Pretty Boy ☆ Joshler

thirteen

Josh let out a long, low moan before taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. He could feel his shirt sticking to his back with sweat. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

"Brendon..." Josh whined again, gripping the boy's arm and pulling him closer.

"Josh! You just ruined my picture." Brendon lowered his phone, staring out at the river below him. The sun was hitting the water just right and he wanted to capture it. "What is it?"

Josh looked down at his sneakers, "We've been here too long. I'm tired of walking and it's hot. Plus, I'm starting to sweat and my hair does not look good when it's sweaty."

"Maybe you wouldn't be so tired if you exercised a little sometime," Brendon tilted his phone slightly before snapping the picture and smiling at the result.

"Yeah, thanks mom." Josh leaned back and rested his elbows on the bridge railing, the zipper on his jacket tapping the metal.

"And maybe you wouldn't be so hot if you would take that jacket off ...?" Raising an eyebrow, Brendon turned around and started walking again, to Josh's dismay.

"Uh.. no?? This is part of the look. If I take the jacket off, my outfit looks weird." Josh followed reluctantly.

Brendon shook his head but showed no signs of pity for Josh. He kept walking and Josh had to follow him to four stores before he finally got bored of window shopping. By then it was dark outside, the streetlights flickering on to illuminate the road for cars speeding by.

"Well all the restaurants here are closed and McDonald's is too far a walk." Brendon mused. He scrunched up his nose as his stomach generated a low growl.

"There's tons of food at my house, let's go." Josh had been ready to leave the shops for hours. He was tired, hungry, and his feet hurt. His bed was calling to him. He wasted no time in beginning the walk back to his home. Brendon had no choice but to follow him now.

A few cars drove by as they walked. Headlights stretched and shrinked shadows casted on the sidewalk. Josh looked over to see a swingset and a few other playground appliances surrounded by a large field scattered with trees. It was the park he and Tyler had gone to.

As the memory replayed itself in Josh's head he realized he hadn't had a real conversation with Tyler in days.

Too long.

He looked at the time on his phone. It was late; a little too late to plan an impromptu meet-up. Tomorrow, he would see Tyler and ask him then.

Ten minutes later the boys made it back, Josh letting them inside with his key. They were greeted with an empty living room but judging by the car in the driveway, Josh's mom was still here, sleeping most likely. The kitchen light was on and a pot of something sat on the stove.

"Oh my gosh I'm starving." Brendon went straight for the stove and lifted the pot's lid. The smell of spaghetti wafted to Josh's nose. Usually that would be enough to get him to stop whatever he was doing and settle down but it wasn't working tonight. He was feeling restless; like there was something he forgot to do or he'd had three cups of coffee recently.

Josh tried to shake the feeling and eat something but he ended up just not watching the tv while Brendon ate. He sighed, "I'm going to take a shower."

Brendon nodded and Josh just about ran up the stairs. What was wrong with him tonight? He sat on the edge of his bed facing the window. His leg bounced on the ball of his foot and he subconsciously twisted his bedsheets between his fingers. Outside his window, light reflected off the empty streets. He needed an outlet for all of this energy he suddenly acquired.

Maybe if I take a drive...

One thought and Josh was out of his room and down the stairs. His mother's car keys glinted from across the room and he smirked involuntarily.

"Did you give up on the shower?" Brendon asked from the couch. Josh walked up behind his friend and placed his hands on either side of his head.

"Yeah in fact, I'm going to go for a drive instead."

Brendon looked away from the television with effort, "I thought you said you were tired."

"I was but now I feel like I could run three miles. Anyway, if my mom wakes up for any reason, tell her I've gone to the store to get milk."

Brendon gave him a look of disbelief before dismissing Josh with a wave before returning his attention to the obviously interesting show he was watching. Josh's smile grew and he left the house, grabbing the keys on the way out.

The engine hummed softly as Josh backed out of the driveway, checking his surroundings. He wasn't sure where he would go now that he was on the road. No stores were open and the park was eerie at night. In the back of his mind he knew exactly where he would go but he let himself believe he would resist.

He drove without aim for a few minutes before realizing he was on 5th Street. The person buzzing in the back of his mind lived two minutes away. If Josh had any sense he would turn around now and go home. He would go to sleep so the morning would come faster. But sensibility was being replaced by the thing Josh had been trying to suppress.

Challe Apartments came into view and before he knew it, Josh was parked in the lot. Why was he doing this now? At midnight? Showing up at Tyler's apartment now was risky. He would probably seem like a stalker.

Josh's doubts weren't stopping him like they usually would. He put the car in park and pulled out his phone to dial a familiar number. The line rang a few times and Josh's hope started to deflate.

"Hello?" Tyler's voice crackled in Josh's ears and he grinned uncontrollably.

"Hey. It's Josh"

"Oh! Hi Jishwa," The tone of Tyler's voice changed to something more cheerful.

"Hi Ty. Did I wake you?"

"Nah I've been up. I can't sleep."

Josh was relieved at that. It made him feel less guilty for showing up when he did. "Me either. So I'm just going to tell you straight out that I'm in the parking lot."

"Ha, what?" The line was silent for a moment, save for the rustling of what Josh guessed were bed sheets. He looked up at the rows of windows covering the side of the building. Five stories up, the curtains on Tyler's window were pulled back to reveal his facd as he peered out, scanning the lot below. Josh rolled his window down to stuck his hand out and wave. Tyler's teeth flashed in a grin and he waved back.

"Josh, what are you doing here?" The words were chased with a breathy laugh.

"Well neither of us are sleeping. You wanna take a walk with me? Show me around your neighborhood?" Josh looked up at the other boy as he talked. Tyler was leaning on the windowsill, trying and failing to smooth down his unruly hair. Josh thought that the white curtains draped behind him made it look like he was painted on them. Another laugh escaped Tyler's mouth.

"Why the hell not? Let's go for a walk."

Tyler disappeared from the window, "I'll be down in three minutes."

"Alright. I'll be here." Josh ended the call and took the keys out of the ignition. He half expected to be fighting to keep his eyes open but he was wide awake. A sort of buzz was coursing through his veins as he stepped out of the car. He crossed his arms and leaned on the hood to wait for the boy he was out at midnight on a Tuesday for.

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I can't believe I had 10k reads last time I updated. Thanks for reading, peeps.