Intimidation ♡ joshler

six

Before Tyler leaves for school the next morning, he peeks into Zack's room to make sure he's okay.  The older man is curled up in his bed, awake and looking a bit miserable.  Zack looks up to his younger brother upon hearing the door open.

"What's up, T-bro?" Zack asks, voice low and raspy from getting ill.

"Just wanted to check on you," Tyler smiles at his brother. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"Nah, you go on to school, you whippersnapper," Zack teases as his eyes slip shut, Tyler letting out a small laugh as he closes the door again.

Tyler stands a good distance away from the rest of the kids at his bus stop, like usual, and no one pays him any mind.

That is, until Josh makes his way over and stands next to him, and for some reason, this causes his face to go uncomfortably warm as Tyler keeps his gaze at his feet.  He should really clean his shoes sometime in the near future.

Neither of them really say anything for a moment or two, and it's starting to get really fucking awkward.

"You don't talk much, huh?" Josh finally breaks the silence, but Tyler already doesn't like where the conversation is heading.  He shakes his head anyways, though, and Josh continues, "Why not?"

And that, my friends, is one of the most asked questions when it comes to Tyler, and it's one of those questions people ask that he hates the most.

"I'm just shy," Tyler sugarcoats his reason, like usual.

"I used to be shy a few years ago, but I talked to people who really brought me out of my shell," Josh responds, and Tyler swears that literally fucking everyone tells him this after being told that the small boy is shy.  Tyler only nods and makes a quiet hum in reply, because he's honestly not sure how else to respond to that.  

"Is that also why you won't look at me?" Josh suddenly asks.  Heat rushes to Tyler's face as he timidly and sheepishly looks up at the other, and he's sure he looks really dumb right now, but Josh only smiles a tad bit as they make eye contact.  It only lasts for a second since Tyler breaks it to stare at Josh's nose instead, but Josh doesn't say anything about this.

"There we go," Josh says, more to himself than to Tyler. "How old are you?"

"I'm turning, uh, sixteen in December," Tyler stammers, and he mentally belittles himself for doing so.  

"Yeah? Sophomore? Junior?"

"Junior," Tyler answers as his gaze starts to wander past the other when he sees flashing lights.  The school bus is approaching.

"Me too," Josh says. "Do you have a girlfriend, Tyler?"

And if Tyler's face wasn't red before, it definitely is now, and he drops his gaze to his dirty ass shoes once again.

"N-no."

"Ah, a boyfriend?"

Tyler doesn't trust his voice, so he opts to shake his head, bringing his hands out in front of them to fiddle with his fingers, one of his nervous habits.

"I don't have a boyfriend either," Josh says as the bus pulls up to the curb, and- dude, did Josh just imply that he's gay or something?

For some reason, this gives Tyler hope, and no, he scolds himself, you don't even know this kid, he's probably just a fuckboy, he just wants to say he has a boy, don't let this happen again.

The boys climb onto the bus after the other teens, Tyler sitting at the very front while Josh moves towards the back, and Tyler has some mixed emotions right now.  He wanted to be known by Josh before and honestly, he still does, but what if Josh is bad news?  Is this a risk he's willing to take?

Why is Josh showing interest in him of all people anyways?  What if Tyler is getting wrong signals and he's making a big deal out of nothing?

The latter question hits him hard, and he shivers as he suddenly goes frigid.

He has to be getting the wrong idea.  He's pathetic, and he's ugly, and there's so many cute boys at his school for Josh to choose from.

Tyler is so silly.