JOSH DUN VS THE WORLD ✓

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: RESURRECTION, BITCH!

YOU'VE DECIDED TO:
GIVE A HEART

+1 resurrection
-2 flaming swords
-1 heart
+7 self respect points

Josh wakes up on the ground, staring up at a bleach white sky. The sun is just a blinding white spot in the cloudless pale abyss above him, staring him down and cooking him alive.

He closes his eyes. Even with the heat beating down on him, he doesn't try to get up, he's too tired to move. After everything he's done, everything they've all done, it was for nothing. Maybe they weren't meant to be together.

"You gonna lay there, or are you going to fight?"

Tyler's voice causes him to opens his eyes again, his vision focusing like camera shutters on a familiar face. "Leave me alone, I'm trying to mourn my death."

A hand cups his cheek, and Josh leans into the touch. "I'm so sorry. I thought I could handle this, handle them, but you still..." Tyler inhales sharply.

"You weren't being honest with me, Tyler." Josh sits up, causing Tyler to sit on the desert floor. "You didn't tell me about the other times or about your exes. I found out about Dallon after I signed my fucking band, and maybe that part's on me. I should've asked and pushed more."

"None of this is your fault. It's mine," Tyler says.

"Yeah, it is."

His face is tan and covered in tear tracks, heavy bags under his eyes. Josh brushes a cowlick down and ends up curling his fist into Tyler's hair, pulling him into a rough kiss, full of anger and frustration and desperation.

"I- didn't- mean- for this- to- happen," Tyler mumbles between kisses, his hands roaming up and down Josh's sides.

Josh pulls away and catches his breath, hand massaging the back of Tyler's neck, right where the scar is. "I know you didn't. I'm just pissed off that I died."

"Yeah, I would be too." Tyler rests their heads together, pressing a hand against Josh's chest, directly on his heart. "I'll fix it. I promise."

"How?"

"I have a plan, but I'm not sure if it'll work."

"It's better than not trying."

Josh untangles himself from Tyler so they're sitting side by side, their hands close to touching but not quite there. He sighs, letting his body go limp and fall into his boyfriend, who gracefully holds him up with an arm around his waist.

"Why don't we just stay?" Josh asks quietly. "It's so much more peaceful here."

Tyler shoots him a startled look. "Why would you want to stay here?"

"Because there's nobody trying to chase us, no one trying to kill us."

"Yeah, but what about your friends?"

He scoffs. "They don't care about me anymore. I pushed them away, so they don't have anything to worry about now that I'm..."

"Josh, you can't think like that." Tyler sniffles. "You can't just give up."

"I'm not giving up. I'm dead," he protests.

"Not for long."

Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through Josh's chest, making him wheeze and curl into a ball. He looks down at his chest, seeing his shirt covered in blood.

"What's going on?" Josh groans, staring at the gaping hole in his chest, where he can make out a ruby red glow. "What the hell?"

"Please, let this work," Tyler mumbles, wrapping his arms around Josh's midsection and buried his face in his chest. "God, I hope it works. Josh. If this is all you remember, please let it be that I-"

LEVEL RESTART!

Josh sits up in a start, gasping for air and coughing up blood. He scrambles for Tyler's hand, which he finds and squeezes. His head is spinning as he focuses his blurry vision on Tyler, who starts to laugh through sobs.

"My throat hurts," Josh groans.

"Oh, my god, it worked," Tyler laughs, jumps into his arms, hugging him so tight he can't breathe.

"W- what happened?" Josh pulls back, looking down at his soaked shirt. "Why am I covered in blood?"

Dallon gasps, dropping his flaming sword in the process. "That's impossible. You only had three lives. I killed you."

Tyler looks up at him, eyes dark and mouth twisted into a snarl. "But I still had all three."

"You- you gave him a heart? But how?"

"Because I love him!"

Josh leaps for the sword. He grabs a hold of it and takes a swing at Dallon's legs, smacking his ankles with the flat end of the blade. Dallon yells in surprise and tumbles into his chair, knocking it back and falling with it.

"Holy shit, you're alive!" Halsey cheers, running into his arms.

Josh hugs her, staring at Dallon, who's recovering from his fall. "Of course I am, a measly fire sword isn't going to kill me." He pulls back and holds her shoulders, fear tainting his confident smile. "You ready for this, Goose?"

"I got your back, Maverick." She fist bumps him and pulls out one of Jenna's knives. "Resurrection, bitch!"

Halsey takes a running start at Dallon, who has nothing to defend himself with except a broken armchair.

Tyler appears beside Josh, bumping shoulders. "I didn't take you for a Top Gun fan."

"Halsey made me watch it."

"Hmm. You guys are a good team."

"Yeah. I guess we are." Josh raises the sword in front of him, the red flames dousing themselves out. "Now let's kill this son of a bitch."