i honestly have no idea what the “right” way to start this post is, so i’m just going to jump right into it: i will no longer be posting fics on this blog. my interest in the band was already starting to dwindle, but after everything that happened today, it was the last straw.
i’m going to leave this account up so that everything is still available to read, but there won’t be anything new past this point. i’m very sorry to everyone who sent in a request that did not get fulfilled, it was always my intention to write them, but i can’t get myself to do that now.
i also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has ever supported me or taken a few minutes out of their day to read something that i posted. all of you have helped me through some of the darkest points of my life, and i will forever be grateful for that. hopefully i was able to do that for you too.
if you want to keep up with me, i’ll still be active on my main blog @nonsenseverses (although i will be moving to a new account soon). thank you again, for everything.
first and foremost, i would just like to apologize for the spotty posting schedule lately. i hate not posting without an explanation, but i also feel really bad every time i don’t have a new fic on tuesday, so i always end up flipping between whether or not i want to say something or not.
that being said, i think i’ve finally realized that i’ve been experiencing a bit of burnout lately. between the pandemic, figuring out online classes and taking a summer class, and my mental health, writing has been far from my mind and, frankly, i just haven’t had motivation to do much of it, whether that be a new fic or something fun just to write for myself. it really sucks because i love writing more than anything, but i also don’t want to force myself to produce anything.
as a result, i will be taking an official break from posting for the next month and see how i’m feeling at the end of it. i hate to have to do this, but i think it’s the best thing for me right now. i don’t want to produce half-assed content for all of you, especially when it’s requests. and if you’re worried about your request getting written, i will still be finishing them up when i get back, it will just be a bit of a wait.
i’ll still be active on my main blog, but there will be no new content here for the time being. hopefully i will feel ready to take on some more writing when i return, and thank you so much to all of you that have been understanding with this and all the other changes i’ve been making. i hope you’re all staying safe and doing well <3
hi! No request here! I just wanted to tell you that your writing is really amazing and your fics always make my day a little bit better even if you don’t post all the time 🥺🥺have a great day or night
oh my gosh, i am so sorry because i just saw this and i know it must be at least a couple weeks old!! anyway, that aside, thank you so much for this :’) writing isn’t coming easy to me right now, but messages like this always give me that little boost to keep moving forward and trying my best. thank you again <3
Request: Can you do one that’s tumblr themed and y/n has a secret tumblr with a crush tag and the boy sees the tumblr and sees them talking about him. Very embarrassed🤭
Author’s Note: Sorry about my absence, but here’s a fic to make up for it! I hope you enjoy this one :) (picture credit)
You stifled a giggle as you scrolled through your Tumblr account, looking at the things you had reblogged over the past few months. It was mostly memes of various TV shows and games that you liked, but there was an occasional personal post thrown in to update your handful of followers about your life. Most of them were about your “mysterious crush” that you made vague posts about, just to make sure that his identity wasn’t immediately obvious to anyone reading.
Because the #jd tag made it so difficult to figure out.
“What are you looking at?” Josh asked when another laugh escaped your lips.
“Tumblr, as per usual,” you answered, smiling at him.
“I want to see what’s so funny.”
Josh started to scoot closer to you, already trying to peer over your shoulder. You pulled your phone to your chest to hide it from sight, making sure to lock it as an additional security measure. His attempts to get a look at your Tumblr account had been a longstanding joke in your friendship.
“Sorry, Josh, you know the rule.”
“Please,” he said, sticking out his lower lip. Your stomach flipped a couple times at his adorable expression, and for a brief moment you even considered handing over your phone. Flustered, you pulled your eyes away and reminded yourself of all the posts about him you didn’t want to be seen.
“No, it’s too personal,” you said, “But if I find something funny, I’ll text it to you.”
“Fine, we have a deal.”
Josh gave you one final longing look - which you answered with a giggle and a shake of your head - before returning to the other side of the couch, far away from you. You continued to scroll, though it was harder now that you were distracted by the mental image of Josh pouting. Was that worthy of a vague post?
“Josh, you have to see this,” you said, forgetting all about his expression as you hit the share button on a meme that someone had created about the band. You tried to limit the number of posts that you reblogged about the boys - mostly out of fear of people connecting Josh’s identity to the tag on your crush posts - but occasionally something was so funny that you couldn’t resist. This was one of those posts.
“I’m ready,” Josh said, holding his phone up in front of his face. “Is it coming?”
“Yeah, it just takes a second.”
A moment later, Josh was tapping on his phone and laughing as he read the post. The sound of it made butterflies form in your stomach.
“What account is this from? I want to see what else they’ve posted.”
“I don’t remember, click on the name at the top.”
“Y/T/U?”
The butterflies in your stomach disappeared instantly, replaced with a feeling of pure dread. You had been so distracted by sending Josh the post that you had totally forgotten that you had been looking through your own account, meaning that was what he had just gotten a direct link to.
“Don’t look at that,” you said quickly.
Josh turned to you, a teasing smirk on his face. “Why not?”
“Josh, please.”
“Is there something on here you don’t want me to see?”
You decided to go for it and lunged at Josh, reaching for his phone, but it only ended with his hand getting further from you and your chest pressed to his.
“Let’s see what we have here… this looks like a post you wrote. ‘I can’t get enough of his smile. It’s like liquid sunshine.’ Oh, and there’s some more text at the bottom. JD. Hey, those are my initials,” he smiled.
You were still on top of Josh, too scared, embarrassed, and curious to do anything. Was he going to put it together?
