Revamped

twenty eight (part 1)

"I'm just saying, cherry-flavored lube is one thing," Brendon paused to put his hand over his heart and closed his eyes, looking transported. "But Jolly Rancher cherry flavor-"

His words ended in a groan that Tyler wasn't entirely sure was faked.

"Bden, shut up," Josh muttered, focused on his phone with Tyler snuggled in between his legs while he rested against the arm of the couch. They'd been like that all morning, after the small brunette had been up the previous night with a headache that made his eyes hurt.

Tyler smiled faintly, resting his cheek against the pink-haired man's chest and closing his eyes as he listened to his heartbeat. It was slow, maybe a bit slower than he'd expected it to be, but it was there.

He even started to drift off, finally relaxing enough to maybe get a small nap, but Josh's soft voice broke the spell.

"Are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and tilted up his head to gaze at Josh, who was watching him with the smallest frown, his brow crinkled in concern.

" 'm fine," he mumbled half-heartedly, closing his eyes again and sighing. "Just don't feel so good, I guess."

Fingers pushed through his hair, making him hum contentedly as he buried himself deeper against the man. The touch felt nice, his headache lessening the smallest bit with the gentle massage to his scalp.

"Just putting it out there," came the distant voice of Brendon, sounding amused. "You guys are disgusting."

"Up yours," Tyler mumbled, making Josh and Brendon laugh.

The fingers abruptly pulled from his hair and he whined in protest, but Josh just frowned, saying "C'mon, I want to talk to Allison. You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine," he whimpered, but the man was relentless. He pushed Tyler upwards enough that he was able to slip off the couch, and the small brunette curled up in his newly-vacated spot, sighing at the warmth. "I just want to lay here.."

The man crossed his arms, leveling him with a stern look that Tyler studiously ignored, closing his eyes as his headache returned full-force, now accompanied by the turning of his stomach.

"Seriously Tyler," Josh released one arm to reach down and brush his fingertips across the boy's forehead, his eyes widening. "I think you're running a fever."

Tyler felt hands grip either side of his waist and heft upward, making him gasp, nausea rushing through him so fast he got dizzy, crying out "S-stop! I don't-"

He clapped a hand over his mouth as Josh quickly released him, stumbling in his sudden hurry towards the bathroom, but he'd barely made it inside when he got sick all over the floor.

Mortified, he blindly shut the door behind him and shakily stepped over his mess, falling to his knees in front of the commode and gagging once more.

A knocking at the door made him groan, holding back the rest of his stomach as he growled weakly "Josh, stay out."

Instead of heeding his order, the doorknob twisted and the door opened enough for Josh to slip in, making the boy simply groan again and drop his head to rest on his arms on the seat of the toilet.

"You're allowed to be sick, you know," Josh said from behind him, making Tyler's already fever-flushed cheeks burn hotter because he was definitely seeing the- ugh, the mess that he'd left everywhere. "It's not such a big deal."