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Ty had decided, that he really hated suits. He had never liked them before. They were confining and hot, and scratchy. Very, very scratchy. But now he really hated them. Especially the shoes. The shoes were far to tight and when he had gone to change the shoes, Dru had gotten mad at him. She said that these were the only shoes that matched. “But they’re all black shoes, Drusilla. They all match,” He had tried to argue.
Dru had looked offended and told him to “Buck up and deal with it,” So, Ty supposed he would have too. But he wouldn’t be happy about it, that was for certain. He hated suits and was determined to always hate them and their horrible itchy material for the rest of his life. He scratched his wrist, as if to prove his point to himself.
Well,
He would hate wearing them. But, he found that he didn’t mind when somebody else wore them. Ty thought he looked rather good in suits. Really good, actually. The suit clung to his muscled arms and flared at his waist. His fair hair slicked back, the ends curling around his ears. Ty kept staring at him. He was cramped in the backseat of the truck with him, so it wasn’t like there was anywhere else he could look at. He didn’t even notice the eyes on him anyway, he was looking out the window.
Ty tore his gaze away and forced himself to look out his own window, scratching his wrist again. He had an odd feeling in his chest, one that seemed to heat up his neck. It made his heart pound and his palms sweaty. He rubbed his hands furiously against his pants. What is wrong with me? He wondered. Ty licked his lips and swallowed. His throat felt swollen. Was he sick?
The thought sent a rush of panic through him. He couldn’t afford to be sick right now. They had a job to do tonight. A Downworld party to attend, and information to gain. Not to mention, Ty’s position at the Scholomance was riding on this. Though, he hadn’t told anyone that. They didn’t need any extra stress distracting them tonight. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. It definitely felt warm. His whole face felt red and warm.
Ty rest his head against the glass window pane. The cold from outside pressing in, cooling his face. He closed his eyes against the cold as the truck rattled on down the highway. Dru had the radio on, volume turned up higher than Ty would have liked. But he couldn’t really complain, the only reason Dru was driving was because she and Ty were the only ones who could drive in LA and Ty hated driving more than his sister’s loud music. He scratched his wrist.
He forced himself to take deep breaths, to still his fluttering fingers and his racing mind. He felt his face cool down, he released a breath, his eyes blinking open. His gaze was met with a familiar picture. In the reflection of the window was the face that he thought of most.
Kit Herondale.
His own head was tossed back against the seat. His eyes forced shut. An almost painful expression on his face, and Ty wondered where it had come from. A moment ago, his face had been a dazzling smile as he chatted away with Dru and Ash in the front seat. There was no trace of that now. Sometimes the gap between Ty and Kit felt enormous. Bigger than the oceans that normally separated them. So big that Kit almost seemed impossible to reach. Ty scratched his wrist.
Ty watched, in the reflection of the window, as Kit reached up and tugged at his tie. He’d done that a total of seven times during this drive. Ty only knew that because it was the same amount of times that Ty had scratched his wrist. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who hated suits. At least Kit looked good in his. Very good.
That feeling in his chest started up again. Ty held in a grunt of annoyance. What was wrong with him tonight? He glared at the ceiling. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kit tug at his tie again. Ty turned to look at him, Kit still had his eyes closed so Ty leaned in a little closer. He could see that Kit’s tie was on too tight. The shirt collar wrinkled beneath it.
“Here,” He said, suddenly. Startling himself a little as Kit jerked open his eyes. “Huh?” He blinked. Ty slid down the seat, twisting his body to face Kit fully. “Your tie, let me help you,” He explained, reaching up to grasp the red, silk tie. The material was soft beneath his fingertips.
Kit went rigid and still beneath him. Ty felt his heart pounding again. He had the urge to scratch his wrist again. But, instead he focused on the tie in his hands. He made quick work of undoing the knot. He adjusted it’s length before beginning another knot.
Ty realized, rather abruptly, that he was sitting very close to Kit. So close he could feel Kit’s hot breath against him. It sent a tingling sensation through Ty. Like an electric shock through his veins. “Thanks,” Kit cleared his throat. Ty could see that his pained expression was gone. Replaced with a slight quirk of his lips. Ty thought that his smile looked thin, despite his plump, soft looking lips. There was no dimple in the corner of his smile, either. Like there normally would be. Ty didn’t meet his gaze, but he knew the shade of sky blue he would find in Kit’s eyes.
Ty finished the knot, sliding the tie to tighten it. He was sure to leave it looser than before. Ty’s hands smoothed out the wrinkles on the silk tie, then the lapels of Kit’s suit jacket, lingering longer than he needed to. He pulled his hands away, “Don’t worry about it-”
The truck slammed to a violent stop, sending Ty crashing forward. Right into Kit’s chest. Kit’s arm were swift to grab onto Ty as his body was thrown against him. Ty was barely able to stop his head from colliding with Kit’s. “We’re here!” Dru shouted from the front. Kit let out a curse and a glare at the driver's seat. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking back at Ty, his eyebrows scrunched in concern.
Oh. Ty thought. I was wrong. He was very wrong. Kit’s eyes weren’t sky blue at all, they were crystal blue. With clusters of silver around the pupil. The blue of the seapools down at the beach of the Institute. Ty’s favorite blue.
“Ty?”
Ty shook himself out of his thoughts. “Y-yes.” He stuttered, pushing himself off of Kit and sliding back down the seat. “Let’s, uh,” He cleared his throat. “Let’s go.” He fixed his gaze ahead of himself and climbed out of the truck. Ty brought his hand to his forehead, it was hot again. Maybe he should ask Julian to check on him, after this was all over.