*Tyler's POV* 

I still hadn't entirely gotten over what had just happened, despite it being about twenty minutes since the incident took place. Could I even really call it an incident? That seemed like too small of a word to capture what I'd just done. Sure, it might not sound like much. I'd stood up for my friend when he was getting bullied, you'd have to be an idiot not to do that. But that's just the thing, I am an idiot. I've spent half of my life with these people, listening to them make homophobic slurs and acting like I could care less. It's only when you realize I didn't even have the guts to stand up for myself, that you understand what a big deal this was.

Even now, knowing very well what kind of shit I was going to have to put up with the rest of the school year, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. I guess that might have had something to do with how Troye was cuddled up against me, animatedly chatting with Shane and Marcus like we'd all been friends forever. Nobody mentioned how close Troye and I suddenly were, leading me to believe Marcus may have had his suspicions all along. I was thankful for it though, the last thing I wanted was someone to question it and for Troye to back off. I was still sitting with my legs on either side of the bench, but he'd taken advantage of the position and was now leaning back against my chest, the top of his head tucked right under my chin. He was leaning most of his weight on one of my legs, meaning it had fallen asleep, and occasionally his hair would tickle my neck and I'd have to resist the urge to laugh, but it was definitely worth it to have him this close.

The closest he'd came to moving was when he jolted upward suddenly, panicking slightly as he started feeling around his pockets for his phone. We were all rather confused until Shane let out a knowing sigh, saying one word that had everything making sense for us; Sage. 

"Troye." I said levelly, reaching around him in an attempt to snatch his phone. He just slapped my hand away though, going write back to dialing some number into the screen like he had been earlier. "Troye, Sage is fine. That was Caspar earlier."

"W-What?" He asked, freezing in his tracks. I was thankful for Marcus once again as he took the job of explaining the entire situation to Troye. Caspar had gone to the person he knew best that might have Troye's number, which was Alfie, seeing as he had no idea Troye and I interacted like we did. Alfie had been doubtful at first, but had given in when Caspar bribed him by saying he could be invited to his 'popular kids only Halloween party'. I'd yet to break the news to him that I wouldn't be attending, but I was hoping it was just implied now that I'd chosen Troye over him once. I mean, given the choice between having to grind on drunk girls all night to appear straight or being cuddled up with Troye and free to act as gay as one pleases, it was a pretty easy decision. Actually, there was very little that could make me give up time spent with this boy.

So I guess you can understand my loud groan of disapproval when the bell rang. We'd already had our only class together today, and we hadn't even talked throughout it so we'd basically wasted a chance to interact. I didn't make a move to get up as the seconds ticked by, watching as Marcus and Shane got to their feet and looked at the two of us questioningly.

"Are you two skipping class together?" Shane asked, his tone innocent like he didn't want to imply anything. I got the feeling he was still a little bit intimidated by me, but I couldn't really blame him. I mean, I had beat his face in not even a month before now. I'd never apologized either, despite knowing Caspar had probably made up whatever it was he said about my mother. 

"I, uh, not sure. Just go ahead without us, I'll text you or something." I stared down at the top of Troye's head curiously, eager to hear him elaborate on what he'd said. I looked back to the others just in time to watch as the two of them turned around, continuing their earlier conversation as they started toward the side doors of the school. It wasn't until the two metal doors had swung shut behind them, that I started to shift under Troye. He took the hint, awkwardly ambling away from me, only to turn around and face me, mirroring my position. I winced, stretching out the leg he'd been leaning on and trying to ward off the pins and needles.

"You could have just told me to move, you know." He said quietly, watching my struggle. I just rolled my eyes at him, considering how wrong his words were. There was no way I could have asked him to move, that'd be the stupidest decision of my life. 

"Whatever, it's too late now." I murmured, watching as he got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. After he was satisfied he turned and started to clean up his things off the table, leaving me to mentally debate what to say to break the silence. I mean, there was the obvious question, but I didn't want to appear too over-eager. Ah, fuck it, I am too over-eager. "What'd you mean a minute ago? You know, when you said you 'weren't sure' if we were skipping class?" 

"How'd I know you were going to say that?" He chuckled, looking up just as he finished his cleaning. We locked eyes and I couldn't help the stupid lopsided grin I got from seeing how happy he looked. It had killed me seeing him moments ago, with tears running down his flawless face.

