It takes a long time for Tyler to get himself under control after Sarah and Aimee leave. He'd sat at the bottom of the long sweeping staircase for hours forcing the build up of tension and hostility down.
He'd almost killed Sarah. He'd almost killed somebody, someone he knew, and the only thing he'd felt when she'd first begun to fall was savage pleasure, and later, when he realized she had only been kidding, sharp disappointment and annoyance. And to make it worse, he's sure Jeremy could tell that he wasn't sorry for it. Jeremy had seen that he didn't feel bad if he had killed someone.
This isn't good.
Tyler doesn't want to be this person. It's wrong. His mind drifts back to his previous thought, the one he was thinking in the Grill before Jeremy had walked up. He's becoming a monster, and he doesn't want to, and he doesn't. want. this. to. happen. This can't happen, he can't change; if this is how he feels just knowing about it, Tyler can't imagine how he would be once the transformation is complete. He needs help. He can't do this alone, and he can't go to Jeremy even if he wanted to. He's sure that he wants nothing to do with him right now, if the way he ran out of here earlier is any indication.
He needs someone who's been through this. That's why he's been waiting on the stairs for hours.
The minute Mason walks through the door, Tyler springs to his feet. "Mason."
Mason's head snaps in Tyler's direction, alarmed, but once he realizes who it is visible relief graces his face. "Tyler, hey." He's turning away, already looking preoccupied, but Tyler isn't going to let him brush him off. Not this time.
"Look, I need to talk to you, man-"
"Can it wait? I was just stopping by for a change of clothes."
"No, it can't wait." Panic begins to lap at his senses as he watches Mason walk away.
"We can talk tomorr-"
"I almost killed someone today." Mason freezes in his tracks. "I almost killed a girl today. I pushed her down the stairs and...and..." he swallows hard. "All I could think is that I wanted her to die." He's breathing hard from the confession, and watches as Mason slowly turns around to face him. "I don't want this." He feels humiliated when his eyes burn and prick with tears, but he can't stop talking until it's all out. "All I've been thinking about is hurting people, so I can change, but I don't... I don't want to be that person-" he breaks off suddenly. His throat feels clogged and he clears his throat to no avail. He doesn't want Mason to see the rapidly building wetness in his eyes so he sinks back down onto the front step and bows his head, sliding his fingers into his hair.
He concentrates on leveling out his breathing. It feels good to have it out in the open; he didn't know the thoughts were eating at him like a cancer until he's finally said everything aloud.
But as the seconds pass his uncle still doesn't say anything and the silence causes Tyler to feel uneasy once again. Is he different? Is Mason horrified because Tyler is so savage already and he hasn't even transformed? What if- His panicked thoughts are cut off as he feels his uncle settle down next him. Tyler doesn't look up to see Mason's expression but he feels better anyway- he doesn't sit a stair up, or far away huddled neat the banister, but close enough so their shoulders touch, and Tyler realizes what his uncle is trying to tell him; he isn't afraid of him.
He lets put a shaky sigh of relief.
=..=..=
This is the last place Jeremy wants to be right now. It's been less than two days but he's back at the Lockwood place; this time decorating for another event whose purpose is vague, and ignoring Damon's wild eyed glares. When Jeremy had gotten home after darting from Tyler's foyer, he'd told Elena that the moonstone was now firmly in Mason's possession. And there was no doubt that Damon knew, if not for the stares, then for the particularly hard shoulder bump he'd received while trying to haul a box of decorations out to the tent set up in the middle of the sprawling yard.
He finally reaches the open tent and scans for an empty space to set down his box. Looking down into it shows a large amount of fairy lights, a metal thing that looks like a corkscrew, and what looks to be a... large decorative mask?
What am I supposed to do with these?
What is he supposed to do with these? Jeremy is beginning to think his full attention wasn't on Mrs. Lockwood when she'd handed him the box when someone enters the tent behind him. He grabs the corkscrew looking thing and turns. "Hey do you know what I'm supposed..." he trails off as he sees Tyler standing behind him.
The air suddenly feels heavy and too hot despite the fact that it's a perfectly nice day out. Jeremy says nothing; it seems as if he's always speechless around Tyler nowadays and for all the wrong reasons. Too many secrets. And then there's Tyler's weird reaction to Sarah getting hurt...
They stare at each other for what seems like a long time (Jeremy can't really tell - time seems kind of insignificant right now) and Tyler awkwardly shifts his weight before saying "Hey."
"Hey." he answers automatically and the silence falls again. It's too awkward for Jeremy and he waves the around corkscrew thing in his hand. "I'm just going to..." he gestures vaguely to somewhere, anywhere outside of the tent.
He begins to walk forward, to pass Tyler but stops when Tyler blurts out, "I'm sorry."
Jeremy eyes meet Tyler's (he's closer now, and can see his eyelashes and the hint of gold flecks in his irises) and asks, "For what?"
Tyler shrugs, "For the moonstone. I know that you asked me to hold onto it, but that night I had a talk with Mason and he... explained some things."
"What kind of things?" The question is quick and an odd sense of elation begins to rise; does Tyler know too? Can he finally stop keeping these secrets?
Tyler hesitates. "Just some stuff. He was uh, pretty vague. Said he needed it for something pretty important."
Jeremy presses. "Did he explain what?"
"No. Just that it was important, but it doesn't matter," he says quickly dismissing it.
The elation in Jeremy dies and the disappointment rides through him steadily when he says "I think it matters. I mean, it has to. He threatened you and me." He doesn't throw in that the threat against him doesn't bother him half as much as the threat against Tyler does.
"Yeah, we talked about that too. He apologized, he's sorry about it." Jeremy scoffs but Tyler keeps going. "No, man, seriously. He's not that bad. I just... overreacted." Jeremy doesn't believe that for a second and he knows Tyler can tell because the crease in his brow deepens. "Jeremy-"
"Alright, Tyler." He doesn't want to talk about this anymore. The moonstone is gone and there is no way in hell that Mason is going to give it back, and there really is no point in discussing it anymore. He makes to walk around Tyler again but is stopped once more. This time by Tyler's gentle grip on his wrist.
His heart immediately speeds up; Tyler never touches him in public, makes a point of it actually, but here he is in the middle of his yard with dozens of people milling around, his hand almost wrapped around Jeremy's.
"Jeremy," Tyler's voice is soft, and Jeremy's pounding heart stutters and a shiver runs through his whole body when Tyler begins to stoke the inside of his wrist in small circles. He doesn't answer but keeps his thrumming body still; the urge to turn and press his body against Tyler's is so strong. Instead, he shifts his gaze so that it is back on Tyler's. "I'm sorry." This is said quietly as well, and Jeremy feels weak. God, how did he go for so long without touching him? It's only been two and a half weeks, granted, but as his eyes fall to Tyler's lips all he can think about is how good they feel against his. And he can forgive him. It doesn't even matter, the moonstone. They don't even know what it's for. All that matters right now is kissing Ty-
"Do you know where your mother put the tables?"
Jeremy and Tyler jump apart immediately and they both turn to see Mason in the entrance to the open tent. He's glaring at Jeremy and looking annoyed. He sure seems sorry, Jeremy thinks sarcastically. He turns away from them both, goes back to his original table, and picks up the overly large mask.
On his way out of the tent he hears Tyler clear his throat and say, "Yeah, I think she left them out in the truck."