Joshua is rocking back and forth on his old, wooden rocking chair. He's got a crossword puzzle in his lap, his wrinkly hands grasping a pen as he fills out the words on the page. His husband is making tea for him in the kitchen. Rose tea. His favourite. Tyler knows just how Joshua likes it, two tablespoons of sugar and almost the whole bottle of honey.
"I'm not buying more honey after this. You're pathetic, put far too much in your tea." The man with silver hair scolds.
Tyler was a grumpy old man. Always yelling at the kids on the street from his balcony. There was never a reason for it, either. The kids just looked annoying to Tyler. He would tell them to ride their bikes somewhere else. He's always been sassy. When he was teenager, he'd ride around on his skateboard, telling people to 'fuck off and die.'
"And we have no bread left, all you do is sit on your ass and eat toast." He says, adjusting his rounded glasses. They looked stupid on him if you asked Josh.
"Oh be quiet, you!" Joshua shouts, sipping his tea, "You're the reason there's no biscuits left, you sit there with a whole packet of em' standing at the balcony all day, telling kids to go away." Josh says, putting his crossword book down.
Tyler rolls his eyes, with the help of his walking stick, he brings him tea and sits beside his Husband of only three years. They'd been together for thirty, but gay marriage had only been fully legalised in 2015. Tyler sighs, looking into Joshua's eyes. They hadn't changed a bit. They were still that beautiful earthy colour he adored and fell in love with on February, 1987.
"You're so beautiful, darling." Tyler whispers, holding Joshua's wrinkly hand in his own. Josh smiles, bringing Tyler's hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the pale skin. Josh is slightly shocked. Tyler hadn't called him beautiful in a long time.
"I love you so very much, love." Tyler croaks out, leaning into his lovers side. The older man doesn't hesitate in slowly kissing Tyler's cheek. He's never stopped loving this man from the day they'd met in art school. Tyler smiles, in a daze.
The day moves by quickly, almost too quickly, Tyler doesn't like this.
STAGE ONE
"Tyler, wake up. We're planting those daffodils we bought, remember? The flowers that remind me of you?" Joshua says, shaking his husband awake. Tyler's eyes flutter open slowly. He looks up at Joshua through his eyelashes, closing his eyes once more. He's so tired.
"C'mon, sleepyhead." The old man chuckles, large, rough hands caressing Tyler's pale face. "Didn't get much sleep last night, sweetheart?"
Tyler doesn't respond, and it's scaring Josh. He's always so talkative and sassy, he was perfectly fine yesterday. Joshua sighs, he was probably just tired. The old man groans as he moves closer to Tyler, joints hurting slightly.
He remembers when they were young. How much Tyler would blush at Joshua's compliments, and Josh would feel so proud that he had made Tyler do that. He had made the emotionless boy blush.
And he swears they had made love almost everyday. They couldn't get enough of each other's absolutely pulchritudinous bodies. Tyler would smile so brightly when Joshua said he wanted to paint him naked. He missed those days, but he loved getting to grow old with the one person he loved more than anyone else.
Joshua holds Tyler's frail body gently, taking in every beautiful part of him. The spots on his flesh from all of the sun he's enjoyed over the years, his sagging skin, his pretty lips. Gosh, he was perfect.
Joshua turns his head to the clock on the wall, 12:30 pm. Tyler normally got up at six in the morning. "I'm making breakfast now, Ty." Josh whispers into Tyler's ear, rubbing his hand slowly up and down his sides.
The once brunette haired man still doesn't want to wake up, that idiot. Joshua decides to make pancakes anyhow. The smell of it fills the house, this was sure to wake Tyler up and get him off his fat ass. But, it never does.
Joshua groans at his husbands laziness, bringing a tray of pancakes into their bedroom. He sets it down on the bedside table, opening the blinds and letting the sunshine in.
"I made you pancakes, love. Your favourite."
Tyler groans, "I'm not hungry, Josh." Tyler brings the soft blanket up to his chin, relaxing into the mattress. "It's midday, you must be hungry." Joshua says, sitting on the side of the bed beside Tyler. He grabs the tray and begins cutting up some pancake for Tyler to eat.
Tyler has absolutely no energy. He stops eating and all he can do is sleep. This goes on for a month.
STAGE TWO
Joshua had taken Tyler to the hospital after his strange behaviour. Tyler keeps saying that Joshua looks beautiful and young again. He says he can see their dog that had died years ago.
Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. He was dying wasn't he?
Josh had finally worked this out. Tears fill his eyes as he watches his husband reach out for him, telling him how pretty he was. He smiles, hospital bed comfortable against his feeble body. He caresses Joshua's dainty face, saying how he can see a light. He reaches out for it, all that a stranger would see is one man grasping for the ceiling.
STAGE THREE
The next few days were hell. Josh would have to leave the hospital room sometimes, knowing the love of his life was dying was the scariest thing he's ever had to experience.
"Josh! Let's go! Get me out of this place I'm fine!" Tyler yells out, smiling as he eats a bowl of salad. Joshua's eyes widen, he grabs Tyler's hand, beaming. Tyler was gonna be okay, they could plant daffodils and bake cookies together and cry and laugh and kiss and everything would be alright!
But the doctor tells Joshua this was his baby's last burst of energy...before he would die.
"Josh! Please let me go home, I feel great!" Tyler promises, sitting up straight in bed, smiling. He looked like a little boy.
"You'll go home soon, okay, darling?"
Tyler nods, bringing his hands to his lap, grinning. "Remember that time we went to the pool and I pulled your pants down in front of everyone?" Josh says, giggling sincerely, taking in the gorgeous sight that was his lover. "Yes! And when we had our first kiss at the movie theatre, you sucked at kissing, love, I was always good, though."
Tyler chuckles, planting a kiss to Joshua's wrinkled skin. They sit in the hospital bed together for hours, cuddling and reminiscing on the past. Josh almost forgot what would happen to his boy soon.
STAGE FOUR
Tyler's eyes are blown wide. His face was completely pale. He was staring his husband in the eyes, lips parted.
On February, 2018, Tyler Joseph died.
Days later, Joshua Dun does the same
*
I got a little sad writing this because I really don't want Tyler or Josh to die, I know they're going to but it's heartbreaking to think about.
Stay safe, stay alive.
