Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ✔️

22

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"Two more minutes and I'll be there, filling my empty head with pictures of you bare."

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"So, Tyler, what do you do for work?"

All eyes seemed to be on Tyler as he sat around the dining room table with Josh and his parents. Ever since they'd arrived a half hour ago, Mr. and Mrs. Dun had been drilling Tyler with question after question.

"Um... I'm not working right now." Tyler poked at the chicken on his plate. He wasn't quite sure how to say 'I live with your son and he's basically my sugar daddy right now,' so he didn't elaborate any further.

"If he's living with you, he really should be pulling his weight," Mrs. Dun said underneath her breath before taking a sip of her wine.

Josh frowned. "Mom, that's so rude."

She just shrugged in response. "But it's true. Nobody likes living with a freeloader."

Noticing the defeated look on Tyler's face, Josh quickly jumped to his defense. "For your information, Mom, Tyler is a hard-working guy. He may not have a job but I'll be damned if he doesn't do a good job keeping my house in order. He's always splitting the chores with Fynnley and he isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a freeloader."

Tyler's frown turned into a small smile, honored by Josh's words. There were only a few things truly coveted by a Keeper and one was having the approval of their Protector. Moving his hand underneath the table, he let it rest on Josh's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you," he mouthed.

Mrs. Dun, not surprisingly, was speechless, her lips pressed tightly together as she went back to cutting her chicken. Mr. Dun, on the other hand, seemed rather impressed at Josh's defense, though he wouldn't dare admit it in front of his wife.

After a few minutes of silence, Josh finally broke it again when he set his silverware down. "Mom and Dad, I know you're aware that Tyler is staying with me. But we're more than just roommates." When he saw their eyebrows raise, he gulped, anxious over what he was about to tell them. But when he glanced over at Tyler and saw the supportive look in his eyes, it urged him to go on. "As both of you already know, I'm bisexual. Tyler is my boyfriend. But... that's not all." Reaching underneath the table, he brought Tyler's hand up onto the table before interlacing their fingers. "Tyler is a Keeper. And I'm his Protector."

Mrs. Dun gasped as she dropped her fork. "Joshua William Dun!"

"Is this true, son?" Mr. Dun asked, his tone considerably calmer than his wife's.

Swallowing thickly, Josh nodded, willing his voice not to waver as he spoke. "Yes. And I want you to know that I care for Tyler, no matter what you think of him, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Choking on her words, Mrs. Dun looked like she was about to have a heart attack. "Joshua, we raised you not to have unnecessary dealings with the lower-class, and especially not with the likes of..." Her eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at Tyler. "...Keepers."

Josh shook his head. "I never, ever shared your views, Mom, and I never will. This may come as a surprise to you, but Fynnley had a Keeper too." Her loud gasp confirmed that it definitely was a surprise. "Him and I have talked for hours on end about being a Protector. When I found Tyler, even though I'd never done this before, I knew I wanted to take care of him." He paused for a moment before sighing. "I'm not asking for your approval. But I am asking for your support. Tyler is very special and I want him to be a part of your lives."

Mrs. Dun jumped up from her chair, slamming her fists down on the table. "No son of mine will be with a Keeper!"

And with that, she stormed out of the dining room.