Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ✔️

52

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"I want to stay in love with my sorrow, oh, but God, I want to let it go."

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On the last evening of his hospital stay, Tyler sat cross-legged on the bed with Josh by his side as they stared out the window. Just beyond the glass, everything seemed so much more... vibrant and colorful than usual.

The sky was on fire.

"I never knew how much I appreciated sunsets until I didn't see them anymore," Tyler said softly. "We had windows in our rooms in Dema but you couldn't see much because of the walls."

"But you helped them see the sunsets again. Remember when we talked about that on the plane?"

Tyler nodded. "I do." He leaned his head on Josh's shoulder, immediately calmed down by the echo of his heartbeat. "I can't wait to come home tomorrow."

"Me too. Cheetah and I have been patiently awaiting your return." Josh smiled. "He's getting longer, you know. I measured him yesterday and he's just over 20 inches now."

"Aw, my big baby. He'll need a bigger pet bed soon." Tyler smiled at the thought of his feline friend. "Both of you are my heroes."

"Well, you've always been my hero." Josh kissed Tyler's forehead, a sweet smile on his face.

"Dork," Tyler mumbled. "Thank you, Josh. That really means a lot to me."

"Of course. You mean a lot to me... oh gosh, let me stop before I get all mushy." Josh chuckled. "I love you, sweet boy."

"Aw, I love you too." Tyler giggled a little. "Joshua?"

"Yes, my love?"

Tyler held his hand up to his mouth, teeth biting down on the tip of his thumb. "I dunno... you're just looking cuter than usual tonight."

"Oh, I'm glad you noticed. I put on extra "cute" after I took a shower earlier." Josh gave him a playful smile.

"Silly goose."

"You seem to be in a good mood tonight."

"I guess so. I'm still a little nervous about what you told me earlier, though."

Earlier that afternoon, Josh had received an email from the Time Keeper Database saying that Nico's sentencing had been scheduled for next Monday. It was unexpected, but good news to hear after everything that had happened.

"How's your statement going?" Josh asked. "I know you said you wanted to work on it while I was gone."

Tyler shrugged a little. "I have about half of it done. But I had to stop writing because the memories got really bad and you weren't here to keep me from spiraling." He took his hand away from his face and let it rest on Josh's knee instead. "Fynn called and told me Oli was having a hard time writing his statement out, so he let me talk to him for a while. He started crying, though, and it made me really sad because I know how much pain Nico put him through."

Josh nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. "Oliver has been through a lot. Both of you have. And I just want you to know how proud I am of you for having the courage to face Nico again. I... I don't know how you can do it, honestly." He looked away and sighed. "I can't even think about my dad without wanting to punch him in the face for betraying you to Gabriel. Nico did so much more than that and you're still going through with everything."

"It's hard to face someone who hurt you so badly. I'm scared, Josh. I really am. But I want to do this in honor of those who didn't make it out of Dema and also for the next generation of Keepers to come. We may have to deal with the scars but at least we can give them a chance at a better future." Tyler took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "And J? You are courageous. I admire you in so many ways."