"Have you gone to one of the nightly parties yet?" Josh asked.

"N-no," Tyler said embarrassedly.

"I haven't either," Josh said. "D-do you um... do you wanna maybe go tonight?"

Tyler blushed deeply, but he quickly shook it off. It wasn't supposed to be like a date.

Was it?

"O-oh," Tyler said. "Y-yeah. That sounds nice."

"Sick," Josh smiled. "I'll see you then."

***

Around 5:30, Josh and Tyler were getting ready. Tyler hopped in the shower and started to sing, simply out of habit. Josh stopped in his tracks.

He sounds like an angel, josh thought to himself.

He stood there for a few minutes, his heart melting at Tyler's beautiful voice.

Then, Tyler walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped dangerously low on his hips. Josh blushed deeply, quickly scurrying away after he caught himself staring.

By 6:00, they were both ready, Tyler and Josh walking out together.

"Dun! Joseph! Nice to see you both for once," one of their friends smiled.

Tyler just nodded and Josh shrugged.

There was a ton of beer, and neither of the boys were really big drinkers.

There was a lot of gambling, too, and both boys didn't have much interest in it.

There was loud music, dancing, and just a lot of noise. Neither Tyler nor Josh liked it.

"Do you wanna go back to the unit?" Josh asked with a light chuckle. "I know it's only been like ten minutes but I don't think either of us are enjoying this too much."

Tyler blushed and giggled, nodding with a smile.

Josh couldn't get enough of his adorable smile.

But, Tyler couldn't get enough of Josh's goofy grin, either.

They walked back to their unit, being the only ones there since Murphy and Bishop were at the party.

"So...." Josh said awkwardly. "What do you wanna do?"

Tyler shrugged, looking down at his feet.

He wasn't much of a talker.

"We have that fire pit out on the porch," Josh suggested. "Does that sound ok?"

Tyler smiled slightly and nodded, following Josh out to the patio behind their unit. He assisted josh in building the fire and sat on the chair across from his new friend. There was a loveseat to the right of him and the left of Joshua.

"So, i still haven't heard much about you," Josh said.

"What do you want to know?" Tyler asked with a shy smile.

"Whatever you want to tell me," Josh grinned back. "As much as you want to."

"Well, I-I'm Tyler Robert Joseph. I'm from Columbus, Ohio, but lived in Dallas for a while. That's where I completed my training. I have three younger siblings. I really like music and helping people. I was captain of the basketball team at my high school three years in a row. I went through a really rough time when I was 14, got better, then relapsed even worse at 17. But, I'm good now. Just kind of quiet. I don't really like animals or vegetables. I'm distracted easily, as you've probably caught on to," he giggled. "But, yeah. I just really, really like music and helping others. What about you?"

"Well, I'm Joshua William Dun, also from Columbus," he grinned. "I also have three younger siblings. Two sisters and a brother. I love playing the drums and anything to do with athletics. I have pretty bad anxiety. That's why you might see me taking pills every morning. I love doing charity work, especially for mental health organizations. I played soccer and baseball in high school. And uh, yeah. I-I guess that's kind of it," Josh smiled sheepishly.

Tyler smiled and nodded. "Cool. We have a lot in common."

Josh smiled and nodded as well. "Yeah, we do."

Josh didn't know why, but he felt some sort of connection to Tyler. Even before he talked to him and only saw him putting on his helmet. It was there. He felt it.

But, little did he know, Tyler did too. When he was around Josh, especially when they were alone, his heart started picking up.

"Are you cold?" Tyler asked as he noticed Josh shivering.

"Y-yeah, a bit," Josh giggled, rubbing up and down his arms really fast. "B-but it's alright."

"Here, I'll go get you a blanket," Tyler said, stepping inside and searching for a blanket.

He returned a moment later with the only blanket he could find: his own.

"Here you go," he smiled as he handed it to Josh. "All the way from Columbus."

"Oh, no, you don't want the dirt and stuff to get on it," Josh said, not wanting Tyler's keepsake from home to get dirty.

"It's ok," Tyler said. "I can wash it."

Josh smiled shyly and nodded, thanking tyler for the blanket and snuggling up with it.

Tyler took his seat again and they continued talking, and eventually, Tyler was shivering.

"Do you want the blanket?" Josh giggled. "You're shivering like crazy."

"Oh, no," Tyler giggled. "You keep it."

"How about we share it?" Josh said quietly.

Tyler smiled shyly and nodded.

They both relocated to the loveseat, sitting by one another, both under the blanket.

Tyler was still shivering.

Josh had only known him for a few weeks, but he really wanted an excuse to get close to him.

So, he carefully wrapped his arm around Tyler, biting his lip nervously. What if Tyler thought he was creepy? What if he didn't want to be touched?

He let out a light sigh of relief as Tyler smiled slightly and snuggled into his side a bit.

They talked about deeper subjects, including Tyler's battles with depression and josh's anxiety.

Both boys tried their hardest not to cry. Both were incredibly emotional but didn't know that about the other, and they wanted to keep their tough persona.

Tyler eventually got sleepy, and Josh couldn't get enough of how adorable he looked with his eyes slowing drooping closed, his cute yawns, everything.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Tyler smiled tiredly. "I'll uh... I'll see you tomorrow. It was really nice getting to talk to you. We should um... we should do it again sometime," he said shyly.

Josh grinned widely and nodded. "Anytime you want."

Tyler smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, Josh."

"Goodnight, Tyler," Josh smiled widely, remaining outside for a bit after his new friend went inside.

About thirty minutes later, Josh realized he still had Tyler's blanket. So, he went inside and gently knocked on Tyler's bedroom door.

"Tyler?" He said softly, opening the door a bit.

The beautiful boy was laying there dead asleep, his mouth open.

Josh couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked.

He walked inside and gently laid the blanket over him, tucking him in then whispering a quiet goodnight before heading to his room.

He called his best friend with a wide smile.

"Hey, Dallon."

"Josh! Hey! What's up?!"

"I-I uh... I met a guy," he said with a shy smile.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Like, a guy you like???"

"Yeah, I-I think so," he said, smiling widely to himself.

"Does he like you back????"

"I-I dunno," Josh said quietly. "I don't even know if he likes guys. Even if he did, we wouldn't be allowed to do anything. There're rules against dating another solider while in service."

"Well, when you guys finish your time," Dallon suggested.

"I dunno, Dal. He did snuggle up to me when I put my arm around him..."

"What?! Dude! He totally likes you!"

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. Whatever. Look, I gotta go. It's late. Tell my family I love them. I'll talk to you later."

"I expect updates on... what's his name?"

"Tyler," Josh smiled. "Tyler Joseph."

"I expect updates on Tyler Joseph," Dallon smiled. "Goodnight, Josh."

"Night, Dal."

And with that, Josh went to bed, sleeping with a smile on his face.