The Selection (Troyler AU)

♔Part XXXV♔

I won't be updating to a bit after this, since I'm going to NY with my grandparents for about a week, so fair warning.

Also this story's about to hit 70k reads I cry.

Troye POV

Do you want to tell me what exactly happened?

The question hung in the air, suspended by the growing tension and unresolved inquiries, as Tyler looked at me with a blank expression on his face. Not a single muscle twitched, giving away whether or not he was even considering elaborating on how the hell we'd ended up in this situation in general, from the regular abusive actions of his father to ending up at my door, seeking immediate aid.

And really, he didn't have to answer, if he really didn't want to. We may have been friends (though in my eyes, he held a far more precious position to me than a mere friend) but he didn't owe me any explanations, not really. Not to mention the that, as always, he had complete and total authority, being the Prince. He could simply tell me to forget he'd ever shown up on my doorstep, and I'd have to comply, no questions asked. There was no getting around his wishes, once they were enforced.

With all of this in mind, it was no wonder I was so surprised when he complied.

"Okay," Tyler said finally.

"Are you sure?" I asked, just to make sure that he was ready to go over whatever had happened - whatever had been happening - without dredging up anything that could damage his mental state. I had no idea what was going through his head, but I was starting to get the idea that Tyler wasn't so much a strong man as a man with a strong will to go onward. Persistent, but not powerful; durable, but not sturdy.

Knowing this, I didn't necessarily want to push him, even if I wanted to know what was going on, and why he'd involved me of all people in the first place. I had no problem with it, of course, but there were so many other options that could've worked for him just as well, if not better. There was Hannah, for starters; he's been friends with her for a long time, from what I can tell, and I'm sure she could keep this quiet.

There were any of his other friends, that he hadn't told me about. There must've been someone who could've helped, with more medical experience and a closer bond with Tyler, that would've been useful. After all, I couldn't be the only friend of Tyler's that's gone unnoticed by the common eye. I wasn't that special.

"I will. I just. . .I just don't know where to start," he admitted eventually, smiling feebly as he shook his head in bafflement.

I nodded understandingly, pursing my lips in a thin line. I scooted closer to Tyler, bringing my legs up on the bed, subsequently tucking them under me. "How about you start with why you came to me tonight?"

He furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "Why I had to come in general, or just you in particular?"

"Both."

He sighed tiredly, resting his chin on an enclosed fist. "I had to go somewhere because what happened tonight was way worse than usual, and I couldn't handle it on my own for once. I came here," he said, giving me a pointed look,"Because. . .of a lot of reasons, actually. I came because you're my friend, and I can trust you. You're a Servant, and most of you have been trained to handle medicine and injuries and all that crap. You - you can keep quiet. It's one of the first things I learned about you, after all, is that you can keep a secret.

"I came here because you were my first choice," he concluded finally.

I stared, my lips parted in surprise, as I mulled over his explanation. To think that Tyler would think of me before anyone else, during his time of need, stunned me, to say the least.