*Tyler's POV*

I woke up to the sound of noises downstairs, groaning quietly at both how cold the bed was and how early it felt. I tried to roll over to check the alarm clock, not expecting the dull ache in my backside. I decided it wasn't so important to move after all, assuming the same position I'd been in earlier as I clutched the blankets tighter. Though the feeling itself was far from desirable, it did help me realize my situation a bit quicker and break out of the sleep-caused haze my mind was in. 

I remembered where I was now, along with why, a blush finding my cheeks as coherent thought and memories came back to me all at once, officially abandoning sleep altogether as the gears of my mind started to turn again. It suddenly made sense why I hurt the way I did, but it still didn't really make sense why the bed was cold. Where the hell was Troye? Doesn't he know better than to take a person's virginity and run off the morning after?

I huffed quietly as I brought the blankets up over my head completely, burying myself in them in an attempt to conserve heat. My eyes went wide as I realized I was still naked, wondering if Troye had seen anything when he was getting up. It wasn't that I really cared if he did, but there was just something different about him seeing me undressed in full-lighting.

He'll probably be coming back soon actually, maybe I should consider finding some clothes to slip on before he does. Not only will it save me from embarrassment, but it'd probably be less awkward for us to initiate cuddling and probably more comfortable too. I sat up slowly, wincing slightly at the undesirable burning sensation as I flipped over onto my hands and knees. I scrambled across the bed as quickly as I could while remaining at least semi-comfortable, taking my time as I scooted off the edge and got to my feet. I took a step before thinking better of it and grabbing the blanket, wrapping it around my body and dragging it behind me as I walked over to his dresser. I grabbed a pair of his underwear instead of retrieving my own off the floor, pulling them on as smoothly as I could.

I was left with a decision then, chewing my bottom lip as I tried to figure out whether to bother with pants or not. Yes, it'd be awkward walking around pantless if his family was home, but it'd also be extremely uncomfortably. I cringed just thinking about trying to put skinny jeans on right now, deciding they were definite no. Still, just underwear is hardly an acceptable outfit. I debated grabbing a tee, deciding against it when I remembered a particularly comfortable blue sweater Troye owned. That'd double as pants and a shirt, considering it's baggy enough to cover my butt. That's all that matters when it comes to pants, right?

I stumbled over to his closet, remembering watching him fetch sweaters out of it a few times before. He kept them on hangers rather than taking the time to fold each of them and try to shove them into his dresser. They were too bulky for that.

I threw open his closet door, forcing myself into gear as I reminded myself how awkward it'd be if someone walked in right now. Even Troye, because then I'd have to go through the awkwardness of actually asking him if I could borrow his wardrobe.

I immediately spotted the sweater, grabbing it and pulling it out. I hugged it to my chest with one hand while I moved to close the door with the other, my eyes falling on the floor of the small space just before it shut tightly. I pushed it back open then, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion as I looked at the boxes of condoms strewn all over the place. Why does he have so damn many condoms? Was he planning on donating to an entire army to promote safe sex? Did his parents actually get him a condom gift basket for Christmas?

I bent over despite the slight sting at the stretch, picking up his backpack when I noticed more of the boxes inside of it. I straightened back up into a normal standing position, grabbing the only thing I not in a box. My eyebrows lifted skeptically as I pulled out the pair of handcuffs, staring at them incredulously. They're fuzzy and black, this is definitely not the pair that came with our Halloween costumes. I grabbed the tag, the explicit photo printed across it making it very clear what their intended use was. Why does Troye have this stuff?

I peered back in the bag with intentions of just stuffing the cuffs back in and addressing the topic at a later time, changing my mind when I noticed the box half-buried with others was a lot bigger. I grabbed it out casually, no idea what I'd find after whatever that mess was. However, even after that, I wasn't prepared for what I read on the box.

A vibrator. Troye has a freaking vibrator.

Why does Troye have a vibrator? Where did he even get it?

