Old Friends (Greg/Josh)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Of course I do, that’s the entire point of mixing drinks,” Sean told Greg with a smile on his lips. He fully expected all three of them to get quite drunk by the end of the night, but that was the fun of it.

The wine bottle was chilling in a bucket in the center of the table already.

Sean didn’t want to be rude to Greg when he asked his partner to help him move the dishes into the dining room, but it was a two-person job, and he didn’t want their blond friend to have to do any work tonight. He vowed to make this as quick as possible. He thought that if he took the two main dishes, Josh could manage the rest.

“Could you get the water jug?” He asked, as he carefully grabbed the serving bowl with the pasta, and then the platter with the quiche. If Josh couldn’t, Sean would come back for it afterward, but it would be best if they could take everything in one trip.

Sean heard the thought that Josh was thinking, more loudly than usual which meant it was a pointed projection, and the telepath chose to respond in kind, for the same reason to prevent Greg from possibly overhearing. I think he is, but everything will likely be uncomfortable for a while. Try not to overthink what you say; let it flow naturally to the best of your ability. And just try to be upbeat; that’s what we can do for him now.

Sean wished that they could do more for their friend, but unless or until Greg was ready to sue the police for the wrongful imprisonment, and was willing to accept therapy from Sean, neither of their professional talents were useful.

Food in hand, Sean exited the kitchen, returning to the dining room. A smile still on his lips, he set the quiche platter down first, and then the large bowl with the chicken and pesto pasta. He turned to his blond friend. “I hope you want to try a bit of everything.”

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time and glanced around the room. A picture lay here and there, some small do dad over there. It was a home, and he felt welcome. Well, almost welcome. He let his thoughts roam freely, partly because he felt comfortable to do so, and partly because he knew Sean could read his mind. It was just easier to let his friend know what he was thinking without having to say a word, and the telepath already knew he had permission to do so. Greg had nothing to hide that the vast public didn’t already know anyways.

They were taking no longer than usual, and as Greg heard nothing but silence, he assumed they were thinking about him as he helped himself to his favourite wine. He grinned at his own thoughts; they were thinking about him, a whole new sense of gossip and sharing of information.

Greg was standing by the table when the couple returned; he had taken the liberty of pouring them each a glass of the crystal clear Ice Wine. He smiled graciously at the spread, which looked amazing. “You know I would taste it all, even if it wasn’t good,” he smiled kindly. Sean knew he was a good cook, he had to, even though the recently widowed man would probably eat out of a dumpster if he had to. Good old college days – he didn’t miss being broke.

Taking his seat again, Greg helped himself to the chicken and then passed the platter to Josh when he was done, working on scooping the pesto next. “So what is there to do in this God forsaken place,” he asked, looking at his food as he spoke freely, “other than visit every bar and repeatedly get drunk.” The blonde thoughtfully added, looking up from his plate then. Sean and Josh had to have lives outside of work and each other, at least Greg hoped they did.

“Oh, I was right,” Greg had taken a bite of the chicken, eying the salad but not taking any just yet, “this is terrible.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh obligingly grabbed the water jug, balancing it under one arm. He was conflicted about Sean's response; on the one hand it was nice to be reassured that he didn't need to do more than he was already doing, and that he wasn't somehow screwing up terribly. On the other hand, he was a little disappointed that he couldn't simply make everything better for their friend.

They settled in and began piling up their plates, passing the dishes around. If one ignored the pained smile on Greg's face or the fact that they were in their fifties rather than their twenties it was almost like old times.

Almost.

"There's a holiday party coming up," Josh offered in response to the blond's query. "In December. Sean tells me it's usually a lot of fun." He couldn't speak to that personally as the one time he'd gone he'd been recovering from his assault in the woods, but he as sure that in any other condition he would have enjoyed himself.

