Illusive -- Tronnor AU

Chapter 1: // Staying up - The Neighbourhood

In the night, no one can hear you scream.

No one can prevent the noises, the thoughts that enter your head, the words that eat away at your skin, little by little until there's nothing left of you at all.

Connor wasn't one to get afraid easily. At least not in the daytime.

But when the shadows of the night casted, things changed. Gone was the confident high school swim team captain, and in its place was a frightened teenage boy.

"Afraid yet Connor?"

Connor's eyes adjusted as he exhaled shakily, the room almost lucid as he sat up in his bed. Though his bedroom was dark due to the late hour, the time reading as 3am exactly, he managed to focus his vision as he whispered a response to the familiar sounding voice.

"Nope."

A set of piercing blue eyes stared back at him from across the room, a low chuckle escaping from the figures lips as they stood up.

"Oh aren't you? Because from the way you're shaking, I'd say otherwise."

Connor held his breath as the figure walked over, his eyes pooled with some kind of judgement as he sat on the edge of his bed. His eyes flickered over Connor for a moment, studying him all over and making him feel a little conscious as their gaze met again.

"Why do you keep coming here?"

The boy cocked his head to one side, an amused smirk gracing his lips. "Why not?"

"That doesn't answer the question." Connor retorted, though he struggled to hold his confident tone. "Every night for the past month, you just...you've been here. Why?"

Connor felt his heart stop as a hand found its way onto his jawline, the fingers lingering onto his skin for a moment before he was jerked forward into a intimate proximity. This was the closest contact the two boys had ever had, and to say that he was scared would be an understatement.

"I like to intimidate you." The boy murmured, his vision locked on Connor. "That's why I'm here."

"But...but who are you?" Connor managed to choke out, trying to push away the feeling of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach as the boy looked at his mouth hungrily. He sent Connor a dark kind of glare, his hands finding the older boy's wrists and his voice barely above a whisper as he replied.

"The name's Troye Sivan."

Connor just gulped, his eyes consciously falling shut as Troye's lips moved closer.

"And I'm going to be your worst nightmare."

-

"Con?"

The sudden voice snapped Connor out of thought as he glanced around the registration room, realising that the person questioning him happened to be his best friend, Tyler Oakley. Since his thoughts had been so wrapped up in what had happened the night before, he seemed to have forgotten to acknowledge his best friend.

"What?"

"What's up with you today? You've barely spoken since we got here, and to be honest, you look kinda shitty."

"Gee, thanks." Connor responded with a not so subtle eye roll, before running his hands through his messy quiff. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"You never get much sleep." Tyler sighed, but rubbed his friends back nonetheless. "Can I get you anything to wake yourself up? Coffee? Energy drink? A girlfriend?"

Connor snorted at the last suggestion. "I think a shot of espresso would suffice."

Tyler raised his eyebrows, before pushing a cup in Connor's direction. "All I got is this morning's cold cappuccino. That's the best you're gonna get."