Cyrus wasn't used to not having someone to hang out with after school. His friend group had a somewhat regular routine of going to the Spoon or someone's house to work on homework or just spend time together. But today everyone else had plans except for him. Andi had some wedding related plans to work on with her family, Buffy had a doctor's appointment, and Jonah had a date with Libby. Normally he wouldn't have minded, but he had finished all his homework in study hall and wished that he had someone to spend time with in his unusually free afternoon. However, he couldn't fault his friends for their perfectly valid plans, so he decided to just head home and find something else to do.
As he was heading towards the exit, he passed by the gym and heard the unmistakable sound of a basketball being bounced around. As far as he knew, there weren't any practices or games, so he paused and poked his head in the door. To his surprise, TJ was in the gym alone, tossing the ball in the hoop. Cyrus walked all the way into the gym and started to approach his friend from behind. TJ was so focused on his shooting that he didn't notice Cyrus until the other boy said something.
"I think you need to fix your form a bit."
TJ turned in surprise, looking as though he was going to argue with the point before realizing who it was.
"I didn't realize you were such an expert on proper shooting form," he said with a grin, bouncing the ball as he talked.
"It's one of my many secret talents," Cyrus said, smiling back. "I don't usually share it though. Don't want to make anyone feel bad."
TJ just laughed and caught the ball in his hands. "Heading home?" he asked, eying Cyrus' bag that was swung over his shoulder.
"That was the plan," Cyrus replied. "Everyone else is busy today so I've got nothing to do."
"We could play one-on-one," TJ offered, holding the basketball out towards Cyrus. The other boy eyed it dubiously as though TJ was asking him to grab a live snake.
"I think you just want an excuse to have an easy win," Cyrus countered. However, he slid his bag off his shoulder and set it down on the bleachers. He wasn't planning on actually playing; he knew he had no basketball abilities. But the idea of spending some time with TJ was appealing to him. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before; maybe it was because TJ didn't normally hang out with his friend group. But they had spent time together without everyone else, so it wouldn't be like this was a new experience.
"I guess I could give you some pointers first," TJ suggested.
"That might be a good idea," Cyrus agreed. "Like, how do you dribble? And shoot?"
TJ stared at him for a moment, clearing not sure whether Cyrus was joking or not. Cyrus put on an innocent expression and waited for the other's reaction. TJ narrowed his eyes at Cyrus, and then bounced the ball over to him. Cyrus managed to catch it, but knew it was hardly his most graceful move.
"Show me how you dribble," TJ said, putting his hands on his hips, going into what Cyrus mentally dubbed 'coach mode' but he didn't comment. Instead, he started bouncing the basketball. Now, he had been taught how to dribble when they had a basketball unit in gym, but he had never quite gotten the hang of it. So, he played it up; smacking the flat of his palm against the ball as it rose to meet his hand. He chanced a glance up and saw that TJ had a pained expression on his face as he watched. It was not unlike the look Buffy sometimes got when Cyrus tried to do something athletic, and he had to bite back a laugh.
"Okay, please stop," TJ finally said, his voice sounding strained. Cyrus looked up again and accidentally bounced the ball off his foot in his distraction. He yelped in pain as TJ dove forward to catch the ball before it bounced across the gym.
"Well, that was…something," the other boy said, coming over to Cyrus who was massaging his foot. "But it could use some improvement."
"Like what?" Cyrus asked, feigning ignorance. TJ tucked the ball under one arm and positioned himself in front of Cyrus.
"You don't want to use the flat of your hand," he said. "It's all in the fingers. Here put your hand out."
Cyrus did so, and TJ grabbed it and flipped it over, so it was palm up. He then placed his own hand on top of Cyrus', gently aligning their fingers. It took all of Cyrus' willpower to focus on what TJ was saying and to ignore the jolts of electricity that he was feeling from their hands pressing together.
