This idea hit me when I was re-watching the first few episodes of the spring term Waterloo Road Series 6, when I was ill one day. I noticed didn't seem to like Finn that much, but then a few episodes later they got along fine, this is just a little scene about how Nate's feelings get resolved and what was originally going to be a small drabble turned into a decent length oneshot.
Hope you enjoy. Happy Reading!
The bell rang loud and clear, breaking through the chatter of the noisy disruptive boys. "All right, off you go," Mr Mead called out, retrieving the exercise books that had been left for him to mark .
Nate Gurney filed out of the science classroom, and made his way to Mr Budgen's room as fast as he could. Once there he was relieved that the class hadn't been let out yet.
He didn't want to miss him. Josh. They had been going out for a little under a week so far and everything had been running smoothly for them. In fact, their relationship was going great. And by that he meant that they were still together, and his homophobic father hadn't found out about them yet.
Peering through the door, he saw that Josh was packing away, whilst talking to Finn. They were laughing and joking about, which was probably resulting in them being kept back, this was confirmed for him when Nate saw Finn and Josh get barked at by Budgen. They were silenced automatically, and only then were they allowed to leave.
"Hey you," Nate said, grabbing Josh's attention once he had left the classroom.
"Hey to you too," Josh said grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze, before he turned back to his conversation with Finn. A pang of jealousy went through Nate. This happened a lot. The jealousy thing.
He told himself it was stupid, why was he getting jealous over Finn Sharky of all people! They were only friends. Best friends. A little voice in his head kept reminding him. But when Finn was with them, Nate could help but feel pushed out by his boyfriend and his mate.
But Nate knew the pair were closer than close. Sharing everything, they were worse than girls at times, with the whole sharing thing, their friendship was still strong even though Josh was gay. Finn didn't mind that his best friend was gay. He didn't care about the whispers that could surround them, about how the pair could be secretly in a relationship or that Josh only hung out with him because he fancied him.
Nate hadn't had that. When he had come out at his last school, he wasn't bullied, but he noticed that he was avoided by his friends. They no longer asked to pair up with him in class. They no longer spent hours at his house. They no longer spent hours with him full stop. Not alone anyway. Nate had grown sick of it after a while, so started talking to the girls more. They didn't treat him differently. They knew that he wasn't there to try and get into their pants, so they were happy enough to talk to him.
When his Dad had told him that he was changing schools he had planned to do the same thing if the boys weren't going to befriend him because he was gay, after all he wasn't going to hide his sexuality. He was proud of who he was, and he wasn't going to hide it, if a few homophobes didn't like it, then Nate wasn't going to waste time with them.
But when he heard of the single sex scheme that Waterloo Road was taking part in, he felt more than worried. Then he had met Josh. He was messing around with Finn, and at first Nate felt anger, thinking that he was being bullied for his sexuality, of course it hadn't turned out that way, but it had still annoyed him.
He had found out he was in most lessons with Finn and Josh apart from the odd one and two. He was glad about the number of lessons he had with Josh, after all he had fancied him since pretty much day one, but he could barely get him alone. Finn was normally there, even if he was just in the background. And Nate couldn't help but be slightly annoyed at how close his boyfriend was to another guy.
Nate had been so lost in his thoughts that he had completely blanked out what Josh and Finn were talking about, and was only brought out of his daze when Josh elbowed him in the ribs.
Jumping, Nate turned to the pair of boys. "Hmmm?"
Finn and Josh shared an amused look, which didn't go unnoticed by Nate. "Finn's having a game of poker at his tonight, Ronan and Jonah are coming over as well, I should be able to go, what about you?" Josh asked, squeezing his hand ever so slightly.
"Sorry pokers not my thing," Nate said coolly.
"That's cool mate," Finn said before clapping him on the back. Nate tried his hardest not to wince, he wasn't 100% sure he had succeeded, especially if the looks Josh was giving him were anything to go by. "Well I've got to go boys, football practice starts in 20 minutes and I need to get something to eat from the canteen. Bye guys, don't do anything I wouldn't." With that Finn left, catching up with Ronan who was just entering the canteen.
"See ya,"
"Bye Finn," The brunette couldn't help but keep the bitterness out of his voice as he said it. Turning away, the only openly gay couple of Waterloo Road started wandering the crowded halls hand in hand. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Nate got the feeling that Josh was actually taking him somewhere specific and they weren't just meandering aimlessly.
