#ks youau wc

[blurry-fics]

Saturday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3057

Author’s Note: I hope all of you are enjoying this miniseries so far. I know it’s a little different than what I usually post! I hope you like the chapter :) (picture credit)

Sun was shining down on my legs as I sat on the front steps, waiting for Sav and Josh to come and pick me up. A light wind was rustling the trees and knocking the first few orange leaves from their branches onto the pavement below. Inside, I could just barely make out Zack and Jay having an argument.

Sav’s Jeep came into view around the corner and I stood up to meet them at the end of the driveway. She had all of the windows rolled down, revealing Josh and his bright blue hair hanging out the back. He called out to me once I was within earshot.

“I gave you shotgun! Sav told me you’ve been stressed.”

I turned and looked towards the front door, paranoid that one of the kids had opened it and overheard what Josh said. Nobody was there, as should have been expected.

“Thanks, Josh,” I said as I climbed into the passenger seat. Sav turned down the music she had been blasting and smiled at me.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m exhausted,” I explained. “Tyler kept me up until nearly three playing video games and then I had to wake up at nine so that I would be ready for breakfast. I’m not used to being on a schedule like this.”

“At least you and Tyler are getting along!”

“Yeah, you definitely have a point.”

Sav pulled away from the curb and used one of the neighbor’s driveways to turn around and head back for the main road. She had still yet to fill me in on what the final plan for the day was.

“Did you ever talk about him ditching you?”

“He was actually the first one to bring it up, which was nice because I’m not so sure I would have been able to go through with it. He apologized for how he’s been acting and said he really wants to work on being better.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, I’m just hoping that he means it, you know?”

“I’m sure he does.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Sav didn’t say anything after that, so I turned and looked out the window. Josh started to tell a story soon after, which I half paid attention to.

Mostly, my mind was just on Tyler.

*     *     *

As I soon found out, the established plan was to get smoothies and sit outside the small shop in what little bit of summer we had left before fall started to set in. I was on one side of the table facing Josh and Sav, who were sitting closer in their metal chairs than I thought was possible for two humans to sit. One of Josh’s arms was slung casually over the back of Sav’s chair, the other busy holding his smoothie.

“Do you work tomorrow?” Sav asked, turning her head towards Josh. She was currently pushing her straw through her smoothie, trying to get it to flow a little better.

“Yeah, I have a shift in the morning.”

“Kae.”

“Yeah?”

“You want to come over tomorrow morning? We can hang out with Paul.”

I smiled at the mention of Sav’s bearded dragon. Any opportunity to hang out with him - and Sav - was a good one.

“Yeah, that would be cool. Can you pick me up?”

“Yep.”

“Ok, awesome.”

I turned out towards the parking lot. There was a group of teenagers standing outside one car, obviously in the middle of some sort of heated argument. One of them was waving their arms wildly in the air.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

I didn’t realize Sav’s statement was directed at me until it was met with silence. I turned my gaze away from the group of teenagers and looked down at my smoothie, which was starting to need a stir of its own.

“What’s up?”

“Do you still like Tyler?”

My eyes snapped to hers. Josh was looking between the two of us, as if this wasn’t a possibility that he had considered before. I could tell by the way that she was looking at me that it was a genuine question, not something meant to lay all my secrets out in front of Josh.

“Um, yeah. I do.”

“How did I not pick up on that?” Josh sighed.

“I try not to talk about it often,” I laughed. “The less people know that I have a huge crush on my best friend, the better it is for all of us.”

“How long have you liked him?”

“A few months or so. It started developing during spring break, but by the time summer rolled around and we started to spend more time together, there was no going back.”

“Does he know how you feel?”

“No, I try not to hint at it.”

Josh’s eyebrows furrowed, “Why not?”

“It’s awkward, I guess, and I never really got the vibe that he felt the same.”

Josh shifted a little so that now both of his elbows were rested on his knees. He and I had never been that close, mostly due to the fact that he and Sav had only been dating for just under a year and I had been hesitant to get close to him until I knew it was serious, so I was surprised by his level of investment in my love life.

“What if he’s just as scared as you to hint at his feelings?”

I fiddled with the plastic rim of my smoothie cup lid. “I guess I had never thought of it that way before.”

Josh leaned back in his chair and put his arm back where it had been behind Sav. After a long sip of his smoothie, he continued talking.

“Sometimes you have to take risks when it comes to feelings. I wasn’t sure that Sav felt the same way I did, but I asked her on a date anyway and now look where we are.”

Josh turned to Sav with a dorky grin, but she was looking at him with a confused expression.

“Josh, I came into Guitar Center like three times a week. How could you think I wasn’t into you?”

“For awhile there I thought you were just really into drums!”

“Yes, because you worked with the drums, dummy,” Sav laughed, leaning into Josh’s shoulder.

“Ok, yeah, maybe I should have picked up on that,” he said. He moved his arm forward so that it was now resting on Sav’s shoulders rather than the chair. “Anyway, my point is, it might not be such a bad idea for you to start hinting at your feelings.”

“And how do I do that?” I asked. Flirting had never really been a skill of mine.

“Go into Guitar Center three times a week,” Sav snorted.

“Or just make little forms of physical affection, like touching his arm or something.”

“But if he’s my best friend, isn’t he going to think that’s normal?”

“Yeah, they kind of already act like a couple,” Sav interjected.

“What?” I asked.

“Oh, come on. You always sit next to one another and get your legs all tangled up and Tyler laughs at all your jokes and you tease him all the time. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you two were already together.”

“So what I’m hearing is that they both like one another but are too afraid to admit it?” Josh asked.

“Pretty much.”

“That’s not the case,” I frowned.

My phone buzzed against the metal table, allowing me a temporary escape from Josh and Sav grilling me. I flipped it over and checked the notifications. Among a few from Tumblr, there was a text from Tyler.

Tyler: are you at the house?

Kae: no. sav and josh came and picked me up to get smoothies and hang out for awhile. why do you ask?

“Who is that?” Sav asked.

“Tyler,” I said, knowing that answer definitely wasn’t going to help my case.

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I was at the house.”

“Why?”

“Um, because…”

Tyler: i’m at band practice and we were debating going a little longer, but i would rather come home and hang out with you if that was a possibility.

“...he was trying to decide if he should keep practicing with the band or come home early to hang out with me instead.”

Sav immediately threw her hands in the air. “What did I tell you?”

I was too busy typing out a text to respond to her immediately.

Kae: oh yeah, i’m not at the house. i’ll be home for dinner though, so we can hang out after that :)

“He probably just wants to make sure I’m not bored out of my mind or stuck with his family.”

“Uh huh, totally,” Sav said, shooting me a look. “Not because he genuinely wants to spend time with you or anything.”

Tyler: perfect :)

“Shut up,” I laughed, setting my phone back down on the table.

“I’m just saying,” Sav shrugged. “There could be something there.”

*     *     *

I ended up getting back to the house earlier than intended, although I was pretty sure part of that was Sav’s doing. She claimed that her mom needed her and Josh back to their house by four, even though she had claimed they were free until I had to get back when they had initially picked me up. Not that I minded, I was looking forward to spending more time with Tyler.

“There you are!” he grinned as I opened the door. He had been sprawled out on the couch when I walked in the door, but in a matter of seconds he had gotten up and joined me in the entryway. “I’ve been bored out of my mind.”

“You know it’s not my job to entertain you, even if I’m staying here,” I laughed as I kicked off my shoes. “Besides, weren’t you at band practice until a little while ago?”

“Yeah, but that’s been stressful lately because of Chris and Nick wanting to leave and stuff.”

“Well, my plan is to just sit around on my laptop until dinner is ready, but you’re free to join me in doing that.”

“Sure, that sounds fun.”

That wasn’t the answer I had been expecting from Tyler, but I was happy to hear it nonetheless. 

“You want to race up the stairs?” Tyler asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

“Always.”

Together, we made an unnecessary amount of noise as we ran up the stairs to the guest room and launched ourselves onto the bed. Tyler beat me by a fraction of a second, but only because I forgot which direction to go at the top of the stairs in my rush to beat him. He laughed as I crashed down next to him.

“Ten bucks my mom makes a comment about us running down the stairs when she comes to get us for dinner.”

“You think that will happen?”

“Definitely.”

“Then I would be dumb to take that bet,” I laughed.

I sat up so that I could grab my laptop from the nightstand and shifted so that my back was against the headboard. Tyler stayed laying down for a moment longer before he sat up and scooted close enough that our arms brushed against one another every time I slid my fingers across the trackpad.

“Hey, speaking of band stuff,” I said as I began to pull up Tumblr. “Sav’s boyfriend is a drummer and a really cool guy. If you need someone to take Chris’ place, he might not be a bad option.”

“It’s starting to look like that might be the case,” he sighed. “I’d love to meet him though, even if we just end up being friends.”

“For sure.”

I began to scroll through Tumblr, catching up on the things that I had missed while I was out with Sav and Josh. Tyler watched over my shoulder, occasionally asking questions about things that popped up. It was nice hanging out with Tyler like this again, just doing something completely mundane but managing to make the most out of it. No wonder him ditching me had been so upsetting, there weren’t many other people in my life that were able to make the most of any situation like Tyler could.

“Who is that again?” he asked, pointing to a photoset that was on the screen.

“For the third time, that is Brendon Urie,” I laughed.

“And what does he do?”

“He’s a musician! Panic! At The Disco? My favorite band?”

“Right, right. I remember now.”

“If you ask about him again, I’m not going to answer.”

“Ok.”

I had scrolled maybe two posts down when another picture of Brendon popped up. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the evil grin that was plastered on Tyler’s face.

“Who is that?” he asked, pointing to the picture that he very obviously recognized.

Although I was smiling, I was determined to stay true to my promise to not answer Tyler if he asked about him again. Tyler, of course, wasn’t planning to make this easy.

“Kae, come on,” he said, drawing out the end. “Who is that?”

I shook my head.

“I’m just trying to recognize the people you like!”

An eye roll.

“Kae,” he whined, leaning his head onto my shoulder.

My smile was wiped in an instant, replaced with panic. I took a deep breath - though not deep enough that Tyler would be able to tell I was intentionally taking a deep breath - and continued to scroll. Tyler and I did stuff like this all the time, so it was no big deal, right?

That is, until I remembered what Sav had said.

“Is it Brendon Urie?” he asked.

“Yes, Ty, it’s Brendon Urie.”

“Ha! I got you to say it.”

I expected Tyler to move his head after he got the answer that he wanted out of me, but instead he continued to lean on me as I scrolled through Tumblr. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I really liked having him this close to me. It was tempting to tilt my head just a little so that it was resting on top of his, but I decided against it. That seemed a little too obvious for my liking.

We stayed like that for at least twenty minutes, just scrolling through my Tumblr with Tyler making occasional comments. Neither of us commented on the fact that he was leaning on me, but neither of us did anything to stop it either. If you asked me, it was a pretty good summary of how our relationship had been up until this point.

“Hey, can I talk to you about something?” Tyler asked.

“Sure,” I said, removing my hand from my laptop. “What’s going on?”

“There's something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for awhile now.”

I sincerely hoped that Tyler couldn’t tell how hard my heart was pounding from where he was laying.

“What is that?”

“So, um, I-”

Tyler was interrupted by his mom knocking on the door. He pulled away from me so fast that he nearly overshot his landing and ended up on the floor on the far side of the bed, but he managed to catch himself just in time to prevent that from happening. I was barely able to contain my laughter from his escapades paired with the panicked look on his face.

“Dinner is ready,” his mom smiled.

“Thanks, we’ll be down soon,” Tyler answered. 

His mom closed the door, none the wiser to what had just been happening. I was sure my cheeks were bright red just from the amount of heat I could feel burning within them and I was glad she hadn’t decided to ask any questions about it.

“Should we go?” he asked, pointing a finger towards the door.

I briefly debated asking Tyler what he was about to say, but decided it was better left unsaid if he hadn’t brought it up a second time. Besides, I wasn’t about to risk making things awkward when he was my only savior during family dinners.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

*     *     *

I scooped the last bit of melted ice cream from the bottom of my bowl and brought it to my mouth, making obnoxious slurping sounds that I knew would bother Tyler. He looked up from his keyboard and shot me a look, which only made me giggle and nearly get ice cream all over my - well, Tyler’s - sweatshirt.

“If you do that one more time I’m going to smack that spoon out of your hands,” Tyler laughed.

“Lucky for you, that was the last little bit of ice cream I had.”

Tyler mouthed a quiet thank you in the ceiling’s direction before looking back down at his keyboard with a smile. I set my bowl on the desk and scooted further into the middle of the room, giving me room to swing idly from side to side. He watched me for a moment before grabbing a pencil and scribbling some words down.

“Hey, Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“What were you going to ask me earlier?”

Tyler pursed his lips for a moment and drew in a deep breath. After a moment, he reached up and pulled his headphones completely off, letting them hang around his neck.

“It was, um, just something.”

“Just something? Didn’t you say you’ve been meaning to tell me for awhile?”

His nose scrunched up as he scratched at his eyebrow. “Uh, yeah, I did say that.”

“So are you going to tell me?”

“Not tonight.”

I swallowed down the frustration that was starting to bubble in my chest. “Then when?”

“I don’t know. Tomorrow, maybe?”

“And you can’t tell me now because..?”

He smiled to himself, “You’re going to hate me for saying this, but it just doesn’t feel right.”

“And how do you know tomorrow will?”

“I don’t.”

“Tyler.”

“What?”

“Just tell me.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

I pursed my lips and leaned back into the chair, letting my head tilt back until I was looking up at the ceiling. Starting an argument was tempting, but I didn’t want to ruin what little chance there was of Tyler telling me, well, whatever this was before I had to go back home on Monday morning.

“It’ll be worth the wait, Kae. I promise.”

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.5

Word Count: 1349

Warnings: The...(sound of?)sexuals, language and angst!

Author’s note: Here is chapter 5 of my YouAU! I hope you enjoy!

My eyes snapped open as a thud from across the wall woke me up suddenly. I shifted in bed so that my phone was in reach and I touched the screen to wake it up. The time read 3:48 am.

Why was I awake at 4:00 in the morning? Why was there a thud across the hallway? Did it have to do something with the moaning that I was also hearing? Everything clicked at once as I realized what exactly I was hearing. 

Josh was definitely getting it on with one of his tinder dates and they were not being quiet and subtle at all. This wasn’t the first time this has happened either, but it has never been this loud. It was mostly Josh’s deep moans and grunts I could hear. 

