Chapter Text
Whenever Tyler had a break from work or was off from work he found himself in Ashley’s studio. He’d found himself spending so much time in the studio that Ashley and Josh had surprised him in there with a new piano and a new ukulele, which they’d saved money for together. To repay them, Tyler scrounged together whatever money he could find, even working overtime, to buy Josh a new set of drums.
Josh totally hadn’t cried when he’d walked into the studio to see the new set. And Tyler totally didn’t cry when they finally played a song together in the studio for the first time together.
The first song which they’d recorded was an old one that Tyler had written. The newer songs felt wrong to be playing for the first time, while the older ones felt more welcoming, more understanding. The old songs were their origin, where Twenty One Pilots all began.
Where he and Josh began.
The first song that they’d played together was The Pantaloon, a personal favorite of Tyler’s. It’d always had a beat to it that made him fall deep into the keys he played, into the wave his voice tremored in the microphone when he sang. That, and Josh always looked cute when playing the drums, as he usually did.
Josh always did a little dance when playing ‘The Pantaloon’ because of how catchy it was. The way the beat and the piano merged together into a flawless song always captivated Tyler, and he often times forgot he was singing. He just felt all his emotions, all the thoughts he had fall out of his mouth like a stream into the ocean. He was just a part of something much bigger, and he fell in love with that fact, with that feeling.
He was surprised that when the song was done Ashley was not the only person watching them. A lot of musicians and producers from neighboring studios had wandered in, probably as request by Ashley. She was passionate about spreading their music, with getting them started and big. It was almost as though she shared their dream, and maybe even was more devoted with their cause than Josh and Tyler were.
Tyler smiled a small, nervous smile before Josh patted him on the back with a big grin on his face. Tyler looked up at his expression with wide eyes, looking at how Josh’s eyes crinkled and his dimples stuck out. The small smile on Tyler’s face grew, and they looked back at the people watching them.
Ashley spoke loudly from the speakers, soon after. “Good job, guys. I have a surprise too!” she squealed, stepping aside as a familiar face stepped forward. The expression on Josh’s face was absolute shock and surprise as his hand dropped from Tyler’s back, eyes wide and mouth agape. Tyler felt his heart stutter too, unsure of how to respond to the face peering at them from the other side.
“Hello, Joshy Boy,” Brendon Urie said, and Tyler wouldn’t be lying when he said he nearly shit himself.
That night, Josh, Tyler, Ashley and Brendon all sat a local bar together, beer in hands and smiles on faces as they shared stories and laughter with one another. Tyler had thought Brendon would be stuck up and difficult to approach like most other musicians, but instead being around Brendon was like being around Ashley and Josh. He was funny, smooth and welcoming.
Tyler was able to calm down around all of his friends that night, and enjoy a beer or two without fear of embarrassing himself around Brendon. When Tyler did choke on his beer at first due to its bitterness, Brendon had just laughed and told Josh how lucky he was. Tyler had blushed pretty intensely after that, and even chimed n.
“I’m more lucky than him,” he’d offered, and Brendon had waggled his eyebrows at Josh. Josh had punched his shoulder and rolled his eyes, gently taking Tyler’s fingers and intertwining them with his own.
“How’d you know Brendon, Ashley?” Josh asked her, and she put down her beer with a mischievous smile.
“Well...I may or may not have recorded you and Tyler practicing and sent it to him,” Ashley said, and Josh looked at her in shock.
“How’d you get his number?” he asked, appalled.
Ashley twirled her hair around her finger and smiled innocently. “I may or may not have memorized your phone code,” she whispered, and Josh quickly whipped out his phone and scrambled through his messages. After a moment or two of loud laughter Josh gasped and looked at her.
“You minx!” he gasped, and Brendon patted him on his back.
“It paid off. I’ll mention you guys to my record, and see what I can do. But…” he trailed off, and Josh and Tyler obviosuly hung onto every word he was saying. Brendon noticed it too, raising his eyebrows with a smirk. “I do need you to record some more songs,” he told them, and Tyler quickly nodded his head.
“Whatever you need,” Josh told him, and Brendon smiled at him.
“I’ll be in town for the next week. We all need to hang out another time,” Brendon said, and Tyler and Josh looked at one another with trouble in their eyes.
“How about paintball tomorrow? Me and Tyler against you and Ashley,” Josh offered, and Brendon shook his hand as he took a drink of beer.
“You have no idea who you’re challenging, Dun,” Brendon warned, and Josh smirked.
