Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Introduction

There are a few notes I would like to add before we start this book. This will act as an introduction.

1. Jenna is going to be Tyler's cousin in this. Their relationship (like in real life) will not exist.
2. This is a work of complete fiction. None of this is intended to happen in real life. If this book replicates anything in real life, it is purely coincidental. 
3. Do not steal my book. If you'd like to use this plot line or make a translation of the book, please ask me first and wait until I give you permission. 
4. Joshler will exist in this book. If you don't agree with Joshler, please click out of this book. Same with if you don't agree with male/male relationships. Why are you still here?
5. Josh will top.
6. The chapter numbers are going to be out of order because of this introduction. They will likely say "Chapter 2: Chapter One" or so on, because I label the chapters after what number they should really be.

Thank you! Please enjoy!

~El

Chapter Text

For Tyler, walking to class seemed like such a chore. College was something he had always been interested in going to, but now that he was actually here, he was a little bored. Though, he did not regret being here. He was majoring in music, which was something he has had a passion for since he was very young. The male has a notebook filled with lyrics, which had no life to them. For now, they were just words on a page. There was no music created for them just yet. The lifeless words have sat on the page for years, yet he had never learned to write music.

As he walks into his classroom, which he was the first one to arrive in, he immediately took out his notebook, jotting down a couple of sentences of words as he thought of them, which he soon hoped to bring life to. Am I the only one I know? Raging my wars behind my face and above my throat. He sighed and stopped writing, putting the notebook away and taking out his second notebook, which contained multiple notes that he needed to know for when the test or quiz came around about music. The notes, the different scales, the measure counts, all that sort of stuff. He even knew how to play three different instruments already; Ukulele, guitar, and piano. He was struggling on the guitar, however.

He looks up when he hears another pair of footsteps echoing within the wide, open room. The heels of the shoes clacked against the marble-tiled floor as they walked in. Tyler's eyes met the shorter male's, and he realized it was Josh Dun. 

Josh had always intimidated him a little bit. He has a full-sleeve tattoo, and he dyes his hair. I mean, anyone can do that stuff, but Tyler just wasn't used to it. He didn't see many people like that inside the college. He could only imagine what he must've been like in school; Douchey, a player, or/and a bully. He was just judging the book by its cover, though. Tyler always took note of the fact nobody knew Josh's true past. 

"What are you looking at, Joseph?" the shorter male asks, setting his stuff down on his desk before raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be more focused on your notes than on me? I don't like to be stared at." He taps his foot in obvious annoyance.

"Oh, uh... s-sorry, Josh. I just... got a bit startled, is all!" His brown eyes immediately dart back down to his paper. In the back of his mind, he can hear his alter ego whispering things to him; Things that were probably true. Tyler tried not to focus on that, though.

"Well sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Josh shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly as he sat down and took out his notebook which contained multiple drawings of people. Tyler sometimes glanced over at him, since he was one row and a seat away from him. He could make out some of the drawings as the lead singers of Green Day, All Time Low, and Aerosmith, as well as Fall Out Boy.  The fact he could draw so well made Tyler jealous.

But today, he noticed Josh working on a face much more familiar to him — a face he saw every day; His own. His cheeks turned red before he looked down, hearing more and more footsteps all around him, before eventually hearing the professor talking.

What is your past all about, Josh...? You're making me curious with your suspicious nature...

Chapter Text

After his class was over, Tyler packed up his bag, waiting for his cousin to pick him up. He never stayed in the dorms overnight on the campus, in fear of Blurryface acting up on him out of nowhere, or anything of the sort. He sighs as he holds his bag over his shoulders, one thumb tucked underneath the strap. Standing outside waiting with his backpack on made him feel like he was in elementary school all over again; He used to wait outside for his mom to come pick him up, but now, he didn't need his mom. He simply didn't have a car, as he never took Driver's Ed. He found it a little useless because nowadays, they have Ubers and there are people that can pick him up. He did wonder if he would ever need to take the course.

