playboy | joshler ✓

- thirty six -

@catharasis - here's the update; where's the soul

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As soon as the car slowed down to a speed where it was manageable, Tyler flung the car door open and sprung out. He didn't even shut the car door before he sprinted through the Enterprise doors, slowing down in front of the receptionist, Athena.

"Have you seen Josh?" He asked her breathlessly.

Athena nodded, motioning upwards. "He went up the elevator, sir. I believe he went to your office."

Tyler turned and went to the stairs, knowing that the elevator would go far too slow for him. He went up two steps at a time, not even breaking a sweat by the time he got up to the floor his office was on.

He instantly heard the yelling upon nearing his office door, and Tyler flung it open to see Josh pressed into the corner, looking up at a man wearing an expensive-looking suit.

Gina was standing in between Josh and the man, glaring up at the man with a venomous look.

The man turned momentarily, and he grinned upon seeing Tyler.

"Well, well, well!" The man, who Tyler assumed was Noah, exclaimed. "If it isn't the big man himself."

Josh's gaze switched over to Tyler, and he looked utterly terrified.

"Look, baby," Noah crooned to Josh, looking past Gina. "Your knight in shining armor's here to save you!"

Josh's wide eyes flickered back over to the man for a little bit, before looking at Tyler again.

"Well, Mr. Joseph," Noah announced. "I'll have you know that Josh is taken. By me, specifically."

"He's not yours," Tyler snapped, anger seeping into his veins.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, feisty." He turned to look at Josh again. "Why can't you be like this man here, Josh? He actually acts like he has life inside him, not like the depressed little shit you were two years ago who wouldn't even want to hold hands."

Josh looked at the ground in shame, and Gina shoved Noah.

"Leave him alone," she snarled.

Noah chuckled humorlessly. He returned Gina's act of aggression with a slap, hard enough to knock her to the ground. "Stay out of this, Gina," he growled. "You have nothing to do with this."

"Don't touch her," Tyler spoke up, taking a couple steps forward threateningly.

Noah looked at Tyler in surprise. "What's she to you?" He demanded after a few seconds of silence. Neither Tyler nor Gina answered, and then Noah's eyes widened with realization. He began to laugh. "Really, little sister?" He mocked Gina. "Sleeping with a Gucci-wearing man that is drowning in money? You're really disgusting, you know that? Selling your body for money," he scoffed. Then, Noah redirected his attention to Josh. "You hear that, baby? Your beloved man slept with my sister. He isn't as interested as you thought."

Josh looked over at Tyler, brow furrowing. "N-No," Josh shook his head. He looked back at Noah. "Tyler wouldn't do that. He knows that I like him a lot. He wouldn't just sleep with the first girl he sees on the first night I'm gone." Then he glanced at Tyler. "R-Right?"

Tyler didn't answer, gaze falling to look at the ground.

"He's . . . He's not right, is he, Tyler?" Josh frowned. Tyler said nothing. "Tyler!"

"Yes. He's right." Tyler mumbled.

Dead silence wrapped around the four people, until Noah laughed. "I told you," Noah said, in a condescending way to Josh. "I told you that somebody like him wouldn't be that interested in you, Josh. Only I can give you the proper love and care you need."

When Tyler looked up at Josh, he was tempted to look away again. There was such a vulnerable emotion in his eyes that Tyler couldn't stand it.

"Come home with me, baby," Noah cooed, stepping closer to Josh. "There's nothing for you here anymore." He took Josh's hand, and that's when Josh tore his gaze away from Tyler. He looked down at Noah holding his hand. "I'll be nice, this time."

Josh blinked, before yanking his hand out of Noah's. "Don't touch me," Josh said weakly.

Noah's expression contorted into one of anger, before he quickly, just barely masked it with uneasy laughter. "What was that, baby?" He reached for Josh's hand again, but Josh pressed himself farther against the wall.

"I said don't touch me!" Josh raised his voice, pushing Noah back. That's when Noah lost it. He raised his hand and landed a hard smack to Josh's cheek, Josh crying out in pain. Tyler saw red; he lunged forward, turning Noah around forcibly by his shoulder and punched him square on the jaw. Tyler swore he heard a crack, but he couldn't stop himself from hitting Noah again. And again, and again, and again.

Gina and Josh had to pull Tyler off, the billionaire yelling vulgar insults to Noah. People from the floor came in to see what all the ruckus was about, and somebody called an ambulance after seeing the damage Tyler had caused to Noah.

Eventually, cops, along with paramedics, came in. Everybody - save Gina, Josh, and Tyler - crowded against the walls to give them space, and Noah was taken out to the ambulance. The cops stayed to question Tyler for a second, before quickly deciding that it had been in self-defense after hearing that Noah had hit two people before Tyler stepped in.

That, and the fact that they didn't have it in them to deal with a billionaire who would just buy his way out of the problem, was what made the police leave with no more questions.

Tyler had only gotten a few scrapes, so a nurse took care of that. By then, all the people that had come in had left, leaving Gina, Josh, and Tyler in the room, along with the nurse. The nurse left, and it turned into an immensely awkward hell, Josh staring at the floor, lost in thought.

Gina stood up suddenly after minutes of silence. "I'm gonna go see if they have any food here," she said softly, turning and leaving.

Tyler watched her go, before hearing a quiet, "So you weren't really that interested in me to begin with, hmm?"

Tyler turned. "What?"

Josh's gaze stayed on the floor. "You slept with some stranger the night I went to go see my ex again. You didn't even wait to hear what I had said to him, you just assumed right away I was gonna go with him. Honestly, Tyler, I had no intentions of accepting any offer of his." Then, Josh smiled, but it wasn't out of humor. "This just goes to show how stupid billionaires with huge egos are. I told Audrey I didn't want anything to do with men like you. I had already dealt enough of that crap with Noah." Josh chuckled, again with no humor. He stood up.

Tyler stood up too, hand locking around Josh's wrist. "Wait. I'm sorry."

Josh stiffened, instantly tugging his hand out of Tyler's. "Don't touch me," he hissed.

"Josh, wait, please," Tyler tried again, reaching out for Josh's arm, but the blue-haired man only stepped back, pulling his arms back in an attempt to get away.

Josh pulled something out of his hoodie pocket, and Tyler was shocked to see it was the baby blue collar. Josh slapped it against his chest and let go, Tyler reaching up to catch it. "You better leave me alone, you son of a bitch. I'm done with you."

He then walked out quickly, Tyler watching him go. He looked down at the collar in his hands, the tag glinting in the light. It had originally been planned as a joke, but Tyler had had no problem with the use that they put to it. Tyler couldn't stop staring at the tag, at the engraved Josh on it.

Tyler sighed, putting the collar in his slacks's pocket and walking out. He closed the door quietly behind him, and walked back down to the lobby, where Jonathan was waiting to take him home.