(I know I’ve used this gif for a few things, but it’s one of my favorites!)
Getting together with friends was always fun, and this time you ended up staying at your friend’s house longer than expected. You didn’t live too far, and you weren’t worried about the safety of walking home in the dark. You were worried, however, about the chill in the air.
“Hey, Y/N! Can I walk with you?”
You weren’t too far down the sidewalk when Tyler’s voice called behind you. You stopped where you were and smiled. The smile you received in return was enough to warm you against the crisp Autumn air.
“Sure, that would be great. Did you have fun tonight?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah, I really did. Been a while since the whole group was together like that.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Probably why I hadn’t planned on staying so long, but more people showed up than I thought would.” You crossed your arms over your torso and ran your hands over your upper arms. Goosebumps formed, even over the skin that was covered by t-shirt and jeans.
“Oh, hey, you’ve got to be freezing,” Tyler noted. “It’s chilly out.”
He pulled his hoodie over his head, his bare tummy momentarily peeking out before his t-shirt separated from his sweatshirt. He handed it over to you and insisted you put it on.
“Won’t you be cold?” you asked, tugging the sleeves of the hoodie over your hands.
Tyler shrugged, hands in his pockets. “Chivalry’s not dead, right?”
“Guess not,” you smiled.
Tyler smiled too, linking his arm with yours. The two of you walked like that the rest of the way to your house.
You shook your head and pushed your laptop away as you got up from the couch and followed the sound of Tyler’s complaining. He was in the bedroom, holding on to his toe, jumping around and yelping.
“What happened?” you asked, helping him to the bed to sit down.
“I stubbed my toe on the bed frame! I feel like I’m being stabbed!” he cried.
You rolled your eyes, taking a good look at his toe. A little red, but no worse for the wear. “How do you even know what it feels like to be stabbed?”
Tyler took a deep breath, then exhaled; a successful attempt to compose himself. “It just hurts so bad.”
“I’m sorry,” you said, kissing his cheek. “C’mon, I’ll get you an ice cold Coke. Then you’ll feel better!”
Tyler sniffled, although he hadn’t even been crying. “How about a sandwich too?”
You couldn’t help but laugh and kiss his mouth this time. “You’re so spoiled.”
Candles; requested by anon, with the prompt bolded in the drabble. No pairing requested, so I did another reader’s choice!
Fall Drabbles Masterlist
After spending the late morning at your nephew’s soccer game, you came home windblown and chapped -- not to mention freezing. Walking into the house, though, you were greeted with warmth, and the sweet smells of Autumn -- apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, pecan pie ... all of your favorites.
Once your jacket was discarded, you made way for the kitchen and a nice, hot cup of -- well, coffee or cocoa, you hadn’t decided yet. Several candles were on the table, newly-purchased and lit. A small surprise for your homecoming.
While you waited for the water to heat for hot chocolate, you felt warmth embrace you from behind. With a smile, you turned in his arms.
“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted. He nodded toward the candles. “Do you like your surprise?”
“I love it.” You emphasized your gratitude with your still-chily lips against his. “But I don’t know about the beautiful part. Being out at that field this morning really did me over.”
“Oh, come on. You could be wearing a garage bag and I’d still think you look cute.” He kissed you again. “So ... are you gonna share your hot cocoa?”
You nodded and turned back to the stove. “I think you deserve at least that for spoiling me with those candles. But -- one thing?”
He raised his brow. “Yeah?”
You winced. “Could we maybe just pick one to keep lit? I love all of those smells, but all together, it’s a bit much.”
He laughed. “I was worried about that. I’ll finish the cocoa, you pick a candle.”
Summary: Tyler keeps the reader company when she has trouble sleeping.
Pairing: Tyler x Reader
Word Count: 1225
Warnings: None? You might have to reach for a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese by the time you’re done reading though.
A/N: If you haven’t read Late Night Chat, this will still make sense, for the most part. LNC is only 425 words, so if you want a quick read before delving into this, click that link at the top ;) Happy reading, frens!
As the tour continued, sleeping on the bus didn’t get any easier. Whether it was the bumps and swerves, or the rushing of other cars past the bus on the highway, you weren’t sure. Maybe it was the weird little cubby that had been designated as your bunk for those few months.
You made a habit of getting up and having a snack if it took too long to fall asleep. That seemed to help, sometimes, and you were never one to pass up a midnight snack. Tyler didn’t join you except for that one night with the Oreos, but you had learned to be much more quiet so you didn’t wake up anyone else. They all worked just as hard — probably harder — than you, and your insomniac tendencies were no excuse to keep anyone else up.
