3688 words

TW: EMETOPHOBIA

tyler sits in a circle around the coffee table in their living room, josh to his left and ryan to his right. he has a drink in hand, a spiked arizona tea to be specific, and a game of jenga sits on the table before them. it's about 9:30 pm and they've just started pregaming for the foam party.

they guys are dressed in swim trunks and t-shirts, and ashley and debby are in bikini tops and jean shorts. tyler plans on taking his shirt off once they're at the party, but he felt weird lounging around shirtless with josh in his presence. it wasn't said, but he assumes josh must feel the same way.

speaking of josh, he sits with an arm around tyler's shoulders, holding him close. their legs are sprawled across the carpeted floor, bare knees touching. tyler tries really hard to ignore the heat radiating from both his boyfriend and himself.

the game of jenga is one ashley has owned since last year. they had made it into a drinking game by taking a sharpie to each of the pieces and writing out drinking prompts. it's tyler's turn currently, so he sits up a little straighter and carefully pulls out a piece from the bottom.

"the girls and the gays," tyler reads, meticulously placing his piece back on top.

ashley groans as all six of them take a sip of their drink. "why did we even make that piece? we could have just put 'gays' and we'd all have to drink anyway."

"other people used to play with us," ryan says matter-of-factly.

"oh. right. your turn, josh."

josh's piece says two truths and a lie. "how's that work?"

"so," brendon explains, "you have to tell us two things that are true about you and one lie. whoever can't guess the lie right has to drink."

"oh, okay," josh pauses for a minute, pointing his gaze to the ceiling as he thinks. "okay, got it. i almost drowned when i was a kid, i lost my virginity to a girl, and i've never been outside of the country."

debby votes for drowning, ashley says his virginity, and the rest of them say he's definitely been outside of the country.

"debby was right," josh shrugged. "i mean, as far as i know i never almost drowned."

"man," tyler whines. he takes a drink, trying not to cringe at the thought of what josh's experience losing his virginity might have been like. his own experience wasn't great, but he can't imagine if it would've been with a girl instead of dallon.

"you've got to get out sometime, man," brendon says. "i can't believe you've never been to another country."

josh shrugs. "i've traveled to a lot of states, though."

"okay, okay, my turn," ashley butts in. she reads, "rock, paper, scissors."

she turns to debby, holding out her hands. "ready?"

they play three rounds, ashley winning the first and last. she cheers triumphantly, giggling as debby takes a sip of her drink.

"whatever, whatever," debby says, pulling her piece. she reads, "thunderstruck."

a collective groan rises from the group, causing josh to look at tyler in confusion. "what's that mean?"

tyler purses his lips. "y'know thunderstruck by ac/dc?"

"yeah?"

"okay, so we put that song on and take turns drinking everytime he says 'thunder.' so, ashley starts on the first one, then stops on the next and debby takes over, then it goes to brendon, and so on."

"yeah," ryan interrupts, "and there's two solos that are, like, almost a minute long. so two people get stuck chugging for the whole minute. sometimes it ends up being the same person both times."

"ah," josh nods. "that sounds like torture."

"it is," tyler whines. he shakes the can in his hand, testing its fullness. "i think i'm gonna need another just in case i end up getting a solo."

"me too," josh agrees, standing. he takes tyler's hand and pulls the boy to his feet.

in the kitchen, tyler pulls a beer out of the fridge and hands it to josh, then grabs himself another spiked arizona. josh stops him before they can head back.

"tyler," he raises an eyebrow, looking between the brunette and his drink.

"joshua," the younger challenges.

"pace yourself, okay?"

"i will," tyler waves his hand dismissively. "i'll be fine. i want to have fun with you. and my friends."

when josh looks unconvinced he adds, "seriously! i'll be fine. i probably won't drink much there, anyway."

a smile tugs at the corner of josh's lips. he takes tyler's chin between his thumb and index finger, pulling him in for a kiss. "god, you're so cute."

"shut up," tyler blushes. he takes josh's hand in his own and drags him back to their respective spots on the living room floor. "okay, ready."

debby starts the song, lifting her drink to her lips on her turn. tyler waits for the song to get to him, taking a few sips before it switches to josh. it starts going around again, anxiety building in tyler's stomach as he knows it's getting closer to the first solo. he really, really hopes it doesn't land on him. he literally just promised josh he'd pace himself!

once it gets back to him, he throws up a hand in defeat at the realization that he did, in fact, end up getting the first solo. he was a little more than halfway done with his first drink when the game started, so he finishes it pretty fast. he quickly pops the tab on his next can and starts downing that as well.

