Start song: Cigarette daydreams by Cage The Elephant

At work Tyler shifts his weight from side to side on his chair, it groans, squeaks and when he spins he can feel himself almost fall off.

He's not doing actual work, if anything he's goofing off, unable to draw any concentration to organize his boss's timetable.

Working in an office building is boring, no matter how big of a company this is. It's boring as all hell even when he has actual work to do, there's nothing interesting about his job other than the gossip that scurries around the office every once and a while.

The gossip isn't even good. The most interesting things he hears about are all the sex scandals.

Whenever his boss passes by his sad excuse for an office cubicle, he pretends to work, really whenever he hears really angry footsteps he reacts. Fingertips immediately meeting his keyboard so he looks busy.

Today he does this even though he knows it isn't his boss, even though it sounds more like heels on carpet. He pulls himself over to his desk when there's a soft knock on his desk.

It's a girl, her voice is sweet. "Hey Tyler, do you want to come out for lunch with us?"

Tyler, in relief, sighs. It's just Jenna, an unpaid intern who's been working her way into an actual job position by flirting with the big boss. He smiles at her, spinning his chair around to look at her.

"Who's us?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at her. Jenna sighs, leaning against his desk, long legs crossing.

"Brendon and I."

Brendon isn't Tyler's favourite person, he's obnoxious and loud but Tyler can tolerate him.

He rolls his chair backwards. "Uh-yeah sure."

*

Ashley's fingers tap along his spine when he gets home, she's gentle and she presses just hard enough when she finds a knot along his back or neck.

He's not tense anymore, Tyler hasn't been tense in a while, yet Ashley still offers him massages.

He would never turn down a free massage, especially because she's certified.

Her hands are covered in oil as arehis back, shoulders and neck. He's sure that if they went outside his sweat would be able to compensate as oil.

Tyler sighs and curls his toes into the couch when she works on his neck for a second time, he's sure he feels something crack. "That hurts."

"You have a shit pain tolerance." Her thumb brushes over his shoulder, swiping oil downwards. "Just incase you forgot"

Oil drips, rolls down his waist and onto an off white towel that's been turned into a couch cover for the time being. It's there because stray oil is gross to clean up, but the oil makes everything better so he allows the couch to be stained and allows towels to be ruined for the time being.

The couch itself, It needs a deep clean. They can afford it, they both talk about even getting a new couch. It never happens, Tyler knows the couch wouldn't stay clean for long anyways.

Ashley's hands work down the muscles of his back, slowly, maybe a bit sensually. This should be considered something very intimate but Tyler doesn't see it that way as Ashley's pours more oil onto his back.

"Ty." She whispers, blue hair gets in his face, small strands clinging to his skin. She does this when she wants something, her hands touch his shoulders, her fingers drag down his back, he shivers, nearly convulses underneath her.

"It's been a while." She says next, Tyler's aware of this, Tyler feels warm.

And Tyler's nodding as Ashley sits on his back, letting him hold all of her weight as her hands crawl up his spine.

"Are you still seeing that guy?" He says, voice raspy, he needs to sleep.

She licks her lips, . "Nah." He puts in the effort to turn to look at her, raising an eyebrow at her, in disbelief, she cracks a smile. "Not right now anyways." Tyler hides his face in the couch.

"You don't need to worry about him, he won't touch you."

Tyler groans and works at turning around, Ashley lifting her weight off of him to allow him to properly do so. He shifts so he's on his back, oil is everywhere and as Ashley sits on his hips this time around and plants her hands on his chest he wants her to be covered in oil too.

She looks tired, maybe exhausted, more than he is that's for sure. Between still being stuck in college and working at sephora, she's never home and overworks herself. She needs this.

And Tyler stills thinks she's beautiful.

Sex is something that used to be more about love than anything for him, sometime over the past few years that's changed. And so has his relationship with Ashley, they aren't dating but they have sex sometimes and right now seems to be one of those times.

Suggestively Ashley rolls her hips and suggestively Ashley leans down and presses a kiss to his jaw. "Do you think it would be dumb to-"

Tyler smiles as her thumbs rub over his nipples. "Against the window?"

"Would it bother you?" She asks. Tyler weighs his options before kissing her knuckles and shaking his head.

Slowly Ashley helps him up from the couch, pulling him up with her. With slight reluctance to move Tyler obliges, he needs this just as much as she does and whose to say they can't dabble into exhibitionism to keep things interesting.

Tyler tries to pretend that they aren't just doing this to spite their neighbour.

She backs him up, every step forward for her means one step backwards for him and he allows it, allows her thin fingers to take control and push him.

She cracks an innocent smile and Tyler squints his eyes suspiciously as she falls to her knees, blue hair whisking down with her.

Ashley against their living room window, he kisses her and holds her hair back and Ashley's skirt flies up and panties fall down. It's sloppy, they're messy together, spit connecting their lips, not really the best match but that doesn't stop them from going at each other. That doesn't stop Ashley from leaving hickeys on his neck, and that doesn't stop Tyler from slapping her ass.

Lasting long isn't the goal, it never is and as Ashley lets go of her tight grip around him and Tyler pants, still breathless he feels satisfied.

He feels safe with Ashley, Ashley is his best friend. He loves her.

"Do you think he saw?" Tyler asks as Ashley sits down on the couch with a gentle sigh. She adjusts her clothes. He feels some level of pride for just having done that.

