CATEGORY: Trench Era, Dema AU
FEATURING: nervous!Tyler and brave!Josh
TRIGGER WARNINGS: None
PROMPT: They may have been born and raised in Dema, but it was not the place for them.
WORD COUNT: About 1,850 (ah, the year my state became a state)
A/N: I'm sure most of this will be irrelevant once the whole album and its lore are released, but in the meantime, enjoy this.

Nocturn (knock-turn) n. A religious service held at midnight or later.

Services in Dema were always held at midnight. You were expected to be there at eleven forty-five sharp, and those who were late would be given dirty looks at best. Once you'd arrived, you'd take your place in the pews, and bow your heads in submission as the bishops performed the service.

On the night, in particular, one late in October, there was something different in the air. An excitement, almost. Well, perhaps it wasn't in the air, but it was certainly in Tyler's heart. He did his best to keep it there, and not show anything outwardly--he'd keep his face solemn, lowering his eyes and bowing his head at the correct times.

The church was filled with Dema citizens, but only one stood out to Tyler.

Josh was in a pew across the aisle, two rows up, so as to be less suspicious. He kept his face as still as stone, and only looked up when the bishops were occupied with the ceremony. When he did look up, he always looked to Tyler. The latter couldn't help the butterflies in his stomach and the excitement in his heart whenever they made eye contact.

It was their last service in Dema, but they were the only two people there who knew it. Of course they were; their escape would be stopped immediately by the bishops if they knew about it.

Once the service had ended, Tyler and Josh walked together back to the room that they share.d All unmarried Dema citizens over seventeen were required to share a room with another citizen of the same sex, so as not to encourage any liaisons, as they were called.

Tyler still remembers when his old roommate had left--supposedly he'd gotten ill, but then he never came back--and when Josh arrived. Josh had been not quite rebellious at the time, but close enough to be a slight risk, and so they had placed him specifically with Tyler. Up until that point, Tyler had been the perfect Dema citizen. He worked hard, was always on time, and frequently praised Vialism, as well as Dema itself.

That is, until Josh.

Josh had taught Tyler that Dema wasn't a utopia like the bishops wanted its citizens to believe. Josh taught Tyler that there was something outside of Dema, something freer and better. And, perhaps most importantly, Josh taught Tyler to love.

A relationship like theirs was forbidden, but it had happened anyway, and Tyler didn't regret it one bit. Josh was everything that he could have ever asked for, and it was clear that Josh felt the same way. The two lovebirds were smitten with one another, practically couldn't keep their hands off one another--at least, behind closed doors. To be anything but polite with one another in public would mean punishment, or worse.

And so, walking back to their room after the service, Josh did not touch or even look at one another. They simply made small talk about the service, uttered hushed praises of Vialism, never once giving a hint of anything else.

When they arrived back home, however, all bets were off.

They were kissing against the door almost as soon as it was shut, eyes and mouths and hands free to roam. Everything was free when they were safe like this, but unfortunately, it was still only temporary.

After a few minutes, Josh finally pulled back from Tyler, breathing hard, a huge grin on his face. "Tomorrow night, Tyler. We're finally getting out of here."

Josh had been planning to flee Dema for ages, long before he'd even come to stay with Tyler. Once they had become lovers, Josh tried to convince Tyler to go with him. It was difficult, however. Dema was all that Tyler had ever known, like Josh, but it was different for him. He'd believed in Dema--in Vialism--once, and it was hard for him to fully let go of that. Besides, he feared what was beyond the city, and he feared being caught.

For weeks, Josh had pleaded and begged, promising Tyler they'd make it. "I can't bear to be here anymore," the braver of the two had confessed one night, "but I can't bear to leave you, either."

Finally, Tyler had agreed to flee with Josh, and now, they had plans to leave the very next night. Tyler was excited, he truly was--to be free! To really be free, to be able to kiss Josh and be with him any time, anywhere, completely safe from punishment or death at the hands of the bishops. It sounded like paradise. Still, though, he was a little nervous through all of the excitement. If their plan went awry in any way, they would be killed for sure.

Tyler smiled weakly. "Tomorrow night."

Josh frowned slightly, seeming to recognize Tyler's uneasiness. He came close again, brushed a stray bit of hair behind his lover's ear. "Hey. We're gonna make it, Ty, I promise you."

A small ache grew in Tyler's heart, and he turned his head away. "You can't promise that."

"I can promise I won't leave you, no matter what happens," Josh whispered. "Is that okay?"

Tyler nodded slowly. "Okay."

The next night, at eleven thirty, Tyler was pacing back and forth in the room, going from his bed to Josh's and back again. Josh was out at the moment, preparing for their escape, but he was due back five minutes ago.

What if he'd been caught? What if bishops were coming here right now, to arrest Tyler? What if Josh was already dead? What if...

