*Troye's POV* (disclaimer: I've never been drunk so if it doesn't seem realistic fuck you I tried)

I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous to walk up to Tyler's door and pick him up? I've done it countless times before for school or hanging-out, this is absolutely no different. Well, it's a little bit different. I've never been in a tuxedo while walking up to his door before, and this is the first time I've been here since we, well, since whatever you call that whole mistletoe mess a couple days ago. 

Deciding I'd been sitting in my car way longer than what would be considered normal I took a deep breath and reached for the handle, refusing to stop like I did last time. Somehow I actually did manage to get myself out the door and start across his lawn, only realizing when I was situated on his doorstep ready to knock how well I'd been doing. That was when I started to freak out again, imagining all the ways it could go wrong. What if the clocks in my house are all off and I'm an hour early? What if he misunderstood our plans and thought he was supposed to pick me up instead? What if-

"Troye!" I breathed out an unexpected sigh of relief when the door flew open to reveal Jackie, in a comfortable looking pair of pajamas and a housecoat. Well, it's not like she had any reason to dress up for the occasion. "Well don't just stand there! Come in!"

"Sorry." I muttered instinctively, shuffling into the house just far enough that she could close the door behind me. She wrapped an arm around my waist, likely to guide me into the kitchen.

Aw! Look at his tuxedo! Tyler is going to swoon when he sees him!

If it was even possible I found myself blushing harder, wondering if she was right. I hadn't really put much thought into the outfit, simply wearing the first thing my mother pointed out when we went to the shops. Come to think of it, I probably should have thought about whether he'd like it or not. I hope he does.

 "Tyler's still getting ready, leave it to him. It's not like he wears make-up, I have no idea what takes him so long every day." Jackie laughed, walking over to hop up on the counter across the room. I just nodded, staring down at the table with the beginnings of a insistent smile tugging at my lips that refused to be held at bay. Just thinking of Tyler getting ready was enough to cause it, especially knowing he was spending all that time getting ready to go to a dance with me. 

"He's a bit of a perfectionist." I muttered, my supposed-to-be-annoyed tone coming out as something incredibly lovable despite myself. I noticed her answering smile, but she didn't seem to want to call me out on it as she hopped down from her perch, shaking her head as she walked across the room.

"You're telling me." She laughed, pausing to grip the doorway and lean out into the hallway, shouting calmly down it. "Ty, hun, are you almost ready?"

"No! My outfit's too black!" He shouted back instantly, the stupid smile returning when I heard his over-dramatic tone. While I hadn't put any thought into my outfit, he seemed to be completely over-thinking his.

"I'm sure it's fine." She called back, sounding a bit exasperated with his actions now. It was clear she'd been trying to convince him of this for a while now, just in the exhausted way she spoke.

"Look, I look like I just walked out of a funeral, not into the winter formal!" He replied, my eyes going wide as I registered the fact his voice was closer. I quickly turned in my chair, grinning eagerly as I watched Jackie react to where he obviously was in the hallway. Thankfully though, he didn't stop there, continuing into the kitchen with his face scrunched up in total annoyance. However, the expression seemed to vanish upon seeing me there, turning to one of shock as he looked back to his mother. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?!"

"Well, it's five past the time you said he'd be, I assumed you'd just know." She said, the mischievous sparkle in her eyes completely countering with her innocent act she was going for. He sighed, turning to study his reflection even further in the magnetic mirror attached to his fridge. I rolled my eyes at him now, getting to my feet and walking over to wrap my arms around him from behind. I tried to ignore the fact his mother was standing a few feet away watching us interact, squeezing him in a tight hug.

"You look great, I promise. Now can we go? My mother wants approximately a thousand pictures before she'll let us go free for the night." I explained impatiently, in a rush to get him to leave. However, I wasn't twisting the truth at all, he really did look great. Of course, he always did, but you could tell he'd put extra thought into his appearance tonight, aside from the obvious formal wear.

"Yeah, okay, fine." He sighed in defeat, turning around in my arms to casually throw his around my neck. I couldn't help but notice the fact this was the position we'd be in if we ended up slow dancing tonight.

God, he looks so good in a suit.

"Can I get my own picture real quick?" I froze, returning to reality before looking over at her and nodding shakily. She smiled, grabbing a camera off the top of the fridge and snapping a few quick photos of our clinging-to-each-other positioning. She wasn't nearly as bad as my mother, happily settling back after less than a minute of the unplanned photo-shoot. She leaned against the frame of the door as she went through the pictures, the corner of her lips twitching as she tried to fight off an obvious smile. 

She looked back up after a few seconds, looking back and forth between us once before speaking up, her tone gentle but serious. "I can trust you'll behave yourselves?"

"I will, Mom." Tyler said, moving out of our embrace to give her an innocent smile. It was insane how out of place it looked on his face. You'd never be able to tell a thing about him if he wore that angelic smile all the time. I wonder if that's what he does when he gets in trouble. "-but I can't speak for Troye. He's a bit of a wild one."

