Work Text:
Tyler loved to dance—in his car, in line at Starbucks—it didn’t matter if there was music—Tyler always had something stuck in his head. In public he held back a little, but at home in his apartment he could truly unwind. He had been living in the same housing complex for a few weeks now. Most of the tenants were older, so he wasn’t too concerned about anyone paying too much attention to the frequent dancing he was so fond of doing with the curtains open. The floor to ceiling windows overlooked a small courtyard with another building of apartments on the other side. Tyler figured no one ever saw him, and if they did they’d never say anything. As far as he knew, everyone in the complex was well over the age of forty and had no interest in talking to him.
Sunday afternoons Tyler went to the laundromat around the corner, always bringing his phone to keep him busy. He was sitting on the floor against the dryer with his clothes in it, remembering the last time he left to go get a soda when someone nabbed his favorite floral shirt. He was listening to music when he felt a gentle two-fingered tap on his shoulder. He shifted his gaze upwards and pulled out his headphones to meet a friendly pair of brown eyes, a head of bright red hair, and a smile.
“Nice moves,” the stranger said, smile morphing into a smirk. Tyler raised his eyebrows at him in question, still not saying anything.
“I live across the courtyard from you. Moved in a few weeks ago. You sure like to dance, huh? My laundry is in the machine next to yours, mind if I sit?” Before the words were even out of his mouth he had already sunk to the floor next to Tyler.
Tyler blushed furiously, realizing that this guy had witnessed all of his ridiculous dance moves.
“Yeah, I guess,” Tyler replied, shrugging. “Dancing is a good way to unwind after a day of dealing with customers in retail. I think I’d lose it if I didn’t have some kind of outlet."
“Amen to that,” the stranger said easily. “I work at the Starbucks around the corner near the train station. Working the morning shifts are the worst. My name’s Josh, by the way,” he smiled at Tyler, offering him his hand, which Tyler shook halfheartedly. He was still pretty embarrassed that Josh had seen him dancing, not only because of his dance moves (if they could even be called that) but because he had recently taken to dancing in nothing but his boxers and a long floral robe from Forever 21. Tyler tried to quiet his racing thoughts by telling himself that if Josh thought he was weird he wouldn’t be wasting his time talking to him right now.
The buzzer on the machine with Josh’s laundry went off and he stood up, throwing his clothes haphazardly into a mesh bag. Josh looked back at Tyler and smiled, waving goodbye.
“I’m Tyler. I forgot to say before,” he felt himself tripping on his words, which may or may not have had something to do with the fact that Josh was incredibly good looking and Tyler was still really embarrassed.
As if he could read Tyler’s mind he spoke again. “Don’t worry, dude. You looked good. And I dig that robe.” He winked at Tyler and walked outside, the bell on the door jingling faintly in the wake of his absence.
-
The next day, Tyler came home from work in the worst of moods. One of the customers at the store had gotten extremely huffy because their coupon wasn’t scanning and he had to call a manager and of course the customer blamed how long everything was taking on Tyler. They had thrown a few choice words his way, and despite knowing it wasn’t his fault he tended to take everything people said to him to heart.
He threw his bag on the chair by the door and began walking towards his bedroom, shucking his work uniform off on the way, not caring where he threw anything. He walked over to his stereo and turned it on, plugging his phone into the adapter and hitting shuffle on a random playlist. Tyler looked out the window and noticed a small light on across the courtyard, wondering if that was where Josh lived. He closed his eyes and started dancing, tuning out everything around him. As he felt himself begin to unwind, he opened his eyes and noticed someone moving in the apartment across the way.
Tyler squinted, trying to get a better look at the person in the apartment opposite his. As he neared the window, the other person sat down on their couch and Tyler saw an unmistakable head of red hair. Tyler wasn’t well versed in dating and had no idea how to gauge someone’s interest, but Josh said he liked Tyler’s moves and that he looked good so he figured he had little to lose. At worst he’d maybe see Josh at the laundromat again, so he began dancing a little slower, running his hands over his body, clearly putting on a show for Josh. Maybe if he acted like a tease long enough Josh would say something. For the rest of the week, Tyler danced in front of his window any time he noticed the light in Josh’s apartment on. A week later, Tyler was cooking dinner and dancing in his kitchen when he heard a knock at his door. He really didn’t know anyone in this neighborhood, so he was a bit curious. He pressed his face against the door, peering through the peephole.
