Five Times Olly Tried To Deny His Crush On Ansi and One Time He Didn't
Linda/Linables
Light T/PG-13

01.

Saraline piled one last book onto the stack she was holding and slammed the door of her locker shut. Her arms shook a bit in the sleeves of the old cargo jacket, which was, ironically, now a perfect fit. She had walked a few metres away from her locker when she heard footsteps behind her, and Saraline slowed down to let her older brother catch up to her. She was fifteen now and he was seventeen, but after skipping most of middle school, the younger Timbers child had jumped straight up to the same grade as her brother.

"Wow, got enough books? I still can't believe you're already applying to colleges. It's not even halfway through the year yet!"

Saraline rolled her eyes but smiled directly afterwards, knowing Olly meant the comments in jest. As if to reinforce the point, he gestured for her to hand over some of the book pile, which she did. Grateful to now see clearly over the much shorter stack, Saraline matched Olly's bouncing stride as they headed out of the school.

"You joining me on the bus?" Saraline asked out of habit as they stepped outside, even though she knew the answer. It was the same one that Olly gave every day.

"Nah, I'll wait for Ansi." he said, glancing at the nearby private school building. "Then I'll go home with him."

The specific wording of his answer was new today, and Saraline couldn't help but say under her breath:

"Yeah, you do wish for that, huh?"

She could barely contain a rather uncharacteristic giggle that threatened to slip out.

Olly blinked a couple of times, the gears in his head chugging away for a few moments before he understood exactly what Saraline was implying. His face went as red as his hair quite quickly. There was no way it was that obvious, was there? Once Olly finally gathered himself enough to reply, he realised that Saraline had already taken back her books and was halfway to the school bus waiting in the distance.

02.

Olly was not staring at Ansi's arse again, no siree. He had not been stealing glances at that particular bit of his best friend's anatomy since they were both 14. At least that's what he kept telling himself. But his fatal mistake this time was not managing to avert his gaze before Saraline stepped into the room.

"You ever going to tell him?"

Saraline's sudden sharp words barrelled into Olly's ears and made the boy flail about, trying to cover up what he'd been doing. But very clearly turning your head 90 degrees, away from another person who was kneeling on the floor as he analysed a clue he'd found, was not easy to hide.

"W-what? Tell who? Tell what!?" Olly stammered. Saraline's lips quirked up in a sympathetic kind of half-smile. She shook her head.

"You've been sneaking peeks at Ansi's butt for years now. Not to mention his face, his legs, his-"

"Okay, okay, be quiet before he hears you!"

Olly was beginning to resemble a lobster from the neck up. Were she not his little sister and therefore contractually obliged to think he looked ridiculous, Saraline might have thought that his huge pleading eyes looked adorable. Fortunately for Olly, Saraline had the good grace to actually be quiet as she noticed Ansi getting up nearby.

"Hey guys," Ansi said as he turned to his friends. "I'm done here. Did I miss anything important?"

"Nope," said Saraline, sneaking a sly glance at Olly. "Not yet."

03.

"The worst part is, there were only two physical education options left." Ansi said as he walked next to Olly towards the Wayne. "And I have to choose by tomorrow."

"What options are there?" Olly asked, genuinely curious about this strange private school stuff. At the local public high school there was only one option for P.E., and you had no choice in the matter. Ansi, on the other hand, would have had his pick of six options if he had arrived at school on time that day. Unfortunately Team Timbers had stayed up until the wee hours of the previous night while tracking a rogue W.P., making everyone oversleep. By the time Ansi arrived at school, the registration for next semester's classes had long since started. It was going to be their final semester of high school, so missing out was an even bigger let down.

"I can choose between wrestling and...ballroom dance."

Olly's gait slowed down considerably as he took in the information, and he twiddled his fingers nervously. Ansi couldn't help but notice the rather obvious reaction.

"What's the matter? You're acting weird." he prodded, although no malice was in his voice.

"Yeah, I, um…" Olly started, turning towards Ansi. They had both stopped walking. "I would go with ballroom dance, I think. It's, you know...well, it's pretty fun."

"You can ballroom dance!? Since when? That's so...classy of you!" Ansi said, his face breaking out into a cheeky grin. Olly chuckled nervously, a warm feeling spreading through him as he and Ansi's eyes met. Those eyes were sparkling with good-natured laughter.

