Love & Oxygen (COMPLETED)

Chapter 24

Tyler was spending the night at his parents' house because he hadn't seen them in so long. Josh had decided to stay back at the apartment because the boys both thought just a night apart would do them well.

Suddenly, Tyler's phone rang at 2 in the morning.

"Josh? Is everything okay?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," Tyler replied. "But are you alright? It's 2 am."

"I'm fine," Josh said. "I just love and miss you. That's all."

"I miss you too," Tyler smiled softly. "I'll be home in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay," Josh grinned.

"Okay," Tyler smiled.

"Okay," Josh repeated.

"Okay."

"I love you," Josh said. "I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either, Joshua William. I love you."

Josh grinned, not hanging up the phone. Tyler was doing the same thing.

"I-if you happen to look for your cologne tomorrow," Tyler giggled shyly. "I took it with me and put it on the pillow I'm sleeping on so it's like you're here with me."

"Well if you happen to look for your cologne tomorrow," Josh chuckled. "I took it out of your suitcase and put it on your pillow so it's like you're here with me."

"We're so lame," Tyler giggled.

"So lame," Josh laughed.

"But I also think we're pretty cool," Tyler said.

"Me too," Josh replied.

"You especially."

"Noooo, you're way cooler than me."

"Tyler," Josh said a few minutes later. "Will you come home?"

"Come pick me up," Tyler said. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

So Josh got up and got in the car, driving to Tyler's parents' house and picking his husband up.

He knocked on the door, Tyler opening it with a wide smile.

Josh grinned and lifted Tyler up off the ground as he hugged him tightly. "Hi baby."

"Hi Joshua."

They headed to the car, Josh just taking a drive for a while.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Josh asked.

"I um... can we go to the park?" Tyler asked. "And lay down and watch the stars?"

"Sure," Josh said.

He drove them to the park, helping Tyler get his oxygen tank out of the car before they walked hand in hand to the open area. It was just them.

They lied down next to each other, holding hands and looking up at the sky.

"I just um... after the hospital thing, I've been thinking. Y-you said when you were proposing to me you wanted to be with me for all of eternity. A-and I don't know if you really really meant it, but I want to spend all of eternity with you."

"Of course I wanna be with you for all of eternity," Josh replied.

"I never told you this, b-but I have a plot," Tyler said. "I have two plots, actually."

"Plots like... at a cemetery?" Josh asked.

"Y-yeah," Tyler said. "It's under a willow tree a-and I just... I thought it would be a really nice place to spend our forever after our life on earth is over."

"So you're asking me... if I wanna be buried by you?"

Tyler nodded.

"Well, yeah, of course I wanna be buried by you," Josh said. "We're gonna get married. But we're not gonna be getting buried for a really, really long time."

"I know, we just... we never know with my health and everything."

"That's true," Josh said. "We never know what your health is gonna do. Cancer is a bitch like that. But you're not gonna die soon, baby."

"I want my gravestone to say Tyler Dun," Tyler said.

"And I want mine to say Husband of Tyler Dun."

"I wanna get married soon, Joshie," Tyler said. "But I also want something for us to look forward to. L-like when we're 21 and can do something really fun together. L-like drink champagne and snuggle up on the balcony of our honeymoon suite and act all fancy."

Josh grinned and squeezed his hand tightly. "We can just enjoy our time being engaged. And we can snuggle up and drink sparkling apple cider on the couch in our apartment," he chuckled.

"I'm really excited to spend the rest of my life with you," Tyler said.

"I'm excited to spend the rest of my life with you, too," Josh replied.

"We're gonna get to do a lot of stuff together," Tyler said. "Like birthdays and holidays and Christmas and wedding stuff. M-maybe we can have kids one day."

"Maybe," Josh said. "But I also might just want you all to myself."

"Y-yeah. M-me too," Tyler giggled.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Josh asked.

"I mean, I guess," Tyler shrugged.

"I love you... I love you so much that I want nothing more than to just be near you," Josh said. "I want to have the privilege of holding your hand and kissing your cheek and taking you out on dates and surprising you with things and just.. being with you, Tyler. I never really thought I'd ever be in love with anyone before I met you, let alone have somebody love me back, but somehow, someway, you've done it. And I love you to the moon and back and back again."

Tyler smiled shyly, kissing Josh's cheek. "I love you too. More than words could ever describe."

Josh squeezed his hand gently.

They just lied there for a while, staring up at the stars together.

"When I'm with you," Tyler said a while later. "It's like I can breathe. Suddenly I don't need the cannula anymore and I'm a normal teenager. A normal teenager with a fiancé who's basically my husband and is the best fiancé-husband in the world."

Josh smiled and kissed his lips gently.

It was a wonderful life.