*Tyler's POV*

Troye seemed almost embarrassed of his family every time we interacted, which I guess I could understand. I would disown Mama Jackie if she were to act the way they did. But at the same time, I didn't actually care when his family did. It wasn't annoying, it was entertaining if anything. Besides, watching Troye continuously get all worked up and flustered over their words was definitely something I could get used to. Everything from his siblings with their faces pressed against the window, to his mother being so welcoming and chatty, to the muttered sexual innuendos Sage seemed to have a never ending supply of, they were the perfect family. Well, perfect granted you weren't stuck being around them all the time. I could definitely see how it'd get old after awhile.

I wasn't surprised when Troye jumped at the chance to take me up to his room, though I did wish it was for different reasons than just avoiding chores and annoying siblings. I couldn't really complain though, especially not when he was the one to make the move to sling his arm around my shoulders. It was only for the short walk between the kitchen and the foot of the stairs, but it still meant something. Slowly but surely he was coming more and more out of his shell, and I couldn't wait for the time to come when he wouldn't hesitate at all to make moves like that. I wasn't sure if he meant it casually or if he realized what it did to me, but either way I was happy he'd done it. He'd come a long way from how nervous he'd been about touching me at first. 

Once we reached his room I didn't even think before throwing myself onto his bed, only after my chest hit the mattress did I realize how awkward that probably was. It's not like he'd invited me to just make myself at home, and it was only my second time here. Not to mention that he was definitely going to over think where he sat now, like he always did over absolutely anything. He spent way too much time just thinking, rather than actually doing things. Whereas I was the opposite, doing things without giving them a second's thought. What a great pair we made, huh?

It didn't take long for me to reach a point where I couldn't stand the awkward tension as he silently debated where to sit, instead just rolling over and inviting him to join me. I relished in how deep his cheeks flushed, unsure of whether it was because I'd called him pretty or because of the fact we were both going to be sitting on his bed. I couldn't help the giggles slipping past my lips as he awkwardly dragged his feet along behind him, his hands stuffed in his pockets and the blush on his cheeks not fading a bit. He sat 0n the very edge of the bed, his muscles stiff and his arms clasped tightly to his sides. 

"What are you laughing at?" He asked suddenly, only casting me a sideways glance instead of actually looking up. I didn't mind though, realizing it was probably his best effort to hide how badly he was blushing. I decided to just be honest with him, sitting up and not even hesitating before awkwardly ambling down the bed toward him. Why did he have to have such a floofy mattress? I probably looked like a total idiot, tripping over my own knees. Then again, it didn't look like he was playing much attention. I didn't stop until I was sitting right beside him, by knees pressed against his leg. I shoved him then, giggling more as I replied.

"You." After that we fell into one of our familiar lighthearted bickering matches, though after just a few replies I began to notice he wasn't laughing nearly as much as he usually would be. Did he actually have a problem with me mentioning how awkward he was? I mean, it seemed stupid he'd be insecure about something like that, especially when he knew how little I cared about it, but then again, I was the one getting worked up when he mentioned my eating habits. What if I was unintentionally hurting his feelings?

"Gee, thanks Tyler, makes me feel real good about myself-" I couldn't even wait for him to finish his reply with my new-found realization, panicking that I might have actually offended him. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

"Oh, shut-up. It's the cute kind of awkward, obviously." I blurted, my mind catching up to my mouth only after the words had spilled out. The cute kind of awkward? Might as well get down on one knee and hand him flowers at this rate, Tyler. Sing him a song and confess your love while you're at it. Honestly, is it even possible for someone to be so blind that they don't realize someone's feelings when they say things like that. Okay, so I might have been up until recently, but now that I knew it was impossible to not see all the little hints in every little thing he did. Just how long would it take Troye to come to the same realization I had? What exactly would it take? Or would he ever realize if I didn't just tell him face to face?

"Oh." He breathed out quietly, causing my eyebrows to raise as I risked a glance in his direction. He seemed to be off in his own world, his expression blank as his eyes stayed fixed on the floor. I don't think it was the floor he was really thinking about though. At least I hoped not, it'd be quite the insult to think that the wooden flooring was a more captivating subject than I was. 

I took a deep but quiet breath, deciding to focus on something else for a change. Troye's feelings and my feelings for Troye seemed to be all I ever thought about lately. I mean, I get it, they're a pretty pressing issue in my mind, but I shouldn't get so wrapped up in what could be that I forget what I already have. I narrowed my eyes, determined to concentrate on something else. Ultimately I ended up checking out his room, mostly because the only other immediate distraction around me was him, and we all know what direction my thoughts would drift if I was staring at him. I forced my eyes off of him, instead looking around his room and taking everything in like it was for the first time. He'd changed it up a bit, just small things like the candle he'd added to his bedside table, or the new poster adorning the wall above his desk. Beside his desk sat the familiar musical instrument from the last time I was here, my lips turning up into a smile at their own accord. Next I looked at what was actually sitting on his desk, my eyes widening curiously at the mess of papers all over it. Does he sketch? Or maybe he was writing something? Then again, it could just be homework... Ugh, it's going to kill me until I find out now. 

Now that I'd more or less seen everything in the room I let my eyes flicker back to him, surprised to find he was already staring at me. I wonder how long he's been watching me. I couldn't help it when a goofy smile made it's way onto my face at the thought of him staring at me while I was looking away. I wonder how many times he's done it in the past, looked at me while I wasn't looking. It couldn't be nearly as much as I'd looked over at him while he wasn't looking. Then again, maybe, he could have liked me this whole time as well. Thinking back, there had been some subtle hints since the beginning of our friendship really, possibly before even he realized how he felt. God, if it took him a long time to figure out how he felt, just imagine how long it'd take him to realize how I felt. 

Realizing that he was still staring at me expectantly I cleared my throat, deciding I had better make some conversation before the silence got awkward. Well, any more awkward than it already was.

