-- I'M ALL FIGURED OUT && [ace]

Never one to doubt his friends without good reason for it, Joshua accepted Ace's words with a simple dip of his head. He could understand what pride was like and so he only ever argued issues of money with Nell when it came to going on a date. He liked to be traditional and courteous in handling the bill, she didn't like anyone paying for the mass amounts of food she consumed, so going out to eat generally had to be a planned thing. That was alright with him. He'd adjusted to it and didn't mind making sure they both agreed before they left the apartment. The relationship was relatively easy to maintain and that was why he was so confident in the fact he'd asked her to marry him. Oh, he hadn't been confident she'd say yes—he'd been terrified about that—but he'd known that he was sure about the two of them. Apparently she was, as well. "Never a bad day for hot chocolate," he remarked, lifting his own slightly so that Ace could see they'd both purchased the same thing. He took a bit out of the sandwich while his friend sat down, taking advantage of the brief silence to eat some food. He was not rude and didn't talk with his mouth full, especially not when he was out with a friend.

Swallowing and taking a sip of the hot liquid, feeling the soothing burn down his throat, Josh paused at the question. He was both considering how he should answer and whether or not he should drop the news right away or wait a little. Even though he was both confident and assertive, he still felt a bit of trepidation when it came to telling people. No one liked their friends and family to look down on them. Josh might have been proud and stubborn but he was also loyal and valued the opinions of those close to him. Disapproval from someone like Devin or Ace would not make him change his mind about Nell in the least but it didn't mean it would have no effect on him. Deciding after a few moments to start with a brief lead-in before he put everything onto the table, he said, "Well, I've mostly been with Nell. You know how it is." He smiled briefly and trusted Ace not to hold that against him. 'Bros before hoes' didn't always apply when it came to a stable and healthy relationship. If he always put his guy pals before Nell then they'd be in a lot less of a successful state right now. He wouldn't be around as much and they probably wouldn't have gotten as close. "I called a few times but I haven't really had the time to hang out."

He had made plans with a few other people but they were usually spontaneous and quick things. He'd went out with a friend on his birthday to the bar because it was a birthday. There was only one of those per year and his buddy would otherwise have been alone. Granted, that backfired slightly when he ended up being the one alone but he hadn't minded much. His temper was a little calmer lately. He wondered if his friends ever noticed, and whether they attributed it to maturity or the fact that he was no longer hanging around his old crowd of Fires and Thunders. He did not think that Nell had really changed his personality much, merely given him much needed training in reigning in his rage. He couldn't go blowing up at his now-fiancée over the little things and so in increasing his fuse over time he'd also became more patient with other people. It was by a small amount, but it was still useful. "We got engaged," he said after the pause, coming out with it. He took a very casual sip of the hot chocolate. The smile that tugged briefly at his lips suggested it was a good thing. "Don't worry, it wasn't for any specific... reason," he hinted, hoping Ace could infer it meant he'd not knocked Nell up. That would be a problem. They were both still in college, not really fit to be parents. "That's why I've been a bit absent. Figured it was best to tell you in person."

It was nice to have someone that understood the many fundamentals of a relationship rather than insisting that he was whipped and needed to put his friends before Nell. True friends of Josh Dale understood that he was a loyal and dedicated person even if he wasn't always around to prove it and that even though he put Nell first it didn't mean she was necessarily better than them. She was just different. There was a big difference between a best friend and a girlfriend and there was an especially big difference as soon as she became your fiancée. It was a partnership, a bond for life, and Josh was going to respect that. His lips twitched mischievously at the word 'girlfriend' but to someone that did not know of the engagement it might have seemed like an ordinary smile. "How's college working out for you?" It might have seemed a random question and not one you might usually ask a friend but Josh was very dedicated to education. He couldn't curb his curiosity when it came to things like learning and knowledges. It was why he liked chess so much where Ace specialised in things like video games. "Apart from Nell, that's been plaguing me as well. Damned double majors." Despite the words, his tone was light. He did not mean it. He liked studying both majors at once and would have dropped one if he'd any real complaints.