"And there's a pretty good bar in Burlington that caters to our set." By which he meant middle aged and gay and professional. Sean had introduced him and he'd enjoyed it enough that they'd gone back more than a few times. "But since you asked other than bars, well, Sean does have his boat. I'm afraid that usually my social calls involve talking and eating, but you're welcome to come with me and meet some of my friends. Danny and I were planning on going down to the LGBT Center Sean volunteers at for Hanukkah and there's this restaurant with fabulous desserts that my friends Cobalt and Riley and I like to meet at for lunch and ....Oh, that reminds me, Ms. van Drakke is dying to make some new friends, she mentioned how lonely she is last time Riley and I went to visit, and she's hosting a halloween party. It should be fun, you should come."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Once all of the food was out, and the wine had been poured, Sean settled in his chair and began passing around the dishes. With a bit of everything on his plate, he began to eat, and then smiled at Greg’s veiled compliment. “If you don’t like it, I can microwave you some Velveeta on corn chips.”

There was no Velveeta in the house. It was the least he could do for their stomachs.

However, he was glad to know that his blond friend enjoyed the meal, and thus he settled in to continue to eat and discuss his social life.

“You know I never grew out of drinking,” he remarked lightly, taking a sip of his wine for emphasis. “But there’s a large social circle here. And I second that you should consider going to the holiday party; it’s usually a lot of fun.” Last year excluded.

“And you remember Alex, don’t you? He still lives in Burlington.” When Sean had dated the winged man, they’d visited Greg a few times during vacations. Alex was also jovial, and he knew he would appreciate seeing the blond again. “And he’s usually game for almost anything. Including the bar, which I do recommend.” If Greg was up to going out; the good thing about the bar is that it wasn’t a singles bar, and thus he didn’t have to worry about being hit on if he wanted to be left alone.

The downside was that there would be a fair number of couples there, and that could be depressing.

He had been about to second Josh’s suggestion of going to the LGBT Center and meeting Danny, because he was sure that Greg would enjoy the younger man, when he heard Anastasia Van Drakke’s name mentioned, which almost caused him to choke on his wine.

Almost.

Swallowing quietly, and then clearing his throat, he replied, “I don’t think the Halloween party is the best place to get introduced to the social circle.” The telepath smiled apologetically at Greg to let him know that he’d accidentally walked into an issue and then added, “In fact, I’m skipping it.”

[Gregory Strickland]

“No, I’ll stick with this terrible food, thanks though,” Greg laughed a bit, before glancing back to Josh, finally taking some salad.

Greg nodded a couple times, scratching at the stubble on his face. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to attend such a celebration with a group of people he wouldn’t know. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know them. He knew part of getting over Nate was moving on, moving on and having new friends and a different life. But he didn’t want those things; he didn’t want to get over Nate. At this point, he seriously doubted he would. Perhaps now was the time to develop a gambling addiction and disappear into the abyss. He could just move to Vegas, all of his favourite substances and amusements were there. It would be mind numbingly delightful.

“I’m sure I could pencil in such a party,” he said to Josh. He would think about going, whether he would show up or not was a completely different story. Burlington reminded him of Burlington Coat Factory which reminded him of where he bought his last winter jacket and who he had been with. He could just die from the irony. Luckily Josh kept talking and Greg was only happy to keep listening. He listened to the first bit, but as soon as name’s started to be introduced, the blonde stopped listening. He was just a tag along, an outcast. In order to socialize he would have to wiggle his way in and he wasn’t sure he was in the mood for that. It wasn’t Josh’s fault though; he had asked and he only wanted to help. Greg would have pounced on the mentioned opportunities at any other given moment.

Everything always seemed to go back to drinking and Greg could feel himself ready to snap. If this was all he had left to look forward to in life...

“I should come, I shouldn’t come,” Greg forced a smile and shrugged. “Halloween parties were never very enjoyable, I would rather hand out candy to the kiddies,” he said, picking at the food. He was experiencing a sudden loss of appetite. It was obvious Josh was the one who was more willing to go out, and Greg needed something to do. “I was thinking about getting a job to keep me busy,” he said, “not that I’m discrediting your suggestions or anything,” his eyes landed on Josh, “I just don’t think I’m ready to meet so many people at once.”

