Chapter Text
"Jesus christ, stop fucking bullying me!"
Tyler laughed from his end of the couch, clutching his belly and wiping a stray tear from his right eye.
"Jesus christ, Joshua, I'm not bullying you!" he exclaimed, giggling at Josh's outraged face. "I just said you face is funny, calm down dude."
Josh rolled his eyes, taking back the remote he'd half heartedly thrown at Tyler's direction and switching channels.
"You're telling me you've been seeing my face almost everyday for the past six years and just now you realized how funny" he made a big show of putting quotes on "funny", "my face is?"
"Yes", Tyler tilted his head at him, his sweetest smile plastered on his face.
"Bully", Josh muttered darkly at his TV.
"Oh, c'mon, Joshie", a sudden weight collapsed on Josh's lap and he finally registered Tyler's smug face.
What the hell was he so smug about anyway.
"Don't be like that, man," Tyler nudged his rib, trying to get his friend to look at him instead of discovery channel. "You don't even know if 'funny' has any negative connotation."
Josh was too busy purposefully ignoring the fact that once again Tyler was intruding his personal space, to actually pay attention to the show. Tyler always did that. He was very touchy and didn't really seem to care if others minded.
Not that Josh minded the touchiness, either. He was used to that by now.
"'Funny looking' is a nicer way of telling someone they are ugly," Josh said absentmindedly, not really caring at all about the subject, but whatever he was expecting Tyler to say or do, it certainly wasn't for him to look so...
"What? No, dude."
...Indignant?
"That's not what I mean at all."
Josh looked at Tyler, at his furrowed brows and his troubled eyes and he could swear to God Tyler was making up that indignant face because come on.
It was too cute to be taken seriously.
"So you don't think I'm ugly." He smirked, rubbing the small of his friends back as Tyler was fidgeting with the zipper of his jacket.
"Of course not," he mumbled, sliding from Josh's lap to sit on the couch next to him.
"How is my face funny, then?"
Josh peered at his best friend from the corner of his eyes when his question was answered with silence. Tyler was still looking down at his jacket's zipper, brows still slightly furrowed.
"Ty."
"Huh?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know, you clammed up all of a sudden."
"Yeah..."
Josh turned his actual head this time.
Tyler looked at him, brown eyes slightly wide and lips turning into a soft smile. It looked like he was somewhere else.
They stared at each other, Josh silently but desperately trying to read whatever was going on inside that head just a few inches away from his own.
Tyler just chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He smacked a kiss to Josh's left cheek, his right hand caressing gently Josh's face.
Josh just quirked an eyebrow at him, smiling softly.
"Stop looking at me with that funny face of yours, Jishwa," he stood from the couch, stretching his back, "Wanna drink something? I think I've got a few cans of red bull here somewhere..."
Tyler drifted off to the general direction of the kitchen without waiting for Josh's answer, which he was actually used to by now too.
Josh kept smiling to himself while returning half his attention back to the TV.
Tyler's face was pretty funny sometimes.
★
The next day, Josh was staring blankly at his English teacher's face. Thank god he was so good at pretending to pay attention to people.
His mind wasn't really troubled. He was just distracted.
~
A couple hours earlier...
"Are you coming to Pete's house party tomorrow?" Brendon asked excitedly when he first saw Josh hanging around his locker.
Josh winced while putting his English book inside his bag.
"Ugh," Brendon rolled his eyes at his friend, "You're so boring, has anybody told you that?"
"Not today, no."
"Well, there you have it."
Josh smiled, closing his locker and walking towards his homeroom, Brendon quickly following.
"You coming or not?"
Brendon didn't have English on first period and Josh just rolled his eyes at him.
"I don't know. I haven't asked my parents yet."
"Ugh, boooring," Brendon grabbed his shoulders before Josh had the chance to enter his class and dodge the subject altogether. "Come on, Joshie. It's gonna be fun! Tyler said he's coming."
"As if he'd ever decline a chance to get pissed up."
"Yeah, he knows how to have some fun so you should come along! Have some drinks in the name of senior year, right?" Josh couldn't help grinning at Brendon's smug face. No wonder he and Tyler got along so well even though they barely saw each other during school time. Or sober.
