Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ✔️

17

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"I wish I'd stayed inside my mother, never to come out."

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"Ba-a-by... Ty-Gu-u-y... love bu-u-g..."

When Tyler opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a finger poking him in the side. Turning over, his eyebrows furrowed a little when he saw Josh sitting next to him with a tray of food in his lap.

"Joshua?" Tyler rubbed at his eyes, a confused look on his face. "Weren't you just singing a Sixpence None The Richer song?"

Josh chuckled, loving the way Tyler's voice cracked a little with every other word. "That was about... four hours ago, babe."

Tyler looked surprised. Had he really been asleep for that long? "Jeez... what time is it?"

"Almost 10:00AM. Or, to be more specific, it's breakfast time!" Josh leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Breakfast in bed for the cutest Keeper ever."

Tyler's face lit up as he looked at the spread in front of him. A cup of coffee, scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon and two pieces of toast with jelly. "Whoa. You made all of this for me?"

"Of course. Eat as much as you can, okay? No pressure at all to finish everything."

Tyler gave him an appreciative smile. With each day that went by, eating got a little easier, though he still wasn't all the way there yet. "I'll try. Eggs are good protein, yeah? Maybe it'll help fill in my rib cage a little." He chuckled. "I'm so bony."

"It takes time, sweetheart. Your body has been through a lot." Josh stroked the side of his face. "And besides, I like you no matter what size you are. As long as you're happy and healthy."

Tyler put a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Thank you, Josh." After a few moments of chewing, he cleared his throat. "Don't take this the wrong way, but what did I do to deserve breakfast in bed?"

"I wanted today to be special for you. It's... Happy Tyler Day!"

Tyler giggled, nearly choking on his eggs in the process. "Oh my gosh, that's so cute."

"Not as cute as you." Josh smiled and kissed Tyler on the cheek. "Alright, let me stop before I start getting all mushy."

"Too late." Tyler smiled back before picking up a piece of toast and shoving it in Josh's mouth. "Share some of this with me, Mr. Mushy."

Josh took a bite off the toast, chuckling a little at Tyler's antics. He didn't have the heart to tell him he'd already ate breakfast, but he knew Tyler was just doing it to avoid wasting any food that he couldn't eat, so he went along with it.

Anything to help his baby boy feel more confident.

"So what's in store for Happy Tyler Day?" Tyler asked, a curious look on his face.

"I was thinking we could use some art therapy. Have you ever painted pottery?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Let's check it out then! After that, I want to take you someplace nice for lunch."

Tyler's face lit up. "So, like a date?"

"Exactly." Josh ran his hand through Tyler's hair. "I need to take you out on proper dates, like any boyfriend would."

"My boyfriend," Tyler voiced before laughing a little. "It feels so weird saying that. Even before Keeper Training School, I never had a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"Well, that's a shame." Josh took another bite. "Because I think you're the most gorgeous human being ever to exist on Planet Earth."

Tyler blushed. "Aw, well, I think you're the most amazing guy ever. Aside from Fynnley, of course." He stuck his tongue out at him, making Josh laugh. "Thanks to you being so sweet to me earlier this morning, I didn't have any more bad dreams." He leaned his head on Josh's shoulder. "I'm so happy you're here, J."