*Tyler's POV*

"Not yet I don't." I called back, snickering under my breath as I skipped down the stairs, gripping the railing tightly in case my carefree steps resulted in my legs giving out under me. I couldn't help it, I was way too happy to walk at a normal pace right now. I was practically bouncing with excitement, ecstatic even despite the fact I was going to greet two people that had more or less interrupted my heated make-out session. I mean, I called it off, but only because of them.

I slid across the floor in my fluffy socks, grinning as I stumbled over the welcome mat. I opened the door wide without thinking it through, not expecting the confused expressions I got in response. Oh, do they even remember who I am? Did they know I was going to be here? This is awkward. I should really stop smiling... Shit, I can't stop smiling.

"Ty...ler?" Steele seemed unsure of himself, the name coming out as a question as if he was asking for confirmation. I mean, it could have been worse, he could have forgotten who I was completely. That'd be awkward.

"Yep!" I beamed, turning around and walking back into the house further, cursing under my breath at myself. I stopped once I heard them shut the door behind themselves, making it clear they were already in the house. I turned back to them again then, grinning so big it was definitely easy to tell I was trying to make up for the situation. "Just Troye and I are home right now, everyone else will be back soon."

"Okay." Steele answered with a nod, still sounding unsure of the situation. I offered him an apologetic smile, watching the two of them walk into the living room. I noticed the way he kept his arm around her waist tightly, taking note of how cute they were together. However, I knew better to just stand there and stare, which would definitely make them label me as creepy. Instead I waited until they both sat on the couch and looked back to me to gesture toward the kitchen.

"I should go check on the turkey." I explained, partly just trying to give them space and get myself out of the tense situation. He nodded again, his features still bent up in slight confusion.

"Okay." I nodded back and we ended up in what was almost a nodding competition, only for me to turn around when Troye's steps on the stairs finally started. What took him so long? Trying to compose himself after our make-out or something? Whatever, he can play host now.

I wandered into the kitchen intending to just loot his fridge, pausing in the middle of the room when I noticed the grey swirls of smoke pouring out of the stove. My eyes went huge, jaw dropping before I got a grip on myself and flew into action.

"Troye, the turkey's smoking!" I hollered, only noticing when it stopped that he'd been talking in the other room. The silence only lasted a split second though before his footsteps followed, rushing into the kitchen with a panicked expression. His eyes fell on the smoking appliance and he exchanged one last worried glance with me before continuing over to it. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to plea with him to be careful, knowing that was probably borderline too concerned. I couldn't help it, I didn't want him to hurt himself.

As he opened the door and a cloud of smoke rolled out, I couldn't hold back my worries anymore. I bounced over to his side and hurriedly grabbing the oven mitts off the counter, shoving one pair at him as I slipped the other on. He raised a single eyebrow at me but I just shook my head, gesturing to how big the roasting tin was. There was no way he'd be able to get something that hot and that big out on his own, especially taking into account the extra weight of the turkey. There were handles on both sides. I'd just help him.

He nodded in understanding, both of us going to grab either handle at the same time. We managed to get it half out when my grip loosened just enough for my hand to slip down, the base of my thumb rubbing up against the scorching metal. 

"Ow!" I screeched, immediately letting go and jumping backward. I winced, bringing it to my mouth and pressing my lips to it in a bid to cool it down, realizing as soon as I'd accomplished it that I'd left Troye completely on his own with the task.

"Jesus Christ, Tyler! I nearly dropped it!" He shouted, sounding genuinely angrily. I studied the tin, noticing he let it fall to rest on the open door of the stove, still slipping slightly. Now that it was out of the enclosed space though, he walked around to the front, awkwardly stretching out to grab both handles before lifting it up to sit on top of the stove. He turned back to me then, breathing heavily as if the adrenaline from the heat of the moment was still affecting him. "Are you okay?"

"No." I whimpered pathetically, purposely over-reacting as I looked over at him with big puppy dog eyes. He sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to me.

"Come on, run it under cold water." He instructed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and steering me over to stand in front of the kitchen sink. He stood behind me, reaching around my body to turn on the tap. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the water's freezing temperature as I tentatively reached my hand out.

"I'm dying." I groaned as soon as it slipped under the water, my head falling back to rest on his shoulder. I started to flinch my hand away as the temperature got colder, pouting when he grabbed my wrist and forced me to keep it there.

"No, you're not."

"I think I might be." I muttered, letting my eyes flutter open to see his reaction. I was quickly becoming used to this position, since the grinding at the dance anyway. I'd learned that if I turned my neck just right, I could see most of his face. Which is exactly how I managed to catch his eyeroll in response, scoffing in fake offense. When that didn't get his attention, however, I decided to turn to a different approach. I turned my head and pressed my lips to the closest part of his neck, mumbling my sentence into it. "You should kiss it better."

"That'll make it worse." He muttered, his indifferent tone making it clear he wasn't even really paying attention to me. I sighed in frustration, moving my face back from his neck to look up at him the best I could.

"You don't have to kiss right on the burn, I think it'll still be effective regardless of where you kiss me." I explained, batting my eyelashes when he finally looked back down at me. He rolled his eyes, glancing back over at my wrist once before turning me to face him, keeping that side of me facing the sink and my hand under the water stream. I squeezed my eyes shut, standing up on my tippy-toes and jokingly pursing my lips like some sort of duck. I guess I had it coming when he didn't kiss me the way I wanted then, but I was still upset when his lips ghosted over my cheek rather than my desired location. "Troye! Not the cheek!"

