AN: It is now time for me to reveal that I am finished writing. I determined the overall story arc before I began writing the first chapter. There are a total of 20 chapters, so I will keep updating every week until I have posted the final chapter. Enjoy!

I do not own anything recognizable.

Chapter 15

After TJ found Buffy on Friday afternoon, he was eager for Cyrus's return. He didn't say anything else to Buffy because he didn't want to stick around the rest of the afternoon with someone who was close to Cyrus; she just reminded him too much of the sticky situation he was in. He also didn't want to get caught up in saying the wrong thing, especially to someone like Buffy who he knew would immediately inform Cyrus about anything that happened.

TJ knew that he would need to be the first one to approach Cyrus about their situation before anyone else when he came back. The interaction would have to mean something. All TJ could do the whole weekend was wait for Cyrus to come back. Even though the two hadn't talked in a while, they saw each other in class every day. TJ took that for granted, and when Cyrus was out for one day, TJ missed him so much. He didn't even think about the fact that Cyrus got to get away and left TJ to all of his depressing thoughts about the end of their relationship being in sight. TJ knew how he treated Cyrus. Cyrus deserved time away, and TJ deserved to be the one pondering his actions and the future. TJ knew that he had everything to apologize for, while Cyrus had nothing. TJ was well aware that when Cyrus got back, he couldn't miss a beat.

On Sunday afternoon, while TJ waited in anticipation of Cyrus coming back home, his phone buzzed. He got super excited and nervous at the same time, only to see that the text was from Buffy. It just said "hey."

Hey, TJ replied. Without waiting to see what Buffy wanted, he asked Is Cyrus back yet?

TJ watched the three gray dots on his phone, as every second he waited for Buffy to respond felt like several minutes.

Buffy's text read, Yes, that's why I'm texting you. To let you know that he's back.

Should I text him? TJ asked right away.

Maybe wait until tomorrow, Buffy responded. He just got back, and I'm not sure if he wants to be bothered right now. I know he has a lot of work to do because he missed a day of school.

Oh yeah, that's true. I'll give him some space, TJ sent that text still disappointed, as he wanted to talk to Cyrus as soon as humanly possible. He sent another text to Buffy because he knew that she was always close to Cyrus. I'm sorry for everything that happened. I acted like a jerk.

Don't tell ME that. Tell Cyrus.

Because of who was affected, TJ wasn't at all perturbed by Buffy's response. He knew that he hadn't really done anything to Buffy; he just wanted to get the apology off his chest. Before he could respond, he saw another text from Buffy:

Good luck. I hope everything works out between you two, truly.

TJ wasn't sure whether Buffy just said this because she was concerned about Cyrus or because she legitimately wanted TJ and Cyrus to stay together because she liked them together. Either way, TJ appreciated Buffy's well wishes, and he thanked her for it.

For the rest of the evening, TJ chose to focus on his school work because he knew it was something he had to do. Overthinking his situation with Cyrus wasn't going to get him anywhere, and he feared that it might even make their next conversation worse. As much as he wanted the next day to come quickly, he knew that he didn't have the ability to make time move any faster. He did recognize that if he spent all afternoon thinking about his worries, like he had all weekend, then it would feel like time was passing slower.

When TJ woke up the next morning, he actually felt excited. He knew that he would see his boyfriend again, and that they might have a chance of making up. In addition to his excitement, though, he was terrified. He couldn't shake the thought of what might happen if he messed up his apology or if Cyrus just didn't accept it. TJ had only just realized how much he took Cyrus for granted, and he was never more afraid of losing Cyrus than he was that morning.

TJ got ready, ate his breakfast, and went to school, just like any other day. While he went through the first half of his day, he frequently stopped and took out his phone, only to stare at it and occasionally type messages to Cyrus that he would then backspace before sending because he didn't know what to say. At first, he thought that maybe he could ask Cyrus to meet him during lunch, but then he realized that the conversation might need more time than that. Then he was going to ask Cyrus to meet him at The Spoon, but recognized that their conversation should probably be private.

