Chapter Text
art by the lovely @CookieAkita!
Josh POV
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Josh asked. Tyler was a saint and was driving him to the airport.
“Don’t worry about me, Josh. I’ll be okay.” Tyler responded, his eyes never leaving the road and his expression solid stone. Josh knew him, knew him better than maybe anyone, and even he couldn’t get a good read on what Tyler was feeling. He had a guess.
“Just- I worry about you, y’know? You have to text me and call me. I want to hear about everything going on with you.”
“Yeah, I will. You should try Topo Chico while you’re there, enjoying the sun. It looks so much warmer in LA.” Tyler responded, his tone neutral and expression hard. His words were so encouraging, but his face said something else entirely. Josh hated this. Maybe moving was a bad idea. Maybe he should-
“We’re here. Let me help you get your bags.” Tyler said sharply, opening the door and rushing out before Josh could say anything. He sat stunned for a moment before forcing his body to move.
The two got the bags in silence, and when Josh finally drummed up the courage to say something, anything, Tyler gave a quick ‘bye’ before rushing to the drivers seat and driving off. Josh gave a halfhearted wave before entering the airport.
As he sat on the plane, watching Columbus grow smaller and smaller and growing more anxious as it did.
He was doing the right thing, right? This was a good thing. Los Angeles is going to be good for him.
So, why did it feel like he was making a mistake?
As he peered out the window, he could have sworn his reflection had red eyeshadow.
—
The first morning was weighing on him far more than he thought it would. It only got worse when he looked in the mirror after washing his face and saw *him* looking back.
“You’re a moron. Why did you move across the entire country? Now Tyler is going to hate you and I’ll never see Blurry again.” Spooky grumbled, his expression wrought with dissatisfaction. Josh blinked his eyes hard, wondering if he were dreaming. Spooky hadn’t bothered him in so long, surely *this* wouldn’t be enough to-
“Dumbass, you’re thinking louder than even I thought possible. Of course I wasn’t going to leave you alone after you *ripped us away from the best thing thats ever happened to us*. All for what, a little extra sun? Pathetic.”
“It’s not like that. I just needed to get away from Ohio. I needed to explore the world more.” Josh argued. He almost believed it himself.
“Right, the world famous rockstar needed to ‘expand his horizons’ after a very successful world tour. You can’t lie to me, Josh. You are too scared to admit that you want to be with Tyler, so you removed yourself. And I promise, I will make every single day a living hell for you until you fix your mistake and take us back to Columbus.” Spooky shot at him, and when Josh blinked, he was staring at his own reflection again
He felt his anxiety spike.
God damn it.
He sent a text to Tyler. Talking to Tyler always helped.
*Hey, made it okay. Hope nothing fell apart after I left. Miss you, hope you’re doing okay.
Hey stared at the phone as the three dots appeared.
*glad you made it okay. miss you too, columbus is definitely weird without their best drummer
A moment later.
*everything’s good
Somehow, Josh doesn’t really believe him.
The anxiety in his chest didn’t go away.
Tyler POV
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Josh asked.
“Don’t worry about me, Josh. I’ll be okay.” Tyler responded, his eyes never leaving the road and his expression solid stone. At least he hoped it was. The last thing he needed was a breakdown in front of his best friend because said best friend was leaving him for LA.
“Just- I worry about you, y’know? You have to text me and call me. I want to hear about everything going on with you.” Josh responded, and Tyler could see him staring out of the corner of his eye. He stared straight ahead. The tips of his fingers were burning, and he hoped that Josh couldn’t see the black ink that surely threatened to spread up his arms.
“Yeah, I will. You should try Topo Chico while you’re there, enjoying the sun. It looks so much warmer in LA.” Tyler responded, fighting to keep his tone even and his expression neutral. He hated it. He hated it all. Why did Josh have to move to Los Angeles of all places? Why did he have to move so far away?
“We’re here. Let me help you get your bags.” Tyler bit out, unable to pull back the anguish he felt. He was starting to lash out, he needed out of this situation. He quickly got Josh’s bags out of his truck, and left with a curt ‘bye.’ No fanfare, no tears for Josh to see. It wasn’t until he was alone in his car that the black began to seep up his arms, and when he looked in the rearview mirror, bright red eyes were staring back at him.
“Can’t believe he actually left you. I’ll be honest, I half expected him to chicken out.” Blurry started. The teasing was there as normal, sure, but Tyler could tell that he was upset, too. “Took Spooky away, just like that. What am I supposed to do now? He was the only person on Earth that was worth talking to. Now I’m just stuck with you.”
“Oh, boo hoo for Blurry.” Tyler snapped. Very suddenly, he felt his throat constrict and couldn’t catch a breath.
“Now’s not the time to be bold, hmm? Your best friend just proved to you that he doesn’t need you, and that he could never want you the way you want him. You’re incredibly vulnerable right now. Be a shame if something were to happen…” Blurry smirked, but released the hold on Tyler’s neck. “Don’t worry, though. If I know Spooky, and trust me, I know Spooky, Josh won’t last a month in LA, and we’ll both get what we want: the object of our affection within our grasp.”
Tyler was quiet before responding, his voice barely audible. “At least the object of your affection loves you back.”
Blurry’s grin turned more than wicked. “Maybe this won’t be all bad.”
—
The next morning, Tyler’s alarm went off at the same time it always did. He hadn’t slept a second, though, and he just let it beep next to him. He felt the familiar icy chill spreading from his fingertips up his arms.
“You really are pathetic, you know? He hasn’t even been gone a full day yet, and already you’re rotting like a teenager who got dumped the day before prom.”
Tyler ignored Blurry as his phone buzzed, the text tone indicating that it was Josh. He rushed to read it as Blurry laughed and called him a “pathetic loser.”
*Hey, made it okay. Hope nothing fell apart after I left. Miss you, hope you’re doing okay.
Tyler read it over and over, trying to glean any sort of connection from the text. Maybe, if he found it, he could pretend they were in the same room again.
When he couldn’t, he settled on responding.
*glad you made it okay. miss you too, columbus is definitely weird without their best drummer
Ah, he hadn’t answered what was very pointedly the most important question of the text.
*everything’s good
At least he could lie easier like this.