"Ty, you shouldn't make friends with other people! They're all bad! And they're going to hurt you!"

Blurry scolds Tyler for the 5th time after he sees him talking to his seatmate in class. He wonders why he stills hangs out with this kid. He was shy, timid, boring... Why couldn't he have been friends with a better human?

"W-why can't I make other friends, Blurry? I think Jenna is nice." Tyler asks meekly.

"That's what they make you think! They'll make friends with you and then leave you when they get tired of you!" 

"Y-You don't know that!!" Tyler protested. His hands clenched tight to his sides. His eyes filling up with tears as if he was on the verge of crying.

"I do! Then they'll just forget about you. They've done it to me, Ty." 

Blurry has made lots of friends. But the moment they all grow up, they've forgotten him and leave him behind. They act as if he never existed. It would be the same for him... It would be the same for Tyler.

"You don't need them, Tyler. But you'll have me. I'll never leave you." Blurry reassures him. Tyler nods.

Blurry knows that Tyler would believe him without doubt. 

 ++

Today, they're playing by the swings. He sits on the swing beside Tyler. The boy swings in the air, his tiny legs dangling from his seat. He swings higher and higher. 

Blurry sees darkness in Tyler. He feels something creeping inside this boy's heart. It's the type of darkness that would one day hurt him. Blurry feels the type of overprotectiveness flowing inside him. But he has no power to protect this boy. His friend. 

Today seems different though. The more Tyler grows, the more different he becomes. As Tyler swings, higher, higher, and higher as if he aims to touch the sky, Blurry thinks he can see wings on him.

Blurry wants to protect this kid. He wants to protect him from that darkness. He wants to protect him from the harshness of this world.

But no one can stop children from growing up.

So Blurry decides to protect Tyler in his own way.

 ++

"Mom, I don't want to go outside."

"Tyler, you can't stay in your room forever. You love to play basketball, don't you?"

"No. Please go away, Mom."

 ++

The more that Blurry convinces him that he doesn't need other people, the more Tyler's darkness grows. He becomes sadder, he stopped playing basketball, he becomes detached, even to his own family.

Blurry knows it's his fault. He knows that it's his fault why the darkness continues to grow in Tyler's heart. He can't seem to stop it. Even with Blurry there with him, it's not enough to stop it. 

Tyler starts writing these days. It has words that seem to bleed out of the pages. It's screams of pain, hurt and uncertainty. Its words are beautifully written, but the truth of its words can pierce ones heart. Tyler hides his heart in the pages of his notebook.

A ukulele lies at the corner of Tyler's room. The dust on its surface indicates how long it's been neglected. Tyler used to play his ukulele. He wasn't that good yet, but he learns fast when he practices.

"Tyler."

Tyler looks up at him from his writing. His eyes used to be so bright. Always full of curiosity. He forgot what Tyler looks like when he smiles. He hasn't seen Tyler smile for so long.

"Can you still play the ukulele?"

"I guess so. Why?'

"Play for me?"

Tyler looks a bit surprised with the request, but he complies without a word.

He wipes of the dust from the ukulele, and tunes the strings. He fiddles with the strings to correct the sound. Tyler's family wasn't exactly musically inclined at music so it surprises him sometimes when Tyler plays music.

Tyler plays out some random chords. He hums under his breath. A few minutes later, Tyler is playing Can't Help Falling In Love on the ukulele, and sings.

Wise men say,

only fools rush in

But I can't help

Falling in love with you

He can see Tyler's posture. It looks a bit tense, as if he's not sure if he's playing it right. Slowly, he starts to relax as the song reaches that chorus, his voice starts to smooth out on each word. His eyes are closed with concentration but when you look at him fully, he looks calm.

This is the most relaxed he has ever seen of Tyler these days. The music is like a blanket that surrounds him with warmth. The darkness that was creeping inside Tyler fades, little by little. He looks satisfied.

After Tyler sings, Blurry looks at him with pride. At that moment, Blurry just knows one thing.

"Keep playing."

Tyler smiles.

 ++

Tyler is growing up. And the more he grows up, the more Blurry starts to feel like he is fading from his life. He sees how slowly Tyler is changing. It's like watching a caterpillar become a butterfly.

The darkness inside Tyler... never really disappeared. But he learned how to use it. Tyler learned to sing the words from the written pages of his heart. When the words are sang, it sounds magical from his lips. And maybe, just maybe... he was always better off without Blurry. 

