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Tyler hates swimming.
He doesn’t even know why he’s here, at Brendon’s stupid pool party in his parent’s backyard because they’re away for the weekend. There’s too much beer and loud music and the sky is hazy with cigarette smoke – and a few other things, he’s sure, because Brendon’s quite possibly the biggest stoner he knows – and he’s too far out of his element, worried that the cops will end up being called by some neighbor with a stick up their ass and his parents will end up down here and bar him from seeing Josh ever again. The only reason he was able to even leave the house was by passing it off as if he was just going to stay at Josh’s for the night, and with a bit of struggle, he was able to get his mother to relent, even if Zack did give him a knowing look over her shoulder.
Then again, Josh is in next to him where he’s sat with only his legs dangled in the water, leaned over the edge of the pool and laughing at some joke that Pete told him, holding a cigarette loosely between his index and middle finger. That’s why he’s here.
“Brendon invited me to his pool party,” Josh remarks, pressing the lock button on his phone before collapsing backwards onto Tyler’s outstretched legs with a sigh.
“Do you wanna go?” Tyler asks, immediate, glancing over the top of his own phone where he’s tapping away at the screen at the top of Josh’s head.
He’s quiet for a heartbeat, before he says, “Maybe. I haven’t seen Brendon in a while because he wasn’t at school all week. Probably stoned out of his mind. You can come with me, if you want.”
He doesn’t know why he says yes. He’s positive that Josh doesn’t care whether or not they go to Brendon’s party, that he’d be fine staying at Tyler’s house watching Netflix and possibly kissing him senseless, but his mouth moves before he can stop himself. “Sure.”
“Hey, are you getting in, or what?” Josh looks over at him, and Pete takes that as his cue to leave; he smiles at Tyler over Josh’s head, and he returns the gesture before Pete swims away, in the direction of where Patrick and Hayley are sitting on the side of the pool, much like Tyler himself.
Tyler shifts uncomfortably at being questioned. “Maybe in a minute.”
Josh raises an eyebrow, resting a hand on his knee before taking a drag on his cigarette. “You’ve still got your shirt on, dude,” he points out, tone curious rather than insulting. “You feeling okay? We could’ve stayed at your house, you know.”
He watches the smoke trail out of Josh’s mouth, shoulders bending forward as he leans in toward him. Josh gives him a quiet smile, eyes kind, and tilts his chin upward so it’s easier for Tyler to kiss him. It lasts less than five seconds, but someone wolf-whistles off in the distance when Josh pulls away slightly, and the two melt into giggles against each other’s lips.
“That’s sweet and all,” Josh says once he settles back into the water, pausing to stub his cigarette out on the cement and move around to situate himself in between Tyler’s legs. “But don’t try to change the subject. What’s up?”
“Nothin’,” Tyler manages a cheery smile, trying to kiss him again, but Josh stops him with a hand on his chest and a slight frown. Tyler sets his jaw, and Josh crosses his arms across his lap, looking up at him even though he’s avoiding any sort of eye contact, waiting patiently. He’s learned, by now, that Tyler doesn’t react well with any sort of pushing, that he’ll open up when he wants to. As expected, Tyler heaves a sigh, running his fingers through Josh’s damp, tangled hair, finally looking him in the eye. “Just not feeling the best about my body lately,” he admits, embarrassed, cheeks tinting pink.
“Hey,” the other frowns, eyebrows drawing together; he picks up one of Tyler’s hands in his own, kissing the inside of his wrist, and Tyler smiles gently down at him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed here. Everyone’s your friend, and if they say anything, I’ll kick their ass. Especially Brendon’s. Okay?”
Tyler chuckles at the image of Josh trying to fight Brendon, cupping Josh’s cheeks with warm hands and pressing an equally as warm kiss to his lips. Josh hums softly, trailing his fingers across the skin that isn’t covered by swim trunks; someone whistles, again, and Josh is ninety percent sure that’s probably Brendon because Brendon is an asshole. He doesn’t bother to pull away, entranced by Tyler’s mouth, vaguely flashing his middle finger in the direction that he last saw Brendon by the barbecue, trying to hit on Jenna. There’s some laughter accompanying the gesture, and Josh giggles against Tyler’s lips, feeling the other’s pull up in a wry smile.
“Get a room,” Brendon cries.
