It's Understandable: A Tronnor AU

11. Purple Kool-Aid

"Oh my God." Troye couldn't believe his ears. The pattern of his heartbeats was an EDM melody, but he could feel them, in his fingers and his knees. He didn't even know you could feel heartbeats in your knees. "You...you were just mad at me and now...now you're saying you love me? That was, um...a sudden change."

Connor looked up through his eyelashes, letting out a little puff of shy laughter. "I'm an emotional wreck, what do you expect of me?" He chuckled. He was nervous, but in a adrenaline-pumped way versus a stuttering mess, because this was one of the first times in forever that he was sure of something. He could truthfully summarize a set of emotions into one word, and that felt amazing. He watched Troye run a hand through his hair, smiling and chuckling in wonder as he looked into the sun. Connor tilted his head. "What are you thinking?"

Troye shook his head, laughing quietly, still flustered out of his mind. "I don't know, I'm just...pleased."

"And why is that?"

He looked at him; blue eyes, mirrors of not only the physicality of the day sky, but the metaphor of exquisiteness and change and exciting unpredictability that it held. Troye touched Connor's cheek, quadruple A batteries encased in his fingers, converting their chemical energy into a spark of charge that fireworked on Connor's pale skin. He ran his hands down Connor's ribs, his face slackening with adoration. "Because being your guy is the #1 thing I dream of."

The following silence was not a bad thing. Connor's organs went a little haywire: his stomach churning, his heart heaving, his mind trying to contain his excitement and his muscles unable to hide his happiness. Troye searched his eyes, his body feeling unburdened as the blue mixed with green to create an ocean of new and crazy emotions. He held Connor's waist in his hands, which was such a grand feeling for such a simple action, and nearly touched their noses.

Connor parted his lips slightly. "Should we...should we kiss now?"

Troye's lips twitched with agreement, and he began to lean it. Connor's eyelids dropped, and Troye had all intentions to kiss him, but then an idea popped into his head. This idea, it was one that turned his giddiness up to full blast. But it needed patience, so he moved his head, kissing Connor's nose instead of the lips.

Connor pouted, but Troye just ruffled his hair and started to walk away. He chuckled, because he could tell that Connor was very intrigued by Troye's sudden mysteriousness. "Meet me at my car after school?"

Connor smirked. "Okay, but I expect that kiss at one point."

"Oh, you'll get it, don't worry. I have a plan."

~~~

At the end of the day, Troye was so proud of his plan that he couldn't wait in the parking lot. He stood at the end of the hall, a safe distance from Connor's locker, waiting for him to get there. While he was waiting, he preoccupied himself by trying to figure out the actions of a group of kids near Connor's locker. They had a locker open, balancing cups on the top shelf, attaching strings between them and the partially closed door. He recognized a couple of them: head bitch Bethany Mota, her goons, Caspar Lee and Kian Lawley, and a few other populars. Troye rolled his eyes to himself; they were probably playing some cruel prank on an unsuspecting kid, a lowly peasant in their twisted minds. How kind, precious Connor got mixed up with that type of people was so beyond him.
They walked away a few minutes later, locking the locker back up and giggling malevolently to each other. Troye pretended to be looking at his phone as they walked by and, when he looked up again, hated sights were replaced by beauty. He smiled wide, seeing Connor nearly running to his locker, in a rush. A rush to see Troye. Troye started walking to him, loving how giddily Connor twisted his lock, so excited that he got the combo wrong and had to start all over.
But then the images in his head clicked, and Troye's stomach dropped. Connor's was the sixth locker down the row. He compared that information to that in his recent memories. Wasn't that the one his friends were tampering with?