A/N: I don't know why, but this was one of my favorite TØP wallpapers for a while^

Even after splitting this and the previous chapter in half, this is still a very long chapter. ||-//

           •Jenna•

    “Okay, so we have the chicken, this huge bag of cheese, mini bags of chips, sour cream, avocados, onion, lime, seasoning, and lettuce. Do we need anything else?” Tyler asks after examining the cart. 

    “Tomatoes,” I reply. “And do you have any kitchen knives?” 

    Josh and Tyler glance at each other. “I don’t think we have any knives other than the cheap plastic ones,” Josh responds. 

    “Okay. Well, this is a small store, but they’re bound to have knives here somewhere. Pick up three tomatoes while Ty and I look for knives,” I say, looking at the isle headers to see where they might be. Tyler grabs the cart and follows me. 

    We find a set of four different-sized knives on an isle near some other basic equipment. “We should get a sharpener, too. There’s no point in having a knife if you don’t maintain it.” I find a cheap sharpener and stick it in the cart, along with a pair of cutting mats.

    After meeting Josh at the checkout, we unload our groceries onto the conveyor belt. I pull my card out of my wallet to pay, but Tyler grabs my wrist. 

    “We’re feeding the band, so this is going on the band’s account.” He smiles sweetly before swiping his own card in the read. 

    The cashier lady smiles warmly at us as I put my own card away. “You guys are in a band, huh?”

    Tyler nods. “Yes ma’am, we’re called Twenty One Pilots, and we’re opening for Fall Out Boy this Thursday night.” 

    “Oh how wonderful! My grandson is a big fan of Fall Out Boy. He’ll be there. I’m sure he’ll like you, too.” She hands us our receipt. “Have a lovely evening.” 

    “You too, ma’am,” Josh replies politely as we each grab our grocery bags. We walk out the doors and begin our walk home. 

    “Man, you never let me have anything!” Josh complains as we take everything out of the bags back on the bus. “You control the debit card, and you don’t let me have the password to the band account!” 

    “I’m the lead singer,” Tyler replies, pointing to his chest. “I’ve also been in the band longer.” 

Josh rolls his eyes, a smile creeping up on his face. “Whatever.” I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for that man to get mad. Although, he did fight Brendon for me. Twice. 

    Tyler stands behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. “Okay Babe, work your magic. Show us your ways.” 

    I laugh. “Okay, there isn’t much to it when it comes to the tacos. Just pour this seasoning packet on the chicken, stir it, and stick it in the microwave for about a minute.” Tyler nods and opens the bag of chicken, then grabs a large bowl. 

    I turn to Josh. “And you are going to help me with the guacamole.” 

    He rubs his hands together. “Alright!” 

    “What!?” Tyler cries. “I just get to microwave chicken!?”

    “You don’t let the poor man have anything!” I respond teasingly. “At least let him make some guac! You can help too if you hurry up.” 

    I turn back to Josh. “Okay, do you know how to cut an avocado?” He shakes his head. “It’s easy. So what you do is you get your chef’s knife...I need to open that…” I open the package of knives and grab the thickest. “So, you get your chef’s knife and hold the avocado in your other hand. Then, starting towards the tip of your blade, you cut through the top of the avocado lengthwise until you feel the pit. After you do that, you just roll the avocado down the blade until it cuts it all the way around.” I remove the avocado and twist it open. It’s perfectly ripe. “Removing the pit is actually really easy, as long as you’re not violent about it. Grab your knife again, and tap the pit just hard enough to stick the blade in. Then, just twist and pull, and it’s out!” I slide the pit off of the knife and stick it in the trash. 

    “Oh, that’s not too bad,” Josh murmurs. 

    I grin. “It isn’t! Pretty much anyone can do it! Anyways, for removing the inside, the easiest way is the crosshatch method. Draw lines with the tip of the knife lengthwise and widthwise, but not hard enough to cut through the skin. Then just squeeze all of the inside out into a bowl! If any remains, you can use a spoon to get it out.” I hand the other half of the avocado to Josh. “Here you go. I’m going to wash the tomatoes.” 