“I want to find more posts you wrote,” he said, starting to scroll faster. “Here’s one: ‘Sometimes he puts his arm around me when we walk and my heart melts.’ It has the same letters as the other one. I put my arm around you when we walk sometimes.”
His smile slowly faded and morphed into recognition. Your hands started to shake. You could see the pieces coming together in his head.
“‘Sometimes I want to tell him how I feel but then I think about losing him and that hurts so much more than never telling him.’ Y/N, are these about me?”
“I’m so sorry,” you said. Your body finally moved and you started to pull away from Josh. “I should have never made that public. It was stupid. I should have just told you like an adult.”
Josh caught your arm and gently pulled you back towards him, “I think it’s sweet.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I write stuff like that in my notes about people I like all the time.”
“Right,” you said, forcing a smile even though you could feel your stomach sinking.
“And I have hundreds about you.”
You turned to him, eyes wide. “About me?”
“There’s something satisfying about writing your feelings down somewhere, isn’t there?”
“Agreed,” you smiled. It was real this time.
Josh stared at you for a moment before finally leaning forward and pressing his lips to yours. You rested a hand on the side of his face and held him close.
“Does this mean I get to look at your Tumblr now?” he whispered when he finally pulled away.
“Maybe,” you laughed. “It depends how many other embarrassing things are on there.”
Josh smiled and gave you another quick kiss, “Deal.”
Please take care of yourself! The world is a mess right now and it can definitely be stressful so just make sure you okay! Don't pressure yourself!🧡
Thank you, anon!! I really appreciate this :’) I know I haven’t been super consistent with fics lately, but I’m trying my best to keep content coming! It’s just not the easiest thing to do right now between school and, you know, everything going on in the world! (That being said, there will be a new Josh fic tomorrow!)
exciting, right? i’m looking forward to seeing the ideas that you guys submit! as you’re coming up with ideas, please make sure to keep the following guidelines in mind:
i don’t write things along the lines of full-on smut, self-harm/suicide, addiction, etc. as these are all things that i don’t feel comfortable including in a fic because they are all very personal and i do not want to misrepresent them
i would prefer not to do song requests (with the exception of songs from the boys themselves). i don’t have anything against them, but they don’t usually give me as much wiggle room in terms of plot that i like. that being said, you are still more than welcome to submit them
keep in mind that requests don’t have to be super detailed! even if you just have a trope in mind with one of the boys, i am more than happy to write that as well
finally, you are free to request additional parts to previous fics! this can also include “what if” scenarios or extensions of little moments that were mentioned!
it’s also that important to remember that i will not be able to write every request that is submitted, although i will try my best to complete as many as i can. requests should be open for around a week unless i’m completely flooded with asks. if you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to hit up my ask box or dm me!
Request: please please please do a Level Of Concern type chapter!
Author’s Note: I tried to balance scenes from the lyrics and scenes from the music video so that I could capture all of Level of Concern! Also, requests will be opening on Friday, so start thinking of ideas :) I hope you enjoy this one! (picture credit)
Your foot tapped nervously against the tile floors. You already had one hand tightly gripped around the straps of your backpack, ready to pull it up over your shoulder as soon as you got the ok to leave. Class was supposed to end nearly five minutes ago, but your professor was still droning on. At this rate, you were going to miss your normal bus home and end up waiting fifteen minutes in the rain for the next one.
“Sir? Class is over,” someone hesitantly said, their hand barely raised over their head.
Thank you, random classmate.
“Is it? Oh, look at the time! We’ll finish this next week. Thank you.”
You shot out of your seat, pulling your backpack over your shoulder as you weaved through the other students who were still packing up their things. If you were fast, you could probably still make it the two blocks down to the bus stop in time.
To your surprise, Tyler was standing just outside the classroom, his back pressed to the plain white wall. He looked up when he heard the door open, a smile instantly lighting up his face. In one fluid motion, he picked up his backpack from where it was sitting on the ground and fell into step with you.
“I was wondering where you were,” he said, a smile still plastered on his face. “I got here like twenty minutes ago.”
“Sorry, class ran late,” you said, as if it were your fault. “Did you need something?”
“Um, I did actually. That’s why I waited out here to talk to you.”
You didn’t have time for his lengthy explanations. “Can you make it quick, Ty? I really need to make sure I don’t miss the bus.”
“Yeah, ok. So, basically, my music professor wants us to film a video for a piece that we wrote earlier in the semester. I’ve been brainstorming all week and I haven’t come up with any video ideas that I like and I’m starting to get really stressed out because we only have a few days left. Plus, there’s this girl in my class - Julie - who already did hers and it’s really good. I don’t know if I can live up to that. I even called Mark to help but he’s out of town this week so he can’t.”
You pulled your hood up before pushing open the metal door that separated the stairwell from the outside world. The sound of rain splashing against the pavement instantly filled your ears, making it more difficult to hear Tyler. He was still rambling on about his project.
“What I’m trying to get at is that I was wondering if you had any ideas?”
“Ty, listen,” you stopped walking for just a moment, “I would love to help, but I don’t have time to sit here and help you brainstorm. I need to catch my bus so I don’t end up stuck in the pouring rain for twenty minutes. I’ll call you later, alright?”
Tyler’s face fell, but he nodded slowly. “Cool. See you later.”
You gave him a quick kiss and turned just in time to see the bus come over the hill up ahead. With rain splashing over your feet, you jogged the final blocks to the bus stop and boarded just before the doors closed.
* * *
“Again?” you muttered as the familiar beginning of Tyler’s voicemail played. You had called him numerous times over the past couple of hours, but each attempt was sent straight to voicemail. If you were being honest, it was starting to get a bit worrying.
