Lockjaw (Joshler)

50. Chester

***Trigger warning for mentions of child neglect, internalized homophobia, and a bit of a panic attack.***

Start the song. It's Comedy Show by Heather Hammers.

Josh genuinely had no idea how he didn't burst into tears within the first millisecond of Skye hugging him. Hoppus hadn't even gotten the cuffs off yet, but it didn't matter because Skye was here holding him tightly, and Josh suddenly felt a million times less overwhelmed than he had before.

He hadn't lost his mom today. Not even close. She was right here, and she was reminding him in the single most reassuring voice he'd ever heard, "Everything's going to be okay. This isn't your fault. You're so easy to love, and we're so lucky to be the ones who get to love you for the rest of our lives. We really are. I can't believe I get to be your mom. It's like I get to win the lottery every day for the rest of my life. I love you so much, Josh, and I'm so proud of you."

Josh squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in the crook of his mom's neck as he listened to her words and allowed his dad to uncuff him carefully. He hugged her back as soon as he could, feeling tears sting at his eyes when she hugged him even tighter once his arms were wrapped around her too. She just kept telling him how much she loved him and how easy it was to love him, and he sunk his teeth into every word so no one could take them away from him.

"Has Tyler been in today?" His mom asked softly, rubbing his back soothingly as she spoke.

"Yeah, he left not too long ago," Hoppus replied when Josh didn't say anything. He must've known Josh wasn't going to have the courage to ask because he added, "Josh told Tyler he doesn't want Laura on his emergency contact list anymore. The three of us decided you should take her slot."

There was no time for Josh to fear potential rejection before Skye was saying, "Can I take care of that before we go home today? I don't want to wait longer than that, especially after yesterday. I don't want Laura getting called in here before we can get everything sorted out."

"She probably wouldn't come anyway," Josh replied honestly.

His mom sighed, rubbing his back again. "Still, we should get this done today so you don't have to worry about her coming in anymore. The whole point of having emergency contacts is to make sure you feel safe during scary situations, not to add more stress. I want you to feel and be as safe as possible at all times."

Josh nodded his understanding, still not releasing Skye. He was starting to feel less overwhelmed with every passing second, especially when Skye held him tightly with one arm while she gently soothed the fingers of her free hand through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Before I leave, I'm also going to do my duty as a mom and badger you about getting a haircut soon, but I think I've already hogged you for too long. Jack has been waiting very patiently for a very long time to have his chance to hug you, and we decided you could probably use a visit from Xavier right now too. He's very good at figuring out when people need a little extra love and making sure he gives it to them," Skye told Josh softly, her smile audible.

Josh had all but forgotten about Jack and the dog as soon as he'd seen his mom, but a mixture of anxiety and excitement shot through him at the reminder. His heart was practically bruising the inside of his ribcage when his mom released him, stepping aside to reveal a boy with light brown hair, Hoppus's eyes, and the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

Jack didn't hesitate for even a second before running over to hug Josh, smacking against his chest and wrapping his arms around his waist as he squeezed him tightly. Josh hugged him back instinctively, but he was still slowly processing the fact that this little boy already seemed to love and trust him like he was family despite never having met him before. Maybe that checked out though since Hoppus and Skye were Jack's actual parents, and they had kind of adopted Josh now too. He'd been hearing Jack be referred to as his brother for over a month now, but that had always been an abstract thought. Jack was here now as a person, and all Josh could think about was how terrified he was that he was going to let this kid down as monumentally as he had Jordan. Josh had been in the same room as Jack for maybe a minute and a half, and he already knew he didn't deserve to be this little boy's big brother.