“Tyler?” Josh was standing outside Tyler’s door, shifting from one foot to the other, running a hand through his hair. “It’s Josh. From the laundromat.”
Tyler stepped back and slowly opened the door.
“Hey,” Tyler said in a voice that he hoped sounded nonchalant. No big deal, just the hottest guy Tyler had seen in years standing on his doorstep looking like a fucking Greek god or something.
“What’s up?” Tyler cursed his inability to make conversation and chewed on his lower lip, a nervous habit he’d never been able to shake.
Luckily, Josh was willing to pick up where he left off. “I was bored and wanted to stop by and say hey. I still don’t really know anyone around here. Aside from the people at Starbucks the only real conversation I’ve had since I moved here a month ago was with you.”
“I moved here recently too, must’ve been just before you did. I really don’t know anyone here either,” Tyler said, leaning against the doorframe. “Do you want to come in or something? I just made dinner—fish tacos—there’s enough here if you wanna hang out or something.” Or something. Smooth, Joseph.
Tyler’s eyes had drifted down to Josh’s lips and he wondered how they would feel against his own. Come on, Tyler’s brain supplied, has it really been that long that you’re fantasizing about the first guy you’ve met since moving here?
Josh spoke again, pulling Tyler out of his momentary reverie. “Yeah, I’d love that actually,” his smile was warm and sincere as he stepped over the threshold and made his way to the couch, sitting down and placing his hands on his knees awkwardly. Tyler made his way back to the kitchen to grab two plates and some napkins and motioned for Josh to join him at the kitchen table.
“Do you want anything to drink? I’ve got uh, Baja Blast and water,” he smiled sheepishly.
“Dude, Baja Blast? We are so going to be best friends.”
-
Weeks passed and Tyler and Josh got together more frequently. Now that they had each other’s phone numbers Tyler didn’t have to wonder if or when Josh would come by knocking.
Tyler had been dancing in his living room and was just headed to bed when he heard his phone vibrating loudly on the kitchen counter.
From: Josh
you look way too good in that robe
11:45 pm Apr 11
Tyler’s face flushed red as he scrambled to reply, hoping his intuition was right for once and that all of this back and forth for the last few weeks meant that Josh was actually interested in him. He didn’t even know for certain if Josh was into dudes.
Tyler:
you look way too good all the time
11:46 pm Apr 11
He bit his lip and closed his eyes after hitting send and promptly shoved his face into a pillow, waiting for Josh’s reply. Not even a minute later he felt his phone buzz again, but he was too nervous to look at it right away. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes, squinting as if it would somehow make this entire experience less nerve-wracking.
From: Josh
you are too cute
11:46 pm Apr 11
From: Tyler
quit making me blush
11:47 pm Apr 11
From: Josh
not a chance, tyler joseph
11:48 pm Apr 11
From: Tyler
i’ll get you back somehow
11:48 pm Apr 11
“I am so bad at this,” Tyler told his ceiling. He looked at the time and realized he really ought to get some sleep otherwise work tomorrow would be even more miserable than usual.
From: Tyler
early shift tomorrow :( to be continued?
11:49 pm Apr 11
From: Josh
absolutely.
11:50 pm Apr 11
From: Tyler
good night josh
11:51 pm Apr 11
From: Josh
good night tyler, sleep well <3
11:52 pm Apr 11
Tyler was so totally screwed.
-
Tyler was unsure of where things stood the next day, and not being the one to make the first move in any situation, he waited not-so-patiently for another text from Josh. He had definitely not been overthinking the heart Josh tacked on to his last text to him. Tyler was just beginning to think Josh lost interest when he got another text a few days later.
From: Josh
how do you feel about aliens
12:30 pm Apr 13
Leave it to Josh to send something fucking cryptic instead of a simple hello. Tyler was beginning to realize this was a theme—Josh texting him things out of the blue with no context. Almost everyone hated how much Tyler loved puns but he could rarely contain himself whenever the opportunity presented itself.
