Sour Candy
Summary: Tyler Owens x Fe!Reader -> You and Tyler have known each other most of your lives, so what happens when you finally admit your long harboured feeling for each other?
Disclaimer: This does contain swearing and smut (towards the end) so 18+. A lot of fluff, mutual pining, oblivious idiots. Brother's best-friend/ best friend to lovers. Tyler helps reader with prom-trouble, mentions of anxiety, tornadoes, reader being an EMT, blood and minor injuries. Mostly fluffy moments between Tyler and Reader. Also, this is a long one -- kinda takes place over ten-ish years (starting from senior prom). Not fully proof read.
You’d known Tyler since you were a kid. When your brother was in the fourth grade and he brought home a scrappy blonde kid who introduced himself by shaking your father’s hand and handing your mother some flowers he’d picked from the side of the road on the way home, you saw your brother had a friend for life.
A good one.
And it was only proved time and time again.
Of course, they were still boys so you couldn’t join in all of their games. But you’d still sneak to your bedroom window to watch them play cowboys in the backyard when you should have been in bed.
Stuipd older brothers getting a later bedtime.
However, as you thought back, the time when he proved it without even trying was during your senior prom.
For weeks you’d been looking for the right dress. You’d tried on at least forty with your mom over the course of two weeks, another ten – some repeaters – with your best friend, and a further fifteen with your brother.
He’d stomped into your room when you were in the middle of completing extra credit for your chemistry class.
“Come on,” he said.
“Where’re you goin’?”
He just stood by your bedroom door with a hand on his hips. A look you’d see often when he finally had his own kids. “You’ve not picked out a dress yet and your prom is in three weeks. Mom says I need to help you find one.”
You looked back to your homework. You were almost finished.
“It can wait. Come on. Let’s go.”
Two hours later you were inside yet another dress store trying on different dresses.
“I thought girls were meant to be excited when dress shopping.”
You rolled your eyes from behind the changing curtain as you wriggled another dress up your body. “We do. I know I do but…it’s…” You grunted as you pulled the dress up. Was each one getting heavier?
“What are you doin’, ridin’ a bull in there?”
Eventually you pulled the curtain across and picked up the dress as you walked out and turned to look in the mirror. “It’s exhausting.”
“So why not just pick one? What about this one?”
You turned in the mirror a few times, considering it. Then shook your head. “Not this one.”
“If you’re not that bothered, why not just-”
“Because it’s gotta be perfect,” you turned and told him. “I know people party at college but I’ve already seen some of my assignments. I’m gonna be swamped if I wanna pass with honours. This is the last night I get to be…free? I want it to be perfect.”
So, for the next thirty minutes, you tried on more dresses until finally your brother knocked on the curtain.
“Knock, knock.”
“What?”
“Don’t bite my head off.” He stood back and held up a dress. “Tyler said try this one.”
You held up the hanger before looking back at your brother surprised. “Tyler’s here?” Peaking your head around the corner, you spotted him standing leaning against the wall across from you. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he drawled, a slight grin on his face. “He said he needed back-up. Try it on.”
“I think I’ve tried on every-”
Your brother pushed your face back inside your dressing room, along with your dress. “Just try it on.”
You sighed and did as he said. Another day, you might have fought him on it. But you were tired. And hungry.
Letting the other dress drop to the floor with a heavy thud – you were thankful to be out of it – you let out a long breath before finally unzipping the dress and trying it on.
It went on easier than a lot of the others, and it didn’t feel as restricting. Finally opening up the curtain, you walked out and stood on the small step up before looking at yourself in the mirror.
And for the first time you had that smile slowly growing on your face. The feeling your mom had told you about. The giddiness and excitement to put it on again.
“So, is this the dress?” You looked into the mirror and found your brother and Tyler stood back. Tyler had his phone out, recording the whole thing.
You nodded. “This is the dress.”
“Hallelujah!” Your brother threw his arms in the air and turned around. “I’ll go and tell the cashier.”
As your brother disappeared, Tyler closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket before sauntering over to you. “Glad he called me?”
You smiled, turning to look at him. “Very. Remind me to bring you instead of him when I chose a wedding dress.”
Tyler chuckled and looked back at you through the mirror. “I’ll be there.”
Little did you know, the week before your prom, your opinion on the prom would do a complete 180.
“A-actually, I don’t think I’m gonna go.”
The dinner table went silent. “What?”
“I don’t think I’m gonna go.”
You parents exchanged a long look before looking back at you. “Why not, honey?”
“I…I just don’t feel like it, s’all.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” Your dad asked. “I thought you were excited to wear your dress?”
You nodded in a slight panic. “I am. I am. And thank you for getting it for me. It’s just…I don’t want to go anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Just because.”
That was the only answer your entire family got out of you all week.
“She’ll come back around. Maybe it’s just her cycle.”
“Keep the appointments, just in case.”
Your mom nodded. “I will.”
A week later however, you were lying on your bed staring at your ceiling. Your mom had still taken you for your hair, make-up and nail appointments. Even if you weren’t planning on going, the nails would last you a few weeks and your hair would last a few days. The make-up was just a bonus. And it wasn’t too much. It could pass for day make-up with something a little extra.
But you still weren’t going.
Your brother had tried talking to you, as had your parents. They’d called your best friend’s house to ask if she could come round and help but she wasn’t home.
So, they had to call a last resort. Or rather, he showed up at your home.
“What y’all doin’ down here?” Tyler appeared at the end of the hallway, finding your mom, dad and brother either stood or sat outside your door.
“She won’t come out of her room.”
Your brother tilted his head. “Technically we haven’t tried to get her to come out but she’s been in there since she came home.”
“She had any food?”
“We picked something up on the way home,” your mom explained.
“Tyler, son, do you think you can try and talk to her?” Your dad asked. “She might talk to you.”
