band aids ↠ joshler ✔

t e n

1 year and 4 months

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"we're being moved?" josh asked, raising an eyebrow at gaspipe, who had just appeared in their doorway.

"yes. now get your clothes and follow your new guard,"

"what happened to dewees?"

"he quit. don't know why. just follow without question."

"but what about brendon? and dallon?"

"those two weirdos in the room next to you?"

"they're not weirdos, you prick." josh spit in annoyance.

gaspipe breathed out in a pissed-off huff, "you''ll still see them at open, but you'll be moved to a new room and a new lunch time."

"are we at least in the same ward?"

gaspipe lowered his eyebrows before sternly answering, "no.", then leaving.

as soon as he and tyler were alone in the room again, josh muttered, "shit. i liked this place."

tyler looked up, "why? it's lik-ke a p-prison cell in-n-n her-re."

josh shrugged, "i dunno, the window has a nice view."

"d-did your old r-room n-not have a w-window?"

josh froze, "um, yeah, but it was small." he lied. the only rooms that didn't have windows were in the criminal ward. by now, after being here for eight months, tyler knew that.

they each 'packed', which consisted of shoving ugly, grey informing into small cardboard boxes, then both sat on josh's bed side by side.

"w-why do you th-think we're b-being m-moved?" tyler asked, leaning his head on josh's shoulder like normal.

"i don't know. maybe someone new was admitted who needs this room more than we do." josh told him.

"m-makes sense."

it wasn't long before a new guard appeared in the doorway. however, this time he introduced himself.

"call me ray, c'mon, i'll take you to your room." he said with a smile, which surprised tyler and josh. neither had met any nice guards so far, so things were already looking a bit up.

josh hoped.

he tucked his box between his arm and his hip, and tyler did the same, allowing them to follow ray with hands together.

they exited the ward and passed countless types of rooms. rooms where the walls were covered in padding, rooms that looked like they belonged in normal hospitals, rooms that had nothing but a mattress set on the floor, and rooms that looked like they were taken straight out of hotels.

tyler and josh were led up staircases, around corners, and down hallways, until they finally stopped at the entrance of a ward.

acute care ward hung above their heads on a large sign.

"ray," josh said quietly, "why are we here? isn't this for like, short term stuff?"

"yeah," ray answered, his voice just breaking as he pushed hair out of his face, "but all the others were full. besides, these rooms are pretty nice because nobody stays in them for long."

"oh, uh, thanks." josh replied with a weak smile.

ray unlocked the closest door, and josh was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't shoved inside like usual.

the first thing that stuck out to tyler and josh was what was sitting right in front of the window, a large bunk bed, held together with metal rods and thin mattresses.

there was a small shelf on the wall, small flowers growing between the cracks in the concrete floors, and a door which must have lead to the bathroom.

overall, the place was bearable.

tyler threw his box on the top bunk, while josh reluctantly took the bottom.

of course, josh was disappointed in the bunk bed situation, but there was really nothing he could do about it. he was only slightly upset because tyler looked really cute while he slept.

"hope it's not too bad," ray said, "i'll get going now. lunch and therapy are at their normal times."

he said goodbye, then disappeared into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

josh sighed. he was about to shove his box under the bed, seeing as there wasn't much to do, but was suddenly interrupted when something hit the back of his head.

"sorry!" tyler called out, laughing and holding his nose. he was hanging upside down from the top bunk by his legs, and his nose must have accidentally collided with the back of josh's skull.

"dude, what the hell?" josh asked, laughing.

"t-taking advantage of the n-new b-bed situation, m-man." the brunet smiled.

"by breaking your own nose and giving me a concussion?"

"yeah, ob-bviously."

tyler swung down, sitting next to josh on the bottom bed.

"so, j-josh, is this wind-d-dow b-big enough for you?" he smiled, turning to the window.

"nah, still too small. i need a window that- no, you know what, i don't even want walls. just four windows. then i'll be content." josh joked, smirking at tyler.

"that's r-reasonable."

"i'd hope."

"you'd better."

"alright then."

"yep."

josh nodded, and the boys were met with two seconds of silence before josh spoke again,

"what the fuck kind of conversation was that?" he ask, bursting into dumb laughs.

tyler did the same, "we ar-r-re the weirdest p-people.", he giggled.

"probably." josh agreed.

tyler laid his head down on josh's pillow carelessly, and josh squeezed in next to him. both boys were basically hanging off the bed, but neither cared much.

tyler took josh's hand, the cotton band aids brushing against his fingers.

"you kn-now, j-josh," tyler said, "i r-really d-don't think i've b-been this m-mentally stable in y-years."

"well you are at a mental hospital to try and help,"

"yeah, b-but it's n-not just that... i think if i had-d anyone b-but you for a r-roomate, things would-d-dn't be so okay."

a small smile tugged at josh's lips, despite the looming reminder that he was the entire reason tyler wasn't okay in the first place whirring in his mind.

"i like having you as a roommate too, ty." he said.

tyler nestled his head into the crook of josh's neck, comfortably.

josh closed his eyes.

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A/N: a shorter, filler chapter, i know, but i really needed it to get this story going haha. anyway, it would mean a lot to me if you could comment, vote, or share this book if you're enjoying it :)