You set your phone down, deciding to wait another fifteen minutes before you attempted to call him again. It wasn’t like him to not pick up your calls, but maybe he was wrapped up in his music project and didn’t hear his phone ringing. This wouldn’t be the first time it happened, you had lost count of how many times Tyler had missed your calls when he was doing homework or writing music.
Your phone buzzed a few minutes later. Eager to see if it was finally a response from Tyler, you ignored the paragraph you were reading to check your messages. As expected, there was a new message from Tyler, but it wasn’t as friendly as you had hoped.
Tyler: Please stop calling, I’m trying to get this project done.
Y/N: Did you need help?
You tapped your fingers against the edge of your phone, waiting for the little bubbles to pop up and let you know that Tyler was typing. It wasn’t until just after you had given up on waiting and gone back to reading that a text message from him finally came through.
Tyler: I thought you “didn’t have time to sit and help me brainstorm”
“Shit,” you muttered, reading over the text message a few more times as you tried to think of a good response.
Y/N: I was just worried about missing my bus, but I’m more than happy to help you now
An uncomfortable pit settled in your stomach as you waited for Tyler’s answer. It wasn’t like you two to get into fights, and you hated to think that Tyler might be mad at you for a little while. Could you really not have sacrificed fifteen minutes to help him out?
Tyler: You don’t have to
But you wanted to. Without a moment’s hesitation, you stuck a post-it note in your textbook and closed it with a thud. Your shoes were still sitting by your bed from when you had gotten home, so you quickly slipped them on and grabbed the rest of the things that you were going to need.
You weren’t going to let Tyler deal with this alone.
* * *
“You’re not my pizza,” was the first thing out of Tyler’s mouth when he opened the door.
“Sorry to disappoint,” you said.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to help,” you smiled. “And I brought snacks.”
On the way to Tyler’s house, you had made a quick stop to the grocery store to pick up some of his favorite things: Red Bull, you weren’t sure how long this video shoot was going to take, his favorite candy, and a couple bags of chips. Along with keeping you two fueled, you also hoped it would let your apology go over a little bit smoother.
“I’m really sorry for how I acted earlier today. It was wrong and I should have stayed and helped you out, even if it meant taking a later bus.”
Tyler crossed his arms, “I was explaining how much of a toll this project is taking on me and it’s like you weren’t even listening to me.”
“No, I know. I should have been a better listener and I’m sorry for that. That’s why I’m here now, to make up for it.”
Tyler pursed his lips and held a hand out, motioning for the plastic grocery store bag that you were carrying. You passed it to him, half expecting him to take it and shut the door in your face. He opened it up and looked through it, examining the contents.
“Apology accepted, you can stay,” he said, looking up at you with a smile.
“So we’re alright?”
“Yeah, we’re ok. Come here.”
Tyler held out an arm and you happily buried your face in his shoulder. The button down that he was wearing was a bit scratchy against your cheek, but you were just happy that he wasn’t mad at you.
“I love you,” you mumbled.
“I love you too.”
“So, how should we start brainstorming?”
“Well, I actually have an idea. Here, let me show you.”
Tyler grabbed your hand and led you towards the basement. Your jaw dropped as soon as you reached the bottom of the stairs. There was stuff all over the place: outfits thrown over the back of the couch, multicolored lights, flashlights of various sizes. The only clear space was right in front of Tyler’s desk, which just so happened to be where the camera was set up.
“What is your idea?” you asked, beginning to slowly tiptoe through the piles of stuff towards his room.
“Since it’s about quarantine and bunkers and all that, I thought it would be cool to make a music video that’s also sort of a home video. It’s actually really nice that you showed up because I needed a second person for the other camera.”
“What about your family?” you asked, suddenly realizing how silent the house was.
“They went out to dinner so I could have a quiet workspace, but that was before I realized I needed a cameraman.”
“That was nice of them.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot easier to film without someone constantly yelling.”
“Zack?” you laughed.
“Exactly.”
Tyler set the bag of stuff you had brought down on his desk and collapsed on his bed. You sat down next to him and slowly laid back next to him.
“So, where do we start?”
* * *
You quickly lost track of time as you and Tyler worked on the video. It was surprisingly fun helping him out, doing things like costume changes, helping him with his instruments, or finding the perfect angle for a shot. There were a few hiccups with Tyler not being totally happy with something, but you always managed to calm him down and get it fixed. As it turns out, the two of you made a pretty good team.
“Alright, I just need to add the credits and then it’s ready,” Tyler smiled.
“It only took us…” you picked up your phone and checked the time. It was almost one in the morning. “...seven hours.”
“Hopefully the outcome will be worth it.”
“It will,” you smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I told a friend in my class the other day that I haven’t been this nervous about something since I asked you on a date,” he laughed.
“This project means a lot to you, it makes sense to be nervous.”
“I know.”
You smiled as Tyler typed your name into the credits under the title “Assistant Creative Director.”
“That’s a nice title,” you laughed.
“Maybe one day it will be on a music video for millions of people to see,” Tyler said, leaning his head against yours. “Alright, are we ready to watch?”
“Yes.”
Tyler passed you one half of his earbuds and stuck the end into his computer, which was whirring loudly from trying to run the editing software. You gave him a thumbs up and he hit play.
There was a smile on your face for the entire video. You loved everything about it, from the music that Tyler had worked so hard to produce to the dance moves that he had whipped out for the camera. You were glad that he had a tripod for those shots, you weren’t sure that you would have been able to keep the camera steady enough while you were laughing at how cute he was. There were even a few shots that you had made it into.
When the video finally ended, you turned to Tyler with an excited smile on your face.