A few minutes later, Jenna, his cousin, pulled up and rolled down the passenger's side window. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get in! Auntie said if you're late to dinner, she's gonna beat your butt!" She laughed softly afterward, indicating that she was just joking.

Tyler gave a small smile. He loved his cousin, as she was the best person in their whole family, other than his brothers and biological parents. Anyone else was kind of an asshole. "Haha," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he walked up to the car, opening up the door. He smiled a little more as he sat down on the leather-padded seats, comforted by the coolness it gave off, and the thought that in a few minutes, his legs would be nice and warm; Leather can hold heat nicely.

"Comfy, Ty?" Jenna laughs teasingly as she pulls the car out of park, shifting it to 'drive' while her cousin buckles in. "You look it." She hummed softly to the music on the radio, her faded beach-wave hair blowing in the wind as the windows get rolled down.

"Very comfortable, yes," he says, laughing quietly. "These seats are definitely my type. I like the feel of leather. I just don't think I could ever own a car of my own, or anything at that, with leather. I don't think I'd take very good care of it." He shrugs it off, and they begin to sing along to the radio together while driving away from the campus, and back to Tyler's house. The entire time, however, he couldn't stop thinking about Josh. What about him makes him so damn significant to me...?

They arrived home, to which Tyler let out a quiet sigh of relief at. He immediately sets his bag down on the ground nearly the second he enters the all-too-familiar area. He's greeted first by his mother, who looks at him with a grin. 

"How was college today, Tyler?" she asked, hugging her son firmly yet gently all at once. It was something that only mothers seemed to know how to do properly. 

Tyler smiled widely, hugging her in return and patting her back. "College today was amazing," he says, before glancing to Jenna, who gave a soft nod of approval. He pulled away and let the two girls greet each other, to which they immediately began to chat up a storm. He had smelled food cooking in the kitchen anyhow.

There, he was confronted by his brother, Zack. "Hey there, bro! How's college going for you? Music college courses, at that." He then went back to helping their dad, still listening to what Tyler had to say, of course.

"College is going great. It's teaching me a lot of things that are useful to know in a music career, and it teaches me a whole lot about music. I've got a whole seven-subject notebook just for that one class!" He smiles and then looks over the two other male's shoulders. "What are you guys making?"

"Your mother decided she wanted roasted chicken, but Zack and I wanted soup," his father began, pausing for a minute to pour the carrots into the pot of boiling chicken broth. He then spoke a moment later. "So, we all agreed on chicken noodle soup!"

"Sounds good! Taco Bell would've been better, but ya know..." Tyler teased, before trailing off. He then began to think about college again.

The only people who knew Tyler was gay were Zack and Jenna. He didn't have any crushes yet... did he? No. No, absolutely not. 

"Earth to Tyler," Zack teased in return, waving a hand in front of Tyler's blank expression. He flinched for a moment, before snapping his brown-eyed gaze to his brother's eyes. 

"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something that the professor said during school. I've got some homework to do anyways though," he said, before heading to the doorway. "Call me downstairs when dinner's done." Tyler then proceeded to walk out, grabbing his bag, and then walking up the stairs.

As he walked, he stared down at the carpeted floor. The off-white carpet distracted his busy mind for a moment, since Blurryface had begun to talk about something the brunette didn't care to listen about. In fact, he didn't care much at all about the demon in his head. His therapists already warned him about the fact this demon could turn into an alter ego with even one small traumatic thing, like almost hitting a car, or getting into a fight — that's how easy it was to traumatize the innocent boy who had never been corrupted once in his life. Sure, he had a corrupted and dirty mind, but his personality was not at all corrupted. He was the sweetest boy you'll ever meet.

About half an hour later, he was called downstairs for dinner. As Tyler walked into the dining room, he never would've expected to see someone there that he just had seen.

Joshua. Fucking. Dun.

"Josh?"

