· A B U S E D· (Twenty One Pilots Fanfiction)

-29- bandages

Tyler followed Joshua up the stairs silently, the only sound in the hall was the soft patter of their feet against the stairs. He was dreading the bandage change, the nurses in the hospital had him look away when they changed it before he went home. Not that he could really see the wound in the first place. 

Tyler shuffles his feet as he moved, his eyes focused on the floor as the carpet of the hall led into his room, then past that it went to the cool tile that made up his personal bathroom. That's the only time he bothered to look up, his eyes instantly searched for the bag of hospital items that a nurse packed so he could take care of himself at home. 

Even with blurry eyes he could spot the blue and white bag that held the gauze, tape, alcohol wipes, and more. They probably wouldn't really need half of what was given to Tyler but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

"Can you sit on the counter? Or do you need help getting up there?" Josh asks this as he stepped to the bag of hospital items, pulling some of them out so he could see all of what he had and plan out the best course of cleaning Tyler's leg. He didn't know what to expect since Tyler didn't know how big the wound was and his mother wasn't home so he couldn't ask her what to expect. 

Tyler furrows his eyebrows and slowly steps to the counter before jumping up to sit on the edge gently, even with being as careful as he could, he still felt a rush of pain surging through his body as he moved to sit with his back flush against the coolness of the mirror behind him. 

"Good job." Josh murmurs this softly and he moves the contents of the hospital bag closer to Tyler, then he begins to sterilize the area so he could lay the items out completely as he cleaned the boy up, he wanted this to be a fast ordeal since Tyler didn't seem too happy with the situation right now. 

When he was done he looks at Tyler with a raised brow.

"Do you need help taking off your pants?" Josh asks this quietly, his eyes narrowing at the top of Tyler's thigh where the bandages would be awaiting him. The younger boy quickly shuffles to take his pants off and he drops them to the floor. His cheeks burning a bit of a dark blush as he sat in front of Josh in just his underwear.

Josh wasn't focused on that aspect though, his eyes were caught off gaurd by the amount of bruising that trailed down Tylers tanned legs and he furrows his eyebrows. His heart felt like it sank into a pit within his stomach. Who could hurt such an innocent boy this bad and not feel like a monster? Of course there was only one person that came to Josh's mind but he wasn't going to voice his conclusion right now. Tyler didn't need that. 

Josh's hands got to work when he snapped his eyes away from the bruises. His hands slightly shaking as he unwrapped the slightly soiled bandages around the soft flesh of Tyler's upper thigh.

There were a few layers of bandages and below that were a few layers of gauze, all on top of the wound, and once that was off and Josh got a glance at what he had to clean a gasp left his lips.

"Angel, don't look..." It was too late though, Tyler's curious brown eyes were gazing down. Even with his blurred vision he could see what was wrong with his thigh. There were words etched into his skin, the cuts were sewn shut and some dried blood lingered around the wound sites. 

The words read 'whore', 'slut', and 'fag'. Tyler's mouth dropped open as he looked at it in the brief moment it took Josh to bring one of his hands up to gently cover his eyes and Josh sighs to himself as he felt Tyler begin to shake. 

"Who-" Tyler's voice cracked softly as his breathing picked up in pace. Who would write those things? Let alone etch them into his skin? They would be there forever. He would have those dirty words, etched into his skin for the rest of his life and he didn't even know what he did to deserve it nor did he even know who actually did it.

"Angel, it's okay.. Hey, don't be upset please, it won't help you feel any better." Josh pulls his hand away from his eyes and instead grabbed Tyler's chin gently, tilting it up to look him in the eyes. 

"Focus on me, not anything lower than my face, okay?" Josh's voice was stern but also sweet like caramel. Tyler nods shakily and he lets out a shaky breath as he tried to calm himself down from what he had just seen.

"Everything will be okay, let me clean this up and no one has to see it again lovely, okay?" Josh's eyes peer into Tylers, searching through the mesmerizing brown orbs as if he could see the boy's entire soul right in that moment. 

Tyler nods, his hands moving to rest against the counter top beside him as he leaned back fully once again, his eyes remaining on Josh's face as he moved. He didn't dare take his eyes off of the pink haired boy ahead of him. He knew if he looked away he would see the cuts again and he would get upset.

Josh got to work quickly and began to clean the cuts as fast, and carefully as he could. He wanted them to be covered so that Tyler didn't have to worry and hopefully the boys mood would be better. 

It didn't take too long for Josh to finish his task, he presses a gentle kiss to the top layer of bandage on top of Tyler's thigh, his eyes flickering up at Tyler's.

"There you go angel, better?" Josh asks this quietly and Tyler nods with a slight smile. 

"Better."