Fleurs Captives (Joshler)

52. Arborvitae

Arborvitae:
meaning- everlasting friendship

Start the song. It's To Be Won by Good Morning.

Josh's head rested against Tyler's chest as they watched cartoons with Josh's siblings (mostly Abbie) in the living room. Tyler had his shirt on now, but he was still massaging Josh's back like he had been in Josh's bed. Tyler pressed soft kisses against Josh's forehead whenever his breathing became unsteady, and he never stopped holding Josh. His arms remained strong and steady as they kept Josh from falling apart.

Tyler's parents were talking to Josh's mom in the kitchen, which is how Josh found out that Tyler had had another nightmare about Debby the night before, and Maddy had peed the bed and refused to go back to sleep until she was allowed to climb into bed with Tyler. It was somewhat comforting for Josh to know that he wasn't the only one who was still struggling to sleep.

"I keep going to play with your hair and then remembering it's gone," Tyler told Josh quietly, making him smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

His boyfriend kissed his forehead again softly. "Hey, I'm not complaining. You already know how I feel about your haircut."

Josh smiled once again, nuzzling his nose against Tyler's jaw. "Mmhm. Couldn't forget that if I tried."

Tyler giggled, sliding his hands up the back of Josh's shirt as he continued to massage his back. "You're so cute."

When the doorbell rang, Abbie climbed off of the other couch and left to answer the door. Josh didn't lift his head off of Tyler's chest, sliding his hands beneath the hem of his shirt to soothe his fingertips along Tyler's sides.

Ashley was reading on the side of the couch that Abbie hadn't been occupying, and Jordan was sitting on the floor as he put new wheels on a skateboard that wasn't Josh's. The wheels were bright pink, and Josh thought they were pretty cool. Zack was watching the show disinterestedly in an arm chair with Maddy sleeping in his lap, and Jay was sitting beside Jordan and staring at the bright pink wheels in fascination.

Abbie didn't let whoever was at the door in before she closed the door and went into the kitchen, whispering something to their mother, who immediately left the kitchen and followed her youngest child into the entry room.

When Josh looked nervously to Ashley, she leaned over to peer around the doorframe at whoever had come to visit. Josh could hear distant voices in the other room, but he could only recognize his mom's and Abbie's. The other was completely foreign to him. Ashley waved at whomever it was before sitting back down and looking at her brother.

"It's one of your friends," she told Josh simply as she started to read again. "He brought you something, but Mom probably won't let him come in since you're still adjusting or whatever."

Tyler held Josh a little tighter when he felt Josh's muscles tense. "You're safe," he whispered to Josh, pressing another kiss to his forehead.

"One of my friends?" Josh asked his sister nervously.

She nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. He's cool. He drove us to school every day until I got my license and didn't let people talk shit about you at school. Plus he's been your best friend since you were like two."

Josh blinked at that information. "Oh. I don't remember," Josh admitted.

"That's okay," Ashley replied easily. "You'll probably love him when you meet him for the second time too. I'm pretty sure you'd sell any of us down the river in exchange for Brad."