"I love your room, it's so... you."

"Thanks? I think?" He laughed, sounding slightly unsure of the situation. I wanted to reassure him, but at the same time my eyes had fallen on his desk again and it was all I could think about. What is on those papers?

"Oh yeah, it was definitely a compliment." I replied distractedly, flashing him a smile quickly before sliding off the bed. I stretched in what I hoped was a casual manner, feigning interested in all the little knick-knacks around his room as I shifted closer to the desk. I was getting so close I could make out the title at the top of one of the pages, my eyebrows quirking slightly as I read the words "Happy Little Pill", only becoming more intrigued now that it looked less like homework. I could vaguely make out words scribbled all over the page, most of which had been scribbled out and had new things written on top of them. I wonder what it is. I took a step closer, standing on my tippy-toes in hopes of seeing more of what was on the paper, caution thrown to the wind. However, I should have known better, seeing as now Troye was clearing his throat. I looked up with a look of pure innocence, hoping hadn't actually caught on to my intentions. The second our eyes met and his glare registered I knew he had though, dropping my angelic act and sighing as I tried to think of something to say. I'll just change the topic, rather than apologizing for being such a nosey nuisance. "We should probably get changed before your mother accuses us of being incapable of that too, huh?"

"Yeah! You can change in the bathroom and I'll let you know when I'm decent." He said, his tone overly cheery. I had to resist the urge to raise my eyebrows in questioning, deciding it was better left unsaid. I had my suspicions it had something to do with him being guilty about not letting me see the papers, but at the same time that was so insanely stupid. Why would he feel bad about not letting me snoop on his personal things? Then again, he finds a way to make everything his fault, doesn't he? 

I smiled at him reassuringly to let him know there wasn't any issue between us. It's be stupid of me to be mad at him for having private things, but that didn't make me any less curious about them... I sauntered over to the door where I had dropped my bag, picking it up and slinging it over one shoulder as I replied vocally. 

"Sounds good." I beamed, not looking back in his direction as I started toward the bathroom. It was more of a precaution, in case he'd already started to unbutton his pants or lift his sweater over his head. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep from pouncing on him at this point. It was one thing being in the hottub with him before when I'd just realized my feelings for him, but I'd been trying to shove my thirst to the back of my mind for over a month now, it was only a matter of time before I snapped. Hence why I had gone along with the whole getting changed in separate rooms thing so easily. Of course I wanted to see him in his underwear, but I also wasn't so sure if I'd be able to stand it and keep my hands off of him. And considering his entire family was waiting for us downstairs, that didn't sound like such a good idea.

I stumbled into the bathroom quickly, immediately closing the door behind me and listening as it clicked into place. I let out the breath I'd been holding then, walking over and leaning over his counter. I studied my face in the mirror, feeling slightly betrayed at how flushed my cheeks were. Did I always blush when my thoughts drifted in the dirty direction? Oh God, I really hope not, I don't really fancy the idea of looking like a tomato whenever I'm around him.

I tried not to dwell on it too much, realizing there was nothing I could do to prevent it, short of actually getting a hold on myself and eliminating the dirty thoughts altogether. We all know how likely that is, huh? Instead I busied myself with getting changed, pulling my t-shirt over my head hastily and tossing it behind me. Next I dropped my pants, immediately moving to slip into the costume's pair. It wasn't so much that I had a problem with being pantless in Troye's bathroom as it was that I just wanted to finish getting changed quickly. That might have had something to do with the possibility of walking out early and catching a glimpse of Troye half dressed, but I wasn't going to admit to that. 

After my pants I'd intended to slip the navy blue police shirt on, but my eyes fell on the hat and I suddenly realized I hadn't tried it on once yet. What if it looked horrible with my quiff? I didn't think twice before snatching it off the counter and fitting it onto my head, adjusting my hair strand by strand until I was happy with it. Alright, scratch that, it definitely looks good with the hat. I decided a second of posing was necessary, popping my hip out as I scanned myself in Troye's mirror. I wonder how many times he's stood in front of this naked- 

Damn it, Tyler, not the time! What'd I tell you about getting the thirst under control? At this rate you're going to end up-

"Ahhh!" I jumped at the sudden scream filling the air, smacking my knee off the side of his counter. It wasn't bad enough to bruise though, just enough to make me pout slightly as I bent over to cup my hand over it. After the initial pain wore off in a matter of seconds I decided I'd better figure out what the hell Troye's problem was now, standing back up and shouting.

"Troye?" The response came almost immediately, though it didn't really help me figure anything out.

"Ow! Fuck!" He yelled, followed by the sound of stuff crashing around. Was he really having that much trouble changing into the costume? Maybe his mother would have been right to assume he was incapable of getting dressed after all. Still, I couldn't help but worry when no further response came. Wouldn't he usually be insisting he was okay and not to worry in a situation like this?

"Troye? What are you doing out there?" I asked, trying to keep my tone lighthearted as I fake laughed between the words. No response came and my nerves only got worse, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip as I fought the urge to call out once more. What if he fell and hit his head? I should check on him. He could be unconscious out there, he might need my help.

Just as I was reaching to open the door I could hear the muffled voice of his mother, likely asking him what was going on from the hallway. I didn't, however, hear his response, only making me worry more as I pulled the door open. My eyes scanned the room frantically, only taking a second to spot him standing right beside his bed. The second thing that registered was his lack of pants, my throat feeling oddly dry as I tried to swallow. Who gave him the right to wear such tightly-fitting briefs? Does he have any idea how hard he makes it for me to keep my thirst under control?