"Tyler." I stated blandly, letting my tone show just how done with his antics I was. He giggled next to me, clinging himself back onto my side as if in apology. I decided to go along with it, knowing I was nowhere near annoyed enough to push him away and deny myself any amount of time I could be spending touching him.

"Alright, get out of here you crazy kids! Have fun!" She laughed, waving us off before heading back into the living room and falling on the couch. I didn't miss the glare Tyler shot her when she hovered over some show about models, knowing it was his subtle way of getting after her about not watching it without him.

I just shook my head, ducking between the small space he left in the doorway and tugging him after me. I waited patiently as he slipped his shoes on, not even caring when he gripped my knee like some sort of vice to keep himself upright. He probably could have broken my leg and it wouldn't have affected my mood in the slightest tonight. I was too happy.

I led the way outside, gripping his hand tightly in mine and swinging our entwined limbs between us. He shivered a bit at the cold, subconsciously moving closer to my side.

The drive to my house was short and silent, both of us likely too busy wrapped up in our thoughts about one another to really consider a conversation. I was thinking about everything from how the dance was going to go, to how good he'd look with blue hair, to which of us was going to be the one to make our relationship official. That topic had come up in my mind a lot lately actually, thinking about making it official. It could be argued that we were dating now after the skating trip, but that doesn't mean we're in a relationship does it? Does it just classify as seeing each other? I don't know, it's always confused me. I just want to be able to call him my boyfriend, that's it, seems simple enough.

I decided to put those thoughts on the back-burner once we reached my house, my attention instead going to the woman with her face literally pressed against the glass pane of the window. I'm going to kill my mother. I get that she's excited, but really?

"I swear if she's tries to make me bend over something with you pinning me down I'm going to snap." I muttered, already embarrassed the more I thought about that photo in particular. Worse yet, she always hid the itty bitty sd cards so I never got the chance to get on them and delete photos I wasn't a fan of. She will literally have a photo of Tyler pinning me against a car hood until the day she dies.

"In a good way or a bad way?" My eyebrows shot up, looking over at Tyler. I was definitely surprised by the daring statement, considering how quiet and reserved he'd been before now. Looking over at him and seeing that dark smirk, however, I was definitely leaning toward snapping in the good way. I wasn't about to say that though, instead clearing my throat to cover up how husky it had probably gotten, looking out my window instead of at him as I replied.

"Depends how you feel about murder, I suppose." I said nonchalantly, trying to look brooding as I studied the darkening sky outside my window. The sun was setting a lot earlier now, almost completely gone behind the trees at just 7pm. 

"Would you rather you got a turn to pin me down this time?" My breath caught at his seductive tone, eyes squeezing shut in concentration as I attempted to even out my already ragged breathing. He had way too much of an effect over me to just play around like that. Once I'd more or less gotten ahold of myself I turned to glare at him, taking in all of his mischievous features and glaring harder with the addition of each one. This is what I mean, a total opposite from the angel-like face from earlier. "I'm just trying to be considerate!"

"Come on." I sighed, deciding not to dwell on his comment. We managed to get out of the car and about halfway across the lawn before my mother threw the door open and trudged out onto the porch in her slippers.

"Finally! What took you guys so long? You know what, nevermind, let's just get some pictures." She shouted eagerly, waving us inside. I gave Tyler a sympathetic look, one that he clearly understood considering he picked up his pace next to me. 

We walked into the house less than a minute later, immediately greeted by a camera being shoved way too close to our faces to be taking a good photo. We both cringed as the flash went off. I only realized as they pulled the camera away that it was Sage holding it, cackling as she looked at the likely-hideous photo of our faces. I went to snatch it from her hands but that was right when Mom walked in, eyes going wide when she saw Sage with her camera.

"Sage! Get out of the room! I have photos to take!" She snapped, gently prying the camera from her hands before turning to us with a wide smile.

"Did you give it to him yet?" She asked, blinking her wide eyes expectantly. I sighed loudly, knowing she wouldn't forget but not excited about it all the same.

"What?" Tyler asked curiously next to me, looking up with his eyebrows adorably scrunched together. I held up a single finger to tell him to wait before walking into the kitchen. It only took a matter of seconds to retrieve the gift from my refrigerator, but I wasn't sure I was okay with leaving him alone with my mother for even that long. God knows what she'd say or do to him.

I walked back into the room as quickly as possible while still looking casual, breathing out a sigh of relief when I didn't find Tyler in any strange positions upon my return. I started toward him, only being interrupted once when I was halfway to him.

"I'll get it on camera!" My mother announced, walking around to an angle at our sides where she could catch basically everything we did. I sighed, blushing as I brought the stupid container out from behind my back. I was beginning to regret letting Mom force me into buying the stupid boutonnieres more and more with each passing second. This is what I get for taking advice from people hell-bent on embarrassing me.