I grabbed my headphones that were resting on my desk and placed them over my ears hoping that it would drown out the noise. Unfortunately, it did not work. I tried plugging the headphones in and turning on a loud song but the banging on the wall from the bed frame was still noticeable.��

This was getting out of hand, and I needed to do something about this. I angrily threw my blanket off of me and stomped out of bed and over to his room. The sounds were even louder now that I was standing in front of his door and I felt sick to my stomach.

I banged my fist against his door three solid times. I heard the frantic rustling of bed sheets and I stood there impatiently waiting. Josh eventually opened the door, only with a blanket wrapped around him, and he looked angry.

“What the fuck are you doing, Sav? It’s four in the morning.”

“Exactly, Josh. It’s four in the morning so I should be asleep, not awake because of the ungodly noises coming from your room. Now can you please fuck her quieter, or just go to bed?” I glared into Josh’s brown eyes, making sure not to break eye contact so that he knew I was serious. 

“Are you serious, Sav? This is my room and my private life!” he raised his voice.

“Joshua, I can hear you all the way across the hall, through the walls, and through my headphones!” I shouted back, not even worried about waking Tyler or Mark. He was getting me heated.

“It’s not my fault!” “Yes, it is! It’s like you aren’t even trying to be quiet. You’re so infuriating!” I placed my hands on my head as I stood there facing the sweaty, shirtless Josh.

“I’m infuriating? Think about getting cockblocked by your roommate!” Josh snapped back, throwing his arms up in anger resulting in the blanket that he had wrapped around him to fall down.

“Josh! What the hell!” I covered my eyes and stormed back to my room. That was definitely not what I wanted to see. I flinched as I heard Josh’s door slam shut. I felt a lump starts to form in my throat as I thought about what had just happened. 

I hated fighting with anybody, but I really despised fighting with Josh. I don’t even know why I was so upset. I guess it was understandable since he had woken me up, but it felt like my anger was fueled by jealousy, but why would I be jealous?

The image of naked Josh replayed in my bed and I stuffed my face into my pillow. I felt embarrassed and angry, and sad. These emotions swirled in my brain, and no matter what I tried to do I couldn’t stop seeing Josh. His sweaty chest, his muscles flexing, his v line as the blanket rested low on his hips. 

I needed to stop. This was my roommate. 

*********

I woke up the next morning with a headache. It took me quite a while to fall back asleep after the whole ordeal went on last night. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to face Josh in person today. I just hoped whoever he had over was already gone. 

Usually when Josh had someone over he would sleep in really late after they went home, so I had a pretty good feeling that I would be alright to go out and have breakfast without worrying about seeing him.

I threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed out. The only other person who was out there was Tyler. He was drinking a Redbull and munching on a bowl of cheerios.

“Morning!” he said cheerfully.

“Goodmorning,” I said not so cheerfully. I opened up the fridge and looked for the leftover pizza I had saved for breakfast.

“How did you sleep?”

“Terrible.”

“Why?” Tyler asked. You turned around and looked at him.

“Do you really want to know?”

Tyler nodded him slowly, as if he was unsure about his answer, “Yes?”

“Josh woke me up at four in the morning because he was banging his tinder date way too loudly.”

“Oh that’s so gross, I’m sorry, Sav.”

“It’s fine, Ty. I’m over it but now I am so embarrassed and I ended up seeing him naked and I just don’t know if I can ever face him again.” 

“Josh is a forgiving guy, I’m sure you two can work this out.” Tyler patted me on the back as I sat next to him at the counter. I slowly took a bite of my pizza and replayed what had happened, and that familiar feeling of jealousy crept back into my stomach. 

“Hey, Tyler, can I tell you something but you promise to not judge and keep it a secret?”

Tyler nodded and held his pinkie out, “I promise! You can trust me.”

“I ended up getting really mad that last night but I feel like it was because I was jealous. I don’t know how to explain it, it’s like I-”

“Have feelings for him?” Tyler finished my sentence.

“Yes, but I know I shouldn’t. He is my roommate and he obviously is very interested in hookups.” I rubbed my arm nervously.

“Sav it’s okay to be jealous.”

“Jealous? Jealous of what?” Josh asked as he waltzed into the kitchen, not wearing a shirt yet again. I quickly looked down and avoided eye contact.

“Of this other photographer that she has to work with,” Tyler lied for me. I was definitely going to have to repay him back for that one. 

“So, Sav, how did you sleep last night?” Josh asked. He was facing away from you because he was busy getting milk out of the fridge, but you knew he had that smug look on his face.

“How are your blue balls?” I snapped back. I got up and grabbed my plate and started to walk out of the kitchen, but Josh turned to look at me.

“How long did it take you to fall back asleep after seeing this naked?” He gestures to his body and I pretended to gag. 

“You’re disgusting, Josh. You know that?”

“And you’re possibly the worst roommate I’ve ever had! Who interrupts somebody like that?” Josh’s tone was very serious, and he was back to yelling at you.

I bit my lip to stop myself from getting too emotional, “Maybe next time you could be quieter while you’re busy clapping cheeks.” I was practically yelling.

“Can you guys stop this?” Tyler interrupted. “You both are standing here, screaming at each other, and it’s not going to help solve anything.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled. I turned around and stomped back to my room. Why did Josh have to be such a dick sometimes? Why did I have to be so jealous? Why couldn’t I be the one who he was kissing? 

I laid down on my bed and tears started to fall from my cheeks. I felt ashamed that I was letting my feelings for a boy affected me so much. I don’t know what it was about Josh, but I fell for him, hard, and it was impacting everything.

This is exactly why I didn’t want to form feelings for a roommate.

*************

tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[ohprettyweeper-moved]

A Summer Story

Age 23

Pairing: Tyler x Kansas Word Count: 2540 (whoops) Warnings: Some drinking. Lots of fluff. Like, A LOT.  Challenge: Kansas’s YouAU Writing Challenge Tags: @takenvysleep​ @breadbinishigh​ @svintsandghosts​@xtina2191​

After my sixteenth birthday, Tyler and I did a lot better about staying in touch. We even managed a few visits over the years I was in college. The kiss and our camp crushes never came up, although I know I thought about addressing the matter more than a few times.

“What’s the point, though?” I would ask Red. “We were twelve and sixteen. It was forever ago.”

“But obviously not long enough to be forgotten,” Red would tease in return.

And that would end the conversation.

After I finished off my bachelor’s degree, I still had my master’s and my doctorate to go, but I was fortunate enough to have already found a job with a stormchasing team. I was low-man on the totem pole, but it would pay the bills while I worked through the rest of my education -- until I could start my own team.

The summer after college graduation, my friend Freddie invited me to Los Angeles for a visit. She had been a photography major, although she was talented enough to not need the extra education, honestly. She had been taking pictures for up-and-coming bands while she was up-and-coming, but landed a gig for the iHeartRadio music festival straight out of school. She invited me along, and I agreed -- mostly because I knew Tyler was going to be there. I made her promise not to tell anyone that I was going to be there, not by name, anyway. Tyler’s band was on the roster, and I wanted to surprise him.

“Or you could just tell him that you’re gonna be there,” Freddie suggested.

I smiled to myself. “Yeah, but I owe him a surprise like this.”

Freddie frowned, not really sure what I was talking about. I’d tell her later, but for now, I was too excited about my surprise to spill any details.

.&.

While Freddie and I got ready for the first night of the festival, I asked about the latest with her and her love interest.

“Tell me the truth,” I said, cocking one eyebrow, “did you only take this job because of Brendon?”

Freddie laughed, causing her mascara to smudge just above her eyelid. “Damn it. No, I didn’t not take this job because of Brendon. I didn’t have to. He and I -- well, we’re a thing.”

I squealed. “A thing? Okay, so like a serious thing, or what?”

Freddie nodded; she didn’t need makeup to put a blush across her cheeks. “Yes, a serious, committed, boyfriend-girlfriend thing.”

I waited, and when she didn’t say anything, I could have shook her. “Dude! Stop holding out. Tell me how it happened!”

Freddie put the mascara back into her makeup bag and hopped up on the bathroom counter. “Well, you know we’ve crossed paths at shoots in the city several times over the last few years. And my part of my last portfolio project, he let me use him as a subject for some shots. And right before graduation, I was out here visiting some photographer friends, and on a whim, I called him. We kept talking and now, we’re a thing.”

She ended her story with a shrug, hopped off the counter, and went back to finishing her makeup. She made it sound like being in a relationship with Brendon Urie had come naturally, almost.

“It did, kind of,” Freddie said, getting out her book of false lashes and selecting a pair. She squeezed out the appropriate amount of glue, let it get tacky, then went about the tedious process of applying the lash. “So, you gonna tell me about this Tyler kid, or what?”

I tilted my head from side to side. “Short version, we met at camp when I was twelve. I had a crush, so did he, but obviously nothing came of it. Then, when I was sixteen, Red had him come to our hometown for my birthday. Everything was really crap then, but Tyler -- he was my first kiss. And it turned things around. We’re really good friends, but we don’t get to see each other that often. This seemed like a good opportunity to surprise him, so … here I am.”

Freddie raised her brow. “Well, that’s adorable.”

“Stop, Freddie. It’s just one of those things. It’s nothing.”

“Mmhmm. Now who’s blushing?”

We both laughed then, and put away the conversation about boys to speed up the getting ready process -- although, I did warn her that regardless of Brendon Urie’s success in the musical world, he was still going to get the protective best friend speech when I met him.

.&.

“We’re Twenty One Pilots and so are you!”

That was the line he ended every show with, and I loved it. I loved the connection Tyler and Josh had with their fans, both from a general perspective, but also for Tyler and Josh’s sake. They had wondered several times over the years if the two of them alone were enough for the stage and a label -- turned out what I told him every time he voiced his concerns was right. They were more than enough.

Thanks to the pass Freddie and Brendon had scored for me, I was waiting for Tyler when he came offstage. Confetti was still falling over the outdoor crowd, and the cheering hadn’t even begun to die down. Josh spotted you first, at the end of the line of people waiting to high-five them or shake hands or whatever else after the show.

“Well, look who’s here,” Josh smiled, high-fiving me before stepping away so Tyler could get a good look at the surprise guest.

“Kansas!”

“Hey,” I laughed as he swept me up into his arms. Even though he was sweaty and in desperate need of a shower, I flung my arms around his neck and set my dry cheek against his sweaty one. “Had the opportunity to return the surprise and I couldn’t pass it up.”

Tyler hugged me tighter. “I’m so glad you’re here. C’mon, let’s go to the bus. I’ll get washed up and then I’ll take you out for food.”

“I never say no to food!”

Tyler laughed, slinging a sweaty arm across my shoulders. “Trust me, I know.”

.&.

“So, you two really met at a camp?” Freddie asked, somewhat incredulous. “You’ve known each other for ten years? I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time wrapping my mind around this.”

I looked at Tyler, who was already grinning over at me. “Yeah, well, after a few glasses of wine, I’d imagine it’s difficult to wrap your mind around pretty much anything.”

Freddie made a face at me, then leaned over to kiss Brendon. I looked down at my own drink, intentionally avoiding Tyler’s gaze. I’d only had one beer, but it was enough to keep me from thinking about anything but the kiss we had shared on my sixteenth birthday. There had, of course, been other kisses since then, but none of those kisses, and none of those guys, had quite the impact on me that Tyler and his kiss had.

Brendon stopped Freddie from ordering another glass of wine and instead asked for the tab. “I should probably get this one back to the hotel. Tab’s on me tonight. You guys want to share an Uber back?”

I managed to get past thinking about kissing Tyler long enough to look at him and shrug. “Up to you.”

Tyler considered the options for a few seconds. “Nah, you know what, we’re so close to the beach, and this one hardly ever gets out of the Midwest. We’ll walk down to the shore and go back in a little.”

“Suit yourself,” Brendon replied, handing the check and a few bills to the waiter. He lovingly pulled Freddie from her chair, made sure she had all of her belongings, then escorted her to the sidewalk.

Tyler rose from his chair, too, and extended a hand out to me. “Shall we, Kansas?”

“Let’s,” I replied, taking his hand and sharing the effort it took to get me to a standing position. “Lead the way.”

And he did. Tyler didn’t let go of my hand until we reached the sand. Even then, it was only long enough for both of us to slip out of our shoes, then his fingers were laced through mine again. The first few minutes of the walk were silent, save for the distant mumblings of the crowd and the waves as they came towards us before pulling back out to the sea.

Finally, I couldn’t take the silence any longer. “I’m really glad this ended up being a good surprise. I wasn’t sure if you’d be up to having an unexpected visitor.”

“Are you kidding me?” Tyler scoffed. “This is the best night, because you’re here. And tomorrow, we can go to Brendon’s show together. Honestly, I wish it was like this all the time. Having you around makes such a difference. I can’t even explain it. I’m good, you know, most of the time, when I’m on the road. But when you’re here -- it’s real.”

I gnawed on my bottom lip while I tried to come up with an appropriate response that didn’t give away how my heart was likely to beat out of my chest at any moment. How was this so effortless? Tyler was exactly right. Life was real and different, in a good way, when we were around each other. The furtive smiles and inside jokes and hand holding seemed to happen so naturally when we were with each other. There was never more kissing, never anything more than friendly cuddling. Still, there were moments, in person or otherwise, when I felt like we were only waiting on time to tell us that it was time for us to happen.

“Hey, checkout the moon,” Tyler said, squeezing my hand to get my attention. He pointed out at that big, glowing orb that seemed to hand in the sky like a Christmas ornament on a pine tree.

We stopped there in the sand, with my back against Tyler’s front, and his arms hugging around my shoulders. I tucked my hands between his forearms and tilted my head to one side.

“It’s so pretty. I mean, it’ll never beat seeing the moon through dissipating thunder clouds, or seeing the moon shine over the prairie, but I’ll take it.”

Tyler laughed and kissed my cheek. “My Kansas girl.”

A quiet giggle escaped my throat as I returned the gesture and kissed his cheek. I turned away, but Tyler hooked a finger under my chin, guiding my mouth close to his.

“Tonight feels like another special night,” Tyler commented. His voice was magically soft and rough at the same time. “Or is that wishful thinking?”

I swallowed hard, once again not sure what to reply. I wanted him to kiss me; I wanted it bad. I couldn’t find the words to tell him that, though. Instead, I nodded as much as I could force my muscles to do in that moment. One end of Tyler’s mouth turned up, and his thumb grazed over my lips before the touch was replaced by his mouth on mine.

The kiss was everything I remembered, but still somehow brand new. I lingered in the moment, wishing it would never end, but knowing that it had to at some point. Maybe the time had come, and things would be different, but in a perfect sort of way.

Tyler’s arms were still wrapped around my shoulders, but I turned to face him, and my arms rested perfectly over his hips. I could feel his fingers playing with the ends of my hair. I don’t think I had felt that content since I was sixteen.

