#i don't really like this skdjshdk but smriti AND my mum do thats gotta mean something right??

[heart-eyes-kippen]

Jealous

Hello here’s a lil oneshot based on this post:

~

It was late evening and the sun was setting in Shadyside, casting a warm glow onto Cyrus’ bedsheets as he sat opposite his boyfriend. 

 His boyfriend. His actual boyfriend. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be used to calling TJ that, and every time he remembered he could a jittery feeling filled his stomach. 

 “TJ, you do realise it’s just us here, right?” 

 The boy laughed slightly at that, shifting his position to sit cross-legged. “Yeah, but you only really need two people for truth or dare, right?” 

 Cyrus looked at him in confusion for a moment, trying hard to figure what his intentions were, before resigning with a small shrug. “I guess that’s true. Let me just open a window first, it’s getting warm in here.” 

 He stood up from his bed and padded over to the window, fumbling with the lock for a moment before managing to push it open. Cool evening air immediately began to flood the room, accompanied by the soft sounds of breeze gushing by. 

 Cyrus turned back to TJ, who had a mischievous smile on his lips now. 

 “What?” he asked, smiling as approached the boy and sat back down. 

 “Nothing,” TJ assured him, although the glint in his eye seemed to suggest otherwise, “you can go first.” 

 Cyrus hummed. “Okay then. Truth or dare?” 

 “Truth,” he replied after a moment’s hesitation. 

 Cyrus looked around the room for a moment as he tried to think up a question he could ask.  The sliding door to his wardrobe was opened slightly, and through it, he could see the shirt he’d worn to Buffy’s first try-outs for the girl basketball team. 

 A random idea entered his head, and he was blurting out the question before he’d even thought it through. 

 “Do you actually like blueberry macadamia muffins?” 

 TJ’s eyes widened momentarily. He looked back at Cyrus for a moment, blushing as though he’d been caught red-handed. 

 “Um...why did I suggest this game again?” 

 “I knew it!” Cyrus cheered through giggles, giving the boy a playful shove, “you don’t even like them that much! I thought Buffy was just trying to get my hopes when she said you wanted me to bake them instead of buying them.” 

 “I thought it’d be cute!” TJ argued, but he was smiling now too, “and I mean, hey. We ended up having fun, didn’t we?” 

 “Yeah,” Cyrus agreed, face softening, “we did.” 

 There was a pause, then the mischievous expression from earlier was returning to TJ’s face. “Okay. My go now.” 

 “Should I be scared?” Cyrus asked him, only half-serious. 

 The boy just shrugged. “We’ll see. Truth or dare?” 

 “Truth,” he said, almost instantly. He really wasn’t in the mood to do anything that may require him to stand up from the bed again. 

 TJ smirked. Suddenly he regretted his decision. 

 “Who was your first crush?”

 Okay, yeah. Maybe getting up from his bed wouldn’t have been so bad after all. 

 Cyrus looked back at TJ for a moment, before burying his face in his hands with a groan.

 He lifted his head after a moment or two, before lowering it again. “It was Jonah,” he mumbled, but the words were so muffled he thought that TJ might not have been able to hear them.

 “Jonah? Wow. I mean, that kind of makes sense I guess.” 

 Cyrus looked up again, face tinged red now. “I haven’t for a while, though. I think my crush on him disappeared right around...” he paused for a moment, eyes wide with realisation, “...right around the time we first started hanging out.” 

 TJ bit his lip at that, smiling fondly as he took the boy’s hands in his. “Well. That’s encouraging.” 

 He interlaced their fingers, and Cyrus suddenly felt like his face was on fire. He really wasn’t sure if he’d ever be used to affection from TJ. 

 “Okay, I’m choosing truth for you!” he announced, “who was your first crush?” 

 TJ averted his gaze at that, seeming bashful all of a sudden. “I think that...my first real crush was probably you. When we first started hanging out. I just kind of liked you right away.”

