Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ✔️

6

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"I linger in the doorway of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name."

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When Tyler came down into the kitchen the next morning, sleepy and rubbing his eyes, he found Josh with his head nearly inside his cereal bowl.

"Joshua?" He said his name softly. When he didn't get a response, he came a few steps closer and touched his shoulder. "Josh?"

Josh jumped awake, making Tyler jump as well. He knew he meant no harm... but sudden moves were still frightening for him.

"Oh, gosh," Josh mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "Must have nodded off." When he looked up at Tyler, he smiled. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

Tyler shuffled back and forth on his feet. "I slept okay. I take it you didn't sleep well?"

"I went to bed a little late. I was up finishing a project that's due today at work."

Tyler's mind went back to the previous night's activities; they had finally ate the pasta Josh had promised he'd make and then talked and watched Netflix for the rest of the night. After midnight, Tyler had started falling asleep, so Josh helped him upstairs, gave him some clean pajamas to change into and told him good night.

He'd assumed Josh went straight to bed after that as well... but apparently not.

Chewing at his bottom lip, Tyler looked down at his feet. "M'sorry if I kept you up too long. I didn't mean to."

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for." Josh reached over and took Tyler's hand. "I wanted to spend time with you. You're much more important to me than some work project. Trust me."

Tyler memorized the way that Josh's hand felt in his, tiny sparks running through his fingers. "You really mean that?"

"Absolutely." Josh gave his hand a small squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

Tyler shrugged. "I'm okay. Still a little tired and sore, but better than I have been."

"I'm glad." Letting go of Tyler's hand, Josh stood to his feet and picked up his cereal bowl. "Guess I should get dressed for work, yeah? Fynnley will be here soon."

"Oh, okay."

"If you're feeling up to it, I'd like for him to take you shopping so you can buy some clothes and anything else that you might need. I'll leave my credit card with him."

Tyler was astonished. Josh was giving him money to spend on himself? "Really?"

"Of course. But only if you're feeling up to it, okay? I don't want you overdoing it."

Tyler nodded a little. "Thank you, Josh. Seriously." Swallowing hard, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Josh's cheek. He hoped it wasn't too forward, but... he had to do something to express his gratitude over giving him shopping money, right?

To his surprise, Josh just smiled and patted his arm. "I'll be in my room if you need me," he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

Tyler touched the spot where Josh's hand had been, a tiny group of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

He hadn't felt something like this in forever. It was strange, peculiar, exciting...

It was... nice.

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Tyler felt like the most boring person ever as he sat in Fynn's car, hand gripping onto the door handle as they weaved in and out of traffic.

Here he was dressed in a white tee shirt and a faded pair of jeans while riding on heated leather seats. Even Fynn himself was so much more... put together than him. Like yesterday, he looked just like a model, while Tyler was just the underpaid lackey assistant with mismatched socks.

Such was the life of a Keeper trying to find his heart (and Protector) again.

Fynn turned and looked at Tyler, noticing his body language. "Doing okay?"

Tyler shrugged. "I guess. I just feel weird."

"Do you want me to pull over?"

He shook his head. "No, I just..." He tried to search for the right words. "I feel emotionally exhausted, if that makes any sense?"

Fynn nodded. "It makes a lot of sense."

Tyler was glad that at least someone could understand his madness. "I'm just afraid I'll see my ex-Protector again and he'll try to hurt me."

"I won't let that happen to you," Fynn reassured him. "Josh made me promise to keep you safe, no matter what."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. He isn't taking this lightly, you know."

Tyler ran his hand up and down the side of his arm. He really hoped that him staying here wasn't putting too much pressure on Josh. "Yeah, I can tell. He stayed up late with me last night, even though he had a project for work." He looked away. "He didn't have to do that, you know."

"I know. But you should know that with Josh, it's all or nothing." Fynn sighed a little. "I wish I could be more like that sometimes."

Tyler studied Fynn's profile, noticing the subtle hints of pain in the smile lines on his face. He wondered what this guy was really all about.

What was his story?

"I feel so nervous around him." Tyler traced a fingertip over his Time Keeper symbol. "My Time Keeper doesn't seem to mind the attention, though."

"I think Josh is just as nervous as you are. Last night, he told me he was going to--" Fynn cut himself off. "Never mind, I probably shouldn't tell you that."

But those were words spoken too late. "Tell me what? What did he say?"

Fynn scratched the back of his neck. "I shouldn't say. I mean, it's nothing bad..."

"Then tell me."

"But, Ty..."

He pouted. "C'mon, Fynn-ley," he whined, dragging the syllables out in his name.

Fynn chuckled a little. "Little jerk. Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to mention any of it to Josh."

Tyler held his pinky out. "Pinky promise?"

Grinning, Fynnley reached over and linked his pinky with Tyler's. "Pinky promise." He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "So, Josh told me he's going to officially ask to be your Protector tonight."

"Wow."

Tyler wasn't... entirely surprised. After all, that was the reason Josh had came to find him in the first place. He wasn't just looking for some sort of emotionally screwed-up housemate to keep him company... he really wanted to lay it all on the line.

"I want your last days to be spent with someone that cares about you."

Closing his eyes, Tyler tried to wrap his mind around the situation. He had spent months upon months with someone who had backed him into a corner and kept him trapped there until he finally had the courage to leave. And as much as he wanted to ignore it, there were still figurative and literal scars he had to deal with.

As sweet as Josh seemed... how could he be sure any of this was real?

He was a Keeper. And Keepers wanted... no, they needed affection from their Protectors.

But how was he supposed to give Josh the broken pieces of his heart without losing everything else in the process?

Fynn's voice brought Tyler out of his thoughts. "Does it scare you?"

Tyler looked ahead, hands folded in his lap. "It is." His voice came out soft but steady. "But I've had to deal with worse."

Fynn glanced over at him but otherwise kept silent.

"I want to be strong for him."

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Stick with me, frens, I appreciate you.

What's your favorite color?

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