Chapter Text

"Josh?" Tyler was absolutely flabbergasted. Why was Josh Dun, of anyone in the world, in his house??

"Oh, Tyler, you two know each other? That's awesome!" Jenna grinned at Tyler and Josh. She seemed excited that her cousin knew one of her friends.

But Tyler wasn't amused.

"Yeah, we know each other," he said, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly at Josh, before looking to Jenna with normal eyes. "How do you two know each other, anyways...?"

"Josh and I? Oh, he and I met at a park. My best friend, Julia, was walking around. He hit me in the head with a football by accident, and then boom! A friendship was made," Jenna says, laughing softly as she looks to Josh, who even seems to smile slightly as well. 

Tyler then had an idea of what could be making Josh seem suspicious — He must like her. Either that or they're secretly dating. It has to be that, right?

"Ah, I see..." Tyler says, before sitting down at the table. "So he's staying for dinner?" The brunette was crossing his arms, mentally praying to the great and mighty lords above that he was only staying for dinner and nothing else. He was protective of Jenna, and especially because he didn't trust Josh.

"Nope! He's staying the night. He wants to help you study for the upcoming exam you two have about the history of the stringed instruments," Jenna says proudly.

Tyler tensed up a little bit at that.

"Oh. Okay. That's fine." He then glances to Josh, who has a smug look on his face. Blurryface, who was watching everything, whispered to Tyler, "Stop giving him heart eyes, Tyler, and start trying to be his friend. He will become very useful in the future, I can feel it." Tyler took note of that, blushing lightly at the remark Blurry had made about the heart eyes.

"Your dad is an amazing cook," Josh says, making Tyler flinch and tense up, as well as freeze suddenly in the middle of the hallway. He almost screamed a little.

"Josh, what the hell?! Why are you following me? I'm going to my bedroom to study. For real." He huffed and crossed his arms, turning around to face Josh. Now that he actually was stood in front of him, he couldn't help but notice that Josh was actually really close to his height, if not his height already.

"You do remember I'm supposed to be studying with you too, right, Joseph?" Josh raised an eyebrow at him. "I have to talk to you anyways." He began to tap his foot like he usually did when he was annoyed.

"Damn it, fine, Josh!" Tyler groaned and then stormed back to his room, feeling annoyed as well. He opened the door to his room, leaving it open. Josh was fully capable of shutting it on his own, right? Unless he had some unknown disability, he could shut it on his own. After all, he was the one who decided to come over and study, completely uninvited by him. Tyler lowkey hated Jenna for knowing Josh right now. 

Josh rolled his eyes, shutting the door behind them and crossing his arms. "Feisty much, Joseph?" He sets his own bag down on the table in the room next to a chair.

"Do not call me Joseph. If you're under this roof, you call me Tyler, yeah?" Tyler tugs his fingers through his brown hair, before sitting down on his bed, the books he needed to study, as well as his notebook, already opened up. His notebook had multiple colorful sticky note flags sticking out from the side, so he could remain organized.

Josh rolled his eyes once more. "Yes, mother," he retorted, pulling out his own things before opening them. He looked up at Tyler and just looked at him for a moment.

Tyler caught on and looked right back at him, narrowing his eyes as he crosses his arms. "Why are you really here, Joshua? We all know you don't want to just magically be my friend. You haven't liked me since the beginning of this year, and you still don't. We have three more years together. So tell me, Josh. Why are you here?"

Josh remained silent for a moment before he closed his books again, leaning back into the chair. "All that you just said is false. I actually do want to try and be your friend, Tyler. And I also wanted to formally apologize for being an asshole so far." The colorful-haired male sighs and looks down at his hardcover textbook. "I never should have done that. You've never done anything to me, I know. I just have trust issues, and not to mention, I can tell what people's intentions are. I know you don't have bad intentions, but that doesn't stop me from not trusting you... I'm sorry," he says, raising his head to look at the boy, who had a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Please... I'd like to restart with you. We have never formally met just yet." Josh extends his hand forwards to shake.

