Warnings: Some angst

Word Count: 2730

Author's Note: Happy first chapter of Tear in my Heart! We hope that you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. It's been a crazy few months getting this put together, but we adore every single chapter, so keep checking in for updates!

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July 2012 - Before the Regional at Best Tour

 Your finger hovered over the bright blue submit button that sat at the bottom of the webpage. You puffed your cheeks and slowly exhaled, trying to build up the small bit of courage that you needed to actually press it. It was only an application, there was no attached guarantee of a job. Or them even looking over your resume, for that matter.

You were about to bite the bullet and press it when you hesitated. What would Beau think when he found out you were going to be a manager for some small town band? The thought of his reaction was enough to make your stomach churn as echoes of things he had told you in the past rang in your ears.

Your fingers ran along the edge of the laptop, ready to close it and forget that you had ever considered this possibility. There would be plenty of other opportunities for you, ones that didn't involve people Beau wouldn't like - if that was even possible -, ones that didn't involve traveling all over the country, hell, even ones that didn't involve you managing people.

Then again, it was only an application. Being a band manager sounded more appealing than half the flyers Beau brought home from his own job, covered in promises of "good pay" and "flexible hours". You didn't need flexible hours and good pay, you needed excitement. Besides, what did Beau know about your capabilities? He wasn't here to stop you, was he?

Before you had a chance to reconsider, you opened your laptop back up and hit submit.

The rush that you felt in that moment was enough to become intoxicated, but you knew that it was a one in a million shot. Moving your hand, you closed your laptop and placed it in its normal location on the edge of the coffee table in front of you, hopping up off of the couch to go and make some dinner for yourself and Beau before he got off of work.

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Three Days Later...

Music blasted near your head, as an indication from your phone that someone was trying to call you. Lifting your head from the pillow, you sat up and threw your legs over the side of the bed as you reached forward to grab hold of your phone. Looking down to the screen, the number that appeared wasn't one that you were familiar with... and yet, you felt as though you should pick it up. Something about that number really stuck with you. Using your thumb, you accepted the call and brought the device up to your ear. "Hello?" You tried to answer with confidence, but slightly fell short.

"Is this Y/N?"

"This is she."

"Hi, my name is Tom Hammond and I'm a representative of Twenty One Pilots..." Your heart nearly stopped beating the moment that he mentioned the band. "...and we actually were going over your resume recently. We were hoping that you still had an interest in joining the boys as their band manager, because I'm calling to offer you a job."

It actually happened. Something actually went right for you.

"A job?" you repeated, hardly able to get the words out of your mouth. "You want to offer me a job?"

You didn't even care if you were making a fool of yourself in front of this representative. Your hands were shaking so bad from disbelief and excitement that you could feel your phone tapping incessantly against your ear.

"If you feel so inclined to take it, then yes."

"Um, yes, of course. I accept." You stumbled over your words. "What do I need to do?"

"We'll inform Tyler and Josh that you've accepted the position and pass your information along to them. They should be in contact with you shortly to let you know what they would like to do with you from here on out. I just have a few questions to ask you before we let you go."

You listened carefully as Tom asked you a series of questions, mostly confirming contact information and addresses, all the while giving your answers as clearly and concisely as you could. The excitement was overwhelming, nearly making you forget phone numbers that were practically second nature to you any other time.

"We look forward to working with you, Ms. Y/L/N."

You wracked your brain for the advice Beau had given you about phone interviews.

"Thank you for this opportunity."

"Goodbye."

Tom ended the phone call before you had a chance to get another word out. You sighed and set your phone down on the couch, temporarily forgetting that eventually you would have to tell Beau all about this new job you had. He wasn't going to be happy, and when the thought of his reaction first made its way into your mind, you shuddered.

At least that was a problem for a different time.

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The text came the next evening, right in the middle of the nice meal that you were sharing with Beau. He watched you carefully as you slipped your phone out of your pocket and scanned the screen. You weren't normally one to check your phone in the middle of a meal, but the expectation of a message from the boys had made you set aside your typical rules.