“Ty, this is amazing. You nailed the assignment.”
“You think so?” he asked, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly.
You nodded, “I really do. I loved every second of that.”
“Thank you so much. For your support and your help, it really helped keep me calm,” he smiled.
“Of course, I’m always going to be here for you.”
Tyler grabbed your face and pulled you into a kiss. You smiled and leaned closer to him, finally letting the exhaustion from helping him set in. On his computer, the music slowly faded out.
no new fic today, as you probably guessed. i had a really rough weekend and my mental health took a big hit. i tried starting a fic about four times, but only managed to get about halfway on my best attempt. i’ll try my best to get it out later this week.
on a brighter note, once that fic is up, i’ll be able to open requests again! :)
Request: can you do one where one of them (cough, tyler) doesn’t like animals but after spending more and more time with the pet they grow to love it? #justiceforgeorgie -@blackbeanietyler
Author’s Note: I hope you enjoy this one! :) (picture credit)
“What is he doing?” Tyler asked.
You followed his gaze to where your cat was playing on the rug, tossing a toy around for himself. A smile graced your lips at the sight of it.
“He’s playing, Ty.”
“Is that what that is?”
You sighed. It was no secret that Tyler wasn’t particularly fond of your newly adopted cat, despite the numerous times he had been over to your apartment since you had adopted him. Not even the fact that the cat was named after one of his songs - Nico - was enough to make him warm up even the tiniest bit. Tonight was the first night that Tyler was spending at your apartment since you had gotten him, and you were hoping that this might finally be the breakthrough that the two of them needed to bond.
“He’s really sweet, you just need to warm up to him.”
Tyler leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms, sticking out his bottom lip for added show. It was the adult equivalent of a toddler’s temper tantrum.
“I don’t have to warm up to anyone, even if that someone is a cat.”
“Ty, he’s going to be around for another thirteen years. If you don’t like him, we may as well break up now,” you said, making sure to add a joking tone to your voice.
“No, please,” Tyler leaned towards you and rested his head on your upright knees. “I love you.”
You leaned in to meet him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. His hair tickled your nose. “You need to learn to love Nico too.”
“But you deserve all of my love.”
Tyler gently started to push your knees apart so he could move in and hover over you, wasting no time in planting his lips properly against yours. You smiled and grabbed onto him, pulling his body closer to yours. His lips tasted like chapstick.
His hand had just started to fiddle with the bottom of your shirt when he suddenly stopped and pulled away, muttering profanities. He whipped around to look at his feet, eyebrows furrowed. Confused, you leaned around him only to see Nico had gotten up on the couch and started playing with Tyler’s foot, batting his paws against it and giving it tiny little bites.
“Nico,” he whispered, gently wiggling his foot. “I’m in the middle of something.”
“He’s just trying to play with you!”
“He won’t get off my foot!”
With a sigh, you slowly slid out from under Tyler - much to his dismay - and grabbed Nico, double checking that he didn’t still have one claw sunk into Tyler’s skin before you pulled him away. You wrapped him up in your arms like a baby and kissed his soft little forehead.
“I think he’s jealous that I get all of your love and he doesn’t get any,” you cooed.
“It’s hard to love him when he attacks my foot.”
“That’s part of owning a cat, Ty.”
You let go of Nico and he hopped back down onto the couch. Tyler instinctively pulled his feet up under him, a place where the cat wouldn’t be able to reach them.
“I know that deep down in your heart somewhere, you want to love him,” you said as you sat back down on the couch. Tyler held an arm out and you curled up next to him, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder before leaning on it.
“I don’t know about that.”
You both looked at Nico, who had gone back to playing with his own toys on the carpet now that there was no interrupting to be done. It was frustrating that Tyler was so resistant about trying to like him.
“Is it alright if I go shower?” Tyler asked.
“Go for it, and enjoy my coconut shampoo.”
“I will.”
Tyler gave you a lingering kiss before finally getting up and walking down the hall towards your bedroom. With him gone, you stretched out on the couch and grabbed your phone from the coffee table to kill the time until he got back. Nico, upon realizing that Tyler had left, followed him down the hall to investigate.
“Y/N!” Tyler called out, obviously panicked. The shower hadn’t even started running yet.
“What?”
“Help!”
You kicked your legs off the couch and quickly walked down the hall to your bedroom, wondering what trouble Nico or Tyler had managed to get into. When you arrived in the bedroom, you immediately took notice of the problem. Nico was running between the bathroom and your bedroom door, occasionally swatting at Tyler’s feet as he went. Tyler, who was standing just inside the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his hips, wasn’t letting his eyes leave Nico’s little body.
“What is he doing?” he said, flinching a little as he ran past again.
“He does this whenever I get in the shower,” you shrugged. “He just gets excited by the bathroom, for whatever reason. At night, he sits on my bed and watches me brush my teeth.”
“Every night?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of like a little routine we have.”
“It doesn’t freak you out?” Tyler finally looked at you and raised an eyebrow.
“No, it’s kind of comforting to have him there. It’s kind of like when you sit on the bathroom counter when I get ready for bed.”
For the first time all night, Tyler seemed the tiniest bit open to the idea of trying to like Nico. His expression had softened considerably from when you had first walked in the room.
“I don’t want him in here when I shower though.”
“I’ll take him back out to the living room, don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
After giving Tyler a quick kiss - and maybe taking a moment or two to admire him - you finally scooped Nico up and carried him back out to the living room. You also made sure to close the bedroom door so he wouldn’t go running back in there to terrorize Tyler as soon as he had the chance. The goal was to get Tyler to like Nico, not be even more scared of him.
