2025-02-10 - Of Friendship, Dehydrated Bananas, and Brisket

The overcast night sky drops a pall over the jungle swamp. Chest deep in water, a silent Joshua moves carefully, keeping his rifle held above the waterline. Those parts of his camouflage uniform that aren't submerged stick to his sweaty body. Observant eyes scan the environment looking for signs of the enemy. Bingo! A figure ahead is hiding in a known chokepoint, trying to catch any newbs unaware! But Josh is no newb. He's a veteran warrior of many a battle. With a sly smile he brings his rifle to bear and targets his foe. With practiced ease he pulls the trigger. One shot, one kill.

Meanwhile, Real World Josh, who is sitting on the living room floor leaning back against the couch, holding a PS5 controller, and wearing a voice comms headset cries out, "Yes! YES! Suck it, MomLuvr69! Wow, that dude has been dogging me all afternoon."

Josh blinks in surprise at something being said over the chat. "Well I definitely would never do that to my mother." He is about to retort when the screen flashes and the game ends. Josh frowns. "They won."

Wearing navy blue L.A. Rams sweatpants, a black tank top, and no shoes or socks, Josh tosses the controller on the floor and tugs the headset off. He runs both hands back through his hair, which reduces the Josh's Hair Chaos Level (JHCL) from Very Chaotic to Moderately Chaotic.

Meanwhile, the entire apartment smells of bananas. On the kitchen counter is a gift from Josh's mom to "The Boys of Apartment 305" as the card reads. It's a pretty high-end food dehydrator for making healthy snacks. Josh decided to make some dried banana chips for the apartment but he was quite distressed when he started it up this morning to find that the process take 12 hours! At least if anyone is hungry, there is an open bag of Cool Ranch Doritos next to the dehydrator on the counter.

Knox had been on call at the fire station the night before, so he ended up sleeping a lot of the day away instead to make up for it. Still, loving with Knox it soon becomes clear that he's a pretty heavy sleeper, so no amount of gaming and shouted gamer rage is likely to disturb his rest.

Eventually though, there is the sound of movement from within Knox's room - mainly in the form of a pair of sturdy hooves clomping about on the wooden floor. Eventually, the door opens and Knox steps out into the hallway. He's just woken up, so his hairs a mess, and he's wearing a pair of dark coloured sweatpants that ride low on his hips.

He's drawn by the sound of talking, and before very long, he appears in the frame of the living room door, propping himself up on an elbow as his free hand lifts to scrub at his eyes, peering around tiredly.

"Did you win?" Knox asks, focus settling on Josh as the gaming pad is cast aside. He stands there a few seconds longer before his nose twitches and he can't help but ask the million dollar question "...and, what's that smell?"

Josh is just standing up off the floor when Knox emerges from his Den of Slumber. On his way to the kitchen he holds out a fist for a bump and gives Knox a super warm, friendly smile. "Hey, Knox, sup!" he blurts enthusiastically. "Wanna Mountain Dew?"

The young man pads barefoot into the kitchen. He grabs a Dorito from the bag on the counter and crunch crunch crunch it's gone. He opens the fridge and gets himself a can of Mountain Dew from the 24-pack he bought at Tarjay yesterday, and if Knox says he wants one he'll get one for him too.

"That smell, my friend, is the smell of healthy, crunchy banana chips being made," Josh says as he pops open his can of soda and guzzles a quarter of it down in a quick pull. "AND the good news is if you want some you only need to wait..." He leans in and peers at the timer on the machine. "...nine and a half more hours!"

He doesn't mention that they sell bags and bags of the things at Tarjay for dirt cheap.

Knox offers a broad, friendly smile as he passes Josh in the hallway, extending his own fist to return the offered bump. "Hey man," he greets, starting to follow Josh in the direction of the kitchen as the possibility of beverages are discussed.

Coming to a halt just inside the kitchen, Knox watches Josh move towards the fridge and then peers a little warily at the expensive looking item of equipment working away on the countertop. Knox lifts a hand to scratch absently to scratch at his chest and seems to consider the situation briefly, then asks "So...if you're making all these healthy snacks, how come you're drinking mountain dew?"

It's only a gentle tease, though while Josh is at the fridge he mentions "I got some root beers in there..." And extends a hand with the expectation Josh'll toss him one. With beverage in hand, Knox crosses over to the dehydrator and peers curiously at the contents "Nine hours?!" He asks, a little surprised, though after a little light poking at the machine, Knox nods and remarks "Cool. Say thanks to your mom from us," with a nod over at Josh.

Peering down at his can of Mountain Dew, Josh shrugs a bit. He squeezes the can slightly so it make a popping sound then releases it so it unpops. "I dunno. Because it's too early to drink vodka?" He does have a liter bottle of vodka in the freezer.

