2009
Tyler Joseph was impossible to spot in a crowd, he was always so paranoid of being seen by paparazzi that he would go to the most ridiculous lengths to have his physical appearance concealed outside of his home. His friend Ryan Ross was very similar but not nearly as extreme as Tyler was but Ryan had grown used to recognising his friend when they'd have their weekly brunches at Jenna's Juice Bar.
It was a tiny, local cafe which sold a lot more different types of coffee than juice, but there was no better place to go when you were avoiding the media. Jenna was a sweet girl and would never sell the two out, even though she was a fan of both their music. She treated them like they were humans.
So when Tyler shuffled into the nearly empty cafe, wearing his signature sunglasses, a dad hat, a scarf, hoodie, and gloves, Ryan only smiled and waved him down from where he sat. They always sat in the same spot to the point where Jenna began to reserve the table for them every Tuesday. Ryan preferred to sit in a wooden chair by the window while Tyler sat across from him on a bench concealed by a throne of pillows.
Together they'd eat brunch and drink coffee, all while discussing their lives like a fucked up version of a mother's club.
"So, you went to My Chem's party last weekend. Yeah?" Tyler asked, taking a drink from his Irish coffee.
"I wasn't going to, to be honest. They're cool but they're more Brendon and Pete's friends than mine. It was fun though. Gerard got fucking doped up."
Tyler giggled into his coffee. "I expected that."
"Here you go, boys. The smashed avo and salmon toast for Ross, and the vegan pancakes for... you, mister." Jenna smiled brightly as she gave the pair their food. Tyler felt his chest warm at the fact that Jenna always remembered not to address him by his name in public- you never know who's listening.
"It looks amazing, Jen. Thank you." Ryan thanked her in a soft voice, speaking for both himself and Tyler.
The pair then continued to eat quietly, only making small talk occasionally before returning to a comfortable state of silence. That's how Tyler preferred it, it made him feel calm.
"Would you like another coffee, mister?" Jenna asked, popping up at their table a few minutes later.
"No, no thank you. It was beautiful though." Tyler sai some part-timers. Must be nice being able to make your own music in the safety of your own home." Jenna said, sighing at the thought.
"To'mae'to, to'mah'to, Jenna." Tyler muttered.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Call me if you need in a low voice. He then glanced over to the notice board and spotted a 'Jenna's Juice Bar: Staff Wanted!' sign.
"Say, I guess your cafe's growing if you need more hands on deck?" He asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's slowly started getting busier here so I'd love anything." She smiled, making her way back to the front counter.
Tyler watched her walk away, his focus slipping into another daydream until Ryan spoke up. "I don't think Brendon's taking me seriously anymore." He sighs.
Tyler frowned, "What do you mean? Have you started working on the new album yet?"
"Yeah but- I just don't think he likes my writing anymore. Keeps saying shit about how he doesn't want to 'sound gay'."
Tyler's face twisted into disgust. "Your writing is sexy, Ryan. Brendon doesn't know what he's talking about."
"He's right though! I let my emotions get in the way of my writing too much and it ends up as some gay-emo blur."
"He said that?" Tyler raised his eyebrows. "Emotion makes music, your fans don't care about tits and pop songs."
"Brendon does."
"Doesn't he not only sleep with you, but also Joshua Dun? Doesn't sound very straight to me."
"It's not like that, Brendon just uses anyone willing! And Josh would be- He needs Brendon."
Tyler rolled his eyes, not paying much attention to the depth of Ryan's statement. "Fucking groupie."
"What's your deal with Josh though? I have a reason to hate him, though I kinda don't, what's yours?"
"He's a parasite. Sucking Brendon's dick for real estate and ruining hard-working musicians' careers." Tyler hissed, squinting behind his sunglasses.
Ryan found himself laughing a little. "Everybody has their claim to fame, Josh Dun's is just sucking dick and ruining lives."
"Whatever, watch your back when he's around. He's got no empathy- totally barbaric."
Tyler sighed, finishing the last bite of what he could stomach from the large pile of pancakes.
"Got any more plans for today? I think I'm gonna head home soon."
Ryan stared into his empty coffee mug and mumbled, "I'll probably go to Brendon's."