I begrudgingly stomped toward him, forcing my eyes to stay trained on the back of his head and not, well, where they wanted to be. He seemed completely oblivious I was even there, even as I came to a stop directly behind him. What held his attention so much that he didn't even acknowledge me? I grumbled under my breath so quietly it was barely audible as I stood up on my tippy-toes, curiously peering over his shoulder. I was utterly confused to find he was just staring at his bed, my eyebrows kneading together as I tried to figure out what was out of place. Then my eyes landed on his pillow, a smirk finding it's way to my lips as I noticed the tiny spider ambling toward it. 

"A spider? A fucking spider? Are you kidding me?" I laughed, only then realizing just how breathless I was from rushing out here. He spun around then, his cheeks crimson and his eyes wide as they met with mine.

"It's huge and it was on my arm!" He defended immediately, a pitiful tone to his voice. I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip again as I summoned every bit of self-restraint I had not to let my eyes drift down between us. I held my breath as I mechanically moved around him, plucking a tissue out of the box and snatching up the spider. Spiders had never really been my stronghold either, but if it meant impressing Troye then damn right they were. I turned around, marching straight over to the trash bin on the other side of his room with a blank expression. I tossed the tissue into the garbage, taking a deep breath again before spinning around. I lasted approximately the time it took to cross my arms, before my eyes betrayed me and landed on his bulge. I tried my very hardest to keep my expression blank, though I could already feel the lust pooling in my lower stomach at the sight. 

Snap out of it, Tyler, he's freaking watching you stare!

"New trend?" I blurted, an array of fake giggles bubbling out of my throat. It was a decent cover-up to what was actually going on inside my head, but I also couldn't bring myself to look away either.

"Stop staring!" He demanded, giving me a scowl as he brought one hand to cover himself. He used the other to attempt pulling up his pants single-handedly, though ultimately that didn't work out considering how tight they looked. He looked back up then, locking eyes with me in a challenging glare that told me I wasn't to let my eyes wander again, before he was hastily using both hands to yank his pants up. He turned around as they reached his mid-thigh, not that I was complaining as I watched him try to wiggle his butt into them. Eventually he did manage to get them on, much to my surprise. I was really expecting him to just give up and go find another pair. He was going to be uncomfortable all night in those. Well, granted I didn't end up getting him out of his pants by the end of the night.

By the time he turned back around I had been letting my mind drift in that direction for way too long, now trying to backtrack by thinking about completely innocent things. The last thing I needed was a hard-on at our first sleepover together, before I'd even come out of the closet. That would definitely kill the casual in a second. 

I watched as he plopped down on the bed, only thinking it through for a second before I followed after and headed over to sit down beside him. Silence followed, not that I was really complaining as it gave me more time to get myself under control. The worst part was I was still shirtless, so he could surely see how flushed my entire body was, if he were to actually pay attention to it. He didn't seem to be though, his eyes firmly trained on the ground, seemingly lost in thought. I was about to speak up and suggest we go downstairs, when he beat me to it.

"It's your fault anyway, we clearly agreed that you weren't to leave the bathroom until I'd announced I was decent." My eyebrows quirked slightly at this, realizing that's where his mind had been this entire time. Aw, was he still flustered over me seeing him in his underwear? How adorable.

"Well, excuse me for worrying when you started screaming like a freaking banshee!" I snapped, unintentionally sounding a lot angrier than I actually was. He tensed up beside me in reaction, his breathing shallow as he slowly turned his head to face me. Our eyes locked and we both held our breath, searching the other's for any genuine signs of anger. When I found none I couldn't help but giggle at the irony of the situation, how worried we both were that we'd angered the other. Before I knew it the giggle progressed to full-out laughter, then sadly, it ended up a total cackle fit. I lost all track of time and what I was doing, the only thing registering with me was the sound of my own laugh, yet I still couldn't stop. I was beginning to think I'd never calm down when I heard Troye speak up, just barely over my own laughter.

"Stop laughing!" He giggled, the sound just as beautiful as the first time I'd made him laugh. I was still laughing, though now it was once again fizzling off into a more pleasant giggle. Slowly but surely I was beginning to get a grip, and along with that came the realization that I'd more or less koala'd myself around Troye somehow in the last five minutes. My arms were wrapped around one of his, clutching it tightly to my bare chest. I'd also managed to push myself impossibly closer to him, my face ending up buried in his neck. There was starting to be more and more time between my giggles as all of this sunk in, how close I was to him, how quickly I could feel his pulse jumping against my lips. I wasn't really kissing his neck or anything, they just happened to be pressed up against it, but the fact my lips were on his neck at all was something. It just made me crave the actual thing even more, to be able to lash my tongue over the sensitive skin and have him writhing underneath me- shit. 

Still not the time, Tyler. Get a grip.

I lifted my head slowly, my eyes immediately locking with Troye's bright ones. He looked so... happy. Sometimes out of nowhere I was hit with a wave of clarity, realizing just how much he'd changed since we started talking two months ago. It wasn't like he was a completely different person or anything, more like he was the person he would have been had he never cut himself off at all. I mean, obviously I wasn't going to sit here and take all the credit for it, for all I know he could have had a heart-to-heart with Shane that made him change his outlook, but no matter why it happened, all that mattered was that it did happen. It was happening. He was coming out of his shell more and more as each day passed, and I couldn't be happier for him.

"You're a mess." I giggled out, fighting the urge to lift my hand and cup his cheek. 

"I know I am." He breathed out, running his hand through his quiff absentmindedly. I decided I'd better distract myself before my thoughts drifted in the indecent direction again, deciding my best bet would be to start with putting a shirt on. He didn't seem to happy about this when I announced it, even going so far as to say I didn't 'have to' and that I could be one of those shirtless cops like in Magic Mike. Once again I was left wondering if I was a total idiot and he'd been this obvious about his crush on me all along, or if his flirty behavior was a relatively new thing. For my sake, I really hope it's a new thing. Please tell me I'm not oblivious enough that I never caught on before while he was being this obvious. 

