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You don’t think it’s gonna snow too bad, right?” TJ asked, turning away from the window to Cyrus.
Cyrus shrugged. “I dunno, but there’s not much we can do about it.”
TJ had come over earlier that afternoon for a study session. They both had a history test tomorrow, on Monday (being in the same class), and since TJ was a natural when it came to history, Cyrus asked him to help out a little — history was not his best subject. What they hadn’t considered, though, was the weather and the light flurry of snow that had started right before TJ arrived, and they decided to take a short break to make sure the weather wasn’t too bad yet.
TJ padded back over to where they were sitting. ”Ready?” he asked.
”Ready as I’ll ever be,” he mumbled, just loud enough for TJ to overhear.
At that, TJ chuckled, unable to stop himself from smiling at Cyrus fondly. He didn’t understand how Cyrus always managed to be so cute even when, no, especially when, he was disgruntled.
Realizing he had been staring for a little too long, TJ awkwardly cleared his throat and turned to the history textbook they were reading. “So, uh,” TJ started, beginning to explain the part they had just read in somewhat simpler terms. “Napoleon was exiled for the second time when he came back to rule France for 100 days, and after finally being defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, the Congress of Vienna—“ TJ was talking quickly, easily excited about history — and especially the French Revolution.
“Wait, what?” Cyrus said, blinking. “I’m already lost.” Cyrus shook his head, leaning back in his seat and running his hands through his hair. “Why does the French Revolution have to be so confusing?”
“Well technically, this is right after the revolu—“ TJ was cut off by a couch pillow that was flung towards his face.
“Oh shut up, TJ,” Cyrus said, grinning.
TJ and Cyrus didn’t move for at least an hour from their studying, only remembering the outside world when the house phone suddenly rang, making them both jump, and Cyrus stood up to answer it. Cyrus’s parents had gone out for the day, and it seemed that they were calling to check up on him. They told him that they wouldn’t be home until tomorrow and would be staying at a nearby hotel because it was too dangerous at this point to drive home in the snow.
“The snow?” Cyrus asked. He had pretty much forgotten all about it at that point, and when he turned to glance outside, he was completely taken aback. “Oh wow… you’re right. Thanks for telling me, Mom.” After confirming to his parents that TJ was still at the house, he bid them goodbye and walked back to the living room, where TJ still sat, now flipping and reading random pages in the textbook.
Cyrus smiled widely at the sight of TJ being such a history nerd. “You should look outside, TJ,” he started, beckoning with his hand. “The snow’s gotten pretty bad.”
Stretching, TJ stood up, following Cyrus to the window (and standing really close to him). “You’re right. There is a lot of snow.” He turned to Cyrus with a mysterious glimmer in his eyes.
Cyrus squinted his eyes. “What are you suggesting?”
12 minutes later, they were outside in the snow, disturbing the brilliant white blanket that covered the ground. TJ had suggested they go outside (even though it was still snowing), and although Cyrus was reluctant at first, given how bad the weather was and the fact that it was already about 6 pm and dark, TJ managed to persuade Cyrus to get in the snow.
“Fine,” Cyrus had said. “But if I get sick, it’s all your fault,” he threatened.
“I’ll get you muffin if I do, Underdog,” he had responded, ruffling his hair.
Now outside, they weren’t doing much more than making a mess of the snow, and Cyrus was complaining about being cold. Then, while Cyrus was facing away from TJ, a snowball hit his back when he least expected it. Slowly, Cyrus turned around. “What was that?” he said slowly.
“What was what?” TJ said, looking around innocently, with his hands behind his back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Smirking, TJ suddenly produced one from behind his back and catapulted it at him.
“Oh, it is on!” Cyrus exclaimed, making a snowball as quickly as he could and launching it.
They didn’t last very long, hurling snowballs back and forth, because of how bad it was starting to get outside. Instead of improving, the snow was coming down steadily harder.
Laughing, Cyrus stumbled towards TJ. “I suggest we go inside now. It’s slightly too cold.”
TJ sighed. “I’m tired now.” He rested his head on Cyrus’s shoulder, causing Cyrus’s breath to hitch.
Even though Cyrus was internally freaking out, he managed to keep a calm exterior and responded, “Y-yeah. Me too.”
Once they were inside, TJ shook off his boots. “I vote for hot chocolate. If you have any, of course.” He shrugged off his coat, shooting Cyrus a look that said: “you better have hot chocolate.”
