Let Me Help | Tyrus (complete!)

He took care of me

Cyrus woke up in a strange bed that smelled like lemon detergent. He groaned as he sat up, his head was killing him. He looked over and saw TJ?! Cyrus gasped and immediately wanted to cry. The embarrassment crawled up his throat, he thought of running away. He looked up, only to find the sun blasting in through the skylight. Looking over, Cyrus saw TJ sleeping peacefully. He looked calm and pliant, the sunlight draining into the room blanched his skin, making him look like porcelain. Cyrus felt a tug in his stomach. He really really really did not want to have a crush on TJ, but he just couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He had gone through enough heartbreak with Jonah, he didn't want that again and yet, the butterflies had come back.

TJ stirred. Cyrus didn't know what to do. Should he leave? Should he stay? He thought back to last night, only to not be able to remember much. He remembered drinking a lot out of spite and Oh my god, I threw up on him. He felt his heart race a million miles per hour, he felt his chest compress, he felt like he was dying.

"Cyrus? Cyrus, what's wrong?" He could hear TJ, but he couldn't move, he could only grip the covers.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that- frozen in fear- but it felt like an eternity. He knew TJ was talking to him, but he didn't want that right now. Water, I need water. He didn't know If he had said it out loud or not, but suddenly there was a glass of water in his hand. He drank it.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, TJ was taking care of him. It made him feel warm and incompetent. He hated being seen as vulnerable, he didn't want to feel others pity. 

"Cyrus are you back? Are you okay?" Tj asked, worried.

He nodded.

"Why am I at your house?" Cyrus asked softly.

TJ sat facing him and gently pushed Cyrus' bangs back, "You, um, were pretty wasted at Iris' party" TJ looked around his room, his eyes landing on Cyrus' hands. Cyrus shuffled a bit, his legs felt incredibly cold. Wait, what am I wearing? Cyrus looked down and saw his own face. His Bash Mitzvah sweater, only it was two sizes too big on him and went down way past his hands and down to his knees. Cyrus knew TJ could see his cheeks go two shades redder, he couldn't look him in the eye.

"And this is your hoodie?" Cyrus said slowly.

TJ nodded.

"And you brought me to your house?"

TJ nodded. Cyrus felt his heart swell. Out of all his friends, the jock had kept him safe. He smiled to himself and finally looked at TJ.

"Was that okay? Are you mad?" Tj said, furrowing his brows. Cyrus nodded no and looked down at TJ's anxious hands. His eyes widened.

"What happened to your hand?" He asked, gently.

"Oh," TJ looked uncomfortable, "basketball and stuff you know." Cyrus didn't know. "Hey uh, Amber probably made breakfast with Andi, do you wanna go see?"

"Andi?" Cyrus said.

"Yea" TJ laughed, "Andi got pretty bad too. So did Buffy. Don't worry, Marty took her home" Cyrus blushed a bit. If everyone took care of their significant others, what does that make him and TJ? Cyrus knew TJ was thinking the same thing.

Cyrus looked over at TJ, who looked oddly well rested. He liked looking at his face, it was nice. The sunlight had softened him a bit. He had seen TJ look at him before, but now it was as if Cyrus were the only person in the world. Cyrus felt himself grin. He felt safe. Cyrus blinked slowly and sighed a little, ignoring the pounding in his head. He saw himself pick a stray eyelash from TJ's cheek. "Thank you," Cyrus said softly, "for everything really." Cyrus looked down and away, he felt TJ move closer. He could feel TJ's eyes tracing every line of his face, every freckle, every scar. He felt exposed, he wanted his imperfections to be a secret only he knew about.  But, TJ knew almost everything about Cyrus, they had spilled their guts to each other. He knew about his hatred of velcro, and how his grandparents stopped sending him birthday cards when he was seven. He knew about his need for validation, he knew about his anxiety. Tj knew him. But he hadn't told him he liked boys. Cyrus felt his heart skip a beat as he slowly looked up at TJ from under his lashes, TJ was looking down at his lips. "Um," Cyrus stuttered, "I, uh, breakfast?"