Tyler Joseph x Reader

Crowded Rooms

Warnings: Mentions of death, car crash, angst 

Word Count: 2641

It all comes down to who you look for in a crowded room.  

You had never been a huge fan of parties, the only real reason that you had gone to them was to support Tyler. The two of you always remained by one another's side, providing support through a slight graze of your hands or even the slightest bit of contact between shoulders. He had made them manageable, even fun at times.

But he was gone now.

Josh had practically had to drag you out of bed, claiming that this was one social event you couldn't miss. He had helped you pick out which dress to wear, you decided on a black one that had been one of Tyler's favorites, and sat with you while you did your makeup. He filled the air with stories and jokes so that you didn't have to talk, one thing that you were thankful for. There would be plenty of time to force meaningless words out of your mouth later that night.

By 6:30, the bags under your eyes were covered and your red lipstick proved to be enough to distract anyone who looked at you from the redness of your eyes. Josh linked your arm with his own and led you out the front door of the house to the car. With trembling hands, you opened the door and climbed in the passenger seat, taking care not to shut your dress in the car door. Josh climbed in and immediately turned on the radio. Happy music carried through the speakers, but you opted for looking out the window rather than trying to sing along. Your throat was too raw to sound much good anyway.

Your grip on Josh's arm grew tighter with each step you took towards the building. Your legs wobbled in your heels, you were out of practice, so you tried to keep your focus on staying upright rather than the fears and insecurities swirling in your head. You could hear the music blasting inside already, and you wanted nothing more to turn around and go straight back home. But you couldn't, you had to do this for Tyler.

All eyes were on you and Josh as you entered the room. You were hoping nobody would really notice, but how couldn't they with Tyler's wife and best friend entering the room? Not to mention that Josh's bright yellow hair helped to draw attention. You gripped Josh's arm tighter, causing him to reach over with his other hand and pat yours.

"Sorry," you whispered, loosening your death grip.

"It's ok. Here, why don't we go talk to Mark?"

You nodded and swallowed the lump in your throat. Josh led you over to the small group of people while you stared at the ground, you couldn't stand the sympathetic stares and small smiles. Josh knew that, too, so he was happy to have you wrapped around his arm as he walked.

"Y?N! Josh!" Mark smiled as you drew closer.

"Hey," Josh answered.

You managed to look up and force a tight smile. Josh took over the conversation while you stood by quietly and listened. You eventually let go of his arm, your legs had finally stopped shaking enough to allow you to stand steadily on your own. Josh glanced over when you did so, but managed to keep the conversation going. You commented on something occasionally, but nobody expected you to talk much. Every so often, you caught yourself glancing around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tyler in the crowd.

Eventually you excused yourself from the conversation to find a bathroom. Despite your lack of communication with everyone, just being in the presence of people was exhausting. You walked down the hallway, looking for any door marked as a bathroom.

As you were walking, you stumbled across what appeared to be an empty conference room. The door was only slightly open, and there was nobody around. After taking a quick glance around to make sure nobody was watching, you slipped into the room and closed the door behind you.