HALF DOWN WITH OPEN EYES [joshua]

It had been a pretty relaxed day, all things considered. The end of the week was always a little less hectic than the beginning and there was a sense of relief knowing that no papers had to be finished in a single night's time or anything of the sort. Checking his phone as he left his last class of the day, Josh frowned at one of the unread text messages as he opened it. Well, that was a shame. He'd planned to meet up with a friend after school but the guy's girlfriend had decided to call him up and he was asking if Josh minded taking a raincheck. He wasn't too offended, texting back an, It's fine, have fun. He didn't use smilies or sound enthusiastic so he might have seemed as if he minded but really, that was just how he texted people. He wasn't overly expressive in reality and so why should he be through text? He also tended to use perfect spelling and grammar out of sheer habit. Josh didn't like doing the whole chat-speak thing. He wasn't big on technology in general, preferring face-to-face conversations wherever possible.

While he really didn't have a problem with his friend cancelling to make plans with the girlfriend instead, he was now faced with the task of finding what to do with himself for the next little while. He could study but he'd planned against doing so and he didn't want to study at the Academy for only half an hour or so before he had to head home, thus interrupting his concentration. He'd prefer to wait until he got home so that he could focus his full attention on his work. He was a very dedicated student, had to be with his aspirations of getting into a difficult MD-PhD program, and he didn't do well with interruptions. He had a flow, a system. I guess I could go see if they need any help in the medical wing. He found that he liked it there. A lot of the staff knew him thanks to his frequent trips down there to help out and ask questions. It was cool to have some friendly faces around. They were some of the more like-minded people to Joshua in the Academy, seeing as he wanted to be a doctor and they were like low-tier doctors. Like he would be when he entered residency.

The medical wing was indeed an entire wing, not too large but big enough to hold several different rooms, including the waiting room and a few rooms stocked with supplies and medications. Students who had medical conditions could opt to work out a deal with the medical wing and their doctors back home to have the Academy keep them supplied just like the pharmacist would usually do, saving any extra trouble. He ignored this room, though, twitching his lips at the receptionist in silent greeting before he went toward some of the rooms to see if anything was going on. Seemed like a whole lot of nothing, actually. He was allowed to wander pretty much freely since they trusted him so much after a few years of hanging around and when he stopped by Doct-Nurse Kael's room he blinked at the sight. Blocking the door was the sleeping form of the man he considered a pretty decent friend. Recovering after a few seconds of being surprised and uncertain, he slipped into the room and picked up a pen.

Poking the man in the side (hard enough to feel but not enough to really hurt) with the writing utensil, he raised his eyebrows and leaned against the wall. "What a terrible doctor you make," he laughed, shaking his head. "People could be dying, Avery—dying!—and you're sitting here snoozing in a chair. Shame." He sighed as if he was legitimately disappointed but after holding the façade for a moment his lips tugged into a fleeting smile. It might not have stayed long but it was there, proving that he was in a decent mood and that he had, indeed, been cracking a joke. It was often hard to tell with Josh. "Such a slow day," he said. "Guessing it's been that way for you, too, huh, if you could manage to doze off in here." Slow days were good in one way and bad in another. They were good because it meant that no one was getting roughed up and injured but bad because boredom was the bane of Josh's existence and so he wasn't the type to wish it on anyone else. "Did you get any action?" He gave a slight chuckle as he realised the double entendre forever a gutter mind, he was but didn't say anything else, allowing Avery a chance to reply first.

