Not-So-Scary Basketball Boyfriend | Tyrus

6

School hadn't felt different until they had been together for almost a month.

Cyrus thought that maybe that was his fault. Sure they walked together and held hands sometimes, but their class schedules were still pretty different and their club activities were on opposite sides of the school. Cyrus hadn't actually noticed how little time they spent together at school until he had started trying to plan something for their one month anniversary. He'd hoped it wasn't too soon, but Buffy and Marty had assured him that TJ would be more than a little excited for whatever he had in mind. He decided that maybe they knew a bit more when it came to Scary-Basketball TJ anyway.

So far he had decided on watching a movie and having a picnic near the swings. It sounded romantic without being too much. At least he didn't think it was too much, but he wouldn't know until he asked someone and TJ was out of the question if he wanted to keep it a surprise. Buffy and Andi were out too because they swore TJ liked everything he did. He wished he could ask Jonah because he'd been on more dates than any of Cyrus' other friends, but the other boy had still been pretty distant recently and Cyrus didn't want to push him into talking if he wasn't ready.

Cyrus groaned as he made his way from his locker. A part of him was hoping for a sign that his friends were right. That TJ really would find his idea of an anniversary date romantic. He was on his way to history, when it happened. The weight of an arm across his shoulder wasn't new, but it wasn't exactly right either. When he looked to the side to see what or more precisely who had joined him, he almost jumped out of his skin.

"Uh...Reed?" Cyrus said nervously. He hoped his voice wasn't shaking as much as his hands were, but he wasn't sure he pulled that off.

"So you do remember me? Nice." Reed nodded as if he were proud to have left an impression. "So how're things with you, Cyrus?"

"They're...okay, I guess. Had a test in English this morning, I think I did okay." He clears his throat. "What about you, Reed. How're...uh how're things with you?"

"Pretty chill. Been looking for you all day."

"Me?" Cyrus said a mix of scared and surprised. "Why were you looking for me? TJ and I don't even meet up 'til lunch."

"Yeah, I know. That's like all he whined about last weekend."

Cyrus didn't quite know how he felt about TJ hanging out with Reed alone. He didn't know much about the other guy besides the fact that he was willing to steal a gun from his dad just because he thought it might be funny, but he didn't think that was the most pleasant thing to know someone for. At least with Amber and TJ there had been layers. A lot of them were mean and condescending and manipulative, but the center meant well! And it's not like they're like that anymore. He'd never seen much of Reed before the gun incident and the guy barely existed after so he wasn't really sure where to put him.

"I didn't know you guys were talking again," said Cyrus.

"Yeah! We're like brothers. My parents separated when I was a kid and he was there for me. His mom basically adopted me that summer." He shrugged, the melancholic yet nostalgic smile that had quirked his lips upwards falling from his face as he cleared his throat. "I uh...I went to apologize and I told TJ that I probably needed to apologize to you too...you know, for before. The whole gun thing. It was dumb."

Cyrus bit his tongue to keep from mentioning the lack of apology, because it looked like Reed already knew that and was only trying to find the words.

"I'm sorry, Cyrus," he said as serious as Cyrus had ever seen him, which hadn't been often but still shook him to his core. "I don't want to make excuses but the thing is...TJ had liked you for a while and...I don't know how much he told you or if he even talks about me at all, but he talked about you all the time. How funny and nice and mature you were and I thought that maybe the gun would impress you or whatever. Make you think he was cool or something and go out with him, but I fucked up." Reed stopped walking, making Cyrus stumble to a stop as well, the arm on his shoulder keeping him from falling on his face. He looked over only to see Reed staring intensely into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I fucked up and I'm sorry, okay?

And just like that, Cyrus could see the layers. He was far from being able to say he knew Reed, but it was harder to see him as a bad guy when he'd tried so hard to help TJ.

"It's okay. Well it's not okay. It's never okay to play with guns. But we're okay. I accept your apology. I'm glad TJ still has a friend who cares enough to apologize."

"How could I not," the boy said with a mischievous grin on his face as he looked playfully over Cyrus' shoulder. "He's been making kissy eyes at you since he first met you."

Cyrus blushed but before he could open his mouth to respond Reed's arm was shoved off of his shoulder and the boy was laughing at whoever had replaced him by Cyrus' other side.

"I wasn't making kissy eyes at him," TJ huffed, but when Cyrus turned to look at him, a smile stretching his mouth wide, the taller boy was red to the tips of his ears.

"Hey, Teej," said Cyrus, his voice soft with fondness at the same time that Reed said: "You're right, they were kissy lips."

"Hey, Underdog. I'll catch up with you later, okay?" He placed a chaste kiss on Cyrus' cheek before glaring daggers at a still laughing Reed and chasing him down the hallway.

-&-

hey futher muckers

i uh...kinda took a break from this fic
i just have so many things in the fic fire that sometimes i forget what is and isnt set to update
and its like i know people enjoy my work and want to read it but my anxiety says if it isnt perfect i shouldnt do it at all and issa whole cycle

i hope yall enjoyed this long awaited chappie
next one should be up sooner

love y'all
black lives matter ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