Everything is Red [tyrus]

Prologue: Palace Motel

*Chapter written by Sarah*

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Palace Motel had a name that would suggest many things - luxury, comfort, wealth. It just so happened that this building was the complete opposite of those things. With cracked brick walls and graffiti-littered doors, which creaked obnoxiously upon each opening, it didn't exactly live up to its name by any means. It was notorious for its bad track record with crime, and only the most desperate people generally sought shelter there.

Cyrus Goodman and TJ Kippen weren't desperate by any means, they just happened to find comfort in old, run-down motels where people wouldn't dare come looking for them. There was no particular reason for this - or so they would tell you. Faded motels just had a certain charm about them, Cyrus would say with one of his naturally bright smiles.

It was late into the evening when the pair finally collapsed onto their double bed. They were used to claustrophobic rooms like these - ones with beige walls, creaky taps that had a tendency to stop working and small windows. Cyrus was looking out one of the said windows, admiring the night sky. It was clear, with bright stars beginning to dot it. He looked up to TJ, knowing that he would likely be appreciating the view too. TJ was always telling Cyrus how comforting he found the night sky, how it gave him a sense of anonymity that day time could just never deliver.

Their darkened room was illuminated occasionally by the faint glow emanating from Cyrus' camera screen. Everything felt peaceful, and that wasn't something Cyrus could say he often felt.

TJ gave him a fond smile, his hair unruly in the most breathtaking way possible as he shuffled even closer to him, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Cyrus' neck.

"Babe," he complained. "Stop looking at the photos you took today."

Cyrus gave him a teasing smile, bringing the camera up purposely to snap a quick photo of him.

"Hey!" he spluttered, playfully taking the camera away from him.

Cyrus watched as TJ scooted off of bed and got to his feet, wandering over to the small kitchen counter and pointed placing the camera down there.

Cyrus had a smirk on his lips as TJ turned back to him, a hand on his hips.

"That's staying there," he said sternly, but Cyrus could see the soft smile that was threatening to appear on his face as he walked back over to the bed, gracefully lowering himself down next to Cyrus. He had become nuanced in the way he interpreted TJ's facial expressions by now and, often to TJ's dismay, he was able to read him somewhat like an open book. He supposed that spending so much time with someone did that to a person.

"Happy now? No distractions," Cyrus teased, rolling over to look up fondly at TJ.

He just smiled and nodded, placing a gentle hand under Cyrus' chin and tipping his head up slightly so he could lean down and place a lingering kiss on his lips. Cyrus' eyes fluttered shut almost instinctively, melting into the touch right away and shuffling even closer to TJ. He wrapped his arms around TJ's waist, burying his head in the taller man's chest and letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

He had a tendency to forget just how much tension he held throughout the day, always feeling it seep right out of him when TJ brought him close like this. He felt TJ's eyelashes flutter against his skin, pulling an embarrassing giggle from him as it always did.

Motel rooms like these always seemed to be freezing at night, and Cyrus had regrettably never dealt well with cold. He snuggled further into TJ, trying to soak in as much of his body heat as was physically possible.