Because I can't help but at least start this because it's the only thing I care about right now and these muffins deserve some one-shots and drabbles. (And I may have just moved into my dorm and this is a coping mechanism (~'_'~) sooo… you're welcome I guess.)
Just an FYI, this story will be left incomplete until I tell y'all when my last one-shot will be. So until you see that message… assume there will be more ;)
For this first one, I'm just gonna write about TJ's feelings slowly building and other stuff from his POV. Little dialogue but many feels 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Andi Mack or have any control over what happens to the show… sadly.
AHHHHH I can't wait. Enjoy XD
Being with him
Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would end up with him.
A chocolate-chocolate-chip-muffin-loving, often-overly-dramatic, nervous-but-encouraging bundle that made up Cyrus Goodman.
Not even when they first met. He was just doing him a favor for something in return. TJ didn't think anything of the boy. But then he ran into him at the park. He realized that Cyrus Goodman was someone that had a lot more to him. Someone that made a very small part of TJ want to know that more.
But he was a microscopic part of a bigger, more challenging life. At least, at the time.
School was hard. So incredibly hard. The captain of the basketball team wasn't supposed to struggle with simple things like numbers. How was he supposed to be a leader when he couldn't even pass a math class?
He let the frustration bubble inside himself for years. He wouldn't get help. Getting help would mean giving up and admitting that you're weak. And he would never do that.
Then the resistance came flying back at him, throwing him to the sidelines and forcing him out of the one thing he knew he was good at. And he was there. Of course he was. Cheering on the girl that was slowly moving up the ranks on his team. TJ couldn't even bring himself to watch the game.
Cyrus followed him out of the gym. Then became the first stranger to ever treat him as an equal. In that single moment, TJ wasn't the captain of the basketball team or a failing student. He was just a teenager, talking to another teenager about human problems.
And for that he was forever grateful.
He confronted his dyscalculia and grew more comfortable with himself. Getting help didn't mean that he had given up or grown weak, it only allowed him to gain a better understanding of things. He found himself smiling more and more often. And it felt so good.
He started letting Cyrus into his life. Being invited to his Barmitzvah elated him. Bringing the boy with him to work and teaching him how to summersault was one of the purest moments of his life. Seeing his face light up when he arrived at his Grandmother's Shiva was even more rewarding.
But along the way, people prevented them from getting close. And for a period of time, it was Buffy.
He was rude to her, he wouldn't deny that. But that gave her no excuse to snap at Cyrus for helping him. As time went on and he was finally able to talk to her and properly apologize, things seemed to be getting better. He would always remember the look on both of their faces when he finished his long compliment. And how Cyrus's eyes were still wide when he looked back at them a few seconds later. He gave Buffy pointers when creating a girls basketball team and continued to share with her his slow-but-still-present growth in math class.
Conflict rose again when he invited Cyrus to spend time with him and his friends. People TJ thought he knew well put both him and Cyrus in danger. Watching the boy leave the scene was heartbreaking. He'd never wanted anything more than to take both of them away from the situation as fast as he could. But what would Reed and Lester have thought?
He'd never let them know how much Cyrus meant to him. Not if it could put them in danger.
TJ slowly built up his confidence again and left the situation, going straight to the authorities. He'd never felt so conflicted in his life. He'd gotten his friends into legal trouble, but somehow did the right thing.
He wanted to tell Cyrus. So incredibly bad. But he stopped answering his texts and calls. Panic surged through TJ for what felt like a thousand years. What if Cyrus hated him? What if he thought he'd gone back to being an awful person?
School made it worse. His friends were now gone, and the one person he enjoyed talking to was being pushed further away from him by his best friends. Just when things had been getting better with Buffy, too. How could he fix this? He just wanted to explain himself, to let Cyrus know that he would never put him in danger.
He started stopping by the swings after school. Cyrus would have to show up eventually, right? Surely there was no way he could miss him at the park.
And then one day, his heart jumped.
There he was, all by himself. So TJ took his chance. He started to explain himself, hoping it would make the situation better. But he slipped up. His stupid self slipped up. And then they were exchanging insults.
