Chapter Text
Josh is 22 years old and he’s honest to God happy he’s alive.
He never did go back to college, but he and Brendon were still with eachother almost all the time because they live together now (like no one saw that one coming). He’s seen Brendon grow and mature and he still doesn"t take any of Josh’s shit so really, what would Josh have ever done without him?
He’s been thinking about moving to New York to start trying to get jobs there and yeah, it upsets Josh a little to have his best friend so far, but he’s also so fucking proud of him.
He’s introduced him to a bunch of his new friends too, who in the end got him a drumming gig for a few months with this band called House Of Heroes.
It was fun doing what he wanted in front of people and putting on a show. It gave him this feeling inside his chest like this is what he’s meant to be doing, not whatever shit he expected to do straight out of college.
Fuck office jobs.
So yeah, when House Of Heroes came up to him and were all heeeey broooo, not to be mean or anything, but like, Colin is back so we’ve gotta let you go—Josh felt defeated again.
He tried to join other bands, but he just wasn"t feeling any of them and didn"t put his heart into it. It was aggravating to say the least. His day job sucked, so at least back when he was in HoH he had something to look forward to, you know?
After he makes the decision to give up on the drumming thing for a bit, he and his friends decide to go for drinks. Brendon isn"t there but it’s fine, he had work and Josh had other friends besides him.
One of his friends had invited them all to see him perform with his band one last time before he leaves—he was a drummer too and he and Josh hit it off really well when they met about a month ago when he came into Guitar Center.
Chris greeted them at the bar, patting Josh on the back and thanking all of them for coming. Josh is curious to see how his band sounds and if it was anything like his old band, but he just nods excitedly and wishes him good luck.
Only when the show starts and Josh glances at the stage, all thoughts about Chris are thrown out the fucking window because Tyler fucking Joseph is standing there, more beautiful than he was all those years ago and Josh is entranced. He’s got his tattooes on display with his tank top and flower robe falling to his elbows as he holds his ukelele and were those leggings?
Josh is going to drop dead, probably. This was a reoccurring feeling whenever he’s near Tyler, wasn"t it?
Bad joke, he chastises himself quickly before focusing back on the boy.
Tyler looks like he owns the stage, like he was born to be up there, his theatrics enchanting Josh even more and making him bop his head to the beat of the song. He’s so lively and Tyler’s singing about not wanting to fall away and he’s fucking rapping—Josh didn"t think it would be this good, no matter how many times Brendon had said it was amazing.
“Hey guys,” Tyler’s soft voice speaks into the microphone and Josh’s heart fucking stops. “We’re Twenty One Pilots and it’s my two good friends Chris Salih and Nick Thomas’ last show. They’re both leaving to quote unquote pursue better things.”
The crowd starts booing and Tyler chuckles, shaking his head.
“No, but really, thanks for everything you guys.” Tyler tells them and the crowd cheers. He turns back to them. “We hope you have a good time and we don"t disappoint you; this one is called Air Catcher.”
Josh loves everything about them, this band, he wishes he knew the lyrics so he can shout along with the crowd.
I won"t fall in
Love with falling
I will try to avoid
Those eyes
Josh wants to move closer so that he could watch Tyler better, have a better view of him prancing around on stage, but he thinks better of it and sticks to the back.
“I think you would beat the moon in a pretty contest,” Tyler sings and Josh chokes on the sip of his drink he was about to swallow. “And the moon just happened to be the very first thing that I missed. I was doing fine on my own and there wasn"t much I lacked, but you"ve stolen my air catcher and I don"t know if I want it back.”
The fucking aura the band let"s off is one of the most incredible things Josh has ever seen and when the band is done playing, Josh cheers along with the crowd because holy shit.
The rest of their set goes by so quick, Tyler joking around with Chris and Nick every so often and talking to the crowd like they were all friends.
Then he starts playing a song he says is called Trees and Josh knows this song, he knows it from way back then and he holds his breath as the keyboard melody hits his ears. When Tyler starts singing, Josh’s mouth drops open and he shuts it quickly to hide his surprise. It was beautiful, everything about the song was beautiful and Josh can"t believe this is how Tyler heard the song in his head when Josh had freaked out on him all those years ago.
They lock eyes and Josh holds his gaze, steady and unyielding while Tyler’s widen in surprise, his face shifting into an emotion Josh doesn"t let himself believe is actually there. He finishes the song without any mistakes (that Josh can notice anyway) and when the crowd cheers him on, he has the humblest look on his face, bringing a hand to his chest in pure awe.
