afterglow

james found himself surprised by the news he was hearing. joey and asher making amends? he was torn by it, actually. part of him was a bit relieved in a way; maybe the two had finally moved on, and maybe now the awkward nature that formed between james and asher would finally go away. but then there was the bigger part of him that was purely and entirely confused. he allowed his brother to finish talking before letting out a big breath and shaking his head. “you’ve never been friends with him, even i know that.” he pointed out shyly. leaning forward slightly, arms resting against his knees, he looked at his younger brother, giving him a small yet sympathetic smile. “it’s obviously a big deal to you if you’re bringing it up. do you still have feelings for him?”

🌈

joey always turned to james whenever he needed advice, that’s why he didn’t regret talking with him about this. he knew way more than joey did, and he knew that him and asher had become friends when the two were dating, so maybe he would understand. letting out a small sigh at what james said, joey shook his head slowly. “no, but we really are just friends this time around... i talked with him, and we agreed to just be friends, okay?” he said, knowing very well that what james was saying was true. the two had never really been friends before, and now it just seemed weird to say it. joey wasn’t even sure if him and asher were actually friends now or if they were just pretending to be. but the truth was that there was something there that joey didn’t understand. “it’s... complicated. i don’t know. maybe i do, maybe i don’t. but i don’t want to go through everything i went through after we broke up. it was sad. and i don’t like being sad.” he said with a sigh, as he looked over at james. “but enough about me... is there anyone special in your life? and you can’t lie to me, i’ll know if you are.” he said with a small smile on his face.

james: pickle has a whole twin xl bed to himself? he's really livin the life

james: well my lease is almost done on this place, and i was thinking about searching for another apartment

james: so i was wondering if you had any interest moving out of that dorm

joey: well where else was he supposed to sleep? he doesn't like the small bed i bought for him

joey: what's a lease

austin: it's definitely not candy, buddy.

austin: most people don't, but some people do though

austin: i'm certain that it's not for me, joey

austin: i don't have problems in that department

austin: my dick is doing perfectly fine

joey: that's sad, now i really want candy

joey: that's kind of weird...

joey: oh i know it is :)

joey: anyway...

“i can tell you that maisy misses you too.” asher couldn’t fight the smile that formed on his face, feeling as his lips curled up into the warmest of smiles as he thought about the two. he always loved how great him and maisy had got on; in fact, he was appreciative of it. whether they knew it or not, those were the biggest influencers in asher’s life, and his best friends. the two who supported him, and quite frankly loved him the most in this world (even though maisy would never admit that in a million years). they were his people, and he loved that in the process of his and joey’s relationship, they had found their own way to friendship. asher was glad the two had each other in a way, as corny as it might have sounded. he shook his head in disagreement. he knew what joey was capable of, and he also knew that he didn’t give himself nearly as much credit as he deserved. “well consider it. you have some serious potential, wilson.” he encouraged more before dropping it, flashing the other a warm and bright smile.

asher hadn’t really thought much about the flirtatious turn that the conversation had taken. it seemed to come naturally, actually…at least, for the two of them. in a way it was reassuring of the fact that maybe that awkwardness that had been filling most of their conversations over the last few weeks was finally beginning to fade away. “yeah…but i also like spending time with you.” the words came out fluidly, so naturally that asher hadn’t even realized what exactly he was saying until it was said. but it was true, he did like spending time with joey, and he truly missed times like these; when it was just them, when nothing else mattered. “this right here…” he gestured towards the two of them as they sat in the car. “…this is enough of a treat. really.” he smiled once more. as someone who didn’t make it much of a point to truly celebrate, this meant everything to asher. being with joey always meant everything to him. “i just don’t want you get burned! you have very fair skin, after all.” he threw his hands up in defense mockingly, a soft laugh following his words as he shook his head playfully. “aw, you think i’m cute?” a fond smile teased his lips once more. why couldn’t he ever stop smiling around joey? he was sure he hadn’t smiled this much in a year. “but i’ll always look out for you. some things just never change.”