He sets the can on the counter just long enough to pull himself up so he's sitting on the horizontal surface. When Knox says to thank his mother, a grin-like tightness comes to his lips, his eyes open wide, and he shakes his head vigorously. "Oh no. That will not do. We are all three gonna have to get on a FaceTime call and thank her. Deadass the only reason my control-freak mother buys expensive stuff for people is to be thanked in person if at all possible but at a bare minimum she will reluctantly accept a video call."

Joshua looks Knox up and down and lets out a slow sigh. "We are definitely gonna have to tell her we're going to a costume party with you and the horns and Huck with the eyes and the fangs." He takes another swig of Mountain Dew. He swings his feet forward and back in alternating order so his bare heels thump-thump-thump-thump against the cupboard door. He rolls his eyes. "She's gonna ask which one of you is my boyfriend because she's a meddler. When she finds out neither one of you is she's going to pump you guys for information about who I'm spending time with."

He groans and looks despondently at the food dehydrator. "God I hate it when my mom buys me shit."

"Dork" Knox declares with a snort of laughter and a slight roll of his eyes when Josh declares it to be too early to drink Vodka. Knox himself is more of a beer drinker, there's usually at least a few knocking around on the fridge somewhere. It seems to be affectionate though, since when Josh reaches over to set his can down, Knox reaches over to give him a playful shove.

Knox holds his mom in great respect, but Josh's mom definitely sounds like a lot, and the thought of putting in face time with someone else's mother to thank them for a gift he can't see himself using too much sounds pretty full on. There's a slight wince, though he nods agreeably after a moment, always willing to do his duty. "Sure, I mean, how bad can it be, right?" He suggests optimistically.

That is quickly put paid by the boyfriend talking, though this produces a sparkle of amusement as Knox suggests "Tell her we're a throuple and watch her head spin...." He smirks. A throuple is about the wildest thing poor country bred Knox from Montana can think of!

"I will fight you!" Josh announces when Knox shoves him. He slides off the counter and runs into Knox...and bounces off like a wiffle ball might bounce off a brick wall. He clears his throat and runs a hand back through his hair. "Okay, well maybe not."

Joshua leans back against the counter he was previously sitting on and folds his arms over his chest. "Please do not tell my mom we're a throuple. She is super traditional. She finally came to terms with me being gay. But she wants me to find some nice guy and get married before sex. If she thinks I'm getting into crazy stuff out here she will literally send the National Guard to air lift me out of here and then my parents will lock me in some tower somewhere until I'm married." He shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

Josh chin-nods in Knox's direction. "What's your story? You got anybody special in your life?" He looks Knox up and down with a small grin. "I mean, look at you. It's, like, a moral imperative for you to pass on those genes."

Knox watches when Josh charges at him and then pretty much just bounces off, without so much as a wobble from Knox, who stands steady on his hooves with his arms folded across his bare chest as he watches Josh with a slightly bemused look. He never did get that root beer though, so he wanders over to the fridge and gets himself one, popping to can with a soft hiss.

Holding the fridge open a moment, he surveys the contents briefly, before thinking better of it and closing the door once more. He leans one shoulder up against it then, taking a long drink from the can before setting it down on the counter. "I figured California moms would be a bit more modern, you know?" He remarks with a lazy roll of his free shoulder.

In response to his own situation, Knox laughs at the idea of passing on his genes. "No way man, I'm strictly into dudes," he confirms, shaking his head at the prospect. "I mean, I made a serious effort to get a few guys pregnant, but it never seems to take," he quips, laughing quietly at his own joke as he reaches back for his can.

"I swear that Cali is the reddest blue state in the country," Josh says regarding the topic of California moms. "My dad was born in Russia and raised super traditional Russian Orthodox. My mom is so Catholic that she considers Jesus to be sketchy. So yeah, it wasn't easy for them to accept me as gay but I finally got 'em to be cool with it. But no way they would be happy with me in some poly situation." Josh shrugs a bit and looks at his open soda can. "I don't think I would either, to be totally honest."

When Knox vaguely describes his attempts at conquering biology, it gives Josh a genuine belly laugh. "Well yeah, you'd have to really fuck the hell out of a dude to even have a chance of getting him pregnant. And then your child would be a butt baby." That's too much for Josh, he buckles forward at the hips and just breaks into immature laughter. His voice even cracks a little while he's laughing.

Knox seems pleased when his joke hits the mark and gets a real laugh out of Josh, causing him to nearly double over laughing. He just huffs at first, a slight shake of his head given as Josh dissolves into giggles. It proves pretty infectious, though, and Knox has to give up on taking another drink from his can of root beer as it eventually gets the better of him and he breaks into laughter too. "Yeah, so...like I said..." Knox explains between laughs "...chances of passing these genes on are pretty slim," he shrugs, cheeks flushing slightly red as he eventually starts to recover himself a little. "Even so, I can usually be persuaded to try, right?" he grins, teeth flashing as he winks playfully towards Josh. As he does, he reaches back for his soda can and takes another gulp as he tries to get a handle on his giggles.

