This is a short chapter, especially considering the rest of the chapters all exceed 3,000 words. But with this one it just exceeds 1,500.

Sorry. Also this book is now at a total of 20,000 words!!! Holy shit.

Start song: typical by goodbye honalulu

*

Hands squeezing, water and now diluted alcohol drips from the used rag and into the sink, splashing against shot glasses that Ashley had set in there previously when she realized that Josh would just end up washing them for her.

Tonight's passing by slowly like all weekdays do, Josh isn't completely bored, he'd brought a bar stool behind the bar so he could sit down and watch the tv when he had nothing to do. Which he ends up doing for a good hour while tending the bar, Ashley's there too, hanging out with her boyfriend at one of the tables, laughing, grinning, not working. He doesn't exactly care, as long as she'd help him out of he needed her to. She usually does even if she doesn't particularly want to.

Swinging his feet he jumps off the bar stool and rebuttons one of buttons of his dress shirt with warm fingers as he rounds over to the opposite side of the bar to wipe down the counter for the 4th time that night.

He's about to go to the bathroom and tell Ashley to tend the bar when there's a tap on his shoulder.

"One ice water, please." 

Josh freezes before turning to the sound of the familiar voice, he smiles at him. "So you don't drink?"

Distastefully Tyler shakes his head, fingers picking at the sleeves of his jean jacket as he leans over the bar. "I'm not one for alcohol."

Josh nods as he reaches for a glass underneath the bar and brings it to the light, inspecting it quickly to make sure it's actually clean. It is.

Ice gets scooped into the glass, Josh using tap water to fill up the cup. He's talking as he works, eyes on anything but Tyler. "I can make you something non-alcoholic if you want, we've also got Capri suns in the back."

Tyler's eyes light up while Josh pushes his glass of ice water across the bar. "Is a Capri sun too much to ask for?"

With a shake of his head Josh says. "I'll be right back."

There's a grin on his lips, cheeks faintly red as Josh leaves to grab two pouches of Capri sun. They're not very cold and no one ever asks for one so they have way too many in stock especially since the staff never touches them. He finds them beside a box of granola bars he usually eats during his breaks.

When he comes back Tyler is spinning around on the bar stool and with grace Josh tosses the juice at him, Tyler catching it with both hands and sticks his tongue out.

"Thanks." He says, already tearing the straw from the packaging. Josh settles in-front of him, ribs digging into the edge of the bar uncomfortably.

"So how ya feeling lately? How's your knee?"

He stabs the straw in and stares at Tyler who hasn't stopped smiling. "I'm fine, it kinda aches so if it gets worse I'll go to the doctors but right now it's not half-bad." He sighs. "That knee brace thing is helping a lot."

Tyler nods in thought. "Should've went to the hospital right away, but Brendon's a dumbass."

Josh shrugs. "It doesn't matter anymore really, I'm mostly healed."

"Good, I'm glad because I kinda wanted to invite you over."

Josh blinks, staring at him as he takes a long sip of his Capri Sun, slurping it slightly. Tyler looks at him like he's fragile, about to break, he continues and lets his fingers rest on Josh's wrist.

"And I kinda want to paint you."

"Oh."

Tyler takes a sip from his drink and tilts his head, hair getting in his eyes. He could use a haircut. "Yeah. If it makes you uncomfortable then you don't have to, you don't need to be nude either I just wanted to ask."

"No, no." Josh shakes his head. "That wouldn't make me uncomfortable."

Tyler raises an eyebrow, Josh smiles. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal. You've already done a lot for me already, it's the least I could do."

Tyler frowns. "Don't do this as a favour okay? I don't want you to feel obligated to."

"I don't feel obligated, if I didn't want too I would've said no, believe me."

Tyler smiles and nods, chewing on his straw. "That's sick man."

"Yeah, sick."

Josh chews on his lip in thought, cheeks warm as he asks and even though Tyler had said he would have to be naked he needed to know. "I don't have to actually hook up with you guys do I?"

Tyler grins, he giggles. "No, I was just gonna have you pose for me." He leans over the bar, ledge digging into his ribs, resting his hand over Josh's this time, his nails are painted yellow today. "Unless you want to hook up with us because we're good with that too."

Cheeks pink, Josh stares at him for a second before his attention is drawn to an older man who'd just sat down on the opposite end of the bar. "Ah, one second." His smile is apologetic.

Tyler waves him off, swings his legs.

The man wants whiskey and Josh is quick behind the bar, grabbing a bottle, sliding in ice to his cup and then pouring with one hand.

Tyler watches him as he squeezes every last drop of his capri sun into his system, sugary liquid on his tongue.

Josh's heart is pounding as he walks back over to Tyler, fingers combing through his hair nervously. It's been a while.

"Look, I do like you." He doesn't know why he feels the need to admit this, he feels like he's in high school all over again, but he's not and this is different, so different because Tyler is staring at him, a smile making its way onto his lips. "And Brendon too, but I- I- let me think about that?"

Tyler doesn't seem offended, if anything he's sincere. "Hey, it's all about you. You're welcome with us anytime, promise we'll take good care of you."

"Am I?" Josh asks.

"Yeah, so why don't you come over sometime this week, I'll paint you and then we can smoke a bit, nothings gotta happen."

"Brendon will be there?"

He shrugs, jacket slipping down his shoulders, his shirt is sheer, chest visible. "Probably, I'm guessing he'll want to see you." He reaches a hand across the bar, to accentuate his point. "We both like you too, just so you know." And Josh wants to know in what way exactly, do they like him as friends? He bites his tongue.

"I'll be there." He says finally.

Tyler nods and then stares at Josh's unfinished Capri sun. "Can I have the rest of that?"

Josh rolls his eyes and passes it to him just as a woman walks in, the blonde he'd seen the first time he'd seen Tyler. It's her, he's sure and she's hanging off of some guy, all love struck. Josh watches as they move into one of the nicely cushioned booths.

Tyler follows his gaze before raising a gentle eyebrow at Josh, he's already finished Josh's Capri sun and he's chewing on the straw, letting it hang out of his mouth. "Y'know you have a tiny bit of a staring problem."

"Don't we all?" Josh laughs before looking at them once more.

Josh looks at Tyler. "How'd you get that girl to stop crying that one day?"

"Oh, see there's your staring problem again."

"I'm kidding." He says sweetly and turns to look at her, following Josh's eyes. Tyler seems to realize right away as he tsks and takes a long sigh. "Oh, her."

He shrugs in thought. "Boyfriend troubles, I told her she was beautiful, Then I brought her home, took care of her."

Josh scoffs. "Thought as much."

Tyler smiles. "I'll see you soon then?"

"Yeah."

*

At home Josh dreams of Brendon kissing him and Tyler touching him and he wakes up warm, sweating and nervous. It shouldn't be weird to him but it is.

He thinks about them all morning, as he showers, suds running down his body, along with the rest of his hair dye seeping out and staining the bottom of the tub. It's a much more faded red now, he needs a re-dye.

He think about them at the doctors as he gets aid with his testosterone dosage.

And as he's home again in his pyjamas watching cake boss and cuddling with Oscar, he's thinking about them too and he can't not at this point. The two of them have been on his mind all day and Josh knows that as soon as he gets to work he'll still be thinking about them no matter how busy the bar is and he knows he'll be hoping that they'll show up because they somehow always do.

And really, he's perfectly fine with it.

*