I was so caught up in the confusion of the moment, I completely missed the sound of footsteps on the stairs. I even missed Troye's soft content humming, the thing to finally stir me from my faraway state being his voice speaking up as he pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Morning, babe! I brought you-" He cut himself off as I turned around, holding the box in my hands and staring at him wide-eyed. It wasn't really the look of being caught in the act and feeling guilty though, instead just one of total confusion. He sighed quietly before sitting on the edge of the bed, lowering the tray to sit beside him. "-breakfast in bed."

"What's this?" I snapped, surprised by my own ability to completely ignore the food he'd brought up. I didn't even give it enough attention to distinguish what exactly it was. Troye shrugged his shoulders, refusing to meet my gaze as he fumbled with his hands in his lap.

"Condoms, a vibrator, and handcuffs."

"I figured that much out on my own, thank-you. Why do you have them?" I asked, not putting up with his sarcastic tone at all. I wasn't actually angry at him for having them in general, glad he'd decided to explore his sexuality more. However, I wanted reassurance it was self-exploration, not that he'd bought them for someone else. I wouldn't expect something like that out of him, but people can surprise you.

"Well, you see, there's no such thing as over-stocking on condoms, so I just went for broke!" He exclaimed, making hand gestures as if it was possible to describe what he was saying with them. I sighed, peering back into the bag and grabbing a couple boxes, reading them with skepticism written across my features. If he actually bought these for us to use he has another thing coming.

"Glow-in-the-dark? Hummus flavored?" I read aloud, eyes shifting back to him to gauge his reaction. He bit his lip, the gears in his mind obviously turning as he tried to piece together a way to respond and explain himself.

"Okay, so I didn't read the packages before I bought them. I figured we should just try one of everything." I turned my lips into a tight line, considering his words. Honestly, that did sound like a Troye thing to do, a lot more than cheating did at least. If that was the case though, I had to make one thing very clear before the conversation moved forward.

"You are not putting anything hummus flavored anywhere near my asshole." His eyes lit up again at this, apparently just now realizing that I wasn't actually upset with him. He gave me a content smile, letting it fade as I lifted my hand to hold up a single finger, telling him he wasn't off the hook just yet. "-Or my mouth."

"Fine, okay, we'll throw those out." He laughed, the carefree sound adding to the relaxed atmosphere we'd started to create. It was weird we could be even remotely casual talking about things like this, but at the same time it just felt right. It's not like Troye was going to judge me, or vice versa.

"And the vibrator? What happened to being a strict top?" I quizzed, my curiosity blatant in the way I spoke. I couldn't help it, the thought of him using this on himself was almost too hot to handle. I'd came to the conclusion now that I'd probably be comfortable topping or bottoming, so the idea of getting to try both, and with Troye, was definitely intriguing.

"I never said strict." He said thoughtfully, my lips turning up into an overly excited smile before I could stop them. Of course he saw it, quirking an eyebrow and giving a knowing smirk before continuing. "But actually, I did buy it for you."

"Oh." I replied simply, tilting my head to the side as I stared back down at the package in my hands. It was a lot different looking at it and considering me being the one to use it, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to try it out. Now wasn't really the time though, no matter how curious I felt about it. Instead, I shoved it back in the bag, setting it in his closet and closing the door tightly.

"Handcuffs?" I asked as I turned back around, starting toward the bed. I didn't really see the need to show him the handcuffs in question, figuring he already knew plenty about them if he was the one to purchase them.

"The guy working the counter peer-pressured me into those." He said almost defensively, like buying a vibrator and buying handcuffs was a totally different thing. I decided to disregard that, just concentrating on the actual excuse he'd given me.

"You were peer-pressured by a stranger into buying fuzzy handcuffs?" I asked, the words skeptical and teasing, like I was on the edge of believing him or accusing him of lying. They were weird to even say or think about, trying to imagine a scenario where that would make sense.

