Youth || Joshler

22: Josh And Tyler Are In Love

Almost two months later, it was graduation day. There were around fifty kids graduating that year, and Tyler was one of them. There was around a hundred and fifty guests in the gymnasium watching the graduation happen. Josh was among them.

Out of all of the students lined up to go on the podium, there was only one of them missing- Jenna Black, expelled for being caught up in her own gossip. Apparently the school board saw her as a bully, one who had hit their soft spot in a direct blow. It was a big year for the LGBTQ movement, unfortunately for Jenna and her friends (most of which had only been suspended for a week or two). Bullying gay people and being homophobic was all of a sudden fiercely forbidden.

When the principal heard Jenna's story of Tyler Joseph kissing his math teacher, he was at least intrigued; her friends, who were in the room with her supporting her story, swear he lost interest the moment she began expressing her concern on the fact that it was a gay relationship. After that, the principal still figured it was his duty to dig into it. What he found was not proof of a relationship between a teacher and student, but a story of homophobic torment and endless bullying from Jenna Black. She left that same afternoon and never came back.

Tyler thought about it as he waited for his turn on stage. Perhaps it was just karma- she'd made his life hell the past few months, and had met what she deserved. It was all strangely falling into place, like a story almost finished. He chucked. If his life were to be a story, it would be a pretty boring one, probably. He was just a kid from Ohio who fell in love with somebody. Granted, that somebody was a teacher, and it wasn't easy. But neither was life, he reflected.

The gym was brightly decorated the the school colours, the crowd huge and onlooking. Nervous, he cleared his throat quietly. Tyler was sweaty under his graduation cap and gown, fidgeting. But he found a familiar pair of brown eyes in the crowd. It sort of calmed him. Josh wasn't sitting with his family, as they didn't know, but soon enough they would. Pretty soon, everyone would.

"Tyler Joseph," called the teacher running the ceremony.

He hadn't realized he was in the front of the line, sort of shuffling up every few moments but not putting thought to it. He was putting thought in a lot of other things, so when he heard his name he flinched and gazed up. In front of him were the steps onto the stage. He took a deep breath.

Tyler walked up and across the stage. With his left hand he took his diploma, wrapped in a pretty bow, and with his right he shook the man's hand. "Um," he said quietly, "can I say a few words, sir?"

The teacher looked surprised but checked his watch. He sighed. "I suppose so." He backed away, leaving Tyler with his diploma in front of the microphone. What felt like million eyes stared up at him, each locked on Tyler.

"I'd just like to thank everyone," he said shakily into the mic. "Everyone who stuck by me this year. I-I'm sure by now a lot of people know that I'm g-gay, and I'd just like to thank all of the people who have accepted me for who I am.."

Josh was standing up. Josh was walking down the aisle, toward the stage, dressed nice, something in his eye. Tyler was confused at exactly what he was doing, where he was going. It soon became apparent that he was walking up on stage- the teacher tried to stop him, but Josh whispered a word in his ear. He was allowed to walk over to the graduate/basketball player/brunette boy, the one who fell in love with him all of those months ago.

"I said I wanted everyone to know," Josh murmured, just loud enough for the mic to pick up.

"I-" he took Tyler's face in his hands, silencing him. Holy shit, Tyler'd never loved anything or anyone
this much in his life. His heart beat fast for Josh.

There, in front of a hundred and fifty strangers plus Tyler's family, plus the entire graduating class, Josh pressed his lips up against Tyler's. Tyler closed his eyes and melted into it, hands finding the sides of Josh's neck, hands everywhere, shaking but holding him close. Their lips worked against each other lovingly. They both smiled into the kiss, teeth clashing but neither of them cared much about it, too goddamn happy to care.

Gasps came from everywhere, but mostly from the graduating class. Tyler heard his mother make some sort of sound, not quite a gasp but one that could be the sound of a smile.

When they broke apart, they gazed at each other.

"Is that enough proof that I love you?" Josh smiled charmingly. "'Cause I do. I love you."

"I love you too," Tyler whispered, hugging him in his gown. There was an uproar.

The sound of loud cheering and soft giggling from the two boys in stage were all to be heard that Friday afternoon, in the middle of Cincinnati High's graduation ceremony for it's senior year class. Everybody knew now. There were no more secrets, no more lies. For the first time in months, Tyler felt good.

He kissed Josh's cheek as they walked offstage together, going to sit with the rest of his class, right beside his best friend Brendon Urie.

"Mr. Dun, huh?"

"Yeah. His name's Josh, for the record."

"So he was more important than lil' ole me, after all."

[The End.]