Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tyler Joseph was a good student. He always did his homework, prefers studying over going out and never came late to class. He was eager to learn and always focused. Well, at least most of the time.

Every Wednesday during 5th period, Tyler‘s focus tends to be a bit distracted. Not only because history was such an interesting subject, but because of the dark curls being associated with this course. Luckily, he had his best friend Mel sitting next to him, always giving her best to keep him grounded.

„Do you already know which historical character you‘ll make the topic of your presentation?“, Mel asked and tucked a bright red strand of hair behind her ear. The two of them followed their usual routine, grabbing a coffee and a snack and then retreat to the library to study together.

Tyler took a sip from his caramel oat latte and opened his laptop. „I honestly don’t know. I debated Caesar, but maybe he’d be too basic.“. „Of course you debated picking the gayest historical figure possible, I get it, Ty.“, Mel teased, which caused a crumpled muffin paper flying in her direction.

Tyler knew that she was just making fun, and with her, he felt comfortable with the teases. They‘ve been close since they first met in primary school, and Mel had been the first person Tyler had outed himself to. He knew that in a worst case scenario, she‘d take a bullet for him, and so would he for her as well.

„I‘ll take Mozart, by the way.“, Mel continued to ramble. „He seemed like a fun guy, and his music was fun. I don’t want a boring presentation and with this dude I can at least put on some music.“

They continued bickering until the two of them were the only students left in the library, so they grabbed their coffee cups and bags and headed outside.

„I‘ll pick you up tomorrow morning, see ya!“, Mel chuckled as they hugged before parting ways. „Night, Bestie. Sweet dreams.“, Tyler smiled and gave her a small wave. Then he continued his walk back home.

Tyler only had a short walk between his and his friends house, so he knew it wouldn’t take that long, even though Tyler loved long walks. Crisp air, headphones either attached or dangling around his neck.

As he walked along a bunch of houses with similar porches, his thoughts drifted back to class. History class. He sighed and added volume to the song he‘s listening to. Maybe to simply enjoy the music. But maybe also to stop thinking about a certain curly haired man.

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„Good morning, Sunshine!“. Tyler and his best friend decided to schedule their meet ups to the mornings, using the time where the library is still empty and the air smells faintly of coffee and old books.

Tyler pulled his sleeves over his hands, fighting the urge to yawn loudly. He woke up way too early after falling asleep way too late, not being able to get his mind to be quiet.

The two of them shared a piece of banana bread before taking their laptops out and start working on their projects.

Tyler tried hard to concentrate on his topic, he finally made a decision on his historical figure. Mel really did choose Mozart for hers, so he picked Shakespeare.

„Ty, I know we agreed on working, like, productively.. but..“, Mel started and gave him a look dominated by big blue puppy eyes. Tyler sighed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. „You want to talk about her, eh?“

„YES, thank you! Gosh, she is amazing. Tyler, let me tell you, she even got the worm reference when we texted last night!“, his best friend started rambling about her new girlfriend while a small smile tugged on Tyler’s lips.

Mel and Mary started dating a while ago, her being slightly older than the two of them. Mary turned 28 last week, working at the school‘s coffee shop. That’s how they had met, and Mel seemed so much happier now that she had her.

Tyler and his friend both were 22, so still a bit younger than her. But that doesn’t matter, right?

„And, Ty, hold on. The tea I’m about to spill is piping hot!“, Mel declared, causing for Tyler to bark out a loud laugh. „Let me guess, you made out and got caught?“, Tyler teased Mel with a sly grin, chuckling when her face turned a bright red.

„No, I mean yes, I mean.. almost! But that’s not what I intended to say, dummy! Just let me finish my sentence for once, Ty! I‘m begging!“.

Tyler motioned her to continue, so she grinned a wide smile and cleared her throat as if she was about to give a huge speech in front of millions of people.

„Her best friend is Josh! As in Mr Dun!“. Tyler‘s blood froze. Mr Dun. His best friend‘s girlfriend is the best friend of THE Mr Dun. His history teacher. The guy he‘d been crushing on since his first history lesson.

He was so screwed.

