》forest fic (alternate ending) ☘

Forest Fic (alt ending)

EDIT: TRIGGER WARNING!!!! MENTION OF SELF HARM

Josh's lighter is lying by Tyler's shoe, and he slowly picks it up, flicks it on. The flame glows in the darkness, and Tyler watches himself press the flame to the wall.

He holds it there, watching the wood grow darker as it chars. For a while, nothing else happens, but Tyler suddenly sees the wood catch fire. He flicks the lighter off and watches, transfixed, as the flame grows larger and larger, climbing up to the ceiling.

Tyler lies on his back and watches as fire slowly engulfs the roof. The treehouse is starting to fill with smoke.

Something inside him is pulling, insisting that he has to get out, get out before he suffocates or burns. He ignores it. He doesn't care anymore.

Tyler falls asleep as everything around him burns.

He doesn't care. 

***

"LET ME IN! PLEASE, TYLER IS IN THERE! I NEED TO SEE HIM!" A voice calls out outside of the room that Tyler is in. He can still hear the voice, but he cannot open his eyes to see who it was. But Tyler knows too well to know that it is, of course, Josh. 

Josh comes into the room, resisting the officers' arms trying to get him out of the room. But later on, the arms give up on getting Josh out of the room. He feels the uncontrollable tears streaming down his cheeks after he sees Tyler with burnt limbs and face. He touches Tyler's face gently, hoping to wake him up, hoping to see his eyes again. Hoping to feel the love again.

"Tyler, it's me, Josh. Please wake up. I'm here for you." He sobs throughout his meaningless talk to Tyler. "I'm here for you." He repeats as his hands go up to his face, trying to hide his tears. "I'm real..."

After a while, Josh decides to leave the room, realising that this is pointless. He looks back at Tyler before he leaves the room, hoping, again, to see him alive. But, it is pointless. 

***

It's all your fault. He died because of you. 

"No, someone probably burnt the treehouse while I was gone." Josh tells to the voice.

Don't deny the truth. You know very well that it was you who hurt him. You meant it. You wanted him to believe that you were real. 

"I don't care! Just leave me alone."

I will, trust me. But your memories will hunt you down. 

"NO! Just leave me alone, okay?" Josh grabs a sharp object. Metallic and cold. 

It was your fault. 

He died because of you. 

It's all your fault. 

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

Slice.

Blood runs down his wrist. 

The voices fade away as Josh's consciousness does the same.

"I am real, Tyler..."

***

Tyler is now fully awake and healthier than before. He can eat by himself, and he can remember clearly what has been happening. Including what happened to him and Josh. 

The nurse comes with a notepad and says monotonously, "You have a visitor, Tyler. He's been visiting you since you've been hospitalised, you know." 

"Okay, thanks for letting me know," Tyler manages to croak out. He watches the nurse nod at someone and go out of the room. 

And there he is. Josh. He looks just the same as the last time Tyler has seen him. His mocha eyes and his C major lips are still beautiful. His hair is now—what color is it?—magenta. Magenta and purple. 

"Tyler?" Josh's voice trembles, choked up with tears. "You are alive."

"Why aren't you there for me?" Tyler asks calmly. "I called you so many times, but you never came for me." Blue and black. 

"Tyler...I—I am so sorry about—"

"Sorry, sorry. Everybody's fucking sorry." Tyler says cynically. "You weren't there for me. I loved you, Josh. Why weren't you there for me?" Now his eyes are blurry with tears, and he starts to shout. "WHY? WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE TO SAVE ME?" 

"Tyler, I-"

"No, shut up. I don't want to hear you right now." 

"No, listen to me. I love you, too."

Tyler's expression softens as the tears continue to fall. "What?"

"I love you so much. You are my everything. I'm so sorry and I know it won't fix anything and I know it sounds cheesy, but since I met you, I didn't know what to do. I fell in love with you. I don't know if you feel the same way but—"

"Josh. Stop." Tyler interjects. 

"Tyler?" Josh sniffles, afraid to be hurt by his only lover that kept him going. 

Tyler suddenly grabs Josh's shirt and pulls him close enough to make their lips touch. Tyler can taste the sweet C Major lips that he missed too much. The velvety, soft skin touches Tyler's lips as the tears continue to run down his cheeks. Josh can taste Tyler's tears and his, salty water falling onto his tongue constantly. He wipes Tyler's cheeks with his thumb delicately and hugs him tight until Tyler looks over Josh's shoulders and notices the little cuts that seem to be recent. 

"Josh, why did you do this?" Tyler questions him with a hint of fear in his tone as he grabs Josh's wrist up. Josh's mocha eyes dart to Tyler's, again showing the sadness and misery that he cannot explain with his words, even with the colours. 

"Josh...no, don't do this again, okay? Please, I can't imagine you dying like this. I can't—I-I can't—" Tyler starts crying again, this time even louder. 

"I won't, trust me. Look at me, Tyler. I won't do it ever again. I'm now here for you. Shhh...." Josh pats Tyler's head gently while he is in Josh's arms. Tyler kisses Josh's wrists, hoping that it will heal him and their broken hearts that just have started to mend up again. 

THE END