Chapter Text
Anthony had attempted to keep his distance from Coy. He didn't want to upset Coy even more, that wasn't a good idea and he knew it. Coy was already annoyed with him and Anthony felt like the only way to fix their connection was to just let him cool down. This mindset lasted 2 days before Anthony folded again.
He knocked on Coy's door one night around 8pm. He had just finished editing their video after days of putting it off. Anthony needed to fix things with Coy, even if it meant they had to argue more. Coy answered reluctantly after minutes of silence.
"What do you want? I know it's you, Anthony," Anthony kind of paused at that. He wasn't expecting his knocks to be identifiable. He opens the door slowly.
"Sorry to bother you," he says ask he takes a step into the room. Coy looks at him as he walks in. "But I just have to talk to you. I don't want to have to keep avoiding each other like this." Anthony admits. He stepped closer to where Coy sat on his bed.
Coy shook his head. "I don't know what there is to talk about," he replied. Anthony sighed. He didn't like the way Coy refused to talk to him. He knew they could fix things if Coy was willing to sit down. and talk to him about it all. Anthony began to speak again.
"I think there is plenty to talk about. Like the fact that this stupid 2-month phase we had is affecting how we interact to this day. I don't mean to be rude or offend you but it's unfair to you, me, and the rest of our friends. You refuse to talk to me outside of a group setting and when we are with the rest of the group, you won't interact with me if you have the option to." Anthony seemed to spill all of that effortlessly. After months of holding it all in, the words seemed to slide off his tongue so easily.
Coy stood there, stunned. He knew that his avoidance had affected Anthony in some sort of way, but he didn't expect it to be that much. Anthony looked kind of pathetic in this moment. He had just spilled his guts out to Coy and now it was silence all throughout the room. Coy finally replied after standing there for so long.
"That 'stupid 2-month phase' might not have been a big deal to you, but it fucked me up so badly, Anthony," Coy says. He looked hurt at this point. "You told me you loved me and kissed me and let me sleep in your bed for multiple nights and you would hold me. You made me feel something, Anthony."
Anthony stared at Coy for a long time. Back in June, it wasn't Anthony's intention to make Coy feel that way. Well, maybe a little bit, but not to this extent that he would still feel this way literal months later. Coy spoke more, needing to get his full point across.
"It's really confusing to me how you could do something like that to me and think I would just move on from it in a few months. Maybe you didn't feel the same as me and that's perfectly fine, but you should've just said that instead of replacing me with some random chick. No offense, but that was so fucked up of you." Coy laughed for a second, trying to cover up his true feelings. Truthfully, he wanted to curl into a ball and cry.
Anthony scratched his neck for a moment before speaking up. "I know I fucked up, Coy, and I'm really sorry. But, please, can we just move on from this? Forgive and forget type thing?"
Coy seemed offended at the suggestion. "Are you serious? You want me to forget what you said to me and how you acted after all of that?" Anthony shrugged. "I mean, yeah... kind of. I didn't know it was all that serious to you. You should've told me it was."
Coy's mouth stayed open for a moment, utterly surprised by the pure bullshit that Anthony had just said. Anthony wasn't usually the type to be so... idiotic, so why was he acting like this now? Anthony stared right back at Coy, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
"How can you be this... oblivious?" Coy asks, pushing his hair out of his eyes to truly see Anthony. Anthony was confused. How was he being oblivious? "What do you mean?" Coy sighed at that. He couldn't stand Anthony being like this.
"Tell me honestly, Anthony. Did you ever like me? Do not lie to me." Anthony froze at the question. Why was Coy asking him this? Coy stared at him, making sure Anthony knew he was being serious.
Anthony stuttered out his answer. "Well- I mean, Coy, I told you so many times I love you, so-" Coy cut him off. "No. I asked if you genuinely liked me. I don't care how many times you said you love me. If this was 1850, maybe it would've meant more to say you love me, but it's 2026. That means barely anything anymore."
As Coy said that Anthony fell silent. He knew it was true, but he was too scared to admit he really liked Coy and that he still did. Anthony avoided Coy's gaze.
"There you go, doing that again! Every time I ask you something about us, you look away and act like you have no idea what I mean! Stop doing that, Anthony!" Coy exclaimed. "That is the shit that makes me believe you don't truly give a shit whether or not we are anything and it makes me feel horrible." Anthony shifted uncomfortably. He knew he didn't have much longer to say something, but he was scared. Then Coy yelled at him again.
"Anthony, say exactly what you're thinking right now. I don't care if it's that you don't like me, or if it's that you love me, or that you never felt anything for me ever, I just need honesty." Coy's voice broke with every word he said. "Please, Anthony."
At this point, Coy had tears forming in his eyes. Anthony had to admit that it broke him a little bit inside to see him like this. Anthony got closer to Coy before he could feel the other boy's breath on his own face. "I do like you, Coy. I'm sorry it took me so long to admit it and I'm sorry I put you under the impression that I didn't care about you."
Coy stared at him, looking just as scared and surprised as Anthony felt in the moment. "Why didn't you say this sooner? Even over a text if you had to..." Coy whispers, Anthony's chest tightening at his tone. Anthony shook his head. He didn't know either why he hid, but he knew it was unfair to Coy.
Anthony backed away. "I have... to go now, Coy. I'll talk to you in the morning. I'm sorry." Anthony nearly ran out of Coy's room and back to his own.
Anthony fell back into his bed, taking a long breath. His heart raced in his chest. He had never felt so guilty for fleeing a conversation. His head pounded and he had to plug his ears to get them to quit ringing.
He wondered how Coy felt after their conversation.
-
Coy leaned back into his bed. All he could think of is what the fuck had just happened? Anthony spilled all of that onto him and then just... left. It was disappointing, to be honest. But it was exactly what he knew would happen.
He still felt hurt, though. Coy didn't mind the idea of trying over with him, not at all. He just needed Anthony to be honest with him now. He needed Anthony to stop hiding and to come out and say it himself, to say he wanted to be with him for real this time.
Coy assumed it would be a while until then, but with Anthony you never really know. Until then, Coy would leave space for Anthony open in his heart.