"So needy." He giggled against my skin, pulling back to lean our foreheads against each other. I met his gaze with confidence, purposely bringing my bottom lip back between my teeth because I knew he could see, my own silent form of begging for his embrace. He smirked slightly, clearly noticing my desperation but not making any move to satisfy me. I exhaled loudly through my nose, narrowing my eyes into a glare as I wrapped my free hand around his back. It settled between his shoulder blades, not giving him any time to brace himself until I pulled him insistenly into to my chest. We bumped heads and earned winces from both sides, but after he pulled away and laughed it off, he gave me what I wanted. 

He pressed our lips together firmly, the kiss starting open-mouthed rather than working up to it. He used his tongue sparingly though, only to flick it over my lips teasingly light or to guide my tongue into his mouth. I began to get frustrated with his playful movements, sliding my hand down his body only to reintroduce it to his back, but slipping it under his shirt this time. He gasped against my mouth, clearly not expecting my cool touch under his clothes. I ran it up his side, stopping on his ribcage and debating whether to move to his back or to his chest. I knew he'd rather chest normally, but he may have limits knowing there are people in the room over. The kitchen doesn't even have a door.

He answered my mental question for me though, one of his hands finding mine over his shirt, sliding it over to rest on his chest. I smiled against his lips, beginning to kiss him rougher and thankful when he met my pace, clearly shedding his teasing and inhibitions now that I was providing him with another pleasant distraction from his thoughts. His tongue explored my mouth eagerly now, meeting each of my movements with a more dominant one of his own.

He moaned against my mouth when I shifted my hand to where he really wanted it to be, pulling away from the kiss immediately afterward. My eyes snapped open in confusion, relieved when he immediately reassured me with a smile. He lifted the hand that had been sitting over mine, pressing a single finger to his lips before nudging his head toward the door. I followed the movement, not seeing anything but knowing they were likely still in the room over. With a soft sigh I slipped my hand out of his shirt, letting him take a step away as I turned my attention to the other hand. It didn't hurt as much anymore, though I doubted it'd stay that way once I took it out of the water.

I withdrew it with caution, looking at the white mark the burn had formed before looking to Troye with a pathetic expression. He rolled his eyes again, not giving me the sympathy I was looking for and instead just grabbing the oven mitts again. He lifted the cover of the tin carefully, biting his lip as he peered inside. It didn't look completely black, so that was promising.

"Ugh, we've ruined Christmas dinner." He sighed in exasperation, my heart clenching at how purely disappointed he sounded. I stepped closer, snaking my arms around his waist and latching onto his side.

"It looks fine, Troye." I whispered, craning my neck to press our lips together in a quick peck. Of course that was the second Steele decided to walk into the room though, our position not at all blocked from his sight now that Troye was facing me. We pulled away blushing, Steele eyeing us curiously but not necessarily uncomfortably.

"Where did you guys say Mom went?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow as he looked back and forth between us.

"Grocery store." Troye answered, relief flooded through me when I heard how casual he sounded. Maybe he's not as upset about being caught in the act as I though. I let my head fall on his shoulder, nuzzling my face into his neck rather than paying attention to his brother.

"Okay." Steele said for what seemed like the hundredth time, his tone that same awkward confused quiet I was beginning to associate with him. He walked out of the room then, Troye letting out a loud breath the second he was out of sight.

"Tyler! He's going to tell the whole family about us! Stop being so casual." He scolded, pushing me off his side. I pouted, leaning back against the counter and staring down at the floor as I spoke my next words.

"Were we going to keep it a secret?" I definitely knew what answer I was hoping for. I wanted to be able to tell everyone, I was so proud of finally overcoming our shyness. But if he wanted to keep it under wraps, I'd go along with it to make him happy.

"No, but we weren't going to shout it from the rooftops!" He hissed, giving me a stern look. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face, realizing it was only out of embarrassment he'd scolded me.

"Why not?" I pried, smirking at his taken aback expression. It faded into a glare, a soft sigh leaving my pouting lips as my eyes fell to the ground. "I'm just excited, sorry."

"Don't apologize, I'm not actually annoyed... It's cute." He whispered the last two sentences, my heart swelling in my chest just like earlier as I looked up again. I wasn't expecting to find him looking down at the ground too now, grinning ear-to-ear at the pink blush dusting his cheeks. He looked back up with a bashful smile, eyes sparkling as they found mine again. I got lost in them for a second, realizing just how cheesy the moment was then and tearing my gaze away.

"Oh God, we're already one of those emotional sappy couples. Quick do something less sentimental!" I said in an urgent whisper, tugging on his shirt as if to kick him into action. I was expecting him to roll his eyes like he did to every other sarcastic thing I said, jumping in shock when he brought his hand down on my ass, smacking it roughly. "T-Troye!"

"You asked." He giggled, a smile laced with fake innocence finding his lips. Prior to the night of the dance I'd never seen that devilish grin, but all I could think about seeing it now was when he'd pulled it in the car, when he'd been touching himself right beside me.