"I'll think about it," with that, Josh sighed and turned to his class, ignoring Brendon's thumbs up.
~
It wasn't as if he hated parties or was extremely antisocial. He just wasn't feeling like it. And it just happened that he wasn't feeling like it for the past three years...
Josh Dun didn't hate parties. Parties hated Josh Dun.
He'd stablished that when he almost broke someone's nose while dancing the last time he went to one of Pete's house parties a few months back. And there was the one time he woke up with Dallon's clothes instead of his, including his underwear, and no one ever told him how that had happened. Also the one time in sophomore year he and Tyler stole Christmas lights from Frank's neighbor just because the guy was a douche and both of them were caught by his rottweiler. Lucky them it turned out the guy wasn't really a douche, because he saved their asses before any limbs were lost.
Josh smiled to himself. He did hate his friends' parties. But even though something always happened, he'd always had a good time or good story to tell.
His phone buzzed on his pocket.
Sneaking a look at it without dragging Mr. Hawthorne's attention to him, he almost groaned.
Ty guy (now)
bren said u r coming tomorrow :)))
Josh rolled his eyes so hard they almost fell off his head. Apparently he was coming tomorrow.
★
"This is gonna. be. sick." was the first thing Pete said once Josh sat at their lunch table. Dallon nodded enthusiastically and Patrick just sighed. Josh was very fond of Patrick.
"Tell me you're not putting those strobe lights on again," Mikey said, approaching the table with Gabe.
"Are you kidding me? Of course I am!!" Pete exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "Dude, I didn't buy those to keep them in my basement you know."
Mikey rolled his eyes before sitting down beside Josh and regarding him, adjusting his glasses, "People are saying you're coming to this one."
"Oh god, I can't wait to see Joshie wasted again!" Gabe exclaimed, sharing a wink with Pete and causing Josh to rub his forehead slowly.
"You guys been hanging out with Brendon behind my back?"
"Anyway." Pete shrugged, "Just so you guys know, this is kind of a private thing. I don't want a crowd and no," he pointed at Gabe, who opened his mouth to speak just moments before, "you're not allowed to bring any cheerleader. Last time when you invited Rebecca, she brought her friends, which was nice until they brought the entire fucking basketball team along."
Patrick giggled, "That was actually hilarious. I've never seen someone so worried about a bathtub before."
Pete nudged him under the table, causing him to giggle a little more. "Anyway. The only basketball boy allowed is, as always, baby boy Tyler."
Josh grimaced, taking a sip of his milk, "Gross. I'm letting him know you called him that."
"He's probably gonna love it," Gabe said, giggling to himself. Josh half registered the comment, slightly more worried about his milk's expiration date.
Pete turned to Mikey, whose eyes were glued to his cellphone, "Is Gerard coming?"
"Yep," Mikey answered, popping the "p" with his lips and not lifting his gaze for one second. "Our cousin is coming too."
"Lindsey?" Patrick asked. Mikey nodded.
"Good." Pete smiled deviously and Josh almost made a cross sign with his hands. "Gentlemen, I mean it: This. Is. Gonna. Be. Sick."
Gabe almost hit the table in excitement, Patrick just smiled and shook his head, Mikey had zero fucks in him and Josh just prayed to God he wasn't getting food poisoned.
★
Josh was just crossing the school's parking lot when an engineer sound slowly grew louder behind him. He turned around.
"Get in, loser. We're going shopping," Tyler said from the driver's seat, a clicking sound following his words.
"Are we?" Josh smiled, climbing onto the passenger's seat of Tyler's mom's car.
"Of course not. I just wanted to say that," he pulled away from the school yard and followed the road that led to a familiar place, but surely not their neighborhood. Tyler turned the radio a few notches louder and smiled at his friend. "We're getting Taco Bell though. Does that count?"
"I guess it does," Josh smiled to himself too while looking out the window, singing lowly to some cheesy Coldplay track playing on the radio. He'd never admit it, especially not to Tyler, but he kinda liked Coldplay.
When they stopped at a red light, Tyler rubbed his thigh. Josh looked at the hand on his left leg then at the profile of the person said hands belonged to.