It was almost amusing to see how childish Avery was compared to the Fire graduate, Joshua looking amused as the doctor nurse pouted at him and offered a reply. "Pff, I'll make a better doctor than you, I'm sure." He hoped that his friend understood that this was not a serious claim. Josh took pride in his aspirations and he thought he would make a brilliant doctor, not to toot his own horn or anything, but he liked Avery and didn't think badly of him at all. Even if the guy did creep him out at times. What Avery said about Maple Hollow was true and Josh had known that before he'd opened his mouth to make the joke so he easily shot back, "So you'll let them get to the point of near-death and then send them away? Where is your heart, man? Did the Wizard of Oz steal it for the Tin Man or something?" Maybe he shouldn't have hung around his sister after she'd watched that movie for the millionth time. He'd seen it like most people had but Annabel had reminded him about it by babbling incessantly. His sister would talk to a wall if she thought she had something decent to say. Which was most of the time, really, because his sister seemed to think she was awesome enough that everyone would care about her conversations. He loved her but he'd learned to tune her out on occasion. Did that make him a bad brother? Oops.

He had known Avery for quite a while, enough to be used to his usual antics, but there was still the slight feeling of awkwardness when the man leaned his face on Joshua's shoulder. Rolling with it for the sake of rolling, Joshua said, "Ugh, paper cuts are a bitch." Josh had a scar on his face that was quite noticeable, a deep gash in his palm that could easily be seen if he held his hand a certain way and several other scars but he would not deny the stinging pain of a paper cut. It was more irritating than anything else. "Because this is the medical wing and people need band-aids?" He guessed the question wasn't serious and replied seriously anyway because he could. It was in his personality to reply seriously but not mean things the way that they sounded. He figured Avery was used to his often stoic humour by now. "If you step sideways and face plant it is not my fault," he deadpanned when he noticed that the increased pressure meant that Avery was now literally leaning on him for support. Tired, much? Josh easily kept his stance, being tall and tough enough to support the other guy's weight. Thank goodness. A tumble to the floor would be awkward.

Josh turned his head to look at Avery and it was probably one of the more awkward and up-close positions they could have been in with Avery resting his chin on Josh's shoulder. He didn't say anything, though he did blink when Avery poked his face. This guy. There had been a lot of awkwardness in the beginning before Josh had adapted a little more to Avery's ways. He still wasn't entirely relaxed and comfortable but Josh was comfortable in his sexuality, so the awkwardness was more, 'What is up with him?' than 'Why so close?' This was the same man that would snuggle jokingly with his best guy friend and crack jokes about their being lovers all the time. Comfortably straight was putting it lightly. "Boredom," he said. "So I decided to come and visit my favourite nurse in the world." He rolled his eyes and twitched his lips to show he was joking (though he did consider Avery a good friend). "Had a friend cancel our plans so I'm hanging out here for a while, turns out it's just as slow here as the rest of the place." When not even the medical wing was getting any action, one knew it was a lazy day for everyone.

He grinned devilishly when Avery nudged him, clearly catching on. Hell, he'd realised the innuendo as he was saying it. "Jealous of Nell? Now, don't make me strangle you!" The humoured glint in his eyes suggested the joke. He was actually a pretty jealous guy when it came to his fiancée, it made him bristle to see other guys eyeing her or trying to get close, but he was only kidding with Avery. "First you sleep on the job, now you wish pain on your potential patients? You are a terrible, terrible man." He could say it all with a perfect poker face and sound completely serious and yet for the amount of time he'd known Avery, he did not take it back, assuming that his friend would not think he was that desperate that he'd hang around someone he thought was that bad of a guy.

[omg I adore Avery already xD]

Joshua wondered whether Avery was being serious or joking, unable to tell at that moment. It was not that he doubted the other man's intelligence but since his friend was such a joker a lot of the time he wasn't sure when he made the switch from kidding to serious. Many people had that problem with Josh himself as well and so it was never something he held against a person. It was just force of habit. "Sure you were," he said with sarcasm, joking around so that the response made sense whether Avery was kidding or not. "That's why you're nurse Avery for a bunch of brats, yeah?" He smirked at his friend, gray eyes glittering with the humour. He hoped that Avery realised that he was joking. It would be a little awkward if he didn't, Josh thought. Insulting, even. He never tried to insult the people that he was actually fond of because they were few and far between. "Seriously, though, why didn't you become a doctor?" He was curious and wondered if Avery would tell him. Then, not wanting to pry if his friend didn't want to say anything, he quickly gave him an optional way out with the amended, "I mean, if there is a reason at all." There was a chance that there had been no reason but it was mostly so that Avery could claim there wasn't and avoid the question if he wanted. Josh didn't like making people answer things they were uncomfortable with.

