family line// joshler

.2.

word count: 708

"you're beautiful, tyler." ten year old josh told ten year old tyler.

"i'm really not," tyler said as he stared at the flower in his hand. 

it was so delicate, he could crush it if he wanted to. but he didn't. he would never crush anything. so he let the flower grow. he let it bloom. 

josh grabbed tyler's face. 

"YOU ARE TYLER!"

tyler smiled, "thank you, josh!" 

tyler grabbed his best friend and gave him the biggest hug he knew how to. tyler's mom smiled at him. 

"thank you for letting us do this, kels. josh won't stop talking about tyler and absolutely begged for me to let them meet up for the park," mrs. dun chuckled. 

"we've been having a tough year lately, what with maddie being born and everything," mrs. joseph said rocking her daughter. "this was well needed for me as well as tyler."

"today will be a good day, i know for sure. what with all our plans. the ice cream, the zoo. everything, those boys will enjoy everything."

"it's a good day."

-

tyler's father threw tyler into his mirror. 

"do you WANT to be a fairy."

tyler's mom was at work. tyler was crying. 

"do you know who HATES fairies? do you know who KILLS fairies? me. your father!"

tyler sobbed into the glass. 

"boys don't paint their nails," tyler's father grabbed his small body and roughly took his hands and rubbed as hard as he could to get the nail polish off. 

"it. won't. fucking. come. off."

tyler's father grabbed his son and threw him against the living room couch. 

"get out of my sight, faggot."

tyler ran to his room. his little sister crying. with his white shirt soaked with blood, he grabbed his sister, and held her to his chest. singing the song he remembered his mothering singing for all his life. a song nobody knew the words to, but a song that he knew the melody. 

soon enough after, his sister fell asleep. his eyes were droopy, as he passed out on his bedroom floor. 

-

when tyler woke up, he was in a different shirt. one of a dark brown like muddy dirt. his knuckles  and nails were bruised. the mirror was cleaned up, and tyler was lying in his bed. his father was standing at the edge of it. 

"you.. tell your mother. i will shove you, me, and your sister in the car with the windows rolled down. in the garage with the door closed. it will kill us all."

tyler laid paralyzed. 

"so keep your damn.. mouth. shut."

-

tyler opened his eyes to the smell of burritos and macaroni. he walked into the living room, his mom making food and his father watching football on the television. maddie crawling on the floor. 

"be careful!" mrs. joseph yelled, "don't step on, maddie, chris!"

however chris was barely paying attention and almost stepped on her twice. tyler was around, thankfully, to move his sister when his father got too close. 

"lunch is ready," mrs. joseph smiled, and kissed her son's forehead. she picked her daughter up and gave her some macaroni to snack on. 

"you let me sleep until lunch mom!" tyler laughed and ate the food his mom made for him. 

"you were so sleepy this morning, love."

"yeah! maddie kept me up yesterday!"

"don't worry for her, babe. your dad will take care of her."

mr. joseph ignored the conversation and ate his own food. but tyler could feel his fuel, as always, the anger. but he ignored it, because it always made his mom cry. and he hated when she cried.

-

"you're going to stop hanging out with that faggot, josh dun."

tyler was twelve. his friends were all figuring out themselves. so was tyler. so did josh. josh was gay, told his mom, and it circulated around town. everything was fine and dandy, until tyler's dad found out. 

"he's not a fairy! he's my best friend!"

"not anymore. i'll be damned if i let you hangout with a fairy."

"he's my-,"

mr. joseph grabbed his beer bottle and threw it at his son. "you will stop hanging out with him. or i will. and trust me, you want no part of that".

mr. joseph put on his coat and left the house. leaving tyler, shaking, as his sister crying in the background.

a/n: welcome welcome, you beautiful people!

i love you!!!