Humannequin (twenty one pilots-RUBY)

6.Teen Idle/Shampain

October 2015

"Tyler, could you blow up this balloon for me please?"

"Uh sure, kid."

It was Madison's birthday party and the house was full of kids running around and screaming...or whatever 7-year-olds liked to do. Tyler couldn't really stand kids other than his little sister. Josh was more neutral, but the hoard of primary-schoolers made him rather uncomfortable too. The only reason he was there was Madison, who had personally invited him and informed him about 'how much fun we're going to have, Josh!' and, of course, Tyler.

Handing the now-blown up balloon back to Madison, Tyler sighed. "Why don't you bring Josh some cake, Mad?"

The cake in question was of course no other than the spectacular Big Hero 6-themed birthday cake Tyler had spotted on the Melapples window back in August.

When he later told his mother about the order, he was really scared he had done something wrong due to her startled expression. Couldn't they afford the cake? Had she had some fight with Mrs. Margaret? Oh no, his mother always liked to bake their birthday cakes herself, that must be it, oh no...

[how could you have forgotten, you idiot?
and then you expect her to ever be proud of this poor excuse for a son]

"I'm sorry, mum, I thought...you know how much she loves that movie, we couldn't get her to stop singing that Fall Out Boy song for-"

His mother burst into tears and ran to Tyler, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you, Tyler."

"No, that's okay," Josh politely refused. "I don't really like birthday cake." And Madison left without another word.

[doesn't he like any birthday cake or this particular one?]

______________________________________________________
"Why are we here again?" Tyler wondered out loud. "There's too much noise, we could be quietly reading somewhere."

"Well, number one: We're here for Mad," Josh countered. "And number two, you can't always get what you want. So you just have to look on the bright side of whatever situation you have to handle."

"Well, I'm not really used to seeing the bright side of things."

"Me neither, to be honest, but I think that some days you just really need it, you know."

Tyler wondered if Josh were right. "What if things are too dark to find a bright side?"

"Well, as a flawed –but wise nonetheless – old wizard once said: 'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light'," Josh said. "And I happen to be very much in agreement with that statement."

"And what does 'turning on the light' involve exactly?"

"Love. Friendship..."

"But these things don't...last."

Josh shook his head."They never will if you don't believe they will."

"The best part of believe is the 'lie'," Tyler mumbled. 

"Stop quoting songs and listen to me," Josh smiled.

"Well, 'quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit' but okay," Tyler smiled too. "But just this last one. As a troubled –but also wise nonetheless – alleged murderer once said: 'Humans are like glass. We break and don't get fixed.' Why even try?"