More Than This || Larry x Tanner

1. Thunderstorms and Denial

Authors note:
im sorry this took forever. i had a lot of stuff come up irl that really got in the way of me working on this both health wise and family wise but! im back.

i also really suck at working on multichapter fics it always takes forever but anyways i was finally ready to post these even if they arent the best idk.

anyways i hope you enjoy.

word count for this chapter: 10564

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The house was uncharacteristically quiet, the gentle sound of light rain falling outside echoed across the room, the ambient noise relaxing Larry who was sat on the couch, leaned over the arm rest and looking at his friend who sat on the singular armchair not too far from him.

The house was quite empty, most of their friends gone and at a bar, drinking and messing around with some of the new friends they made recently. Only a few stayed behind like Larry and Tanner who sat in the hot, dim, living room talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

Tanner wasn't necessarily doing anything exciting, the boy sitting in the old black chair with his legs spread out and arms resting on his lap, focused on retelling one of his dumb stories to Larry who seemingly never got sick of hearing them, looking at Tanner with eyes as if he were the most interesting man in the world. Maybe he was.

Larry's dark eyes were glued onto his friend, his palm holding up his cheek as he listened intently, hanging onto every word spoken, his focus never breaking, a small smile on his lips as he listened. Tanner had his full attention, never interrupting him, laughing at the same old jokes and comments no matter how often he's heard this story.

Maybe it's the way Tanner tells the story, his enthusiasm present in his voice, adding in jokes to make Larry laugh. Maybe it's because Larry never got tired of listening to the same old stories, happy to recall funny moments and revisit the otherwise mundane stories that always managed to put a smile on his face. Maybe it's because Tanner is his best friend, someone who understood him on a level no one else did, always somehow knowing the right thing to say.

Larry always felt so comfortable with Tanner — so relaxed, Larry able to be himself and enjoy their time together. He doesn't know what it is about him, why he feels so free and weightless around him, why he loves spending time with him but he does and he can't help it. It's almost like a drug, Larry unable to stay away, gravitating towards him — Tanner does the same. They just had that connection.

Even with dumb conversations like these or deep meaningful ones later, the two are engrossed in each other, the world around them disappearing, blending into the background as they exchange words, the pair the only two who matter. Maybe it's weird — it probably is, but Larry can listen to Tanner talk all day, no matter the topic.

Like right now, Larry happily listening to Tanner ramble on, nearly lost in his words and syrupy voice, captured by his pretty brown eyes almost as if he's hypnotized by them. He loved it.

Their conversation topics tend to change pretty quickly, the two going from recounting past funny stories to dumb unrealistic hypotheticals to somewhat serious issues — they'd mention problems they had and struggles they were currently facing that they otherwise wouldn't share on a normal day, their conversations briefly going deeper than usual until it changes for the hundredth time.

Today was no different in regards to conversation topics but the atmosphere surrounding them made it easier — the room becoming a more comforting environment for the pair that made these sort of conversations easier to discuss and maintain. Maybe it was because he was with Tanner or maybe it was because it was late and it was raining but it didn't matter, he was here with Tanner, comfortable and happy.