"hell yeah, tyler!" brendon calls out, muttering an "ow" when ashley reaches over and smacks his arm.

tyler looks to josh out of the corner of his eye, nearly losing it over the way he's watching him. he looks shocked, but also slightly amused. tyler can only understand it as josh has never seen him drink like this before. to be fair, he usually doesn't. like he said, though, he feels safe knowing he'll have josh to watch over him tonight.

by the time the solo ends, tyler finishes his drink again. he's out of breath, panting slightly. he runs back to the kitchen and gets himself another drink before his turn comes around again, definitely feeling the effects already. a familiar heat lingers in his body, eyelids heavy as he watches the circle come back to him. it passes, thankfully, and the second solo lands on brendon.

ryan chants for him to chug until his turn ends, resulting in brendon also finishing his drink and belching loudly. they finish out the song, leaving both tyler and brendon quite a bit more intoxicated than the others.

the jenga game ends less than ten minutes later when brendon pulls out a critical piece and the entire tower falls into his lap. they still have a while before the party, so they decide to play again. when that game ends, it's about time for them to head to the party.

at the frat house, brendon leads them into one of his friend's rooms and tells them they can keep their shirts there. ashley and debby don't need to worry about that, so they head downstairs into the basement on their own. despite being in a tipsy haze, tyler is still hesitant to take his shirt off around josh. it's not that big of a deal, really, he's just not the most confident person on the face of this earth. especially considering how much josh works out; he's got to be in great shape compared to tyler.

he watches out of the corner of his eye as josh grabs the hem of his shirt and lifts it over his head, causing his breath to hitch. josh is beautiful. he tries not to stare too hard at his toned chest and tries not to get in his own head too much before he finally just removes his shirt. he carefully folds it against his chest, too nervous to turn around and face josh.

tyler knows he's a bit on the skinny side. nothing unhealthy or anything, but his body is definitely not as attractive as josh's. he swallows at the thought, feeling anxiety pooling in his belly until a hand grabs his shoulder.

"ready, honey?" josh asks, his hand warm on tyler's boney shoulder.

tyler hesitantly turns to face his boyfriend, still hugging his shirt to his chest. "i guess so."

josh holds his gaze for a moment before turning to brendon and ryan. "we'll meet you guys down there."

"okay."

they leave the two alone, shutting the door behind them on the way out. tyler feels weird about being alone with josh in somebody else's room. he feels weird about being shirtless. he feels weird about feeling weird.

"are you okay?" josh asks softly, his hand raising to cup the boy's cheek.

"yeah," tyler sighs. he lets his eyes lower to josh's torso for a moment before bringing his gaze back up.

"hey," josh frowns, placing a kiss to the top of his head. "you're so beautiful. you know that?"

tyler shakes his head. "i guess..."

"i mean it, ty. you are the most beautiful person i have ever met in my entire life. everything about you is so, so beautiful."

tyler can't fight the smile working its way to his face. "you mean that?"

"of course i do!" josh chuckles. he holds out his hands. "here. let me take that."

tyler only hesitates for a moment before handing over his shirt. he's grateful josh's eyes don't linger over his torso for more than a second before he grabs him by the hand.

"okay, ready?"

tyler's buzz has fizzled away a bit and he desperately wants it back. he nods, walking hand-in-hand with josh down to the basement. loud pop music blares through the speakers lining the walls, foam bubbles knee-high in every inch of the crowded, hot room. a bunch of bright, multi-colored lights spin around the room.

(i wish i could attach a video from a party i went to like this to help you visualize, but i can only give you this very poor quality screenshot from the video lmfao. this was towards the end of the night when a lot of the foam was gone)

he leads josh to where he knows they keep the drinks, grabbing each of them a solo cup. josh fills his cup with beer and tyler fills his with whatever hazardous "jungle juice" concoction the brothers made for tonight.

glancing in the cup, he notices it's bright blue. definitely not healthy.

he takes a sip, wincing. definitely mostly vodka.

"i wanna find ashley!" he yells over the music, making sure he keeps one of his hands on some part of josh at all times.

the foam bubbles are wet and cold, contradicting with the suffocating heat circling in the basement. tyler is sweating already, and he can feel josh is too.

they find ashley and debby against the wall on one of the elevated surfaces. they're dancing on each other, too occupied to notice josh and tyler. the latter pouts, moving on to find his other friends. they find ryan and brendon on the other side of the basement talking with some other guys.

"hi guys!" tyler shouts, laughing as ryan puts an arm around him and pulls him in for a hug.

