One Shots

(I'll) Still Be Here

A/N: This was inspired by the photo above of Tyler "sleeping" on Josh's shoulder because sometimes I'll see two people interact and create an entire story/scene based off of it. I didn't mean to make it a Joshler one shot but I guess if the shoe fits...I decided to lean into it instead of making new characters. But I never explicitly use names, so...
P.S. I wasn't exactly sure when or how to end it, so sorry about the crappy ending.
(Title semi taken from WDBWOTV)

"I have trouble sleeping in new places," I distinctly remember my best friend telling me a couple months ago when we shared a hotel room on a weekend getaway. "But having someone I trust around helps."

Now, he had no issue sitting next to me and resting his head on my shoulder. This was fairly normal. We're close, always have been. We've never been ones to shy away from affection with each other. What was abnormal was that his breathing evened out—he fell asleep.

He had a rough relationship with sleep. It wasn't quite insomnia. The doctor basically said he didn't stay awake long enough each night for it to be a condition. But that didn't change the fact that it still took him hours to fall asleep at times.

Then, when he was somewhere new or unfamiliar, it was possible he would sleep for barely an hour or wouldn't sleep at all. Like when we went on our short trip. It took him hours to get to sleep. And even then, it wasn't for long.

So, seeing him totally at ease and asleep in a semi-public space meant a lot. Knowing that I was the reason felt reassuring. I'm not insecure about our friendship. I know I love him, and I know he loves me. You don't get one of us without the other. But during the times my anxiety gets the best of me, I often tend to wonder if he'll get tired of me or realize he doesn't need me. He's always been independent.

But in this moment, I understand that I'm his rock in the same way that he's my anchor. We're not dependent on each other, but that doesn't mean we don't need one another. His presence has a way of comforting me when I'm at a low, and I'm realizing that maybe I provide a similar comfort for him. And honestly, it's a nice feeling.

Sometimes, I have trouble sitting still for long periods of time, but there was no way I would move an inch and chance waking my friend up. I would stay here all day if I needed to because he could use all the sleep he can get.

Luckily for me and unfortunately for him, he slept for just under an hour. He woke up slowly. I could tell he was disoriented and unsure of where he was. I stayed quiet as he took in his surroundings a little at a time.

Once he opened his eyes and lifted his head, I whispered, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

He rolled his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Almost an hour."

He nodded absentmindedly, looking around. It was just us in the room. A couple people had passed through, but no one really gave us a second glance. People were used to seeing us together, so I suppose us sitting on the couch didn't seem out of the ordinary.

"You must've been really tired," I pointed out, keeping my voice low.

He shrugged. "Maybe you're just comfortable."

I held back from fully smiling. We knew each other well enough for me to understand all the words he wasn't saying. "You can lean on my shoulder whenever."

His small nod of acknowledgment told me he knew all the things I also wasn't saying.