Before it could go too far, the words fell out of his mouth. And it was the truth. He was the only person he could talk to like that. The smile that formed on Cyrus' lips after the comment was worth every hour of sleep TJ lost while stressing about the situation.
Then he told him how he was the one that reported the incident. And he smiled at the face his friend made. At the fact that Cyrus couldn't believe him.
"Surprise- I did the right thing." Then more peace.
The brief scuffle with Jonah was easy to resolve, thanks to his acceptance of his dyscalculia. Exchanging stories about their issues was easy enough.
But then she had to come into his life.
At first, Kira didn't seem like that much of a problem. Here was a girl that liked basketball and wanted to play a game with him. And she was pretty good. Fair enough. But then he got a vibe from Cyrus. Don't trust her.
He became skeptical. But not skeptical enough. She brought up costume day, and he didn't want to come across as the jerk he used to be. If he changed plans with Cyrus, surely he of all people would forgive him.
But when TJ put that shirt on, he could feel that something was wrong. He instantly regretted it so much. If that wasn't awful enough, he realized that deep down she made him feel foolish for wanting to do things with Cyrus. The thought made his body shake with annoyance.
But Kira kept asking him to hang out. And that fear kept rising up in TJ. If he cut people down, would that mean he would be just as bad as before? Or would people think he was strange for wanting to hang out with Cyrus instead of Kira? He couldn't risk getting a bad reputation. Not after he'd come so far.
But he would take any excuse he could find to leave her.
One day, he got a text from Cyrus about a shirt. But he was stuck with Kira. He told Cyrus he was at the park, hoping he would show up and allow him an opportunity to leave. But the chance never came.
This continued on for a while. The only chances he would have to talk to the boy were at school. He tried to show that he still cared about him. So, so much. But time was somehow escaping him.
The moments they did have together, though, were the best ones TJ experienced. One of his favorite memories was riding around in the golf cart after surviving his nerve-racking-yet-pointless Student Court trial. He would always be grateful for having Cyrus by his side. And he would never forget how he felt when Cyrus hugged him when the whole mess was done. How the boy's frame was thinner, but his body was so warm.
TJ found new hope that their troubles would go away, slowly but surely.
Then Kira found out about the party. She insisted on showing up with him, told him that it would be fun. He caved in. Then had more regrets.
The way she laughed at Cyrus made his blood boil. Before, it was more like she was just keeping him away from his friend. But now, she was making fun of him out in the public eye.
Forget about who he used to be. Who cared if he acted like a jerk one last time? Who cared if others judged him for publicly defended the boy he cared so much about? If it meant finally making things right and breaking away from this girl, he would do it. TJ was tired of being away from Cyrus.
"You can't do that."
She made a face at him. "I can't do what?"
He told her how she was being rude. And then she pulled the 'picking' card out. Her, or Cyrus. As if it were a question.
He simply said, "Cyrus would never make me pick."
And then she was gone.
For the first time in weeks, he felt as if he could stretch his arms and enjoy himself. He got comfortable again. Comfortable enough to get up on the stage and walk up to the keyboard. He wasn't expecting to see one. But he could hear it calling him from across the room. He started with a few notes. Simple. But which song to pick?
That's obvious, TJ, he told himself. He pressed the keys again.
And Cyrus was the first one to catch on. He grabbed a microphone and spoke the first lines with ease, looking at TJ from down the stage. Then Amber joined him, then Andi, and Jonah, and Buffy…
Even though the whole room was synchronized with the beat, TJ could only feel the boy that had moved up to stand next to him. He allowed himself to let go and be free.
Later, he took a break and sat down by the fire. It felt so welcoming in the cold winter weather. And then Cyrus joined him. Just the two of them on the bench, with a rapidly dwindling crowd around them.
And then he asked a question he was not expecting. "What does TJ stand for?"
How could he possibly tell him? He'd thought of doing it in the past, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was ridiculous. He would never hear the end of it. And he couldn't control Cyrus. He couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't get out there.
But, after many promises and a set of heart-throbbing puppy eyes, he gave up. He trusted his biggest secret to the only person in the world outside his family that knew him for who he was.
