I Saw You In The Water [Joshler]

Twenty øne 🐚

"Josh!" Tyler tried grabbing onto the man "Josh wait!"

Tyler desperately tried to hold the man back but he slipped out of his arms and ran off towards the ocean. The fair was located on the piers so it was easy getting to the beach. Tyler's feet moved rapidly across the sand filled strip of land that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Josh, even with his new ability to walk was incredibly fast. Tyler, who was fairly athletic and used to run marathons during the school year couldn't catch up to him. Tyler inhaled shallow ragged breaths and concentrated all of his energy on this one task, catching Josh which was impossible since Josh had a ten feet headstart.

"Josh!" Tyler exhaled harshly, he felt his lungs start to burn, he was really out of shape "Josh!"

They were having a nice evening but after the fireworks ended Josh demanded to get down from the Ferris wheel and as soon as his feet touched the ground he started walking really fast, Tyler had a hard time catching up with him and finally, Josh let go of Tyler's hand and started running without even saying a word. Tyler would've lost Josh out of his sight but the boy knew exactly where Josh was going. He wanted to go back into the ocean. No matter how hard Tyler tried to convince Josh to stay the man was having none of it.
Tyler almost tripped over his own feet. The boy stumbled forward without losing his balance but in the end, he ended up falling into the sand. The boy quickly got up and dusted off his pants. He stared at the silhouette of a man who now stood still with his toes digging into the damp sand as the waves crashed against his skin calmly. Tyler didn't run anymore when Josh stopped. He was looking the other way, Tyler didn't see Josh's face but from his slightly clenched fists and shaking shoulders Tyler knew that he was crying. The boy decided to approach him slowly but by the time he got to Josh the man started walking into the ocean.

"Josh, please, wait!" Tyler grabbed onto Josh but that didn't stop the man from going deeper into the water "Josh!"

Tyler was almost in tears, Josh's face showed no emotion apart from his glossy reddened eyes and glistened cheeks. Josh shrugged Tyler's hand off and stepped a few steps forward. The water was cold and the way it hit against Tyler's skin made him clench his jaw painfully but it was the least of his worries. Now he had to stop Josh from drowning himself because he didn't have any gills no more, no tail, no webbed fingers, no scales. He was a human with a weird eye and glowing skin.

Josh didn't realize that or maybe he didn't care, he wanted to go home, into the ocean. He didn't care that he could drown, he didn't care that Tyler was crying, trying to drag him back. The salty cold water had soaked Tyler, he was submerged into the water waist deep and it was getting hard to move with the waves swaying him to all sides. He tripped over something slippy and his mouth filled with cold nasty water. The boy shook his head as he coughed, salty tears ran down his cheek as he desperately tried to drag Josh back. He didn't listen, the man was in a trance, his gaze was locked on the line where the sky ended and the ocean began.

The noise of the fair was left far behind, it was only a mass of flickering lights in the distance, muffled, distant chattering had merged into one quiet hum but the sound of the waves had drowned it out. The only sounds that echoed in the empty beach was water splashing and quiet shaky sobs as Tyler tried to drag Josh back on land. The man was like a emotionless doll enchanted to only go forward.

"Tyler, let me go. " Josh finally spoke after a long stretch of silence

"No! " Tyler screamed, tears spilling down his cheeks

"Tyler, I don't belong here. " Josh's voice was cold "I wanna go home. "

"You don't belong there either. " Tyler sobbed still tugging at Josh's arm "You're not a merman anymore. "

Those words were enough to help Josh snap out of his trance. He flinched and looked at his hands that didn't have the webs of skin between his fingers like he was used to. Josh stared at his hand and then at Tyler He noticed the tears in the boy's eyes, the pain in his face.

"Josh, come home with me. " Tyler muttered feeling the salty taste of the ocean on his tongue "Come home with me. "

"It's n-not my home. " Josh's voice faltered "I wanna go back to momma, I wanna go back to the ocean. "

Tyler's expression shifted, it was the face of a person who was on the very edge of giving up and letting it all go. Tyler's grip loosened as well, it was exhausting to keep trying to move the immovable.

Tyler didn't know what do do, he wanted Josh to love him, to listen to him. They promised to be each other's forever. Tyler's lip wobbled again, he laced his fingers with Josh's in the last attempt to drag the man back. Tyler's arm snaked around the man's waist. He brought Josh's knuckles up to his lips and kissed them softly. The ring glistened in the moonlight but it was nothing compared to both of their eyes.

"Josh, I love you. " Tyler whispered staring Josh in the eyes "And I want you to come home with me. "

Josh shook his head but didn't push Tyler off. He struggled to find words to express his longing for the sea, Tyler couldn't understand, he was a human. Josh's heart was ripping itself apart trying to decide between Tyler and the sea. He loved both of them way too much to choose one over each other.

"It's not my home, Tyler. " Josh said, his eyebrows slowly curving upward as he felt love for Tyler defeat his love for the ocean

Tyler pressed Josh's hand against his chest. Josh sighed seeing the ring on Tyler's finger.

"Then make it your home. " Tyler whispered, his lips slowly moving towards Josh's "Make it our home. "

"I-" Josh bit his lip anxiously, his love for Tyler was too strong and the adoration he felt for the ocean was slowly starting to fade as Josh stared into Tyler's eyes.

"We'll make it our home. " Tyler whispered, his lips touched Josh's softly "Let me take you home, love. "

A crooked smile appeared on Josh's face. He lifted his head up, his wet ocean curls falling onto his forehead as he proceeded to wrap his arm around Tyler's frame.

"Take me home. "