the human heart never does seem to play by the rules.

dave gregory, 22. recently moved from arizona (born & raised) to river heights. come visit me at the riding academy for lessons & training

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

[tobedeleted1-deactivated2020091]

It all happened so fast and Jess was caught completely off-guard. Dancing with the stranger had just been a spur of the moment decision, one that meant nothing, and even as he tried to grab for her Jess was prepared to shrug it off. Dave hadn’t been. It took her a moment to spring to action when Dave was suddenly punching the guy and they were both on the ground, but there was another thing that caught her eye first: a small packet of pills on the ground next to Dave. Moving quickly, Jess swiped the packet before anyone could see and managed to push the guy off of Dave (she prided herself on being stronger than she looked) before taking Dave’s hand and helping him up off the ground. 

Thankfully the scuffle was maintained only to a small area, the majority of people completely oblivious to what happened, and Jess managed to pull Dave off to the side where she could hear him better. “Dave, hey…Breathe.” Frowning, Jess stepped forward and in some kind of attempt to help him feel better ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve danced with him…I wasn’t thinkin’. But why did you hit him?” Was he jealous? Or…Remembering the packet in her free hand Jess held it up between them, holding it close to his chest so only he could see. “Did you take one of these?” 

[dave-gregory-blog]

Jess had pulled him to his feet, then yanked him against the wall before hitting him with twenty questions. Dave was breathing heavy still, and his ribs were stinging- the guy had gotten a couple good punches in- and his hands were shaking, shaking, shaking. He could barely feel Jess’s fingers in his hair, couldn’t focus, or breathe. She was holding something, asking him a question with a serious look on her face, concern and something else. Probably thinking how right ol’ Colton was, he thought. The music was so loud now, and the lights were bright and flashing and he was hot, unbearably hot, and despite being off to the side, people kept brushing into him and his skin felt like it was crawling with flies. 

“Didn’t- I didn’t take nothin’, I- I can’t breathe,” he managed to spit out, leaning against the wall, trying to suck in air but didn’t feel like any was getting in. It had been bad to come here, he realized. There was too much happening, too much that had happened, it all felt like it had happened before. He felt himself hunching forward, then looked up at Jess, meeting her eyes frantically. “I’m sorry- I’m sorry, Jess, I didn’t mean-” He couldn’t say anything more.

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

Joe knew he wasn’t going to let that go for a while. But he didn’t care. He inhaled sharply as Dave leaned up close, the tips of their noses touching. Then they kissed, Dave being gentler than he was the first time, giving Joe a different experience. It was caring, pleasurable, soothing Joe rather than exciting him. He was sad when Dave pulled away, at least remembering to exhale when the kiss broke.

He knew Dave was waiting for how he’d respond. So Joe gave him a smile, grabbed the back of Dave’s neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. This time we was more enthusiastic, trying to recreate the excitement of the first kiss. He liked it. He wanted more.

[dave-gregory-blog]

When Joe pulled him in and kissed him again, Dave couldn’t help but be a little surprised. From the kid’s first reaction, he had expected- well, not that. He appreciated his enthusiasm, how he pressed himself closer to Dave. Joe was looking for something, he figured. Looking for something that he thought he’d found in Dave. Which didn’t feel quite right. Kissing him kind of did.

With Joe’s hand on the back of his neck, his own hands found Joe’s face, then his hair, tangling in it despite it’s rather short length. He was lost momentarily in the feel of lips pressed against his, the hand pressing on his neck, the burning feeling that said ‘yes, keep going’ even when something in his head said ‘wait’. He ignored the voice in his head, something he had gotten extraordinarily good at lately. 

He broke the kiss, pulling only inches from Joe, his hands still in Joe’s hair- wanting to pull at it but refraining for now- his breathing still heavy. “Is- this okay with you?” He couldn’t help but be a little worried. Dave wasn’t sure how old Joe was but he had to be a couple years younger than him- not drinking age for sure- and he didn’t seem like he’d had the same teenage years Dave had. And he likely didn’t have the experience Dave had either. 

