It All Comes Apart

Chapter 7 - To Sleep In Your Bed

Posted 13 January 2011

A/N: this is the second to last chapter. i did just want to write an epilogue, but I needed more than what happened in ch 6 to set it up. so this isn't the end, but next chapter will be.

o0O0o

Josh stood with Drake in his arms, so glad to have him back.

"Drake... this does mean you're staying, right?" Josh asked, just so he wasn't getting his hopes up for nothing. He knew Drake already promised not to leave, but he'd also done that that night before he tried to sneak out again.

Drake lifted his head from Josh's chest. "Of course it does. As long as you want me to." his face looked a little sad.

"Oh I want you to. I definitely want you to." Josh said, squeezing him tighter.

"Good." Drake said with an almost inaudible laugh. "Because I don't think I have the strength to leave you again."

"I wish you'd never had it in the first place."

"I'm sorry." Drake said softly. "But think about it. Maybe we kind of needed this. I mean, if leaving helped you realize you're in love with me, I'm not really sorry. I think it would have taken a lot longer if I would have stayed here. And it hurt so bad, Josh, to think you were never going to love me the way I love you. And then when you told me you were done with me... well, what was I supposed to do? Sit around and have you so close yet so out of reach? I don't think so. I told you, I'm selfish."

"You're only human." Josh said, deciding he was more at fault for this than Drake.

"No I'm not. I'm Drake."

"Now there's the Drake I love." Josh said, experimentally kissing Drake's forehead.

Drake closed his eyes as he felt Josh's lips against his skin, his bangs partially in the way. "Come on, you can do better than that." he said when Josh pulled away.

"I wasn't sure if you..."

"Josh, I've been imagining kissing your lips since that time I kissed your cheek in the closet at the Academic Bowl." Drake said, moving one hand up to touch Josh's face.

"That long?" Josh said, unable to fathom Drake being in love with him that long ago.

"That was when I admitted it to myself." Drake said easily. This was no time to be shy. "I think I started to feel it when I tried to teach you a song on the guitar for that girl, Kathy. I was so jealous of her. I almost couldn't understand why you had a crush on her, and then I was mad when you wanted my help. But I couldn't figure out why I was jealous of her or angry at her. But then I kept thinking about you, you know? How completely adorable you were. And as we grew older, I never grew out of that. It just... sort of morphed into love and... well, here we are."

"I can't believe you felt that way all the way back then." Josh said, feeling stupid for never noticing.

"Will you just please kiss me?" Drake said, trying to sound impatient.

"Absolutely." Josh said, finally bringing his head down to kiss Drake.

It was slow and cautious at first. Having spent so much time apart, neither wanted to be pushy. But such was also the cause for the sudden urgency both felt as they began to move their lips faster and taste each other.

Drake let his hands feel out Josh's back, digging his nails into Josh's shoulders as if he were holding on for dear life. Josh courageously stuck one hand up Drake's shirt and slid the other one down to give Drake's bum a little squeeze.

Drake moaned into the kiss, digging his nails deeper into Josh's skin.

When the kiss finally slowed and ended, they stared at each other, smiling dumbly.

"So, was that worth waiting for?" Josh asked with a confident smirk.

"You have no idea." Drake said, running a hand through Josh's hair.

"Oh, I think I do, actually." Josh said, giving Drake another kiss. "But I think you should get some more sleep. It's been a rough day for you."

"It sure has." Drake said with a confused smile. "Um... just to be clear... that was an invitation to sleep in your bed, wasn't it?"

"It sure was." Josh said as he flopped back onto the bed, yanking Drake down with him.

They shuffled around until the covers were over them both and they could feel each others' bodies beside them. They snuggled close together and held each other, sharing a few more light kisses.

"Josh... I was going to say you don't know how happy I am right now, but... I kinda think you do." Drake said after a long yawn.

"I do know. I'm happy, too."