I didn't give in to him though, remembering once again that his family were all waiting for us downstairs. And as nice as the thought of having some quality shirtless time with Troye sounded, I couldn't help but also remember the whole reason I'd been nervous to come here at all. I still hadn't saw Shaun today, and I had no idea just what he'd heard about the changing stall fiasco. Depending on that, there's no telling what kind of things he'd be thinking if I kept Troye up here much longer. I'd really rather stay on his family's good side.

I'd caught him watching intently as I did the buttons of my shirt up, calling him out on it and earning another one of those adorable deep blushes he seemed to reserve strictly for me. That was a good thing though, I'd feel cheated knowing that just anyone could pull them out of him, I liked feeling special. 

After walking over to the mirror and putting the final touches on my costume, I turned back to inspect his. I found him staring at the floor, surprisingly still blushing. Surely it wasn't over the same thing from earlier? I wonder what he's thinking about... Whatever, it's not like there's any way I can tell. Instead I busied myself with what I originally intended to do, scanning his costume to check for any missing pieces.

"Where are your handcuffs?" I blurted the second I realized they were absent, accidentally sounding way more interested in them than I should have been. I couldn't help it, I was kind of excited to see him rendered helpless. Well, not totally helpless, but just enough that he'd need to rely on me to help him out with simple tasks, at least for the short time while he had them on. 

I watched him reach over and grab his own costume bag, similar to mine but instead of blue, it was black. He dug through it distractedly for a second before retrieving two items, a small black mask and the shiny fake-metal handcuffs. 

"Do I have to wear them?" He groaned pitifully, looking up at me with the most adorable pair of puppy dog eyes I'd ever seen. God, when we finally start dating I am never gonna be able to say no to that boy, am I? I wouldn't let him see it had any affect over me yet though, instead just rolling my eyes as a quick excuse to look away from him. I lifted my hand too, gesturing him over with a single finger. He did as he was told, stumbling over clumsily and coming to a stop directly in front of him. Immediately I snatched the props out of his hands, dangling the handcuffs in front of his eyes.

"No, but you're gonna, at least for your mother's pictures." I answered, surprised when he submissively extended his hands. I didn't hesitate to click the cuffs on then, wiggling my hips in a victory dance he wasn't supposed to see. He didn't either, or at least he didn't outwardly show that he had. 

"But you know how accident prone I am, what if I fall and can't catch myself?" He continued to complain, experimentally shifting his hands around in the tight handcuffs. I looked up at him then, my hands still gripping either of his soft wrists.

"I'll catch you." I replied simply, keeping my eyes locked with his. I watched the emotions flicker through his baby blues, silently trying to figure out whether he caught my double meaning. I'd always catch him when he fell, especially if I happened to be the one he was falling for. When he didn't outwardly show either way I decided we had better just move on, before my expectant expression got creepy.

"We should probably head downstairs. Come on, you worthless criminal scum." I laughed, debating it for only a second before letting my hand drift lower and lacing my fingers through his. It was strange how unsure of everything I was now that I was sure of his feelings. Did I want him to realize how I felt as well? Was I going to confess? Should I be more cautious about how physical I am with him, or should I just get even more touchy feely? Am I ready to come out at school if it means being with him? I wasn't ready to make all those decisions, I wanted to just put them off a little bit longer. I'll worry about all of that later, right now I'm just gonna do whatever I feel like doing, and apparently that, is holding his hand.

I go down the stairs ahead of him, awkwardly holding my arm out behind me so our fingers can stay entwined. I'm surprised when he doesn't try to shrug out of the embrace even as we reach the bottom of the stairs, only tightening his grip as he moves to stand beside me now that we're off the stairs. I study the people strewn across the two couches in the living room, the first thing registering was the lack of the familiar bald head again. Whew, I don't have to face him for at least another few seconds. Instead I recognize the first three on one couch as Tyde, Steele, and Steele's girlfriend, all of which are handling video game controllers with determined eyes trained on the screen. The other couch only holds one occupant, though they're so sprawled out they take up just as much room as the others did. Sage has her face hidden from my line of view with her phone, though I can just barely make out the smile on her lips from behind it. I noticed now they'd all changed into their costumes as well, happy to know that Troye and I weren't going to be the odd ones out. 

"Want to go sit down?" I tense at Troye's sudden whisper in my ear, not even realizing he had leaned in so close. I just nodded, not really trusting my voice not to crack right now. He grins before tugging on my hand eagerly, dragging me over to the sitting area. Not surprisingly, the majority of the couch potatoes all look up as we approach them, all of their eyebrows raising as their eyes land on our hands. I just blush and look the opposite direction, which happens to be the direction of Sage. We'd came to a stop in front of her couch, and Troye was now glaring down at her with his free hand sassily placed on his hip. "Sage, sit up. Make some room for Tyler and me."

"Can't you sit on the floor?" She groaned, her eyes just now flickering up from the phone screen for the first time. Her eyes land in the same place her sibling's had, though she isn't nearly as subtle about it as a smirk makes it's way across her lips. "Holding hands? At this rate you might actually get a kiss on the cheek by the time Christmas rolls around!"

"Jokes on you because he already has kissed my cheek." I didn't think it was possible to blush any harder than I already was, but apparently Troye was out to prove me wrong when he decided it'd be a good idea to mutter something like that. We fell onto the couch before anyone replied to his statement, him sitting between Sage and I. He couldn't, however, block my view of his other two siblings on the other couch. They were still trying to act interested in their game, and I believed them for a second, before Tyde's eyes flickered to mine and he gave me a discreet wink. Ugh, I change my mind, their teasing is funny solely when you aren't the one being teased.

"Scandalous, Troye. You're such a slut." Sage spoke up then, after she'd finished typing out her text. She looked up at us, her eyes darting between the two of us suspiciously. I bit my lip nervously under her scrutiny, while Troye seemed totally unfazed as he simply leaned forward and blocked Sage's view of me. I could only see the back of his head and one of her eyes over his shoulder, but from that alone I could tell they were once again exchanging those silent faces that I wasn't allowed to be included in. Rude.

