MANIACAL | TRACOB

Two.

It was officially the day that Troye turned eighteen. He did not really feel any different, but it was still exciting. His mom had gone to get the cake, and his dad had to work for part of the day. All of his siblings were still home, just playing video games while Troye walked Jagga and drew pictures. That was how it usually went on, Troye would do his own thing while his siblings entertained themselves. He did not mind it, they simply did not have the same interests. They were still very close. Anyways, Troye was busy drawing a picture for Jacob. It was very pretty in his opinion; it was of a little hummingbird hovering above the window sill, peering into the house. He had been working super hard on it, wanting to have the piece done by the time Jacob got there. Sure, it was Troye's birthday and Troye was supposed to be getting presents, but this was just little. (And Troye really liked it when Jacob praised him.) He swung his feet, which were covered in yellow socks, back and forth above the tiles as he finished off the artwork, writing his name and signing it to Jacob (with some hearts). It was some of his best work, he was sure Jacob would love it.

There was a knock at the door and Troye jumped, hurriedly standing up and running over to answer it. He looked out the window and squealed when he saw Jacob there, blushing when he noticed that the man held a bundle of flowers. Troye shook himself out of his giddiness enough to open the door, greeting Jacob with excitement obvious. "Hihi!" he said, grinning up at the tall man.

"Hello birthday boy," Jacob replied. He gave Troye a hug that made the boy's heart flutter before Troye widened the door more to let him in. "Actually, I have a present for you, but it's not here. It's back at my house, and I need you to come with me."

"Oh! Okay," Troye said. His mind filled with things that the present could be.

"So get your shoes on and we will get going, yeah? Would not want to miss out on your cake."

Troye nodded. "'kay. I'll just tell my siblings-"

"No, it's okay," Jacob said. "I've already spoken to your parents, they know that you're coming with me."

Troye pouted slightly but nodded. "If you say so." He pulled on his shoes (they flashed whenever he stepped) and tied them up. He stood up and let Jacob take one of his hands, his heart fluttering at the gesture. They went outside and down the stairs, the sun filtering through the leafy trees in front of Troye's home and casting shapes across his skin. He watched the way the shadows moved across Jacob's skin while they walked, only stopping when Jacob opened the door and gestured for Troye to get into the passengers seat. Jacob did up Troye's seatbelt for him, making the boy giggle and feel small. Jacob shut the door and walked around to the other side of the vehicle, getting in and shutting his own door. He started the engine and pulled his own belt across himself and clicked it into place. They started to drive, Troye humming along to the music as they went. The day was so pretty, it was all Troye could really think about. The sky was a bright blue with only a few fluffy white clouds in it. There was a slight breeze, rustling the leaves and keeping it from being unbearably hot.

"Where do you live?" Troye asked after about thirty minutes of driving. "I thought you lived closer to me. Did you move?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, I moved. I thought you knew."

Troye shook his head, tapping his fingers against his thighs. "Nope," he said, popping the end of the world childishly. He looked at the fields with all the hay, admiring the little yellow flowers that swayed among the golden stalks. It was a lot different here than where Troye lived, it was more country. Troye lived in a quiet little town, so it was not too busy, but there were no farms or anything nearby. "Are we almost there?"

Jacob glanced at the clock in the dash. "Just a while longer. You're being so good, such a sweet boy." Troye blushed and smiled, wrapping the end of his shirt around his fingers. "You're going to love your present."