Author's Notes: I do not own Drake & Josh, I am making no profit whatsoever, no copyright infringement is intended, etc. This story will deal with adult themes (ie sexuality), so if you're uncomfortable with that please go read another story. All reviews/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and encouraged.

Summary: Drake and Mindy can't stand each other, but are forced to work together when Mrs. Hafer assigns them a project. Their newfound friendship turns into something more and it takes everything they have to keep it a secret from everybody, especially Josh.

(a few weeks after the storm)

Warm sunshine spread over the vast expanse of Belleview High's football field. Drake made his way across it during lunch hour, toward the patch of woods that bordered the boundaries of the school's perimeter. His dark blue shirt felt weighted and hot on his chest, but he stuck his hands in his pockets and soldiered on, occasionally glancing around to see if anybody spotted him. He seemed to be in the clear.

When Drake reached his destination (an old oak tree with carvings riddled on faded bark), he stopped and smiled.

"I was supposed to meet my girlfriend here, but Little Red Riding Hood took her place."

"If you're going to tease, I can pack up this nice picnic," Mindy replied, mock upset in her tone as she crossed her arms. "The red shirt was just a coincidence."

Drake plopped onto the blanket and stretched his legs out in front of him. He balanced on one hand and simultaneously kissed the side of Mindy's cheek as a better way of greeting her. "Hey, if you're Little Red Riding Hood, does that mean I'm the Big Bad Wolf?"

His breath was warm against the crook of her neck and she tried to hide the involuntary shudder that ran up her spine as he nuzzled his nose over the bottom of her earlobe. Mindy pulled away and looked into his smiling brown eyes before kissing the apple of his freckled cheek.

"That all depends."

"On what?"

"I don't know how many big, bad wolves like chocolate pudding."

"Awesome!" Drake exclaimed before his voice dropped to a serious tone. "You know, you can't even be a wolf unless you like pudding."

"Well aren't you in luck then," Mindy said, pulling the dessert out of her brown paper bag. She pressed their lips together for a quick kiss before he greedily stole the pudding cup out of her hand as she passed him a spoon.

"Mmm, good pudding," Drake mumbled when he took his first bite. Mindy pulled out her ham sandwich and the two of them ate in hungry silence for a few minutes as they soaked in their quiet surroundings.

"So, what are you up to tonight?" Mindy asked, halfway through her sandwich.

"Bad Movie Tuesday with Josh after school. It's his turn to pick the movie, so I don't know what we're seeing yet. You?"

"Science Club and then Cathy's supposed to come over so we can study for our math test. What about Thursday?"

"Um…band practice, and that takes a couple hours. Why, what's up?" Drake asked as he tried to grab her sandwich for a bite; all he got was a light slap on the wrist.

"Your sandwich is in the bag," Mindy told him and laughed at the way his eyes lit up before diving into the paper sack. She was quiet again and they could both hear the sounds of his chewing before she spoke up again. "I was just thinking…we could go on a date sometime."

Drake paused, mid-chew. "We do go on dates."

"Well…yeah," Mindy conceded. "But I meant an actual date where we go somewhere besides the back row of a movie at The Premiere. Somewhere where we can enter and leave together and we won't have to hide."

"An actual date," Drake repeated, swallowing the bite of sandwich in his mouth. He looked down at the blanket and thought it over before responding. "Are you just using pudding and ham sandwiches to get your way?"

"Is it working?"

"Are you free Saturday?"

He took her enthusiastic kiss to mean a big, fat yes.

--

Later that afternoon, the boys stumbled out of Theater 8 at The Premiere, laughing and giggling at the horrible movie they'd just endured.

"Could that dialogue have been any worse?" Josh asked rhetorically, wiping away at the tear that was starting to form in the corner of his eye.

"It's still not as bad as 'Bomb Shells'," Drake pointed out as they made their way toward the candy counter. "Not even supermodels could make that movie interesting."

