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Fic request ~ TJ is very supportive when Cyrus lands a role in the school play, but an unexpected kiss on-stage creates a huge misunderstanding.

Also available on AO3 ♥

P.S. I’d just like to thank everyone who nominated me for best author in the Andi Mack Blog Awards. It was such a nice surprise! If you’d like to vote for me to win, I’d really appreciate it, but I’m honestly more than happy with being in the top 3 with @cyrusgoodboye and @im-trash-bye. They’re both amazing writers, so please check out their stuff!

Cyrus was fiddling with his costume in the mirror when TJ showed up, his grinning reflection appearing above Cyrus’ shoulder.

“Hey, babe,” he greeted him softly, wrapping his arms around Cyrus from behind. “You ready?”

Cyrus leaned back and pressed his cheek against TJ’s chest, a shaky breath escaping his lips. “I think so,” he said. “Do I look okay?”

“You look gorgeous.”

“I’m dressed like a peasant, TJ...”

“A gorgeous peasant.”

“Wow.” Cyrus chuckled, turning in TJ’s arms to face his boyfriend head-on. “You are such a suck-up.”

TJ shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with making my boy feel good about himself.”

“I like it when you call me that,” Cyrus said, biting back a grin as he wound his arms around TJ’s neck. Their lips were agonisingly close, barely an inch apart, and Cyrus was struck with the overwhelming urge to lean forward and close the distance. But he and TJ had come to an unspoken agreement that their first kiss should be special, and a stuffy dressing room behind the school’s auditorium didn’t exactly scream romantic, so he satisfied the itch by nuzzling his head in the crook of TJ’s shoulder instead. “I like being your boy.”

TJ held him tighter. “I like being your boy too.”

“I can’t believe we’ve only been doing this for two weeks; it feels like we’ve been together for years.”

“You getting tired of me already, Underdog?”

“Of course not!” He snapped his head up, only to find TJ smirking down at him. He gave his boyfriend a gentle shove and rolled his eyes. “Stop messing with me. I’m trying to have a moment here!”

“Sorry,” TJ said, his lips tightly pursed in an effort not to laugh. “You were saying?”

“I just think it’s crazy how comfortable I am around you.” He dropped his eyes to the floor, a veil of vulnerability falling over his face, and added, “I can be myself around you, without having to worry about being judged. It’s like you’re my best friend and my boyfriend all at once.” He dared a glance at TJ. “I didn’t know it could feel this way.”

TJ hooked a finger under his chin and tilted his head upwards, smiling softly when Cyrus finally met his eyes. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Cyrus Goodman.”

Cyrus’ heart skipped a beat, his breath hitching in the back of his throat. TJ was looking at him with such raw emotion, his eyes flicking down to Cyrus’ lips in a way that couldn’t be ignored. The dressing room was small and musty, and Cyrus hadn’t inhaled a clean breath since he’d come in here, but there was no denying the sudden shift in atmosphere, the quiet crackle of energy humming beneath their veins, setting the air alight with wanting... Their surroundings weren’t perfect, but in that moment, Cyrus didn’t care. He started to lean forward, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips, and then –

“Five minutes until we’re on,” a squeaky voice interrupted them, causing him and TJ to spring apart as if they’d been electrocuted.

Cyrus shot a glare at the curly-haired boy standing in the doorway. It was Noah, his partner for the play, and the smug little smile twisting his ruddy face set Cyrus’ teeth on edge. He’d told TJ about the other boy’s obvious crush on him a few days ago, but he hadn’t mentioned Noah’s creepy intention to insert a kiss into their final scene together. Despite Cyrus’ multiple rejections, Noah had remained scarily persistent, and he knew TJ would go into full Hulk-mode if he found out.

“I’m almost ready,” Cyrus said, his voice cracking beneath the thin façade of patience.

“You heard him,” TJ growled. “Scram.”

Noah puffed out his chest and straightened his back in an embarrassing display of intimidation, but TJ was unfazed. After a few moments of awkward silence, Noah surrendered with a huff and stormed out of the dressing room, spitting a four-minute warning over his shoulder as he slammed the door.  

“I really hate that guy,” TJ grumbled, his petulant tone of voice making Cyrus laugh.

“He’s harmless.”

“Not when he’s flirting with my boyfriend he’s not.”

Cyrus poked him in the chest and flashed a teasing smile. “Is somebody jealous?”

“Not me.”

“Sure.”

“Whatever.” TJ gave Cyrus’ nose a playful pinch, then kissed him on the cheek, his lips lingering for a moment longer than usual. “You better get out there,” he said. “Go knock ‘em dead, babe.”

Cyrus squeezed his hand gratefully. “Thank you. I’ll meet you back here?”

“Ready for our date.”

“Yep!”

They shared a goofy, love-sick grin, both of them aware of the implications of their big date tonight, and Cyrus left the dressing room with a skip in his step. They hadn’t talked about it explicitly, but they were somehow both aware that tonight was the night their first kiss would occur. It was a pretty big deal, seeing as Cyrus had never kissed a boy before, and the fact that he was almost certain he was in love with TJ only made it more important. He just hoped everything would go to plan.

A few minutes later, he was ushered onto the stage with Noah, both of them sporting ridiculous peasant outfits. Cyrus wasn’t exactly sure what the play was about – some tacky, Shakespeare rip-off by the sounds of it – but he knew his character was there to serve as comedy relief between the dramatic scenes. Every time he and Noah were on stage, they were goofing around and acting like idiots, constantly trying to wring a few laughs from the audience. It wasn’t the most dignified role he could’ve landed, but at least it would look good on his college application in the future. And with TJ clapping and laughing louder than anyone in the front row, he could hardly feel embarrassed.

During their final scene, after the hero had saved the day, he and Noah threw themselves into a celebratory hug and started jumping up and down on the stage. Cyrus didn’t feel completely comfortable with Noah pressed so close against him, but the laughter from the audience was enough to stop him from breaking character. Once he and Noah had pulled apart, the focus was supposed to shift back to the main characters to complete the final scene, but Noah was apparently still fixed on the idea of kissing Cyrus in front of everyone. The audience broke into more laughter as Noah dragged Cyrus in for a sloppy kiss on the lips, his fingers digging uncomfortably into Cyrus’ waist. For a sickening moment, Cyrus was frozen in shock, but he roughly shoved Noah away once his brained had caught up with the situation.

“What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.

Noah wiped his mouth and sneered. “Giving the audience what they want. I mean, listen to them!” He waved a hand at the cheering crowd. “They love it.”

“But I told you I didn’t want to kiss.”

“So? It’s not real, Cyrus.”

“It is to me!”

Noah scoffed. “Get over yourself. It’s just a stupid play.”

Cyrus looked out at the audience, his heart thumping with a combination of shame and revulsion, only to find that TJ was gone.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

He shouldered past Noah and leapt off the stage, the confused whispers of the audience following him as he ripped off his peasant jacket and rushed out of the auditorium, the cool evening air in the parking lot soothing his burning cheeks. TJ was sat on the sidewalk with his head in his hands, his knee bouncing up and down with agitation. Cyrus sucked in a breath and sat down beside him, slotting his hands beneath his legs to refrain from reaching out and touching him.

“That wasn’t what it looked like,” he said.

TJ sighed through his nose. He didn’t look angry or jealous like Cyrus had expected, but sad. Heartbroken. It was awful.

“Does our first kiss not mean as much to you as it does to me?” TJ asked, his voice painfully small. “Because I never would’ve kissed a guy for the first time in front of you, even if it was just acting.”

Cyrus shook his head. “Do you really think I’d waste my first kiss with a boy on Noah?”

“Well, you just did, so…”

“It wasn’t scripted.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know it was gonna happen,” he clarified, his stomach gurgling at the memory of Noah’s rancid breath pulsing into his mouth. “I wanted it to be you, TJ. More than anything.”

The sadness in TJ’s eyes was quickly replaced with loathing. “Are you telling me he forced himself on you?”

“Well…”

“Is that what happened?”

Cyrus sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “I guess so, yeah.”

“That fucking –”

“Don’t!” Cyrus yelped, frantically grabbing at TJ’s arm to stop him from storming back into the auditorium. He waited for his boyfriend to relax under his touch, then said, “He isn’t worth it, okay? He’s obviously the kind of guy who can’t take no for an answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been trying to add a kissing scene for weeks, but I kept turning him down.”

TJ pressed a fist against his mouth, clearly trying to keep the curse words from spilling out. Once he’d calmed down a little bit, he turned to face Cyrus and lifted his hands from under his legs, peppering his knuckles with gentle kisses. “Did he ever try and do anything to you? Because if he did, I swear to god, I’m gonna kill him.”

“He didn’t,” Cyrus assured him. “I would’ve told you.”

“And that’s the only time he’s kissed you?”

“I promise. You know I’d never –”

“It’s not you I don’t trust,” TJ said, dropping another kiss on Cyrus’ hands for good measure, “it’s that slimy little jerk who thinks he has the right to kiss you without permission.”

Cyrus huffed a laugh. “Don’t worry. I’m never gonna let him touch me ever again.”

“He’ll lose a hand if he does.”

“You’re not gonna hurt him, TJ. That’s not gonna solve anything. Okay?”

“But –”

“Please promise me you’ll let me handle this my way.”

TJ gritted his teeth, as if the idea of letting Noah go unharmed was physically painful to him, then sighed. “Fine… What d’you have in mind?”

“I’m gonna report him.”

“Is that it?”

“TJ, you promised.”

“I know, I know. I just… That scumbag deserves more than a slap on the wrist.”

“Maybe so.” Cyrus shrugged. “But I’d rather not see you get suspended for punching him in the face.”

“A little suspension never hurt anyone.”

“TJ…”

“Okay, okay.” TJ lifted his hands in surrender, his frown tilting into a crooked smile. “I’m completely whipped, aren’t I?”

Cyrus grinned. “You said it, not me.”

“Can I at least go with you when you report him? You know, for support.”

Warm relief pooled in his gut, his heart stuttering with an overwhelming surge of love for his boyfriend. The idea of having TJ by his side made the whole thing seem a little less terrifying. “Of course you can,” he said, reaching out to cup TJ’s face. “I’d really appreciate that.”

TJ pressed his lips against Cyrus’ palm. “I’m sorry for doubting you,” he whispered, butting against his hand in an affectionate, cat-like gesture. “I should’ve known you’d never do something like that.”

“It’s okay,” Cyrus said. “You were only reacting to what you saw.”

“Yeah, but still… I was an ass.”

“I forgive you.”

“You sure?”

Cyrus scooted closer and rested his head against TJ’s shoulder. “I understand why you were upset. We’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to kiss, and Noah just stole it from us… But it doesn’t have to mean anything, you know? It’s not like I kissed him back.” He glanced up at TJ, deliberately batting his eyelashes. “In fact, I don’t even think it counts as a real kiss if only one person is doing the work.”

TJ smirked, apparently catching on to Cyrus’ plan. “What constitutes a real kiss then?”

“I’ll show you.”

And with that, he lifted his chin and kissed him, sinking into the soft sensation of TJ’s lips against his own. The parking lot wasn’t much better than a dusty dressing room, but Cyrus didn’t care. The gentle brush of TJ’s hand against his cheek was nothing like the sharp grip of Noah’s fingers; it was careful and earnest and full of love, and Cyrus couldn’t get enough of it. He tangled his fingers in the back of TJ’s hair and pulled him closer, and TJ responded by wrapping an arm around his waist and scooping him onto his lap. It was a slow and exploratory sort of kiss, the kind you can feel all the way down to your toes. And if breathing wasn't such a necessity, Cyrus would’ve happily spent the rest of the evening mapping every inch of TJ’s mouth.

“See,” he said, once they’d reluctantly pulled apart for air. “Still special.”

“It was perfect, Underdog. But I still wanna punch Noah in the face.”

Cyrus chuckled. “Way to ruin the moment.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He snuggled against TJ’s chest with a contented sigh. “If I had an ounce of physical strength, I’d wanna punch him too. But I’d much rather go on our date than spend the rest of the evening in a jail cell.”

TJ’s laughter ruffled the top of Cyrus’ hair. “I don’t think they’d throw us in jail, babe.”

“Do you wanna take that risk?”

“I wanna take you out.” He smiled, gently nudging Cyrus off his lap and helping him to his feet. “A future Oscar-winner deserves a decent night out.”

Cyrus snorted. “I don’t think my performance was that good.”

“Are you kidding me? I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

“I think you’re a little biased.”

I think these 2 are my best AM edits so check them out and vote for me if you haven’t already ❤️

https://youtu.be/VIyT6dwsLVs

https://youtu.be/l9xuWJOJ9RA