THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

10 : BLURRYFACE

Tyler was fairly certain that he was drowning.

A strange, painful sensation crushed his lungs. As for the rest of his body, especially his extremities, there was no feeling whatsoever. It felt as though a million tiny needles were pricking his skin.

Even worse, Tyler was fairly certain people were watching him drown.

His head buzzed with the paranoia of a hundred thousand pairs of eyes silently watching him. Though he had absolutely no perception of where he was, he felt incredibly small and cramped and uncomfortable. His entire body outwardly cringed as his mind ran a mile per minute, listing every single anxiety and insecurity he had been hiding away in the darkest corner of his brain.

Tyler struggled against the immense weight of his own mind and whatever was suffocating him-drowning in the sea, or drowning in the sea of people around him. His lungs were burning like a bonfire inside his chest. Suddenly, immense pain rippled through his arms, his legs, everywhere...until he lost feeling, and he gave up completely. This was what Tyler had been obsessing about and fearing his entire life-death.

"No...no...JOSH!"

Tyler sat straight up in his bed, gasping desperately for air while clawing and scratching at his chest. Without hesitation he threw back the thin white sheet wrapped around his legs and jumped up from the bed, only to be met with a pounding head and black spots covering his vision.

Shaking away his pain, Tyler blindly stumbled through the infirmary he was in, hoarsely screaming out for Josh. He ran his hands through his messy brunette hair like a madman, rushing around the room in a panic. He was alone in the large infirmary room, the only sounds the beeping of machinery and his screaming.

Footsteps pounded against the linoleum floor, but Tyler didn't hear them. He was too busy screaming and panicking and hyperventilating and drowning.

"Tyler!"

An all too familiar voice made Tyler stop short. He stared wide-eyed at the figure standing in the door, mouth agape.

Tyler ran toward Josh so fast he almost tripped over his own two feet.

Tyler practically jumped on to him, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist.

At first Josh was surprised, stumbling backwards a bit, but he held Tyler's small, fragile frame as close to him as possible. He repeatedly kissed the side of his head, his lips pressing against his temple.

"You're alive," Josh mumbled between kisses. "You're alive you're alive you're alive."

Tyler burrowed his head in the crook of Josh's neck and nearly wept. His fingernails dug into his back as he clung to him.

"I-I w-was...drowning, Josh..." Tyler squeezed his eyes shut and curled closer into Josh's body. "I was d-dying. I was drowning, Josh!"

"I know, Ty, just...just..." Josh's voice trailed off. He had no idea what to say to Tyler to comfort him after all that happened. He was petrified himself. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Tyler had felt. He squeezed Tyler, gently, as to not hurt him. "Shh."

After a silent moment of Josh simply holding Tyler, he finally spoke again.

"J-Josh?" Tyler asked, his voice cracking.

"What is it Ty, what is it?" Josh replied. He pressed his lips gently against his temple again, kissing him as many times as he could.