Title: Is this Enough?
Summary: Through a series of events, Miles realizes how much Tristan means to him.
Notes: This is meant as a companion piece to having seen season 13. While you can enjoy the fluff without it, it is assumed that you have seen season 13 at some point in time as I will reference events from Miles' POV. Follows cannon up through the kiss in Thunderstruck.
Also, this is a two-shot; primarily to keep it in manageable chunks, but it also works thematically.
Is this enough?
It all started that first night in Paris. They were all excited to be here; and, more importantly, he was excited to be away from his father. Most people were unpacking and popping open the windows to get a breath of the fresh Paris air and to see the sights that had captivated their daydreams for weeks. But not Miles Hollingsworth III - he was changing into a fresh shirt and already planning for his first romantic conquest.
He smirked as he saw that his roommate, Tristan whom he had met the other night at the concert, was looking at his abs. He knew the kid was gay; he knew it the minute he set eyes on him back at Degrassi the morning he was registering. He didn't mind. Miles Hollingsworth III was a cool guy after all. So he joked.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he suggested.
Tristan became flustered and immediately looked away. "I was just thinking about…"
"My abs?" Miles provided the answer. He hoped he didn't make Tristan too uncomfortable just now.
It took all of Miles' convictions not to burst out laughing when Tristan replied with. "My girlfriend."
It didn't stop Winston though, so Miles joined along.
Holding his hand to his stomach as laughter rolled through him, Miles figured it was fair to add his own joke in. "What's her name? Chris? Jessie? Jean?" He knew what game Tristan was playing; he even understood why Tristan might feel uncomfortable. That all went out the window at Tristan's next response.
"Maya! Maya's my girlfriend!" Tristan announced as Maya walked into the room.
Clearly, clearly this wasn't true. She was caught off guard, but she composed herself relatively quickly. Calm, mature, and a good friend. He definitely had to get to know her better.
As engrossed in each other as Maya and Tristan feigned to be, they didn't notice the sly smirked shared between Winston and him. This was going to be fun.
They tried, they really did. But Maya and Tristan could not for the life of them pull it off. He nearly roared with laughter at Tristan's exclamations of 'ew' after she kissed him. He's not sure what amused him more: how poorly Tristan was at acting straight, or how badly they both wanted him.
Tristan had clearly cut the act after that, Miles noticed as he returned to the room the next day.
"You, uh, making a fort?" Miles asked with a cocked eyebrow as he saw Tristan putting up a sheet to block vision to his bed. "Or is this a love den to make out with your girlfriend?"
Tristan gave him a look. "Hilarious. Make fun of the gay kid."
Yeah, someone wasn't playing games anymore.
"Tris... that's not what I mean-"
"No, no I get it. And I already asked to switch rooms but they won't let me hence the privacy screen so no one has to feel uncomfortable. Cool? Cool."
He crushed the initial annoyance at his attitude. He owed it to Tristan for letting it get this far. "We're just joking around."
Tristan huffed. "It's not joking, it's bullying. And I know it gets better but for now let's just avoid each other and hopes this summer passes quickly." And then Tristan left the room, taking care to bump into Miles in a less than friendly manner.
Miles sighed, and looked at his latte. Here he was wanting to sip at his latte and chat with his new roommate. But he accidentally let a joke go too far - though, to be fair, Tristan did more than add his own fire by feigning a relationship with Maya. Now he was going to have to think of a grand gesture to win Tristan over instead of a girl. At the very least, maybe, just maybe, this grand gesture would impress Maya.
It didn't escape his notice that he had taken to calling him 'Tris'.
So he did his deed. He took the sheet down, made Tristan's bed, and left a nice little mint on his pillow. Who didn't love a mint after all? Okay, maybe it wasn't a grand gesture, but it was the thought that count.
And now he waited for Tristan to return. He didn't waste his time though, as he was talking to some girl out in the hall. She giggled as they spoke, flustered by him being clad in only a t-shirt and boxers. Pretty enough, but ultimately not worth his time past waiting on Tristan to return. Ah, and there he was now! He excused himself hastily from the girl and followed Tristan into the room.
He heard Tristan mutter under his breath, "A mint on the pillow?"
Tristan's attention snapped to him on he approached. "Is this some kind of prank?" Tristan demanded.
Miles wore a proud grin as he strode in. "Nope! No prank! Took the sheet down because you don't need it."
"So I'm not even allowed in my own room now?"
Miles heart stopped. This was not how this was supposed to go. But this stupid game needing to end was the only thing on his mind as he spun to face Tristan. "Do I scream homophobe to you or something?"
"You and Winston were laughing at me."
Miles shook his head. "We were laughing because you were playing straight and we knew you were gay." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Look, I'm happy you're my roommate." Then he turned around to take off his shirt. It was shower time whether Tristan accepted the apology or not.
"Seriously?" he heard Tristan ask as he saw a smile spread across the platinum-haired teen's face. "I could hug you right now... but I won't." Tristan continued as he averted his gaze once again from his bare chest.
Miles turned to smile at him as he gathered his towel.
"So I really didn't pull off straight?" Tristan asked as he brushed aside all the conflict.
Miles laughed. "No, but it's cool. Right?" He approached Tristan. "Bring it in!" he said jovially as he approached for a hug. Their arms wrapped around each other and they gave one another a good pat. It didn't bother him in the least as Tristan's posture stiffened slightly at the contact. "Is this enough?" he asked as he gave Tristan a pat on the shoulder and leaving for his shower.
"Enough?" Tristan asked
"To convince you that we're friends."
Tristan nodded.
He thought Tristan would explode with joy from the smile on his face as he said, "Sure Tris." It was just a project, but Tristan was beyond giddy.
Miles smirked. He had that way with girls - and one Tristan.
