it's 9 o'clock on a saturday, regular crowd shuffles in.
•-•
josh dun loved his job.
however, most people don't expect josh to love his job. for he was a bartender at suzy's shack. you know, that old bar that's smack in the middle of downtown new york? always hectically busy, people coming in at any time of the day for a decent drink?
josh commonly returned back to his musty apartment reeking of alcohol. he'd always be drenched in sweat from the heat of the bar, so many bodies always crowded in it at once. most wouldn't find his job an enjoyable experience, not at all. but, like all people, josh had his reasons for loving that classic bar downtown.
no, he didn't love it because he was always able to have a beer. he didn't love it because of the outrageous tips he received, especially on busier nights. he didn't even love it because of the pretty girls who would flirt shamelessly with him as he made them their drinks. nope, none of these were the reasons at all.
he loved it because of the music.
suzy's shack was not only a popular bar, but it was also a place where fresh new bands or other musical artists started out. there was a large platform right across the room from the bar counter, people of all sorts going up and pursuing their passions.
josh saw the desperation on their faces. they all longed to be successful, for their hard work to be paid off. he saw their longing to hold more concerts and have millions of fans. josh saw them. he saw all of them.
and he loved seeing it.
the amount of hope these people had gave him hope, that one day, he'd maybe decide to leave this old bar and pursue something even bigger.
like the drums.
now, josh had talked to his father about this. all he got in response was a long lecture about how 'the show business never works' and that 'he might as well quit while he's ahead.' needless to say, this resulted in many arguments between the two. most people infer that those arguments and his fathers judgement was the reason he and josh no longer talked, but josh never seemed to comment on it.
so technically, nobody really knew why.
but anyways, even throughout the doubts and arguments, josh stayed true to his dream and didn't doubt for a second that it would happen. he was a very positive person, always paying more attention to the finer things in life. he was the friend who always poked you in the shoulder multiple times just to show you a caterpillar on the sidewalk.
so here josh was, wiping off the counter of the stained wooden bar, waiting for the lights to dim and center on the stage. he heard that somebody new was coming to perform tonight.
this was always an exciting thing at the bar. some bands had played so much they were 'regulars' there, and others had just turned up a small amount of times, but still more than once. sadly, not everyone in the world happened to have the time to pursue musical dreams, so it's not like suzy's had new performers all the time.
dodie, a kind-of friend of josh's and a waitress at the bar walked up to him, empty shot glasses on the sleek black tray she carried.
by kind-of friend, i mean her as the one person you talk to rather formally. you exchange your polite 'hello!'s from time to time, and you'll sometimes sit and have an actual conversation with them. for the most part, these conversations are more or so about their lives and how things are going, they're never anything too deep. josh and dodie were kind-of friends, and they were both fine with that.
"hey, spooky. you alright tonight? you're more quiet than usual." dodie asks, tilting her head to the side slightly.
josh smiles at the nickname. "i'm alright, thanks. i'm actually just quiet because i'm excited for the new performer tonight. it's about time we have someone new."
dodie laughed. "the honest truth. you always get so jazzed when someone new comes along- it's real sweet how you appreciate this old place so much."
josh shrugged, refilling the shot glasses on dodie's tray. "it's just.. nice, i guess. to always hear live music and see everyone having a good time."
"that's what you tell me every time i ask you why you love this place so much. one of these days i may have to sit you down and talk it out of you!" dodie joked, nudging him playfully in the shoulder with her free hand.
josh looked up at her with a lazy smile. "good luck with that, doddle."
she rolled her eyes at the nickname, still smiling. "don't you worry, i'll get it out of you eventually." and with that, she wiggled her fingers and turned away, going off to serve a table another round of shots.
it was at that moment where a man with dark hair styled in a large quiff wobbled up to him, clearly drunk off of his ass. josh squinted, trying to recognize him. he realized that this had been the guy who he had served multiple drinks to before, and he looked like he just about had enough for the night.
"henlo.." he slurred, holding out an empty glass. "fill me back up!" he yelled playfully, giggling when josh jumped in surprise.
"i don't think so.." josh started to say, taking the glass from the man. "i think that should be enough for you tonight."
his eyes went wide. "whyyy?" he whined, making a few weak attempts to grab at the glass josh was holding.
josh sighed, looking around the bar. "do you have anyone sober who'll be driving you home tonight?"
the man blinked, processing the question. after a few moments of slightly awkward silence, he responds with the redundant phrase josh had heard many times of him working at this bar.
"what do ya mean? i'm not drunk!"
josh laughed lightly. "yeah, and my hair isn't bright yellow."
the man in front of him gave him a confused look. "huh? yeah it is! what are you goin' on about silly?"
it took all of the willpower josh had not to slam his head on the bar counter. drunk people, man. drunk people.
he took a deep breath before replying. "that was sarcasm. also, if you don't have someone sober driving you home tonight, you won't be getting anymore drinks from me. understand?"
the man sighed and slumped onto a barstool in defeat. "'kay, i getcha. safety and not dyin' and all that shit."
josh smiled slightly. "yeah. safety and not dying. i'm glad you get it."
the man in front of him looked up, squinting at josh's name tag. when he read it, he looked up higher at his face. "i like your name, it sounds like slosh. slosh is a pretty funny word, and i like sayin' it, so josh is fun too."
josh chuckled. this guy was completely and utterly drunk. "thanks. how about you, what's your name?"
the man opened his mouth, but then paused for a second, bringing his hand to his chest and staring blankly at the ground for a moment. he looked sick.
josh was about to suggest he run to the bathroom, or at least to the nearest trash can, when the man causally looked up at him and said: "me? well, my names brendon u-"
and that's as far as he got before throwing up all over the bar counter.
and josh.
•-•
surprisingly enough, it didn't take josh long to clean the puked up alcohol. he changed his shirt into a spare one in the back, and brendon-mystery-last-name helped him clean up the messy bar, apologizing profusely in the process.
it was just as josh and brendon were throwing the last of the cleaning towels into baskets for the laundromat when josh saw the lights dimming around them and centering on the stage.
he dropped everything he held and rushed up to the bar, calling back to brendon about watching the performance. josh didn't even take the time to open the little latch to the mini door that gave access to the bar, he just jumped over the counter. he quickly started wiping down the counter again so it looked like he was doing something productive as he started to listen.
it started out as a few gentle notes from a piano.
that was all it took for josh to stop what he was doing and direct all of his attention up to the stage. and immediately, from that moment?
josh was in love.
•-•
A/N:
well isn't that just NEAT.
i'm quite proud of the length of this chapter, i can't lie. now, technically, im not 'starting' this book yet. this is just a first chapter to show you the aesthetic of the book and what it'll be like. i've learned from experience that two books at a time is TOO MUCH PRESSURE 5 ME, so i won't be working on this AND kinkshame at the same time, sorry bro.
but hey; a third person joshler fic?? how about it??
did you like this? i'm a little unsure about it, but i feel like it isn't too bad. i hope, at least.
have a good night pals <3
~🌙