This particular evening, you decided that instant macaroni and cheese was the way to go. You felt like you did on that when Tyler had gotten up and shared cookies and milk with you; things were going well, but you were missing home. You missed being close to people. There were times when you wanted to throw your arms around Tyler and beg him to hug you like he had that night. Immediately, you would remind yourself that you were here to work and nothing else, and hope he wouldn’t notice the blush on your heated cheeks.
The microwave was louder than you had thought it would be on an otherwise silent tour bus, but you winced through the three minutes it took to cook the noodles — well, the two minutes and fifty-nine seconds you allowed the microwave to go on. You hit the stop/cancel button just before the thing signaled that it was done in a feeble attempt to not make anymore noise.
“Were you planning on sharing?”
Tyler’s voice stopped you mid-stir. You winced again. “I was trying not to wake anyone.”
He shrugged and pulled another container down from the cupboard. “So I guess you’re not sharing.”
You managed a nervous chuckle as you continued to stir the cheese sauce in with the noodles. You let the bowl set on the counter for a minute or two, waiting for the sauce to set in, and for Tyler’s food to finish. When he took a seat on the couch along one wall of the bus, you sat next to him.
“Sorry you’ve had to find me doing the midnight snack thing again,” you commented, cheek full of cheesy goodness.
Tyler shrugged. “I don’t mind. I was surprised someone was up.”
“I’m always up around this time. You said I’d get used to sleeping on the bus, but I’m starting to think you’re a liar.”
Tyler snorted. “At least I don’t eat my mac ’n’ cheese with a spoon.”
“I’m using a fork.”
“No, sorry. Josh does that. It was the first offense I could think of that was worse than telling you you’d get used to sleeping on the bus and having it not come true.”
“Ah, now I’m catching on,” you laughed. “Why are you up?”
“Because someone was running the microwave at a very ungodly hour.”
“But now you get to have a snack, too,” you offered, giving him a goofy smile.
“That’s true I do.” The two of you sat in silence for a few moments before Tyler nudged you with his elbow. “Nice hoodie. I see you’ve caught on to the yellow theme.”
You swallowed a good-sized bite of noodles. “This may or may not be your hoodie.”
“Seriously? I was looking everywhere for that thing! I don’t know how I didn’t notice it was mine. Do you know how anxious I was to get my replacement for it?”
“I did, and, actually, I had every intention of telling you that I snagged this from your clean laundry pile when your assistant brought it in, but then you freaked out and I panicked. I’ve been sleeping in it for a couple weeks.”
Tyler took the last bite of his mac ’n’ cheese. “Does it help?”
You nodded. “Yes, actually.”
“Then keep it.”
You smiled and thanked him. He waited patiently for you to finish your snack, then held his arms out for you. With an even bigger smile, you fell against his chest, wrapping your arms around his middle.
“Know what might help you sleep, even more than a cozy hoodie?” he asked.
Your cheek rubbed against his thin t-shirt. “No, what’s that?”
“Having someone to fall asleep next to you.” He paused to wait for your reaction; you looked up at him with a raised brow. “I know you feel sometimes like you’re alone here. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I did overhear you talking to someone on the phone once and mentioning that. I didn’t want to push anything, but — anyway. You’re not alone, Y/N. I’ll even put my yellow hoodie on, for extra coziness.”
Wiping away the sudden extra moisture from the corners of your eyes, you nodded. Tyler loosely held your hand and led you back to the bunk area of the bus. He stopped at his bunk long enough to grab the yellow hoodie and an extra pillow. He pulled the hoodie over his head, tossed the pillow next to yours, then climbed into your bunk first before pulling you up next to him.
“You can kick me out whenever you want,” Tyler promised.
You smiled, accompanied by the breath of a laugh. “We’ll see if you hog the covers or not.”
Tyler only laughed and held the blanket up for you to snuggle under. You molded yourself into the little spoon as Tyler tucked the blanket around you. He let his arm rest over your hip; you felt safe. Sleepy. And maybe still a little hungry? You ignored that part of it and just enjoyed having Tyler next to you. You enjoyed getting to know him on tour, had wished for more moments like the Oreo night, but this — this was perfection. It felt like the start of something new.
“Y/N?”
“Hmm?”
Tyler sighed. “I’m still kind of hungry. Do you want another thing of mac ’n’ cheese?”
You rolled to face him. “I was actually just trying to ignore that I was still hungry. I’d love one.”
“Don’t get up,” Tyler said, carefully climbing over you, “I’ll make them and bring them back here. With forks, not spoons.”
