Title: Ladders

Author: SP

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider and whoever else own everything.

Rating: K+

Pairing: Drake/Josh. Duh.

Word Count: 500

Summary: Their relationship has moved like climbing a ladder: one step at a time.
Author's Notes: Happy birthday to Drake! Here's a lovely ficlet in honor of the VERY lovely Mr. Bell! The ficlet's more about Josh, though…eh, 'tever.

Lying with Drake in his arms, the other snoring softly in post-coital bliss, Josh thinks back over everything that has happened to get them to this point. It's taken awhile, clearly--their parents had married when they were freshmen in high school, and now high school was behind them, college for Josh looming in only a few weeks, and an album release for Drake in even fewer.

Josh realizes that, although some were taken faster than others, and some were skipped all together, their relationship has moved like climbing a ladder: one step at a time.

First, they were simply classmates. Then, in a weird detour that actually detracted from the ladder analogy, they became stepbrothers. A step was taken when the step- was dropped. Maybe the ladder had branched off? Yeah, that worked. Classmates and stepbrothers were both the bottom steps. The ladder came back together when they became friends. Another step when they became best friends.

And then, for the next two or three years, the ladder went higher and higher as they grew closer, until it stopped somewhere around junior year.

The next step didn't come until halfway through senior year, when Drake just up and kissed Josh. He'd been drinking, and Josh, although it hurt to do it, had written it off as nothing more than a drunken incident.

Until the next day, when Drake very emphatically insisted that it was more. That was when the ladder grew by a lot, and that step was a doozy, wasn't it? From best friends (and brothers…but they both kind of ignored that fact) to…what, boyfriends? Josh doesn't care if Drake thinks it's dumb, that's what he's calling it for the analogy.

At Josh's request, they had stayed right there for six months. He was pretty sure he loved Drake, and kissing him was addictive and practically intoxicating, but he wasn't sure about taking the next step to lovers (and Drake would think that was sappy, but Josh still doesn't care).

Well, tonight, they had. And it had been wonderful, amazing, and a hundred other things Josh can't even begin to describe. Maybe if he tries really hard, he could come up with another odd analogy. But it's okay being indescribable, too.

Drake stirs, coming half-awake, and mumbles, "Josh? Are you asleep?"

"No," Josh replies.

"How come?" Drake is waking up a little more now.

"I'm thinking."

Drake yawns, asks, "'Bout what?"

"Ladders."

Drake chuckles and moves to kiss Josh's cheek gently. "I don't know about you sometimes," he says, then settles back into Josh's hold. "Now go to sleep."

"All right," Josh agrees, relaxing into his pillows.

"I love you, Josh," Drake says, closing his eyes.

And then Josh knows that they've just taken the final step. "I love you too, Drake," he answers, then allows his own eyes to drift closed as well.