Hoops & Hurdles

Dang it's chapter seven already. Eek I just found out that TJ won't be in the second half of season three, so no Tyrus? I can only hope so!

Chapter 7 - Rumor


TJ had just been trying to fight George in the locker room, just in time Marty was able to stop TJ with a kiss.

A silence filled the room as the boys stared in awe at what just happened.

TJ went from being restrained from fighting to being kissed by his restraint.

Marty whispered into his ear, "let's go babe," and they took off leaving the locker room.

"I can't believe you did that!" TJ said to Marty, who defended himself by saying, "it was the only way I knew how to get you to stop."

"You could've just let me kick his ass," TJ said making Marty comment back, "or I could have stopped you, because you got told by your mother to not get into any trouble today, which is exactly what I done, because I'm a good boyfriend."

"He still deserves to get his ass kicked though, right?" TJ asked.

"Ugh violence isn't the answer to everything," Marty told him as they kept walking making their way out of the school.

TJ's mom, Tina has been driving them home after practice, because there was no sense in Marty getting a seperate ride when he was always coming over.

The weekends were great with for them, without school on saturday Marty had always slept over, which Tina did not that much.

She made sure to check on them before going to bed, and when she wakes it, which all made sense.

Think about it Tina made rules that TJ had to follow about boys being up in his room.

Those rules went out the window after that one study session with Marty, where they broke a rule.

That one rule has been broken so many times if someone was keeping count of it, they would surely have a string of numbers long enough to reach the moon, and back.

During the car ride home TJ could not stop thinking about the locker room, and what went down.

Marty, and TJ were already out of the closet, and people knew about them dating, but letting them all see TJ is gay along with Marty, and dating, just all three of those shown with one gesture seemed too much.

George was already hating on Marty, and things would probably only get worse now that they know a weak spot, his sexuality.

TJ's parents raised him strong, and proud of his sexuality, and oh boy did TJ wish that were the same for Marty.

He went from crying on his chest about his father who was displeased at the start, to doing things like kissing with their friend group.

Jonah, and Cyrus had even gotten together, which made Marty feel so much better knowing that him, and TJ are not the only ones.

But somehow that just wasn't enough, these things about his sexuality still got to him.

It crushes TJ to see Marty go from laying his head on him, using him like a pillow doing stuff on his phone, to seeing him lay his phone down, flipping around, and crying softly onto him while holding him.

At these moments TJ would lift up Marty's phone to see what had upset his boyfriend, whether it be something like a LGBT chat where someone had joined saying, "y'all are fucking disgusting! Do us a favor and KYS there is a reason why you're hated!" to something like a youtube comment thread that is a long strand of homophobic comments that made his stomach uneasy.

TJ would then close out of that horrible sight on his phone, and go to his web browser, and search up the words I love you to get a image pulled up that would get him to smile next time he turned on his phone.

After that Marty would close his eyes, and lay there until the sting in his heart subsided, he felt bad about feeling this way.
He has a boyfriend, and they love each other, yet at the same time Marty can still feel like he is gross, and shouldn't exist.

Because of these things TJ never got to attempt to do what other couples do.

There has been many times TJ had wished to get intimate with Marty, like those times he would wake up with morning wood that poked into him, or when TJ would notice that Marty was hard, but TJ never said a thing about any of that.

Nothing was going to happen between them like that despite TJ's urges, there was something much more important that needed to happen first.
Marty needed to become more comfortable with himself, and his relationship.

TJ really had thought that they made a huge amount of progress when they went to Fear Factory, or at the campfire telling stories.

Now thinking about it those times were with the comfort of close friends, not times where they were out at school, not knowing how people would react.

Rumors would float around the school about who was the latest to have sex, and everytime TJ heard about one of those, it made him jealous.

They all get to enjoy each others bodies, but what about Marty, and him?

Another thing keeping TJ from bringing it up was the fear, he was scared that Marty would think that sex is all he cared about, or all that he wanted him for.

That was far from the truth, but he just can't be having sex with Marty while he is still occasionally crying, and thinking that being gay is somehow wrong.

For these reasons with all the chances that TJ got he would swaddle Marty in all the supporting love that his parents never provided for him.

TJ's thoughts switched over to the kiss at the locker room once again during the car ride.

The thing that TJ now felt from that is guilt, Marty only kissed him to keep him out of trouble, but at what cost?

Marty could have been mocked or laughed at, they were lucky that they left while the guys were still in shock at what they just seen.

If that were to happen it would all be TJ's fault for trying to fight George.

The worst part is that come monday, at the next time they all see each other they might say something bad about it.

TJ was so deep in his thoughts that not once did he notice that Marty was looking at him, or even taking photos of him.

Marty was satisfied he had gotten a great photo of TJ sitting thoughtfully with his arm propped up against the door looking out the window.

The light peeking through the leaves of the trees had shown through the window onto his clothing making for a cook looking pattern of light.

Marty made a promise to himself that he was not going to delete these photos in a mental break down like he had before.

It was in one of those times that Marty was feeling absolutely awful about liking guys that he went into his phone, and erased all the photos he had of TJ telling himself it was wrong, and he was finally doing the right thing.

Marty just couldn't wrap his mind around his own mind.

He either hating himself struggling with internalized homophobia that is not getting any better because of all the things he keeps getting exposed to, or he is being happy, smiling, and enjoying himself, usually with TJ.

"Hun that photo you sent made my day," TIna said breaking TJ out of his thoughts.

"Wha?" he asked shaking the thoughts from his head.

"The photo of you, and Marty."

"How?" TJ asked.