Josh finally pulls away, resting a hand on Tyler’s knee. Tyler grins at him, leaning in to kiss his forehead. There’s the sound of footsteps behind Tyler, before Jenna appears, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. He laughs, moving backwards into her touch without a second thought.
“Brought you a beer,” Jenna sings, cheerily, as she plops down next to Tyler, sticking the can out to Josh.
“Ty, you want one?” she asks, gesturing at him with the other can, but he shakes his head because he’s never been fond of the taste of beer. He settles for taking sips out of Josh’s, and he doesn’t complain, hands it over with soft smiles, resting his head on Tyler’s sun-hot legs.
“Debby’s trying to convince me to play spin the bottle,” Jenna rolls her eyes, relaxing back on her free arm while drinking slowly, eyeing Tyler. She takes notice of the fact that he’s not in the water, and grins at him comfortingly, but doesn’t ask questions because she knows better.
“What’d you say?” Josh pipes up, kissing Tyler’s lower thigh gently before sitting up and taking a sip from his own can.
“What are we, twelve?” Jenna sighs, handing her beer over to Tyler before wringing her wet hair out with her hands, throwing it over her shoulder. “She kept asking, so I said yes.”
Tyler hands her can over. He’s not too keen on the idea of spin the bottle, on the too-real chance that either he or Josh get picked to kiss someone other than each other, and he sees something similar flicker across the other’s face. He pats his hair gently, smiling when Josh looks up at him, mimicking the action, his tongue poking out between his teeth in a moment that makes Tyler’s head swim lovingly.
They talk for a few minutes, exchanging laughs and smiles all around. Somewhere down the line, Pete, Patrick, and Hayley join the fray, splashing at Josh before trying to engage him in a game of chicken. He turns to Tyler, eyes wide and full of excitement, slightly glossy at the expense of alcohol, and Jenna nudges him in the ribs softly with her elbow. He shakes his head, forcing himself to grin, and tries to ignore the disappointment that falls on his face – he doesn’t want to ruin Josh’s fun, so he gets him moving with a wave of his hand, watching as Hayley clambers up onto his shoulders, Pete placing himself upon Patrick’s.
Jenna glances at him, eyebrows raised in surprise, before draining what’s left of her beer. “Tyler,” she says, a slight waver to her voice, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt with blue-painted nails. “What’s up?”
He doesn’t want to talk about himself, so he gives her a questioning glance and feigns innocence. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Jenna groans, shoving him as lightly as possible, but she doesn’t force the topic any further. There’s a loud squeal as Hayley topples into the water, and Pete enthusiastically throws his arms up with a shout of victory; Patrick’s knocked off balance, falling backwards and taking Pete with him. They reemerge seconds later, Patrick wrapping an arm around Pete’s shoulders and rubbing water out of his eyes while laughing.
Josh shakes his head vigorously, spraying water everywhere, before swimming over to Tyler and draping himself across his lap.
“Hey, beautiful,” Tyler mumbles, petting through Josh’s wet curls.
“Hi,” Josh giggles shyly, rubbing his cold nose against Tyler’s thigh. Jenna watches them fondly, before standing to go off and find Debby. Slowly, the rest of the group fade away in search of other things to do, leaving Josh and Tyler alone once again. “It’s getting late,” Josh sighs, contentedly, slowly caressing the sides of Tyler’s legs, his mind a little buzzed and hazy.
“Mhm,” the other agrees, looking out across the horizon where a cotton-candy blue sky is slowly fading to a soft, peachy pink. He pokes Josh’s cheek, pausing to smile when he turns his head to look at him. “You should get out of the pool before it starts getting cold.”
“But it’s so nice,” Josh whines, treading his legs through the water, gripping onto the underside of Tyler’s knees tightly. “Just a little longer. Please?”
He rolls his eyes, heaving a sigh, but he moves his hand to trail his fingers through Josh’s chlorine-scented, dripping hair. He glances over his shoulder at the group of other teenagers, in various states of disarray; Brendon’s standing over a fire pit, a lighter in his hand, with Dallon standing next to him, watching curiously. “Come on. I think Brendon’s starting a fire, or something.”
Josh perks up at the mention of a fire, gazing up at Tyler with the same glazed eyes. “Okay,” he narrows his gaze suspiciously, giving Tyler a mischievous grin, before flopping around in the water and dragging himself over the side of the pool. He grabs Josh’s wrists and helps him to his feet; Josh sneaks a sloppy kiss to the corner of his mouth, and Tyler wrinkles his nose, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers loosely before walking toward the rest of the group, gathered around the fire Brendon’s still trying to put together.
