THE FOREST FIC ( Stay in place and sing a chorus )

And so the sobbing begins

Tyler's mom hasn't let him out of her sight since he told her he had sex with Josh.

He hopes Josh will understand why he hasn't been out to make amends yet.

His mom has only left his side to call a few people and to talk to his dad.

"I'm just going to go say hi to your siblings, okay?" his mom says, when they hear the garage door open. "I'll be right back."

Tyler nods slowly.

He can hear his mom greeting his brother and sister when there's a tap on the living room window. He looks out to see Josh standing there, waving cautiously.

Tyler runs to the window, opening it.

"Hi," he says cautiously.

"Come on," Josh says, gesturing out to the woods behind them.

Tyler bites his lip. "My mom'll freak out if she comes back and I'm not here," he says.

Josh sighs. "Please?" he says. "I'm sorry, Tyler. I didn't mean to yell. Please. I'm sorry."

Tyler sighs, looking out. "Fine," he murmurs, climbing out of the window.

"Hi," Josh says softly, cautiously taking his hand. "Can we talk?"

"Okay," Tyler says, and they walk, hand-in-hand, into the forest.

"I'm sorry that I blew up at you like that," Josh apologizes once they're safely hidden in the trees.

"I'm sorry I said I understood," Tyler says. "I don't understand. I don't know what I was thinking."

Josh smiles, C major lips a little sad. "Everybody's fucking sorry," he whispers, and Tyler leans in and kisses him.

Josh's eyes are closed when he pulls back, and he looks peaceful.

"Sing," he says, eyes still closed.

"What?" Tyler asks, taken aback.

"Sing," Josh repeats.

"What do you want me to sing?" Tyler says, bewildered.

Josh shrugs. "Something everyone would know."

"Um." Tyler pauses. For some reason, all he can think of is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Josh finally opens his eyes when Tyler finishes. "Thank you," he says.

"Sure," Tyler says.

They walk deeper into the forest, hands still clasped together.

"Have you ever noticed," Josh begins, squinting up at the darkening sky, "that when you squeeze your eyes together, everything changes?"

"Yeah," Tyler says. "Not dramatically, though. Just enough to be unnerving."

"Yeah." Josh snaps his fingers. "Like that- that guy. With the covered faces. Red-August-L name."

"Um," Tyler says, thinking. "Uh, René Magritte?"

"Yel- yes, him," Josh says. "Everything's not quite what it should be."