After the whole shower incident between Nico and Tyler was cleared up, the rest of the night went by pretty smoothly. Nico cuddled in your lap while you and Tyler watched movies, and Tyler was even brave enough to reach over and give Nico a couple pets while he slept. In your eyes, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
“Where does Nico sleep?” Tyler asked as he slid under the covers on your bed.
“With me,” you answered, doing the same. “He likes to curl up near my legs at first, but he moves around.”
“So I shouldn’t be concerned if I feel something walking over my stomach in the middle of the night?”
“As long as it only has four legs, then you’re fine.”
“Noted.”
You scooted over and rested your head on Tyler’s shoulder, adjusting a few times until you felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. Tyler’s arm curled around you and rested comfortably on your hip. As for Nico, he was still sitting on your dresser and waiting for everyone to get settled, as he did every night.
“You know, it was kind of nice to have Nico sitting on the bed while we brushed our teeth,” Tyler said quietly.
You leaned back to get a better look at him, even though it was hard in the dim light of your bedroom.
“Did those words really just come out of your mouth?” you gasped.
He laughed, “Yes, but I won’t be repeating them.”
“That’s ok, I’ve already committed them to memory.”
“I like him a lot better when he’s not running around and biting my feet.”
As if he knew you were talking about him, Nico finally jumped down from the dresser and made his way across the room to your bed. He explored the covers for a little while until eventually settling in the space between you and Tyler.
“And he’s warm too,” Tyler whispered.
“Like a little space heater.”
You could have sworn that you saw Tyler reach out and give Nico a couple scratches, but you decided not to comment on it. It was enough for you to know that the bond between your cat and your boyfriend was growing.
“He’ll take some getting used to, but he’s not so bad.”
“Just like you,” you laughed.
“Hey! You were in to me from the start.”
“But you did take some getting used to.”
“Alright, fine,” Tyler sighed. “I can understand that.”
“So, does Nico get a little bit of your love now?”
“I don’t think we’re there yet. I still love you too much.”
“I love you too, Ty.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to your head and you finally went back to your original sleeping position, already feeling the exhaustion of the day starting to set in. With Nico and Tyler right next to you, it felt like the safest place in the world.
I recently discovered top (don't know how they went under my radar for so freaking long and it hurts a bit) but I just wanted to take the time to say that your masterlist is prolific and you're a great writer. much love.
oh my gosh, thank you so much!! i’m so glad you had a chance to be introduced to their music :) and thank you again for the compliment! much love to you as well
i will write implied smut, but that’s it! (nobody for miles and fever dream high are both fics that are at the limits of what i’ll write, if you want examples) it’s just not something that i’m comfortable with, but there are many amazing writers who i’m sure would be happy to write smut!
really soon! i have two more requests left to write and (hopefully) those will be out within the next 1-2 weeks, then i’ll be ready to open up requests again! :)
Request: josh and bed sharing 😭😔💕✌🏻 -@panickedbrain
Author’s Note: Hopefully this super long fic makes up for my sporadic posting schedule! I hope you enjoy it :) (picture credit)
“Here, let me get that for you,” Tyler said, grabbing your duffle bag from where it had been crammed into the backseat.
Shortly after waking up drenched in sweat, you had received an email from your apartment building that the air conditioning had stopped working overnight and was in the process of being repaired. That part had been manageable, even if it meant sitting on the couch in an oversized t-shirt directly in front of a fan on full blast, but by the time lunch rolled around, a second email had come through saying the issue was much bigger. The estimated time until it would be fixed?
Three days.
You had called Tyler immediately, asking if you could crash on his and Josh’s couch until the issue was fixed. After ten minutes, and what you assumed had been a household meeting, you got the confirmation that you would have a nice, air conditioned place to stay until your own building was back up and running. Half an hour later, you were speeding down the highway towards Josh and Tyler’s house on the edge of Columbus, a duffle bag full of your essentials tossed into the backseat.
“Thanks,” you said, slamming the trunk closed after him and hitting the lock button until the car beeped. “And thank you again for letting me crash here until my building is fixed. I don’t think I would have lasted another hour in that heat.”
“It’ll be nice to have you around.”
“I doubt Josh shares that sentiment,” you snorted. Ever since you and Josh had met, there had always been a sort of rivalry between you two: he teased you about not going on enough dates while you teased him about going on too many. This, of course, was only an elaborate coverup for how you truly felt about him.
“You’d be surprised, he actually seemed pretty excited to have you around.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I’ve known him for three years, of course I’m sure.”
You followed him into the house, instantly reveling in the feel of cool air washing over your body. Tyler, not even slightly phased by your reaction, continued to walk straight into the living room and dropped your stuff onto an unoccupied chair in the corner. This, you assumed, would be your closet for the indefinite future.
“Where’s Josh?” you asked, realizing that you had been inside the house for more than thirty seconds without hearing a sarcastic remark.
“Out on a run. He should be home soon.”
“In this heat?” You looked out the window, as if to confirm that the sun was still, indeed, shining.
“I don’t claim to understand his actions,” Tyler said, holding his hands up in defeat. “Want anything to drink?”
“I’m ok, but thanks.”
You finally sat down and kicked your feet up on the coffee table, allowing yourself the first moment of true relaxation since you had received the email from your building earlier that morning. Tyler continued on into the kitchen. The sound of cupboards being closed and cups clinking together filled the once-quiet house.
You were about to ask Tyler about a recent date that he had been on when the front door swung open, letting in a gust of warm air. The conversation was immediately forgotten as Josh stepped through the door, his chest still heaving beneath his sweat-stained top. Strands of hair were pressed to his forehead, but he quickly ran his hands through them and pushed them back, making a mess of curls on his head. He started to look your way, so you quickly averted your eyes. The magazine on the table sure was interesting, huh?
