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blurry-fics · 6 years

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Favors: Part Four

Pairing: Josh Dun x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2044

Author’s Note: Finally getting to the good stuff! I hope you guys like it!

You woke up to Tyler nudging you in the side. It took you a second to remember where you were. You hadn’t even realized that you had fallen asleep, or that you were leaned on Josh’s shoulder, or that his head was resting on yours…

Josh sat up straight and you quickly removed your head from his shoulder. Your hands were still intertwined too, so you quickly pulled yours away. You didn’t want either of them getting the wrong idea, you had just been trying to calm Josh down a bit.

Josh had already grabbed your suitcase from overhead, so you quickly popped the handle and started to leave the plane. You could feel your face burning red from what had just happened. Tyler and Josh didn’t seem to be paying much attention, instead they were discussing who might be at the wedding.

“So, finding your parents?” you asked once you were all off the plane.

Josh pulled out his phone, “They said they were waiting in the reception area.”

“Let’s head there, then,” Tyler said.

“Ready, love?” Josh asked, slipping an arm around your waist.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Tyler nodded and three of you followed the crowd of people out of the gate. You hadn’t ever been to Ohio before, so you were continually looking around at various spots in the airport, allowing yourself to be guided by Josh’s arm.

“There they are,” Tyler said, gesturing to two middle aged people standing near the wall.

“Josh! Tyler!” Josh’s mom smiled as you got closer. She pulled each of them into a hug before turning to you, “And you must be the lovely Y/N.”

“That’s me,” you smiled.

She pulled you into a tight hug. You hesitated at first, but, not wanting to appear rude, hugged her just as tightly in return.

“Oh, how rude of me. My name is Laura,” she said once she released you, holding out a hand.

“I’ve heard lots of wonderful things about you,” you smiled, shaking her hand. This only caused her to smile wider.

“Y/N! Nice to meet you. Bill Dun,” his dad said, holding out his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” you smiled, doing your best to give him a strong handshake.

Once you had officially met both of Josh’s parents, Josh once again slid an arm around your waist. Even though you weren’t dating, it helped to calm the nerves that you still had. Tyler fell into step with Josh’s parents, allowing you and Josh to hang back a bit.

“Are you doing ok? I know this is probably overwhelming for you.”

You laughed a bit, “No kidding. I’m fine right now, but I don’t know how well I’ll do at the wedding and reception with so many people. Just...stay near me, ok?”

“Whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

“Speaking of which, do you mind just holding my hand for now? It’s not that I don’t like your arm around me, I’m just afraid I’m going to trip over my suitcase,” you laughed.

Without a word, he removed his arm from around your waist and laced his fingers with yours. You squeezed his hand as a silent thank you. It felt weird to be acting this way around Josh, yet at the same time, it was almost natural.

The sun was shining brightly as you walked outside of the airport and towards the parking lot.

“How many people are at the house, Mom?” Josh asked.

“Your cousins and most of your aunts and uncles got in this morning. Your cousin, Jeremy, has been here for almost a week now with his fiancée.”

Josh nodded.

“Derek was talking about cooking up some barbecue for everyone tonight, too,” Bill added.

“That’s one of my Dad’s brothers,” Josh leaned over to you.

You nodded.

“Well, here we are,” Bill said, patting the hood of an old truck.

Josh helped you load your suitcase into the back before walking around the side of the car and opening the door for you.

“After you,” he smiled.

You rolled your eyes, “You just don’t want to be in the middle,” you said as you stepped into the car.

“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true,” he said as he climbed into the back of the truck after you.

Tyler slid in next to you, leaving you barely any room to sit. It didn’t help that Josh wrapped an arm around your shoulder either. To try and give yourself a bit more space, you leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder, which allowed for you to scoot closer to him.

Laura turned around in the front seat so that she could face you. You lifted your head off of Josh’s shoulder, you didn’t want to appear rude.

“So, Y/N, Josh has barely told us anything about you! How long have you two known each other?”

You thought it over for a moment, “I think it’s been about four years now. I moved into my current apartment right after I finished college, and Josh just so happened to be my next door neighbor. We quickly became friends and then he finally got the guts to ask me out,” you smiled, turning to Josh for added effect.

“So where are you currently working?”

“There’s a little café just a little ways down from our apartment building that I work at. I’m also currently working on a novel,” you said sheepishly.

“Oh! What is it about?”

“Mom,” Josh chimed in, “That’s plenty of questions. She’s had a long day, you don’t have to grill her.”

“My bad, I suppose I just got carried away. You just never talk about her Josh!”

