CATEGORY: Fluff (of course)
FEATURING: bold!Tyler and new neighbor!Josh
TRIGGER WARNINGS: None
PROMPT: Tyler visits the new neighbors next door, and is quickly intrigued by one in particular.
Word count: 1,540

Filled with curiosity, Tyler peered through the window as the moving van pulled into the driveway next door. A blue minivan pulled up just behind it, probably carrying the family who would live there.

Tyler had known that a new family would be moving next door for almost two weeks, since the for sale sign had been removed from the front yard. He knew it was official, because the landlord herself had come to take the sign.

Perhaps most teenagers wouldn't care so much about any such things going on in their neighborhood. Tyler cared, however. Anything happening in his neighborhood was interesting to him, and he wasn't shy about spying from his bedroom window, or walking by someone's house just to look at the new flowers in the planter box by the door, or boldly knocking on a neighbor's door to ask them about their new car.

Tyler was definitely inquisitive about his regular neighbors. These new people were no different.

The teenager watched as a man and woman got out of the van, probably a couple. Soon after, three kids got out of the car and ran up to the moving van to get their stuff.

One child lingered behind, however, taking his time to get out of the car and walking up the driveway. Even from here, Tyler could see the bright splash of the boy's bubblegum pink hair.

A boy with pink hair, and he looked to be about Tyler's age. Interesting.

Suddenly, someone knocked on Tyler's bedroom door. "Tyler, can I come in?"

Tyler quickly but quietly went over to his bed and sat down, picking up one of the many books on his nightstand and pretending to read it. "Yeah."

The bedroom door opened to reveal Tyler's mother. "Reading?"

"Mhm." Tyler lightly closed the book, which was some teen novel his mom had picked up for him at the library. He preferred classics.

"Well, the new neighbors are here." Tyler's mom frowned. "I don't want you spying on them, okay?" She was adamently against Tyler's interest in the neighborhood, seeing as it'd gotten him into trouble a few times. Once, when he'd climbed over Mr. Iero's fence to see his new dog, and a second time when Mr. Way accused him of trying to set him up with Mr. Iero. Although, they did end up getting together a few months later.

"Okay, mom." Tyler pretended to pay attention to what she was saying.

"However," she said, "if you'd like to go over this afternoon to welcome them to the neighborhood, that would be acceptable."

Tyler sat up straighter at her suggestion. "Okay. I'll do that."

"Good." After giving her son another knowing glance, she left, closing the door behind her.

Almost the second she was gone, Tyler went back to the window. The movers had started to bring boxes into the house, and he could see the three younger kids in the backyard. He wondered if they had any pets.

----  ----  ----  ----

Around one in the afternoon, Tyler was unable to wait any longer. His mother had made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for him to bring over, so he put them on a plate and wrapped it with saran wrap.

Since he waned to make a good impression, Tyler even changed his clothes. He put on a denim jacket over his white t-shirt, and a pale pink skirt with pink and white sneakers to match.

Tyler's parents had been rather confused when their oldest son started to take an interest in things that were considered feminine. They'd questioned him about his gender, offered to help him out even, but it wasn't as a big a deal as they had made it out to be--at least, not to Tyler. He did a lot of feminine things--he shaved his legs, wore skirts, painted his nails, maybe even wore some makeup if he felt like it--but he wasn't a girl. He was just a feminine boy, and he liked it that way.

Hopefully, the new neighbors would, too.

After grabbing the plate of cookies from the counter, Tyler headed out the front door and to the house next to his own. The moving van was gone, and Tyler hadn't seen the family leave the house, so it was safe to say that someone would be there.

He rang the doorbell. While he waited for someone to answer the door, he dug around in his jacket pocket and pulled out a wrapped piece of pink bubblegum, popping it in his mouth. Tyler was stuck on bubblegum like an alcoholic stuck on tequila.

After a few minutes, a woman opened the door. She looked at Tyler, seemingly puzzled, though whether she was puzzled by his clothes or his being there, Tyler didn't know.

