Intimidation ♡ joshler

thirty seven

Tyler relentlessly pestered Zack during the car ride by telling shitty jokes and asking ridiculous hypotheticals, annoying the older man to the point of him scolding the younger for bothering him while he's trying to concentrate on driving, and Tyler sat quietly for a good while, staring out his window with a mixture of embarrassment and dejection.  

The younger still isn't over it by the time they pull into their parents driveway, and feelings of anxiousness and dread start to overwhelm him as he opens the car door, stepping onto pavement that now seems so foreign to him.

He doesn't belong here, he wants to go home, he wants to be with Josh—

"T-bro, help me carry some of this shit in?" Zack asks as he opens the trunk, tone playful as if he didn't fuss at him around an hour ago.  

"O-okay," Tyler stammers, grabbing two of the suitcases from the car, Zack grabbing the other two before locking up.  Tyler follows his brother to the house, standing next to him nervously as Zack rings the doorbell.

Someone calls out from inside, and Tyler recognizes it as his father's voice, the same one that degraded him for weeks after he came out to his family, and it only makes him more anxious about stepping foot in this house again.

"I'll get it!" Madison calls out excitedly, and Tyler perks up at the voice of his only sister—personally his favorite sibling, don't tell his brothers—and he finds himself smiling huge from joy, and being here suddenly doesn't seem as bad as it did previously.

Tyler's trembling a little—from anxious or excitement, that doesn't really matter right now—as he hears the lock twist.  Then the door is swung open, and Madison launches herself at him, nearly knocking him over in the process, but he just squeezes her back tightly as she goes off about how much she's missed him, and Tyler's about to cry, because he's missed his little sister so much.

"Wow, it's so so good to see you again, Mads!" Tyler sighs when Madison finishes her rambling, "I've missed you."

"Hey, Maddy, I'm here too," Zack jokes, definitely ruining their moment, but their sister giggles anyways and moves to hug the older man anyways—not with as much enthusiasm as she did with Tyler, he notices, and he can't help but feel prideful at that.  

Tyler pulls the suitcases into the house so he doesn't have to stand outside in the cold any longer than necessary, and he wonders if his old room is still okay for him.  

He leaves one suitcase (it has presents in it, he just wants his) and starts to head for the stairs, just as his mom walks into the room, and they both freeze in shock, staring at each other for a moment, and Tyler's not sure what he should do; what does one say to their mother after not speaking to her in years because she doesn't like that they're gay?

"U-uh, hi?" Tyler squeaks out, bringing his mother out of her stupor.

Tyler's not even surprised when she merely walks past him and to Zack instead, pulling him into a loving hug.  He's not surprised, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt, because it seems that nothing's changed.  But, he carries on to his room anyways, tugging his suitcase upstairs as he tries to ignore the emotional pain his encounter with his mom engulfed him in.

Tyler doesn't notice his younger brother standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at Tyler as he watches his brother ascend the steps, until he speaks, "Hey, Tyler!"

Tyler startles and grips onto the railing to keep from falling back, but he tries to push his negative feelings aside as he smiles to Jay, "Hey!"

"Do you need help?" the younger boy asks, not even waiting for a response as he steps down, taking the suitcase from the older boy and pulling it up the remaining steps and to Tyler's room.

"Thanks," Tyler thanks his brother as he follows after him, stepping into his childhood bedroom for the first time in years.  Everything's exactly the same—at least he assumes so, how could he remember the state of his room after so long, you know?

Tyler turns to his younger brother again just as said brother does the same, and they smile at each other once again.  Tyler wants to hug him as well, but he remembers how he would throw a fit whenever someone got touchy with him, and he doesn't know if Jay's still the same way or not, and he'd rather not risk it.

They just stare at each other for a moment until tears start to well up in Jay's eyes, "It's weird to see you here again; I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

And the words tug hard at Tyler's heart, tears beginning to well up in Tyler's eyes as well as Jay's tears begin to spill.  The younger boy strides towards the older, wrapping his arms around him as he cries into Tyler's shoulder—and wow, Jay's gotten tall...  He's almost as tall as he is...

Tyler hugs the crying boy back, trying to keep his tears back as he gently rubs his back—just like Josh did to him—doing this until Jay's all cried out, relaxed.

"Are you okay, Jay?" Tyler whispers, heart hurting, and Jay nods against his shoulder.

"I'm happy," Jay mumbles back, leaning against Tyler for another moment before pulling away, "I'm gonna go say hi to Zack now."

Tyler nods, smiling at him as Jay leaves Tyler alone in his room.  He sighs, looking to his suitcase; he may as well unpack.

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thank you guys! <3