Øverturning the lies (a twenty one pilots fanfiction)

~Jøsh~

Josh closes his eyes, trying to pretend he's anywhere but here.

But he doesn't know what to say or do or act...

Just feels powerless.

"Stop acting like you understand!" Tyler says.

He speaks quietly, as usual, but his words seem to cut into Josh's heart, right as easily as if they'd been knives.

"I-" Josh doesn't know what to say. "Ty-Tyler, I do underst-"

"No you don't!"

Josh looks at his best fren right in his eyes and sees hurt buried there.

Josh moves towards Tyler, hoping that his fren will let him help.

Because he wants to help.

"No," Tyler says. "Josh, please, if you care about me at all, just...just leave me alone, okay?"

"I can't," Josh says.

It's the truth, it really is.

"Fine, then," Tyler says angrily.

He plops down on the ground and pulls his jacket tighter around him.

"Tyler..." Josh says again, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Tyler sighs. "Nothing. Everything. I don't know."

He buries his face in his hands and Josh is pretty sure he's crying.

"You don't understand anything," he mumbles.

"I-I do! At least, I want to..." Josh trails off.

Tyler shakes his head.

"You don't."

"But-"

"I'm not supposed to even be here. And maybe-maybe-"

"Stop! Just, please, don't talk like that...please-"

"Maybe I don't want to be."

~~~

"Stop," Josh says, shaking his head. "No, no..."

Tyler just looks at him, then says, so quietly, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Josh asks.

"Everything..." Tyler says, rubbing his scars just so, and Josh notices. "I just-I just have to say that to someone, alright?"

"It's not your fau-" Josh tries to say, but Tyler just shakes his head.

"You can try to convince me all day that it isn't, and I'll still feel like it is," he says. "I'm the one who-who did this. No one else."

"B-but, it's-he convinced you to," Josh says.

Tyler sighs. "Yes, well-don't you get it? He's part of me. That's-that's why I've been dreaming-well-"

He falls silent and Josh doesn't press him.

"It's okay," Josh says after a moment, not knowing what else to say.

"No, it's not okay, can't you see that?" Tyler asks angrily. "Nothing is. And I doubt it ever will be!"

"I'm sorry," Josh says, "I-"

"It's not your fault," Tyler says quickly.

"It's not yours either," Josh says.

"Well, I have to blame someone, don't I? For this whole mess?" Tyler asks.