"Hello, welcome to the neighborhood!" Tyler put on the sweet voice he always used to charm adults. "I'm your new neighbor."

The woman's puzzled look disappeared, and she smiled kindly. "Hello! I'm Mrs. Dun, but you can call me Laura." The woman held out her hand, and Tyler shook it.

"I brought these for you, as a housewarming gift," Tyler said, holding out the plate of cookies.

"Oh, my! Aren't you a sweetie." Laura took the plate gratefully. "Thank you, that was awfully nice of you. Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," Tyler replied. He'd not been in this house before, but he knew Mr. Urie used to live there before he moved back to California.

Tyler stepped inside after Laura, who led him down the hall to the kitchen. "I'm sorry about the mess, we haven't finished unpacking yet."

"It's no trouble," Tyler said. He noticed that, as Laura put the cookies on the counter, she cast a sideways glance at him. She was probably wondering why he was wearing a skirt. He'd gotten plenty of odd looks before, but they didn't really bother him much.

"I didn't catch your name," Laura said as she unwrapped the cookies.

"Tyler Robert Joseph," the boy stated, smoothing his skirt. "I live in the two-story next door."

"You must be in high school, right?"

"Mhm. I'll be a senior in the fall."

"You might get along with my oldest, he'll be a senior too." Laura opened one of the cardboard boxes on the counter. "He's in the backyard, with his siblings, if you'd like to go meet him."

"I'll do that." Tyler gave Laura a charming smile before leaving the kitchen and heading to the back door.

Through the tiny holes in the screen, he could see them--two girls and two boys. The girls and youngest boy were sitting under a large tree, sifting through a cardboard box full of sporting equipment. The oldest boy was throwing a basketball at a hoop attached to the garage, and sure enough, he had bright pink hair.

Tyler stepped into the backyard and approached the oldest boy. "Hey."

The boy stopped playing basketball to look at Tyler. His pink hair was a brilliant color, but also a soft one, and it reminded Tyler of cotton candy. He had small black studs in his ears, and a loose black wristband on one arm. He was sweating through his gray t-shirt.

"Who are you?"

"Your new neighbor." Tyler pointed to the house next door, visible just over the fence."

"What's your name?"

"Tyler Robert Joseph."

The boy turned and tossed his basketball at the hoop, and Tyler heard the swish of the chain as it went through. "Why are you wearing a skirt?"

"Because I like it." Tyler leaned against the side of the house. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I guess so." The boy shot a few more baskets, and Tyler watched. He played basketball in his own yard sometimes, with his brothers.

"What's your name?"

"Josh." There was another satisfying swish of the chain as the basketball went through.

Tyler just watched Josh play basketball for a while. If Josh minded, he didn't say so.

"Are you busy on Friday?" Josh caught the basketball as it fell through the hoop.

A normal person would have been a little surprised by Josh's question, but Tyler was pretty good at rolling with whatever the world threw at him.

"Not sure." Tyler blew a bubble with his bubblegum. "Are you asking me out?"

"Sort of." Josh leaned against the side of the house next to him. He was a few inches taller than Tyler. "We move a lot, 'cause my dad's in the military. My mom's always really insistent on me 'making friends' every time." He paused. "Last time, she invited over some of the neighborhood teens for a 'play date'. It was humiliating."

"So you're trying to beat her at her own game?"

"Exactly." Josh seemed a bit relieved that Tyler understood. "So, are you busy Friday?"

Tyler had had some loose plans to go to the library, but he'd been putting it off for a week now. It could wait a while longer. "Nope." 

"Want to go to Taco Bell or something, then?"

"Sure." Tyler glanced up at Josh. "Why me, though?"

Josh looked back at him, squinting ever so slightly. "You seem interesting. Also, you're kind of cute." He grinned at him.

Tyler grinned back, and blew another bubble with his bubblegum. This could definitely be interesting.

A/N: How do you feel about the ending of this one? Was it too abrupt? Maybe a part 2?