#close friends

You shrugged, a little tired. “I need to clear my head. Writing it up kinda helps.”

Tyler’s gaze flicked over to you as he flicked through the pages. You’d been working with the Wrangers for just over a year and he’d seen the same spell in you before. 

Often, it was when you’d come back from visiting your family or friends. 

You were burnt out. 

“You mind me sticking around for a while? The rain isn’t exactly getting lighter and…well, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

You nodded after a moment with a small smile. “Sure.”

Tyler smiled, handing your legal pad back just as a waitress came over. 

“Can I get you anything?”

Tyler ordered some food before he paused for a moment. And then he added on an extra burger, basket of fries and your favourite milkshake. 

“Tyler, I-”

“Dexter said you forgot breakfast this morning,” he told you. “And the cashier told me you’ve been here for hours. We’re eating.”

With a small sigh, you smiled and thanked him once more. And, for the next two hours, you both ate and worked. Tyler checked over your numbers whilst you continued writing up the rest. 

Between the both of you, all the work was finished within a couple of hours and was inputted into the computer. By the time Tyler ordered two slices of pie, all the work was done and your social battery was recharged. 

“You got anything else to do today?” Tyler asked you once the rain had finally softened. 

“Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

He cocked his head towards the door. “I wanna show you something.”

Tyler paid the check as you excused yourself to the bathroom. By the time you came out, you found him by the door holding your jacket. 

“Where’s your car? Because the cashier knows Cathy. She could send someone-” Tyler asked as he looked around the parking lot. 

“I walked.”

He gave you a look, but you just shrugged. “Told you; needed to clear my head.”

Nodding lightly, Tyler continued to walk you towards his truck. “Ladies first.”

As you strapped yourself in, Tyler rounded the front of his truck before swinging himself into the driver's seat. 

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he smiled. 

It took a little over an hour but the place he took you to…

It was beautiful. 

Quiet. 

Untouched. 

A long expansive meadow that stretched into rolling hills and a never ending pane of blue and grey skies. Any sight of traffic had disappeared twenty minutes ago and there wasn’t a chance a set of wheels had ever rolled across the wildflowers. 

Even in the rain, you stepped out of Tyler’s truck with an open jaw. You only stepped as far as six feet from the front of his truck, terrified to break the image in front of you. 

“Like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed. “Are we not gonna get into trouble though?”

“From who, Sugar?”

“Whoever owns the land.”

Tyler shrugged beside you. “We don’t have to worry about that.”

“Are you sure? Because the last time one of us trespassed by accident, I was picking Boone up from Rodeo Security.”

Tyler chuckled. “That was only because he’d wandered too far out from the crowds. And, we don’t have to worry because…I own the land.”

Your jaw dropped again. “What?”

Tyler nodded, looking out to the land. “I bought it. Last week.”

“What for?” You asked, looking back across the land. 

“To build us a home.”

You were stunned into silence. “Most of the meadows will stay, but they’ll be a path leading up to a home big enough for us all. Along with a barn and a couple other cabins. Can make this place a real homebase for us all.”

“Holy shit, Tyler.”

Reaching down, Tyler loosely took your hand into his. “Come with me.”

Solidifying your grip in his hand, you followed him through the muddy ground as he talked you through his plan on where everything would be stationed and how the place would run. 

“Obviously, everyone can have their input and we can iron out the creases but-”

“Tyler,” you pulled him to stand in front of you. “It sounds wonderful.”

“You think so?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

It took close to two years for everything to be built, secured, painted and moved in. But by the time it was done, that vision Tyler had shared with you that rainy afternoon had come to life. 

“Hey, Sugar?” The screen door rattled behind him. “Have you seen– there it is.”

“Seen what?” You called out from below the porch. 

“The radio,” he called back to you. “But I’ve got it.” Then he leaned over the railing. “Whatcha’ at?”

You sat back on your heels, trying your best to not get mud in your eyes as you wiped your hair away. “Uh, well, I’m planting the mystery seeds Boone brought from the market. See what springs up. Some I’ve managed to figure out, others are…well, they’re a mystery.”

Tyler hopped down the back porch stairs until he was standing beside you. 

“What do you need the radio for?”

“Was gonna see if I could get it workin’ again.”

“Dexter already tried.”

“Did he use the Tyler method?”

“And what is the Tyler method?”

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

As he climbed back up the steps, you laughed. “Good luck.”

Ninety minutes later, you went in search of him. 

“Ah-HA!”

Sliding the barn door aside, you walked inside to find Tyler looking like he’d won a million dollars. 

“Someone’s happy.”

Tyler nodded. “Come here.”

Letting him take your hand, he twisted the volume button until the smooth tones of the local country radio station started to fill the space. 

Then you were dancing. 

Twirling and swaying in his arms, you felt yourself laugh along with him. “I see the Tyler method worked?”

He nodded. “All it takes is a little patience.”

You chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure.”

“What? It does.”

“And you weren’t in here yelling at it for an hour and half?”

Tyler nodded his head. “Well…I didn’t exactly throw it against the wall.”

With a soft chuckle, you heard him laugh, too. 

Dancing for a couple more songs, Tyler kept bringing you back into him as your boots scuffed against the barn floor. 

“Did you get the planters fixed up?”

You nodded. “I left Boone two, though. Apparently he wants to try and grow…something. I don’t know. He’s being real secret about it.”

“Well, if I know Boone, it’s probably something cool. You know one year he grew an entire salad garden in the van.”

“Seriously?”

Tyler nodded. “Dexter had been reading up on different plants, trying to get a lay of the land. We were there for a couple months helping raise funds for the destroyed towns.”

“Two EF-4s, right?”