Tyler didn't expect this. He really didn't know what to expect, but he sure as hell did not expect this. He stays silent for a moment as he thinks over and processes what Josh just admitted to him inside of his head. Blurryface seemed annoyed with Tyler's disbelief and overthinking; He thinks too much. "Just shake his damn hand, Tyler! I'm trying to actually help you get a friend for once, you loner. If you don't take my advice, I will just go back to torturing you instead of helping you," the demon hissed within his head. Tyler's hand immediately extended out to shake Josh's just a few seconds later, a small smile spreading across his lips. "I'd like to restart with you, yes. That sounds lovely. And it's really okay. I've got trust issues too... sometimes."

Josh smiled warmly at the tattooless boy. "I'm really glad you decided to let me restart." He pulls his hand back and leans back in his chair. "Hi, I'm Joshua Dun, but please call me Josh. I like to play the drums, and I was in a band with my friends for a little while." 

Tyler listened to every word that he spoke, actually quite interested. Tyler sometimes believes he has a bipolar disorder, though his therapist already told him he didn't. One moment, Tyler would be pissed at someone, and — in certain situations — the next minute, he'd be talking with them and laughing. "Hey, I'm Tyler Joseph. I like to play the ukulele, but I'm really good at the piano too. Oh! And I can spin a basketball on my finger because I'm good at basketball."

"Are you trying to show off?" Josh simply laughs, shaking his head as he opens his books once more. "Oh dear lord, Tyler. Well, for your information, I'm good at basketball too!" He pouts playfully.

"Yeah? But can you spin it on your finger?" He raised an eyebrow and gave an amused smile, tossing a basketball to Josh. "Here. Spin it. Please, humor me, Josh." Tyler bit his lip, watching the red-haired boy fail. He snickered softly. "See? You can't! I can." He takes the ball and easily spins it on his finger.

"Okay, mister show off, but some people are good at basketball, but they can't spin it on their finger like that," he said, laughing and shaking his head. "Okay, c'mon now Ty, we have to study."

"Ah, whatever," Tyler said jokingly, giggling softly. They then got to studying.

Chapter Text

That night, Josh had stayed over, staying up late just to help Tyler study up for this upcoming exam that they had. He knew it was going to be hard, and he knew Tyler was going to need all the help he could get, which is exactly why he had stayed up until nearly 5:00 a.m., just to help Tyler study. Thankfully for them, they didn't have their college classes until around 4 p.m., so they had plenty of time; It gave them about 8 hours of sleep to live on for the day, and then 2 and a half hours to relax and get ready, and then one half hour to get to the college, so that they would get there just a few minutes before their first course started. That was the plan, anyways, and the red-haired male was determined to follow that plan to keep it in action.

An alarm went off at 1:12 p.m., waking up Josh, but not waking up Tyler at all. Tyler was a rather heavy sleeper, but Josh definitely wasn't. He was a really light sleeper. Yawning, the tattooed boy sits up and stretches, wincing at the kink in his neck from the awkward positioning of how he was sleeping on the chair. He wished they had known in advance that he would be staying the night, so they could set up the blow-up mattress or something, but instead, Josh had simply fallen asleep, with the innocent boy following in pursuit, in the middle of studying and sharing each other's notes. 

Getting up after about ten minutes of being on his phone, Josh tiptoes over to Tyler's bed, pressing his lips into a thin line as he just stood there, looking down at the sleeping boy. He was also thinking about how to wake him up effectively and quickly to keep their plan running smoothly. Finally coming up with something, Josh carefully moved Tyler's notebooks and single textbook off of the bed, as well as a few stray papers, and put them off to the bedside table. He then pounced onto Tyler's bed and said, "Wake. Up. Tyler! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" He then stopped, seeing Tyler's rather panicked expression fade away, and he giggled softly.

"You're such a meanie, Dun," Tyler grumbled, obviously a bit grumpy from the lack of sleep. "But you're my friend, so it's okay." He sighed softly and sat up on his bed, running a hand through his hair with a yawn. "What time is it?"