“Thank you,” He says sincerely into the microphone. “We don"t deserve this and it"s incredible, so thank you so much.”
The crowd starts chanting T-O-P and Tyler laughs, waving them off.
“Give it up for Chris and Nick,” Tyler claps along with the crowd and they group hug before staring out into the crowd. “We’re Twenty One Pilots and we’ll be hanging around so come say hi.”
They bow and get off stage, disappearing for a while before Josh notices crowds gathering around people and conversations being held. He sees Tyler talking to a girl, their focus entirely on each other and what the other is saying before they hug, Tyler looking touched as he pulls away and holds her hands tightly in his own.
Josh looks away, the moment seeming private and intimate between the two and he stays where he is, not approaching him until Tyler finally walks over with an unsure, but knowing gaze.
“Josh?”
“Tyler,” Josh grins and practically feels his own face start to turn red. “You’re incredible.”
“I—What?” Tyler says, shocked. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“You are, though.” Josh is nervous, he’s about to start stuttering, he can feel it. “You look good. And sound good.”
“Thanks,” Tyler chuckles and then shrugs. “I’m kinda bandless for now.”
Josh gives him a questioning look, like Tyler is crazy for even thinking about giving up this band.
“No no, not like that,” Tyler assures him. “I just need a drummer or bassist or… something.”
“Well, I"m a drummer.” Josh says without thinking and Tyler"s head snaps over to him, that unsure look back on his face.
“Would you want to…” Tyler’s voice trails off, the unfinished question there, out in the open for the both of them to address or dance around.
“When’s your next show?” Josh asks instead, his curiosity getting the best of him.
“Next Saturday,” Tyler says quickly, the date of the show at the tip of his tongue. “Funny enough, it’s at OU.”
Josh stares at him, biting at his lip. “It’s kinda short notice.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tyler nods, looking down at his linked fingers.
“I mean I could make it,” Josh looks over at the stage Tyler was just performing on. “I’ll just have to quit my job.”
“Josh, what? No!” Tyler places a hand on his arm to get his attention and Josh feels the butterflies in his stomach. He’s a living, breathing god damn cliché. “I can"t ask you to do that.”
“I hate that place anyway,” Josh assures him, grinning full on. “So, I"m gonna have to learn all your songs in a week. Sick.”
Tyler looks at him dumbfounded and then he starts laughing, a melody forming in his laugh alone and Josh has missed him so fucking bad and what are the chances that they would meet again and this would happen to him? To them?
“Oh gosh,” Tyler wipes at his eyes. “You are something else, Joshua Dun.”
They"re close, bodies drifting toward each other by memory.
“So I"ve been told.”
Josh doesn"t know who leans in first, it happens so fast that when he does feel the gentle press of Tyler’s lips against his own, feeling his light stubble against his face, his eyes slip shut and he relishes in it. He brings a hand to rest on Tyler’s chest, over his heart and he can feel the rapid beat beneath his fingers and smiles into it. Tyler’s hands move to his belt loops, pulling their bodies closer, tongue peeking out and touching Josh"s bottom lip slowly, deliberating whether this is okay.
Before Josh can open his mouth, they"re jumping apart because Chris shouts get a room to them. Blushing furiously and fumbling out apologies, Tyler grabs Josh’s hand and leads him away, Tyler’s fingers lacing between his own.
He didn"t know what to expect when Tyler brings him to an empty room, lights flashing and flickering because they were shit with Tyler’s bag lying on a couch.
“Fancy.” Josh remarks as Tyler closes the door and locks it.
Then they"re back to kissing, pulling away occasionally to let out breathless I missed you’s to one another and going back in for more. Josh can"t really complain, not when Tyler’s hands are tugging at his hair just right and his tongue is in his mouth and—
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Tyler whispers, pressing a kiss into his jaw and Josh feels his knees go weak.
“Nah, you aren"t that lucky.” Josh says, biting his lip when Tyler starts sucking on his neck.
“Really?” Tyler smirks as he pulls away from where he’d been working on his neck. “‘Cause I feel like the luckiest man alive right now.”
“Oh, shut up.” Josh rolls his eyes and because Tyler can’t one up him like this, he drops to his knees in front of him.
Tyler makes a noise of surprise low in his throat and Josh looks up at him, a slow smirk spreading on his lips.
“I always did love your red hair.” Tyler says, threading his fingers through his red curls and Josh leans forward, pressing a kiss to Tyler’s hard-clothed cock.
