farm boy // joshler

5

josh's point of view

i wake up earlier than usual and decide to utilize my time instead of wasting it staring at the sunrise.

i tiptoe down the stairs and to the basement. my canvas is covered as i left it, and i pull the sheet off. the blankness glares back at me, waiting to be filled with art instead.

i plug my phone into the small speaker on the table next to me and play one of my playlists at low volume. i grab a clean palette and a few tubes of paint, setting them on the table. i take my pencil to the canvas first, outlining the shape of tyler's face.

i sway with the music and the movements of my pencil, completely enthralled by my work.

tyler's face is outlined in no time, his nose covered in freckles and his eyes framed by his long lashes.

i glance at the clock on the wall. i have enough time to start painting before anyone wakes up, so i add some paint onto my palette. i mix a few peachy tones until i get the perfect pale of his skin, and i use long, even strokes to go over his face. i paint carefully, outlining his eyes and lips as precisely as possible.

once i finish his skin, i go into the whites of his eyes. after that, i decide that i should go back upstairs, so i turn my music off and clean everything else up.

i make my way back up, and when i go to use the restroom, i notice the light coming through the bottom of the door.

i lean against the wall and wait for whoever is inside (likely tyler) to finish.

tyler walks out a few moments later and startles a little upon seeing me. "oh, sorry," he smiles and his cheeks flush.

"it's okay," i respond, my voice still quiet in case uncle scott is still sleeping. "good morning by the way. did you sleep okay?"

he nods. "i did. but, um, josh?"

"hm?"

"you've got some, um, something white on your face." he giggles a little, his cheeks red.

i furrow my eyebrows and step inside the bathroom, turning the light on and looking in the mirror. there is a streak of the shade of off-white i used to fill in tyler's eyes across my cheek. there is no telling what tyler is thinking in this moment, though im sure he thinks it's something worse than it is.

"shit," i mumble to myself, turning on the water and scrubbing my face.

"what, um, were you doing?" tyler chuckles again, a soft, high pitched sound.

"not getting myself off, if that's what you were thinking."

telling him i was painting him would be just as bad as telling him i was jacking off. either is a creepy thing to say to someone.

he laughs louder and then covers his mouth. i feel my cheeks burn in a blush and i turn the water off, wiping my face off with a towel.

"don't cover your laugh," i frown a little and he shakes his head.

"my laugh is ugly," he says, his voice is still quiet.

i take his hand in mine. "no, it's not." he blushes and i let go of his hand to poke his cheek. "your laugh is cute, just like you."

his face turns a darker shade of red and he swats my hand away. "shut up, cum-face."

i laugh loudly at his words and cover my own mouth. "it was not cum."

"if i can't cover my laugh, you can't cover yours. and it totally was," he retorts, though i'm sure he knows it wasn't that.

"i'm only covering mine because i don't want to wake up uncle scott. and it was not cum." i sigh. "but, i'm never going to live that down, so it might as well have been."

he crosses his arms over his chest. "if it wasn't, what was it?"

"paint," i answer honestly, hoping he won't pry too much into what i was painting.

"what were you painting?"

damn.

"none of your business," i respond in a teasing tone and hope he doesn't try to fig further. i smile and step past him. "now, if you'll excuse me, i have to shower."

he walks away with his hands raised in surrender, retreating to his room.

i close the bathroom door and lean against it.

"cum-face. good one, josh." i sigh to myself and start the water for my shower.

once i step inside, i let the warm water rinse over me.

although i am embarrassed about what happened, i'm glad i got to see a little bit more of tyler's sense of humor. i'm glad i could make him smile, even if it was at my own expense.

when i exit the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, i'm able to make it to my bedroom without bumping into anyone. i dry myself off quickly and change into my regular clothes.

after i'm fully ready for the day, i head downstairs and see tyler and uncle scott sitting at the kitchen table, each with a bowl of cereal in front of them.

"well, good morning, princess." uncle scott smiles. "ready to join us?"

i roll me eyes and make myself a bowl of cereal as well. "yes, i am."

"did you have a nice shower?" tyler looks at me with a small smile.

i flip him off with one hand and take a bite of cereal with the other.

"you boys ready for work? we got a birthday party today." uncle scott finishes his bowl and puts it in the dishwasher.

"that's today?" i ask through a bite of food.

"boy, don't talk with your mouth full. yes, it's today."

"what's going on?" tyler stands and copies uncle scott's actions.

"every now and then, some kids have their birthdays here. sometimes it's for the animals, sometimes it's just for the horses. some people just come to pick fruit with their kids on their birthdays," i explain to him in between bites of cereal.

"today is for the horses. you wanna help out with the kids or do you want to make your regular rounds?" uncle scott leans against the counter.

"can you do it by yourself? tyler hasn't had any experience with the animals yet, and i can't make him do the fruits alone either." i take my last few bites of cereal and put my bowl in the dishwasher with theirs.

"i'll do whatever you want, mr. scott," tyler offers him a small smile.

"you two can do your rounds, but you'll have to do mine, too. i'll watch over the party." he claps a hand on my shoulder. "get to it, boys. i have to prep the horses."

(an: hello from 6/19/22! wanted to note that paint doesn't look like cum and i know that but teenage boys have dirty minds and gross senses of humor. felt the need to clarify for some reason.)