"True that," Josh agreed. He was about to elaborate, but he felt his cell phone start to vibrate in his pocket. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

He stepped away from the counter to take the call from Eric, who was trying to confirm their plans to visit the planetarium this weekend. Eric started going on a tangent about how Craig wanted to go play laser tag instead, even though he knew the dust messed with Eric's asthma. That was when Josh knew that he had to cut the phone call short.

"I'm really sorry Eric, but I gotta get going…no, I don't think showing Craig your asthma prescription will help, but you do what you think is best…uh huh, yeah. Okay, bye Eric!" Josh slammed the tiny phone shut and walked his way back to Drake, who was now joined by an attractive blonde.

"…I would love to, but I don't think my girlfriend would like that," Drake was saying as Josh got closer. "Too bad, because I'm sure that we could've had something special."

Josh rolled his eyes when he heard that, but the girl seemed to buy it and she was gone by the time he reached his stepbrother's side.

"What was that all about?" Josh asked, gesturing toward the girl with his head.

"I don't know, some girl asking me out. No big deal," Drake assured him. "Hey, do you think you can get us some free soda?"

"You turned down a date? By saying you had a girlfriend?" Josh asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought you and Carly were broken up."

"You know how Carly is. One week she hates me and the next I'm like the best boyfriend ever."

"But you turned down a date," Josh emphasized. Clearly, Drake wasn't getting the point, but that was nothing he wasn't used to already. "When have you ever turned down a date, regardless of girlfriend status?"

"I turn down dates all the time. When you're not looking," Drake replied, uncomfortable as to where this was going. "C'mon, Helen's not working and you can snag some sodas for us. Unless you want me to drink from the soda nozzle again."

"Why do you have to be so unsanitary?" Josh grumbled, horrified at the thought of improper nozzle usage.

He walked over to the area behind the counter and Drake couldn't help but feel like he'd just narrowly gotten away with things. It was a feeling he was getting all too comfortable with these days.

--

The night was balmy as ever, sun sliding in to the horizon as twilight settled over the majority of San Diego. Josh stood on Lisa's porch, giving the door an easy knock as he waited. He heard quiet footsteps on the other side but his smile fell when he saw her on the other side.

"Lisa, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, using the back of her hand to wipe her red cheek. Her eyes were glassy and swollen and her smile looked fake as Josh came in to the house while she shut the door behind him.

"You look upset," Josh pressed on. He'd never seen her like this, unraveled and looking as though she was going to fall apart. He wanted to comfort her, lend an ear if he could; he'd always been good at that kind of thing.

"I'm fine, really," Lisa assured him, waving her hand as if to dismiss the topic. To prove her point, she stood on tiptoe to graze his lips with a light kiss. "I just bumped my foot into the table and it really hurt. Seriously, my pain threshold is like…non-existent. Do you want a Mountain Fizz or something?"

"Okay," he said, still wary. "Uh, yeah, sure. That'd be great."

He slid off his jacket and hung it in the coat closet as she made her way into the kitchen. He heard the sounds of her rummaging in the refrigerator as he pulled out a dvd from his coat pocket before he shut the closet door.

"So I brought over Blues Brothers," Josh mentioned as he walked into the kitchen. "I figured we could watch it after OR."

"Sure, sounds cool."

"It took me awhile to find it. Drake claimed he didn't know where it was, but I found it in the mini-fridge behind some chip dip."

"Why would it be…"

"I don't know," Josh replied dejectedly and he returned the smile that she gave him. Lisa handed him the cold, soda-filled glass and they both made their way to the living room, eager for another exciting installment of OR.

"How was your movie with Drake?" Lisa asked when they settled on the couch.

"Awful. It was great," Josh answered when she flicked the television on. They sat in silence, watching a few blaring commercials. The instrumental for the theme song blared from the speakers, signaling the beginning of OR. Josh, however, was more preoccupied with Lisa's hand, which was currently sliding over his thigh. "Lisa?"

"Josh, I want you to kiss me."

Something in her voice made him oblige willingly, but he only meant to make it a light thing; after all, OR was coming on and they were finally supposed to find out the results of Dr. Mary Deth's pregnancy test and just who Georgie O'Malley had bought that engagement ring for.