I watched realization dawn across Tyler's features, entranced by the switch from total confusion to fascination as he tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at what I had in my hands. A smirk started to envelope his features as it sunk in what exactly it was, his eyes finally flickering up to mine. There was an obvious teasing light to them, but there was something else there too, something he was obviously very set on covering up with the teasing.

"She forced me to buy them, don't give me that look." I muttered, deciding it'd be best not to comment on the hint of emotion he was trying to mask. I'd let it slip, for now. If he made a big deal over it though I'd definitely be bringing it up.

I took a step toward him, taking a deep breath as I got ready to inevitably mess this step up. It was one thing not stabbing myself when I put my matching one on, how was I supposed to put it on him without driving the pin into his chest? It's like they were just plotting to make people look like idiots in front of their dates when they invented them. 

Somehow, after what was probably an uncomfortable amount of time for everyone involved, I managed to get the stupid thing on. I expected Tyler to tease me, pleasantly relieved when I looked up to find him smiling back, a big genuine one. I got momentarily lost in his eyes, forgetting we weren't the only ones in the room as I saturated in all the emotions I found pooling in them. 

"Now kiss!" I blinked, turning to glare at my mother as I remembered her presence. I felt like strangling her as I watched her squat and bend in all kinds of weird positions for camera angles that couldn't possibly look that good.

"I'm not kissing him on camera." I stated sternly, crossing my arms over my chest in finality. I was not going to change my mind on this one. It was mostly out of spite toward her rather than not actually being okay with kissing him, but she didn't have to know that.

"Why not? It'd make for such a cute picture!" She sighed dramatically, looking at me with a hopeful light in her eyes. I shook my head, glaring at her once it came to a stop. I wasn't expecting her gaze to shift to my right though, her lips curling up into a smile as it fell on Tyler. "Tyler? Convince him?"

"I'll see what I can do." He said dramatically, like it was some kind of crazy last resort. I rolled my eyes, getting ready to see what kind of idiotism he'd sport in an attempt to get me to change my mind. First he grabbed my jaw, forcing me to turn my head and lock eyes with him. Immediately I regretted even letting him get that far, feeling my restraint instantly slipping as he batted his eyelashes up at me. His hand slid from my jaw to my shoulder, squeezing lightly before slipping lower over my chest. I wasn't sure where it would have ended up had I not grabbed it then, deciding I'd better not let my mind wander to the possibilities. I had more important things to focus on right now, like finding a way to accept my defeat without looking totally whipped.

"I hate you." I snapped, groaning when my voice wavered as his hand brushed over my clothed nipple, knowing it was on-purpose as his eyes flickered away. Thankfully my mother seemed oblivious, just looking through the photos she'd already taken. 

"You don't sound very convincing when you say that, you know." He giggled, making me blush because I knew his words were true. I didn't sound the least bit convincing. He must have noticed my flustered state, urging a further confession out of me. "Are you sure you're not looking for another word? Maybe one that starts with 'L'?"

"Loathe?" I asked, even that suggestion not sounding nearly as hateful as I wanted to. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't even pretend my emotions for Tyler were anything other than love. It was both infuriating and invigorating.

"You're going to admit it one of these days." He muttered, his voice holding a challenge that made it clear he intended on seeing his words through. My stubborn side wanted to fight his words, but at the same time I knew they were dead true. It was only a matter of time before I told him how I really felt.

"Maybe." I answered, keeping my response vague. His face still lit up however, a blush spreading over his cheeks as he looked up at me through his eyelashes. I was then met with an internal debate I didn't want to be having, torn between following through with my decision or kissing him. Every part of his body language was practically begging me to, his lips even pouted out just enough to be noticeable. He reached forward, absentmindedly playing with my fingers before pulling my hand toward him and sitting it on his hip. It wasn't a completely forward movement, especially not considering he refused to make eye contact with me at all after doing it, but it was still enough to break the final strings of my resolve.

I reached up to cup his jaw, relishing in the way his eyes attentively flickered back to mine. I could see the relief on his features like he seriously thought I could reject a kiss from him. I tilted my head to the side, watching his eyes flutter shut and listening to the nervous shaky breath he gave. I smirked, glad to have him the one obedient in my hands again. I loved his teasing and loud-mouth personality, but there was something about being able to take it all away from him that gave me a total high.

I leaned in slowly, watching his bottom lip quiver in anticipation. I stopped when our lips were just barely separated, purposely letting my minty breath wash over him. I could see his hands balled into tight fists at his sides, proud of all the restraint he was having to show just because of me. I tightened my grip where my hand had settled on his hip, slightly irked by how thick his tuxedo jacket was, keeping him from really feeling the way I dug my nails in. I didn't dwell on it, easily moving past it when he made a small noise in the back of his throat that loosely resembled a whimper. Deciding I'd left him waiting for long enough I licked my lips quickly before closing the small amount of distance between mine and his. I didn't kiss him deeply, remembering how teasing he'd been yesterday at the ice rink. Instead I refused to deepen it even when he ran his tongue over my bottom lip quick and needily, enjoying the desperation of his movements as the seconds ticked by. His hands fumbled up my chest, tugging on my jacket insistently until settling on my shoulders, pulling my body closer to his. Just as the length of my body collided with his, I broke it off, smiling contently when he was left pouting and silently asking for more rather than me.

