josh was at his lowest when the big top rolled into town. tyler was the star of the show until josh stumbled into his life and dragged him down with him.
{lowercase intended}
**sexual content
A/N: thanks for being patient with me and actually reading the other parts of this if you've actually been following along. i really appreciate anybody who has voted and/or commented, it means a lot :)
it took a second for josh to fully register what had just happened. he had hit his head on the ground when he stumbled into a tent that seemed to be empty. his head was pulsing and he didn't think it would be long before jesse or debby found him on his back in the entryway of the dimly lit tent. josh pulled his feet from outside the door flaps and took some time to look around.
from where he was sitting on the dirt floor, he could see a makeshift vanity with different types of makeup covering every inch of it. josh wondered whose tent this belonged to and when they would be returning, but his curiosity got the best of him so he decided to look around. up close, he could see how disorganized the setup was; wigs thrown everywhere, assorted lipsticks and eyeshadow crumpled in their containers and all kinds of brushes caked with product. in all the mess, however, one thing stood out:
a bucket of dirty water and a damp cloth covered in black paint.
someone cocked their gun behind josh, freezing him in place, "what are you doing in here?" the voice behind him hissed, "how did you find me?"
"i don't know what you're talking about," he assured man shakily, "i don't even know what you're talking about." josh put his hands up slowly and swallowed hard as the person pulled the muzzle of the handgun away from the back of his neck.
"turn around." the voice said with an almost relieved tone.
josh spun around to see a familiar gorgeous brunette standing mere inches from him.
"tyler?"
"how do you know my name?" the boy visibly tensed and narrowed his eyes.
josh tried to play it off but stumbled, taken aback by the redness of tyler's lips up close, "oh, um, i saw you on the posters outside," josh smiled, "that was a really great show, by the way."
the brunette scratched his neck, leaving dark paint under his nails, "uh, thanks," tyler sighed when he was sure that the tall, muscular man in front of him wasn't actually a threat, "the crowd went pretty wild tonight, but i messed up on this one part of my act, so-"
"yeah, right!" josh interjected, "you were the best part of the show!" he bit his lip at how weird he might be coming across, "i mean, you were really impressive and the makeup on your neck is really unique."
tyler shot a hand up to his neck, "oh shit, i should probably get this stuff off before it becomes permanent..." he pushed past the taller man and got to work scrubbing the paint off.
josh tilted his head as he watched the boy rub his neck red without taking much pigment away, "you need to add soap to the water."
"soap in this place? good luck."
"maybe some kind of alcohol, then?"
"ah, that i can do." tyler smirked, turning and swinging the doors of a cabinet open. he pulled out a fancy glass bottle of some strong drink. josh's usual weak beer paled in comparison to the booze tyler possessed. the brunette gazed down at the bottle, "this isn't mine if you were wondering. my boss's favorite pastime is getting drunk out of his mind and doing whatever the hell he wants to whoever the hell he wants."
josh could feel the pain rising in tyler and silently took the flask from the boy's hands. he poured some into the bucket and pulled up a stool for the boy and his teary eyes. josh dipped the cloth into his new solution and winced a bit when the alcohol burned in small scrapes on his hands.
"hey, wait," tyler stopped him, "i can do it, it's fine really..."
"no, i'm alright. i must have scratched my hands accidentally when i fell in here." josh laughed weakly, "just let me do it."
tyler sat back and extended his neck, feeling a sense of trust and calmness that he hadn't felt in a long time. all he could do was think,'why is this guy being so nice to me? where did he come from? i hope he doesn't leave anytime soon.' it all felt so strange to tyler, as he usually wanted everyone to leave him alone, except for this new man he had only just met.
josh's serene demeanor dropped fast as he stopped to look closer at some patches of darkness that he couldn't wipe away, "tyler, wait... you're hurt, too..."
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tyler tensed as he scrambled to explain the bruising, but stopped fast when a booming voice sent his words back into his throat.