Finally Josh regains control of himself and starts to relax. When Knox makes the comment that he can usually be persuaded to try, Josh raises both eyebrows momentarily and exhales a long breath. He drinks more of his soda to buy himself a moment. "Man, I wish I knew that a week ago," he says, chuckling and shaking his head. He side-glances over at Knox, who looks like all of the gods had a meeting about what Pure Sexy looks like and then they made Knox.

He slides himself back up to sit on the counter. "I think you're hot at hell, bro," Josh says candidly. "Like, think-about-you-in-the-shower hot." There is something about Josh lately, he's more...forthright and open and confident than the shy, nervous kid who moved in a month ago. And he smells like weed WAY less often, meaning he hasn't been using anywhere near as much. He peers directly and Knox and gestures with his hand up and down. "I mean look at you."

Knox is back in control of himself a little quicker than Josh, though that's probably to be expected since it is his joke, after all. He drains out the last of his soda can and crosses towards the recycling, crushing the now empty vessel between the palms of his hands before tossing it. When Josh speaks, Knox turns back to look at him and then lifts a thoughtful eyebrow. "What happened a week ago?" he asks, a little perplexedly. It's probably something Knox should have noticed but has missed among all his weird shifts.

Knox grins when Josh declares him to be hot as hell, and he spreads his hands outward from his body as he takes a look down over himself. "Thanks! I try my best, man!" with a slightly amused grin, though even Knox is a little surprised when Josh describes him as think-about-him-in-the-shower hot, and his cheeks flush just slightly pink. Even so, Knox seems more amused than embarrassed and laughs again, adding another "Thank you," with a dip of his chin towards Josh. "

When Knox asks about a week ago, Josh kinda looks downward from his perch up on the counter and gives a shy little shrug. The shyness is a sudden shift from what he just said to Knox. "I been hangin with someone new," he says, then with his head still looking downward, Josh's eyes peer up at Knox through the protective veil of his dangling hair. "And it deadass looks like it is gettin' serious. I don't wanna do anything to mess that up." He cracks a grin and shakes his head. "But fuuuuuuck, a week ago, bro?"

Josh shakes his head and fiddles with his fingers in his lap. "I've never been in any kind of boyfriend relationship before, to be honest. I dunno know what to even expect or what is expected of me." He looks back up and chin-nods in Knox's direction. "What 'bout you? You ever have, like, a serious boyfriend?"

Knox smiles brightly when Josh mentions he found himself a boyf! "That's awesome news, bro!" Knox affirms, stepping forward and lifting a hand for an enthusiastic high five. "I was pretty sure you'd meet someone once you started putting yourself out there a bit more!" he offers encouragingly, not seeming to mind if Josh is a little shy about getting into all the details, as he appears to be. "I would just say, give it time, and don't rush it. If it's just been a week, have fun with it, right? Knox shifts quickly into big brother mode here, hopping onto the counter next to Josh and flinging an arm around his shoulders. When Josh asks if Knox ever had a serious boyfriend, he shakes his head from side to side a little. "Not really. The ranch I grew up on was pretty remote, honestly. Not a whole lot of guys my age to hang around with," he shrugs. "I met a couple of people since I got to Spellbound, but definitely nothing I'd call serious,"

Joshua is all about the high fives and the fist bumps! So when Knox puts up a hand, Josh gets an almost childlike twinkle in his brown eyes and a happy smile as he smacks palm-to-palm with his roommate. And when Knox hops up on the counter next to him, Josh practically bursts with happiness. His entire life he has been an outcast and in the margins. Being close to people like this is incredible for him. He shoulder-rams Knox with his own shoulder, practically knocking himself off the counter in the process. That gets a genuine laugh from him. Knox is a big, adorable wall.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be chill. I already got kinda burned. Right after the new year I was chillin with a guy here," Josh recounts. "And I thought he was cute and nice so I asked him if I could kiss him." Josh shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "Fuck, bro, you would have thought I asked him to marry me the way he deadass freaked out. So I figured that relationship stuff was not for me, I just didn't know how to do it. But this new thing just...fell into my lap."

When Knox talks about never being in a romantic relationship, Josh reaches up and tugs on one of his horns with incredible gentleness. "I think you'd be a dope boyfriend. You are kind and interested in others. You deserve someone to celebrate you." He smiles warmly at Knox.

Knox does at least pretend to act like Josh has made some sort of an impact when Josh rams him with his shoulder, doubling forward over himself and letting out a low grunt of (not very convincing) pain. However, it has to be said that Knox is far from a natural performer and it is probably pretty obvious that poor Jsh has just bounced more or less straight off of him.

