next door » joshler [book #1]

thirty one » your touch

"where's tyler?" josh whispers, grabbing onto the table to keep from falling. he can't believe this. no. no... it can't be real.

the voice on the other end chuckles dryly. "safe and sound with me. right, ty?" he holds the phone out, and josh can hear a muffled scream before it cuts off.

"what are you doing to him?" he yells. "don't you dare fucking touch him, i swear-"

"oh, looks like we're stronger than last time. don't worry, i haven't hurt him... yet."

josh's breath hitches in his throat. no. please, god, no. "what do you want?" he asks, voice cracking, throat dry.

the voice responds, simply, "you."

fuck.

-

he arrives at a nondescript apartment building downtown, heart in his throat, fists tight and swinging at his waist. somewhere in this building lies tyler, most likely tied up, possibly hurt. crying.

the elevator is broken. figures. josh slowly climbs the seemingly never ending flights of stairs, glancing around. the paint is chipped and peeling, a dirty blue giving way to cinderblock. the railings are rusted and lights flicker, like something straight out of a horror movie.

when he reaches the top, it's easy to see which room tyler must be in. the door is ridiculously fancy- decorated and painted smoothly instead of chipped wood. josh hesitates, wondering whether he should press the doorbell or run in.

in the end, he does neither, because as soon as he steps up the door swings open and a man stares down at him.

oh god. it's him.

hair hanging loosely around his face in black curls, his cheekbones sharp and angular, electric blue eyes piercing josh. he's always been a thing of beauty, but now, it seems to have a negative aura.

"oh, joshie," the man sighs fondly, leaning over to stroke his cheek. josh is paralyzed as his thumb glides across his skin. "how i've missed you."

"g-get off of me," he stutters weakly, "where's tyler?"

"inside," is the response, but as josh tries to push past, he finds himself blocked. "nope, honey, you're not getting out quite that easy. come on... we've got something to, hmm, catch up on."

he feels himself shudder and avoids the man's eyes. "please, don't do this," he tries softly, "i just want to get tyler. i'm- i'm happy now. we're together. i don't... i don't need you anymore."

"don't be stupid. you always need me. and don't you fucking forget that."

josh tries to keep the angry tears from welling up. "stop it, mitch! you don't own me! --not anymore."

mitch's (a/n: i swear to god it's not mitch welling im so sorry) face breaks into a sadistic grin. "oh, joshie," he says, "i forgot how nice my name sounds when it's coming from you."

and he drags josh inside, locking the door.

the apartment is actually ridiculously clean. everything is white-a shag rug, a couch, a bookshelf with immaculate, most likely alphabetical books. josh nearly vomits. the brightness of everything makes his eyes ache and his head pound.

"where's tyler?" he asks again, glancing around. there's a hallway leading off to what's most likely a bedroom, and he hopes to god that isn't where he's going to find tyler. please, no.

and of course mitch simply says, "bedroom."

and of course he lets josh run there, while he sits down on the couch and waits with a terrifyingly calm smile.

that slowly turns into a smirk as he hears the shriek coming from the bedroom.

"tyler!" 

oh god, oh god, oh god, there are actual literal tears running down josh's face. tyler's on the bed, stripped and shivering, curled in a tiny ball trying to protect himself. the bed itself doesn't have anything- no pillows or sheets, just a raw mattress and a headboard.

"are you okay? please answer me, ty-"

"d-don't touch me!" tyler's voice is broken but still strong, and he flings out a hand as josh reaches for him. "i- i'm cold, i'm so cold..."

josh curls his hands into fists. "i'm going to kill him, i swear," he growls.

"kill who, honey?" comes a laugh, and mitch is in the doorway, languidly flicking his blue eyes over tyler's small form. "you couldn't hurt a fly."

"try me," josh snaps. "i haven't just been sitting on my ass for this past year, you know."

mitch chuckles. "you're so cute. it's like watching a tiny puppy." he grins slowly, running a calloused hand through his hair. 

"just please, let me take tyler home," pleads josh, slowly uncurling his fists. "and we'll forget that this ever happened."

even as he says it, he knows the answer. and mitch's laughter confirms it. "babydoll, you think i'd go through all this trouble just to let you go? just like-" he snaps his fingers. "that?"

"well, obviously," josh responds sarcastically. mitch's blue eyes darken.

"don't you talk back to me," he growls, voice dropping. he takes a step closer to josh.

"i don't need to listen to you anymore," josh retorts, cocking an eyebrow. mitch takes a deep breath.

"stop!"

it's tyler, sitting up, his arms wrapped around his skinny knees. his lips are blue and he's shaking, but the anger on his face is evident. "stop fighting! mitch, let me and josh go, or i'll call the police. haven't you heard? he's not yours anymore."

mitch's mouth slowly opens, his jaw going slack. josh feels a rush of satisfaction and looks around for something to wrap tyler in. he spots the boy's clothes in a corner of the room and bites his lip, wondering whether he can step away from mitch.

that's when mitch's face twists into a sadistic smile. "that's where you're wrong, tyler, honey. josh is mine. he's always been mine. and he always will be."

and with that, he grabs the front of josh's shirt, pulling him forward and slamming their lips together, his other hand immediately twisting into his curls and jerking his head back. tyler cries out as he watches josh try to fight back.

"he's my little slut," mitch says softly, pulling away for one tiny second. josh is gasping for breath, his face flushed red. "isn't that right, babydoll?"

"get off of me," josh hisses, but his fists are trapped between their chests. "mitch, you absolute fucker-"

suddenly mitch cries out and falls, his grip on josh fading. tyler is behind him, a shaking fist slowly lowering. he's got a pair of boxers on, so he's found his clothes, then- good. 

"did you just-?" josh stares at mitch, who's actually, literally, knocked out.

tyler is shaking. "y-yeah." he turns away and slowly gets dressed. "can we go home?"

"of course."

josh reaches for tyler's hand as they start to walk out, but tyler flinches away. "d-don't touch me. please."

okay.

//i went to a tøp concert yesterday and tyler called him jishwa tWIcE and i screamed//