"Yes. He had tattoos and piercings, he was really intimidating." Troye mumbled, shifting his knees to rub them together distractedly. I sighed, sitting down in the exact middle of the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable spot, but it meant not being too close and upsetting the food, but not so far away that I couldn't reach it either.

"I don't even know what to say." I sighed, wrapping the blanket from earlier back around my body in a snug cocoon.

"Then don't say anything, forget about all that and let's pretend to have a normal loving breakfast together." He responded, clapping his hands on his thighs as he shifted to sit beside me. I nodded my head, letting him settle the tray on my lap. He looked up to me expectantly, waiting until I'd shoved a bite into my mouth finally to relax a bit. I chewed quietly, surprised by how well he'd managed to cook it. Well, it was only eggs and bacon, surely even Troye can manage that.

A comfortable silence fell over us as I ate, savoring each bite and only pausing when I was half-finished. I'd been debating what to say to break the silence for a while now, a niggling teasing idea something I couldn't pass up. Anything that meant pulling a reaction out of Troye was always the way to go.

"Thanks for the vibrator by the way." I said casually, acting as if it was a simple compliment. His jaw dropped, turning to stare at me in disbelief.

"You're the worst."

"Not what you said last night." I said quietly, just before taking a sip of the orange juice he'd supplied me with. He rolled his eyes, leaning his head on my shoulder and putting a full stop to my eating as I stilled given our close quarters.

"I see you've made a full-recovery. Shame, I kind of like shy flustered Tyler."

"I wouldn't say full-recovery, it's still uncomfortable to sit in most positions." I muttered, eyes flickering downward and taking in the awkward way I had my legs tucked underneath me, something that would have looked horribly uncomfortable to anyone else. I waited for Troye to reply for only a second before hearing his quiet laughter. "Oh, fuck off."

"Can't say I didn't warn you." He chuckled, nuzzling his head further up into the crook of my neck.

"Yeah, well, you could have at least-"

"Troye?" I snapped my mouth shut, turning to the door in shock at the familiar face I found there. His family's home? Sage was leaning against the frame of the door, bundled up fabric in her hands and an almost bashful blush covering her cheeks.

"Yeah?" Troye asked, clearing his throat before speaking. He lifted his head too, breaking off our cuddly embrace in front of her. Not that I could really blame him, Sage looked so uncomfortable it was hard to believe it was her. Normally she'd say something teasing and move on, not get worked up like this.

"Mom was cleaning up and she told me to bring these up to you." She explained in a rush, her words jumbling together with how fast she tried to speak. She tossed the pile onto Troye's floor then, nodding her head once before turning to leave, even shutting the door behind her.

That was weird. I tried not to dwell on it though, absentmindedly looking around the room as I snatched another piece of bacon and started to nibble at it. I was halfway through it when my eyes fell on the clothes on the floor, going wide as it sunk in just what they were.

"Those are my pants." I blurted, flickering my eyes to study the shirt and realizing it was mine as well. We didn't pick them up after he stripped me in the living room did we? 

"I know." Troye answered calmly, tone almost teasing like he could snicker under his breath at any second. I narrowed my eyes into a glare, turning my head to actually face him. Did he not realize what this meant?

"My clothes were on the floor downstairs! Troye they're gonna know!" I hissed under my breath, eyes shifting to the doorway as if they'd be listening in or something. Surely even they aren't that intrusive.

Troye gave a quiet sigh, his hand settling on my back and rubbing in sure comforting circles. His movements were tense though, strained in the way he'd stop and start. When he spoke up again, I realized why.

"They already do." He said quietly, almost under his breath with how breathy his words came out. I sighed loudly, expecting this but not happy with it either. It didn't really come as a surprise to me, seeing as they seemed to be more interested in our sex life than we are, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Should I ask?" I decided I'd best ask this before demanding answers, not sure if I'd even want to hear the explanation. It could make things worse, much worse.

