four walls (breathe out)

chapter fourteen: lover boy

AS JOSH is walking home that evening he feels his phone vibrate in his pants.

Pulling it out, he sees Brendon's number light up the screen.

"Hello?" He answers curiously and it's quiet for a moment before his best friend speaks.

"We've grown apart."

"What?"

"We hardly hang out anymore...I miss you." Josh doesn't say anything for a moment, letting a grin set on his lips.

"Is this your way of asking me to come over?"

"You caught me."

"I'll be there in five."

The walk is shorter than the one to his house and he uses it to try and piece together the whole situation.

The only things he knows are, one: Brendon Dallon and Ryan are somehow all connected.

By what Dallon told him and what Josh found snooping, the other prefix has hurt Brendon in some way and now he refuses to forgive him. But if that's the case then how does Ryan fit in and why in the world was Dallon at Jenna's house the night of the party?

Josh's head starts to hurt.

When he arrives at the Urie residence he lets himself in, something he's been doing since the fifth grade.

Heading straight to Brendon's room he hears the sound of Whitney Houston's voice leaking under the threshold. Dallon must of messed up bad.

"B?" Josh asks as he walks in and Brendon turns the speakers down when he hears him.

"Hey, Josh."

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Brendon tries to act innocent, his eyes obviously red from crying as he sits on his bed.

His walls are covered in more posters than the last time Josh was in here and he realizes that has been neglecting him. He's been so rapped up in his prefix friends and Tyler to even notice him or much attention to his problems.

"You were crying. I can tell." Brendon just sighs, laying back on his bed.

"It's over now anyways, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me." Josh tries to convince as he lays next to him.

"I...When...You know I probably shouldn't. He doesn't want me to tell anyone. I should respect that." Josh guesses that by him he means Dallon and be furrows his brow.

"Has he respected what you want?" Brendon frowns.

"I guess not, no."

"Then fuck it." Only Brendon, no matter how much he likes to joke around and party till he drops, could never just 'fuck it'. He thinks to much, he's to cautious, he values the people around him to the point of doing anything to never lose them.

He kind of reminds Josh of Tyler, but it seems that everything reminds him of the boy nowadays.

"I can't. I'm sorry."

"I understand. Could you at least tell me what I can do to fix it?" Brendon smiles slightly.

"Put on Tarzan. God I love that movie."

Josh does and he spends the rest of the night holding his best friend and making a mental remind to ask Dallon what the frick he's done.

-

"Josh? Josh wake up. Your phone is buzzing!" Brendon throws a pillow at the sleeping boy who groans and grabs his phone blindly.

"Hello?" He answers groggily.

"Hey Joshua! It's Ty, did I wake you?" Josh is instantly awake, his body jolting up and catching Brendon's attention.

"No! No you're good. What's up?" The boy laying a few feet away raises a brow at him questioningly but he holds up a finger and looks away.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to come over today?" He giggles, a full blown giggle that Josh hasn't heard since Monica dumped him last Saturday.

"Sure!" Josh is never this enthusiastic.

"Yay! My moms gonna make a picnic and we're gonna play basketball in the backyard, so nothing formal or anything." The red haired boy smiles at the warm thought.

"Sounds perfect." It's silent for a moment, only the sound of Tyler's breathing until he whispers shyly,

"I like hearing your voice." Josh blushes under the weight of the lame compliment, biting his lip while trying to come up with an appropriate response.

Brendon rolls his eyes.

"Uh, t-thanks Ty, me too. I mean your voice! Not mine. I actually don't like mine much. But yours is nice, you could be a singer if you wanted and uh yeah." Which is true as he has heard him sing and he's brilliant.

Tyler laughs again.

"Thanks. See ya around 1 then?"

"I'll be there." Tyler hangs up and Brendon bursts out laughing.

"Yours is nice, you could be a singer if you wanted and uh, yeah!" He mocks and Josh shoves him before collecting his things. He has an hour and a half to get to Tyler's. "Wait, where you going? I thought we were gonna play Monopoly?"

Josh doesn't look to his best friend as he slides on his hoodie.

"Sorry B, I have to rush home to change. I have lunch plans with Tyler and his family. And plus, Monopoly like, ruins friendships." Brendon sighs and flops back onto the bed.

"Fine. Go see lover boy and leave me to die a lonely death." Josh just rolls his eyes, not evening bothering to comment on the lover boy part.

"Eat more than just pizza today, alright?" He yells over his shoulder as he makes his way outside, waving to Mrs. Urie who sits at the kitchen table.

"No promises!" Then Josh is out the door, racing his way home to change.