Cyrus laughed. “Of course we do,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But before we do that, I think you should call your parents and tell them you’re staying over. Assuming you’re staying the night of course. Because it’s snowing, not because I want you to. Wait! Not that I don’t want you to! I do! I mean— uh— I just—” Cyrus cut himself off before he made it worse, blushing furiously. God, if only I would think before I speak, Cyrus thought to himself.
“Shit, you’re right,” TJ said, completely forgetting he needed to talk to his parents. “I— I’ll go do that now.” Stumbling backward out of the room, TJ was slightly freaking out inside. Sleep over? With just the two of them? It’s not that he minded being just them two, it’s just that there were too many possibilities. What if he fucked up somehow? He had never slept over at Cyrus’s house before. Too many things could go wrong. He didn’t know how he could keep his already obvious crush a secret if he was around Cyrus for that long.
Taking a breath, TJ decided to try and put that all out of his mind and just call his parents so he could hang out with Cyrus and enjoy it to the fullest.
TJ walked back into the kitchen to see two mugs on the counter, both filled with rich hot chocolate, a million mini marshmallows sitting on the top, and a candy cane in each winter-themed mug. Cyrus picked up the mug that was decorated with kittens in Santa hats and handed it to TJ.
“That has got to be the best mug I’ve ever seen,” TJ grinned. “How’d you know I would love it?’
Cyrus shrugged. “I had a feeling.”
“Wow. You know me so well.” Before TJ could even think about stopping himself, he casually pulled Cyrus into a hug. Too late, he realized what a risky decision he had made and mentally punched himself. What if Cyrus was uncomfortable with hugs?
Cyrus froze momentarily, not expecting the hug. But then he melted into it, appreciating the hug.
Ba-boom ba-boom ba-boom.
Both of their hearts were beating hard enough to burst out of their ribcages.
Suddenly realizing the hug was quickly becoming a long one, they pulled away at the same time, staring at each other awkwardly and furiously blushing.
Finally breaking the silence, Cyrus suggested they move to the living room to watch a movie. TJ agreed, but then paused. “Wait. Shouldn’t we, uh, change our clothes first?” Both of them had forgotten that they were still wearing wet clothes from being outside.
Cyrus nodded. “Might as well put on PJs, since we’ll be in for the night.”
“Oh uh… I don’t have any pajamas though.”
“You can borrow some! I have a ton that I don’t use because my relatives give me gifts that are 4 sizes too big. They never seem to remember that I’m never gonna grow that big.”
TJ chuckled, and words came out of his mouth without his brain condoning them. “You’re short, but you’re still cute.”
Cyrus’s choked slightly.
TJ’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing what he just said. Not knowing what to do, he tried unsuccessfully to play it off as a joke by laughing. Wow. I really am a fucking idiot, aren’t I, he thought to himself.
“Let’s, uh, go upstairs.”
“Y-yeah,” TJ chuckled nervously, following him up the stairs (and bringing their hot chocolates).
After changing (Cyrus was right about the clothes. They were even big on TJ.), they headed back downstairs, Cyrus clutching blankets to stay warm (their heater didn’t work above a certain temperature, and it became cold easily). TJ carried some pillows so they could get comfortable.
Once they were huddled closely together under the blanket, they spent about 20 minutes deciding on a movie. Apparently, neither of them could come up with anything, so they chose a random movie that had just started playing.
About 16 minutes into the movie, when they were just starting to get into it, the power shut off. Both of them were surprised, as they hadn’t realized how bad the weather had gotten, how much it was snowing, and how hard the wind was blowing. Now that his focus was pulled away from the movie, he realized they were really close. Like, so close their sides were pressed up against each other.
“Well,” Cyrus said, turning in TJ’s direction, even though he couldn’t see him.
“Just our luck,” TJ chuckled. “What should we do now?”
Cyrus thought to himself. “Okay. I know this totally sounds like a cliche sleepover thing to do, but hear me out.” He could practically hear TJ rolling his eyes. “What about… truth or dare?”
TJ considered this for a moment. “What do I have to lose?” Well, a lot of things actually. For example, Cyrus. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
“Ok…. I’ll start then. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“I dare you…” he paused, thinking. “I dare you to call Andi and tell her you have a crush on her!”
“Oh my god, Cyrus,” TJ shook his head. “You’re crazy, but I’ll do it.”
TJ called Andi, but when he told her, all she said was, “Sure. And tell Cyrus I said hi.” This was most likely because Cyrus was collapsing in laughter in the background at TJ’s embarrassment, which sort of ruined the dare.
