Chapter Text
Tyler didn’t like parties. Never had and never will. They’re too loud, too packed, too, well, too much everything, honestly. He couldn’t stand the way high school kids decided it would be ‘cool’ and ‘funky’ to get drunk and high on a Saturday night and hook-up with other students, only to regret it the morning after, leaving the house with an insane hangover and possibly a knocked up one night stand.
They irked him, and he’d been reluctant to agree when his red-headed boyfriend asked him to come. But, Josh’s wide, puppy-dog eyes had eventually pushed him over the edge and he had rather hesitantly agreed to accompany him.
But now he's here, he most definitely regrets it deeply.
“Josh,” Tyler murmured, pulling on his (decently drunk) boyfriend’s sleeve, he and Josh were sat in a wide circle of about 9 people, just starting the game of seven minutes with seven, and Brendon was looking for somebody to go in the closet first, and Tyler, knowing Josh, sensed that the red-headed boy was going to offer himself up for the starter, and
Tyler himself just wanted to leave, if he’s quite frank, but before he can mutter any other words to Josh, the other boy’s hand is shooting up into the air and he’s springing to his feet, a wide grin spreading across his face as he offers himself up then heads into the closet, shutting the sliding door behind him.
Tyler gulps and turns his head away from the closed doors, back towards the other boys and girls. He can see Dallon Leekes giving him an almost pitiful look from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t know why, because it’s going to be fine. Seriously.
Everyone knows Tyler and Josh have been in a good, healthy relationship for about 2 years now, nobody would try anything and Tyler would be sent into the closet. He and Josh would probably heat things up and then they’d leave after 7 minutes, Tyler would drive back to Josh’s house and then they’d most likely fuck and then sleep-
“Debby! Looks like you’re up with Mr Dun.” Tyler looks up just in time to see Brendon waggling his eyebrows as Debby giggles drunkenly and sways towards the closet, opening the sliding doors and disappearing in. He’d been too caught up in his own thoughts to even comprehend that they’d spun the bottle to see who would be joining Josh, simply assuming they’d let Tyler go in, but no, apparently they’d forgotten (or Brendon just wanted to stir something up) about Josh and himself and now Debby Ryan was stood in the closet together with Josh, they’re probably pressed close together, touching in places that shouldn’t be touched when one of the people are in a relationship, they might have already kissed by now-
No. Tyler trusts Josh, Josh is his and he is Josh’s, they’re together. Why would Josh start kissing some random (insanely hot, smart, popular cheerleader) girl when he has Tyler? Josh isn’t like that, Tyler reassures himself, (his nails are digging into the palms of his hand and he has the sudden urge to throw up).
He gets up with a jolt, his palms feel clammy and he’s pretty sure his throat is clogging up with a quickly-forming lump of anxiety that’s he’s unable to swallow down. “I-I gotta,” He points swiftly towards the door and then he’s tripping on his own feet as he makes a hasty dash towards the hallway. He’s about to be out too, when he hears whistling and loud cheering and one voice (he assumes it to be Brendon’s) shouting, “Get it, Dun!”
Tyler spins back around, there’s an uncomfortable feeling in his guts, and his eyes widen at the sight of the two people coming out of the closet together, he takes in Josh, choosing to ignore everything about Debby Ryan. He doesn’t think he could stomach even looking at her face. Josh’s lips are bitten and red and glistening with saliva, his belt zipper is still undone and his hair is tousled, there’s a glazed over look in his hooded eyes which Tyler can only assume to be lust and Tyler feels tears slipping down his own cheeks. He runs a shaking hand through his hair, pulling at it harshly – an old habit he’d yet to give up on. Josh appears to be asking where his boyfriend had gone and Dallon has an angry look on his face as he points to where Tyler himself is stood.
He and Josh lock gazes, the lust is gone from the red-headed boys’ eyes and they’re replaced with something he can only imagine to be guilt, and rightly so.
Josh takes a step forward, and Tyler takes one back. Josh takes another, and Tyler is sprinting away from the house, with tears falling freely, and the glazed over blurriness is taking over his vision, so much so that he doesn’t notice the curb and he’s suddenly flying through the air, sprawling in the middle of the road. His palms and knees feel raw and grazed but other than that, he feels fine, nothing seems broken and he moves to get up, pushing himself up onto his knees, facing away from the place he’d just tried to run from. He doesn’t notice the blaring headlights until they’re right in front of him, it just happened to be the night that he wore all black to a house party’ making him blend in with the dark scenery, that he fell into the road. ‘Just my luck,’ is the last conscious thought he has before he’s being thrown over the hood of the car and smacking down onto the road, his skull shatters against the hard concrete and his whole body aches with such a deep pain he can barely comprehend it.
Tyler imagines, that just maybe, he might hear Josh’s voice, pleading for him to wake up and be okay, and that’ he’s ‘so, so sorry Tyler, baby’ in the background of the blinding, white noise that’s overcome his senses after being hit.
As black spots filter into his vision there’s something warm and familiar wrapping around his dainty, shaking hand, holding it tight to somebody’s chest (Tyler imagines it’s Josh’s, and he can only wish and pray and plead with God that he gives him a second chance, and that he gets to be with Josh once again, because he can’t leave this early, he has so much that he wanted to do).