Tyed

chapter eight

Tee and Shouto aren't home when Tyler stealthily enters the apartment, but Nancy is. "Shouto? Or Tyler?" she calls, and Tyler doesn't say anything, unsure of how to answer the questions Nancy definitely, definitely has. He left feeling good, but on the train home he was thinking about it, and thinking about it, and overthinking, and while overthinking isn't something Tyler does very often, he was doing it.

He can't say that he and Colby are together. He can't say that anything happened at all. He feels like it did, but when he thinks about it, nothing has materially changed.

When Nancy asks, her excited grin radiating from the stairs, "what happened?", Tyler's not sure what to say.

He leans against the wall on the top of the stairs, gazing at Nancy. Her brow furrows in confusion. "What? What happened?" she asks again, almost worried.

Tyler frowns. "Honestly? I don't know. It seemed good- it felt like things were good, and he said I was different- but God damn, I'm confused. I don't know if we're a thing now or not."

"Tell me everything that happened," Nancy demands, smiling a little. "I need to know."

Is Tyler supposed to tell her that Colby has a freakish memory, that he used to question him about the fact that he was a cheater? Is he supposed to tell her how he was pushed up against the desk and he felt something unnameable that he's never felt before, and he's not sure how much he wants to explore that? Is he supposed to tell her that nothing happened between them the way he wanted it to, and he's got no idea when- if ever- that's going to change, because Colby keeps pushing him away when he gets too close?

"We talked," Tyler goes with, "and we might've kissed a few times."

Nancy grins again, looking up at him expectantly. "And?"

"And I don't know." Tyler shrugs, deciding to be honest with her. "I don't know what's going on. He said he's going to text me, I think."

"You don't sound very excited," Nancy says, frowning. "Is there something you want to-"

"I don't know," Tyler interrupts her a little too forcefully. "I'm annoyed because it feels like something happened but then when I think about it nothing did."

"What do you think should've happened?" Nancy asks, and Tyler looks away.

Honestly? After hearing what Luna said, it really seemed like Tyler should've fucked Colby by now. But that's so stupid, isn't it? To be upset that you haven't slept with someone who's clearly into you? Someone who's about to solve all of your problems and then some? Shouldn't Tyler be thinking about how he's not going to have to go home instead of being upset about this minor thing?

"I don't know," Tyler says for the third time.

"Tyler."

"I just don't understand why he doesn't seem to want to have sex with me, that's all, and I didn't want to say it because-"

"He doesn't? Did he say that?" Nancy asks, clearly amused by this revelation. She recognises the silliness of it all, and divorced from the situation, she can laugh at it. For Tyler's sake, she's trying to hold it back.

"No, but apparently he sleeps with a lot of people so why not me? He can't be into me no matter what he says if-"

"Hang on. You're upset that he hasn't slept with you yet? Did you try initiating it?"

"Yes, and I didn't get far."

Nancy's giving Tyler the smile he gets when she finally understands his issue, and that it's not really that complicated. She has a specific smile for that. "Can I just take a moment to comment on how funny it is that you're getting a sugar daddy who doesn't want to sleep with you, and you're upset about that? That's the dream for most people."