"1:23," Josh replies, getting off of the boy's bed and standing at his side. "Remember how we made a plan last night? To wake up around 1-ish, take two and a half hours to relax, clean up, and get ready for school, and then take half an hour to drive there?" He gave a small chuckle and shook his head at the boy.

"Oh, no, I remembered," he lied, holding back a few giggles. "Totally remembered. Just kidding, I have a really bad memory when I first wake up. You need to give me some time to remember these things!" He laughed and shook his head, climbing out of bed and taking his own bag, shoving his loose papers into the binder before he put the textbook, notebook, and binder neatly into his bag.

"Sorry, didn't know that. I don't really have a bad memory in the morning; I only do when I'm really tired, like last night when we stayed up until like 5 a.m. to study and exchange notes. I don't even remember how we both managed to fall asleep in the middle of studying!" Josh sighed softly and picked up his own bag to pack. "Where's the bathroom? I really have to pee," he said, making Tyler giggle softly.

"Too much information, for one..." Tyler trailed off while picking out an outfit from his closet. "Two, it's down the hall and it's the last room on the right. You better not miss the bowl, otherwise, I'm going to get the cleaning supplies and force you to clean it up yourself," he teased, heading to the bathroom within his bedroom. "I'll be showering, just knock if you need anything!" he calls out to his new friend, before shutting and locking the door behind him, starting up the water.

Meanwhile, Josh went pee and then went back to the bedroom, waiting for his friend. As he entered the bedroom once again, he plopped down onto the same chair he had been in all night. He couldn't complain, however; It was a very, very comfortable chair. The only downfall to it was the fact that it wasn't big enough to support his head when he falls asleep in it. Suddenly breaking him from his thoughts, his phone vibrated on the wooden table, making Josh jump. He picked up the phone and read the text, only to soon realize it was from Jenna. 

"Hey, Josh... I need to tell you something, and it's really important. You have got to help me... Please don't tell Tyler. Meet me downstairs now. Don't worry about the parents hearing either, because they're both at work, and Zack is at his morning classes until 2."

This can't be good... Josh thought to himself, sighing softly as he made himself get up, taking his phone with him as he went downstairs. 

"Hey, Jenny... Something wrong? You seemed panicked... or... worried, at least. Very worried..." Josh sat down in the chair in front of the one that the blonde girl was sat in, before crossing his legs. He then looked directly at her, waiting for a response he knew he would get very soon.

"I... Well, it's complicated..."

The moment that she began to really get into detail, Tyler got out of the bathroom, dressed and with dry hair. He then noticed that Josh wasn't there. "Josh?" He looks under the bed, in the closet, and behind the chairs, making sure his friend wasn't hiding on him. He soon came to the realization he wasn't. Josh's bag was still here, so he hadn't left yet, obviously. Tyler began to make his way downstairs before hearing the two talking. He couldn't help but eavesdrop - Blurry told him to! 

"I'm part of a secret organization of people that eliminate gangs... We aren't bad, we just have an extremely dangerous job..." Jenna takes in a shaky breath. "It's called 'The Secret Gang Killers.'. Or, for short, we're the TSGKs."

Tyler couldn't believe his ears. His cousin, the one he thought was sweet and, kills people. She kills people! Bad people, at that, but still! He gasps silently, and the minute he realized he was heard when silence broke out, he knew he was in trouble. Tyler darted back upstairs and into his room, shutting the door and throwing his body weight up against it. Josh and Jenna followed suite in his footsteps. Jenna immediately began to knock. 

"Tyler! Damn it, Ty, open up! I'm not mad, I know you're curious! I just want to explain it to you too!" Honestly, Tyler felt pretty betrayed. I mean, his cousin - his cousin - just told his best friend one of her biggest secrets yet. Was Tyler really that untrustworthy? "Go away, Jenna!" Tyler retorted, and then felt one heavy hit, which was obviously from Josh's foot. He squeaked and moved out of the way, letting them in even though he didn't want to.

