tyrus oneshots

#10: Heartburn

A/N: Hello! Can you tell that I'm done with exams and have free-time for the first time in a while?

[Title based on the song 'Heartburn' by Wafia because it has major post 3x15 tyrus angsty vibes and so does this fic]

[it has a happy ending though I promise]

~

"Are you sure this'll work, Andi?" asked Cyrus, frowning slightly as his bracelet.

The girl flashed him a reassuring smile, giving him a pat on a shoulder as she walked past and began busying herself with putting away the supplies they'd used. "TJ will love it, trust me. If he doesn't, then he has a very bad taste in bracelets."

Cyrus sighed, leaning back against the confines of the wooden chair. He'd spent that Saturday morning at Andi Shack making a bracelet for TJ after some serious convincing from Andi. Truthfully, he was still somewhat scarred from the whole shirt fiasco, but the girl had insisted this would be more personal.

Andi turned around again, her smile fading the moment her eyes landed on him. "Hey, don't doubt yourself, okay? He still cares about you, even if he's hanging out with Kira."

Cyrus bowed his head. Doubting himself was something he'd become particularly adept at, but somehow, the more he hung out with TJ the less his thoughts seemed to take that direction. Lately, he'd been feeling invisible to the boy, and his mind had no problem with reminding him about it endlessly.

"You don't think it's lame?" he asked, voice soft.

A frown appeared on Andi's face at that. She paused in her actions and moved back over to Cyrus, holding out her hands to him. He looked up at her with a hesitant smile, taking them and allowing himself to be pulled up from his chair.

"Cyrus. TJ isn't like that, okay? He'll never think you're lame, no matter what. Trust me."

Maybe it was the unwavering way Andi was looking at him, or how confident the words seemed, but Cyrus found himself nodding.

"Okay," he agreed, smile widening when the girl pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Thanks," he added in a whisper, and Andi gave him another pat on the shoulder as they separated.

"No problem. Now - go get your man!"

Cyrus laughed at that, shaking his head as he made his way over to the door.

"He's not my man!" he called over his shoulder as he stepped out into the garden. Andi threw him a disbelieving look and returned to stacking her shelves.

"Keep telling yourself that!"

Cyrus just rolled his eyes. The cool morning had given way to a warm, even hot, afternoon. The sky was clear and there was sunlight beaming down on him. He found himself regretting his choice to wear a black shirt, but he pushed the thought aside and concentrated on making his way to the park, without somehow managing to talk himself out of giving TJ the bracelet.

The walk was a relatively quick one, and by the time he could see the familiar swingset in the distance, he was already beginning to feel nervous. His stomach was tying itself into knots, and he came to an abrupt stop when he spotted TJ there. Alone.

Cyrus took in a deep breath, then another, before squaring his shoulders and continuing on his way, approaching the park. The shadows cast down onto him by the trees made the heat somewhat more bearable, and soon enough he found himself in almost the exact same position he was before, standing by the park bench near the swings.

He looked over to the swingset, and when his eyes fell on who had joined TJ his heart sank.

This was a dumb idea anyway, he thought to himself, rooted to the spot as he watched Kira speak to TJ. It all seemed uncomfortably familiar, except this time, TJ looked almost... exasperated. Like he hadn't counted on Kira being there. He was sat on a swing, looking over at the girl with a slight frown on his face as she spoke.