It wouldn't be a bad partnership. He had spent the morning with Tristan already and they had fun. It felt nice having someone hanging at his every word; Tristan about melted at his pronunciation of éclair.
And so they were off for their assignment.
Oh, he knew Tristan was trying to figure out his sexuality. The nervous twitch as he asked, "She's cute, huh?" about the woman at the bakery was a dead giveaway. He didn't mean to tease Tristan, but his response was true.
"Nuh, not really my type."
Tristan tried to hide it, but the smile of joy still slipped through.
Conversation with Tristan was pleasant. He couldn't recall the last time someone took such interest in him beyond his charming looks. But Tristan saw past that. Oh, he definitely saw his looks and melted at his every smile, but a part of him saw something beneath that.
Because of that, he couldn't even feign annoyance when Tristan kissed him. Instead he felt pity, as Tristan pulled back when he didn't respond to the kiss. If Tristan was enjoying this outing as much as he was, he couldn't imagine how amazing it felt to Tristan. And the kiss didn't feel wrong. It didn't stop him from feeling slightly flabbergasted, but he wasn't upset.
"I'm so, so sorry," Tristan began. "I sensed a moment."
"Don't worry, its fine all right. It's cool!" Miles spoke quickly. He wanted this time with Tristan to never end, but at the same time he wanted out of this situation.
So he ushered Tristan along to the next place on their list.
Some shit went down the next few days. He tried, he really did, but he just couldn't care that much about drama he didn't really start. He just got dragged in and blamed for it. He crushed the thought about how much this situation reminded him of every moment he spent with his father. So he helped out where he could - even if he didn't feel like he should take the blame for Tristan running off, he didn't want the guy lost. They were friends after all. Maybe.
Within the week they were back at Degrassi. The school year had begun.
They all met on the first day of school. He, Tristan and Maya seemed to be friends. It was nice. Short of Chewy, he couldn't recall the last time that he had 'friends' who didn't want to jump on his dick. Well, they probably did if his arrogant side had its say, but they were good enough friends to keep it to themselves.
As they walked down the hall, Maya and Tristan were trying to get him to join some clubs. The only response he cared to give was, "Don't look at me. The only thing I do is basketball and that's because my dad makes me."
"Well, I can play basketball," Tristan added. Miles smiled at that. Overly eager, yes, but it was nice to have a friend who wanted to spend time with him.
"Seriously?" Maya queried.
"My brother played, I can do it," Tristan replied with a slight degree of annoyance. "I have a killer junk shot."
Miles laughed. Ignorance of basketball or a slip of the tongue he couldn't help be wonder. "You mean jump shot?"
"Seriously?" Tristan asked, embarrassed at his fumble.
Ignorance it is. It would be nice playing basketball with a friend. Maybe his father wouldn't make him completely miserable.
It always amused him how Tristan viewed things as a montage. Their one-on-one practices often included Tristan's montage music as they orderly went through the motions. But now try outs were over. They would know by the end of the day if they made it.
"I better have made starter," Miles stated as they left.
"Starter? Isn't that a little ambitious for a sophomore?" Tristan asked.
"Tell that to my father," Miles said with a grimace that Tristan would likely not notice.
"So, what sort of stuff do you like to do?" Tristan asked. "For like fun, or whatever?"
"Oh, you know, the usual shenanigans."
"Cool, I love shenanigans."
Miles smiled. They were truly friends now. Only friends could have such a stupid conversation. He nodded at Tristan as he went to leave the gym, then paused before speaking. "Oh, want to come over to my place after school?"
Tristan hesitated a moment, before answering. "Sounds good."
They complimented each other on their performance today at practice as they separated to consider what their friendship meant.
It was the start of something good.
In class later that day, Tristan said the nicest thing about him he had ever heard. It wasn't meant for his ears, but voices carry - most people don't realize just how far they do when they speak.
Maya was concerned, jealous even he noticed with a pang of pride. "I thought we established he doesn't play for your team," she stated as she turned towards Tristan in a failed attempt to keep their conversation private.
Tristan gave her a look that said, 'Do I really have to tell you?', before speaking. "I don't want a boyfriend. I want a best friend. A guy best friend," he added, realizing he was talking to his girl best friend.
Maya had a point. Winston already held that spot. But something told him he would always have room for Tristan.
There would always be room for Tristan he knew, as it was Tristan who followed him to the pool. Tristan listened as he bitched about not making starter in basketball. Tristan listened when he complained about his father always being disappointed in him. It was Tristan who told him he didn't need steroids to be good at basketball.
It was Tristan who made his heart swell when he said, "Just because you didn't make starter doesn't mean you're not awesome."
Yeah, there would always be room for Tristan.
The steroid plan was stupid. There was no denying that.
But it was a plan of love. Not romance, not sex. But the love of friendship. He could only be so mad at Tristan for it. How could you be mad at someone who cared enough to do something like that?
Plus, the steroids had allowed him to make starter. But if the steroids were fake, that meant he made starter on his own. In other words, Tristan's love and confidence for him were responsible for him reaching his goals.
Things were going well between him and Tristan. He had been best friends with Winston for ten years, but in this short time he had been friends with Tristan he had felt better than he had in years.
It bothered him a bit that Tristan made him happier than Maya - they were dating after all. He enjoyed being with Maya and they were friends too. But it was different with Tristan. Tristan didn't have to kiss him to make his heart swell. Tristan's faith and devotion to him was something else. Was this loyalty?
Now he understood why it ate at him every time Winston told him to be a better son. Because Tristan would have told him he was amazing just as he was.
A birthday gift dedicated to AmethystBeloved!
Stay tuned for the finale in part 2. While this part ended sweetly (I melted as I typed it) it is ultimately just a warm up for part 2.
Edited 3/19/2016