“I don’t wanna- I like this,” he told Joe, barely whispering, scared to really break the silence. “But I don’t know what you’re thinkin’.”

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

Joe started leaning forward, still unsure, but also curious. For the first time, he let his eyes wander across Dave’s body. He noticed little scars here and there on his torso, not unlike on himself. Most importantly, Dave was shredded like paper, a clear sign the man had grown up riding horses. Joe started to smile. “Maybe you could… kiss me back again?”

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave laughed a little at Joe’s question. “You gonna be okay with kissin’ me? I don’t want you to have a panic attack or nothin’.” He smiled at the kid, letting him know that while he wasn’t exactly joking, he wasn’t dead serious either. He waited a beat, then leaned towards Joe, their faces close. “Try to remember how to breathe after this one, okay?” He pressed his lips against Joe’s, soft and gentle, then drew back after a few seconds. Despite his teasing, he was a little worried about Joe’s reaction.

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

[tobedeleted1-deactivated2020091]

Once she actually started dancing, even though it was with a complete stranger, Jess physically relaxed a significant amount, feeling a lot more comfortable than she previously had. Jess had been dancing all of her life, even if it technically was rigorous ballet training she was required to take because of her mother. But that didn’t mean Jess just strictly loved ballet. There were times where she did love the particularity of ballet specifically but there were other times, like right then, where she loved the kind of dance that didn’t have rules or specific ways to move your body that were a prerequisite. This was completely freeing and Jess loved it.

For the first time in a really long time she finally felt like she was letting the huge amount of stress that had been on her shoulders disappear, at least just a little bit. She was holding onto that feeling that she didn’t even realize Dave was back when he was, too wrapped up in the moment and the mystery guy behind her and the fact that his hands were moving into inappropriate territories (and that she didn’t even mind) that when she heard Dave’s voice in her ear she jumped. “I see you wasted no time,” she responded, her eyes now noticing the fact that he was shirtless with paint over him. When he asked her if they could slip away she hesitated for a moment but nodded, stopping her dancing and slipping out of the guy’s grasp. When she felt him grab for her again she gave him an apologetic smile and pointed toward Dave before grabbing Dave’s hand and pulling him away so she could hear him better. “What is it?”

[dave-gregory-blog]

When Dave saw this guy- some random guy- dancing with Jess, he just about saw red. Who was this guy? Dancing with someone at a party was fine, whatever, but then to grab at her as he was trying to walk away? That was not okay. Maybe it was the now-empty bottle of whiskey playing on his nerves, or maybe the confrontation with Colton was still in the back of his mind, but he moved around Jess towards the guy. His back was turned away from them now, but Dave grabbed him by the shoulder and whirled him around.

The guy started to say something that was drowned out by the music, but Dave had no interest in listening. He punched him, right in the face, and the guy staggered back for a minute, only to tackle Dave to the ground. Everything became a blur- of music, of light, of motion- and he looked up to see Jess’s face above him.

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

The hand on his knee was nice. As was the fingers brushing across his face, moving his mess of hair. Joe figured he was just expecting the worse to happen after the kiss, and when it wasn’t the worse he panicked at the unexpected. “Not – no, I haven’t. I mean I never really thought about it before. It wasn’t until tonight… until you that I realized I wanted to… kiss you.”

Joe placed a hand on Dave’s thigh, hoping he didn’t ruin things with his freakout. His friendship, whatever that kiss was, any of it. “You… liked it. You kissed me back?”

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave listened to Joe, hoping he could get him to calm down. The kid had done nothing wrong, but he must feel like he had, the way he couldn’t stop talking. His hand squeezed Joe’s knee gently, trying to be reassuring. Joe’s hand was on his thigh, and he placed his own hand over Joe’s.

