Bad Enough for You (BoyxBoy)

Bad 7

Jeremy had just shown up at the picnic table his friends and Tyler had been lounging across smoking their cigarettes casually when Tyler starts to stir. He gets up from the table, stomps out the butt of his cigarette, tossing a nod and a noncommittal thanks to his new friends before he starts walking away. This must be really irk Jeremy because he’s calling out to Tyler to stop from across the courtyard. “You don’t like me very much do you?” Jeremy says to Tyler’s back.

Tyler turns around slowly, eyes and face void of all emotion except mild annoyance, “Excuse me,” he says flatly.

“You don’t like me…do you?” Jeremy repeats and looks very put out while he says it. Tyler hates the kicked puppy look Jeremy adopts as he answers his question. “I don’t think I know you well enough to really have an opinion of you,” Tyler says and it’s such bullshit he wants to scream.

Both of their frowns deepen, Tyler’s looking spiteful while Jeremy’s’ just looks dejected. Tyler’s brows scrunch together before raising up into his hairline and he decides to twist the knife he already has in the younger boy’s back.

“Why do you care that I might not like you?” He’s careful to make it sound like the possibility of him not liking Jeremy is more probable than him actually liking him, as if the thought repulses him.

Jeremy looks stunned at the question, stutters out quietly, “I-I don’t…I don’t.”

Tyler nods his head but looks at Jeremy likes he’s sizing him up when really he’s only admiring his perfect bone structure and tortured eyes (that part hurts like nothing else ever will,) Jeremy avoids his gaze the whole time, shrinking away in his embarrassment. “Good, cause you shouldn’t.”

Tyler’s taking off before Jeremy can answer and per usual he takes that moment to disgust himself for how’s he’s treating the man he loves.

***

Its mid-morning break on a Thursday and the three of them are standing at Caroline’s locker just chatting quietly to each other, not talking about anything of importance (Jeremy) because Andy, Steven and Henry (some Matt and Tyler’s football buddies) along with Henry’s girlfriend Mollie, are there as well. Tyler has his back against the lockers but he isn’t really paying any attention to who’s passing them but rather watching Caroline preen over Matt with a smile on both their faces before she moves onto Tyler and is fixing his hair and his jacket. He doesn’t see Jeremy and one of his friends, Spencer (decent guy by all accounts, shared his smokes with Tyler a time or two) approach but it’s not like he would’ve been able to do anything about it since he still feels like he’s going to pass out.

Jeremy stops in front of them, sort of off to the side behind Caroline but still in perfect view of Tyler who appreciates with every ounce of his being how good Jeremy looks in those low hanging jeans and dark gray shirt. Tyler doesn’t smile or acknowledge Jeremy’s presence but almost loses it when Caroline jumps and squeals as Jeremy speaks from behind her.

“Hey,” Tyler’s heart thrums rapidly in his chest at Jeremy’s melodic voice directed at him. He doesn’t need to look at Caroline to know what to do because he’d like to think he’s got the basic cool guy interaction attitude down even though he’s an absolute wreck on the inside, even after all this time. He gives a short nod and a raise of his eyebrows towards the younger boy but doesn’t meet his eyes, “Hey Spencer,” even Tyler can feel what a low blow that is as he goes back to acting as if he’s too interested in the people passing by.

Jeremy looks genuinely gutted by this as he turns briefly to his friend who looks guilty as sin, eyes apologizing rapidly for something he had absolutely no control over. Jeremy appears to take a moment or two to just breathe and Spencer moves to whisper something in his ear that Tyler doesn’t hear, that Tyler isn’t even sure he wants to have heard because Jeremy smiles at it and that makes his stomach clench violently.

“So there’s uhm, there’s a party Friday night by the lake, if you want to come, all of you,” Jeremy gestures to everyone but his eyes never leave Tyler’s face which still hasn’t turned to face him. Andy says something short about partying with the burnouts but Matt elbows him and Caroline shoots him a vicious look, he shuts up fast. Steven adds something about the potheads having the best parties because they have the best drugs and always get the best booze. The others say yes and Tyler notices how Matt and Caroline still haven’t answered yet.

Tyler risks a glance up to see Jeremy staring at him intently, big eyes nearly begging, lower lip trapped between his perfect white teeth and it’s enough to make Tyler want to fall to his knees and say yes, a thousand times yes, yes for the rest of his life. But he doesn’t, he lets his eyelids fall slightly, squinted partially as he watches everything with an almost brooding air to him.

“No thanks,” Tyler says casually and feels his lips twitch when Caroline winks at him.

Jeremy’s face falls and his friend Spencer steps up closer to him which makes Tyler’s stomach twist again. He nearly growls at the other punk because he shouldn’t be standing that close, Tyler doesn’t like that he’s standing that close to Jeremy.

“Oh, okay,” Jeremy mutters softly, eyes on the floor, Tyler can tell he’s trying (and failing,) to hide his disappointment.

“Thanks for the offer though Jared,” Tyler replies to Jeremy’s frown, watches as it deepens at the screw up of his name for the second time since they’ve started running in the same circle. Spencer gasps, Matt bites his lip to contain his smile and Caroline fist pumps off to the side, by her hip so Jeremy can’t see. “See you around,” Tyler finishes with the typical response before brushing between Jeremy and Spencer as he walks by, making sure to press himself up against Jeremy’s side as he passes.

He’s walking away but he hears how Jeremy’s broken voice whispers, “It’s Jeremy,” and that’s it for Tyler he can’t take it anymore.

He runs.