Daycare// Joshler

12

tyler's point of view

we sat there for a while. i couldn't stop crying. i saw rosie was awake and opened the car door. "why are your eyes red daddy?" she asked me. "me and joshy wanted to set something of mine on fire." i said. i picked her up and looked at josh. the man who'd help me with my shit life. who'd helped me with so much.

"c'mon joshy," i said. my daughter looked at the trees. the beautiful moss. she pointed out animals. as we went over the tree roots, under branches. in all of it, i almost forgot why we were here in the first place.

then.

then we reached the treehouse. i could see the pealing yellow paint. it looked just as it had before. the small parts i didn't tell josh about the treehouse. "i kissed jenna- here. this is where rosie... became." i started to sob. "you.." josh started. "mhm," i replied. he took rosie out of my arms. "i thought maybe by the time rosie was old enough to use it i wouldn't be so-so fucking messed up by it.

i still am. she wanted to and i didn't. she...didn't..ask." the worst part of my history. the most broken. "she.didn't.ask.you?" josh repeated his voice taking it in. his mind taking it in. "she-," i put my hands over his mouth. "she what josh?" i think josh forgot for a second that rosie was here. "she didn't ask if daddy wanted ice cream." josh covered.

"how dare she!" rosie said. i pulled my phone out and called my parents. "can you come get rosie? i have something i have to do. and she can't come." i told my mom and she didn't care where i was or how far away i was she came over fast. speeding too.

----
we went back over toward my car. waiting for my mom. when she appeared she took rosie out of my arms. then strapped her in her own.

"daddy why must i leave?" rosie asked. "because daddy and joshy have something to do." i replied as my mom put rosie in her car. "BYE DADDDY BYEEEEEE JOSH!" rosie replied as my mom shut her car door. "have fun, tyler? i don't know if that's the best way to explain the matter of the situation." my mom said and kissed me on my cheek after giving me a hug. "goodbye josh...thank you. you've helped my son and my granddaughter more than you can imagine.

she looked back at me and gave me another hug. "i know how much you hate this treehouse. that's why me and your dad wanted to tear it down. i understand now why you said no tyler. we were never completely oblivious. but we didn't want to over step. im so sorry she ever did that to you tyler. me and your dad are so glad you've found a way to cope. even if it's burning down what caused so much pain in the first place. i love you."

then she got into her car, started it, and drove away with my daughter.

me and josh talked until the day ended. hours. we skipped eating the whole day. he didn't want to leave me and i didn't want to eat. i wanted to watch the whole world burn at night. a treehouse was like my whole world. this specific treehouse.

day turned into noon, noon turned into evening, and evening turned into night.

"down in the forest. we'll burn down a treehouse." i said. i grabbed josh's hand and ran. "DOWN IN THE FOREST! WE'LL SING A CHORUS! ONE THAT EVERY BODY KNOWS!"

i screamed. stopping at the treehouse. i flicked the lighter. flipped the cap back on and threw it off. "DOWN...IN THE... FOREST.." i panted. "we'll sing a chorus. one that everybody knows," josh said and looked at me. i turned the lighter on and saw the light in front of me.

"hands held higher. we'll be on fire." i said. "singing songs that nobody wrote." josh answered. i threw the lighter onto the stump of the treehouse. the treehouse bursted into flames. i could see it going up.

i grabbed josh and pulled him closer. "down in the forest." i pulled him so close that our foreheads were touching. "where i'll kiss joshua dun." and then i kissed him.

we kissed for a while. then josh turned and watched it burn. watched the embers spark from the treehouse. when all of the jenna things first happened. i would have wanted to burn with it. i never thought i was going to make it past eighteen. but here i am. happy with josh and my beautiful daughter.

"this is like the end of a book." josh said. "where they end it on a good note. the end of a lifetime." I just laughed. "it's not the end. it's only the beginning."

josh shook his head. "that's what everyone always says. but it is the end. the end of jenna tormenting you. but it always isn't the beginning. we're in the middle of life. far from the end far from the beginning. the only thing that'll begin is us."

the treehouse sparked in front of us. the crackles made me feel better. everything that ever happened in that treehouse burned within. "would you marry me tyler? i mean i know i said we would have to date first. but i can't wait that long. we'd have to date a few years before we could marry. but i want to marry you now and i can't wait." he paused. "will you marry me tyler robert joseph?"

the treehouse fire grew bigger. taking in all the wood. all the torture. everything i wanted to erase would soon be gone. jenna, and everything she ever did to me and rosie. it took it all away. like the burn of the treehouse was sucking in all the pain i had to endure.

i knew my answer because i loved him. joshy was my forever. my forever and ever. my soulmate.

"yes."

a/n: it's over. and this is why i hate jenna beyond all reasons. but it's over, and tyler will slowly heal, as with ro because of josh. they'll be okay, because they have josh at their sides.