Though he'd never been a particularly easy to phase person, his friend's spittake had been rather unexpected. He flinched instinctively in concern that the sprayed liquid would hit him—it did not, but he managed to get some of the soup he'd been eating on his stark white shirt. It was hot to the touch but he merely frowned at it briefly in annoyance before turning his attention to his friend, who was rather politely fixing the mess he'd made. He would have liked to have helped his friend with a simple demonstration of his powers but he understood that it was not such a good idea in the middle of a public place. Instead, he gave Ace a light smile and joked, "Say it, don't spray it." He had not gotten anything on his shirt that was not a result of his own instinctive reaction and so he was not actually upset. His gaze was warm as he soaked in the good reaction, glad that Ace had taken the news well. "Woe is me, stuck with Nell for life. What ever shall I do?" His smile creeped its way into a grin. He would be perfectly content to stay with Nell for life and longer at this point. He had no regrets when it came to asking her. "Should have seen her face. She thought I was kidding!" He laughed softly at the memory.

When Ace spoke of hugging him, Josh held his arms open in a joking gesture. "Go for it?" Though mostly messing around, he would not protest if Ace decided to actually hug him. Contrary to some belief, he did not shank everyone that came within a five foot radius. Especially not friends. He'd hugged Devin before, and Lark, and Nell of course. He'd done a lot more than just hug his fiancée. "Speaking of celebrating," he said, "I'm pretty sure I've got a bottle of Crown in the car. We could head back to the apartment, grab a few shots?" Then he recalled that Ace, despite their closeness, had absolutely no idea that he was living with Nell. He really didn't speak a lot about himself, did he? It admittedly shocked him to know that he'd never told his friend. "I live with her now," he tacked on. "Things with the parents are fine, they're happy for me, I just wanted to be close to her." They were newly engaged, it made sense to long for that sort of closeness and companionship. At least, it made sense in Joshua's eyes. "What do you say? I know you technically can't drink whiskey but... ah, I never offered a thing." He winked. He had drank since he was around ten or eleven and so he was not one to discourage underage drinking. Certainly not.

Joshua's gray eyes were curious when Ace let onto the fact that college wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. The Fire graduate had always had a favourable college experience because he enjoyed the fact that he could focus on his passions without mandatory courses he didn't like getting in the way. Like gym. Physical education had never been a class he enjoyed—he'd take part and got good marks for trying, because that was all you could really do in that class, but he'd hated it. Now he was free and on his way to receiving a bachelors in both biology and history. "Really? Why's that?" He couldn't help but ask. Josh was interested in the lives of his friends and he was also interested in how their education was going. He'd never look down on someone like Ace if they didn't like school as much as he did. Heck, he couldn't blame a lot of people for hating it. Everybody was different. He was just wondering what had spoiled the experience. "Is it any better than high school?" he wondered. His workload had doubled since high school with all of the courses he was taking. He didn't mind that. He realised then that he wasn't even sure what Ace was taking. "What's your major?" His closest friends, Ace included, were privy to both the things he was aspiring to major in. He was secretive and didn't talk about himself much but that was always bound to come up in conversation at some point.

He bore a soft smile as Ace announced the point again. It was nice to hear that. Married. He and Nell were, some day in the future, going to be married. It was not just a possibility of a future together but a promise of one. Granted, the engagement could always backfire and be broken off but he didn't allow himself to dwell on such grim thoughts. For now he was just basking in the glow of the whole thing and enjoying the thought of the Earth girl as his soon-to-be wife. He knew that a lot of guys—girls, too—saw marriage as a prison sentence. It was binding yourself to someone else with a bunch of laws and unspoken rules you had to follow. It was arguments and bad living habits. He didn't see it that way. He'd already lived with Nell, found her quite easy to live with. And it wasn't like they were being married due to the possibility of a child out of wedlock. This was out of affection. It was fine. "Getting married," he agreed, nodding. "Yeah, she is great." He really loved her. He wanted to be with her. It wouldn't have even mattered if Ace was warning him against this or telling him it was a bad idea, he wanted to go through with it anyway. "She didn't really say much," he chuckled. "Nah, it was understandable. I didn't really give her much warning." His gray eyes were full of mischief, suggesting that he had perhaps done this on purpose. He liked to shock her, liked to see her reactions. She was adorable when she was flustered.