“You’re fine, Mrs. Dun,” you said, throwing a sideways glance at Josh.

“Please, call me Laura.”

You nodded and smiled at her. She turned back to the front of the car and started to make conversation with Bill. You leaned back onto Josh’s shoulder and closed your eyes. He reached over with his free hand and grabbed yours that were resting in your lap, giving them a light squeeze.

The sound of the truck driving over gravel woke you up from your quick nap. Josh turned to look at you and smiled upon noticing that you were awake. Traveling must have taken more out of you than you thought. Not too far ahead, you could see light in the windows of their house. Bill drove a little further before pulling off the road and into a makeshift parking spot in the grass with the other cars.

“We’re here,” Josh said, untangling his hands from your own.

“Where’d Tyler go?” you asked, quickly noticing your missing friend.

“We dropped him off at home so that he could spend some time with his family tonight. Don’t worry, you’ll see him again tomorrow,” Josh quickly reassured you.

You quickly shook my head a bit to wake yourself up and slid out of the truck. Bill was working on grabbing all your suitcases from the back of the truck. Josh quickly swooped in and grabbed yours, so you reached out a hand to take it from him.

“I got it.”

“Josh,” you started.

“Trust me, I’ve got it,” he smiled.

You shook your head, but didn’t protest any further. Instead, you just took your laptop bag and followed everyone inside.

“Are you going to be ok with all these people?” Josh asked. “Because we can head straight up to my room if you want.”

“I’ll be ok. I mean, I have to face them at some point. Besides, I’ve met your siblings a few times so I can always rely on them.”

“Just stay close to me, ok?”

“Trust me, I will.”

You followed Josh up the steps and into the house. Before the door was even open, you could hear music intermixed with voices and the sound of glasses and cans clinking. Josh turned back to face you, and you managed to muster a smile.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the oldest Dun child!” someone called loudly as soon as the door opened. “And who’s this young lady?”

“Uncle Derek, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you,” you smiled, holding a hand out.

He offered you his free hand, his other was holding tightly to a beer.

“Guess it wasn’t such a bad thing that Josh waited this long, eh?” he laughed loudly, causing a general uproar throughout the house.

You felt uncomfortable with all this attention shifted to you, but you did your best to remain cool and collected. You wanted to make a good first impression on these people, even if you weren’t who Josh said you were.

“Well, we’ll be back down in a second. We have to take our stuff upstairs,” Josh smiled, lifting up your bags slightly.

“Don’t take too long,” Derek winked at you.

You followed Josh up a staircase that led to the left, happy to be away from the crowd of people. He turned right at the top of the stairs and opened the first door. It opened up to a relatively spacious room.

A bed was pushed against the wall on the right, and straight across from the door was a window seat that would typically look out across their property, although it was dark outside now. A closet was straight across from the bed, next to which was a door, which you only assumed could be a bathroom. There was also a small bookshelf to the right of the bed and a desk on the far side of it.

“My mom rearranged it after I moved out to act as more of a guest bedroom because family is over so often, but it will always be my room to me.”

“It’s a beautiful room.”

“If you think this is nice, wait until you see the barn all done up for the wedding.”

“Barn? I never realized your parents had so much property.”

“You’ll get to see it all tomorrow, I’m sure.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Well, are you ready to head back downstairs?”

Your head flicked up to look at Josh, “Just one more minute?” you smiled widely.

He walked over and flopped down on the bed, “Whatever you want, love.”

You walked over to the window seat and pulled your legs up in front of you. Your stomach started twisting with the thought of going back into the crowds of people again.

“If we stay up here too long, they’re going to start getting suspicious,” Josh laughed.

“If only they knew,” you added, joining his laughter.

“Alright. Time’s up, let’s get back down there.”

You groaned loudly, but got up from the window seat nonetheless. Josh grabbed your hand and slid his fingers between yours. You followed him out into the hallway and back down the stairs.

“Joshy!” someone called loudly once again, although it was a female voice this time.

“Ashley!” Josh smiled happily.

A familiar girl came weaving through the crowd up to you. It was one of Josh’s sisters, and you were relieved to see someone you actually recognized.

“Y/N, you remember my sister Ashley. Ash, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

She raised an eyebrow at Josh, but he shot her a look.

“I didn’t even realize you two had started dating,” she laughed, playing along. “Never thought you the type to settle down,” she punched him lightly in the arm.

“Neither did I, then she came along,” he smiled, pulling you closer to him. You smiled up at him.

“Well, it’s nice to know that he has you,” she smiled at you. “I can tell that you make him really happy.”

“Trust me, she does,” he smirked.

