josh's shift ended an hour early today, so he's currently on his way to surprise tyler. he stopped at walmart on the way to the boy's house and picked up a few things: sugar cookie mix, a floral arrangement, a farm animal coloring book, and a pack of markers.
he smiles as he pulls up to the boy's house, knowing tyler is going to be ecstatic to not only receive gifts, but to see josh. gathering the items in his arms, he trudges to the front door.
it's locked.
the one time tyler locks his door. but hey, at least he's learning.
josh clumsily fumbles through his keys, finding the spare attached to his key ring. he unlocks the door and enters, about to call out to the boy when he hears him talking in the other room.
"n' daddy is da kindest person ever on da whole planet," tyler says in a gentle voice, giggling to himself.
"yeah! we love hims!" another, higher-pitched voice responds.
josh cheeses, smiling so wide. he peeks his head around the corner to peer into the living room. tyler sits on the couch, penny in one hand and thumper in the other.
"n' i miss him so much guys... but i getta see him tom'owo!"
"can we come wif you tywer!?" penny (tyler) asks in a deep voice. well, as deep as the little one can manage.
"of course, penny! we all getta cuddle wif daddy tom'owo! isn't it 'citing!?" tyler giggles. "wan' know sum'tin?"
"yes!" thumper responds.
"well, daddy is da most pwetty person i ever seen, n' not just cuz him's my daddy. hims says i da pwettiest, but 's actually him!"
tyler is so darn cute josh feels like he could just explode right now.
"you pwetty too, tywer!"
"aw, t'anks thumpa! you gotta admit doe, daddy is pwettier."
"yeah, him is super pwetty!"
tyler giggles again, hugging his stuffies against his chest. josh is open to call out to him, when the little one starts talking again.
"sometimes, even when i's a bad boy, daddy still wuvs me n' takes care ah' me. even when i think for a second dat he don't love me no mo', he proves me wrong! every time!"
"dats 'cuz he will wuv you forevah n' evah!" thumper says, making tyler smile real wide.
"you think so, thumpy? i hope so, cuz i will wuv him forevah n' evah too!"
before josh's heart literally bursts, he walks back to the front door and shuts it loudly. he hears a little gasp, followed by silence.
"tyler, it's me."
a loud gasp this time, followed by little thumps. tyler runs around the corner, about to jump into josh's arms until he sees all the stuff. his mouth drops open and his eyes widen.
"no way!"
"yes way, baby. surprise."
"daddy!" tyler clenches his fists and waves them around excitedly, eyeing the flowers. "no way!"
"yes way," josh laughs, leading the boy into the kitchen.
while he searches for something to put the flowers in, tyler says, "you surprised me!"
"yes i did, smartie pants. how's that make you feel?" josh responds, finding a ceramic vase beneath the sink. he fills its with water and sets the flowers inside, adding the little packet of flower food.
"so happy!" tyler beams. "wait! but... i locked da door..."
"oh! yes you did, honey, and daddy is so super proud of you. i think you deserve a later bedtime tonight, don't you?"
"yes!" the brunette exclaims, gasping yet again when josh shows him the coloring book. "fawm aminals!!! i wuv you, daddy!"
instead of taking the book, he pushes it aside and gives his daddy a super, duper big hug. like, the biggest hug ever. he definitely must be crushing the man, but when he looks up, josh is just gazing down at him with the biggest smile.
"what!?"
"i have the cutest little ever."
"shush it!" tyler blushes, giving the man one last squeeze before letting go and flipping through the coloring book. "so cute!"
"and i got new markers since your other ones are drying-"
tyler gasps so loud he actually chokes on his own spit. he coughs and sputters for a few seconds, josh patting his back the whole time, but then gasps again once the coughs subside.
"no way daddy! the sixty four pack! oh my gosh i don't know what to do wif all my happiness!!!"
and clearly the boy isn't lying, because he starts crying. he sniffles, wiping his nose as he hugs the markers against his chest and looks up at josh. "w-wuv dem and y-you so much!"
"aww," josh coos, cupping the boy's red cheeks and wiping away stray tears with his thumbs. "i'm glad you love them, and i love you too. is my little boy so happy he doesn't know what to do with himself?"
"mhm!" tyler cries, eyes widening as he now notices the cookie mix. "cookies!"