He was a bit taken aback when Ace actually hugged him but Joshua took it in stride, not really minding. That is, until he noticed that Ace was not letting go. "The fuck'd you do, coat yourself in super-glue or something?" It was said jokingly when Ace finally pulled away from him, Josh brushing off the awkwardness of it in his mind. He noticed the people staring in their direction and was more miffed by them than he was by his friend. Staring was rude. Joshua stood up in preparation for leaving the crowded coffee shop. Though he could tell Ace was joking (and mostly to make a point) he grasped his friend's hand in an iron grip. "Brothers," he joked, then grinned and let go. The graduate snorted at the idea of slipping Ace a roofie, then led the way out to his car. "I'm guessing you walked as I don't see your bike." He had drove his Lamborghini here as the roads weren't quite so icy as usual and he frowned at the slush and mud that had freckled her sides. He'd need to give the car a good wash later. He kept his Aventador in good condition, after all. He drove all the way to the apartment and got through the front door via the key in his pocket, having took the bottle of amber whiskey from the car as he'd said. It was sealed tight in accordance to the liquor laws—Josh didn't drink and drive, he'd just been taking it with him from where he'd bought it. He poured a shot for the pair of them. "Cheers," he said, knocking it back and feeling the burn down his throat.

Josh nodded as his friend spoke, understanding that slightly. College was a lot more difficult that high school. It didn't bother him as much as it seemed to affect his friend but that didn't mean he was immune to the pressure. He'd juggled the double major uncertainly for the first couple months, alarmed by how much work he had to do on top of his volunteering job and what little of a social life he did have. Then he'd gotten the hang of it and it had been fairly smooth sailing since then. Joshua adapted easily to anything involving a workload, it was just in his nature. "That's tough," he sympathised. He wasn't trying to be punny and so he didn't make the connection to any sort of wordplay in his head. "Eh, you'll get there," Josh assured him. "It took me a few weeks." It had been longer than two weeks in Ace's case but they were vastly different people. Joshua wasn't worried about his friend—he was pretty confident in anyone that he was close to. Pessimism really only applied to his own life, most times. Except for his future in medicine. That was one thing that he was damned confident in and determined to achieve. He'd wanted this since he was a little kid and he was not going to let anything get in his way. That was what he always told himself when things got difficult. "Psychology?" Josh echoed, surprised. He hadn't taken Ace to be the type, but then again, he didn't know a lot of his friends like open books. Everyone had their little surprises. Joshua had a lot of them considering how much he kept from other people. He nodded, shocked again when he realised he'd never mentioned his major(s) to one of his closest friends. "Bio and History," he said. The majors were polar opposites and that caught some people off guard but he didn't care. "Only two more years of this place and then I'm in medical school," he mused, smirking in satisfaction. "God, I can't wait for that." It was merely a figure of speech, of course. Joshua was very patient.

There was something deeply satisfying about the thought of being married to Nell. He did not immediately grin or smile at his friend's words but there was a spark in his gray gaze that betrayed his silent delight. He really loved that girl. It was ironic sometimes when he considered a joking conversation he'd had with several of his friends years ago—he figured that Ace had probably heard it all before, as well. He'd never considered himself the type for romance and marriage and all the trimmings of both, he'd told people so. "I'll die alone. Not that I really care." And he hadn't cared, despite whether people believed him or not. Now, dying alone seemed like one of the worst things that could happen. He hated the idea of losing Nell and he didn't want to be alone, either. He wasn't clingy and he wouldn't be desperate if she left him but he didn't really fancy the idea. Pushing those thoughts away, he finally let a slight smile grace his lips. "We've both been great," he replied. "Why don't you stick around for a bit when you come over? Maybe she'll get home in time." He liked that his best friend and fiancée were on good terms, it made things easier for him. There were quite a few friends of Nell's that he didn't like and vice versa, so it was good when they did find a common ally. "Besides, I'm sure she'd like to see you." He remembered how Ace had showed up for the trial. That had given him a whole new sort of respect for his best friend, had solidified the trust a little more. Josh still hadn't opened up to him much about anything but it didn't mean he was suspicious of the Water boy. Hell, even Devin didn't know a lot about him. It was just the way he was.