"I'd rather you didn't." He replied, the lack of finality on the subject unnerving. Silence found us again, but not a comfortable one. I was too busy stressing over how they'd found out, while he was too busy stressing over how to tell me. He was the first to compose himself though, placing a hand innocently on my thigh. "Well, I think it was kind of implied when I demanded they go out for the night on Valentine's day. What else would we need the house to ourselves for?"

"True." I said quietly, not even thinking about how obvious we'd made it. Really if they had any brains at all it was clear why we wanted them out of the house. Maybe that's all there was behind it, maybe it wasn't so embarrassing after all-

"Also it didn't help they burst into my room before I even woke up, noticing the failed-attempt condom in the middle of my floor and our serious lack of clothes." That's when the real embarrassment found me, wondering which of his family members had been the one to walk in on that. It'd explain Sage's weird behavior, and why Troye was up so early.

"What did they say?" I asked, looking down at the food remaining on my plate with a blank face.

"I believe they mentioned buying us a congratulatory cake actually, we might have to hold them to that." He laughed, settling back leaning on his hands. I rolled my eyes, just imagining them saying that. It wasn't surprising, it sounded like a very Mellet thing to say.

"Do you think they'll mention anything when I leave the room?" I asked curiously, already dreading the idea of being interrogated. No offense to them, but I don't think they have a very good understanding of what's too far to be comfortable when it comes to interacting with people.

Troye gave a thoughtful hum, stroking his imaginary beard for a second. He turned to me then, eyes sparkling with mischief as he threw his arms around me. He hugged me tightly, somehow managing to even invade my blanket cocoon.

"I think we should stay in bed all day, just to be on the safe side." He said strictly, like it was a professional opinion. I shook my head, knowing I should probably at least try to act annoyed with his antics. I wasn't though, and the idea of not having to move and still staying close to Troye was probably the best option I was going to get on how to spend the day.

Instead of replying I just shoveled more food into my mouth, making it most the way through the meal before he exhaled particularly loudly and let me know he was getting bored with the silence. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at how needy he was, swallowing the bite I already had before speaking up again.

"This is good." I said, nodding toward the near-empty plate. He laughed where his head was resting on my shoulder.

"Mom made it." Ah, that makes sense. "That should have been the first sign they were home, you know I can't cook."

"I guess they might be worth keeping around, if they keep making me breakfast and buying us congratulatory cakes every time we have sex." I said thoughtfully, smiling at his answering laugh. He snuggled closer to my side, pecking his lips to my shoulder before cautiously reaching over and snatching the last piece of bacon off my plate. He withdrew his hand just as slowly, like he was making sure I wouldn't yell at him. I just shook my head, biting my lip in an attempt to ward off a smile. "If you were anyone else I'd be strangling you and shoving you off the bed right now. You're lucky to be so privileged."

"Love you too, Ty." He muttered through the mouthful of food, only scrunching up his nose when I gave a disgusted face for his actions. I turned to grab the tray, setting it down on the floor beside the bed with a quiet huff. I sat back up then, immediately noticing the change of position. Troye had settled behind me know, sliding forward now that I was sitting back up and spreading his legs on either side of me.

"Troye." I said, a warning in my tone of voice as he tentatively grinded his hips forward, making the bulge in his pajama pants evident. He dipped his head, sloppily kissing at my neck as he continued to move his hips in lazy rolls against my lower back.

"I'm just kissing." He said innocently, placing another kiss to the spot at the base of my jaw like that'd enforce his words enough for me to believe them. I sighed, reaching around to grab his wrists, pulling them away from my hips where they'd settled. He took the hint, nodding his head against my back before just innocently wrapping his arms around my body. The hug only lasted a few seconds before he was speaking up again, right next to my ear this time. "We can do it again soon though, right? Like next weekend?"

"And you say I'm the desperate one." I scoffed, leaning back against his chest. He gave another quiet sigh at my lack of a straightforward answer, his lips noticeably pouted when he presses them back to my neck. I was looking forward to staying in bed with him like this for an entire day.