    “Um...in what?” Ty asks. “We don’t have a sink.” 

    “The one in the bathroom will work,” I reply. “I just won’t set them down.” 

    I return from the bathroom to see Tyler watching Josh cut the remaining avocados. “You can help me cut tomatoes and the onion at the table.” Tyler grabs the onion and tomatoes as I grab the other knives and the cutting mats. 

    “You can dice the tomatoes, and I’ll take the onion. Just slice it into discs and cut the discs until they become small cubes.” 

    “Uh...okay…,” Tyler replies with an uncertain tone.

    “Don’t worry, I’ll help if you need me to.” I begin cutting into the onion. After about cutting half of it, I notice Tyler stop and wipe his eyes, sniffling.

    I pause and look up, chuckling. “The onions?” I whisper. He nods, tears spilling out of his eyes. 

    Glancing up, I see Josh squinting at Tyler. “Dude...are you okay?” His eyebrows furrow in concern. 

    “I just love you so much, man,” Tyler responds, pretending to cry. He goes over and embraces Josh, who pats him on the head. 

    “There there, is that onion being mean to you?” he asks softly. 

    Tyler nods, whimpering into his shirt. I roll my eyes. 

    “Why aren’t you crying, Jenna?” Josh asks. 

    I chuckle. “I don’t know...I guess I’ve cut so much of them that they don’t really bother me anymore.” 

    Tyler walks back over, still sniffing. “I’m gonna take my tomatoes...and cut them over by Josh!” 

    I laugh as he stands next to his friend at the counter. I finish dicing the onion a few minutes later, then help the boys make the rest of the guacamole. 

    “This is really good, Jenna,” Mark says through a mouthful of taco. The afternoon weather was nice, so we all decided to sit in a circle on the ground beside our bus. Even the crew decided to join us. 

    “Yeah, it is,” Ben agrees. “Thanks, Jenna.” Everyone else murmurs a thanks. 

    I wave my hand. “It wasn’t all me. Tyler and Josh helped, too.” 

    “Doing what? Opening the chip bags?” Mark jabs, making all of us laugh. 

    “Mark, you’re out of the band,” Tyler says flatly. I can tell he’s trying not to smile, though. 

    I see someone walking toward us in my peripheral vision. Pete and Patrick approaching from their bus. 

    “Hi,” Patrick greets stopping at the edge of our circle. “What’s everyone doing?”

    “Jenna made walking tacos,” Michael replies, holding up his Dorito bag. 

    “And guacamole,” Slow John adds.

    “Ooo, that sounds good!” Pete exclaims. 

    “There’s some left if you want any,” Tyler offers, standing up. 

    “Sure!” both Patrick and Pete reply, following Tyler into the bus. They come out a few minutes later. Josh and Mark scoot aside to expand our circle.

    “So, are you guys getting a hotel tonight?” Patrick asks in between bites.

    “Yeah, we were planning on it.” Tyler briefly glances at me. “What did you have in mind for sleeping arrangements? Who’s rooming with who?”

    “Well, the closest hotel isn’t super fancy, so it’ll probably have two beds per room. The four of us were just planning on sharing a room and just doubling up beds,” Patrick replies. “What about you?”

    “Well Josh, Mark, and I were planning on taking a room. I don’t know about the crew.” He turns to look at Michael, Slow John, Ben, and Schneider. “Are you guys getting a hotel or staying on the bus?”

    “We can stay on the bus,” Michael answers. “We don’t want to charge another room on your hotel bill.”

    “You guys can room if you want,” Josh offers. 

    Michael holds up his hands. “The bus is fine.” 

    Tyler and Josh look at each other, then shrug. 

    “Um...what about the women?” Pete asks, glancing at me. 