Another small thought entered his mind. “I was thinking we could also do a bit of travelling in the summer. By ‘we’ I mean anyone who would be interested and willing, I think it’s about time I see Paris.” Greg just wanted some travel companions. Once he arrived at said destination, those with him could feel free to do as the Romans do so to speak. “Unless you two have other plans, I would understand.” He said, sipping at his wine and gauging the couples’ reaction. He was going to fucking Paris with or without them.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh's face fell as Sean subtly hinted that Greg should avoid the Halloween party. "But it isn't on Halloween." He objected weakly when the blonde cottoned onto the hint and attempted to reject his offer. "It's over the weekend."

He sent his partner a pleading look, hoping that he wouldn't undermine his efforts to include Greg more than he already had. "You certainly don't have to attend, but Riley is. And Danny. I think even Cobalt is supposed to be going. And of course Ms. van Drakke and Mr. Avlang will be there, as well."

The information that Greg was thinking about a job came as rather a surprise, and Josh lifted one eyebrow at him. "A job? Well..." He prodded at his salad, stabbing a piece of lettuce. "In your field or....?" The fact that the other man had clarified to keep him busy suggested to the attorney that perhaps he would be looking simply at retail rather than rebuilding his career. The holidays were always a good time to look at retail.

The announcement that their friend intended to visit Paris was met with another quirk of the eyebrows, then a glance toward Sean. "I don't think we've made plans for the summer," He remarked. "But I've never been out of the country before. It could be interesting."

In fact, he was interested in visiting Germany, perhaps seeing his father's hometown. He just wasn't sure if Sean would be able to take the time off.

"How long were you thinking?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The telepath lifted his wine as though in toast and told the blond, “That’s fine. But if you change your mind, the microwave is available for nachos.” He felt that settled the teasing about the quality of the food, and thus Sean settled in to enjoy his meal. Unfortunately, he was only able to get a few bites in before the enjoyment was interrupted by the serious conversation.

The serious and divisive conversation.

His fingers remained along the stem of his glass, feeling the smoothness beneath his fingertips. The telepath didn’t want to have this debate, not in front of Greg, and not at all; he and Josh had settled the matter to the best of their ability, which was that under no circumstances would Sean go to this party, and while he didn’t want Josh to go either, he didn’t control his partner and wouldn’t stand in his way. He wished that he could explain his objections in a more concrete and satisfactory way, but he couldn’t.

Fortunately, Greg trusted his instincts and had appeared to side with him on this issue, despite the lack of details. Greg had always been loyal and trustworthy that way, and he bowed out gracefully for which the telepath was grateful. Sean met Josh’s eyes, receiving the look and attempting to similarly convey that he felt strongly about this matter and that the younger man should simply let it go. Sean then turned his attention back to Greg. “Fortunately, there are a lot of children around so there should be a lot of trick-or-treaters.”

That was the telepath’s favorite part of Halloween.

“And there are other places to meet Danny, Riley, Ben, Griff, Cobalt...maybe one at a time,” Sean offered, since Greg had just said that he didn’t want to meet too many people at once.

He turned back to his meal, taking a few more bites, while the blond announced that he was considering finding a job. Sean nodded in encouragement. “I think that’s a good idea.” Josh beat him to the question of whether Greg wished to continue with his architecture, and thus he added, “Do you need contacts? We could help you find contacts in the area.” If not in Pilot Ridge, then in Burlington and the surrounding area.

Taking Josh out of the country had been on Sean’s long-term “To Do” list, and so he perked up at the proclamation. “I think Paris might be possible, if you don’t object to stopping off in Greece so I can experience a proper orgy.”

He had to bring a bit of levity to the conversation after the seriousness of a few minutes prior. Since Hammel had about a month off between graduation and the beginning of the summer term, Sean thought it would be possible to take an extended vacation. He and Anya had discussed Russia twice now, and perhaps they could combine all of these vacations. Besides, Anya and Greg would get along well.