Usually by this age, people forget him. He wonders why Tyler still needs him.

"Do you still need me, Tyler?"

Tyler looks up from his organ. He started playing it recently. He had to cringe at the 'keyboard smashing' that Tyler has been doing sometimes. That's probably part of learning.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"Of course, Blurry. You're my friend."

Friend. Has he really been a friend? Because all he's ever been to Tyler was selfish. He starts to feel the guilt. He doesn't deserve his friendship.

"Then you probably need a new one."

Tyler looks at him in confusion. His eyes are furrowed as if he didn't understand what Blurry just said.

"What are you talking about?"

Blurry sighs and looks around the room. The walls are now filled with posters, his table which used to be placed with toys are now placed with books, and a variety of comics. The corner of his room lies his basketball and a pair of sneakers beside it. There's a skateboard underneath the bed, a guitar and ukulele on the bed, an organ in the middle of the room.

There are no signs of the kid that Blurry once befriended with.

"You're growing up, Tyler. You don't want to make your parents worry, do you? You don't want them to think you're becoming crazy, are you?"

"I'm fine." Tyler snapped at him.

"Tyler. To the knowledge of every adult in existence, I am not real. Did you forget about that?"

Tyler looks away and doesn't respond. Maybe it's for the best. Because no matter how much Blurry convinces himself that Tyler doesn't need him anymore, he's not actually okay with Tyler forgetting about him. 

"It's time to grow up, Tyler." Blurry says while his voice is drowned over the sound of Tyler's organ.

 ++

This is the longest time that Blurry has ever existed in someone's life.

Tyler is now a freshman in college. And while everyone considers a college student as a 'man', they probably don't know college students having imaginary friends.

Blurry doesn't mind. It's an honor for him to have seen Tyler grow up.

It was orientation of new students today, and school clubs have been offering freshmen a chance to join in these clubs.

"Hey, excuse me!"

A student who looks inches smaller than Tyler approaches them. His hand is stretched out as he offers a flyer.

"Would you like to join our music club, dude?"

The student wears the standard uniform but his arm is full of tattoos, his hair color makes him stand out from the crowd. He seems like the 'bad boy' type. But the gleam on his eyes would say otherwise.

"No thank you." Tyler declined before Blurry could even make a comment about it.

The student just stares at Tyler and shrugs.

"Your call. But if you become interested, the music room is open for you, dude."

The student leaves. Probably to look for other students who would join his club.

Blurry kinda expected this. But he was still disappointed by Tyler's decision. He was hoping that Tyler would start to open up. In high school, all Tyler had were acquaintances. He acted normally towards others but Blurry can see that Tyler is having a hard time trusting anyone.

"Tyler--"

"I've already signed in the Basketball team. I don't need to join anything else."

"...Fine."

 +(

"You need to join us, man."

"You already have enough members! Why do you keep pestering me in joining the music club?"

"...You're different."

"Leave me alone."

 ++

The guy from the music club is Josh Dun. His appearance already caught Blurry's attention. His persistence to have Tyler in the music club is what caught his interest.

Josh apparently has an eye for talent. His members consist of 10 students who can perform amazingly well. He doesn't choose at random. And maybe this is the person that Blurry can trust with Tyler. He probably sees something special in Tyler too.

Blurry told himself that he would never mess in to any of Tyler's business ever again. He tends to ruin things a lot for the kid. He believed that every thing that he has ever done for Tyler was good for him.

Now look at what happened to him. 

Maybe this is his chance to make it up for Tyler. His last chance. Because as hard this is for Blurry... Tyler needs to let him go.

Isn't that what growing up is about? About learning to let go?

 ++

"Did you give him my notebook, Blurry? Did you give him my notebook!?"

"I just forgot your notebook at the music room. I didn't give it to him."

"He won't return the notebook until I visit their club! I know he'll just keep persuading me to join them!"

"Then, go."

"Blurry--"

"Just go get your notebook then leave. Simple."

 ++

Leaving Tyler's notebook in the music room did the trick in convincing Tyler to go to the music club. As Blurry observes Tyler, he looks like he's ready to run at any minute from the room.

Apparently, Josh is the only one at the music room. He seems busy cleaning the instruments but he's aware of Tyler's presence.

"Where's my notebook?"

Josh turns around and looks at Tyler. 

"Did you write the words on that notebook?"

"What's it to you?" Tyler snaps at him.