Snaking his hands up Tyler"s thighs and to the waistband of his leggings, he doesn"t miss the sharp inhale of breath from the boy above him.
“When did you start wearing leggings?” Josh pulls them down slowly, eyes not leaving Tyler’s face.
“The same day I beat the shit outta my dad for calling me a faggot.” Tyler grins sharply, tightening his fingers in his hair. “Shoulda been there.”
“I wish.” Josh looks away and is met with his name above Tyler’s knee. His eyes soften and his heart may burst, but it makes everything so fucking real.
He kisses where his name is situated, a bold move for him, mostly a reminder to himself that it was all worth it. He kisses Tyler’s inner thigh, biting down and forming those purple bruises that will appear later for him to marvel at. Tyler’s hand comes to clasp his shoulder for balance, his mouth falling open in a sigh.
“Please, Josh.” Tyler whimpers and Josh thinks he’s died and went to heaven.
He slips off Tyler’s boxers easily and grips his cock by the base, pumping him a few times before leaning forward and planting a kiss to his slit. His tongue darts out to lick up the precome leaking and Tyler throws his head back, mouth opening slightly.
Josh takes pity on him, slipping his lips around him and running down his length, slackening his jaw. He closes his eyes and focuses on the pulling at his hair and the moans above him, the praises falling off Tyler’s lips making his heart thrum like a hummingbird"s wings in his chest.
When Tyler lets go, spilling into Josh’s mouth with one final moan, Josh feels alive. He sits back on his knees and swallows, Tyler pulling his dick out of his mouth making some of it fall messily onto his chin, but Josh doesn"t care. Through half lidded eyes, he lifts his fingers to it, lapping it up and sticking them in his mouth, obscene moans of his own piercing the air.
“Josh,” Tyler whispers in awe, pulling him up and wrapping his arms around his neck. “Oh, Josh, baby.”
And they"re kissing again, little giggles of happiness making them have to pull apart and dive back in, smiles being felt on each other.
They crash onto the couch and Josh is suddenly very alert and very aware of what was going to happen. He sits up, ignoring the confused look tossed his way.
“Not here,” Josh shakes his head, grabbing Tyler"s hands and bringing them to his lips, kissing his knuckles. “Come home with me.”
Tyler understands where Josh is coming from, of course he does. He doesn"t even need to argue with him because Tyler is already pushing Josh off of him and putting on his boxers and leggings, throwing a devilish smirk his way.
He reaches for him, fingers waiting to connect with his own and Josh loves him. He loves this Tyler, the newfound confidence he has for himself endearing enough to leave him speechless.
Josh threads his fingers between Tyler’s own, linking them together perfectly as Tyler tugs them out of the room. He explains that he has to help the crew pack up before ditching them, though that doesn"t mean Josh isn"t important. Josh laughs at the stuttering mess Tyler becomes and kisses one of his rosy cheeks affectionately.
“Stop it!” Tyler whines, pouting his lips and it’s so tempting for Josh to just lean forward and press a kiss to them.
“Never.”
With a indignant huff and a roll of his eyes, Tyler continues packing up the stuff, Josh alongside him helping the time pass by quicker. His mentality is that, if he helps, they"ll get to go home faster. Makes sense.
At some point Josh shoots Brendon a text telling him to get the fuck out of the apartment for the night pls and thx and gets the UR GETTING LAID FOR SURE TODAY!!!! text back with a bunch of party emojis.
Typical, really.
When they pack the last part of the drum kit into the super small white van, Tyler turns to Josh with a fond grin resting on his lips. He’s changed so much and yet he’s still the most beautiful man Josh could ever lay his eyes on. The light stubble peppering his jaw and cheeks, the crinkles by his eyes, the way he’s walking toward Josh with such a dominant demeanour, it makes Josh want to tell him he’s in love with all of it.
He opens his mouth to do just that, but Tyler has his arms thrown around him, leaving him no other choice than to rest his hands gently on his waist. He buries his face into his neck, feeling his chest warm up and his senses sing at the familiar scent of Tyler.
It feels as though they were never apart in the first place.
“Take me home, Joshie.” Tyler whispers into his hair and Josh clings to him a second longer before pulling away, intertwining their fingers once more.
They start to walk to his apartment, the place not even a 15 minute walk away. Josh had assumed he’d be drinking much more tonight so he hadn"t bothered taking his car. He tells Tyler as much and when he throws his head back in a laugh, Josh feels as light as the air around them.
