twenty one pilots oneshots

show me the sun // josh dun

Word count: 1,357

The clock on my wall drones on and on ceaselessly through the night, and I lie in bed, still tossing and turning for hours on end, listening intently to the sound of its loud, repetitive ticking. No matter how hard I try, I'm not able to fall asleep. Eyes open wide, I stare up at the ceiling, surrounded by darkness. My brain can't stop to rest for one second.

The dim moonlight shines through the translucent window curtains, barely bright enough for me to read the hands of the clock: 4:15. I sigh and sit up, cracking open a window to let a soft breeze enter the room. Despite my current lack of sleep, I don't feel tired.

Staring out the window of my apartment, I examine the empty street down below and the moon's contrast against the night sky. In the middle of autumn, the night air feels cool against my warm skin. I stand there for a while, leaning against the frame and breathing in fresh air until a quiet ding! emits from my phone. I grab it, noticing 4:28 A.M. on the lock screen and a text from my best friend, Josh Dun.

Josh: you awake?

I type something back.

Me: yeah. can't sleep

Josh: me neither

Me: what are you up to? still at the hotel with tyler?

No reply. Minutes pass by and I decide that he must have fallen asleep, ironically, or he's just simply too tired to have the will to talk to me. I sigh, grabbing a pair of tangled earbuds and plugging them into my phone before playing some songs I have of Josh's band, twenty one pilots. I close my eyes to the beat of the drums pounding against my ears.

Ding!

Josh: get changed

Me: ???

Josh: go get dressed. i'm on my way over

Me: for what?

No reply again. I toss my phone aside, puzzled, but follow as he instructed anyway. I quickly change out of my PJs into a loose T-shirt, tugging on a pair of skinny jeans and an oversized hoodie which belonged to Josh but I have kept for myself with his permission just yesterday. It smells of his cologne, still, and I find comfort in its familiarity.

Not long after I slip into some sneakers, I hear another ding! from my phone and three quick raps on the front door, which I assume are from Josh. His text appears on my screen.

Josh: open the door, dingus. i'm here

I grab everything I need before shuffling out of my bedroom. The front door swings open to reveal Josh Dun standing before me in the lit hallway, a smile plastered across his face and his hands shoved into the pockets of his ripped skinny jeans. His tousled pink hair peeks out from under the black TWENTY ONE PILOTS beanie he's wearing.

"Nice hoodie, (Y/N)."

"Nice beanie, Josh. Where are we going?" I ask, confused, but he just shakes his head.

"Somewhere. I'm driving," he replies vaguely, grinning.

"Are Tyler and Jenna coming?"

"No, they're asleep back at the hotel."

"Are you trying to kidnap me?" I joke, earning a chuckle from him, but he just takes my hand and pulls me away, sending me stumbling forward. I mildly protest with a laugh. "Wait, let me lock the door!"

We make it to Josh's car and as we peel out of the parking lot, I fumble with the car radio until it tunes into the alternative station. The music is almost drowned out, quiet against the sound of tires rolling on asphalt concrete roads as the vehicle roars down the empty highway, taking us who knows where. Josh sits back, relaxed, with one hand on the wheel, and the two of us sit in comfortable silence.

After about twenty minutes or so of driving, I start to notice that we are nearing the coast. The moon is awfully vivid from here and I roll down the window, letting a sudden flow of cold air inside. The salty smell of the ocean is unmistakable. My hair becomes loose, flying in the wind so that a few strands obstruct my face. I glance at Josh before pulling the black beanie off his head.

"Feel the wind," I tell him as he grins, running a hand through his colored hair that's well faded by now, only to make it stick out more rather than smoothing it back in place. I smile, letting the beanie fall to my lap.

Soon Josh parks the car and we remove ourselves from its leather seats, stretching. We start strolling along the boardwalk, making small conversation. The boardwalk is vacant except for a couple of lurking shadows of strangers who are wandering the beach for who-knows-what--probably for the same reason that we are. It is only barely lit by some old, scattered streetlights, but I feel safe just to have Josh by my side.

A shade of purple-blue tinges the cloudless sky now and Josh and I move away from the boardwalk. We remove our sneakers and socks, dangling them in one hand as we make our way down onto the beach, our toes curling as they come in contact with the warm sand. Absentmindedly, I grab for his hand with my free one and our fingers intertwine, the electricity in his flowing through mine. It feels nice. It feels familiar.

We find a spot on the sand, away from the water, and settle down. My head rests on the crook of his neck as we stare out into the ocean, where the dark blue of the ocean merges with the now purple-orange horizon and where the foamy waves lick at the shore, seemingly forgetting that our hands are still laced.

"I missed you so much," I speak up softly after a moment of silence, discovering a rasp in my voice.

"Me too," Josh replies, snuggling closer to me and holding my hand in both of his now.

"It's hard to do stuff like this with you all the time when you're always on tour," I continue with a sigh, "and even when you're 'home', your home is in Ohio. I'm still a good two thousand miles away in California. It's hard to just call you up and say, 'Hey, let's hang at the beach or something.' I miss being able to do that."

The soothing waves crash against and pull away from the shore, again and again and again. Next to me, Josh smiles and plants a small kiss on my temple. I close my eyes.

"I know," he mutters. "But we've made it this far, haven't we? Six years and we're still best friends."

Upon the horizon, the golden sun is half revealed. I turn to Josh, scrutinizing every feature on his face, trying to remember everything about him in this exact moment as if in the next he would be away on tour and would not be coming back, even though I know he would always come back for me. He always does.

Our eyes meet for a second, and I swear my whole world comes suddenly to a halt. His mesmerizing brown eyes capture something even brighter than the sun itself.

Time seems to stand still as Josh leans in, slowly bringing his face closer to mine, and our lips lock. It takes me by surprise, but I don't fight it. Butterflies fill my stomach by the dozens and I smile into the kiss a little after, breaking it. He pulls away, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I exhale. "I think..."

"What?" he asks nervously. I look at him, noticing a ray of light cast upon his face.

"I think we're a little more than best friends," I conclude. His lips curl into that same adorable smile I always loved.

"I think you're right," he chuckles. "I'm fine with that."

I beam at him, and our lips meet for a second time; the kiss is tender and sweet. The sun is almost completely up now, drowning the sky in a beautiful orange color. Josh gently pulls me into his arms and we stay there in each other's comfort, our fingers delicately interlocked. Time appears to be a nonexistent concept now, and in the moment, there is only us.