Bandom Bingo

A Scary Thing

Pairing: Tyler Joseph x Reader

Word Count: 994

Warnings: Angst, anxiety attack

Author's Note: I know today isn't typically a day that I post, but due to the large number of fics that I still have to post before the challenge deadline in March, there will be fics on both Saturday & Sunday for the next few weeks! (Some days might even have two in a day, but I'll try not to overwhelm all of you with content) Anyway, that's why you're seeing this fic today, and I hope you enjoy it! :)

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"Ty, I can see you staring," you giggled.

"How? You're not even looking at me!"

"I can see you out of the corner of my eye."

"No way."

"Then how else would I have known you were staring?" you smiled, turning to look at him.

"Maybe you're just magic or something."

You shook your head, unable to contain your laughter. Tyler grinned as he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on your cheek.

"I wish."

"I'll be right back," Tyler said as he got up from the couch.

"Ok."

You watched as Tyler climbed the stairs up to the second floor. Once he disappeared around the corner, you returned to the book you were reading. Maybe if you finished the chapter before he got back, you could talk him into cuddling with you.

"Y/N!"

Your book was snapped closed and on the coffee table in an instant. Even with the distance between you, you could hear the desperation in Tyler's voice. It sent a pang of discomfort through your chest as you took the stairs up two at a time.

You found Tyler in his bedroom with his back pressed to the wall. His hands were in his hair, clawing at strands of it. Though his face was somewhat blocked from your view by his arms, the parts you could see were contorted in pain. You bent down next to him and reached out to grab his arms, gently pulling them towards you.

"Tyler, what's going on?"

He shook his head, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. When your hands finally connected with his, he held on tightly, as if you would slip away from him if he let go.

"I can't do this," he muttered. "I can't. I can't."

"You can't do what?"

"I can't do it."

"Tyler, hey. Deep breaths. I'm right here. Talk when you're ready."

"Hold me, please."

You sat with your arms around Tyler until his tears finally stopped and his breathing slowly evened out. Once he had calmed down, you two moved to the bed so that it would be more comfortable to sit.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, burying his face in his hands. "I didn't mean to scare you. A lot happened all at once."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, I just... I don't want it to come across the wrong way."

You chewed nervously on the inside of your cheek, trying your best to keep a brave face on for Tyler's sake. It was obvious that he needed you to be the strong one right now, even despite your own reservations.

"Just explain it however you need to, we can talk it out," you said, holding out a hand for him to hold.

He laced his fingers between yours and held tightly to your hand. It was subtle, but you could just barely feel the way that he was shaking. You tightened your grip, hoping that the pressure would help alleviate some of how he was feeling.

"I really don't know how to explain this."

"Just try."

Tyler was playing with his bottom lip, something you had only seen him do a small handful of times before. His eyes were fixated on the ground, which was doing nothing to help your own growing anxieties. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I love you, Y/N. I love you more than life itself, to the point that the thought of losing you makes my chest get tight and my hands shake and my mind starts to race. I never wanted it to happen. I didn't want to fall in love, because the idea of giving so much of myself to someone, including the ability to completely ruin me, was terrifying. And then I met you and I knew the battle was lost from the moment I laid eyes on you. You stole my heart with a smile and there was no getting it back. You make me the happiest guy alive, but I'm scared. I can't deny that."

"Tyler... come here." You held your arms out and he happily curled up against your chest. He was still shaking, so you wrapped your arms as tightly around him as you could. "I love you so much and I'm never going to leave you. You mean so much to me and I'm not willing to throw that away. Ever. I know it takes a lot to love someone and trust them with everything you have, but I promise that you can put your trust in me."

"I'm trying. I really am." You pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. He sniffled and shifted closer to you. "Would it be dorky of me to tell you that sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how much I love you?"

"Only if it would be dorky of me to tell you that the same thing happens to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It happens more often than I'd like to admit, actually."

"Me too."

You smiled and ran your hands through Tyler's hair. He relaxed further into you as you started to do this, which you took as a sign not to stop.

"How are you feeling, Ty?"

"Better. I'm really sorry that this came out all at once. I've been trying to hide it, but you looked so pretty sitting downstairs and I got overwhelmed and then it all came crashing down at once."

"It's ok, Tyler. I'm glad you told me so that I know now and we can work through this if it comes up again in the future. I never want you to be scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you, just the way you make me feel."

"Same thing," you laughed quietly. "But you don't need to be."

"I'm working on it."

"Good."

"I love you, Y/N."

You smiled and leaned your head against his. "I love you too, Ty, with my whole heart."