🌈

joey smiled slightly when he heard asher say that he missed him, and he was glad to hear it. after all, the two had spent a lot of time together when him and asher were dating, and while they still talked from time to time, of course it hadn’t been the same as before. and of course, joey knew that things hadn’t been the same between asher and james after their break up. so, it just seemed that the two of them weren’t the only one who had been affected by their break up. “yeah, i’ll have to call her eventually...” joey assured asher with a smile on his face, nodding his head slowly as he thought how happy he was on having asher back in his life, even if they were just friends. there had just been something missing in his life ever since they had broken up and it seemed like joey had finally figured out what it was. or who it was, in this case, as he couldn’t help but to smile whenever he looked at asher. letting out a small chuckle and nodding his head at asher’s suggestion about his photography, joey just smiled. “i’ll really think about it, i promise.” he said, thinking about how much asher supported him and never made him feel like he was an idiot. that’s why he loved him so much, he thought to himself.

joey felt like he was in high school and one of the popular kids had complimented him, as he couldn’t stop blushing at anything asher said. first, he had said that he had missed being with him and then he said that the two of them were enough for him. he was glad to hear that, mostly because joey felt the same way but he just wouldn’t come out and say it like that, especially in the situation they were in. “that’s really good to hear... i like spending time with you too. i always did.” he said, blushing as he watched asher as the other started driving them to the beach, excited for the rest of the day and to see how it turned out. “and trust me, you’ll want the salt water taffy once we get there, so i’ll buy it for us. we can share... but it’s really nice to hang out with you, ash. really.” he assured the other smiling - he wanted to grab his hand and hold it all the way to the beach, like they would usually do, but he held back as he kept his eyes locked on asher. he didn’t think anyone had ever cared for him that much before and made his heart almost explode. “i’m not going to burn asher, my skin will be fine... but since i know you won’t be able to rest, i’ll put on sunscreen just for you.” he said with a small chuckle, before rolling his eyes slightly. “yes, i do think you’re cute, this can’t be news to you!” he said with a giggle. “and i’ll look out for you too. i care about you. i always did care about you.” he admitted, a smile on his lips.

asher: just let me know if you need any help at all

asher: i almost forgot :/ maybe we can read together sometime then. might make it easier

asher: sometimes i can be sweet

asher: but yeah, just let me know when and where

joey: thank you!

joey: read together? i'm not sure how that would work, but it's fine... you don't need to worry about me

joey: i think you can be sweet plenty of times

austin: no! don't eat anything from my pockets

austin: LMAOOOO, you innocent pure soul, joey

austin: no it's not candy from canada

austin: it's something you take to get your dick hard

austin: because his girlfriend doesn't know he uses it

austin: i'm being a good friend and hiding it for him

joey: what, it looks candy

joey: okay

joey: THERE'S A PILL FOR THAT? cool, i don't need it but cool

joey: are u sure it's for him and not for u

joey: u don't need to be ashamed

it was bittersweet, to think about the history that the two had. the memories, laughs, and even the arguments that bonded the two - almost cementing their relationship in a way. a light chuckle left him, hearing the other suggest that the two make future plans only planting a smile across his lips. “yeah, we should…” his words trailed off as he began thinking about what it could possibly look like, a quick panic setting in as he quickly followed with, “we can always see if maisy and james want to come too. you know…like old times?” he gave off a quick nod, lips pressed into a soft line. “you always did like taking pictures. have you ever thought about taking a photography class, or something? i think it might be one of the many hidden talents of joseph hepburn wilson.” he encouraged with a smile as he lightly nudged the others arm. 

hearing joey’s words, asher couldn’t fight the smirk that crept across his lips, causing him to raise a brow. “i never really minded the distraction, though.” there was a bit of flirtation that coated his tone as the words rolled off his tongue. asher wasn’t completely oblivious, he immediately took note of how the others cheeks grew a light shade of pink. he still had an effect on him. the thought only seemed to add onto that little glimmer of hope asher felt, the hope that he so desperately needed to drop. “how about we split it? you shouldn’t have to pay for all my shit today.” he suggested. he wasn’t really used to getting spoiled after all. giving the other a nod, asher climbed into the drivers seat of his vehicle, making himself comfortable as he turned on the car. turning his head to look at the other, he smiled. “i’m really glad we’re doing this, jojo…but just so you know, i’m forcing you to wear sunscreen.” 

🌈

things felt like before again - well, not at full, it had been a long journey until the two had actually had a decent conversation, but it made joey happy to think that they could go back to what they were again - at least like they were before they were even dating. blushing slightly again at what asher said, joey just nodded his head and smiled. “yes, that sounds like a good idea. i kind of miss maisy and i know that asher would like to hang out with you again... it’ll be fun.” he said, as he thought about spending another morning having brunch with that group. it was a good one, but he missed it more than anything. at asher’s statement, joey chuckled and shook his head slowly. “a photography class? somehow i don’t think i wouldn’t do that good in it, but... thank you. i do like taking pictures, but i think i’ll just stick to taking them with my phone for now. they look good either way.” he said with a small shrug, letting out a small chuckle once asher nudged his shoulder.