The seven minutes or so that Tyler was gone seemed like forever. You had just about decided to join him back at the front of the bus when he pulled the curtain on your bunk, had you hold the container that had two forks in it, then, carefully again, resumed his position as the big spoon.
“We’ll have to share, there was only one left.”
“Works for me.”
You two worked out a wonderful combination of snuggling and snacking. There were no words exchanged between the two of you, but you did share a coy glance or two. About halfway through the container of mac ’n’ cheese, when it was your turn to take a bite, Tyler set his chin on your shoulder.
“This is nice,” he murmured, echoing sentiments from that first hug the two of you had shared.
You nodded, handing the container back to him. “Yeah. It is.”
Summary: Tyler mends your broken heart.
Pairing: Tyler x Reader
Word Count: 720
Warnings: FWP.
The man in front of you wasn’t the same man you had known the first year you were together. He was not the same man you had fallen in love with. Something had changed over the last six months; maybe it was you, maybe it was him. Whatever or whoever had caused the rift between you, he had now turned the distance into a canyon.
You stared at him in disbelief. “How could you even say that? Even on your hardest days, I would never — I’ve never even thought that about you.”
He shrugged and turned his attention away from you. Perhaps you should have realized it a long time ago, but you fully understood in that moment that things between you were officially over. You weren’t nearly as sad as you thought you might be — you were more hurt by his words.
“Right. Okay. I’m gonna get my stuff and go.”
Still, he said nothing else. His words echoed in your mind as you gathered the few things you had at his place and walked out, leaving the key to his house on the coffee table before you slammed the door shut behind you.
You sat in your car for several minutes, trying to decide where to go. You would talk to your roommate about it eventually, but you weren’t ready for that conversation, yet. Putting the car into drive, you decided to swallow your pride and drive to another close friend’s house.
Rain was coming down hard, so you donned your favorite hoodie, pulled the hood up over your head, and tugged the sleeves down over your hands. You huddled under the awning of your friend’s front porch, waiting for him to respond to your knock.
Tyler pushed the screen door open and waved you in. “Y/N? What happened?”
You sniffled and shrugged. “You were right about him, turns out. I was out of love several months ago, but I thought maybe things would change, you know?”
Tyler stood by the closed front door. “So you left him?”
“Yeah. He, uh, said something that I don’t think we can come back from. I can’t anyway.”
Tyler frowned. You noted that he was drumming his hands on his thighs as he thought about all the things your ex-boyfriend could have said to you. “What did he say?”
Your reply came out hoarse and watery; the words almost stuck in your throat. “We were fighting about who’s to blame for what, really, and he told me — he said I’m hard to love.”
Before your sobs could start, Tyler’s arms were around you. You cried over another failed relationship, you cried over yet another person making you feel like you weren’t good enough. You had dealt with it through most of your childhood, and whatever there was not to like about you, it must have continued on into your adult life.
But Tyler refused to let you believe that. “He’s a jackass. You really don’t know how easy it is to love you? Y/N, it’s hard not to love you.”
You stepped back from him. “What did you say?”
“C’mon,” Tyler said softly, pushing your hood back. “You really don’t know, Y/N/N? Yeah, I hated how he treated you. But to see you with someone else — that in itself was hard.”
You sniffled. “I wish you would have told me maybe a couple years ago. If you felt that way then. I was so into you, Ty.”
“You were? Past tense?”
“No,” you whispered, shaking your head. “Not past tense.”
Tyler gave you that charming smile that had made you fall for him in the first place. “Good. Let’s get you some supper and you can hang out here as long as you want, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
He went for the takeout menus in the kitchen, but you caught Tyler by the hand. He raised his brow in the form of a silent question, but you weren’t sure how to say what you were thinking. Instead, you took action, stepping up to him and taking a good look into his brown eyes. You swiped away at the last of your tears before placing one hand on his chest and going up on tiptoe to place a soft, hesitant kiss on Tyler’s lips.
You slipped your feet into your favorite pair of Vans and checked out the living room window to see if your ride had shown up yet. When you spotted the beat up Honda, you yelled to your mom that you were leaving and would be home by curfew.
“I thought Tyler’s show didn’t start till eight? It’s only six-thirty, Y/N.”
You assured her you weren’t up to anything sketchy. “Tyler has to set up with the band early, and we’re getting food on the way. It’s Tyler, Mom. You know he’s a good guy, and he wouldn’t get me into trouble. We’ve only been friends for a million years.”
She smiled but sighed. “And you two have gotten into your fair share of trouble over the years, I’ll remind you. I’ll let you go for now, since he’s waiting. Home by ten, yes?”
