Saccharine //joshler [✔️]

twenty 🍼

(you answered, i deliver. enjoy these next three chapters and i'll be back sometime next week ❤️)

it's saturday and both boys have the day off. the plan was for them to meet dallon, brendon, and ryan at an ice cream parlor, but ryan ended up getting sick. even though tyler is deeply upset that his friends can't go, josh assures him that they will still have lots of fun.

that's where they are now: getting ice cream. it's sweltering outside but tyler insists they sit at a picnic table shaded by a large umbrella once they order their ice cream. josh orders for both of them: a peanut butter sundae for himself and a cookies and cream waffle cone for tyler.

tyler politely thanks the teenager behind the counter as she hands him his cone. he turns to follow josh, but manages to trip on a tiny bump in the blacktop.

he falls to the ground, dropping his ice cream in order to catch himself. his hands and knees get scraped in the process, and he's so hurt and so upset that he doesn't realize josh is already hovering over him.

the water works start instantly, of course. tyler cries hard and loud, holding out his palms for josh to look at. they're hardly even bleeding, just a little tiny dot in the center of each scrape. josh tries to tell his little this, but he's crying too loud. pretty much everybody is staring at this point, which only makes tyler more upset.

"babe, get up. you're alright," josh says, trying to pull the boy to his feet. he won't budge.

"my ice cream!" tyler whines, eyeing the splattered mess he made.

"i'll get you another one, okay? but you have to stop crying."

"n-no!" tyler sobs, furiously shaking his head. "don' wan' stupid ice cream!"

"tyler robert," josh mutters, anxiously glancing at everybody watching them. "get up, now."

"no!"

josh gulps, heart practically racing out of his chest. he hates having so many eyes on him at once, hates that tyler is causing such a big scene. "fine, sit there then."

he walks away, hearing little stomps trailing behind him a few moments later. sighing to himself, josh stops once they're at his car and out of everybody's sight. he leans against the passenger door, patiently waiting for tyler to storm his way over.

it's obvious that tyler is fuming: arms tightly crossed against his chest and jaw clenched tight. josh doesn't understand why he's so angry, though. he offered to buy another cone.

"what's wrong? why are you so upset?"

"let me in da car. don' wan' talk to you," tyler replies, giving josh a death stare. "wan' go home."

"not until you calm down. look, you aren't even hurt. i told you i'd get you another cone. what is the problem?" josh speaks calmly, crossing his arms to match tyler's stance.

"nothin'! wan' go home!" tyler raises his voice, trying to push the older out of the way so he can get in the car. josh doesn't even move an inch. "move it!"

"tyler, look at me. look at me."

the boy glares at him.