Death Pact ~ Joshler

Eleven

Imma write another Joshler story soon if anyone is interested...
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Days Until Extermination: 14

From: Frank💕💕                   3:32AM
Hey. How's Tyler doing?

It had been barely an hour since Josh had gotten Tyler home and put to bed. Thankfully his mom was passed out on the couch and far too drunk to wake up, even when Tyler ran into the wall in the hallway on the way to the bedroom.

To: Frank💕💕                      3:33AM
Hi. He's fine, passed out as soon as we got back... I don't remember putting those hearts by your name.

From: Frank💕💕                 3:33AM
Ah, yes, I took the pleasure in adding them. 😉 Thought it would make it easier for you to know whom you were talking to.

To: Frank💕💕                     3:34AM
Well, considering that I currently only have like six contacts in my phone, I think you're good on that.

From: Frank💕💕                3:35AM
😂 okay. I'm gonna try to get some sleep. You really should too. It was nice to meet you, Josh, and I'll text you when I wake up. Goodnight. 🌙 xx

To: Frank💕💕                   3:35AM
Goodnight, Frank. Sleep well. 🌙✨

Josh set his phone down on the bedside table, plugging in his charger before he went to lie back down. Not that he'd be able to sleep anytime soon, but he still lay there quietly, glancing over to check on Tyler every few minutes.

Eventually, -somewhere around five in the morning- his exhausted body got the best of him and he finally fell asleep. It didn't take long for the nightmares to enter Josh's mind, for he had forgotten to take his medicine again with everything that was going on.

The boy whimpered in his sleep, mumbling soft "no"'s underneath his breath as he began tossing and turning on the full sized mattress. These motions woke the younger boy, who quickly sat up and turned to Josh.

Tyler reached out to shake him, trying to wake but not startle him. "Josh? Josh, wake up."

As soon as Tyler placed his hands on Josh, he woke up, frantically trying to push Tyler's hands away. "P-Pete, no." He sobbed, shoving Tyler back down.

"Josh, it's me. Relax, it's not real." Tyler said, trying to maintain a calm voice in order not to scare him.

Josh blinked open his eyes, looking around the room but still having his hands up in front of his face just in case. "T-Ty?"

"Yeah." He breathed, "I'm going to take your hands, okay?"

The other boy nodded slowly, watching cautiously as Tyler sat back up and linked their fingers together. He gently pulled their hands away from Josh's face, his eyes looking deep into the older boy's. He frowned when he saw the fear and brokenness deep within his dark brown irises.

They just sat like that for a few moments, the only sounds being Josh's muffled sobs and his forced breaths. Tyler didn't know what to do. So instead, he just stayed there with him, letting him calm himself down.

"I'm sorry." Josh whispered, his voice cracking which he mentally cursed at.

Tyler cocked his head to the side, ruffling his eyebrows together in confusion. "For what?"

"For- for waking you up. For making you sit with me again. For being so fucking weak." Josh mumbled, shifting his gaze to his lap.

Tyler then let go of his hands, and Josh was sure that he was about to leave him there all alone, annoyed at him for being so childish. However, that's not at all what Tyler had in mind. In fact, he did the complete opposite. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Josh's shoulders, pulling him in for a tight hug.

"I'm always here for you, because I want to be. And you're not weak."

"Yeah?" Josh scoffed. "This is the seventh time I've cried this week. God, I'm pathetic." He murmured, shaking his head which only caused him to bury his face deeper into Tyler's neck.

Tyler gently rubbed Josh's back, making sure to keep his hand high between his shoulders and not get too low. He ignored Josh's wet tears that fell on his pale skin, continuing his soft hushes. "No. You're strong because you've made it this far, J." (a/n: soRRY for the Migraine reference). "It's not weak for someone to cry. In fact, it shows character. Emotions are good to have, even if you mostly just feel broken, at least you still feel.

"It's going to be okay, Josh. You're here with me, not with him and I'm never going to let anyone hurt you. You're my best friend." Tyler finished, not noticing when Josh backed away at the term "friend," because he may or may not have developed a few feelings for Tyler in their short time of knowing each other.

"Thank you." Josh whispered, wiping at his eyes with the backs of his hands.

Tyler just nodded, shifting back to lay down. However, this time he kept his arms outstretched for Josh. Sniffling, the boy laid down in his friend's arms, nuzzling himself deep into his embrace.

Both boys were silent, and just when Josh thought that Tyler had already fallen back asleep, he spoke up again, his voice soft and gentle. "Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's Pete?" Tyler asked, biting his lip. He knew it was a long shot, and he also knew that his words could be possibly triggering but he needed to know. He wanted to help Josh as best as he could, and he couldn't do much until he knew exactly who this guy was that hurt Josh and what all he really did to him.

"He's-... no one." Josh murmured, unconsciously tightening his grip on Tyler's t shirt. "He was my one of my ex's friends. He was just a bad guy, don't worry about it."

"Did he harm you?" He asked, although he felt like he already knew the answer to his question.

"He broke me." Josh replied, closing his eyes as he tried to steer his thoughts away from the man in question. His statement was simple, but Tyler knew that he was implying that he was hurt both mentally and physically by this "Pete" guy and he intended to find out who he was, and what he did.

He wanted vengeance for his best friend. I mean, hell, he's going to die anyway, so if this guy ends up being an axe murderer, at least Tyler tried.

Tyler couldn't stand the pained look on Josh's face so he shifted his gaze to the window, which he could barely caught sight of above the other boy's soft black curls.

The younger boy stayed awake until he was sure that Josh was asleep, he then continued to stay up another hour afterwards, thinking of a plan to find out what exactly happened to Josh. His brother wouldn't tell him, his mother is useless, he never talks about any other friends besides Ashley whom Tyler has never even met because she lives in the same town as Josh's dad.

On the other hand, she might be his only chance. How is he supposed to get this Ashley girl's information though?

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Please let me know if anyone's still reading this. Tempted to just delete it but I already have so many ideas for it that I can't quite let it go just yet...