Josh savoured the whiskey on his tongue, the familiar and welcome flavour. Whenever he drank, it was his preferred poison.
To get drunk off beer he had to ensure that he drank very fast on an empty stomach, took no water in between, and couldn't even think about taking a pause for thought. It took a hell of a lot of the regular stuff to get someone of his tolerance and stature even buzzed. He hated trying to get smashed off regular beer. No, this was the good stuff. He wasn't trying to get drunk tonight, however, merely celebrating with a friend. He poured them both another shot and tossed this one back as well, shaking his head slightly and grinning. Then his attention was brought back to the stain on his shirt, a stain at which he frowned in displeasure. He didn't like when he looked unpresentable, even when he was just hanging out with a guy friend that likely wouldn't give two shits about it. "Be right back, gotta change." He grabbed a shirt and pulled off the old one as he walked back into the living room, not even considering the fact that it would be putting his scars on full display for Ace to see. He didn't think about the scars as often as he used to and so it was a subconscious thing for him. There were several marks—the curved scars on his ribs, the slash across his stomach and the deep wound that had scarred his collarbone. He paid them no mind, slipping on the new shirt and flattening his hair with a hand. "So, what do you want to do? I'm not sure when Nell'll be home." They had time to kill.

Joshua snorted doubtfully. "You, a guidance counsellor? That's a funny thought." Though he supposed his ignorance did make sense in a way—he'd never really opened up to Ace in order to learn that his friend was good at listening to problems. Even though he now carried that knowledge, he didn't plan on telling Ace much about himself. He was secretive and it was going to stay that way for a long time, perhaps forever. If he hadn't told Devin, his best friend of many years, then Ace wasn't going to be any exception. He was surprised to hear that Ace hadn't done well in Biology considering they'd worked at the hospital together for years and he'd always assumed that they were journeying down the same path. Still, medical careers weren't for everyone, and it wasn't like they'd done a whole lot of practices and hands-on experience at the hospital. It was mostly ferrying things back and forth between rooms and cleaning up the empty ones. It was rather pathetic work if you considered what Joshua wanted to actually do with his life but it would look good on an application for medical school and that was the entire reason he had started. "That sucks. Have you thought about what you do want to do?" He hadn't actually taken Ace's comment about becoming a guidance counsellor seriously and so he was wondering what sort of field he wanted to work in. Psychology, probably, seeing as he'd taken it as a major.

Speaking of secrets, his sex life was another thing he generally didn't go shouting about. Ace had known about his previously loose ways and vice versa due to their hanging around one another for so long but now that he had a girlfriend fiancée, he usually kept everything to himself. He did not feel the need to brag and besides, he hadn't been given anything to brag about until recently. It would have been rather awkward to admit that he'd not been having sex with her for the majority of their relationship. He didn't get embarrassed by things like that but it did spark a bit of jealousy when he realised that not everyone had to wait that long. Hell, some girls were willing to put out on the first date. It had taken several months with Nell. And that was alright, he didn't hold it against her, but he wasn't about to give an account to Ace about it. Instead, he smirked. "Bed? Oh, we both sleep pretty well, thanks." His gray eyes glittered as he gave the sarcastic response. "Our business is ours." His tone was light but fairly final. He wasn't sharing. "Besides," he said, and the smirk returned, "I shudder to think what you'd do with that information."

