Freak (Troyler AU)

Chapter Seventy-One

*Troye's POV*

When I promised Tyler I'd be home for Valentine's day, that was with the idea that everything would go according to plan and on schedule. I hadn't added in the delay of a huge storm hitting the day we were supposed to go home, how was I supposed to know that? So we were a day late actually getting back to our state, that wasn't too bad. It still would have given us an entire two days before the date. But of course when our family members invited us to stay the night to catch up on sleep rather than driving all the way home from the airport still exhausted, my parents took them up on the offer.

At this point I really just wanted to steal the van and drive home, stressing out over whether we'd make it back in time tomorrow for me to catch any of the shops. The sex shop I planned on going to wasn't open very late and I didn't want to miss it and have to rush out the day of Valentine's. Sure, I could go essentially anywhere for what I was getting, but I wanted to make sure I got the best ones. Who knew condom buying could be so stressful. Well, actually, I think everyone knows that. I can't imagine it not being awkward when you go to buy things like that, but maybe it'd be easier at an actual shop made for selling that kind of stuff rather than a general store. At least, that was my logic.

Worse yet, it's not like I could get them to stop somewhere like that on our way home tomorrow. I'd have to go home, climb right back into my car without any sleep, and go to the store. I would never risk them seeing me buying stuff like that, I'd never hear the end of it.

By the time Thursday morning rolled around I was the first one out of bed for the first time ever. I was up even before the relatives we were staying with, the ones with the weirdly put together life that always woke up with the sunrise. I was up before the sun though, packing all of my stuff back up and even debating if I should clean up my siblings too. It'd save time, and it's not like I could even tell them why I was in such a rush. 'Can you please hurry? I need to get home before the sex shop closes.' isn't exactly something you tell your mother.

I was sitting at the table after paying both my bag and both of my sibling's, tearing through a bowl of disgusting whole-wheat cereal, when the sound of footsteps on the stairs finally graced my ears. I sat up more formally, turning to watch the doorway to see who was up. I doubted it was any of my immediate family considering it was still 6am, but I could hope.

My aunt walked through the door seconds later, humming softly under her breath. That was before her eyes fell on me, the sound immediately cutting off and replaced by a mortified scream. We both jumped backward, her hitting her head against the door frame and me smacking my hip on the table, only to fall onto the floor off my chair.

"J-Jesus, Troye! What are you doing up?!" She shouted, still sounded scared and confused. I groaned, rubbing gently at my sore hip.

"I was eating breakfast, but now I'm trying to sort out how many broken bones I have." I muttered, trying and failing to keep my tone from sounding too snappy. She sighed, leaning back against the wall and rolling her eyes. We both sat in silence for a few seconds trying to catch our breath, the moment shattered by the sound of rapid footsteps on the stairs.

"Gail? Is everything alright?" A familiar voice called, a smile finding my face as I recognized it as my father's. I may have gotten a bruised side and cereal all over me, but I'm still the winner here because look who we woke up. Maybe I can get home before the shop closes after all.

I watched my uncle and father walk into the room, each gripping a baseball bat with panic-stricken eyes. I scoffed at how over-the-top they looked, watching as my uncle helped my aunt to her feet.

"Your son has been possessed, he was awake before me and scared the shit out of me." She explained, breathing heavily as she threw a hand dramatically over her chest. Both of their jaws dropped in disbelief, my cheeks heating up when they turned to stare at me. Is me getting up this early really that unbelievable?