tyler's eyes are focused on the ground, just as he was trained to do. him and josh are currently at the mall, the younger boy extremely nervous. he doesn't want to do something wrong or embarrass himself in front of josh. he's afraid of being punished, whatever that punishment may be.

he doesn't talk and neither does josh, but the strong arm wrapped around his shoulder tells tyler the man isn't upset with him or anything. tyler doesn't talk because he's scared, but he doesn't understand why josh won't talk. maybe that's just how he is: cold and distant. or maybe he just doesn't like tyler. yeah, most likely that second option.

they had already went to target and bought decorations for tyler's room, the several shopping bags resting in the backseat of josh's car. now it's time for tyler to get clothes.

"j-daddy," he mutters, quickly catching himself but feeling awkward the second the word leaves his mouth.

"hm?" josh responds, unbothered.

"can we go to victoria's secret?"

"sure, dear."

the older leads him into the store as tyler stares at their feet. josh's feet are much bigger than tyler's, but that's a given considering josh is almost 6 foot and he's a measly 5'3. they look through the lingerie and underwear together, josh trying to help but not quite knowing what tyler likes yet. by the time they check out, though, he's starting to get it. he's also almost two hundred dollars broker (is that even a word? if not, it is now), which tyler feels awful about but josh assures him it's alright.

next is aeropostale, where tyler spend most of the time picking out jeans and shorts but he also snags a few cute shirts and even a dress. he glances at josh, expecting the man to comment on it. but he doesn't, just nods for tyler to get it. with a smile, the brunette pulls the item into his arms.

rue 21 is next, which tyler is thankful for because it's a cheaper store with quality clothing. there, he doesn't even bother going for the men's section. he looks through the girl's tees, placing the cute and comfy ones in his arms. he finds another dress, adding it to the growing pile, along with a few crop tops.

then they're off to shoe department. josh buys the boy a few packs of socks, a pair of vans, a pair of nikes, and a pair of flip flops. tyler tells the older he thinks that's good once they're all checked out, both josh isn't having it. he insists on taking tyler to just a few more stores, claiming he hasn't spoiled anybody in a while. although, it's not really spoiling when tyler is technically going to pay him back. tyler doesn't tell him this, though.

josh takes him to calvin klein, where tyler picks out sweatpants, a hoodie, a few boxer briefs and some regular boxers. tyler insists on going home once more, but josh still shakes his head. he says he knows the boy will make more than enough money to pay it off quickly, so he isn't worried about it. tyler already made a grand his first night, twice of what josh expected.

so they shop a bit longer. josh's and tyler's arms are both full of shopping bags by the time they're finished, and it's also getting dark out. they load the bags into josh's car and start the drive home. well, at least, tyler thinks they're going home. he quickly realizes they aren't going to same route they came.

"where are we going now?" he asks, unable to keep his eyes off josh.

he's just irresistible, okay? it's impossible not to stare at him. the man looks like he was shaped by the gods themselves.

"dinner," josh says simply, glancing between tyler and the road. "that okay with you, nosy?"

"i- uh, yeah, sorry. was i not supposed to ask?" tyler frowns.

"i'm just kidding, it's fine," josh says, lips curling in the slightest. the only other time tyler had seen him smile today was when they were shopping at victoria's secret.

"oh, okay," he murmurs, gasping when josh's hand grips his thigh.

"you're scared of me, aren't you?"

"what? i- no!" tyler stutters, gulping as he watches josh knead the flesh of his bare thigh. his shorts aren't that short, but josh keeps raising the hem with every stroke of his thumb.

"don't lie to me, tyler."

"i- okay! yeah, you're scary. there, i said it. now can you stop?" he asks, but makes no attempt to remove josh's hand.

"you don't like when i do this?" josh questions, hand inching up the younger's thigh.

"i do, it's just-"

"just what? you're scared?"

"i don't know!" tyler whines, shifting uncomfortably as a certain heat grows between his legs. "it's just that-"

"is tyler scared of daddy?" josh mocks in a baby voice, chuckling at how flustered the boy is.

"no, i- oh my god, my brain," tyler complains, unsure of what exactly he's feeling. he loves this, wants josh to tease him and wants josh to touch him. at the same time, though, he's afraid. maybe he's just too nervous of a person, but he doesn't want to mess up somehow. josh isn't scary, per se, just intimidating. very intimidating.

"oh, look at that. we're here." josh removes his hand as he pulls into the parking lot. tyler breathes a sigh of relief.

after the two are situated with their menus and drinks, tyler decides to make conversation.

"how old are you, anyway?" he asks, eyes trained on his menu to avoid josh's beating stare.

"i'm twenty-six. why? how old do i look?"

tyler glances at him for a second, their eyes meeting, then quickly glances back at his menu. "i don't know. twenty-six, i guess."

"how are the girls treating you so far?" josh asks, now his turn to hold the discussion. he probably doesn't actually care, it's just something for them to talk about.

"good, for the most part. i haven't talked to anybody much besides debby. i'd say she's the only one i would consider a friend right now."

"melanie hasn't been causing any trouble?"

tyler looks at him, finds him already staring, and quickly looks away again. "no, why?"

"debby told me some things," he shrugs. "and melanie is known to be a pain in the ass."

tyler chuckles, nodding. "yeah, she seems like one. i don't know why she doesn't like me. i'm great. well, for the most part."

