Sleep Inducement: the ability to cause another being to fall asleep.

Josh expects Tyler to get angry. Actually, he wants him to get angry. He wants Tyler to finally snap and yell at him, tell him he's disgusting or that he's stupid for thinking he'd ever like him back. Kick, scream, anything. Bullying and abuse, that's what he's used to that.

He doesn't expect Tyler to crouch in front of him, soft and smiling. Why is he smiling? Does he think Josh's misery is funny? The obvious answer is yes, because this is Tyler and he's an enigmatic asshole with a soft spot for dorks like Josh. Of course he'd be super nice while still thinking this situation is all shits and giggles.

Tyler's eyes fade back to brown but his skin is bright enough to light up the room. He raises his hand, but Josh flinches, and he lowers it.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Angel," he says, slowly creeping his hand to rest over Josh's. "You're an idiot if you think I ever would."

"You say that after kicking my ass countless times," Josh shoots back, still reeling from both Tyler's dream and his own.

"Training doesn't count. Don't forget, I saved that same ass several times."

Josh takes a moment to respond, knowing he can't avoid the topic forever. "You saw it. You saw what my dream was, and you know how I feel now. Why don't you hate me?"

Tyler's smile grows wider. "I'm gonna be honest, it wasn't at all what I was expecting after the dream I had. You've got a pretty freaky mind," he laughs, breaking Josh out of his moment.

"Fuck you!" He protests. "I'm not the one who dreamt of all my friends dying."

He regrets saying it because the moment he does Tyler's face falls, though he keeps chuckling. "Yeah, that's what I wanted to y'all to you about, actually."

"Did it scare you that bad?" Josh asks.

"Yeah. It felt so real I just had to make sure you were okay. Turns out you're way more than okay."

"Do you think it's Alley Cat?"

"Probably," Tyler shrugs. "He might be trying to tear us apart, just like he did with us and Hayley."

"That's not very cash money of him."

Tyler looks at him with pure disappointment. "Don't ever say that again, you kinky fucker."

"Please don't mention that again," Josh groans, burying his face in his free hand.

"Why not? Even if this is Alley Cat, it's pretty interesting to think about why your dream had be desperate and horny at your window, ready to push you on your knees and-"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Josh shrieks. "I don't want to talk about it, okay? It's embarrassing."

"It's adorable. Plus, we're going to have to talk about it eventually, since you have such a humongous boy crush on me." Tyler winks at him when Josh tries to protest. "Don't deny it, Angel. I know."

"How do you know?"

"Because of this."

He picks up Josh's hand and presses it to the center of his chest. Tyler's skin is hot under the sweatshirt and his heart thuds hard and fast, like it's working overtime to keep his body moving. Josh blinks as a wave of emotions crashes into him.

"I'm not used to these kind of emotions," Tyler explains. "I couldn't put a name to them, so I've been trying to figure them out. All I know is that they get stronger around you."

Josh knows what this is. He feels it whenever Tiana does something stupid to protect him from bullying. Whenever his mom used to wake him up on his birthday with the smell of chocolate chip pancakes. Whenever Tyler smiles.

Adoration.

"Feeling it coming from you, though, that's what through me off," Tyler continues. "I assumed it was friendly, but I never knew it could develop into something more. And it did, for both of us."

"So, you..."

"No shit. Didn't I make it obvious?"

He doesn't think he can blush any more, but he succeeds. "I... this is not at all how I thought this was going to go."

"Me too. Here I thought I was going to find you dreaming of death and destruction like usual and instead it's a wet dream about me."

Josh groans and lets his head fall onto Tyler's shoulder. "Shut the fuck up."

They stay like that for a few seconds, their breathing syncing up as Josh tries to wrap his head around Tyler liking him back. A smile crosses his face.

"I had a crush on you before meeting you, you know," he says. "You were my hero, plus you looked good in your suit."

"Looked? I still look hot in it."

"Yeah, but you're also an asshole so you're like a seven at most."

Tyler pulls Josh forward and spins him around, tickling his sides. Josh screams, trying to twist out of his grasp but Tyler's unrelenting.

"Okay, okay, you're a ten!" He giggles, losing his breath.

"Good, because you're a solid-"

Josh's mom bursts through the door, kitchen knife in hand. Tyler's hands shoot up into the air.

"Oh, it's just you," she sighs. "I heard screaming and after all that happened... well." She holds the knife up.

"Sorry, Mrs. Dun. It was a superhero urgent thing," Tyler says, grinning cheekily.

"It's okay, just a bit on edge." She eyes him closer, squinting slightly. "Are those Josh's clothes?"

"It was... raining?"

A hint of a smirk flickers on her face. "Don't do any superhero business tonight, okay boys? And dry that hair, you can't go to bed that way."

She closes the door. Josh looks at Tyler, who's gone pale blue from fear.

"You should've seen your face when she ran in," he snickers.

"Shut up, angel."

"Make me."

Tyler's eyes flicker for a moment. "Don't tempt me."

"Oh my- dude."

"Kidding." He rests his chin on Josh's shoulder, arms curled comfortably around his body. "Unless you want to..."

"No, this is fine."

It's more than fine.