Chapter Text
Tuesday, June 1st 20XX
The early morning sun glinted through the trees along the road. Bright, sunlit claws tore through the thin fog blanketed across young blades of wheat. The world was golden, birds chirping and twittering in the trees as the wind whipped past the rolled down window.
Pale brown hair tugged and twisted in the cool breeze.
Glasses resting on the edge of a nose.
Icy eyes flicking across the road before watching the gilded sky melt to cerulean. Music played idly through the car speakers, the teenager tapping in time with the loose beat.
“Driving away, I wish I'd stayed
Another night, hasn't changed…”
His graduation cap was still in the back of the truck, the black hat catching a few glints from the sun and shimmering softly. A hoodie that wasn’t his was balled up beside it, the gray fabric lined with neon orange. An old mouthguard was crammed beneath a seat alongside his old jersey.
A bottle of coke sat in the cupholder nearest to him, small droplets of condensation streaking down the sides. Earbuds were tangled in the cupholder beside it, the phone they belonged to plugged into the aux cord of the truck.
“And now I see, it's you not me
Who needs the time, you can't find anymore…”
The teenager nudged his glasses up, glancing at his rearview mirrors before taking a sip of the soda beside him. The roads were still empty in front and behind him, and he glanced at the clock before relaxing further into his seat.
6:23 am.
His foot pressed a bit harder into the accelerator and the engine gave a bit more of a rumbled roar before he relaxed and the familiar hum resumed. He enjoyed the backroads of the town, the town he was trapped in as the rest of his classmates left to other cities and other states.
Left to continue their story and fill pages with their adventures as their names and faces faded to poor memory.
“I never wanted love, but now it's come undone
I'm waiting on the time, you see I care…”
Tyler huffed, grabbing another swig of coke as he tried to ignore his imminent future of waiting tables and running milkshakes across a checkered floor-
“Feels nice driving down the coast-line with you by my side hand in hand tonight-”
“Hey babe,”
Tyler cut off the ringtone, propping his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he returned his attention to the road.
“Ty~,”
The voice on the other end croaked, still heavy with sleep as they yawned,
“Where’d you go?”
“Sorry hun,”
The teen sighed, eyes flicking to follow a car as it drove past,
“Have to get home early to help my folks. You understand, right?”
There was a bleary hum on the other end and Tyler huffed again, transferring his phone to his hand so his shoulder wouldn’t cramp, “Craig, baby, you know what they said I have to do after graduation. I promised them.”
There was a pause on the other end of the call before a small, annoyed huff,
“Ty, you know I don’t have long left here, I want to spend it with you…”
Craig spoke the last comment softly, like he was watching a butterfly flutter past him and didn’t want to spook it. Tyler knew the other teen well though, and knew if there was ever a butterfly near his boyfriend it wouldn’t be there for long.
“I know babe, but my parents have done so much for me- it’s the least I could do for them.”
There was another huff before Craig mumbled out a curt,
“fine”
and hung up.
“But now it's fading fast, thought it was gonna last
I'm not uncomfortable but I, feel so uncomfortable…”
Tyler eyed the phone as he lowered it, the picture of him hugging the smaller teen from behind as they smiled brightly at the camera. The image faded to black and Tyler secured the device back where it had been sitting. His music buzzed to life after the call, and he nudged the volume knob a bit higher. Tyler leaned his head back, eyes glued to the road in front of him but not really watching.
~ ~ ~
When the blue and white truck pulled into the parking lot, Tyler was quick to shift to park and jog inside. His parents were already wiping down a few of the bright blue tables, and his mother looked up with a bright smile when she saw him.
“Tyler! I’m glad you could make it!”
She hurried over and tugged him into a quick hug before holding him by his shoulders.
“Your uniform is in the back, go put it on and then help your father out here, please.”
She gave him a smile and patted his shoulder before sending him off.
Tyler turned into the kitchen, grabbing the neatly folded outfit before slipping into the bathroom.
He came out in the black slacks and white collared shirt, flattening the blue and white striped apron as he glanced in the mirror.
“The pieces fit perspective hits
You realize everything is the same…”
He stepped out, his dad hurrying past with a rag before he paused to give Tyler a once-over and winked in his identical uniform.
