sweet as a flower. (Joshler)

🌼 thirty six

Should I make a new cover for this story?

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"What? You do?" Josh sat straighter in his seat, his heart starting to race against his ribcage when Tyler's words rang in his ears.

He nodded gently, his trembling fingers still held out as he looked down at the slightly crooked ring on his finger. He was quite for a few seconds before he retracted his arm and straightened the thin silver band so the red and black gems were centered.

"It's really beautiful."

"You're the one that chose it, flower. We went to a store you'd never been to together when we were shopping one day, so you could browse around in styles you'd never tried out before. We separated for only a few seconds before you informed me you wanted to make your own transaction, then you surprised me with this," he held his hand up to show the sparkling promise ring, "and it was the kindest gift I've ever received from someone. That was the last place I would have guessed we'd find promise rings but I'm really glad we did, because it felt so right when we put them on for the first time. Do you remember that?"

"I.. I don't remember going to any stores but I remember being in here?" He looked up at the roof of the car and then down at the ring, "I remember putting the ring on you, and.." he looked up at Josh with bright red cheeks and toyed with the band close to his chest.

"..We kissed." He quietly finished.

Tyler looked between Josh's eyes, the pretty coffee ground irises gleaming with confliction as he stared back at the unreadable expression of the smaller boy. Something was happening behind Tyler's eyes, and Josh couldn't decipher what it was.

Suddenly, the brunette was climbing over the console, taking Ned into his arms as he straddled Josh's thighs and sat in his lap. Josh could feel that one of them was shaking but he didn't know which, perhaps it was both of them. Tyler was nervous, Josh could hear his shallow breaths as he sat there closer to the redhead with thoughts racing in his head.

Josh didn't know where to put his hands, so one remained on the center console, and the other, near the handle of his locked door. He just stared with slightly widened eyes at the boy in his lap, who was clutching the stuffie to his chest and burying his chin into the top of its fuzzy head, searching for the next thing he wanted to say.

His lip started to quiver and he couldn't make it stop. "C-call me that again?"

"What?" he questioned in a soft voice, he wanted to hold Tyler again, to be able to tell him how pretty and special he was again, but his hands remained stiffly stationed in their places.

"That name.. I-I don't like mine, there are too many Tyler's in the world and I don't wanna be just 'Tyler'. Being just 'Tyler' makes me sad."

"You mean.. flower?"

He nodded, tears finally pooling over his bottom lash line and slowly trailing down his still reddened cheeks. He seemed like he was having an internal battle, with more than just memories. It was almost like in one iris there was understanding, the real Tyler, and in the other there was fear, oblivion and pain. They were tearing each other apart in Tyler's head and he was having to suffer the consequences. Pain was starting to win, and Josh was not letting that happen.

He gave Tyler a soft smile, his hands lifted without him thinking, the pads of his thumbs gently wiping away the trails from under Tyler's pretty cocoa eyes. That earned a smile back from the brunette, and his tight nervous grip on Neds neck loosened just a bit.

"You're not just 'Tyler', angel. You're so much more than that, you're a special boy who happens to have the prettiest name out there, too. Do you remember why I call you flower?"

He thought for a moment, his smile falling a little as he weakly shook his head. Josh didn't remember exactly what he had told him last time, so he need to paraphrase, but he needed to make sure he gave Tyler the same reassurance as last time, if not more.

"It's because you're a pure, pretty little rosebud. You've had to survive through so much bad weather, storms that tried to hurt you, but you survived them all. You've made it, angel. And here you are now, stronger than ever. They tried to pluck all of your pretty little petals away but they failed. All it takes is some rain, some sunshine, and they'll grow back even more captivating than before. You're going to continue blossoming and become the most beautiful rose of the entire bush. It's going to take time, we won't know exactly how much until you're fully bloomed. But you're getting there. It's always the late bloomer that's the most striking." He reassures with a soft voice as he gently cups the fragile boys cheeks, he knows this kind of moment is crucial for Tyler's healing.

"You're my little white rosebud, and I want to be your gardener again. I'll protect you from any storms to come," he slipped his hands down from Tyler's fevered cheeks to his shoulders, making sure he had direct understanding eye contact with the boy. "I promise I'll do better this time."

Tyler's lip quivered harder for a moment as he softly smiled, then before he thought twice, he was leaning forward and gently pressing his lips to Josh's. The redheads eyes widened in shock, but soon they relaxed and slowly closed as he melted into the familiar feeling he's missed so much over the last few weeks. Fireworks lit off behind his eyelids and Tyler's fluttered softly in endearment. Though Tyler's lips didn't taste the same, the syncing of their heartbeats and the warmth in their faces certainly felt like it. His arms loosened and let Ned settle between their abdomens, his small hand lifting and setting softly on the chest of the other boy.

Things suddenly felt conspicuously familiar. The smell of Taco Bell, Josh's cologne, the tenderness of his kiss, the velvety skin of the taller boys lips..

Tyler pulled back with a soft gasp, his pupils dilating so much Josh saw the changes happening within and the brunettes voice became a soft, honey-like whisper.

"J-Joshie?"

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Boom

~Trash