"What do you mean how? You know very well how. Nothing makes me happier than to see my son happy."

Marty gulped feeling kinda left out, why has his parents never felt this way about his happiness?

It was always get yourself a girlfriend, make us proud.

Those words meaningless, impossible even.

What good was making his parents proud if it came at the cost of his own desires, and happiness?

TJ just looked at his mother who smiled a knowingly smile.

TJ then took Marty's hand in his, and said, "and nothing makes me happier than to see my boyfriend happy."

"Awe stop it, I swear it, you guys are going to make my heart melt," TIna said.

Even at these remarkable nice words Marty could not feel the gratitude.

TJ asked him quietly, "you okay?"

"Yeah," Marty said lying to him for the sake of his own worries.

No point in dragging TJ down, Marty thought, they both dont' have to be unhappy.

How long would this take, for Marty to just get over it?

Marty knows that he is gay, he knows that he loves his boyfriend, he knows that there is nothing wrong with being himself.

The problem is that just knowing is not enough, he needs to feel that there is nothing wrong with him, which feels impossible with all the things he hears, and sees on a daily basis.

The only days he can escape from it all is on the weekends when he is with TJ, and sometimes Marty feels like that is all he has in this world.

Sometimes he wonders what it would be like if he never agreed to help TJ, or never tried out for the basketball team again.

He would have never came out or gotten a boyfriend, and would not be going through all this hate.

Marty only searched up that LGBT related stuff after he got with TJ, admitting that he is gay, only that support that he gets is always infected with hate from the outside world.

He would love to bring it up with his parents, and ask about it, but his mom would just say just ignore them, and his dad would say something like you choose to like guys, so you must suffer the consequences.

This one little thing, being gay became the largest part of his life, and the only thing that mattered to him, or anyone for whatever reason.

When they got to TJ's home, TJ was shocked to find that his dad was already home who was asking, "how's my little gaybies doing?"

"Amazing," TJ tells him, as Marty leans over, and asks TJ, "gaybies?"

Turns out his dad had heard what Marty said, and explained it, "yeah gaybies you two are my little gay babies."

"You know dad, that he is not yours."

"So, as long as you two are together he's like family to us."

"Ew gross!" TJ yelled, nearly startling Marty who was standing awkwardly at TJ's side.

"What?" he asked.

TJ said, "like family? That's gross I ain't dating somebody in our family."

Marty laughed a little while TJ's dad told him, "you know what I mean, we treat him like family. You know not everyone gets love from their families."

"Dad!" TJ exclaims.

"I'm serious, some people don't."
"Okay we're going to go now," TJ said with Marty following along, things were going great until he started saying stuff about not getting love from family.

TJ didn't even have to see Marty's face to know that he had to get him out of there.

Tina walked behind him, as the boys had left to go upstairs, "oh what did I do now?"

Tina sighed shaking her head finally saying, "about the whole family thing, Marty doesn't get a lot of that from his folks. You were basically saying that family is meant to love each other, while he was right there."

He argued back, "well they are."

"I know, I know, you know what nevermind, I'm sure they are fine."

That was nothing close to the truth.

Meanwhile back in TJ's bedroom, Marty had watery eyes, and looked ready to burst into tears.

"What is my family just broken or something?" Marty asked, unsure why his family don't love him like they apparently should.

"No, of course not," TJ tried telling him, but only for Marty to break down, and cry.

What made Marty cry worse was that he felt like that's all he ever did, everytime with TJ, that is all he ever done, was cry.

But it wasn't his fault, with TJ was the only place that Marty felt comfortable enough to cry.

Luckily TJ knew that was why Marty cried so much when they were together, maybe one day it will get better.

The crying didn't last long, it soon transitioned into puffy eyes, and sniffles.

Before dinner instead of just telling the two boys, Tina actually came up into the room to have a little chat with them.

She walked in, and said, "Marty, are you alright? I'm so sorry if what he said made you upset."

Marty looked over at TJ who did nothing but wait for him to talk, "yeah, I'm better now, it's jus- it's just…"

She sat down next to Marty, "go on, you can tell me."

Marty felt slightly bad that he was using TJ's mom like his own mother, "it's just that, I don't know."

She started rubbing his back, and TJ got up in front of him to give him a kiss saying, "I think you do know, and you should tell her, she is the best with this stuff."
After that TJ left the room to go to the bathroom, while Marty started to speak again, "my parents are disappointed in me."

Those words lingered in the air, while Marty held his head down in shame.

TIna wanted to ask why they were disappointed in him, but she already had a very good clue from all that TJ tells her about him.

"How long has it been this way?" she asks.

"Ever since we started dating, that's how they found out."

"Ah, well they have probably been raised not too found of homosexuality, it was really frowned upon back then. They probably don't know any better, but they love you, it will just take some time for them to warm up to the idea. Trust me they won't hate you for this, just give it some more time."

Marty became overwhelmed with emotions that he felt the night his dad caught TJ laying in bed with him, his chest started to shake, and soon enough he was crying, but there was no tears coming out.

Tina pushed Marty's head down some, and leaned him over to her, where she rested the side of her head onto the top of Marty's head.

"Just know that you are lucky that they don't kick you out of the house or beat you. Also if you ever wanna get away from home for a bit, if they are making you feel bad, you are always welcome here."

Marty controlled his breathing through his nose, as he calmed back down, knowing that no matter what happens he will be fine.

End Of Chapter 7

This was going to be longer, I didn't make it to where I would have liked, anyways this will just be split into two parts, I guess. Should I bring in some more Jyrus next chapter, or Amber or what?

~ Banana