You nodded, hiding your disappointment. Tyler’s show would be over by ten for sure, but there was an after party … you felt bad that Tyler would have to drop you off first before going to celebrate his show, even if it wasn’t his first.
“Yeah, of course. See you later.”
You kissed your mom on the cheek, checked that you had your ID, some cash, and your house key, before heading out the door. You jumped off the porch and jogged down the driveway, finally plopping into the passenger seat of Tyler’s car.
“Sorry, Mom needed the full details again,” you sighed, buckling your seatbelt.
Tyler shrugged as he backed out of the driveway. “It’s all good. I’m really excited you’re coming to the show tonight.”
“Me too,” you smiled, reaching over to squeeze his arm before putting your hands back in your lap. “It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen you guys play. Do you have new stuff in store for tonight?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he teased you. “Guess you’ll just have to see with the rest of the crowd.”
“Not fair! I’m your best friend. That’s supposed to give me special privileges!”
Tyler laughed but didn’t give anymore information as far as what was on the setlist. Sighing, you reached for the radio dial, clapping a little when it was already tuned to your favorite station. He turned it down, holding up a hand when you protested.
“Tell me where you wanna eat, then I’ll turn it back up. I promise.”
“Fine,” you sighed. “Um … Taco Bell?”
“You know the way to my heart,” Tyler grinned, turning the radio back up and flipping on his turn signal.
* * * * *
After eating far too much Taco Bell on the drive, you followed Tyler into the place where the band was playing. The other members had shown up with a trailer of equipment, and Tyler got right down to helping them unload. You carried what you could, frowning when you got to a few boxes that held t-shirts and some other merch.
“You didn’t tell me you got merch! How much for a t-shirt?” You helped yourself to the appropriate size, shedding the shirt you had put on before you left the house to exchange it for one of the first Twenty One Pilots shirts.
“Geez, Y/N, the other guys are around,” Tyler scolded, standing in front of you until you were covered again.
You rolled your eyes. “I’ve got a sports bra on — they see more when I’m in a bikini. Calm down.”
“Don’t say the ‘b’ word,” he told you through gritted teeth. “And anyway — you can have the shirt for free if you do us a favor.”
You raised a single brow, your expression overflowing with suspicion. “A favor?”
He put on a sweet smile and clasped his hands under his chin. “We need someone to work our merch table because we, you know, have one now. I was supposed to ask you last week and I …”
“Forgot?” you supplied. Tyler nodded, still smiling and clasping his hands like a little child hoping for one more cookie after supper. Finally, you groaned. “Fine — fine. But I get to keep the shirt and you have to play my song.”
Tyler shook his head adamantly. “We are not playing Mmmbop. It’s not happening. That was a one time, karaoke thing.”
“Not that one,” you replied, rolling your eyes, “the other one!”
He chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds while you batted your eyelashes and silently begged him to make the deal. Finally, Nick nudged Tyler in the side.
“Just do it, man. We need her to run the table, and she’s not gonna be able to watch the show like she usually does.”
“All right, all right. That table by the door, that’s where we’re gonna set up. Thank you, Y/N, you’re a lifesaver.”
You winked and picked up the first box to go set up the table. Before the show started, Tyler supplied you with a few copies of a price list and a lock box already filled with some cash.
“Thank you again, seriously,” he reiterated, hugging you to his side. “I think this officially makes you part of the band now.”
“About time!”
Tyler hugged you once more, then went to wait with his bandmates. You took a seat in the folding chair the venue had provided, beaming with pride when the crowd started cheering as the first song started.
* * * * *
After the show, you packed up a single box with the remaining merch. The show was one of the best you had seen them do thus far, so you weren’t surprise that shirts and demos and stickers flew off the table almost faster than you could count change.
“We’re gonna load up, then chat with our fans for a bit — is that okay? I don’t want you to be late getting home.”
You checked the time on your phone before pushing the device back in your pocket. “Yeah, we’ve got an hour. Want help loading?”
“If you want, that would be great.”
“Don’t work too hard,” Chris chimed in, “we’re gonna have to start paying you.”
You chuckled; Tyler winked at you and headed to help his bandmates load up the heavier equipment. You carried a drum seat, mic stands — whatever you could carry without looking like a weakling.
When everything was packed up, you came back out to the stage and double-checked that not a single cord was left behind. You looked up to ask Tyler what was next to see him standing with a group of girls, dressed to impress, tan from what you could only assume was several hours a day of laying by the pool, and their makeup done to a degree of perfection you couldn’t even hope to achieve.