From: Tyler
they’re out of this world
12:35 pm Apr 13
He followed his text with a few alien emojis for good measure.
From: Josh
your jokes suck you know that right
12:40 pm Apr 13
From: Tyler
joshua dun how could you
12:42 pm Apr 13
From: Josh
i’m just kidding, i actually did laugh. anyhow, do you like the x files?
12:45 pm Apr 13
From: Tyler
never seen it, always meant to watch it though
12:46 pm Apr 13
From: Josh
wanna come over and watch w/ me tonight? i’m starting a rewatch. also i have baja blast
12:50 pm Apr 13
From: Tyler
i’m in.
12:51 pm Apr 13
-
Josh had spent the rest of his day off panicking about getting everything right. Even though it wasn’t officially a date, he kind of felt like it was one. He pulled out his favorite black skinny jeans and a floral button up, and even touched up his red hair. He hoped it didn’t seem like he was trying too hard. After spending ten minutes in the mirror tugging on his shirt and checking that he didn’t have anything in between his teeth he heard a knock at the door.
Tyler greeted him with an ear-to-ear grin and held up a bag of microwaveable popcorn and a bottle of soda. “I come bearing sustenance.”
Josh laughed and told Tyler to have a seat on the couch while he put the popcorn in the microwave and grabbed two glasses for the soda.
“You can hit play, I already have the first episode queued up,” Josh said from across the room.
By the time the theme song was playing, Josh had come back with their snacks and drinks.
“It can be really cheesy at times, but I promise it’s good,” Josh said earnestly. It only took the pilot before Tyler was hooked. When the credits rolled, Tyler asked if it was okay to watch another episode.
Thanks to Netflix auto playing the next episode and the remote now being out of arm’s reach it was one o’clock in the morning and they were five episodes into the first season.
“You can sleep over if you want,” Josh said timidly.
“You sure? I don’t have work tomorrow, so…” Tyler trailed off, yawning and scooting closer to where Josh was sitting. The tension in the air was so thick he felt like he could cut it with a knife. Tyler liked to think that at this point they were close enough that it wouldn’t be weird if he rested his head on Josh’s shoulder, so he did.
“By all means, make yourself comfortable,” Josh said, chuckling and blushing as he felt Tyler smile against his shoulder. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the couch and draped it over Tyler.
“Don’t watch any more if I fall asleep. I don’t wanna miss anything,” Tyler mumbled.
“Sure thing,” Josh replied casually. Ten minutes later Tyler was snoring softly and drooling on Josh’s shirt.
Josh paused the episode and shut off the TV, looking down at Tyler who was fast asleep.
“I just might fall in love with you,” he whispered.
-
Josh and Tyler were practically living in each other’s apartments by June. It had been weeks since they started watching The X-Files and it had become an unspoken routine to marathon the show and have sleepovers at each other’s apartments every weekend. They were at Tyler’s one night, well into the fourth season with no intention of sleeping anytime soon when Tyler grabbed the remote and hit pause before the next episode started.
“Josh, would you… maybe wanna move in with me? You know, it’d be more cost-effective. We’re always hanging out anyhow. And we could watch The X-Files every night and take turns cooking real meals so we don’t eat ourselves to death on Taco Bell…” Josh leaned over and turned Tyler to face him and kissed him square on the lips. Tyler felt a blush creeping up his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning red, and looked away shyly.
“Sorry, I’ve uh, wanted to do that for a while. Months, really.” Josh raked a hand through his crimson hair nervously. “And to answer your question, yes. Also I kind of want to… take you on a real date…” Josh realized what he said and quickly added, “not that I thought these were dates, I just…” Tyler shut him up with another kiss, and another, and another. Tyler pulled back, pressing his nose against Josh’s, eyes crinkling at the corners along with his smile.
“I think I could fall in love with you too.”
“You’re very good at pretending to sleep,” Josh said, feeling his face heat up with the realization that Tyler had heard him all those weeks ago.
“Maybe so, but I like the things you say to me when you think I’m not listening.”