Tyler scoffed but didn't bother to try and stop his friend. Either way, he had nothing else to do today.
So Tyler did what Tyler does best.
And it's kind of funny
The way we're wearing anchors on our shirts
When being anchored aboard just feels like a curse
Fall Out Boy, 27
"Hello and welcome back to another 3 pm interview live with Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy."
Tyler lay on his back, spread out across the mattress and entangled in the expensive silk sheets. Lines of cocaine still remained on the glass coffee table near his feet, surrounded by scattered piles of different coloured tablets and pills. He wasn't sure which ones he had taken but his nose sure stung and he felt like he could feel every ounce of gravity holding him down.
"Fucking Joshua Dun, who else is going to fall into his trap?" He muttered to his ceiling fan.
"So, Pete, Patrick, I've heard some talk that things have been a bit rough in the band lately."
"What the..? Where'd you hear that?"
"You're Fall Out Boy! I have to know these things."
Tyler looked halfway angelic with his pale skin and watery eyes, but inside a brew of hate, anger and loathing were stirring. Every word that came from Josh's mouth made the older man's skin prickle. As Tyler laid in a pit of anger, he found himself fixating on specific features of Josh, each making him feel worse. Josh Dun was a leech, he relied on others to give him his fame and if it weren't for Haley Williams he would have been nothing. If asked, he would excuse it as a 'bad trip,' but Tyler just hated Joshua William Dun.
Josh fidgeted with something before continuing.
"On the contrary, a few rumours have been floating around about a 'Best Hits' album."
Pete Wentz laughed, "Shit, Dun. I don't know where you find this information."
Patrick chuckled, "I know right." He paused and seemed to be moving around, "Is there cameras watching us?"
Josh laughed with the pair but did not let the question go.
"Hey, I get it if you wanna keep some secrets. But at least fill us in on a song or two we might find on a "Best of Fall Out Boy" album?"
"Well, I'm pretty proud of Alpha Do-"
"Patrick! Shut the fuck up!"
Josh giggled in delight at the singer's slip up.
"What was that, Patrick? Did I just hear 'Alpha Dog'? Don't think I've heard of that one before."
Pete groaned, "Is this live?"
"You bet, Wentz."
There was the sound of a fist colliding with Patrick's shoulder followed by a yelp of pain and another laugh from Josh.
"Hey, hey, calm down. How about we take a break from that and take a look at a few fan QandA's?"
Tyler's blood boiled and he rolled out of his bed to crawl over to the coffee table. His thin fingers pinched a pre-rolled joint and a lighter in the other, making sure to inhale a series of long deep hits before reaching for his phone. Josh was a dick, and people did not remind him of this as often as he deserved.
"Oh, what do we have here?" Josh starts, lifting his phone off his lap where he had previously read questions off of.
"News just in from one of my favourite viewers- "You are such a-" Hey man, this show is televised!" "as I was saying, "You are such a 'meanie' that I truly believe you are a worm on the ground, in which I would step on after the rain. Actually, worms do something to help society, and you do not. I would much prefer to crush you as a maggot, which has a close enough IQ to yours."
"And that, my dearest listeners and adoring fans of Fall Out Boy, in which I centred this interview, was a very unprofessional Tyler Joseph."
The whole world of the music industry was thrown into chaos minutes later. Tyler Joseph was a ghost who avoided the spotlight like a vampire in the sun, why would he go and throw himself headfirst into the onslaught of Josh's fans like that?
Tyler was basking in the glory of speaking his mind after years of agonising silence from Josh, totally ignorant towards the hysterics happening on social media. Then his second phone, which was used only for phone calls, began to ring, and he wasn't called often by anyone on that. Even his manager didn't call him on that phone because the last one who did was fired on the spot.
Still, he answered only after seeing the caller ID belonged to Ryan Ross.
"Hello?" He answered in a slow, slurred voice.
"Tyler, I'm not usually the one to judge one's decisions. Specifically yours. But you, my friend, are in some deep shit." Ryan answers.
"What do you think I did, RyRo? Commit arson or something? That was one time."