"Well, I don't know if I can really do it, but I have taken lessons. About a year ago. I kept it pretty quiet."

"How did that start?" Ansi asked.

"Well, it started with my Mom's one and only attempt to try and get Saraline to take on her old hobby. She used to do some ballroom dancing when she was a kid, but had to stop taking lessons. So she tried to set Saraline up with some dance classes, but she stormed out about halfway through the first one. I happened to be with her at the time, and I just hung out in the studio while the other students practiced. It looked pretty cool, and I, uh...kinda took her place since the classes were already paid for."

Ansi's expression was half amused, half genuinely impressed. He gave Olly a lopsided grin, then suddenly grew shy. Before Olly could ask what the matter was, Ansi blurted out:

"If I took ballroom dancing, could you help me then?"

They shared a look, and almost unconsciously stepped towards each other. Was Ansi actually blushing? Before they knew it, the boys had slipped into a crude waltz position, Olly getting ready to lead. Yes, Ansi was definitely blushing. Noticing this, and feeling sparks across his fingers where they touched the other's, Olly was sure he wasn't faring much better himself. They were about to take the first step when the sound of a communicator went off.

It was a mad scramble to jump apart and get out Olly's communicator while trying to calm themselves down. Apparently they hadn't completely succeeded, because when Olly switched on the live video feed and Saraline saw them from her screen back home, she immediately grinned.

"Did I interrupt something, boys? Well, it'll have to wait. But the quicker you get back here, the quicker you can finish. Now hurry!"

04.

"You heard me, hand it over." Saraline said sharply, making a 'gimme' gesture with her hand.

"What!? Why? I'm gonna see him before you are, shouldn't I keep it?!"

Olly clutched the wool scarf possessively, hugging it to his chest. The siblings had met up with Ansi during their school's overlapping lunchtimes and gone to a nearby deli to grab a bagel and coffee. Ansi had run back to his private high school a little bit earlier than Olly and Saraline, accidentally leaving his scarf at the deli. Olly and Saraline were now back at their own school and making their way to their next classes.

Usually Team Timbers would assemble after school, but today Ansi was going to be away for the rest of the day with his father. So, the scarf would have to stay with Olly and Saraline until school the following morning.

"I'll give it back to you in the morning, okay? And you can give it back to him," Saraline argued, once again motioning for Olly to hand the scarf to her. "But I'm not going to let you keep an article of Ansi's clothing with you in your room overnight!"

The sibling's eyes met, and Saraline narrowed hers in a very 'you know exactly what I'm talking about' sort of manner. Once Olly caught on, his jaw threatened to hit the floor.

"Saraline Timbers, I am appalled that you would suggest something like that!"

Olly's tone was obviously tongue-in-cheek, although he did seem genuinely embarrassed. Perhaps realising the very real danger of having a piece of his crush's clothing in his room, smelling exactly like the boy in question, Olly gingerly handed his sister the scarf. Saraline grinned and took the woollen garment, tucking it into her backpack. One day, she would make sure Olly told Ansi the truth...but for now, this was the smartest way to go.

05.

Saraline and Madison walked eagerly through the college building on their way to the lecture for prospective students. As she pocketed the informational pamphlet with a campus map on it, Madison glanced back toward the two boys who trailed behind them. Olly and Ansi had been pushed by their parents to join Saraline on her campus tour, since they were meant to start applying to colleges soon themselves. Madison had tagged along because she was doing a shoot for her new paranormal show nearby (this time she was the solo host).

The boys didn't seem to be particularly interested in the college. Occasionally Ansi would glance at some posters that had been put up for the prospective students, but he never lingered. Out of the two, he was the one who was more likely to actually be accepted at this school. It was a great school, and Dr. Molina would definitely be happy to have his son attend. But everyone knew that Ansi wouldn't actually accept an invitation to attend the college - it was kind of an unspoken thing that was obvious to all around. There was nothing wrong with the school itself, but everyone knew that Ansi would reject any college that didn't accept Olly as well. After going to different schools for the entire length of their friendship, Olly and Ansi were hell-bent on being together in college.

Madison's gaze lingered behind her on Olly and Ansi. A small wry smile appeared on her face and she met Saraline's eyes as she turned back to her.