 Cyrus tipped his head to the side, expression soft now. He’d expected some material to tease TJ with, but the truth was way too cute for any of that. 

 “Aww,” he cooed, leaning in to wrap the boy up in a hug. 

 TJ purposely dropped back down onto the bed, pulling a surprised laugh from Cyrus as they tumbled down.

 He smiled down at the boy, eyes sparkling, before dropping a kiss onto his cheek and rolling over to settle down beside him. 

 “Was that game of truth or dare just a tactic to find out who my past crush is?” he mumbled.

 TJ hesitated for a moment, before smiling and pulling him in. “Maybe.” 

 ~

 It was two days later that Cyrus was bounding up to TJ before class, a smiling Jonah in tow. It was morning now, and an icy breeze gusted over them as they made their way up the basketball court. TJ seemed to be dribbling the ball from one end to the other, alternating between hands as he did so. 

 “Teej!” he called out, which had the boy stopping immediately and turning around with a smile. 

 He tucked the basketball beneath his arm as he walked over, wrapping his free arm around Cyrus’ shoulders. 

 “Hey,” he greeted, “what’s up?” 

 “We just got out of Jonah’s early morning ultimate practice,” he said, directing a smile over at him. 

 Jonah nodded. “I didn’t realise you were here, man! You should’ve come watch us play.” 

 If Cyrus wasn’t so sensitive to TJ’s demeanour shifts, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to notice the subtle frown that briefly flickered over the boy’s face. He dropped his hand from Cyrus’ shoulders a few seconds later, only confirming the sudden shift. 

 “Sorry, that would’ve been cool. Next time, maybe?” 

 Jonah gave him a smile and an enthusiastic nod. “Totally!”

 Cyrus looked between the pair for a moment, feeling somewhat awkward. 

 “Um,” he managed, wracking his brain for something to say, “Jonah did really well! There was one intercept he made where I swear he jumped up higher than anyone I’ve seen. And he was across the court in like a second.” 

 Jonah just brushed him off though, smiling vaguely. “You always have to jump pretty high in ultimate.” 

 “How high?” TJ asked suddenly, and a glance over confirmed that he had an eyebrow raised now. 

 Jonah looked at him blankly for a moment, before shrugging. “Um...a few feet, I guess? I don’t know, it varies.” 

 TJ nodded slowly, as though considering the information carefully. Cyrus gave him an uncertain smile. 

 Jonah and Cyrus ended up chatting more, hovering by the sidelines, while TJ continued with his practice. Cyrus glanced over at him occasionally, and whenever he did TJ seemed to make an effort to jump up high to shoot a hoop. 

 Even Jonah seemed to pick up on it eventually because his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Was he doing that when we first arrived?” 

 Cyrus just shrugged, a slight smile on his lips as he watched on. “He’s probably switching things up.” 

 Things only started to get weirder when, during lunch break, TJ volunteered to play ultimate with Jonah. Cyrus came along of course, along with Buffy, and the pair sat on a nearby bench as they watched them play. 

 Sunlight was filtering in through the clouds now as midday approached, but there were still cool gusts of wind that had Cyrus tugging on the beanie he’d brought in his bag.

 “Since when has TJ been interested in ultimate?” Buffy whispered, “and why does he have that look on his face? He knows it’s just practise, right?” 

 Cyrus just shrugged, watching as his boyfriend jumped up into the air with a dramatic twirl, catching the frisbee with ease before landing down on the grass again. Jonah looked on for a moment in confusion, before shrugging and smiling. 

 “That was extra,” Buffy said with a snort, “I’ve never seen Jonah do that during practice.” 

 “Me neither,” Cyrus agreed.

 They watched as TJ continued to pull manoeuvres like that one, beginning backwards and spinning around to catch the frisbee, running forward and practically diving to catch it. 

 Cyrus’ eyebrows raised slightly. “I mean...it’s impressive. 

 “And unnecessary,” Buffy added with a laugh, “who is he even trying to impress?” 

