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Every day, without fail, TJ would get Cyrus a chocolate chocolate chip muffin from the cafeteria. It was a cute and thoughtful gesture that always made Cyrus smile, but Andi and Buffy were convinced that it was more than just a simple act of friendship.
“He never gets us any muffins,” Andi pointed out one day, “and we’re supposed to be his friends now.”
Cyrus shrugged. “He knows I love muffins... They’re how we first met!”
“Yeah,” Buffy said, “but no one asked him to be your daily muffin delivery man. It’s almost creepy how he never forgets to get you one.”
“It’s not like it requires much effort for him,” Cyrus argued. “All he’s gotta do is stroll up and take one. Everyone in this school is too terrified to stand up to him.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “It still feels weird to me.”
“Yep,” Andi agreed. “There’s definitely more to this situation than meets the eye.”
Cyrus laughed. “You guys are overthinking it. TJ’s just a decent person, alright?”
“But what if it’s more than that?” Andi asked. “Wouldn’t that be great? I mean, you do like him, right?”
“Of course I like him... But TJ is like the straightest guy ever. There’s no point in getting my hopes up over something that’s never gonna happen.”
Buffy frowned at something behind them. “Speak of the devil,” she said. “What’s wrong with him?”
Cyrus and Andi turned in their seats to find TJ slowly approaching their table, his face red and his breathing laboured. Cyrus immediately grabbed his friend’s arm and helped him sit down.
“Are you okay?” he asked, panic rising in his chest. “You look like you’re about to faint!”
TJ waved him off. “I’m fine, I’m fine... Just a little outta breath.”
“What happened to you?”
“I had History,” he said with a grimace. “My class is on the opposite side of the school from the cafeteria, so I had to run to get you a muffin before they all ran out.”
Cyrus lifted an eyebrow. “Couldn’t you just steal one, like you normally do?”
“Steal one?”
“You know, jump to the front of the queue?”
“I don’t do that anymore.”
“Huh?”
TJ ducked his head, suddenly bashful. “You looked so happy when I helped you get that muffin the first time we met... I guess it made me realise how sad you must’ve been every time I butted in and stole one.” He shrugged. “So, now I queue like everyone else.”
Andi and Buffy exchanged smug smiles.
“You mean to tell me you’ve been running around and waiting in lines every day for months, just to make sure Cyrus gets a muffin with his lunch?” Buffy barked a laugh. “You are so whipped.”
TJ blushed. “It’s not that big a deal, you know? It’s just a stupid muffin.”
“No, it’s not,” Cyrus said, his voice a breathless whisper. His heart was thumping like crazy as he stared at the boy sitting next to him. “Did you really do all of that for me?”
TJ fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. “You probably think I’m a freak, right?”
“Why would I think that?”
“Well, you know... Guys don’t do that sort of thing for their friends.”
“So?” Cyrus smiled. “That doesn’t make you a freak, TJ.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Of course not.”
“Oh.”
TJ sagged with relief, and Cyrus laughed. He’d never wanted to kiss him so badly before in his life, so he did; he cupped TJ’s face and softly kissed him on the lips, grinning at the slack-jawed expression of shock on his friends’ faces.
“Did that really just happen?” Andi squealed.
Buffy covered her face. “I’m afraid so.”
Cyrus was too focussed on TJ to respond to Buffy’s apparent disgust. The other boy was still sat there with his eyes closed and his lips pursed, completely caught in the moment of their kiss.
“TJ?” Cyrus gently prodded him in the shoulder. “Are you alive?”
“I’m not sure.”
"Did I do something wrong?"
“What? No!” TJ’s eyes fluttered opened. “Definitely not. I just... Why did you do that?"
Cyrus smiled shyly. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
TJ’s confusion morphed into fondness, a dopey grin tugging at his freshly kissed lips. “You’re welcome, Underdog.”
On the opposite side of the table, Buffy pretended to gag. “I can already tell you guys are gonna be one of those sickeningly adorable couples.”
“Stop ruining the moment,” Andi hissed.
“They’re putting me off my lunch!”
“I think it’s sweet.”
“You would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Cyrus tuned out his friends’ bickering and smiled at TJ, sliding closer across the bench until their shoulders were touching. “Do you wanna split it?” he asked, nodding at the muffin sitting on the table.
TJ brushed his hand and grinned. “Sure.”