As cold and sadistic as it might have sounded, Joshua knew what it was like to wish that a medical environment got a little bit more action. When he volunteered at the hospital they would sometimes let him handle the cases that did not really require much attention such as minor first aid and the like. Hospitals were meant for more serious illnesses and injuries, especially with how ridiculously full they could get, and so when people turned up with things that didn't need stitches, x-rays, or other immediate care they wanted them out as soon as possible. Josh liked being able to get hands-on experience and so he always felt that brief excitement when he was told to handle something. Like they trusted him enough to give him the responsibilities. "Ahw, poor you, she should have been half dead for your benefit," he said, smirking as he reworded it to showcase how terrible it actually sounded. Wow, that really did sound pretty bad. Ha, he loved Avery anyway. "I think I make a very active and sensible dead man," he said, pinching the flesh on his arm as if he was examining something. "My skin's still got amazing elasticity and everything." He remembered a conversation with Nell about zombies and necrophilia, his lip twitching. No, he wasn't going to bring that up with Avery. Ha.

Alright, so he could handle being leaned on and the arm around his shoulder. It was a bit weird at first but since he'd known Avery for long enough to get used to the fact that this was just in his personality, he had gotten over it. But when Avery swayed his hips and basically grinded against him? Okay, that was awkward. "You need a girlfriend, dude. Or a guy friend. Or both." It was teasing and not meant to be offensive. "I'm off limits, Nell isn't sharing." He hoped that Avery knew he was kidding because if he didn't then it would get very awkward, very fast. "If you were a better doctor you'd be dealing with the dead and dying all the time, think about that. Your lack of success means a lack of injuries. How sad." He said it all as if he were serious but if he had been serious he sure would have made a terrible doctor. He had more compassion than he often let on and he did want to help people even if he did have some rather negative views for a while. His trust issues had complicated things for a time but he felt a lot better about where he was at now. "Hell, I'm engaged. Who said I needed action?" He raised his eyebrows coolly, smirk still in place on his lips. Hey, it wasn't like Avery was stupid, or anyone else for that matter. If he had a girl with a ring on her finger most people were more than capable of jumping to the obvious conclusions.

The word drown sent a subtle chill down his spine but he thankfully did not falter on the surface or give any sign of his brief displeasure. Old memories of his brother pushing him into the lake, water rushing into his lungs, the painful coughing as he choked on it, things he never wanted to relive again. The worry passed quickly and he shot back, "Fine, then I hope Nell strangles you instead." Cause, y'know, if Josh drowned he'd be dead and he didn't imagine that Nell liked the idea of a dead fiancé. "Well, when's your shift over?" he asked. "We could go and do something that doesn't involve sitting around and staring at ceilings. Also I don't think the desk is attracted to you, Avery, it's very unfair to come onto it like that." He said this with a straight face as he leaned against the wall, acting cool and disinterested while on the inside he was smiling and amused.

The simple explanations always worked well with Joshua. He was curious but he tried not to be nosy and so if someone gave him an answer, he accepted it no matter how vague it was. And if they told him to mind his own business, hopefully in a polite manner that would not end up setting off his temper, he did so quite happily. He was secretive himself, at one point becoming so closed off that he could not admit himself as vegetarian without hesitation, and so he understood that it was like to keep yourself hidden from the world. He did not realise that Avery was being guarded at all. Instead, Josh assumed that he really did want this from his life. Not everyone had huge dreams. "Fair enough. Better you treating everyone than someone who did settle for less because they had to." If a failed doctor decided to become a nurse for a bunch of kids, well, that would be concerning, because then they'd probably be bitter about their lack of a higher position and take it out on their patients, whether consciously or subconsciously. He didn't want that. "My adoration is unmatched by any other unfortunate soul in the Academy," he replied seamlessly. The straightness of his face and the absolute lack of laughter in his tone was impressive and he spoke as dryly as if he'd been commenting on the weather. It was all part of the joke, though, because just as he hoped knew that Avery didn't actually love him in that way, Avery knew Josh did not hate him or anything like that.