Sitting back up somewhat, Knox rests his elbows on his knees and then listens quietly when Josh talks about his previous experience with a guy at Spellbound. "That sounds like way more of a him being weird thing than a you being weird thing," Knox agrees with a dip of his chin, his brow furrowing slightly as he turns the weird set of circumstances over in his head. "Yeah," he agrees. "Pretty weird," with a shake of his head and a bemused sort of laugh.

Knox glances up and blinks when Josh continues, maybe a little surprised, at least until the penny drops. "Oh, shit man. I mean, I've been in relationships or whatever. Just nothing I would ever describe as super serious," he explains with a toothy smile. "I mean, I am somewhat seeing a guy right now. But I'm not sure if that's just dating or hanging around, or if it's going to actually lead to anything. You know?" Knox shrugs. He seems fairly nonchalant about it, at least.

"Yesssss!" Josh exclaims when Knox says he is dating/hanging around someone. Our boy loves love in all its forms. "Maybe if you guys figure out what it is, you guys could have dinner with Aaron and me." He shrugs a little bit, like maybe he is venturing into unknown waters. "You know, like a double date or whatever?" He furrows his brow, concerned suddenly. "Or is that stupid? I dunno. I see it in movies alla time." He peers down and shakes his head, embarrassed for having said anything.

Joshua pull one heel up on the counter and hugs his leg to his body, resting his chin on his knee. He stares across the kitchen at the food dehydrator. "Man I really want some banana chips. Only nine more hours." That thought hits him funny and his body quakes a little with laughter. "Thanks a lot, mom." That makes him laugh just a tiny bit harder.

Knox considers the prospect of a double date a little dubiously, though he does eventually notice how poor Josh practically starts wilting at his own suggestion right next to him, and Knox leans in a little closer to give the other guy an encouraging bump with his shoulder. "Hey, don't be like that!" Knox laughs quietly. "The guy has been kind of MIA for a bit, but if he ever turns back up, I bet he'd be into it." Knox agrees. "And even if he doesn't, I'm sure Huck and me could tag along with you both sometime if you wanted us to meet him," he affirms, seeming to have no trouble in speaking for the group when Josh's attention turns back to the dehydrator, Knox peers at it again and then laughs, shaking his head. "Do you think they'll be any better than the ones from Tarjay?" he asks, seeming a little uncertain that they will, himself.

Joshua leans sideways against Knox, resting his head on Knox's shoulder. He has no siblings so he hasn't experienced this brotherly kind of affection before. But underneath the anxiety, beneath the pathology of his suffered abuse and bullying, there lies a lover of people waiting to be uncovered. He smiles as he rests on Knox. "Yeah, maybe," he says in a gentle whisper.

But at the mention of the banana chips Josh's body starts to quake with soft laughter. His cheeks pink up and his smile broadens. "I mean, they take 12 fucking hours to make. If they're not better, we are gonna have a Smash the Dehydrator party and film it."

Knox reaches up to give Josh's hair a quick ruffle before he hops down off the counter and wanders over to poke at the dehydrator a final time. "Nine hours just seems like...so long...for just banana chips..." Knox opines as though he can't quite make sense of the whole procedure. He peers at the slowly drying and curling banana slices for a few seconds more before concluding. "No way I'm waiting. I'm ordering barbeque from that place on the island. You want some brisket?" Knox asks towards Josh, starting to wander off in search of his phone to place the requisite order.

Likewise hopping off the counter, Josh enthusiastically blurts, "Fuck yeah, I want some brisket! Oh, and some cornbread and mac salad and baked beans." He runs down the hall toward his bedroom. "Let's use my mom's credit card!" he calls out as he runs. From inside his bedroom he yells, "I better get cole slaw too just to be safe."

He comes running back out of his room carrying his cell phone. It's in one of those cases that has a slot on the back for ID and credit cards. He pulls out an Amex Centurion card. "Get whatever you want. My mom don't care. She actually loves when I buy stuff on the card because she can hold it over my head." He laughs a bit, though in that laugh is just a hint of soberness. His mom really is a control freak.

Knox looks a little sceptical about putting barbeque food on Josh's mom's card, especially with what he just had to say about the dehydrator and her looking to hold her generosity over people. Still, it is a tempting offer, and the weekend before payday, so eventually Knox caves to the promise of brisket and gives a nod of his head. "Sure this one can be on Mrs Logan," he agrees, finding his phone and starting to scroll through until he finds the menu. Knox is kind of known for making excellent barbeque food, but the stuff out of the restaurant on the island is good enough that even he will eat there on the regular. "Brisket..." Knox starts to flip up and down the menu "Oh..smoked sausage..." he nods. It's followed by the flurry of sides, which Josh seems to constantly add to. It is probably lucky that this is going to be Mrs Logan's treat since by the time Josh reappears, the number on the app is starting to become a liiiiittle scary.