“Tylerrrrr,” Brendon drawls out his name as he approaches with a brilliant smile, obviously stoned. Josh waddles behind in tow, dripping water behind him with every step. Jenna laughs, light and breezy, before throwing a mostly dry towel his way – he reaches out to catch it but misses it by a mile, reflexes sluggish, and it lands on the ground in front of his feet. Tyler giggles, and Josh grumbles, bending down to pick it up and wrap it around his shoulders.
“Hi, Brendon,” Tyler muses. Dallon wrestles the lighter out of Brendon’s hand when he tries, and fails, to light the stack of wood for the millionth time, pushing him away. In another second, the fire jumps to life, slowly starting; Debby cheers from where she’s now sat upon Jenna’s lap, hands resting upon Jenna’s that are wrapped around her waist.
Josh flops down onto the grass next to Pete and Patrick, ruffling his hair roughly with his towel until it’s dried to his satisfaction. Tyler takes up the space next to him, curling up into his side despite the fact that he’s still fairly soaking wet. An arm is wrapped around his shoulder and a soft kiss is pressed against his temple; he grins, looking around the rest of the group until he sees Brendon and Dallon fighting over a wire coat hanger fixed into something make-shift able enough to roast marshmallows. Jenna and Debby are giggling over the spectacle, while Pete has a bag of marshmallows in his hand and Patrick is passing out more bent coat hangers.
Josh asks Hayley for another beer, and she hands him one from the nearly emptied box; he cracks the tab and takes a long swig, draining half of it in one go. Tyler takes a marshmallow from Pete’s outstretched hand and chomps a bite out of the middle without bothering to wait to roast it. He looks warily at the can that Josh now possesses, reminded suddenly of Josh’s father, and he puts his hand on Josh’s thigh, drumming his fingertips.
“Don’t drink too much,” Tyler cranes his neck to whisper into Josh’s ear, and his eyes widen momentarily before he fixes Tyler with a toothy grin.
“No worries,” he says in reply, bending his head to kiss Tyler sweetly, his arm tightening around his shoulder in some form of a hug. “I won’t drink any after this.”
Talk and laughter slowly change the atmosphere as the sun steadily goes down, casting shadows over the group’s faces. They roast marshmallows until the bag is emptied, Pete and Patrick whispering and giggling into each other’s ears, while Brendon lights joints with Dallon, the smoke mingling with what was from the fire.
“Spin the bottle!” Debby crows suddenly when the sun is hidden neatly behind the trees, fumbling her way off of Jenna before procuring a mostly-empty bottle from god knows where. She drains the last of it before dropping down onto the grass, back to the fire, setting the bottle a good few feet away from herself. She calls for everyone to come and join, and they do, at various paces, making a very lopsided circle. Tyler is one of the last to find a place to sit, conveniently on Josh’s left side and next to Dallon, who gives him a big grin that Tyler barely returns.
Debby spins first, nearly falling over, and shares a giggly kiss with Hayley. Hayley kisses Dallon, Dallon kisses Patrick, Patrick kisses Jenna, Jenna kisses Brendon –
The bottle goes around, at Brendon’s hand, and lands on Josh.
Josh laughs when he looks at the bottle’s nozzle, sitting up on his knees and crawling over toward the other boy. Something white hot and angry flares in Tyler’s chest, but he’s not jealous.
He’s not. He can’t be jealous because he’s not dating Josh. Josh doesn’t belong to him.
Josh glances slightly at Tyler, some emotion that Tyler doesn't catch flickering over his face, before closing the distance with Brendon. Jenna shoots him a worried look that he doesn’t see because he’s staring very intensely at a very interesting spot of grass on the ground. The kiss doesn’t last as long as it could’ve, a simple peck, especially with Brendon’s prying tongue, but Josh is pulling away with a giggle, spinning the bottle himself.
Tyler breathes a quiet sigh of relief when it lands on Jenna. She pounces on Josh, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck before smacking their lips together in something brief yet loud. He pats her shoulder, slightly confused, but giggles nonetheless as he settles himself back down next to Tyler. He puts a hand on the other’s knee, squeezing gently, waiting until Tyler looks up at him curiously to whisper, “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” Tyler smiles, disturbed, covering Josh’s hand with his own. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Jenna kisses Hayley, Hayley kisses Dallon, Dallon kisses Brendon. It’s on the verge of becoming pornographic when Debby manages to pull Brendon off of the other boy, the two panting against each other before collapsing on the ground in a fit of laughter.