Ashley glances out the window. "Who cares."

Tyler hates that he does. He just wants to see the guy.

*

He avoids looking at his neighbours windows most mornings now.

He feels a sense of embarrassment now, scared that yeah he actually did see him and Ashley.

So he stops his routine check ups through his window albeit the piqued curiosity he has to do so.

*

He starts eating lunch with Brendon and Jenna everyday.

Brendon pays for everything. "It's my treat." He says it carefully, Tyler purses his lips and smiles.

"Thank you dude, seriously."

His smile doesn't seem sincere. "Yeah no problem."

*

Tyler lays on their lawn with a pack of cigarettes on his chest and a book covering his eyes.

The book hasn't been read, he just couldn't find sunglasses and it acts as protection just as well as they could, maybe ever better.

He finds relief in the damp grass, compared to the warmth it's really nice. His toes curl and he can feel the morning dew creeping up the strands of grass to his strands of hair. It's nice.

The suns still rising and Tyler's expecting his neighbour to be awake because now he knows his schedule. He feels creepy and after a week of trying to pretend like they aren't neighbours Tyler gives up.

This is probably creepier, he's waiting. He's laying and every few minutes he's glancing across the street with hope. It's like waiting for the mail to come except less predictable.

He can't say he's ever done anything like this though. Ashley definitely has, that's how they became friends. This was before they moved in together, this was when they were both in college dorm rooms and Ashley would wait for him in the hallways because she thought he was cute.

This is creepier, maybe. Tyler feels like a stalker, he doesn't think he is though.

But he knows, Tyler knows he goes running or biking around this time every morning and Tyler wants an excuse to meet him. This is it, no matter how creepy. It feels more natural than knocking on his door.

It ends up working. His neighbour stares at him from across the road before walking over politely with his hands in his pocket.

"What're you doing?"

And then. "Hey, are you alright?"

It scares Tyler. He jumps, his body tremors.

And Tyler removes the book from over his eyes and squints. From up close Tyler can count freckles and get lost in dark eyes and long limbs. He's in gym clothes, he's already sweating. Tyler understands. His brown hair is curling, it's wet.

The sun is blinding behind his neighbour. "Hi, I've never seen you before." He says this eventually, there's too much eye contact before he speaks. And when he does speak it's carefully, Tyler wants to come across as honest. An honest start to their relationship.

He glances behind him before looking back at Tyler. "I live right across the street."

Tyler sits up straight and then leans back, his hands turned to his house as they holds his weight. He stares up at his neighbour. He smiles, feigns a lie. "Really? Shit, I'm an awful neighbour."

"I'm Josh." He says, the worry he had for Tyler forgotten. His smile is blinding as he reaches a hand down to shake Tyler's. Tyler's hand reaches his halfway, it's awkward. Tyler has to move closer to reach his hand. Tyler hopes his hand is clean.

He realizes he still hasn't introduced himself when Josh pulls away, eyebrows both raised.

Tyler corrects himself, Tyler says. "I'm Tyler, I live with my roommate Ashley. You'll meet her at some point." He smiles, pushing hair out of his face. "Probably."

Whatever nerves he'd felt are gone now, Josh is crouching down to be on his level. Tyler forgets to breathe as Josh tilts his sun glasses down over his eyes and sits down across from him.

Josh is nodding. "Definitely, you guys should come over sometime. It would be nice to have friends around here, that are more or less my age."

Tyler understands, Josh isn't wrong. Their neighbourhood is old, no one ever moves out. He tilts his head, a welcoming, comfortable gesture. "A lot of old people live around here."

"Yeah," Josh says.

Tyler has too many questions. "Do you live alone?"

"Yeah, I'm not too fond of people."

Tyler smiles, he doesn't believe him.  though There's more silence, quiet. There's no traffic on their street. No one is up at this hour. "Understandable, are you out this early for work?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, just uh-" he glances around. "Doing my morning run, really starts my day you know."

Tyler doesn't know but he nods anyways. "Yeah, i'm just out here... resting."

Josh grins. "I can see that."

He gets up. "Ive gotta go, but you and your roommate should definitely come over. I'll make dinner or something."

Tyler smiles. "Cool, just let me know. Send me a letter or somethin' i've got a mailbox."

Josh sends him a thumbs up before sliding on headphones and starting a light jog down the street.

*

When Ashley gets home Tyler can't stop thinking of Josh.

When Ashley gets home she doesn't have hair, Tyler has lost his train of thought.

"Your hair." He says as she rushes past him and drops her purse to the floor. This isn't the first time she's shaved her head but it's certainly the first time he's witnessed it.

"It's gone," Pointing out the obvious is inevitable. He leans against the doorframe, she's frantic.

"Why?" He asks.

Ashley pulls off her work clothes in their front entrance, dress slipping off as she grabs one of Tyler's sweaters off the coat rack. She stares at him. "Because I felt like it,"

Tyler nods. He doesn't understand but it's fine.

"Want to help me bleach it?" She asks as she picks up her purse again and starts walking away.  Tyler follows her into the bathroom, something happened. Tyler has no idea what. He doesn't press the subject right now, he'll ask her later.

"You're over the blue?" He asks curiously. Ashley's hair has been blue for 3 years now. He'd thought she'd never change it.

"Yeah."

author's note:

this is a mess

also go read 'hang me up and dry.' it's a finished oneshot that i posted yesterday and i love it so much.