Tyler nodded. “I can try. She still fixed on not going?”
“We think so.”
Tyler nodded and slowly they all disappeared down the hallway and downstairs. Tyler knocked twice.
“Y/n? You in there?”
There was no answer. But Tyler waited.
“I’m gonna open the door in ten seconds if I don’t hear a reply. For all I know you could be dead-”
“It’s already open.” Your voice replied from inside. And slowly, Tyler turned the knob before opening up the door. “I’m here.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hey.”
You just turned and looked back up at the ceiling. And Tyler closed the door behind him before leaning against the wall beside it for a moment. Your room was clean. Like post-exam, anxiety-flurry clean. The window was open with your net curtain softly billowing to outside. Your dress was hung up on your clothing divider in the corner of your room and you were laying on your bed, staring at the ceiling.
“Wanna tell me what’s been goin’ on? One minute you're excited for prom, planning every last detail and now you just…don’t wanna go?” Tyler slowly walked over to you.
“That’s about it. Yeah.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“Nobody’s stoppin’ ya.”
Tyler laid down beside you on your bed, turning to face you for a moment before reaching over and wiping away one of the small tears from the corner of your eye.
“You wanna tell me what’s really goin’ on with you?” Tyler’s voice was soft when he spoke to you, waiting for you to answer. And for a while, you thought about it.
“Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s between you, me and these four walls, sweetheart. Like always.”
You smiled at that. Over the years, as much as Tyler had been your brother’s best friend, he’d been there for you, too. One afternoon when he and your brother were playing hide and seek, he’d climbed the tree only to find you sat against your bedroom window in tears. He’d slid it open, crawled inside and hugged you. He was the first person to know you were getting bullied at school. He was also the first person to help you through your science homework when you got stuck with it and the first person, outside of your family, who you knew you could go to for just about anything.
“Well,” you took a breath. “I found out my best friend not only stole my date for prom, but is also now dating him.”
“What?”
Three months before prom, you’d been asked by one of the guys in your school to go to prom together and you were ecstatic. Not only had you harboured a crush on him for almost two years, but he’d noticed you and wanted to take you to prom. He didn’t have a girlfriend, he hadn’t been dared to ask you out or some other kind of bullshit. He’d asked because he wanted to take you.
Only, your best friend, who’d known since day one about your crush had been sneaking behind your back and just over a week ago you’d caught her texting someone and smiling like an idiot at her phone. It was after she told you she had to go to work that you’d gone to the local coffee shop to pick you and your mom some drinks up. That was when you saw them. Sat in the corner, talking to each other before your best friend leaned over and kissed him.
That was when it clicked with you that the guy she’d been so secretive about for the last two weeks was your date to the prom.
“Shit. Y/n, that’s…”
“Fucking unbelievable? I know.”
“That’s why you don’t wanna go to the prom?”
You nodded. “Knowing they’re both there. I just…I don’t wanna.”
“You shouldn’t let them ruin your prom night. You can still have a great time.”
“Oh, it’ll be wonderful. Sat in the corner for the entire night.”
“Look,” Tyler reasoned with you. “Just go for an hour. And if you hate it, I’ll come and pick you up and we can sit in the Walmart parking lot for a couple hours so your folks think you’re still out having a good time.”
You looked over at Tyler. “You’d do that for me?”
He nodded as easily as breathing. “Of course I would.”
Ten minutes later, you were finally putting your dress on. “Wait, Ty- can you zip me up? I can’t do the rest without my hair gettin’ caught.”
Tyler turned back from your door and walked across as you turned around. Holding it at the bottom, he was slow to pull it up and when he’d finally finished, you turned around only to be met with his gaze.
“You look beautiful, darlin’.”
You felt yourself smile, if with a little blush. “Thanks.”
Then he stood back. “Your mom’s probably gonna want pictures.”
You nodded. “I know. Meet you downstairs?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
You took a few moments after the door closed to find your breath again. Puberty had hit Tyler like a freight train after middle school. And along with his town's fame of climbing the bull riding ropes, so like every man and woman in town, you haven't failed to notice how attractive he’d become. But it wasn’t just that. The feeling you got in your chest when he looked at you could rival any tornado that had torn its way through the fields.
But then you reminded yourself of who he was to you. Your brother’s best friend, secretly one of your best friends.
Nothing could ever happen there.
Your mom took plenty of pictures of you and both your brother and Tyler drove you to your prom.
“Want me to kick his ass?”
“I can give him an alibi,” Tyler added, looking over his shoulder at your brother before looking back at you in his passenger seat.
“No, that’s…thanks guys. But I’ll be okay.”
“Well, you’re my sister. The offer always stands. Twenty years from now? Or twenty minutes? Just give me a call.”
You chuckled. “Thanks.”
As you hopped out of the truck and headed inside the venue, your brother climbed his way over the seat and into the front all the while Tyler’s eyes never left you.
“You wanna head to the batting cages?”
It took a minute before Tyler realised someone was talking to him. You really did look beautiful.
“Oh, uh, no. I can’t tonight, man. I’ve gotta help my mom with the attic.”
Your brother just nodded. “Fair.”
Tyler drove your brother home and just as he hopped out of the truck, reminding him about the rodeo training next Thursday, a text beeped from Tyler’s phone.
“See you later, man.”
“See ya!”
Once your brother was finally in the house, Tyler looked at his phone.
I know you said an hour-
It had been forty minutes.
But I think I’d rather spend tonight in the parking lot than here.
Tyler smiled at the text. He’d hoped you’d have fun but he couldn’t lie. Having you prefer the idea of wasting a couple hours in the parking lot of the grocery store with him made his heart beat faster than usual.
Once his truck pulled up, he found you already sat on the steps outside. Spotting him, you stood and quickly rushed over to his truck.
“Is everything okay?”
Tyler could hear the music beating from inside just before they announced the King and Queen.
