From the Ashes

Chapter 4

A/N: I want to give a little heads up that this chapter contains descriptions of a car accident (without serious injuries to people) - just so you guys know, in case that is something you don't want to read about.

On a merrier note, the end of this chapter sorta marks the start of the... good stuff that is to come eventually ;) most of you know me by now; who honestly expected me to write a chaptered fic without, you know... good stuff?? *smirks*

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Following his captain through the foyer and out of the large building, Troye listened closely to the conversation Mamrie was still carrying with the people they'd met at the new construction – three of them in hard-hats and bright yellow safety vests, and another two in nicely pressed suits. Well, at least he tried to listen, and was latching on to words like "escape routes" and "sprinkler maintenance" to learn as much as he could.

But even while Scott kept to his side along the way, also listening intently, a strange sort of silence had settled behind them, as if someone was holding their breath. It made it difficult for Troye to pay attention. Somehow, he just knew that he was being talked about.

Surreptitiously glancing back out of the corner of his eye, Troye already suspected what, or rather who, would be setting his spider senses tingling like they had. He wasn't surprised to find Tyler and Sawyer whispering between themselves a few steps back, all while looking his way every now and then.

Troye snorted gently and straightened his back, turning forward again. Five year olds, that's what they were. At least Tyler was; Troye wondered if Sawyer was just trying to reason with the blond, like the rest of the group had done that morning, but he couldn't be sure. Sawyer seemed like a laid back person, but then again, Troye didn't know either of the two.

That thought led him to be unwillingly reminded of when he'd made the mistake of reacting to seeing Will and RJ holding hands, and he felt his cheeks flush with renewed embarrassment. Hannah had failed to mention that the two were even a couple when she'd helped Troye memorize all his colleagues' names last week.

Of course, right after the awkward gathering that morning, Will and RJ had smilingly explained to him that they were engaged to be married and that they were used to people being surprised when learning about it. That set him even further at ease. "Tyler's just overreacting like he always does," they'd said and clapped Troye on the back encouragingly.

Though, it wasn't just that Tyler had maybe gone a bit over the top in defending his friends (which was something Troye could actually give him credit for, since he'd obviously had good intentions). Troye hadn't thought he'd be forced to stumble out of the closet like he had. And so soon, too. Maybe it would have sufficed to emphasize that he really wasn't homophobic without mentioning his own preferences, but by outing himself, he knew that Tyler wouldn't have any more fuel for his fire, because honestly, what else could he say?

Troye didn't mind letting people know, not when it came down to it. He'd known he would have to come out at his new workplace sooner or later, anyway. Hiding who he was wasn't something he had planned on; he'd already had a feeling about one or two of his colleagues anyway. He just would have preferred to be the one who decided when to tell them.

What had surprised him, however, was learning that Tyler was gay too. It made sense in a way, since the man had been so infuriated when he thought Troye was being homophobic, but it was kind of the last thing Troye had expected.

Yet none of that helped Troye understand what Tyler's issue was. Actually, it just made it even harder to figure out, since he could cross 'closed-mindedness' off the list of possible reasons. And it seemed too personal, too targeted, to be the kind of incompatibility you just instinctively felt with some people without being able to really say why. Call it a hunch or whatever, but Troye imagined they could probably get along fine if Tyler wasn't so... grumpy all the time.