“Hey, Y/N,” he said. You could detect his shortness of breath in the way he was talking.
“Hi,” you said, shooting him a smile as if this were the first time you had laid eyes on him. “Have a nice run?”
“It could have been better.”
He bent down to untie his shoes. His shirt - which really should have been considered a tank top, considering how much of the sides he had cut away - fell forward, revealing his sweaty chest underneath. You only stared for a moment before ripping your eyes away, already feeling your cheeks get hot. It just so happened that this was the moment that Tyler walked into the room. He caught your eye and wiggled his eyebrows, which earned him an eye roll.
“You know you want him,” he mouthed.
“Shut up,” you mouthed back.
Josh finally stood up and stretched. Though it was tempting to glance at him, you kept your eyes fixated on the posters hanging on the wall. Tyler already had too much ammo to tease you with as it was.
You were relieved when Josh finally went upstairs and you no longer had to overthink every glance in his direction. Tyler collapsed down onto the couch next to you and took a long sip of his drink before kicking his feet up onto the coffee table.
“Should I even say it?” he asked.
“It wouldn’t work, Tyler.”
“How do you know? Have you dated him before?”
The shower started to run upstairs.
“I don’t need to date him to know.”
“I’m sorry, Y/N, but that’s a little ridiculous.”
You turned to look at Tyler, letting your head roll back so that it was rested on the cushions. He took a sip of his drink and raised his eyebrows, waiting for your answer.
“It’s not! All it takes is one glance at us to know that we’re complete opposites, and we’re always poking fun at one another about it. He’s outgoing, confident, charming, willing to take risks… we really couldn’t be more different.”
“Haven’t you heard that opposites attract?”
“Haven’t you heard that’s bullshit?” you scoffed.
“Are you kidding? Josh always flirts with shy people because he thinks it’s cute.”
“Well he’s never flirted with me, so that must mean that he doesn’t think I’m cute.”
“Now that’s bullshit if I ever heard it,” Tyler snorted.
“Name one time Josh has ever flirted with me.”
“Are you kidding? You two were all over one another at the arcade the other night.”
“I was trying to beat him at skeeball!” Tyler shot you a look. “What?”
“All I’m going to say is that he wasn’t having a skeeball competition with anybody else.”
You rolled your eyes, “Whatever, Ty.”
“Come on, Y/N, will you at least give it a shot? One date?”
“I’m not putting our friendship at risk for the sake of one date that wouldn’t tell me anything.”
Tyler sighed loudly. “One,” he said, dramatically holding up his pointer finger, “one date is not enough to ruin a friendship if the friendship is strong enough. And two,” his middle finger flicked up to join the first, “one date is enough to tell you everything. How many times have you called me after a first date to tell me about how it wasn’t going to work out?”
You crossed your arms across your chest. Tyler was right and you both knew it.
“I’ll try, alright? But I’m going to take it at my own pace. And I don’t want there to be any meddling.”
“No promises,” Tyler grinned - a pit formed in your stomach - and leaned over to bump your shoulder with his own.
Before you had a chance to plead with Tyler not to get into the middle of it all, Josh came back downstairs. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a loose tank top, though it wasn’t as revealing as the one he had worn on his run. His hair, no longer sweaty, was still soaking wet and falling in loose curls around his face. Water dripped from them, running down his collarbone until they hit the hem of his tank top. Tyler gently reached over and pressed on your chin so that your mouth was no longer hanging open.
“What did I miss?” Josh said, grabbing the neck of his tank top and using it to wipe away a stray droplet of water.
“Not much,” Tyler chimed in before you had a chance to. “We were just talking.”
“Were you dying of boredom without my presence?” Josh grinned.
“You wish,” you scoffed. Tyler shot you a look, clearly unamused by your sarcastic remark in place of flirting. You shot him an apologetic smile when Josh wasn’t looking.
“So, Y/N, Tyler said you’re going to be staying with us for a few days,” Josh said. He slowly made his way into the living room and lowered himself onto a chair, obviously still feeling the effects of his morning run. His legs stretched out, making his shorts slip just a little bit further up his thighs. The hangnail on your thumb suddenly became very interesting.
“Unfortunately,” you said, looking up for just a second to meet his eyes.
“Oh, come on, am I that bad?” he stuck out his lower lip. You chewed on your own to hide the smile threatening to overtake your face.
Distracting was a better word.
“Tolerable,” was the one that left your mouth, however. “Most of the time.”
“You know,” he said, holding his hands up in defeat, “I’ll take it.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” Tyler sighed, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling.
Josh answered, “Three days-”
“-give or take-” you chimed in, wincing a little as you pulled on the hangnail too hard.
“-of fun.”
“Fun,” he nodded. “Right.”
“Alright, I’m back,” Tyler said, gently sitting back down on the couch and resting his cup of water against his legs. “Everyone ready?”
You and Josh answered with mumbled agreement. After a busy afternoon of reading and writing music - ok maybe your afternoon wasn’t that busy - the three of you had settled in the living room to watch the latest Netflix series together. The plan had been to only watch a few episodes and then go on a late night drive together, but it ended up sucking all of you in. Now, half past midnight, you were all still lounging in the living room watching the fifth episode of the series.
“This is the last episode for me, though,” you said. “I need to sleep at some point.”
“Good plan,” Josh nodded.