“Hey!” you laughed, reaching over and punching him with your free hand.

“TMI, Josh,” Abigail made a disgusted face. Josh only shrugged.

“Ash! You gotta come see this!” someone called across the room.

“That’s my cue,” she said, “Nice seeing you!” she added before quickly darting off.

“You too,” you replied, although she didn’t seem to hear you. “Your sisters are the coolest,” you turned to Josh.

“Yeah, my family is the coolest,” he said. “Ready to move on?”

You took a deep breath, “Let’s do this.”

#josh dun #josh dun x reader #josh dun imagine #josh dun imagines #twenty one pilots #twenty one pilots imagine #twenty one pilots imagines #twentyonepilots #fluff #blurry-fics #favors

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footballleague0 · 7 years

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Wyoming Cowboys Josh Allen goes from unknown to No. 1 pick in NFL draft buzz

LARAMIE, Wyo. — On Nov. 20, 2014, near the end of Josh Allen’s first season at junior college, he sent emails imploring someone — anyone, really — to give him a chance to be a Division I quarterback.

The recipient list included not only every FBS head coach, but also every offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and position coach from Alabama to Washington, more than 1,000 emails in total. They started with the same salutation and the same desperate plea from a kid in tiny Firebaugh, California: I want to be your quarterback.

Courtesy of Josh Allen

His unsolicited emails went over like a loan request from a Nigerian prince. He received a handful of responses and only two — Eastern Michigan and Wyoming — eventually offered him a scholarship. (The Eagles actually withdrew their offer after he chose to visit Wyoming near the end of the early signing period for junior college transfers.)

“Yeah, I was disappointed,” Allen said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

On the bright side, it was one more scholarship offer than Allen had coming out of Firebaugh High School the year before, when not a single FBS or FCS program called.

“I truly felt like I was a Division I quarterback, and I’d felt that way for a long time,” Allen said. “I just wanted other people to see it.”

No one else saw it, at least not back then. But after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns for Wyoming last season, the quarterback that nearly every FBS team (but two) ignored might very well end up being one of the first players selected in the 2018 NFL draft.

Allen’s anonymity ended almost immediately after the final selection of the 2017 NFL draft was made on April 29, when ESPN reporter Adam Schefter said: “There was one personnel director who told me this week that you can put in the books, Josh Allen will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft next year.”

Of course, most of the people watching ESPN’s draft coverage that day probably wondered: Who in the hell is Josh Allen?

“Probably 90 percent of America,” Allen admitted. “That’s kind of been my M.O. my entire football career.”

There’s only one stoplight in Firebaugh, California, a farming town of about 7,500 residents in California’s Central Valley, about 40 miles west of Fresno. Originally known as Firebaugh’s Ferry, it was an outpost on the San Joaquin River during the California gold rush during the mid-19th century.

According to 2011 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos make up more than 90 percent of the town’s population, many of them migrant workers employed in agriculture.

Potentially the first three picks in the 2018 NFL draft. The reigning Heisman winner. A two-time top-four Heisman vote-getter. And that’s just the half of it. Add it all up, and 2017 is truly shaping up as college’s year of the quarterback.

“It’s a small town, everybody knows everybody and news travels fast,” said Allen. “It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything because it kind of shaped who I am today.”

Thousands of acres of alfalfa, pistachios and almond groves line the road to the ranch where Allen grew up. Joel Allen, Josh’s father, and his uncle, Todd Allen, grow about 3,000 acres of Pima cotton, cantaloupes and wheat against the backdrop of a coastal mountain range. Joel and Todd Allen are third-generation farmers.

Josh’s great-grandfather Arvid “Swede” Allen arrived at Ellis Island from Sweden in 1907 and settled in Firebaugh during the Great Depression. Josh’s grandfather A.E. “Buzz” Allen established the family farm in 1975 and was also a local school board member and civic leader (the high school gymnasium is named in his honor).

“Josh would be fourth-generation,” Joel Allen said. “But I don’t think he’s coming back to the farm.”

Joel and his wife, LaVonne, raised their four children on the ranch, and Josh, his younger brother Jason and sisters Nicala and Makenna were involved in sports at an early age. There is a basketball goal, swimming pool and batting cage at the ranch, and Josh grew up playing nearly every sport, including baseball, basketball, football, golf, gymnastics, karate and swimming. He and his brother, who plays first base at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, also helped their father and uncle on the farm.

“It instilled a work ethic,” Josh said. “Seeing my dad wake up super early when the sun wasn’t even out and then coming home when the sun was set, he worked his tail off to provide for our family and did a great job. He’s the most selfless man I know, and I think if I’m half the man he is, I’ll be all right in this world.”

