A Touch of Courage (Troyler AU)

A Chapter 7: Sonnet 116

Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom: If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

- William Shakespeare

Tyler's POV

"Hey Roomie." Troye blinked rapidly as the boy beamed and moved forward. The boy approached with arms outstretched for an embrace and Troye seemed to freeze by degrees, his body standing rooted in place.

"Caspar!" Tyler's voice rang out. Caspar stopped moving and Troye's body unfroze slowly from its flinch.

A crease of confusion distorted the Caspar's face as he turned to Tyler. "What?"

Tyler had been watching Troye, but switched his gaze to Caspar, his expression alert. "Don't...he doesn't like..." Tyler struggled for a way to explain and Troye's eyes flickered to him before returning to Caspar.

"Isn't he my roommate? He's the only one here I don't know." Caspar turned back to Troye and looked at him with interest. "Wait, you're not another one of Tyler's conquests are you? Honestly Tyler how many is that now? So which one are you? David...no...Sam or- "

"Caspar." Tyler's voice was urgent. "Can you please shut the fuck up?"

Troye's gaze more than flickered to Tyler now. Troye stared, his look focused and sharp. Tyler was going to fucking kill Caspar.

"He's just joking Troye." Troye raised an eyebrow delicately but said nothing. No one did. The silence that fell was like the pause after an awkward joke. Caspar seemed oblivious to the awkward silence and turned to peer at Troye with interest.

"So you're not Tyler's boyfriend?" Troye's other eyebrow rose to join its partner and he shook his head slowly.

"Oh. Are you guys friends with benefits then?" Troye didn't respond in any way and Tyler wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

Caspar looked at Troye intently until Troye gave a minute shake of his head. "Oh." Caspar frowned. "What are you doing here then?"

Troye blinked and gave Tyler a long look, clearly begging for his intervention. "He lives here, Caspar."

"You're my roommate? Why didn't you just say so?"

Silence. Troye looked at Caspar with what looked like dawning horror and Caspar looked back, his eyes twinkling.

"Hey, do you talk?" Troye said nothing, just continued to stand unmoving and silent, staring at Caspar intently, as if analysing him. His expression seemed caught between one of recoil and one of deep illness. The air in the room was weighty and Caspar's words hung in it for a long moment until Zoe gave an awkward laugh.

"Small world isn't it? What are the odds you two would be paired together? Don't worry, you two are going to love each other."

Everyone turned to look at her. Troye stared at her as if to see if she was joking, Tyler shook his head sadly, silently saying her efforts were futile and Caspar nodded seriously. Zoe looked around and sighed and they lapsed back into silence.