SHAME.TYSH

BLACK BLOOD

october 15th, 2017.

+++

Tyler and Josh had been dating for six months when Josh realized that it would never get better than that. He realized at one year that he wanted to marry him and maybe have a family. A few months after that, he realized Tyler was his true soulmate. Two years and a half years was when they really did get married, and got a black cat named Spooky.

Tyler was always mysterious in one way or another, he was off, and Josh thought he was just nervous to open up. He wasn't- it lasted for months and months, even after they got married. Tyler never truly opened up to him, not really, Josh could always tell when they had those late night talks that he was holding back so much, but he never pushed it.

Though, the deepest things he told him were about his childhood. He had a great one, until his parents died one day when he was eleven, and no one knew why as they were good, wonderful people. After that, Tyler had told him he swore he'd get revenge on the people who killed them. He was now twenty two years old.

Tyler always watched Josh. When he was sleeping, when they were having sex, when he was just doing normal everyday things. He found it endearing (and maybe just a little weird), the brunet always saying that he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen with a wide grin.

Sometimes he was a little too protective of Josh, lashed out at people who looked at him the wrong way, said violent things, but he never really thought too much of it because he didn't lash out too often.

It was rare and when he did, he told Josh he didn't mean it, he just wanted to protect him. Of course Josh believed him, Tyler was always so kind and gentle, he'd never hurt anybody, not even a fly (maybe a spider, but that was because Josh was deathly afraid of them).

Tyler came home late a lot, always claiming work kept him late, though by the time he got home was near two in the morning and Josh was asleep. Sometimes he didn't come back until the next morning, sometimes he came home at the regular five o'clock. Josh never thought too much of it, he trusted Tyler with all of himself, with all of the good in his heart.

Today, they were headed out to the park having a little picnic date. They still had dates when Tyler had time, and though they were small, Josh appreciated it and loved it. It reminded of him of all the dates they had before they got married, when Tyler still had the brightest gleam in his eyes. Now it was dim, but still there regardless, but now it was like he was hiding a dirty secret.

Josh and Tyler got out of the car after parking, Josh grabbing the picnic basket and large plaid blue and white blanket from the back seat. Tyler smiled at him and kissed him as he ruffled his yellow curls.

As they walked towards the park, Tyler suddenly tripped. He tripped on the hard concrete and scraped his knee with a hiss and groan, catching his love's attention. He quickly tried to stand up and hide his knee, but it was no use.

Josh gasped when he turned to look, but it sounded much more like a shriek. He dropped the picnic basket, dropped the blanket, and slapped a mouth over his mouth. "T-Tyler, your blood..." he cried, "i-it's black. Why is it black? Why isn't it w-white?"

All the trust and love for him had left him, it was all gone. Tyler was a criminal, he had the deepest, darkest black blood he'd ever seen besides the blood he saw on the news. Was he a serial killer? He wanted to deny it, shake the thought away, but it all added up.

All those 'long nights at work', being so secretive all the time, getting revenge. Josh doesn't know how he missed it all, those signs were too easy to brush off. If he knew any better, he would think Tyler was cheating on him. That, perhaps, would've been better than this.