Josh learned quite a bit about hard work from his mother, too. Until recently, LaVonne owned one of the few restaurants in town — aptly named The Farmer’s Daughter — and fed farmers every morning before they went to work.

“She’s the rock of our family,” Josh said.

Josh grew up a Fresno State football fan and tailgated with his parents and siblings at most home games. He attended the Bulldogs’ summer camps and even retrieved the kicking tee during a few games (former coach Pat Hill once yelled at him to get off the field). One of Josh’s most memorable moments was meeting Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, another homegrown star, who now plays for the Oakland Raiders.

Josh Allen, right, grew up near Fresno State and was a fan of the Bulldogs and current Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr. Josh Allen

In February 2014, when it was time for Josh to choose a college as a high school senior, the Bulldogs — and every other FBS team — weren’t interested. At the time, Josh was about 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. He hadn’t attended the elite quarterback camps and wasn’t a widely known prospect. His high school team didn’t participate in many 7-on-7 camps because Josh and many of his teammates were busy playing baseball and other sports. He was the leading scorer on his basketball team and also pitched on the baseball team, reaching 90 mph with his fastball.

It wasn’t like Josh wasn’t trying to get coaches’ attention, though, especially those working at Fresno State. When his father played in a charity golf tournament with then-Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter, he told him about Josh’s desire to play for him. But DeRuyter decided Josh wasn’t the right fit. San Diego State offered Josh a chance to join the team as a walk-on, but coach Rocky Long couldn’t promise playing time. Left without a major college scholarship, Allen enrolled at Reedley College, about 65 miles southeast of Firebaugh, where one of the assistants was married to his cousin.

“He wasn’t too concerned when he went to junior college,” Joel said. “He knew there was going to be a big-time opportunity for him. He just needed a stage and he got one.”

Josh didn’t start the first three games at Reedley College, but he came off the bench to run for four touchdowns in the fourth game. After only a couple of starts, his offensive coordinator predicted FBS scholarship offers would soon start rolling in. But the offers never came, even after he’d grown to 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, and sent the mass email to every coach in the country.

“He saw himself as a big-time quarterback, even though he was in this small-time situation in a smaller body,” Wyoming offensive coordinator Brent Vigen said. “Not all kids see themselves that way.”

We have to assume that most coaches didn’t click on the link to Josh’s junior college highlights on hudl.com — a handful of coaches told ESPN that they receive dozens of unsolicited emails from recruits every day. If they had, they would have seen Allen display the arm strength, accuracy and mobility they covet.

On the first play of his highlight reel, he makes a back-shoulder throw from his end zone for a 38-yard gain. On another throw, he looks to his left, rolls to his right and fires a 37-yard strike into the back of the end zone — just before an outside linebacker viciously hits him near the sideline.

“Allen has an elite arm and frame (listed at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds) and is surprisingly fast and athletic for his size. He can make any throw, and his accuracy is terrific when his feet are set. A little bit of a gunslinger at times, he has all the tools to be an elite NFL QB. If he comes out, he’ll be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft.”

The coaches also would have seen Josh keeping the ball on a zone-read, running up the middle and breaking a tackle for a 40-yard touchdown. On another run, he leaped over a safety trying to tackle him. The highlights were good enough to get Wyoming’s coaches interested — even if they’d gone to Reedley College to scout another potential transfer. And Vigen admits the Cowboys offered a scholarship to Josh only after they lost quarterback prospect Eric Dungey to Syracuse late in the recruiting process.

Wyoming coach Craig Bohl, who had guided the Cowboys to a 4-8 record in his first season in 2014 after winning three FCS national championships at North Dakota State, was the only FBS coach who made the long trek to Allen Ranch.

“He looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘We went all around the country and there’s only one quarterback we want and that’s your son. He’s going to be the face of our program,'” Joel recalled.

Before Josh committed to Wyoming, however, he made one last plea to Fresno State’s coaches. The Bulldogs had just received a commitment from quarterback Chason Virgil, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound high school prospect from Mesquite, Texas. Virgil was shorter and lighter than Josh was during his senior year at Firebaugh High, when he said the Bulldogs told him he didn’t fit the prototype of what they wanted in a quarterback.

After Virgil committed to Fresno State, Josh sent a terse email to an assistant coach: “6-1, 170?”

“Yeah, we got our guy,” the assistant responded. “Good luck.”