You turned to smile at him - the two of you had been getting along really well all night and you were beginning to think you might be able to follow Tyler’s suggestion after all - but your eyes went directly to his phone. His fingers were flying across the screen as he typed out a message to someone whose name you couldn’t quite make out. It only took one winky face emoji for you to figure out the nature of the message he was sending.
Maybe you didn’t even need one date to tell you everything.
Josh slipped his phone back into his pocket and you pushed yourself a little further into the couch, stretching your legs just enough that you could jam your toes into Tyler, a form of subtle punishment for getting your hopes up. He playfully pushed them away and you relented, not wanting to make him genuinely angry. He had only been trying to help, and it’s not like he had any control over Josh’s dating app habits.
You tried to get comfortable and pay attention to the show, but thoughts about Josh kept creeping back into your mind. It didn’t help that the fan in the corner of the room kept carrying the scent of his shampoo towards you. It was clean and nice and reminded you of mornings on tour when Josh would join you at the table to eat his cereal and ask you how you slept and tease you when you would tell him he was in your dream. Because that’s what you did: you teased one another and poked fun at your dating habits and most definitely didn’t flirt.
You pulled your sweatshirt up over your nose so that the only thing you could smell was your laundry detergent and the musty smell of your apartment that lingered on everything you wore. Now was not the time to have a crisis about your relationship with Josh and overthink every little interaction you had ever shared.
Thankfully, the show started to get interesting and your thoughts were quickly overwhelmed with trying to keep up with what was happening on the screen. Even though he was right at the corner of your vision, Josh was far from at the forefront of your mind.
“No way!” Tyler said, sitting up so fast that the water in his lap spilled all over your legs and the couch. He was still too preoccupied with the plot twist to notice. “She was- and he- you’re kidding!”
“Tyler!” you groaned, already feeling the water soaking through the material of your sweatpants to your legs.
“Oh shoot,” he said, finally noticing the mess he had created. “Hold on.”
Tyler quickly set his cup down and ran up the stairs. You gently removed your legs from the puddle that had formed and tried not to drip more water all over the place.
“So much for having a dry place to sleep,” Josh said.
Shit. You hadn’t even thought of that.
“I’ll just steal Tyler’s bed,” you sighed. “It’s his mess, he can pay the price.”
“Good luck with that.”
Tyler returned, now carrying a number of towels in his arms. He haphazardly tossed them onto the couch and started to pat at them, which seemed to be doing a surprisingly good job at soaking up the water. You grabbed one of the smaller ones and started to dab at your sweatpants.
“Hey, Dun, want to stop flirting and get off your phone for long enough to help us clean up this mess?”
“I don’t know, looks like you have it covered,” he said, looking over his shoulder.
“We do,” Tyler said, glancing at you.
“So it’s cool if I head up to bed?”
“Go for it.”
“Goodnight, guys.”
“See you tomorrow,” you said.
“Goodnight.”
You watched as Josh disappeared up the stairs and around the corner. After your talk with Tyler earlier in the day, tonight had not gone like you had hoped.
“Don’t even say it because I’m really not in the mood to hear it,” you said, standing up and throwing the towel down on the couch. “And don’t turn around.”
“Roger that,” he said. You could hear him continuing to dab water off the couch.
A new sense of frustration washed over you as you stripped off your sweatshirt in favor of an oversized Death Cab for Cutie shirt Tyler had bought you as a “congratulations for completing your first term of college” gift. He had given it to you the same day he announced he wouldn’t be coming back next term. At the time, you had been afraid that your newly formed friendship with him wouldn’t last, but here you were years later.
“Where am I going to sleep tonight?” you asked, failing to keep the edge of frustration out of your voice. You tossed your wet sweatpants over the back of the chair and pulled on your pajama shorts.
“With Josh.”
You snorted, “Very funny. You know, I’m beginning to think all the stuff you said about him flirting with me was bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit and I’m not kidding.”
You finished tucking your clean sweatshirt away in your bag and turned to face Tyler, expecting him to have his usual dorky “got ya” grin on his face. When you realized he was just casually scooping up the now damp towels, your stomach sunk.
“You’re not serious?”
“I am!”
“Tyler Joseph, you are not making me sleep in the same bed as Josh.”
“Watch me.”
You started to sprint towards the stairs - Tyler couldn’t kick you out of his bed if you were already in it - but Tyler was faster, even with the towels in his hands. He took the stairs two at a time and slipped into his bedroom, closing the door just before you could get a foot inside.
“Tyler, please,” you said, grabbing the door handle and jiggling it.
“Work it out.” His voice was muffled through the door.
You sighed. Once Tyler had his heart set on something, there was no changing his mind about it. That door was not going to open until he wanted it to, and your unwillingness to sleep in the same bed as Josh was not a good enough reason for him.
You stood in the dark hallway for a few minutes, contemplating the options that currently stood in front of you:
Suck it up and ask Josh if you could stay in his room for the night.
Sleep on the wet couch and deal with the discomfort.
Go home and spend another night in your sweltering apartment.
Sleep on the floor.
You groaned and childishly stomped your foot against the ground, not liking any of your choices. On the other side of the door, you could hear Tyler casually getting ready for bed without a care in the world. He didn’t have to worry about a broken air conditioning system or a stupid boy or where to sleep.
Stupid Tyler.
“Is everything ok out here?”
Could this night get any worse?
“Yeah, sorry,” you said, turning to face Josh. Your jaw nearly dropped upon seeing him. Sure, you had seen him in pajamas countless times on tour, but never like this. He was wearing a pair of Adidas sweatpants that were resting way low on his hips. You couldn’t help the way that your eyes slid up his torso until they met his. Some of his curls were falling into his eyes, which you really hoped meant he couldn’t see how blatantly you were ogling him right now. His mouth curled into a smile around the toothbrush that was half-hanging out of his mouth. Think, Y/N, think! What were you going to say? “I just thought I would be able to bargain with Tyler since he… you know, with the couch? But since I’m standing in the hall, you can probably figure out how that went.”