-
From: Tyler
can i ask you something
9:12 pm Jun 12
From: Josh
of course
9:14 pm Jun 12
From: Tyler
do you wanna be my boyfriend
9:15 pm Jun 12
From: Josh
are you really asking me over text
9:16 pm Jun 12
From: Tyler
you know i’m too chicken to do it in person but yes i am asking you over text
9:16 pm Jun 12
From: Josh
yes. also come over tonight
9:17 pm Jun 12
From: Tyler
what do you have planned
9:18 pm Jun 12
From: Josh
nothing special. i just wanna see my boyfriend if that sounds alright
9:22 pm Jun 12
Tyler decided it was more than alright.
-
A month later, Josh’s lease was up and he had moved all his stuff into Tyler’s apartment. The only thing that changed aside from the addition of Josh’s belongings was Tyler getting rid of his twin-sized bed and trading it for a queen. He and Josh bought it at Ikea and spent the better part of a day struggling to put it together. After two large Baja Blasts, four Quesaritos, a lot of sweat, and some tears from a nasty stubbed toe, they collapsed on their new bed.
“Can’t believe I get to fall asleep next to you every night,” Josh said dreamily.
“Can’t believe you’d want to,” Tyler deadpanned.
“Shut up.”
Tyler laughed, buried his face in the crook of Josh’s neck, and fell asleep.
-
Josh was lying on the couch watching Breaking Bad when Tyler came home from work looking like hell.
“Bad day?” Josh raised his eyebrows in concern.
“Worst day,” Tyler muttered. “Got yelled at by the new manager. He’s so terrible, Josh, I need to find a new job soon.” He slumped down next to his boyfriend on the couch and buried his face into Josh’s shirt.
Josh stroked his hair reassuringly, moving his hand down to Tyler’s back where he rubbed his hand in slow, soothing circles. “Hey, Tyler. Look at me, okay?” Tyler shook his head and Josh felt his shirt grow damp where Tyler was pressed against it.
“Shhh, it’ll be alright. I’m gonna go grab take out and I’ll be right back and we can watch The X-Files and tomorrow I’ll help you look for another job.” He kissed the top of Tyler’s head and got a blanket and some pillows for him and sat down to lace up his boots.
“Text me if you need anything, okay?”
Tyler gave him a small nod and let his head fall face first into a pillow.
-
Josh realized halfway through his pad thai that he and Tyler were already up to the episode where Scully and Mulder have their first real kiss. Tyler was currently curled up against Josh, eyes glued to the TV as he watched. Tyler may have cried a little, but if Josh noticed he didn’t say anything.
-
Later that night Josh was on the verge of sleep when his phone buzzed. Tyler would sometimes text him even when they were in the same room when he couldn’t find the courage to say something out loud.
From: Tyler
josh?
11:30 pm Jul 14
From: Josh
what’s up
11:30 pm Jul 14
From: Tyler
do you ever think about… god i can’t believe i’m really asking this. do you ever think about sex. like, specifically us having it
11:31 pm Jul 14
From: Josh
yes i do
11:31 pm Jul 14
From: Tyler
do you want to? like. not tonight. but soon
11:31 pm Jul 14
From: Josh
yes i do. so much.
11:32 pm Jul 14
Josh rolled over and pressed his body against Tyler’s back and kissed his neck, his mind thinking the words he couldn’t say out loud yet.
I am so in love with you.
-
A week passed and neither of them had brought up the topic again. Admittedly, it was kind of hard to without it feeling awkward. Also, Tyler was extremely anxious about fucking everything up somehow.
Josh and Tyler were kissing lazily on the couch one night when Tyler moved his hand down and palmed Josh’s crotch, hoping he’d get the hint.
“Do you wanna?” Tyler couldn’t even finish the sentence, but he figured it got the message across.
Josh gulped and nodded. Somehow it helped Tyler knowing he wasn’t the only one who was nervous about this. “I uh, bought stuff the other day,” Josh said timidly.
“Me too. I guess at least now we have enough to last us a while. Or not, depending,” Tyler laughed nervously.
It took a while for them to make it down the hallway to the bedroom because they couldn’t stop kissing each other. They were halfway there when Josh pinned Tyler to the wall, running his hands up and down his sides underneath his shirt.