"Here I thought it was the alcohol making you horny the other night." I snapped, turning around and starting to the refrigerator. Really I was just trying to distract myself from the path my thoughts were beginning to take, knowing all too well how I'd end up if they continued.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He cooed behind me, the sarcasm clear in every word. I opened the fridge in search of any form of distraction, eyes widening when they fell on the drink of the gods.

"You guys have egg nog?!" I beamed, bouncing from foot to foot eagerly before grabbing it out. I got an unimpressed look from him as I slid over the tiled floor to the counter, completely ignoring it as I reached for a mug to drink out of. My cup was half-filled when a voice rang out through the house, both of us whipping around to face the door.

"Boys? We're home!" Laurelle called, her voice strained like she was carrying something. Groceries, probably.

"In the kitchen, Mom!" Troye called, turning back to me as I started to sip at my drink. I pulled an ecstatic face, eyebrows shooting up as I hummed contently. He shook his head as he fought off the smile threatening to break out, turning back to face the other side of the room as his mother walked in.

"Woah, the lines were crazy. I guess I should have expected it, considering it's the only store around here open on Christmas day, but still." She explained to no one in particular, walking straight over to the table and dropping off the armful of bags.

"Steele's here. I think him and Amy went upstairs or something." Troye stated, looking at me as he spoke to her. I finished my drink and sat the empty cup down on the counter, furrowing my brows at the weird look I got from him in reaction. He giggled quietly then, obviously trying to muffle it as he stepped forward to stand directly in front of me. He grabbed the paper towel sitting on the counter, smiling as he dabbed a piece over my upper lip. I only realized what he was doing once he finished, blushing as I realized I'd probably been sporting some type of egg nog moustache. 

He just smiled fondly, tossing the soiled paper back onto the counter and locking eyes with me. I couldn't quite figure out what he was trying to say with his eyes, but I didn't entirely care, I was going to pretend that he was asking me to hug him. I threw myself into his arms, mine snaking up to wrap around his neck. I put all of my weight on them, watching him start to lean forward in his strain to keep himself upright with the added weight. I let my feet touch the ground again, giggling quietly as I buried my face in his shirt.

"I take it you two have sorted everything out now?" I was surprised to hear my mother's voice rather than Laurelle's, answering as soon as the momentary shock wore off.

"No, you must be mistaken. I'm not trying to hug him right now, this is discreet strangling." I beamed sarcastically, lifting my head just to look over my shoulder at her. I grinned harder at Troye's scoff above my head, his grip that had landed on my hips tightening.

"Shut-up." 

"You two are too sweet, get out of here before you give someone a cavity. We have dinner to finish." Laurelle beamed, walking by and swatting at our intertwined forms with a dish towel. We obediently left the embrace, though neither of us seemed very happy about it as we walked into the living room, dragging our feet behind us.

We both fell onto the empty couch, my body immediately moving to curl around his. I hitched one leg over his knees as I snuggled in against his side, my face ending up pressed into his neck again. I could feel his steady pulse, eyes falling shut as I suddenly felt drowsy in the comfortable position. That is, before Sage walked into the room.

"Just a reminder that, despite my status as wing-woman, the no face-sucking rule still remains intact." She stated, the sound of her sitting down on the couch opposite us following. 

"Wouldn't have expected anything different." Troye said above me, my face falling at the thought of not getting to kiss him around his house. They were kidding, right? At least one of them had to be.

I lifted my head with intentions to check, instead practically crashing our lips together when our faces ended up centimeters from each other. He'd been looking down at me while I shifted to look up, ending in a pretty compromising position. While he blushed like mad, I decided to just take advantage of the moment, pressing my lips against his softly. It was meant to be a sneaky movement, one Sage wouldn't even notice, but she seemed to have the eye of a hawk.

"I just reinforced the rule! Guys!" She shouted, a pillow hitting my shoulder seconds later. I couldn't help it, beginning to laugh into the kiss so hard I had to pull away. I looked over at Sage then, giggling as I took in her flustered and annoyed state, arms crossed as she glared at the both of us.

"Rules were made to be broken, Sage." I teased, sticking my tongue out and wagging it at her. She made a face, likely thinking about where the tongue had been, before turning her gaze back to the television with a shake of her head. I leaned my head on Troye's shoulder, deciding to do some 'platonic' cuddling for her sake. I had a feeling she did something to get Troye to come after me after she saw me crying in the kitchen, and if that was the case she deserved at least a little bit of gratitude.

By the time we heard the elusive call of 'dinner's ready' we'd sat through two episodes, my stomach rumbling practically constantly throughout the second of them. I jumped up before the words even registered with the people sitting around me, rushing into the kitchen and finding myself a seat. Part of me was worried I'd stolen someone's specific spot to sit, but I couldn't really be bothered to care either as I watched my mother scoop out the first of the meals.

"Shaun, go get a couple extra chairs from the other room." Laurelle ordered, Shaun nodding obediently before trudging off out the door. I smiled at how quick he was to follow her orders, wondering if Troye would be like that for me. Probably not, but I can dream.

Troye was nearly a minute later walking into the kitchen, immediately scouting out a seat next to me and giving me a wave of relief knowing I wouldn't have to sit surrounded by people I didn't even talk to. That would have been awkward. Even if I've decided his family are all nice people, I don't think I'm ready to be alone with them yet either.