“I kissed you back,” he confirmed, smiling just the slightest. “I’m guessin’ that’s not what you were expectin’, from how you jumped up and about ran away.” He wondered what Joe had expected to happen. Did he think Dave was going to punch him in the mouth, beat him up? Even if Dave wasn’t attracted to just about everyone, he still wouldn’t have beaten the kid up for kissing him. There were plenty of good reasons to punch someone in the mouth, kissing him wasn’t one of them.

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

[tobedeleted1-deactivated2020091]

Jess gratefully took the cigarette and stuck it between her lips, taking a drag and momentarily enjoying the effect that it had. She definitely needed it to calm her nerves a little. It had been a while since she was in this kind of setting – the last party that she went to was her own rehearsal dinner for her wedding that never happened – and being thrown back into this environment after being away from it for a while was a bit jarring. But Jess was game – she needed this, and she was willing to let herself have a good time and forget about all of the crap in her life. 

“To a good night.” Jess tapped her bottle against Dave’s before bringing it to her lips and finishing off a good amount of it before putting it in her pocket; she always had managed to hold her alcohol well once she started drinking. Once the girl appeared and Jess took the bracelets she took Dave’s hand as he instructed, giving him a teasing look. “Why would I wanna do somethin’ like that?” Following him, Jess’s eyes took a moment to readjust to the darkness and the lights, bright and blinding when combined with the music. The setting reminded her of a fraternity party she once went to and if this was anything like that then Jess had a feeling she was in for having some regrets in the morning.

Given the setting she really had no idea what to expect, but she wasn’t expecting Dave to leave her on her own. “Oh. Uh yeah, sure. Go. I’ll be here.” Jess could hold her own, even in an unfamiliar environment like that one. Letting go of Dave’s hand and giving him a small, playful shove away from her Jess took a deep breath and turned around, letting her eyes scan the crowd now that she was alone. She had to admit to herself she was surprised this was Dave’s scene in the first place, but then again she really didn’t know much about him at all. Jess didn’t have much time to dwell on it when she felt arms around her waist, pulling her back against their chest as they danced. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that it definitely wasn’t Dave but given he was currently missing Jess decided to just let it go and dance against the mystery guy. She was there to have fun, anyway.

[dave-gregory-blog]

Jess playfully pushed him into the crowd, and within seconds he was surrounded by the party-goers. One of which, he realized, was Tyler, his buddy. Tyler pulled him to the side, where they caught up as best they could with the music blaring. They had known each other years ago, and Tyler remembered who Dave had been back there. He had brought something to make the night better. Dave paused at first, considering if Jess would mind, or want to partake. Tyler gave him a look, as if to say- hurry up, man, there are other people I need to talk to- and Dave nodded, handed off the money, and started to wade back through the crowd. 

Before he could find Jess, the girl from outside bumped into him, and grabbed at his shirt, starting to dance with him. She shouted something at him, something about paint. He nodded and she pulled the shirt off of him. He looped it through a belt loop, and she pulled a tube of neon glow paint from her pocket and smeared broad stripes of it over his bare chest. He yelled his thanks, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then wandered back through the crowd, finally seeing Jess. 

Who was dancing with some random guy, which sort of made him smile. You wanted her to have fun, his subconscious pointed out. He approached Jess from the front, grinning all the while. Despite the guy behind her, Dave danced close to her, and put his mouth next to Jess’s ear. “Mind if we leave him behind for a minute? I’ve got somethin’ you might like,” he told her. 

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

He heard Dave’s voice, faintly, being drowned out by the sound of his own pounding heartbeat. Joe walked back to the living room, grabbing the back of the couch and leaning against it for support. His eyes found there way back to Dave. “I… I… I don’t know.” Was it both? Neither? Yes it was a guy and that was new and different and a bit frightening but Joe knew there was nothing wrong with that. And yes, he wanted that kiss more than anything. Ever since they met in the park, Joe had an anxious feeling in his gut. He was wishing Dave would want to kiss him.

