on the very edge of the cushion. It was so, so tempting to just leave it at that; Josh forgave him, which was already more than the egotistical brunet was hoping for. But he knew he couldn't just let this slide. He'd come this far, and he needed to see it through.

A wave of alarm washed over Drake when he felt the weight of someone else next to him on the couch suddenly, and he looked over to see Josh sitting next to him, also on the edge of his seat. On his face was conviction—he wasn't joking when he said they were cool; Drake could tell. It didn't matter, though.

"Have… have you been crying?" Josh asked, his voice suddenly becoming less sharp and more concerned.

Without a reply, Drake turned his head away, letting his gaze fall to his lap, feeling somewhat sheepish for having been caught. Drake was not a crier, under any circumstances. Then again, he thought, it might be to his benefit. Josh might believe what he was about to hear if there were tears to back it up.

"You don't have to cry, Drake," he continued, moving his hand to Drake's back where he rubbed gentle, comforting circles, an act of brotherly love if ever there was one.

Drake breathed slowly, trying to think of how to start. "I'm not crying," he pointed out, but still didn't look up.

"But you were," Josh said, and it definitely wasn't a question.

"I just… I couldn't handle it, Josh," Drake breathed.

"Couldn't handle what?" The often-denser of the two didn't sound as confused as he might've, though.

"Not having you in my life," the musician replied, looking back up and meeting Josh's eyes nervously. "It's worse than you being mad at me, or even hating me. Watching you having fun and knowing I couldn't have a part in it…"

"You looked like you handled it okay for a few days," Josh offered. "You were just bored… until today, I guess."

"That's not true," Drake admitted. "Yeah, I was bored, but I… I think need you in my life to be happy." He had never felt a more pressing urge to run away from a conversation than he felt at that moment, when Josh's hand stopped moving on his back and remained still and he ran out of scripted words.

"Drake…" Josh mumbled, sounding completely unsure of where this discussion was going.

"Josh, you're more than a brother to me," Drake stated, searching his stepbrother's eyes for something resembling understanding. "More than some kind of awesome best friend who sticks around even when I'm being the world's biggest dickhead—which I am most of the time."

Josh looked as if he were trying to grasp at thoughts for his own head, much less words for Drake. "I… I kind of…" he attempted, his typical nervous stutter taking over for him. "I kind of knew… this entire time… that something was sort of… missing."

Drake felt his heart flutter; as far as he knew, Josh's life was a hundred—no, a million—times better without Drake in it. To hear otherwise… "I need you, Josh," he said softly, his voice coming out weaker than he'd hoped it would. "I love you. Not as a brother." Drake made himself as clear as he could—now he could only wait.

"You… you're not gay," Josh murmured, his expression the definition of confusion.

Drake had no response for his stepbrother. He shook his head and gave a weak shrug; he hadn't wasted any time thinking of labels for himself.

"Are you really serious, Drake?" the puzzled boy asked, his voice nearly a whisper, and he leaned forward a little as if they were sharing secrets.

"I couldn't lie about something like this," Drake responded earnestly, and almost immediately after the last syllable had left his lips, a mouth was pressed softly against his.

The ball was in Drake's court, now; the rock star could hardly believe what was happening and had to make sure it wasn't just his imagination playing tricks on him. But once he knew that it was real, he was completely shocked. He'd have to ask Josh about this later, but he didn't have to deal with the talking right now, it would seem, and he wasn't going to. He felt Josh's lips move against his, timid and even shaking a little, and he took charge, first taking Josh's lower lip into his mouth and sucking gently then moving to the top. He heard Josh sigh out of his nose and Drake knew his stepbrother had probably never been kissed like that. He was almost positive that Mindy didn't know how to kiss that well. Drake, on the other hand, had tons of experience.

All of Drake's thoughts were soon lost, though, when Josh tangled his free hand in the hair on the back of Drake's head and pressed him closer, while the hand that was still on his back was pulling his body in. Drake's hands used his stepbrother's mid-thighs as an anchor to pull himself forward, slowly closing the eighteen inches between them that felt more like a mile. Drake kissed Josh deeper as Josh pulled Drake in even closer, and neither boy took any notice of the small click of the door sliding shut.

Megan stood out in the hallway for a moment, laughing softly to herself. She'd been full ready to burst into the room and make smartass comments about how the two of them should just kiss and make up already, but with surprised eyes, she'd seen that they were way ahead of her. She chuckled as she walked back to her bedroom quietly, shaking her head at the wonderful ridiculousness of the whole situation. Those two'd be doing her homework for months if they didn't want Mom and Dad to hear about this.

Review~! Let me know what you think.