were the two flirting? was that possible in the state they were in right now? joey didn’t complain, but instead he just let out a small chuckle, knowing that he was still blushing from before. “well, i didn’t mind the distraction either, if i’m being honest, but i know that you like working out... wouldn’t want to distract you again.” he said with a small shrug, as he looked around the other’s car. he thought about all of the late night drives they had and the hours they would spend inside of the car, just the two of them talking about anything that came to mind. and when they got tired, they would drive back into one of their rooms and spend the night together. he missed it. “we can split anything you want, but i’ll offer the salt water taffy! it’s my treat, i’m serious.” he said with a small nod, smiling at asher. “i’m glad we’re doing this too...” he said, rolling his eyes playfully at what asher said. “oh c’mon, i have my hat with me, i don’t need sunscreen... but fine, it’s your birthday so i suppose i can make the effort.” he said with a small chuckle, shaking his head slowly. “you’re always looking out for me, i think it’s... cute.” he said, clearing his throat.

“there’s no ‘think’ , i always got kevin - - i think he and i are soulmates and priyanka chopra just stole him from me … maybe that’s why people don’t like her” she laughed , the memory of taking those quizzes on the back of tigerbeat magazine were probably some of her fondest from her pre-teen days and nostalgia was a feeling she always welcomed. “it’s honestly kind of stupid that they make you guys take these classes when they have nothing to do with your major - - like if you wanted to do math then you’d have chosen a math major , you know?” this was always the part she empathized with joey on , it never really seemed fair to her which was why she had always been so eager and happy to help. she let out a hushed laugh at joey’s comment about prime numbers , “honestly you’re better off not knowing than having me try and explain it to you” she chuckled. 

it didn’t take them too long to finish the worksheet , a sigh falling from her mouth when they had finally finished going over the last problem on the worksheet. “see , that wasn’t so bad was it?” a hand reached up to pat him on the back as she tucked the now finished worksheet away in the folder where she kept all of their other study materials. “you’re still hungry right? i could probably eat a whole pizza right now so…you in?” 

🌈

joey raised an eyebrow at charlie as they talked about the jonas brothers, tilting his head to the side as he thought about it. “i never liked kevin, i thought he was kind of boring... but i thought nick was the one who married priyanka, right? did he get a divorce? that would be kind of sad.” he said with a small sigh, as he nodded his head slowly as charlie mentioned how it didn’t make sense that he had a math class while he was a dance major. at least someone understood him, because that class was joey’s biggest failure and all he could rememeber was the struggle that he had when he took it back in high school - a time that he didn’t want to repeat. “that’s true, i mean, i would never choose a math class... or a math major. numbers are just confusing to me, and so are letters. so i really don’t know why anyone would think i would do good in this class.” he said, frowning slightly as he looked over at the textbook and letting out a small sigh, before looking at charlie as she helped him out.

after some hard work, the two were finally done and joey shrugged his shoulders slightly. “i think it was okay... sorry i answered george washington in my first guess, i thought we were doing something else.” he said with a sigh, as he started gathering all of his stuff and shoving it in his bag, before he looked at charlie, nodding his head slowly at the question. “oh, yes, i’m definitely in. we can go back to my room and order pizza, i don’t mind. you’re not allergic to cats, right?” he asked with a smile on his face.

asher: i mean it could be worse...it could be chemistry

asher: it can be boring, but i think you just need to find the right type of book to get you hooked

asher: i want to. i know how important it is to you

joey: i suppose you're right, but it still sucks...

joey: well, i find it that a lot of books are kind of hard to read... you know, because of my dyslexia :/

austin: nope, buddy, i think that's my one

austin: NO!

austin: ... please tell me you didn't eat one of those

austin: it's viagra, man. my friend needed it.

austin: he gave the packet for me to hold for him

joey: okay maybe it is yours

joey: I DIDN'T, should i

joey: what's viagra, is that like a different special candy??? like candy from canada

the way his eyes lit up as they stared down a the polaroid, embracing the happy piece of time frozen onto a photograph, spoke a million words. it was such a small gesture, and yet it meant the entire world to asher. it was nice knowing that even during the darkest times of their relationship, joey struggled just as much to let the thought of them go as he did. it was a selfish concept to consider, given the amount of pain and suffering even asher went through after the breakup, but just the thought gave asher just the smallest glimpse of hope. “yeah, that place downtown. we used to go there with your brother and maise.” asher smiled at the memory. those were good times. “this is probably one of the best gifts i’ve ever gotten.” he spoke lowly, his tone filled with appreciation as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out the worn down black faux-leather wallet that accompanied him everywhere. asher neatly pushed the small polaroid into it as he looked back, his eyes meeting joey’s once more. “thanks for this, joey.”