You’d seen girls like that around him before, but tonight was different, somehow. A shard of jealousy cut through your gut, making your stomach churn and your heart fall a little. Tyler glanced back and saw you staring; his smile turned into a frown. You realized you were staring with some weird look on your face, so you quickly composed yourself and waved before heading back outside to wait for Tyler at his car.
* * * * *
The ride home was a lot like the ride to the venue, minus the Taco Bell. You sang along with the radio, Tyler smiled and listened to you, rolling the windows down to let the summer breeze in. You were almost disappointed when he pulled up to your driveway, but then you remembered the girls he was talking and laughing with after the show.
“Thanks for the ride. Good show tonight. Talk to you tomorrow?”
Tyler high-fived you. “As always.”
You smiled and got out of the car. You wanted to look back before you let yourself in the house, but you stopped yourself. Okay, so maybe you’d always had a little crush on Tyler, but he was such a good friend. It had never manifested in jealousy like it had tonight. Maybe you had let your little crush run a little too wild.
“Get it together, Y/N,” you mumbled to yourself as you walked back to your bedroom. The light was still on in your parents’ room and their door was open, so you ducked your head in to let the know you were home on time.
Your mom smiled over her book, then went back to reading. Your dad waved and muted the sports highlights on the television.
“Did you have fun?”
You nodded. “Yeah, they put on a good show. I ran their new merch table and they sold almost everything.”
“That’s great,” your dad encouraged. “Going to bed?”
“Probably.”
“Sleep tight, then.”
You stepped in the room to kiss both of your parents on the cheek, then retreated to your room. You were still feeling weird about the whole jealousy thing, but maybe you just needed a good night’s sleep to get over it.
You’d barely taken off your shoes when you heard a small rock against your window, followed by two more. The smile that tugged at either end of your mouth was practically inevitable. You pulled up the blinds to reveal Tyler making a funny face in your window. Laughing, you pushed the window open.
“Heya, creeper,” you greeted.
Tyler stuck his tongue out at you. “C’mon. Let’s go do something.”
You raised your brow. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. I just have too much energy to go home, but I don’t wanna hang with the guys, either. C’mon, summer girl.”
Well, that reference to the song you’d asked him to sing earlier did it. You made one more quick check out into the hallway, saw your parents’ door was closed and the light off in their room. Closing your door quietly, you shut your light off too and went back to the window.
“Don’t let me fall,” you said, hoisting yourself up to the window sill. You tossed your legs to the side out of the house first, then held on to Tyler’s hands while you hopped down the grass. “That wasn’t so bad.”
Tyler laughed as he held your hand while the two of you jogged over to the car. He opened your door first, made sure you were in safely, then got in the driver’s seat.
“Okay, where do you wanna go?”
You rolled your eyes. “Ty, you’re the one who wanted to go on this little secret adventure. You tell me.”
“Okay, okay. Is it too soon for another round of Taco Bell?”
“Uh, never!”
Tyler pointed to the radio, giving you control while he drove back to the same Taco Bell you two had visited earlier. You rolled the window down and sang to the trees that passed by.
Over way too much food, you and Tyler talked about plans for the rest of the summer. College was on the horizon, but for now, you were just a couple of carefree kids, sneaking out of the house to sit in a beat up Honda in an empty Taco Bell parking lot.
“What if I mess up college?”
You swallowed down your last bite of taco. “Then you’ll do the music thing. You’re not giving up on that, right?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah, of course we’re gonna keep playing, but my parents really want me to do well in school, you know.”
He picked at the steering wheel and nodded, but didn’t say anything else. You recognized his uneasy demeanor and felt an immediate need to ease his tension. You reached over to pull his hand away from the peeled finish on the steering wheel, lacing your fingers with his.
“Ty, if you don’t do well in school, your parents are going to understand. You and I both know you put your best efforts into anything you try, and college isn’t gonna be the exception. You do college for your parents, you do your music for you, and you see which one pans out.”
He leaned back in the seat, holding tight to your hand. “Why is it when I sit and think about this on my own, it’s like a million thoughts a minute in my head, but then I talk to you about it and in, like, two seconds, you make sense of it.”
You shrugged, not sure what to say. You loosened your hold on his hand, but Tyler held tight. He used his free hand to start the car and then put it into gear.
“Don’t want to keep you out too late. Your parents will start to wonder.”
“Yeah.”
Did he realize how clammy your hand had become? You tried not to do anything different than you normally did during car rides, just sang along with the radio. You didn’t know if you should lean in to Tyler, if he was holding on for his own peace of mind or what was happening.
Tyler parked a few houses down from yours when he brought you home. He finally let go of your hand until he helped you out of the car. Your joined hands swung back and forth between the two of you as he walked you back up to your window.