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg offered a smile, “If I had to choose between parties, I think I’d rather go to the Christmas one, Halloween parties imply dressing up, and if I can’t do so in a suit, then I don’t want to in a fiendish costume,” he said. There, no harm no foul. Josh would have fun with his other friends and he would go to the Christmas party. Maybe. “I just love seeing the young ones having fun,” he smirked, “try and scare the older ones, if there’s any leftover candy I just might have a heart attack this year if I eat it all.” Part of him wouldn’t mind such a fate.

“No, not in my field, something new,” he said. Anything but his old field, anything. To be making floor plans and blueprints – no. “Thanks Sean, but I sort of want to take on the project myself. Retail would work,” he grinned at them both, “I’ve been told I’m charming once or twice, I could sell just about anything to anyone.” Greg kept eating and sipped carefully at his wine. The alcohol was starting to hit him. “I could start at the mall and work my way out, get my exercise in while handing out resumes.” Money wasn’t the issue, it was the free time he couldn’t stand.

“As long as you can,” he said in all sincerity. If they needed to go back home earlier he would understand, but if he was going out there, he was going to enjoy himself. Greg chuckled then, shaking his head as though disappointed in Sean. “Proper orgies only happen in Greece?” He asked then, before raising a hand in the air and slapping it down on the table once more. “We can make a grand spree of it! Greece, France, Italy, wherever. We can go to any location we feel like,” he said, chewing on his food more enthusiastically now. He was just excited they were actually going to go.

He could skip out on Christmas, summer couldn’t come soon enough.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Anastasia's party wasn't even on Halloween proper, but neither Greg nor Sean were willing to listen to him on this topic. Apparently they were both bound and determined not to go; he shouldn't have been surprised. Greg had been Sean's best friend before he'd come along and the blonde had always been loyal to the telepath, taking his pronouncements for truth.

That was the number one reason Josh had dropped out of contact with him after the Break Up; he'd been certain that Greg would revert back to Sean's best friend, and in any event, the other man would surely ream him out for everything. Hearing through the grapevine that Greg had more or less not left Sean's side after he had moved out had only solidified that.

Plus no matter what Sean had said he'd assumed Greg wanted to date Sean. Because really, who wouldn't?

So he dropped the subject, instead latching onto the topic of work and travel.

"The mall's not a bad place to start. A lot of local businesses in there, not just the major chains." Of course, he didn't know how well any of them were doing in this economy; perhaps not well enough to hire. Still, he wished Greg all the best luck in his endeavor because he would need money if he wanted to sue (although Josh would waive as many fees as possible) and for this trip to Paris.

And Greece, apparently.

"I didn't know you wanted an orgy!" He objected between bites of chicken, "I would have arranged one here. Or maybe in Burlington. I'm sure we could find some----oh, now there's an idea."

He raised his glass in Greg's direction. "Orgies all over Europe. We can buy a map and put little pins every place we have an orgy."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“There is no such thing as too much candy on Halloween,” Sean said in between bites of his supper. While eating one’s weight in candy was typically ill-advised, allowances could be made on Halloween. That was the telepath’s M.O., and he certainly wouldn’t discourage someone else from following suit. It would be inexcusably hypocritical; it would also undermine whatever fun Greg had planned.

Sean was also grateful that the topic of conversation shifted from Halloween with Anastasia van Drakke. That would make for a more peaceful and less nerve-wracking supper.

The telepath acknowledged Greg’s desire to find work on his own with a sincere nod and a lifting of his glass in mock-toast. He then took a sip and remarked, “You could sell aluminum siding to people in brick houses if you wanted, so I’m sure you could succeed in any retail job you find.” Sean had great confidence in Greg’s abilities to succeed in anything he put his mind to. That included suing the government successfully for the unlawful imprisonment, should he desire to do that.

“I thought all of the best orgies were done in Greece,” he remarked, tilting his head to the side just enough to feign being perplexed. “Admittedly, I haven’t had one since 1979 so I’m out of the loop.” Whatever happened in the Village during the 1970s, and then the earliest part of the 1980s before the AIDS crisis began, Sean had not been a participant.

