Everything is Red [tyrus]

Chapter #7: Amber Kippen

*Chapter written by Sarah*

~

The sky was painted pink as the sun set below the horizon, signalling the end of heir first day at Riverrun Motel. As dusk fell, shadows began to fill their room, which wasn't lit by anything apart from the small lamp on TJ's bedside table. TJ's face was barely illuminated by it, but Cyrus still found himself taking him in for a moment, smiling softly. It had been a long day of talking, and he felt certain now that a majority of their worries were now out in the open.

His smile slipped slightly at the realisation that TJ still seemed hesitant, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. Cyrus shuffled closer, taking both of TJ's hands.

"What's wrong?" he murmured.

TJ glanced down at his lap for a moment, before looking up tentatively and carefully reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair away from Cyrus' face.

The man took a deep breath. "I think..." he paused for a moment to lean forward, pressing a kiss to Cyrus' lips, "I want to go visit Amber."

The words didn't register at first, which Cyrus supposed was TJ's intention with the kiss, but when they did he immediately pulled his hands away from TJ's, a frown forming on his face.

"TJ-"

"I know, I know," he interrupted, sounding desperate, "but Cyrus - we'll be careful, okay? It'll be a three-day thing tops. She won't have to know anything."

Cyrus just shook his head through, still looking uncertain. "Babe...I know you miss her, but I don't think this is a good idea. She'll get curious about where we were, and...neither of us have good memories from that town. You know that."

TJ bit his lip, looking as though he was fighting back tears. "I know, I know it's stupid, I just...wanna see her one more time, you know? In case..."

Cyrus' heart broke at the sight. He leaned back forward and placed a gentle hand on TJ's face, smiling reassuringly. "Nothing like that is gonna happen, okay? Absolutely nothing."

"But..." TJ trailed off, voice shaky, "just in case..."

Cyrus sighed heavily, letting his eyelids slide shut for a moment.

This could end in disaster. It could also end in TJ feeling more assured. It was a risk to go back to that old town, there was no doubt about that, but then again, their lives at this point seemed to be based around risks.

He bit his lip, eyes fluttering open again to meet TJ's. Cyrus gave him a small smile, leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Okay. If it makes you feel better. But we really do have to be careful, okay? No risks."

TJ nodded, pulling him into a tight hug. Cyrus let out a content sigh as he melted into it, burying his face in the fabric of TJ's jacket.

"We'll leave tomorrow," he murmured, voice muffled slightly.

"Okay," TJ mumbled back.

He paused for a moment, before falling back onto the bed. Cyrus let out a surprised yelp, laughing slightly as he went right down with him.

"Asshole," he breathed out, hovering over him.

TJ just smirked, pulling Cyrus down for another hug.

~

The drive was a relatively uneventful one. It another clear day as they travelled down the highway, headed straight towards a place they had fought so desperately to forget. Despite being a cold fall day, it was a bright out, and TJ even wore sunglasses to shield himself. Amber had a place on the outskirts of town in a generally unpopulated area, which seemed to make TJ somewhat more at ease.