You nodded, hopping into the other side. “Thank you.” You surprised Tyler by leaning over the truck bench and hugging him tight.
He hugged you back for a moment before you sat back down.
“Are you okay? Did something happen?”
You chuckled. “You have no idea. But I’ll tell you once I’ve got ice cream.”
Tyler drove to the twenty four hour grocery store twenty minutes from the venue. Inside, he was quick on your heels as you rushed to find the frozen section. You called out two of his preferred flavours and he picked one. You grabbed two tubs before rushing to the party section and picking out some spoons. By the time you got to the checkout, Tyler handed over the cash before you had a chance to.
And sat on the back of his flatbed, eating ice cream under the parking lot lights and the stars, you told him everything that had happened in the ninety minutes he’d been gone.
You told him how you’d found your other friends and for a while it was fun, until they walked in. And for a while it was calm until after twenty minutes things went from zero to sixty. Your date had tried to apologise to you, along with your ex-best friend. They told you about how so in love they were and how it was just meant to be even though they never wanted to hurt you. After that, chaos kinda ensued. You’d told them how it had hurt and planned to leave. That was when you’d text Tyler.
But then your ex-date caught you outside. He’d apologised and told you your friend had surprised him that day in the coffee shop since he thought he was there to discuss you. Then he tried to make a pass at you. But you’d put a stop to that before his hands could touch you. Then your friend found out about the pass when her date went back inside with a reddened cheek and stormed outside. It all kicked off before the teachers came outside to break up the fight and took them all inside.
“I was just thankful to get out of there.”
“I don’t blame you but if you’d have told me-”
“You would have stormed inside and done more than what I did. Tyler, I handled it. It’s okay. But, please don’t tell my brother. Or my folks. I don’t need anyone starting a duel to defend my honour or some shit.”
“Okay, but if he ever so much as looks in your direction again-”
“Then you can do with him as you see fit. Just nothing illegal. I don’t want to visit you in prison.”
Tyler chuckled. “Deal.”
Neither your folks or your brother knew what actually happened on your prom night. Just that you had a good time. You never told them that Tyler had picked you back up or that you’d been sitting in the parking lot eating ice cream before he asked you to dance.
And Tyler, as promised, never told them.
That night, despite its beginnings, was a memory you cherished. And continued to do so.
Little did you know, your future held so many more.
Just a little over five years later, you’d long since finished your degree and had gone on to work as an EMT. Tyler had also graduated from college himself, swapping out getting his head stomped on by bulls for learning everything he could about the weather and chasing tornadoes.
However, despite work, there was something neither of you missed. And that was the yearly road trip to your parents cabin. It was surrounded by rolling hills and was at least forty minutes from any small town stores. And since Tyler had indirectly joined your family when your brother met him in fifth grade, he and his family had been invited to join each year.
However, where you would usually travel with your folks and your brother, your brother was travelling up with his girlfriend and you didn’t feel like third wheeling your parents.
“You can ride with Tyler,” your mom told you as she turned towards Tyler’s mom who was sitting with her at the kitchen table.
“That’s a brilliant idea!” His mom replied. “Oh, it’ll give you kids a chance to catch up.”
“I don’t mind driving myself-”
“What’s going on?”
Tyler's mom smiled up at him as he walked inside and kissed her on the cheek. “We were just saying Y/n could ride with you. There’s no point in all of us taking our cars and it’ll give you kids a chance to catch up.”
Tyler just smiled. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
“You sure?”
Tyler nodded. “Want help packing your stuff into the back?”
You didn’t know why you were a little shocked. This was Tyler. If he was anything with you it was helpful.
So, the next day just as the sun was starting to peak out over the fields, you all clambered into each of your respected vehicles and started the seven hour drive to the cabin.
It took all of an hour before you and Tyler started talking about the two things you’d both been avoiding for the last two days. Talking about your break-ups.
You knew Tyler had been dating a girl he’d met at the rodeo. She’d been working at one of the food stalls with her family for years and once he started college, they’d run into each other. From what you knew, they seemed deeply in love.
Until two weeks ago when your mom let it slip over your weekly phone call that they’d split up.
You didn’t quite know what to say at the time. There were a lot of mixed emotions; why did they break up? Was it for good or was it just a break? Did she break up with him? Why would she? No girl would ever get much better than Tyler. Or did he break up with her?
Meanwhile, a week later you’d come home to a surprise break up. Your boyfriend’s things were all packed up and he was waiting on the sofa for you to come home. You’d asked what was going on and then he dropped the bomb on you. He’d lost feelings for you, a few months ago, but couldn’t find it in his heart to leave you. You asked if there was someone else and he denied it. And, to his statement, he was yet to post a new girlfriend on any social media page.
You’d unfollowed him, but your roommate from college was keeping tabs on him.
“Do they know yet?”
You looked over at Tyler. “Know what?”
“That you and Richard broke up.”
You looked at him, a little shocked. “How do you know?”
“You’ve been avoiding the questions, same as me.” Tyler told you. “Does anyone know?”
You sighed and shook your head. “You’re the first.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“You wanna talk about yours?”
Tyler shrugged. “They say it’s better out than in.”
“They also say that about a fart, but you know.”
Tyler chuckled at your statement as you turned and looked out of the window at other cars passing by on your right.
“Did she break up with you?” You asked, turning back to look at Tyler. You didn’t want to talk about yours much, but you still had questions about his.
Tyler was quiet before he nodded. “Yeah. I’d kinda seen it coming. We hadn’t been talking as much as we used to and it wasn’t like a comfortable silence either.”
“How are you feeling after all of it?”
“Well, it hurts, but I’m gettin’ there. How about you?”
