just children once ✓

next time, lock your window

<11:19 pm, Monday>

Tyler did not, in fact, lock his window. Not on purpose, though. It was a habit that Josh apparently remembered from when they were little. He left his window unlocked every night in case Josh had to sneak in, by now he did it to sneak out himself.

With his dad still gone for Madison's tournament and him being the oldest, Tyler had to watch his little brothers, who decided to cook mac and cheese on every surface of the kitchen but the stove.

He tossed the bags of used napkins away, stuffed the dirty plates into the dishwasher, and trudged upstairs, exhausted and ready to go to bed.

He flicked the light in his room on, taking a moment to process the figure wearing all black standing in the middle of his room. "Who the-" the figure pulled off the ski mask, curly blue hair falling his face.

Josh held a finger to his lips, indicating Tyler to be quiet. Tyler looked around, unsure what to do. "Why are you in the middle of my bedroom dressed like a ninja?" he finally asked.

"Don't worry, Stanford. I'm not here to rob you." Tyler snorted. "Why else you break into my house in the middle of the night?"

Josh straightened his back, holding up a map. Tyler raised an eyebrow. "A map? I'm not a tourist, Josh."

"You're as stubborn as ever," he sat in the middle of Tyler's floor- he didn't know why he was even allowing this- and struggled to open and spread the map.

Once he did, Tyler could see different colored dots connected by black arrows, pinpointing certain places around their state. All of them, Tyler noticed, were within driving distance. He also noticed one of the spots was Hopeless Fountain, the cemetery where Ashley was buried.

"What is this?" Tyler asked, annoyed. Josh grinned proudly, pulling out a black sharpie from his also black backpack.

"This is our adventure."

Tyler snorted, moving to turn off the light. "I'll just sleep on the couch. You can crash here if you want, but I want you out of here before I wake up."

Josh stood and grabbed Tyler's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Just listen. Please." He sounded genuine, so Tyler swallowed his annoyance and shrugged.

"What's the harm?"

Josh grinned, pulling Tyler to sit beside him on the floor. "So we're graduating in a week, right?"

"I am. Not so sure about you."

He rolled his eyes, Tyler looking smug. "Anyways, we only have, what, five days together? Then off to the second level of hell."

"Okay, and? What about it?"

Josh pointed to the first destination, a glittery dot over a gas station that's was just outside of their neighborhood. Tyler remembered it from middle school, when Josh, Ashely and Tyler used to walk to the gas station to buy energy drinks during the summer. Tyler stopped going a year ago.

"You said there's nothing more important than the future, right?" Josh asked. Tyler nodded. "Well, there is, Bolton. It's the past."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Is this that existential night trip Debs told me about?" Josh's face flushed red in the dim lights. "She told you about that?"

"She tells me everything, dude."

Josh paused and waved his hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter. I want to take you on this 'existential night trip.' Every night for just this week. You can back out whenever, but tonight is a must."

"But why now? Why not in the ninth grade?" Josh's face turned sour. "I was scared, I guess."

Tyler feigned shock. "The mighty Josh Dun scared? I don't buy it for a second."

Josh laughed sarcastically, dragging his finger over the arrows. "We have three stops to make. So get dressed Stanford, I'm taking you out tonight."

"Could you get anymore gay?"

"Correction, I am bisexual."

"Right."

Tyler stood and looked over the yellow dots. The two other destinations connected to the gas station was his favorite candy store downtown and a marble statue he used to visit when he was smaller. "So, what do I need for this 'trip?'" He asked, walking into his closet.

"Black clothes, about fifty bucks, and a hula skirt."

Tyler couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Okay, the black clothes I get. We're going to be ninjas or whatever. Cash is an obvious choice. But a hula skirt?"

Josh grinned mischievously and folded the map back up, heading for Tyler's window. "You'll find out soon enough. Now hurry before my parents realize that I took my car, I'm parked in front of your house."

Once Josh was out of sight, Tyler began to scavenge his room for what he needed. He took the money from his savings for a car- it wasn't like he was driving anytime soon- and slipped them in his pocket. The black clothes weren't hard to find as he wears nothing but. The hula skirt was a hard one to get, as the only one they had was in the attic beside his brother's room.

He didn't even know why he was doing this. Four years, and now Josh is asking him to go around places for the sake of remembrance? Tyler didn't know what he was thinking as he pulled down the ladder to the attic and climbed up.

Once he retrieved the item and headed down the ladder, he spotted Zach in the end of the hallway, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "You're doing this now?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Damn it, I owe Abigail ten bucks."

Tyler's face flushed in embarrassment. "You did not bet on me." Zach shrugged. "We knew you two would eventually start talking again. I just had my doubts," he said.

"Why is that?" Tyler tugged on a pair of doc martens and a hoodie over his pajamas. "You're so obsessed with college and everything after. I thought you'd miss out on the high school experience, not like you're missing anything good. High school sucks."

Honking could be heard from the street, along with swearing and the revving of an engine. Zach nodded in that direction. "Go on. Live a little. You're too cooped up for your own good, man."

Tyler ruffled his brother's hair. "Thanks, Zach."

He ran outside, making sure to lock the doors and not attract the attention of any neighbors, who knew of Tyler's habits of wandering at night.

Josh sat in his old Monte Carlo, the thumping of music heard even with the windows rolled up. Tyler took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself before collapsing in the passenger seat.

"Ready, Stanford?" Josh asked as soon as Tyler was accommodated.

He nodded, buckling his seatbelt and glancing at the map that was now thumbtacked to the glove compartment. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Josh smiled, driving off to their first destination- the infamous eighth grade gas station.