vanilla ♡ | tommyinnit

𝕿en.

---

Creek passed out a literal minute into the car ride, head rolling onto Eddie's shoulder. With a cheeky grin, Eddie pushed Creek's head onto Tom's shoulder instead.

"Cause you've definitely got a big gay crush on him." Eddie said as a form of explanation.

Tom went very red, near shouting. "Oi, no I fucking do not, you knob! Leave me alone!"

Eddie, laughing, looked over at him. "Man, I've seen you eyeing up Creek since we started at college. That's some gay shit."

The blonde went impossibly redder. "OI, nah. No way. Not me. Some other very handsome blonde."

"Come on, man." Eddie sighed, turning towards Thomas. "He likes you. If you need proof, I can find a text from one of the first days he had left for Australia. He told me outright that he fancies you."

"Did he actually?" Tom asked earnestly. Then he clammed up. "Wait, wait. NO. Invasion of privacy. Don't show me. But, uh. Not me. I don't like him romantically. Not at all."

The taller boy smirked. "All I'm hearing is yes, I'm so in love with this weeb switch gamer with anger issues that I dobbed him in in year 10 because I was concerned he was gonna get expelled and I'd never see him again."

Tom just went silent, covering his face with his hands. "Good god."

Eddie burst out laughing. "Hit the nail on the head, have I?

Tom just let out a string of unintelligible complaints, shaking his head furiously, flushing even more red. "Fuck off, fuck off!"

"Look, man," Eddie said, still chuckling. "If you like him, tell him. Or don't. It's on you. But I should have you know there's a guy in our grade that's actually after him.. Some straight guy who wants to 'experiment' with Creek, y'know? I've warned Creek off him, but keep an eye out, yeah?"

Tom looked terrified at the thought. "What's his name? I'll clart him, I swear to god."

"Uh. Lachlan Johnston. Know 'im?"

He glanced at Creek's bruised face. "Yeah, faintly."

"Just keep Creek away from him, yeah? Creek thinks he's alright cause he takes math with him and they're like, acquaintances, but he's always going on about giving him a one night stand and then fucking him over. He's been legitimately bragging about it to his mates."

"You're serious?" Tom asked, horrified.

"Unfortunately, yeah." Eddie gave a sad sort of smile. "Ignore however nice he is to you or Creek. I've been protecting this tiny fucker from people for years, I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure he even... needs protecting?" The blonde murmured.

"Bud, he trips on thin air and everyone has gotten used to catching him by the back of his shirt. He needs a room with padded walls."

Thomas burst out laughing, kicking a leg forward and accidentally jostling Creek. He saved the boys head from falling with quick reflexes, gently placing him back on his shoulder.

"Just look after him, alright? He really likes hanging out with you and Eryn, it's the most fun he's had in like a year."

Tom looked fondly down at the brunette. "Yeah. I've got him."

—

Creek lazily clicked through Tom's vlog channel late that night, his body clock out of wack. While he was away, Tom had uploaded a 'roast of Tom Simons', se he clicked on it.

He chuckled along with a couple jokes, laughing when Toby said that Tom had written all his for him, then was surprised when a boy named Freddie walked up to the front.

Freddie was Thomas and Eryn's friend who was also gay, right? Eryn had made some passing joke about setting him and Creek up, but maybe Creek could give it a chance. Freddie was tall, nerdy looking and thin. Exactly Creek's type.

"...As much as I would love you to be gay-" Freddie has been saying, before Tommy burst out laughing and the video cut a bit forward. Creek slammed pause, sitting there in silence for a moment.

Surely that meant Freddie liked him, right? Like, Tom was straight and wouldn't get with him anyway, but neither would Creek at this point.

Quietly, Creek shut off his computer and went to bed. He wouldn't get down over this.

The next morning, Creek running hot on caffeine and 8 hours of actual sleep, turned to Tom. "Is that story about Toby's place true?"

Thomas looked at him, alarmed. "Uh. What story?"

"The one where you," he lowered his voice to a whisper yelled. "Shat and wiped your ass with your hand."

Eryn burst out laughing. "NO TOM, YOU DIDN'T! SURELY!"

As Thomas tried his best to explain that it had been a joke, Creek suddenly felt like something was very, very off. It was just a normal day like any other, right? Clicking away at their computers in film with Tom in the middle and Eryn and Creek on either side of him. He tapped anxiously on the table between him and Tom before the movement caught the blondes eye. "You alright, mate?"

"Something is wrong. I don't know what it is, but it's wrong." Creek hissed through gritted teeth.

Tom leaned into his space slightly, assuming he was talking about the essay they were all writing. "Nothing seems wrong to me, man. You can always ask for help from us, you know."

Creek was nodding on with what he was saying, and then froze. It was Thomas. Thomas was wrong. His usual scent of Lynx Africa had faded, and was being overpowered by something that smelt of roses and sandalwood.

"Did you change your cologne?" Creek asked bluntly.

"Uh. No? Why are you sniffing me up, man?" He chuckled, but the brunette had gone cold. That was women's perfume.

Creeks heart fell into his shoes. Feeling himself retreat, he closed in on himself. "Sorry. Never mind."

"Do you need help, or what?" The blonde was asking.

Creek shouldn't be so upset. He knew from the start Tom was straight. It was his brand, for gods sake. But the lump in the back of his throat seared. What if it was his mum's perfume? What if it was all a massive misunderstanding and they were perfume testers one of his friends had swiped on him?

"Sir," Creek called to the teacher out the front. "Can I run to the loo?"

"Quickly, Mr Bronwin."

Creek jumped to his feet and speeded away as fast as possible. He could feel the pressure behind his eyes as he left the classroom, rushing to the bathroom to lock the door behind him and curl into a ball on top of the toilet seat.

This was so fucking dumb, he couldn't help but think. This was going to happen from the start. Thomas Simons was straight. He talked all the damn time about women. Had he just gotten his hopes up after the lie detector?

Tears spilt over his cheeks, hot against the cold air. The bruise around his eye pulsed. His breathing was getting faster and faster.

This was ridiculous. Was he seriously about to have a panic attack, at school, over a boy?!

He fumbled in his pocket for his phone, texting Eryn. 5 things he can see. 5 things he can touch. 5 things he can hear - yeah, it wasn't working. His head was spinning.

You
Sorry panic attac
Sxiencr room loo
Last stall

Eryn, the big man with an obsession with my hair
Shit man omw