“How have you been, Tyler?” Josh asks suddenly, looking at him with concern. “Really. Your songs…”
Josh hopes Tyler doesn"t go to the default of I’m fine, because he knows that that’s not the case, his lyrics addressing as much. He’s said that shit so many times himself when it was all lies and he can see right through it when others do it, too; it was a curse, honestly, to know when others are hurting, but also knowing what it"s like to not want to burden others.
“I…” Tyler’s voice trails off as he looks at the ground. “It’s been a rough couple of years.”
And that—That’s something Josh gets. He understands where Tyler is coming from and no, he doesn"t know what Tyler himself is going through, but the two of them can sympathize with one another on the fact they"ve both had to go through some shit to get to today.
“Was it worth it?” Josh wonders, looking up at the stars in the sky instead of at the way Tyler was looking at him.
“Always will be.”
When they reach Josh’s apartment complex and they get in the elevator, Josh pressing the 4th floor button, he looks at Tyler expectantly.
“What?” Tyler grins, cheeks flushed.
“Usually people make fun of this dump me and Brendon live in.” Josh shrugs, that explanation being enough in itself.
Their place wasn"t that bad, but Josh and Brendon were getting by with barely anything to spend on themselves. Of course, that didn"t change the fact they loved this place like they would their own child and really, the rent wasn"t all that horrible. Any place would ask the same of them because they were situated in the heart of the city, near their jobs. And besides, just ‘cause it was ugly on the outside didn"t mean their personal apartment was the same.
“You and Brendon live together, yeah,” Tyler nods. “He told me that.”
“He’s not home, don"t worry.” Josh flashes him a toothy grin before stepping out of the elevator and getting to their door.
Once they enter the room, Josh expected Tyler to pin him to the door and start getting down to business.
He doesn"t expect him to look around with a small smile, walking further into the room where his kitchen and living room were attached.
The kitchen was clean for once, a paper resting on their counter with the words you"re welcome, asshole printed onto it in messy handwriting. Their small, round kitchen table had been cleared of all the dirty plates from this morning and no doubt put in the dishwasher.
Their living room is an absolute mess, though; Josh sees a bunch of their laundry stacked on the coffee table waiting to be folded to be put in place and okay, fine, it was Josh’s turn to do, so he was to blame for that one. A pizza box from the night before was on the floor and the TV was still on, a rerun of The Flash playing making Josh roll his eyes.
At least it wasn"t Arrow.
Tyler runs his fingers along the worn out brown couch before leaning into it, the creaking noise it lets out making Josh cringe while he fixes his gaze on him.
“Nice place.” He nods at the bland walls, Brendon nor Josh ever having time to repaint the boring beige colour.
“It’s okay,” Josh agrees, waving a hand in a grand gesture. “Welcome to my humble abode. It’s not that big, but Bren and I manage just fine.”
Then he spots the black mass that jumped onto the kitchen table soundlessly, pointing at it with a knowing smile. Tyler shifts his eyes to it and they widen in surprise before he runs forward with a laugh, picking up the cat before he can get away.
Not like he would have; Donnie was a lazy motherfucker who secretly loved affection.
“Oh my gosh,” Tyler coos, hugging Donnie tight and petting between his ears. “So cute, oh man. Oh man, I’ve missed you too, buddy.”
Josh watches them with an enamoured expression on his face, he’s sure of it. Before he knows it, Tyler is placing Donnie down, the cat (rendered a purring mess at this point) tangling itself between his feet to get his attention as he tries to walk toward Josh. When he makes it, successfully avoiding stepping on the poor cat, he places a hand on his cheek softly, running his thumb against his cheekbone so delicately. It was as though Josh was the only thing that mattered and he couldn"t break him before leaning down and catching his lips with his.
It’s sweet and gentle until it shifts into a lustful kiss, tongues sliding out and meeting one another while hair starts being tugged and clothes start shedding.
“Room, Jishwa.” Tyler breathes, grinding his hips against Josh’s, the only thing on them being their boxers at this point.
“Can"t I just bend you over and fuck you on the counter?” Josh whines, kissing Tyler’s jaw teasingly.
“No.”
“No fun,” Josh mutters, grabbing the backs of Tyler"s thighs and lifting him up, his legs wrapping around his waist with a groan.
“You’re unbelievable.” Tyler says back, smacking Josh’s shoulder when he hits him against the wall on accident.
They make it to Josh’s room and he practically throws Tyler onto the bed crawling between his legs eagerly, going back in to kiss his plump red lips.