You shrugged. “I don’t really know. I think I’m more hurt I didn’t see it coming. Just…came home and he told me he’d lost feelings for me months ago. Worst part is, I didn’t even notice. But the more I think about it, the more I noticed what I’d missed.” You took a deep breath. “But, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
“Do you still love him?”
You thought about it for a long moment and Tyler couldn’t ignore the slight stabbing pain in his chest as he waited for you to answer. Did you still love him?
“Ask me again in a month.”
Tyler just nodded.
The rest of the drive covered almost every topic of conversation twice and not once did either of you get bored. Every couple of hours Tyler pulled into a gas station and you’d take a break. You had offered to drive but Tyler had declined. You didn’t quite know why since you had driven his truck before.
“Ready to go?”
Twenty minutes later on the road, you and Tyler were in a relaxed conversation when the sky started to change. It had gone from a cloudy blue sky to a swirling grey colour that seemed a lot darker in the distance.
“Is that?”
You leaned forward, pulling your seatbelt with you in order to look out of the front window.
Above the sky in front of you, you watched the clouds swirl around itself before a small vortex started to slowly lower down.
And you were mesmerised.
“Wow. That’s beautiful.”
Tyler’s eyes turned from the tornado to you. And he couldn’t look away. The traffic had come to a stop, waiting to see if it would land on the ground or not. And still, Tyler couldn’t take his eyes from you. And in that moment, his mind took a mental picture of you. One that would pop up over the years just before he’d fall asleep.
The tornado might have been beautiful but you…
You were gorgeous.
Your expression both intrigued and mesmerised at once. Before, you’d looked a little sullen, still grieving your relationship. But now, sitting there, looking at you, Tyler saw you alive. It was the same look in your eyes that you used to get when you were all kids. Excited, eger, ready. That last time he’d seen you look like this was at your graduation. He’d heard it in your voice when you’d call him every once in a while and he’d ask you about your job.
But he was finally seeing it again.
However, he didn’t have a chance to look for too long because you were turning to look back at him just as the wind started to whistle outside. Most of your family were long past the tornado so they would be safe.
You watched Tyler, watching the tornado. You didn’t know what he was seeing but whatever it was, he was calculating something. And without another word, he turned his engine back on and turned his truck off the highway.
Suddenly, Tyler was driving past the speed limit down a backroad. Far behind you, the sky only seemed to grow darker and the wind was only getting louder.
“Tyler-”
“Cars’ll only start flying. It’s safer out here but we need to find someplace in case it decides to shift.”
He was right. You knew he was right.
At the end of the backroad, it wasn’t too far from a motel and community swimming pool. Tyler threw on the handbrake before you both hopped out and ran towards the office door. The darkened sky was travelling in your direction.
“Do you have a shelter?”
The owner behind the desk looked around just as the shutters outside started to rattle. “Yes, I do. Follow me.”
“Is anyone else here-”
“I’ll take care of it.”
From behind the desk, she pulled a fire alarm that rang out through the entire motel. Then everyone started running, following the owner to the storm shelter a little further out in the field.
Tyler made sure you were in front of him as the doors opened up and he helped you down inside before helping the others. And for a moment, that felt like too long, you were slowly slipping into a panic. He wasn’t inside yet.
But when he was and the owner slipped the bolts across the door, you hugged him tight.
“Hey, come on. Stay down here.”
Without a second thought, Tyler pulled you down to sit on the floor behind one of the shelves.
“Hopefully it’ll just miss us.”
You just looked up at Tyler as he looked back at you, your hands tight on his shirt as his arms wrapped around you. The wind only started to get louder. Someone screamed when the door rattled and everyone got down and held onto anything they could just in case.
But Tyler just held onto you.
Tyler could feel your hands trembling as you held onto him. So, raking a hand down your hair, he held you closer. “We’re safe, sweetheart. It’s gonna be okay.”
By the time everything went deadly silent, you didn’t know whether it was because the tornado had stopped or if you had lost all sense of hearing. Your heartbeat had been drumming in your ears after hearing Tyler’s voice close to you.
“We’re safe, sweetheart. It’s gonna be okay.”
However, when you all started to finally emerge from the shelter, rather than a feat of destruction, you found the grassy field’s upended, some stray pieces of fences and spare garage parts – none which looked close to being from one car itself. And the tornado had swung around the entire motel itself.
By the time you and Tyler loaded yourselves back into his truck, he turned and looked over at you. “You okay-”
You hugged him. Just like you had done when he came and picked you up on Prom night. You held him tight.
“Thank you.”
He held you back, his hand rubbing up and down your back for a moment. “You okay?”
You sat back and nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
Tyler watched you for a moment before reaching into his glove box where he pulled out one of the packets he bought from the gas station. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Sour candy. They’ll help with the nerves.”
You just looked at Tyler perplexed.
“The sourness…it helps distract the brain from any anxiety. Supposedly. Not quite sure if doctors have written medical journals about it but…it’ll help.”
“Thanks.”
Tyler nodded, “Get your seatbelt on. We should be able to make it before dinner.”
Driving back towards the highway, Tyler had to double back on himself before finding a new way out. By the looks of it, not too many people had gotten hurt. Some bumps and bruises but the tornado had done most of its damages on the fields.
With an extra hour of traffic on top of your estimated arrival time, Tyler’s truck pulled up outside the cabin just as the smell of a barbecue floated down from the top deck.
“Where did you kids get to?”
“It’s a long story, mom.” You kissed her cheek as she came running outside to meet you and Tyler.
“Did you get lost?”
Tyler shook his head, “Tornado hit us after the second pit spot. Had to take a detour.”
“Oh, my goodness. Are you both okay?”
“We’re fine, mom. Just tired.”
In the days that followed, you kept your eyes on news articles talking about the tornado that had hit you and Tyler. He explained everything he knew about them, and after a ride into the small town and a pit stop at a coffee shop, you decided to pull up some videos of Tyler’s tornado chases.