I didn't grant his wish though, instead turning to my mother and shooting her a glare when I saw the ecstatic squeal just waiting to tumble past her lips. She sighed but nodded, looking at the pictures she probably took just now.

"Good enough?" I asked, my voice gruff. It was more to do with wanting to get out of here than the kiss, but that's not how she took it, a knowing smile splaying on her lips.

"I guess."

"Good." I answered simply, planning on turning and marching out of the room. That was before I caught her eyes though, just before they darted away to stare at the ground. I sighed heavily, looking to Tyler and gesturing for him to head for the door. He nodded, clearly not entirely understanding what was going on but going along with it. He turned and walked into the entryway, leaving me alone with her.

I took a step closer, almost tentative as I reached out and unsteadily wrapped my arms around her in a hug. She tensed at first, clearly not expecting the embrace, but she relaxed a moment later, wrapping her arms around my thin frame and sniffling slightly in my ear. "Are you seriously going to cry? I know you had low hopes of me meeting someone but God."

"Sorry, I'm just emotional. Go on, don't leave him waiting." She chuckled, pulling back and wiping at her eyes before any real tears escaped. I bit my lip, finding myself unnecessarily emotional in the moment. It was just weird to think about, how cold and distant I always acted toward her. What had always felt like teasing and annoying me back then had just been their way of showing concern. It killed me to know I'd treated them so badly when all they wanted to do was care about me.

"I love you, Mom." I whispered, surprising myself when even that came out nervous sounding. I didn't regret it though, especially not when she looked back up at me with the hugest smile I'd seen in years.

"I thought you didn't want me to cry! Get out of here!" She laughed, tears now escaping both of her eyes and running down either cheek. She swiped at them before swatting me away, clearly noticing the concern in my eyes. She sternly pointed to the doorway then, not giving me any room to argue with her considering she was rushing into the kitchen right afterward.

Sighing, I decided I had better go after Tyler. The dance started five minutes ago now, we'd be really late if we didn't head out soon. I found him sitting in the entryway on his phone, leaning against the door and clearly waiting for me. I walked over and snatched the phone out of his hand when he didn't even look up to greet me, slipping it into my pocket.

"Shall we?" I asked, holding out my arm. He eagerly weaved both of his around it, letting me lead him outside and immediately toward the car. I didn't want us to freeze to death before we even got there.

I only started to re-think my decision to go a little bit when we pulled into the school parking lot and I was stuck trying to find a place for nearly five minutes. It wasn't the task itself that made me re-think, rather the fact the task was necessary at all. There are a lot of people here, huh? 

As it was we ended up with a spot about ten away from the entrance to the building, the walk there brisk but utterly unbearably cold. Who thought it was a good idea to schedule the dance in the middle of some of the coldest temperatures we had around here? I guess it wasn't so bad though, it did mean Tyler was contently nuzzled into my side as I walked into the building rather than bothering to put any space between our bodies.

He surprised me when he still didn't let go even after we were in the building, but I just let him stay as I walked up to the table in charge of managing everyone arriving's tickets. He took my money when I paid for both of us despite Tyler insisting he'd pay for it. He mentioned something about having extra money left over after he pre-ordered his class ring, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was determined to pay for him and really treat him tonight, thanking him for all he's done for me in my own little way.

"I could have paid." He insisted again as we walked away, clutching my arm almost angrily as we paused in front of the doors leading into the gym. It was where the main part of the dance was set up, the other sections of the school not closed off but sporting 'do not enter' signs. Did they really think that'd be all it took to keep some of their more rowdy students out? Whatever, I wasn't about to go give the faculty advice. I was here to spend time with Tyler.

I began to get a bit nervous again now that we'd been stopped in front of the doors for a few seconds too long. Even from here the music seemed horribly loud, the people the only thing coming close to as loud as it as they shrieked and hollered, and the way the windows were covered in decorations and keeping me from making an accurate assumption of how full the room was did not help.

"Okay?" Tyler asked, looking up at me curiously. I immediately nodded my hand, determination coursing through my veins as I nodded my head. I shoved the door open then, leading him inside as he continued to cling to my side like some sort of animal.

It wasn't quite as scary once I could take in the room, realizing the majority of people were still sitting at tables around the outskirts of the room. Better yet, every clique seemed to have their own, my eyes spotting a familiar head of ombre hair in the back of the room. I squeezed Tyler closer to me as I marched toward it, trying to shake the feeling that everyone in the room was watching us. Obviously they weren't, I just couldn't help but feel like they were. Sitting there, judging us in silence. It was almost as bad as having them judge me to the face.