The kiss ended too soon, and too suddenly. Instead of resting comfortably around my shoulders, Tyler’s hands held me at arm’s length. The look on his face read something akin to confusion, and maybe fear.

“Kansas, listen.”

I hung my head and stepped back. “Not really the words I wanna hear after a kiss like that, Ty.”

He licked his lips. “I know. It’s -- see, the thing is, there’s this girl in Nashville that I’ve been seeing. It’s not serious, and she’s not you, but I -- it’s enough that I shouldn’t be kissing you.”

“Oh. I see.” I wiped the last of his taste off my lips and took a step back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t ever want to ruin something that made you happy.”

Tyler took my hand and pulled me a little closer, but not touching. “That’s the thing, you know? You make me happy, and I want to be kissing you. But I don’t want to hurt her, either. I think I need some time to figure things out. I hate saying that, I hate saying it to you. But I think we both need to know for sure if we want each other, or if this is nostalgia. You know?”

I didn’t want to agree with him, but he was right. So, I nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Tyler let out a breath of relief, then cupped my face in his hands. He looked me directly in the eyes and said the thing I needed to hear most. “This was not a mistake, and I’m not going to regret it tomorrow, okay?”

I couldn’t help but give a sad smile. “Okay. Thank you.”

Still holding my face, he placed a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

“Okay.”

On the ride back to the hotel, Freddie texted to tell me that Brendon was going to crash with her, since he had been booked a room with his manager, thanks to all of the festival bookings. She asked if I would mind staying with Tyler, and I texted back that was fine.

“I can sleep on the floor or something.”

Tyler’s head fell back. “This is going to be awkward now, isn’t it? I ruined everything.”

I laughed at him and patted him on the back, unable to stop myself. “You didn’t ruin everything, stop being so dramatic. I don’t want to make things awkward for you or get you into hot water with this girl.”

Tyler shrugged. “I’m sure it’s fine. You can bunk with me.”

So, it was decided. I got my bag from the hotel room I had intended on staying in with Freddie, and returned to Tyler’s room. He was ready for bed, which gave me the bathroom to do my nighttime routine. Once I was ready to knock out, too, I settled on the free side of the bed against the pillows.

“You can leave the TV on,” I offered, “I prefer to fall asleep to the sound anyway.”

Tyler positioned himself next to me, an arm around my shoulder again. I settled with my head against his shoulder and chest, and one arm draped over his abdomen. I was tired, but Tyler was sure he’d be up for a while.

“If the noise starts to bother you, let me know.”

“I will,” I promised through a yawn. “Night, Tyler.”

“Night, Kansas.”

The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep, was Tyler’s warm lips against my forehead.

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.7

Word Count: 1357

Warnings: Language and none!!

Author’s Note: Here is the last chapter of my YouAU! This was my entry for Kansas’ writing challenge!! Hopefully you enjoyed this series!!! 

“You actual piece of ass,” I mumbled to myself as the eyeliner I was trying to apply did not come out evenly. The right eye was perfect, the wing was the perfect length and flicked just the right amount. Every single time I tried to do the left eye and get it to match the right it would either end up too thick or at the wrong angle. I was about to just take it all off and not wear any eyeliner.

I was already stressed out about my first official date with Josh, and the frustration of the makeup was pushing me over the edge. I sucked in a deep breath and held it for ten seconds before letting it out slowly through my nose. I looked into my hazel eyes and as carefully as I could I tried to slowly attempt my left eye again.

“Yes,” I sighed in relief as it came out symmetrical to the other. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty dang close. I finished my eye makeup with a few swipes of mascara and finished with some highlighter and setting spray. 

My hair was straightened, which definitely meant it was a special occasion since I usually wore it natural, and a half up in a ponytail. I wore a white sweater tucked into a pair of dark wash girlfriend jeans and paired with my white Nikes. I finished it off with hoop earrings and a necklace that my Mom had given me. I looked casual but nice. Date casual, I guess?

I wanted to get a second opinion on my outfit but unfortunately for me, Kae was at work and the only person who was home right now was Tyler. I guess he was going to have to do. I waltzed over to his room and knocked on his bedroom door. He opened it pretty quicky and nodded as I stood in the doorframe.

“How do I look?” I asked. I spun in a tiny circle. 

“You look like you are ready to go on a date with my best friend!” he chucked. I shot him a glare. 

“C’mon, Ty! For real, is this nice enough?”

“Yes, Sav! You look great and I know Josh will love it. What are you guys doing anyway?” 

“He got us reservations at Benihana!”

Tyler clapped excitedly - I guess Kae was rubbing off on him - as he started to rant about how they make a train with the onions and smoke comes out of it. I was started to space off as I realized what I was doing. I was going on a date with my roommate.

“Hey, Tyler?” I interrupted him.

“Yeah?”

“Am I doing the right thing?”

“What do you mean?” Tyler backed up into his room and sat on the bed. He patted the seat next to him a few times, inviting me to join him.

“Like, I know how he is notorious for sleeping around and I just don’t want to be another girl to him. I don’t want to get hurt,” I admitted.

Tyler took in a deep breath, “Sav, I’m being a hundred percent honest right now but Josh really likes you. I haven’t seen him act the way about someone as he does to you in a long time. He has had serious girlfriends in the past who had screwed him over, which is why he is so hesitant about keeping a relationship, but the fact he wants to with you means that he is serious about it.”

“Really?” I smiled to myself.

“Yes, Sav! Plus it is almost as if you were made for him. Like, yes, you guys fight but also you both have the same sense of humor and complete each other? I don’t know how to describe it but Josh truly seems happier ever since you moved in.”

“Thank you, Tyler. This made me feel a lot better. I think I am going to go get a glass of water, do you want anything?” I asked but he shook his head. I thanked Tyler again for the little pep talk before heading out to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed the tub of filtered water and started to pour myself a glass as the front door opened.

“Sav!” Josh announced as he locked the door behind him. “You look beautiful.”

I could feel my cheeks blush. “Thank you, Josh.” 

“I know I am running a little bit late but just give me fifteen minutes to get ready!” He rushed down the hall towards his room. I sighed again as the feeling of anxiety filled my stomach. Maybe I would feel better if I talked to Josh directly with how I was feeling, and how scared I was.

I headed into his room and sat on his bed while he was in the bathroom getting changed. I tugged on a few strings that were hanging off of my sweater sleeve until Josh opened up the bathroom door. He must have not been expecting me because he ended up jumping at the sight of me.

“Sav!” Josh placed his hand over his heart as he caught his breath. “You scared me.”

I giggled, “I’m sorry! I just came here to talk.”

“Talk?” He raised his eyebrow.

“I’m just nervous, and scared,” I admitted. The word scared came out in a whisper.

“Why?” Josh’s eyes softened and walked over to where I was sitting on the bed. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to his body. “What’s up?”

“I just am afraid,” I exhaled deeply. “I’m afraid that I am just going to be another hookup, and I shouldn’t be dating my roommate, and you don’t feel the same way I do about you.”

“Sav, Sav, shh, it’s okay.” Josh turned so that he was facing me. “I went through a really bad breakup and those hookups were just used as a coping mechanism, a bad one at that. I’ll admit that, but the day I first met you I knew there was something special about you. I know it sounds so fucking cheesy but I swear there was a spark.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do, Sav! You’re beautiful, and you have this laugh that can light up an entire room. You and I have this connection, and I don’t only want to be your boyfriend, but your best friend too.” 

“I just don’t want to get hurt.” It was scary admitting that, but I needed to be open.

“I won’t, Sav. I won’t hurt you. You mean so much to me, and I know I messed up with trying to make you jealous but I just want to make you happy.” 

“This means a lot, Josh. I want to make you happy too.”

Josh leaned in and planted me a soft kiss on my forehead. “I should hurry up so we aren’t late.”

I nodded in agreement, “I’m ready so I guess I’m just waiting for you, slowpoke,” I teased. I scrolled through Tumblr while Josh did finishing touches on his outfit. He was wearing a nice black button-up shirt with skinny jeans. Fancy casual, as I like to call it. His cologne wafted through the room as he sprayed it, filling my nose with the familiar scent. 

“Ready to go?” he questioned. I answered with a smile and grabbed my purse. Josh let me play my music in the car, so I tortured him with some Panic! I found it funny since he knew Brendon personally. 

The dinner was very nice. Josh and I were able to talk to each other without the interruption of anyone else and share different life stories. Laughs were laughed and smiles were smiled while the food was being prepared in front of us. It was delicious, and I wish I had more of the fried rice, it was to die for.

“Thank you for the dinner date, Josh,” I said as we hopped back into his car. 

“Of course, so we doing this?” Josh asked.

“Doing what?”

“Dating as roommates?”

“I guess so,” I said with a smile on my face.

*****

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.3

Word Count: 1371

Warnings: None, I don’t think? Hopefully... 

Author’s note: Here is chapter three of my YouAU! I hope you enjoy :) 

I woke up the next morning with the sound of a coffee grinder going off in the kitchen. It sounded like an airplane taking off, but almost ten times louder. No one warned me about this rude awakening, but I am sure I will get used to it. 

My phone which was hooked up to my charger lit up as I picked it up. I had two text messages from my friend Nicole, who lived back in Oregon. 

Nicole: how was moving in? I want to see the room!

Nicole: actually, call me later when I get off work and we can catch up!

I missed Nicole so I was definitely going to take her up on that offer. She and I met in high school and we ended up going to different colleges, but we still stayed close. She went to nursing school and works as an ER nurse. 

As I stood up out of my bed and stretched, I realized how badly I was in need of a shower. I started to feel a little anxious about taking my first shower in the new apartment. Everything should be fine as long as I locked the door.

I grabbed the clothes that I was going to change into and headed into the bathroom. The shower had a green shower curtain which was pretty ugly. It was moss green too. Maybe Josh would allow me to redecorate the bathroom a little bit. 

I took a pretty quick shower, as I didn’t want to make the water bill any higher than it needed to be since I would be paying for a quarter of it. Once I hopped out of the shower and dried off, I braided my wet hair and threw on a pair of athletic shorts and a sweatshirt.

I could hear laughter coming from the hallway, and I recognized Kae’s voice. I instantly got excited knowing that they were over again. I could definitely tell that we were going to become good friends, hopefully. 

“Sav!” Mark announced as I walked into the living room. There were two bowls of popcorn on the table with Josh, Mark, Tyler, and Kae sitting around it watching a movie.

“Hey, sorry I woke up so late!”

“Don’t worry about it! We are just having a movie day if you want to join us?” Tyler waved me over to sit down next to Kae.

“I would love too! What movie are we watching?”

“We haven’t really decided yet,” Josh mumbled. He held the remote in his hand and he clicked through different movie titles. “It would help if someone suggested something!”

“I love your sweatshirt!” Kae whispered as I sat down next to them.

“Thank you!” I smiled and they smiled back. They really were the sweetest.

“Wait!” Tyler shouted. “Let’s watch the first Iron Man!”

“Hell yeah!” Kae added. Josh nodded and looked over to Mark and me for approval. Mark gave him a thumbs up and I nodded. I never had seen Iron Man, but I don’t think I was going to mention that to them. 

Six bathroom breaks later, and multiple refills on Coke Zero’s, we all finally got through the movie. I really enjoyed it, and I ended up getting into a long conversation about the entire Marvel cinematic universe with Kae and Tyler once the movie ended.

“We literally watched them all, again, like a few months ago! We watched one almost every night!” Tyler explained. 

“I can’t wait to teach you all about the different characters! You still have so many to meet!” Kae added.

“I’m excited! I'm glad I have you two!”

“I’m so happy that the boys got a girl roommate because there is too much testosterone in my life, and I needed a solid girlfriend!”

You smiled at Kae, “Yeah, I get that!”

“You could become friends with the girls that Josh brings over, you know,” Mark chuckled. Josh shot his head up and glared over at Mark. The tips of his ears turned a shade of red. 

“I can’t do that because it’s a different girl every time, and he never sees them again,” Kae snapped back.

“Roasted!” Tyler stood up and shouted in Josh’s face. Kae looked over at me and winked. I couldn’t help but laugh at the subtle roast Kae just threw at Josh. I knew Josh had lots of tinder dates, but I didn’t realize how big of a joke it was to all of them. 

It made me feel uneasy too, I wasn’t quite sure why either. I guess I never really understood one night stands, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing! Just a different lifestyle than mine. 

“Leave poor Josh alone!” I giggled.

“Don’t take his side! Take our side!” Kae shouted but I shrugged my shoulders as I smiled over at Josh who mouthed a “thank you” over to me.

“I need to stand up for my bedroom neighbor!”

“Exactly!” Josh agreed and reached over to give me a high five. His eyes crinkled as his lips turned up into a smile. Butterflies went crazy in my tummy. 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I finished unpacking my room entirely and decorated it with small decorations I had picked up on a small target trip with Kae and Tyler. Tyler drove and as he passed by anything remotely significant Kae would point it out and explain a certain memory that was connected to it. 

Apparently, the Red Robin that was next to the target happened to be where Tyler took Kae on their first official date together, and they both ordered chicken fingers without knowing it was each other's favorite meal. 

I had some spaghetti that Mark had whipped up for dinner, and it was starting to get late which meant it was almost time to call Nicole. I was still getting used to the time difference, but she got off work at 7 so she should be ready. I texted her just to make sure.

Once she responded that she was off work I dialed her number and put my phone on speaker. I was busy coloring in a mandala.

“Hey, Sav!” Nicole answered cheerfully.

“Hey! How was work?”

“It was good, not too hectic which was good! I’m tired though.”

“I won’t keep you long so you can get some sleep.” 

“It’s okay! I want to hear all about the apartment! How are the boys?” Her voice lowered in the last part as if she didn’t want anybody to hear.

“The apartment is actually pretty nice! My room is pretty big, they have a nice TV, and I already made a friend! Their name is Kae and they are dating Tyler. They have been showing me around.”

“That sounds awesome!! Tell me more about the boys.”

“Well, there is Mark, he cooks a lot and he is also into photography!”

“That’s awesome! You should take photos with him.”

“He actually is more into videography, but I am definitely going to have him help me with navigating fancier cameras!”

“Which one was the cute one you were mentioning to me?”

“That’s Josh. His room is actually right across from mine, and yeah he is really cute.”

“Like really cute?”

I smiled stupidly down at the paper I was coloring on, “Really really cute. He has these freckles all over, curly brown hair, and the cutest smile ever!”

“You’re falling hard.”

“Nicole, I know, but I need to stop! He is my roommate and I’ve seen all those movies. It never ends up well! Plus he is really into flings and hookups.”

