Disclaimer: Drake and Josh - so wonderful, but not mine. No infringement intended!
Author: therubyone
Rated: T - for adult situations (love triangle, het, slash, gay marriage)
TRIANGLE
Chapter 2. – Ties that Bind (and Gag!)
(Josh POV)
Josh escorted Drake on his left arm and Mindy on his right arm, his darling prizes, the two of them dressed to kill, sullen but compliant, and on their best behavior. Josh felt like he had two snarling tigers by the tail, and either one could turn and destroy him at any moment. He knew it couldn't last. Mindy would find someone smarter, richer, someone she could boss around, and someone who'd be good enough to meet her parents' standards.
With Drake it was a question of numbers and therefore a matter of time. Josh would never deny Drake his penchant for the girls; it was Drake's natural gift and his right as a fledgling rock star. Drake was Josh's personal American idol. Josh had never seen a man with finer, silkier hair, or more freckles. Drake openly boasted of his positive rating on metalsludge. One day Drake would meet a girl whom he didn't want to forget. Then Josh would be alone. Why would the great Drake Parker ever settle for a life-long commitment to his boyhood sidekick, as long as he had a hot, heaving mass of fresh, nubile teens competing for his affections?
Josh's appearance had changed drastically throughout four years of high school and well beyond. He no longer had to stick olives up his nose or do magic tricks to get attention. Josh had acquired poise, panache and a magnificent, hardy physique that kept him going to the gym five times a week. It never ceased to amaze Josh the way people responded to him, based solely on his looks. It saddened him that everyone was so superficial. Girls and guys often flirted with him, but Josh politely ignored them. He had the best of the best, why should he settle for less?
Josh had promised himself that whether it was Drake or Mindy that stayed with him the longest, to the winner he would surrender completely. Then and only then he'd open himself and share his thoughts and feelings, and if he was rejected, he would accept it as inevitable. Who wanted to stay with a hollow man, riddled with a host of foolish insecurities and longings? But until the final act played out, to remain sane, Josh had to maintain his control. After several years of this madness, it was taking its toll on him.
Drake and Mindy had hated each other since the car-in-the-classroom incident way back when, and because of the triangle, their warfare continued to escalate. It was held in check by Josh's ability to successfully play them off each other. When Josh slept by himself, his nights were troubled; instead of sleeping, he stared at the ceiling, wondering if there was a special place in hell reserved for him, for what he was doing. He was walking a tightrope, no doubt. He tried to make sure his bed was nearly always occupied, keeping both Mindy and Drake vying for the spot.
Josh felt immense pride as all heads turned to look at him and his two lovers, making an entrance. In the car on the way over, Drake and Mindy had sniped back and forth over whose side of the church to sit on. Josh had driven the car into a gas station and parked before either of them noticed the vehicle was no longer moving. He sighed and splayed his hands out on the steering wheel. Then he reached in his pocket for the foil roll he carried at all times. He retrieved a chalky white tablet and swallowed it with minimal chewing. "Headaches," he muttered. "Stomachaches."
Mindy had turned and hissed at Drake, "See how you've upset him?"
From the back seat, Drake had glared at Mindy, indignantly spluttering "Hey!" He wanted to say more, but caught Josh's eyes, spearing him from the reflection in the rearview mirror, so he held his tongue.
Josh let Drake win this round, since both he and Drake had known Eric one year longer than Craig. Mindy hadn't met them until high school. Mindy had, in fact, "dated" Craig briefly, before Josh, until she figured out that Craig didn't even know they were dates. To be fair, because Mindy was sitting in the front seat, Josh owed Drake one. Josh had to keep the tally even.
As their eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the sanctuary, Josh carefully led his precious arm candy to the right, and the three of them took their seats in a pew. Josh sat in the middle.
Moments later, when Craig and Eric arrived at their appointed places in front of the altar, Drake whispered, "I forget. Which one is Eric?"
The minute Mindy began to spew an acerbic response to what she considered an idiotic question, Josh slipped his large hand around her left arm and gently but firmly squeezed her wrist. She closed her mouth and swallowed her anger, rustling slightly in place, to show her displeasure.
Josh smiled at this little victory. He turned to Drake and answered, "Eric has a red carnation in his lapel, and Craig is wearing a white one."
Drake was so much easier to handle, in every way, than Mindy. After all, he and Drake did share a similar physiology. In their younger days, living under the same roof, becoming stepbrothers and best friends, Josh (ever the keen observer) had rapidly become used to Drake's ways. But Drake's pranks and taking Josh for granted were all a thing of the past.
All morning, before they collected Mindy from her condo, Drake had been badgering Josh for a 3-way. Mindy felt that she had the hometown advantage, since Drake was away touring for months at a time. But Drake lived with Josh when in San Diego, which he felt gave him the edge. Drake wanted the chance to show Mindy what he was made of. Drake was sure he could win. Drake and Mindy were constantly pestering Josh, "Choose!" That was exactly what Josh found impossible to do.
Josh considered Drake's suggestion absurd: he'd never expose himself in a ménage a trois. If the two of them united, he knew Drake and Mindy could melt him like butter. Neither of them was aware of the vast power they actually held over him; they were his first, only and truest loves. They were each under the illusion that he had all the power, he thought, because of his ability to dominate them in bed. This was exactly how Josh intended to keep the equation of this triangle - for as long as his stamina held out.
The wedding ceremony was conducted by a minister and a rabbi. The happy couple, now husband and husband, practically sailed down the aisle and out of the church, in a haze of cameras flashing, flower petals and applause.
Josh was relieved that they had gotten through the nuptials without a hitch. He was beginning to hope the reception would go as smoothly. Craig had promised to seat Josh and his two paramours at the same table.
Continued in Chapter 3