The sight of a message from an unknown number was enough to put a smile on your face, even before you had read the actual text. This, of course, was also enough to make Beau start questioning you.

"Who is that?" he asked. The grip he had on his fork grew a little tighter.

As Beau's voice appeared, your eyes instantly looked up to his with dread and you locked your phone up to put back into your pocket. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a friend." You mumbled to him, before grabbing hold of your fork once again and trying to focus on your food. But, you didn't eat another bite after that as you were too busy thinking about the text that you never got to open - silently thanking whatever god there was for him not bringing it back up. You weren't ready for that conversation yet. After dinner, you watched as Beau sulked off to your bedroom to start prepping for his next work day as you finished up the dishes from dinner. Peeking to make sure that he wasn't coming back in, you quickly pulled out your cell phone and opened up the text that you had received earlier that night.

Unknown Number: Hey, I hope that this is the right number. This is Tyler. Are you free to discuss a meet up?

A smile splaying across your lips, you instantly decide to text him back before it got to be too late. Your thumbs moving as quick as lightning, your response was short, sweet and to the point.

Y/N: This is Y/N. You're safe. Name the time and place!

Slipping your phone back into your pocket, after hearing Beau yell at your from the other room to hurry up, you cringed slightly and started up the dishwasher. You quickly turned off all of the lights on the way, hurrying to his side. He knew that he had control over you and it made him mad with power.

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Two Days Later...

After a short phone conversation - which you struggled to keep a straight face through, even with Beau's careful eyes watching you - the three of you decided on the local Taco Bell for your meetup. You were almost glad that they chose such a casual place, it made convincing Beau that you were simply meeting a friend a whole lot easier.

One stern warning and a gentle kiss on the cheek later, you were in your car speeding down the freeway. Your music was blasting, subduing any nervous thoughts that were trying to make you turn your car around. What if one of Beau's friends happened to see you at Taco Bell with these two strange men? Not that they were actually strange, but anybody that wasn't familiar was a threat in Beau's eyes.

Two guys were standing outside Taco Bell as you pulled into the parking lot, looking equal parts out of place and completely at ease. The taller of the two eyed your car as you shifted into park, your music no doubt audible from outside the car. At least you hadn't been blasting their music, that would take a bit of explaining.

"Y/N Y/L/N?" one of them asked before you had even made it out of the car completely. His voice was familiar to you, meaning that it was probably Tyler, the one you had spoken with on the phone.

"That's me," you smiled, reaching back in your car for a moment to grab your bag. "You must be Josh and Tyler."

"That's us," the other one - Josh - smiled. "Nice to meet you."

You finally got a good look at them as you stepped up onto the sidewalk. Tyler was wearing a plain t-shirt that was half tucked into his dark jeans, making the bright buckle of his belt visible. His olive colored skin contrasted nicely with the pale fabric of the shirt. He reached an arm towards you for a handshake.

"You too," you smiled, firmly shaking his hand.

You studied Josh more closely as you shook his hand. His dark hair was a bit shaggy on his head, especially where it curled near the ends. Crinkles formed around his brown eyes when he smiled - a seemingly perfect smile, you might add. Your breath hitched a little when you locked eyes, unable to pull your gaze away from him for a moment.

You finally came to your senses and dropped Josh's hand, returning it to your side. Your cheeks felt hot.

"You have really pretty eyes, you know," Josh said.

He said it so nonchalantly that you almost didn't register that he was talking to you. The corner of your mouth twitched for a moment, wanting to curl up into a smile, but thoughts of Beau wiped the expression from your face in an instant. Tyler was looking at Josh with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Um, thank you." You swallowed hard, angry that you even had to say any of this in the first place. "But I, um, I have a boyfriend. Just so, like, yeah. I don't want to give you the wrong idea."

Josh's ears flushed bright red. "Oh, I didn't mean it like - I just noticed and thought I should tell you. I'm not like trying to, you know," Josh waved his hands idly in the air.

"No, I know," you exhaled. "I just thought I should put it out there."

"Right."

"Alright, you two," Tyler finally interjected. You were glad for it. "Let's get some tacos before you forget how to talk at all."

