keep it up ↠ joshler ✔

21

:::

the boys found themselves back at tyler's apartment three days later. the days had gotten colder and the air thicker, for it was nearly november already.

"hey, ty guy," josh said with a smirk, hiding something behind his back.

"yeah jishwa?"

"i, um, got you this, man," he responded, tossing tyler a box.

tyler tossed the box back on forth between his hands, inspecting it closely.

"you got this for me?" he asked, looking up at josh.

"yes, dummy, now open it.

"b-but, it's not my birthday, or christmas,"

"can't i just be nice? open it!"

the package was wrapped in a blue paper that matched josh's hair. it was almost too pretty to tear apart.

good thing tyler's curiosity got the best of him.

his fingers quickly ripped through the paper, not caring about the bits that fell onto the floor. what sat in his hands was a cardboard box.

"wow, a box! thanks, jish," he joked, looking at the boy opposite him.

"shut up already, that's like, the dad-est joke," josh smiled back, watching as tyler lifted open the lid.

the younger boy let out a gasp, letting the box fall as he held the new instrument in his hands.

"josh! you didn't!" he exclaimed in disbelief, feeling the ukulele and sliding his fingers against the new, white wood.

"d'you like it?"

tyler smiled, throwing himself onto josh and kissing him.

"i love it!"

"i'm glad." josh said, a smile on his face. "but that isn't the only thing i have for you."

"what do you mean?" tyler asked, playing around with the strings on his new instrument.

"it's not a gift, it's more like a.. proposition,"

"um, okay. as long as you don't ask me to join some sort of cult or something," tyler joked, a crooked smile on his face.

josh laughed awkwardly. "yeah.."

tyler's expression molded into one of confusion. "wait, were you actually going to ask me to join a cult?"

josh laughed. "no, it's not about that. i'm just.. kinda nervous."

"what do you have to be nervous about?" tyler asked.

"i think it'll be best to cut to the chase, um, tyler.."

"yes?" tyler said, smiling a little because he had an idea of where this was going.

"i know sometimes i disappear or fight with you about stupid things, but you're the best person i know. sometimes you can be a bit annoying, stubborn, stuck in your own ways,"

"i get it," tyler said, blushing.

"sorry. didn't mean to get sidetracked. um, my point was, you're an amazing human bean, and i wanted to ask if you'd be my boyfriend."

"are you crazy?" tyler asked.

josh coughed awkwardly. "if you want me to be."

tyler laughed. "of course i'll be your boyfriend. why were you so nervous?"

"i don't know, man," josh admitted, smiling down at the carpet beneath their feet, which was still covered in from glass and pieces of wood. "we should clean this place up, though."