Tyler nodded. “One after the other. They never saw it coming. Neither did we. But, anyway, Boone had picked it up one day. Next thing I know, he’s yapping about the different kinds of soil that are needed to help feed plants and showing me his cherry tomato plant.”

“Well,” you smiled. “I can’t wait to see what he starts growing.”

By the time you and Tyler made it back to the house, dinner was almost ready. 

“There you are!” Dani called out as she stirred the large pot on the stove. “Thought you two had fallen down a ditch. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“What are we having?”

“Chilli. Grab a bowl.”

And, like every night, you and the Wranglers laughed over a decent meal whilst outside the sky started to turn to night. 

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, sugar?”

From your seat on the porch swing, you turned your head to find Tyler standing just behind the open screen door. 

“Hey.”

The door shut lightly behind him. “Hey.”

Like a habit, you opened up the blanket across your legs to let him sit down beside you before he covered his own, too. 

“Thanks.”

“What are you doing up?”

He smiled. “I believe I asked first.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you told him. 

“Guess you owe me a coke then.” 

You chuckled. “I’ll get you one tomorrow. Mine’s down to my coffee intake this morning. What about you?”

“Coffee?” Tyler questioned. “Shouldn’t it be considered your sugar intake?”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Sugar,” your nickname rolled off his lips like honey. “Your ratio of sugar to caffeine is practically tenfold.”

You shrugged. “I like it sweet. And, anyway, why are you up? Or is it just to judge my sugar to coffee intake?”

Tyler chuckled, dropping his head for a moment. “I just couldn’t sleep, I guess.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

You watched him for a moment, mostly to judge his reaction to what you were about to say. “I know you’ve been having nightmares.”

“I’m fine, sugar.”

“Are you?”

He was slow to look at you. “I will be.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Tyler kept his gaze on you for a beat before looking away and out to the open meadow and the starry sky above it. “I don’t think there’s much to say. We’ve all been through them. It’s mostly just the usual with the added…contingencey.”

“What kind of contingency?" 

“Who’s in danger,” Tyler admitted. “Sometimes it’s me. Those ones aren’t so bad. But sometimes it’s my folks, or the team. I’ve had a few where it’s just Kate, or just Dexter or just Lily. But most of the time it’s…”

You leaned in a little. “It’s just…who?”

Turning to look at you, Tyler’s voice fell quiet. Soft. Even for him. 

“You.”

Again, you stayed quiet, trying to gauge his reaction. But, mostly, he was just trying to gauge yours. 

“I know you’re capable and that you’d handle it. You have. But, I just…ones with you are most common.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Tyler asked, a quiet chuckle to his voice. “It’s not real. You are real. Here. Safe. What’s up here is just…just my imagination playing a trick on me.”

After a moment, and a nervous swallow, Tyler asked you a question. 

“How did you know? About the nightmares?”

You leaned back a little. But not much. “Sometimes I can hear you walking down the hallway. Considering you usually sleep like the dead, I figured something had to be waking you up. It seemed like the only plausible explanation.”

Part of Tyler wanted to tell you why he would get up and walk down the hallway after his nightmares. After all, the bathroom was closer to his bedroom than it was yours. If he needed a drink, there was a tap in there. 

But, instead, he liked to walk to the kitchen. But not before stopping outside your door. 

In those moments, Tyler wanted to knock on your door softly and turn the handle just enough so he wouldn’t completely disturb you. Just so he could check and make sure you were home safe. 

But those few seconds he stopped outside your door had to be enough. 

He chuckled, “I should have known you’d figure it out.”

“Do you wanna stay with me tonight?”

Under the surface, you didn’t know why you’d offered. But deep down you knew exactly why. 

And that hidden part of you was happy when, under an hour later, you and Tyler were climbing into bed. 

Laying side by side in the dark, you both stared at the ceiling. 

“I’ve not just been dreaming all of this, have I, sugar?”

Reaching across, you held his hand. “I’m right here, Ty.”

He squeezed your hand three times. “Goodnight, Sugar.”

“Night, cowboy.”

You woke once in the night, to Tyler shifting in his sleep. He didn’t speak or call out, but you knew. So, turning back over to face him, you shuffled closer. 

“I’m right here, honey. I’m safe.”

Tyler woke for barely a second, taking a fresh breath of relief. “Sugar.”

You felt him lift his arm before it was around your body, holding you closer. 

“I’m safe. And so are you.”

His breathing soon became even again, and so did yours. 

By the time you woke up in the morning, you and Tyler were just limbs tangled together. And, despite the queen sized bed, you and Tyler were huddled together as if it was just the size of a single. 

“How’ya feelin’?” 

“Tired,” Tyler drawled as he closed his eyes again. “But good tired.”

You smiled a little. “Good.” 

After a while, Tyler spoke again. “Thank you, for staying.”

“Always.”

“No, I mean it,” he said, his voice quiet as his gaze softly bore into your own. “You didn’t have to do that. But you did. And I know I woke you up so…thank you.”

After a moment of quiet, you nodded. “You’re welcome.”

Little did Tyler understand, you would always stay with him. Because he was the first to ever stay for you. 

That day in the diner, you’d been struggling. Internally, at least. 

You loved your family. But…they could be a lot to handle sometimes. Usually, if there was a crisis going on, you rarely noticed it. But it was more prominent when there wasn’t. 

Those ‘quiet’ days with them, in the nicest term, felt like torture. A torture that made you overstimulated and had you begging for just a few hours of peace. 

From there, a door seemed to open in your head and it very quickly could turn into a rabbit hole that seemed like it was neverending. 

But Tyler stayed. 

You’d never know why, but you were glad he did. 

So, despite the unexplainable feeling you had towards Tyler that had you staying anyway; if he ever asked, you’d tell him you’d stayed because he stayed first.