Fleurs Captives (Joshler)

21. Forget-Me-Not

Forget-Me-Not:
meaning- I will never forget you.

***Trigger warnings for a panic attack, misgendering, and slight dysphoria.***

Start the song. It's A Marvelous Persona by Nicole Dollanganger.

The orchard was silent apart from the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees as Tyler ran his fingers through Josh's darkened hair. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Josh's hand as they rested on a blanket in the orchard. Josh's head rested on Tyler's stomach as he watched a bird hop along the ground beneath an apple tree, pecking at the ground occasionally in search of food.

"Do you want me to tell my dad about what's going on in your house yet?" Tyler asked quietly, his tone both hopeful and doubtful.

"No," Josh whispered, still dejectedly watching the bird. "Is my last name Porter?" He added offhandedly.

"What? No. That's his last name. Yours is Dun with one n," Tyler replied worriedly. "Did you forget that?"

"Yeah," Josh whispered distractedly. He rested his hand on Tyler's hipbone lightly atop his shirt, turning his head to look at the younger boy. "What's Papa's full name?"

"He says his name is Abel Porter, but that could be a lie," Tyler said quietly.

"Does your phone work out here?" Josh asked, reaching a hand out to stroke Tyler's cheek softly.

Tyler smiled briefly at the touch and shuffled his phone out of his pocket. He checked it before saying, "I don't have a ton of service, but yeah."

"Can you search Rowan and Juniper Porter?" Josh asked curiously, his stomach twisting at the idea of Papa finding out he was doing this.

"Sure," Tyler replied easily as he started to type. "I don't think any of the past girls would be listed under their plant names though."

"They aren't past girls. They're Papa's sons," Josh informed Tyler in a whisper despite no one being anywhere near them.

Tyler froze. "What?"

"He had sons before he started taking girls. Their names were Rowan and Juniper. He likes me because I remind him of Juniper," Josh said, the sick feeling in his stomach only increasing at the thought of Papa only seeing him as a stand-in for his last curly-haired son.

Tyler was typing quickly. He let out a huff. "Nothing."

"Okay," Josh replied, closing his eyes. He didn't feel as if he'd lost any hope from that response. There was none left to lose.

The other boy was quiet for a moment before he tentatively said, "I can't find them, but I found your mom's phone number the other night if you want to call and tell her where you are."

Every muscle in Josh's body tensed as he looked at Tyler with wide eyes. "My mom?"

Tyler nodded, looking timid. "She gave it to the media in case anyone could tell her anything about where you were. I found it. I don't know if it's still her number or if it's even still connected but-"

"I want to try it," Josh whispered, not sure if he really believed the words.

"Are you sure, Josh?" Tyler asked carefully.

Josh sat up, shifting on the blanket so he was facing Tyler, who also sat up. He nodded tentatively. Tyler hesitated before nodding too, going to the contacts in his phone and clicking on the name "Laura Dun." He handed the phone to Josh, giving him the authority to decide if and when he was ready.