twenty one pilots one shots

Why Don't You Love Me Back? (Part II)

Josh didn't see Tyler leave Jenna's house. He was too stunned and confused at Tyler's words to turn around.

His brow furrowed. Tyler completely zoned out. His eyes were as blank as a clean sheet of paper; there wasn't any writing on it, so Josh couldn't discern what Tyler might've been thinking about.

But he couldn't get Tyler's reply out of his head.

It's not that I don't love you, it's that I can't. You wouldn't understand.

How did Tyler end up that way? Believing that he couldn't love someone? What traumas morph his mentalities, entrap his heart in an impenetrable safe?

He finally snapped himself out of it and ran after Tyler, calling his name.

Please, Tyler, turn around and listen to me!

Tyler tried to drown out Josh's constant summons, walking a little faster. But soon, he could hear every individual blade of grass beneath Josh's feet crack. He must be running.

The only place to run to would be the self-same forest where the dreaded curse was bequeathed upon him. The ground once stored his footprints, but it's been years since that fateful day. The imprints of the soles of his feet had long since been erased and replaced hundreds, even thousands of times.

He had no choice but to tread this dreaded ground once again. Only now his footprints would be bigger, sink deeper, heavier. He wasn't the same boy he was that day.

He took off sprinting, breaking through the wall of flora as if he were breaking through a glass window.

The air suddenly grew slightly chilly as he found himself beneath the shade of the trees. He shivered a bit, but kept on running.

He chuckled slightly to himself. He was in this exact same place over a decade and a half ago, and here we was again, still running. It's funny how life repeats itself sometimes.

But 16 years later, the curse had done its damage to Tyler. He didn't have nearly as much dexterity or speed as he did when he was ten. But Josh was a ways away, so neither of those factors had any real significance at the moment.

He didn't realize how clearly he remembered the forest until he found himself in it again. He recognized the tree that that one girl struck with a rock projected from her slingshot. The detritus still remained, the scars still visible.

He turned left at that same tree, risking a glance over his shoulder. Josh was gaining on him. He looked forward again and called up the last of his energy to propel him further.

Josh noticed that Tyler knew his way around this forest. He was moving very swiftly and expertly, every step and turn calculated precisely in a fraction of a second.

Josh, however, might as well be running into darkness. This forest was completely foreign to him, and his only guide was trying to run away from him. If he loses track of Tyler, he could be stuck here for a while.

He can't run from love, the cotton candy-haired boy thought. He just can't. Why is he trying so hard to?

He continued to follow Tyler, desperate to get to know why he can't love him back. He needed a legitimate reason. Not half-hearted ones.

Josh willed his legs to make him run faster. He couldn't afford to lose Tyler in these dark woods.

"Tyler!" Josh yelled, just over the crack of breaking branches.

Tyler found the small bluff where he had taken refuge the last time he was there, and took the opportunity. While Josh wasn't as easily duped as 10-year-old girls, it was worth a shot.