"Babe," Josh said as he saw Tyler sitting alone near the door, drinking a bottle of water. "Why don't you come talk with the guys and I?"

Tyler shook his head. "I-I'm okay. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Josh asked. "I feel bad leaving you just sitting here alone."

Tyler nodded. "I-I'm sure."

Josh nodded, kissing Tyler's forehead. "Okay, well, I love you."

"Love you too," Tyler said quietly.

So he just continued to sit by himself in a seat by the door, waiting for Josh to eventually come running in and yell 'it's a surprise! Happy anniversary!', but he never did.

***

"Josh," Tyler said, Josh still talking loudly over the music. "Josh," he said louder, tapping his shoulder.

Josh turned around.

"I-I ordered myself an Uber," Tyler told him. "I-I'll see you later."

"Okay," Josh said. "Bye."

"Bye," Tyler said, starting to walk towards the door.

He then remembered something, turning back around and tapping Josh's shoulder again. "I-I forgot to say I love you."

"Okay," Josh said, turning back around and taking another sip of his drink.

***

Tyler woke up to a call at three in the morning.

"H-hello?"

"TyTyyyyyyyy. Come pick me uppppp."

"W-where are you?"

"Beebo's castle."

"Okay," Tyler sighed.

Once again, Josh was drunk. But at least he wasn't the angry drunk he normally was.

***

Tyler pulled up to Brendon's house, helping drunk Josh get in the car.

He drove to their apartment, walking with him inside.

Josh then puked all over himself.

"Joshua," Tyler sighed to himself.

"Whatttt??"

So Tyler had to clean vomit off of his fiancé at 4:00 in the morning, on what should have been their anniversary.

He got Josh into bed, Josh sprawling out all over the bed.

"Josh," Tyler said. "C-can you maybe move over just a little bit? S-so I can lay down?"

But Josh was already fast asleep.

So he went and slept on the couch, which he was doing more frequently than he was sleeping in their bed.

That night, as usual, he cried himself to sleep, knowing that in the morning, something had to change.

***

"J-Josh," Tyler said as he saw his fiancé walk into the kitchen.

"What?"

"We need to talk," Tyler said.

"About what? Did I make you upset?" Josh asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He quickly sat down across from Tyler, taking his hands in his own. "Baby, I'm sorry if I made you upset."

"I-I can't, Josh," Tyler said, beginning to cry. "P-please don't make this any harder than it already is."

"What, baby?" Josh asked, kissing Tyler's forehead. "What's hard?"

"I-I can't, Josh," he cried. "I-I can't keep doing this."

"Keep doing what?"

"Us," Tyler sobbed. "I-I can't take you being drunk all the time, e-especially w-when you get angry a-and you hit me."

"W-What?!" Josh exclaimed. "I've hit you?!"

Tyler sniffled and nodded.

"When?"

"A-a few days ago. A-and a few weeks before that a-and a few weeks before that."

Josh sat back, thinking to himself.

He had been so drunk he hadn't remembered, and Tyler was too scared to say anything about it.

"A-and I spent o-our five year anniversary cleaning vomit off of you," Tyler said. "I-I thought you'd have some romantic date planned out a-and it'd be really nice b-but instead you made me go to that party a-and you didn't even say you loved me after I came back and said I loved you a-and I've been sleeping on the couch for the past three weeks a-and I just can't take it anymore, Josh," he sobbed.

"T-Tyler, I-I... I-I promise I can change," Josh said. "I-I'll go to rehab, therapy, anything. Anything you want me to go to. I-I'll go. I-I'll go a-and once I'm out and I'm better, I-I'll give you a make-up anniversary. A-and it'll be better than a-anything you could ever imagine. P-please, baby, stay with me. I-I love you so much a-and I love being your fiancé a-and I want to be the best husband ever for you a-and give you the marriage you've always dreamed of."

Tyler sniffled, shaking his head. "I-I can't, Josh. I-I'm so sorry, b-but I can't."

Josh just sat back in his seat, crying himself.

"I-I'm gonna go pack my things," Tyler said quietly, getting up and beginning to get his items in the apartment.

"Wait," Josh said.

Tyler stopped.

"Y-you keep the apartment," Josh said. "I-I'm gonna go get help, okay? I-I'm gonna go g-get better, a-and I'm gonna come back and w-we'll have our happily ever after. I-I promise."