"You want to touch the ball primarily with your fingertips," TJ said, gently dragging his own over Cyrus' fingers. "That'll help you control the ball more, and it won't be bouncing all over the place. Your palm really shouldn't be touching it."
Cyrus nodded to show his understanding, hoping that his face wasn't bright red at this point. He glanced up at TJ and was a little startled to see how close they were. TJ looked back at him, and for a moment it seemed as though they were frozen in place, gazes locked on one another. Then TJ cleared his throat and backed away slightly, holding the ball out to Cyrus.
"Try again," he said, his voice suddenly sounding somewhat gruff. Cyrus took it and started cautiously bouncing it again. He was sure he could feel the imprint of where TJ's fingers had been on his own, so it was easy to remember what parts of his fingers were supposed to be on the ball. To his surprise, he found that the dribbling was a lot easier than before, and the ball was not going all over the place.
"Good," TJ assessed, and then smiled. "Now take it over to the hoop."
Cyrus automatically caught the ball and started to walk before TJ tsked at him and shook his head.
"Dribble it over there," he smiled. Cyrus groaned dramatically but did as he was told. He moved slowly, but he was able to dribble his way until he was standing right in front of the hoop.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," TJ started off, "but show me your best shot."
Cyrus stuck his tongue out at the comment before turning to face the hoop. With an internal grin, he grabbed the ball with both hands and bent down, swinging the ball lower towards the ground, between his legs.
"Uh, I don't think so!" TJ interrupted him. Cyrus turned towards him, attempting to adapt his innocent expression again, but felt the smile twitching across his lips. TJ had a look that was a cross between exasperation and…amusement? Cyrus would have almost pegged it as fondness, but he was sure that wasn't it.
"This is my best shot," Cyrus said innocently.
"You're not five years old," TJ countered. "Show me a real shot. No grannies allowed."
Grumbling slightly, Cyrus hoisted the ball above his shoulder and flung it in the direction of the hoop. It hit the corner of the backboard and bounced wildly towards the left.
He watched as TJ jogged after it before it ended up at the other side of the gym. There was sure to be a lesson on shooting now, which he was fine with. Even if he had been allowed to do a granny shot, he still wouldn't have made it. As he waited, he couldn't help but cast his mind back to what had happened before when TJ was showing him how to dribble. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened. Cyrus had resigned himself a while ago to the fact that he had developed an attraction towards TJ. He was very good at hiding it, and after going through his pining for Jonah, he didn't want to get his hopes up again just to have them dashed.
But he and TJ kept having moments like that one. Moments where they would stare too long or sit too close to one another. Cyrus recognized that his relationship with TJ was different from the ones he had with other friends, but he had yet to be able to put a name to it. TJ had never indicated that he was attracted to guys though, so Cyrus tried to ignore those moments, and chalked it up to the fact that it seemed like TJ had never really had a close friendship with anyone before. There was a little voice in the back of his head that would pipe up in suggestion that TJ acted differently because he had feelings for Cyrus, but that voice was squashed as soon as it appeared.
Cyrus shook himself out of his thoughts as TJ came back with the basketball in hand.
"Okay, we're definitely going to fix that," he said, handing the ball to Cyrus. "Show me your form first."
Cyrus did so, feeling somewhat awkward.
"Right, so first you want to balance the ball primarily in your dominant hand," TJ said, waiting for Cyrus to do so. "Then your other hand can gently rest on the side, but it's not going to do a ton of work here. It's there for support in the follow through."
"Okay," Cyrus said, even though he wasn't entirely following what TJ was saying.
"Spread your feet a bit," TJ said, nudging one of them with his own foot. "You want to be balanced. Eye on the basket. Aim for the square behind the hoop. Make sure you're using your fingertips again, not the palm of your hand."
It was probably his imagination, but Cyrus could have sworn that his fingertips tingled slightly at the reminder of TJ's own touching them earlier.
"All right try it again," TJ finished up, stepping back. Cyrus tried to follow everything that was just told to him and launched the ball. It hit the backboard, bounced onto the rim, but then bounced off to the side and onto the floor.