Two silent minutes later and Josh all but dragged him into the deserted changing rooms. "Ok what's your problem with Finn?"
"I don't know what you mean," Nate finally spat out.
"Oh come on, I'm not stupid Nate. I know you don't like him. And I'm not asking you to become best buddies, but he's my best mate, and I want to know that you can at least talk to him nicely, without you trying to kill him. Or bring him down with your sarky comments."
Nate could feel his cheeks reddening. Was he that obvious. Had Finn noticed that he was less than fond of him.
As if he could read his thoughts Josh said softly. "I don't think he's noticed that much, but he has said some things about you being quite distant. I think he reckons you're like that normally, but it won't take him long to cotton on. He's not thick you know."
At this Nate couldn't help but roll his eyes. Unfortunately for him, his boyfriend was pretty observant. "This is what I'm talking about! What is it that you don't like about him. Because there has to be something that annoys you, otherwise you wouldn't be acting this way."
Again the brown haired boy stayed quiet, he couldn't tell Josh that the only reason he didn't like Finn was because he was jealous. Instead he choose to look at his shoes, which he now realised were very interesting.
Even if he wasn't looking at him, he could tell Josh was getting more and more annoyed. "Is it his personality? Is it his bad jokes? Is it because he's loud? Do you not like how he has to be centre of attention, all the time? Do you not like how we're always hanging out?" Josh was saying anything and everything. Clutching at straws, any reason that popped into his head, he said.
But when he said the last one, Nate's breath hitched and he looked up. Only for a second though, but Josh had noticed.
"You don't like how him and me are always spending time together?" He asked again, more slowly this time. Again Nate didn't say anything. But he did stiffen slightly. And again Josh noticed.
"Nate look at me." Josh said softly, walking over to him slowly. Nate looked at him, the sun that was filtering through the small windows, was bouncing off Josh's curls, he was biting his bottom lip a little and his dark orbs were filled with worry. "Are you jealous?"
Nate looked away briefly. It was a sufficient answer for Josh however. "But why?"
Nate didn't know what to say. He didn't want to tell Josh about his insecurities, that Josh would one day realise that Nate wasn't good enough and that Finn would be a much better boyfriend.
"It's just that you two are the closest I ever seen two guys," Nate started, looking away from Josh. "Even though you're gay, Finn doesn't care. At my old school, my old friends did. Refused to even hang out with me alone, in case I tried anything on them. I guess I'm just nervous that you're gonna find a better offer than me,"
"And you reckon that offer is going to be Finn?" Josh asked, doing his best to conceal his smile.
"Look I know it's stupid, it's just I-"
"No it's not that stupid." Josh interrupted him. At this Nate's heart dropped. Did Josh have a crush on Finn? Or another guy in school? Was he only going out with Nate to lift his own self confidence? Josh's voice broke through his panicked thoughts.
"At the beginning of this year, before you'd came here and before I had come out, I had liked Finn a lot. Actually at that point I didn't even know I was gay. I knew I liked Finn more than a friend should, and that scared me, but I didn't think I was gay. I thought it was just Finn. So then I started going out with Lauren-"
"You went out with Lauren Andrews?" Nate said disbelievingly. He couldn't imagine that. To him it was the strangest thing he had been told all day, and that was compared to learning that his boyfriend had at some point in the past fancied his best mate.
"Hey," Josh said looking hurt. "She's not that out of my league." Chuckling Nate brushed his lips against Josh's knuckles.
"It's not that, it's just she's a girl. I can't quite imagine it."
"I've not always known I'm gay you know. Anyway I started going out with Lauren. God knows why I did it, all I did was ignore her. I spent most of my time with Finn anyway. Anyway one day she told me that her parents were going out of town and she suggested that I spend the night at her house. I really don't know why I agreed to that. I guess I just wanted to do anything to prove- even if it was just to myself- that I was straight.
"On that day we were playing football and Connor revealed he was gay, it annoyed me that he could be so out and proud, especially when I couldn't even admit I was gay to myself. What annoyed me even more was how accepting everyone was, especially-"
"Finn?" Nate guessed.
"Yeah," Josh said sheepishly. "But it gets worse. I missed the goal when I was shooting, and then blamed Connor for messing up the pass. I then called him... God I don't how the hell he forgave me," Josh looked away, his face full of guilt.
"What did you call him?" He asked. It couldn't be that bad... could it?
