Hometown~~||-//~~joshler

~÷•÷~

The first time that Tyler and Josh kissed, it was in a dressing room, three hours and fifty three minutes after a Tacoma show.

The evening ritual now was an almost-full body check for new cuts, and josh making sure that Tyler was eating enough dinner to sustain him. Tyler had resisted at first, but josh had threatened to call his mother and tell her what was going on.

They had fallen into a routine, and were both able to at least pretend that they were comfortable with it. Tyler stripped to his boxers, and josh quickly checked over his skin. He was tactful enough not to comment unless necessary.

That day, Tyler's briefs rode up just a little higher than he meant them to. 

Josh silently, gently, pulled up the leg of his shorts. At the line his boxers hit, Tyler's pale skin harshly gave way into uncared for, inflamed abrasions, revealing a thin fat layer and muscle under his open flesh.

The word Josh, carved in so deep that it was obvious that it had been repeatedly gone over again and again. 

 "J-josh-" Tyler stuttered out before falling silent and turning his head to the side to hide his eyes from josh's.

 "Tyler." Josh whispered . "You're allowed to love whoever you need to, and you have to know that. Why on earth would you choose physical and emotional pain over love?

" Tyler joseph, love is not a sin. Love is not illegal. Love is not something to hide away until it eats you up inside. Love is hand-holding. Love is late night kisses as you fall asleep in someone's arms. Love is knowing that the pain always passes. Tyler, look at me. "

Tyler slowly turned back to josh, tears flowing steadily down his cheeks and falling to his legs and the sheets below him. .

 "Tyler," josh whispered , even quieter than before. "I'm going to kiss you now."

 Tyler was still as josh's warm lips pressed gently against his cold ones. 

And then Tyler was on top of josh, kissing and pressing closer, trying to minimize the space between them until they meshed into one being, composed of skin against skin, heart against heart.

                             ~fin.~