Headspace // Joshler

ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇ ᴍᴇ

The car ride is short, Tyler is silent, Josh is too. They don't really feel like talking at the moment. The silence is somewhat comforting for both of them. Tyler needs space to reflect and Josh processes what happened a few moments before. Close. So close, their breaths mixing, heartbeats going in synch. And it all felt so right even though it shouldn't have. It was their first date, Tyler's actions felt rushed but god damn, his lips were so warm and welcoming. Why did it feel so right?

Finally. Tyler parks his car. The ride had slowly started turning tedious. Josh is happy to finally be able to stretch his legs. The only thing the boy is not very content with is leaving the comfort of Tyler's warm car.

The curly-haired boy's heartbeat speeds up when he sees where the small black car had been parked and all the troubling thoughts melt away almost instantly. His warm eyes fill with excitement, small hand gripping tighter onto the older man's over the center console. Josh's eyes quickly shoot over to Tyler, a bright smile on his face. Pure bliss, childish excitement.

"The fair?" Joshua gasps as the brunet opens the door for him. He had already hopped out to open the door for his date.

"Indeed it is," Tyler replies, quickly linking his fingers with Josh's softer ones.

His thumb caresses the back of the boy's hand, Tyler feels Josh shaking. With anxiety or excitement, Tyler doesn't dare to ask. Both of their hands are cold, Tyler's are slightly warmer, perhaps because he's dressed slightly warmer than the younger boy. Tyler wonders if the cold nipping at his soft skin bothers the boy. Josh's reddened knuckles scream for help but the boy seems unbothered. Tyler opens his mouth with the intention of offering Josh his gloves but the boy jolts forward making Tyler bite his tongue.

The two start walking, Tyler speeds up a bit to match Josh's pace. The boy would run if Tyler wasn't holding him. They were both equally as excited but Josh's steps are a tad more rushed than the older man's. Tyler feels like he's walking with an excited puppy.

The fair bursts with artificial light. The tiny bulbs are everywhere, every shape and form. Every both has different lighting and decorations, overlapping, plastered on messily, competing against each other. Everyone wants to be the brightest, the most vibrant. The smells and the sounds mix into one, shuffling, morphing into one colourful masquerade over Josh's head. The incoherent muffled chattering of the people is suddenly drowned out by the electricity buzzing inside the wires as it travels at the speed of light, supplying each and every booth.

Josh's head is spinning, tingles running up and down his body. He feels Tyler's hand clutching his stronger. From all the colourful things at the fair, the Ferris wheel is the most prominent. Looming over everything and everyone, it spins lazily, small reflections bouncing around the environment making it look even more chaotic.

Joshua is caught up in watching the Ferris wheel and many other smaller rides that he doesn't even notice his date had already bought the pricey tickets. Josh is brought back by a tight tug on his small wrist as Tyler ties a neon green park bracelet around it.

He focuses on the older man's hands as he carefully clips the plastic together, not too tight and not too loose. Just right. Josh can tell that he tries really hard to make sure it was comfortable enough, readjusting it a few times. It's quite cute, honesty. Josh feels a sudden tightness in his chest when the man's eyes capture his, gazes meeting for a few seconds before Josh glances away shyly. The unexplained tightness slowly passes and the boy breathes freely again.

The curly-haired boy's eyes widen with joy when he sees a game he's never played before. The boy had his fair share of fair games even though he grew up kinda poor. His parents always tried to get at least one ticket to five different games. He pokes Tyler's shoulder, trying to get his attention. It's quite easy since the man doesn't take his eyes off his date for more than ten seconds.

"Can we go over there?" Josh points at the small booth with a well-lit sign that reads 'Knife Toss'. Before Tyler can even get in a response as simple as a head nod, Joshua pulls him quickly like a little kid.

Tyler reads the rules before turning around to Joshua, explaining the game. It's quite obvious but the man recites it again, giving Josh instructions in a sugary voice. He feels like protecting the boy, he had this giddy vibe to him that makes the man's brain manifest butterflies and rose gardens around him.

Josh cannot stay still, he stares at the small knife in Tyler's hands. Its rounded edges are quite blunt for a good knife but sharp enough to wedge into hardwood if you throw it hard enough.

Tyler slowly runs his finger along the rounded edge. He tilts it slightly in the light, the glint it gives off nearly blinding. He quickly glances at the target and notices how hard you'd have to throw to achieve anything.

"Here," Tyler says as he drops enough money on the small table for four shots.