“You’re so beautiful,” he punctuated each word with a kiss and then grabbed Tyler by the hand and dragged him down the remainder of the hallway and into the bedroom.
“So,” Tyler said flatly.
Josh looked at Tyler nervously and cleared his throat. “I really, really want this to be good for you. I’ve, uh, never done this before. I came close a few times but none of those people mattered. You do.”
Tyler squeezed his eyes shut as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. He would not cry before they’d even had sex.
“I love you,” Tyler said softly. “So, so much.”
“I think I could stand to hear that again.”
“I love you,” Tyler said, this time with levity, but still just as sincere. His smile was all the reassurance Josh needed to finally say it back.
“I love you too, Tyler Joseph. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.” Tyler was beaming. Most of the nervousness had subsided, though the awkwardness was still there.
“So, uh, did you want to be on the bottom or top,” Josh said, looking at the floor.
Tyler tilted Josh’s chin upward and kissed him, then replied, “Bottom. I want you… inside me,” he laughed, burying his face into Josh’s shoulder.
“I feel silly saying that because it sounds ridiculous, but I do. Want that, I mean.”
Josh toyed with the hem of Tyler’s shirt, asking permission with his eyes. Tyler nodded and Josh pulled it over his head and threw it on the floor.
They slowly undressed each other, pausing for kisses and murmuring admirations to each other along the way.
Josh hadn’t realized he stopped breathing until Tyler broke the silence.
“Everything okay?” Tyler rubbed Josh’s shoulder reassuringly.
“Everything is great. Perfect. God, you’re beautiful Tyler.”
Once they were on the bed, all of the awkwardness had faded away. This was familiar territory—where they slept every night. Where they had rested next to each other in various states of undress and held each other close.
Josh peppered kisses over Tyler’s neck, chest, abdomen, lower and lower until he stopped, peering up at Tyler from where he was currently sitting on the bed, his mouth hovering over Tyler’s dick.
“Can I?” Tyler couldn’t believe Josh was asking permission.
“Are you sure you want to?”
Josh responded by wrapping his lips around the head of Tyler’s cock, licking and sucking tentatively at first, and then taking more into his mouth. Josh took Tyler’s moans as incentive to continue and ran his tongue slowly down the length of it.
“Josh, fuck,” Tyler gasped. Josh hardly ever heard Tyler swear and knowing he could elicit such a thing from him only encouraged him further.
Josh pulled off of Tyler’s dick with a pop only for a moment to tell him it was okay to pull his hair if he wanted. He went back to sucking Tyler off, humming and teasing him to the edge and then stopping. Tyler whined impatiently. “Josh, please, need you inside me,” Josh crawled up the bed to kiss Tyler, stopping briefly to take in how he looked—skin flushed and chest heaving with heavy breaths. “Please,” Tyler whispered.
“You ask so politely, baby boy. But patience is a virtue you clearly have not mastered.”
“Yeah, well next time when I suck your dick and you’re begging for me to fuck you I’ll take my sweet time,” Tyler huffed.
Josh laughed, noting that Tyler said ‘when’ and not ‘if’ and smiled before rolling over to the bedside table to grab a condom and lube. Josh put the condom on as quickly and carefully as possible, but he could tell his boyfriend was growing impatient. Tyler crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.
“You’ve been good. So good, Tyler,” Josh said, pressing a few gentle kisses to Tyler’s stomach. “So pretty,” Josh whispered against his skin.
Josh worked his way back down the bed and told Tyler to roll over. “But I want to see you,” Tyler whined.
“You will,” Josh said, “I just want to do something to make you feel good.” He pressed a quick kiss to Tyler’s forehead, which seemed to appease him enough and he rolled over, hissing as his over sensitized cock made contact with the bed sheets.
Josh knelt between Tyler’s legs and stilled for a moment. He had only had this done to him once, but if it felt as good for Tyler as it did for him, it would make everything else a lot easier. Josh knew to some degree there would be pain on Tyler’s end, so he wanted to make sure he did everything possible to make his partner feel good.