    “Women? Don’t you mean Jenna?” Tyler chuckles. 

    “Sarah came with Brendon. I don’t think she’ll want to be stuck in a room with Dallon and Spencer, though. The guys will probably get rowdy,” Pete says. 

    My stomach churns. I forgot for a moment that Brendon’s wife came. I haven’t even met her yet. Is she friendly? Will we get along? 

    Everyone looks at me expectantly. Tyler reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Well, it’s up to you, Babe.” 

    “Um…” I fidget with my balled-up Dorito bag. “Could I talk to you inside?” 

    Tyler nods and helps me up. “We’ll be back in a minute.” We step into the bus, closing the door behind us. He turns to me. “Sorry if we’re making you feel pressured. We don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” We sit down on the couch to the right of the door.

    I wring my hands. “Well...I’m not so sure about sharing a bed with you. I just don’t feel like our relationship has reached that point yet…”

    “I understand.” 

    “But...I haven’t met Sarah, either. Who knows what she’s like? What if we don’t get along? I don’t want to sleep in the same room as someone who wants kill me or something.” 
 
   Tyler puts an arm around me, and I gratefully lean into it. “Well, what if we went over to Panic's! bus and met her? If you feel okay with that. If not, the two of us could possibly get a separate room, and we wouldn’t have to share a bed. I just don’t want to leave you on the bus.” 

    “I think I’d be willing to go and meet her,” I agree nervously. 

    “Okay. I’ll go with you. For support...If you want.” Tyler blushes slightly and ducks his head. 

    “That sounds perfect. Thanks, Ty.” I peck him on the cheek, then get up and throw away the chip bag I didn’t realize I was still holding. We walk back outside. 

    “So, Jenna wants to actually go and meet Sarah before she makes any further decisions,” Tyler announces, putting his arm around me.

    “Okay,” Patrick says. “They should be on their bus right now.” 

    Tyler turns to me. “Do you want to go over right now?” 

    I shrug. “Might as well.” We step around the others and start walking hand-in-hand across the parking lot to the other two buses. 

    “Why’d we park so far away from them?” I ask. 

    “Well, we got here later and it’s also quieter,” Tyler replies, chuckling. 

    “True.” We fall silent again. 

    “Maybe the hotel rooms will have those doors that can connect two rooms together. If that’s the case, then it’ll be a party.” We laugh. My laughter soon dies as we get closer to their bus. 

    “We still have tacos left. We could use those as a peace offering,” Tyler jokes. He must notice how tense I am. I realize that I’m squeezing his hand. Yeah, he noticed. 

    Stopping in front of their door, Tyler knocks, then takes a few steps back. 

    The door swings open, Brendon standing on the other side of it holding a can of Arizona Tea. “Hey Tyler, Jenna.” He nods and looks at us as he says our names. “What can we do for ya?” 

    “Um...we were wondering about what you’re going to do for sleeping arrangements tonight?” Ty replies. 

    “Well, come on in. I don’t want to let the cold air out.” 

    We step inside their bus, which has a lot more upgrades than ours. I guess being a really popular band has its perks. Two other guys sit on the couches, both with similar haircuts. One guy is around Brendon’s size while the other is a bit stockier. 

    “This is Dallon and Spencer, in case you aren’t familiar with the whole band,” Brendon says, noticing me glancing at them. “Dallon plays the bass guitar.” He gestures to the guy his size. “And Spence here plays the drums.” The stockier guy nods his head at me, then goes back to looking at his phone. 

    “Here, you guys can take a seat. Make yourselves at home.” He pats at the couch cushions near Dallon. Tyler leads me over, and almost I snuggle next to him, still squeezing his hand hard. Brendon sits on the floor in front of us. 

    “So,” he continues. “You were asking about sleeping arrangements?” 

    “Yeah…” Tyler confirms. “Are you guys planning to get a hotel?” 