And… he did. Dave grabbed him, kissed him, acted excited for more. More! Maybe that was his problem. For as his talk over the years, teasing his big brother, bragging to his friends, he had never had… more. Joe climbed over the couch and sat down beside Dave, calming slightly. “I just… didn’t know how to react. I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d… like that. I don’t mean I assumed, I just…”

[dave-gregory-blog]

Despite Joe sitting down, he still seemed panicky. “Hey,” he told him, placing his hand cautiously on Joe’s knee. “It’s okay, you know?” He tried to look Joe in the eye, hoping he would realize Dave was serious. “Your reaction, everything- it’s okay.” Dave’s hand was drawn to Joe’s hair, now fluffed up and messy. He brushed it to the side, and smiled at him.

“Was that- I mean- are you,” he sighed. Apparently his brain had short-circuited the second Joe had kissed him. “Have you kissed a guy before?”

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

When Dave kissed him back, Joe’s entire body tensed up. He arched his back, curled his toes. The first thing he thought of was Dave’s stubble, how scratchy it felt and how different it was from his previous lip locking experiences. He liked it. Shit, he liked it.

Joe slid his legs up to his chest and used his knees to push Dave off of him. He leaped onto his feet and retreated to the kitchen, which was still in full view of the living space. He paced nervously, not sure what to do. Not sure what to say. He knew Dave was still here, watching his freak out. Noises coming from the video game were pushed into the background.

[dave-gregory-blog]

Joe was obviously not okay with what Dave have done. The pacing, and clear distancing made that obvious. His own thoughts were racing slightly- he didn’t feel as though he had crossed any boundary that Joe hadn’t already crossed- and he was left a little confused. 

“Hey,” he called to him, hoping he could calm him down, at least a little. “It’s- It’s my fault- I’m sorry,” he blurted. “Shouldn’t’ve kissed ya,” he muttered, mad at himself, staring at his feet. It suddenly occurred to him, a few seconds late, that Joe could be freaking out not because he had just been kissed, but because it was Dave, a guy, who had kissed him. 

“Oh, man,” he managed to say, suddenly looking up at Joe, across the room and into the kitchen. He pressed his palms to his face, then sat on the couch. “You freakin’ out ‘cause of me or ‘cause of the kiss?” After asking, he realized the question didn’t clarify much of anything. “I mean,” he corrected himself. “You freakin’ out ‘cause you’re kissin’ a guy or ‘cause you didn’t want me kissin’ you?” He hoped that made more sense, his brain was feeling blurry. And he really needed that drink.

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

[tobedeleted1-deactivated2020091]

Jess’s fingers intertwined with Dave’s as they both made their way toward the building, stopping at a side door. She was hit with the smell of smoke and alcohol, the loud bass of the music, and it made her smile wide. This was exactly what she had needed and Dave had seemed to sense that. Then again, she knew that they both needed this in some way. She didn’t know yet what it was exactly that brought Dave to River Heights but there was something deeper to him, things that he wasn’t saying and things that Jess wanted to know. Hopefully she would at a later time, if Dave decided he still wanted to be around her.

Her eyes went to the bottles he produced and she laughed. “You came prepared, didn’t you,” she mused as she reached up and took the vodka bottle. “I’ll leave you the whiskey.” Opening it, Jess snuck another glance inside of the building until she looked back at Dave and saw the cigarette in his mouth. Smoking was a habit she tended to pick up now and then – not really steady, but more of a social thing that she fell into when others were doing it. “Can I have one?” She might as well – she felt like she was in need of one anyway. After taking a swig of the vodka Jess made a face, it burning the back of her throat as she gave Dave a nod. “Whenever you want,” she replied, turning back to look inside of the doorway. “Looks like all the action is in there.”

