Falling {Tronnor}

Ten

They left Troye's house a few hours later. Connor, for the most part, hung back and listened silently instead of joining the conversation. He could tell, easily, that Troye loved his family with all of his heart. It was nice to see him completely comfortable and surrounded by people he loved, and Connor realized something while he watched Troye and his brother play Grand Theft Auto for a half hour. The way Troye acted around his family and the way he acted around Connor were close to the same. (Connor thought, and wanted to believe, that Troye was even more comfortable when it was just the two of them). It made him feel special, knowing Troye trusted him.

He volunteered to drive them back, because Troye had driven there, and also because he wanted to give Troye a break. They were nearing Troye's house, and Connor was humming along to the radio when Troye turned it down suddenly, turning in his seat to face Connor.

"Tro?" Connor glanced over at him before turning back to the road, wondering what Troye was doing.

"Thanks for... um... well... just everything," Troye said.

"Of course," Connor replied. "You know I'll always be there for you."

"Yeah," Troye said, but Connor could tell there was something more. He waited for Troye to continue. "But... I don't know. You're just so..." Troye trailed off again. "Good."

Connor frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're so ready to help people and you're so kind to me. I don't... I don't know what I did to deserve you in my life as someone who cares about me." Troye put his hand on Connor's knee, and Connor's mouth felt dry. He hoped that the fact that the sun was low in the sky was hiding his blush.

"You've done so much to help me, too," Connor said. He parked the car in front of Troye's house, turning it off and turning in his seat. Troye was still facing him, his eyes intense and reflecting the setting sun.

"I just helped you help yourself," Troye said. "But, Connor, you had no obligation to help me. You said, I mean, I think I remember you saying that it was the least you could do to repay me but-"

"Tro, you're my friend, of course I'd help you," Connor interrupted, but Troye raised a hand to silence him.

"I know but..." Troye ran a hand through his hair, obviously flustered. "Look, what I'm trying to say is I'm so, so grateful to call you a friend. I'm so glad you came into my life, even though it might've been a little difficult to get through those first few meetings. I'm just grateful for you, Con." He smiled, in the light and full way he did when his heart was behind it. "Thank you, okay?"

"Tro..." Connor tried to push his thoughts and feelings out of the swirling mass in his chest, but he couldn't formulate a response.

"Goodnight, Con, I'll text you," Troye said, effectively stopping him from saying anything else. He leaned across the gap between their seats, giving Connor a hug.

"I'm thankful for you too," Connor managed to say. Troye squeezed him tighter.

"I know," Troye said. He started pulling away, leaving a quick kiss on Connor's cheek before getting out of the car with one final smile in his direction.

Connor touched his cheek, watching Troye walk to his door. He shook his head to shake the fuzzy feeling running through him, forcing himself to turn his car back on and start driving. He told himself could deal with his feelings when he got home. (But the warm, fluttery feeling in his chest was still there, there was nothing he could do to shake it)

--

Later that night, Connor had exhausted all the ways to avoid thinking about what had happened when he dropped Troye off (including talking to Troye himself, which might not have been such a good idea, considering Connor was pretty sure he came across as awkward). He sighed, plugging his phone in and flopping down onto his bed. He heard his phone buzz, probably Troye replying to him, but he ignored it.

What, he wondered, was he supposed to do? He couldn't exactly deny any more that his feelings for his friend went far beyond platonic. He would be a fool not to admit that he had a crush on Troye, that much was obvious even to him. But he was new at this, new at letting himself actually feel something for someone, especially someone who might like him back.

The problem was, in any other situation Connor would've asked Troye for advice. But there was no way he could ask Troye without also telling Troye about his feelings, and that was out of the question. So instead of asking Troye, he decided to call someone who he knew would have advice for him.

Connor lost track of the number of rings it took for Hannah to pick up, and she sounded out of breath when she finally did. "Connor?"

"Hey," he said. "Do I even want to know what you were up to?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Con," Hannah said, amusement clear in her tone. "My phone was across the house and I had to run to get it."

"Okay," Connor said, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. It was nice to talk to Hannah, because he didn't have to worry about letting something slip.

There was rustling in the back ground for a second, and then Hannah spoke again. "What did you need?"

"Oh," Connor said. "Urgh, advice, I guess." He felt himself blush.

"Advice, hm?" Hannah asked. "On what?"

"Well..." Connor replied. "I might have a crush?"

He could almost hear the gears in Hannah's head turning. "Can we facetime?" she asked.

Connor hesitantly agreed, and less than a minute later he was staring at a beaming Hannah on his phone screen. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her face red; Connor made a mental note to ask her about that later.

"A crush, huh?"

Connor nodded, blushing.

"And who's the lucky guy?" Hannah asked.

"I don't even know if he likes me back," Connor said hurriedly. "I mean, he probably doesn't, Hannah, but I don't know how to not make things awkward and-"

"Con," Hannah said, and Connor could see she was trying not to smile. "Just tell me who."

Connor looked down. "Troye," he said after a moment. "It's Troye."

--

A/N: This was short, but I promise the next one will be longer. Also, I know it's wednesday but I was thinking about updating Sundays starting next week. We'll see if I can manage to get into the swing of weekly updates, bare with me while i figure things out.