    “Well, we were talking to Fall Out Boy and figured that we would since both of y’all are.”

    “Okay. I talked to Pete and Patrick, and we came to the conclusion of having each band per room.” I feel Tyler relaxing into the couch beside me. 

    “That’s what we were thinking, too.” 

    “But, that leaves Jenna and Sarah, and they probably don’t want to be stuck with us guys. You know how we like to party.” The three of us chuckle. Tyler gently nudges me with his elbow, signaling me to speak up. 

    “Um, yeah, so they figured Sarah and I could probably get a room, but I don’t know her, so I thought it would be good if I met her…” I study Brendon’s shoes. 

    “Oh yeah, that’s not a problem. She actually went back to use the bathroom right before you guys came over. In the meantime, how are you guys settling in?” Brendon’s gaze flits back and forth between the two of us.

    “We’ve gotten everything unpacked and inside. Jenna made tacos for lunch.” Tyler squeezes my hand and smiles at  me. 

    “W-We actually have extras, if you want some…that is, if the others haven’t eaten them by now.” I chuckle awkwardly. 

    Brendon smiles. “We may take you up on that offer.” We turn our heads to hear footsteps coming from what I assume is the bunk area. A thin woman with black hair appears, her round eyes instantly landing on Tyler and me. 

     Wow, she’s really pretty, I think. She’s almost a bit intimidating. 

    Brendon stands up. “Tyler, Jenna, I’d like for you to meet Sarah. We’ve been married four months as of last Tuesday.” He pecks her on the lips, snaking his arm around her waist as the two of us murmur a congratulations. “Sarah, this is Tyler Joseph and his girlfriend, Jenna Black.” 

    “She’s also our photographer,” Tyler declares.

    “Well...should we leave you girls to talk?” Brendon offers, pointing at the door behind him. 

    “Um...I suppose so," I say. "You guys can head back over to the bus for tacos, and Sarah and I will catch up."

    “Sounds good,” he replies. He turns to Dallon and Spencer. “Wanna join me?” 

    They nod and leave with Brendon and Tyler, leaving Sarah and me alone. 

    I stand up, suddenly feeling awkward. “Um....hi…” I wave slightly, then inwardly cringe. “So yeah, I’m Jenna, the photographer. I was wondering if you wanted to share a hotel room with me tonight, but I wasn’t sure because we don’t really know each other…” 

    Sarah offers a small smile. “We can share a room. It would be nice getting to know each other, though. We can talk on the way over to your bus. Those tacos sound pretty good.” 

    “Okay,” I reply, letting out a small breath of relief. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

    “So...do you have any hobbies?” Sarah asks as we walk across the parking lot. 

    I nod. “Pretty much photography and cooking. Traveling has also appealed to me, but I’ve never really got the chance to do it because of school. With this tour I finally have the chance to travel while doing what I love. What about you?”

    “That’s cool. I’ve always had a thing for fashion and makeup, so I’ve been into that a lot. I actually recently got my license for doing makeup professionally. I’ve also modeled a little bit.” 

    “Oh wow.” Modeling is definitely in her favor. I push some stray hair behind my ears, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “I don’t have much experience with makeup. I don’t wear that much of it.” 

    “That’s okay. Makeup isn’t for everyone. You’re pretty without it.” 

    “Thanks,” I repond, smiling. “So, you’re a newlywed, huh?” 

    “Yeah. Brendon and I met after one of his shows and started dating back in 2010. He proposed to me that next year. How long have you and Tyler been dating?”

    “Um, well, we dated my senior year when I moved down the street from him. But soon after graduating, I left for college in California and lost touch. He and I just got back together this past month.” 

    “Oh wow. That’s nice that you managed to find him again.” We’re quiet for a second, then Sarah continues. “Brendon tells me you went to high school with him.” 

    I feel like throwing up. How much has he told her!? “Uh..yeah, just senior year, since that was the year I moved there…” 

    “Where are you from?” Sarah asks. 

