keep it up ↠ joshler ✔

17

:::

tyler subconsciously tapped the counter top with his fingertips as he sank deeper in thought, his other hand holding his ukulele. his brain was surging with lyrics, all screaming out and begging for him to put into the song.

after all, writing a new song was the only thing he could think of doing. after his cigarette failed to work again and josh left all but a few hours ago, he needed something to calm himself down.

something to get his mind off stupid josh.

naturally, after crying and dragging himself around the apartment in frustration, his eyes caught the glimmer of something silver under a pile of clothes. it turned out to be one of the metal tuners, and with a trembling hand, tyler made his way over to it and picked it up.

as he sat on the counter, his legs swinging and banging against the cabinets below, the tune came easy to him at first. he croaked out lyrics with a broken voice, but a voice nonetheless.

"nobody thinks what i think,, nobody dreams when they blink..."

his fingers strummed the instrument randomly, yet it created a soothing, unique sound anyhow. tyler just sang and along with the beat of whatever his hands decided to play, words coming to him naturally.

his eyes were puffy with previous tears and more which he expected to come soon, his hands were still twitchy and shaky, and he couldn't stop fidgeting. it didn't stop him, though, as he was determined to finish writing the song.

"t-think things on the brink of... "

he stopped for a moment to look up, the ugly yellow light bulb in the ceiling light slightly burning his eyes as he tried to come up with the best word.

"the brink of blasphemy-"

"hello, tyler."

tyler froze, knowing well who was to be sitting on the counter across from him.

"go away."

"why? i only did just get here, after all." blurry smirked. "well, i've always been here, but now you can see me."

"i said go away. go back inside my brain, or better yet, just never come back. please." tyler spoke, his voice raspy and barely audible. he still didn't turn to look at the other him yet.

"nah. i think i'll stay for a bit, maybe even help you with that song of yours. it seems to be coming along just swell."

tyler rolled his eyes at the ground.

"c'mon, ty, you could at least look at me."

tyler didn't move.

"tyler,"

this time, tyler moved, but only to look up. it wasn't blurry, but another person beside him now. josh.

but not his josh, fake josh. the one with the tanned skin and lively eyes.

"leave me alone..." tyler mumbled, looking down at the ground again.

blurryface hopped off the counter, his vans making a small tap as they hit the ground. "tyler, my good friend here, what do you call him again?"

"who?"

"you know, not- josh."

"the judge."

"ah, that's right. well, my good friend the judge here and i were just talking about you. good job, you pushed josh away, just like you should have months ago!"

something in tyler's chest shattered after hearing the words out loud. "then... then why are you still here? you did your jobs- now go away."

"that's the problem. you're not over josh yet. sure, you pushed him away, but he's still there, isn't he?" the judge questioned.