Joshua stiffened visibly when Ace pointed out the scars, tense and wary now that his attention was brought to them once again. His buddy might have been able to laugh and make jokes about the marks across his chest but Josh was not yet at that point. He wasn't quite as self-conscious and paranoid about them as he'd been a year ago but that didn't mean they were up for casual discussion. Still, he wasn't about to lie to his best friend... not quite, anyway. He lied through his teeth to most people that noticed and insisted that it had been a car accident or something similar but Ace wasn't as likely to believe it. "A fight," he said curtly, his tone as stiff as his muscles were. He left it there, sitting down and feeling vastly uncomfortable. The silence seemed to prickle with suspicion. I wonder what he thinks? Josh doubted that Ace would pinpoint a gang as the assailants, considered Joshua wasn't exactly Class A gangbanger material. He didn't fit society's classic image of a street thug because he wasn't one. Not any more. He hated who he'd once been and, as was clear by his current attitude, didn't really like talking about it. "As if the scar on my face wasn't noticeable enough to begin with," he said sourly. "You never asked about that." His tone did not invite questioning, either. It was colder than he usually was with Ace. His gray eyes were steely and narrowed, lips pressed into a hard line.

Though he arched an eyebrow, Joshua said nothing more on the matter. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Josh had no right to judge his friend on a subject that he knew nothing about and so he let it stand as it did, asking no more questions. Ace might have been good at giving advice to the right people—heck, Josh would even support him in that. Helping people was a good thing. However, he was surprised to find that his friend was serious about the guidance counsellor thing. "Does that even pay decent money?" The question was confused and doubtful. He didn't consider for a moment that his friend didn't give a damn how much he would be paid for listening to people's problems because Joshua had grown up with money and he wanted to make a lot of it himself. It was something that he didn't put much thought into, that he had simply known for a long time. "Well, if that's what you want to do... go for it. Psychology's a difficult major, though, and you'll have to go to school for a long time." He was aware of this because he knew someone with a minor in History that was taking Psychology as their major and aspired to be a therapist. She had a long road ahead of her, apparently. Heck, so did Josh. He'd need three or four years of medical school after college and then up to another six years for specialisation. The idea of a long schooling process didn't frighten him but he wondered why Ace aspired to it if college was such a pain to him.

Despite their friendship, Ace made the wrong move in continuing the joke about the scarring. Josh was getting better about how much the scars bothered him in his daily life but that did not mean that he appreciated their use in light-hearted humour—especially not by a friend. Joshua did not expect a whole lot from other people, assuming that most were out for themselves, but he did expect a certain amount of respect for his privacy and the things that he'd gone through. His muscles were so tense that the veins in the backs of his hands stood out, thin rivers of blue against bleached white. He did not look at his friend for a long moment, instead glaring at the window and trying to resist starting an argument. That was what he'd usually have done in this situation. Damn it, he hated it when people bothered him about the scars. It was like a berserk button for him, something that was not meant to be touched upon. When Ace had inquired about his sex life he'd been able to easily brush off the personal question and move on but this was a different matter entirely. He turned his head to glare at Ace when the Water elemental opened his mouth again, a violent thought coursing through his mind. Just shut up, he snapped internally, but resisted saying it aloud.

"I never told you that I fell," he spat, every syllable coated with venom. "Even I'm not that stupid—no fall would have caused something like this." He jerked his left hand toward his face. The deep scar in the palm of it was another scar that he'd left unexplained. He hated it when people stared, hated when they asked, hated when they made their stupid assumptions about him. Some people got a little too close to the truth for comfort and others painted him in a terrible light. He wished that other people would just mind their own business and keep his scars out of their speculations. His friends were a little different. He understood that they'd wonder, that they'd worry, that they might ask. But he did expect them to refrain from prying. "If I'd told you anything, it would have been that I got into an accident. Which I didn't, as I'm sure you've fucking realised." He did not mean to make Ace out as being stupid with his snarled words but he had lost his temper and his patience was quickly running out. "It's none of your damn business what happened, Ace, especially not if you think it's funny." Cracking jokes about his scars were one surefire way to set him off, even if you were a friend.

[o.o berserk button. sorry, josh just... flipped out.]