Bitter Treats (BxB Romance, In Progress)

33: Sweet Batter

"Is Kevin home?" Tyler asked upon entering the house, accompanied by his aunt and little sister. After the intimate encounter at Robin's place, which was still consuming Tyler's mind, the couple--because that was what they were now--had met up with Des at a diner for burgers and good company. From there, Donna had picked Tyler up so he could spend the night at home. While he'd rather stay with Robin forever, he also needed to change his clothes and ensure his sister that he hadn't forgotten about him. And there was also a pressing conversation he needed to have with his uncle.

"Yeah, I think he's in his study," Donna replied while wrangling Emmie out of her coat.

"Good," Tyler mumbled, using his right crutch as leverage to pull off his shoe. "I... need to talk to him. About... you know..." He shrugged nonchalantly like the topic at hand was no big deal at all.

"I can come along!" Emmie volunteered, attaching herself like a boa constrictor around Tyler's right leg. The comparison came easily to Tyler because Robin had recently helped him with his Zoology homework. This meant Tyler remembered exactly which snake was known for constricting its prey.

"That's sweet, Em." Tyler patted his little sister on her bouncy curls. "But I think I may need to talk to him alone." He figured a five-year-old trying to climb a bookshelf perhaps wasn't the best backdrop to the planned conversation.

"You can help me bake some cupcakes in the meantime," Donna told Emmie, gently detaching the snake-imitating girl from her brother. Having freed him from the constricting hold, his aunt nudged Tyler's hand. "It'll be fine, sweetie. Your uncle will accept you just as you are. He's a good man, you know."

Tyler nodded rapidly before hiding his chin in his hoodie--well, rather Robin's hoodie since they were still wearing each other's clothes--nibbling on the frayed edge. "I know," he mumbled, unable to shake the feeling of walking toward his doom. Because while Tyler didn't worry about Kevin ostracizing him, because he knew his uncle as a kind and tolerant man, he was concerned the core of their relationship would be altered. Kevin may no longer look at his nephew the same after this revelation.

Before he could change his mind, Tyler hurried down the hallway. Cautiously, he entered his uncle's office. "Hi, Uncle Kevin," he greeted his uncle through the crack in the door. "Do you have a moment? To talk and stuff, I mean."

"Tyler, of course, I always got time for you," Kevin replied. "Come right in!" His uncle immediately sprung up from his desk to pull out a chair for Tyler to sit on, opposite to his own.

"Thank you." Tyler gave his uncle a nod in gratitude while he lowered himself onto the seat. He gathered his crutches and put them against a dresser beside him. Bending down to inhale the fragrance of Robin from the fabric of the hoodie, he gathered courage for the conversation to home.

"I missed you at dinner last night," Kevin noted, sitting down on the other side of the desk. "But I'm happy to hear you're getting along so well with your tutor that you stayed the night at his place. Perhaps he can be a good influence on your studies. And regardless, it's great to know you're making new friends."

"Robin's not my friend," Tyler said, looking down at his hands. This was true. They were so much more than friends.

Kevin gave him a puzzled look. "So you two don't get along?" he asked.

"No... we do." Tyler looked up, deciding to throw caution to the wind."We get along very well. He's great. Awesome even. And so smart." Perhaps the abundant praise was starting to give the truth away. "But Robin isn't just my friend or my tutor. He's..." Tyler looked down to inhale before peering up again to reveal the truth. "We're dating," he announced, loudly and clearly. "He's my boyfriend, I guess." They hadn't actually used that word yet themselves, but that's what Tyler wanted Robin to be.

"That's great," Kevin replied, not hesitating for a moment before showing his support. "I'm happy for you. I hope I get to meet the lucky guy soon. He sounds very special."

"Yeah..." Tyler mumbled, feeling a bit jittery at the thought of taking Robin home for family dinner. It all seemed so domestic and normal. "He's very special. So damn special that I can't even describe it." He looked up with a big smile on his lips.

"I hope you didn't think that I would have any objections against your relationship," Kevin said, a hint of concern hidden in the wrinkles on his forehead. "Like you seem nervous about telling me. And you shouldn't feel that way. Then I've done something wrong. This doesn't change anything."

"I know... it's just." Tyler nibbled on the edge of Robin's hoodie again, realizing he may have spilled some milkshake on it earlier. He may have to dab it with a wet cloth later because he wanted to wear it tomorrow as well and he didn't want to wash away the intoxicating fragrance of infatuation from it."I'm not him, you know."

Once again, Kevin looked puzzled. Perhaps Tyler wasn't the best at explaining his anguish.

"My dad, I mean," Tyler clarified, pulling his hands through his hair to get it away from his face. "I know you see him when you look at me. I mean, everyone says I look just like him. And I wanted to be like him. I tried. But I'm just... not. I'm disabled." Tyler flapped his hand across his pinned-up pant leg to illustrate. "I'm gay." He sighed. "I'm just me."

"And that's more than enough," Kevin assured him. "I'm sorry if I ever said or did anything to make you feel like you needed to be like Garrett. You don't need to be anyone but yourself to make me proud. Despite everything that has happened to you, you're such an exuberant present to have around and such a caring big brother to your sister. I'm just happy that--" to Tyler's surprise, his uncle's voice faltered, as if heavy with tears "--you're here. When we got the phone call about your accident, I was convinced we would lose you, just like Garrett."

Covering his face in his hands, Kevin started sobbing. Tyler didn't know what to do. He hadn't expected this. Awkwardly, he reached across the desk to pat his uncle's hand. "I'm still here," he assured his uncle. "I'm fine. I'm very much alive, I mean. And super gay." He chuckled, trying to add some levity to the tense moment.

Kevin couldn't help but smile. "As you should be," he noted, before taking a deep breath to compose himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at the hospital more though. I should have been. But it all came back to me when I saw you in that hospital bed. Garrett's passing, I mean. I think I never processed it properly, since I was right in the midst of juggling three kids and starting a business at the time. Therefore, seeing you in such a critical state made me break down. So Donna told me to go home and take care of Emmie while she cared for you. She's always been a rock in tough situations. I knew she could support you better than me."

Tyler took a moment to take in the information. Since he'd been sedated during the first week after the accident, he hadn't been aware of what had gone down."I'm sorry I put you through that," he mumbled. "Having to relive everything, and worry about me, I mean."

"Don't be," Kevin quickly assured him. "Don't worry about how I felt. You pulled through, and that's all that matters. Just live. Be happy. Be yourself. Be in love. I don't need you to be like Garrett. I don't need you to play soccer. I don't need you to like girls. I don't need you to do or be anything like him. Because he didn't get to live. And that's the only thing I want you to do. Live. You understand?"

Tyler nodded, smiling cautiously. "I can do that," he promised.

"Then we have a deal." Kevin reached his hand toward Tyler for a handshake. "Now I think I heard Donna say something about making cupcakes with Emmie, should we go to the kitchen and see if we can get a taste of that batter?"

"I can go for some batter," Tyler agreed, never one to turn down anything sweet. It may be a family trait.

Author's Note: So this scene takes place right after the diner scene in SLB (chapter 19: Snack Carrots). I chose not to feature that scene in this story as I don't think Tyler's POV adds anything there and I rather try to explore the unseen parts of his story, such as his relationship with his uncle.