Joshler Fluff

rose boy

"Are you sure you have everything?"

Tyler smiled and nodded, rolling his eyes at his mother's fussing. She gave him a stern glance.

"Well, last time you left your school book and I had to ship it to you! Express, would you believe!"

Tyler laughed slightly. "And it got there just in time, so I don't know why you keep worrying! Really, Mom, I'll be fine."

She frowned and bit her lip. "Oh I know, but I'll miss you so much. My baby's so far away now,"

Tyler pulled her into a hug, feeling a slight pang in his heart as he inhaled the smell of cinnamon and pine needles that always followed her for the last time until Easter. Going to college on the east coast was his dream, but it meant he saw his mother infrequently.

"Don't worry about me. Besides, you still have two babies to fuss over at home."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Oh yes, I know. My wonderful, prepubescent, hormonal babies."

Tyler laughed and kissed her on the cheek. Hefting his suitcase, he said one last goodbye and started down the narrow path out to the street.

Brushing aside the faint remenants of nostalgia, he shook his head and inhaled a lungful of cold December air, sighing happily. This was nice. The trees, the snow, the silence of it all. It was like poetry, and Tyler loved it.

Humming faintly to himself, he walked down the sidewalk, kicking absentmindedly at some snow drifts and spare sticks. The walk to the train station was a,ways nice, he got one final moment of peace before the hecticness of college overtook him once again.

Tyler looked up, surveying his surroundings and felt his stomach dip slightly as a familiar building came into sight.

The cemetery.

Every single year, every single walk he made to the train station required him to pass by the hated cemetery. It wasn't like Tyler had a personal connection to it- the only reason any ordinary cemetery would worry him was that he and the concept of death weren't on great terms. No, he didn't have a problem with cemeteries in general. It was this one, however, that he hated.

Mostly because every time he passed the same solemn looking figure of the local boy with bright blue hair and a black trenchcoat, always at the same grave with a single rose in his hand.

Always crying.

And Tyler hated it, not because he didn't like crying, but because he felt terrible that someone should be spending their holidays alone in the middle of a snowy graveyard. Tyler, by rule, was a compassionate and sensitive person. Pain, especially other people's pain, always got to him on a personal basis. Something about the depressed-looking blue haired boy with the single rose made him stop.

And walk back a few paces, hauling his suitcase through the snow and up the icy steps. That something continued to prompt him to push open the rusted metal gate and deposit his bag by the wall, trudging through the snow towards the back of the boy with the rose.

And something made him gently call out, standing a few paces behind, "Hey,"

Rose-boy turned around, looking alarmed and ashamed. As he caught a glimpse of Tyler, his free hand flew up to his eyes, desperately wiping them before plastering on a broken-looking smile. He coughed softly.

"Hey," he responded. "I was, um, just bringing flowers. Y'know, the holidays and all. I thought..."

Rose-boy trailed off, voice trembling as new tears gathered in his eyes. He kicked the grave sadly.

"He would've wanted it, y'know. He loved Christmas...and roses. Fuck- I'm sorry, I-"

Rose-boy broke off, voice cracking as the tears spilled out onto his cheeks. He stood there, shoulders hunched, eyes fixated on the grave until Tyler couldn't take it, he just had to do something. He took a few steps towards rose-boy and enveloped him in a hug. Rose-boy gave an audible sob, collapsing into Tyler like a foldable chair. And Tyler couldn't do anything but hold him close, rubbing his back and murmuring comfortingly. He guided rose-boy to the bench, where they sat down amidst the graves and the snow, Tyler's new friend still crying.

Eventually the tears dried up and rose-boy straightened up, sniffling slightly.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, not meeting Tyler's eyes. "I shouldn't have- yeah...I'm sorry."

Tyler shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I know it must fucking suck, missing someone at Christmas." He paused, resting his hand gently on rose-boy's arm. "Who was he?" he asked softly.

Rose-boy smiled. "My best friend. Brendon Urie. He got into a car accident last March and every month I come down here and bring him a rose," he said, gesturing to the rose still clasped in his hand. "Kinda pathetic, but Bren loved roses. And Christmas, which is extra sucky, cause normally I'd spend it with him but he's, well...dead."

Tyler rubbed his arm encouragingly. "It's not pathetic, it's the sweetest thing ever. Brendon would've been lucky to have you as a friend."

Rose-boy sniffed. "Thanks. You're a great guy."

Tyler shrugged. "I've walked past you a lot, sitting by the grave. I finally decided I should make sure you're okay. Are you?"

Rose-boy shrugged. "Not really. I'm hungry and lonely and don't have a best friend."

Tyler checked his watch. Technically speaking, he could stay on another two weeks, as he still didn't have any classes until mid-January. And besides, he now had a sad, lonely new friend who would benefit from the jolly, warm atmosphere of Tyler's house. He smiled. His mom was going to love this guy.

"Tell you what," Tyler declared. "You wanna crash at my place for a couple of weeks? Nothing special, just to be around people this holiday. You can experience my mom's New Year's Eve cooking and movie nights and all that sentimental crap. You shouldn't be spending this time alone with no one to be around."

Rose-boy looked up hopefully. "You mean that?"

Tyler nodded and squeezed his new friend's hand. "Of course. You seem like the greatest guy ever and, truth be told, I could use a best friend myself, if you get my drift." Tyler laughed ruefully at the flash of realization on rose-boy's face.

He smiled, the happiness glowing through his sad exterior. "Thank you so much....um, what's your name, sorry?"

Tyler laughed. "Tyler Joseph, but feel free to call me Ty or Asshole, depends on the day. How 'bout you?"

Rose-boy smiled. "Joshua. But you can call me Josh."

Tyler smiled and stood up, offering a hand to Josh. "Whaddya say, Josh? Should we give Brendon his rose and go home? My mother'll be over the moon."

Josh paused and then smiled slightly, taking Tyler's hand and squeezing it. "Thanks," he said again, shyly.

Tyler felt himself grinning at the sight of Josh's hesitant smile. "Anytime, rose-boy. Anytime."

//heck this was cute also why do all of my oneshots have Brendon what is with me//