STRANGERS » JOSHLER

s i x t e e n [ii]

so cara (aka shamelessc aka one of my fave authors on watty) voted on this and i'm screaming 

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"We're here." Tyler announces, parking the car at the parking lot of a strip mall. There's a small diner called Katherine's, a store called Trend Setters. There are other shops too, but they seem out of business – or well, close to it. Josh is surprised to actually see people there. Like, where do they live? He can't spot any houses nearby.

"Wait," Josh says, making Tyler look at him, "we need to get you in comfy clothes."

"I am comfortable?" Tyler says even though it comes out as a question. Even though Josh loves the sight of the golden skin underneath as the top few buttons are open, the heat is only starting and Josh knows he'll be all sweaty and smelly by the end of the day.

"You're sweating, Tyler." Josh says, and Tyler smirks.

"Are you implying that I should take off my shirt? Real clever." 

"Psh, no." Josh scoffs, "Let's go."

"Alrighty." They both get out of the car and after locking it, make their way to Trend Setters.

What a great name, Josh thinks sarcastically, Does anyone even shop here? 

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Tyler asks out loud, eyes scanning the seemingly empty store. "Huh, looks pretty dead to me." Josh nods at Tyler's words and walks further into the store, his eyes looking around.

He goes through racks of clothes and his eyes land on a red, plaid shirt. Holding it up in one hand, he turns back, "Hey, how about th –"

Tyler looks at him, and then at the shirt in his hand, and then to the one in his own, the one that held the very same shirt Josh did, just a few sizes bigger maybe. They both laugh. 

His face breaks into a grin, "We chose the same ones." His eyes lit up, "We should both wear it! It'll be like those couple shirts and – " 

"What is going on in here?" A loud  voice booms, cutting off Tyler's statement and making both heads snap towards the front. A short, old man stands there, wearing brown pants and a loose white shirt and he has a very pissed off expression on his face. 

"Oh, hello, sir." Tyler's voice slips into that business-like one, "We're just looking for some clothes to buy." He holds up the plaid shirt as if to get his point through. "Do you sell shoes too, sir?" 

The man eyes them both down once more before grumbling. He points a finger to the back and leads the way, Tyler following. When Tyler and the man are in the back, Josh's eyes go through the items near the cash register on display. There's gum, candy, some necklaces and stuff like that. But what catches Josh's eyes is the polaroid camera. Josh is pretty sure he can see a layer of dust covering it, but he doesn't care; he's always wanted one.

"Hey." Tyler appears beside him. His eyes follow Josh's gaze and they land on the camera, "you want something?"

"Huh? No, it's nothing." Josh shakes his head and his eyes bulge out of their sockets when he looks at Tyler.

Tyler flashes a toothy grin, "Like what you see, Dun?" He asks, and Josh gulps nodding. To say he looked good would be the biggest understatement of the 21st century.

He'll never get used to Tyler in casual clothing.

"They don't have clean, plaid t-shirts," Tyler states, shaking his head, "so I figured it'll be better if I just wear it like this."