By the time lunch came, TJ hadn't sent any texts to Cyrus, so he stayed away from Cyrus. He didn't want to force the conversation in a short period of time because he knew that it would be difficult to make amends that way.

Unknown to TJ, Cyrus also wanted to talk, but didn't know what to say. He was also afraid of making things worse. They both wanted to make up, but neither one of them knew the other's intentions.

After lunch came the English class that TJ and Cyrus shared. TJ decided that it was now or never. He couldn't see Cyrus and excuse not talking to him if he wanted to make up. He was nervous, though. Instead of approaching Cyrus, he sent a text.

Meet me by the swings after school today?

After TJ sent the text, he looked over at Cyrus in anticipation.

Cyrus noticed the text from TJ. He looked down at it, read it, and paused. He was nervous. TJ was finally making an attempt to talk to Cyrus, but Cyrus didn't know what it meant. Unaware that TJ was looking over, Cyrus looked up at TJ, and for the first time in weeks, their eyes met. The looks of longing and desperation on both of their faces said everything that each of them needed to know.

TJ noticed Cyrus look back down at his phone, type something, put his phone away, and then look away. TJ's phone buzzed. The text from Cyrus said "yes." TJ silently gave a nervous laugh and smile. He knew that he would finally be able to talk to Cyrus again after so much time apart.

As the rest of the day went by, TJ looked forward to being able to talk with Cyrus. Meanwhile, Cyrus was nervous about what the conversation would bring.

When the school day ended, instead of going immediately to the swings at the park, Cyrus went to Buffy.

"Hey, what's up?" Buffy asked cautiously, as she noticed Cyrus's demeanor, which was more nervous than usual.

"It's TJ," Cyrus said nervously.

"Did he say something to you?" Buffy knew that TJ wanted to apologize to Cyrus, but she didn't want to give Cyrus that impression and end up being wrong. She was able to hide the undertones of excitement and relief in her voice by asking with a tone of general curiosity.

"He wants to meet me at the swings."

"When?" Buffy asked.

"Now."

"Well then why aren't you going?" Buffy suddenly urged Cyrus to go meet TJ.

"I'm scared," Cyrus clarified. Buffy relaxed her shoulders, exhaled calmly, and took a moment to listen to Cyrus. "I don't know if he wants to make up with me or-" Cyrus paused because he didn't want to say the next part.

"Or what?" Buffy asked, nudging Cyrus on.

"Or break up with me," replied Cyrus dejectedly.

Buffy put a hand on Cyrus's shoulder to comfort him. "Cyrus, I don't know either. But if you don't go talk to him, you won't find out. I hope he doesn't want to break up with you, but if he does, then putting it off isn't going to make it hurt any less."

Cyrus started to tear up when Buffy added, "But if he does want to make up – which I think is much more likely – then you need to go to him and let him do that."

"What if I say the wrong thing?" Cyrus worried.

"Don't worry about that," Buffy assured, "You'll get through it."

The two were silent for a minute or two, other than Cyrus taking some very deep controlled breaths.

"Okay," he said. "You're right. I gotta go."

"Good luck," Buffy said with an assuring smile on her face.

Cyrus took off towards the swings.

TJ went directly to the swings after school; since Cyrus stopped to talk to Buffy, TJ had to wait. Waiting was really hard on TJ. In fact, he began to think that Cyrus was blowing him off. Just when that thought began to cross his mind, he saw Cyrus come from behind him where he was sitting on the swing.

As soon as TJ saw Cyrus, he got up, and wrapped him in a hug. Neither of them said a word, Cyrus returned the hug, and neither one wanted to let the other go. When they finally did let go, TJ made sure he was the first to talk.

"I'm so sorry," he started, "For everything."

