All Around You (Troyler AU)

Chapter 24: Falling For You

Tyler's P.O.V

The sky was hidden in an overcast film as Korey and I each took turns striking at the wooden pell on the castle grounds. Even with all of my armor combined, I still felt the slight chill of the wind creeping across my skin. I clutched tightly at the wooden sword and brought it down harshly on the pell, sending splinters flying off in each direction, hoping desperately for the intensity of the strike to send some warmth through my body. Korey brought his arms up to cover his face from the flying wooden chips.

"Careful!" He said with an exaggerated squeak. "If you hit any harder you're going to break the sword completely!"

"I will not!" I argued. I sent him a playful sneer as I leaned back and struck the pell again, this time accidentally sending a large chunk off the sword. We both stared down awkwardly at the now useless weapon.

"Okay first of all what did that sword ever do to you," teased Korey. Rolling my eyes, I threw the weapon at him and watched him struggle to catch it. "I'll go get another one. This time maybe don't break it in half?"

"It's not completely broken," I said. He responded with an incredulous laugh as he walked off to the area where the weapons were held. Absentmindedly, I picked a stray branch off of the group and begun weakly hitting the pell with it.

I had wanted Troye to come down to training with me, but he had lessons today that he just couldn't get out of. I understood- sort of. I mean, I guess we had taken a lot of time away from his lessons, and I wouldn't exactly be happy with myself if I got in the way of his education. Every now and again I'd look up at his window, wishing he'd poke his head out, but he didn't. Yes, I knew it wasn't his fault. I knew he'd probably like to be down here with me just as much as I did him, but some things just couldn't be helped.

After Troye and I had gotten together, I had started to become really attached to him. Well, a better word for it would be clingy. I was being the clingiest, neediest human being in the world and I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to be with him every second of every day, and I felt like any time we were apart was just a waste. Granted, we normally spent a lot of time apart because of my training and his lessons, but it was different now. Now we were together.

If Troye had been feeling the same, he was doing a good job of hiding it. That, or he was still just very shy about things regarding our relationship. He was very reserved with his feelings, and it had become normal for me be the one to initiate any sort of intimacy between the two of us. That, if anything, only made me more hesitant to initiate anything. It gave me the impression that maybe he wasn't comfortable kissing so frequently, or maybe he didn't like that I often admitted how much I thought about him. However, the times he did make a move, it took every single one of my doubts away. He reassured me in the way that he would look at me when I held him, or in the way that he'd smile after we kissed. He was such a poet, he said a million words without even opening his mouth.

My arm shot forward and I struck the pell again, this time sending a more painful jolt through my arm considering the faulty weapon I was using. I heard a snicker from behind me, and quickly turned to face them.

"Good job, Tyler. I'm happy to see you finally found a weapon that was perfect for your...abilities," Marcus was standing with his feet firmly planted on the ground, and his arms crossed, looking like he's been watching me struggle for a while. My face involuntarily heated up and I turned around, flustered. I struck again at the wooden post.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to try something a little easier? Maybe the pell is too hard for you?" Marcus teased. I scoffed and shrugged.

"Actually, I'm having a pretty easy time with it. All I have to do is pretend it's you. That's actually how I broke the last sword." Chuckling at my own joke, and I swung my arm back and smacked the wooden pell again, watching a single wooden chip fly across the grass. There was no response from Marcus. No smart-ass retort, no humilitating joke. I had assumed he had left until I felt something grab the back of my armor and shove me forward. Marcus was dragging me with him a few yards away from everyone else. Despite my best efforts, I had to follow him. I wasn't strong enough to pull away.