"Thanks." I beamed as my mother sat a plate down in front of me, watching everyone else pile into the room in one big group. They filled the chairs up quick, only leaving two where I assumed our mothers were supposed to sit. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or upset it was so far away from us. 

I wasted no time digging in to the food, giving an over-the-top groan at how good it was. My eyes fell shut, savoring the taste as best I could while eating it as fast as humanly possible. I devoured half the plate in less than a minute with my eyes closed, confused and disoriented when I opened them again and found everyone staring at me. Shit. What did I do? "Are you one of those families that has to thank the lord before eating? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Because you're going to be long finished your dinner before their's are even up." Troye explained, looking over at me with a pointed glare. I blushed, actually feeling embarrassed as I realized not one more dinner had made it up in the time it took me to eat half of mine.

"Oh." I blurted, feeling almost spiteful when Troye took to laughing like mad next to me. I couldn't stay mad at him for long though, especially not when he grabbed onto my knee to support himself.

"So, I take it I'll be seeing a lot more of you around here in the future?" Steele asked suddenly, Troye's laughter halting as we both looked to him curiously.

"What gives you that idea?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. I wasn't denying his words, though I was curious why he chose to say them.

"I haven't seen Troye smile like that since he was a kid, I'm going to be very disappointed if I don't see you around in the future." A giddy smile found my lips then, looking over at Troye with a mix of lovesick and cocky written across my features. He rolled his eyes, shooting Steele a glare when he thought I wouldn't see.

"Steele, we were trying to keep the sap to a minimum! We've had enough for one day." He explained, earning a chuckle from Steele. I looked away from Troye to the rest of the table, both surprised and relieved to find most of them had their dinners now.

"Are you kidding? How could you have too much sap after the mess we left you two in?" Laurelle laughed, sitting down her own plate as the last one, finally falling into her seat at the head of the table. I didn't miss the way she'd purposely added a chair right beside hers where my mom sat, both of them even sharing the same placemat.

"Trust me, we made up for it while you were gone." Troye explained cryptically, a smile playing at my lips no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I had a feeling they all noticed too, judging by their matching ones.

"Oh? Something you should tell us?" Shaun asked, eyeing us with pure curiosity written across his features. I looked to Troye with a similar expression, wondering where he stood on the whole situation. I wave of relief washed through me seeing his own matching smile, a mixture of annoyed and flustered as he tried to find somewhere to look where there wasn't someone staring back at him expectantly. Failing his mission, he sighed loudly before looking to me and nodding his head slowly.

"Go ahead." He whispered, my smile growing even bigger as I looked around the table to make sure everyone was paying attention. They all were, eyes wide and attentive as they eagerly awaited me speaking up. I took a deep breath, masking my face in utter seriousness and speaking on the exhale.

"Troye and I... are expecting."

"Tyler!" He shouted at me before I'd even completely finished the sentence, slapping my harshly on the arm as the table fell into fits of laughter. I waited until everyone had relatively calmed down to finish, ignoring Troye's pointed glare like he thought I'd try to make the same joke twice or something.

"-Expecting a lot of congratulations, because we're finally dating!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in excitement. While everyone else took to squealing and smiling, Troye simply rolled his eyes next to me, trying and failing to hide the bemusement on his features.

"Fucking finally." Sage muttered, giggling when we both looked to her in disbelief. I guess she really had been rooting for us, even with her cockblocking and no face-sucking rules.

"Sage! Language!" Shaun boomed, even his stern voice not sounding very intimidating. He was too jolly of a person to seem scary, no matter how hard he tried. "But God, I agree, took you guys long enough."

"I thought they were dating before and just being sarcastic when they said they were just friends." Tyde mumbled from where he sat, not nearly as invested in the conversation as the rest of them. He seemed more concentrated on the plate of food in front of him, not that I could really blame him for that.

"Congrats, both of you." Steele said with a genuine smile, his features making it clear he'd known before the announcement. He paused as if debating whether to continue or not before shooting a glance toward his girlfriend. "Also, not to steal your spotlight, but Amy and I actually are expecting."

"What?!" Everyone around the table seemed to have the same responses except for my mother and I, who just smiled politely considering it wasn't really our place to celebrate. I couldn't deny I was happy for them though, just the look on their faces made it very clear how excited they both were over it.

"I was looking for a chance to announce it and you guys kind of gave me the perfect opening." Steele laughed, shrugging his shoulders before almost nervously running a hand through his hair. I couldn't really blame him though, it was a huge thing to announce.

"Well? How far along is she? Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet? You better get a place around here after you finish school this year!" The questions Laurelle asked were rapid-fire, not a single pause between each one. I had no idea how she expected them to answer.

"She's only two months, guys, geez. We'll figure the rest out when we get there." He turned to his girlfriend and gave her a smile then, as if reassuring her everything would be alright despite the craziness of his family. Come to think of it, I recall Troye giving me the same look.

"I'm so happy for you guys." Troye said suddenly, my eyes flickering to him as I studied his features. He really did look genuinely happy, almost like he was on the verge of tearing up. It was strange seeing how much he'd learned to care again, if that made sense. No offense to him, but he'd been a bit of an ass to his family even just the first time I came over. I loved watching him come out of his shell, bit by bit.

"You too. Who knows, maybe you'll be next." Steele teased, wiggling his eyebrows as he looked over at Troye. Troye's reaction face was priceless, switching from shock, to confusion, to flustered, and ending up on unimpressed.