Your brother had told you about it in passing, but you’d thought he’d been kidding. You knew Tyler had put together a team and in the summer months would drive up and down tornado alley, chasing each tornado they found.
But you didn’t think it was anything like what you were watching.
You didn’t think it was anything like what you got caught watching.
“Pretty cool, huh.” Tyler appeared over your shoulder, placing a coffee cup down beside you. You hadn’t even heard them call your name. Had you really been that distracted?
Tyler then stepped around you and sat across from you.
“Do you really do this for a living?”
Tyler nodded. “Pretty much. I teach a couple community college classes in the off-seasons. Presented the weather a couple times for the local report. But, it’s looking good so far.”
“How do you do it? How do you drive into one of these things?”
Tyler felt something in his chest bloom as he saw how you looked at him. Intrigued. Plenty of people had judged him, called him an idiot for doing so. But they were also the same people who called him an idiot for being a bull-rider.
“Well, how do you run into a crisis to help people?” He asked you. You were an EMT. He knew that. He’d also heard some of your terror stories, as well as the funny ones.
“Because it’s my job.”
“Aren’t you scared when you do it?” He asked you and you shook your head. “Well, that’s what it’s like. You don’t face your fears. You ride ‘em.”
You felt yourself smile. “Always with the cowboy wisdom.”
Tyler just smirked and you felt a small chaos of butterflies in your stomach. “It came with the hat.”
By the time that stay was over, you were a lot more relaxed than you were when you’d first arrived home. And your heart wasn’t hurting as much as you thought it would have been.
“You should come with me.”
“What?” You turned and looked at Tyler, unsure of what he meant since neither of you had talked for about an hour. You’d just let the country songs on the radio wash over you both as cars sped past you both, clearly in a bigger hurry than you and Tyler.
Part of you was glad he was taking his time getting back home. There were still plenty of hours left on the road without any traffic, but the time away with Tyler had made you realise something. You missed him. His smile, his voice first thing in the morning before coffee, his company over said coffee.
Unknown to you, he was purposely taking his time. He’d missed you too, and he’d be damned if he rushed what time he had left with you.
“You should come with me,” he repeated. “Us. My team and I…” He checked the road in front of him before looking back at you for a moment. “We’re gonna be chasing again soon. There’s meant to be an outbreak in Tornado Alley soon. You should come with us.”
“Tyler-”
“Just think on it,” he told you, his eyes secretly pleading with you to consider it. “I’ve seen you watching our videos. And some of our rivals, which I’m gonna ignore, but-” Tyler smiled. “You should come with us. I think you’d really enjoy it.”
Tyer knew he would.
You watched him, looking between you and the road. You’d probably never tell anyone out loud, but you wanted to. It was true – since that tornado hit the motel, you’d felt yourself getting hooked. The thrill you felt in your bones, the laughter that encapsulated your lungs before things became serious. It was the same thrill that made you want to do your job.
But there was also the other thing.
Tyler.
You’d have this time with him, in his space. With his friends. Within his life. Even if just for the day. You’d be with him, without the watchful eyes of your entire family. You wouldn’t have to worry if your brother spotted just how differently you looked at Tyler compared to other guys. You wouldn’t have to worry about your parents worrying about you – they worried enough about you and you were the one that helped people. Being an EMT puts you in a myriad of different situations, everyday. And they not only liked Tyler, they trusted him.
And so did you.
So, you said yes.
A little over four years later, you were still with Tyler and his team. Not only that, you were a part of the team. It had taken one season of chasing with them to know you wanted to do it again. So, taking as many extra shifts you could away from tornado season, you’d join them on the road in season.
Bumps, injuries, cuts, bruises, splinters – anything and everything – you fixed. Whether it was for the team or if it was for the general public when the team would head in to help with the aftermath, you helped out where you could and who you could.
“Shit,”
You sat up from the camper chair. “What? What happened?”
Boone appeared from behind Tyler’s truck, holding out his hand to try and see it in the light better. “Splinter. I think.”
Putting down the beer, you stood and walked over to him. “Let me see.” Boone placed his hand up right in your palm. “Yeah. Kate, can you pass me the zipper kit?”
From the side of your camper chair, she handed it over to you. Zipping open the hard case, you let it rest open on the side of Tyler’s truck before taking out a pair of tweezers.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, just say- ow!”
You smiled, holding up the wooden splinter. “Got it.”
“What happened to a countdown?” Boone said before sucking on the side of his finger.
You just looked at him. “Last time I gave you a countdown you pulled your hand away and I had to get Dani and Tyler to hold you still.”
“That’s because it hurt!”
“Well, it’s out now. Just be careful.”
Boone nodded. “I will. Thanks, Doc.”
You smiled, packing your things away. “You’re welcome.”
Twenty minutes later, you heard your name being called from the balcony of the motel.
“Hey, Sweetheart?”
You looked up and found Tyler leaning over the balcony.
“Can you come up here a second? I need you for…something.”
You didn’t like the sound of that ‘something’ so grabbing your travel med bag from the back seat of his truck, you headed up to his room.
You knocked on the door twice before entering. “Ty? You okay?”
“I don’t want you to get mad-”
“What did you do?”
Tyler fully emerged from the bathroom and held up his hand and you gasped. “Tyler.”
“It was purely an accident. I was tryna’ fix one of my truck parts and it got caught.”
“Jesus, come here. Tyler, this is deep. Are you sure you just caught it?”
Tyler nodded, hissing as your fingers pressed lightly into his palm. “Yes. Ow, hey, that hurts.”
You sighed, pulling him back into the bathroom behind you. Accidently slamming the toilet seat down, you twirled Tyler around you feeling his fingers brush against your back as you pushed him to sit down. Throwing the tap on, you shoved his hand underneath it and held it there.