    “Ohio. We moved from up north to Columbus. What about you?” 

    “I grew up in Detriot but went to L.A. for beauty-related jobs after I graduated. Anyways, back to the high school thing: Brendon’s also told me that he knew the rest of Twenty One Pilots. That’s so crazy that you all went to school together!” 

    “Yeah, it definitely is. Small world I guess.” I wish I could go to the bus and crawl into my bunk. Maybe the hotel isn’t a good idea. What if Brendon told her about kidnapping me? Although maybe he didn’t because that would’ve made him look bad. 

    Sarah touches my arm gently. “Hey are you okay? You look a little pale.” 

    We’re in earshot of the others now. “Um...I suddenly feel really hot. And dizzy. I might be dehydrated. W-We did a lot of unloading earlier and I haven’t drunk much water. I think I’ll go inside and lay down.” 

    Sarah’s round eyes squint in concern. “Okay. I’ll see you at the hotel tonight. I hope you feel better. It was nice meeting you.” She begins to gravitate toward Brendon, who is talking to Pete.

    “Thanks. You too.” I hurry up the bus stairs and rush into the bathroom. 

    •Tyler•

    “Hey,” I greet when I see Sarah. “Where’s Jenna?” 

    “She went inside the bus. She said she wasn’t feeling very good. I thought you saw her,” Sarah replies. 

    I shake my head, standing up. “I was busy talking to Josh.” He and I share a knowing look before I turn and enter the bus. 

    “Jenna?” I knock lightly on the bathroom door. Faint gasps come from the other side. I’m really glad she didn’t lock the bunkroom door. “What happened?” 

    “S-Sarah...sh-she started asking about...high school...and she said that B-Brendon said that he knew us…” 

    “Could you open the door?” I ask gently. 

    The knob jiggles, then the door swings open. Jenna continues gasping.

    I turn around and close the bunkroom door, then return to where Jenna stands, visibly shaking. Taking her hands, I guide her to the edge of my bunk to sit down. “Okay, first I want you to calm down a bit. I don’t want you hypervenhilating.” I place one of her hands on my stomach. “You’re going to breathe the same time as me, okay? Deep breath in...deep breath out.” We repeat the process about four times before she finally stops gasping. 

    “Okay, now tell me what happened.” I open my arms, which Jenna leans into. I gently run my fingers through her ponytail.

    “We were walking back from the bus, and everything was going fine, but then we got on the subject of high school and she kept going back to it when I tried to change it. I’m scared that Brendon told her bad stuff about us, or what he did to you. I started feeling sick and told her I was dehydrated. I actually haven’t drank much water today.” I rub Jenna’s back, then stand up. 

    “I’ll go get you some. Be right back.” I walk out of the bunk area, closing the door behind me, then go to the fridge to grab a water bottle. 

    Josh walks through the main door. “How’s Jenna doing?” His eyebrows furrow in concern.

    “Better. I got her to calm down a bit. Sarah started asking her a lot of questions about high school, and it made her panic. Apparently she knows that we went to school with Brendon.”

    Josh purses his lips. “I wonder how much he told her.” 

    “We’re wondering that, too. Anyways, I’d better get this to her.” 

    Josh follows me into the bunk area. “Hey Jenna, how are you feeling?” 

    “I filled him in on what happened. I hope you don’t mind.” I hand her the water bottle.

    “A little better,” she replies after a long sip. “But now I’m even more uneasy about tonight. What if she asks me more questions? I can’t just run out of the hotel room and sleep in the lobby or something. They’d kick me out if I did that.” We all chuckle. 

    “I’m sure we could work something out if we needed to. We’ll just say that you wanted to stay with one of us in case you started feeling sick again.” 

    “Or get a room with those connecting doors,” Josh adds. 

    “That’s what I was saying earlier!” We laugh. “We still have several hours before we plan to check in. You can think it over then,” I say. 