“Lookin good kid!” He called over his shoulder as the kitchen doors swung on their hinges. The teen followed, and his mom turned from where she had been preparing her dishes to send a blinding smile,
“Oh look at you! You look just like your father!”
Tyler sent her a crooked smile, glancing down at the uniform with a shrug. His mom cut him off before he could say anything, drying the water off her hands on the white apron that covered the lower half of her pale blue dress,
“I’m so glad you’re joining the family business. When your father worked for your grandad,”
“I know mom, I’ve heard this before.”
Tyler interrupted with a scoff. His mom stepped from the cutlery, licking her thumb and rubbing away some dirt off his cheek with a soft smile. She stared at him for a moment before sighing, stepping back and wiping carefully at her eyes as tears gathered,
“I’m so proud of you, I hope you know that.”
“I know mom,”
Tyler said softly, his smile genuine until his father stopped appeared and rustled his hair.
“I love you both, now let’s hurry up before customers start pouring in!”
His mom leaped into action and his dad had darted off again, Tyler grabbing a broom and quickly sweeping up the bit of dirt on the checkered tile before the sign out front was flipped to open.
~ ~ ~
Tyler was frazzled, waiting tables with his dad as customers dappled the seats, his mom cooking faster than the teen thought possible. Brock and Scotty, the usual other cook and waiter had both been given a break day, his parents insisting that they have a family day in the small diner.
Thankfully, the small place never got very busy. Just faithful patrons and groups of teens who used it as a hangout.
“Hi, welcome to Wildcat Diner, how may I take your order?”
Tyler looked up from his notebook, glancing at the small group of four at the table. He only recognized one.
“Brock, why are you here?”
He sighed, eyebrow raised at the shy smile from the other teen.
“I know your parents said they didn’t need Scotty or I, but I still wanted to check on you guys. Is your mom keeping up with the orders?”
Tyler scoffed, casting a glance back at the counter as a plate of chicken fingers appeared, closely followed by the ring of the bell that signalled its arrival.
Tyler checked his other orders to be sure it wasn’t for one of his tables before looking back at Brock and his friends.
“If anything, we can’t keep up with her. What do you usually do in there anyway?”
Brock giggled, running a hand through his hair before answering,
“I’m usually making orders beside her- let’s just say customers are used to getting their food pretty quickly after they sit down.”
Tyler scoffed in agreement, then glanced at the menus in front of the other teens.
“Well what can I get you guys?
“I’ll have ta chicken strips!”
The tallest one in green said cheerfully, handing Tyler his menu,
“Wit’ a sprite!”
“I-I’ll have a m-milkshake with fries!”
The teen across from him spoke animatedly, nearly bouncing in his seat as his fingers rubbed the sleeve of his blue hoodie.
“Anything else?”
Tyler asked as he jotted down the order, receiving a jovial, “nope!” before moving on.
“I’ll also have chicken,”
The last teen spoke softly, a strong contrast to the boisterous voices of the other two,
“With a doctor pepper.”
He handed Ty the menu and some of his longer hair fell into his face, his hand quick to brush it out of the way of his glasses.
“Brock?”
Tyler pressed as his gaze fell on the other employee.
“I can make it myself-”
“Nope! Can’t let you. You’re a customer and customers aren’t allowed in the kitchen.”
Brock quirked an eyebrow up when his friends giggled.
“Ty, I’ve worked here for a year. You for what, an hour? Your mom will understand.”
“No-can-do! You’re on a day-long break. What would you like?”
Brock eyed Tyler for a moment before the kid with glasses nudged him from across the booth,
“Brock, just order something!”
The teen’s resolve melted and he sighed,
“Fine. Just a salad and some lemonade, please?”
Tyler scratched the order down with a smirk,
“Coming right up,
valued customer
.”
Brock huffed at the nickname and Tyler giggled, hurrying to deliver the ticket to his mom before checking on his other tables.
“You say the same lines, all done on my time
As it goes on, I will be gone…”
Tyler was delivering the last of the food for Brock’s friends when his phone started ringing, and his face flushed when he realized he had forgotten to turn it to silent.