"aren't you glad you came?" he asks.

"yeah, this is pretty cool," tyler admits. he lifts a handful of bubbles into the air and blows them at brendon, giggling as they land on his face.

"hey!" brendon yells. he picks up some of the foam and plops it down on top of tyler's head, laughter erupting from everyone.

tyler sticks his tongue out before taking a sip from his drink. he cringes at the taste of soap. "aw, man. you got bubbles in my cup."

"it's probably fine, right?" josh shrugs, holding out his cup for tyler to see. his also has foam in it.

"hope so," tyler giggles as they cheers and each take a drink.

they eventually decide to go off on their own and dance together. after refilling their cups, tyler leads them into their own corner where not many other people are.

the song tongue tied from grouplove comes on and tyler gasps. "i love this song!"

"me too," josh grins, extending a hand. "let's dance."

they end up dancing alone for most of the night, but tyler doesn't mind. he has a great time singing and dancing and drinking way more than he should. they end up having to step out of the basement multiple times to use the bathroom, but josh doesn't complain once. he just patiently waits outside the bathroom door for tyler to do his business.

near the end of the night, while tyler is lip-locked with josh, he feels a tap on his shoulder. he squeals with excitement at the sight of ashley and invites her and debby to dance with them. at this point, most of the foam has dissipated so that only a thin layer covers the floor. a lot of people have cleared out, but they don't care. they stay until the lights turn on and closing time by semisonic starts playing.

tyler groans, quickly downing the rest of his drink. "i don't wanna leave!"

"we have to, baby," josh laughs, "let's find ryan and brendon."

once their group is reunited and their belongings are collected, the six of them head back to their house. ashley and debby immediately shut themselves in the former's room, leaving the four guys to argue over who gets to shower first.

"i'm disgusting," ryan complains. "i'm literally covered in sweat."

"but i'm a baby and you can't say no to me!" tyler counters, relying on josh to stand up-right.

"we'll just take a shower together," brendon says. "it'll be quicker that way."

"no it won't," tyler cringes, sharing a laugh with josh. "you guys are gonna have sex!"

"no we won't!" ryan laughs. he holds his pinky out. "promise we'll be quick."

tyler groans albeit accepting the pinky promise. him and josh shut themselves in his room, quickly wiping any lingering foam off of them with a clean towel.

"i have puddles in my shoes," tyler whines.

josh chuckles. "sit," he instructs, pointing at the desk chair.

tyler does so, singing a song from the party that got stuck in his head while josh carefully removes his shoes and drenched socks. the younger wiggles his toes, giggling when josh brings the towel to them to dry them off.

"stop! that tickles!" he exclaims, kicking his legs to free himself.

"baby, i'm not even touching your feet. i'm just drying them off," josh can't help but laugh.

"yeah, but they're my second most sensitive tickle spot."

"second?" josh raises an eyebrow.

"my armpits are the most," tyler explains, his eyes widening as he realizes josh's plan. "no! please!"

he erupts in a fit of screams and laughter while the older's fingers work their way beneath his arms. his body is so weak from laughter he can't even fight back. josh doesn't stop until he's literally unable to catch his breath.

"josh!" tyler narrows his eyes, protectively tucking his hands under his armpits. "how rude!"

"aw, come on," josh grins, poking at tyler's side playfully. "i just like hearing you laugh."

his smile makes tyler melt instantly, the frown on his face quickly replaces with a smile of his own. "you always make me laugh."

"i know, i'm pretty funny."

"your mom's pretty funny," tyler smirks, squealing when josh's fingers begin dancing on his sides. "stop! stop! i take it back! please!"

josh pulls away, leaving tyler to sit and collect himself. his stomach really hurts all of a sudden, almost like all the laughter shook up the contents of his belly. he groans, doubling over in pain as he holds his stomach.

"what's wrong?" josh asks, rubbing his back. "stomach?"

"mhm," tyler whines, squeezing his eyes shut.

"shit, i'm sorry. let me go get you some water."

(TW for emetophobia starts here!)

"wait," tyler mumbles. his throat feels tight all of a sudden, saliva pooling in his mouth. "i think i'm gonna throw up."

"think you can make it downstairs?"

tyler nods, afraid if he opens his mouth he'll vomit right there onto the floor. they quickly make their way to the half bathroom downstairs.

the moment he's through the door, tyler is on his knees in front of the toilet and emptying the contents of his stomach.