Muttering to yourself as you cleaned up his wound, Tyler watched you. The attentive and focused look in your eyes. Every now and again he’d hear you repeat his words, doing an impression of his voice, quietly under your breath and he’d laugh. This hadn’t been the first time he’d gotten hurt, and he doubted it would be the last. But if it meant he got this time with you; the quiet moments, the mocking tone out of worry masked by anger, the ability to take a long lasting mental image of you before the imprint of you on his skin and heart sunk deeper.
Then he’d put up with the pain.
“Quit it.”
“Quit what?” The soft smile from Tyler’s face didn’t drop.
“Lookin’ at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you lo-” You managed to stop yourself before you said the rest of the sentence out loud. Like you love me. You knew he would reply and your heart wasn’t ready for the truth – whatever the truth was these days.
Some days you’d catch him looking at you and there would be this look. It was in his eyes and his smile. It was different, compared to the way he looked at everyone else. Maybe it was just because he’d known you longer, or some psycho-freud thing where a patient falls in love with their nurse. Either way, for a moment, you’d let yourself believe it was what you thought it was. That he did feel the same. That he did get the same tornado of butterflies in his belly whenever he looked at you.
“Like I what?” Tyler pressed, his expression dropping for just a moment as he leaned in. Could you see it? Could you see the way he was looking at you?
For a moment, you held his gaze. His green gaze bore into yours as your eyes flicked around his face, From each of his eyes and down to the curve of his lips. And just as you let the wall in your mind slip in front of him, you remembered why you were there.
His hand. The blood. The water.
Shaking your head, you stood up from the wooden desk chair you’d pulled inside when you went back for your medical bag. Clearing your throat, you shook your head.
“Nothing, just…like that. I can’t work properly when…when you watch me.”
Tyler sat back, the smile slowly coming back onto his face. “Right, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” you mumbled quietly before flicking your eyes back to his for a moment. And he looked back. Again, for a moment, you let the wall in your mind slip.
But you were there to help him.
Looking away, Tyler looked away, too and shifted in his seat. Every now and again, you’d hear him hiss and you’d apologise loud enough for him to hear. Twenty minutes later, you were done and finally wrapping his hand.
But, you took your time. Not only to be safe with the cut but also because there was just something about having Tyler’s hand in yours. His touch, you didn’t know when or how, had made an imprint on you. On your skin, on your head, on your heart.
Tyler’s fingers held onto yours for a moment as you tucked the final piece of bandage into place.
“There you go,” you said, quietly.
“Thanks.”
And you both just stayed like that for a while. No talking, just touch. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him in fear that, if you did, the wall in your head would completely fall and you’d never be able to get it back up again.
Tyler was your best friend. The person you told the most to. He was also your brother’s best friend. And your team mate.
When you finally did speak, it seemed to come out in a whisper. You told him how to keep his palm dry for a few days. You’d check on it every now and then but he should be okay in a week's time.
“We better get back.”
You eventually nodded, wishing you didn’t have to.
“Yeah.”
“Everything okay?” Kate asked as you came and sat back next to her, Tyler hurrying to the other side of his truck to replace the piece he’d been fixing.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
Only, by the time you all headed to bed, you couldn’t sleep. The feeling of Tyler’s hand was still tingling on your skin and every time you closed your eyes, the look in Tyler’s eyes was staring right back at you.
So, finally pulling the covers from you, you wrapped yourself in your short dressing gown, slipped on your shoes and opened up your motel door.
And for a while, you stood out on the balcony. Everyone in the lot was in bed, fast asleep. A gentle breeze was passing through but the heat of the day was still hovering in the air. Nothing but fields surrounded the motel so away from the dim lights dotted around the parking lot, the only thing that provided any real light was the moon hanging in the sky, along with the dusting of stars.
However, just as your mind was beginning to clear of one certain green-eyed cowboy scientist, a door opened from down the hall.
At its entrance, Tyler stood in a plain white t-shirt and some long cotton pajama bottoms. His hair wasn’t as neat as it was earlier, but it wasn’t stuck out completely either.
Clearly, he couldn’t sleep, either.
“Hey.” your voice was quiet as he looked up at you.
“Oh, hey. What’re you doing up?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” You answered honestly. There was no point trying to lie to him, not that you could think of a plausible lie at that moment. Tyler always had this magical power to read you when you didn’t want him to. “What about you?”
Tyler slowly walked until he stood beside you, leaning against the railing with you. “Same story. Wanna talk about it?”
You turned away from him. “Not particularly.”
“You sure? You’ve got that I’m-tryna-make-sure-Tyler-won’t-read-me look about you. Gotta be serious if you’re looking like that.”
“How do you do that?” you asked him. “How can you read me like that?”
Tyler just shrugged with a smile. “That’s the thing, Sweetheart. I just can.”
“Very smooth.”
Tyler gave a breathy chuckle. “So? What’re you tryna keep from me?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
You shook your head, trying your best to hide your smile. “Nothing. Really. It’s not something you can help me with.”
“You sure, sweetheart?”
You tried not to smile too much so you kept your eyes from his, keeping your gaze on your chipped nail polish. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
You didn’t know when he’d first called you ‘sweetheart’, just that he was the only one who ever called you that and that he’d done it for years. You were also the only one he used that nickname with so it wasn’t long before you answered to it.
And that every time you heard him call you that, the gentle butterflies in your stomach would start swirling and fluttering their way into an EF-3.
You had to find a way to change the subject, to turn his attention away from you. At least for a little while, before the moon moved higher and shone directly down onto you like a large spotlight.
“How’s your hand doin’?”
Tyler flipped it over. “Good. I think. It’s not hurtin’ too bad. Bandage might be a little loose, but-”
“Show me.”
Tyler’s hand was back in yours as you stood in front of him, checking the bandage over. It was coming loose, a little.
“It should hold til the morning,” you told him after tightening it. “Then I can clean it again and change them out.”
