Title: Moth To A Flame
Author: Daisy
Fandom: Until Dawn
Setting: Various
Pairing: Josh Washington/Chris, Chris/Ashley, Mike/Jessica, Mike/Emily, Mike/Hannah Washington, Matt/Emily, Matt/Sam
Characters: Josh Washington, Chris, Ashley, Sam, Jessica, Mike, Matt, Emily, Beth Washington, Hannah Washington, The Stranger, Wendigo, Dog OC: Buddy
Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Rating: T
Chapters: 1/9
Word Count: 590
Type of Work: One-shot Collection
Status: Incomplete
Warnings: Canon Character Death, AU - Canon Divergence, Gay, Slash, Yaoi, Depression, Schizophrenia, Chris POV, Post-Canon, Josh Survives AU, Established Relationship
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: Thinking back on it, now, it's no wonder I fell for Josh like a moth guided to a flame. I didn't care if my wings burnt, I just wanted to be close to his light.
AN: So, I had this idea that a vaguely logical place to take the story from Butterfly Effect to an after-sort-of-thing was a Moth. The Moth as a totem brings several things to the party, and so I decided to do these nine things based on the "spiritual properties" of the moth. I hope you guys enjoy these. I know I'm excited for them.
Peppered Moth: Concealment ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The best days are when Josh is genuinely happy, when he plays with Buddy with all of the vim and vigor he can muster, and the two pass out on the couch. He's a master at disguising when things are wrong, though, he has been for a while. Sometimes, I can catch him. Other times, he lets it go until it's almost too late to fix. He wears that same easy-going smile even when his heart is bleeding, and the bags under his eyes are nothing to worry about; he's always tired, no matter how much he sleeps. Jokes come so easily to him that they're like extensions of his grin, and he can produce conversation from thin air to fill in the gaps.
I know when he's upset, though. I've learned, after two years together, that when Buddy is glued to his side and won't leave him be, then I need to sit him down and make him talk to me. Sometimes, though, his facade falls when he gazes out the sliding door at the balcony, down at the volleyball court, and he heaves a big sigh. He tells me nothing is wrong, but his smile doesn't meet his eyes, and I know he's faking.
But he fooled all of us, off his medication, even, two years ago. He's the best master of disguise I've ever seen.
Even at Matt and Sam's engagement party, he put on the grandest show of being excited for his friends, though I knew earlier in the day he'd been unable to stop crying. At Jess' baby shower, he'd grinned and joked and pretended to hold her belly like Rafiki from the Lion King, making a show of singing 'Circle of Life' with a plastered Mike and Ashley. He'd secretly worried over the state of this child for three hours before, but if anyone could plaster a blinding smile on his face, it was Josh.
Even now, he's gazing out the kitchen window, watching fluffy white snow falling slowly to the ground, holding a cup of tea. He sighs softly, occasionally reaching down to pet the dog glued to his leg, occasionally rising to his back legs to get these pets. A fond look crosses his face and I can't stop myself from slipping up behind him and hugging him tight around the waist, kissing his cheek.
"What's wrong, babe?" I whisper into his ear, resting my head on his shoulder.
"It's supposed to be raining, not snowing." He replies quietly, as though he's afraid his voice might shatter the moment around us.
"Well, maybe you'll get your frozen lake to skate on tomorrow. It's supposed to be at this all night." I offer, kissing him again, and he turns so that I sloppily catch his lips. "Tomorrow we can go do whatever you want. For now, why don't we go lay down and watch some TV? I bet there's a new episode of SVU." I waggle my eyebrows and he gives me a genuine, if not small, chuckle.
"Alright, alright. Let's go get comfortable."
With him wrapped up in my arms, head pillowed on my chest like we always used to, everything feels like it's right. Even with the beagle lying nearly in his asscrack, all he can do is throw jokes about 'Dick Wolf' as the newest episode of Law and Order displays over the TV. I pull a blanket over all three of us and smile as we settle in for our favorite show Josh's tea abandoned on the kitchen table.
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