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave laughed at the face she made after drinking from the bottle of vodka, then lit her a cigarette as well. “All yours,” he said, handing it off to her. He took a drag from his own, and cracked upon the bottle of whiskey, exhaling and toasting Jess with his bottle. “To a good night, yeah?” He took a long drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, the burn in his throat and down into his stomach lighting some kind of fire in him. He took another drag off the cigarette, then tossed it on the ground.

A girl he didn’t know opened the side door, and poked her head out in the cold. She came over to the group and offered Dave a handful of glow bracelets, then told the two to get inside where the fun was. He thanked her, laughing, and offered a few of the bracelets and put the rest around his wrists. He took another swig from his whiskey, then tucked it in the back pocket of his jeans. 

“I’ll lead the way,” he promised, “because it’s going to be fuckin’ insane in there. So you’ll have to hold my hand,” he told her, halfway joking, half serious. He took her hand, and started towards the door. The minute it was open, the music hit him like a brick wall. Inside was dark, though strobe lights flickered and every single person was partially naked with glowing paint slapped on them. He was immediately warm upon entering, and went ahead and stripped his coat off, depositing it against the wall. His keys and wallet were safe in his jean pockets, as well as his whiskey. 

Dave turned to Jess and smirked. He bent into her space to yell over the music into her ear. “I’m going to find my buddy, you okay here for a minute? I’ll come find you right after I talk to him.” Before he could dance, he needed to see what his old friend had for him.

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

Joe was taken aback, quite literally, by the tackle and impromptu wrestling match. It was something he hadn’t have happen to him since he and Frank were much younger. He let out a shout and started to push back against Dave’s bare chest. Before he knew it, his head was pinned down and wrists secured. Joe knew how he could escape, his ATAC training was still with him. But there was no reason to be aggressive with Dave. In fact, Joe was just fine with letting Dave win.

Dave… who was a very handsome man. Of course Joe was attracted to him. Who wouldn’t? It wasn’t anything more. It wasn’t… unless, maybe it was. And if it was… then Joe had to find out, right? He raised his head and brought his lips to Dave’s, holding it for a few seconds before dropping back to the floor, a look of amazement and terror spreading across his face.

[dave-gregory-blog]

At the touch of Joe’s lips to his, Dave’s first and only instinct was to press back, even as Joe dropped back to the floor. It was a move that threw him for a minute. Sure, he and Jess weren’t officially anything, but he had fairly strong feelings for her. But Joe was sort of cute, what with his big blue eyes and all. He sort of reminded Dave of one of the guy’s on the circuit he had crashed with for a while. They had drank (a lot) and gotten quite comfortable with each other. He wasn’t sure what he would be labeled as, only that he didn’t like labels. He liked- hell, he liked having fun. With whoever he found attractive that found him attractive right back. And to him- well, there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with it.

“Well,” he said, Joe’s hands still under his, and his face mere inches from Joe’s. “You are full of surprises, kid.” There was no judgement, nothing in his voice but a light teasing. He dropped his head down even closer to Joe’s and smirked, licking his lips, then biting his lower lip for a second, making his mind up. Finally, he dropped his lips onto Joe’s and kissed him back, just a little rougher than he had been kissed, licking into Joe’s mouth just the slightest bit. 

You’re a slut. His brother’s voice was in his head, but he pushed it aside. River Heights was a new start, away from his ghosts. He was just having fun.

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

[tobedeleted1-deactivated2020091]

It had been a while since Jess had been to a party like the one that Dave had described and she didn’t really know how to feel. Excited, nervous. More likely a mixture of both. Jess had agonized for about an hour about what to wear alone, settling for jeans and a shirt she knew she looked good on, letting her hair fall in waves instead of pulling it up. But that was really the only thing she agonized over, and instead as she sat in the infamous truck (which she was somewhat excited to finally see) next to Dave she only let herself look forward to the night of head. It would definitely be interesting, something that she probably wouldn’t tell Colton to be on the safe side, and even though she was still a little confused as to where her and Dave stood a little fun is exactly what she needed.