“Who would you have possibly arranged an orgy with here?” Sean queried, peering over his glass with the slightest quirk of his eyebrow. In fact, the telepath was hard-pressed to think of a worse location for an orgy than in Pilot Ridge. The town was small and rumors traveled quickly. More than that, the population was primarily comprised of students, coworkers, former students, and friends that neither Sean nor Josh were attracted to, or who weren’t attracted to them, and then people that Sean didn’t want anywhere near Josh, such as Anastasia Van Drakke and her beau. Considering those factors, Sean thought he might prefer trying this in Kathleen’s town, even with the knowledge that it would get back to her immediately.

“A tour of continental Europe with my very own orgy map? You’re making it difficult for me to resist this proposal,” Sean said with a feigned sigh of whimsy. He returned to his meal, contemplating the itinerary for a long moment, before he added, “I think we have a plan. I know someone who could help with destinations. Actually, a couple of people if neither of you minds my seeking outside assistance?”

[Gregory Strickland]

Whatever contact had been lost between Josh and Greg was in the younger man’s head. It wasn’t Greg who had pushed him away, but Josh’s suspicions of Greg wanting sometime more from Sean than friendship. There was a small silence when Josh had to admit defeat and let the Halloween party go, and Greg could feel that old resentment coming back. Or maybe it was jealousy. Either way, Greg only sided with Sean so often because he trusted and loved the man, however he had never been and would never be romantically interested in the telepath.

“That school of yours isn’t looking for a janitor or something? Someone to supervise the naughty ones during detention maybe?” He asked Sean with a small smirk. Always with the compliments. “I would never sell aluminum siding to those poor people, they would swelter to death.” Suing wasn’t something he would be bringing up tonight.

He was glad they were talking about future plans now.

“I agree with Sean, this seems like too small a town to safely have an orgy with anyone, and then not see them in the grocery store later.” Greg raised a similar eyebrow to Josh, but he was grinning madly. “I think that you’d lose a couple of friends here if you tried to organize such a party here.”

Clinking his glass against Josh’s, Greg was more than happy to let bygones be bygones. “The pins can be tiny penises, I think I saw them on sale at a lingerie shop somewhere downtown,” he said, “it would be extremely appropriate.” He pointed his utensil at Sean, “This proposal isn’t meant to be taken lightly, I’m dead serious.” He smiled as he chewed with his mouth closed and let his two friends consider it. “You? Seeking outside assistance? Taking your own advice I see.” Greg quipped, before nodding his head a couple times in agreement. “I don’t object, unless your Joshy Poo does.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Really? It's been that long?" Josh shook his head in mock disappointment at the date Sean had arbitrarily picked. They had only just been gravitating toward one another then, unable to resist their mutual attraction any longer. "That's the year I got started. I've lost count of how many orgies I've participated in since then."

He could count his partners on one hand: Sean, Simon, Saul and Sanjay. There had been no one night stands, no flings with strangers, and certainly no orgies. He wasn't sure he would know what to do if he found himself even invited to a swingers party.

"Maybe not Pilot Ridge," He conceded as Greg returned his toast. "But what about Burlington? I'm sure we could find willing participants if we asked around the club."

There was no need to mention which club he meant.

"And I refuse to believe that Greece has the best until we've tried. And tried other places to compare."

When Sean announced that he desired to ask other people about destinations he opened his mouth to suggest Yulia (perhaps he could find her family, take some letters or something since she couldn't go herself) when Greg spoke up.

The nickname caused him to grimace in annoyance.

Then again, at least Greg hadn't taken to mimicking his mother.

"I only have objections to being called Joshy poo." He muttered, prodding violently at his food. "Josh is already a nickname, you don't have to corrupt it."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“You don’t want to be the janitor there; you’d need hazard pay,” Sean explained, not touching the inherent issue of that job constituting gross underemployment for an architect. “And I’m usually the one who has to discipline the students, although if you want to play a role in that, you could always try to interview. Policy tends to favor meta powers in certain jobs, to warn you.”

The telepath took a sip of his wine and then said, “You could always try world domination now that you have the time. With your numerous HomoLiberal agenda items, I’m sure you’d be great at it.” It was apparent in that statement that Sean had spoken to a homophobic, self-identified hard right winger recently and this language was the result.