“He is into hookups? I thought you said he was sweet?”

“Nicole, just because he likes to bang doesn’t mean he can’t be sweet,” I laughed.

“True! Well, good luck with that! I really need to go but I’ll call you later this week! Text me though!”

“Okay! Goodnight!”

“Night, bye Sav!”

I hung up my phone and closed my adult coloring book. It was such an odd term. Adult coloring book. Why can’t it just be a coloring book? My mind raced about the conversation and Josh as I got ready for bed. 

Nicole was right. I was falling hard.

******

Tag list: Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.6

Word count: 1526

Warnings: Angst and language

Author’s note: I hope you enjoy! (second to last chapter!) 

“Kae! C’mon!” Tyler shouted as Kae crossed the finish line in a hectic game of Mario Kart. I looked up from my computer just in time to see Shy Guy riding a sportbike with white wheels and a parachute being surrounded by confetti. 

“Tyler, you can’t get actually upset at me that I am better than you! You just need to practice more!” Kae set their controller down on Tyler’s lap and patted his head.

“I think you are the only person who can beat him though, Kae,” I chuckled. Tyler nodded at my comment but Kae just shrugged. 

“I still win! How is editing going?” They nodded towards my laptop that was resting on my thighs. I had a photo of a football player catching the ball in mid-air open in photoshop. 

“I am almost halfway done with the football photos from Friday’s game! I ended up taking almost 200 photos!”

“200? Jeez,” Kae sighed. 

Suddenly, the front door swung open and Josh waltzed inside carrying a bag of groceries. Josh looked over at the group of us sitting on the couch and waved. Tyler and Kae both waved back but I continued to be stubborn and ignore him. Josh continued on to the kitchen and then I finally raised my glance up from my laptop.

“Sav, how long are you going to continue this silent treatment game with him? It’s been a week since the fight” Tyler asked. I glared over at him. Just because it had been a week doesn’t mean I forgave Josh for being an absolute jerk to my face. 

“I’ll speak to him once he   and stops making it a such a big deal every time he brings someone over.”

“What do you mean?” Kae asked.

I sighed, “I don’t know if it’s just my brain or if Josh is like purposely trying to make me jealous. He brought these girls over the past week and he would just start making out with them any time I walked past him. I don’t know.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him, but also if he was trying to make you jealous than wouldn’t that mean he likes you?” 

“Exactly, and I don’t want to get my hopes up anyway. It’s probably just my brain.” 

“But you can’t control how you feel, Sav. If it’s hurting you then it is hurting you.” Kae said softly. 

“Kae has a point. Maybe it would be better if you did try to talk to him? Even if he doesn’t necessarily apologize first.”

“Thank you guys for supporting me and you both have a valid point. Maybe I will try talking to him later today.” I wiped my nose that was starting to run. I hated getting emotional over a guy, especially when the guy happens to be my roommate. 

After the little pep talk from Kae and Tyler, I tried my hardest to focus on the rest of the photos that were lingering in my to-do folder. I really needed to get them done but anytime I would open up a new photo, my mind would instantly wander to Josh.

After an hour of not getting any productive work done, I decided that I was just going to go talk to Josh now. It was the one thing that would take a weight off my shoulders. Sometimes I really hated how much my brain overthought about simple things. 

“I think I am going to go talk to Josh now,” I announced as I shut my laptop with a bang. Kae and Tyler looked over at me and nodded.

“Good luck!” Kae shouted as I headed down the hall. I knocked on Josh’s door softly and nibbled on my fingernails while I waited for him to open it. After two minutes of waiting, I decided to knock one more time, a bit louder, to see if he would answer. 

I sighed as a few more minutes passed and Josh didn’t answer the door. I decided to just go for it and head in. I mean, I have already seen him naked so there isn’t much worse that could happen. 

I slowly opened his door which was fortunately unlocked. His room was dark and I could hear faint snoring coming from the bed. Of course, he was napping. I opened the door a little bit wider so not too much light leaked in, but enough so I could squeeze through. 

I could see Josh laying in his bed. He was shirtless and was cuddling the pillow. I stood there for a second, admiring how he looked as he slept. His mouth was open a little and his eyelashes fluttered softly. He must have been dreaming. 

I started to get a weird feeling in my stomach as I stood there watching my roommate sleep. This was definitely weird, so I decided to head out and just talk to him later. I walked towards the door but I ended up stubbing my toe on the corner of the desk that was located right next to the door.

“Ouch!” I whispered a little bit too loudly.

“Sav?” a groggy voice spoke behind me. My eyes widened as I realized that I woke Josh up. “What the fuck are you doing? Watching me sleep?” He started to scream.

I turned around quickly and shook my head, “No! I came in to talk to you and you weren’t answering so I decided to see if you were just ignoring me!”

“You really have a thing with invading privacy don’t you?” 

“I came in here to get an apology!” I shouted back. My breathing got heavy and fast-paced.

“An apology? For what?”

“An apology for being a complete dick to me!”

“A dick? Are you serious? I have nothing to apologize for.”

“You have loads to apologize for! How about trying to piss me off this week by being extra loud and having people over?”

Josh laughed and ran his hand through his hair as he stared at you. “I don’t understand why it is such a big deal to you when I have people over? Why do you get so fucking upset?” His tone was angry and sharp and made a lump in my throat form.

“Maybe it’s because I get jealous!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I didn’t mean to scream at him, but all the anger and frustration built up and exploded. Josh’s jaw dropped but closed again as he bit his lip. The silence lasted five seconds too long.

“Jealous? Why would you be jealous?” His voice softened and he took a step towards me. I stared up at him with fear in my eyes.

I opened up my mouth to speak and explain myself but I only ended up stuttering, “I..I don’t-”

Josh moved towards me, closing the space between us, and grabbed my chin. He pulled me in for a kiss and my eyes stayed open the entire time. He pulled away and I stood there, eyes still wide open, staring up at him. 

“You get jealous because you have feelings for me but you are too chicken to tell me?” he smirked. 

“I’m not chicken, I just am afraid of rejection,” I whispered, still in shock of what just happened. 

“What if I confessed that I did have people over to make you jealous?” He lifted his eyebrow as he looked down at me. Rage filled my veins.

“You’re horrible, you know that Joshua?” I crossed my arms and glared at the boy in front of me. He shrugs and gives me a smug smirk, and somehow that was the most attractive thing I had ever seen him do. 

“I had feelings for you too, I just am not good at communication.”

“Obviously,” I huff. “But seriously, Josh, what does this mean now? I don’t want to be your fuckbuddy. I don’t do hookups.”

Josh’s face instantly became serious and he reached over and grabbed my arm. “Sav, I don’t want to hook up with you? I want a relationship with you. I want so much more.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I know I give off mixed messages, but ever since I first met you I fell for you. Hard.”

“You fell for me?”

“Yes, Sav! You’re beautiful and funny, and kind and I just don’t know how to act around girls that I actually have feelings for and I’m sorry I almost fucked this all up.”

“Josh, I don’t really know what to say, but I want that with you too! It’s just all happening so quickly, and you’re my roommate.”

“I know, we don’t have to get into a serious relationship right now, but I do want to be exclusive. I just want to get to know you more. Take you out on dates. Fall in love.”

“Fall in love?”

“Yes, Sav, fall in love.”

I smiled to myself and looked up at Josh. His brown eyes drew me in even further and this time it was me to kiss him first. 

“So, will you go on a date with me?” Josh asked once I pulled away.

“Yes, Joshua, I will.”

*******

tag list:  @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[blurry-fics]

Monday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1407

Author’s Note: This is the final part of the miniseries! (I know I originally said it would run through Saturday, but I was switched up about what day it was in my head). Thank you to everyone who kept up with this little series and showed me support. I hope you enjoy the final chapter! (picture credit) @ohprettyweeper

The clock in the corner of my laptop read 1:30am, but I was still far from tired. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the adrenaline from Tyler’s confession today - or yesterday, now - or my generally bad sleep schedule, but whatever it was wasn’t going to be letting me sleep anytime soon. It was a good thing YouTube had a never ending supply of recommended videos for me.

My door creaked open shortly after the start of the video. I pulled my headphones down and hit pause at lightning speeds, looking for whatever had caused the door to open. A moment later, Tyler’s head popped in. His hair was sticking up at all angles and he looked exhausted, despite the fact that he was awake and currently standing in the doorway of the guest bedroom.

“What are you doing?” I whispered. “You scared me.”

“I can’t sleep.”

I scooted over so that I was no longer in the direct center of the bed and patted the empty space next to me. Tyler smiled as he slid into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Aren’t your parents going to be pissed if they find you in here?” I asked as he cuddled up next to me.

“I’m twenty years old, they can deal with it.”

“Tyler, I’m a guest here and I would really rather not make your mom upset.”

“I’ll cover for you if she does find out, but I highly doubt she will.”

“If you say so.”

Tyler leaned onto my shoulder and wrapped one arm around my waist. I unplugged my headphones so that he would be able to hear the video I was watching, although I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to pay much attention. As far as I could tell, he was already starting to fall asleep.

“Is that a good volume?” I asked.

“Mmmhmm,” he hummed against my shoulder.

I got comfortable and leaned my head against his. His arm grew a little tighter around me, which I took as a sign that he liked what I was doing. It was a weird feeling to be laying here with Tyler wrapped around me when just a few days ago I wasn’t even sure he still considered me a friend. A lot had changed over the weekend, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

*     *     *

I woke up in an empty bed the next morning, and for a moment I wondered if Tyler coming into my room had actually been just a dream. Then I remembered how Tyler’s arm had felt wrapped around me and all of my doubts washed away.

Tyler and Zack were the only ones in the house when I finally arrived downstairs, fully dressed and ready for the day. Kelly had still been nice enough to make breakfast for everyone and leave it out on the counter. I grabbed some fruit and toast and joined Tyler at the dining room table. Zack was in the living room, sprawled out on the couch and watching TV.

“Good morning,” Tyler smiled. I could tell by the way that he was looking at me that he really wanted to show me some sort of affection, but couldn’t because of the possibility of Zack seeing.

“Good morning.”

“How did you sleep last night?”

“I slept great. What about you?”

“Best night of sleep I’ve had in awhile.”

I smiled and lightly kicked at him under the table, making him laugh. He scraped up the last bit of egg on his plate and shoved it into his mouth.

“Where’s your family?” I asked.

“Errands,” he answered once he swallowed his eggs. “I have no idea when they’ll be back.”

“My mom said they’d be getting here in half an hour or so.”

Tyler’s eyebrows shot up, “You need to pack your stuff up.”

“Yeah, but I need to finish eating first.”

“I can help you pack to make it go faster.”

“Are you actually going to help? Or are you going to cause a problem and actually slow me down?”

“I’ll actually help, don’t worry,” Tyler laughed.

He sat and talked with me while I finished the rest of my food and even offered to clean up my plate so that I could get a headstart on packing. I thanked him with a quick pat on the shoulder before taking the stairs up two at a time to start gathering all my things from around the room.

I had just finished getting everything gathered into one large pile on the bed when Tyler walked into the room and wrapped his arms around me.

“I can finally hug you now that Zack isn’t sitting ten feet away,” he said.

I maneuvered one of my arms so that I could wrap it around him. He hugged me a little longer, pressed a kiss to my cheek, and then took a step away from me.

“How are we tackling this?” he asked.

“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, I just need to fit it all in my bag.”

“That should be easy enough.”

Tyler actually kept true to his word of being helpful while I packed up my things. With his help, I managed to get everything packed up in record time, leaving us enough time to relax before my parents came and picked me up.

“We did it,” Tyler smiled, collapsing back onto the bed.

“We did it.”

I fell back onto the bed next to Tyler, who was quick to wrap his arms around me and pull me closer to him.

“I’m going to miss not having you in the house,” he said.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to miss being here too. It’s ironic, considering how much I was dreading coming here in the first place.”

Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed, “You were dreading staying over?”

I nodded. “I was afraid it was going to be awkward being around you because of the whole band situation, but after we got that cleared up on the first night, it was actually pretty fun to hang out here.”

“It probably helped that you were with Sav half the time,” Tyler laughed.

“I’m with Sav half the time even when I’m at home, that’s just normal.”

“And now you get to spend the other half with me.”

“I already did that too.”

“Ok, you have a point.”

We continued to lay on the bed, making casual conversation, until my phone buzzed. One glimpse of my mom’s name was enough to tell me that her and my dad were outside.

“I guess this is it,” I said, unwrapping myself from Tyler’s arms and sitting up.

“Do you want help carrying your stuff?”

“I think I’ve got it, but I wouldn’t you mind walking me outside.”

“Ok, but I have to do this first.”

Tyler’s kiss caught me by surprise, just as it did the first time, except this time he was the first one to pull away.

“I wanted to do that before you left, but obviously I couldn’t kiss you in the driveway.”

“I’m glad you did it,” I smiled.

“Alright, now let’s get you out there before your parents get suspicious.”

I followed Tyler down the stairs and said a quick goodbye to Zack, who was still watching TV. He waved to me as I walked out the door.

“Hi, sweetheart!” my dad called from the passenger side window.

“Hi, Dad!”

Tyler waited halfway up the driveway while I tossed my things into the backseat. My parents started to shoot rapid fire questions at me, but I asked them to hold on just a second before I went running back to Tyler and threw my arms around him.

“I’ll see you soon, ok?” I asked.

“You better,” he laughed, squeezing me tightly.

“And can you tell your mom that I say thank you again for letting me stay? She was a great hostess.”

“I’ll make sure to pass the message along.”

I resisted the urge to give Tyler a kiss on the cheek and settled for a wave as I walked back down the driveway instead. He dug his hands in his pockets and watched as I climbed back into the car with my parents.

“Nice to see you again,” my dad said. “It seems like you’re in a good mood.”

“And you and Tyler seemed to have gotten along!” my mom added.

“Yeah,” I smiled. “I guess you could say that.”

[blurry-fics]

Sunday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2562

Author’s Note: Just wanted to say a quick apology to @ohprettyweeper, who I have forgotten to tag in this miniseries up until this point (since those are the challenge rules... oops). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! (picture credit)

I grabbed another small piece of lettuce from the tupperware container next to me and held it out to Paul. He eyed it carefully for a moment before taking it from my hand, making me giggle. Sav smiled and gave him a little pat on the back.

“How was hanging out with Josh last night?” I asked.

“It was good!” Sav said. “We just watched TV and Josh sat with Paul the entire night, which was pretty cute. I think they’re best friends now.”

“Paul,” I frowned. “You replaced me that easily?”

Paul simply continued to munch on his lettuce, obviously unaffected by my accusation. 

“Speaking of boys,” Sav continued. “What happened with Tyler when you got home yesterday?”