When we reached the table Marcus and Shane were the ones to point us out, knowing everyone else couldn't see us with their backs turned in the opposite direction. Zoe's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of her head when she turned it and saw me standing right next to her chair.

"Troye! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" She squealed, bouncing in her seat excitedly before looking around the table to see if anyone else would share on her moment of excitement. Alfie waved at me with a huge smile, but I had a feeling that was more for her sake than mine.

"I wanted to surprised you." I laughed, hoping that sounded a little bit convincing. It wasn't true obviously, I could care less if I surprised them or not. In reality I just didn't want to tell everyone I was coming until I actually made it, worried I'd back out and make myself look like an idiot to more than one person. At least I knew Tyler would never judge me for it.

"Well, don't do it again!" She snapped, placing her hands on her hips as she stood to be at a similar height with me. She glared me down for a few seconds before her eyes flickered from my chest to Tyler's, a new kind of light finding her eyes as she pointed back and forth to the matching accessories on our jackets. "Are you guys... Are you guys here together?"

"Why?" Tyler asked, his voice sly and cunning, clearly trying to get her to admit to something or purposely trying to provoke one of her frequent fangirl attacks. I watched her hands start to shake slightly, eyes wide as I immediately jumped to cover our tracks before things got too weird again.

"Just as friends, of course." I stated, watching Tyler's face fall slightly next to me. Shit. He doesn't think I'm serious does he? I'm not sure exactly what we are, but I do know that it's more than friends. Friends don't make-out and friends definitely don't hint at having sex with each other as much as we do.

"Oh." Zoe replied meekly, her mood completely deflated over the simple comment. I rolled my eyes, deciding to make sure Tyler understood me before he got the wrong idea completely worn into his mind. I let my hand settle on his lower back, drifting ever so slowly lower and pinching his butt. He let out a loud yelp that I was certain would give us away, but Zoe seemed too disappointed to even do detective work right now. Tyler giggled, settling in the seat beside her and offering some type of encouraging words. I didn't bother to listen in, instead looking around the room slightly confused by the fact they were sitting at all.

"Aren't we gonna dance?" I asked cautiously, knowing immediately after I said it that it was a stupid question just by the looks on their faces.

"No, Troye, not until other people get up to dance." Zoe laughed, pointing to the seat beside Tyler. He smiled up at me cheerily and of course I wasn't about to turn it down, falling onto the comfortable food bench while keeping a distant amount of space between us. We'd tell our friends we were together sooner or later, preferably once I know for sure exactly what our relationship title is. That could be helpful.

Time passed surprisingly quickly considering we were just sitting in the corner of a barely-lit room talking about nothing in particular over the blare of music. I wasn't usually the one doing the one talking, instead content to listen to Tyler and Zoe duel over whatever they had to argue about now. From the snippets of the conversation I caught they were fighting over which celebrity had a better voice, Whitney Housten or Mariah Carey. I decided then that I definitely didn't want to be part of the debate, knowing I wasn't ready to get into something as opinionated and debated as that.

After a while of contently listening to them I noticed the dancefloor had slowly started to fill. It wasn't just one or two people that didn't understand the concept of not being the first to dance either, it was almost half the people in the room. It bothered me a bit that I hadn't even registered them all getting up, but I guess the music was pretty loud and as always, Tyler was pretty distracting.

When they all got up to dance a few minutes after my observation Tyler was the one to stick behind and make sure I wanted to join them. He was so good about it too, making sure no one could overhear as he comfortingly stroked up and down my back. Of course I told him I wanted to despite not being entirely sure that was the case. It was clear he wanted to and I was fairly certain I could endure anything if it made him happy. 

He definitely seemed happy when I said yes, grabbing my hand and hauling me into the center of the room before I could even protest. Not that I would have, I agreed to go along with whatever he pushed me into tonight. Tonight was about him.

I quickly decided I wasn't into dancing, cringing every time someone brushed up against me even a little bit aside from Tyler. I got my fair share of unwanted thoughts as well, varying from some filthy things people planned to do at after parties to other people worrying and being self-conscious just like myself. It shocked me how many people hated their dancing when they seemed so confident in it outwardly. 

Tyler didn't seem to mind my clinginess, thankfully. He danced along right next to me, letting me stay in the center of our group of friends after he noticed how uncomfortable I was getting around everyone else. Of course it didn't completely comfort me, still surrounded by walls and walls of people, but it helped. I made my best effort not to brush up against any of them, Tyler in particular. Not because I didn't want his thoughts, more because he had this dance style where he literally just rocked his hips back and forth, meaning I didn't really want to stumble right into that movement. It would lead to some pretty awkward follow-up.

