Headspace // Joshler

ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇs

utterflop and i have decided to dedicate this chapter to gotjoshdun (;
👀
Dallon is already at the counter, refilling the receipt paper. The man's forehead creasing as he tries to jam the roll into its place. Josh walks past the tall boy, hand gently brushing over his shoulder. The man inhales sharply, his shoulders tensing up from the touch. Josh places down his bag, stuffing the scarf inside promptly. Maybe the bruise on his neck goes unnoticed.

"Mornin'," Josh chirps, wrist his hands around the taller boy's waist

Dallon murmurs a quiet "good morning", his gaze avoiding Josh's. The boy doesn't think it's weird or rude. He hops onto the counter, butt resting on the edge as his legs lightly sway back and forth.

"Dude-" Dallon lifts his head up wanting to scold his friend

"I'm sorry," Josh hops down, taking the paper roll out of Dallon's hands "You're doing it wrong."

"I don't know how to change it," the man complains, rubbing his sore fingers

"It's not rocket science," Josh clicks the receipt paper in place "You just gotta twist and push. That's it."

"It's not that simple," Dallon whines "This thing is so old."

"We'll be getting a new model soon, suck it up," Josh's knuckles graze against Dallon's shoulder in a playful way "Until then, I'll be changing the paper, don't worry."

Dallons soft smile that was gracing his lips slowly drops. He stares Josh into his eyes but can't help his eyes from wandering on and fixating on the boy's neck. Dallon sees the love bite shining through the boy's concealer. It's not that visible but Dallon is observant. He eyes down the boy's bitten down lip and messy bed hair. Something slimy coils under the taller boy's heart and he can't stop something sarcastic roll off his tongue.

"Thanks..." Dallon rolls his eyes "My saviour."

Josh smiles at his friend's remark, not sensing the venom on his tongue. Dallon pushes past Josh, grazing his shoulder against the shorter boys in the process.

"Dallon!" Josh yaps, a giggle erupting from his chest "Careful."

The dark-haired boy doesn't respond, he's slamming a damp rag on top of the counter. Dallon scrubs the already spotless counter vigorously, teeth gritting as he moves his hand. Josh has an empty cup in his hand, pen spinning in his hand slowly as he ponders how many different ways there is to spell the name "Tyler" wrong.

"Hey, Dal?" Josh calls out

"Mhm..." the man responds, not lifting his head a bit

"How else could I misspell the name Tyler?" Josh bites the end of his pen

"I d-" Dallon bites his tongue realizing how harsh he's being

Josh doesn't notice that he keeps rambling happily, unaware of his friend's feelings.

"I spelled it as Taylor the first time and the second one but if I did that for the third time it would get old, ya know?" Josh beams

Dallon's jaw clenches, he wants to respond but if he opens his mouth he might hurt his friend and he doesn't want that. The green slimy snake under his heart is telling him otherwise.

"But if I spelled it with different letters like "Toiler" it wouldn't make sense because, man, who's stupid enough to spell it like that? Right? So I was thinking-"

"Josh, I don't care." Dallon stings, his tone cold and sharp

Josh bites his lip and shuts up. He inhales sharply, the boy's lip trembling for a few seconds before a soft smile lights his face.