“Thank you for sneaking out to be with me,” Tyler smiled, letting go of your hand and clasping his hands together to give your foot something to push off of so you could hoist yourself back through the window.
“Anytime, Ty.” You kissed his cheek, took hold of the window sill, and worked your way back into your bedroom, all while remaining undetected by your parents.
You waved at Tyler and started to close the window. “Summer girl! Wait!”
Enjoying this new nickname from Tyler, you ducked under the open window. The moment your face was within his view, Tyler hoisted himself up to the window and pressed his lips to yours.
When he backed away from the window and started the walk back to his car, you were still in shock. Before he reached the end of the yard, he turned and smiled at you over his shoulder.
Though it seemed to have taken forever to arrive, your favorite season was finally showing itself: summer.
Your favorite time of life was just beginning, too. Though learning was always going to be something you enjoyed, textbooks and due dates were behind you. Adulthood was on the horizon, as was a new career, but for now, you were looking forward to joining Josh and Tyler on their summer tour for a while.
Space was limited on the bus, Tyler had warned, so you packed what you could into a carry on and your trusty backpack, including a special photo album you never traveled far without, and hopped in your dad’s car for the ride to the airport.
“I know you want to surprise him, honey, but I’m a little worried about you traveling without anyone knowing you’re coming,” he confessed as the car rolled to a stop outside the door for departures.
“Dad, I promise, everything’s going to be fine. Josh knows I’m coming today to surprise Tyler, Tyler thinks I’m not coming for another week because of job interviews I’ve already done. There’s going to be someone from the crew waiting there to take me to the venue.” You leaned over the console to kiss his cheek. “I’m a smart one, Dad. It may be a surprise for Tyler, but I’m completely prepared.”
He sighed. “All right, all right. Tell him we said hello.”
“I will. Thanks for the ride. Love you.”
Your father returned the sentiment, then sent you on your way.
* * * * *
“Hey, I just landed. Is he still in the dark?”
“Yeah, Mom, we’re good,” Josh replied, playing into the surprise. “Tyler and I are waiting for soundcheck and — okay, he just left the room. Yeah, he has no idea any of this is happening. And I’ll be really happy to change you back to Y/N from Mom in my phone, finally.”
You laughed, wheeling towards the ground transportation area of the airport where you had landed only twenty minutes ago. “Well, I’m pretty excited to see him, and hopefully he’ll be excited to see me.”
Josh snorted. “If the countdown on his phone is any indication, I think you’re golden. I really do have to get to soundcheck though. Be safe getting here, call Mark or Brad if you have any trouble, okay?”
You nodded, even though Josh couldn’t see you. “Okay, sounds good. Thanks for everything Josh!”
“Hey, no problem.”
You shoved your phone into your back pocket and stepped out onto the sidewalk, looking for someone who looked relatively familiar. You hadn’t been able to join them for any of shows this tour yet, but Josh promised you’d recognize the guy they sent to pick you up.
Sure enough, one of the roadies stepped out of an SUV and waved you over. You waved back and headed that direction.
“We’ve got just under an hour back to the venue, I’m guessing,” he warned as he pulled into the airport traffic. “I was lucky to get here on time. Traffic is a disaster on the main highway.”
That was slightly disappointing. You were so ready to see Tyler. A few days every months just wasn’t enough — but you didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Now, you could see Tyler whenever you wanted, for however long you wanted.
Digging around in your backpack, you pulled out the photo album you had made sure to pack. Each little slot was filled with a Polaroid picture of a sunset, each one with the same message written in the white space at the bottom of the photo.
You ran your fingers over your favorites, smiling to yourself. The next sunset Tyler saw, you two would be together.
“So that’s where he sends all those pictures,” the driver commented.
You nodded. “Yeah. I have a thing for sunsets, so he takes a picture of one — or has someone take one — in every city he’s in. Then he sends it to me.”
The driver nodded then fixed his eyes on the road. You figured that was the end of the conversation, so you flipped through the photo album for a while longer, then packed it away again and tried to patient for the remainder of the drive.
* * * * *
Once at the venue, the driver showed you where you could put your carry on, then made sure you had a pass to get you wherever you needed to go throughout the facility.
“Ready to see your dude?”
You nodded earnestly. “I’ve been ready.”
A couple of minutes later, you found yourself just outside the dressing room door. You thanked the roadie, then watched for a second as he went on his way to his duties, setting up for the show. After taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door. You could hear Josh and Tyler talking; Tyler’s voice got louder as he approached the door. When he swung it open and saw you, his jaw dropped.