    Jenna’s quiet for a moment, her eyes focused on a bunk. “Okay. I think I’m better now. We can go join the others again.”

    “If you're sure,” Josh says. Jenna nods, and we all walk toward the main bus door. 

    I put my arm around Jenna, kissing her forehead. “It’ll be okay.”  

    •Jenna•

    I finally decided to stay with Sarah after all. Our hotel room surprisingly has a connecting door, so Tyler made sure to get the room on the other side. 

    To avoid another possible high school conversation, I took a shower almost immediately after arriving. The warm water feels nice after a long day. The room is empty when I come out in pajamas and crocs. Sarah must be saying goodnight to Brendon. 

    I check the clock on the nightstand. 10:30. I’m definitely not staying up much longer. I sit down on my bed and run a wide-toothed comb through my hair. I kind of just threw my stuff on top, so my bag and clothes are strewn everywhere. 

    My eyebrows furrow. My comforter shouldn’t be that lumpy, though. I pull the covers back and almost scream when I see Tyler lying underneath. He grins at me. 

    “Finally! I almost fell asleep laying under here.” He sits up, stretching dramatically.

     I roll my eyes. “What are you doing here?” 

    “I just wanted to say goodnight to my girl. Is that so bad?” he pouts, scooting closer to me. 

    “I guess not,” I reply playfully. 

    “Can I comb your hair?” 

    I snort. “That’s a weird request, but okay.” I hand him my comb, and he starts carefully running it through my wet hair. “Did Sarah go to Brendon’s room?”

    “Probably. We’ve been kinda moving back and forth between rooms. Mark went downstairs to check out the indoor pool and hottub, although it’s probably closed now.” I wince when the comb catches on a knot. “Sorry.” I feel him kiss the top of my head, which floods my body with warmth. 

    “Drat, I didn’t even think of packing a swimsuit! Urgh!” 

    “You can probably still buy one. They’re probably going on sale now that it’s September. Walmart probably has some cheap ones.” 

    “Ooo, aren’t you just the swimsuit sales expert?” I tease. We both start laughing as Tyler finishes and returns my comb. His arms wrap around my middle as he hugs me from behind. I lean into the embrace and close my eyes, savoring his closeness. Ty rests his chin on my shoulder, then kisses my neck softly. 

    “I should probably get back. We both need our beauty sleep.” His breath tickles my ear. 

    I sigh. “Yeah, I guess so.” His arms leave my side as he crawls off of the bed. I stand up to face him. 

    “Goodnight. Text me if you need anything.” He kisses my forehead, then walks toward the separation door. 

    “Okay,” I reply. He almost closes the door. “Wait!” Tyler cracks it open a bit, raising his eyebrows. “Could I have one of your shirts to sleep in? You smell good…” I blush and hang my head sheepishly. 

    Who likes the way someone smells? That’s kinda creepy! You probably weirded him out! My inner voice chastises. 

    “Aw, of course.” He leaves for a second, then reappears, throwing a black shirt at me. “You needed a band shirt for the concert anyways.” He winks at me. “Goodnight.” 

    “Goodnight!” I call. As soon as I shut the door, I bury my face in his shirt, inhaling deeply. He smells kind of...woodsy, if that makes sense. Like the type of musky smell that the forest carries, especially after it rains. There’s also a hint of mint. 

    I gratefully stretch out in the queen-sized bed after clearing all of my stuff off of it. It’s a lot comfier than the bus beds. No wonder why everyone wanted to get a hotel. 

    I yawn and turn off my lamp, then settle back into bed, wrapping my arms around an extra pillow dressed in Ty’s shirt. The moonlight shining through the blinds provide enough light to ease my silly fear of the dark. I fall asleep before Sarah comes back.

A/N: cooking tips from earlier in the chapter were brought to you by yours truly :)  I haven’t had much anything else to do with this quarantine lol.