Fear Will Lose // twenty one pilots // Joshler

Chapter 26

The morning of Christmas Eve Josh spent wrapping presents. He had already bought gifts on behalf of him and Tyler for Tyler's family so it only took a quick trip to town to buy the final few bits and pieces for Tyler's grandparents who he recently found out were also coming to Christmas at Kelly's.

Tyler hated presents therefore, as promised, Josh hadn't bought him one and told his family to do the same.

By lunch Josh had completed the stack of wrapping, and carried the different shaped boxes to the car.

He was going to see Tyler, then go straight to Kelly's to drop off the presents and attend the evening Church service with Tyler's family.

It took him three journeys but eventually he managed to cram all the gifts into the trunk and the back seat.

He began the drive the normal route to Campbell like usual, but as he saw the exit he stayed on the highway instead.

Josh wasn't exactly sure what he was doing or where he was going but he carried on driving regardless, the radio turned off.

He knew he should turn back and head for the hospital but for some reason he couldn't will himself to actually stop driving further and further away from Tyler.

It wasn't until 10 minutes later that he realised he was autopilot driving to the town where he had grown up. He finally came off the highway and drove the familiar streets with no plan, trying to figure out why he had subconsciously brought himself there.

As he drove past a florist, he quickly decided to park and buy some flowers for Debby.

Less than 5 minutes later he was driving towards the street he had once lived on, with a bunch of pink peonies on his passenger seat.

Whenever he usually bought flowers for Debby he would place them on her grave, but for some unknown reason Josh decided that today he would deliver them straight to her parents.

The Ryan's lived directly opposite the Dun's, and Josh had spent a large proportion of his life in their home. Debby's parents, Missy and John, had been like parents to Josh too.

When Josh's family kicked him out for being bi, they took him in. He was only told to leave when his own parents had found out what they had done and convinced them that he was evil. Josh wasn't sure whether they truly held that same belief, all he knew was that he was told to get out.

Josh wasn't sure why exactly he was going to see them; he was aware that he would be very close to his family and there was a risk of getting hurt, but he did it anyway. He also wasn't sure how they would react to seeing him. He hadn't seen them since the morning before her death.

Josh had loved, and still continued to love, Debby very much. They were inseparable as toddlers, and that theme carried on as they grew up.

It wasn't until they became freshmen that people started to make comments about the fact they were opposite genders. Josh had never thought of Debby in that way, but as 9th grade came to a close he started to notice just how beautiful she really was.

Despite realising that he had a crush on her that summer, he didn't pluck up the courage to ask her out until a couple of weeks into sophomore year. At first she thought he meant go to the movies as mates, like they did all the time, but once he explained his true intentions she giggled then agreed.

The date went really well in spite of Josh's nerves, and they immediately agreed to go on another and then another and then another. It was on their fourth date that they kissed and agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend.