"Hey." Tac looked up at Jared and forced a smile. "You're here alone?"
"Yeah, Terry is running an errand for my grandfather." He said - trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. Howard's party was fun, particularly because of his new girlfriend. Watching him flutter about trying to quell her jealousy when ever he so much as thought about talking to someone else. Tac was keeping an eye on her should she get violent - not all abusers were male. "Plus we're taking a little bit of a break."
"That sounds familiar." Dana snorted when she over heard them. "Why didn't you do it, he's your grandfather. That way Terry could be here and you wouldn't."
"Shut up." Tac brushed her off. He wasn't really in the mood for anyones snide comments.
"Truth hurts - you really thought you were so special didn't you? That since you're dating him he'd actually show up." Dana went on. "Tell me, Tac - where does he sleep now?"
"Dana come on." Jared said. "Don't kick him when he's down." She just rolled her eyes when he defended Tac. "If you ask me I hate it when people ask for a 'break' - it's like you're waiting around for them to dump you."
"Thanks Jared." Tac said sarcastically.
"What I meant was... if you wanna go hang out some time while you're on your 'break', I'm open." Tac looked at him sharply when he said that. "I'll actually show up.
"Ah... sure!" Tac got his number and smiled as he walked off to mingle. His cheeks a little flushed as he glanced back at Tac.
"You're unbelievable." Dana said.
"Thank you." He chuckled.
"That was not a compliment. You two jumped into your 'affair' so fast you didn't stop to think about if you were actually compatible. And now that you're spending time together it's not working so you're just moving on to the next guy dumb enough to fall for your cute act."
"Oh we're compatible. Terry fits really nice up my—"
"You're disgusting." She scoffed.
"Then why are you still talking to me? If I'm such a despicable creature then be gone, Dana! Don't lower yourself by talking to me." She glared at him for a second longer before she walked off - undoubtedly going to tell Jared how horrible he was. He was frustrated. He didn't want to give up on Terry but he had been completely ignoring Tac lately in favor of training. They didn't even patrol together - Tac often found himself on the opposite side of the city because Terry lit out to handle something else. More evident now that Terry was out on a case and Tac was covering for him at a party.
He was trying, really he was but something had snapped in Terry after the ordeal with Shriek. Finding out more than half the city didn't give a shit about his efforts to clean up the streets of Neo Gotham left him feeling severely despondent. It was weird seeing Terry like that. Terry often hid his pain so nobody worried about him. He didn't need validation everyday but he needed something. And if Tac didn't figure out what he could do things would only get worse.
The party was in full swing and Tac texted Terry just to see where he was. But before he got an answer Howard and Cynthia got into a huge fight. He chalked it up to random teenage drama until Cynthia tossed Max across the room. Tac acted without thinking - when Cynthia stalked towards her he drop kicked her away. "Back off." He growled. She got up and grabbed for him but he slipped right between her legs.
Dick's training was paying off, he was able to evade her while the others cleared out of the house. He spotted Jared over her shoulder and waved him out. She got a hold of him and tossed him like he weighed nothing. Tac crashed into the dining room table and slid all the way across it before one of the legs broke and sent him tumbling to the floor. He got up as Cynthia came for him. She kicked the table and it knocked him into the wall behind him.
"Tac!" He heard Jared call his name before he blacked out. When he came to Jared was gently shaking him. He vision cleared to find that Batman had shown up to handle the out of control synthoid.
"Get him out of here!" Batman ordered. Jared gathered Tac in his arms and ran him outside just as the house went up in flames. Batman dropped Howard off outside with the other party goers before disappearing into the night. Tac was the only one who noticed Terry's sudden appearance. In all the commotion people assumed he had been there at least half the time. He checked on his friends before he spotted Tac and ran over.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he reached for him. Tac took a step but grabbed his side.
"Easy." Jared said as he let Tac lean on him. "When she kicked that table at him it caught him right in the middle." Terry pulled down the waist of Tac's pants to see bruises already forming on his hip.
"Damn it. Bruce is gonna skin me alive - I keep bringing you home with injuries." Terry said.
"You need to go to the hospital." Jared pointed out. Luckily first responders were already pulling up to the house to handle injuries and the fire. "Come on." He helped Tac over to an ambulance to get checked out. They both hovered around as the EMT took Tac's vitals and note of his injuries.