When they entered, they saw Tyler trying to hide inside his closet, but he was struggling to get the door opened. Josh and Jenna entered, locking the bedroom door behind them. Josh guarded the door, while Jenna shut and locked the bathroom door as well, before standing in front of that one. Jenna and Josh had each other's back if they needed help. "Now..." the small girl started, crossing her arms while looking at her cousin. "I'm not bad. I kill off the people who hurt and kill others; Gangs. Those bastards have been multiplying, and some are even teaming up." Tyler calms down, sitting on the bed, deciding to handle this like an adult. "I'm part of a secret organization called 'The Secret Gang Killers', or the TSGKs for short. And no, before you say anything, I'm not lying to you. I'm being serious. Lately, I've been feeling more and more close to something extremely dangerous."

Josh kept listening, though he had had this basic rundown before Tyler was caught eavesdropping in on the conversation. "Okay, so... What do you want from us...? Because it's obvious you want something, Jenna..." Tyler said quietly, sitting criss-cross on his bed. 

"I need your help. Both of you."

Chapter Text

"I need your help. Both of you."

Both boys looked absolutely baffled. How much help could they be to her and her organization?! They didn't really do violence. Well, Tyler didn't, anyways... at least that's what everyone else thinks. "Excuse me?!" Tyler exclaims, breaking the silence and looking at Jenna with raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry, Jenna, but... I can't be a part of this. I... I just can't...!" This could turn out really badly for Tyler if he agreed to help this organization take down a gang. This could be what splits his mind into two separate alter egos completely. This could cause so much trauma for the poor boy, and he'd have to undergo even more therapy to get medicine to try and hold Blurryface back if that was possible to do. "No... No, I can't..."

"Tyler, come on! You have to! We desperately need your help! Ty, we are targeting the biggest, worst, most dangerous gang there is around here... I need you both to help me, otherwise this whole organization and I might go down; And you know exactly what I mean when I say 'go down'." Tyler groaned quietly. She did have a point, and as her cousin, Tyler was desperate to keep her alive. But would it really be worth it to permanently scar himself over it...? To permanently have an alter ego that could take over when he wanted to? He wasn't sure...

"I mean... I'm down," Josh says, shrugging a bit. "The only thing I have to lose is my chance at fame, or at least to know how to write music. I can always learn it somewhere else. Besides, you're my buddy, just like Tyler, and I'd do anything to keep you both alive. If this means keeping one of you alive, I'll risk my life for you," he says, not a trace of sarcasm in his voice, and not a hint of regret in his eyes. "I'd risk my life for both of you." He looked over to Tyler, a bit more passion within his eyes when he looked at him. Tyler took note of this. 

He sighs softly, closing his eyes. Tyler finally nods, agreeing with himself that it was completely worth losing part of himself to protect his cousin and his friend. "Fine. I'll help too... but... what about college? Do I just leave that aside? Because if so, they'd eventually send a letter to us saying that I have been removed from the courses and such... My parents and my brothers can't know, Jen!"

"That's why you listen, first of all. Let me finish!" Jenna sighed and leaned against the shut bathroom door. "Second, no, you will not be just 'leaving it aside'. You'll still attend, but instead of returning home, some nights I'll tell auntie that we'll be home late and that we're just having a joy ride." She looked to Josh, a certain glitter of something within her eyes that Tyler nor Josh could really point out what it is. "Josh, you'll be picked up with Tyler, if that's alright." Josh nods at that, still trying to figure out what that look in her eyes was. He was so confused!

"Look, Tyler," Blurry whispered in his head, following it with, "She's falling in love with Josh." 