***

"Supper!" I was nearly asleep the first time Laurelle called, but in the three seconds between it and her second shout, I managed to completely untangle my limbs from Troye's. I sat up, earning a disgruntled grunt of protest from Troye's direction. I turned to stare at him, smiling despite myself at the messy state he was currently in. It was hard to believe we'd the movie sitting upright against the headboard now, both of us sinking down until we were at an angle it was hard to even see the screen from. Neither of us really minded though, we weren't paying all that much attention to it anyway.

We'd spent the last six hours 'watching movies', which was more or less code for making out and cuddling for unreasonable lengths of time. Sometime along the way we'd both started to drift off to sleep, snuggled together. While my eyes had just started to droop, it would seem he'd completely passed out. I would have just disregarded it, had the smell of food not been making my stomach growl and my mouth water.

"Troye? Babe, wake up." I pleaded, poking at his stomach. He grumbled tiredly, rolling onto his front and waving his hand in dismissal. I pouted, squirming in next to his side and purposely slipping my chilly hands under his shirt. He gasped as they immediately wedged under his front, rolling his nipples between my cold fingertips.

"J-Jesus Christ, Tyler! I'm up, I'm up!" He practically shouted, rolling over to the opposite side of the bed. I couldn't help snickering under my breath, pleased with the reaction I'd pulled from him. He yawned loudly then, stretching his body out in a way that made me envious. He has it so easy, he doesn't have to put up with anything uncomfortable the morning after. He looked over at me with hooded eyes once he'd finished, pursing his lips into a kissy face.

"What is it?" He asked, eyeing me curiously. I hurriedly opened my mouth to explain, pausing when Laurelle hollered again and did it for me. She sounded a bit more urgent now, alerting us that our food would be gone if we didn't hurry up.

"Do you want to go down? I can bring it up to you if you want." Troye asked, flashing me an understanding smile. I blushed, debating whether I really wanted to walk all the way downstairs and sit on the uncomfortable wooden kitchen chairs. Plus, it could lead to some major embarrassment,  depending how appropriate the Mellets were feeling today. But I did miss them, no matter how irritating and uncomfortable they could be. They probably missed me too, after hearing some of the things they'd said from Troye. 

"No, let's go see them." I said, making my decision aloud. There was no backing out then, even when I started to get off the bed and really wanted to just fall back onto it and sleep. I made it halfway to the door before remembering the fact I wasn't wearing pants, giving an exasperated sigh as I started to turn around. I only got halfway though, before Troye was handing me a bundled-up clothing article. I grinned cheerily, immediately moving to slip them on despite the familiar ache when I bent over. If it's like this every time I'm going to be a lot more apt to test out his 'not a strict top' statement.

I'd barely stood back up before he was grabbing my hand, eagerly leading me forward and making me roll my eyes. Just a few minutes ago he'd been passed out and I was the eager one. We walked downstairs with our fingers still intertwined, surprising myself when I naturally shifted closer to him as we entered the kitchen. It's not that I was nervous so much as just wanting to be near him. Which wasn't actually that surprising, it was always like that, it just felt like a stronger urge after what we did last night.

Shaun was the first one to notice our entrance, looking over the brim of his cup at us curiously. I blushed under his gaze, trying to silently remind myself to act natural. So what if they know I banged their son last night, it won't be awkward unless I make it awkward. Hopefully. Probably.

"Tyler! I haven't seen you since before our trip! How is everything?" I looked up from the floor just in time before Laurelle threw her arms around me, giving a hug worthy of suffocation side effects.

"Great actually, thanks for asking." I chuckled, politely unwrapping her arms from my torso. She gave me an apologetic smile, making it clear she knew her actions were a bit overboard as well. Oh well, it was nice feeling that wanted. "How was the trip? Troye didn't tell me much."

