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Note: This is my first update in over two weeks wtf

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"You look comfy," Tyler sniggered as he and Josh entered your room.

You were wedged between an abundance of fluffy pillows and enveloping blankets, poking your head out from the avalanche to give your friends a warm smile when you heard Tyler's comment.

"And you guys look..." you trailed off as your eyes scanned the two males in front of you from head to toe.

Their appearance was an obvious indicator of the exhaustion they'd been suffering through for the past two days – there were crinkles in their clothes from their constant agitated fidgeting, and their usually bright eyes were dim with the craving of sleep.

"...cute."

Josh snorted, starting to remove his hoodie and shoes. "Please. We stopped looking 'cute' after the first time we left the hotel on Wednesday."

"Speak for yourself," Tyler retorted. He was the quicker out of the two, having already freed himself from the restriction of his outside clothing, and he now joined you inside the avalanche. "I always look cute. Scoot, (Y/N)."

You reluctantly moved from your hibernation spot to create some space for Tyler. When both of you had settled, you turned to Josh – who was standing awkwardly at the foot of the bed – with an expectant look.

"You gonna join us or not?"

"Actually," Josh drawled, scratching his left shoulder as he cocked his head in the direction of the suite's living room, "I was wondering if we could talk? Just you and me."

Your heart rate increased at his request and you were certain you heard a groan of annoyance coming from Tyler, but you paid no mind to it. Instead, you nodded your head and slid out of bed before heading for the other room.

"Idiot," Tyler jobbed as he shook his head and slid further into the bed, "You're an idiot."

"Most people would be supporting their best friends in a situation like this," Josh scoffed, being sure to speak softly enough that you couldn't overhear.

"Most people also wouldn't pursue someone who is clearly not over someone else," Tyler snapped back, arching one brow, "but you do you, boo."

Josh opened his mouth with the intent of snapping back, but opted rather to turn around and exit the room in a huff. He made sure to slam the door to convey his anger, and to let Tyler know that their conversation would very well be continuing in the near future.

The force with which the drummer slammed the door shut created a resounding boom, making you jump slightly.

"Woah. Everything okay?" you checked, rubbing your hands on your thighs as you took a seat on the sofa.

"Yeah," Josh sighed while waving a dismissive hand, "He's just being Tyler."

"Ah," you nodded to show that you understood what he meant by that statement; Tyler was always pushing Josh's tolerance levels. "So," you gave him a weak smile, "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Josh exhaled heavily as he seated himself on the edge of the sofa, and you could tell from the way he was sitting that something was bothering him.

His butt was barely on the furniture – as if he were preparing to make a run for it at any moment – and the shake in his legs was a clear visualization of his anxiety.

You scooted closer to him and reached out to wrap your fingers around the inside of his elbow, gently running your fingertips over the soft skin there. Your slight movements allowed a faint waft of your perfume to flit through the air, bringing instant ease to Josh's troubled mind.

He was having a hard time making sense of everything going on in his brain, that was true, but he was grateful to you for at least attempting to help him relax – even if you were the cause of his distress.

You continued caressing him and a moment later, he placed his hand around your fingers and squeezed.

"I don't have a lotta experience with, ya know, girls and things," he started meekly, darting his eyes all around the room so as to avoid your gaze, "and I'm not sure if I'm going about all of this the right way..."

"You've been doing pretty well so far," you smiled at him, prompting him to finally meet your gaze.

"Thank you," he chuckled, eyes narrowing as he smiled back at you. It was a brief gesture, and he went back to staring at the blank TV screen.

"Listen, (Y/N), this whole situation is very..." he trailed off, searching for the right word. A ton of adjectives immediately sprung to mind, but none of them were at all appropriate. "Complex," he settled, "I just want to clear things up a bit. Like, whatever this is that's happening between us – is it something that you want to explore? Or is this entire thing gonna fizzle out?"

You bit your lip as you let his words penetrate your thoughts. The immediate impulse from your brain was to yell 'Yes! I want this! I want you!', but then...

Then an image of that stupid suit-rocking, quiff-haired, pouty-lipped, golden-voiced motherfucker popped into your head, and the words got stuck in your throat.