"Lucky guess, probably." I offered, deciding to go along with his attempt to avoid answering my question. If he didn't want to talk about it, fine. Anything to make sure he never loses that light in his eyes again. He picked up the lunchbox, swinging it goofily as he stared down at me. I stared back just as expectantly, waiting for him to choose which direction he wanted the conversation to go. He sighed suddenly, straightening up and letting his eyes trail over to the direction of the parking lot. He looked almost longing, though it faded when his eyes met with mine again.

"We really shouldn't... Skip class, I mean. I just, I really don't feel like being around people right now." The annoying little shit side of me debated pointing out that I was, in fact, a person, but luckily the rational side reminded me now wasn't really the time for joking. If I wanted to spend the afternoon with him, I was going to have to act like an actually desirable companion, not an annoying one.

"Then don't." I said hopefully, my eyes scanning his face as I tried to see which option he was leaning toward more. He turned, walking ever-so-slowly toward the school. I sighed, hoping the speed of his steps was a hint that there was still a chance to change his stance on the matter.

"Easy for you to say. All the teachers love you and your grades are amazing, you could afford to miss weeks at a time if you really wanted to." He replied finally, turning around to stare at me until I got to my feet as well. I reluctantly followed him toward the doors, my frown growing with each step. I was biting my bottom lip, trying desperately to come up with some sort of response to get him to turn around.

"My offer to tutor you still stands, all you have to do is ask." I said quietly, knowing I'd lost even as I spoke. I knew it was probably for the best, and that he definitely had a point, but that irrational side of me from earlier was making another cameo. I just wanted to be near him, to the point that everything else lost it's relevancy.

"No, we should go to class." He sighed out, making me feel a bit better when I heard the reluctancy in his voice as well. At least I wasn't the only one struggling with the separation.

"Okay." I breathed out through my teeth, my tone showing how unimpressed I was despite myself. I didn't want him to feel bad about his decision or anything, he was right to make it. School should come before relationships. School set you up for your entire life, and there was no foretelling whether or not the person next to you would be there for you even tomorrow, let alone that long. I hoped so though, God, I really hope so. If today had taught me anything it's that my life is absolutely colorless without Troye in it.

We stayed silent as we walked down the empty halls, considering everyone else had already made it to their respective classes. I wanted to talk to him, and take advantage of the time we had together, but I was also fairly certain I'd end up trying to coax him into skipping class again, and I didn't want that. I mean, I do want that, but I don't want to force him to go back on his decision, especially considering it was the right one. 

We both came to a stop at a fork in the road, knowing this was the place we had to switch directions. I shoved my hands into my pockets, staring down at the scuffed-up floor instead of looking up at him. I wasn't nervous or anything, I just wasn't looking forward to the goodbye. Little did I know he was about to say the exact words to turn the entire situation around.

"What are you doing after school?" I grinned, my head snapping up so I could stare at him with wide eyes.

"Nothing!" I beamed, cursing myself silently for practically shouting it. I couldn't help it, I wore my heart on my sleeve. And right now, my heart was hella excited. Troye just grinned cheekily, my words only enforcing his growing ego. I guess that was a good thing though, lord knows the boy has every reason to be full of himself. He's perfect.

"Well, as long as you're free, we could probably hang-out then." He offered, still sounding tentative despite how obviously into the plan I was. It amazed me how anyone that perfect could be so unsure of themselves, especially when I went out of my way to show it everyday. I'd be continuing it too, until he realized how perfect he was for himself. 

"Sounds great! I'll see you in a bit?" I asked, eyeing him cautiously as I waited for him to finalize our plans. He nodded, smiling so hard it looked like he had trouble uttering his next words.

"I'll text you." I watched as he started to turn away, my brain screaming at me to hug him before he left again. I wasn't as stupid as last time though, avoiding pouncing at him when he least expected it in favor of actually leading up to the hug like a normal human.

"During class? You rebel, no wonder the teachers don't like you." He turned around now, pointedly rolling his eyes at me before taking a step closer and shoving me. I bounced right back, hopping forward so we were so close our chests basically touched. I looked up at him expectantly, immediately greeted by his arms wrapping around my shoulders. I grinned, contemplating how often we'd be able to hug now that the school knew about our friendship. We could hug in front of people, whenever we wanted really. I let my arms snake around his waist, my forehead resting on his collar bone as I tried to bring myself to leave the embrace. We were already approaching ten minutes late to class, any later would just be pointless. "Hey, on the off-chance the news has already spread, don't let anything people say get to you, okay?"

"I'll try not to." He whispered back, keeping our tones quiet as if someone else could hear us and ruin the intimacy. I wasn't complaining though, the way his voice sounded in a whisper was absolutely seductive. I furrowed my brows, realizing I'd gotten caught up on the voice itself and not the words it had spoken. After a second I remembered, my hands immediately turning into fists and knotting pieces of his shirt in them.