Chapter Text

The morning air surrounding the campus was crisp, leaves rustling with every student passing by. The world felt quiet, in peace, without a rush.

Tyler pulled the sleeves of his indigo hoodie over his hands to keep them a bit warmer, not wanting for the cold to grab a hold on him.

The gravel crunched with every step he took, the echo of his steps the only sound reaching him. He‘s been stuck in his own head for.. quite a while now.

Living up to other‘s expectations had always been the main reason for Tyler to keep going. He‘d always been good, listening to everyone‘s problems, going to church every Sunday because his family expects him to. Always nodding, always smiling, but barely anyone notices that the smile rarely reaches his eyes.

He‘d still been lost in his thoughts when he suddenly crashed against something throwing him back into reality. Or rather someone.

„Shi-Shoot, sorry!“, he apologized while stumbling backwards, only to get steadied by a warm, gentle grip on his shoulder.

„Oh, don’t worry! Good morning, Tyler.“, a soft, smooth voice said, a voice Tyler would recognize in a heartbeat.

„Good morning, M-Mr Dun“, Tyler mumbled embarrassed, his cheeks turning a bright red. „Sorry for running you over. I‘ve.. I don’t know, I just didn’t notice you walking there. I‘m sorry.“

He finally raised his eyes, just for soft brown ones to already be looking at him. „As I said, don’t worry about it, Tyler. Look, I‘m fine, not a single fractured bone in my body. Are you okay? You look tired.“

Tyler took a proper look at his teacher, warmth settling in his stomach. Mr Dun was around the same size as himself, sporting a head of unruly dark curls and a pair of glasses. This morning, he opted for an olive green hoodie and brown chinos, being a bit of a contrast to his seemingly favorite pair of shoes, some black and white checkered Vans. He was the youngest teacher on campus, in his mid-thirties.

Tyler always felt a little disappointed when Mr Dun was wearing something with long sleeves, because he‘d grew fond of looking at the colorful tattoo sleeve, wrapping his arm into a hug of bright colors.

„Yes, I-I‘m okay. Thank you. I‘m just a bit stressed out because of so many deadlines coming up. My days definitely lack a few hours, but it’s going to be fine, I guess..”

“You know, Tyler, whenever you have any questions or the feeling that I could help you with anything, you can always reach out. My door is always open.”, Mr Dun smiled gently, eyes crinkling while doing that.

They continued their walk together at a matching slow pace, talking about the upcoming history project. Talking to Mr Dun felt easy, like breathing. Tyler shared the person he chose for his presentation and got a toothy smile in return.

Their conversation drifted to an end as soon as they arrived at Tyler’s classroom. They exchanged a soft smile, eyes lingering for a second too long. The history teacher promised to prepare a list of books Tyler could use for references, and they said their goodbyes, Tyler moving on feeling a whole lot lighter than before.

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2:20 a.m.

Tyler opened his eyes and groaned. He didn’t even had to look at his watch to know the time. 2:20 a.m. Every. Single. Night.

He always had issues with sleeping. Falling asleep, sleeping through the night? Not a chance. He tried everything. Lavender bags under his pillow? Doesn’t work. A sleeping mask? Nope. Supplementing Melatonin? Nah. He tried everything, even meditating before going to bed. Nothing worked.

But Tyler‘s life would be a walk in the park if sleeping were his only issue.

The signs were there. They were pretty much obvious, but no one seemed to notice. And no one seemed to care.

Tyler’s Hoodies seemed to size up with every passing week. But the boy hiding inside of them?

He doesn’t want it that way. It’s not that he refuses to eat. He simply.. forgets. His mind plaguing him constantly, filling up his head with so many doubts and worries that he had no capacity to think about stuff like eating.

Tyler never told anyone about his eating disorder. But to be honest, he doesn’t remember the last time someone asked him how he‘s doing. He‘s always good, always supporting everyone, always listening. But no one listens to him. No one genuinely seemed to be interested.

It’s not that he didn’t have friends, or a loving family. He had all of that. But everyone was always too occupied with their own problems to care about him.

And he started to accept that.