 Cyrus bit his lip at that, turning to the girl with a pained expression on his face. “Me, I think.”

 “Why?” she asked incredulously, “aren’t you two literally dating?” 

 “Yeah, but...” he paused for a moment, letting out a sigh, “I told him about my crush on Jonah.” 

 Shock flickered over Buffy’s face. “Well, that explains a lot.” 

 Cyrus looked over at the field, where the two were beginning to stretch now that the end of the period was nearing, before turning desperately back to the girl. 

 “He seemed fine with it when I first told him!” 

 “Yeah, but then he saw Jonah ‘I’m effortlessly perfect’ Beck and obviously must’ve gotten jealous.” 

 “Jealous? I mean, I wouldn’t go that far,” he scoffed.

 The pair returned their gaze to the field, where TJ was currently doing a handstand while Jonah was simply stretching out his arms, looking over at the boy in bewilderment. 

 “I would,” Buffy said, dropping him a wink before getting up from her seat. 

 “Hey Kippen, bet I could hold a handstand for longer than you!” 

 “You’re on, Driscoll!” he responded instantly, earning him a fond eye-roll from Cyrus. 

 Jonah came over to sit down beside him after a few minutes, and they watched in amusement as TJ and Buffy struggled to hold their positions. 

 “TJ did really well out there,” he told Cyrus, smiling slightly, “maybe he should consider playing ultimate.” 

 Cyrus hesitated for a moment, before nodding and returning the smile. “Yeah, maybe.”

 ~

 “I’m telling you, there’s no other reason TJ could’ve called this ‘emergency basketball practise’ apart from that he wanted to show off after this morning’s ultimate game,” Buffy insisted, as the trio made their way through the hall. 

 Andi laughed slightly. “I’m just surprised Jonah agreed to come along.” 

 “They are kinda friends now,” Cyrus piped up.

 The sunshine from earlier had only lasted an hour or so before being stifled by even more grey clouds, filling the sky and casting gloomy light through the windows they passed. 

 Buffy had her basketball gear on, to fill in for a player that couldn’t make it, while Cyrus and Andi had their phones ready to watch from the sidelines and occasionally cheer everyone on.

 They pushed through the double doors, which closed with a slight bang behind them as they made their way over to the courts. TJ, who had been stretching, immediately perked up and made his way over. 

 “Underdog!” he smiled, pulling the boy in for a quick hug. 

 Cyrus couldn’t help but return the smile, and the hug lingered for a long moments before they pulled away again. 

 “Ready for practice?” he asked him, giving Buffy a playful elbow when she smirked.

 “Yeah! We’ll probably start the game in a few minutes.” 

 Buffy joined him on the courts, while Cyrus and Andi headed over the stands. Jonah jogged in a minute or two later, settling down beside the pair with a bright smile.

 “Hey! Did I miss much?” 

 Cyrus shook his head. “You didn’t miss anything, they’re just stretching.” 

 The distinct sounds of sneaker soles squeaking against the hardwood floor filled the hall once the game had commenced. It all seemed to go smoothly at first, with TJ scoring as he normally did, and Buffy owning the court as she always did. 

 Cyrus cheered them both on for a while, before getting distracted by his phone.

 He felt Andi nudging his side after a minute or two, and he looked over curiously. “What is it?” 

 She nodded her head towards the game, and it took Cyrus about 30 seconds to realise that TJ had officially picked up gear, moving quicker across the court, taking riskier shots, intercepting whenever he could. Buffy looked vaguely impressed, but mostly amused, as she played along.

 He watched on as TJ ran up to the 3-point line with seeming ease and went for a shot, jumping up into the air. It landed almost perfectly in the hoop, and Jonah looked over at Cyrus with a somewhat bewildered smile.

 “He’s trying really hard today.” 

 Cyrus smiled slightly and shook his head. “Yeah. He is.” 