They give up on the game after a moment of watching the two writhe around in stoned bliss, Debby taking the bottle and moving it elsewhere before it shatters and someone injures themselves. Tyler relaxes into Josh once again, thankful he hadn’t been landed on; Josh is on the verge of falling asleep, head propped up on Tyler’s, mouth hanging open as slight snores fall out. The group is in various states of their own drunken and high stupors, and it’s Jenna who throws an arm around Debby and steers her in the direction of Brendon’s house first. “We’re going to sleep,” she announces, and a few murmurs of agreement follow.
Slowly, people begin to leave, Brendon leaning against Dallon and giggling. Pete and Patrick walk toward the house, hand in hand, followed by a stumbling Hayley.
Tyler shakes Josh’s shoulder softly until he stirs, sitting upright abruptly before dissolving into giggles.
“What’s so funny?” Tyler chuckles, slipping an arm around Josh’s waist to try and hoist him to his feet. It takes a moment, and he nearly falls over twice, but he manages to get Josh to stand. He tilts from side to side, unsteadily, still giggling at random moments, as Tyler supports both their weight and pushes Josh toward the open door. He closes it behind them, and Josh stumbles around the dark house without him. Most of the group is crashed in the living room. Brendon is splayed across Dallon’s chest where he’s laid on the floor, both of them snoring; Jenna and Debby are cuddled up underneath a blanket on the couch, Hayley on the opposite end. She waves at Tyler as he passes, giggling when he waves back.
Josh ignores the living room, making his way to the first door he sees, which happens to be Brendon’s room. Tyler catches up to him and rolls his eyes; he grips Josh’s wrist, tugging backwards, whispering, “Josh, you can’t go in there.”
“Why not?” Josh staggers unsteadily, wrenching his wrist out of Tyler’s hand. He moves across the room and collapses on top of Brendon’s bed, nestling his head amongst the many pillows. Tyler rolls his eyes from where he’s standing in the doorway, but follows suit, rolling Josh over onto his back. He lets out a loud whine at being pushed around, but accommodates the new position, before trying to squirm himself out of his swimsuit.
“What are you – Josh, no, keep your clothes on,” Tyler sighs, exasperatedly, covering the other’s hands with his own as he tries to wriggle out of his swim trunks. Josh whines, loudly, batting him away as best he can. Tyler relents, rolling his eyes and waiting until Josh gives up with a tired huff, his head falling back onto the pillow with his swimsuit now halfway down his thighs.
Seemingly having to exhausted himself, Tyler throws himself down onto the mattress, cuddling up into Josh’s side. He wraps an arm around Josh’s waist, relaxing his head against his shoulder, before closing his eyes and letting the tired ache in his bones take over.
“Hey, Tyler,” Josh whispers a few seconds later, giggling for no real reason, before craning his neck to kiss the top of Tyler’s head affectionately.
“Mm?” he hums in response, tone lilting up slightly at the end, dragging his fingers across Josh’s chest absently, grinning brilliantly in spite of himself at the gesture.
“I love you.”
Tyler doesn’t think that he’s gone a day without hearing those words come from Josh’s mouth, and he’s still fairly uncertain of what their status was, exactly, as they were carefully dancing around talking about the subject, cautious of breaking anything that they’d built up. Regardless, it was wonderful and kind and beautiful and it made him feel needed and wanted like never before. His chest flares up fiercely with emotions and he thinks for a brief second that he might cry, but he blames that on the tiredness throwing his emotions out of balance, and he grins where he’s laid across Josh’s chest, listening to his heart beating underneath his ear. “I love you, too.”
Josh giggles again, wrapping his own arms around the other’s torso. Tyler’s on the verge of falling asleep, tucked into a cocoon of warmth against Josh’s body heat; his chest smells vaguely of smoke and traces of alcohol from when he spilled his beer all down his front laughing too hard, but it’s a fairly nice change to feel like he belongs here, holed up in someone’s embrace that he cares for so deeply.