I was beginning to half enjoy it after a while, everyone else's party vibes around me slowly beginning to rub off on me. However, just when I was starting to really have fun and dance right along with the others, a sudden slow song came on and completely killed the vibe. I watched a huge chunk of the people on the floor dissipate, walking back to their tables with their heads hung low. I was still confused why, assuming they just didn't know how to dance to a slower song or something. But when all of my friends started to walk off as well I started to follow them, stopping in my tracks when a hand grabbed my wrist. I was quickly relieved to find it was Tyler, only for the confusion to sink back in a moment later when I realized I still had no idea what was going on.

"Where are you going?" 

"With them?" I asked tentatively, looking around the dancefloor at the remaining people. It was only about half of the turn of my head later that I realized they were all couples. All straight couples, mind you, but couples nonetheless. Oh. The slow dances are strictly for couples, I get it. So wait, why's Tyler- Oh.

"You don't want to dance with me?" He asked quietly, showing off his elusive shy streak as he stared at the small space of floor between our feet. I bit my lip, running my hand through my hair as I looked back around the room. Even Marcus and Shane hadn't stayed on the dancefloor. Then again, they'd said before they were nervous about having their relationship out in the open. Then there was Zoe and Alfie, who still refused to address what they had as a relationship, meaning I doubt they'd show it off to the whole gym full of people.

"No, I do, I just wasn't sure you wanted to, you know..." I trailed off, unsure of how to word it. He didn't cut me any slack though, just continuing to look up at me through the thick frames of his glasses. I sighed, realizing I was going to have to elaborate. "Well, it's basically coming out to the school to slow dance with me, is it not?"

"So?" He asked quietly, sounding almost defensive in the way he spat the word. I shrugged my shoulders in response, deciding I didn't really have a good answer. I just wanted to be sure he knew what he was getting himself into before he did it. "So you'll dance with me then?"

"Yeah." I answered without a moment's hesitation, overwhelmed with the need to comfort him when I saw how unsure and nervous he seemed over the whole situation. Whether it was over my possible rejection or people's reactions I didn't know, but I did want him to be comfortable.

I shuffled closer to him, letting my hands drop to his hips as he brought his arms up around my neck. He stepped closer, closing the small bit of distance that had been left between us. The way our bodies were pressed together wasn't really sexual though, it had more to do with just wanting to be close to each other.

We swayed back and forth tamely just like everyone else around us, surprisingly not getting that many weird glances or looks. I guess it was possible they all suspected we were together already. I was just glad no one was making a big deal over it. I wasn't sure if I'd care, but Tyler might. I didn't want to think of him as that vain, but popularity status had always been a big deal to him in the past.

The first slow song ended and we started to untangle our limbs, only to freeze when a second started to play. I blushed, biting my lip and trying to hide how sweaty my palms had gotten somehow during the first song.

"Do you want to-"

"Yeah. It's Ed Sheeran." I said, cutting him off in my momentary whir of excitement. I couldn't help it, it was one of my favorite songs. I'd even covered it a couple times for fun.

"Oh, well, we definitely have to dance to that then." He laughed, subtly teasing me over how eager I'd acted over it. I didn't take it personally though, just rolling my eyes before pulling him closer again. He let his head fall to rest in the crook of my neck this time, nuzzling the side of his face into my chest. Only one arm stayed wrapped around my neck now, the other drifting to my shoulder and sometimes traveling to my chest, still not really sexual in the movements as much as just lazy and loving.

I backed away from him slightly as the second chorus started to play, his head immediately lifting to see what was wrong. His eyes were wide and he looked almost panicked as if he thought he'd done something wrong, my hand quickly moving to cup his cheek and assure him everything was okay. Our gazes locked and I studied his closely, looking to see if he was on the same page as I was. When I found no clues I decided to just ask him.

"Hey, can I-"

"Troye. You don't have to ask for permission, just kiss me." He laughed, his words coming out breathless and making me wonder if I might have been the cause behind it. All I'd really done was lock eyes with him, but the prolonged stare had felt sort of emotional.

"Alright." I laughed, watching the frustration flicker across his features as his patience drew short.

"Okay." He replied, his tone almost snappy. I had intended to kiss him right after saying 'alright' but seeing him get impatient like this was almost as fun. I could tease him for a bit longer, right? 

"Gre-" I didn't get to finish my word before he finally snapped, standing on the tips of his feet and crashed our mouths together. I couldn't help but giggle a bit at his forwardness, only angering him more as he swatted playfully at the back of my head. Deciding to give him what he wanted I gripped his shoulders and let him sink back down flat on his feet, instead leaning down to reach him as I nudged his lips apart with my tongue. He met it with his tongue immediately, teasingly keeping his touch light rather than the demanding kiss we were obviously both begging for at this point. I gripped his hips tighter, letting one hand wander to his front and slip into his jacket. He gasped upon feeling my hand through the thinner fabric, finding my way back to his hip and really digging my nails in now. He seemed to understand I meant business then, kissing me back with the same feverosity I was putting into it.

