Freak (Troyler AU)

Chapter Twenty-Six

*Tyler's POV*

I was definitely nervous as I continued to flip through the pages of the photo album, but surprisingly, it had nothing to do with his family watching us. All I could think about was the fact he'd initiated our cuddling, he'd been the one to lay his head on my shoulder. I mean, with anyone else it'd be something small, but with him it felt like such a huge accomplishment. It was one thing laying my head on his shoulder and not having him shove me off, but this was something entirely different. He wanted to cuddle, he wanted to be as close as I did, he wanted this when he wouldn't even let people touch him half the time. I wasn't sure what made me any different from the rest of the world, but I was eternally grateful for it.

I was on the fourth book now and his family had long ago filtered off, each in different directions. Not to be rude, but I was kind of glad they had. Troye was much less nervous without them around, partaking in our usual teasing and flirting much more openly. Yes, flirting. There wasn't really any other word to refer to it, and I didn't really want one. Troye had called it that, but not in a negative light. He was okay with it being flirting so of course I had no trouble admitting to myself that was what it was now.

Come to think of it, I'd fucked up the whole 'taking it slow' thing a while ago. I mean, I hadn't jumped him or anything, but I wasn't exactly making a big deal of hiding my feelings. I didn't admit them either though, leaving Troye to assume exactly what he wanted to assume. When the day came he asked me about it, I'd be honest. I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't be a dick about it, he wouldn't tell anyone and he wouldn't be mean about rejecting me if he did. Despite knowing all of this, I didn't see myself being the one to bring it up any time soon. I wanted to make sure the timing was right, that he was ready to hear it before I said anything. He was going to have to call the shots, whether he wanted to or not, because I wasn't about to risk losing him because I did or said something wrong.

"Tilly, this is boring!" He whined, letting out a huff of breath against my shoulder. I ignored him though, knowing he was only being a nuisance because we'd reached the awkward pre-teen stage of his life. He was still far from unattractive, though it was also clear he hadn't quite grown into his long legs and huge eyes yet. 

I flipped another page, furrowing my brow over a photo of him and someone I didn't recognize from his immediate family. This was a first, considering it was the only photo of him with non-family members other than his softball ones. He was hugging the girl tightly, their faces pressed together with matching huge grins. I felt him shift next to me, obviously wondering why I was taking so long on this one page. He tensed against me suddenly, reaching over to flip the page quickly.

"L.S?"

"Yeah." He mumbled, his voice barely audible and faltering despite his response only being a single word. I sighed heavily, closing the book and tossing it onto the table with the rest of them. He seemed happy with this, nuzzling into my shoulder further as I grabbed the remote and turned on the television again. I was actually still pretty interested in looking at the photos, but the last thing I wanted was to find anything more of L.S and upset him all over again. I wasn't sure why it still affected him so much considering he was only around twelve at the time, but I was completely sure I never wanted to see him cry again. It felt weird putting a face to the initials, especially after how mad I'd gotten earlier without explanation, scratching the carving out without a second thought. It just made me so mad to think that anyone at all could hurt Troye. He was so shy and loyal, like a mistreated puppy. The fact that someone could take advantage of that, even a little girl, disgusted me.

"Tyler, not to intrude on whatever's going on inside your head, but we're watching 'I didn't know I was pregnant' and it's kind of terrifying." I blinked, coming back to reality at his whisper. I hastily changed the channel, the sound of a baby crying filling the room just before I did. I turned on a music video channel instead, hoping this would be less uncomfortable. I was quickly proven wrong when the screen lit up with a rap singer surrounded by nearly-naked women. I groaned, ignoring Troye's soft giggle as he snatched the remote from me and found a show himself.