"I don't really think that's how the male anatomy works, but it's the thought that counts." He muttered, tone slightly hostile. I wrote it off as embarrassment though, knowing he tended to get a bit snappy when that was the case.

"You know what I mean. When did you get to be such a sarcastic little shit? I kind of miss the shy Troye that went along with everything I said."

"Oh, he's long gone. You have Tyler to thank for that." Sage replied, dismissing the question with a wave of her hand as if it was just common knowledge at this point.

"Thank-you, Tyler. Really." Steele said, turning his gaze to focus solely on me. I shrugged my shoulders, chuckling nervously as I looked across the room. I didn't want to take the credit for how Troye had changed, it might not even be because of me.

"What did I tell you about being sappy!" Troye snapped, picking a pea off his plate and pinging it at Steele. I was surprised when he immediately went to return the attack, not realizing he was that immature. He never got the chance though, Laurelle's strict voice ringing out around the room.

"Alright, boys, stop fighting and go take care of the dishes. Us girls have lots to talk about!" She announced, pointing out Shaun, Tyde, Steele, and Troye. She pointed to the sink then, giving a pointed huff as she began to stand. Troye started to giggle next to me, his eyes flitting around the room and refusing to meet mine. Realizing what he was getting at I gasped, gawking at Laurelle.

"Are you implying I'm a girl?" Her eyes went wide, clearly realizing her slip-up.

"No! I just meant- You know, the guests and ladies get the night off. I forgot there was- You know what, just do whatever you want." She sighed, walking over and offering a hand to Amy. They walked into the living room then, an unimpressed Sage and excited Jackie trailing behind them.

"We should go outside!" Tyde beamed just as they left the room, looking to me for my thoughts on the matter. I shrugged my shoulders, eyebrows quirking when Laurelle leaned back into the doorway.

"If you go outside you don't have to do the dishes." She offered, Tyde's eyes lighting up even further. He looked to me with desperation now, like he was begging me to get him out of his chores. I wasn't sure why he couldn't just go outside on his own, but I decided it couldn't be that bad to spend some time with my boyfriend's brother.

Boyfriend. I'm never going to get used to the way that sounds.

"Yeah, I'll go outside." I decided aloud, smiling at Tyde's dramatic hoots of success as he jumped to his feet, racing out of the room. I stood up much slower, taking my time to walk across the floor to where Troye was standing by the sink. I placed a hand on his lower back, deciding not to get anymore forward than that with his older brother and father standing a few feet away. They'd probably encourage getting handsy in this backwards family, but that didn't mean I wanted to where they could see.

"Are you coming?" I asked shyly, trying to ignore the intent focus of his family members as they watched us interact. Troye hummed intuitively, thinking for a second before shaking his head.

"I'm gonna help out I think, I might afterward." I nodded my head, trying not to let any disappointment show as I started out of the room. I could tell just by his tone he had no intention of going outside, but I refused to call him out on his blatant lie. I couldn't blame him for not being an outdoorsy person, it wasn't his fault.

Instead I trailed after Tyde on my own, reaching the entryway just in time to watch him duck out the door with Sage. I sighed, tugging my outdoor clothes on and bracing myself for the cold as I slipped out the door. However, I didn't remember to brace myself for the inevitable snowball bombarding.

"Hey Tyler!" Tyde and Sage shouted in unison, the feeling of snowballs pelting my chest following a mere second later. I fell back against the door with a whine, regaining my composure a second later and taking off from the doorstep.

"Let me build a fort first!" I shouted, covering my head with my hands as I ducked behind a particularly large drift of snow from the plowed driveway. They both sighed loudly in response, but they did agree after their hesitation, deciding it was 'only fair'. I immediately set to work, knowing it'd take a while to build anything that'd ward the two of them off for any amount of time.

It was only ten minutes later that I found myself in the middle of an intense war, sheltered behind my small fort as I listened to Tyde's threats.

"Give up now! Resistance is futile!" Tyde shouted geekily, another badly-aimed snowball flying right over my fort, instead hitting the side of Troye's car. He'd be killing us if he were out here, considering how many of them have sailed right onto his precious pile of metal and plastic.

"Never!" I screamed back, jumping upward suddenly to completely attack them. I'd been stocking up on weaponry for a good ten minutes now, meaning my firing was basically unstoppable as I pelted them down. They both ended up on their butts shouting that they wanted a rematch, laughing like idiots as they brushed the freezing snow off of them. It was weird seeing them act so childish, knowing the winter weather brought out my inner five year old exactly the same. "I'm going to go get Troye so it's an even match this time."

"Good luck, he hates outdoors even more in winter." Sage said grumpily, beginning a snow angel as she watched me walk across the lawn with lumbering steps. I turned to face her with a smirk.

"I'll persuade him." I purred, watching their expressions change from content to horrified as they realized the way my mind was drifting.

"Ew! Tyler! You're disgusting!" They both shouted, turning to face each other and exchange matching petrified faces. I just cackled as I stumbled up the steps, gripping the railing for support given how heavy all my winter clothes were. I brushed myself off as best I could before opening the door and stepping inside, knowing the task of putting the wet clothes back on would be horrendous. Troye had better give in and go outside after all the work I'm going through to ask him.

