Time Warp: All of a Tremble (Sean)

Josh did, in fact, have homework. He had three essays and an anatomy assignment, but none of it was due tomorrow, and so, while he wasn't gifted with telepathy his mind had wandered down a similar route to Sean's, and in the hope that his date would have the same thoughts (like he had with playing footsie) he said, "Not too much. I'll probably work on it tomorrow between English and Modern History, I have a two hour break between them."

That was plenty of time to do homework, because it was time Sean had class. Any free time that also coincided with Sean's free time had to be spent with Sean. This was just unavoidable.

"Do you?"

Please say no, please say no. He willed. Then he wondered if that sounded too desperate and so he hurriedly decided to change the subject before the other boy could answer.

"So that club Greg goes to, that sounds fun. Where is it?"

"YES." There was no hesitation, only eager acceptance of Sean's offer as Josh immediately straightened. Sitting up straight had the unfortunate effect of taking Sean's foot out of reach, however, and as the waitress made her way back to them with drinks he slouched back down, nudging Sean's foot with his own.

He gave the waitress a mumbled thanks, waiting for her to leave again before continuing in an attempt at being nonchalant, "Yeah, that would be great. Greg won't mind?"

Not that he thought the blonde would, but he didn't want to seem too inconsiderate, not when he had a suspicion he had stolen his crush.

"Oh. Yeah. If Greg likes it then it should be fine." He decided, ripping the paper off his straw. "As long as we can....people are friendly I'll be happy."

Josh glanced between shake and water while Sean spoke, frowning thoughtfully. "That's a good point." One of the first things he had learned about Greg was that he had no shame about bringing his dates back with him, a fact Josh found rather amazing all things considered. Of course, he was perfectly happy to go back with Sean but that didn't mean he wasn't a little bit embarrassed that people knew; he could practically hear his mother's voice in his head sighing over those homosexuals.

But at least Greg wouldn't judge them. In fact, it was entirely possible the blonde would be hosting his own sleepover; he certainly never lacked for willing participants.

And it sounded like the people at his club wouldn't judge, either. It was an amazing idea, really, that there was a place they could go and not only would people accept their relationship but they would even be in the majority. Not that he disliked Donald or Daphne or any of his other heterosexual friends, but it was nice to socialize with people who understood the frustration and the stigma among other things.

He finally made a decision, thrusting his straw into the water; the shake had to last long enough to dip fries in, after all.

"Maybe we'll make some friends." If he could detach from Sean long enough to talk to anyone else there then he was sure he would, and that would be nice. If only he had some way of knowing who else attended NYU; more friendly faces on campus was never amiss.

"Ahhh...sooooo...." He began, taking a sip of water before continuing "What exactly do you do at clubs?"

Josh listened with intense interest as Sean explained the typical clubbing experience. Drinking, dancing and friends. That sounded perfectly up his alley; it was difficult to conceive of anything more tailored to his interests, unless it also included activism.

"Wow, how come I haven't been to a club before?" He grinned thoughtfully, pushing his straw around the bottom of his glass. "It's like they were made for me."

Of course, drinking was a new development in his interests, but after the initial inability to judge how much was safe to drink he had...well, he still tended to get very, very drunk. Only now he found that less a matter for concern and more a matter of fun.

And it would be even better if Sean were there.

The arrival of their food caused him to lift his elbows off the table, scooting back to allow room for the waitress to deposit burgers and copious amounts of fries.

"This looks amazing," He enthused, sniffing at the delicious aroma of fried and fatty foods. His mother wouldn't approve, but it would be worth every frown if she ever found out.

"But why?" Josh protested, expression full of hurt that his boyfriend was trying to limit his alcohol choices. His hadn't taken to drinking immediately, it was true, but he didn't think he didn't think he was that much of a lightweight. Not like Greg sometimes claimed; the other boy just liked to tease, whether it was warranted or not. Sure, he had thrown up a few times, and he had blacked out some, too, but from the stories the Radicals and even his fellow Freshman told, that happened to everyone at least once.

He accepted the ketchup with a sigh of thanks, still a bit offended by the remark that he should stick with beer. Of course, he liked beer, but he was an adult! He could make his own choices!

He flipped the top bun off his burger, slathering ketchup on one side before creating a small pile beside his fries. "If it tastes even half as good as it looks then it'll be worth it." He decided, slapping the bun back on his burger before taking a bite, ketchup and grease running down his hands. "Mmmfdelifous." He mumbled through a full mouth, placing the burger back on his plate and grabbing a napkin from the dispenser, wiping off his hand.

"How's yours?"

Josh bristled at the idea he was still developing his gills as Sean put it. "I'm not that bad...." He mumbled, feeling his face flush in embarrassment. He had wanted the other boy to think he was cool and mature and experienced, not someone naive who needed looking out for. Because he didn't need help, he could take care of himself.

However, the mention of passing out in clubs gave him pause. Perhaps it wouldn't be fair to his boyfriend to pass out on their date, and in that spirit he capitulated with a sigh. "I guess that's a fair point. I'll stick with beer." He agreed, grabbing some fries and dipping one end in his shake before sticking the other end in the ketchup.

At the question regarding apartment rules he shook his head, swallowing the fries quickly before answering verbally, "No, we can't. I guess they're afraid we'll burn the whole neighborhood down if we do that."

He shrugged to show he thought that was a silly notion. "If they could grill I would totally ask them to do it for you. But they don't get a lot of practice so your dad probably is a lot better."