I decided not to let it drag on for too long, knowing there was more chance of the wrong people seeing us or the song ending and us awkwardly being left frenching on the dancefloor surrounded by our friends again. I pulled away slowly, not going far before immediately resting our foreheads together. His eyes fluttered open to meet with mine again, now much darker with his pupils blown-out. 

"Just friends??" We both practically jumped away from each other at the sudden bark of anger, looking over at Zoe in utter terror. It may have seemed dramatic but if there's one thing I've learnt it's not to underestimate Zoe. However, she surprised me by just breaking into a smile and shaking her head. "Don't lie to me again you little shits."

"Sorry." I muttered, blushing as she looked back and forth between us, a squeal obviously on the edge of escaping. It never got too though, an even more intimidating voice calling out from behind me.

"I knew it!" I felt like sinking in on myself, my good mood vanishing as soon as Caspar pushed through a couple of people and came to stand between us, pointing at Tyler. "I knew you were a fag."

"Do you want a medal or something?" Tyler scoffed sarcastically, expertly sidestepping around him and back to my side. I didn't move to cling to him like I wanted to though, debating if that would only make things worse for us.

"The sad thing is I have no idea who the girl of the relationship is, because you're both a couple of pussies." He spat, glaring at the both of us. He laughed at his own 'joke' then, clutching his stomach like he was going to fall to the ground from laughter or something.

"I'm not getting kicked out because you decided to act like an idiot. If you want to finish this, let's take it somewhere else." My eyes went wide at Tyler's sudden statement, not expecting him to pull something like that. What if he gets hurt? What if he gets in trouble? 

"Tyler-"

"No, I'm sick of his shit. You'll be fine for a minute or two, just stick close to Zoe." He answered, turning to face me with a stern expression. Realizing there was definitely no way to convince him I cast a nervous glance in Caspar's direction before leaning in and pecking my lips to Tyler's cheek, squeezing his hand so tightly I had to wonder if I was supporting him or myself.

"Be careful." I whispered in his ear, taking a step back to stand beside Zoe. She tried to put an arm around my shoulders to comfort me but I found myself immediately jumping away, apologizing quietly.

"Cute. Are you done?" Caspar snapped, clearly referencing Tyler and I's sappy goodbye. Tyler just rolled his eyes, looking back at me with a sympathetic expression and mouthing the words 'be right back' before letting the scum lead him out of the crowd.

"Come on, let's go sit down." Zoe whispered, leading me in the opposite direction. I noticed she made no effort to touch me again, eternally thankful for it as we walked out of the crowd and toward our table. She turned to look at me just before we reached it, concern clouding her features.

"You're going to gnaw your lip off, Troye. Go get a drink or something, distract yourself." I hadn't even realized I'd been biting my lip, gasping at the taste of blood. I nodded in understanding before heading toward the refreshment table I'd spotted earlier. I immediately went for the punch, knowing it'd wash down the horrid taste quickest.

I chugged a few of the red solo cups full, savoring the unusual taste of it. It wasn't particularly fruity like I expected it to be, tasting more like a soda than a juice, but it was good. It was about seven minutes after my first cup (which I knew because I'd been counting how long things were taking Tyler) when Alfie ran over to me with a shocked expression.

"Troye! How much of that have you had?" He asked frantically, nodding toward the cup in my hand. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to think back.

"This is my... Fourth cup, I think. I don't know, I've been chugging them quite quick." I explained, smiling widely at him when he gave me an incredulous face. He groaned loudly, snatching the cup out of my hand and tossing it into the garbage bin behind me, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath. "Hey! What'd you do that for? It was my comfort drink!"

"Okay, don't freak out... The punch might be a little bit spiked thanks to the Harrie's twins." My jaw dropped, eyes going wide as it suddenly registered why it had tasted so off from my expectations.

"No! I don't want to be drunk! Should I puke it up? Am I going to puke it up anyway?" I asked frantically, trying to recall anything and everything I'd seen about teen drinking in movies. They almost always puked it back up. Should I head for the toilets just in case? What if that's where Tyler and Caspar went?

I jumped as Alfie placed a hand on my shoulder, coming back to reality instead of letting my panicked thoughts control me.

He looks like he's about to break-down, what do I say? Come on, Alfie, think of something.

"Hey, it's not that bad. You're not going to be stumbling around or sick or anything, just pleasantly tipsy. Maybe it'd be good for you." He offered, smiling widely at me like that'd make it all okay. I shook my head, already trying to list the symptoms in my head. I guess I had been a little too relaxed about Tyler going off with Caspar these last couple of minutes, but I didn't really associate it with anything.

After that I let Alfie walk me back over to the table, only slightly comforted when he promised to keep an eye on me and said he 'wouldn't let me do anything I wouldn't approve of while sober'. He made it sound like I wouldn't have control over my actions at all and it worried me. I'd never even tasted alcohol before and had no intention to any time soon, yet now I was stuck like this.