“I have a colleague in Switzerland who would be happy to help us with an itinerary if we wanted the help,” Sean explained. He had several colleagues from Kocher, some he had visited with in person before; getting suggestions from a European resident certainly was more beneficial than trying blind. He added, “And I have a friend who is a travel agent, so we can get the ball rolling.”

He took the proposal of a trip to Europe quite seriously; he simply didn’t take the orgy discussion seriously at all.

Sean turned to Josh and quirked an eyebrow. “I stopped having orgies in 1979. It wouldn’t do for a medical student, after all. And then afterward, the threat of pregnancy does tend to have a chilling effect on such activities.” Not that they were unheard of, far from it, but there were less of them when one was in a heterosexual relationship. Not that Sean had ever actually tried non-monogamy; not that he was interested.

Not that he would do anything at a swinger’s party but sit in the living room and drink while everyone upstairs did their thing.

“So we’re agreed on Greece as the opening gambit for the orgy tour? Unless we want to have an orgy in Paris as well since I assume that will be our first stop?”

The telepath also inwardly winced at the nickname. While Sean had never shied from the use of nicknames, both with friends and when in relationships, he tried to make sure that all nicknames had some element of dignity. There were limits, after all. However, this was Josh’s battle, and one that was largely futile because these nicknames were simply part of who Greg was. The most they could do was hope to change the topic of conversation. Or simply ignore it.

[Gregory Strickland]

“I’m quite content not being a meta, you’d think if the school accepts anyone with any power, they’d accept someone without any powers.” He said with a sigh. Maybe getting a job wasn’t the solution, he didn’t need one so he wasn’t in a rush. He would mull it over a pint and see how he thought about it afterwards. “I never saw myself as much of a politician,” he said, but he was grateful for the opinion. Greg was a people person, not a pusher. He was open but he didn’t want to work as a leader, but in a team.

“Burlington?” Greg asked, tasting the word in his mouth as though he were speaking with an old sock on his tongue. “Fine fine, if you insist on comparison then it should be between Greece and Paris, or Greece and Venice.” Greg grinned over at Sean, “You’ve had these people hiding for how long now? If I had friends in high places, I would’ve had an orgy years ago.” He said.

Greg nearly choked on his dinner. “Pregnancy?” He asked, confused but amused. He was pretty sure that wasn’t really an option, let alone a possibility with the lifestyle Sean lead. Eyebrows raised, Greg decided to let the comment go and blame it on some inside joke between the couple he simply wouldn’t understand.

“I think I corrupted you a long time ago Josh, a little nickname won’t tarnish anything.” He chuckled glanced around the table at the remaining spread and helped himself to a bit more salad. Orgies and a good meal, who could ask for anything more? Other than the company of course; and avoiding the first two mentioned activities at once.

“Greece, Paris, doesn’t matter to me really,” he said with a smile, “where would you two like to go? Want to see?” Oh he was happy now. He had something to look forward to again, a feeling he didn’t think he’s ever experience after... Greg wiped at his eyes. Maybe things would turn around after all. “What do you think your travel agent could arrange for us?” He asked.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh failed to see why Greg was so shocked by the idea of Sean getting one of his girlfriends pregnant. That tended to be a risk of heterosexual intercourse assuming both partners were cisgendered and capable. Instead he said, "That's what the condoms are for. Aren't you the one who preaches about them to the newer generation?"

Sean was the one who had taught him about condoms, at any rate; their use hadn't been quite as ubiquitous when they had first begun dating.

"No, no, we should try an orgy in Paris first. The Greeks may have begun them, but Parisians perfected them. That's what I'm given to understand from literature."

The question of where they wanted to go was met with a momentary silence before he asked, "Perhaps we can see Germany. I can't ask dad about his childhood now, but it would be nice to get a feel for it..."

Not that asking would have done much good; his father hadn't liked talking about his life before Charlie Weiss.

"I think Prague would be nice, too, but Germany is really the only destination on my list that I'm going to push for."