I was actually beginning to debate sprawling myself over Troye's lap just to look up at their expressions, when a much needed distraction walked into the room in the form of a middle-aged woman wearing bunny ears. I guess the manditory costumes weren't limited to just her kids. I definitely hadn't expected to end the night with seeing Laurelle in bunny ears, that's for sure. Thankfully that was the only piece of the costume she had on, making it clear she was going to a more formal event by the fancy dress and heels she had on. Maybe her and Shaun were going out to dinner? Troye hadn't really elaborated on where exactly all of his family were going for the night, just that we'd have the house to ourselves.

"Alright kids, are you all dressed up?" Laurelle asked as she came to a stop standing between the two couches, an expectant but cheerful smile on her face. Instantly every one of her children looked up from what they were doing, all chanting in almost scary unison two words.

"Yes, Mom." They all droned, sounding a lot less excited than she did. She didn't let it get to her though, just looking over at Steele and his girlfriend and smiling widely.

"Ready for some pictures?" She asked, clearly directing the question at just them. The girl just nodded while Steele repeated his earlier mantra.

"Yes, Mom." He sighed out, promptly turning back to look at the screen. Laurelle pouted a bit at that I noticed, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit bad for her. She was clearly so excited and they were acting like it was the most boring thing they'd ever experienced.

She turned to Troye and I then, momentarily freezing as she raked her eyes over us, letting them come to a stop at our still intertwined fingers. She quickly played it off when Troye cleared his throat, instead looking at our costumes as if using them as an excuse for that stupid giddy smile on her face.

"Aww, don't you two look cute?" She laughed, looking back and forth between the two of us like Sage had earlier. I didn't feel nearly as nervous when it came to her though, instead just beaming a smile up at her and leaning further into Troye's side.

"Thanks, Laurelle." I said cheerily, surprised when Troye tightened his grip on my hand a moment later. I was worried it was a silent warning or something, before I actually looked over at him and found his eyes fixed on the tv. Had it been a subconscious thing? 

"Shaun! Get your butt down here, we're already behind schedule!" I jumped at Laurelle's sudden shout, not even realizing her voice could get that loud before now. Seeing as I was practically pressed up against Troye's side, of course he noticed, giggling quietly as he glanced over at me. He gave me a simple 'I warned you' look, leaning back against the couch finally and letting me see Sage again. Whatever their silent exchange had included, it had gotten her to shut-up. She was leaning back against the armrest of the couch, her legs drawn up so Troye and I had room to sit, her eyes once again fixated on her phone screen.

I shifted nervously when I heard the footsteps on the stairs start, knowing it had to be the one member of the Mellet family not here yet. It was probably stupid to get this worked up over seeing him again, but what if he acted weird around me now? What if he was straight-up rude to me and made it clear he didn't like me? It'd be one thing if I actually had sex with Troye in a changing stall, but it was just a stupid story, and I really didn't want it to affect how Shaun saw me. 

"Shaun, what the hell are you wearing?" Not surprisingly everyone's heads turned in the direction of the stairs then, watching as Shaun descended down the final steps. He was wearing plaid. A plaid button-down shirt, while Laurelle had on an expensive looking red dress. Was he kidding? Straight boys, I swear.

"It's a formal shirt-" He started, immediately cut off when Laurelle stepped forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt in one fist.

"Formal if you're going to Hoedown Throwdown maybe! Get back up there and change into something else, we'll be outside waiting for you." She sighed out the last sentence, like all of frustration had just reached it's limit. She stomped away into the kitchen again then, leaving Shaun standing at the bottom of the stairs with a confused expression. Did he seriously not see what was wrong with his outfit? God help him. From what I gather, they're going somewhere fancy for dinner or something, there's no way that blue plaid would fit into the formal scene. 

"Dad, try just a black or white shirt. No need to get elaborate, you want Mom to be the center of attention anyway." Tyde offered, giving him a sympathetic smile. Tyde was actually pretty sweet, when he wasn't being an annoying little shit. 

"You're right. Thanks, bud. Did Troye and his boyfriend get back yet?" I felt a blush creep across my cheeks involuntarily, though Troye didn't seem nearly as flustered as he just turned around to glare at his father.

"Dad. I'm sitting right here. I know you see me." He grumbled, his eyes following Shaun as he walked around the couch to stand in front of us.

"I'm just teasing. Hi, Tyler!" He beamed, giving me a big wave. I let out the breath I'd been holding, overwhelmingly relieved to see how casual he was acting. It's fine, he's not angry with me for something I didn't even do. I loosened my grip on Troye's hand a bit too, just now realizing how tight it had gone while I was fretting.

"Hi, Shaun!"

"So, what's this I hear about you two finally making it official?" My jaw unhinged at this, my eyes going wide as I looked over at Troye. Had he lied to his father or something?

"W-What?" I stuttered out, realizing Troye was way too focused on the television screen to help me out with it. Shaun took a deep breath before replying, his voice cheerful as ever.

"Well, I'm assuming you asked him out before the whole changing room-"

"DAD! How many times have I told you that was just something Sage made up? Don't ever bring it up again!" Troye snapped, cutting his father off and turning to glare at him yet again. Maybe he hadn't been as into the television as I thought. Hell, maybe that little twink just wanted to see what I'd say in reaction to that. What a brat.

"So you're not dating then?" I felt a little bad when I heard how genuinely confused Shaun sounded, deciding to just be upfront with him.

"No, we're not." I said flatly, discreetly watching Troye's reaction out of the corner of my eye. It was pointless though, considering his face stayed completely blank as he stared onward. 

"You're just friends that hold hands? And wear matching couple costumes? And go on dates?"

"N-" Even before he started to speak up I knew what Troye's response was going to be, it was the same as it always was; deny everything. I, however, wanted to try a different route, hopefully one that'd pull a reaction out of him.