He started to believe that this was his purpose. Being the one to give everyone everything he‘s got and not asking for anything in return. He was the comforter, the shoulder to cry on. But his own tears had to get dried off by his own shirtsleeve.

The lack of sleep and the lack of food made Tyler dizzy. He was running solely on caffeine, but even that seemed to lose its power.

He was simply.. exhausted. Life was pretty exhausting.

___

„Hey.“, a soft, male voice reached through the clouds surrounding Tyler.

He blinked, twice, just to realize that he sat in his classroom, completely dissociated. He quickly shook his head to return back into the present, when he realized that the voice had been Mr Dun.

Tyler‘s cheeks heated up immediately, quickly scanning his surroundings, checking if anything noticed. But the other students, even his best friend, leaned over their worksheets and were quietly working.

Of course no one noticed him.

Except Mr Dun.

„I-I‘m so sorry.“, Tyler mumbled, avoiding his teacher‘s worried gaze.

„Hey, Tyler? Would you please stop by my desk before you leave after class? It won’t take long, I promise.“, Mr Dun said quietly, so no one other than Tyler could hear it.

Tyler nodded instantly, a bad feeling settling in his stomach. He really messed up, didn’t he? Gosh, he‘s going to get in so much trouble. His parents are going to be so disappointed..

But before he could continue spiraling, Mr Dun gently squeezed his shoulder and returned to his desk, giving him a small smile.

Chapter Text

The sound of the bell flooded the air, announcing that the lesson was over. The students got up from their seats, voices mixing together while packing up their stuff and heading out of the classroom.

Everyone left the room. Except for Tyler.

He slowly zipped his backpack close, hesitating for a moment, before he got up and walked up to his teacher.

„Take a seat.“, Mr Dun gestured to the chair in front of his own, getting up to quickly shut the door and give them a bit more privacy. Tyler sat down, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

He had no idea what to expect.

Mr Dun once again took a seat on the other side of the desk, gently smiling at his student. „Hey Tyler.“ „H-Hey, Mr Dun“, Tyler mumbled, still averting his gaze. „What‘s your favorite Song?“

Tyler‘s eyes shot up, and the confused expression on his face made his teacher chuckle softly. „M-my favorite song?“ „Yep.“, the older one nodded with a soft grin. Tyler blinked twice before hesitantly answering. „It’s „Transatlanticism“ by Death Cab for Cutie. B-but.. why do you ask?“ „Well, mostly because I‘m interested.. Very good choice by the way“, Mr Dun nodded, which caused a soft blush to creep up Tyler‘s face.

„But not only because of that. I want you to feel comfortable around me. I want to give you reassurance that I‘m not just some teacher that wants to be nosy, but a person you can rely on and talk to when you‘ve got things on your mind that are obviously plaguing you. I noticed some things, some changes in your behavior, and I‘m worried about you, Tyler. But not as someone hovering over you, but as someone genuinely caring for you.“

Tyler felt the tears slowly welling up, trying to hide the soft sniffle escaping him. But Mr Dun obviously noticed it. He noticed everything, always. At least when it comes to Tyler.

He leaned forward, gently squeezing his shoulder. „It‘s okay, Tyler. You‘re not alone, I‘m here. I‘m here with you.“, he softly said while holding the younger one‘s gaze with his warm, brown eyes.

It took a few minutes, but when Tyler calmed down a bit, the ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. „T-Thank you, Mr Dun“, he sighed and gave him a weak smile. „You‘re very welcome, Tyler.“, his teacher answered, then shot him a wink, which caused Tyler’s cheeks to heat up once again.

The other man leaned back, getting seemingly comfortable in his chair. „So, do you wanna talk about anything? Or do you have to be anywhere?“ Tyler immediately shook his head. „No plans. Not at all.“ Mr Dun softly smiled. „Great. That makes two of us.“

The more time passed, the more Tyler loosened up. They talked about music, their coffee order, the upcoming project for history class and their favorite movies, and Tyler felt a warmth settle in his chest.

Mr Dun reacted to anything he said, always with a smile that genuinely reaches his eyes, not just pretending. They had a pretty similar taste in.. well.. everything.

And for the first time in a long time, Tyler felt seen.