All TJ could do for the next few minutes was vehemently apologize. Cyrus let him. It gave him a sort of uncomfortable satisfaction to hear TJ try to make amends. As much as he hated to see TJ breaking down, he knew that he deserved every apology that TJ gave him. As much as Cyrus wanted to focus on only the good things that happened in their relationship and just get back to normal, he knew that they both need to acknowledge what had just happened and how TJ treated Cyrus, because it did affect their relationship, and neither could deny it.

TJ apologized for misinterpreting what Cyrus said about Jonah. He apologized for yelling at Cyrus. He apologized for being selfish. He apologized for using Kira to make Cyrus jealous. He apologized for ignoring Cyrus for so long and waiting so much time to try to make things right.

TJ, longwinded, getting to the end of his list, finally said, "And I'm sorry for pressuring you to come out to your parents. I never should have done that. You need to wait until you're ready, and only you can determine that. I should have been happy with what we had instead of jeopardizing it by trying to make decisions for you. I'm sorry."

Cyrus took TJ's hands, and let TJ catch his breath, as TJ gave a longing sigh in hopes that Cyrus would accept his apology. That gave Cyrus some time to think about his own response. Cyrus was wise, and he wasn't going to say that it was okay. He knew that that wasn't an appropriate response because it wasn't okay. Even though Cyrus was okay now, what TJ did was not okay by any stretch, and Cyrus chose his words carefully to make sure that he didn't give TJ the impression that it was.

"I forgive you," Cyrus decided on his choice of words, "for all of it."

TJ gave another sigh, but this time it was a sigh of relief. He didn't know what else to say – he had already apologized for everything – so he hugged Cyrus again.

Once he let go, Cyrus spoke again, "People make mistakes. I really like you, and I don't want to lose this. Please trust that."

"Of course," TJ replied, thinking that he would be an idiot not to trust Cyrus on that. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Cyrus replied, thankful that TJ was able to see his own mistakes and make amends for them. He knew that it took a lot of strength for him to do that. In fact, that's one thing that made him like TJ so much in the first place. TJ always tried to be better, and when he made a mistake, no matter how long it took, he would come around. This interaction was proof of that.

The couple talked through some of the things for which TJ had just apologized so that they could understand each other better. TJ was right; the conversation wouldn't have fit into lunch. Plus, they hung out together for a while because they hadn't talked to each other in so long that they really needed each other's company.

A bit of the way into their afternoon, Cyrus said after a long pause, "I'm gonna do it."

TJ looked at Cyrus, puzzled. "Do what?" he asked.

"I'm gonna tell them," Cyrus said with conviction. "My parents – I'm going to come out."

At first, TJ looked worried. "You don't have to. Please don't let me pressure you-"

"I want to," Cyrus interrupted. "It's okay, you're not pressuring me."

"What made you change your mind?" TJ asked.

Cyrus told TJ about the ski trip. He said that he had figured out that his parents were always there for him. They kept him calm when he was afraid on the slopes. They had a great weekend all together. Just the fact that they let him go on this trip when he said he was feeling down proved that they cared about him and just wanted the best for him. He added on how cathartic it felt when he finally came out to Buffy, and he said that he knew it was what he needed to do.

"Are you sure you're ready?" TJ asked, even after Cyrus's long explanation; he wanted to make sure he was extra cautious and that Cyrus really didn't feel pressure.

"I'm sure," said Cyrus.

TJ smiled, happy that Cyrus finally felt confident enough in himself to come out. He knew it would be Cyrus's biggest step so far, and he was glad that Cyrus found that courage.

"That makes me really happy," TJ said, but made sure to clarify, "For you. Not just for me. I just want you to be yourself."

"I know," Cyrus smiled back at TJ. Despite how clunky TJ's words were, Cyrus understood exactly what TJ meant. "Thank you."

The two of them, by this point, had already made the move from the swings to a nearby park bench. Cyrus leaned on TJ's shoulder, just as he had done at the party.

"You know," TJ began to say teasingly, interrupting the silence, "now I can't stop imagining how cute you must have been getting nervous at the top of the slopes."