"Yeah, pretty much." I blurted, cutting Troye off before he even managed to get the word 'no' out. This finally got Troye to turn his head, looking over at me with his head cocked to the side and wide eyes. Why did he looked so shocked? Everything his father had said was true, surely he realized that. He didn't question me aloud though, instead just robotically turning back to face the screen. I wasn't sure if it was because he genuinely had nothing to say, or because of all the sets of eyes and ears on us in that moment.

I expected Shaun to reply with some sort of lecture on how stupid that was and why we should just ask each other out if we already had all the aspects of boyfriends, but he was strangely silent. I wonder what he's thinking about right now. Actually, more importantly, I wonder what's on Troye's mind. I glanced back over at Troye, biting my lip as I studied his features. He looked so serious, his lips in a tight line and his eyes narrowed. Actually, maybe he just looked concentrated. 

"Shaun! Go and get changed!" Everyone jumped this time, seeing as none of us had been expecting her sudden outburst. Shaun immediately turned and headed toward the stairs, clearly realizing she was not to be messed with. Only after he was out of sight did she turn to us with a sweet smile, gesturing toward the front door. "Come on everyone, we've got pictures to take!"

When she said pictures, I thought maybe one of each of us and then we'd be out of there. I was not expecting a full-out photo shoot. Immediately after we walked outside she began ordering people around. First of all, she wanted a photo of all of her kids together, which was understandable. While they all lined up, none looking very impressed with the situation, I was left standing on the sidelines with Steele's girlfriend. I couldn't remember her name for the life of me, hence we were left in a pretty awkward silence as we waited for them to finish up. After snapping an unreasonable amount of the four of them together, she told them all to more or less scram, except for Sage. Apparently Sage was being picked up the earliest from her friends, so she was first in line for individual photos. While Sage, dressed in her cat costume, pranced off toward the gazebo with her mother, Troye walked back toward me. I jumped forward, speed-walking to meet him halfway across the lawn. No offense to Steele's girlfriend, but she wasn't very good company.

"Do you guys do this every year?" I asked, coming to a stop directly in front of him. He just sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to nod as he did so.

"Every year, every holiday, every date that could possibly be mistaken as relatively important. She has a thing for 'capturing memories'." I glanced over at the gazebo then, a smile overtaking my features as I watched all the poses Sage was pulling, like she'd done this more times than she could count.

"It's cute."

"And annoying." Troye muttered, walking around me to lean against the side of the house. I bit my lip before deciding to join him, walking over and leaning against the wall beside him. We stood in silence then, though I'd occasionally look up to check on him. He had that serious expression on again and it was seriously beginning to worry me. By the time she'd finished with Sage's photos and had moved on to Tyde, I couldn't take the silence anymore. 

"You're kind of grumpy." I blurted, watching his eyes go wide. He looked down at me then, an almost guilty hint to his expression.

"I'm sorry, I just thought we'd have more time to ourselves, you know? They said they'd be leaving as soon as we got back. They're so intrusive and annoying." He sighed, sliding further down the wall so we were at the same height.

"We have all night." I reminded him, watching as Tyde jogged off and Steele and his girlfriend walked over next. Troye sighed heavily again at my side, bringing me back to our conversation.

"Aside from the hours we're sleeping." He muttered, sounding almost pouty as he said it. Was he worried we weren't going to get enough time together or something? I couldn't help it when a cheeky grin made it's way across my face, my mood brightening now that I knew I wasn't the cause of his grumpy one. Now that I knew what was wrong, it was a lot easier to cheer him up.

"Who sleeps at a sleepover anyway? We'll have lots of time together, don't worry." I watched in rapt fascination as he blushed, only noticing now that we were at the same height that his blushes started from the tips of his ears then made their way to his cheeks. Had he not expected me to catch on that that was what was wrong? Was he embarrassed that I knew what was making him upset? Oh well, he already looked happier, so my mission had been a success. "Cheer up, let her have her moment."

"Fine." He groaned, pushing off from the wall. I didn't realize why at first, until I followed his gaze and seen his mother waving us over. Oh. So we were getting couple photos done too? Together?

"Smile with your teeth!" Laurelle demanded for the hundredth time, stomping her foot in obvious exasperation. Troye groaned beside me, slowly turning his lips up from their scowl into a hideous fake smile that looked utterly foreign on his face. Thankfully Laurelle realized this as well, moving her face away from the camera to glare at him. "A real smile!"

"Maybe if I had a reason to smile-"

"Look to the right." She cut him off, causing us both to furrow our brows. I looked to my right despite the fact she'd clearly been talking to him, confused when all I seen was the treeline and the frog pond. Did she expect him to smile over the frogs? Maybe she'd gotten her directions mixed up... I turned my head to the other side quickly, not wanting to miss whatever it was capable of making Troye smile. My jaw unhinged when I came face to face with Troye himself, our lips nearly brushing at the unexpected close proximity. I bit my lip nervously, looking up through my eyelashes to lock eyes with him. He was blushing furiously now, even more than he had earlier. I was still confused at first, but as eyes fell on his lips out of habit, I realized that Laurelle had gotten her way after all; he was smiling wider than he had all day.

As expected, that realization was followed by the repetitive sound of the camera going off, capturing the moment. 

"Mom!" Troye groaned, his voice cracking mid-way and causing me to giggle. He glared at me then, reaching forward and shoving me further away from him down the bench with his cuffed hands. I was aware of the fact Laurelle was catching the whole spat on camera, but I also didn't really care as I slid closer to him again. He tried to push me away but I leaned all my weight against his hands, both of us ending up sliding down the bench in opposite directions because of the force. I burst out laughing then, not even sure what part of the situation it was that I found so amusing. Just all of it I guess, from Troye's rosy cheeks to Laurelle's knowing smile behind the camera. 