“Josh, oh my god, Josh,” Tyler gasped as he felt a tongue teasing his hole. “Oh my god, Josh,” Tyler continued to moan as Josh continued, an endless litany of ‘Oh’ and ‘God’ and ‘Josh, please’. Tyler’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the sheets when Josh finally worked his tongue inside him, licking deeper and deeper until Tyler was writhing and begging. “More, more, Josh I need more,” he panted, “need your fingers in me, please.” Tyler was shaking from how badly he wanted it. Josh was more than happy to oblige, coating his fingers with lube and pressing his index finger at Tyler’s already spit-slick hole. “Tell me if anything hurts, okay?” Tyler gave a curt nod in response.
Tyler was able to take a second finger almost instantly, but Josh waited a while, scissoring his fingers and telling Tyler to be patient despite his protests. “It’ll hurt if I go too fast,” Josh said, pressing a kiss to Tyler’s thigh. “Okay?” Tyler hummed in reply as Josh added a third finger, his hum quickly turning into a moan. After a few minutes, Josh crooked his fingers and Tyler keened, begging for Josh to fuck him.
“Roll over,” Josh said gently. He uncapped the lube once more, coating himself and lined himself up with Tyler, pressing the tip against his opening but stopping to wait for Tyler’s approval to continue.
“Fuck,” Tyler choked out. “Please do something, Josh, I can’t wait any longer.”
Josh thrust forward slowly, waiting for Tyler to adjust to the new sensation before continuing. Tyler hissed, but nodded for Josh to continue.
“Go slow, okay?” Josh ran his fingertips up and down Tyler’s arms soothingly, reassuring him that everything was going to be alright as he slowly thrust himself further inside. Josh had always thought about sex in such a clinical way, but when faced with the actual act he understood why people talked about it the way they did. He felt so incredibly close to Tyler. Caught up in his momentary daydream, he missed Tyler finally telling him it was okay to keep going.
“Josh? It’s okay now, you can move,” Tyler said, nodding to give his boyfriend extra reassurance. Josh bit his lip and began to thrust in earnest, finally hitting Tyler’s prostate, drawing another moan from him.
“Touch yourself for me, baby boy,” Josh instructed, “I wanna see you come all over your stomach while i’m still inside you.”
“Josh, I’m… too close, gonna,” Tyler’s breaths become more and more labored, and Josh could tell he was about to come.
“Okay, sweetheart. Come for me,” Josh coaxed, continuing to thrust as he neared his own orgasm. “So beautiful,” Josh said, leaning forward to press his lips against his partner’s.
Josh followed shortly after Tyler, who was lying still, chest heaving and covered in come.
“This is kinda gross,” Tyler said, wrinkling his nose. Josh chuckled, reaching over onto the bedside table, procuring a wet wash cloth.
“And you tell me I never think ahead,” he said, gently cleaning Tyler’s chest and hand off. Tyler really didn’t know how he got to be so lucky.
“So was it good?” Josh asked, resting his head on Tyler’s chest.
“Something approaching heavenly,” Tyler said absentmindedly.
“You make us sound like a movie,” Josh chuckled. Tyler threaded his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair and smiled.
“Maybe someday they’ll make one about us.”
-
In September Josh got a manager position at a Starbucks in Columbus. Tyler started looking for jobs so that they could move together. Athens was a little over an hour away, but after months living together Tyler couldn’t fathom being that far away from Josh for any extended period of time.
It seemed luck was on his side, because a few days later he got a call back from a music store that said his application looked great and that they’d be happy to hire him. Everything felt like it was too good to be true.
A week later they had gotten almost everything into boxes except their bedroom. Josh was helping Tyler pack his clothes when he pulled a floral robe out of Tyler’s closet.
“Well this is a sight for sore eyes,” Josh mused. “I think when I saw you dancing in this all those months ago was how it all began.”
“We’ll have to write a letter to Forever 21—‘thanks for helping me meet the love of my life’,” Tyler snorted.
“Don’t give them all the credit. Let’s be real, it was mostly you and your irresistible dance moves,” Josh teased.
Tyler tossed his sneaker at Josh and laughed. He grabbed Josh by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a fierce kiss as they fell onto the bare mattress, down, down, down.