"If you're really that upset over it you could just go home." Zoe suggested, tilting her head to the side and giving me what I assumed was supposed to be an understanding look. I shook my head, looking up to see it had been twelve minutes since Tyler left now. Should we go looking for him yet?

"No, I promised Tyler I'd be here. I want to be here." I stated firmly, knowing I definitely couldn't leave until I knew he was okay. After that, I might, but only if he said he was okay with it. She sighed but nodded, clearly knowing not to argue with me on the issue.

"Let's find a distraction that doesn't intoxicate you this time. Wanna dance?" She suggested hopefully. I shrugged my shoulders, deciding it was a decent alternative to just sitting here and thinking.

"Yeah, okay." I said quietly, following her onto the dancefloor covered in people. I didn't find myself as nervous as usual though, sliding through the crowd with ease and even pushing some out of my way. I giggled aloud at one particularly dirty thought I heard, earning a weird look, but I didn't care because I finally found a clear space for Zoe and I to dance.

We started off rather tame, only getting crazier as the music started to pick up. I couldn't stop laughing at everything she said, doubling over and clinging to her shoulders so I didn't fall while I laughed.

"See? Not so bad, huh?" She said, running a hand through my hair where it had started to droop. I nodded eagerly, standing back up straight and letting my eyes go wide as a familiar song started to play. Tyler had set it as my ringtone countless times now as a joke, of course I recognized it. 

I watched everyone around us start to grind, crinkling my nose up in distaste at how touchy-feely they all were. It looked like a massive dry-humping orgy. 

"Don't stare, Troye! It's impolite." Zoe chastised me, though it didn't sound very strict when she trailed off into a giggle.

"It's also impolite to fuck people with your clothes on where others can see you." I stated matter-of-factly, keeping my voice just loud enough for the people next to us to hear. I watched happily as they looked up at me shyly before shuffling away and giving us more space.

"You're a riot with alcohol in your system!" She laughed, for some reason ecstatic by the way I shooed them off. I guess she didn't enjoy their dancing either. I blinked, suddenly realizing what she'd practically yelled for the teachers to hear. They can't know I drank alcohol!

"Shh! They're gonna hear you!" I shouted loudly at her, anger rising in my voice as I clamped a hand over her mouth. She tried to say something in protest but her words came out muffled, a smile finding my face at how stupid she sounded. It was like she was trying to talk with her mouth full. After I let her free she spluttered slightly, glaring at me as she nudged her head in the direction of another grinding couple that had found their way right beside us.

"I bet you'd be doing it too if Tyler were here." She whispered teasingly, my eyes widening at the mention of Tyler's name. You know, it might not be so bad to do it with him. 

"You're right. What if he wants to when he comes back? How do you do it?" I asked, starting to panic as I realized just how unprepared I was. What if he came back right now and I did it wrong? What if there's a certain way you have to move your hips I'm not noticing? I bet Zoe knows!

"It's pretty simple really-"

"We should practice!" I shouted, interrupting her sentence as I danced behind her, wrapping my arms around her stomach and bending my knees.

"Troye!" She shouted, trying to swat me away. It wasn't serious though, flimsy slaps accompanied by giggles and the occasional comment on how fun I was while 'drunk'. I didn't pay all that much attention, only speaking up once to ask her if I was doing it right. When she answered yes I couldn't help but start giggling. It only got worse the more I tried to calm it, my head dropped to rest against the back of her neck as I laughed so hard no noise came out. "Why are you laughing?"

"'Cause you're a girl." I shouted, my jaw dropping when my words came out slightly slurred. Was that me? I continued to laugh quietly as I kept the pace up, trying and failing to take things seriously with how giddy and lightheaded I suddenly felt.

"Troye? Zoe?" My head snapped up, eyes immediately falling on the disheveled looking Tyler standing a few feet away. My heart lurched when I saw the bruise developing under his eye, immediately abandoning Zoe to run over to him and throw my arms around his neck.

"Tilly!" I greeted, voice going unintentionally high with how excited I was to see him. I cuddled into him, deciding it wasn't enough and trying to climb up him to wrap my legs around his waist. Apparently noticing my struggle he grabbed my hips and helped lift me, letting my sit on one hip like a sideways piggyback as I clumsily buried my face into his neck. "I was so worried about you." I noticed the way his grip on me tightened just a little bit as my breath washed over the sensitive skin of his neck, intrigued to try it again but on purpose this time. I opened my mouth and blew all over it, squealing when he reacted with a startled jump and nearly dropped me.

"Zoe, explain. Now." He spat, glaring over at Zoe who suddenly wasn't smiling anymore. Is that my fault?

A/n: woooooooooooeOEeEOeEOeeOEe I wrote this chapter sO FAST MAN SOOM NYOOM. idk im tired and hedgehoggy boggy bogface won't stop drinking from his water bottle its so loud omfg Charlie I'm gonna boop you on the nose.