joshler oneshots

toes in the sand and hearts in the sky

summary:

tyler is a lifeguard.
josh isn't happy.

words: 562

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the first time tyler meets josh, they're six feet under water and josh's eyes are glassy, and his yellow hair floats hypnotically around his face.

tyler should really be focused on saving his life, but he can't help thinking that he's beautiful.

it was a softer day. the sun was slow in making its descent down the sky, and the wind wrapped around him instead of biting through him. the beach was suprisingly empty, with a middle aged couple leaving tyler's line of sight and a few teenagers sleeping far from the water.

there's a little outcrop of rock a little further down the beach. underneath it is a water filled cove, teeming with smaller fish in hiding and predators seeking.

when tyler isn't on duty, sometimes he likes to sit at the top and watch the waters down below. it makes him nervous when he sees people up there; when they jump into the water, he's never quite sure whether they'll come back up or not.

there's a figure sitting off the edge. tyler can make out what seems to be a tattoo sleeve and dyed yellow hair that reminds him of his childhood cereal boxes.

the man sits there, seemingly contemplating the water beneath him. he stands up almost hesistantly. he turns his back to the edge, but makes no move walk away.

tyler frowns.

then, with arms outstretched, he falls with the grace of a bird diving through the air, but he, unlike the bird, has no wings.

tyler holds his breath batedly and waits for that shock of yellow hair to appear above the surface.

26 seconds.

he counts 26 seconds before his heart speeds up with intensity he wouldn't normally credit himself with and he sprints down the stairs of the tower and runs, his feet digging into the sand and the smell of the ocean permeating his mind.

the water isn't warm.

the man is facing upwards, and tyler catches his breath because he is more beautiful than anything else he's ever seen.

when tyler gathers josh into his arms and begins to seek the moving surface far above, he notices a line of black text cutting into the pale skin of his prominent collarbones.

i am not fireproof, it says.

tyler doesn't have time to wonder about it.

he swims with the desperation of prey and with the purpose of predator.

he's aching as he drags the other man onto the beach, who's still breathing. his pulse is there.

suddenly, he sits bolt upright with a racking cough, and spits out a mouthful of water, and suddenly, he begins to sob.

they shake his body and twists his face, and he buries his face in his hands and brings his knees to his chest and cries with more emotion than tyler's probably ever felt.

he just pulls his hands away from his face and covers them in his own, stroking his thumbs across the pink red knuckles.

his eyes are shut tight and the skin around it is pink and red, and he looks so absolutely wrecked that tyler can't help but tear up a little.

his voice is scratchy with saltwater as he mutters repeatedly,

"im sorry. im sorry. im sorry. im sorry. im sorry."

tyler grasps his face in between his hands.

"you aren't fireproof. you aren't burning me."

he wraps his arms around him with a shaky sigh and buries his face into tyler's shoulder.

tyler mumbles,

"what's your name?"

"josh."