sweet as a flower. (Joshler)

🌼 thirty three

Josh was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

After the series of events, Tyler was interrogated, poked and prodded for hours, then the investigators finally let him go for the night. He was now laying on the bench with his head on Josh's lap, his jacket laid across the boys curled up body that rose then fell with every breath he took. He had to be uncomfortable on this stiff plastic seat but the fact he looked so peaceful only showed how tired he must have been.

Josh continued to play with the brunettes hair so he could dream. He didn't care how embarrassing he probably looked when his head constantly fell forward and suddenly shot back up again, bloodshot eyes looking at the momentarily unfamiliar surroundings before they'd focus and he'd realize where he was, he has to stay awake for updates on Tyler's mother and protection over the sleeping beauty's body. He has to. He wasn't sure if it was just his undeniable feelings for the boy, his general protective instincts, or straight paranoia. He felt alert and ready in his chest but his head was so foggy. His hand and face still pounded but his mind was busy elsewhere at the moment.

That hug replayed over and over in Josh's head, but for all the right reasons. That hug felt like the real Tyler. It was gentle, welcoming, tippy-toed. It felt empathetic and sweet.

He unfortunately couldn't sit there and gush to himself over how cute Tyler was while he slept or how nice he smelled when he came so close. He was so distracted and couldn't get his head to shut up for more than a second, it was almost like there was faint static in his eardrums though he could hear the mumbling down the hall, thoughts were scattered and overlapping in his brain and couldn't keep themselves in order. He felt like he was panicking in a serine bird-chirping landscape. Things didn't feel quite right and they didn't feel particularly good either but they were so nice and attractive to Josh at the moment.

"Josh?"

He took a sharp breath in his nose and looked up with red eyes when he heard his name, a weak smile on his face like he wasn't sure if she was actually standing there or not.

"Hi mom."

"What's going on? Why haven't you called-"

He puts a finger up to his lips and points down at the sleeping boy in his lap as if she hadn't seen him there. Of course she did, but she sighs and lowers her voice anyway when she sits facing him on the bench a few feet from the one he's sitting on. What an odd place for a bench, Josh thought to himself. Almost directly next to a door. His randomized thought process wasn't left at peace for long when the conversation continued.

"It's almost 3 in the morning. I've been worried sick and the secretary called me 20 minutes ago to tell me you were both here as witnesses to a crime? Please just tell me what's happening, you're not in trouble are you?"

He yawned, rubbing his left eye with his good hand and looking at her again like he was high as a kite but she's well aware he's half asleep.

"You know what, we'll discuss it tomorrow. You need sleep Josh you look awful." She gives a soft laugh when he smiles at that, that tells her he's not in a bad mood and he really is just sleepy. She stands again and hurries to the desk down the hall.

She's only gone for a minute before she comes back happier than before.

"Josh, Joshua wake up." She softly shakes his shoulder and he looks up at her again, his hands stuttering a bit before they start to play with Tyler's hair again.

"They said Kelly's in a room right now and she's stable. There's a small futon in that room and you two can share it if you'd like, unless you want to come home or I can take Tyler home? I'm not sure what happened but it seems like she went through a lot tonight and shouldn't have to wake up alone."