“Tyler,” a voice hisses out in the dark, just when he was beginning to drift away. His mind is too sleep-bleary to focus, and they sound pretty familiar, but he wants to sleep. Tyler likes the sound of their voice, deep and pretty, but he likes sleep more, so he nestles his head further into whatever strong surface he’s laid up against, closing his eyes again. It’s quiet for a few seconds, long enough for him to think the ordeal is over before his name is called out again, louder, and his brain is more awake than before with each sound of his name. He’s beginning to get a little pissed, as whoever it is won’t shut up, calling his name repeatedly. Tyler Tyler Tyler Tyler wake up for a second Tyler hey Tyler hey -
He blinks, unsteadily, before it registers that Josh apparently really wants to talk with him. He doesn’t quite have it in him to be angry at Josh, and he’s a little scared that maybe he had a nightmare or puked in Brendon’s bed or something equally as awful, so he settles on tightening his grip around his waist and asking, “Yeah?”
“Do you think pigeons have feelings?” Josh questions from somewhere above him, voice uncertain.
“What?” Tyler deadpans, narrowing his eyes.
“Do you think pigeons have feelings?” Josh repeats himself, and Tyler tilts his chin up so that their eyes meet. Josh’s face is pinched in confusion, brows drawn together. It’s an adorable face, coming from Josh, but Tyler’s too pissed off to focus on that.
“What the fuck –“ Tyler starts out, but stops before he gets ahead of himself. “No, Josh, pigeons don’t have feelings. Go to sleep.”
“Tyler, wait, hear me out,” Josh pleads in return. “What if they did? I’d feel so awful, dude, imagine all the pigeons I scared the shit out of by chasing them through the parking lot.” He gets no response other than Tyler groaning and rolling out of his arms to the other side of the bed, whispering behind him, “Tyler? Come on, don’t be like that.”
“I’m sure they would’ve forgiven you,” Tyler grits his teeth, burying himself deeper into the pillows. “Go to sleep.”
Josh groans, mumbling about pigeons some more, but he throws an arm around Tyler and drags him back into his chest. He huffs, but allows himself to be moved around until Josh finds a comfortable position, nosing through Tyler’s hair lovingly. “Night,” he whispers, his grip tightening around Tyler.
“Good night,” Tyler mumbles in return, and sleep begins to envelop his tired bones.
He has a peaceful night’s sleep, awoken only by the sun shining directly in his eyes through the window. He groans, throwing his arm up over his eyes and shuffling backward, further into Josh, trying to will himself under. Unfortunately, just as he’s beginning to fall back under, there’s a shuffling of footsteps down the hall and the door creaks open. Brendon stands in the doorway, staring uncertainly at the two bodies tangled together in his bed, before a tired, hungover smile graces his features.
“Hi,” Tyler groans at Brendon, and Josh stirs slightly next to him, trying to pull Tyler closer into his grasp.
“You didn’t have sex in here, right?” Brendon asks through a yawn, rubbing at his face sleepily.
Tyler finds it in him to laugh. “No,” he reassures, pushing at Josh’s chest until he’s able to swing his legs over the edge of the bed. “We didn’t have sex in here. What time is it?”
“Uh, sometime past noon,” Brendon gives a vague hand gesture, running the other through his hair. “Mostly everyone’s awake. Debby and Jenna are making waffles, whenever you wanna come out.”
“Mhm, sounds good,” Tyler nods, turning his attention to Josh. Brendon exits the room, and Tyler shakes Josh’s shoulder until he sees a flicker underneath his eyelashes. “Morning,” he says sweetly, bending to kiss Josh’s forehead.
“Oh, hi,” Josh grumbles, closing his eyes as Tyler’s lips press against his skin. His stomach churns violently, his head pounding; Tyler watches as he stumbles up from the bed, nearly face-planting onto the floor, before rushing to the adjoining bathroom. There’s the sound of something hitting the floor, and then the splash of vomit into the toilet bowl. Tyler grimaces at the sound, but he forces himself up and into the bathroom, running his hands comfortingly over Josh’s heaving shoulders.
He waits until the brunt of it is over. Josh closes his eyes, leaning up against the bathroom wall while clutching his stomach, and Tyler pats his thigh sympathetically before flushing the toilet.
“Everyone’s awake,” Tyler announces, once he sees some of the color return to Josh’s paper-white cheeks. “Brendon said Debby and Jenna are making waffles. You wanna head out there?”
Josh rubs his eyes with a groan, reaching out to pull Tyler into a hug. Tyler wraps his arms around Josh's shoulder and squeezes him tightly, before helping him up to his feet. He links their fingers together, pulling Josh out of the bathroom, and they both smile fondly down at their intertwined hands as they walk.