Warnings: None

Word Count: 2610

Authors' Note: We hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

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January 2018 - The Hiatus

It was a cold winter morning and Josh had woken you up early to take you and your new dog, Jim, on a surprise trip. This was entirely new to you, since in the few months that the two of you had been dating, you hadn't had a public outing once. Not that either of you were ashamed of what you were doing, but for the sake of keeping your private lives just that... private. Not even Tyler and Jenna knew yet, as you and Josh just secretly enjoyed your time together. After making sure that you were in comfortable and warm clothing, per Josh's request, all three of you piled up into his car and made your way to your destination. After various times of being asked by you to tell where you were going, Josh still didn't budge... so you decided to keep yourself busy by turning in your seat to face a very happy Jim. His face was right near yours and ready to cover it in kisses, which you narrowly avoided while laughing.

A half hour had passed and you finally made it to the surprise location: Hocking Hills State Park. Josh looked over to you with a big grin and turned off the car once he parked, taking off his seatbelt.

"I thought that it would be a fun idea to go on a hike together."

You quirked an eyebrow. "In the freezing cold?"

"That's the best time to go! You won't ever get sweaty," he said matter-of-factly.

You had to admit... he had a point.

"Ok, ok, wise guy. Lead the way." A smirk appeared on your own lips.

With a laugh, he got out of the car and looked around with a slightly nervous expression. He really didn't want to be seen or noticed yet, so he decided to move quickly with getting Jim out of the car and grabbing your water bottles. You followed suit and instantly understood that he wanted to hurry the process up, so you zipped up your jacket fully and made it to his side to start your trek with Jim leading the way.

The trail was absolutely beautiful, even more so now that there was snow that dusted the ground the higher up you went. Sure, it was freezing, but the view made it all worth it. Watching as Jim made sure to sniff every inch of trail that he passed with a happy wagging tail, you giggled a bit as Josh turned his head back to look at you while holding onto his leash. A smile appeared on his face and then he hung back a bit so that he could wrap his free arm around your shoulders to bring you in close.

"You know, I was thinking... we've been together for a few months now. Maybe it's about time that we told Tyler and Jenna the news. I mean, they were the ones that were rooting for us to get together, you know?" Josh looked down to you to see what you thought of the idea.

Slowly nodding, you looked back up to him with a small smile. "I think you're right. It's felt sort of wrong keeping it from them. I think we should tell them tonight, since they're coming over for dinner."

"That sounds like a good idea."

He leaned down and kissed you softly, giving you a slight squeeze before being pulled away by Jim, who had managed to find a really good scent further down.

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After a full day and a fill of fresh air and walking, you decided to head back down to the car. The only problem was there were more people than there had been earlier. Josh gave you a look of sudden fear and you instantly decided then and there to take his hand and just run as fast as you could with him - the both of you laughing the whole way while Jim ran alongside you with ease. Getting everything situated in the car, you both made the drive back home and made sure that you got changed into some nicer clothes for later that night while Josh cleaned around the house a bit for you.

"Hey, before we get started... do you mind making us a fire? I kind of want to settle in first before we start cooking dinner."

Josh looked up from playing with Jim on the floor and nodded his head happily.

"That sounds like a good idea."

He got up and made his way over to start throwing some logs into the fireplace, crumbling some pieces of newspaper as kindling. As he did that, you decided to go and grab one of the bigger, thicker blankets so that the both of you could sit and cuddle beneath it. Once the fire was going, you sat down on the floor in front of it to warm yourself up, suddenly feeling Josh sit right beside you and as close to your side as possible. You looked in his direction and then slowly opened your arm to hold up the blanket for him to get under, which he instantly took the opportunity to do. You both remained wrapped up and in each other's arms, seeking warmth from the fire, as Jim laid beside you to fall asleep. It was a picture perfect moment with your boys and you wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. You internally thanked the universe for sending you Joshua Dun and getting him to stay, even when you were painfully unaware that he had stayed because he loved you.

Looking up at the clock to see that it was almost 5:00pm, you decided that it was time to finally start getting ready for having Tyler and Jenna over. Giving Josh a kiss on the lips, you smiled widely and got up from you spot as he groaned in protest.

"Do we have to do this tonight? I just want to relax with you..."

"Come on, Josh! We promised them. We haven't had time for all four of us together in a long time, so go get changed and I'll start prepping dinner."

He pouted a bit as he got up with the blanket still around him and shuffled his way down the hall to get ready, causing you to laugh. He may have acted like a child most times, but you still loved him regardless.

While Josh got changed into something a bit more appropriate for your dinner, you started to collect all the ingredients you would need for dinner. Jim laid down in his usual spot just outside the kitchen where he could keep a close eye on everything that was happening, including looking out for any scraps that may have fallen from the counter. Unable to resist his puppy dog eyes, you grabbed some cheese from the fridge and tossed it his way.

"How does this look?" Josh asked as he walked out of the hallway.

He had opted for a gray sweater over a pair of dark jeans. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms and the lower half of his tattoo sleeve. Aside from his hair that was still pressed to his head after wearing a hat all morning, he looked perfect.

"Come here," you said, waving him over.

Josh leaned his hip against the counter and furrowed his eyebrows at you. You wordlessly reached up and began to run your hands through his hair, adding some volume back to his curls. It didn't take long for him to start laughing.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You could tell you had been wearing a hat all morning."

"Are you sure you didn't just want an excuse to run your hands through my hair?"

"Ok, maybe that too," you smiled before giving him a quick kiss.

Josh wrapped an arm around your waist and turned to face the counter where all of your ingredients were laid out. "Where should we start?" he asked.