"it's okay," josh murmurs, rubbing his clothed back.

a small whine escapes the boy before another round of vomiting starts. he hates throwing up. it's one of the top five worst feelings in the world.

josh stays beside him the whole time, whispering comforting things and muttering apologies. he throws up until he has nothing left in his stomach, wiping his mouth with a handful of toilet paper. he turns to josh, cheeks wet with tears.

"aw, my baby," the older frowns, inviting tyler for a hug with open arms.

the boy quickly buries himself in his boyfriend, letting himself cry now that the whole ordeal is over. his stomach feels a bit better, but still not great. his throat hurts and his nose burns and his mouth tastes putrid.

(TW over <3)

"i'm so sorry, honey. i shouldn't have been tickling you," josh says, placing a kiss to the top of his head.

"s'okay, daddy," tyler hums, haven fallen into little space a bit. "s'not your fault... should've listened to you. drank too much."

"i shouldn't have let you," josh sighs. he pulls back slightly from the embrace, looking down at the boy. "how're you feeling now?"

"gross," tyler whines. "mouth's yucky and still don't feel good."

"rinse your mouth out. i'll get you some water."

tyler rinses his mouth repeatedly until josh is back with a plastic bluey cup full of cold water. he grins at the choice, gulping down its contents. his mouth is better, but the taste still lingers in the back of his sore throat.

they return to his room, having completely thrown out the idea of either of them showering now. tyler is too tired, and little tyler would do anything it takes to escape the fate of the shower.

"let's get into some comfy, dry clothes, yeah?" josh offers, grabbing the hem of tyler's shirt. "is it okay if i take this off?"

tyler nods, feeling the heat rush to his face as josh removes his shirt. he instinctively wraps his arms around himself, watching josh offer a few different options for him to change into. tyler shakes his head at all of them, knowing exactly what he wants to wear but wanting josh to say it first.

"ohhh, i bet i know what you want," josh smiles. he searches through the bag he brought and holds out one of his t-shirts. "this?"

tyler matches his smile, nodding profusely. he's too tired to talk, that requires too much energy.

"arms up," josh orders, carefully sliding his shirt over tyler's head and helping him find the arm holes. "pajama pants?"

tyler shakes his head.

"no? shorts?"

he shakes his head again.

"okay, well you should at least put some dry undies on," josh chuckles. he points at the damp swim shorts tyler still currently has on. "you can't wear these to bed."

tyler can't help but groan. he gets up to retrieve himself a pair of boxer briefs, not wanting josh to have to search through his underwear drawer. while he changes into those, josh changes into just a pair of plaid pajama pants.

"can i sleep like this?" he asks tyler, motioning to his shirtless torso.

"mhm," the brunette yawns, crawling into bed.

he still doesn't feel great, the room is spinning and his stomach hurts. he squeezes his eyes shut, feeling like he's on a boat in the middle of a rocky ocean.

"daddy," he whines, quickly sitting up. "more water?"

"of course, dear." josh hands him the cup, watching as the boy quickly downs whatever's left. "more?"

tyler shakes his head. he just wants to go to sleep already so he can stop feeling sick. he pats the bed next to him, making josh's lips curl upwards.

in the dark, the two wrap themselves up in each other. tyler likes the feeling of josh's bare skin against him and wishes he didn't have his shirt on either, but he's too comfy to do anything about it. strangely, he doesn't feel as sick with josh's arms around him.

he's glad to have him. even with the puking and everything, tyler had a really great night. he knows that the same might not be true if josh hadn't been there.

as scared as he was to be in a relationship, he's grateful for josh helping him push through the fear. tyler isn't sure how it's possible for him to fall even harder for josh than he already had, but it's happening.

he's completely enamored.

as terrifying as that is, it doesn't fill him with as much fear to think about how it's josh that he's enamored with. josh, who has been nothing but sweet to him. the boy who's slowly changing his perspective on relationships and love as a whole.

there, in the cover of night, tyler wants to tell josh that he loves him. it's ridiculous—they haven't even known each other for a month—but there's no denying it. maybe it's just the traces of alcohol in his bloodstream that are compelling him. maybe it's not a good idea to tell josh yet.

so, he decides not to. he bites his tongue, keeping the secret to himself for now.

he feels a wet kiss against his forehead, causing him to smile. he wonders what josh is thinking about right now, if he's thinking about anything.

"goodnight, honey."

"g'night," tyler whispers.

inside his drunken head, he adds, i love you.

(a/n: hi!! sorry it's been awhile—finals are coming up for me and i was super swamped with work. and this chapter is kinda bad i'm sorry :\ but i hope you still enjoyed!! i appreciate all of your comments & votes so so much <3)