Author's Notes: I do not own Drake & Josh, I'm making no profit from this, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story isn't so much a story as it is more ideas of D&J being boyfriends. They do not all go together, but rather are supposed to stand on their own as seperate ideas. This is a D&J slash story, so if you're uncomfortable with that please go read something else. All constructive criticism/reviews are highly appreciated and welcomed. If you're still here, enjoy!

Essence
or 20 Ideas of Drake/Josh

01. history.
Drake hated school, but he didn't mind fifth period US History; probably because Josh had given him the memory of making out on the open, tattered textbook. It was the one class he managed to stay awake in.

02. love.
He thought he loved her. Maybe. But after he slammed the door in Mindy's face, he only thought of Drake.

03. water.
The steam mixed with his frustration and Drake couldn't help the tears that escaped as he saw Josh when he made his way across the cold classroom.

04. tie.
They were stranded on their way to Aunt Catherine's wedding and it was in the dead of night. But under the pale moonlight, Josh could still see the mischievous glint in his step-brother's eye; Drake grabbed for his tie and whispered, "Come here…"

05. chicken wings.
It had been Drake's not so brilliant idea for him to participate in the chicken wing eating contest in the first place. And now Josh was cold from the lake and stretched out on the couch, moaning and groaning over the pain in his stomach. Drake passed him bottles of Tums and licked the barbecue sauce off his fingers as he sat with the bucket in his lap while they watched Celebrities Underwater.

06. ladder.
They didn't even make it to the bed.

07. prank.
There were bubbles everywhere; on their beds, on the couch, on Josh's laptop, all over the floor. The two of them looked at each other and narrowed their eyes.

"Megan."

08. music.
The Premiere was packed with people dancing to the sound coming from the band on stage. But Drake was only playing for one person and he was standing in the front row, smiling and singing along like the number one fan he could officially claim to be.

09. brochure.
Pamphlets were scattered everywhere and they pointed in all sorts of directions; east coast, west coast, mid-west. Josh was excited at the prospect of these new colleges and Drake was happy for him too, sort of. But the closer graduation approached, the more desperate their kisses became.

10. uniform.
Josh might complain about Drake's belts too much for his liking, but Drake had a love/hate relationship with Josh's work clothes. Button after button, it only took that much longer to get to what he wanted. And Drake always got what he wanted.

11. dream.
He is floating high, higher than ever with something he should never have. But the funny thing is, his dream world is so much more grounded in reality than his time spent with her.

12. gravity.
Gravity pulls them both down as they twist into each other like pretzels. Drake bites and Josh slaps back, but their anger is a façade as they keep going down, down, down.

13. her.
He wants Josh to be happy, because they can't continue on with this secret. They do anyway, but he still tells himself that Josh's happiness is important too. Even if she did almost get him expelled.

14. very berry.
Josh can taste slick gloss all over Drake's lips; it's sweet and sparkly but disappears just as fast as the girl had.

15. blemish.
There had to be millions of them; starting at the end of his nose, over his cheeks, down his neck, and spread out over his arms and legs. Drake was used to them, but Josh couldn't get enough of the tiny brown freckles; he wished for an eternity to count each and every last one.

16. transportation.
Drake refused to be seen driving behind the wheel and Josh wanted to avoid the car at all costs; it was small and cramped and there were flowers on it, of all things. But as they lay in the back – panting, sweating, and closer than ever – well, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

17. caught.
They've never given Megan enough credit. And she knows they underestimate her, but it's probably better that way. Still, there's something they're hiding from her despite all her spying and alertness. Megan can't quite figure it out, but one day she'll surprise them.

18. soul.
Josh came through for him, always. As they stood on stage in matching suits, Drake sang louder, smiled brighter at the boy who was so much more than his best friend; they were brothers.

19. blood.
It pumps through him fast and unexpected and makes him feel more alive than anything else. This isn't like the adrenaline rush he gets before running out on stage, even though that feeling is pretty good. With a rare smirk, Josh glances at him in secret over Helen's head and his insides melt a little. He can't help but wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

20. nothing.
Josh came back to play ping pong with a silly Samurai voice and it was like nothing had even happened. But the boys exchanged smiles and they both knew everything had changed.

FIN.