The fact that Joel says he knows sends a warmth through Spencer that he can't quite describe. There hasn't been a day since that night in his library--maybe even the day of the Hydra, he thinks, when Joel had chosen to reveal his secret over letting Spencer get hurt--that Spencer has wanted Joel to be anything less than close to him. From the first time their fingers brushed to the first time they'd held hands to the first time they'd kissed in the lighthouse, Spencer has wondered what the future might hold for them and being here now, knowing that Joel knows how much Spencer cares for him and for the first time in his life being able to say that he's certain the feeling is mutual... It's all more than he could ever have imagined for himself. It's true what he'd told Joel a few days ago, that he'd come to terms with being alone. He hadn't minded, not when he hadn't known just how incredible it is to have someone to share his life with, but he can't--doesn't want to, rather--fathom how much it would destroy him to lose Joel now. It's still a fear, one that comes with a pattern of losing the people most important to him, but for once, he's ready to push that fear aside and take advantage of the time they have together.

He shakes his head with a slight laugh when Joel blinks an eye shut and it's truly offensive how his boyfriend can look so sweet and devastatingly sexy at the same time but it seems to be easy enough to achieve for Joel. "I have seen Levi," he says, his smile faltering. He'd seen Levi, he'd see the beer in Levi's hand, and Spencer knows it's not his place to say anything about it but in truth, he's concerned. He hadn't seen Joel the night he'd opted to get drunk while on his painkillers, and Spencer's grateful for that because just thinking about it makes his stomach sick. To see Levi turning to that option now, it worries him because Spencer would like to think that they're on track to becoming friends.

He looks for Levi again in the crowd and spots him by Lara now, the ghost of a smile returning when he sees the way they look at each other, the way they exchange a sweet kiss. He turns back to Joel, deciding that Levi's well taken care of as it is, and lets out a surprised but pleased yelp when he feels Joel's hands squeeze his ass then pull their bodies flush against each other. The whiskey is working, he notes, and he can feel the slight haze of it in his own head but he's not complaining. He likes this, doesn't mind if people are watching because he doesn't care about anyone else. Joel's the only person who matters right now, and he leans in to press a kiss to Joel's lips before trailing more up his jawline.

"You're right," he says, teasing the other man's earlobe with a graze of his teeth. "I think I'm nearly ready for that swimming lesson, Professor."