"Nothings broken but he might have internal bleeding. We'll take him in." The EMT said. Tac winced as the EMT strapped him to the gurney. Terry could see being tied down was starting to freak him out. He wanted to ride with Tac but he told Terry he should check on his friends. The ride to the hospital would be unbearable because of how awkward things were between them.
Tac did not enjoy the ride in the ambulance at any rate. Jared wasn't allowed to ride with him because he wasn't a family member. The EMT offered him a sedative when he started to panic about being strapped down but he refused. He closed his eyes and ignored the sirens as he took some deep breaths. When he got to the hospital they finally called Bruce and told him what happened. Tac was hurried in to get an x-ray and ultrasound. Bruce caught up with him when they admitted him for observation.
"A bear?" Tac asked when he saw the stuffed animal in his hand.
"A very worried boy in the waiting room named Jared asked me to give it to you. I promised I would because it was the only way to get him to go home." Bruce said before he handed it over. Tac smiled as he played with its paws. "Where's Terry?" he asked a little annoyed.
"Max got hurt too. He probably took her and Dana home." Tac said. Bruce just nodded as he took up the tablet with Tac's results on it. There were no internal injuries but he'd be bruised and sore tomorrow. He put it down and patted Tac's cheek.
"Grayson's training has got you thinking you can take on the world." He smirked.
"I actually avoided the synthoid for a good thirty seconds before she served me up on the table." Bruce smirked.
"Get some sleep."
———
As the weeks went by things only got more strained between Terry and Tac. He still couldn't let go of what their relationship could be - even though Jared was sweet and engaging. He was up front with Tac about why he suddenly seemed interested. It seemed he was struggling with finding girls attractive. Or anyone for that matter. He wondered if there was something wrong with him - why he wasn't more like Howard and Nelson in their quest for contact. "I just, it's not like I don't find people attractive but it's different. It's not all about looks or money. All that shallow stuff just makes me roll my eyes. I'm more interested in personality - gender stopped mattering to me a long time ago. But I don't quite think I'm pansexual." He tried to explain as he and Tac walked through the park.
"Oh?" Tac asked intrigued. "Can I try something?" Jared nodded and Tac stopped him. He leaned up and kissed him. Jared was surprised but he didn't pull away. It felt good - Jared's lips were soft and warm. Tac tried not to twitch when he put his hand on his shoulder. He pulled away and they both smiled at each other.
"That was nice."
"Hm... y'know I think you might be asexual." Tac said. "You're not driven by sexual desire, you just want to spend time with people you like. And when you like someone it doesn't necessary have to be... romantic."
"True." Jared nodded as Tac described what it meant.
"If you knew that about yourself then why did you ask me out?" Tac asked.
"Cause I've seen the way you... I don't know - you seem to want to crawl out of your skin around other people. Plus there's that rumor that coach Blevins started."
"I knew it." Tac muttered under his breath.
"I thought you'd like hanging out with someone who didn't want anything from you." Jared said. Tac thought about it for a few seconds before he smiled.
"Thank you." He was immensely grateful to Jared. Especially when he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Suddenly there was no pressure or fear. Jared wasn't going to hurt him or use him. He didn't want his money or sex. He legit just wanted someone to hang out with. Someone who also wasn't obsessed with status or controlled by their hormones.
"Hungry?" Jared asked.
"Always."
———
Paparazzi seemed to love following Tac around. If he wasn't at home or school they were snapping tons of photos of him to use in their speculation stories about his life. He was particularly annoyed when they published a picture of him and Jared with the title 'Affluent Love Affair'. He tried to keep Terry from seeing it but someone sent it right to his phone. Tac suspected it was Nelson as he kept snickering about Terry being such a 'pathetic cuck'.
"Terry it's not how it looks." Tac said. It took him all day to plead his case with Terry. He never knew the older boy was so good at evasion - Tac thought he cornered Terry three times only to find he had gotten away. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Terry actually snuck up on him and demanded an explanation.
"Really? Cause it looks like you kissing another man." Terry said before he showed Tac the picture.
"I feel like no matter what I say you're gonna be mad at me. You're the one who said we should 'pump the breaks'. To it - we are on a break from our relationship so I went on a date." He crossed his arms. "If it makes you feel better Jared is asexual."
"What's that mean?" Terry asked - he was clearly annoyed he didn't know.
"He's not interested in having sex with me or anyone for that matter. Our relationship is purely plutonic." Tac explained. "We have a lot in common. The kiss was to confirm that he didn't want me like that. It's actually really nice to be around someone who doesn't want me that way."
"Oh." Terry said before he took his phone and walked off.
"Wait!" Tac called after him as he ran to catch up. "There's nothing romantic between us. Why are you angry?"
"Well you said it yourself, you like being around him because he doesn't want you that way. At least I finally know how I feel about you because seeing this is infuriating." Terry hissed out. "But if you're uncomfortable with me because I do want you then maybe—" He stopped and turned to Tac. "I just don't want you to be afraid of me. But I also don't want you to think I only want you for sex. I mean is that all you want me for?"
"No." Tac answered truthfully. "The best thing about laying next to you at night was hearing what you think. All the silly things that come to mind when you let your thoughts wander. Being able to help you talk through your fears. The disturbing amount of dirty jokes you know. That weird math thing you can do... you're good for my soul Terry. You know what happened to me and you're not turned off. You don't pity me. You're some kind of crazy fantasy I've had about the man I'd want - I can't believe you're real sometimes. And I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to keep you."
"Well don't." Terry said before he took Tac's hand. "You've got me. You have a habit of running away when things get scary and I know being in real relationship with actual 'feelings' scares you. I don't want to scare you but I really feel... for you. And that scares me too cause you're a boy and all this is new to me." He pulled Tac closer and leaned in. He paused midway and Tac smiled before he leaned up and kissed Terry.
"I get you." Tac sighed. "You live in your feelings - you literally become them and it's so different from what I'm used to. Dealing with Bruce and especially after everything with Zeus - even his form of 'affection' was angry and violent. You're so... pure. I'm not used to that." He ran his hands up Terry's chest and then down his arms. "Not used to being touched and it feeling so good."
"I'll get you used to it." Terry smirked as he put his hand in the small of Tac's back. He practically purred and his eyes fluttered shut. "We still can't do it though - I wanna prove to Bruce that he can trust me with you."
"Fine... we'll save it for your birthday." Tac rolled his eyes.
"My birthday? You're the one that's still a minor." Terry said before he smacked Tac's butt playfully.
"Can you at least stay over tonight?"
"Nah, I gotta babysit Matt. How bout you stay over at my place?"
"Okay." He turned to walk away but stopped as he did a double take.
"What's wrong?" Terry asked as he scanned the area.
"Hm, nothing I guess." Tac answered. "Thought I saw something, probably just turned my head too fast."
———
"I'm gonna ask my mom if I was this annoying when I was eleven." Terry said as he cleared the table. He wasn't just babysitting Matt but also his friend Liam. An equally mischievous and loud little red haired boy. Terry didn't know which one was a worse influence on the other. They spent the night pranking him and Tac with cheesy jokes. Not to mention all the high and mighty statements they made when Terry didn't know about some stupid online game they were all crazy about. He was surprised when Tac wanted to play - given his childhood he doubted Tac ever got a chance to do things like that. But now he could hear his boyfriend cheering about getting an 'S rank'. "Whatever that is." Terry sighed as he did the dishes.
When he was done he popped popcorn for the movie they were about to watch. When he came in the living room he was surprised to see Tac sitting on the floor with Liam and Matt. He was bitting his bottom lip as he concentrated on beating the level. He was so focused on the game he didn't notice Liam put an ice cube down the back of his shirt. Tac screamed and flailed about and it made him lose the game.
"Eggth, Liam I almost had it." He whined as he finally shook the cube out the bottom of his shirt.
"No you didn't." Matt chuckled. Both he and Liam laughed at his jab. "That was a mercy killing."
"I will get you back for that, red." Tac pouted as he pointed to his shirt. "Also this is cashmere - dry clean only."
"Ohhh so fancy. Sorry your highness." Liam teased. Tac's cheeks turned a little red and Terry intervened when it was obvious he was getting annoyed with the preteens.
"Come on guys movie time." He said.
"Yeah! Jet-Boy!" They all cheered. Terry set it up as they settled on the floor. Tac actually sat with his back against the couch and Matt sat in his lap while Liam laid across his legs. Terry paused as he handed Matt the popcorn bowl.
"What?" Tac asked.
"Nothing I just thought you'd join the adults on the couch." He pointed out. Tac rolled his eyes before he pulled himself free of the boys. He dropped two pillows down on the floor to take his place before he sat down. Terry turned out the kitchen light before he plopped down next to Tac. As the previews played Terry inched closer to Tac. It was so rare that they had down time to relax and do normal things.
