Hi Sydney (Tronnor)

Chapter 14

'Oh my god, they're kissing!!' Sage screeched. 'Mum! Dad! It's really happening!'

Troye broke away and took a step back. For one second, his face was carefully blank and Connor felt his stomach drop. Then he burst out laughing and Connor joined in, completely and utterly relieved that Troye didn't seem to regret kissing him.

'God, why did I end up in such a humiliating family,' Troye groaned when he finally managed to stop laughing.
As if in response, Laurelle's voice echoed from the outside the shed. 'How do you know they're kissing?' She asked Sage impatiently. 'I've got a lot of money riding on this bet.'

'Bet?' Connor mouthed to Troye, who just facepalmed. 'Are you really surprised?' He mouthed back.
Connor thought about it, and realised he wasn't actually surprised at all. His answer must have shown in his face, because Troye nodded in agreement.

'Trust me, mum. They were either confessing their love for each other or acting out a very elaborate play with characters identical to themselves who confess their love for each other.'

Connor flushed in embarrassment and saw Troye similarly redden. 'Did you seriously sneak back to eavesdrop on us?' He called to his sister.
'Oh, Troye,' she sighed, and it wasn't difficult to picture the smirk plastered across her face. 'I gave the coffee to Tyde to take back inside. I never even left.'

Before Troye could start yelling profanities, Shaun announced his arrival with a 'Have they made out yet? I can't wait to see Barry's face when I collect my hundred bucks.'

'Who the hell is Barry?' Connor muttered to Troye, whose face had never looked redder. 'One of our neighbours,' he whispered back.
Connor was completely bewildered. 'I've never met your neighbours.'

They were interrupted as the doorknob twisted and suddenly bright light streamed into the shed.
The first thing he saw was an identical smirk on every Mellet's face.

'We made a neighbourhood-wide betting pool on how long it would take for you two to get your act together,' Laurelle said, smiling brilliantly. 'We're in the money now. Most people said at least a week.'

The cup of coffee which had started everything was still in Tyde's hands. Connor knew it was probably freezing by now, but he was desperate. He snatched it and retreated back into the relative safety of the shed until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Troye. 'Look at the lovebirds,' Sage cooed evilly. Troye slammed the door shut.
'I hate this shed,' he muttered.
Connor sipped the coffee. It was cold, but he couldn't bring himself to care. 'You literally just shut us in here,' he reminded Troye.
Troye shuddered. 'The alternative is even worse. My family.'

Connor grimaced as he set the (now empty) cup of coffee down on an old table, remembering the way they given him and Troye that knowing look.

'You know what, let's just stay in this shed forever,' he said, pulling himself up onto the table, which creaked menacingly. Troye took the couple of steps across the shed towards him. 'Fine by me,' he said, and kissed Connor again.

Troye, Connor had discovered, was embarrassed by his family but not much else. He didn't seem to have a problem with kissing Connor at every available opportunity (not that Connor had a problem with it either), but as soon as they emerged from the shed (when they finally did, the sun was a lot higher in the sky), he contented himself with linking his fingers through Connor's, fully aware of the faces peering out at them through the windows up at the house. Connor just grinned at them, far too happy to feel embarrassed. As Troye pulled him towards the house, he ran his thumb across Troye's wrist the way he had the night before. Troye shivered and looked over at Connor with wide eyes. Connor smiled wickedly and did it again.

When they made it to the house, they made their way into the lounge. There was quite a collection of money on the table.
'Our winnings,' Shaun said from where he was resting on the couch, as if he hadn't been staring at them through the window a moment ago. 'We're rich. We'll never have to work again.'

'How did you make so much? I've never even seen any of the people in this neighbourhood,' Connor protested. 'Really?' Tyde asked. 'They keep making useless excuses for why they're here all the time. Don't you remember the lady yesterday who said she was here to borrow a tractor?'
'We don't own a tractor,' Troye said, his face scrunched up in adorable confusion.
'Exactly,' Tyde said. 'And she didn't try very hard to find it, either. Just stood over there and stared at you two for like twenty minutes, then bet on two days.'

Connor vaguely recalled an old woman with frizzy hair staring at him oddly, but he'd been distracted by how cute Troye was when he smiled with his teeth. 'Oh,' he said noncommittally.
'Yeah, you might have missed her. The woman who said she was here to pick up her grandson from daycare was sort of in the way.'
Now Connor had no idea which lady he'd seen. 'Was her grandson here?'
'Nope,' Shaun said, looking amused. 'She brought him with her. He was eight. He bet a week.'

'And you just let them in?' Troye asked incredulously. 'It's hilarious,' Shaun pointed out. 'My love life is not hilarious,' Troye said, though he looked really rather fond of his idiotic family. 'I'm so done with you. We're going to get food. We're leaving this room now, and when we get back I hope to find a mature and emotionally stable father and brother awaiting us. Goodbye.'
'Good luck,' Shaun called as Troye and Connor walked out into the hall.

'Why good luck?' Connor asked Troye apprehensively. Spending time with Troye's family had taught him to not trust anything.
Troye shrugged. 'Who knows?' He asked as he pushed the door to the kitchen open, and promptly froze.

Peering over Troye's shoulder, Connor could make out about thirty people staring at the two of them. The old lady he vaguely recalled seeing yesterday cooed at the two of them.

'Boys!' Laurelle said, emerging out of the crowd of strangers. 'Meet the neighbourhood! Neighbourhood, meet the source of our family's wealth for the next decade.'
Despite surrendering what had looked like thousands of dollars to betting on Troye and Connor's love life, they hardly seemed begrudging, instead seeming far too interested for their own good.
They started edging closer and closer, and Connor was reminded bizarrely of a zombie movie they had seen the day before, all of the zombies crowding closer and surrounding them.

Troye bravely shoved through them to get to the cupboards and grabbed as much food as he could before sounding a retreat, Connor hurrying out after him, blowing a kiss goodbye to their audience.

A/N
As always, tronnortwinkies.tumblr.com

I hope everyone had/is having a wonderful valentine's day & I though I'd update so even if you're alone, you can read about Troye and Connor not being alone yay

(Idk if I mentioned this before but school started again last week so I've been rlly busy and that's why I'm updating so rarely sorry 💕)