Well, knew him for the most part. There were still things Cyrus didn't know. But TJ didn't think feelings would ever develop. He never thought he would be sitting next to Cyrus Goodman, suddenly alone on a peaceful winter night. Wanting to tell him. Spill everything. Would he dare? Was there even a chance it would go well? But their hands were so incredibly close. They were so incredibly close. TJ had never felt so vulnerable.
He could feel a tingle in his fingertips as they inched closer to his. The feeling traveled up his arm and spread through his body. They smiled at each other. He'd never seen Cyrus look at him that way. Look at anyone that way. It almost took his breath away. TJ could only hope he was doing the same thing to him.
When the boy asked him if there was anything else he wanted to tell him, he could only muster up a "Yeah." There were so many things… Where could he even begin? Months of nicknames and handshakes and shoulder bumps and hugs finally came crashing down on him. But he was still nervous.
So he merely asked the same question back and waited for an answer.
"Yes."
But Cyrus didn't just say the word yes. He said a million other things to TJ, all wrapped up in one, simple, incredibly emotional word.
TJ would have been mad if he let this opportunity go. This feeling inside of him was indescribable. He looked down at their hands and started to intertwine their fingers. Cyrus gripped his hand like it was a dream he never wanted to let go of.
TJ let out a loud exhale, not knowing that he was capable of holding in so much air and emotion.
He could breathe. And he could be with him.
Everything else flew by. Middle school continued and started to come to an end. They would secretly steal each other's hands under tables and in hallways. He would bring him around work more often so that they could teach summersaults together. Occasionally they would pick up muffins and eat them on the way to school.
Their first real date wasn't even intentional. They were on the swings talking about the end of the school year, enjoying one of the cooler days of early summer. The sun started setting and they laid down on the grass by the pond, watching the sky turn colors. Time got away from them through conversation. Then TJ said something. He couldn't even remember what- probably a lame comeback comment or casual observation- but the sudden feeling of Cyrus' lips on his cheek made his heart stop beating.
"Can we do this again?" the boy asked quietly.
TJ agreed without hesitation.
Dating was better than he ever could have imagined. It was something they didn't share at first, but their friends quickly figured it out. Amber's surprise milkshakes at the Spoon and knowing smiles said it all. He wasn't surprised at how happy Buffy got when they confirmed.
Then the first kiss. One night Cyrus made a comment: "I never thought I'd date the captain of the basketball team." It came with so many layers. Cyrus was happy to be with him. TJ Kippen. He silently told the athlete that he still couldn't believe he shared his feelings. But it was also Cyrus saying how lucky he felt. How much he'd improved with coming to terms with himself. How he had a supporting friend group, and now a supporting boyfriend.
TJ leaned down and kissed the boy, and instantly knew that everything was right.
Telling their parents wasn't easy. They decided to reveal how they felt separately. TJ's parents took it better than he thought, but the built-up nerves that were in him almost made him pass out when he was done. The relief was overwhelming.
Cyrus' parents were harder to talk to. TJ stood outside his boyfriend's house with Buffy, Andi, and Jonah, eagerly waiting for him to come outside and tell them how it went. When he finally did, he looked relieved and disappointed. Almost heartbroken. His parents couldn't come to grips with it at the beginning, but, eventually, they came around. TJ didn't properly introduce himself to them until after they had started high school.
As the years continued, they never left each other's side. Each obstacle that came their way they would face together. Every accomplishment they made they celebrated together.
And every now and then, TJ would really look at the boy and take in his presence.
Cyrus Goodman was almost too good for him. One night TJ asked him how he ended up with someone so wonderful. Cyrus simply kissed him and said, "I ask myself that every day."
I currently need help getting over my obsession with the bench scene (O_O) Anyway… I really wanted to write something from T.J.'s POV cuz we didn't get as much from him in the show as we did from Cyrus. Let me know if you want me to write a one-shot like this from Cyrus' POV.
Also, I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar errors I made in this. I did read over it but I still might have missed stuff cuz I kept going back and adding things.
Review, favorite, and follow :)
~Reader4ever1