"Troye didn't do much, he was in the hotel room talking to you the entire time. At this rate we should just take you with us on our family trips, if it gets him to interact." She scoffed, shooting Troye a glare that said the issue was far from resolved yet. I'm guessing he got in trouble over it while they were gone, just judging by the looks their exchanging. I was actually quite proud of myself, getting to the point where I could understand entire silent conversations between the Mellets.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it." I muttered distractedly. It was supposed to be an attempt at soothing the suddenly tense atmosphere, but they didn't even address me as they held their challenging stare-off.

"Good! What are you up to during March break?" My eyebrows shot up, along with Troye and Laurelle's. Well, leave it to Shaun to cause the distraction.

"Shaun! I was teasing him, he probably doesn't actually want to go and especially not to something like that!" She hissed, giving Shaun the most stern look I'd ever seen her use. My curiosity was piqued then, turning to look at Troye for answers. I was surprised to find him glaring at Shaun right along with his mother, the angriest he'd looked for weeks now. Well, now I want to know what he's talking about even more.

I took a few steps forward, sliding into the uncomfortable chair across the table from him. I tried to ignore the discomfort I felt, instead keeping my attention completely on Shaun.

"Like what?" I prodded, wiggling my eyebrows just once. I had to stop after that, knowing Troye and Laurelle were moving around from behind me to observe the exchange. Shaun seemed happy with the interest I was showing, completely ignoring Laurelle's warning glare before leaning over the table. 

"A family reunion, we have them every year. Each family gets their own cabin in the woods. There's sports, games, outdoor activities, fire-pits, food potlucks, just general getting to know each other." I blinked, thinking over what he'd just told me. He wanted me to come along to a family reunion? I wonder what the rest of Troye's family are like. Are they all rich? Does he have hot cousins? I wonder if any of them are from foreign places and have accents. Imagine Troye with an accent- No, that wouldn't be fair, no one human should be allowed to be that perfect. He's angelic enough as it is. 

Apparently taking my silent thinking as confusion or disinterest, Shaun cleared his throat before adding more. "I mean, you're practically a member of the family now, it's not that far-off to invite you."

"It sounds like fun." I said honestly, almost feeling Troye's seething glare in the back of my head. He's not happy with me, I can tell already without even looking.

"It's not." He spat suddenly, pulling the chair next to me out before falling onto it. He immediately crossed his arms, staring down at the plate in front of him and reminding me we'd originally came down here for food. I bit my lip, looking at him almost guiltily. What's his problem? Does he really not want me to go? I thought he'd like having me around.

"Troye hasn't gone since he was twelve, got too cool for it I guess." I looked back to Shaun, relaxing when I saw his sympathetic smile. I guess he noticed how upset I was with Troye's enthusiasm-lacking reaction.

"Well, good thing I gave up on being cool then, huh?" I chuckled, running a hand through my hair and giving an awkward shrug. Troye still didn't look up, somehow managing to look even more interested in the cold food.

"So you'll go?" Shaun asked, voice gruff in what was probably his attempt at hiding how excited he was. It didn't really work though, not when his eyes flickered in Laurelle's direction, alight with both mischief and the aforementioned excitement. At least they want me to go.

"Sure! I'd love to get to know the in-laws." I beamed, giving my most charming smile and winking in Troye's direction, thankful to find my bold words had gotten him to look up again. 

"Tyler." He growled lowly, the word lost in the sound of Laurelle's excited squeal, reacting to my words in a total contrast to how he had.

"Aww!" She cooed, looking back and forth between us. Her gaze settled on me, the slightest bit of disbelief still in her eyes. "You really want to? Honestly?" I brought my bottom lip back between my teeth, taking a nervous breath and risking another glance in Troye's direction. He was looking up again now, giving a believable mask of indifference. However, the fact he was paying attention at all made it quite clear he actually did care, even just the slightest bit.

"Yeah." I breathed out quietly, trying to convince myself it was the right decision as her face lit up. Troye wouldn't be that mad, right?

"What about you, Troye? Will you come?" She asked, turning to face him. He sighed loudly, his body language making it clear he didn't want to answer the question. I knew why already. He wasn't going to be giving the answer she wanted to hear, was he?

