routines ( joshler )

Chapter 7: Practice?

The day was passing by normally, but the boys couldn't help but notice the glances Debby and Jenna were sending each other. As far as they were aware, the girls had never had a full conversation before. By the time lunch rolled around, it was obvious they had.

Jenna pulled Tyler over to Josh's table, sitting down next to Debby and ushering him across from her, right next next to Josh. The girls smirked at each other, watching the boys shuffle out of nervousness. Josh was internally freaking out, knowing that the two of them sitting there was surely drawing attention to them.

He glanced over at Tyler's usual table, noticing the basketball team whispering and casting looks towards them. Josh hid his head in his hands out of embarrassment. If there was one thing he hated, it was being the center of attention, and anywhere Tyler Joseph went, was filled with it.

"So Debby and I were discussing doing prom pictures together with our dates and we wanted to extend the invitation to you guys as well"

"Debby you have a date?" Josh looked up at his best friend, confused on why he hadn't heard yet.

"He just asked me last night, I wanted to tell you today, I'll give you all the juicy details later, don't worry hun"

Josh offered her a bright smile, clearly excited for his best friend, but then the nerves hit. Without Debby, there was no way he would have a date. Tyler suffered from a similar fate. With Jenna having a date, the pressure was on for him to find someone. Tyler knew who he truly wanted to ask, but he was far too scared of rejection to even think about it. The popular, confident Tyler seemed to crumble in the presence of Josh Dun.

The state of the boys didn't go unnoticed by Jenna and Debby and they sighed. This was going to be harder than either of them thought. The bell rang to signal the end of the lunch period and before they could even speak, Josh and Tyler had both grabbed their bags and bolted.

Josh was seated in class, unable to pay attention with the thoughts running through his mind at a mile a minute. Would he even go to prom now without a date? Debby would be spending time with someone else, and he couldn't bear witness Tyler with another guy.

Tyler was having similar thoughts in his own class. He was doodling in his notebook, trying to distract himself from his destructive thoughts. One of his teammates nudged him and passed him a note when he was sure the teacher wasn't watching. Tyler gave him a questioning look before unfolding the slip of paper.

'So did you ask your lover boy to prom?' the paper read. Tyler sighed, slamming his head down onto his desk. The noise caused everyone to turn towards him, and he let out a whispered apology. It was soon forgotten as everyone returned to their work and Tyler shook his head before writing back.

'He probably has a date in mind'

His friend looked back at him and let out a laugh, crumbling the note and throwing it square at Tyler's forehead.

"Idiot" he mouthed towards Tyler before going back to his work. Tyler sighed, staring down at his worksheet. He knew he should ask Josh before someone else got the chance, but he knew Josh deserved better. He also wasn't sure how to ask. Even though he knew a lot about the boy at this point, he knew nothing romantically.

The bell rang signaling the end of the day, meaning it was the point in the day where Tyler and Josh would meet in the music room. Tyler shuddered, suddenly more anxious than usual to see him. He tried to shake it off, walking straight towards the room. He walked through the doors, used to being the first one in, and made his way straight to the piano in the room.

Tyler brushed his fingers along the keys before he sat down, waiting for inspiration to strike. Maybe he could write Josh a song? Or was that too much? He let his fingers work on their own, playing anything that came to mind. He was lost in the music, and didn't realize when Josh walked through the door, standing there observing him. Tyler wasn't sure what he was playing, but he put his all into it.