"My dearest Tyler, you've committed complete social suicide. Do you realise just who you texted? Like, did you put any thought into it?"
"Into what? I only sent a message to Josh... oh fuck! How do you know that?"
Before Ryan could answer, Brendon found himself quickly snatching the phone. "Next time you decide to call my best friend a maggot, maybe don't try it on live radio?" He spat.
Tyler felt physically ill. "Shit... oh, oh Gosh. Ryan, please come pick me up."
Tyler could feel his throat tightening, threaten to close up and suffocate him in the form of another panic attack. He looked down at the joint which still rested between his fingers, the smell made bile rise in his throat.
"I'll pick you up in 5. Please don't pass out before you can buzz me in."
Tyler ended up moving to the ensuite while he waited for Ryan, afraid that he would throw up all over his Indian black silk robe, thankfully he didn't end up throwing up until he made it to Brendon's house. Still, that did not mean that by the time Ryan made it tyler wasn't already caught in a hurricane of regret and was being seriously overwhelmed by the media. Ryan knew that what Tyler had done was stupid, but after seeing the half-burnt-out joint and collection of drugs lying about it was clear that Sober Tyler hadn't made that decision.
However, Ryan could not deny the fact that Sober Tyler was turning into just an alter-ego of Intoxicated-tyler.
Either way, Ryan practically dragged the younger male out of his house, not bothering to dress him in any more of his clothes beforehand. After all, the plan was to make a B-Line back to Brendon's house and avoid all paparazzi in the process. Thankfully, however, the traffic was nonexistent and if they had a few photos of the pair there was not much more damage that could be done to Tyler's reputation anyway.
So minutes later Brendon's black trans am skidded into the open garage with Ryan at the wheel and Brendon there to quickly shut the roller behind them. After all, they didn't want Josh to arrive home to a massive hoard of reporters crowding his home in search of Tyler Joseph.
Ryan takes Tyler into one of the many spare bedrooms, getting him to sit on the bed.
"Come on, Ty-guy, you're alright."
"No, I'm not. I think I just fucked up my entire career."
"Are you kidding man? You're gonna be the talk of the town for at least a week!"
"You know that I hate that kind of attention, Ross. I seem like such an ass hole."
"It's okay Ty, you've been through so much worse before."
"But this is just my own shit catching up to me again. Joshua is adored by everyone, way more than I've ever been and I just said that- oh my Gosh. I said that he was a maggot!"
Tyler groaned, leaning forward to dig his palms into his eyelids.
Ryan starts to laugh, though quickly stopping when Tyler looks up with tear-stained cheeks to glare at him. "It's- It's a little bit funny."
Tyler scoffed and shoved Ryan's shoulder, "Shut the fuck up. You've never been through a situation like this- especially not on live radio."
Tyler then got up, instead choosing to burrow himself under the pile of blankets until he was hidden under the mass of green wool on the bed.
"Tyler, I live most of my life on stage. Trust me, people get over this shit fast."
"Yeah! But Joshua won't!" Came Tyler's muffled reply.
"Why do you care so much about his opinion, huh?" Ryan smirks.
"Because, he's just as much of a bitch as you are!"
From the other side of the house, Josh hung his coat up before stepping inside the kitchen. He thought he heard someone talking from inside the house but just shrugged it off to be another 'friend' of Brendon's. As he headed to his own room he picked up Ryan's voice and changed his destination to the closest guest bedroom.
Josh opened the door with a "Wassup ma-n?" His voice faltered as his focus shifted to the mound of blankets.
"Hey, Ryan, man, buddy, are you zooted or what?"
The mound of blankets that Ryan was consoling suddenly shot upwards, causing Josh's stomach to drop to the floor in synchronised timing. Seconds later Ryan was up and herding Josh out of the guest bedroom in a borderline rushed fashion, to which Josh responded: "This is my house!"
"Listen, man, fuck off and I'll talk to you about it later."
As the door slammed in his face, Josh sulked off to his room with the post-interview buzz washed away. He decided to continue his day as if he hadn't just had that interaction with Ryan, instead, Josh made a bee-line to his ensuite and turned on the shower, taking his time to chill out under the hot jets of water from above.
