Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ✔️

56

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"We made you a song, it was about your funeral."

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Josh felt the uneasiness in the air before he even opened his eyes.

It had only been two days since him and Tyler had the privilege of welcoming Luna and Lakota into the world (and three days since they had made love for the first time). To say Tyler had been on Cloud Nine after such happy events would've been an understatement.

So why was his precious Keeper shaking in his sleep?

Darkness shrouding most of the room, the most Josh could make out was the silhouette of Cheetah perched on Tyler's hip. Looking closer, there was no denying that Tyler was dreaming, evidenced by the subtlest trace of a frown across his facial features.

But what was going on inside his mind?

Sitting up, Josh rubbed his eyes before reaching for the lamp. A soft yellow washed over the room, banishing the darkness to the farthest corners of the walls. The change in lighting allowed him to see Tyler's face more clearly.

Josh's heart pulled when Tyler started shaking even harder, face contorted into a heartbreakingly terrified expression. Tiny whimpers made its way across the otherwise quiet room, the sounds catching the attention of Cheetah, who now looked just as worried as his owner's Protector.

Josh reached out to try and rouse Tyler awake. No sooner did a hand make contact with his shoulder, he yelled out and jumped awake. Flailing around in the blanket, Cheetah was catapulted off the bed while Josh was elbowed in the face.

"Tyler, Tyler, Tyler," Josh repeated as he grabbed Tyler's arms, holding them down firmly enough to stop the flailing, but not hard enough that he'd hurt him.

Ignoring the throbbing in his face, Josh waited for Tyler to regain his senses. After a few moments, red, swollen eyes finally looked up and made contact with Josh's.

Without a moment of hesitation, Tyler was sobbing away in Josh's arms.

"Ty-Ty," Josh said softly. "Shh, shh... it's okay, Tyler. I got you. Joshua's here, I promise." He laid his head on top of Tyler's, rocking him back and forth to provide some comfort.

It took a few minutes of rocking and shushing for Tyler to calm down some, his cries turning into soft sniffles. Still, Josh kept quiet, giving his Keeper time to talk about it if and when he wanted to.

Tyler spoke up, his voice breaking a little. "Joshua?"

Josh pressed a breathless kiss against to Tyler's left temple. "Yes, baby?"

"It... it was so real."

Tyler had held his head up, so Josh took the opportunity to lay them back against the pillows. Keeping his arm around him, he guided his Keeper closer until his body was flush against his.

"Was it Gabriel?"

He shook his head. "No... worse."

"Oh, sweet boy." Josh already knew without having to ask. "I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

It took a minute before Tyler nodded. Josh stroked the side of his arm as he allowed him to express his innermost feelings.

"The Niners always took us to this room when they gave us X... it reminded me of a church. Cracked pews, dust everywhere. In my dream, I was back in that room. Held down on a table with a hand over my mouth. And the X... God, there was so much X. It went on forever, but nothing was working. They couldn't break me. I thought I had regained control again. But then the X turned into razor blades. They forced me to cut my Time Keeper symbol until my hands were covered in blood..."