black & red
three : reader // gender neutral reader and trigger warnings throughout //
That terrible knocking is what woke you up that morning. You groaned, and fluttered open your eyelids, taking in your surroundings. That’s right, you were at Josh’s apartment. It’s weird how your brain reacts when you wake up in a familiar place. You wiped the sleepiness from your eyes and gave a lazy smile to the yawning Josh beside you, curly bright hair disheveled, stubby chin dripping with drool. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” you joked, giving him a nudge to wake up.
“Yeah, yeah,” he rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth. “Get a good sleep?”
“Great,” you chuckled. “Until the knocking came about.”
“It’s probably Tyler,” Josh sighed. “I told him he could come over and meet you the next morning, and I guess he didn’t forget.”
“Keen on seeing me?” you gave a sly smile.
“Apparently,” Josh laughed. He stretched for a moment before going to open the door. “Geez man, why didn’t you call me?” He was standing right in your view of the so long awaited ukulele boy.
“I knew you’d wake up eventually,” Tyler chuckled.
“I actually just woke up,” Josh replied. “But uh, anyways…” When Josh stepped out of your view of Tyler, you could’ve sworn the entire world had stopped.
As soon as Tyler saw you, Josh just knew. His lips curled up in a smile at the reaction on Tyler’s face, as well as yours. You weren’t going to lie, Tyler was a really attractive guy. You had seen him in plenty of pictures and videos, but somewhat close, in person, it was something completely different. He had these really soft eyes, this tribal patterned hoodie, black ripped jeans, sneakers, and a tuft of brown hair peeking out from his black beanie. You lips parted slightly, breath taken away by this angelic boy, his tan skin and soft lips and curious eyes making you feel so overwhelmed. In all the hours of phone conversations and hundreds of text messages, never in your entire life had Josh ever described Tyler as you would describe him when you first met him. He was everything that was beautiful. Sunshine. Caramel apple pie. Dandelions. Your favorite song. Hot cocoa. Butterflies. The twelve days of Christmas. Morning dew. Everything you had ever learned to love. Plus, his voice sounded nothing like it did on the record or in videos. This was purely genuine Tyler. The one you had heard so much about.
“W-wow,” Tyler couldn’t help himself from keeping quiet. His face turned red at his sudden realization of his mistake, pressing together his lips and trying not to laugh. “I uh, well… you must be y/n.” He glanced at Josh nervously, whose grin just grew bigger.
“Yeah I am,” you couldn’t help but laugh along too. “And you’re Tyler, huh?”
“Who else would it be?” he shrugged. You kept eye contact, as if studying each other’s gaze, and then quickly broke away when Josh started to talk.
“Well come sit on the couch Ty, I was thinking I could brew some coffee and we could have a nice little chat,” Josh suggested. Tyler made his way to sit next to you on the other couch cushion while Josh made his way to the kitchen to start up a pot, humming some 80’s song. As soon as the smell filled the air, Tyler crinkled his nose.
“Ugh, coffee is like dirt water,” Tyler rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why Josh drinks the stuff.”
“Gives you energy,” you pointed out. “Pretty sensible to me.”
“Nah, all the energy I need is in a Red Bull,” Tyler smirked. “That’ll really keep you awake.”
“Josh loves those too,” you nodded. “Used to crave them back in high school.”
“Yes, but Josh is a pretty princess who need his Starbucks and kittens,” Tyler joked. “You know him. Such a diva, I swear. You should see him on the road, he’s throwing rice krispy treats all over the place.”
“Whatever,” you snickered. Josh just looked at you and gave a small smile, then back at Tyler, who he had raised his eyebrows at, and then walked out. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ah, he’s just being all sly because he thinks I’m into you,” Tyler explained. “I call you the hottie.”
“Do you now?” you found yourself raising your own eyebrows, a little blush in your cheeks.
“I dunno, I mean, Josh showed me a picture or two. He’s constantly calling you on the phone and stuff so I wanted to know a little about you. And I’ve seen plenty of Instagram selfies to know that you’re fairly attractive,” Tyler complimented. He looked uneasy, but then cleared his throat, gaining a little more confidence. “Not that I’m provoking anything.”
“You’re provoking something,” Josh narrowed his eyes when he sat down and handed you a mug of coffee just how you liked it, Tyler a bottle of water, and a black cup for himself. “You always are.”
“Fine, I’ll cut to the chase,” Tyler sighed. “We’re going bowling tomorrow night and Josh already claimed Mark as his partner. I’m all alone and I need someone to kick ass with. You up for it?”
“Kicking Josh’s ass?” you scoffed. “Now that’s something I’m a professional at.”
“Oh yeah?” Josh challenged, taking a sip of his coffee. “Since when?”
“Ever since I’ve demolished you in every single Mario Kart game we’ve ever played,” you added, shooting him a playful wink, causing Tyler’s eyes to light up.
“Dude, they play Mario Kart?” his jaw practically dropped. “I think I’m in love.”
“Oh Ty,” Josh couldn’t help but chuckle this time. “I’m sure you are.”
