Curiosity {Joshler}

36. Visible - Able to be seen.

The next two weeks passed like the others, although there were some differences.

The main difference, obviously, was that Tyler and Josh didn't sit next to each other all proper and polite when Tyler visited. They cuddled up against each other, snuggled close laid down next to each other on the roof of the vessel. There were lots of innocent, casual touches--holding hands, a light touch on the shoulder, and hugs. There were lots of kisses, too--on the lips, the cheek, the nose, the forehead. Josh seemed to love covering Tyler in kisses, and Tyler certainly loved receiving them.

There were differences in how Tyler acted at home, too. He started wearing all of his high-collared, long-sleeved shirts, even though it was summer, to cover any bruises Josh gave him. The bruises on his face, Tyler covered with concealer, save for the ones on his lips. He left them the way they were, continuing with the story that they were lipstick. He even applied a bit of chapstick some days, just to convince himself.

Josh did his best to avoid leaving bruises where they would be clearly visible, but sometimes he couldn't help it. Occasionally, he'd leave a bruise on Tyler's neck, from kisses. He did his best to be gentle, always, so as not to hurt Tyler more than he had to, but the bruises still showed themselves. Tyler usually covered the neck bruises with concealer and hoped for the best.

As far as he knew, nobody saw the bruises, and nobody really questioned him about the lipstick thing. He worried, still, but since nobody had confronted him, he felt that the secret was probably safe.

Working on the farm was a little more difficult than usual. His body, riddled with bruises from all the cuddles and kisses, grew tired easily. While it didn't ache like it used to in the beginning, Tyler's body would start to get sore and tired after a lot of physical exercise.

One afternoon, Tyler went with Zach to check the sheep water in the four fields. After only checking the troughs in the first and second fields, Tyler was so tired he thought he might pass out.

Looking worried, Zach had glanced back to his brother, who was a few steps behind him. "Are you alright?"

Tyler gritted his teeth and took a breath. "Yeah. Couldn't be better."