Tyler nodded, taking advantage of the time he had with your hand back in his. “Okay.”
Carefully, his fingers closed over yours and he stepped a little closer.
You could feel his gaze on you and it only made your heart quicken. Your hand in his, you didn’t want to let go. But you knew you had to.
“Tyler…”
“Y/n, look at me.” You couldn’t bring yourself to do as much. You knew if you did, you wouldn’t want to look away. “Sweetheart, please look at me.”
With a breath, you forced your head up to look at him. Even in the moonlight, even with the long day and tiredness behind his eyes, even in his pajamas on a rickety old balcony…
Tyler was still as handsome as ever.
And you were so deeply, madly, stupidly in love with him.
Tyler’s other hand itched to touch you, to reach up and brush the wild strands away from your face, to cup your jaw. And it did.
“I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”
Tyler held your gaze to his and he lightly shook his head. “Sweetheart, the only thing I could regret in this moment would be to walk away right now. Not without asking you this.”
You were both quiet for a moment, waiting for Tyler’s heartbeat to calm down in his chest for a moment to let him speak freely.
“If I kissed you right now…would you run away?”
If it was anyone else, if it was any other day, you would have taken longer to answer. You would have taken time to answer before, probably, saying ‘yes’ – no matter how much you wanted to say ‘no’.
But the wall had broken.
Not even broken. It had been shattered into a million pieces. And you didn’t have time to rebuild it. Not that, after his question, you would even want to.
So, before you can stop to think. Before you can stop your heart from answering before your head, you spoke.
“No.”
You wouldn’t run away.
You wouldn’t want to run away.
You felt your breath hitch in your chest as he moved closer, his thumb caressing your skin. Whatever silence had been passing in your ears was suddenly gone, replaced with your heartbeat.
If he didn’t kiss you soon, you might die.
But if he did, you’d probably still die.
Finally, he did as much.
It was soft. New. And yet somehow…right.
You leaned in closer, kissing him back. With a contented sigh, your lips parted ever so slightly and he took the opening. Tasting your lips for the first time was a feeling that would forever be imprinted in his memory. Mint from your toothpaste but something…sweet.
Your back bumped against one of the metal rods set every few paces above the metal railing of the balcony. Tyler’s hand pushed through to the back of your head, his entire being practically swallowing you whole in the darkness.
Reaching up, you pulled him closer by his neck, a soft groan rippling from his chest. You tried your best to ignore the ache it gave you in between your legs.
Before you knew it, your back was no longer against the metal rods outside your room, but rather up against the back of your motel door as it closed behind both you and Tyler.
His hands were everywhere, and you still couldn’t get enough of his touch. Carefully, his hands slid down your body, tugging you in by your hips before his palms came under your ass and lifted you against the door. Your legs wrapped around him as if you’d done it a thousand times before.
And, technically, you had.
Just never in this position. Or in this situation.
Your heart beat out of your chest and Tyler could feel it. Under his tongue, he found your pulse. It was going almost as fast as his. A small moan left your throat as he sucked and nibbled at your pulse point, all before softening it with his tongue.
Pushing his face back to yours, you pushed a searing kiss against his mouth as your hands tracked through his hair. He was careful when carrying you over to your bed, slowly laying you down as he climbed over you.
His hands pushed down your thighs until he was met with your dressing robe. And for a moment, he leaned up and broke the kiss.
He made light work of untying your robe and by the time it fell open, despite the face you still had your pajamas on, he was looking at you like he’d just found pure gold. Slowly, his fingers traced up your body as he pushed the robe from your shoulders.
Your legs spread wider for him as he knelt up to take you in.
“If you wanna stop at any point-”
“I won’t.”
Tyler looked directly in your eyes. “Sweetheart, it’s important to me that I have your consent. If, at any point, you wanna stop. We will. You have my word on that.”
You sat up on your elbows, your gaze not breaking from his. “I trust you, Tyler. And consent goes both ways.”
A small smirk came to his face. “Sweetheart, you have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming about this. I have no plan on stopping if you don’t want me to.”
“Good. Because I don’t either.”
Reaching up, you pulled him in to kiss you again, and he got to work. Removing your robe, you came to kneel on the bed along with him. Eventually he threw the robe across the room, just before you pushed him down and straddled his lap.
As you did so, he helped you remove his shirt and he couldn’t help but take a mental image of you as you took one of your own.
You’d known Tyler was muscular. He was a bull rider once, but that mostly sent your eyes looking at his ass and thighs when you weren’t looking for cuts and bruises. But the chest and arm muscles on this man…maybe you’d been looking at the wrong part of him all these years.
But, he did have a nice ass.
“You okay there, darlin’?” Tyler drawled.
“How the fuck-”
Tyler chuckled, his fingers deftly tracing up and down your spine. “It’s a lot of lifting and protein, mostly.”
You didn’t know what else to say as you looked back at him. Leaning in, you kissed him again.
As one of his hands pushed through your hair, your own trailed down his body before you started working at the drawstring of his pants.
You squealed a little as he flipped you onto your back, and a small laugh left both of you before he started to rid himself of the bottom half of his clothing. Then he pulled yours down. They, too, got tossed somewhere else across the room.
As he leaned over you, you hooked one of your legs around him and pulled him closer. You could feel his smile in his kiss. And as you shifted a little under him, you felt the hardness of him push against you.
With your hand, you palmed his cock before letting your fingers run down its shaft. Tyler’s kiss became stronger as you carefully wrapped your hand around him, pumping up and down.
His body jerked as a groan left him. And when he saw that wicked glint in your eye as you lay under him, your pussy only growing wetter for him, a deep groan fell from his lips.
“Fuck, baby.” Tyler growled below your ear and into your neck.
Leaning closer, he started to nibble at your neck, no doubt leaving his mark on your. Finally, his fingers slipped down your front and pushed your legs further apart.