All of that flew out of his head because she started doing that thing with her tongue that made him moan a little louder than he intended. O'Malley who? Pregnancy test what? It didn't matter because Lisa was crawling into his lap and his brain was starting to short circuit when her fingers started playing with his belt buckle.

"Lisa…what…why…" Josh asked, his voice breathy and shallow against her lips before she started mouthing her way down the curve of his neck. They shared a look that quieted anything else that was threatening to come out of his mouth.

"I just…need you," Lisa whispered and Josh couldn't have said anything even if he wanted to. His mouth went dry before he nodded and he let her continue with what she needed to do.

--

(Saturday Night)

Drake's fingers skimmed over the last of his buttons on his wine colored oxford shirt before sliding his lanky arms into his black pinstripe blazer. He was taking a few moments to check himself out in the full-length mirror when he saw Megan saunter in the room out of the corner of his eye.

"Wow, looking pretty fancy. For a boob," she added quickly, a smirk playing at her lips. Drake ignored her as he ran his fingers through his hair one last time.

"Did Mom and Walter leave for their dinner yet?" He asked, turning to face his little sister.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's a lot easier to steal Walter's emergency credit card if he's not here," Drake explained, slipping his feet into his loafers.

"Why do you need that? Just take some of Josh's money."

"Because I'm going to Chez Amour. And…Josh took his wallet to the laser planetarium or wherever he said he was going."

"Whoa, Chez Amour? Who are you taking there?" Megan asked, taking it upon herself to sprawl out on the dilapidated, rose colored couch.

"None of your business," he snapped as he grabbed a tie hanging from the ladder to his loft bed. He looped it around into a reasonable looking knot, trying to avoid his little sister's inquisitive eyes.

Megan paused, trying to give him a once over. Thinking it over, she realized that something seemed off. "Are you taking Carly? I thought you guys broke up."

"We did," Drake replied absent-mindedly and then immediately realized his mistake. He tried to back pedal as quickly as he could, while throwing his car keys into his pocket. "I mean, sort of. Not really. Why are you here?"

"I came to bug Josh, but you're a good replacement," she answered cheekily, resting her head on her hand. She took notice of the fact that he looked twitchy and that intrigued her. Due to a certain weather broadcast, all of San Diego knew of Josh's nervous, twitchy habits (all thanks to her). But to see Drake like this…it was something Megan put away in the back of her mind to investigate later.

"Too bad, I'm leaving," Drake told her, making his way toward the door. He paused in the doorway, taking one last look at Megan. "Just…try not to do anything too evil."

"We both know I'm not going to make promises like that."

--

(Chez Amour)

"Are you okay?" Mindy asked, after they sat at their table. She laid her napkin across her dark blue skirt and tried to read him, wondered what was going through his mind. They had spent the car ride over listening to AC/DC being blasted over the speakers, quelling the little conversation they did have. It wasn't like Drake to shut her out and she was worried.

"What? Yeah. I'm fine," Drake answered simply, nodding to the waiter who had given them their menus. "Why, are you okay?"

"I'm okay too."

"Good."

"Good."

More silence and they used it to crack open their menus and peruse the items listed. She had been here a few times before with her parents, but it obviously wasn't the same as being here on a date and Mindy wanted to make the best out of the situation. She made her decision quickly and folded the menu close before setting it down on the cream tablecloth. She looked up to see Drake frowning at whatever he was reading.

"Having trouble with something? Just sound it out," Mindy teased as he looked up to make eye contact.

"They have snails. To eat," Drake pointed out, sounding slightly horrified.

"Well, it is a French restaurant. They're a delicacy in France."

"Have you ever eaten one?" he asked, looking back down at the menu.

"A few times, but they're not my favorite or anything. They kind of taste like balloons," Mindy said, the memory of the odd food filling her mouth. He fell quiet again and she found herself gazing around the restaurant, mind racing as she tried to think of things to talk about.

The waiter appeared then, breaking another awkward silence between the two. He quickly took their orders and seemed to scurry back to the kitchen to place the order.

"So…" Drake said once the waiter left. He placed his hands in his lap and began to twiddle his thumbs in a nervous habit.

