pull the trigger

19

when jacob woke up for the second time, it was morning, and troye was already awake.

he was busying himself making something for breakfast. jacob instantly scrunched up his nose in disgust, the thought of eating something troye made simply grossed him out.

troye whipped around upon hearing the bed creak slightly. a nervous smile spread across his lips.

"morning. i, um, i made you breakfast?" troye spoke almost hopefully, as if the food he made could be a peace offering for the night before.

"that's fucking marvelous," jacob grumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes tiredly with the back of his hand.

an awkward silence settled around the room. it was uneasy, and jacob couldn't quite place why. troye never seemed scared of him before, why was he just now forming this fear?

"well? are you gonna get up, or not?" troye teased, putting a plate down on the table. jacob rolled his eyes. "if i have to eat more of that garbage you make, i don't want to get up."

troye swallowed harshly before walking over to the sink and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

he turned around to face jacob, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "sorry," he giggled. "that, uh, happens sometimes when i'm...

...um, nervous."

jacob just stared at him with wide eyes. "you're probably the most fucked up person i've ever known."

troye laughed, but it was forced. all of his smiles, or laughs, jacob had come to notice, were always forced.

odd.

jacob bent down and pulled his shoes on. "i think i'll skip breakfast today. i'm going for a walk."

"are you sure you don't want anything? i mean, it's probably for the better that you don't, because, um, my cooking isn't very good," troye mumbled, his cheeks flushed as he scratched the back of his neck.

jacob tilted his head slightly. "why'd you just say that?"

now troye looked confused, too. "say what?"

"that your cooking isn't very good. when i first came here you were all "i think i'm pretty good.""

troye quickly turned his back to jacob, randomly fiddling with the knobs on the turned off stove uselessly as a way of distracting himself. he shrugged. "i don't know, i guess you just kinda made me realize that i'm not as good as it as i once thought."

good thing his back was turned to jacob, or else he would've seen the large, proud smirk that crossed the older boy's face.

jacob had practically succeeded in doing what he planned. lowering troye's self esteem so much that even he himself believed it.