“Classic Tyler,” Josh said, pulling his toothbrush back out of his mouth so he could speak. “You know, you could sleep in here if you wanted. My bed is big enough for the two of us.”
You hated that Tyler’s plan was working.
“Um, yeah, sure. I just need to finish getting ready for bed.”
“Cool, just hop in whenever you want.”
How was he being so nonchalant about this?
“Will do,” you said, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up. He laughed quietly and disappeared back into his room.
You took your time going through your nightly routine, trying to put off having to be in the same bed as Josh for as long as you could. Tyler was probably laying in his own bed right about now, completely alone, feeling satisfied with the work he had done in pushing you and Josh closer together. The thought of it was enough to make you want to kick down his door and chew him out for putting you in situations like this, even if deep down you knew he was just trying to help you out.
Josh was already in bed when you walked into his room, scrolling through his phone. His torso was no longer on full display, but the light of his phone was illuminating his features. You made an effort not to stare as you walked over and slipped under the covers. The blanket was thick, but the fan at the end of the bed was producing enough air to offset the warmth. Besides, any amount of cool air was an improvement from the absolute hell that you had woken up to earlier that morning.
“Are you comfortable?” Josh asked. They were the first words you had exchanged since you entered the room.
“Yeah. Thanks for letting me sleep in here, by the way.”
“I wasn’t about to let you sleep on the soaking wet couch. You’re supposed to be comfortable while you stay here, not dealing with an issue that’s just as bad as a furnace apartment.”
“Tell that to Tyler,” you snorted.
“You should give him a bad Yelp review.”
You and Josh both laughed.
“I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”
The two of you exchanged some more small talk before finally deciding that you should get some sleep. After your friendly conversation - that featured a few flirty remarks on both sides - you were feeling a little bit better, though you couldn’t deny the tension you felt now that the room was quiet. It was like you could feel every little shift in his sleeping position and all the heat radiating off of him and hear every tiny change in his breathing.
And it was making it very hard to get some sleep.
You carefully rolled over onto your other side, which meant that you were now facing Josh, hoping that the change in position would relax you a little bit. After checking the time, and realizing you had spent nearly half an hour trying to fall asleep to no avail, you closed your eyes and tried to calm your mind. All you had to do was get to sleep, then you didn’t have to worry about Josh anymore. He would become a problem for you to deal with in the morning.
Unfortunately, sleeping Josh had different ideas. He rolled over, leaving his nose inches from yours, and flailing his arms all over the place. Your hands were just barely touching, sending tingles into your arm and erasing what tiny bit of tiredness you had managed to accumulate. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest from just that tiny bit of contact.
And you were supposed to spend all night in a bed right next to him?
Suddenly overwhelmed, you shot out of bed, tripping a little over the mess of blankets you had made while trying to fall asleep. Josh sat up instantly, his hands splayed out on the bed behind him, holding him up. He squinted, looking around the room until his eyes landed on you.
“Are you ok?”
“I can’t-” you heaved, “I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
“Do what? What’s going on? Are you awake? Am I awake?”
“We’re both awake,” you said, resting a hand on your chest.
Josh slowly threw the covers off of him and got up, walking around the bed until he was standing across from you.
“What is going on, Y/N?”
“It’s just you and me in the bed and it’s overwhelming and I don’t know what to do.” The words were spilling out of your mouth before you could stop them. “First it’s the teasing and Tyler’s remarks and the pretty people on Tinder that are so much better than I’ll ever be and now I’m here in your bed and you’re right there and I can’t sleep because I can’t stop thinking about all of it…”
“Hold on, slow down, I don’t understand,” Josh said, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I like you, Josh, a lot. And I know I tease you and act like I don’t, but I really, really do.”
Josh closed the space between you, resting his hands on your cheeks with just enough force to finally get you to look at him. His eyes were shining.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Please.”
His lips crashed into yours and he tasted like toothpaste and smelled like shampoo and his skin was warm underneath your fingertips but not sweaty and you were completely lost in him. You liked the way his calluses brushed against your cheeks and how his lips fit perfectly with yours. You liked a lot of things about him, really.
“Sorry, that was really embarrassing,” you mumbled when he finally pulled away.
“It was cute.”
“Me practically falling out of your bed because our fingers brushed for half a second and then ranting at you incoherently at two in the morning is not cute,” you laughed.
“If I brush against your fingers right now, will it happen again?” Josh smiled, leaning close enough to you that his nose pressed against yours. His fingers ghosted the length of your arm and eventually brushed against your hand, his pointer finger just barely curling against yours.
“All my cards are already on the table.”
“I like your cards.”
“What?” you giggled.
“I don’t know where I was going with that,” he laughed with you.
“Thirty seconds into this… whatever it is and you’re already losing your cool.”
Josh grinned. “What can I say? You just do that to me.”
“Alright, that’s it, we’re going back to bed,” you said, grabbing Josh’s arm and dragging him back towards the bed.
“What do you think Tyler will say when we tell him about this?”
“I can already see the look on his face when we tell him he was right,” you sighed, sliding back under the covers. Josh joined you and opened his arms, inviting you to lay on his chest.
“If it makes you feel any better, he has to deal with us for the next few days.”
You smiled, “If we’re lucky, he has to deal with us forever.”
“I like the sound of that.”
When Josh leaned down to kiss you again, the entire world faded away.
