My Pretty Keeper (Joshler)

5

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"I want to be perfect just like you, pull my strings, show me what to do."

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Later on that evening, Tyler and Josh found themselves back at home for a (hopefully) relaxing night in. Hanging out with Fynnley and Oliver was always fun, but with everything that had been going on, they all figured it'd be a good idea to spend some one-on-one time with each other.

What a certain curly-haired Protector didn't know, though, was that a certain wide-eyed Keeper had dinner in progress for what he hoped would be a romantic evening.

On print, it sounded easy enough. In practice, though, Tyler had quickly realized that when it came to food... the only thing he truly excelled at was pouring milk into his cereal bowl.

It certainly didn't lend itself well to the complicated fish dish he had found online, along with a recipe for some sort of "chocolate surprise" for dessert.

Staring at the directions on his phone, he sighed a little. Maybe I shouldn't have fallen asleep while Oli and I were watching that cooking show earlier...

Honestly, Tyler knew he could always ask Oliver or Fynnley for help. But the last thing he wanted to do was bother them during their night together (and knowing them, they were probably up to some sort of "mischief" right now, anyway).

Really, though, this was something Tyler wanted to accomplish on his own.

One step at a time...

Following through with his "self-mantra," he went ahead with the next step on the list, opening the oven door so he could pour his... questionable-looking sauce over the fish.

Well, at least it smells good.

As he shut the door again and switched gears so he could prepare dessert, he wondered if Josh was still asleep. After they got home, he said he was gonna take a shower and a nap. And in his absence was when Tyler decided he was gonna do something special for Josh.

It's the least he could do for the love of his life, right?

So Tyler resigned himself to whipping eggs, determined to make this dinner as memorable as possible.

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When Tyler peeked into their bedroom and saw that Josh was still asleep, he smiled, pleased that everything had fallen into place. He nudged the door all the way open with his hip, revealing a tray with two plates of food and glasses of wine in his hands.

He placed the tray down on his bedside table before crawling into bed, wrapping his arms around his Protector.

"Joshua," Tyler whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Josh's arm. "Wake up, cutie."

Josh groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "Mm... don't wanna."

"Silly goose..." Tyler ran his fingers through Josh's still slightly wet hair. "Who needs to dry his hair before he catches a cold."

"M'sorry, babe." Josh took his face out the pillow, eyes still closed, and sniffed the air a little. "I smell food."

"Oh?" Tyler smiled. "I wonder where it's coming from?"

"Well, call me crazy, but I think it's coming from in here."

"Why don't you open your eyes up and see?"

Josh pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes in the process. Tyler seized the opportunity to grab the tray and place it on his lap, anxious brown eyes awaiting his lover's reaction.