“Oh my gosh, I haven’t told you!” Sav’s eyes went wide and she adjusted her sitting position so that she was facing me a little better. “A lot happened.”

“Go on.”

“Ok, so, I got home, right? And Tyler was sitting on the couch basically just waiting for me to get back because he was bored out of his mind, so I told him he was free to come sit with me while I was on Tumblr.”

“You let him look at your Tumblr?” Sav asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Not my Tumblr, just my dashboard.” She nodded. “Anyway, we were looking at that and pictures of Brendon Urie kept popping up, obviously, and he kept asking who that was and I told him a couple times, but then he started doing it to annoy me.”

“Cute.”

“Just wait, it gets better. I told him that I wasn’t going to keep answering his questions if he was going to do it just to bother me, so of course he starts asking questions just to bother me. I didn’t answer, like I said I wouldn’t, and then he leaned his head on my shoulder! And then he left it there! Even after I told him it was Brendon Urie!”

Sav shook her head, “I told you he feels the same way about you! It’s so obvious, both of you are just too scared to see it.”

“And it was really funny because his mom came upstairs to tell us dinner was ready, but he got so nervous that he nearly fell off the bed when he was scooting away from me.”

“Aww.”

“Oh! And he said there’s something he’s been wanting to tell me but he’s waiting for the right moment.”

“Kae!”

“What?”

“He’s going to tell you he likes you.”

I shot Sav a look, “I doubt that.”

Now it was her turn to shoot me a look, “Are you kidding? It’s so painfully obvious that it’s what he wants to tell you, especially since he said he needed to wait for the right moment.”

“Ok, yes, you have a point, but I’m really trying to not get my hopes up.”

“That’s understandable.”

Our conversation was interrupted by Pumpkin, Sav’s corgi, bursting into the room and making a beeline straight for me. Sav quickly scooped Paul up and out of danger before Pumpkin collided straight into me, nearly knocking me straight back onto the carpet. I wrapped my arms around her and scratched at her back and ears. She covered me in slobbery kisses as thanks.

“Hi, baby,” I laughed as she licked my cheek. “How are you?”

“Pumpkin! Down.”

Pumpkin removed her paws from my shoulders at Sav’s command, but remained sitting in my lap so that she could continue to receive pets.

“But I love her so much,” I sighed, burying my face in her fur.

“That doesn’t mean she gets to jump all over you,” Sav laughed.

I dramatically sighed, but didn’t argue anymore. Once Pumpkin was settled down in my arms, Sav put Paul back on the ground and let him run around the carpet awhile longer. He spent most of that time trying to get into the tupperware containing the rest of the lettuce, but each time Sav put a quick end to his schemes.

“I’m so curious about what Tyler is going to tell you, feelings or not.”

“Yeah, me too.”

*     *     *

Sav dropped me off right after we finished lunch at her house, partially because she had to run some errands with her mom and partially because I was eager to get back to the house and see if Tyler would finally fess up. As it turned out, he had left shortly before I returned for band practice, meaning that I still had at least another couple hours of waiting before my questions would be answered. With a sigh, I joined the rest of his siblings in the living room to kill some time playing videos games. It would be better than sitting alone in my room with my thoughts, anyway.

I ended up staying downstairs until Kelly announced that dinner was ready. The mere thought of enduring a family dinner without Tyler nearly sent me into a panic, but I knew there was no way that I would be able to get out of it now that I was already downstairs. Instead, I squared my shoulders and followed Zack into the kitchen just like I had every other night. Worst case scenario, I could just eat my food as fast as possible, get excused from the table, and sneak up to my room to calm down until Tyler got home and I would inevitably end up nervous again.

As if he had sensed my distress, Tyler arrived home just minutes after we had all sat down at the dinner table, apologizing profusely for being late as he piled up his own plate and sat down in his assigned spot at the table, next to me. He smiled at me as he pulled his chair in, making me feel somewhere between relieved and even more stressed than I had been just a moment before.

I was on the way back to my room after washing my plate when Tyler stopped me, asking if we could talk in the backyard. After I agreed, he led me out the backdoor and to the far side of the yard where a stone ledge separated a bit of dirt from the rest of the grass. He sat down on the edge of it, so I followed suit by sitting down a reasonable distance away from him. I could tell by the way that he was fidgeting with his hands that he was nervous, although I couldn’t really say that I was in a much better state than him.

“Um, so about what I was going to tell you yesterday…”

He had just started to get the sentence out when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. It wasn’t often that I got phone calls and, afraid that it could be my parents bearing bad news, I decided to check who it was. It wasn’t my parents, after all, but Sav, who called me just about as rarely as they did.

“It’s Sav,” I announced. “Do you mind if I take this real quick? She doesn’t call me unless it’s important.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Tyler said. He wasn’t mad as I had expected him to be. If anything, he seemed relieved.

I hit call as I walked towards the other side of the yard, just in case whatever she was calling about was something she would rather not have Tyler hear.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Kae! Hi.”

“What’s going on? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! I’m just in the car so obviously I couldn’t text you.”

“Text me about what?”

“Well, I just picked up Josh-”

“Hi,” he chimed in.

“-and I was wondering if you and Tyler wanted to come get ice cream with us? We’re about ten minutes from Tyler’s house.”

I looked over my shoulder at where Tyler was still sitting on the stone ledge, tossing around a rock that he had seemingly found in the dirt.

“Um, let me ask.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear as I made my way back to Tyler, making sure to mute it so that they wouldn’t hear our conversation.

“Hey, Ty?”

He looked up at me, “Yeah?”

“Sav was wondering if you wanted to go get ice cream with her and Josh? And me, obviously. Sav is driving and she said she would be here in like ten minutes.”

“Josh is the guy you said might be good for the band?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.”

“Ok, I’ll let them know.”

I unmuted the call, not bothering to walk away from Tyler this time. “Sav?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re down.”

“Ok, sweet. I’ll let you know when we get there.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

Sav ended the call abruptly, as she had a habit of doing. I locked my phone and stuck it back into the pocket of my jeans before joining Tyler on the wall again.

“So,” I started, drawing out the word. “We still have a little time before they get here, if you wanted to tell me what you’ve been meaning to.”

Tyler shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t want it to feel rushed.”

“Ok. I’m going to go grab my wallet then.”

I got up and started to walk back into the house. It couldn’t have been more than five seconds before I heard Tyler’s footsteps follow behind my own, which I hadn’t been expecting.

“Actually, no. I’m tired of waiting.” I stopped walking and turned to face Tyler, who was only a couple of feet away from me. His mouth was open, as if the words had slipped out of his mouth before he fully realized what he was doing. He stood there for a second before digging his hands deep into his pockets. “I like you, Kae. A lot. And I have for awhile. I never told you because I was afraid that you didn’t feel the same, but this weekend kind of changed my mind about all that and I decided it was worth telling you, even if you didn’t.”

Even with Sav telling me that this was going to be his confession and Josh being able to pick up on what was so obvious to everyone but us despite never meeting Tyler, I still found myself completely dumbfounded by his confession. I was at a complete and total loss for words.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

He closed the space between us, “You could start by saying you feel the same… or don’t.”

“Oh no, I definitely feel the same,” I said, finally looking up to meet his eyes. “I thought that much was obvious.”

“Nothing is ever obvious to me,” he laughed.

“So what you’re saying is that you can’t tell how badly I want you to kiss me right now?”

“Ok, maybe that part was obvious.”

Tyler quickly checked for any family members who might be lurking in the windows before he kissed me. It had been awhile since the last time I had kissed someone, so it took me by surprise at first, despite the fact I had known it was coming. He kissed me until I could no longer contain my giddy laughter and had to pull away.

“Sorry,” I said. “I know this is supposed to be serious.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled, reaching out to rest his hands on my hips. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

*     *     *

In the remaining time that Tyler and I had left before Josh and Sav’s arrival, I filled him in on all the discussions I had been having with them over the last couple days. During that time, we also came to the decision to pretend as if nothing had happened between us for the sake of pranking the two of them. It was hard not to take hold of Tyler’s hand as we walked down the driveway to the car or into the ice cream shop, but I knew that their reactions would be more than worth it.

“The sunset looks nice,” Sav commented as she scooped up another spoonful of ice cream.

I turned and looked over my shoulder at the clouds that were just beginning to be tinted pink and orange.

“It’s not the only thing that looks nice,” Josh added.

Tyler nudged me in the shoulder, prompting me to finally take my eyes away from the conversation and look at him. He raised his eyebrows at me with a smile, making me smile. Sav noticed the exchange and shot me a questioning look, but I simply shrugged. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

Sav: what was that all about?

I bit back a smile as I typed out my “oblivious” response.

Kae: wdym?

I watched as Sav sighed, shot me one more look, and then set her phone back onto the table. Josh took notice of this and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer into his side. This was enough to put a smile back on her face.

“Kae, can I try a bite of your ice cream?” Tyler asked.

“Sure.”

He scooped up a large spoonful of my ice cream and popped it into his mouth, which now had both Sav and Josh looking at me with confused expressions.

“What?” I smiled.

“You never share your ice cream,” Josh said. “At least, not that I’ve seen.”

“Nope. Kae never shares,” Sav confirmed.

“What are you talking about? Of course they do,” Tyler argued.

Sav and Josh shared a look before turning back to us. “Is there something going on here that I don’t know about?” Sav asked. “Because it kind of seems like there is.”

I shook my head, “Nope, nothing is going on.”

Sav seemed skeptical, but didn’t press the matter any further. Instead, she started to talk about some more drama that had happened between a couple of our college friends that she had forgotten to tell me that morning. Josh and Tyler listened in, occasionally asking clarifying questions or adding their own comments to the situation.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a Sunday night.

*     *     *

“Thanks for driving us,” I said as I slid out of the backseat. “This was really fun.”

“Thanks for coming along,” Sav smiled.

I hopped down onto the pavement and shut the door behind me. Tyler had already made it halfway up the driveway, but he was waiting for me. He was swinging his keys idly around his finger.

“Wait, Kae,” Josh called after me.

I backtracked so that I was now standing outside the passenger side door of Sav’s Jeep. Josh beckoned me in a little closer.

“Are you sure that you and Tyler aren’t dating?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Sav added. “Like, I know you two act like a couple usually, but that was way different.”

“Ok, so maybe the thing Tyler had to tell me was that he had feelings for me,” I grinned. “And maybe that means we’re dating now.”

I turned and walked up the driveway, despite the fact that Sav was yelling after me. As casually as I could, I walked up to Tyler and wrapped my arms around him as I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. It was hard not to laugh when I saw the shocked looks on Josh and Sav’s faces 

��I knew it!” was the last thing I heard before Sav drove off.

[beanfic]

New Roommates-Ch.2

Word count: 1838

Warnings: Talk of parental death & language 

Author’s note: Here is chapter 2 of my YouAU for Kansas’ writing challenge! As a reminder, this series is in first person from MY perspective so it is not a reader insert fic, but I hope you still enjoy it! :)

I felt strange right as I stepped foot into my new bedroom. It was still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I have officially moved out and moved in with strangers I met off the internet. 

My suitcases sat in front of me. It seemed as if they were mocking me. I knew I should start unpacking but I could slowly feel myself getting more and more anxious. I stood up from the bed that the movers had installed and stretched my arms. Maybe if I had some company I would be able to unpack quicker and stay motivated. 

I opened my bedroom door and peeked my head out. I could hear Kae’s voice in the kitchen, and that was exactly who I needed to help me. Usually, I felt anxious around people who I do not know, but they made me feel so comfortable, it was nice. 

“Hey Kae! Do you want to help me unpack? I felt like it could be an easy bonding experience,” I joked as I walked into the kitchen.

“Hell yeah!” They stood up from the stool and walked back to my bedroom with me. 

The next hour was spent with me explaining my past to Kae while folding, hanging, and putting away clothes. Kae was easy to talk too, but I also wanted to know more about them. 

“Looks like the clothes are all done!” Kae announced. I nodded and held my hand up for a high five. 

“Let’s make my bed next since I need to sleep in that tonight,” I chuckled. Kae and I grabbed both ends of the black sheets and tucked them over the mattress. 

“This comforter is so pretty!”

“Thank you! My mom got it for me as a moving out gift!” I smiled. The black and white striped comforter matched well with the white furniture that I had picked out. The colors I chose for the room were black, white, and rose gold! 

“This blanket is so soft,” Kae wrapped her body with a fluffy rose gold blanket you had found at target. 

“Right?”

“I think I might steal this.”

“Maybe I will just have to buy you your own!” I giggled.

“I can just buy myself one! Target trip!” Kae clapped excitedly once again. 

“Yes! I love target! That is where I got most of my rose gold decorations to go on my dresser and desk!” 

“I love it! Your room is so cute.”

“Thank you, Kae!” 

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation that we were having. I went over and opened it up to reveal Tyler. 

“Kae don’t you have work at 6?”

“Oh fuck!” they screamed. “I lost track of time! Sorry, Y/N, but I’ll be over lots!!” I waved goodbye to Kae who rushed out of my room. Tyler shut the door leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I continued unpacking tiny nick-nacks that had sentimental value. Small, nostalgic memories flooded my brain everytime I picked up an item. 

I missed Oregon. I missed the trees, the rainstorms, the beach, the mountains. Columbus isn’t bad, it’s just not the same. 

The smell of a seasoned chicken being cooked in the oven wafted into my room, filling my nostrils. My mouth started to water, and my stomach began to rumble. I had such a hectic day that I really didn’t eat that much. I was starving. 

I opened the door and was greeted by Josh also coming out of his bedroom. His eyes matched with mine and we both just awkwardly stared at each other for a second too long. 

“Hey, Sav,” Josh broke the eye contact as he looked away. I blinked a few times. Why was that such an awkward encounter? 

“Hey, Josh. Why didn’t you help me move in?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm to my tone of voice so he knew that I wasn't actually upset. I even crossed my arms and leaned into my hip for added effect. 

“As the boys probably told you I was busy!”

“They said you were taking a nap?”

“Yeah, busy taking a fat nap.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away towards the scent of dinner. My heart started to speed up as I realized this would be my first dinner at my new apartment with my new roommates. 

“Hey, Sav! Good morning, Josh!” Mark teased as we both sat down at the counter. He was wearing an apron that had ‘Chef Mark” embroidered into it

“It smells delicious!” 

“Thank you! We are having rosemary lemon pepper chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes! It should be done in about five minuted and then you can help yourself!” Mark explained. 

I smiled towards him before turning around to see what Tyler was up to. He was sitting on the couch heavily involved in a Mario kart race. 

“Does he usually play alone?” I turned back around asking Mark and Josh, not wanting to disrupt Tyler.