Cyrus blushed, and he playfully punched TJ in the arm. After he did that, realizing how much he missed having a boyfriend, Cyrus reached his head up to kiss TJ. Even though it caught TJ a little off guard, it was certainly more than welcome.

As the rest of the week went by, TJ and Cyrus spent a lot of it together again. Cyrus informed Buffy about his and TJ's talk on Monday. TJ reached out to Marty and thanked him for the advice. Jonah picked up on what had happened, and the group started hanging out like normal again. They gave TJ and Cyrus a little bit more space though, because everyone knew that they could use a little bit more time with just the two of them together.

Andi got permission from Bex and Bowie to invite everyone over on Saturday. She didn't initially invite TJ because she didn't know that he and Cyrus made up. On Friday, when Andi invited them, Cyrus told Andi the whole story of that week and asked if TJ could come too.

"Of course!" she responded without hesitation. "I'm really glad you two are alright."

"Me too," Cyrus agreed.

On Saturday, Andi, Buffy, Marty, Cyrus, TJ, and Jonah, all gathered in the living room of Bex's and Bowie's apartment. It was a bit crowded because of how small the room was for all of them, but it was fine.

The six of them used this time to catch up with each other and with Andi because they hadn't seen her in a while due to art school. TJ hadn't really talked to anyone in the group very much because he knew that they were all closer to Cyrus. The only person with whom he really had an interaction before making up with Cyrus was Marty, and that brought those two a lot closer together. Cyrus hadn't really been able to think about much other than TJ, so he didn't really talk to any of his friends about anything other than his relationship except for that one day that he spent with Buffy and Jonah. It was a much needed gathering that brought everybody who was there closer to each other.

Bex and Bowie spent most of their time in the kitchen, so that the kids could have their time together. They did hear a knock on the door, though, so Bex went to see who it was.

Cece stood at the door, not unannounced, as Bex was expecting her to drop off the laundry detergent that she borrowed.

"Mom, you can come in if you want," Bex said with a slight laugh.

"Oh sure, why not?" Cece said, as she was more upbeat than normal.

When Cece walked in the room, she did not expect to see all the kids sitting there.

"I didn't know you had company," she said to Bex.

"Oh yeah, Bowie and I are in the kitchen, if you want to join us," Bex stated.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Do you have any tea?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Bex responded.

"Wow, this group just keeps getting bigger," Cece observed as she made her way from the living room into the kitchen.

"Yep," Andi chimed in for the first time, "we're like one big happy family!" She put her arms around Buffy and Cyrus, who sat right next to her. They all smiled.

Before Cece made it into the kitchen, the sight of TJ sitting immediately next to Cyrus and the two of them holding hands caught her eye.

"Oh," her tone shifted drastically to one bordering on disgust that she didn't hide very well, "you two made up."

Cyrus's and TJ's expressions dropped, and they let go of each other's hands. Everyone else in the room noticed and waited for the awkwardness to pass.

"Mom," Bex whispered aggressively, sending a clear message.

Cece walked through the door with Bex to the kitchen.

After Cece was out of earshot, Andi whispered, "I'm sorry," to TJ and Cyrus.

"It's fine," Cyrus said dejectedly, "we get it."

At that point, they knew that they just had to move on from the moment.

In the kitchen, Bex started to get frustrated with Cece. "Why do you have to be so judgmental?" she made sure to keep her voice down so that she wouldn't upset TJ and Cyrus more.

"What's going on?" Bowie asked, a little hesitantly and confused.

Bex filled him on Cece's feelings about Cyrus dating TJ.

"Why can't you just be accepting?" she turned and asked Cece.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's hard to just get on board with something like this. It's not natural!"

"It's as natural as mine and Bowie's relationship, Mom."

Cece frowned, "I know that you think you're right again, but you're not going to win this one."

Bex exhaled and closed her eyes before shifting gears entirely. "Mom, what kind of sweetener do you want in your tea?"

Bex knew that she just had to let it go. At least she was glad that TJ and Cyrus made up.

Chapter 16 Coming Soon!