band aids ↠ joshler ✔

t w e n t y s e v e n

0 days until

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the bus smelled odd; that was the first thing josh noticed.

he and tyler were the only ones on it. it was an old, run-down greyhound, where most of the seats were torn and the radio was horribly staticy.

yet, he didn't care because he was out. he was free.

well, as free as he could be on parol.

his hand clutched tyler's as they took their seats in the very back, and the bus took off without a single warning, speeding down the highway.

josh's eyes were glued to the window, taking note of every single tree, every phone tower, every animal, every bush, every little thing they passed.

it's been so long since he's seen it.

"j-josh? you good?" tyler asks, but josh;s eyes cease to stray from the outside world.

"it's all so vivid and green, wow, i forgot how green the world is."

tyler smiles slightly at the guy he fell in love with.

he wishes he could see the world the way he does.

---

they stop in front of an old house.

there's mold growing down the side of it, the grass is up to the two boy's knees, and the paint is chipping.

but it's cheap and for rent.

josh had worked up quite a bit of interest while in prison/the hospital, and his parents did leave him a bit of money despite never wanting to see him again.

so, josh split it with tyler, and they walked in.

the furniture was old and dusty, but hey, at least it came furnished.

tyler sat on one of the couches, watching as bits of dust flew up from where he sat.

josh came up from behind him and left a trail of kisses up his neck.

they were home.

---

"there's something i n-need to tell you."

it was later that night, and the two boys were in bed.

it was king sized, a much nicer upgrade from their twin sized-bunk.

"yeah, ty?" josh asked.

tyler hesitated, taking in a short breath.

"it's okay, remember? you can tell me anything."

"i-i... i know i was being, y-you know, n-ot treated right with my mom."

he paused.

"i know i was being abused."

he ran his fingers over the bandaids on his knuckles.

"the band aids- they're - they're like a c-coping mechanism, i guess. after a while, i just n-needed them, or else m-my world would be off."

josh listened intently.

"i know m-my mom was a- a- dick, but... i loved her. she was m-my mom."

another pause.

"but you made me happier than she ever did. i love you, joshua."

josh smiled and kissed a band aid just above tyler's eyebrow, before pausing himself.

he thought about it for a second.

"there's something i need to tell you too, ty."

3 chapters left.