In Allen’s first season at Wyoming in 2015, he exited training camp as the No. 2 quarterback, behind Indiana transfer Cameron Coffman and ahead of freshman Nick Smith. Coffman hurt his knee in the season opener, a 24-13 loss to North Dakota, so Allen started against Eastern Michigan the next week. He led the Cowboys on an eight-play, 84-yard touchdown drive on his first series and had them moving again on the second drive.

But then Allen took on a defender at the end of a 24-yard run, breaking his collarbone in seven spots. Surgeons needed eight screws and a plate to repair it, and Allen said he didn’t leave his dorm room for three weeks after he was hurt. Wyoming finished 2-10.

“I was devastated,” he said.

Wyoming’s Josh Allen is among the college quarterbacks rising on NFL draft boards. AP Photo/Ryan Kang

In hindsight, sitting out the rest of the 2015 season might have been the best thing that could have happened. Vigen said Allen weighed 215 pounds when he arrived at Wyoming, but it was a “bad 215.” Allen spent the next several months working to get bigger and faster, and his collarbone was fully healed by the time preseason camp came the next year. It was during preseason practices in 2016 when Bohl and Vigen realized how good Allen might be.

Former San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was watching a Wyoming practice in late August, before the 49ers played an exhibition game at the Denver Broncos. Baalke and a couple of scouts were there to evaluate tailback Brian Hill and a handful of other seniors, but Allen was the one who made the biggest impression.

“Your quarterback could be in an NFL camp right now,” Baalke told Bohl.

It was high praise for a player who had taken only 13 snaps at the FBS level. In the 2016 opener, Allen led the Cowboys to a 40-34 win over Northern Illinois in three overtimes. He scored the winning touchdown on a scramble, eluding three would-be tacklers to find the end zone. Allen finished his junior season with 3,203 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Cowboys upset Boise State 30-28 en route to winning the MWC Mountain Division title, but then they lost four of their last five games.

On the night of Jan. 9, Allen watched Clemson defeat Alabama 35-31 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He watched the Tigers’ thrilling victory in his parents’ living room, along with agent Tom Condon and his associates. The next night, while dining at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants, Allen told his parents, siblings, girlfriend (Brittany Williams, a Fresno State cheerleader) and a few other friends that he was turning pro.

But Allen couldn’t sleep that night, and when Vigen called the next morning, he couldn’t muster the courage to answer.

“I couldn’t talk to him and tell him that I was declaring for the draft,” Allen said. “At that point, I knew there was something wrong with my decision. I’m a firm believer in your gut being undefeated.”

Vigen was driving to the Denver airport to make a recruiting trip to Wisconsin. He called Joel Allen, who told him that Josh was having second thoughts about turning pro. When Vigen’s plane landed, he immediately called Bohl, who told him that Josh had changed his mind and was staying in school.

“I asked him, ‘Do you want to get drafted or do you want to have a career?'” Bohl said. “We think this next year is going to really give him a better shot to have a long-term career in the NFL. I mean, he barely shaves now.”

Bohl wasn’t the only one who offered Josh advice. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who played for Bohl at North Dakota State, also reached out to him when he was deciding what to do. Like Josh, Wentz was a late bloomer. College recruiters had largely overlooked him at Century High School in Bismarck, North Dakota, and he didn’t start for the Bison until his junior season.

After leading North Dakota State to back-to-back FCS national titles, he was the No. 2 pick of the 2016 NFL draft by the Eagles, the highest selection ever for an FCS player. He ended up starting 16 games as a rookie, throwing for 3,782 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Besides their small-town upbringing and the fact they played in a pro-style offense under Bohl, there are obvious physical similarities. While Vigen says Wentz is “off the charts” when it comes to maturity and other intangibles, he says Josh might be more physically talented.

Wentz’s advice to Allen was simple: Make sure you’re ready for the NFL.

“He seems like a bright kid with a bright future,” Wentz said. “I know he has a lot of talent and people are really high on him.”

One thing that Wentz said especially struck a chord with Josh: “He told me that I’d be stepping into a locker room full of 35-year-old men with families and children, who would be depending on me to win games and help secure their jobs.”

For one more year, at least, Josh prefers a smaller stage. His goal is to lead the Cowboys to a MWC championship and a New Year’s Six bowl game. Six months from now, he hopes everyone in America recognizes him.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I think that kids who are at smaller schools or don’t have offers from big schools can look at my story and continue to work hard. I preach to them that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters how you play and how you apply yourself. If you want something, go get it.”

The post Wyoming Cowboys Josh Allen goes from unknown to No. 1 pick in NFL draft buzz appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

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giantsfootball0 · 7 years