They went back and forth like this for a while, with TJ choosing mostly dares and Cyrus choosing mostly truths.
“Ugh,” Cyrus said. “You have to choose truth at some point!” He threw his arms up exasperatedly.
“Fine. Truth.” TJ’s heart pounded. He wasn’t a fan of truths, because anything and any truth could come out.
Cyrus looked surprised that he had chosen truth. “Let me think. What about… oh! I have one. Since your first dare was about a crush, I’ll bring the topic back over there. Do you have a crush on Andi?”
TJ snorted. “A crush on Andi? You can’t be serious. Why would I have a crush on Andi?” TJ was wheezing. “I guess I’ll ask the same thing. Do you have a crush on Andi?”
“Funny story,” he responded. “But, no.”
TJ raised his eyebrows. “Funny story?”
“Uh… it seems we’ve abandoned truth or dare,” Cyrus said hastily, looking around the room and trying to change the topic.
“Cyrus, I promise you can trust me.” TJ looked into his eyes (as much as he could in the dark, anyway), and Cyrus knew he really could trust him just by hearing his voice.
Cyrus sighed, his hands shaking slightly. Was this really how he would come out to TJ? Mustering the confidence to spit it out, Cyrus finally spoke. “Well its a funny story because it wasn’t Andi I liked, but her uh, her… her boyfriend,” he finally whispered. “In fact, I don’t... I don’t like girls at all.” He wrung his hands, anxiously awaiting TJ’s response.
“Oh. That’s cool man,” TJ tried to reply smoothly, but his voice cracked. He couldn’t believe Cyrus, the boy he was crushing on, was gay. Did he have a chance after all?
Cyrus just said he liked Andi’s boyfriend, though. “So do you still like Jonah?” His heart pounded, and he prayed that he didn’t get his hopes up for nothing.
“Pfft!” Cyrus scoffed at that. “That ended a while ago. I finally realized that I was idolizing him instead of seeing him for his true self. I eventually realized the stress of trying to be good enough for him wasn’t worth it and wasn’t good for either of us, and we finally became good, real friends. We’re definitely better off like that.”
“Oh, ok,” TJ responded calmly, but his heart soared. “So, Underdog, what about now?”
“Hm?”
“Do you have a crush on anyone now?”
Cyrus’s breath hitched. “Uh, y-yes.”
“Really? Who?” TJ asked, leaning in slightly look at him better in the dark.
“Hey, this is truth or dare! One question at a time,” he said, not able to look into TJ’s eyes as he got closer, but not able to lean away either. “Truth or dare?”
“Okay, fine. I choose truth.” TJ said, deciding to play along.
“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Cyrus was pretty much dying to know at this point.
“I do. And you know him, too,” said TJ, feeling a little more confident now that he knew Cyrus liked boys too and because he felt the darkness was protecting him.
Know him? Cyrus heard TJ say "him" and pushed the possibility that it could be himself out of his mind so he wouldn’t be disappointed. “Who?”
“It’s truth or dare!” He reminded Cyrus, giving him a cheeky grin.
Cyrus scowled, giving up. “I’ll describe mine a little if you describe yours.”
“Fine. He’s shorter than me, with deep brown eyes I could get lost in forever. I can tell him anything and everything, even things I’m ashamed of telling everyone else. He’s brought out the best in me and inspired me to want to become a better person. He’s everything I could ever hope for and more, and I never want to lose him.”
Cyrus was speechless. Could it be? Could it really be him? He knew he was TJ’s closest friend (the description matched, too); he heard the words from TJ himself. But he never could imagine that in a million years TJ could his feelings, and he had to make sure.
“TJ?” Cyrus asked, so quietly that TJ had to lean in close to hear him.
“Yeah?”
“Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
Cyrus breathed out, heart pounding at how close TJ was. “Is it me?”
“Yes, Cyrus. It’s you.” TJ’s eyes flickered down to Cyrus’s lips, now inches apart from his, and Cyrus’s breath hitched, his heart soaring again for the second time.
Cyrus leaned in.
They both closed the distance at the same time, their eyes fluttering closed. The rest of the world seized to exist. Everything was perfect, like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly, and nothing had ever felt more right in their lives.
This was how it was supposed to feel.
TJ brought his hand up to caress Cyrus’s cheek, deepening the kiss, and when they broke apart, they pressed their foreheads against each other, looking into one another’s eyes and smiling warmly.
“It’s always been you.”