"No. I said I wouldn't ever again." He said levelly, not looking up from the table. I noticed the way his hands were clenched around the edge of the table cloth though, concern flooding through me.

"Come on, Troye, everyone would love to see you all-grown-up." Laurelle pleaded, playing with the hem of her shirt and looking almost nervous as she tried to pull the answer she wanted out of him. He shook his head slowly, speaking up under his breath.

"I don't even remember any of them." He explained, his muscles noticeably tensing at Laurelle's answering frustrated sigh. 

"What is your problem? Why can't you just be normal and get along with your family?" My jaw clenched, looking back and forth between the two of them almost nervously. I knew she was oblivious to it, but the fact she could say something like that to him made me feel horrible. He's trying hard enough as it is to be normal, give him a break.

At least, those were my initial sympathetic thoughts, before I noticed the pure rage in Troye's eyes. He turned to give her a death glare, voice laced with bitterness as he spoke up, speaking directly to her.

"I don't want to spend half a week in the middle of nowhere, crammed into some shack, with a bunch of people that get on my nerves even when we have an entire house to share. Also, if you don't remember, nobody was excited to see me the last year I went. I was the geeky weird cousin nobody wanted to be around. Why would I willingly go see a bunch of people I don't even like?" Laurelle looked like she was about to cry by the end of it, blinking rapidly as she looked down at her feet.

"Troye! Don't talk to your mother like that!" Shaun boomed, making me jump with how deep and harsh his voice was. I didn't even know he was capable of getting truly angry or actually being intimidating, but I guess there were certain things that set him off. I know that if anyone tried to talk to Troye like that I'd be livid, I can't really blame him for getting upset when somebody does it to Laurelle. 

I was in the process of trying to figure out some way to console the both of them, when the missing puzzle piece clicked into place and it made sense why he was so passionate about not going. She said he was about twelve when it happened, what if it was the March break following the Christmas all of the Lily drama had gone down? It'd make sense. They probably forced him along despite how shut-out he was all of the sudden, the ridicule and teasing of his cousins probably making everything worse. No wonder he 'hates' his relatives.

"I'm sorry I asked." Laurelle snapped, a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice as their gazes locked again. I could see the tension between them, hurriedly grabbing Troye's hand in both a comforting and warning gesture, digging my nails into his palm as I verbally tried to comfort Laurelle.

"Hey, he doesn't have to, we'll just go without him. I'm more fun anyway." I laughed, watching Troye's answering eye-roll. Laurelle nodded, sighing softly before turning around and walking back over to the stove. I took a deep breath, not really happy with how things turned out but knowing that it could have gone worse.

Silence fell over us as we ate, nobody speaking at all until our entire plates were cleaned. Even then it was only Laurelle asking us to take our dishes to the sink. We did, Troye grabbing my hand as soon as I let go of them, attempting to tug me out of the room with the vice-like grip. I didn't fight it, letting him pull me all the way to the door before Shaun clearing his throat had us both freezing.

We looked to him curiously, studying the serious expression he had on. Is he about to scold Troye again? I really hope not. I think everyone could use a break right now. Shaun took a deep breath before speaking, my nerves only growing at the way he hesitated. He looked down at the table when he finally did, stress coursing through me.

"What if..." He trailed off, giving us enough time to look at each other and back to him, equally confused. "-you two got your own cabin?!" He practically shouted, throwing his hands out and widening his eyes. He looked expectant, like he wanted some form of praise for his grand idea.

"You can do that?" Troye asked, leaning against the door and letting me cuddle into his side.

"There's an extra this year since your great uncle passed away. It's a bit far away from everyone and everything else, up on the mountain, but it's the same as every other cabin." He explained, giving me a few less-than-appropriate reasons to be thankful for the cabin option. Far away from everyone else, free to make as much noise as we please without worrying about interruptions. Alone. Together. For half a week. Come on, Troye, what's not to love? "We were going to give it to Steele and Amy, but I'm sure your brother would give it up for you."