All agreeing to Tyler's mention of food, you and the boys finally headed for the front door; Josh moving ahead of the both of you to open the door. You figured that he was just trying to be kind and gentlemanly, which you were perfectly fine with, so you thanked him with a smile and made your way inside. The familiar Taco Bell smell hit your nostrils as soon as you stepped foot in the store, instantly moving to stand in front of the menu to see what you wanted. Josh and Tyler wasted no time and bee-lined straight for the register, where a waitress stood waiting for them. They both put in their orders and then, as if on cue, looked over their shoulders to you. Tyler motioned for you to come over to them with his hand with a straight face, not messing around when it came to his food.

"Come on and get what you want Y/N. This is a serious matter and very urgent," he spoke, which caused Josh to grin before scooting out of the way for you and crossing his arms... which you had noticed earlier were very toned. You knew perfectly well that you would be trying to not look at them the whole meeting.

Once you placed your order, Tyler paid for everyone and then you all took a seat at a booth - Tyler and Josh sitting beside each other on one side and then you on the other. How awkward would it be to have two handsome men staring at you from across the table while you're stuffing your face with a taco? You were about to find out. Once Josh came back with your cups from filling drink orders, the real fun began: the interview.

"So, Y/N, who's your favorite band?" Tyler asked.

"Um, well, I really like Y/F/B."

"Wrong answer. It's Twenty One Pilots now."

A feeling of sheer dread flooded over you at his response. Was he being serious? You couldn't tell with how straight his face always was. Josh laughed at his friend and then rolled his eyes, before looking over at you with a goofy smile on his lips. "Don't listen to him. He's just messing with you."

A sigh of relief left your lips. "Whew. I thought that I was fired already," you said with a chuckle, looking between the boys before catching Josh staring at you.

He raised his eyebrows slightly as you looked at him, making the all too familiar heat return to your cheeks. You broke eye contact and focused on the receipt that was sitting in front of you. It crinkled as you pressed it between your thumb and forefinger.

"So, Y/N, have you ever managed a band before?" Tyler asked.

"No," you laughed quietly. "I pretty much submitted my application on a whim. I have a degree in business management, as I'm sure you know from my resume, but I haven't really had a chance to use it yet."

"I'm sure you'll figure out the ropes no problem," Josh reassured you. He had leaned forward onto the table, making his arms impossible to ignore. "We're a pretty easy band to manage, aside from Tyler here."

Josh nudged his friend in the side, making Tyler roll his eyes.

"Speak for yourself."

You were about to ask Tyler a question when his number was called. He quickly pushed past Josh and wandered up to the counter to collect his tacos, leaving you and Josh alone together at the table.

"Listen, about earlier-," he started to say, but you cut him off.

"Josh, no, it's ok. I really didn't mean to make it weird. It's just my boyfriend is kind of... insecure at times," you said, casting a quick glance around the room. "And I really didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. I'm just here to work."

"Work, right," he nodded. "Well, hopefully we can make it a little more exciting than 'just work'."

You smiled at him right as his number was called, glad that he didn't press the topic of Beau any further. That was an issue that you still needed to work out yourself before dragging anybody else into it.

"I hope Josh didn't bother you too much," Tyler said, dropping his tray onto the table with a resounding smack. "He's a nice guy, I swear."

"Seems like it," you said as you looked over the variety of hot sauces that Tyler had collected next to his food.

Tyler leaned forward, holding one of his tacos in his right hand. You noticed that he was waving it around as he spoke, occasionally throwing bits of lettuce onto the table.

"I know this all seems informal right now - I mean, we're in the middle of a Taco Bell - but I swear you're not getting yourself into some mess. We'll get you an official tour schedule and a list of responsibilities in no time."

You barely had any time to let the words "tour schedule" sink in before you were walking up to the counter to collect your own assortment of tacos. Josh smiled as he passed you with his tray, also covered in a mosaic of tiny hot sauce packets. Part of you was still in disbelief that you were standing in the middle of a Columbus Taco Bell, chatting with two strangers about the tour that you were about to leave on.

Beau definitely wasn't going to like that idea.