#flotrey

Now, obviously, Trey isn’t going to just drop all of his prior responsibilities and duties because he starts “dating” Floyd. That’s not what I’m saying at all. But, I do think that Floyd could have an exceedingly healthy influence on his overall self expression. As I discussed in this playlist/analysis post about him, Trey’s outward persona as the reliable but boring older brother and the steady but unremarkable right hand acts as both his cage and his mask. So very few people bother to look beyond the surface of his skill set or perceived motivations because they’re so lost in the image he’s crafted for himself out of his sense of duty. This allows him to slide under the radar like he’s constantly telling us he wants, but also keeps him from being able to chase his most selfish desires as freely as he would if he were anyone else.

In fact, I don’t think there are any moments in the story where Trey ever really does anything just for himself like he implies. He says that he’s not as kind as people tend to think he is, and his care for Riddle can be surprisingly detached, but… none of that makes a difference? If avoiding the damage of Riddle’s tyrant mode were his main goal, then the easiest option would be to avoid it entirely by leaving the dorm. But he doesn’t. He’s constantly anticipating all of Riddle’s responses and dealing with the problem before it can become an issue. That’s not the easy option — it’s not even the one that would spare from Riddle’s wrath if he were to mess up. It’s a give and give where all he gets is either more work or ways to make the work he already has a little easier, and that’s not a reward so much as it is an upgrade to the process.

So what happens when he’s face with someone who won’t take that at face value?

If Floyd were to gain an interest in Trey for any reason at all, he’d be relentless in finding a way to dig under his skin and see the beating heart at the center of his person. He has no need for Trey’s consideration and is more than capable of taking care of his own problems (he just chooses not to sometimes), so it’s not like Trey could offer him much to get him to leave him alone. Continuing to play dead can only go so far once the predator has seen the signs of life beneath the disguise. I think that’d do more good for Trey than anyone would initially suspect, because it pushes him to really consider what he wants. Floyd won’t take the easy answer if he thinks there’s a more interesting one hidden beneath it. And we all know what happens when Floyd finds something interesting to him.

Floyd would make Trey more selfish than Trey could make him selfless, and I want to put them under a microscope together.