“Feels nice driving down the coast-line with you by my side hand in hand tonight gripping oh so tight ooh honey I may have miscalculated I could have left you out of this m-”
Tyler tore the phone from his pocket, hit answer, and ignored the giggles from the teens as he darted to the small break room through the kitchen.
“Babe? I can’t really talk now I’m at-”
“Ty? I’m booooooooooored.”
Tyler blinked at Craig’s dragged out word, the sound of shuffling on the other end proving the other teen was probably rolling around his bed like he always did when he was “bored”.
“I never wanted love, but now it's come undone…”
“Craig, hun, I’ll call you back on my break I-”
“Please just talk to me! I miss you~”
“Hun, I was there all night. We can go on another date tonight if you want?”
“I can’t tonight, Anthony invited me to the movies with his girlfriend.”
“I'm waiting on the time, you see I care…”
Tyler paused before he softly asked,
“Why wasn’t I invited?”
“There were only three tickets! Plus, aren’t you working?”
“But now it's fading fast, thought it was gonna last…”
Tyler nearly bashed his head against his phone with how bad he wanted to facepalm.
“Yes, babe, I am. I get off at eight, and then we’ll figure it out from there. That work for you?”
“I'm not uncomfortable but I, feel so uncomfortable…”
There was a pause on the other end before a small,
“But I’m bored now…”
“Tyler?”
The break room door opened, revealing Mrs. Wine as she tilted her head,
“Everything okay in here? Your father needs help taking orders.”
Tyler bit his bottom lip, checking the time on his watch.
8:23 am.
“Can I… take a lunch break?”
“Now?”
His mother asked, checking her phone before frowning,
“Ty, it’s so early-”
“I didn’t have breakfast.”
Tyler swallowed the lie, remembering the small breakfast he had made himself and Craig for when the teen woke up.
“Okay, please hurry?”
She sent him a small smile before ducking back into the kitchen.
“You didn’t have breakfast? You should’ve had what my mom cooked us!”
Craig said loudly, nearly making Tyler wince with the volume,
“It was eggs and toast-”
“I cooked that for you babe,”
Tyler corrected, huffing as he settled into one of the chairs in the room.
“Oh,”
There was a pause before,
“Maybe you should leave the cooking to your mom, babe.”
“When the memories bend
I'll see you at the end…”
Tyler’s shoulders slumped and he hit his head on the tabletop.
There was a gleeful hum on the other end before Tyler asked,
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Hm? Why are we talking again?”
“And if they never fade
I won't be far away…”
“Um… you were bored?”
“Oh right!”
There were a few taps on the screen, like his boyfriend had him on speaker mode as he texted someone else.
“Actually,”
Craig said thoughtfully, making Ty lift his head off the surface in front of him,
“I just talked to Anthony, him and I are going to hang until the movie. Bye! Love you!”
“I never wanted love, but now it's come undone…”
Tyler stared at the table when the beeping of an end phone call rang through his ear.
He lowered the device, staring at the picture of them together.
He squeezed his eyes shut, before resting his head on the table again.
“I'm waiting on the time, you see I care…”
Tyler had quickly returned to the busy diner after the phone call, Brock and his friends lost to the blur that was the passing day. Anthony had poked his head in for milkshakes, and when Tyler inquired of his boyfriend he said that Craig had stayed in the car. He left with three milkshakes as Tyler’s frosty gaze followed Craig’s giggling form.
“But now it's fading fast, thought it was gonna last…”
His parents sent him home, saying they were proud of his day’s work and even making him a quick burger and soda before cleaning up. The truck was silent when Tyler drove home.
His mind kept trailing Craig.
The teen could have at least hurried inside for a moment, given him a kiss, a hug if he was worried about homophobes. Anything to show Tyler he still loved him.
He reached a red light, his mind swirling too much in the quiet as he quickly plugged his phone into the aux cord.
Instantly, the speakers flared to life.
Tyler pulled into the driveway of his house and turned the car off, but didn’t leave.
The music continued from his phone as he pulled up his text messages between himself and Craig. Tyler scrolled through their recent texts, biting his cheek as he realized only his messages were sprinkled with hearts and fond words.
“I'm not uncomfortable but I, feel so uncomfortable…”
As the song ended, Tyler sighed and began typing.