Josh & Victor; backdated to the cast party

[om_elixir]

Victor's nerves are showing, and Josh attempts to help.


Victor had only really just arrived at the party and was pretty much just hanging about the edge of thing. It wasn't that he didn't want to have fun it was simply just with the play so soon it was hard to turn off his brain and the constant stream of worries ranging from the possible (forgetting lines) to the highly unlikely (mostly triggered by a dream he'd had the night before that he would be such a terrible Dorian that the ghost of Oscar Wilde himself would show up to loudly heckle him) and it was hard to have fun with worries like that going on!

After getting himself a soda, Josh had spotted Victor near the edges of the party and decided to make his way over. Most of the students around had been so preoccupied with mingling with everyone else that the one who wasn't stood out like a sore thumb.

"Vic!" Josh greeted with a big smile. "You made it finally. What's going on?"

"I'm, hey. Not a lot really. You?" He tried to focus on Josh though his brain was currently speed running all of the lines they had together.

"You know, just having a good time," Josh replied casually. "Are you getting excited yet, or what?"

"Yeah, excited and terrified. Pretty much pinging up and down the whole spectrum of emotions to be honest," he admitted as he looked around the party. "Here to have fun though," or at least try. "Kevin not here?"

Josh shook his head. "Nah, not really his scene. Again. I'm thinking about forcing him to come next time, though."

Which may or may not go over well, but it would be worth the attempt! That and Josh was getting antsy about making the date thing official soon. In public, or whatever. He was coaching himself about it. Victor's mention of being scared didn't go unnoticed, however, so Josh tucked that back for just a moment so he could come back to it and offer his friend some reassurance.

"Did you see the painting yet? It's amazing." Victor was so not done singing Kevin's praises over that because wow. "He seemed kinda both surprised and not that we chat about, well you know stuff. How're things going by the way? No texts for danger rooms sessions lately so I'm guessing all good?" Focusing on the Josh and Kevin stuff at least distracted him for the moment.

That was a very quick and long succession of questions, and Josh couldn't help but chuckle just a little. Yeah, Vic must have definitely been nervous tonight. "Yes, and it is amazing. Yes, he gets surprised at all sorts of socializing I do because he can't brain the concept of talking to people for fun--bless him. And...things are well. The more time goes by, the better I'm feeling, you know?"

Kevin may have acted like a grumpy jerk to a lot of people, but not so much to Josh...especially behind closed doors when no one else could see them. They had good talks together and Josh liked getting to know him just as much as he liked touching him and helping him practice his art. Okay, so maybe they bumped heads regularly too, but it wasn't really anything huge when it came right down to it. Being happy with someone made it harder and harder to hate or fear himself, Josh was learning. Learning was kind of a huge deal.

"I guess I owe you another thanks for that chat we had." Strength also came in numbers, much to the surprise of no one.

"Nah, not needed. Us mutants got to stick together right? Us LGBT ones even more. Anytime you want to talk, you know where I am." He managed to forget his stress and nerves for a moment as he made such an important offer. He really meant it and it had helped him too. "It was good to talk to someone a bit less figured out, you know?"

"Exactly." Josh agreed, offering a smile. "The same goes for you, okay? Not even just about dating guys, either, but anything. Not trying to sound corny, but it should be a two-way street and all."

"I know, it's cool." Victor assured him with a nod, looking around the party. Everyone seemed to be having fun and no one was too couplely. Then again most people seemed to have left the more anti-social half of the relationship back at school.

His stomach churned just a little as he asked "How're you feeling bout Sundy?"

There it was. That nervousness of Victor's that he'd mentioned before, and Josh couldn't help but keep the grin plastered on his face. "Fine, dude! We've got this down pat and it'll be awesome." A pause, and golden eyebrows raised. "You'll be awesome. You've been rocking rehearsals."

"Really coz..." He paused for a moment before deciding that whilst Josh might laugh it wouldn't be out of unkindness. "I keep dreaming that Oscar Wilde hates it so much his ghost comes to heckle the show!"

Victor was right because Josh did laugh and it wasn't at all out of unkindness, just amusement. "Like 'Poltergeist'?"

"I haven't seen that movie." The younger boy admitted "It's kinda like the heckling ghosts in the muppets christmas carol, you know the two grumpy puppets as Marley and Marley?"

It was probably better not to explain to Victor what had happened on the sets of the Poltergeist movies. Josh and Kevin had watched two of the movies in their room together one night and Kevin went into great detail about the curses surrounding the sets and the actors/actresses during production and it was some very scary shit! Scary enough that it would probably make Vic's dreams way worse, so Josh simply nodded his head and grinned at the mention of the Muppets.

A comedy-drama-horror was probably better than some straight up horror. "Scared he's gonna get you wrapped up in chains, Vic?"

With a nervous sort of laugh the green boy nodded "Something like that."

"Well that would change the tone of the play a lot. Brings the hedonism to a whole new level," Josh joked because he couldn't not make it.

Now featuring Dorian Grey, tied up and being humiliated by Oscar Wilde himself for kicks! Okay, no more snickering, Foley, time to be serious! Josh bit back the grin now and nibbled at his knuckle for a moment before dropping his hand again. "Dude. It'll be awesome and there won't be any ghosts. If anything, Wilde will appreciate it not being as hacked up and censored as much as other people have done it! It'll rule, and you'll rule. All your friends are watching anyway, so there's nothing to be scared of."

"Except making an idiot of myself in front of all my friends?" Victor sighed heavily, wrapping his arms around himself. The whole thing kept tuning his knees to jelly and his stomach to worms. Ugh.

Josh shook his head. "You won't. Friends aren't nitpicky. You just have to remind yourself that you talk to them already everyday, so you need to be comfortable with them like you would any other time, right? If you get comfortable enough, I bet it'll be easier to act your ass off."

"True, I guess...and I guess this is one of those times when picturing your audience in their underwear sure ain't gonna help!" He did his best to joke back, looking around at everyone. They were all having fun, why couldn't he just relax?

"Not unless you're looking to burst out laughing midway," Josh reasoned, and started to laugh again. "Unless, of course, you just stick with the attractive ones. Though that might start causing other problems for you."

"Oh God, that would be awful." The younger boy grimaced at the mere thought "Ugh, this school has way too many hot guys and I make an ass out of myself in front of them way too much without that happening!"

And too many hot girls, though Josh conceded that wasn't an issue for Victor, alas. The point still stood, Vic was right! A snort escaped him. "Maybe underwear isn't the best approach period."

"Agreed," was nodded back fervently.

"Look, you'll be fine, okay? Use the party as an excuse to have some fun and relax a little, and then Sunday won't seem so bad, I promise," Josh attempted.

Victor nodded again and then forced a smile, he didn't want to ruin Josh's night after all.