"That was better," TJ said encouragingly as he ran to get the ball. "Try again."
"Or we can just admit that I have no athletic skills and leave it at that?" Cyrus suggested hopefully. TJ just laughed and bounced the ball to him.
"You already improved, and it only took one shot! I just wanna see you make one basket."
"You may be asking for a miracle," Cyrus grumbled slightly, getting back into position.
"Here, I think I know what your problem is," TJ said, coming to stand behind Cyrus. "You want to use your wrist to launch it, not your whole body." To Cyrus' great shock, TJ stepped up directly behind him and wrapped his arms around Cyrus' body. One arm came to lie flat against his, molding against the fingers that were pressed on the ball. TJ's other hand gently rested against the arm that was supporting the ball.
"Bend at the knees, and when you push the ball up, make sure you're bending your wrist and following the movement all the way through," TJ said, helping to move Cyrus' arms in a mock example of what he should do. Even as he followed the movements that TJ was showing him, Cyrus was barely functioning. Not only was TJ basically wrapped around him, but his chest was pressed against Cyrus' back and he was so close that when he spoke, Cyrus could feel warm breath ghosting across the back of his neck. He was glad his face was away from TJ's because he was certain it was bright red. His heart had started beating twice as fast as normal, and he hoped that TJ couldn't tell.
To his great disappointment, TJ unwrapped himself and stepped back again, indicating that Cyrus should try the shot again. He didn't dare look back at the other boy to see what TJ's expression was in that moment. Instead, he focused on the basket and made yet another shot. To his great surprise, it hit the backboard and fell cleanly through the hoop.
"I did it?!" he yelled in shock and happiness. "I did it!" He started jumping up and down in excitement, and heard TJ laughing behind him.
"Told you so," he said in a teasing voice. Cyrus dashed after the ball this time and turned to fling it towards the basket once again. This time he missed by a long shot, and the ball ricocheted off towards TJ who caught it easily.
"Form matters," he said, grinning at Cyrus, who bounded towards him.
"That's too much to remember though," Cyrus complained. "If I was actually playing a game, I wouldn't be able to focus on that with everyone running around me."
"That's why you practice a lot," TJ explained. "And you get good at it."
"Well, it's a good thing I'll never be on a team," Cyrus joked.
"We haven't finished even the basics yet," TJ said. "There's passing. Stealing. Jump shots."
"Stealing's easy," Cyrus said, suddenly feeling mischievous. Darting forward, he grabbed the ball out of an unsuspecting TJ's hands. He giggled, backing up, feinting that he was throwing it around TJ towards an imaginary player.
"That's traveling," TJ said laughing, jogging towards Cyrus who continued to goof around with the ball. "That's really bad traveling. That's totally a foul."
"I'm winning!" Cyrus declared, holding the ball above his head, and turning to run towards the hoop.
"You're cheating!" TJ countered, moving even closer. Before Cyrus realized what was happening, TJ had wrapped his arms around Cyrus' waist and was lifting him in the air, spinning him around. Cyrus shrieked with laughter but held tightly onto the ball. As TJ set him back down on the ground, he turned slightly, expecting to be let go. To his surprise, TJ's arms stayed wrapped tightly around him.
Their gazes met, and Cyrus was once again surprised at how close their faces were to one another. It was just like what had happened with the dribbling, but somehow this time it was different. TJ's arms were securely around his waist and he was so close that Cyrus could have counted the freckles on his nose if he wanted. He didn't even know that TJ had freckles.
He expected TJ to break the embrace, but to his surprise it didn't happen. TJ's eyes were locked in his, and he almost felt as though he was in a trance. It felt like the magic would disappear if they looked away. Then TJ broke the stare, but his eyes flickered down to Cyrus' lips before rising back up to meet his eyes. Cyrus was pretty sure he had stopped breathing at this point, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized TJ was leaning in closer to him. His eyes slipped closed just as TJ's lips met his own. His body responded automatically, turning into TJ's embrace, the basketball falling to the gym floor, unnoticed by both boys as it slowly bounced away. Cyrus' arms snaked their way up TJ's chest and looped around his neck, while TJ tightened his grip on Cyrus' waist, pulling the boy closer to him until their bodies were pressed tightly against one another.