“Usually when I am cooking, or when Josh is busy.” Mark put air quotes around the word busy. 

“Shuddup,” Josh mumbled. He was busy on his phone and I took a peek over. I recognized the app almost immediately. 

“You’re on tinder?” I practically laughed in his face. 

“Jesus,” Josh locked his phone and glanced up at me. “Why yes I am.”

“For some reason that surprises me.”

“Why?” Josh furrowed his brow.

“I don’t know, I feel like you could just find dates naturally.”

“Because I am naturally handsome?” Josh winked. 

“No,” I rolled my eyes once again. I quickly looked away from Josh once I started to feel my cheeks get warm. There was no way I was letting Josh see me getting flustered. Even though I did think he was naturally handsome and pretty, and cute. I had to stop. He was my roommate. 

“Dinner is ready!” Mark called out. I stood up from the stool and followed behind Josh. Tyler slowly made his way over to the kitchen from the couch.

“How is Mario kart going?” I asked him.

“Not too well, I keep on getting third and I am no third placer.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Josh laughed as he scooped a pile of potatoes onto his plate.

“You lose to me literally every single time we play, Josh. You have no place to talk.”

“I’m not as bad as Mark though.”

Mark looked up from his own plate with his mouth wide open, “You guys are just rude.”

I softly laughed to myself as the boys continued to bicker. It was probably going to be something I need to get used to. I grabbed a few pieces of chicken, asparagus, and a scoopful of mashed potatoes, it looked and smelled delicious. 

I noticed that all the boys hurried over to the couch with Josh and Mark planting down on the bean bags. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to sit, as I wasn’t fully comfortable eating on a couch so I decided to walk over to the kitchen table. 

“Sav!” Tyler yelled as he turned around. “Come sit with us!” 

I smiled, “Okay.” I took a few deep breaths as I shuffled over and sat on the far left of the couch next to Tyler. The couch made a pfft sound as I lowered down into the cushions. 

“So, Sav, let’s use this as a bonding experience! Tell us more about yourself!” Mark asked. 

I shrugged my shoulders as I finished chewing a piece of chicken that I had in my mouth. “I don’t really know what you guys even want to know! I’m not interesting.”

“Let’s start why you moved to Ohio! You mentioned something about your grandma?”

“Oh yeah.” I rubbed my arm. “My grandma isn’t doing too well, she has stage 3 breast cancer, and my mom felt guilty that she was all the way in Oregon and not here helping her own mom.”

“So it’s your mom’s mom?” Tyler clarified.

I nodded, “Yeah, it’s just me and my mom. My Dad passed away when I was 11 from Leukemia.”

“I’m so sorry, Sav, I had no idea,” Tyler said softly. 

“That must have been really hard,” Josh chimed in. He looked up at me with his large chocolate eyes and I found myself getting lost in them. 

“It’s okay, it was such a long time ago but I still have those days where I miss him a lot.” I looked down at my plate, not wanting to be caught staring into Josh’s eyes. I don’t know what it is about him, but he just mesmerizes me when I look at him. 

“Let’s change the subject to something happier! You graduated college right?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, from Portland State University! I majored in Psychology but I can’t really do anything with that degree unless I go back to school for a masters program which is why I am hoping to make extra money from the photography job I found.”

“You already have a photography job?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah! I had an interview about a month ago, and I just found out last week I was hired!”

“What is it exactly?” Mark questioned. He was a videographer himself so he was also familiar with cameras. I was actually hoping he could give me some camera tips.

“I’m working with the Olentangy Local School District with photographing their sporting events!”

“That’s where my Mom worked!” Tyler laughed.

“Just sporting events?” Josh looked up from his meal with his left eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, why?”

“What about the band? Theatre? Choir? The arts?”

“That’s true,” Tyler agreed. 

“The sports are just more important I guess,” I shrugged and smirked over at Josh. “Plus I don’t get to choose what I photograph.”

“I think that’s exciting! I knew you liked to take pictures but I didn’t realize you were a photographer,” Mark announced.

“I wouldn’t call me a photographer, but thank you!”

“Can we see some of the photos that you have taken?” Josh asked. I was surprised that he wanted to see them out of all the boys, but it made me excited. 

“Sure, I have some of my favorites saved on my phone.” I pulled out my phone and opened it up to the album titles ‘favs’. I clicked on the first photo, which happened to be of the sunset at a beach with a couple holding hands. I handed my phone over to Josh and Tyler and Mark were quick to look over his shoulder.

“Sav, these are amazing!” Mark said.

I smiled, “Thank you!” It means a lot coming from Mark since he was really into cameras and all that sort of stuff. I still consider myself to be new to the photography world.

“Yeah, you’re super talented,” Josh whispered as he handed me the phone back. His fingers brushed against mine as I grabbed my phone. I quickly shoved my phone back into my sweatshirt pocket and looked away. A shiver ran down my spine.

************

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.4

Word Count: 1971

Warnings: Language and fluff!

Author’s Note: Here is chapter 4! Enjoy! :))

“Sav!” Josh’s voice called out as he knocked on my door. I slowly opened my eyes as I woke from a deep slumber. 

“What?” I mumbled, closing my eyes once again.

“Time to wake up! Get dressed and come to the kitchen!”

“Why?” I turned over and checked the time on my phone. 

8:27. Way too early for a Saturday morning. 

“Just do it, and don’t ask questions! If you don’t come out in ten minutes then I will go get Tyler and Mark to drag you out.”

“Okay!” I shouted back. I listened as Josh’s footsteps got further away. I stretched my arms and made sure to pop and crack all the necessary joints to start the day. 

I threw on a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a black t-shirt. My hair quickly got thrown into a messy bun and I shuffled out to the kitchen. 

“Happy first week of living with us!” the boys cheered in unison as I turned the corner into the kitchen. I jumped as I was not expecting them all to shout at me this early in the morning.

“I made us waffles!” Mark smiled down at the plate that was piled high with a stack of fluffy waffles. There were bowls of different fruit next to it, along with a bottle of whipped cream.

“What is this all for?” I nervously laughed.

“To celebrate that you have been living with us for officially a week now!” Tyler explained. 

“This is kind of odd, but I will never pass up waffles!” I sat down on a stool and plopped a waffle down on a plate. They were still warm. “Thank you, guys!”

“Of course! Nothing but the best for the best roomie!” Mark teased. I let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I’m surprised you’re actually awake,” Josh noted. I glared over at him and crinkled my nose as I took a bite out of my waffle. 

“I didn’t feel like being dragged out of bed this morning.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, Sav, now that you have been living here for a week, what are some of your favorite memories?” Tyler asked with a mouthful of strawberries.

“My favorite memories?” I pondered for a second while the boys shoveled waffles down their throats. “The first one that comes to mind is when we all played rage cage a few days ago.”

“Rage cage?” Josh asked and I nodded.

“I never really played drinking games with my friend back at home and it was really fun! Especially seeing you guys tipsy! Plus Kae was a good supervisor.”

“We need to get Kae to play, but I can drink for them!” Mark said.

Tyler shook his head, “Have you seen them throw a ping pong ball? You would get drunk so fast.”

“Hey! Don’t roast Kae when they aren’t even here to stand up for themselves.” I balled up my napkin and threw it at Tyler’s chest. 

“I’m just speaking the truth!” he giggled. 

“Another one of my favorite things about living here is having almost every meal cooked for me! Thank you chef mark.”

“My pleasure!” He pretended to curtsey. 

“How does your head feel?” Tyler asked Josh as he tossed some Tylenol in his mouth and washed it down with orange juice.

“I’m not as hungover as I thought I would be, and to be honest, I am surprised I was able to wake up this early.”

“You woke up with a hangover just to surprise me?” I asked, putting my hands on my heart and sarcastically acting flattered.

“It was because I wanted the waffles, obviously.”

“Sure,” I teased back. Josh gave my shoulder a little shove as he walked past me and went to sit on the couch. I smiled to myself and looked up at Tyler and Mark who were exchanging glances. 

Once I ended up finishing my plate of waffles and cleaned up, I headed back into my room to edit the photos I had taken at the football games from Friday night. I was really excited with how my photos turned out, and I was hoping to send some to the local newspapers and news sources for them to use. 

I continued to edit my photos, occasionally getting distracted by Pinterest and Tumblr, while I waited for Kae to come over. We were going to go thrift shopping in downtown Columbus this afternoon. Kae said that they knew of the best thrift shops with the best finds, and they mentioned there is this really chill coffee shop that we could stop at as well which sounded perfect since today was such an overcast day. 

“You ready!” My door flew open as Kae came rushing in and shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Holy shit!” I jumped out of my chair as they scared me. “You scared me!” 

“Ha!” they cackled. I turned around and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at them. It landed right into their stomach. “Ouch!”

“That’s what you get!”

“It’s not my fault you get scared easily!”

“Just give me one second to put my shoes on and then I’ll be ready to head out!” I said and Kae nodded. They left my room, probably to go talk to Tyler, and I quickly tied my vans and grabbed my coat.

“Welcome to my crib!” Kae joked as they opened the door to their Red Kia Forte. It smelled like fresh laundry. They plugged their phone into the aux cord and started to play a playlist which consisted of Panic!, Queen, Paramore, and the occasional Fall Out Boy song. 

“You have such a good music taste!” I complimented.

“Oh my gosh, really? I’m so self-conscious about it.”

“Why?”

“Having a boyfriend who is a musician makes you more aware of how others can be judgmental! But I am glad you like it!” They reached over and turned up the sound as Nicotine by Panic! blasted.

“Downtown Columbus is so pretty,” I said in awe as Kae found parking on the street.

“Have you been down here before?”

“LIke three or four times when I was younger and was visiting my grandma and aunt!”

“I love it down here!” Kae locked their car and started walking down the street. I followed close behind. We exchanged conversation about different movies we like, and hobbies that we both enjoyed while we looked in different thrift shops.

“I love this shirt!” I whispered to myself as I pulled out an old Death Cab for Cutie concert shirt. It was a little large but it was perfect because I enjoy oversized shirts.

“That’s awesome!” Kae said as they looked through jackets. “What do you think of this?” I turned around to see them holding up a vintage Levi’s denim jacket.

“Try it on!”

“Okay!” They slipped their arms through it and shrugged it on. It was a perfect fit. 

“It looks so good, you have to get it.”

“It’s so comfortable! I can also put some pins on the pocket right here,” they pointed to the pockets on the chest. It looked really good on them. 

“You get a jacket and I get a t-shirt!!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Kae and I headed over to the register to pay. My t-shirt ended up only being six dollars which was a huge steal. Kae’s denim jacket was thirty bucks, which is super good for a vintage Levi’s jacket.

We both ended up ordering the same exact thing at the coffee shop, and that was a mocha with whipped cream. We sat next to a window so we could look out and admire all the doggies that would pass by us. 

“Hey, Sav, can I ask you a question?” Kae took a sip of their drink and set it down in front of them.

“Sure!” I shifted in my chair as I anxiously awaited their question.

“Do you like Josh? Like, like like?” They whispered.

“What?” I nearly spat out the mocha that I had in my mouth. “Who told you? I mean, yes, i mean, no, what?”

“Sav! It’s okay! You don’t need to get flustered.” Kae giggled as they handed me a napkin to clean up the mocha.

“Yes, I might have a little crush on Josh, but why are you asking? Is it obvious? Did the boys mention something?”

“Yes, Tyler mentioned that he might have thought you and Josh were flirting so I decided to get to the bottom of things!”

“Josh and I flirting? Like he was flirting with me too? I never noticed that.”

“I don’t really notice it but I guess Mark and Tyler do! Nothing is wrong if you like him, Sav.”

“Yes, there is! He is my roommate. I can’t fall for my roommate, haven’t you seen those movies?”

“This is real life, unfortunately, but I don’t think there is anything bad about it. You can’t control your emotions!”

“That’s exactly what my other friend said to me,” I sighed. “I just don’t know if I even want to pursue these feelings because what if he doesn’t feel the same about me? He has so many girls over all the time anyways.”

“I suggest just continue living your life, and just become closer to him! Friends, roommates, or even more. Don’t force it and let it come naturally!” Kae wrapped their arms around my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze. 

“Thank you, Kae. It’s actually really nice to talk about it with someone who knows him, I feel a lot better now.”

The car ride back to the apartment was longer because of traffic so Kae decided to show me different car games they like to play. One was the original slug bug, but then they also showed me popeye and happy slappy. Popeye is when you punch the top of the roof anytime you see a car with only one headlight, and happy slappy is when you slap the other person when they spot a yellow car. 

“Ow!” I squealed as Kae’s fist came into contact with my shoulder.

“Happy slappy, yellow one!” they shouted. A yellow slug bug came passing us on the left side.

“You’re too good at this game,” I mumbled. I made sure to keep an eye out for any yellow car or slug bug the entire way home, but I ended up losing that time very badly. 

Once we got into the house we were welcomed by Tyler and Mark who were in the middle of an intense Mario kart race while Josh was busy reading a book on the couch. 

“We’re home!” Kae announced. “You like my jacket?” They did a 360 turn for the boys to see. 

“That’s sick!” Tyler said. “Dang it! You distracted me, Kae!”

“Sorry, but sometimes I am more important a game,” they snickered and headed over to sit next to Tyler. 

“Did you get anything?” Mark asked me and I nodded. 

“I found this old Death Cab for Cutie concert tee!” I pulled it out of the bag to show everybody.

“Did you buy that because you know it’s my favorite band?” Josh teased as he looked up from his book.

“Not everything is about you, Josh.” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Do you even know how to read?”

“Yes, in fact, I do! This book is about-”

“I don’t really care.”

“Well, in that case,” Josh closed the book and chucked it at me, barely missing my shoulder.

“Joshua! What if that hit me?”

“Then I guess would have needed to call an ambulance, huh?”

“You’re so annoying!” I rolled my eyes and turned to Kae who was raising their eyebrows at me. They definitely had a point that Josh was flirting with me, but I knew better than to get my hopes up.

********

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[blurry-fics]

Friday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2778

Author’s Note: Yes! A new miniseries. This will run from today through Saturday (a little confusing because of when the story is set, I know) and then posting will return to normal :) also this totally had an author’s note the entire time. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Enjoy the chapter! (picture credit)

I idly tapped my fingers against the edge of the car door as I looked out the window at the passing trees. My parents were talking quietly in the front seat, going over their flight details and what they would do when they arrived in Oregon. The radio was playing, although I could just barely make out whatever pop song was on over the sound of their conversation.

“I don’t understand why I can’t just stay at home,” I said, interjecting myself into their conversation.