“I’m ready,” she replied, peering out the front window at the building. She could hear the music and he was right to say it was less country, but that made the situation even more intriguing. Jess’s attention went back to Dave, not hesitating to take his hand when he offered it. When he said ‘let’s go’ she did pause, a smile suddenly on her face. “One sec,” was all she said before she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. There’d been a part of her that had been dying to do that for the full two-hours sitting next to him. When she finally pulled away she squeezed his hand and gave him an easy smile. “Now we can go,” she finally said as she let go of his hand and turned to her own door, opening it and slipping out of the truck with ease. This was definitely going to be interesting.

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave had been a little surprised by the kiss, but in a good way. He shook his head at Jess’s back as she opened her door and slid out, then followed after her. He grabbed her hand as they met in front of the truck and they started to walk towards the side door, where there were a couple people hanging out, smoking and laughing as the music dripped outdoors, all electronic with thudding backbeats that made Dave’s heart race. It had been so long since he had gotten to cut loose, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to get inside. 

“You wanna drink a little before we go in? It’s gonna be loud and crazy once we do,” he warned her. He pulled the pint bottles out of his jacket pocket and showed them to her. “Pick your poison,” he said with a smirk, holding them out to her. He lit a cigarette for himself, then texted his buddy to let him know they had arrived. Once they were inside, he knew it would be dark, though if it was anything like the other parties on the circuit, there would be plenty of neon body paint and glow necklaces. He’d be able to find his guy easily enough.

After he sent the text to his buddy, he took a deep breath and turned back to Jess. He was excited, and he hoped she was too. “How’re ya feelin’? Just lemme know when ya wanna go in.” 

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

At first Joe snarled when he heard the overused nickname “blondie”, only to soften up he recognized it was used complimentary. A small smile slowly returned to his face. He mindlessly set up the next level and readied the controls as he slouched back against the couch and took a deep breath. “Hope you like pineapple, cowboy.”

The game began and the two competitors remained neck and neck for half the round. Joe only took back the lead when grabbed a hidden power-up he knew was there from previous playthroughs. It was cheats-y, but Joe was being true to his word, that he wouldn’t go easy on anymore. He was curious to see if Dave had it in him to win…

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave pulled a face at the mention of pineapple, then concentrated on the game. He was biting his lip, hard, focused intently on now beating Joe. If there was one thing Dave couldn’t stand for, it was fruit on pizza. All bets were off, even if he had play a little dirty. And he certainly wasn’t above that. He tried to remember every little trick Joe had pulled in their earlier round, but it was difficult once the kid had a lead on him.

“Kid,” he grunted, his focus still on the screen. “You’re too damn good at this. Might just have to-” with a grunt he launched himself at Joe, tackling him off the couch and onto the ground, knocking the controller out of his hand. He rolled the slimmer guy underneath him and pinned his hand over his head, smirking down at him all the while.

“Told you I’m better at the physical stuff,” he said, cocking his head to the side while straddling Joe’s waist. He burst out laughing. “Sorry, man, but there’s no way I was gonna win if I played fair.” He paused, realizing he still held Joe’s hands above his head, and their faces were awfully close.

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

In the corner of his eye, Joe saw Dave fidget and squirm in the silent awkwardness. The calm was quickly fading so Joe did the best he could to provide a distraction for his distraction. “Let’s do this level again. I want to see you beat me. According to Frank, I need to be taken down a peg every once in a while to keep my head from exploding. I think he’s right.” Joe stretched in his seat, flexing his arm and back muscles, getting in the zone. The movement resulted in his stomach growling. He turned to Dave and smiled. “How about winner gets to pick the pizza toppings? My treat?”

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave was relieved for Joe’s interruption into his own thoughts. He was hopeful he could at least give Joe a challenge during the next round, though he wasn’t sure if he actually had a chance of winning. Though as long as Joe didn’t choose pineapple for the pizza, he wouldn’t mind losing. Especially if it meant he got to see Joe excited about his victory. He was actually kind of impressed by the kid’s muscles as he stretched. They looked stronger than they first appeared. 

