Pairing: high school!Tyler Joseph x Reader

Warnings: Profanity, sibling arguments, angst

Word Count: 2034

Request: maybe can you write a oneshot of how it would've turned out if Y/N had confessed to Tyler with the letter she wrote for him in highschool? Maybe just an idea for the future :)

Author's Note: This one shot is based on Rose Colored Boy, but is sort of an alternate universe! It was really fun to imagine what would have happened differently and I hope you enjoy it too :)

*     *     *

Your POV

Your pencil scratched against the paper of your notebook as you sat hunched over your desk, writing out a list of reasons why you liked Tyler. After multiple failed attempts at telling him how you felt yourself, you had finally decided to put it all down in a letter for him to read. Whether or not you would actually give it to him was still undecided, but at least it was giving you an outlet for your feelings. Keeping them bottled up inside wasn't doing you any favors.

You finished the last point and looked over your letter. Despite your comprehensive list of reasons why you thought Tyler was the best guy in the world, something about the letter still felt incomplete. There needed to be something at the end, some kind of resolution to all of it. After taking a moment to think, and doodling some flowers in the margins of your notebook, you started the last paragraph.

So, Tyler, that's why I have a crush on you. I know we agreed that we would always be friends, but unfortunately you're too cool and I ended up having feelings for you.

Was that stupid? Too forceful? A breach of trust?

No, they were just your feelings. You took a deep breath and kept going.

Even if you don't return them, hopefully this doesn't ruin our friendship and we can just pretend this never happened.

"What are you writing?"

"Carter!" you screeched, throwing your arms over the letter to cover it. "What the hell?"

"Hey, language," he frowned.

"What are you doing in here? You're not supposed to come in without permission!"

"Mom wanted me to tell you dinner is ready."

"I'll be down in a little bit."

"Have to finish your love letter first?" Carter smiled.

"It is not a love letter."

"Then let me see it."

"No!"

"So it is a love letter?"

"Is not! Leave me alone!"

You moved to shove him away, but Carter wasn't one to miss an opportunity. He reached around you and snatched the notebook off your desk. You were on your feet immediately, grabbing at Carter's arms and kneeing him to try and get him to give it back, but he was unconcerned.

"Number one: good at basketball. Basketball? Is this about Joseph?"

"Shut up!" you yelled. Your eyes were brimmed with tears from the embarrassment.

"Number two: fluffy hair. I didn't know you were into that, Y/N."

"Carter!"

"Number three: pretty eyes. Aw, that's sweet."

"Give it back!"

"Number four: luscious lips. With a heart next to it? Y/N! You're fifteen! No kissing boys until you're a grown up."

"You have a girlfriend, idiot!"

"And I'm a very grown up seventeen year old."

"Are not!"

There was a knock on your door, and a moment later your dad was poking his head through the door. He frowned at the two of you.

"What is the commotion up here?"

"Carter stole my essay and won't give it back," you said, squeezing your eyes a couple times so the tears would roll down your cheeks. Your dad took notice of this and turned to Carter with a scowl.

"Carter, give your sister her essay back and apologize. Look, you made her cry."

"I'm sorry that I stole your essay," he said, passing the notebook back to you. Even if Carter was annoying sometimes, at least he had your back.

"Thanks."

"Now will you two come downstairs for dinner?" your dad asked.

"Yeah."

Carter left the room and you took a second to compose yourself before sitting back down at your desk. You still wanted to finish the letter before going downstairs.

Love, Y/N.

You ripped the paper out of the notebook, making sure to take off the perforated bit on the side, and folded it up into a neat little rectangle. On the front, you put Tyler's name in nice handwriting. After taking a moment to admire your handiwork and put all your writing materials away, you slipped the note into your backpack so that it would be on hand if you were feeling brave.

With that, you headed downstairs.

*     *     *

"Wait, Tyler!" you said. The bell for the end of lunch had just rung and he was walking off towards his next class. You had been frozen in place since he had stood up and left, debating if this was your moment.

You decided it was.

"Yeah?" Tyler asked.

"I have something for you."

You had already grabbed the note from your backpack when you were putting your lunch away. Your fingers were clutched tightly around it, only serving to worsen the crease it had gotten after being crushed by your books. It took a second for your brain to get your legs to move towards Tyler.

"Here," you said, passing it to him from too far away. He had to lean forward to reach it. "Sorry it's bent."

"What is it?"

"A letter. From me. Anyway, I have to go to class. See you tomorrow."

Tyler was already unfolding the letter when you turned away from him. You quickened your pace, wanting to put as much distance between the two of you as you could before he got to the opening line: I like you. Why hadn't you started with something more discreet?

Either way, at least you wouldn't have to see him for the rest of the day. You didn't have any classes together and he had basketball practice right after school. It would be a piece of cake to get from your locker to Carter's car without bumping into him.

*     *     *

"Y/N."

Shit.