After getting all the outdoor clothes off I started into the kitchen, trying to ignore the wet footprints I was leaving through my socks. I found Troye in the same place as earlier, standing in front of the sink. Except his father had gone somewhere, leaving him with only Steele at his side. That wasn't so bad, he'd already seen us kissing.

I started across the room with a determined wicked smile, freezing halfway there when Steele turned and noticed me. I was about to sigh and give up, expecting him to alert Troye of my presence, but I was pleasantly surprised when he just turned back to Troye and continued their conversation like nothing had happened. I picked up my pace again, eerily tip-toeing across the floor before coming to a stop directly behind him. Grinning, I threw my damp freezing arms around his torso and pulled him back my equally-as-cold chest.

"-thinking about options and- J-Jesus Christ! Tyler!" He shouted, trying to jump out of my vice-like grip and only really succeeding in pulling me closer against him. My breath hitched as he sent my hips grinding against him from behind, quickly moving to regain my composure as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Hey babe, did you miss me?" I beamed, trying to get a view of his reaction. He groaned, shoving my arms off roughly and turning to glare at me.

"I hate you." He stated harshly, shivering slightly as he brushed the melted snow off his arms. I shook my head, stepping closer to him as a grin spread across my lips.

"You love me." I insisted, leaning in a second later to whisper the rest of my statement in his ear. "You even said so yourself."

"Shut-up." He muttered, cheeks heating up as he backed out of the second embrace. He didn't look very impressed with me, but he did look adorable, flustered and angry like that.

"We're almost done here, Troye, if you want you can just go. I can finish." Steele offered, giving me a particularly large smile when our eyes locked over Troye's shoulder. Troye started to shake his head and protest, annoyance seeping into my mood as I listened to him fight it.

"Well, I should probably help-"

"Thanks, Steele!" I shouted, grabbing Troye's wrist and forcefully dragging him out of the room. He complained constantly as I led him into the entryway, pausing once we were beside the shoe cubby and pointing to them expectantly.

"Come on, put your boots on." I instructed, groaning in frustration when he crossed his arms and outright confused. Deciding I was desperate enough to do anything at this point, I sunk down to my knees and grabbed the boots for him. I lifted one of his legs before he even realized my intention, a gasp leaving his lip as his fingers wove through my hair, tugging at it insistently in a bid to regain his balance. I tried to keep my mind from drifting, I really did, but I was on my knees in front of him while he pulled on my hair, what do you expect from a dirty-minded teenager driven by hormones?

After managing to get his first shoe on I moved on to the other, giggling under my breath every time he lost his balance and brought the foot back down before I was finished. I was still wrestling with it when the door opened suddenly. Our heads both turned, immediately noticing Sage's uncomfortable expression as she peered around the door.

"I'm not sure what this is, but I'm adding it to the rule of things not allowed in my proximity." She stated strictly, a bubbly giggle leaving my lips. She proceeded to explain she was just coming to check how long we'd be, disappearing back outside when I told her a minute at most.

I turned my attention back to Troye then, fighting desperately with the stupid shoe. I finally managed to get it on and sat back on my haunches, admiring my work. A sudden idea popped into my mind and I trailed my hands up from his boots, running them over his jean-clad legs and not stopping until they reached his behind. He clenched his jaw, staring down at me but not scolding me like I'd expected. So I decided to take advantage of the rare moment he let me get away with things like this when we were in danger of being seen, grabbing at his ass and purposely increasing my grip with each of the movements. I waited patiently for him to object, surprised when he lasted a good minute before his voice rang out, raspier than usual.

"Tilly, cut it out." He said quietly, lust pooling downward at the tone of his voice. God, he is way too hot for his own good. I got to my feet, albeit a bit reluctantly, and shrugged on my coat. I handed him his next, thinking better of it and lifting it over his head. I helped him put it on, even doing the zip up for him. I was quite proud of myself, only getting sidetracked once and rolling his nipple between my fingers through the thin fabric of his t-shirt. That he'd immediately rejected, likely because of the noise that clawed out of his throat unwarranted in reaction. Had I not heard what it was like when he came undone, I might have said it was the hottest noise I'd ever heard him make.

"Now, come on. We have a snowball war to win." I stated, trying to get my mind off the path it had found it's way onto again, determined to be filthy despite my better judgment.

"Wait for me!" Troye shouted, not fully prepared when I gave the call to invade. I charged on ahead despite him falling behind, taking one for the team as I ran across the small stretch of yard between the enemy's fort and our own. I made it a little bit over halfway, dodging every snowball they launched, when a particularly large one sailed through the air and collided with my collarbone, breaking apart and sending shreds of snow and ice down my shirt. I fell to the ground with a dramatic groan, throwing an arm over my eyes.

"No! I've been hit! Man down!" I shouted, writhing around on the ground in what I hoped was a reasonable dying impersonation.

"Tyler, you idiot." Troye sighed as he finally reached me, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips when I heard his footsteps stop, alerting me he'd paused by my side to make sure I was alright, even if I was just an 'idiot'. He knelt next to me and I removed my arm, our eyes locking before we moved on to scan each other's faces. God, he was gorgeous. He was pale, but not enough to look sickly, especially not with those deep red cheeks, flushed from the cold. His eyelashes were long enough to collect flakes of snow, framing his huge, blue, concerned eyes perfectly. 