"No, you're not going to try not to, you just won't. They don't even know you, how can anything they say hold any meaning?" My tone had raised slightly, sounding almost angry. I wasn't angry with him though, but the thought of anyone hurting him was enough to make my blood heat up in my veins. He didn't deserve that, especially not over something so stupid. I didn't want to hear him say he'd try not to let it hurt him, trying was a start, but it wasn't reassurance. It meant there was still a chance they could hurt him, and that was the last thing I wanted. I couldn't stand up for him in class, or cuddle him better, he'd be all on his own. If I hadn't been with Caspar earlier I might never have found out that exchange even happened. Troye wasn't one to ask for help, but not because he didn't want it, he just didn't realize he needed it.

"They know I'm gay." He whispered back, both astonishing and angering me with the amount of self-loathing in his voice. Did he really think there was something wrong with it? 

"Troye. There's nothing wrong with being gay." Even as I spoke the words there was a nagging voice in the back of my mind, taunting me.

If there's nothing wrong with it, then why haven't you come out yet?

"I know that, obviously, but they don't. They think there is and there's no changing their opinions. They're going to believe what they want to, and they're going to act on those beliefs. I was just correcting you because you said they didn't know me, but they do. They know one of the most personal things about me." I felt absolutely horrible as he spoke, realizing what it must have been like for all the people that came out before him. I mean, obviously I'd thought on the topic a lot, but I'd never heard it first-hand. All those poor kids that ended up committing suicide in the past fifty years, just because our community is full of bigots. I bit my lip, suddenly thankful my face was buried into his chest and he couldn't read my emotions. 

"It's going to be okay though, Shane is out of the closet and he's doing fine." I said, trying to convince myself just as much as I was trying to comfort him. What if it was really bad? What if he couldn't even walk in the halls without people teasing him? I don't know how things would go for him, but I can guarantee you I'd be expelled in a matter of days for punching a few people senseless.

"Fine? He's already started changing himself to fit in more. Look at the haircut and how much weight he's lost, there's no healthy way to lose that much that quickly." My heart dropped as he explained this, knowing very well he was telling the truth. I hadn't really thought of it until now, but suddenly Shane's sudden change of looks made a lot more sense. I could only imagine how much he was hurting, considering he didn't even outwardly show it. What if Troye was like that? What if he didn't tell me when things affected him and just kept to himself? He bottled it all up inside and tried to deal with it on his own? How could I help him then? 

I couldn't. 

Which is exactly why I have to ensure he stays open with me.

"Yeah, but he doesn't have a best friend willing to do absolutely anything for him like you do. And as my first official duty of best friend, I'm kidnapping you for the rest of the day! You're obviously way too stressed to get any school done anyway." I beamed excitedly, happy with my own plan to ensure his happiness. He didn't seem nearly as impressed, eyes going wide as I swung an arm around his waist and started dragging him down the hall. 

"W-What? Tyler! No!" He protested, causing me to immediately slap my free hand over his mouth.

"Shh, keep it quiet, you're going to get us caught!" I snapped, eyeing the closed classroom doors warily as we walked past them. He squirmed in my arms, his eyes narrowed into an obvious glare of disagreement. We were about three-quarters of the way to the front doors when he tried a new method of protest. I jumped when his tongue snaked out, licking my hand in an obvious attempt to get me to remove it. I did as I was told, bring my hand down to wipe it off on my jeans.

"Keep your tongue in your mouth, Sivan, there's a time and place." I snapped, smirking when my teasing succeeded in making his cheeks flush. Unlike I'd expected, he didn't take advantage of his newly-gained freedom. He stayed just as silent as he'd been with my hand over his mouth, following me to the front doors. I opened one, backing up against it so it stayed open for him to walk out. This was it, silently questioning if he was going to go through with my plan or not. He gave a particularly dramatic sigh before walking past me, making me smile broadly as I let the door fall shut and followed behind him. After we'd made it down the steps, was when he turned to me.

"I swear, Tyler, this is the last time. And I'm only doing it because we're late enough to have been marked as absent already anyway." He explained, his tone fakely cold as he tried to come across as reluctant. He was doing a pretty good job too, aside from the familiar blush spreading across the back of his neck. I didn't notice it until he'd turned around and started walking though, finally replying when I had that to reassure me he wasn't actually angry.

"Right." I confirmed, falling into step behind him.