His kissing experience was limited to two chaste pecks with Iris, but somehow Cyrus wasn't thinking about how he didn't know much about kissing. His lips moved against TJ's, and he quickly lost track of time, space, and a sense of where he was. All he knew was that he was intoxicated by TJ and he wanted more. His fingers carded their way through TJ's hair, and he felt one of TJ's hand pressing into his lower back. He was confident that they could stay in this position for eternity, but unfortunately, they needed to come up for air at some point.
They broke apart, both breathless from the kiss. TJ pressed his forehead against Cyrus' as they caught their breaths. Cyrus' heart was pounding wildly, and his lips felt swollen. As he finally opened his eyes, he could tell that TJ seemed just as flustered as he was. They pulled apart slightly, taking in each other's expressions. TJ looked both hopeful and slightly cautious. Cyrus was pretty sure that he had demonstrated how much he had enjoyed the kiss, but he felt a wide grin spreading across his face, along with a generous blush. TJ responded with a blinding smile of his own and he let out a breathy laugh.
"Wow," he said, his voice low and raspy, and the sound nearly floored Cyrus.
"Yeah," he all but whispered, not trusting himself to say anything else. TJ gave him a searching look, as though asking for permission, and Cyrus leaned up to kiss him again. It was just as wonderful as the first time, and he was pretty sure he would be able to stand there all night and kiss TJ if allowed. They continued to kiss, with TJ bringing one hand up to caress gently Cyrus' face, causing the other boy to melt even more in the embrace. Finally, they broke apart reluctantly as Cyrus heard his phone buzzing from where it was resting on the bleachers next to his bag.
"Probably my mom," Cyrus said. "Wondering where I am."
"Yeah, it's getting late," TJ agreed, glancing at the time. Cyrus detangled himself very reluctantly in order to go grab his phone. It stopped ringing by the time he reached it, and he sent his mother a quick text saying that he was still at the school but heading home soon. He didn't trust himself to talk to her right now; she would know immediately that something was up. Putting his phone down, he turned back to face TJ. The other boy was standing there, hands in his pockets, smiling almost shyly at Cyrus. His heart swelled at the sight, and he crossed back over to the other boy.
"I'll walk you home," TJ offered, reaching out to grab Cyrus' hands.
"Okay," Cyrus said simply. Part of him wondered if they were going to talk about it, but after looking at the expression on TJ's face, he realized that they didn't need to. At least not yet. It was pretty obvious what had just happened, and they would have time for talking later. He knew TJ well enough to know that the other boy was feeling the same way he was in that moment.
TJ was true to his word and walked him home, holding his hand the entire way. They didn't really talk; their walk was rather quiet. But their fingers were linked tightly, and what had just happened thrummed in the air between them. Cyrus felt almost like skipping all the way home. As they approached his driveway, TJ stopped, causing Cyrus to turn towards him slightly from the pressure of his arm being pulled in that direction.
TJ stepped closer and pressed a gentle kiss against Cyrus' lips. They broke apart, both with giant grins on their faces.
"I'll see you tomorrow," TJ said softly.
"Yeah," Cyrus nodded. There was so much more that he wanted to say, but he didn't know how yet. He would, eventually, but for now it didn't matter. It took a lot of self control to pull himself away from TJ and head up his driveway. As he reached the porch, he turned and gave TJ a little wave. The grin on TJ's face widened as he waved back. He didn't start walking away until Cyrus was inside, and as Cyrus headed towards his room, he felt his phone buzz. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that he had a new text from TJ. Grinning widely, feeling a fluttering in his stomach, he flopped down on his bed and pulled the message open. He couldn't wait to see what it said.