hexxed

Into The Forest

But Tyler specifically, Josh had this odd urge to protect him, this new wave of confidence that led him to stand up against Zachary Hutchins, the worlds biggest bully-asshole-dickhead combo.

He's been avoiding this all day, he was late to lunch, late to meet Tyler, he doesn't know why he agreed to even join him this afternoon, the way Tyler made Josh's skin hot, prickly and sweaty, Josh didn't like, there was an anxious bubbling inside his stomach, he almost felt high, as if his trip was terrible, each emotion amplified by a thousand, perhaps Sparky bit a junkie before he bit him, because Josh felt withdrawals, sickness, he was doing a pretty good job at pretending nothing was wrong, but every time Tyler questioned him, and he lied, his scent would change.

It's like he knew exactly what Josh was thinking, exactly how he was feeling, and as he had stated at lunch, he didn't know whether or not he loved it, or if he wanted to rip Tyler to shreds.

Literally, tear him apart, he didn't want Tyler in his head, his head was all out of whack at the moment, he had no clue what he was doing, but his body moved no matter what, his mind didn't even register where he was going, instead, it whirred like a V8 engine on a race car, lapping itself over and over and it always came back to this one same thought.

Josh was hungry.

He looks to Tyler for a split second, that same heat washes over from his scalp to his toes, and he licks his lips.

"Did you even hear what I said?"

Oh no Tyler is annoyed, Josh shakes his head a little, blinking a few times before that blinking tic starts up.

Once it's subsided he smiles a little and shrugs.

"No not really..." he's blushing, he didn't mean to ignore Tyler.

"I said, I'm sorry that we have to walk all this way, it's going to be a hike." Tyler pulls at his saddle bag, playing with the strap.

"Oh no it's okay!" Josh's chirpy reaction throws Tyler off, he looks up confused. "I don't mind the exercise, in fact, I've been enjoying it a lot more recently," Josh frowns. "You knew about my run last night, how?"

Tyler shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, a muse of a smile on the corner of his lips, but he looks awkward, like he's hiding something.

"I mean, we do live some what close, I saw you walking into the Forest last night."

Josh nods and let's out a soft "oh", before he looks around at the trees, unaware that Tyler was staring at him instead.

The further into the vegetation they walked, the thicker the trunks became, the greener the moss grew, but that clearing, the dead grass, it was never as magical.

"So, your arm," is Tyler blushing? "Is it okay?"

"Oh god no it hurts like hell, I think I have a fever, feel," Josh grabs one of Tyler's hands, placing the back of it against his clammy forehead. "I feel like I'm dying."

"You're not dying," Tyler chuckles. "But you should seriously go the doctors or something, I think you burnt my hand." He shakes it a little, mumbling the last of his sentence.

Josh smirks, he can't stop staring at the small frail boy beside him, he makes Josh so happy.

"We're here," Tyler sings as he steps into the first clearing, his arms are spread out by his sides as he twirls through the decaying grass. "Feels like home doesn't it?"

"It very much does," Josh inhales deeply then sighs, he wasn't lying, it smelt like home too. Something oddly familiar, oddly new but old.

The way Tyler skipped through the field, with his arms out, man, it really reminded Josh of something he wasn't sure what.