chuckling at the comment, asher quickly look down at the concrete ground that laid beneath them, shaking his head briefly before going on, “aw, come on! you used to like going to the gym with me.” tone laced with amusement as he let out another laugh, the delightful sound light and pleasing. he picked his head back up, eyes filled with adoration for the other as their dark eyes met. it was getting easier to be around him. maybe the two really just needed time ta adjust, after all. “the beach sounds good. we can have lunch at the pier. there’s this small shop that sells the best salt water taffy.” his voice perked up with excitement, warming up to the idea of not being such a scrooge on what was supposed to be a good day. his feet began moving in the direction of the parking lot where his car was parked, head turning to make sure the other was following along. “are you sure you don’t have any plans? i don’t want to ruin them if that’s the case.”

🌈

joey watched as asher looked at the picture and smiled to himself. it was obvious that asher had appreciated the gesture and that made joey happy. it was wonderful what a small picture could do. nodding his head as asher reminished on the things they used to do, joey smiled as he watched him carefully. “you’re right, that was a pretty good place... we should go there some time again.” he offered, nodding his head slowly - friends went to brunch together too, right? at least, joey thought they did, so going back there with asher wouldn’t be weird at all. why would it be weird in the first place? “you don’t need to thank me, i thought you would appreciate it...” he said, as he felt his cheeks turning red and nodding slowly. “i’m pretty sure we had more of those, but i don’t know where they are. i’ll let you know if i ever find them again.” he said, as he watched asher pushing the picture into his wallet. it was sweet that he did that, he thought - it meant that he probably was going to keep it in there forever; or at least until he changed wallets, but it made joey feel appreciated.

letting out a small chuckle at asher, he shook his head slowly. “trust me, i liked going to the gym with you, but it wasn’t because we were working out.” he said, realizing what he said, which made his ears turn red, but he let out a small chuckle to make it seem like it was nothing. as asher agreed that they should go to the beach, joey was glad - not only because asher seemed excited, but because he did miss spending time with him, just the two of them. the conversations that the two had been having hadn’t been long enough, so spending the rest of the day with asher felt like a good plan. “sounds like a great plan... i’ll buy you that salt water taffy you like so much. and don’t even try arguing with me about it, it’s your birthday.” he said with a small smile, as he started following asher to the car and then looking up at him. “nah, i was just heading back to my room, i had early practice this morning. but this sounds like a way better plan... really.” he said, as they reached the parking lot. it didn’t take joey a long time to find asher’s car, after all, he had spent a lot of time in it, so once he got there, he got in the passenger’s side and waited for asher, smiling to himself. this was going to be a good day.

joey coming over had become a regular thing, and james didn’t have much of a problem with it. the two men were best friends, practically two peas in a pod. james had spent most of his life with his brother, so if anything he found himself missing the other wilson when he wasn’t around. he had been scrolling through amazon, listening as his brother began ranting on about his day. seemed to be pretty ordinary, that was until he heard asher’s name thrown into the mix. “wait, hold up…” he immediately sat up straight, putting his laptop down onto the coffee table before his eyes shot up to look at his brother. “rewind for a minute. you slept with asher? when did this happen?!” he asked almost erratically, attempting to process the new information. “i’ve missed you too, and thanks for the bagel…but what’s going on with you and asher? are you guys back together?”

🌈

joey was so busy in his rambling that he didn’t even notice that his brother had been on amazon that entire time. and even if he had noticed, it wouldn’t bother him that much either because he liked talking and he knew that the other was listening. he was about to start talking again about something he remembered when he was interrupted by james asking him to rewind and talk about asher. feeling his ears turning slightly red, joey just shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips as he looked at him. “oh... we slept together in that ski trip that happened... you didn’t go to that. and i was pretty sure i thought i told you about that.” he said with a small shrug, as he looked at james for a few minutes before looking around the room and then back at him. at the other question, joey just shook his head slightly. “what? no! we’re not... back together, james. we’re just friends. kind of.” he said with a small shrug. “it doesn’t matter, really, it’s not a big deal.” he said, letting out a sigh. “let’s talk about something else!”

james: hey i got a question for you

james: how's your living situation looking?

