Hello again! I come bearing another attempt at Josh/Metis fic, hooray! I really love these boys, I hope I do them justice.

The weather is finally cooling off here is DC, so autumn has been on my mind lately. Metis and I have a lot of the same tastes, so I felt pretty confident that he would be a big fan of fall too. It is clearly the best season, after all.

Minor warnings for a few swears and some boy on boy kissing. But mostly just major amounts of fluff.

It's still a small fandom, so reviews and criticism would make you my hero forever. Seriously.

Josh had always liked fall. Mostly because it meant football season; the excitement of Friday night games, the inevitable beer-soaked after party when they won a particularly important match. Each autumn season meant Josh's own personal glory days.

Metis liked autumn for entirely different reasons, ones that had absolutely nothing to do with getting sweaty and tackling other dudes. Josh could tell, because for the past week since October had begun the usually morose emo kid had seemed positively fucking giddy. Not that anyone else would probably notice, but Josh could tell by the way his smile had changed from a snarky grin to a genuine look of happiness more and more often. Particularly when they were outside, or driving in Josh's car. It was like he couldn't get enough of the cool air on his skin or shuffling his feet through the bright leaves and listening to them crunch.

Josh didn't know exactly why Metis loved the season so much, but it seemed to suit him. All of the things that usually made him an outcast, like his love for cheesy horror movies and predilection for wearing black, suddenly became socially acceptable once Halloween rolled around (which actually made Metis grumble about "stupid posers" more than a few times). Plus, Josh was secretly glad for the cool weather, because Metis looked really fucking cute in a scarf. Not that Josh would tell him that.

So when Metis had asked Josh to hang out one Saturday, the blond really wasn't all that surprised that his boyfriend wanted to do something outdoors. Normally Josh would be the one to suggest going for a walk, and Metis would retort that exercise was for stupid jocks, and return to playing his xbox. So this was a nice change.

The weather was crisp and clear that day, and the sun illuminated the orange and red leaves still clinging to their branches. Metis seemed to be drinking in the scenery, his eyes roaming lazily over each new sight. He was in such a good mood that when Josh casually reached for his hand, entwining their fingers together, Metis actually forgot to freak out and lecture him about what was and was not appropriate in public.

And this put Josh in such a good mood that he didn't realize where their rambling walk had taken them. Before he knew it they were standing in front of the gates to the town's old cemetery. It was over a hundred years old and no longer used, which meant that people hardly ever came here. Josh wasn't sure why they were there, either, but Metis tugged on his hand, giving him no choice but to follow.

They passed through the high stone wall with its arched gate, and followed the cobble stone path. Josh was considering protesting and telling Metis that this was just weird and that they should go to a movie or something, when they turned a corner around a small mausoleum and Josh's breath caught in his throat. The sight before them was stunning. The cemetery was bigger than it looked from the outside, with headstones lined up erratically along the winding foot path. Giant maple and elm trees lined the walk way, the light filtering through their leaves making the entire clearing glow red. It was the most beautiful and oddly romantic thing Josh had ever seen.

He turned to see Metis grinning at him with that 'told-you-so' look. But he didn't say anything, only pulling Josh along by the hand as they wandered farther in amongst the headstones. For a while neither said anything, and Josh could almost imagine that this place was under some kind of spell, like time had stopped moving and they would remain perfectly peaceful like this forever.

That thought was broken by his boyfriend's cackling laughter.

"Pfffft look, this guy's name is Cox," Metis giggled, pointing to a worn marble stone.

Of course. No place could remain peaceful for long with Metis there. So much for respecting the dead.

That inevitably led to a contest to see who could find the funniest names or most badass engravings. There were a lot of skulls and crossbones, but Metis particularly fell in love with a small statue of a cloaked figure. Josh was pretty sure it was supposed to be the grim reaper, but Metis insisted it was clearly a perfect rendering of His Evil Sith-ness, Emperor Palpatine. When he followed up this assertion with his best impression of the Sith lord shooting electricity from his fingertips both boys couldn't help cracking up. Josh's laughter only spurred him on, of course, and Metis kept at it until they were both bent over wheezing, trying to catch their breath. It was definitely inappropriate behavior for a graveyard.

Of course that was nothing compared to what happened next. The glow of Metis's cheeks while he tried to stop his laughter was just too damn cute. Before he could think twice Josh's hands were around his waist, pulling him close, and their lips were connected.

Maybe getting turned on in a cemetery was weird. It was a first for Josh, certainly. But it was all Metis's fault, anyway. It seemed like Josh was always getting the urge to kiss him in inappropriate places: in class, at football games, in the fucking dining room in front of his parents. So it's not like this was really anything new. And for once Metis didn't resist him, didn't push him off or call him and idiot or tell him that he was a human, not a freaking dog, and he should show more restraint. Instead, miracle of all miracles, Josh could feel him kissing back urgently, wrapping his own arms around Josh's neck, running his fingers through the short hairs at the nape.

It changed from a sweet to a passionate kiss, and before he even realized it Josh had backed Metis up against the nearest tree, pinning his back against it and pulling their bodies even closer. Josh took his time exploring the shorter boy's mouth with his tongue, encouraging Metis's own shy efforts at reciprocation. He alternated this with sucking on Metis's lower lip, which he had learned was his secret weak point. He felt Metis hum in satisfaction, and felt a greater sense of accomplishment than from all the touch downs he had ever scored combined.

They could have gone on like that forever, for all Josh cared. The rest of the world had ceased to exist, and he wanted nothing more out of life than to keep tasting that sweet mouth. But practical considerations ruined his romantic notions, and they eventually had to break apart for air. As they both took deep breaths to fill their staved lungs, Metis leaned his head back against the tree, his trademark smirk back in place.

"You know, I thought so before but…you really are a kinky pervert, aren't you?" he drawled.

For one horrified moment Josh thought maybe he had taken it too far this time, and that Metis really thought he was some kind of freak who couldn't keep his hands to himself. But that smug grin told him that Metis was actually pretty pleased with himself. Josh broke into laughter again, leaning his head against Metis's shoulder while he tried to regain enough control to speak.

"It's your fault, you know. If you didn't look so godamn cute all the time I wouldn't be tempted to take advantage of you in inappropriate places."

Metis put on his best look of indignation. "Who the hell is cute? No way, I am not fucking—"

But Josh cut him off with another kiss, gentle this time. The idiot wasn't aware that he was only further proving Josh's point.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Metis's hand again and pulling him back along the path towards the entrance.

"What, we're going already?" Metis seemed disappointed, but let himself be dragged along.

"Well, if you think making out here is weird, then we're definitely going to have to change locations before we go any further."

Josh inwardly chuckled at the shocked look on the other boy's face. But he did pick up the pace, nevertheless.

Josh decided that there was a lot more to love about fall than just football. In fact, it could very well become his favorite season.

Totally random note: hanging out in cemeteries might sound weird to other people. I come from Boston, where we have lots of gorgeous old cemeteries, and in the fall foliage they are pretty popular tourist spots, so it's kind of a fall tradition of mine. So yeah, it's not something weird I pulled out of my ass, and I'm really not a creepy person, I swear!