Tyrus One-Shots

Underneath It All

"Need help with that, Underdog?"

Cyrus went and grabbed the basketball that he failed to land in the basket, for the seventy-third time in a row, before he turned around to the familiar voice. His frowned faced perked up when he saw TJ standing in the middle of the court. He should've known who it was by the nickname he used, but in this moment his brain wasn't fully in the correct mindset.

"Not-So-Scary-Basketball-Guy!" Cyrus shouted as he had the biggest smile on his face. He always cheered up whenever he saw TJ. There was something about the older boy that always made Cyrus feel so happy. However, his smile didn't last long because he didn't want the older boy to figure out why he was in the school's gym shooting hoops.

TJ grabbed another ball from the stand and started to dribble it until he reached the spot where he wanted to throw the ball. He shot it into the air and it went through the basket perfectly. He looked back at Cyrus with a concerned look.

"So, what are you doing here?" TJ asked as he placed his ball back on the rack. "Last time I checked, you're not the athletic type and would rather spend your free time studying and hanging out with your friends."

Cyrus nervously grabbed his arm and felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. "I wanted to finish the last thing on my list."

That statement made TJ more confused. "But we already completed everything on your list. Remember? We spent weeks working on it and you're saying that there's something else."

TJ pulled out his phone and opened his notes section that held that list of everything that Cyrus couldn't do that the pair had spent so much time accomplishing. He handed the phone to the younger boy so see that all the things were crossed off, leaving nothing else to do. Cyrus looked down as he returned the phone to its owner.

"Yeah, about that, I left something off on purpose." Said Cyrus with a hint of guilt.

"Why?" Replied TJ as he grew more concerned of his best friend.

"Because I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

"Why would I ever be disappointed in you? Cyrus, you mean a lot to me."

"Well, basketball is your thing, the thing you love the most. I figured if you realized that I can never make a basket, you would be ashamed of me and wouldn't want to hang out anymore."

TJ walked over to Cyrus and pulled him into a hug. He never thought that his friend would ever say something to ridiculous. "That is literally the dumbest logic I've ever heard. Why would I stop hanging out with you over something small like that? I know you're not the sporty type, and that's what I like about you. You're smart, funny, and the friendliest human being in the world. So what if you can't make a basket, it doesn't matter."

Cyrus pulled away. "Thanks for saying that, but it does matter to me. I wanted to practice so that I can impress you. I figured that if I can show you that I can make at least one basket, you can be proud of me."

"I'm already proud of you. From the second that I taught you how to do a somersault I became instantly proud. How about I help you with this last thing?"

Cyrus smiled and nodded in agreement. TJ stood behind him to adjust his arms and legs. He positioned Cyrus in a certain way so that he would easily make the basket. When TJ was trying to position him, Cyrus felt secure with TJ's arms around him and didn't want it to end. As Cyrus was about to shoot, TJ let go to get a better view. It seemed like forever for the ball to finally reach its destination, but it eventually went through the hoop.

Cyrus jumped up and down with excitement as he turned around and pointed at the net, smiling harder than ever before as he finally accomplished what he could never do. TJ clapped for him but was interrupted by Cyrus suddenly hugging him. TJ grinned as he patted the other's back. The two never wanted this moment to end but they eventually had to pull apart.

After placing the ball on the stand, the boys started making their way out of the school to head back to their houses. They didn't say much along the way because they were too excited about what happened. As they walked, their hands touched because of how close they were. Both boys wanted to see if the other had done it on purpose but didn't want to take that chance of answering any questions that might come along.

After TJ had walked Cyrus to his house, he made his way to his own. Before he could make it too far away from Cyrus's house, he looked back. He regretted not asking if Cyrus touched his hand on purpose or if was just an accident. That was the moment to finally say what he needed to get off his chest, but he decided not to because of the reason he came up with. He wished he could tell him how he felt, but he can't because he's scared to. He doesn't want to give this up, so he has to put on a show because what they have is true and he doesn't want to let it go. He started back on his walk, frowning as he would never know what could've been.