My mom sighed, having already heard this same argument from me three times this morning. She turned slightly over her shoulder so that I could see her face, but kept her attention on the road in front of her.

“It just gives me peace of mind to know that you’re with the Josephs, sweetheart. Staying home alone overnight can be scary. Besides, aren’t you and Tyler close?”

“But I’m twenty, Mom. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself now.”

“It’s only a weekend. It’s going to be over before you know it,” my dad added.

“Exactly. It’s just a weekend,” I mumbled.

“I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, but I would rather you don’t have to worry about it.”

I crossed my arms and turned back to the window, deciding there was no point in fighting anymore. The argument had been lost the moment that I got into the car with my parents.

“Aren’t you excited to spend a weekend with Tyler?”

“No.”

“Why not? He’s your best friend.”

“Yeah, when he’s not too busy with his band.”

I could just make out the hint of a frown on my mom’s face, but she didn’t press the matter any further. It was probably for the best; my frustration about having to stay with the Josephs paired with the hurt of Tyler prioritizing his band over me would only lead to me talking my parents’ ears off about the entire situation, and I would rather not be pissed when I came face to face with Tyler’s family.

“I’m sure you’re going to have fun this weekend, darling. Have you made any plans with Sav?” my dad asked.

“Not yet.”

“You should do that.”

“I will.”

Our conversation came to a stop as my mom turned off the main road and into an all-too-familiar neighborhood. I tried to ignore the steadily growing feeling of discomfort in my stomach as we grew closer and focused on the comments my dad was making about renovations some of the families had done to their homes. Despite the distraction, I still felt like I might pass out by the time we pulled up outside the Joseph’s house.

“Are you going to be ok getting to the door by yourself?” my mom asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be ok,” I lied, not wanting to create more of a hassle for them.

My mom held out her arms and I awkwardly leaned over the center console to give her some semblance of a goodbye hug. My dad did the same shortly after, but gave me the added bonus of a kiss on the head. I scrunched my nose as he did so.

“We’ll be back Monday morning to pick you up. Make sure to send texts so we know you’re alive. Behave for Kelly and Chris. And, um, just try to have a nice time with Tyler, ok?” my mom smiled.

“I’ll try,” I said as I pulled my duffle bag into my lap. “Say hi to Aunt Nancy for me.”

“Will do,” my dad said.

There was a chorus of “I love you”s as I stepped out of the car and closed the door behind me. I waved to my parents through the window before turning and walking up the stone path that led to the front door. If they had driven away, I hadn’t heard it. My mind was too focused on getting to the door and getting inside without making a fool of myself.

Kelly opened the door shortly after I knocked with my shaky hands, obviously expecting my arrival. She smiled and ushered me inside, already telling me how nice it was to see me and how excited the family was for me to stay with them. I just returned her smile and tried not to get dirt all over the rug.

Her chatter eventually died down and I managed to chime in with a, “Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. We always enjoy having company and you’re no exception, Kae.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

“Here, I’ll show you the guest room so you can set your things down.”

I readjusted my bag on my shoulder and followed Kelly up the stairs. Years of running around this house with Tyler and his siblings had already given me a pretty good idea of where everything was, but I was glad that I wouldn’t have to go wandering around upstairs until I found the right room.

“If you need anything to help you sleep, like a fan or something, don’t hesitate to let me know! I’d be happy to grab it for you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Joseph. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Oh, and Tyler should be getting home soon. He was out with friends this morning, but he said he would be back in the afternoon.”

Tyler. I had been so caught up with getting inside the house and talking to Kelly that I hadn’t even noticed his absence. At least I had some time to figure out my plan of action before he got back to the house.

“Ok,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.”

Kelly turned and walked out of the room, closing the door most of the way behind her. Once I heard her walk down the stairs, I collapsed back onto the bed and buried my face in my hands. I had been here for all of five minutes and I already felt stressed beyond belief. 

How was I supposed to survive a whole weekend of this?

*     *     *

I lost track of how long I spent in the guest bedroom, messing around on my laptop and just generally hiding out from the family. Tyler seemingly hadn’t returned home yet either, giving me all the more reason to not interact with anyone for awhile longer. There would be plenty of time for the stress of that when dinnertime rolled around.

A text popped up in the corner of my screen as I was scrolling through Tumblr. The mere sight of Sav’s name was enough to make me smile; she was one of the few people that might actually have the power to get me out of the house for awhile. Another message followed shortly after.

Sav: sorry my shift just ended!!

Sav: what’s going on?

I had texted her awhile ago, saying that I was stressed out and already tired of being “here”. She had already heard me rant about my parents forcing me to stay with family friends while they went out of town for awhile, although I had never actually confirmed that I had lost the debate with my parents over it.

Kae: i’m stuck at tyler’s house for the weekend and i’m stRESSED. like his parents are so nice but it still makes me anxious, you know??

Sav: you’ve got this though! things with tyler might not be as awkward as you expect them to be

Kae: yeah, you’re right. i think i’m just going to be freaking out until he gets home. i haven’t seen him in like a week

Kae: also, before i forget, do you want to do something tomorrow? i’d really rather not be stuck at the house all day

I switched back over to Tumblr while I waited for her response. Downstairs, I could hear some commotion as someone arrived home. My heart was quick to start pounding in my chest, but I tried to ignore it and focus on the gifset that was currently looping on my screen.

Sav: i have plans with josh, but he said it’s cool if you want to tag along with us! we were just planning to get smoothies and hang out or something, there wasn’t really a plan

Kae: are you sure? i don’t want to ruin your date

Sav: yes, it’s totally ok! josh wants to see you anyway so it’s a win/win

Kae: ok :)

Before Sav had a chance to say anything else, there was a knock on my door. I immediately pushed myself into an upright position and switched from Tumblr to a new tab.

“Yeah?” I called.

The door pushed open slightly, revealing Tyler on the other side.

“Hi,” he smiled. “I was just coming to see what you were up to. My mom said you’ve been up here since you got dropped off.”

I closed my laptop and slid it off my lap, hoping it would distract from the blush on my cheeks. Tyler was now casually leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, waiting until I fully invited him into the room.

“You know how I am,” I laughed. “I get stressed easily.”

“I know, it’s not a big deal. Do you mind if I come in?”

I looked around me for a moment, as if I needed to check if there was enough room for Tyler to sit. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

I scooted over a little, leaving plenty of open space next to me for him to sit. He walked over and practically fell onto the bed, making both of us bounce. From where he was sitting, I could just make out the smell of his cologne. He had a bad habit of going a bit overboard with it when he hung out with his friends.

“I just wanted to catch up. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen one another and I figured, since you’re stuck here for the weekend, we might as well, right?”

My eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but Tyler didn’t seem to catch it. “And we’re best friends?”

“Right, that too,” he said, but he didn’t meet my eyes.

I took a moment to study his profile while he was busy looking at the ground. His eyelashes curled so nicely, highlighting what I could see of his chocolate brown eyes. My eyes slowly followed the line of his face, along the curve of his nose and down to his lips. He must have felt me staring, because he turned and met my eyes, bringing the blush straight back to my cheeks. I turned and looked at a plant that was sitting on a nearby dresser.

Now I remembered why it always hurt so bad when Tyler chose the band over me. It was deeper than just the fact that he had been my best friend for years, although I couldn’t deny the role that played in my feelings.

More than anything, it hurt because of the massive crush I had developed on him a few months ago.

“So what have you been up to lately?” Tyler asked, placing his hands behind him so he could lean back. “We haven’t really seen much of each other.”

“Yeah, because someone has been busy trying to get famous,” I said, lightly poking him with my foot. I hoped that making a lighthearted joke about the issue might open up some serious discussion.

It didn’t.

“I know, I know,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to make time for you, but new things just keep popping up all over the place. Not to mention the band drama.”

“Not the band drama,” I gasped. Tyler rolled his eyes at me.

“It’s serious, Kae.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I know and that’s my fault. Anyway, I asked what you had been up to.”

I shrugged, “Not much. I’m just killing time until school starts up again, I guess.”

“What about your writing? Have you been doing that?”

“Well, yeah, but you already knew about that.”

“Are you ever going to let me read it?”

“Maybe one day.”

“But not today?” Tyler smiled. Me not letting him read my writing had become a running joke between the two of us.

“Not today.”

“Maybe I’ll stop letting you read my song lyrics until you start letting me read your stories.”

“Not fair!” I laughed.

Tyler made a confused face, only making me laugh harder. It was weird how quickly I had forgotten my frustration with him once he was sitting in front of me, but part of me was glad that I hadn’t kept my guard up. At the end of the day, he was still my best friend, even if sometimes I wished he was more.

There was a knock on the door, and a moment later Kelly had popped her head into the room.

“Dinner is ready,” she smiled.

“Ok, we’ll be down in a second,” Tyler said.

She closed the door, once again leaving just the two of us.

“Ready?” Tyler asked, turning to me.

“I think so.”

He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. A smile threatened to overtake my face, but I directed my attention elsewhere and put my energy into not doing exactly that.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it get too awkward.”

“Thanks, Ty.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

*     *     *

I waited for Zack to finish washing his plate before stepping in front of the sink and cleaning my own. Most of the family was in the living room now, watching TV or talking to one another, and I was currently trying to decide if I would join them or slide back up to my room once again. Before I had a chance to come to a conclusion, Tyler joined me in the kitchen and leaned up against the counter.

“What are your plans for tonight?” he asked. 

I held back a laugh, knowing that he most likely hadn’t intended for his question to come off as a joke.

“Not sure yet,” I answered as I stuck my plate in the dishwasher. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out. You know, like chill in my room or something.”

I was relieved that Tyler’s offer gave me an excuse to not sit with the rest of the family in the living room, plus it gave me another opportunity to really talk to Tyler about the whole issue with him ditching me lately. He had already made it obvious that he was aware of it, but I wasn’t so sure that he really understood how badly it upset me. 

“Yeah, I’m down.”

“Sweet.”

I closed the dishwasher and followed Tyler up the stairs to his room. He immediately collapsed back onto his bed, but I stood in the middle of the room and took a moment to look around the room. It looked almost identical to the last time I had seen it - which was almost three months ago now - aside from the addition of unorganized stacks of lyrics and sheet music. There were also some half-colored sketches thrown in and stacks of CDs that he hadn’t yet gotten around to selling.

“You can sit, if you want,” he said.

“Right.”

I pulled his desk chair out and sat in it, spinning around to face him. He was leaned against the wall now, idly letting one hand run along the opposite forearm. Although I was looking at him, his gaze was still directed towards the ground.

“There’s something that I want to talk to you about,” he said.

I took a deep breath to calm the increase in my heart rate once again. “What is that?”

“What I said earlier, when I was talking about making more time for you, I just want you to know that I mean that. I know I’ve been really, really bad about it lately, and I can explain the whole story later, but I’m going to start making an effort. You’re just as, if not more, important to me and you deserve to be shown that.”

“I was actually going to talk to you about the same thing, so I appreciate that.”

“I’m actually, uh, hoping that this weekend will help make it up to you.”

“Do you have something planned?”

“Maybe,” he grinned.

I wanted to press him a little further, but assumed it wouldn’t lead to anything. When Tyler wanted something to stay secret, it stayed secret.

“And what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Video games, snacks, and staying up way later than we should.”

I smiled, “I think I can get behind that plan.”

Maybe this weekend wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

[beanfic]

New Roommates Masterlist

Moving all the way from Portland, Oregon to Columbus, Ohio and ended up finding roommates off of craigslist and falling in love with one of them? More likely than you think...

This is my entry for Kansas’s YouAU writing challenge! What this means is that this series is written in the first person from my perspective, so it is not a reader pairing! 

(graphic by the amazing, wonderful, super talented @takenvysleep)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

[blurry-fics]

A Weekend at the Josephs Masterlist

Kae and Tyler’s friendship had always been perfect. No fights. No jealousy. No awkward unreciprocated feelings. They always had been, and always would be, best friends. That is, until Tyler started a band and decided that putting time into music was more important than Kae’s friendship.

Now that Kae is being forced to spend a weekend with Tyler’s family while their parents go out of town, they are forced to finally deal with the strained relationship. Will Tyler be able to make up his mistake? Or is it past fixing?

*     *     *     *     *

Challenge Rules

Before You Read

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

[ohprettyweeper-moved]

A Summer Story

Age 12

Pairing: Tyler x Kansas Word Count: 1700 Warnings: None.  Challenge: Kansas’s YouAU Writing Challenge Tags: @takenvysleep @breadbinishigh @svintsandghosts @xtina2191

Every summer is a story, and so many of my stories involve him. You know -- the guy. We’ve all got that somebody, guy or girl, who makes our hearts stop. You think of that person and the rest of the world fades away and it’s just you and your memories.

He was that person for me. It started the summer after sixth grade, right before I turned twelve. My cousin, Red, and I had spent a week for the last few summers at a church camp in Illinois with our grandparents, but this was the first year we were old enough to do the “big kid” activities.

After breakfast on the second day of camp, Red and I ventured over to the tabernacle where everyone was meeting. He was sitting in the second pew with a couple of other pre-adolescent boys, chatting about … well, whatever it is that pre-adolescent boys talk about, I guess.

I hadn’t meant to stare, but he was cute, and I was boy crazy. Red elbowed me, then laughed; she knew exactly where my mind had escaped to. I blushed and laughed with her, but I was suddenly very self-conscious. I fidgeted with my clothes and my ponytail as I followed her to a seat where I had absolutely no view of the boy. It was probably better that way.

As the leader of the youth group activities took the stage and started talking about the activities planned for the week, I more or less forgot about the cute guy the next section over. I was too excited for the games and arts and crafts. Red and I had several conversations between ourselves, and when we were dismissed to go to our first rotation of activities, I linked arms with her and headed off to where the bonfire had been lit the night before, in a wooded area not far from the main area of camp.

The cute boy didn’t stray far from my mind for long; when we all sat on the logs around the smoky pile of ash, he sat right next to me. I looked at him, feeling my cheeks heat once again as he waved. I waved back and gave him a tight, nervous smile.

“Hey, I’m Tyler. Cool shoes.”

“Thanks,” I replied quietly, glancing down at the Airwalks I had convinced my parents to buy me for the trip. “Is this your first year here? I don’t remember you from before.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m here with my friend.”

His friend, I recognized. That kid was obnoxious, but he wasn’t horrible. Maybe that meant Tyler was okay, too.

“What’s your name?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, right, sorry” I said, shaking my head with nerves. I gave him my real name then added, “but everyone calls me Kansas. This is my cousin.”

I introduced Red by both her real name and her nickname, and she greeted him cheerfully. I’ve always envied her ability to speak so easily with new people, even then, when we were awkward preteens, just coming into our own. As they continued to talk, with me sitting in the middle, I kept my eyes on my shoes.

