Everything is Red [tyrus]

Chapter #8: An old childhood friend

*Chapter written by Sarah*

~

The following day found Cyrus outside taking photos of the various flowers that Amber had growing in her garden. It was another sunny day, albeit a lot cloudier than the previous one had been. TJ and Amber were sat together on the porch, chatting away. TJ glanced over at Cyrus occasionally, watching fondly as he carefully positioned for each photo.

Cyrus couldn't hear what either of them were saying from where he was, but they both seemed content so he couldn't find much reason to worry.

The morning drew on, and eventually, Cyrus retreated to their room so he could look over some of the photos he'd taken and delete any that weren't as good (by his standards that was, by TJ's standards they all would've been perfect.)

He heard a gentle knock, following by the creaking sound of their door slowly opening. TJ slipped inside, and one glance up confirmed that he looked visibly upset. Cyrus set aside his camera with a hesitant smile.

"What's up?"

TJ sighed as he made his way over to the bed, pushing past the tangle of blankets and laying down beside Cyrus. He stared up the ceiling for a few moments before responding.

"Do you ever..." he paused for a moment, biting his lip, "do you ever think about what life would've been like if none of that stuff happened back then?"

Cyrus was slightly taken aback by the words. TJ was generally a pretty forward-thinking person, and he rarely dwelled on the past. He thought about it for a moment, turning it over in his head.

"Yeah, I do," he responded gently, laying down beside him. "But...we can't change what happened back then now. It's not worth torturing yourself over."

TJ turned over on his side to face him, absent-mindedly reaching out to trail his fingers along Cyrus' arm. "I know...it's just, things could've been so good for us. I was just talking with Amber and...I don't know. We could've stayed here and gotten a little place like this one. Could've gotten work somehow."

Cyrus really didn't know what to say, but TJ continued before he had to.

"Amber said she misses me, Cy...I just...I don't know. I wish I could see her more. I wish I didn't have to lie. I guess that's kind of rich coming from me, but-"

"I get it," Cyrus interrupted him, shuffling closer. "And yeah, things could've been different. But this is our reality now, and we can't do much to change that. I mean, sometimes I wish we could, but...we can't. Just focus on the time you're spending with her now, okay? I know it's not ideal but...it's what we have to deal with."

TJ nodded. "You're right. I guess I should probably stop thinking about the ice cream parlour we could've opened together."

Cyrus laughed slightly at that. "You wanted to open an ice cream parlour? What would've made it any different to the other ice cream parlours in this town?"

The man thought about it for a moment, a smile forming on his lips as he pulled Cyrus in.

"We could've made it a gay one. LGBT people allowed, only. And allies on Sundays."

"A gay one?" Cyrus laughed, giving TJ an incredulous look, "that wouldn't have happened even if we weren't criminals, I can tell you that much."

TJ just smiled again, placing a quick kiss to Cyrus' hair. "My mind is too advanced for the current market."

Cyrus nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe wait about 20 years or something. People may be more onboard."