“Hey, that sounds good to me,” he said with a smile. “But I’m guessin’ you’ll be pickin’ our toppin’s since you’ve been goin’ easy on me.” He looked down, brushing at his hair, then looked up at Joe. “But I don’t mind that, blondie.” He couldn’t help the smirk on his face. Something about Joe made him feel loose, a little free. It felt good.

[dave-gregory-blog]

[your flaws upon your sleeve][jessalyn&&dave]

Dave had pulled up in front of Jessaln’s apartment in the truck, hoping she wouldn’t mind the close-to-two hour drive ahead of them. They were headed for a warehouse where the party- well, rave was probably the better word to describe it- was being held. The drive had gone smooth as he’d hoped, them listening to the radio and talking off and on. He had brought a pint of vodka and one of whiskey, not entirely sure which Jess would prefer. It was around eleven when they parked, and he looked over to the dark-haired beauty in the seat beside him.

“Well,” he smiled at her. “are you ready for this?” He could already hear the thumping bass coming from inside the building, the music promising a long night with good music. “I know the music is a little less country and little more dupstep, but it’s my kinda party music,” he said with a grin. Dave’s left hand went to the door, but before he pulled on the handle, he turned to look at Jess, and offer his right hand. 

“Let’s go.” 

[dave-gregory-blog]

I promised I'd be good But I can't help myself from these temptations When they come, there's nothing I can do I promised I'd be good The road to hell is paved with good intentions So when I fall, I will fall to you

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

The competition was a bonding experience. Joe could tell the two of them felt comfortable around the other, like friends do. He was also relieved Dave didn’t mind the playful touch. Joe wanted to touch… he wanted Dave to be his friend. He really liked him.

A smirk was shortly followed by a joke. “Yeah, a mechanical one. I’ve chased down people on horses before, but I’ve never done anything in like an arena or wherever those events take place.” It wasn’t until he stopped talking did he realize his brief slip up. What teenager spends his time chasing down people on a horse? It was from his days an amateur detective, not as an American spy. Still, he was hoping his secrets could stay as such for a while.

[dave-gregory-blog]

Dave couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Joe riding a mechanical bull. The kid looked relatively muscular, but the kid was still lean, and Dave could picture blondie getting thrown around like a ragdoll. There had to be a crap country western bar around here with a mechanical bull that he could throw Joe up on. A little country music, a little whiskey, a whole lot of fun. 

“Chasing people down, huh? What, you a sheriff now or somethin?” He chuckled, then realized Joe had gone uncharacteristically silent. Was it something Dave had done? He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head and glanced at Joe. His hand immediately went for the flask in his breast pocket before he remembered he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Instead it just looked like he was rubbing his chest, which made him feel even more awkward. His head hung forward and he scrubbed at his head with his hands. 

“Sorry,” he said to Joe. “Uh, we can keep playing this one or you can choose another one, I don’t know anythin’ ‘bout games.”

[joehardydetective-blog]

[ a walk in the park ] joe /dave

[joehardydetective-blog]

Joe feigned a smile and shoved back against Dave, rubbing shoulders. “I’m fine. Just glad I actually have a friend I can do stuff with. And isn’t better at video games than me.” He teased, reaching up and briefly messed with Dave’s hair, as he had seen him do many times that evening. “How about you pick the next game so you might actually have a shot?”

[dave-gregory-blog]

The teasing, and Joe’s hand running through his hair, made him blush the slightest bit, then chuckle. He liked the feeling, of someone teasing him, and the feeling of fingers tracing over his scalp. He liked Joe.

Dave grinned at Joe, and glanced over at the game. “I dunno,” he looked back at Joe. “I’m better at, uh, physical games than video games. Get us on some broncs, a bull, well.” He shook his head slightly. It was hard to be humble about something he had grown up competing- and winning- in. “You ever ride a bull?”