Passing Time

Random plot bunny that wouldn't let me sleep. Boy's aren't mine. Enjoy!

"Okay. What are the differences between Beck and Ellis' theories?" Cooper asked reading off of the pages of notes Josh had asked him to quiz him on.

Josh didn't take long to answer. He never did. Studying was damn near pointless. "Beck's focus was the accuracy of belief while Ellis focused to consequence."

But, try telling him that.

Cooper nodded. "Right. Now, give me an example of each."

"Accuracy - if you said 'nobody likes me,' for example. How would you know? Have you asked everybody on the planet? No. So you'd work it down to probably a specific person who doesn't like you."

"Oh!" Cooper laughed. He loved when he actually understood something from one of Josh's classes. "Like with all of Rachel's drama about how there are no decent, single, straight guys on campus? Has she really checked?"

Josh smiled, always amused by Cooper's examples. "Yeah, something like that. But, as for Consequence - suppose you do ask everyone and nobody actually liked you. So what? You will not spontaneously combust if it's true."

Cooper paused, setting the book down. "Tell me again why we bother doing this? Two years and you've never gotten a question wrong."

"Well," Josh answered. "It gives us something to do until Pickle goes to sleep and we can go have fun." Their roommate had unintentionally barged in on them on more than one occasion. They probably owed Pickle's therapist several weeks of pay for those incidents. They'd learned that once he was asleep they were clear.

"Right." A look at the door to Pickle's room answered Cooper's inquiry. The light was off. "He's asleep now…"

Josh grinned, hauling his roommate up off the couch. He pressed a kiss to the other's lips as they fumbled toward the room they shared. "Fantastic. Let's go."