"Is he ever gonna tell Ansi how he feels about him?" Madison mused.

"He'd better. Eventually Olly's going to explode from repressed desire if he doesn't, and I don't want to explain that to our parents."

Both girls directed their attention back to the boys in question. They had stopped momentarily so Olly could straighten Ansi's uniform tie. Olly probably couldn't see from his angle, but Ansi wore a shy smile that quietly lit up his face. Shaking her head and making a good-natured tutting noise, Saraline turned away and continued her walk to the auditorium. Madison walked alongside her, grinning.

"They're getting there," Madison said. "If Ansi keeps looking at him like that, even Olly will eventually wise up."

One time he didn't

Team Timbers had just finished the mission with little time to spare. The three primary members were still running on adrenaline and bursting with excitement. Even Saraline, who was usually able to keep her calm demeanour, was visibly grinning.

Excited didn't even begin to cover the state of the boys. Ansi literally skipped along the hallway while Olly recounted the highlights of their mission. When Olly got to the part where Ansi had helped the most, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet and glowing with happiness. He inched his way closer to his friend as he talked, until their hands, sides, whatever part was closest at any given time - brushed together. Ansi gave no indication that he minded this at all.

"And you were just...you were so, so amazing, Ansi!"

Olly sucked in a gulp of air, having rattled on without so much as a second to breathe. As soon as he had filled his lungs he turned to Ansi, not yet having expelled the giddiness from his system. Olly fell into a stride with his Ansi, who was still practically bouncing on his feet. Then something happened that Olly hadn't expected or been prepared for. In a split second, he felt something warm press against his palm and weave through his fingers. A quick glance down confirmed his suspicions - Ansi had taken a hold of his hand, and was now squeezing tight.

They had held hands before. More than once, even. But it had always been Olly who had initiated the hand-holding. And there was something about this time that felt...different. Warmth bubbled up inside Olly's chest all out of control, and he could swear that sparks were dancing along every bit of his and Ansi's connected skin. Pumped up by adrenaline and desire, Olly acted without thinking and pulled Ansi closer to him. The boys stumbled into a clumsy embrace as they came to a halt, and their eyes met for a millisecond before Olly's were closed and their lips were together.

In stark contrast to their earlier unbridled motion, the world now seemed to stand still. Ansi suddenly got the silly, ridiculous, but still somehow inviting urge to pop his foot in the air, crooked at the knee. Wasn't that how it happened in films? His thoughts were spinning but he tried to shove them aside for once. He never would have guessed that he'd end up in this situation today, but now that Olly was actually kissing him, he didn't want to stop. Ansi had just managed to calm his mind and was ready to really reciprocate when Olly suddenly pulled back as if zapped by lightning.

"AH! I'm sorry!" he cried out, holding Ansi at arm's length but not totally letting go. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I just...I'll leave you alone! Sorry!"

With that, Olly finally let go of Ansi and turned to run away. It took a second for the gears to start chugging away again in Ansi's brain, but when they did, he jumped into action. With the precision of someone who wields a bladed weapon, Ansi's hand shot out and grabbed Olly by the arm. Olly skidded to a halt and whipped around to face Ansi, clearly nervous about what was to come. Ansi offered a wobbly smile, fidgeting a bit but not breaking eye contact.

"You, uh…" he started, working to control the stammering in his voice. "You just surprised me. I didn't say I didn't like it."

As soon as the meaning of the words registered in Olly's mind, he all but exploded from joy. He lunged forward and grabbed Ansi again, wrapping his arms around his waist. For once, Olly couldn't find a long-winded sentence or quippy remark. He simply blurted out "c-can I…?" and hoped that Ansi would understand. Luckily Ansi caught Olly's drift and he nodded, lips curving into a smile before they were once again covered by the others'.

Over the few minutes that all of this had happened, Saraline stood leaning against a wall nearby. She was pretty sure that the boys had forgotten that she was there, but that was for the best. Saraline shook her head and playfully rolled her eyes, but a grin bubbled up onto her face as well. It was about damn time. Satisfied with the outcome of the situation - but not wanting to watch her brother suck face in public - the girl pulled out her smartphone. She'd give the boys however long they needed.