Josh jerked his head back out of reflex when Avery threw out his hands, narrowly avoiding being smacked across the face. He suppressed an exasperated sigh, so used to the older man's antics by now that they almost didn't phase him. If this had been anyone else, he'd have turned around and punched them in the face. Habit. "Are you advocating bullying?" He let his mouth drop open as if he were astounded, disgusted. "I should report you. That is unacceptable behaviour for a health official." Nah, he was just messing with him. For real, though, it was probably really boring to be stuck in the medical wing all day with nothing to do. To think that Joshua was contemplating a job here! He was excited for medical school and all but he knew he'd want some sort of tie to the Academy. Why not in their medical wing? "Oh, really? Are you sure you weren't the one landing everyone in here?" Jokes, jokes. "Been a slow week. People will be back to injuring themselves for your benefit in no time, don't worry." He patted Avery on the arm in mock sympathy. There had been a time when they were first getting to know one another that Josh had hesitated to touch Avery at all since the other guy was so physical and Josh had been worried that he was, y'know, serious about it, but he'd gotten over that phase a while ago. Avery was... ah, weird, but that was alright. "Dude, my parents are over forty and they bitch less than you. Get over yourself." That might have sounded incredibly rude and caustic but the 'get over yourself' bit had been in jest. Most of the things he'd said to Avery thus far had been joking or else he wouldn't be very friendly at all, would he be?

Well, that was only a little bit creepy, wasn't it? He looked awkward for a moment before he got over it and recovered, rubbing the spot where Avery had pinched him. "I don't know, should it be before or after I deck you in the face?" Alright, so that was the briefest beginning of a warning from Joshua. Though it was voiced lighter than if it had been a real threat, there was an edge to his voice that suggested pinching him was not a good idea. Joshua did not like it when people took their joking too far. He was tough, it wasn't like it had caused any serious pain, but it was enough to be irritating. He got over it after a few seconds, though, and moved on. "I don't swing in your direction," he snorted, though it was good-natured. It was true when he said that he wasn't into other guys but it was joking in a way since he knew Avery wasn't seriously telling him that Nell should share. If he'd thought that any of this was serious he'd been out of the medical wing really damn fast. "God, no. On second thought it's a good thing you're here. If I'm ever on the edge you'd probably push me right fucking over with your unmatched grace. You'd be the first person I'd look at if someone said there was a scalpel sewed into their abdomen." If someone overheard this conversation with how intense Joshua was sounding, what might they think of Avery? Josh really made his friend sound like a bad guy, didn't he? At least there was no one to overhear them joking back and forth. That would be awkward to explain.

He raised an eyebrow at Avery when his friend handed him the package of condoms, then couldn't contain his amusement and laughed out loud, lobbing the package lightly at Avery's forehead. "I'd ask why the hell you had those in your desk but sadly I know all too well." He winked, grinned. Yeah, Josh had been one of those ninth graders, the ones who didn't even pretend that their innocence was intact any more. "We try. Glad to know our efforts are appreciated." Nell, scary. That was a funny thought. Will had been intimidated enough but then, Joshua had never quite understood his vendetta against the Earth girl. Josh? Now he was scary. At least when you got him angry and he punched you in the face. He couldn't help but chuckle when Avery cooed to his desk. This was why he put up with all of the weird crap that Avery pulled, really, because the man's often unintentional sense of humour was pretty great. Josh loved a good laugh every now and then. "Y'know, on second thought, maybe that desk does love you. It's wood certainly seems hard enough. Maybe you need those." He gestured briefly to wherever the condom package had landed. His gray eyes twinkled as he knocked on the surface of the desk. Cheesy but hey, he couldn't resist. His sense of humour was a bit, ah, child unfriendly.