"you are great," josh agrees, and tyler notices him smiling out of the corner of his eye. "that's just how she is. debby's right, she's most likely jealous."

"but why?" tyler insists. "i'm just... a boy. i'm just tyler."

josh sighs, rubbing at his temple. "yeah, debby told me you weren't very confident in yourself."

"what!?" tyler sighs, narrowing his eyes at the menu. "dang her."

"you're a gorgeous young man, tyler, whether you think so or not. take it from me. you think i would say that to just anybody? you think i would pick any random boy from the streets? no. i chose you, because you are beautiful."

tyler sits dumbfounded, hiding his face behind his menu because he's certain his cheeks are bright red. "okay," he squeaks, although he still begs to differ.

"seriously," josh pushes, grabbing the menu to expose the boy's face. tyler tries to snatch it back but josh is quicker than him, so he sits with his arms crossed. "look at me."

he does such, fighting the urge to drop his gaze back to the table. they hold eye contact, tyler waiting for josh to say something. he notices a slight shift in the man's appearance. josh looks serious still, yes, but there's something else...

"you, my dear, are beautiful. i will do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

comforting. josh is comforting. his cold stare has shifted into a warm one, eyebrow furrowed in the slightest. tyler feels his face heat up once more, but doesn't look away. he doesn't exactly know what josh means, so he just nods.

"okay?"

"okay."

~~~

"what!?" debby gasps, grabbing the boy's shoulders and shaking him back and forth. "are you serious!?"

"yes! why? i don't get what the big deal is!" tyler laughs, watching debby wave her arms around like a mad-woman.

"tyler! the big deal is that josh took you on a date!"

"it was not a date," he responds, rolling his eyes. "it was just dinner."

"yeah, bullshit," she retorts. "joshua. took. you. on. a. date. do you understand how huge this is?"

"clearly not," the boy says, stringing lights across his room as he listens to debby freak out.

"it took him six months to take me on a date. it took him two to even have a full conversation with me that wasn't about business! i don't think he's ever even taken melanie on a date," she rambles, pacing back and forth.

"really?" tyler grins, feeling boastful. josh has taken him on a date but not melanie. that's amazing. "well, so what?"

"so what? my god, you really are dumb," she sighs, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "tyler, he already likes you. it takes him weeks, months sometimes, before he starts liking his recruits."

"he does not like me," the boy mutters. "he was just being nice."

"yeah, exactly! he's never this nice to anybody, not even me! i can't even remember the last time he told me good job, tyler. how are you not getting this?"

he shrugs. he's doubting every word debby says. it's mostly going in one ear and out the other. josh is a pimp. tyler is a prostitute. there's no way in hell he would ever like tyler, which is exactly what debby is getting at. why tyler, anyway, out of the other five beautiful girls?

oh no.

tyler's heart sinks as he starts overthinking, driving himself crazy. maybe it does make sense. maybe josh is just like any other man and just wants to use tyler to explore his sexuality. jesus christ, that's it. that has to be it.

"he just wants to use me," he snaps, suddenly, silencing debby's mindless ramble. "just like everybody else. i'm just some experiment. that's all i ever have been and all i ever will be, okay? now will you drop it?"

"tyler..."

"please, just drop it. can you just leave me alone for a while?" he asks, the words coming out harsher than he intends.

"yeah, i'm sorry," she says, leaving without another word.

tyler sighs, finishing with the lights. he continues decorating the rest of his bedroom, the whole project taking him around thirty minutes or so. when he's done, empty plastic bags litter the floor. he gathers them in his arms, starting down the hallway to find josh. he doesn't know exactly where to look, but thankfully the two nearly collide as tyler turns a corner.

"oh, there you are. where do i put these?" he asks, holding out the bags.

josh takes them from him. "follow me."

the boy isn't sure why he has to tag along, but listens without question. josh brings him to the kitchen and opens a closet door, tossing the bags inside.

"oh, alr-"

tyler squeaks as a hand grips his throat and pushes him against the wall. he blinks at josh, baffled by the sudden outburst. no words come out when he tries to speak, just little choking sounds. josh loosens his fingers slightly, allowing tyler to breathe easier.

"what's your problem!?" tyler asks, squeaking when josh squeezes his throat.

"my problem is you think i'm some sort of pig," josh barks, tyler's attitude instantly dropping. "you think that's how i am? you think i would use you for that?"

tyler shakes his head quickly. "no, i-"

"shut up," josh orders. the boy stares at him fearfully, a strange heat pooling in his stomach. "shouldn't you know better than to talk down on me? you think debby wouldn't tell me? she tells me everything."

"i'm sorry," tyler chokes out, fighting back the tears that burn behind his eyes. he can't even trust debby, the one girl he thought could be trustworthy. he's so stupid. "i didn't mean it."

josh releases his grip, tyler breathing heavily and rubbing at his neck. "no, i know you didn't. you're an insecure, little mess. just because you think nobody would ever like you does not mean it's true. just because you allow yourself to be used by other men, does not. mean. that i would do the same to you. are we clear?"

"yes, daddy," tyler nods, not even intending for the words to come out. they slip right past him.

"good. i'm going to pretend like this never happened, and hopefully you can do the same."

tyler nods again, watching josh walk away.

what. the. fuck.