This made Tyler immediately begin to feel protective over his best friend for some odd reason, and glaring slightly at his cousin. He didn't know why he felt this way either, he just did. Damn it, Blurry... What are you making me feel?? Why are you making me feel this way? Josh is only my best friend, and will forever only be my best friend. He's straight, it's obvious. I mean, come on. No gay guy has tattoos and looks that tough. Tyler took a mental note of the way his heart dropped whenever he thought of Josh only being his best friend, and nothing else but his best friend, and the way it fell and broke into pieces when he pictured himself being the third wheel of his relationship with a girl - that girl being Jenna. 

"Tyler? Are you okay?"

Tyler immediately snapped out of his thoughts and took in his surroundings, which had changed since he blanked out into his own head. Jenna was now gone, and Josh was sat right next to him on the bed. "Tyler?" Josh had his hand on the taller male's shoulder, which made Tyler's heart jump for some reason. Did... Did he love his best friend...? No. No, no, no. That's so wrong. He can't! "Hm? Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. Just spaced out," Tyler says with a reassuring smile. He sighs when the shorter man doesn't seem to budge. "I promise I'm okay. Anyways, we should go to the college." He moves out from underneath Josh's gentle grip.

"We should, shouldn't we?" Josh bites his lip slightly as he looks at him, but his stare is immediately broken when Jenna pops her head in. "Come on, boys, it's just about time to go. I've got the car running nice and hot." She grins, but not at Tyler. Instead, she grins at Josh. Tyler cracks his neck, clenching his jaw and rolling his shoulders back the second she leaves the room.

"I'm going to slit her throat," he mumbled very quietly so that only Josh and himself could hear. 

"Why...?"

"She's on the verge of being way too obvious of being into you, Josh, and it's getting on my nerves to see her this sick with love."

Tyler then realized how hostile he was being and headed out of the room, his head ducked down. What was happening to him...?

After their classes were over, the two boys walk out and into the corridor that leads to the exit. "Are you nervous...?" Tyler whispers to him, looking down at the slightly shorter male, biting his lip softly. "I am."

"No. I'm kind of excited actually. It sounds really awful, but I want to snap someone in half, especially if they're poisoning the city we live in and love," he said, looking around while talking softly. He did have a point though, actually; Tyler did want to hurt someone, especially if that person had been hurting others and even killing their loved ones for so long now. He hated humanity, he hated it so much, and now he would be able to do his part in protecting the humanity.

"It's happening," Blurry suddenly says, following it with, "Your mind is starting to change its thought process into everything hostile. It's creating my personality already," he teased. Tyler tensed up at that, but hardly, so Josh wouldn't grow worried.

The red-haired man adjusts his hat as they step out into the sunlight. Tyler and Josh almost immediately spotted Jenna's car in the parking lot. She was parked in the front, with her light-gray paint job shining in the sunlight. It was gorgeous, really, the two boys could agree. However, it made her look kind of like a soccer mom. They could also agree on that.

"Get in, boys! We've got some work to do." She was talking in slight code, just so the other students and pedestrians wouldn't find the three people to be suspicious, even though they were literally right about to go out and kill people. Albeit, they would be killing the bad people. Tyler liked to think of themselves as vigilantes - they're taking the law into their own hands.

Tyler tried getting into the passenger's side, but the door was locked for some reason. He rolled his eyes and climbed into the back seat, which wasn't locked. He watched with slight hatred as Jenna's finger touches the button to unlock the car door, and allows Josh into the front. However, Josh instead chose to climb into the back with Tyler, which resulted in a dirty look getting thrown the innocent boy's way. Tyler simply rolls his eyes as Jenna flips him off subtly. 

Josh wasn't aware of any of this since he was just buckling up in his seat. 

Right when Josh had finished, Jenna finally decided to stop being a petty bitch, obviously not wanting her crush to see that. "To the organization we go," she says, putting a fake smile on her face and plastering it there for the time being as she turns the radio on, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams by Green Day coming on and blasting through the speakers while they began the twenty-minute drive to the building. 