Though they were joking around, Joshua could honestly say that he'd never looked down on Avery or seen him as inferior. People should be able to follow their heart, their wishes, and if they wanted to pursue a dream that was less than what they might be capable of accomplishing, so be it. It had merely surprised Josh since he was so driven and ambitious, wanting to be the best doctor physician-scientist that he could be. He wanted to find cures, he wanted to make a huge impact so that the medical world might know his name even when he was no longer around. In a way he was afraid of disappearing after death. So when someone was comfortable with an existence that didn't involve having their name carved into history, it took him aback momentarily. He patted Avery on the shoulder jokingly, then said with a more serious tone, "People would be assholes not to appreciate you. You're the one taking care of them all." It would be unfair to take Avery's work for granted. Joshua certainly wouldn't be one to do that. He blinked when Avery hugged him but hugged back anyway, not minding that form of physical contact. His friends hugged him a lot, he'd sort of grown used to it after a while. He snorted when Avery said that he loved him, rolling his eyes. Oh, this guy.

Solitary confinement didn't sound like a fun time. Josh was not afraid of small spaces or of the dark but that didn't mean that the idea of staying alone in a dark room appealed to him. It was scary, actually, to think about that. He was afraid of jail in general, did not want to be seen as a criminal. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad," he said. "Why don't you bring a laptop in here? You'd never be bored. Just make sure to wipe the history once you're done." He lifted his brows and nudged the older man suggestively. Joshua's sense of humour definitely wasn't the most appropriate but that was alright. If he joked around like this it was a sign that he was comfortable enough with a person and trusted that they wouldn't think he was weird or creepy. It wasn't too big of a deal, he supposed, but it was a big enough one to him. "And here I was thinking you were more vanilla than that. For shame. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised." It was a pretty good thing that there was no one around to hear their conversation. Could Avery get fired for talking this comfortably with a student of the Academy? I'm nearly twenty-one, I'm sure they can suck up and deal, Josh thought to himself nonchalantly. He'd had a gutter mind since he was a lot younger than this and chances were most of the high school students wouldn't care what kinds of conversations him and Avery had. "Look at you? No thanks, I don't want my eyes to start bleeding." He said it with disinterest and picked at his nails to keep up a façade, though he smirked after a moment.

He put up easily enough with Avery's flirting and joking around, attributing it to Avery strangeness, but the pinch on the arm (harmless as it had been) had been a bit of a straw for him. He was a Fire elemental with a temper problem and stupid, unexpected things tended to rile him up. Unfortunately for Avery that happened to be one of them. It was not easy to predict the sorts of things that would push Josh into a reaction. "You're not mine, either," he pointed out, but it wasn't meant to be offensive, he was mostly trying to kid around. It wasn't his fault he didn't sound like he was joking. Well, alright, it was his fault. Joshua was far too serious sometimes with his actions and expressions, his tone, and so a lot of people mistook joking around for reality. He did laugh when Avery mentioned kids 'keeping it in their pants', knowing for a fact that the doctor nurse really did not see it in that way. "She's doing great," Joshua said, and the smile that replaced the smirk was a lot more... genuine. Not that the smirking and laughing had been insincere but there was a different difference when he grinned at the thought of his fiancée. Yeah, he was definitely in love with the girl. "Hopefully your having to ask means you haven't seen her in here recently?" He chuckled but he really did worry over Nell and the amount of injuries she picked up, the fights others picked with her. "What would they even call that? Objectality or something." Instead of bestiality or whatever. He merely looked amused when Avery patted his desk. This man really was a piece of work.

He shrugged easily, smirked, obviously not caring too much about the generalization. On Avery's next comment, though, Joshua gave a roll of his eyes. "Yeah 'cause five years makes me such a kid compared to you," he scathed. Harsh as his tone might have sounded it was not meant to be taken literally. He did not mind being referred to as 'young' so long as it was not in a condescending way. Better than being called old and handed a cane, wasn't it? Besides, every year older was another year closer to his goal of becoming a doctor physician-scientist. That was all he had to think to dispel any worries about the loss of his teenage years. Not that he missed them much. He was much happier as a young man than he'd been as a teen. Angst and all that regular bullshit. Really, moody teenage years were as to be expected as puberty for most.

