Fleurs Captives (Joshler)

54. White Poppy

White Poppy:
meaning- consolation, dreams, peace

***Trigger warning for PTSD, slight dysphoria, and brief mentions of miscarriage.***

Start the song. It's Slack Jaw (Echo Mountain Sessions) by Sylvan Esso.

When Josh slipped out of a dream he couldn't remember, he found his boyfriend still beside him, his forehead pressed against Josh's as he snored quietly. He had one arm wrapped protectively around Josh and the other tucked beneath his cheek. Josh smiled, soothing his fingers softly through Tyler's hair as he eased himself awake. The corners of Tyler's lips twitched up into a smile as he slept, sniffling in place of a snore as he scooted closer to Josh in his sleep. Josh loved the way Tyler's dark eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks.

Josh didn't look up when he heard Jordan roll over in his bed across the room, simply pressing a featherlight kiss to Tyler's lips as he continued to play with his hair. That made Tyler smile in his sleep too, but this time he mumbled out, "Mmm Josh." That made Josh beam.

"I'm here," he whispered to Tyler, who smiled in his sleep once again.

His boyfriend grunted quietly before slurring out, "Bunnies make bad hats. Keep wigglin'. Gotta use somethin' else, Josh."

Josh grinned, stroking Tyler's temple softly with his thumb. "What about chipmunks?" He whispered back amusedly.

"Too small. You got a big head," Tyler grumbled out in his sleep. "Gotta be...gotta be snatterpillars."

"Snatterpillars?" Josh asked with a smirk.

Tyler hummed. "Mmmmhm."

"Okay. We can have snatterpillar hats," Josh decided, trying not to laugh as he said the words.

Tyler smiled in his sleep. "Mmmmkay."

Josh just kept playing with Tyler's hair, letting him dream about snatterpillar hats for as long as he could. He occasionally pressed gentle kisses against Tyler's skin or smiled at Tyler's mumbling and snoring, but he mostly just allowed himself to enjoy being next to Tyler.

The clock by Josh's bed said that it was only five in the morning, but he was wide awake. He wasn't sure what had woken him up, but he felt comfortable and well-rested. The same was apparently true for his boyfriend, who kept talking in his sleep and snuggling closer to Josh.

Suddenly the smaller boy smiled widely in his sleep and mumbled out, "S'cute, Josh. Y'look cute, baby."

Warmth flooded Josh's entire body. "You're cuter," he whispered back.

Tyler let out a quiet "harrumph" before mumbling irritably, "Imma goat, Josh."

Josh couldn't stop himself from laughing, causing Tyler to wake up dazedly. Jordan sat up too, looking around in confusion as Josh buried his face in his pillow and laughed hysterically.

"What's wrong?" Jordan asked in tired confusion.

"Dunno," Tyler mumbled back, touching Josh's back softly. "Are you laughing or crying?"

Josh lifted his head to look at Tyler, but that only made him laugh harder. His boyfriend looked like he was vexed between feeling confused and entertained. Jordan and Tyler let Josh laugh until he could calm down, seeming unsure if this was a good laugh or a Josh-has-lost-his-mind laugh.

Finally, Josh could speak. He told Tyler, "You were talking in your sleep and being cute, so I started to answer you, and you could hold a conversation. You said I was cute, so I said you were cuter, and you got really offended and said you were a goat." Then Josh was laughing again.