Chapter Text

After about ten minutes of driving, with Jenna making heart-eyes at Josh nearly the whole time every time she would glance away from the road, and Tyler awkwardly third-wheeling and trying to get into the conversations (which, Josh would try to let him add something, but Jenna would interrupt every time he even opened his mouth), they finally arrived. Tyler was very relieved. 

As soon as they parked, Jenna looked over at Josh and said something, which made Josh look slightly uncomfortable. It was obviously flirty because Jenna was going to touch his arm, but Tyler interrupted, just as Jenna had previously done to him. Payback, if you will.

"Okay, we're here, let's get out before we look suspicious," he mumbled, annoyance dripping heavily in his voice as his eyes went a darker shade of brown before he unbuckles and immediately gets up, slamming the door shut. 

Noticing his obvious annoyance, Josh gets out as well, leaving Jenna to huff and pout within the car. "Hey, Ty," he says, walking after his friend. He furrows his eyebrows when the slightly-taller male doesn't stop. "Tyler!" Josh gently grabs a hold of his friend's wrist and spinning him around to face him. This gesture shocked Tyler greatly and made his heart leap about a thousand miles an hour. Tyler still --- stubbornly --- would not accept the fact he was falling in love with Joshua William Dun.

"What, Josh?!" Tyler finally says after a moment of silence between them. The older male pulled his wrist from the other man's grip. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be worried about Jenna, who's still in the car?" He huffs silently. 

Josh runs a hand down his face. "That's what this is about, isn't it? About Jenna and I?" He sighs and shakes his head. "Tyler, I don't like her like that. I swear! I just think of her as a really good friend." 

Tyler was still in doubt.

"Well, maybe you should tell her that, because it's so damn obvious that she likes you, Josh! She locked the passenger's side on me and not you. She made conversation with you, not me. The whole fucking time, too, Josh!" Tyler sighed heavily and audibly. 

"Why the hell do you care so much, Ty? So what if she likes me? It's her life, and not yours. Why does it matter so much to you if I like her or if she likes me?" 

Tyler bit the inside of his cheek, trying to come up with a good enough excuse. 

"Because she's like a sister to me. Is that not enough of a reason to feel protective of her?" 

Josh raises an eyebrow. "It explains why you feel protective of her like that, but it still doesn't explain why you're this protective of me," he says, leaning back with a smirk and crossed arms. He had Tyler exactly where he wanted him, though he knew his stubborn ass wouldn't give him the answer. 

Tyler pressed his lips into a thin line, staying silent as he avoided Josh's gaze. "No reason." Josh chuckled, shaking his head as he moves a bit closer, tilting the male's head up gently to look into his eyes. When Tyler was looking at him, he moved his hand back down to his side. "And Tyler?" He moves even closer to his face, the gentle smirk still adorning his pretty pink lips.

Oh, fuck you for being so damn pretty, Joshua William Dun. Really, fuck you. Stop making me feel in love with you, Tyler thinks to himself.

"Hm...?" he hums softly, tilting his head. Tyler's gaze falls down to the shorter male's lips, and then back to his eyes. "What is it, Joshie?"

"I'm-"

"Hey, boys! Lost at where you're going?" Jenna asks, making Tyler jump and Josh whip his attention over to her. Jenna was smiling widely at them both, as if nothing ever happened and as if she didn't see anything, but her eyes held a flame of jealousy within their depths. "I know the way!" She shoved her way past Tyler, making him stumble, and Josh catching his arm to steady him. They both threw a hateful look at Jenna but followed anyway.

Chapter Text

Oh. My. God. I’m so sorry! It’s been two years since I updated this last. I didn’t realize it had been that long! I’ve been off of AO3 for a while, and it wasn’t until a month or two ago that I came back. 

Rereading what I already wrote and seeing the enthusiasm and positive feedback I received from my readers, I’ve decided I’m going to continue on with this story.

Forgive me for late chapters, I have no set schedule as my life is so hectic right now, it’s a bit unpredictable. Promise I’ll put more out <3

Lots of love,

El ^-^