Before I realized what I was doing fully I reached a hand up, gripping the back of his neck and trying to pull his face to mine. He didn't fight the movement, but he was slow, only making it halfway before I got to watch up-close the view of a snowball smashing against the side of his head. He jumped off of me then, falling into the snow at my right. "Ow! That one had ice in it!"

"Do you want to wave the white flag?" I asked immediately after he'd finished speaking, not wanting to risk another snowball impact even if we were already shot down. I wouldn't put it past Sage and Tyde to be such bad sports they attacked us while we were down. 

Troye's eyes lit up at my suggestion, excitement pooling into all of his features.

"Does that mean we get to go inside?" He asked hopefully, turning onto his side beside me. I shivered noticeably when he hitched his leg over one of mine, letting it settle directly between the two. I fully intended to blame it on the cold if he asked though.

"No! They're talking about childbirth in there!" I shouted after a few seconds, finally remembering his question after he distracted me. He sighed heavily, collapsing beside me again. "Let's go into the backyard."

"Why?" He groaned loudly, his tone making it very clear how skeptical he was toward my suggestion. Deciding I had better persuade him quick, I turned my head to face him, shifting a bit to peck our lips together.

"For privacy." I whispered, watching his eyes light up with a completely different kind of illumination. He nodded his head eagerly then, rolling onto his hands and knees before standing up. He offered a hand out to me, helping me to my feet. He looked around the area then, trying to spot where Sage and Tyde were hiding.

"We surrender! We're going into the backyard, continue the game without us!" Troye shouted, earning no reply. I wasn't surprised though, knowing they were probably staying quietly as not to give their positions away. I grabbed his hand in mine, pouting slightly at how much less enjoyable it felt with fluffy mittens on. I stayed holding it all the same though, swinging them between us as we walked through the gate to the backyard.

I debated where to go for only a second before dragging him toward the familiar treehouse, an eager bounce to my step as I got closer to my destination.

"Ty?" He asked skeptically, squeezing my hand. I shook my head, tearing my hand from his as we reached the bottom of the ladder. I prayed it wouldn't break again as I started up, biting my lip nervously all the way to the top. I found a place to sit then, facing the wall as I waited for Troye to make it up. He spoke up when he reached the top of the ladder, hoisting himself through the relatively small door. "I've never been up here in the winter before." 

"Come here!" I beamed, noticing nobody had gotten rid of the rock from months ago. I guess they really don't use it much, likely because they're all in their teens now. He lumbered over lazily before falling to sit behind me. He put his legs on either side of my body, wrapping his arms around me and coaxing me into leaning back against his chest. Even in my leaning position I was determined, gripping the rock as I lifted it and started to scratch into the wood above the mess of scratches that had been a heart before. Troye hummed in approval as he watched, chin resting on my shoulder. He ocassionally turned his head to press kisses against my neck and jaw, stopping mid-kiss when I announced my completion with a hum. I gestured toward the wall despite knowing I already had his attention, proud of how well I'd pulled off carving our initials into the wood. "I debated doing this the day I scratched the last heart out, but I didn't want to scare you off."

"It's perfect." He beamed, kissing my cheek this time. I blushed, leaning further back into his embrace.

"Just like you." I beamed, trying to gauge his reaction despite the awkward angle I was looking at him at. He groaned before shaking his head, his next words not surprising me at all.

"Sap alert! Quick distraction!" He shouted, moving so quick I had no time to argue before he'd rolled us over. I ended up on my back propped up against a pile of snow that had breezed in through the window, him propped up above me in a push-up state. I raised an eyebrow at his position of choice, only getting a dismissive shake of his head before he was leaning down to attach his lips to my neck. I gasped, throwing my head back both out of pleasure and so he could have easier access.

He worked relentlessly against the sensitive skin, lashing his tongue over it and nipping until the entire area felt sore. It wasn't painful really though, more the satisfying raw feeling I was beginning to understand, enjoyable only because it was him causing it.

"I hate winter." He stated randomly, lips still pressed against my skin. My eyes fluttered open hazily, still enveloped in the bliss enough to need a second to regain myself.

"Still? Even after all I've done to get rid of your scrooge trait?" I panted out, not even ashamed of how breathless he made me anymore. Besides, it seemed to do nothing but encourage him, his lips pecking up my jaw and pausing just before they reached mine.

"Oh no, I like Christmas now. I just hate the extra layers of clothes I have to get you out of." He explained, eyes dark as they locked with mine again for the first time in over a minute. He didn't give me time to outwardly react though, crashing his lips against mine hungrily. I'd already lost count of the amount of times we'd kissed, only really registering that it seemed to get better each and every time.

I wasn't sure how long we spent kissing, desperate and needy as we rolled around on the floor of the treehouse. It couldn't have been that long considering we had to stop for air, but we'd been into it enough to not even notice the fact we'd rolled across the small room, ending up braced against the opposite wall.

"What exactly are you planning on doing in this treehouse?" I asked in a pant, remembering his earlier words after a few seconds of lucid thinking.

"I meant in general, not right now." He laughed, blushing and making it very clear he was thinking about ways things could have gone while in the treehouse. I had to admit I was thankful they hadn't taken a dirty route though, the cold temperature practically unbearable even with the amount of layers I had on.

