No Matter What (Twenty One Pilots)

Chapter 6

“I’m sorry, Tyler,” Josh whispered as he lay on his side staring out the window of his bed room. Tyler had been curled up against Josh’s stomach, drifting in and out of sleep for the past hour they had been in Josh’s room, but at the sound of his human’s voice, he was immediately awake and licking Josh’s face.

“Sorry I haven’t paid much attention to you today. It’s just…gah, I don’t even know,” Josh grumbled. Something about the way he said it made Tyler cock his head to the side. He was confused by the sadness laced into Josh’s voice.

“I guess I’m just sad. And lonely,” Josh said after a few minutes of silence. Outside his room he could hear his parents turn the TV off and head to their bedroom. He wondered how their days had gone, as he had been asleep on the couch when they got home. He had only woken up when they suggested he eat dinner and go to bed.

Josh wondered if they ever got mad at him for interacting with them so little. Lately he had been pretty distant from everyone and preferred staying in his room rather than going out, especially since he didn’t have anyone to hang out with anymore. He knew they had noticed when he stopped having people over and stopped spending the night at his “friend’s” houses, and he knew they worried, but were they upset with him that he couldn’t keep any friends? Did they think he was a disappointment?

His thoughts were interrupted by Tyler sticking his wet nose into his neck.

“But at least I’ve got you, right, Tyler? You won’t leave me because I changed. You’ll stick with me no matter what, right?” Even though Josh knew that Tyler wouldn’t leave him or forget about him or refuse to let him into his house, mostly because Tyler was stuck with Josh and didn’t have a house of his own, he still spoke with uncertainty in his voice. Almost as if he was scared his own dog would reject him. But, after what his old friends had put him through, the possibility of Tyler rejecting him was a real fear he had.

Tyler licked his face and snuggled closer to Josh, ending up practically sitting on him. Josh didn’t mind though. He smiled and pulled the ball of fur closer to him, taking comfort in the thought that at least someone out there loved him and would stay.

The two fell asleep cuddle together and neither woke up until noon the next day. Josh was in a much better mood, which Tyler immediately took notice of. This sent the easily excited puppy into such a deep state of happiness that the only way for Josh to get him to calm down was to walk him to the park. Twice. Afterwards the two collapsed in the backyard and Josh watched the clouds absentmindedly as Tyler panted happily and chased bugs around the garden.