Josh leaves from his spot and retrieves a familiar looking notebook from a shelf. Josh flips the pages of the notebook, his eyes searching for a certain page. Blurry looked over Tyler and noticed his hands clenched tightly at his side. His expression is neutral but Blurry can see the fury in Tyler's eyes.

"Have you tried adding melody in this?"

Tyler remains silent. His anger is becoming palpable as Josh continues to read the written words on his notebook.

"You know, when I feel happy, sad or frustrated at something, I play my drums. I play my drums, so others can feel my emotions. Sharing your feelings that way isn't such a bad thing. People get to understand you, you get to understand them, and you get to understand yourself."

Josh closes the notebook and offers it back to Tyler. 

"Have you tried knowing about yourself, Tyler?"

Tyler hastily grabs the notebook from Josh's grasp. He turns to leave the room with Blurry following behind him. Before Tyler got to close the door, Blurry heard Josh say something.

"If only you could see how much your words can make a difference." Josh says as if he was saying this to himself.

Tyler didn't seem to have heard Josh, which is quite disappointing. Blurry knows it's not Josh's fault. Not really. He really had no idea. But Blurry wished that Josh would have told those words to Tyler.

 ++

"That sounds good."

"Yeah. But I think there's something missing, Blurry..."

"You're missing a beat, Tyler."

"...Oh. Drums."

 ++

"Tyler, are you asleep?"

The soft breathing that echoes within the room confirms that Tyler is indeed asleep. That's good. It would make things easier.

Blurry sits on the side of Tyler's bed. He looks at Tyler's face. He looks peaceful than he has ever been in months, or probably years. And Blurry takes comfort in that.

Tyler shifts on his bed but he stays asleep. What does Tyler dream about these days? Blurry hopes it's all the good things. 

Blurry remembers little Tyler on the swing. Tyler keeps swinging higher, higher, and higher that Blurry was afraid that he'll never be able to reach him again. So he drags him down with him.

Not the smartest decision that Blurry has ever made.

Tyler could have let him go and ignored him. Blurry would have left. It would have been that easy. The thing that makes it hard is that not one of them wants to let go. 

But times change, right? Though future is uncertain and unpredictable, humans are expected to adapt, to change, and evolve. Children go to schools, they meet new friends, they make connections and leave to find a place where they belong. In other words, they're growing up.

Growing up can be harsh, cruel, and has a lot of obstacles. It becomes so difficult at times that someone would just give up and fall.

The beauty about humanity is that someone would be willing to catch them.

Tyler eventually joined the music club. And he works surprisingly well with Josh. And now, Tyler and Josh have dreams of making awesome music together. Blurry is confident that they'll make music that can impress the world. He's confident that Tyler would soar higher than ever.

Blurry wishes he could see it. But knowing that Tyler has a dream that can and will make him stay alive is enough for him to see.

"Stay alive, for me."

Blurry feels his body slowly fade. Tyler shifts on his bed, his eyes are moving behind his eyelids. He's starting to wake up.

He puts his hand on Tyler's forehead. His hand becomes transparent against Tyler's skin. Blurry hums the song that Tyler composed earlier. He remembers the beauty of it's melody.

Blurry smiles as he slowly disappears. With only seconds before he disappears, Blurry whispers the words that holds his fears and wishes:

"Don't forget about me..."

The words echo into the silence of the room. And while Blurry believed that Tyler didn't hear him... 

Blurry forgot that Tyler always takes words into heart.

~~~~~

"So, what's our new album's title?"

Tyler and Josh sit at the studio. After a year's work of making new songs and the success of their previous album, Vessel. Today is the day where they brainstorm about their new album's artwork and title.

"What do you think, Ty? It probably has to be mysterious or something."

'Mysterious' is a word that Tyler wouldn't normally associate in his album. But it brings something back in him. It brings back memories of a friend, memories of music, and memories of words that were whispered into the silence of the night.

"Don't forget about me..."

And Tyler never did forget.

"How about 'Blurryface'?

Tyler's not sure if he was hearing things, but Tyler heard someone whispered 'Thank you' in his ear.

'You're welcome'. Tyler said in his thoughts. Josh grins at him and seems to have approved of the title. Tyler returns the grin with thoughts of an exciting future ahead of them.

*

[A/N: A story that I first posted in Ao3 with some revisions. This story close to my heart.

I hope you guys liked this too. I did this months ago haha!

Have a great day!]