"I called him a puff," he whispered, refusing to meet Nate's gaze. Nate could tell Josh felt terribly about it, the way he had reluctantly said puff just now proved that. Catching Josh's hand, Nate managed to grab his boyfriend's attention away from the ceiling.
"Hey, it's all right. You were confused. You lashed out. Everyone knows you didn't mean it." He continued to whisper sweet reassuring words into Josh's ears until he had calmed down.
"Thanks," Josh said. "Anyway after the games lesson, I saw Lauren in the corridor. I really didn't want to talk to her, I knew she would insist on holding my hand and kissing me," At this Josh even gave a light shudder, as even the thought of kissing Lauren repulsed him.
"Well I won't be kissing you again any time soon, or showing you any signs of affection, if that's going to be how you react." Nate teased.
"Oh shut up. You know what I mean, she's a girl."
"And it still surprises me that you're currently failing biology." Nate dead panned.
"Oh yeah, coz boobs so turn you on." Josh said sticking his tongue out childishly.
"At least I don't shudder when I think about it,"
"Ok then. Imagine you're making out with... Amy Porter. Your hands are getting caught in her long hair, her flowery perfume is far too strong. Her lips are sticky with the lip gloss she uses. Now imagine you're taking off her clothes. Her boobs are concealed by the bra, but she's insisting you take it off, and when its finally unstrapped you-"
"Lalalala I'm not listening." Nate said putting his fingers in his ears, so he didn't have to listen to the torture. He can feel Josh shaking with laughter beside him.
"Oh you're so mature Nate." He says, finally getting under control. "So after deciding that I don't actually want to talk to Lauren, I head back into the changing rooms. Only thing is, Finn is with and demanding why I'm acting the way I am. He keeps bugging me, and telling me to grow a pair and just have sex with Lauren, and we're standing really close to each other and I'm trying to tell him I'm gay but he's not listening so I..." Josh mumbled the rest under his breath.
"What was that?"
"I kissed him." Josh says in a small voice. Nate's eyebrows raise up. Well he wasn't suspecting this exactly.
"What happened next?"
"What do you think? He freaked and legged it. Next thing I know we're in the cooler for fighting and he tells my Dad. When Finn left I just told Dad that he was jealous because he liked Lauren as well, or some shit like that. He believed me. Then suddenly the whole school knows. Finn had told Ronan, who had then texted everyone on his phone and it just got round.
In English people started saying stuff, so I legged it out. Not really the best thing to do if you're trying to convince everyone you're straight. Lauren hadn't got a clue what was going on, bless her. So at lunch I tried to let everyone know that I was straight, in the only way I could think of."
"Do I really want to know," Nate groaned. "Because if I'm being honest, it's not sounding good. I know it works out fine, you and Finn are best mates and I know Lauren loves hanging out with you. It just sounds like it's going to be an absolute train wreck."
"Well if you making out with a girl, when you know you are as straight as a roundabout is a train wreck, then yeah it was."
"Oh no," Nate moans. "Please tell me you didn't."
Josh nodded. "You haven't heard the worst of it. We were making out in the supply closet." At this Nate lets out a small laugh.
"That's quite ironic."
"Just a tad. But then I tell Lauren I can't make out with her, because it's doing nothing for me, except freaking me out, she storms out and then pushes me to the floor repeatedly." At Nate's questioning glance, Josh keeps talking. "Self defence classes. Dad practically forced me to join by pulling the guilt card. But it's how me and Finn made up.
"But Nate, I don't like Finn in that way any more, I don't think I ever did, he was just the guy I was closest too, and I could trust the most at the time. But the feelings I had for him, are nothing compared to how I feel about you. So if you are ever feeling insecure or jealous or anything then you can come to me. I promise I won't judge."
"I promise," Nate says. He can tell Josh about his dead brother and his homophobic father later on however. Now is not the time to ruin such a beautiful moment.
They lean in for a kiss, and just as their lips touch, they hear a camera click and some laughter. Turning to the entrance of the changing rooms, they see Finn, Ronan and a few other members of the football team peering into the changing room.
Finn is holding a small digital camera and looking at the picture he had taken of the couple. "This is so going on facebook mate." he says laughing, running before Josh can tackle him to the ground and prise the camera away. Nate is laughing at his boyfriend's antics and isn't finding himself annoyed by Finn's presence in the slightest.
R&R please.
So who else was annoyed that Nate and Josh still haven't kissed even though the series has now ended. I know I was. Let's just hope they will next series ^^
Hope you enjoyed it.
Lollzie xox