"You guys are way more fun to shoot than your siblings. They're all boring and grumpy." Laurelle laughed, letting her hand fall back to her side for the first time since she'd started taking photos. I let out a quiet breath knowing that I wasn't on camera anymore, eagerly hopping up from the swinging chair and walking toward the steps. 

"I'm boring and grumpy too!" Troye insisted, how loud his voice was making it clear he'd followed my lead. Laurelle waited for us as we walked down the steps, greeting as with a huge smile as we started walking down the path back towards the front of the house. Everyone else had slowly dwindled out after their photos, most into the house but I was pretty sure Sage had probably already left.

"Not when you're interacting with Tyler. Come on, let's go take some by the car!" Laurelle beamed, looking back over her shoulder at the two of us. Troye's shoulders slumped in response, but surprisingly he didn't give any more complaint than that. I definitely wasn't about to complain, seeing how much cheerier Laurelle looked now that there were people going along with her excitement.

We came to a stop in front of Troye's car then, my mind only more intrigued as I tried to figure out what kind of pose she wanted us to do with a car. Are we going to get in it or-

"Alright, Troye, are those handcuffs easy to take off? Can you re-do them with your hands behind your back instead?"

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, turning to me with a hopeful expression. I rolled my eyes and nodded, watching as he reached into his pocket and retrieved the key. He held it out to me then, which I took without a second's hesitation. I grabbed his wrists delicately, biting my lip in concentration as I started to work on unlocking them. After some minimal struggling I did manage to get them off and switch them around so his hands were locked behind his back, only then looking back over at Laurelle for further instructions.

"Now lean over the hood, like when a criminal gets frisked, you know?" Troye's eyes went wide upon hearing this, looking similar to a deer caught in headlights before they flickered back to mine. It looked like he was searching for my approval or something, so I just gave him a casual smile and hoped that was enough for him. He took a deep breath then, casting one last begrudging look toward his mother before flopping his upper half down onto the hood, none-too-gracefully due to his lack of hands at the moment.

"Tyler, pretend you're holding him down." That's when it started to make sense to me why Troye had asked for my approval. He realized what kind of position she was asking for and was checking to make sure it wasn't too awkward for me. I couldn't really back out now that I'd agreed to it though, instead reaching forward and applying gentle pressure between his shoulder blades with a single hand. Oh god, what a compromising position this has ended up as. "Now say 'cheese'!"

"Cheese!" I shouted, not surprised when Troye stayed silent like he was too cool to participate in the tradition. She snapped photos mercilessly then, stopping only when Shaun walked out onto the front porch a moment later. All of us turned our heads to face him, though we hadn't really thought to change our position. He rose his eyebrows skeptically, looking back and forth between Troye and I before his eyes finally flickered to meet with Laurelle's.

"Uh, what's going on here?"

"We're taking pictures! He's being held down because he's a criminal. You know how cops do that, right?" Laurelle rambled, sounding like an over-eager child she was so excited. I wonder how long it's been since people actually went along with her crazy photography obsession, for her to get this excited over it it must have been awhile. Shaun didn't look nearly as excited in contrast, still casting Troye and I weird looks as he walked down the porch steps. "Cops do that, don't they?"

"Yeah. Yeah, cops do that. It was just not what I expected to walk in on." He laughed, coming to a stop beside Laurelle and leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek.

"What did you expect then?" She asked dumbly, clearly confused as she glanced back over at us. Did she really not see how awkward this position was? With me behind Troye and him pinned down against the hood? God bless her, but she's nearly as dense as her son.

"Nothing, whatever. Are you ready to go, Dear?" Shaun asked, turning all of his attention to her instead of us. I took that as my permission to back away from Troye, taking a step back and watching as he immediately stood up, itching his wrists awkwardly. I didn't even wait for him to give me a sign he wanted them off, just reaching forward with the key I still had in my hand and grabbing his wrists. He flinched at first, clearly not expecting my touch, but he immediately settled as he realized who it was. Now that he was relaxed it was easy to get the key into the lock and get the handcuffs off, handing them to him then. He took them and clasped them onto the belt loops in his pants, smiling like he was proud of his idea on how to accessorize with them.

Now that that was taken care of I let my attention drift back to the other two people outside, only to find we were once again left alone with Laurelle. Well, Laurelle and her camera. It worries me just thinking about how many unsuspecting photos she has of me on there already. I can't wait for Sage or someone to get ahold of them and blackmail me with the possibility of uploading them to social media, truly. 

Once she realized we were staring now she raised it and slipped the strap over her neck, letting the camera hang from it as she walked over to us with a wide smile on her face.

"Alright, we've got to get going now, but just a few things first. The kids will probably start trick or treating in about an hour, the younger ones anyway. Always answer the door, don't ignore them because I will hear about it from someone and you will be in big trouble. If you see anything suspicious or run into any trouble, you know how to contact us at the hotel. Behave yourselves and be safe." I had been expecting a lot more teasing than that, but I guess she could be mature when it was necessary too. Troye nodded along to each thing she listed, though I had a feeling most of it was flying over his head in his haste to get her out of the yard.

"Stop worrying, we'll be fine. Bye, Mom." He beamed his biggest toothy smile at her then, like it was some sort of bribery to get her to just leave already. She wasn't here for that though, only looking away to watch as Shaun and the rest of the gang walked across the yard and toward their respective cars. Not surprisingly, Steele and his girlfriend were driving in a separate one from the rest of the family. As the car doors shut behind them all, Laurelle turned back to us, her expression making it clear she was now in a rush.

"Sage and Tyde will probably be home before we are, just so you know. Tyler, you're welcome to stay as late as you want tomorrow. We're having a pizza night for supper tomorrow, if you wanted to stay that long." My stomach growled loudly just at the mention of pizza, reminding me I'd eaten barely anything while at work today. I can not wait to dig into all that junk food Troye bought. The offer itself sounded good though, just sitting around the table with the Mellet's again. It was nice spending time around them, I felt like I got to know Troye through them even better than I could through him, in some ways.

