Timeless: Tayvis Oneshots

gave you i gave you i

Travis' POV

I felt like I was the only one who'd been aware of the way her shoulders had slowly slumped lower and lower over time, the only one who saw the food on her plate shrink and the only one who saw the concealer covered dark circles. 

From five year olds shoving sand into lumpy piles, we'd turned into adults paying off student loans and working overtime that we didn't get paid for. And through all of it my best friend had stayed stuck like glue by my side. Taylor and Travis. Package deal. Everyone knew that.

Until him. Mother fucking scumbag Matty Healy. 

Taylor had been only a few months out of a relationship and she'd stumbled into this guy God knew where. Within a few days, they were together, and I was keeping my judgement to myself. Matty always smelled like weed and old booze and was never not drunk or high or hungover. He didn't look like he'd really figured out how to use a shower and for some reason, Taylor had been swept off her feet by him. I'd thought she'd just have some kind of fling, but a few months had turned into a year and Matty was still around.

He'd worn her down, and I felt like I was the only one who had noticed. Taylor's friends and family didn't love Matty but they liked him enough and they didn't see what he was doing to her. She'd confided in me that he'd tried to get her into weed but she was still holding up saying no, but he kept pressuring her more and more.

I was worried. Taylor had always been the shining star in the darkest pit of the world, and I was watching that fade away. She was giving so much to a man who took her for granted and I knew she just wanted to be loved the way Matty would never love her.

I wanted to love her.

Every time Taylor was single I told myself I'd let her heal for a few months and then tell her that I was in love with her but I always chickened out and then eventually someone beat me to it. I hated Joe for swooping in before I'd told Taylor, and then Matty for doing the same. But I hadn't wanted to make a move on Taylor while I thought she was still healing. I guess Matty hadn't cared or hadn't noticed she was still patching her heart back up.

And now I was staying in Taylor's guest bedroom in her apartment since my building was getting repairs, and Matty was over all the time. They hadn't moved in together but he seemed to be at her place a lot, and I knew he did not like the fact that she'd offered me a temporary home at her place.

"Don't worry about him." Taylor mumbled when the door slammed behind Matty one day. He'd woken up very late and pissed that I was still there, taken one look at Taylor and I talking in the kitchen, and stormed out. 

"Wasn't planning on it." I said quietly, and she sighed. "Tay, what's going on with you two?" I'd never liked Matty for personal reasons, but living with Taylor and seeing him around had made me wary that he might be abusing her. 

"Nothing." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. I raised my eyebrows at her. "Travis I'm fine."

"Mhm." I took the last sip of my water and moved to wash out my mug. "So I guess he's not coming to the game today huh?"

"Well he can find his own way there if he wants to." Taylor looked away, and I pressed my lips together as I watched her vanish from the room. We'd planned to go to a baseball game the three of us, but who knew where Matty was going now. I didn't care much. Good riddance. 

Taylor and I left half an hour later to go to the game, and Matty was nowhere in sight when we got to our seats. I bought us some popcorn to cheer Taylor up a little which seemed to work, and I got her smiling as we propped our feet up and talked shit like we always did while we waited. My heart hurt every time Taylor glanced at the empty seat next to her, and I couldn't help but wonder why she cared so much. Matty didn't put much effort in.