Title: Four People Tyler Lewis Hasn’t (Yet) Dated
Rating: Harmless!
Notes: Yet another story inspired by our Toronto trip, which I assume that you can expect more crap fic to be written about. Anyone who writes me Grandon will get insta-love!
Tyler smiles vacantly, shaking his newly straightened hair. “Rex?” he calls, trying out Chad’s grin that shows more teeth than he knew he had. “You think Keith Urban counts as acoustic rock?” Rex doesn’t answer for a moment, and so Tyler waits.
“No, probably not.” Rex replies from a distance. Tyler smiles anyhow, and then laughs after a long pause.
“You wouldn’t know rock unless it…unless it…it disguised itself as a truck!” he finishes, with a self-satisfied smirk. Rex raises an eyebrow, and so Tyler leans forward and presses a quick kiss to his lips.
Rex clears his throat from behind him. “Uhh…Tyler? That’s the mirror. I’m Rex.”
Tyler just smiles.
.
Somehow, Tyler knows that the age difference is supposed to make him think twice about this. The thing is, his Momma’s always said that age ain’t nothing but a number, and so he doesn’t much care.
Besides, Craig is pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and that’s all he really cares about. Even the thought makes him happy, and he smiles to himself as he climbs the stairs to Craig’s room. He opens without knocking, and blinks a few times at the sight that awaits him - Craig trying to squeeze into what seems to be Ashley Coles’ black corset dress. He tilts his head at him in confusion.
“Goddamnit, Tyler! Can’t you see that I’m busy?!?” he screeches loudly, turning away in an attempt to cover up.
Tyler just smiles.
.
When Brandon comes back the week after he’s voted off, it’s almost like he hasn’t gone anywhere at all. Tyler waves at him and he hops the line - screw the fangirls lining up -even as the same security guards who once spoke to him like he was something precious bark at him to stop.
Tyler remembers the way that Brandon had said he’d come back for him, like they were in a movie or something. He figures that Brandon is sort of like his girlfriend or something now, even though most of his other girlfriends didn’t have Adam’s apples.
Afterwards, when Tyler meets Brandon at the café down the street and Brandon’s phone rings, Tyler sees Brandon glance at the caller id - a very obvious GREG NEUFELD - and then watches as he rubs absently at the new tattoo on his arm, symbols in a language that he doesn’t read and something that he refuses to tell Tyler about. He doesn’t, however, see the way that Brandon bites his bottom lip and frowns just a little before turning on that too-bright smile again.
Tyler just smiles.
.
Three hours later - as Ashley finger combs the last of the confetti out of Tyler’s hair and while disco lights whirl around them to Justin Timberlake singing something about having a sexy back - winning becomes the most shocking thing that’s ever happened to him.
One month and sixteen days later - as they leave the empty studio where he gets to meet his band (his band!) for the first time ever - that changes.
A closet door opens and he’s dragged in, which makes him want to scream or hit something (although he doesn’t because he can’t decide which before the light is turned on.)
The guy with the hair that reminds him of the Barbie dolls that his sister used to play with is in the closet too, and Tyler knows that he’s Sass’ husband and also his guitar player.
“You’re not Kalan, but you’ll do…”
Tyler just smiles.