Just Do It (TannerBraungardtxDylanMitchell)

14: Red Beats Headphones

Neither boy could recall exactly when or how, but they fell for each other. Maybe it was when Tanner fell asleep on Dylan's shoulder on the plane, holding his hand. Or maybe that first kiss is what did it. It didn't matter to them. All that mattered was they were in love. Only one of them had figured it out though. All he had to do was tell the other.

Tanner decided to take Dylan out to lunch one day after he was finished filming a video. Dylan had hardly left the house since they got back. He was busy apparently, every hour of every day. Tanner missed his best friend. It was very important Tanner told him what he needed to before the Braungards left for the west coast.

Dylan received a flirtatious text that caused him to blush deeply. He shoved his face in the sleeve of his hoodie to hide those rosy cheeks even though he was alone in the privacy of his own bedroom. He mentally cursed Tanner for making him blush. He always knew how to. He missed Tanner, too. He didn't really know why he decided to seclude himself from world, but now that he had, that powerful, resonating feeling in his chest had faded.

They drove through their small town in Tanner's chrome rose gold Audi. People tended to gawk when they sped by. Tanner loved the attention and the way his engine growled and roared. Dylan didn't care about the attention. He just loved being with him again.

They settled on IHop, one of their go-to restaurants. Dylan wasn't all that crazy about it, but Tanner was and it made him happy when Dylan chose IHop. That's all he cared about.

The two boys attempted lighthearted, easy going dinner conversation. Tanner still had some coincidence in him. The nerves hadn't completely taken over him, so he remained flirty as always. Dylan didn't talk much.

Eventually they ran out of small talk. Tanner didn't know what to say. He just looked at his strawberry waffle and sighed. Ah, fuck it.

"Can you spend the night? I miss you, babe."

"I m-miss you, too, but I'm, uh, grounded."

Tanner shook his head and took Dylan's hand in his. The simple gesture had butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He noticed Tanner suddenly seemed stressed, though. He rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand in hopes to comfort him.

Suddenly every question he'd made up since the second they first kissed rushed through Tanner's mind once again and his confidence dropped. What if he doesn't like me? Do I really want to risk everything we have? Tanner felt like an asshole for catching feelings, but he didn't want to bottle them up. It was already chipping away at him.

The blonde knew what he wanted to say. He had been testing out the phrase all day. That's why he asked Dylan to lunch and was trying to be confident. But he wasn't when it came to those three words. He didn't know it was going to be so hard.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just...Everything is different now, ya know."

"I'm sorry."

He laughed humorously and looked up from the table for the first time. Dylan had never seen that expression on his face in all the years he had known him. He couldn't understand what exactly he saw in Tanner's blue eyes, but he knew he felt the exact same way. His irises were dark with that unnamed, familiar emotion and it stunned Dylan. This wasn't how he wanted to do this.

"I know things are weird and I'm sorry about fucking things up and I'm trying to-"

"I don't want to live in a world where I don't talk to you everyday or see you whenever I want and I'm probably risking our friendship, but I know you feel the same-"

"Tanner, where are you going with this?"

"Dylan, I love you."

His voice was so calm. Dylan was sure he misheard him. He didn't believe it at first. His vocal chords restricted any sound he attempted to make, not that he knew what he was trying to say.

"Fuck, I just said I'm in love with you. Say something."

He felt relief from Tanner when he courageously leaned over the table and kissed him. He didn't know what he felt. The word love had never even occurred to him. It was a foreign term. The only love he'd ever known was familial and that just wasn't the same thing in his opinion. He didn't want to say it back.

Tanner had a goofy, shocked expression on his face, eyes were lit with joy. Surely that kiss meant he felt the same. He was positive that's what it meant, until Dylan ducked his head and ran out of IHop. Tanner quickly followed, catching up in the parking lot.

"Dylan, what are you-"

"I just need some air....Tanner, why did you...how, fuck!"

He raked his fingers through his hair. Back turned to Tanner. Neither of them knew what to say. Tanner finally saying it was surprising. Dylan's freak out was surprising.

"Being away from you, not seeing you, made me realize that I need you, that we need each other. I figured out why I'm only ever happy when you're around and why my stomach gets all butterflies when you smile. I fucking love you, asshole! Look at me!"

Dylan hung his head to conceal the emotions he was failing to keep on his face. He held his breath. He didn't know what to say, because no matter what, it wouldn't come out right. So he settled for walking away from Tanner, his best friend, his boyfriend, the boy he was so scared to love.

Tanner went back to pay their tab. Fellow patrons looked around at the subtle scene, whispered behind their hands, and Tanner felt humiliated. He sat there, by himself, anxiously tapping his nails against the table. He had no idea what to do now. Should he run after him? Call him? Or let him go?

That didn't seem like a viable option- he didn't want to let Dylan go- but it's what he had to do. Fuck, he was leaving for California in two days anyway. What was the point in telling him now? This wasn't a good time. What was he thinking?

Tanner felt stupid as he slowly dragged himself out of the restaurant to his car. The drive home was a blur. All he could think of was Dylan. He didn't mind thinking of him though, once the anger had simmered down. Could he really blame him for leaving? If roles were reversed, what would he have done? Tanner liked to think he would have thrown himself at Dylan, kissed him like never before, and said he loved him too.

Meanwhile- after calling his brother for a ride- Dylan did everything he could to get his mind off Tanner. He felt... Weird. Nervous and happy and confused all at once. His brothers did their best to keep him busy: playing video games, and such. Eventually though, there wasn't anything left to sidetrack him and they had better ways to spend their time. So, Dylan was left to his own devices that night. He lay on his bed, Machine Gun Kelley blasting through his red Beats headphones. He lost himself in the music and his favorite white hoodie that the boy he was trying to forget bought him. What was Tanner thinking? They're kids, for fucks sake. They don't know what freaking love is.

The truth was, Dylan had always craved love. He spent nights Tweeting things he later regretted about how he's just waiting for the right one to come along- someone he could cherish and admire and go on cute dates with. A girl whose hand he could hold and love the feeling because her hands are small and soft. He wanted that breathtaking, cliché feeling of butterflies when he kissed the right girl.

He never imagined Tanner in those scenarios. The whole situation was so unexpected, though he should have seen it coming. He felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. Duh, Dylan. Of course he fell for him.

Did he love him back? Dylan had never been so confused. He didn't know what to think. But, he had a whole month to figure it out.