All I Need Is You

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                               By: Seraph_Novak
They'd only been walking for fifteen minutes, but Cyrus had somehow managed to ask close to a hundred questions about the mysterious first date TJ had arranged for them.

"Can't you give me a clue?" he asked, his hand tugging on TJ's arm as if he might be able to shake the answers out of him.

TJ smiled weakly. His boyfriend's enthusiasm, although endearing, was starting to make him anxious. If Cyrus was expecting anything grand or lavish from today, he was going to be sorely disappointed. And if that were the case, then the entire date would be ruined.

"Please?" Cyrus batted his eyelashes and pouted his lips. He was probably aiming for 'cute', but instead he looked like a giant duck with something in his eyes, and TJ couldn't help but laugh.

"We're almost there," he said, squeezing Cyrus' hand. He hoped it was enough to hold off the questions for a few more minutes.

Luckily, Cyrus seemed to get the hint.

"Fine," he said with a huff. "I'll be patient. But I'm not happy about it!"

TJ flashed his boyfriend a half-hearted grin. If he weren't so worried about Cyrus' reaction to their upcoming date, he'd be able to fully appreciate how adorably stubborn the younger boy was being right now. But, sadly, his anxiety was itching up a storm, and he could barely look at his gorgeous boyfriend without wanting to puke up his guts and run away.

When they reached the stretch of grass on the outskirts of the park, TJ cupped his hands over Cyrus' eyes.

"Okay," he whispered, slowly guiding Cyrus through the scattering of trees until they came upon the spot TJ had already picked out and prepared for them earlier on. "We're here."

Cyrus bounced up and down like an excitable puppy.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, yes!"

TJ bit his lip, for a brief moment considering dashing his plans and taking Cyrus somewhere else entirely, but then he came to his senses and slowly lifted his hand, revealing the picnic spread he'd assembled just before picking up Cyrus from his house.

"TJ, I..." Cyrus was lost for words. He flicked a glance at the older boy, then made a slow circle around the picnic, silently soaking it all in.

On the dew-damp grass, beside a towering oak tree, TJ had placed a tartan blanket in shades of blue and green, with a large, woven basket weighing it down against the October breeze. Two bottles of Martinelli's, sweating with condensation, were propped up against the tree (a throwback to Cyrus' bar mitzvah), and a couple of pillows were positioned on either side of the blanket, the perfect size for sitting on.

"TJ," Cyrus tried again, his voice thick, "this is... I-I don't even know what to say. Did you do this all by yourself?"

TJ rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not much."

"What are you talking about? This is amazing!" He bent down to pick up the bouquet of wild flowers TJ had placed beside the basket, bringing it to his nose to sniff. "I can't believe you came up with something so romantic."

"Romantic?" TJ frowned. "You mean, you don't think this is... cheap?"

Cyrus furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing to near-slits. "Are you being serious? Why the heck would I think that?"

TJ toed the glistening grass beneath his feet, his cheeks warm. He felt stupid and small all of a sudden, like his anxieties leading up to his moment had been completely unjustified.

"I dunno, I just... My family's going through some money problems at the moment, and my job at the gym doesn't pay much, so I couldn't afford to take you anywhere fancy." He waved a hand at the picnic spread, his lip curling slightly. "This is the best I could come up with."

Cyrus dropped the flowers and wrapped his arms around TJ's waist, resting his chin against his chest as he peered up at him.

"I don't care about money," he said, his words soft and hushed. "You set up a picnic for me, TJ. That requires thought and effort. And I'd much rather that than an expensive meal in some pompous, stuffy restaurant whose name I can't even pronounce."

TJ huffed a watery laugh, leaning down to bury his nose in the top of Cyrus' hair. It was fluffy and warm and smelled of coconut shampoo, and he never wanted to lift his head again.

"I can't believe you said yes to this date," he mumbled.

Cyrus flicked him playfully on the arm. "Don't act so surprised. You know I've been crushing on you for months."

TJ slowly pulled away, mindlessly pushing his fingers through Cyrus' dark, unruly waves. "I still don't get it. I mean, look at you, Cy. Why would someone like you choose someone like me?"

"It takes a special kind of guy to go to this much trouble," Cyrus said, his lips curled softly with a smile. "And you're that guy."

TJ grinned bashfully at his shoes. Before he'd met Cyrus, he'd never been much of a blusher, but now it was like second nature to him. All it took was one sincere comment from the younger boy to turn him into a giddy, giggling mess. It was crazy, and TJ honestly loved it. Being genuinely happy for once was pretty refreshing.

"So," Cyrus said, threading their fingers together, "should we eat?"

TJ relaxed. "Sounds good to me."

They spent the next hour gorging on homemade muffins, turkey sandwiches, and cold baby taters. Cyrus' mouth was covered in chocolate by the time he'd engulfed his third muffin, but that didn't stop TJ from kissing him sweetly on the lips. It wasn't until they'd completely emptied the basket (its previous contents now swirling in their guts) that they decided to take a rest, TJ sitting against the tree with Cyrus between his legs.

"I promise to take you on a proper date next time," TJ whispered against Cyrus' cheek, not wanting to disturb the serenity that had fallen over them like an old blanket. "I just need to save up some money first."

Cyrus turned in his arms, a deep crease between his brows. "This is a proper date, TJ."

"You know what I mean."

"Not really." Cyrus pressed a hand to his cheek. The inside of his palm was warm and soft, and TJ couldn't resist leaning into it. "I know you think I need to be wooed with fancy dates to keep me interested, but I don't... All I need is you. All I want is you."

TJ's throat rippled, his eyes dancing over Cyrus' face. It was a miracle this boy wanted to be his friend, let alone his boyfriend, but TJ wasn't complaining. He hadn't felt this content in years.

"Me too," he murmured, then cleared his throat. "I mean, you're all I want as well."

Cyrus' answering smile was worth more than a million fancy restaurants, and TJ felt like the richest guy in the world.

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