Your lack of response didn't go unnoticed by Josh, who jerked his head towards you instantaneously, so that he could look at your face and gauge your reaction. The uncertainty written all over your face was not at all what he wanted to see, and he felt his chest tightening.

"(Y/N)," he breathed shakily, shifting so that his entire body was facing you, "if this isn't what you want-"

You held up one hand to silence him. "Wait, Josh, let me..." you sighed heavily, closing your eyes, "You're right, this is a very complex situation. But if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that through it all, the only constant was you. Is you. Everything in my life has either gone, or is going, to shit – except for you. From the moment I met you and Tyler, my life changed for the better. The two of you helped me in ways I can't even explain, and I know that there's no way that I'll be able to carry on without you," your grip on his arm had tightened astronomically. You were petrified of losing him, and your unconscious mind showed it.

"As for what that means in terms of us – in terms of a relationship – I'm gonna be completely honest with you... I don't know," you continued, "But if you're up for it – exploring this," you gestured between you and him, "then I'd very much like for us to try."

Josh's lips twitched upwards into a smile as he reached forward to cup your face. A moment later, his lips met yours in a relieved kiss.

"That's all I needed to hear."

~The next afternoon~

"What are you doing?"

"Final touches on this new song I'm planning on releasing soon," Tyler explained, strumming his ukulele once before looking up at his best friend, "In fact, this might be the best one I've ever written. It's called 'Josh Is A Fucking Idiot'. Available for pre-order on iTunes."

"Are you still on about this?" Josh snarled, throwing his hands up. "Dude, get over it."

Tyler wheezed. "I'm not the one who needs to get over something. You are." The singer set his instrument down before standing and taking a step towards his friend. "Josh, I wouldn't be a good best friend if I didn't try and stop you from doing what you're doing."

"And what exactly is it that I'm doing, Tyler?" Josh frowned, stepping forward as well. "Because it seems like you and I have entirely different views on the situation."

"Damn right we do," Tyler agreed with a slight chuckle, "I mean, you're so blinded by your desire – or whatever it is – to be with her that you're completely overlooking the major problems with doing so. Namely, her ex-boyfriend, who is hell bent on winning her back."

"He had his chance," Josh reminded, hands involuntarily twitching at the thought of Brendon, "and he screwed it up. There's no way he'll get another one."

"Are you sure?"

Tyler's question lit a fire in Josh. Partly because he couldn't believe that his best friend was being so unsupportive of him, especially when he was positive that he wanted nothing more than to be with you, and partly because he knew that Tyler had a valid point. Your feelings weren't set in stone; there was still a possibility that you would change your mind and chose Brendon instead. Nevertheless, his anger was as invasive as ever.

"Hey, dude, don't get mad at me, alright?" Tyler quipped; he knew Josh better than anyone, and he could tell that he was about to explode. "You need some tough love. And better it come from me than from someone else."

"She said that she wants to be with me," Josh said softly, breaking eye contact with his friend for the first time since he entered the room.

"And she probably meant it too," Tyler added, walking over to place a supportive hand on Josh's shoulder, "For now, at least."

"You see?" Josh groaned, shoving his friend's hand away, and then pointing at him, "That right there is what's pissing me off. You're being such a dick about this. I get that you're not a fan of me and (Y/N) being together, but the least you could do is act like my best friend!"

"I am acting like your best friend!" Tyler argued, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm trying to protect you, damn it! Both of you! Josh, I really don't think that your relationship is a good idea."

"Well," Josh sucked on his teeth and threw his hands up one last time as he started backtracking out of the room, "it's a good thing that you're not making the decision, then."

The singer watched his friend storm out of the room, shaking his head all the while. As soon as Josh was well down the hall, Tyler grunted in frustration and picked up his jacket from the sofa, searching the pockets for his phone.

He found the device and unlocked it, scrolling through his contacts before tapping on the name of the person he wanted to call.

"Hey, dude," Tyler spoke into the phone, "Listen... how soon can you get to Seattle?"

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Thank you for reading x

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Note: #TEAMJISH

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