He doesn"t know how long they stay like that, kissing and running their fingers along the other’s body trying to refamiliarize themselves with each other. It’s only when Josh rolls his hips absently into Tyler’s that Tyler’s eyes flutter shut, a small moan passing his lips as he digs his nails into Josh’s shoulder.
“Quit teasing,” Tyler begs and they let go of each other to kick off their boxers, reconnecting their bodies when their done.
Grabbing the lube and coating his fingers generously, he preps Tyler the best he can, watching the boy jerk and huff out breaths into his neck. He watches Tyler bite his lip to stop his moans and feels him rolling his hips down into Josh’s fingers, trying to get his fingers to hit just the right spot.
Once he removes his fingers and rolls on the condom, he looks down at Tyler with such an awed look of adoration, trying to pour out all the feelings flowing in his veins with the simple stare. Tyler wraps his legs around Josh’s hips, pushing him closer with a smile on his face, nodding at him encouragingly.
And it’s funny because when Josh pushes into him, Tyler’s eyes closing in pleasure, it finally hits him that this is real. All of this is real and after so long, after searching for the right partner and always being met with the shittiest outcomes, he’s here with Tyler.
It will always be Tyler.
He thrusts into him, lifting his hand to Tyler’s and intertwining their fingers as he fucks him, leaning down and biting at his collarbone.
“Josh, Josh, Josh,” Tyler is repeating, chanting his name like it"s the only word he knows while lifting his hips to match Josh’s thrusts. “S’good, you"re so good, you fuck me so good, keep going, keep go—Josh.”
He feels it in his core before he can stop it and he quickly reaches between them to start pumping Tyler’s cock, hoping to get him over the edge along with him.
“Come on, baby boy,” Josh urges huskily, biting at Tyler’s earlobe as his thrusts deepen and slow. “Let go for me.”
Tyler moans and tosses his head to the side, revealing his neck to him and Josh doesn"t pass up the opportunity to leave more love bites on him, claiming him even if it"s just for the night.
When they both reach their climaxes, nails scratching bodies and loud moans piercing the air around them, Josh slumps down against Tyler. They both breathe heavily, silent and with eyes closed, taking in the presence of the other before Josh pulls out of Tyler and rids himself of the condom.
They lay together, staring at the ceiling with rapid rising chests and smiles on their faces. Tyler rolls over, resting his head on Josh’s bare chest, kissing it gently and making Josh’s heart practically stop in his chest, because he"s so lucky to be here with him right now.
“I still love you, Joshua Dun.”
It’s said so simply, so easily, dripping off Tyler’s lips like honey and reaching Josh’s ears like music and isn"t it fucking funny how life turned out?
“I don"t think I ever stopped loving you, Tyler Joseph.”
The show itself is a bust.
Josh had learned all the songs without a problem, opting to create a super cool, super legit handshake with Tyler once he got the main drum beats down. Tyler agreed and together they made one, laughing at the creativity behind it all and joking about how one day this very handshake will be iconic, just you wait, Tyler, you"ll see.
"Why Twenty One Pilots?" Josh asks Tyler when they"re laying in bed cuddling after. Tyler gives him a confused look, earning him a flick on the nose. "If I"m in the band now I should know the meaning behind the name."
"It"s from a play called All My Sons by Arthur Miller. This guy, a mechanic really, from the second world war had to send these pilots plane pieces. The thing is, the ones he had weren"t good, they were faulty pieces but they needed them asap because war and stuff so he had to choose between making the right decision or the easy one." Tyler pauses, pressing closer into Josh. "He sent the faulty pieces and killed—murdered twenty one pilots, Josh. The play focuses on how his family found out."
Josh holds him extra tight that night.
After that Josh had insisted that he learns how to backflip because why the fuck not Tyler, it would be so sick and so Tyler had spread out a bunch of couch cushions on the floor, warning Josh to be careful because he didn"t want his boyfriend to die over something this stupid.
Josh grinned stupidly wide when he stuck the landing like a fucking champ.
The night of the show at OU rolls around and they set up all their equipment in the frat, Josh almost losing his shit on a drunk kid trying to take a piss on his drum kit and Tyler trying not to laugh at him about it.
They get two songs in before their set is being shut down by the cops and Josh can"t even hide the disbelief on his face as they begin to pack up again.
When he looks at Tyler though, he doesn"t look upset. He’s watching Josh with a wide smile on his face, his eyes shining with happiness and Josh understands.
God, does he understand.
He smiles back, pulling him close and kissing him hard on the mouth, sharp teeth tugging on Tyler"s lower lip as he pulls away.
Everything was definitely worth it.