"shhh, yes, baby, cookies. you have to calm down if you want to help me make them, okay? can you do that?" josh asks gently, one hand cupping tyler's chin while the other strokes his hair.
"mhm," the brunette responds, quieter this time. he leans into the touch, whining when josh pulls away.
"don't you wanna help me make these?" the older asks, holding up the cookie box.
"yes!"
"alright, go set the coloring stuff with thumper and penny. tell them you'll be back soon, alright?"
"alright!"
tyler takes the coloring book and markers and sprints out of the room. josh hears him say, "be wight back! me n' daddy is makin' cookies!" and then he skips back into the kitchen.
"okay, now. you have to listen to my directions very carefully and do everything i say. can you do that, honey?"
"yes!"
"are you sure?"
"mhm!"
"you're not too little?"
"nope!"
famous last words, right?
🍼🍯🍼
tyler managed to dump a cup of milk all over the floor and counter. he also, miraculously, cracked an egg between his little fingers and started whining because "the yucky stuff is getting all over." so, he ends up coloring in the living room while lilo and stitch plays on the tv.
josh finishes making the cookies by himself. he places small chunks of dough on the sheet so it will look like a lot of cookies were made, then puts the first batch in the oven. when he goes to join his little in the other room, he's talking to his stuffies again.
"even doe i's made a mess, daddy didn' get mad! n' he-"
"whatcha doin', little boy?"
"oh, daddy!" tyler's eyes snap up, as if he'd just been caught doing something bad, but then he giggles. "just talkin' to thumpa n' penny."
"oh yeah? you telling secrets about me?" he teases, joining the boy and his stuffies on the couch.
"no, nevah! sayin' good stuff 'bout daddy, i pwomise!"
"i'm only kidding, cutie. did you color this?" he asks, picking up the coloring sheet off the coffee table. it's of two pigs, a baby and an adult, both colored baby pink.
"mhm! for you! look it, dis one is da mama and dis one is da baby!" he points at the picture enthusiastically, glancing at josh to make sure he's actually looking (which he is).
"oh, wow! i love it, ty. thank you so much. i'm gonna hang it up in my bedroom."
"bedroom!?" tyler asks excitedly.
"yep. i ran out of room on the fridge, so i think my bedroom is the next spot to start putting pictures. what do you think of that?"
"i wuv it!!"
🍼🍯🍼
josh makes tyler wait until the second batch of cookies before he can finally have some. the wait was totally worth it to the little one, because now he has a cup full of milk and one big and two little cookies! he shares the milk with his daddy, who holds the cup so it won't get spilled. they take turns dipping their cookies while watching lilo and stitch.
"wanna know something?" josh asks.
"mhm," the brunette mumbles, mouth full of cookie.
"i loved this movie so much when i was little that i made my family name our cat stitch."
"was he a alien?" tyler asks, picturing a cat version of stitch.
"no, cutie, he was just a kitty cat."
"oh.. but daddy! i's wuv too many movies to pick one!"
"huh? what do you mean?"
"when we gets a aminal, how can i pick one name!? i wuv too many movies!" tyler exclaims, genuinely concerned over this. josh only smiles.
"don't worry about it, honey. i'm sure we'll think of the perfect name when we meet our animal, okay?"
"okay." tyler smiles contently, finishing his last cookie and wiping his fingers on his pants. "s'yummy, daddy."
"they are pretty yummy, huh?"
"mhm!"
"i love you so much, baby boy," josh chuckles, smushing his lips against the brunette's forehead in a wet kiss.
"daddy!" tyler practically cackles.
"yes?"
"wan' lip kissies."
"oh do you, now?"
"mhm!"
"hmmm... what's the magic word?"
"p'eeaaase!"
josh chuckles, pecking the boy's lips.
"more, p'ease!"
again.
"more!"
and again.
and again.
and again.
josh kisses the little brunette over and over and then starts tickling him, making him squeal.
"daddy!" he laughs, writhing in the man's arms as he tries to block his tickle spots. "no tickles!"
"yes tickles!" josh replies, wiggling his fingers against tyler's belly and sides.
"t-out, t-out!"
the older stops as requested, smiling while tyler attempts to catch his breath.
"okay, t-in!"
__a/n__
this may have just been the cutest chapter i've ever written and i say that confidently