“Summer girl?”
“Hey there, handsome,” you replied, surprised by the happy tears stinging your eyes.
Tyler swept you up into his arms, kissing your cheek and even twirling you off the ground. You hugged him back fiercely, relieved to finally be with him again.
“Glad to see we pulled off the surprise,” Josh piped up.
You chuckled and let go of Tyler long enough to give Josh a quick hug. “Thanks for the help, Dun.”
“You were in on this?” Tyler asked, tone incredulous.
Josh shrugged. “Someone had to keep her in the loop so she could plan it.”
Tyler high-fived his friend, then put an arm around you and asked for every detail of how you had decided to surprise him.
“Are you ready to start your new job?”
You took a deep breath. “I think so. If you’re ready to be around me all the time, that is.”
Tyler smiled and hooked a finger under your chin. “I’ve been ready.”
“Yeah, I told someone that earlier, too.”
His smile grew; his lips were soft and sweet against yours. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you to the merch crew — they’ve been anxious to meet their new boss.”
You were a little nervous, but agreed it was probably a good opportunity to meet the people you would be working with. Since that first night you had run the merch stand for Tyler’s band, the job had stuck. When you went off to college, you got a degree that would allow you to manage the production of Tyler’s and Josh’s merch, whether at concerts, through vendors, or through their band website. It was an exciting next step, and one that would allow you and Tyler to be together as often as you wanted — and you were even more excited when the meeting with the merch crew went smooth.
* * * * *
As the time for the show neared, you expected Tyler to be more and more in the zone, but your presence was more of a distraction than you had realized it would be. A few minutes before they were to be on stage, Tyler took you by the hand and pulled you down the hall until he found a shadowed corner. He backed up to the wall, then pulled you into the corner with him. This time, his kiss was rougher, more wanting.
“So you missed me, then?” you teased against his mouth between kisses.
Tyler only nodded, kissing you even harder and carding his hands into your hair. You pressed your body against his, not realizing until that moment how much you had truly missed him in your time apart.
Footsteps down the concrete hall alerted you to someone’s presence. You giggled, expecting to be caught, but Tyler put a gentle hand over your mouth to keep you quiet. Apparently, he wasn’t ready to be caught, yet.
“Anyone seen Tyler?”
The question came over the radio of the crew member coming down the hall. You looked up at Tyler; he was already in his stage clothes so it wouldn’t take him long to catch up. He shook his head, letting his hand fall away once the crew member was finally out of earshot.
“Sorry,” he sighed. “Just wanted a moment alone with you. I’ve got you here and now I want to be selfish and keep you to myself for a while.”
“Hey, I have to share you with ten thousand people tonight,” you reminded him, playfully pushing his shoulder.
Tyler smiled and dug into his pocket. “If I promise the rest of my life, do you promise I’ll never have to share you with anyone? Not really?”
Your eyes shot to his outstretched hand, and the diamond ring waiting in his palm. “Does this mean — are you — I can’t put a question together, apparently.”
“Let me handle the question,” Tyler replied, getting down on one knee. “Y/N, will you marry me?”
This time, you didn’t bother with trying to control your happy tears. You nodded and told him, “As long as you promise to always sneak me away for kisses.”
“Deal,” Tyler chuckled.
He got up from his knee and slid the ring on your finger. You pulled him to you by the black tie that completed his stage ensemble, then walked with him to the stage before the crew had a collective heart attack. Just before going on stage, Tyler looked back at you, attempting to suppress his grin. You smiled back, mouthing, ‘I love you.’
* * * * *
“All right, frens,” Tyler said into the microphone, “this is the part of the show where we cover a song or two for you.”
The crowd screamed; you clapped. It was simply too much fun watching the boys play after so long without seeing one of their shows.
“The first song we’re gonna play for you isn’t the one we’ve been playing, but we’re gonna make an exception tonight, since my summer girl is here with me again. Sing it if you know it.”
A turn of the century pop single, tailored now with ukulele notes, blared out through the speakers. You laughed, but your heart was full. Tyler was sharing his version of your song with the world. Soon, they would all know that you were his forever, but for now, that was news you and Tyler didn’t have to share with anyone but each other.
Summary: Tyler can’t stand to be around Y/N ... for a few different reasons.
Pairing: Tyler x Reader
Word Count:
Warnings: FWP. (Fluff without plot. Is that a thing? It is now.)
The laugh that both made Tyler’s heart quicken and irritated the hell out of him could be heard down the hall before he even finished his coffee. He braced himself for her presence, taking a seat in a chair on the soundboard side of the recording studio.