Tyler sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"P-please?" Josh said. "P-please just give me this one chance. J-just one more chance. A-and if I blow it, I-I'll be gone for good. P-please, Ty, just give me one last chance."

Tyler stood there, crying his eyes out.

He didn't know what to do.

He knew he needed to get out of the relationship, because even if Josh wasn't meaning to hurt him, he was.

But something told him Josh was going to change.

"I-I... i-i don't know, Josh," he sobbed.

Josh walked up to Tyler, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"Whatever you decide," Josh said. "I-I'll still love you. No matter what, I-I'm always gonna love you."

Tyler sobbed into his shoulder, Josh rubbing his back gently as he kissed behind his ear, knowing that always calmed Tyler.

"I-I'm gonna go call that rehab center down the road," Josh said softly. "See if they have any openings."

Tyler sniffled and nodded.

He sat alone on the couch, shivering as he cried, staring at the blank wall.

Josh returned a few minutes later. "I-I'm gonna go check in at 4:30 this afternoon."

Tyler nodded.

"C-can you come with me?" Josh asked.

He was scared. He didn't know what rehab was going to be like. Having Tyler there when he checked in would at least help him calm his nerves a little bit:

Tyler nodded, helping Josh pack some things.

He got a big cardboard box together. He put in Josh's favorite blanket along with all of Josh's favorite foods and snacks, as well as his favorite candles and some photos of them together.

A tear rolled down his cheek as he held the photo that had been taken of them right after Josh proposed, where Tyler was crying and looking up into his eyes and Josh grinned goofily at him, pressing their foreheads together.

He wrote a long note, walking past their bedroom and hearing Josh sobbing, calling himself names and saying he deserved to die.

Tyler walked into the room, getting onto Josh's lap, one leg on either side of him.

He hugged him tightly.

"I-I'm gonna get better," Josh said. "I-I promise."

Tyler sniffled and nodded, continuing to hug Josh tightly.

***

Eventually it was 3:45. The boys loaded up the car with everything Josh needed and headed to the facility.

"I-I'm here to check in," Josh said.

"Okay," the woman as the desk said. "What's your name?"

"Joshua Dun."

She nodded, clicking and typing some things. "Wonderful," she smiled. "I'll show you your room."

Josh nodded, following her but staying close to Tyler.

He was so nervous. He had no idea what to expect, how long he'd be there, anything.

Tyler sensed it, gently hooking their pinkies together as they walked.

Josh immediately held Tyler's whole hand, sighing shakily as Tyler rubbed circles into the back of it with his thumb.

"Here you are," she smiled, gesturing to the room. "Feel free to set up, get it how you like. Whatever makes you comfortable."

Josh nodded, and she left.

Tyler helped him to start unpack everything, stopping him when he started to open the box containing everything Tyler had packed for him.

"Save this for a day you feel really, really sad, okay?" Tyler said.

Josh nodded. "Okay," he said softly.

After they got Josh's room how he liked it, Tyler stood up by the door. "I-I guess this is it."

Josh nodded, playing with his fingers.

Tyler walked up to him and kissed his forehead. "I love you a lot, still."

Josh nodded. "I-I Love you too. I-I'm sorry you spent our anniversary cleaning vomit off of me. I-I'd say I was distracted so that's why I didn't remember it but I really don't have an excuse. I-I'm just being a bad fiancé. I-I'm sorry."

Tyler sighed, hugging Josh. "I'm excited to be with you soon," he said quietly.

Josh nodded. "Me too. I-I'll be a lot better, then. Promise."

"I-i know you will," Tyler said softly. "I-I'm proud of you for doing this."

Josh nodded, shrugging.

"I-I promise I'll wear the ring all the time," Tyler said.

"You better," Josh said. "N-now that I'm not there to keep all the other guys off you y-you really need to wear it so they know you're taken."

Tyler smiled the tiniest bit.

"I-I'm serious," Josh said. "I-if anyone approaches you o-or even looks at you like that, you tell me and I'll break out of here a-and I'll kill them."

"W-we'll be back together real soon, ok?"

"O-okay," Josh replied. "I-I Love you so much. I-I'm gonna be the best fiancé ever when I'm done here."

"I-i know," Tyler said softly. "I-i know. I-I love you too."

And with that and one final kiss, Tyler was on his way.