Suddenly the door opened, and Josh slipped inside, shutting it behind him. Tyler went to him quickly, and Josh held him for a moment. "Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "I'm here."

Gratefully, Tyler nuzzled his head into Josh's chest. "I thought I lost you," he mumbled against Josh's dark jacket.

Josh hummed, stroking Tyler's head for a moment. "No, of course not. It's you and me, remember?"

Tyler pulled back again, an almost playful smile on his face. Now that he knew his lover was safe, he felt better. "You and me."

"Good." Slowly, Josh pulled three items out of the paper bag in his hand. "I got these from my contact on the floor below us. Brendon, remember?" Tyler nodded as Josh went on. "We have to wear these, okay?" In his hands, he held a roll of yellow duct tape, a yellow piece of fabric, and a yellow...well, Tyler wasn't sure what it was.

Curiously, he poked at the third item. It was round in the middle, with several soft yellow things coming off of it like rays of sunlight. He'd never seen anything like it before. "What is that?"

"It's a flower, Ty." Josh smiled sweetly and held it out to his lover. "Here, smell it."

Tyler looked baffled, but he leaned in and did as he was told. Blinking, he moved his head back in surprise. It smelled...sweet? It was hard to explain. "Wow."

Josh laughed, and opened the front flap on Tyler's jacket pocket, sticking the end of the flower into it to keep it in place. "There. You can have it." He handed him the roll of tape. "Put some of this on your jacket, okay?"

As Tyler dutifully applied the tape in strips to his jacket, Josh tied the piece of yellow fabric around his face, covering it from the nose down. It was striking--handsome, actually--and Tyler felt his ears reddening as he looked at his lover. Josh's eyes crinkled, which Tyler knew meant that he was smiling, and he pulled down the mask briefly to kiss his lover's cheek.

After applying some tape to his own jacket, Josh put the roll back in his pocket and faced Tyler seriously. "You know the plan, right?"

"Move quickly and quietly, pay attention to your surroundings, and stay close," Tyler stated clearly, having memorized the instructions over the past few weeks.

Josh smiled and ruffled Tyler's hair. "Good boy. Let's get going."

Tyler smiled in return and grasped Josh's hand as they slipped out of their room. Creeping down the hallways, Josh led the way to the stairwell, which they quickly began climbing down. Tyler felt a thrilling chill race down his spine; this was so dangerous, so risky. And yet so worth it.

Using a keycard to unlock a door at the bottom of the stairwell--a door that was forbidden to the citizens of Dema, except the maintenance workers--Josh pushed onward, and Tyler stayed close to him. They were in some sort of tunnels beneath the city. The air was cold, and Tyler was glad he'd brought his jacket.

The two boys stopped after following the tunnel to one large, center room with several tunnels leading off of it. Just above them, Tyler could hear the ritualistic chanting of the bishops; they must have been right underneath the church, the midnight service of which was just beginning. Already, some of the bishops were probably looking for Tyler and Josh, have likely noticed their absences.

Suddenly, Tyler spotted a light in one of the tunnels ahead. Feeling curious, he watched as it grew closer and closer, then blinked with a start as he realized it must have been the bishops. Fear sparking in his chest, Tyler tightened his grip on Josh's hand and turned to go down the tunnel from whence they'd come, but there was a light there, too. Lights were coming from all of the tunnels, in fact. They were trapped.

Tyler's fear ebbed, however, when he saw that the light reflecting on the tunnel walls belonged to torches and not bulbs. The torch-bearers approached quickly, surrounding the two boys, and one figure stepped forward. She wore a skull mask, but her clear blue eyes were visible in the eye holes.

SHe held out her hand to Josh, and they quickly shared an elaborate handshake. Tyler stayed behind his lover's shoulder, still nervous even though he knew that these people must be the Banditos.

Once the girl had finished her handshake with Josh, she turned to Tyler and held her hand out to him. Nervously and slowly, Tyler performed the handshake. Josh had taught it to him a few weeks ago, promising that it would help the Banditos recognize them as allies.

The girl pulled up her skull mask to reveal her face. She had pretty features and wispy blonde hair. "Josh, good to see you again. And you must be Tyler," she added, smiling slightly at the other boy. "I'm Jenna. Welcome to the Banditos."

And just like that, Tyler and Josh were part of a rebellion.

The handshake, paired with the yellow items and decorations adorning their bodies, had proved their identities and intentions to the Banditos, who quickly allowed the boys to merge with their ranks. Jenna led the way down the tunnel opposite to the one they'd come from.

Tyler held Josh's hand like a lifeline. He heard a ripping noise from behind him and was surprised to see a few Banditos applying a bit more yellow tape to his shoulders as he walked. They smiled at him slightly, and he smiled back.

"You and me," Josh said to Tyler as the tunnel began to widen, revealing open skies ahead.

Tyler pecked his shoulder sweetly. "You and me."