It All Comes Apart

Chapter 6 - One Hundred Years Away From You

Posted 11 January 2011

A/N: yeah so i was thinking about abandoning this fic because my other Drake & Josh story is getting more reads so i kind of think of this one as being the song on the B-side of a record, you know? but then i realized that this story is almost over, (i'm thinking one more chapter, like an epilogue) so i'll keep it going anyway. so, that being said, please enjoy this chapter of my story :D

o0O0o

When Drake's eyes snapped open he immediately looked at the clock. It was just after midnight. The house was quiet. Josh would never hear him sneak out.

He stood, letting the blanket that had been placed upon him fall to the floor. He walked to the door and put his hand on the knob, only to have his hand touch something crinkly.

It was a sticky note. Written in Josh's handwriting was, "You're going to leave again, aren't you?"

Josh certainly knew him well.

But he continued through the door. On the steps, he held onto the railing, fingers brushing against another note. "Please don't go." was what it said this time.

He was leaving. He got to the front door and found yet another note stuck to it. "You're not even going to say goodbye?"

And that made Drake pause for a moment. These notes seemed extremely similar to the ones he'd left Josh after he ran away. And he thought of Josh's face when he'd said how much he'd missed him. And he just could not open that door. He squeezed his fist, crumpling the notes.

He spun around and raced up the steps as fast as his almost emaciated body could carry him. Opening the door, he flung himself into the room and shook Josh awake.

"Drake, what are you doing?" Josh asked, sitting up.

Drake just looked at him questioningly and then held out his hand, letting the crumpled notes fall into his lap.

"So you decided to stay?" Josh's voice was hopeful, but sad.

Drake shook his head slowly, as if he wasn't quite sure about his answer. Then the looked through the notes, uncrumpling them, and held up the one that said "You're not even going to say goodbye"

"Oh." Josh said, sadder. "You just want to say goodbye."

Drake nodded. He had to go. Didn't he?

"Drake, before you go, there's something I have to tell you." Josh said, grabbing his pad of sticky notes and a sharpie pen. He scribbled something on it, waved it in Drake's face, and then stuck his hand up his own shirt, sticking the note to his chest.

Drake just gave him a questioning look.

"You have to find the note." Josh said, like it was hidden in an undiscoverable place.

"Josh..."

"Just do it, Drake."

Drake pursed his lips and reached out to lift the front of Josh's shirt up.

"No," Josh said, pulling it back down, "you have to take it all the way off." He tried to sound sexy. But ended up sounding silly. Which, to Drake, actually was sexy.

Pinching his eyes shut as if to shield himself from an impending explosion, he pulled up the sides of Josh's shirt, bringing it up over his head and arms. This exposed Josh's entire upper body. And the note.

Drake stepped a little closer, but couldn't quite read it without bringing his face within inches of Josh's skin. So he reached out and grabbed it, knuckled brushing against the warm body, making him shiver a little.

He read the note. And read it again, thinking he must have read it wrong. But it was exactly the same the second time as it was the first time. "Hey, bro, I'm in love with you." was scrawled in big, sloppy letters across the note.

Drake's eyes were wide. "Josh?" he didn't look down at the floor this time. Instead, he looked into Josh's eyes. A look that begged him to let this be true. Pleading for it not to be a dream or a sick joke.

"Drake." Josh said smugly. He needed Drake to say something

"Josh... please tell me you mean this." Drake held the note up, holding it tightly like it was case-winning evidence in a hostile court.

"I mean it." Josh said, smiling. "After you left, I realized... how much I need you. And that I've always needed you. And from there it just... I couldn't stop thinking about you. And I fell in love with you. And it was hard, Drake, because you were gone. But you're here and we love each other and..."

"But Josh... we're brothers! Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Of course it does. But we're like brothers, Drake. You know how best friends can feel like siblings, but then when they fall for each other that doesn't matter because they're meant to be together."

"You think that's us?" Drake asked, straining to keep the tears at bay.

"I know it is."

"Josh... I..." Drake's head was so cloudy. He loved Josh. He'd loved him for so long. And now Josh loved him back. It was all so perfect. But could it really work out between them?

"You can touch me. If you want to." Josh said, seeing the way Drake's eyes were drifting down his chest.

Drake blinked and inched his arm forward, letting his fingertips connect to Josh's smooth chest. He flattened his hand and let the warmth just run through his hand to the rest of his body. Before he knew it, his arms were wrapped as tightly around Josh's middle as they could possibly be, and Josh's hands were rubbing his back and his head.

Drake let his head rest snugly against Josh's bare skin. And Josh didn't flinch when he felt some of Drake's tears trickle down his torso, he just hugged him tighter.

"Josh... this feels so good. It feels like I've spent a hundred years away from you and... I just missed you so much, I..."

"Drake, shh," Josh rocked him. "Everything is ok now. You're back where you belong, and we have each other. And that's all that matters. I forgive you for everything as long as you promise never to leave me again."

"I promise." Drake said breathily.