He'd always had a bit of a perverted and twisted sense of humour, possibly the reason that he could handle this back and forth with Avery so well. He was also comfortable in joking around about homosexuality because his certainty when it came to his own preferences meant that he could kid about having others without feeling the need to constantly correct himself. If he ever said 'no homo' in a conversation, it was mostly for a laugh thanks to how irritating the phrase tended to be. "Shame," he said, "since preferring the real thing probably means a whole lot of cold showers for you, hm?" Had he just insinuated that Avery was desperate and partnerless? Yes he had. Now hopefully Avery did not take offence to this because it was not meant to be insulting but Joshua's sense of humour could often raise eyebrows with how close he came to the line between dickishness and humour. Sometimes he crossed that line but his intentions really were good. He wouldn't purposely hurt a friend. Weird as the man was, Josh did consider Avery a friend. "In all seriousness, though, I have to agree. It screams 'fuck me, I'm desperate'." Did anyone have a spare filter for these two? They clearly needed it.

He blinked. Did he not know what that meant? "Vanilla," he repeated. "As in the opposite of kinky." A slang term of course. Joshua did not often discuss the literal sexual habits of his friends. Whenever he made jokes about being either or he was most likely cracking a joke as per usual. He also left his intimacy with Nell out of things. People did not need to know what he did with his girlfriend, thank you very much. "I don't think you ever will," Joshua remarked dryly. Becoming more accustomed to Avery did not mean that Joshua was completely and totally prepared for everything that the man did or was going to do in the future. There was always room for improvement, not that Josh wanted to see any. He had already been sufficiently horrified in the past when he didn't know whether the flirting was serious or kid-on and that had been awkward for him. He wasn't used to guys being all touchy-feely with him and so naturally it had freaked him right out. "We need to see other people," he agreed in a sombre, serious tone.

Avery really was unpredictable. Joshua snorted at his antics, shook his head. "You keep telling yourself that." Nah, he didn't really think that his friend was all that hideous but that was the thing—he didn't see guys like that so it was kind of impossible for him to judge. He could joke around about his judgements though and so that was precisely what he was going to continue doing. He was indeed accustomed to the physical affection and merely took it with an expression so stoic and disinterested that he may as well have been a brick wall. Desensitized? Maybe a bit.

The subject changed to Nell, something that could usually be seen to put the Fire graduate in high spirits. Unfortunately they were discussing her physical health and that was not such a cheerful and happy thought. He wouldn't exactly call her accident prone, but, ah, well, he knew that she had enemies at the Academy. A lot of enemies. He wished she would stick up for herself and fight back a lot more but it was not his place to say. So instead he simply allowed her to continue on as she did and protected her whenever he got the chance. What else could he do? "Somehow I don't trust you," he remarked, his tone arid. He wasn't upset with Avery or anything though. "Well she doesn't come home with missing limbs so I guess she's in good enough hands." Then, with a tone so convincingly serious that he just might have been, he said, "Keep your hands off her though, man, or you will be missing parts. More than just your limbs, if you know what I mean." No, no, he was kidding. Him and Avery were friends and he certainly hoped he could trust his friends not to hit on his fiancée (seriously) while he was not around. Especially not when he was, because that would mean he had some pretty stupid friends.

He was not stupid and understood all too well how much could happen in five years but Joshua did not see it as that big of a deal. In his eyes the age gap between him and Avery was not enough to cause concern and he certainly did not see himself as a kid. At the same time, in the spirit of maturity, he was not going to do what his little sister would do. Every time someone doubted her because of her age she had a tendency to cross her arms and whine about it, thus proving the whole 'kid' thing. "Far as the law's concerned, I'm an adult." He smirked as he stressed the word. Oh, the Lonely Island. Ever since Boombox their songs seemed to pop up everywhere for him. "I don't care so much about years. In five years I'll be halfway through medical school." Halfway, because he was going for eight years and not four. Physician-scientists had a tough training regimen.