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. I have tomorrow off work so maybe." I mumbled quietly, not wanting to just invite myself over. There's no telling if Troye even wants me to stay that long, I don't want to be that guest, that just bums around the entire day after a sleepover. Laurelle seemed happy enough with that response though, leaning forward and hugging me before drawing back and smiling at me.

"I hope so! You're my favorite friend of Troye's!" She beamed, only looking away from me to give Troye a quick hug with one arm. She backed away a few steps then, still grinning at the both of us.

"Aw, thanks!" I replied, sickening myself with how mushy my voice came out. Troye snickered next to me too, making it clear I hadn't been the only one to notice it. He threw his arm around my shoulders then, which at first I mistook as a cute gesture, but as he leaned in toward my ear I realized it was only so he could whisper without getting caught.

"Don't get too full of yourself, it's only due to lack of selection." He said quietly, giggling at his own joke as he drew away. As he stood back up though, he was faced with the clearly angry expression Laurelle was sporting, making it clear she'd heard him.

"Troye!" She scolded, giving me a sympathetic look as if to apologize for his antics. What she didn't realize was that I didn't mind it, I quite liked his teasing. It was amazing in contrast to the shy Troye he'd been when we first met, scared to say anything that I might take the wrong way.

"Aw, are you indirectly saying I'm the only person you've ever deemed fit to take home to meet the parents? Babe!" I yelled loudly, purposely trying to sound obnoxiously mushy now as payback for his teasing. I turned and threw my arms around his neck then, hoisting myself up and wrapping my legs around his slim waist. He groaned at the extra weight, trying to squirm out of the embrace.

"Get off of me." He groaned, trying to pry my fingers from their grip on the collar of his shirt. I was beginning to wonder if he actually did want me off of him, when my grip suddenly faltered and I started clumsily sliding off of him. Though before my feet even got the chance to touch the ground his arm that had previously been trying to pry me off, was gripping my waist and keeping me in place. Pfft, I guess that makes it clear how much he actually wants me to give him space.

"You guys are too cute! Have fun while we're gone, okay?" Laurelle giggled, though I didn't miss the slightly spiteful look in her eyes like she was angry for not catching the moment on camera. She was very passionate about this moment documenting, who knew. I wonder if she took paparazzi photos of me the first time I came over?

"But not too much fun, right?" Troye laughed, a slight smirk playing on his lips. That was the closest he'd come to making a dirty joke in all the time I'd known him, wasn't it? He often did it unintentionally, or said something that could be misinterpreted, but judging by the smirk he knew exactly what he was getting at here. You know, for someone who 'can't stand their annoying teasing' he isn't that hesitant to encourage it at the right times.

"Oh no, have as much fun as you want, just make sure it's protected fun." I couldn't help but start cackling at Troye's mortified expression, clinging to him tighter as I buried my face in his shoulder and laughed it out. I guess he hadn't expected his mother to go along with the teasing.

"Mom! Bye! Get out! You're leaving right this second, don't even think about finishing that. Goodbye." He rambled, turning on his heel and heading toward the front door. I could vaguely hear Laurelle laughing behind us, though I was too concentrated on not slipping off him with each step he took to look back at her. 

I actually managed to cling on until we got into the house, where I finally jumped to the floor and headed straight for the couch. I threw myself onto it, nuzzling my face into the pillow as I listened to the quiet noise of Troye sitting on the opposite couch from me. I planned on just staying like that until he spoke up, but a sudden conversation topic had me sitting upright and grinning menacingly at him.

"You get awfully worked up over the topic of sex, don't you?" I teased, my tone laced with playfulness so he didn't actually get offended by it. I wanted to see him flustered, but I didn't want to make him actually uncomfortable around me. Besides, straight best friends talk about sex all the time, gay best friends should be able to too, why not? Well... I guess it is kind of different when there's a possibility of it happening between the two of you, huh?

"So? It's weird that you don't." Troye defended, crossing his arms over his chest and giving me a glare. He wasn't actually angry though, I found out as he let his guard slip and momentarily furrowed his eyebrows. He was curious too, probably as to why I'd brought the topic up to begin with.

"No it's not, what's going to be weird is when you finally get a guy in the bedroom and are too nervous to undo your own pants button." I teased, leaning back into the couch cushions and watching expectantly for the blush I knew was about to find his cheeks. Sure enough, it did, his cheeks darkening to an adorable shade of pink. He didn't seem that embarrassed though, his face scrunched up looking almost spiteful as he stared at the floor between us.

"That's not going to happen." He insisted, his eyes flickering up to meet with mine then. I just smirked though, leaning forward again.

"The getting a guy into your bedroom or the pants thing?" I giggled, watching as his more serious expression fell to one of mock annoyance. He rolled his eyes, and if he was sitting any closer I know he'd be shoving me right now.

"I hate you." He groaned, throwing an arm dramatically over his eyes. I just continued laughing, though I managed to get to my feet and throw myself onto his couch beside him before the real cackling set in.

A/n: Hey baes, literally long time no see. Honestly it feels like ages since I've posted in this. I know it's only been a week but that's super long for me, sorrysorrysorry. I warned you guys school was starting again and I'd have less time to write, PLUS, I've sort of been working on other projects (*cough* ACS *cough*), that you'll all hear about very soon and hopefully be just as excited for as I am! Oh god this author's note is gonna be long, I can feel the ramble in my bones. How has everyone been? Are you surviving all the Troyler and Phan interaction lately? Also I knowwwwwwwwww I promised he'd come out but I keep rambling and yeah okay sorry this chapter is already over 10k so freaking deal with it, I couldn't make it any longer. Comment and voteeeeeeeeeeeeeeee okbyeeeeeeee