joey: it better not be a hard question

joey: well, i'm living in a dorm by myself bc i didn't get assigned a roommate, so pickle has the other bed

asher: this whole school thing isn't for everyone. honestly, college is just one huge money scam

asher: i read sometimes, and work out

asher: nice! let me know when and where your first competition is, i'll make an appearance

joey: well, yeah, but i like my major, i just didn't know that there was like a math class... it's dumb

joey: you do work out a lot... and reading is kind of boring

it had been nearly three weeks since asher had officially rekindled things with joey, patching up what was once a very strained and complicated relationship. as much as it hurt that things didn’t necessarily go the way asher would’ve hoped, even he could admit that things were already getting better. the two were working on their friendship, because at the end of the day if they could agree on one thing, it was this: their friendship was everything to the both of them. asher was just happy to have joey back in his life, no matter what the boundaries were. and things were going good! they were talking more, hanging out more, and random encounters at parties and around campus were slowly becoming less and less awkward. and asher was learning to deal with it.

now it was asher’s birthday. the forbidden day that asher honestly didn’t care too much for. to him, it was just any other day — at least, that’s what he told everyone. it made him seem humble, in a way, at least that’s what he assumed; but even he knew there still some underlying trauma from the time before his adoption that affected his views on days like this. still, he wasn’t going to dwell on it. he was going to spend the day doing what he would normally do on any saturday, hit up the library early in the morning to get some studying done, go to the gym, and then hopefully get shit faced at whatever house party.

the man had been walking out of the library when he spotted joey, lips turning up into the brightest of smiles as he began to walk over to say hello. a part of him was a bit thrown off as he felt himself being pulled into a hug, feeling joey’s arms wrapped around him as he pulled asher into his warm embrace. it was nice, and asher easily accepted — his own arms wrapping around the other and hugging him tightly. the moment didn’t last nearly as long as he would’ve wanted before the two awkwardly pulled away, a soft smile spreading across asher’s lips. he immediately felt that void come along, like a monster waiting to crawl out from underneath the bed. asher shook his head, snapping his head out of thought, a soft chuckle leaving his lips in response to the others reaction. he didn’t have much time to respond before joey had been handing him something. grabbing it, asher looked down just for his eyes to meet an old photo of the two of them. it must’ve at least been a year old, maybe almost two…but it was sweet, and brought on good memories. the two were happy back then. “oh, wow…i completely forgot about this.” he said, another soft chuckle leaving him. “thank you, joey. this means a lot.” his eyes peered up to meet the others, his smile only continuing to grow as the two made eye contact. he sighed, shaking his head briefly before continuing, “not really. i was actually probably going to hit up the gym, or something. keeping it lowkey today, y’know?” he nodded. asher knew how sad the words sounded as soon as he said them out loud. “do you have any plans for the day? do you wanna maybe do something?”

🌈

joey didn’t know the exact reason why asher didn’t like his birthday, but he just knew that he didn’t. that’s why he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, even if he tried back when they were dating. but it wasn’t his place to do so anymore - but they were friends now and joey wanted to make sure that he didn’t feel like people had forgotten, even if he probably would like that. he couldn’t relate to that, joey loved his birthday and if it were up to him, he would celebrate the entire month of april, but that was past the point. the hug between the two was short, but it felt good - he missed being held by asher like that, but he couldn’t think of that. it was a friendly hug, he thought to himself. seeing the other’s reaction when he gave him the polaroid, joey was glad. looking into his eyes, his smile only grew as he nodded his head slowly. “i don’t even remember where we took it... probably at that brunch place where we used to go all the time, remember?” he asked, smiling at all of the good memories that the two had spent together at that place and many others. “but it’s yours now... i think we both look good in it.” he nodded his head, as he kept his eyes on the other.

as asher revealed his plans for the day, joey raised an eyebrow slightly - it was sad that asher was just going on with his day like it was nothing. okay, maybe there were people who didn’t care for their birthday, but joey thought that he could at least a break on this day. “keeping it lowkey? you could at least not go to the gym on your birthday, there’s plenty to do around here...” he said, before asher offered him to do something. in his head his answer was immediately yes, but he stood in silence for a few seconds before nodding his head. “just the two of us? uh... yeah, sure. that seems like fun. what do you want to do?” he asked, smiling at asher. at the thought of spending the day with him, joey had to admit that he was a little excited about it, but he tried not to show it, as he grabbed his backpack straps and smiled at asher. “i’ll go anywhere you want, just don’t take me to the gym... no one should work out on their birthday, trust me.” he said with a nod, as he thought about some of the places where they could go. “how about the beach? it’s a nice day out.” he suggested, hoping that the other would take his suggestion.