He was not actually offended by Avery's comment on age and so he easily dropped the subject in terms of debate, though he laughed when Avery said that he was mentally ten years his senior. "Dude, try like... fifteen." Serious face, no smile. The laugh had probably given it away though. Sad day. He liked to trick people into thinking that he was serious sometimes, it gave him strange satisfaction. Did that make him a bad person? Well, he hoped not but it was not like Joshua to spend ages dwelling on it. He didn't really think that Avery lacked any kind of intelligence, though. The man was a doctor for a reason.

There was a wicked glimmer in his eyes when Avery expressed his shock, Joshua smirking and not trying to disguise his words in the least. He was shameless when it came to his sense of humour and if anyone else couldn't handle it, well, that was their problem. He did not try to sugar coat himself for the benefit of others. He'd always liked that Avery rolled with it and didn't get all butt hurt about the joking around. After all, Josh put up with the man 'flirting' all the time. You had to give him credit somewhere. "No, no, we were discussing your lack of a sex life," he corrected. "Get it right." But he was grinning now and he rolled his eyes when Avery pronounced his sex life as being 'awesome'. Hey, maybe it was. Everything Josh said was in jest and he did not actually try to peer into the habits of his friends. That would be pretty creepy, actually, if he tried to figure out which of them had all of the action going on. No thanks. He'd stick with his own and keep his nose out of everyone elses.

He raised an eyebrow. "You've gotten a porn virus." It was said as more of an amused statement than a question. Joshua chuckled and shook his head. Of course. "Never change." Where would the joy in the medical wing be without this guy? He actually almost looked forward to working here for the sake of hanging around Avery more than once in every little while. The guy was a fun time (in small doses).

Avery's comment amused him and he had to take a moment to compose himself before he was able to shrug. "I don't know, actually. Who makes this shit up, anyway?" There was probably a book on the history of slang somewhere. Where it started, how it caught on, how old it was. He considered looking for one. Whenever something snagged his curiosity he was prone to reading up on it whenever possible. He had to focus on his studies primarily, though, so looking up how 'vanilla' had gotten started and if 'chocolate' was a counterpart was not a priority. "I'd hate to think of what strawberry would stand for. Or neopolitan." Now he was going on about ice cream flavours, oh dear. He frowned for a moment. "Great, now I want ice cream. Maybe I'll go to the parlour later on." He loved that ice cream parlour for being open year round. He could get his mint chocolate chip fix in the middle of the winter and no one could tell him he was wrong. It was open for a reason.

Though he joked as if he meant otherwise, Joshua did believe that things would be weird without Avery around. He did not think he'd like to cut any of his friends out of his life. They were all there for a reason and he was glad that he'd finally built up a sort of a circle for himself over the years. It had been slow-growing but it had happened and now he was here. "I would be better off without you. I think it's time to make a clean break." He stepped away from Avery with a melodramatic sigh as if he was sad about leaving. Man, he loved carrying out jokes as if he meant them.

Sometimes he underestimated how intimidating he could actually be when he joked around or said something in a serious tone. He meant his comment in a way, he didn't like people hitting on Nell because of his own jealousy issues, but he hadn't actually thought that Avery would do it. Instead of telling Avery that they were all good, he narrowed his eyes at him and scowled as if contemplating a strangulation. Really, how did some of his friends avoid cardiac arrest around him? Then he lightened up as if the events of the past minute or so had not actually happened. He was kind of touched in a strange sense of the word when Avery asserted that Josh took good care of Nell, his lip twitching into a smile that for once was actually genuine instead of comically serious. "Yeah. Yeah, she is." Leaning against the desk, he asked, "Speaking of injuries, got any interesting ones this week? I mean I know today was an absolute bore but surely the whole week wasn't bad?" Oh, medical wing stories. They could make a comedy on it or something.