"And if my parents ask, I'm blaming you." He said, looking over his shoulder with raised eyebrows to check if I was okay with this. I nodded eagerly, bouncing forward so I could walk beside him instead of behind.

"That's okay, they love me." I smirked, the smile quickly fading when I remembered my last encounter with Shaun. He probably thinks I'm really weird now. That, or he thinks I was trying to pull a move on his son and he interrupted, which is actually exactly what happened.

"And we're taking my car, not yours." Troye continued, bringing me out of my reverie. I nodded, remembering the fight I'd had with my car this morning.

"Reasonable."

"-And you're not driving." He added, sounding slightly nervous like he thought this would be the final straw for me. I sighed heavily, leaning into his side and letting my head fall to rest against his shoulder. It fit perfectly considering his height, and I was overwhelmingly happy when his arm snuck around my waist and told me I was more than welcome to stay in that position.

"Harsh, but fine." I replied finally, though I was still pouting slightly that I wouldn't be able to drive. I guess that was a good thing though, considering I hadn't even fully decided where I was taking him.

"And you're going to let me pay, without any fuss." He concluded finally, removing his arm as we were now standing in front of his car. This, was where I had a problem.

"Why?" I whined pathetically, turning to look up at him with pleading eyes. With anyone else I wouldn't even think twice, more than happy at the chance to save some money. It was different with Troye though, I wanted to pay for him. I wanted to impress him and I wanted to make him happy.

"You stood up for me, knowing it could end up with you getting hurt. You're amazing to me, and you deserve something in return." It was my turn to blush at his words now, looking down at the pavement as they started to play on repeat in my head. I realized a few seconds later how dumb I probably looked, hurrying to think of something I could say to make him blush as well.

"I have you, don't I?" I purred, earning both my blush and an eye-roll. 

"Not what I meant, dickwad." 

"Fine, I'll let you pay." I sighed out, only because I wanted to see his triumphant smile he'd get upon hearing it. As expected, it did not disappoint. He seemed a bit shocked at first before quickly regaining his composure and letting his lips stretch into a huge smile, not even bothering to remember to smile without his teeth like he usually did.

"Good, you can choose where we go then." I had half a mind to suggest the park, knowing he wouldn't have to pay anything there. I know he'd purposely reject that idea though, so I did the next best thing; tried to think of other places he wouldn't be stuck paying a lot for me. When the answer hit me, I felt like an idiot for not planning it from the beginning.

"Okay, there's this really cute restaurant on Prince St. Let's go there." I offered, trying to contain my grin as I turned on my heel and headed toward the passenger's side. I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head, obviously wondering about my semi-suspicious behavior. I was nothing like him, sadly. My acting skills were fairly limited, meaning my best option was to turn around and run to hide in the car before he questioned me.

"Sounds good?" It was meant to be a statement but his confused tone made it sound more like a question. I didn't want to leave him completely lost so I held up a hand above my head, giving a simple thumbs up before ducking into the car. 

A/n: I planned on this being longer but then I realized the next half is going to be much cuter in Troye's POV so badda boom, this is what you get. Sorry about the wait between updates, I guess mom chose the last quarter of the summer to actually do stuff and go places. Also, I'm sort of easing y'all into a different updating schedule. It won't be every two days anymore, I don't think, maybe very rarely. School's coming up and I need to focus on it this year so yeah. IT'LL DEFINITELY BE ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK THOUGH, I SWEAR. Okay, hmm, what else... TRXYE!!!!!!! What's everyone's favorite song? Mine is definitely definitely Touch, like ughomgtheperfectisunrealis2gicannoteven. OKAY IF THE NEXT UPDATE IS LATE IT'S BECAUSE I WANNA WORK ON STOLEN SO IF YOU NEED READING MATERIAL GO READ THAT. IT'S MY OTHER TROYLER FIC AND THERE'LL BE MORE SMUT IN IT OKBYE. DONE PROMO-ING... FOR NOW
ACTUALLY I LIED, I HAVE ANOTHER FIC I WANT TO PROMO. I JUST STARTED READING IT AND ITS REALLY REALLY COOL AND INNOVATIVE. TYLER IS AN INCUBUS, MEANING HE LIKE EATS PEOPLE'S SOULS TO STAY ALIVE. AND YEAH ITS WRITTEN REALLY WELL AND THE PLOT IS SUPER COOL AND ITS JUST STARTING SO GO READ IT. It's called "Soulless Affection" and it's written by @troyewithan_e. UGHGHUHH ILL DEDICATE THE CHAP TO HER SO YOU CAN GET THERE FASTER. I SWEAR ITS AMAZING.