 Andi looked between TJ, who had taken another shot backwards, before turning back to Cyrus with a wince. “Maybe you should talk to him?” 

 Cyrus looked conflicted for a moment, but he eventually resigned with a sigh. “You’re probably right.” 

 The girl gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, taking a few moments to catch Buffy’s eye and signal for a time out. Cyrus rushed down the stands, which he mentally decided to count as his exercise for that day, before jogging up to his boyfriend. 

 TJ’s face was reddened slightly now, and he separated himself from his team with a confused smile. 

 “This time-out’s gonna be a bit longer than usual folks,” announced Cyrus as he approached the boy and took his hand, “I’ll try to make it quick though.”

 “Where are we going?” TJ asked breathlessly, and Cyrus flashed him a smile. 

 “You’ll see.”

 The room was just as Cyrus had remembered it, albeit darker considering the clouds outside. He pushed through the door, which creaked slightly on its hinges, before tugging the boy inside. 

 “Aw,” TJ smiled, green eyes scanning the space for a moment. 

 The same blue vending machines were still pushed up against the wall, except now they appeared to be closer to the corner. Posters of various colours filled the wall, and there were several dark blue chairs surrounding a round, sleek-looking table. 

 Cyrus was the first to sit down this time, turning the chair around to mimic their conversation from all those months ago. A smile appeared on TJ’s lips as he looked around for a moment longer, before pulling out a chair and sitting across from him. 

 “So what’s up?” he asked him, leaning forward on his elbows. 

 Cyrus hesitated for a moment, letting out a sigh as he diverted his eyes to the table. 

 “TJ...you know I like you, right?” 

 The boy gave a small, uncertain nod in response.

 “And...you know I like you more than anyone else, right?” 

 TJ’s face, which was already tinged red from running around, seemed to turn a deep shade of crimson at that. He looked down at the table, tracing a few crumbs that had been carelessly left behind with his index finger.

 “I’m not jealous I swear,” he insisted. 

 Cyrus gave him a kind smile. “I never mentioned anything about jealousy.” 

 The boy seemed stuck for a moment after that, opening his mouth to speak before closing it again. Eventually, his shoulders slumped slightly with defeat. 

 “I’m sorry. I know I’ve probably been acting weird today. I’m really not jealous...or maybe I am a little bit...I don’t know. I know it’s dumb and I know you like me but I just thought...he’s always been so...then I’m so-“ 

 “Hey,” Cyrus interrupted gently, reaching out to place a hand on top of his, “you don’t have to try to get me to like you because I already do, and I have for months now. Even with Jonah right there. I like him as a friend obviously, but he’s not you. He never will be.”

 TJ’s expression relaxed slightly at that. He turned his hands up to hold Cyrus’, a soft smile gracing his lips.

 “And for the record,” he added softly, “you’re great at sport already. You don’t have to try beat anyone to impress me, because I’m impressed by you every day.” 

 TJ paused for a moment, smiling bashfully. “...Did you like my twirl and catch during lunch break, either way?” 

 Cyrus giggled slightly. “Yeah, that was pretty cool.” 

 The boy got up from his chair then, holding out his arms. Cyrus got up too and happily walked into them, burying his face in the crook of TJ’s neck. 

 “Thanks,” he heard TJ murmur, “I’m sorry.”

 Cyrus tipped his head up, resting his chin on the boy’s chest as they swayed slightly. 

 “It’s okay. Brains can be mean sometimes, according to my step-dad.”

 TJ gave him a fond smile at that. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a muffled shout from outside. 

 “Have you guys finished arguing or making out or whatever you’re doing in there?! It’s been like ten minutes, bro!” 

 Cyrus looked shocked at that, while TJ just rolled his eyes, clearly used to his teammates by now. 

 “Shut up Harry, we’ll be out in a sec!” 

 They looked at one another for a moment, before reluctantly separating.

 “We should probably head out,” said Cyrus. 

 TJ smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Yeah. Probably.”