For a while Terry watched the movie until he was sure it had the kids attention. He turned his towards Tac who he was surprised to find was totally engrossed in the movie too. He didn't even notice when Terry put his arm around him. He only tore his eyes off the screen when Terry tapped his shoulder. He looked at his hand before he turned to look at Terry. He wiggled his eyebrows and Tac covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. He moved closer to Terry and it seemed to make him happy. He brought his arm down and rested it on Tac's hip. It made him tense for a second but he just put his head on Terry's shoulder.
The movie wasn't terribly cerebral. It was basically a commercial for Jet-boy toys with tons of explosions as the titular character tried to defeat his 'greatest enemy'. It didn't surprise Tac at all that Terry got bored with it fairly quickly. His fingers twitched and he moved his hand slowly up Tac's back. He looked up at Terry and he smiled. He made sure the kids weren't looking before he kissed him. Tac put his head all the way back as Terry held him tighter. He jumped when Terry slid his tongue between his lips. He gasped quietly but ended up nearly jumping out of his skin when a particularly loud explosion in the movie went off. Terry understood - it made a truck horn go off. The kids noticed his movement and turned to look at him.
"Did that scare you?" Liam asked in a teasing tone.
"I don't like trucks." Tac answered as he tried to shake it off.
"You're so weird." He shook his head and they went back watching the movie.
"You okay?" Terry whispered. Tac nodded and settled back into his arms. After a few minutes Tac put his hand on Terry's chest. Terry started stroking his hip slowly. Terry nudged his forehead with his chin and he leaned back again. "You good? You sure?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah." Tac whispered back. Terry smiled before they went back to kissing. The rest of the movie played out like that. Stealing smooches in between action scenes. Unfortunately Liam noticed during the wrap up scene.
"Eww what are you doing?" He asked. Matt whipped his head around - thinking Terry was doing something worth making fun of him for but just rolled his eyes when he saw they were just kissing.
"What? They're just making out." Matt said. "Which, yeah, is gross. Cause kissing is gross. But you're acting like he was picking his nose."
"You're both boys." Liam made a face.
"Well yeah, they're gay." Matt blurted out. Terry looked at him sharply.
"How do you know that word?" Terry asked.
"It's what Mankee-J called you."
"Mankee- J? You watch that doofus?" Tac asked and rolled his eyes.
"Who is Mankee-J?" Terry asked.
"He's a Me-tuber. He does rants and junk while playing Cobalt." Matt said as he brought up the video on his phone. Terry watched for a while as the guy, Mankee-J went on about how rich gay dudes weren't news. Terry turned it off as he continued to say rude things about how Tac looked like a 'literal fairy Prince'.
"I don't want you watching that jerk." Tac said.
"What're you gonna do about it?" Matt smirked as he took his phone back.
"I'm gonna tell your mom about 'the boat'." Tac threatened. Matt's smile disappeared.
"Fine I'll unsubscribe." He said as he pushed a few buttons on his phone. "No need to obliterate me."
"What's 'the boat'?" Terry asked. Tac made a gesture like he would tell Terry later. "Anyway Liam, its okay that I kiss Tac. He's my boyfriend."
"He used to have a girlfriend but Tac stole him away." Matt added with a chuckle. Liam laughed until Tac grabbed Matt. He let out a squeal as Tac tickled him mercilessly.
"I'm gonna steal your soul you little twip!" Tac said playfully.
"That's a compliment - I like you better. Dana was too girly." Matt laughed.
"Aww really?" Tac asked. He let Matt go but Terry knew what was coming when Matt smirked.
"But you wear the same amount of makeup. Weird right?" He snorted. When Tac reached for him again Matt took off running. Terry couldn't help but laugh as Tac chased him around the apartment. Terry put an end to it by catching Matt when he jumped over the back of the couch.
"Okay, okay. Tac he didn't mean it - he's just a kid. I mean look at this face." Terry said as he pinched Matt's cheek. "Say you're sorry."
"Sorry Tac." Matt sighed even though he didn't mean it.
"Alright now kiss and make up." Terry teased.
"No way." Matt flailed until Terry dropped him on the pillows on the floor.
"Alright fine, I'll do it for you." Terry said as he leaned over the couch and kissed Tac.