Getting naked and into the bed, they made love urgently, although somewhat clumsily due to their inexperience in gay sex. Joey cleaned up after them with a towel before coming back and laying beside him again. He glanced at the fresh bruises he had left on Chandler's body. "I didn't hurt you bad, did I? It's just, I never did it with a guy before."
"Me neither." Chandler just smiled at him and didn't seem to mind at all.
Joey ran a hand down Chandler's chest. "I'll bet if I had gone to an all boys' high school like you did, I would've had a lot more practice by now."
Chandler laughed. "It wasn't exactly a Victorian-era boarding school in England, but yeah, there were a lot of horny teenage boys, and some clearly open to experimentation."
"But you weren't one of those?"
"Nope." He shrugged. "I guess I was a late bloomer or something."
Joey smiled and looked at Chandler's face closely. "Were you cute in high school?"
He scoffed. "You wouldn't have even looked twice at me. You'd be one of the cool kids, making us geeks feel inferior."
"Ah, come on. You weren't a geek--not like Ross was, and is."
"Well I guess I was more of a chain-smoking misfit, telling sarcastic jokes to deflect attention from my freakish family life."
Joey happily imagined a young Chandler. "Maybe I'd have bummed a cigarette off you one day, you'd make a joke, and we'd get to talking."
"You don't smoke! More likely you'd hear from the boys in my gym class about my third nipple and come to gawk at it."
Joey chuckled and lightly teased Chandler's nubbin. "Or maybe, you know, I'd save you from some bullies."
He looked intrigued and smiled. "You'd save me, like always."
Joey nodded, meeting his eyes. "And we'd start hanging out like buddies, until one day we'd both want more, like now." He kissed Chandler again and pulled him closer.
***
That evening, Joey and Chandler were resting in bed when Ross called, reminding them that everybody was meeting at the 1950s theme diner, Monica's new place of employment.
"What are you guys still doing at home? Everybody else is here."
"Oh, um, we're so sorry!" Chandler sat up. "We, uh, we lost the address."
"Well, get a piece a paper and I'll give it to you again."
"Okay, okay, just a second." He covered the phone and told Joey they were late for the diner. "Do you still have the address?"
"Oh yeah, I'll get it." He got out of bed.
Chandler talked to Ross again. "It's okay. Joey just found it. We'll be right there. Sorry."
"Good. We'll be waiting. Oh, and bring a lot of quarters for the jukebox!"
As they hurried to dress and catch up with the others, Joey asked, "Hey, should we mention... you know, us, to everybody?"
Chandler shrugged. "I don't know. Should we blurt out stuff like that in a diner full of strangers who can overhear? If we're gonna do that, we should be in Central Perk at least! Hey, you got any quarters for laundry?"
"We don't have time to do laundry now!"
"No! Apparently there's a jukebox that Ross is all excited about."
"Oh, well make sure he pays us back. Well, you, I mean."
Chandler gave him a kiss and smiled. "Quarters?"
"I'll get 'em."
By the time they arrived at the diner, everyone was having so much fun teasing Monica about her new job, with the costumes and the required dancing to the YMCA, that Joey and Chandler just never mentioned what they'd been doing that day.
"Me neither." Chandler just smiled at him and didn't seem to mind at all.
Joey ran a hand down Chandler's chest. "I'll bet if I had gone to an all boys' high school like you did, I would've had a lot more practice by now."
Chandler laughed. "It wasn't exactly a Victorian-era boarding school in England, but yeah, there were a lot of horny teenage boys, and some clearly open to experimentation."
"But you weren't one of those?"
"Nope." He shrugged. "I guess I was a late bloomer or something."
Joey smiled and looked at Chandler's face closely. "Were you cute in high school?"
He scoffed. "You wouldn't have even looked twice at me. You'd be one of the cool kids, making us geeks feel inferior."
"Ah, come on. You weren't a geek--not like Ross was, and is."
"Well I guess I was more of a chain-smoking misfit, telling sarcastic jokes to deflect attention from my freakish family life."
Joey happily imagined a young Chandler. "Maybe I'd have bummed a cigarette off you one day, you'd make a joke, and we'd get to talking."
"You don't smoke! More likely you'd hear from the boys in my gym class about my third nipple and come to gawk at it."
Joey chuckled and lightly teased Chandler's nubbin. "Or maybe, you know, I'd save you from some bullies."
He looked intrigued and smiled. "You'd save me, like always."
Joey nodded, meeting his eyes. "And we'd start hanging out like buddies, until one day we'd both want more, like now." He kissed Chandler again and pulled him closer.
***
That evening, Joey and Chandler were resting in bed when Ross called, reminding them that everybody was meeting at the 1950s theme diner, Monica's new place of employment.
"What are you guys still doing at home? Everybody else is here."
"Oh, um, we're so sorry!" Chandler sat up. "We, uh, we lost the address."
"Well, get a piece a paper and I'll give it to you again."
"Okay, okay, just a second." He covered the phone and told Joey they were late for the diner. "Do you still have the address?"
"Oh yeah, I'll get it." He got out of bed.
Chandler talked to Ross again. "It's okay. Joey just found it. We'll be right there. Sorry."
"Good. We'll be waiting. Oh, and bring a lot of quarters for the jukebox!"
As they hurried to dress and catch up with the others, Joey asked, "Hey, should we mention... you know, us, to everybody?"
Chandler shrugged. "I don't know. Should we blurt out stuff like that in a diner full of strangers who can overhear? If we're gonna do that, we should be in Central Perk at least! Hey, you got any quarters for laundry?"
"We don't have time to do laundry now!"
"No! Apparently there's a jukebox that Ross is all excited about."
"Oh, well make sure he pays us back. Well, you, I mean."
Chandler gave him a kiss and smiled. "Quarters?"
"I'll get 'em."
By the time they arrived at the diner, everyone was having so much fun teasing Monica about her new job, with the costumes and the required dancing to the YMCA, that Joey and Chandler just never mentioned what they'd been doing that day.