Colors // Joshler

// 39. Bright And Beautiful And Alive //

Tyler almost turned around and left, but he just couldn't. He'd come all this way to talk to Josh, and talk to Josh he would.

And so, he opened the door and headed into the school.

Music was playing from somewhere inside, and Tyler noted that it was a soft brown: classical. Tyler didn't listen to anything from the top hundred charts, but classical? At a dance for teenagers? What was this, the 1700's?

Although, he shouldn't scold. He could be known to listen to the occasional piece of classical music while creating a painting, especially if he was having a difficult time. It helped him focus.

The hallway was completely empty, save for Tyler, and it felt odd to be the only one there. His footsteps echoed, the sound bouncing off of the floor and ceiling at a rate to match Tyler's purple heartbeat.

He was afraid. And he didn't like it.

Tyler followed the sound of the music in the direction of the gym, where he knew the dance would be. Apparently at some point, Brendon had stuck a flier into Tyler's backpack, and so he knew more about it than he'd originally wanted to.

Suddenly, the hallway filled with the sound of an extra pair of footsteps, and as Tyler turned the corner he crashed directly into someone. A blue-haired someone.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Josh said quickly, backing up a few steps. Then his face lit up. "Tyler!"

Where Tyler was a dark storm cloud, cold and still, Josh was a clear sky, bright and beautiful and alive. He was wearing a soft blue button-up shirt with a darker blue tie, black pants, and black shoes. His hair seemed wilder than usual, and his eyes were bright.

The sight and sound of him, after avoiding him for so long, made Tyler intensely pink. It was the complete opposite of what he'd wanted.

"No, I-I'm sorry," Tyler stammered. Now that Josh was there in front of him, he had almost forgotten everything he had to say. Josh had that affect on him, apparently. He rushed with his words. "I was avoiding you because I was feeling weird, and it was wrong of me to blame you for it, and I promise, I-I--"

The pink feeling in Tyler's chest was making him stammer, and he could feel his face heating up. Josh suddenly leaned closer to him, and Tyler's voice died in his throat. His heart was pounding a mile a minute, and his hands were shaking. He didn't know what was going on, whether Josh was mad or upset or what.

Then Josh closed the gap between them, and his lips met Tyler's.