keep it up ↠ joshler ✔

14

:::

tyler's eyes slowly opened, but he wasn't yet able to comprehend where he was. he shuffled a bit, trying to re-position himself in a way that was comfortable, but when looking up found that josh was gone. so was his couch. and his apartment in general.

"no no no..." he mumbled to himself, noticing that he was back in the room with the colorful shapes again. he sat up, folding his knees close to his chest and rubbing his head, clenching his eyes tightly closed in hopes of escaping this room.

he involuntarily rocked back and forth, still holding his knees, muttering inaudible words to himself. however, he was stopped by a voice emerging from the darkness spoke up.

"look at you... you're pathetic."

tyler snapped his head up, and his eyes met not-tyler once again. his 'twin' who had been popping up in his head ever since the hospital. he wasn't uncommon anymore, besides in dreams. usually, not-tyler would just be a voice in tyler's head, ridiculing him on even the smallest things. tyler named him blurryface, for even though his face was only slightly out of focus, it just didn't feel right.

"what... what d-do you w-want?" tyler stuttered, his voice cracking and weak. "why d-did you bring me b-back here?"

"i'm not the one who came here, tyler. i just live here, you're the one who showed up."

tyler didn't respond, just looked back down at the ground, helpless.

"what are you doing?" blurryface asked, raising an eyebrow. "talking with that josh again, sleeping on him, telling him about your songs, you know he doesn't even like you."

"t-thats..."

"it's true, you know that. you tell it to yourself every time you hang out with him, don't you?"

"n-no..."

"aww, that's cute, you're still in denial." blurry said, walking in slow circles around the other boy, who was just blinking back tears. the mere memory of the old dream, the one in the hospital, triggered terrifying memories for him, so the fact that he was back? it was, at least, hard to handle.

"tyler, josh hates you. i know it personally, too. do you want proof?"

tyler stayed silent, but picked up his head when another set of footsteps was heard walking in.

it was josh. his josh.

"tyler, don't listen to him, you know i don't hate you, he's lying, are you okay?" josh cried out, running over and hugging the broken tyler the second his eyes landed on him.

tyler sniffed after josh hugged him, and let the first of many tears roll down his cheek.

"josh, i-"

suddenly, a third person entered the room. he was barely recognizable at first, but upon closer inspection, tyler realized who it was.

it was josh. another josh.

he just looked... different. instead of ghostly pale skin, this josh was tanned. he had a much better posture, his eyes were spilling with liveliness, and he had a noticeably lighter step.

"hello tyler." he said, waving cutely.

tyler stopped crying. he looked from the josh holding him to the other josh standing on the side of the bed.

"there's something wrong here."

tyler gently pushed real josh off him.

"i- i'll be b-back..." tyler muttered.