You turned to face Tyler, trying to keep a straight face. This hadn't been part of the plan. He was supposed to be at basketball practice.

"Hi," you smiled.

"Hi." His chest was heaving and his face was bright red. He still looked cute.

"What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you. About this." He held up the letter.

You swallowed hard. "What about it?"

"About how you feel. About how I feel."

"How do you feel?" you asked, concealing your shaking hands by stuffing your sweatshirt into your backpack.

"I'm flattered. Really flattered. But I... I don't feel the same."

It felt like someone had just dropped a rock into your stomach, weighing you down. You slowly stood back up and pulled your backpack over your shoulders.

"That's ok," you said, forcing a smile. "Like I said, we can pretend it never happened."

"Right."

"You should get to basketball practice."

"Yeah, I should. I sprinted here to make sure I got a chance to talk to you before I left."

"Thanks," you said, though you weren't sure you meant it.

"Hug?" he asked, holding his arms out.

There was no way you could say no to that. You nodded and leaned into him, wrapping your arms around him. Tyler made sure to put his arms under your backpack so that he could hold you tightly.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow," he said as he pulled away.

"Good luck at practice."

You waited until Tyler had disappeared around a corner before you turned to your locker and slammed it.

"Woah, what's going on with you?" Carter asked as he walked up to you.

"I gave Tyler the letter," you said, already beginning to walk down the hall. Carter quickly fell into step with you. "He said he doesn't feel the same."

"I'm sorry, Y/N."

He wrapped an around you and pulled you into his side.

"It's fine, I'm just embarrassed. I put a lot of feelings into that letter."

"I know. Let's get you home."

*     *     *

Tyler's POV

I had to fix this.

I paced the length of my room, holding the letter in my hand so that I could look at it when I needed encouragement. Y/N liked me and the evidence was right here, written out in her own handwriting. How was I supposed to believe that she deserved someone better than me when I had a whole list of reasons why she thought I was the best?

I should have held onto the list when I told her- when I lied to her. That's what I did. I lied.

But Y/N deserved the truth.

I stuck the letter into my pocket and rushed downstairs, taking them two at a time. My mom looked up at me as I pulled on my shoes.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go see Y/N."

"No, you don't. Dinner is going to be ready in ten minutes and I expect you to be here."

I grabbed my house keys from beside the door and stepped outside.

"Sorry, Mom, but it's really important!"

I closed the door before she had a chance to get mad at me and ran into the yard, picking up my bike from where I had left it when I got home from school. My heart was racing as I pushed it through the grass to the street, hoping that my mom wouldn't come outside and yell at me. I had to act on this impulse before the doubt came back and stopped me again.

*     *     *

I dropped my bike in Y/N's yard and half-jogged up the steps to the front door. The doorbell rang inside the house and footsteps came down the stairs. I quickly fixed my hair and took a deep breath, rehearsing the speech that I had come up with on the bike ride over one more time before the door opened. My heart dropped when I got a glimpse of the person who had opened the door.

Carter.

"What do you want?" he asked, arms crossed. This hadn't been part of the plan.

"I need to talk to Y/N."

"Do you really think that's a good idea right now?"

"I know how it looks but please, Carter. I promise I wouldn't come over here if it wasn't important."

He sighed and let his arms drop to his sides. "Fine, I'll go get her. You stay out there."

"Ok."

Carter disappeared behind the door and I could only listen as he went up the stairs. A few minutes passed before Y/N finally came down the stairs and appeared in the doorway. Her cheeks were splotchy.

"Carter said it was important."

"It is. Can we sit?" I asked, nodding to the stone steps.

"Ok."

We sat down on the steps, far apart. Y/N was keeping her attention on the trees that stood towards the front of her yard.

Remember what you practiced, Tyler.

"I came over here to tell you that what I said earlier about my feelings was a lie. I do like you. A lot. As you know, I struggle with a lot of self-doubt and I managed to make myself think that the letter was some kind of joke. I thought there was no way that someone as amazing as you could possibly like me back, but you do. I know that. I know that because I trust you and you would never do something like that to me, and I should have listened to that instead of my insecurities. I'm sorry that I lied, but that's why I'm here. I wanted to make it up to you by telling the truth."

"Thank you for owning up to that," she said.

"You're welcome."

We both turned to look at one another. She was smiling, just the tiniest bit.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"You like me?"

"I like you," I smiled. "I mean it."

She smiled even more and leaned into my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her and scooted closer so that our legs were pressed together.

"Sorry that I had to tell you through a dorky letter."

"It wasn't dorky," I said. "It was cute."

"It was dorky, but it got the job done."

"Exactly. You got to tell me on your own terms rather than someone forcing it out of you."

"I can't even imagine," Y/N groaned. "That would have been much more embarrassing."

"See? It wasn't so bad."

Y/N smiled and wrapped her arms around me, "Not so bad at all."