"Well, they're going to be here in like fifteen minutes, so I think we should get the bread going. If you want to do that, I can start boiling water for the noodles."

"On it."

The kitchen became a whirlwind of activity as you and Josh started to get things ready for dinner. It didn't help that Josh insisted on a kiss every time you two happened to pass each other, which was often. You weren't complaining, though.

The two of you had just settled on the couch with Jim when there was a knock on the door. You collectively sighed and turned to look at one another, still breathing a little heavily from all your work in the kitchen.

"Do you think they'll mind waiting out there for thirty more seconds?" Josh laughed.

"Come on, it's cold out there," you said, pushing yourself away from the couch. "And if Tyler hasn't burst into the house by now, I don't think he's going to."

"Shocking," Josh laughed as he followed after you.

You opened the front door, revealing a pink-cheeked Tyler and Jenna. They both smiled as soon as they saw you, instantly wrapping their arms around you in a hug. Despite the fact that it had only been a few days since you had last seen them, you had still missed them dearly.

"It smells amazing in here," Jenna said as she pulled off her coat.

"Thank you! Josh and I have been hard at work."

Once everyone's coats and shoes were off, you ushered them into the kitchen to get drinks and then made yourselves comfortable on the couch. Almost immediately, Tyler launched into some story that he had to tell about a recent outing. In no time, the four of you were laughing and swapping your own stories.

"Oh, that's the bread," you said, hearing the timer go off in the kitchen. "Josh, do you mind coming with me to help?"

"Sure thing," he answered, setting his drink down on the coffee table.

The two of you walked into the kitchen, followed closely by Jim who was always eager to see what you and Josh were up to. Josh took the bread out of the oven while you finished a few other last minute preparations.

"Are you feeling ok?" Josh asked quietly as he sliced up the bread.

"Yeah, I'm just nervous, I guess."

"About what? Telling them about us?"

"Yeah, I just have no idea how they're going to react."

Josh stopped what he was doing and rested his hands on your hips, turning you towards him. Your eyes locked to his and some of the tension in your shoulders instantly released. You had known him for six years and still didn't understand how one look from him could make you feel so safe.

"It's going to be perfectly fine, they're going to be over the moon with excitement. And if tonight doesn't feel like the right night to say anything, then we don't have to."

"Thank you, Josh."

You rested a hand on the side of his face and pulled him into a kiss. His arms started to wind tighter around you, but dropped away in a fraction of a second. Just as you were about to ask if he was ok, you heard it.

"No way."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding," you muttered.

"Jenna!" Tyler called. "Come here! You're not going to believe this!"

"I guess we don't have a choice anymore," Josh laughed, putting an arm back around your waist.

Jenna walked into the room, still carrying her wine glass in one hand. She looked at you and Josh, obviously not noticing the arm he had around your waist, and then turned to Tyler.

"What's going on?"

Tyler crossed his arms and nodded to you and Josh, a very pleased smirk plastered across his face, "Do you want to tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

You sighed. "Josh and I are dating."

"What?" she gasped, eyes going wide. For a split second, you thought she might drop her glass straight onto the floor.

"We were planning to tell you over dinner, but Tyler caught us kissing and, well, it was pretty obvious at that point."

"In my defense, Jenna asked me to come in here and see if you needed any help."

"Oh yeah, because you've never interrupted Josh and I before," you scoffed.

"Never!"

"What about when we were on the bridge in Austin? Or when I helped him dye his hair? Or when we almost kissed? Or literally just now?"

"Hey, I-"

Jenna put a hand on her husband's shoulder, instantly quieting him. He pouted for a little while, but eventually gave up and accepted his defeat.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked.

"Since August."

"August?" Tyler and Jenna asked in unison.

"We wanted to keep it on the downlow for awhile. You know, just enjoy our time together," Josh explained. "Plus, since we have to lay low because of the hiatus anyway, it didn't seem like a big deal."

"I can't believe you managed to go that long without telling me," Jenna smiled at you.

"I almost slipped up so many times."

"I'm just glad to see you two are finally together," Tyler chimed in. "I've been waiting for this moment since 2011."

"We had some obstacles to overcome before we got to this point," you said. "But we got here."

Josh grinned and gave you another quick kiss.

"Ok, as much as I love this mushy stuff," he said. "We should eat before it gets cold."

"Good call."

The four of you dished up your food and got comfortable at the dining table. Jenna and Tyler continued to pester you with questions about your relationship, though neither you or Josh really minded. It was nice to finally feel like it was out in the open, even if they were the only other two that knew.

The rest of the night flew by after dinner. Between card games and laughing at old stories from the early days of tour, you hadn't even realized how late it had gotten until Tyler pulled out his phone and announced to Jenna that they should get home. After a few more minutes to wrap up your conversation, the four of you said your goodbyes with promises to have another night like this soon.

Josh draped his arms over you as soon as the door was closed, burying his face in your neck and leaning some of his body weight into you.

"Tonight was nice," he whispered. "We should host more often."

"You're only saying that because we haven't had to clean up all the dishes yet."

"We can do that in the morning."

"Is it time for bed?"

"I think so."

Jim followed the two of you upstairs and waited patiently as you went through your nightly routines and got into pajamas. You were wrapped around Josh almost as soon as he was in bed, letting your head now rest in the crook of his neck. Jim also decided to join in on the cuddling, making sure to wedge himself wherever he could while still being next to both of you.

"I'm going to miss days like these when we go on tour again," you said quietly.

"Me too, but there will be plenty of other adventures to go on when that does happen."

"You're not planning something, are you?"

"Just having a nice time on tour with my girl."

"And Jim!"

"Yeah," Josh laughed. "And Jim."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He pressed a quick kiss to your head. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."