Silence fell over the room again as Troye thought over the offer, eyes shifting from the table to me and back again. He didn't look at his parents at all, though they had all eyes on him as they eagerly awaited the outcome. You could tell how much his answer meant to them just by their expressions. Please, Troye, don't be an ass if you say no.

"I might consider." He said finally, matching smiles finding all of our faces simultaneously. It only took a second before Laurelle's squeal added to the celebration, her arms thrown around Troye's shoulders from behind his chair. He groaned loudly, squirming out of the embrace while somehow managing to keep my hand in his. "Don't get so excited! I didn't say yes!"

"That's the closest we're going to get out of you though." She beamed back, standing up to smile down at him. He blushed, clearly not expecting such a huge reaction. I could actually see his restraint slipping in the way his features relaxed, the way his final decision was settling. And, with a final quiet sigh, he spoke up again in the drained tone that let us now we'd won.

"I swear, if you try and force me to play sports with all of the boys again, I'm going to drive home right that second." I smiled while Laurelle rolled her eyes, shaking her head ruefully like he was talking utter nonsense. He threw his hands up in defense, rushing to defend himself. "I got trampled last time!"

"You're bigger now though."

"So are they!" He shouted, his cheerful voice music to my ears after how uncomfortable things had been for the last few minutes. He slowly sunk his hands back down to the table when nobody replied with equal enthusiasm, looking around at the three of us before shaking his head. He was clearly trying to look annoyed now, though the way his lips were threatening to quirk up into a smile said otherwise. "Stop smiling at me like that."

"Like what?" The three of us asked in unison, earning a ludicrous look from Troye. We laughed it off while he looked slightly more unnerved by our uncanny coincidence, but he did get around to answering after a few more seconds of gaping.

"Like you're about to burst out in song and fly out the window!"

"I'm just so excited! The whole family will be there again!" Laurelle practically sang, spinning around on the spot and looking unbelievably young for her age in the movement. She just looked so purely happy, childish almost. If Troye had any doubts about his decision, I really hoped seeing her so ecstatic helped solidify it. "I have to tell your grandmother! Oh, and my sister!" She shouted, eyes wide as she rushed out of the room. Troye sighed heavily, slumping down over the table. He only tightened his grip when I tried to pull my hand away though, hoping to make things more comfortable for him in the new position. I guess holding my hand came before having a good place to rest his head though.

"Look what you've done, she's going to be in Disney princess mode for the next three weeks." He muttered against the table, nudging his head toward the doorway. I could hear Laurelle singing in the other room, her cheerfulness radiating right through the walls and finding me as well. I felt giddy now with how well things had worked out, not even thinking twice before scooting my chair closer to Troye's and peppering the back of his neck with kisses. It was the only place I could reach with his head down like this.

"I didn't do anything, it was all you."

A/n: tHE NEW WATTPAD UPDATE IS SO CONFUSING IS THIS THING ON? IS IT EVEN WORKING? IM SO LOST OKAY HI HAVE THIS FILLER CHAPTER WITH A TONNNNNNNNNN OF DIALOGUE YOU'RE WELCOME LOVE YA LONG TIME. BUT WAAAAAIT, THERE'S MORE! IF YOU BUY JUST ONE YOU GET TWO MORE FoR tHe SaMe PrIcE!~!!!@!!! Sorry, I meant to just say that there was more to the author's note. Okay so I've discovered the best fanfic and wanted to give it some love and snoogles so here go. It's called 'Whisper' by @Madisona036 aND ITS SO SMUTTY OMG ITS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND SO KINKY TOO. DADDY KINK REIGNS SUPREME BUT IT LITERALLY HAS EVERYTHING YOUR SLUTTY LITTLE HEARTS COULD EVER DESIRE SO GO QUICK I'LL DEDICATE THE CHAPTER TO HER