"So," Mindy replied, unable to think of anything original to say. She felt utterly relieved when the sound of her phone could be heard. "Sorry, hang on a sec!" She quickly pulled her phone out of her tiny, beaded purse. "Hello?"

"Hello dear! How are you doing?"

"Fine mom, I'm doing fine."

"Good, good. What are you up to?"

"Just grabbing some dinner with Cathy," Mindy lied smoothly, keeping her eyes on Drake. He seemed to be totally involved in playing with his silverware. "Taking a little study break, that's all."

"What are you girls studying?"

At that particular moment, Drake's hand dropped hard on the fork so that it flew in an impressive arc behind him. She cringed as they both watched it collide with the waiter walking behind Drake's chair.

The waiter, blindsided by the fork, swerved and spilled cake all over the woman at the next table. She, in turn let out a sidesplitting shriek that seemed to cause the entire restaurant to pause.

"Mindy? Dear, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, mom. Uh, sorry, we're studying physics. I gotta go, Cathy is applying some of our studying on the waiters. I'll call you later."

Mindy hastily hung up the phone to see Drake heatedly involved in an argument with the befuddled and angry waiter. Before she could understand what anybody was saying, Drake's voice ran out loud and clear.

"Fine! I don't want your stupid snail balloons anyway!" Drake exclaimed before storming off toward the exit.

All Mindy could do was shrug apologetically before rushing off to catch up with him.

--

"Drake!" Mindy called out desperately, walking quickly out Chez Amour. He had a slight advantage on her and her heels weren't helping. "Drake! Come on, slow down please! We can talk about this!"

"Talk about what?" Drake spat out, turning to face her. He was standing in the middle of the parking lot and she tried her best to catch up quickly.

"Talk about what just happened," she replied, finally standing in front of him. Wind brushed over both of them then and it felt cold over her flushed skin.

"Which part? The weirdness before dinner or the part where you're lying to your mom again?"

"What does lying to my mother have to do with anything?"

"I don't know," Drake replied, angrily combing his fingers through his hair. "I'm just sick of it, you know?"

"No, I don't," Mindy said gently, recognizing the frustrated look in his eyes. She reached for his hand and was comforted when he didn't pull away. "Tell me."

"Before dinner, Megan was bothering me. I got the idea that she might start snooping."

"Megan'salways snooping. That's just how she is."

"And believe me, no one knows that better than me and Josh," Drake told her emphatically as they began to walk to his car. "You didn't see the look in her eyes."

"So, I'll just tell her to back off. She likes me."

"She thinks we hate each other. It won't do any good," Drake rationalized. "I'm just tired of all this lying."

"You?"

"Yeah. It's just getting harder," Drake replied, a slight whine in his voice. They reached the car and he slouched against the trunk. "Now that Megan thinks something's up, there's only a matter of time before it all blows up in our faces. And Josh has been having some problems with Lisa lately. It was all I could do to convince him to go out with Craig and Eric tonight."

"So what are you saying Drake?" Mindy asked anxiously, very aware of the fact that her stomach felt like it was going to drop out at any moment.

"I think we should tell Josh."

Mindy stood, blinking for a moment, before choosing to sit next to him on the fender. "Are you serious?"

Drake shrugged as he used his toe to make little piles of the gravel that was scattered all over the dark pavement. "We keep waiting and waiting Mindy. I don't think it's doing us any good. I mean, what are we afraid of?"

Mindy shrugged and watched his feet before looking up to give him a smile. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Okay, let's tell him. You're probably right."

"Can I get that in writing somewhere?" Drake joked, letting out a little laugh. She gave him another smile and he felt his expression soften. "What?"

"You always surprise me. Even when I hated you," Mindy told him, letting out a sigh. "Even then, you were always different than what I first thought."

"Yeah, well don't go spreading that around."

"Never."

--

Drake snuck in as quietly as he could through the bedroom window a few hours later. He was surprised to find the lights still on and when he stood upright, he was even more surprised to see Josh still awake, as he lay sprawled out on his bed.

"Josh? What's up man?"

"Lisa and I broke up."