“Sure.”
Needless to say, Josh and Tyler kicked their asses.
It was 12 am, and Tyler sat on his windowsill with paper on his lap and a pen in his hand, watching the stars haunt him in the night sky. He was trying to think of a song to perform for Brendon, trying to find something that would guarantee them a record deal.
The news of possibly being signed was still making Tyler’s heart race and his palms sweat. He’d figured that he would forever be doing odd jobs just for the money, and dying one day alongside Josh. He never had actually thought he and Josh would possibly become a real band, that they would see their music being sold.
He knew that chance of them actually becoming big stars and being widely recognized for their music was still as far away as the stars in the sky, but he couldn’t help but imagine what life would be like. He and Josh could finally connect to a wide audience, to people who would sing along to their music and jump and dance in the crowd. It was a wild dream, and one he never wanted to wake up from.
There was a soft knock on his door that interrupted his thoughts, causing Tyler to look away from the stars. He knew it was probably Josh wanting to check up on him, a bad habit Tyler constantly told him to break. Tyler insisted he was just worrisome, caring so much he would wake Tyler up at 4 am just to make sure he was okay.
Tyler put aside the pen and paper as Josh slowly opened the door, peeking into the room. Once he saw Tyler he grinned widely, entering the room and closing the door behind him. “It’s late, Tyler. What’s up?” Josh asked, and Tyler rolled his eyes.
“It’s late, you say as you’re still awake,” Tyler teased, and Josh shrugged with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Love never has a bedtime,” Josh replied, and Tyler shook his head with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Josh noticed and sat on the desk below Tyler’s window, leaning his head against his shoulder. “Whaddya think of this record deal?” he asked Tyler, and Tyler shrugged, looking back out at the stars.
“I dunno… I think it’s crazy,” he admitted, and Josh rolled his eyes, snuggling closer into Tyler.
“No shit. It’s crazier than crazy. It’s insane...to think we could be selling our music around the world. Imagine this,” Josh said, sitting up. Tyler looked over at him with curious eyes when Josh put up his hands. “‘Twenty One Pilots’ at Madison Square Garden,” he imagined, and Tyler scoffed.
“If we got that big I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself,” Tyler said, and Josh looked at him and then to the stars.
“Good thing you have me then,” he cheekily said, and Tyler kissed the tip of his nose.
“Good thing.”
The next day, Tyler was nervously clutching the microphone as Josh played around with his drumsticks. They were waiting for Ashley and Brendon to stop conversing whatever they were conversing, and to be given the okay to start performing.
Tyler won’t lie; he may or may not have stayed up all night imagining his future with Josh and without Josh. He knew him and Josh lasting forever was both a possibility and not, and so he planned out each route. Obviously, he’d prefer to have Josh performing next to him for the rest of their band life, but he was sure MCR had the same idea.
And then they broke up.
There was a sudden voice out of the speakers from Brendon who said, “Okay guys. Ready when you are.”
Tyler looked over at Josh with nervous eyes, and Josh grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Tyler nodded, licking his lips as Josh started him.
“You say things with your mouth…”
Their feet were hanging off the ledge as they tossed back beers and stole laughs. Tyler wouldn’t call it a party, but it definitely wasn’t calm and mild since Ashley and Brendon were there. It was more or less a celebration for Tyler and Josh possibly moving up within the music industry, but Brendon assured them they would probably, most definitely get signed to Fueled by Ramen.
It made Tyler’s heart thump wildly and loudly in his chest as he sat with Josh’s arm around his shoulders, hugging him close and tight. Here he was sitting on the top of a building without the urge to jump and end his life. He owed that to this new life he had ahead of him, ahead of ‘us’; him and Josh. He owed that to the people partying and screaming and singing behind them, beers held high in the air as they were the successful youth living out the lives they’d wanted so badly to end.
Abruptly, Josh jumped up and pulled Tyler to his feet. A catchy song had been turned on their stereo, and Josh began to dance. Tyler laughed, shaking his head as he was unsure of what to do. He couldn’t dance. All he could do was run around and sing, but not dance. That didn’t stop Josh though, who hit his beer bottle to Brendon’s.
“Cheers to getting from knocking to each other in Tree Pine to knocking beers to each other as a record deal is signed!” Brendon cheered, and Tyler smiled.
One week later, they were back on the roof, celebrating their record deal.
Tyler’s lips hurt from how hard he and Josh had kissed, and his feet were sore from all their dancing.
But that was okay.
That was more than okay.