Y/N had a bottle of water in her hand, and the producer, Ben, was smiling as they walked in together. One of them had said something funny, apparently, but, despite her bright smile and the way her eyes twinkled in the studio lights, Tyler felt annoyed.
“So nice of you to join us this morning,” he grumbled as he sipped at his coffee.
Ben rolled his eyes. “Give her a break, man. I had her in the office with me, looking at some stuff for her new project. Finish your coffee, we’ll get started and hopefully wrap this up today.”
Y/N and Tyler exchanged a glance; maybe their bickering had gotten a teensy bit out of control. When they first met a few months ago, after being approached to write and record a song for the summer’s big blockbuster movie, sparks had flown immediately — and not in the good way. It was a miracle they had managed to write the song at all, though it probably wouldn’t have happened if Ben hadn’t been around to mediate their constant arguing.
The crazy thing was, there were nice moments, too. When the song finally came together and the movie execs gave it the go ahead, they had hugged excitedly and gone out to celebrate, without arguing. There were some radio interviews, and even one of Tyler’s shows when she had shown up as a surprise guest and they had performed the song to see how an audience would react. They had celebrated with cheers and more hugs when it went over well. But, for some reason, those moments were few and far between.
“You made it here this morning, then spaced out?” Y/N commented, breaking him from his thoughts.
Tyler downed what was left of his coffee, held back his comment for Ben’s sake, and went into the studio with her. He picked up his ukulele while she took a seat on the stool and secured a headset over her ears.
“No, don’t worry, I’ll get my own,” he scoffed.
“I can still hear you.”
“Good. I meant for you to hear me.”
Y/N rolled her eyes. “You know, for once, could we just try to have a productive day without your snide remarks? We probably could have done this in one day if you didn’t have to comment on everything I did yesterday. I’m a professional too, you know. I know what I’m doing in the studio, and this isn’t the first time I’ve written a song, either.”
Tyler looked over at her, surprised to see the hurt look on her face. He had accepted this love/hate relationship as just the way it was between them, but — were those tears in her eyes?
Tyler cleared his throat and set his ukulele back on its stand. He waved to get Ben’s attention, and asked the producer to give them a moment.
“Uh, yeah, I’ll just, uh, grab some more coffee,” Ben spoke into the speaker before making a quick getaway away from the soundboard.
Tyler turned back to Y/N. Her headset was rested on her shoulders and she was trying to wipe at her eyes without smearing her makeup, or letting him know that she was crying.
“Hey,” Tyler said softly, pulling up a stool next to her, “Y/N, I’m sorry. I guess I always thought we had this back and forth, and sometimes things were good and sometimes we argue, and … and that’s just how things were. I never meant to hurt your feelings.”
She sniffled and apologized for getting upset. “I was sort of projecting then, but maybe it was everything at once, too. When Ben and I were talking — I had told him a while back that I wanted to do all the writing for my next album, but he told me today that the studio turned down the few songs I demo’d. Then yesterday didn’t go great, and today is already not going great …”
Tyler mentally slapped himself. Of course, he hadn’t known any of that, but he hadn’t meant to kick her when she was down, either.
“You are an amazing songwriter. I know because I spent a good week writing this song with you, and your ideas are amazing, Y/N. You’re amazing.”
She chuckled through her tears. “Don’t butter me up now, Tyler. I know you can’t stand me for the most part.”
He drew in a deep breath and reached up to wipe her tears away. “That’s not entirely true.”
She sniffled again. “It’s not?”
“No,” he said softly. “You’re beautiful. You’re talented. You’re funny. And you put up with my cranky, sarcastic self. Up until today, you’ve taken everything I’ve thrown at you and you either come right back or you ignore me. Not everyone does that.”
“You are kind of cranky,” Y/N smirked.
Tyler laughed. He licked his lips and continued. “The first time I saw you, I thought — wow. So, this is what it’s like to find that person that makes you think maybe, just maybe, love at first sight is a real thing.”
“I thought our good moments were for show or something. Figured you thought I was some spoiled diva studio, and that’s where most of your cranky sarcasm came from.”
Tyler shook his head. “No, Y/N. I know you’re way more than that. What do you say we record this song, and tonight, I’ll take you out?”
“I mean, I think you owe me at least that much for making me cry.”
His smile faded for a moment, until he realized she was kidding. His hands pushed the hair out of her face before cupping her cheeks, the pads of his thumbs wiping away the last of her tears.
“From now on, no hate,” Tyler promised. “Just love.”
Y/N grinned, agreeing that sounded like an excellent idea a second before Tyler’s lips pressed against her own.