His fingers ran down your folds before bringing your wetness to circle around your clit. With a little pressure, he continued to circle his fingers around as your hips bucked, his cock getting its first touch of your pussy.
You pushed yourself up until you were straddling him once more. And with his help, you slowly lowered yourself down onto him. A small whimper left your lips as you eased yourself down his shaft.
“That’s it, sweetheart.”
You pulled up a little, hearing a strangled groan from Tyler as his fingers bit into your flesh.
Once more, you eased yourself onto him. With your eyes locked on his, he pecked a kiss to your lips.
“Take what you need, sweetheart. Take what you need.”
You started off slow at first, circling your hips. Eventually, you picked up the pace as Tyler’s head dropped to your chest. He could feel you pulsating against him, getting ready for more. And if it wasn’t more than he ever dreamed of…
“Fuck, Sweetheart. You’re too good at this.”
Continuing to circle in his lap, his hips bucking against yours begging for more, your hand fisted his hair and pulled his head back. Leaving his neck exposed, you leaned forward and left your own mark for him to discover in the morning before finally kissing his lips.
Softly biting his bottom lip, your fingers relaxed and slid down the back of his neck before softening the sting with your tongue. You felt Tyler’s finger bit deliciously into your skin as he reached for your thighs and pulled up closer to him.
“Baby, fuck.”
Leaning in closer, you let your tongue slip into his mouth as you kissed him. With the kiss becoming wet and hot all at once, you slowly lifted yourself from him.
“Baby, I need you to keep- oh. Fuck. That-that’s it, Sweetheart.” Tyler watched as you slowly rode him, his cock pumping in and out of your glistening cunt. “Fuck. You’re taking me so well.”
You moaned, feeling his fingers trace your body as you circled your hips once more, his cock buried deep inside of you.
“Sweetheart, can I touch you?”
“Yes.” You hissed the word, your head falling back for a moment as your cheeks flushed and your body begged for more.
Slowly, his fingers slid between the tops of your folds before finding your clit. A loud moan escaped your throat and by the time you looked back at Tyler you found a tender yet smug smile on his face. “You like that, baby?”
“Y-yes.”
“Do you want me to do it again?”
He kept a small pressure on your clit, but refused to move his fingers until you answered him again. You swallowed thickly before nodding. And for a moment, his fingers teased you, tapping gently at you. Then he stopped.
“I need your words, darlin’. Do you want me to do it again?”
“Yes. Please,” you begged him.
Finally, his fingers moved, applying a gentle pressure before curling you. Your hips bucked. He could feel your walls beginning to clench around him as you tried your best to keep a steady rhythm.
“Take what you need, darlin’.”
His fingers pushed deeper inside you.
“Fuck, baby, you’re soaking.”
You felt Tyler’s free hand push back up your thigh before rounding your ass and pulling you down on him once more and squeezing.
“You’re so fucking hot like this, sweetheart.”
Finally, his lips were against yours, his tongue dipping in and out of your mouth as he kissed you, only to leave you wanting more.
A soft moan gargled at the back of your throat as you held onto his shoulders, deepening his kiss and letting him stuff you with his cock.
Pulling his hand from your folds, you let out a whimper before a groan as he switched hands. And with some of your wetness still coating his fingers, his hand traced up your sides before rubbing slowly against your pebbled nipple.
With guttural moans, groans and gasps, your eyes locked onto Tyler’s as he kept you riding through your high before you felt him empty himself inside of you.
Your gasp and moan was muffled with his searing kiss once more, his hand coming to the back of your head to keep your lips locked onto his.
Eventually, the room settled with heavy breaths and closed eyes. Your forehead resting against his, his cock still inside of you, he just held you there for a few minutes.
“Did you mean it?”
Tyler, with heavy breaths, leaned back to look at you. “Did I mean what?”
“That you’d been dreaming about this?”
Tyler swallowed, a little nervously, but his eyes never left you. His clean fingers pushed the stay hairs from your head as he did so.
“Every word.”
“How long?”
Tyler couldn’t give you a date. He just knew… “A long time.”
You didn’t say anything. But you did lean down and kiss him. It was tender, this time. Soft and kind. Tyler was careful when flipping you over to lay down on the mattress. And he was careful still when he pulled himself out of you.
“Stay there. I’ll help clean you up.”
It was the first time it had happened, but you stayed where you were, watching as Tyler pulled his pajama bottoms back on and walked across to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came back with a warm cloth and with soft kisses pressed against your belly and hips, he helped clean you up.
“Tyler?”
He looked up from where he was knelt by your feet. “Hm?”
“Promise me…promise me this isn’t just a one time thing.” He looked at you a little confused, but you looked away. “Because…you mean a lot to me, Ty. More than you know. And I…I don’t think my heart can take this just being casual.”
Tyler’s eyes remained on yours, despite the fact you weren’t looking at him. So, putting his hand up to your face, he made you look at him.
“Sweetheart, I don’t plan on this being a casual one-time thing. I’m too madly in love with you to do something like that.”
“You are?”
Tyler smiled, a little relief resting behind his eyes. He’d waited years to finally tell you.
“For a long time. I don’t know when it changed, but I know it did. So, I promise. This is not a one time thing.”
“You’re really in love with me?”
Tyler chuckled. “I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed by now. Pretty sure Kate’s got a wager with Boone on how long it would take for you to notice.”
“So earlier…when you were looking at me…”
Tyler nodded, the soft smile never leaving his face. “Yeah. Because I do. I do love you, Y/n.”
Your eyes tracked over his face. Nothing but truth.
Tyler could physically see the weight fly off your shoulders. “I’m in love with you, too, Tyler.”
One look at your face, and Tyler knew he didn’t have to question it. So, leaning up, he pressed a kiss to your lips as you fell backwards and pulled him with you.
