AN: I tried. Please give me your honest opinion of this story, because honestly? I'm not satisfied with it. I hope you enjoy, but if you don't, drop me a line and say why. You won't hurt my feelings. :D

Jeremy Gilbert was distracting, and Tyler didn't like it.

Not one bit.

In fact, he kind of hated Jeremy. Sometimes. Especially now, watching Jeremy sleep, with Elena in the next room. He really hated the helpless way he felt, and how freaking young Jeremy looked, lying there, wrapped in the blanket that Tyler himself had covered him with. (He refused to say he 'tucked in' Jeremy. Cause he didn't.)

He'd walked into the Gilbert household, wanting to apologize to Jeremy about how weird his uncle had been. Maybe let off some steam by playing a few video games. No big deal.

Then he'd seen Elena on the floor holding Jeremy and crying. Jeremy, who looked dead, but really wasn't. (Thank God.) Stefan had explained a few things to him, after Jeremy had woken up gasping, completely alive and healthy. Stefan hadn't given details, because that's what Tyler had wanted, while Elena had helped a weak Jeremy get in the shower.

Tyler waited. Stefan left. When Jeremy was done in the shower, Elena called for Tyler's help. He walked into the bathroom where a shirtless Jeremy was leaning heavily on Elena. Tyler quickly put an arm around Jeremy's waist.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy said, confused.

"I needed to talk to you, and when I got here..." he trailed off.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah." Tyler helped him into bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Tyler..."

"Go to sleep, J. We'll talk when you wake up."

"Are you gonna stay?"

"Yeah. I'll stay."

Art had been his favorite class since pre-k and on up. Until now, in his sophomore year. He hated it. And it was all Jeremy Gilbert's fault. A stupid fifteen year old, ex-junkie with an attitude problem and as many issues as Tyler himself had.

Little smartass.

Jeremy sat in front of Tyler in Art the first day of school, and it pissed him off. The little punk was everywhere these days! He'd thought when Elena broke up with Matt, he wouldn't be seeing Jeremy that much. In the 'old days' as he called them, Mr./Mrs. Gilbert/Lockwood/Donovan would get the four of them together for 'play dates'. Jeremy and Tyler had been thrown together all the time. Jeremy was only a year and a half younger, so it wasn't as if they had to carry him everywhere, at least until after he turned six. Before he really learned to walk, this was normally what you'd see: Matt and Elena holding hands/whatever couple-y things they could do at six years old, followed by a frustrated Tyler carrying an equally frustrated/crying/sleeping Jeremy.

Oh, the good days. But really, there were times when been Jeremy's friend had been cool.

Like, when Jeremy was four and Tyler was five, Jeremy had these hot wheels racecars that he loved. He carried them around with him, slept with them, and took baths with them. (Tyler knew that from an awful incident where one of his Nannies had made Tyler and Jeremy take a bath together. He'd been trying to repress that memory for eleven years. So far no luck.) Jeremy would keep them in a green backpack, which he also took everywhere, and walk around with one in his hand, pretending to race it. One day, during one of their 'play dates' at Lockwood Manor, Tyler, who had been climbing a tree, fell and broke his arm. Jeremy, who had been playing underneath the tree, ran all the way to the big house, screaming, to get Tyler's nanny, who immediately rushed the boys to the hospital. Tyler couldn't remember where Matt and Elena where, didn't remember his parents and the Gilberts in his hospital room, or his nanny getting fired.

All he remembered was little Jeremy holding his good hand he entire time. (He'd never remember Jeremy screaming that he wouldn't leave. Apparently the doctors and their parents hadn't had the heart to make him leave.) But when Tyler woke up the next morning, there was no Jeremy, just a little green backpack laying on the bed next to him. After that Jeremy had hero worshiped him for a long time. They'd been friends, even.

But then Tyler had gone to high school, and well, it wasn't cool to have a eighth grader hanging around you all the time. He'd never forget the look on Jeremy's face when he'd pretended not to know him. Pretended that they weren't friends.

So yeah. That was over.

When Elena and Matt became ElenaandMatt, Jeremy would tag along with Elena, and Matt would force Tyler to come, 'all for the sake of brotherhood'. Or siblinghood. Whatever. Jeremy mostly ignored him when he tried to talk to him, but that was pretty much what Tyler had expected. And now after Vickie, and everything else, Tyler was trying, bit probably wouldn't be enough.

But he would try anyway. Cause he could really use a friend like Jeremy right now.

He laid on the bed next to Jeremy, one hand resting on Jeremy's. (Not exactly holding hands, but close.)

Something was wrong with Tyler. (Really wrong.) Jeremy had issues. (Big issues.) But for now they could go back to being eight and nine years old, camping out in the living room watching movies.

The real world could wait until morning.