the runaway {joshler}

tyler; chapter six

I drifted off into a deep sleep soon after I heard Josh's breaths steady and become even. It wasn't until I heard shuffling and heavy breathing that I awoke. Even if I'd just met Josh, I knew what he was experiencing; a nightmare.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked him, my voice in a whisper. "Have a nightmare?" I said, leaning over the side of the bed, looking at him to see him nod.

I paused for a few moments, trying to find the words to say to him. I didn't want to be awkward and impose some comfort on him but I also didn't want to let him feel like he was alone. I took a breath before I spoke.

"Wanna talk about it?" I said, my eyes looking at his frame. "Y-you don't have to, if you don't wanna, I won't hold it against."

I could see him shake his head in the dim lighting, and hear him let out a small sigh, he was nervous and I could tell.

"I-I don't wanna talk about it because," He began, letting out a small sigh, his voice beginning to crack. I could feel my stomach start to feel empty, a pit forming in it. I didn't like seeing people cry or people being sad in general, but with Josh, I really didn't want him to cry, so I cut him off.

"Hey, why don't you come up in the bed with me, so if you do have another nightmare, I'll be there so we can talk about something to take your mind off of it?" I suggested, a small smile on my face even though I knew he could probably barely even see me in this dark lighting.

The only light that was shown was the moon, it illuminated the room slightly, leaving most places in the room still pitch black. I'm guessing most of the light was cutoff by the extra locks my mom had installed on my windows, all for 'safety' yeah, right, safety. What did she expect me to do? I was on the second floor, did she really think I'd sneak out.

That didn't matter much though, I didn't have many friends, or any at all. I used to be on the basketball team, I was perfectly normal, maybe even popular, but during my junior year of high school my past friends, just random kids I knew suddenly turned on me. And I became isolated, it felt like a jab to the heart, everything hit me so horribly.

I was outcasted, tormented, insulted on the daily. It got so bad that I had to go and get homeschooled and even then the abuse didn't stop. So I started to get depressed, my anxiety levels rising to an all time high, and blurryface got louder. He became something I could really hear, and he wouldn't go away. He still hasn't.

I could hear some muffled shuffling until I saw Josh's figure move around towards my bed. I scooted over to the side so he could get in with me, my heart racing as he climbed into bed with me. It was childish, but I felt like a little kid, I felt happy.

He didn't get into the sheets with me, instead he laid on top of my comforter, using his sleeping bag as a makeshift blanket. I would've said he could scoot under the covers but I really didn't want to make him uncomfortable or seem like I was trying to invade his space.

"Hey, so where'd you come from?" I asked, blinking. I mean, he did just show up at my house randomly, wouldn't you wonder too?

He paused for a second, wiping at his eyes gingerly, wiping away at what I assumed were tears. "Oh, not too far away. Just Northern Ohio," he croaked, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," I whispered to him, placing my hand onto his in more of a comforting way rather than a romantic way.

But then something happened, something I'd never forget.