***

Joshua had been in rehab for two weeks until he finally just had to see what was in the box.

He missed Tyler so incredibly much, and being apart from him for this short time made him so immensely grateful for the fact that Tyler gave him another chance.

He knew he couldn't mess this up.

He opened the box to find all of the things, that weren't Tyler himself, he had been missing.

His favorite blanket that he and Tyler would always snuggle under, photos of he and Tyler, the chips and candies they'd always eat when together, everything.

And with it, a note.

Joshua,

I love you a lot. I know you probably don't believe that now, but I do. I really, really love you a lot.

And I'm so proud of you for getting help. I know you were nervous. Just right now I can hear you pacing in the bedroom. Things will be okay. I promise.

I'm sorry if what I said hurt you. I just needed to get it off my chest. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never have and I never will, I just noticed that after I said it you got really insecure-seeming, so I figure I said something hurtful.

I forgive you for everything you've done.

I forgive you for coming home drunk all the time.

I forgive you for becoming angry and sometimes violent when drunk.

I forgive you for the times you've hit me while drunk.

I forgive you for forgetting our anniversary.

I forgive you for throwing up on yourself and me having to clean it off of you because you were too drunk to do it yourself.

I forgive you for everything.

And I love you more than anything.

And I really, really hope that we get to a point where we can get married and live happily ever after.

Because the only happily ever after in my world is one with a happy, healthy Joshua right by my side.

I said to open this when you feel as if you can't take it anymore, so take this note as a sign saying to keep going.

Please keep going, Joshua.

I want us to be together more than anything, but in order for that to happen, you have to be sober.

I'm willing and completely ready to support you in this journey in whatever way I can, and I can't wait to see you soon.

I love you more than anything.

You are so, so strong and brave. Stronger and braver than you will ever know.

Continue on with this big step in your life, Joshua.

I'm so incredibly proud of you.

Just keep fighting, okay?

All of my love,
Tyler

Josh sniffled as he held the note.

His fiancé was so sweet and selfless, thinking that after confronting Josh about how he felt uncomfortable when he was drunk and hitting him was somehow his wrongdoing.

He wanted more than anything to hold Tyler in his arms, kiss him and tell him he was so perfect and amazing and had absolutely no reason to apologize.

He couldn't wait to see him, but he first had to get better.

***

After two months in rehab, Josh was finally ready to go home.

He begged and begged the nurses to let him be the one to call Tyler and say he was ready to return home, and they finally let him.

"Hello?"

"H-hey, baby," Josh said with a smile. "I-I'm done with rehab. I-I'm ready to come home now."

"J-Joshua..." Tyler said softly with a smile.

"Y-yeah," Josh said shyly, drawing patterns with his foot as he held the phone with both his hands.

"I'm so proud of you," he said. "S-so, so proud."

Josh blushed, smiling softly. "T-thanks. I-I love you a lot."

Tyler smiled, blushing himself. "I-I love you too. What time do you want me to come get you?"

"Whatever works for you."

"How's 5:00? W-we can go get dinner after I pick you up."

"Okay."

"Where do you wanna go for dinner, Joshie?" Tyler asked with a smile.

Josh smiled widely, having forgotten how adorable it was when Tyler called him Joshie.

"Somewhere romantic," Josh grinned.

"Like...?"

"I dunno," Josh laughed. "Somewhere we can snuggle while we eat."

"I-I don't think we can do that anywhere but at our house, Joshie," Tyler giggled.

"Well. Maybe we'll just have to take something home to eat."

"Maybe, Joshie," Tyler smiled. "Maybe."

"I-I Love you," Josh said. "I-I can't wait to be with you."

"I-I Love you more," Tyler blushed. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, my love."

***

Tyler smiled shyly as he saw Josh walking down the hall.

He burst into giggles at Josh started running towards him, picking him up and spinning him around as he hugged him tightly.

"H-hi, Joshie."

"Hey, baby," Josh smiled, looking up at him as he held him.

Tyler giggled, rubbing their noses together.

And with that, they were on their way out.

***

After they picked up dinner, they went back home and snuggled. They caught up on everything that had happened, Tyler eventually falling asleep on top of Joshua.

Josh smiled, carrying him to their room.

They slept in there together, but not until after Josh finished getting everything in order for tomorrow's make up anniversary.

He could not wait to be the fiancé, and eventually the husband, he'd promised to be.