Tyler was looking ahead, eyes on the red traffic light, apparently completely unfazed by the funny look Josh was directing his way. His face was neutral and his other hand was still holding the steering wheel. When he noticed Josh's gaze, he looked back and grinned, bright and stupid like himself. Josh just chuckled and the light turned green.
"Are you inviting Jenna to the party?" Josh asked once they pulled over at Taco Bell.
"I don't know, actually. Pete said he didn't want many people and Jenna isn't from our school so I guess it wouldn't be ideal."
Josh opened the door for both of them, "I'm sure Pete wouldn't be opposed to her presence, though. He's always said 'more girls the merrier' or some stupid shit like that."
Taco Bell was hardly ever crowded, especially on a week day, at 4 p.m., even on a Friday afternoon, so they ordered and got their food pretty quickly.
"Why do you seem so interested, though?" Tyler asked once they sat their trays down on a table at the corner.
Josh shrugged, "You always invite her. Was just curious."
Tyler grunted before taking a bite from his burrito, "Right."
Josh then regarded him and squinted his eyes. Tyler just lifted one eyebrow at the look, lips turning into a small smirk even though his cheeks were puffed with cheap meat.
"What?" Josh asked, after taking a bite of his own.
"Nothing." Tyler grinned, unfolding his napkin and licking his lips. Josh just noticed the motion because he wanted to tell Tyler how much his mouth was still glistening with oil. "Just thinking that maybe Pete wouldn't be the only one not opposed to Jenna's presence..."
Josh fake gasped, "What do you mean, you're thinking? Is that even possible?"
"Jackpot."
"Yeah, right," Josh rolled his eyes shook his head, wiping his own mouth. "I know what you're hinting at, okay? She's nice, she's pretty, but she's not my type."
Tyler barked a laugh, "You have a type? Since when?"
"Since I met you mom, of course." Josh sighed dramatically and clutched his chest, pouting at his best friend.
"You're disgusting, really."
Josh just batted his lashes at him while sucking on his straw. Tyler threw a napkin on his faux cute face.
On the way home, Tyler kept suggesting that maybe Josh should beg him for Jenna's number so he could invite her to Pete's party himself. Josh, on the other hand, just groaned in response and poked his ribs, almost provoking a car accident once or twice.
"But seriously, if you want, I could make the bridge for you man," Tyler said for the millionth time when they pulled at Josh's.
Josh groaned loudly again before closing the passenger's door behind him. He lowered himself to glare at Tyler's smug face. "If you mention Jenna's number one more time I'm throwing your ukulele under a bus."
Tyler made his best impression of a horrified face and Josh rolled his eyes before turning back to his front porch.
"Text me later then, will you!?" Tyler yelled before driving away.
After closing the front door behind himself, Josh huffed and made a bee line for his bedroom, calling his mom to let her know he was home and closing the bedroom door as soon as he heard Abgail running from her own bedroom demanding to know where the hell Josh had put her straightener.
"Language, Abgail!", his mom yelled.
Josh threw himself on his bed, sighing in contentment. He hadn't realized he was quite exhausted until he actually arrived home. Probably because he was with Tyler. His body didn't seem to acknowledge exhaustion when they hung out, which he didn't mind.
Thinking about Tyler...
Josh huffed again, turning on his back.
Tyler was such a dick sometimes. Apparently he'd never stop teasing Josh for the one time he'd admitted Jenna was pretty, even though it was almost two years ago and they were both half drunk.
He wasn't trying to fool himself or his best friend. He did still think Jenna was pretty, but he also had this bizarre feeling she just wasn't his type...
Josh frowned at his ceiling.
Was she Tyler's type?
What if Tyler had a crush on her and he was just trying to brush it off?
What if they had a fling...?
Nah. Tyler always said Jenna was like his little sister. And he'd tell Josh if they had a thing... Yeah, he would.
Wouldn't he?
Josh sighed for the millionth time that day.
He still could totally have a crush on her.
At that moment, another strange feeling pooled on his belly. Josh furrowed his brows again because he couldn't really tell where that weird, slightly bitter feeling was coming from. He couldn't even name it, so then he decided it was best to stop thinking altogether and get some sleep.
Tomorrow would probably be quite the day.