In The Dark - {joshler au}

8. What Do You Dream About?

Trigger warnings:
Mentions of infidelity
Mentions of familial death
***

"Josh, I'm gonna get lost in this house."

The curly haired boy laughed, leading Tyler through the front corridor and up the stairs. "Believe me," he said, "I still sometimes feel like I'm gonna get lost in here. We've been here for, what, three weeks, and I still find myself walking in Jordan's room instead of the bathroom in the middle of the night."

Tyler answered with a loud laugh as they ascended the stairs and turned down the hall to where he assumed Josh's room was. Once they were inside, Tyler felt his feet freeze in place. Josh's room was about the size of his living room and kitchen combined, and there was still more floor space than both of those rooms, even with all of the furniture in the space. Adorning Josh's walls were tons of band posters - more than Tyler had - and random other posters that fit Josh's aesthetic. He had lights around the ceiling, a bookshelf with a built-in mirror, a queen size platform bed that sat low to the ground, and the softest carpet Tyler had ever stepped on. "Only here for three weeks," he heard himself say, "but it looks like you've lived in this room for years."

Josh just smiled, a faint blush appearing on his face as he walked over to his TV. "My room was the first thing I completely unpacked," he said. "I felt like I wouldn't be able to sleep in here if it didn't feel like home."

Tyler smiled at that. He could relate. He's lived in probably 7 different houses since he was born, and once he was old enough to do it himself, he always made sure his room was put together before anything else. He needed somewhere to feel safe. He was pulled from his trance by Josh clearing his throat and holding an Xbox controller out to him. "Wanna play some Halo with me?"

Tyler smirked as he grabbed the controller from his friend. "I hope you're prepared to bow to the King of The Hill."

Josh's mouth went agape as he turned on his second controller. "You're so on, Joseph."

The two boys spent about an hour battling it out in the Halo universe, Tyler fully backing up his claim as King of The Hill before they decided to call it quits and get some food. Forgoing the idea of trying to do any kind of cooking in the kitchen, the two were relieved when Josh's sister, Ashley, came strolling through the door. She agreed to stay at the house with Abbie while the boys went to get food, so they grabbed Josh's keys and headed out the door. "What are you hungry for, King Joseph?"

Josh's words came out playful as he smirked at the younger boy, but Tyler blushed nonetheless. "Honestly," he said, turning away to cover his crimson cheeks, "I'm not really sure. I want something good."

The boys ponder for a moment, before Josh says, "We could get Taco Bell?"

Tyler looks at his friend with a raised brow, shaking his head. "I don't know where you're from," he starts, "but the closest Taco Bell to here is like 35 or 40 minutes away."

Josh blinked. "You're saying that like it's an issue."

The younger boy rolled his eyes as they climbed into Josh's Jeep. "Josh, it sounds good, but we're not driving 40 miles just to get Taco Bell."

Josh narrowed his eyes for a moment, a playful smile on his lips as he leaned over to his friend. "Do you work tonight?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Do you have any homework?"

"Not tonight, no."

"Whose car are we in?"

Tyler knew where he was going with this. "Yours, but—"

Josh cut him off gently. "I would personally love to drive 40 miles to get Taco Bell, and I know you wouldn't mind having a Cheesy Gordita Crunch in your hand right about now. Tell me I'm wrong."