"Who said we were going to do any clothes taking-off before the snow melted? Maybe I want to take things slow." I teased, sitting up next to him and clumsily brushing the snow out of my dampened hair. He shook his head and leaned back against the wall next to me, smiling as he looked over at the heart carving with both of our initials, now on the wall opposite us.

"You've kind of fucked that one up already."

"True." I agreed, nodding thoughtfully as I looked out the window. The sky was beginning to fade to a deep mix of orange and pink, reminding me yet again just how early it got dark during the winter.

"So you would?" I quirked my eyebrows, looking back to him confused.

"Hmm?"

"Take things further, in a better situation." My eyes darkened in realization, immediately sucking my lip back between my teeth as I thought about what he was asking. He seemed quite determined to find out. I guess it was a good thing though, that he was making sure before he tried anything. At the same time, it was a hard question to answer without seeming completely desperate or a complete prude. "You never answered me earlier."

"You don't worry about moving too fast?" I asked cautiously, looking over at him with genuine curious. It seemed like a reasonable question to ask, even if I didn't think we were moving too fast.

"Like we said, we basically had the beginning stages of our relationship over the last few months, even if we didn't label it." He explained, making me nod in agreement. He did have a point, it wouldn't really be moving that fast. That said, I was not expecting it at all when his hand suddenly gripped my inner thigh, sliding higher by increments. I gasped, wracking my mind for anything to say.

"God, are you even willing to take no for an answer though?" I laughed out, wondering if he even had the ability to keep his hands off of me. I was seriously beginning to doubt it. But when he snatched his hand away in reaction, a look of pure seriousness finding his features, I realized I was definitely wrong. Wrong to think it, but definitely wrong to say it. He definitely didn't look like he took it as teasing.

"Yeah, of course I am." He insisted, tone almost defensive. He hesitated a few seconds before continuing, voice shakier and almost unsure as he spoke the rest. "I just thought- You implied earlier that- Sorry."

"No! I was just teasing about how eager you are, my answer isn't no." I explained in a rush, desperate to reassure him as I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, linking our fingers together.

"It's not?" He asked curiously, looking over at me completely transfixed and interested. I blushed, looking down at the floor when the intensity of his gaze got to be too much.

"You seem to forget I was completely sober during that phonecall the other night." I whispered, skin heating up just at the memory of our illicit activities. The thought of doing stuff like that again, getting to hear the sounds he made in person, was almost intoxicating.

"So... yeah?"

"Yes, Troye." I said firmly, deciding being straightforward was the only way he'd understand. He was loveable, but dense as hell. He grinned cheerily in response, turning to peck me quickly on the lips.

"Good, because it was hard enough keeping my hands off of you before."

"Where's your patience, Troye Sivan?" I teased, trying to hide how much his words actually affected me. The last thing I wanted was to get all hot and bothered somewhere we couldn't see it through all over again. 

"We've had mutual crushes on each other since September, as far as I know. I've been patient." He insisted, dragging out the words in a groan like it represented what a struggle it truly was to him. I bit my lip as I thought about what he was saying, that he'd wanted me for months now. 

"Soon." I assured him, earning yet another annoyed groan that made it very clear 'soon' probably wasn't soon enough.

"What are you doing for New Year's?" He asked suddenly, confusing me for a second before realization dawned on me and I blushed. He wasn't kidding about wanting to move fast. Not that I had a problem with it, I wanted him just as much as he claimed to want me, but I just hadn't expected him to be so forward about it.

"Marcus is having another party, you know that." I reminded him, wondering if he planned to go as well. We hadn't talked in the last few days since Marcus told us about it, so I'd had no way of knowing where he stood on the idea of the party.

I was met with silence though, a sigh leaving my lips as I tried to think of something to say so he'd understand better. "Besides, you don't plan these things out, they just happen."

"Because we're so good about making things 'just happen'." He spat sarcastically, a giggle finding me despite his frustrated tone. He gave me a look of annoyance and I was about to lean in and kiss his exasperation away again, freezing just before our lips met as a voice found my ears.

"Troye! Tyler! Do you want to come play charades?" I tried not to show how annoyed I actually was by Shaun's suggestion, sucking it up and hollering back with my most-convincing excited voice.

"Yes! We'll be in in a minute!" I heard the door shut promptly afterward, relaxing again and looking back to Troye. He was giving me a look that could kill, a complete contrast from his earlier outlook on going into the house. "Don't be such a bore, we can't just make-out forever."

"We could try." He suggested, hand landing on my thigh yet again. I shook my head, swatting it off before he got even close to his destination. I hurried out of the treehouse then, not sure I'd be able to follow my own rules if I was left alone with him for any longer. He had a way of being very... convincing.

He followed not far behind me, bounding up to my side with an eager smile. He shoved me, causing me to pause and look at him in confusion. "Do I not get a piggyback ride this time?"

"Oh, if you want." I answered, kneeling down a bit for him to get on.

"I was kidding, but okay."

A/n: Hello, this chapter is way late woops im a mess I just really didn't want to write it. You know chapters like that? They suck except I don't get the option to procrastinate writing them because I'm a busy woman on a busy schedule and wooooooOOOOOOOOOOo. I'm so happy to be done with this chapter okay bye im gone i have nothing to say except lOOK A CUTE FANART BY @SiennaTheColour