Meanwhile, Ryan finally managed to coax Tyler out of his self-destructive state, then he even managed to get him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, Ryan was pretty proud of himself. He brought him into the kitchen so that Tyler could sober up a little because hey, even dancing on the edge of a breakdown for 40 minutes doesn't get weed, cocaine and who knows what else, out of your system.
Ryan got up, checking his pockets before sighing. "I left my phone in Brendon's car, I'll be back in a few."
Tyler was too out of it to argue with the older male so instead, he just slid into one of the stools, leaning forward onto the cool marble with a blanket wrapped over his shoulders. He was so tired and the room was swaying back and forth like the early morning after a party. His head rested on the side, allowing his messy hair to fall forward across his soft forehead and onto the bench. His eyes fluttered closed and stayed like that, his chapped pink lips party slightly as he took long, slow breaths.
That was the sight that Josh walked in on when he entered the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He stood there in something similar to awe, staring at Tyler like a deer in headlights. It was funny, the other boy was most likely off his face and looked like he was in pain, and he still managed to look flawless.
"D-Do... Do you need some Advil?" Josh managed to get out. Tyler's head snapped up at the sudden and all too familiar voice.
"Oh- uh- no. No, Ryan already gave me some. Thank you though." Tyler said, his doe eyes flicking to and from Josh's eyes and lips. Josh returned his gaze, noticing a soft tremble in the older boy's lips. "Are you okay..?" He asked gently.
"What? Oh yeah, I'm.." Tyler paused, taking his time to think his answer through. The guy trying to comfort him was the same guy who put him in this situation.
Tyler's face turned stony, his eyes squinting in a glare as he slowly stood up. The blanket dropped off his shoulder as he walked towards Josh, his finger pointed at him accusingly.
"I would be better if some jackass, wanker, arrogant, groupie, filth, hadn't fucked with my entire career just for- what? A laugh?" His voice got louder as he spoke, causing Josh to back up a few paces in shock
Josh began to stutter, his pride taking over. "You- Since when did you text me? I could only assume it was a joke! Like, you called me a fucking maggot! How could I take you seriously?"
Tyler looked offended. "Oh yeah, cause I'm one for a joke. You should know better than most about how much I hate the media! The only reason I sent that is because I-" Tyler cut himself off, his eyes wide in horror. "Because I hate you, Joshua."
"Was I supposed to be keeping tabs on you and your hate for the media, Joseph? I don't give a shit about how you're sick of the limelight! Not everybody gets to choose to be successful, some people have to work hard for it!"
Tyler stood taller, looking down with disgust with his finger pressed to Josh's bare chest. "Yeah? Well, I don't know about you but I didn't suck Brendon Urie's dick, and fuck Hayley Williams to earn my fame. Groupie." He spat with venom dripping from his tongue.
Josh's face began to heat up, his jaw tensing as he glared up at Tyler. He was about to speak when Ryan walked back in.
"Do either of you know how to behave?" Ryan said quickly, going to separate the two. Josh backed down compliantly, staring at the floor. Meanwhile, Tyler continued to hold his ground with his chin raised proudly. For Tyler, this was a small redemption of his pride.
Josh mumbled, "Tell your friend not to fucking touch me." Before disappearing off to his room quickly. Then, Ryan turned to Tyler, looking at him expectantly with an eyebrow raised in disapproval.
"What did he do for you to be such a bitch?"
Tyler spluttered. "He treated me like a child, he was trying to humiliate me."
Ryan scoffed. "Yeah, okay. So he didn't do shit. Classic Tyler."
"Whatever! Screw you, screw Joshua, and screw Brendon too!"
Although Ryan knew Tyler was in a bad mood and still had drugs in his system, he couldn't help but make it worse.
"You're acting like a fucking child, Ty. You've blown this way out of proportion and are just picking a fight with Josh so that you can feel better about yourself!"
Tyler scoffed, "Fine! Take his side!" He practically wailed.
Tyler then rolled his eyes and made his way to the garage, "Tell Brendon that you'll pick up his car when you're actually a good friend!" He called, picking up the car keys and stalking out with his silk robe fluttering behind him.
"Fucking primadonna." Ryan sighed.