in the hands of fate (a love by chance, tincan, story)

chapter 13: will you leave me lying here

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I've had this written for a while but I'm a bit rusty in certain areas so had to leave it a while and come back to re-read to make sure it made sense! Plus work has been evil--the perils of being a keyworker in a pandemic! ❤️

You can also find this on my AO3.

"Tin, are you listening? I asked if we are going to partner up for this field trip?"

Tin blinked at the sound of his name, waking from the daydream he'd been semi-dozing into. His laptop was open in front of him, but the screen had faded into energy saving mode. Fuck.

"Sorry, Pete. What did you say?" He looked at Pete who was watching him with a smirk on his perfect handsome features.

"I was just checking we will be partners for the field trip?"

Tin rolled his eyes. "I'm counting on it. I have no desire to work with anyone else."

Pete nodded. "Late night?"

Tin closed his laptop, hunger pangs making their presence known now that he was back in the present. "I just didn't sleep very well."

"Can keep you awake, did he?" Pete waggled his eyebrows.

Tin should have expected that Pete would know that Can had moved in with him. Despite his innocent demeanour Tin knew full well he was anything but, and Tin wouldn't quite say he was a gossip, but he always seemed to know things. "Who told you Can was staying with me?"

"Can told me a couple of days ago that Ren wouldn't be coming to football practice anymore, and why." Pete hooked his backpack over a shoulder when Tin stood and they both walked in the direction of the cafeteria.

Tin fought back a yawn. He'd been awake most of the night, afraid to fall asleep and have his unconscious self give into it's need to hold Can close. Yet he'd known what he was getting into. The house had four guest suites as well as the rooms his parents occupied when they were in town and Tul's quarters. Not to mention rooms for live-in staff. He could easily have given Can a temporary room, they didn't have have to share a bed.

He wasn't sure anyone would understand his logic because it wasn't just an excuse to have Can in his bed—though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't hoping that by sharing a bed Can might begin to feel some attraction towards him like that. His rooms were just that, his. Ever since his return from England four years ago his own space had become his sanctuary. The rest of the house was cold and unloved, a place where he was obliged to spend time when his parents were around and wanting to play their twisted version of happy families, somewhere without warmth. He couldn't let Can and Ren live somewhere that was so unwelcoming. He had asked Can to stay with him and that meant in the place that he was, not another part of the house that could feel like another country.

He hadn't been lying when he'd said he was having a suite redecorated, one with more space and more bedrooms where the three of them could live side-by-side. It had been impossible to organise everything to be finished in time with the short notice.

He hadn't asked his parents about Can moving in. He had informed them. He knew they wouldn't argue. They didn't care enough to bother. Of course, Tin knew it would annoy the fuck out of Tul, but as he was overseas for the next few weeks at least, he would navigate that hurdle when the time came.

"Why didn't you move out to your own place? You said you were thinking about it after you saw my apartment."

"Technically the 'family home' is actually mine so I'm going nowhere."