Keep Quiet // Josh Dun (completed)

chapter fifteen :: unanswered messages and drunken aunts

I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! ptvraquel (the author of semi-automatic and author of the week this week) and me are writing AU's together! Yes, they are Josh Dun. The one we have published is extremely cute and domestic but it's on the account pr0venance so you could go read that if you'd like because it's sO cute.

Nicole was worried about Josh. They didn't really talk for the days leading up to her departure back to Chicago. Of course they talked a little bit, but Josh's response to everything was "okay" or "mhmm". And everything was over text. Whenever Nicole asked if they could go out, Josh always made up an excuse like "I have to clean the house" or "I'm going out with my family". Of course Nicole believed him but she was still worried.

Josh just wasn't... Josh.

"Oh hey Nicole!" Mrs. Dun said when she opened the front door. Nicole was gonna say bye to Josh. She mentally cringed when she was called Nicole.

"Hey um... Is Josh here?"

"Yeah of course!" She turned away so she was facing the stairway. "Josh! Nicole is here!"

Nicole mentally cringed again.

"Are you gong anywhere for the holidays?" She asked.

"Yeah I'm going back home. That's why I'm here. I wanted to say bye to Josh."

"Where is home?"

"Chicago"

"What is taking that boy so long? Josh!" She called again.

Josh trudged down the steps, ignoring his mom's presences and going straight to Nicole.

"I'll leave you two alone" Mrs. Dun walked off. Josh stepped outside into the snow with Nicole, closing the front door. (don't even say it i stg I will delete every comment)

"I was just leaving so I wanted to say bye" Nicole simply said.

"Yeah" Josh just nodded. Nicole stood on her toes to kiss Josh. Josh put his hands on her side, not putting much effort into the goodbye kiss.

"You okay?" Nicole asked when they parted.

"Yeah" Josh lied.

"I mean, you've barely answered my texts for the past two days. I'm just kinda worried."

"I told you. I've just been kinda busy. I gotta help my family pack because they are leaving today too. They are going upstate but I have to stay here to take care of the cats" Josh said.

"Okay just... Call me if you need anything" Nicole gave Josh a quick peck on the cheek, letting her hand linger on the other. Josh nodded, not even willing to tell her about what could happen while he is all alone with his thoughts while she is gone.

"I'll see you in a few days?" She asked.

"Yeah"

Nicole turned to join her dad back in the car but when she was half wha down the driveway, she realized she forgot something.

"I like you!" She yelled so Josh would hear. Josh didn't say anything back as Nicole left. She got into the passenger seat of her father's car and buckled up, because safety first.

"Everything okay?" Mr. Wyatt asked when he heard his daughter let out an exasperated.

"Yeah... Let's just go"

|-/

"Aunt Evie!" Nicole exclaimed when she finally found her aunt in the big mess of a family at the Christmas party.

"Look at you! You're so tall"

"My boyfriend would argue against that" She gave her favorite aunt a hug, careful not to hit the drink that was balancing in the drunken aunt's hand.

"Boyfriend?," Evie took a sip of whatever was on her cup and set it down. "Dean!" She called her son over. The blonde boy made his way over to his little cousin.

"Aye Nicole!" The tall boy put his arm over her shoulder.

"She has a boyfriend" The aunt pointed out again.

"Oh really? If he breaks your heart, tell me. I'll break his face" the boy put his fist up. He laughed and went back to socialized with the family, something Nicole hardly did.

Aunt Evelyn was what most people would refer to as 'the vodka aunt' but that's not how Nicole saw her. Yeah, she drank a lot but she only became smarter when drunk. But Aunt Evie went back to the family as well, leaving Nicole able to check her phone after almost seven hours of old disco music with her father, who only talked about his jobs as the regional parks director - blah, blah, blah, Nicole could probably do his job for him just by how much he talked about it.

Nicole 💕: I've never been so happy to be out of a car with music

Nicole 💕: my whole family is here and it's crowded af

Nicole 💕: babe save me

Nicole 💕: babbbeeee

Joshy 💖: sorry I'm doing school work. I'll talk to you later.

Nicole 💕: okay. I like you.

Nicole didn't a single response, not even a read to that. She knew something was up.

Her family started handing out Christmas presents; however, the only one that Nicole got was from her cousin. It was just a blanket. His reasoning for it was because it was too cold in Ohio. She set her gift down and went to the bathroom and dialed Tyler's number.

"Hello?" The singer answered.

"Tyler. I-I have a question. Have you talked to Josh lately?" Nicole asked. Tyler was surprised because Nicole barely said a word to him.

"Um... No not at all," he recalled. "He hasn't been answering me."

"He's doing the same to me" there was a knock on the bathroom door "one second!" Nicole said.

"What?" Tyler answered.

"N-Nothing. I just... Do you think he's okay?"

"I mean, yeah. He usually doesn't answer over break anyway" Tyler explained. But he knew that wasn't the reason. He couldn't tell Nicole the real reason because he promised Josh he wouldn't.

"It's like freakin' radio silence I hate it."

"Well I have to go. My family is waiting for me"

"Yeah me too. I'll talk to you later"

|-/

Nicole sat on the back porch, trying her hardest to get in touch was Josh. It was freezing outside and she felt like her fingers were gonna fall off in t minus two seconds but she wouldn't actually be able to enjoy Christmas if she didn't know Josh was okay.

She was staring down at her phone, examining precious texts to see if they say anything about why he's been so quiet. And so far, no luck. She dropped her phone in her lap in defeat. Then she heard the loud squeaking of the screen door.

"Why are you sitting out here in the snow?" asked Aunt Evelyn.

"Thinking"

"Bout what?" the tipsy woman glanced down at Nicole's phone, which was still on. "Boy drama huh?"

"Yeah... I-I guess you could say that"

"Want a drink?" Her aunt held out the water bottle.

"Oh no I'm fine. I'll get my own water when I'm inside"

"Honey you know me well enough to know that what's in here isn't water"

Nicole let out a light laugh.

"You were always my favorite aunt" She said.

All she wanted to do was jump right in the car and drive back home to Josh.

omg thanks for almost 8k