“Right?” Red said, nudging me with her elbow.

I snapped my attention to her. “What? Sorry.”

She laughed. “Welcome back, then. Tyler and I were talking about the soccer game at the end of the week. You’re gonna play right?”

“Yeah, definitely. I’ve been dying for us to be old enough to join. I play for school.”

“I play basketball,” Tyler offered.

I nodded. “That’s cool.”

He struck up a conversation with Red again, so I sat back and listened. I chimed in with a comment every now and again, but I was oddly nervous around him. I wasn’t sure why.

“Because you like him,” Red teased me later as we tried to fall asleep in bunk beds in the camper we had traveled in to Illinois. “Kansas has a crush!”

I could feel my face heat as I reached down from my bunk to pinch her. We both giggled as she tried to pinch me back, then sat up so she could reach better and tickle my side.

“Girls,” Grandma admonished from the big bed at the back of the camper, “be quiet and go to sleep, please!”

Our giggling lasted through another scolding, and after that, we faded into a deep sleep.

.&.

Only a couple of days passed before I was able to see around my crush enough to be friends with Tyler. We liked the same movies and music, and had the same sense of humor. I was more into reading than he was, and Tyler was better at soccer. I was certainly no basketball star, but he was impressed with my soccer skills and never complained when I missed a shot during youth basketball games.

“You’re spending more time with him than me,” Red sighed while the two of us walked to the shower house, toiletry bags and towels in hand. “Is he your new best friend or something?”

“Never! You’re always gonna be my best friend. Tyler and I are just -- we’re only friends for this week, you know?”

“Sure, sure,” Red replied, sighing again. “I think he’s got a crush on you, too.”

I shook my head. “Nah. He would have said something or acted different. Besides, he’s a boy. They don’t think about that, really.”

Red shrugged. We both had experiences with crushes and giggling over male celebrities, but real boys who actually took the time to talk to us? We were out of our league on that one.

.&.

Thursday night was swim night. Red and I gathered our modest one-piece suits, towels, and a change of dry clothes. We traveled in a big van to the local pool in town, laughing with the rest of the youth, ready to enjoy a night of swimming. Everything was just fine, until we got to the pool.

Red and I shed our coverups, shivered in the pre-pool shower, then ran out for the pool area. I cannonballed in, right behind Red. We came up, laughing once we caught our breaths. We splashed each other till our hair was completely soaked.

“Hey, where’s Tyler?” Red asked.

I shrugged, not having realized yet that I hadn’t seen him since we got off the van. I looked around the pool, waiting to see the opportunity to splash him or tackle him under the water.

He was standing in a group that had yet to get their swimsuits wet, with a girl named Molly and her friend Claire. They were in two-pieces that would have sent our grandmother to an early grave. Besides the bikinis that left little to the imagination, Molly and Claire were both, ahem, more developed than I was.

I swallowed down the disappointment I felt and turned back to Red. “C’mon. Let’s go on the slide.”

She must have known that the hurt I felt was serious, because she called out to me with my real name. “He’s just a stupid boy, right?”

I nodded and we climbed out of the pool together. I ignored Tyler as best I could. Once on the bus, when he sat next to me and tried to talk about the tall slide that started with a near vertical drop, I mumbled out a weak reply.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, just tired, probably.”

And, when we got back to camp, I grabbed Red’s hand and made way for the camper before he could say anything else. I felt so stupid. Never before had an unrequited crush been this disappointing, and I absolutely hated myself for being so upset.

“I forgot my towel!” Red exclaimed, wrenching her hand out of mine. “I’ll meet you at the camper.”

Great. At least it gave me time to cry a little before seeing my grandparents and making up some story about how great the night was.

.&.

The soccer game was the next afternoon. Our team won the four-team tournament, and were allowed first in the ice cream social line as our prize. After a shower and after chapel, Red and I made a full run to the cafeteria, loading our bowls with ice cream and a myriad of toppings. We took a couple of seats at the table where the youth group usually sat, but still in view of where our grandparents usually sat.

Tyler sat next to me, still dressed in chapel clothes himself. Instantly, I felt uncomfortable and like I couldn’t finish my ice cream and get out of there fast enough. He dropped a handful of gummy worms into my bowl.

“Now you can’t leave till you finish. And I know you love gummy worms, Kansas, so don’t even try it.”

I didn’t say anything, just picked a red and orange worm off the top of the pile and stuck it in my mouth. If I was chewing, I didn’t have to be talking.

Tyler sat in silence for a while, too, until almost everyone but the two of us were gone on to the evening’s next activity. He set his elbows on the table.

“I don’t like Molly. Not like that. I don’t like Claire, either. The guys were talking to them, and I was hanging out with the guys. That’s all.”

I wasn’t sure at the time how he knew to address exactly what I had been upset about, but I was sure there was no hiding the smile on my face. “Good to know.”

He nodded. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning. My friend’s family has to get back to Ohio for some family thing. You’ve made this week really fun, you know.”

I tried to rein in the smile. “Thanks. You too.”

“Anyway,” Tyler said, “I made you this today. And that paper, that’s my AIM. Maybe we can chat sometime.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

He smiled at me, and when he was out of sight, I slid the beaded bracelet -- a pattern of orange and blue, my two favorite colors -- onto my wrist. I tucked the small note in my dress, and didn’t take it out till later, when I could tuck it safely into my duffel bag.

[ohprettyweeper-moved]

A Summer Story

Age 28

Pairing: Tyler x Kansas Word Count:  Warnings: None?  Challenge: Kansas’s YouAU Writing Challenge Tags: @takenvysleep @breadbinishigh @svintsandghosts@xtina2191 A/N: I’m still learning things about storm chasing, so if some of this is vague and/or incorrect, forgive me :) Also, I do use my real name in this, but let’s not make a habit of it, eh?

When the thing between Tyler and the Nashville girl faded out, I had already started something with the head of the lab my storm chasing team worked out of. Not that Tyler mentioned anything to me about starting something once he was single again; at that point, I convinced myself that he had been right about the nostalgia part of things and left well enough alone. We were friends, and that was that.

The thing with the lab director lasted a few years, before it fizzled out. Looking back on it now, that relationship was more of a way to fill time than anything. Don’t get me wrong; I loved Ross, but he and I weren’t meant to be.

“Probably because you already know who you’re meant to be with, Kansas,” Red sighed when I mentioned this to her. “You’re both just too stubborn. There was the Nashville girl, then Ross, then Tyler’s other girlfriends. None of them have been serious, and you were never serious about Ross.”

I threw my head back. “Shit, I really wish it would storm. It’s been dry for way too long, and my patience on this subject is drying out, too.”

Red only laughed. She was used to my sass and attitude by now. “Girl, what are we gonna do with you?”

“I don’t even know,” I chuckled. “Have me committed, maybe. Or be prepared to have a room for me in your house when I get old.”

“That’s fine, but I’ll be old, too,” Red reminded me.

We decided to go to lunch after that, and the subject of my friendship with Tyler was put on hold.

.&.

“So listen,” Freddie started the conversation next time she called, a few days after my conversation with Red, “I know this guy that would be perfect for you. I’ve already talked to Red about it, and she agreed that he’s your type.”

“Oh, Freddie. Not that guy from your wedding? You’ve got to tell Brendon to pick better friends.”

Freddie chuckled. “No, Brendon hasn’t even talked to that guy in the few years since the wedding. Anyway, this guy is single, you’re single, and he wants to take you out. He’s already got some elaborate date planned.”

I sighed. “I don’t know, Freds. This is right in the middle of storm season and I can’t really take off out of town right now. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying not right now. Ya know?”

“I get that,” Freddie assured. “But what if he came there? He doesn’t mind, and you guys can figure out the distance part later if it works out, you know? I mean -- okay, he may or may not be aware of your love of sunflowers, and he already found a sunflower field to take you to. I won’t tell you the rest, but he said he’ll meet you there.”

“A sunflower field. You want me to meet some dude I don’t know in a sunflower field and go on a date by ourselves? That doesn’t sound like the beginning of my death at all. Not one bit.”

“Oh my God, dude,” she laughed, “would you stop with the serial killer shit already? I can’t have my kid have an aunt-slash-godmother who thinks everyone is out to kill everyone else.”

“True,” I agreed -- then my eyes grew. “Wait! Your kid?”

Freddie’s grin was ear to ear as she waved Brendon over to the video call. “Yeah. We actually just found out this morning, but I couldn’t wait to tell you.”

I listened intently while Ashley told me what had started her suspecting she was pregnant, and how excited she had been when the test almost immediately showed positive.

“But she still made me wait the three minutes or whatever to make sure it stayed that way before I could get too excited,” Brendon commented. “I just wanna go buy stuff like, right now.”

“Slow down there, turbo,” Freddie teased, kissing his cheek. “So, how about this blind date, dude? You gonna go with it or not?”

I sighed. “All right, fine. You won me over with the baby. Send me the details and I’ll be there -- barring any crazy storms.”

Freddie held up her hands. “Fair enough. I’ll send you the details.”

.&.

The day of my blind date dawned cloudy and grey. I looked out to the horizon and checked the forecast, as well as the radar from the equipment I kept at home. Making a quick decision in the early afternoon, I decided to go into the lab to get more detailed data.

“Just real fast,” I told myself, grabbing my keys and heading out the door. “I’ll be back in plenty of time to get ready and meet this guy.”

Of course, my ‘real fast’ trip to the lab turned into watching the storm progress for several hours. Finally, Ross stuck his head into my cubicle and informed me I’d have to take a team out to the developing storm.

I frowned. “I thought we already had a team out?”

“Nah, they’re heading East to Missouri to monitor a storm there.”

“It’s just that I --”

Ross interrupted. “Kansas -- you live to do this. You’re really gonna pass up a good one?”

I licked my lips. Freddie was going to kill me -- and she told me as much when I called her from the truck as my team and I drove toward the storm system.

“I think it’s going to die out,” I sighed while I waited for her to answer.

“Check out those clouds,” Rabbit, the team member out with me that day, pointed out. “This storm’s not going anywhere I don’t think it’s gonna produce anything rotation-wise, but we’re going to see some good weather out of this.”

“Kansas, hey! Getting ready for your date?” Freddie greeted cheerfully.

I swallowed hard. “Uh, no, actually. Listen, Fred, there was this big storm system and I’ve got to go after it. In my defense though, I did warn you I was right in the middle of storm season.”

“That you did.” She was quiet for a few seconds, then asked, “Wait, where are you? Can you send me a location?”

“Why?”

“I’m sending him to you. Send me the location. I’ll tell you if he’s not coming.”

This was too weird, but I didn’t have the time to argue with her. “All right, I’ll turn on my finder app. Good?”

“Great,” Freddie answered.

Shaking me head, I disconnected the call and focused on the road and the storm. I highly doubted this guy was going to drive out to the middle of a storm for a girl he’d never met before, but if Freddie and her pregnancy brain wanted to believe it was going to happen, I’d give it the opportunity.

.&.

“No rotation, huh, Rabbit?” I teased, pointing to the clouds swirling above us.

Rabbit scoffed, steadying himself against the storm’s winds. “Hey, you thought it was gonna die out -- you don’t get to gloat.”

“Fair enough,” I laughed, climbing back in the van that held all of our radar and data equipment. I frowned at the screen, then looked back out over the nearby wheat field. “Should be a good wall of rain coming at us here soon. See anything across that field?”

Rabbit looked out over the field. “Yeah, I see the rain. Clouds. Lightning. All the good stuff!”

Since it was just the two of us, I grabbed the camera and headed out towards the field. The opportunity for some great shots wasn’t one I wanted to miss. These were my favorite moments, out in the middle of nowhere, watching a storm roll over wheat fields. They didn’t call me Kansas for no reason.

“All right, Rabbit, let’s pack it up and move closer, yeah?” I suggested, winding up wires and tossing them in the back of the van. I closed the doors and tossed Rabbit the keys. He pointed to the car approaching us, pulling to the shoulder.

Rolling my eyes, I told Rabbit to go ahead. “I’ll let them know that we’re fine. They’re probably pulling over to see if we need help. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Rabbit got in the front seat of the van and pulled away, waving out the window. I sighed and walked back toward the car that had pulled over -- then abruptly stopped in my tracks.

“Tyler?”

He jogged to where I was; lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The light and sound were almost right on top of each other. The storm was closing in.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, putting the hood up on my jacket as the rain started to fall, soft and easy. That wasn’t going to last long.

Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “You stood me up. What’s that storm got that I don’t?”

Several seconds passed before I caught his meaning. “You? The sunflower field blind date was you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. We’ve been doing this roundabout since we were twelve years old,” Tyler started. “I screwed it up in LA, but I’m not gonna screw it up anymore. But, I was afraid you’d tell me I was crazy and wouldn’t even give me a chance, so I got Freddie in on it.”

I didn’t know what to say. We’d been back and forth so many times, it seemed, and I couldn’t take another disappointment where Tyler was involved.

“We’ve been caught in the middle for so long,” I yelled over the rain. “Not yes, not no. Whatever was between you and me, it never started, but it never stopped, either. I can’t stay in the middle anymore, Tyler.”

He took the few long strides necessary to be toe to toe with me. He wiped the rain away from face, although there wasn’t really a point. We were both soaked by then.

“I don’t wanna be in the middle anymore, either. I love you, Nicole.”

Maybe it was Tyler’s use of my real name that convinced me he was serious. Maybe what convinced me was when he kissed me, right in the middle of that storm, and it still felt like the first time he had kissed me, almost half a lifetime ago. In the end, I guess the reason didn’t really matter. Pulling away with a smile, I took a deep breath.

“I love you, too, you know?”

Tyler smirked. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

I laughed into the next kiss he planted on my lips. “I love that our story is ending in the middle of a storm -- a storm I’ve got to go chase, by the way.”

“I’ll come with you,” Tyler assured, “and excuse my cheesy line, but our story doesn’t end here. We’ve got a long way to go.”

There was a storm waiting for me, but another kiss from Tyler couldn’t wait.

[beanfic]

“Moving. The key term is moving. I moved across the country and then I moved in with three strangers that I had found off of craigslist. Is this a bad idea? Guess I will just have to find out...”

Coming soon... 

graphic created by the wonderful @takenvysleep!! 

I am super excited to announce a brand new series! This is my entry for Kansas’ YouAU writing challenge! This specific challenge had us authors put OURSELVES into the story so it is not a reader pairing! 

I had a lot of fun with this one (and there are some familiar names involved as well...) so if you would like to be added to the tag list just send me an ask!! I am super excited to start posting and share this series with you guys :)