Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started as a project.

Just a normal, harmless, “worth 40% of your grade” science project.

The class groaned when it was announced. Four weeks to research and present something about any sea animal. They weren’t even learning about the sea, not even animals in general. The teacher was probably too exhausted to teach them more about actual science, and was making them study about topics they probably wouldn’t need after the project. But, to make things even worse, everyone had to work in pairs.

Noah thought he had dodged a bullet when he was partnered with Tyler. How hard could it be? Tyler might be the human embodiment of a sports advertisement, but he was nice. Loud, but nice.

Until Noah made the mistake of asking, “So, what’s the plan?”

Tyler’s eyes were sparkling with way too much confidence, and there was a wide grin on his face. “Easy! We’ll do an all-nighter! Knock it out in one go, then we can chill for like… Three weeks!”

He could’ve, or should’ve, said no. But between Tyler’s enthusiasm and the quiet offer to do it at his place, cause his dad is out, something in Noah’s brain went. “Sure, why not!” This was going to be the worst night of his life.

The jock’s house turned out to be exactly what Noah expected. Large enough to suggest that his father made a decent amount of money, but still cluttered in a way that screamed that there were only 2 people living there. Especially with too much free time.

And then there was Tyler’s room.

A box room of sporty chaos. Posters taped on the wall, a double bed shoved awkwardly into the corner of the room with a red blanket that looked oddly soft, but had pillows that could substitute for bricks. 

The desk was buried under piles of paper, cola cans, computer cords, and a desktop that looked extremely old. If you told Noah that it was the prototype for the first computer, he would’ve believed you. If he was dumb that is.

There were hockey sticks, tennis balls, actually not just tennis balls, literally any sports ball, in a corner of the room. And a single participation trophy sitting on a shelf. Noah felt a little bit bad about that.

Tyler sat on the bed, he was wearing a plain white t-shirt, red pajama pants, and surprisingly, glasses? Apparently, he wears contacts, he’s just not bothered to put them on on the weekends. That explains so much.

“Soooo…” Tyler spoke, smiling. “Electric eels!”

Noah was sitting cross-legged beside him, pulling out his laptop from his rucksack. “You realise we could’ve picked any other sea creature?”

“Yeah, but electric eels are cool! They shoot lightning and stuff.”

“They generate electric currents through specialised cells. It’s not lightning, but it’s close enough.”

Tyler shrugged casually. “Same thing!”

Noah stared at him. “Right… Remind me to put your name after mine on the slides.”

Tyler laughed. “Awh, come on man! You gotta admit, this’ll be fun!”

“Fun and science project are not words that belong in the same sentence.” Noah deadpanned.

“Come on, have some hope! Plus, I thought you were like a nerd- sorry…” Tyler paused, visibly thinking. “I thought you liked school? Okay, whatever. Let’s get shocking!”

Noah looked up from the laptop on his lap slowly, clearly unimpressed. “Make one more pun, and I will tase you with an electric eel myself.”

“Haha! Tase! You’re already getting into the spirit!”

“I hate this already.” Noah groaned.

For the first hour, it somehow went well. Noah typed up facts, Tyler skimmed through websites, and they managed to create a rough outline. Tyler’s computer, loud, slow, and dangerously close to overheating, chugged along while Noah handled the actual content.

Tyler was not much help.

“Wait, so they can jump out of the water?!” Tyler asked, his eyes wide.

“Yes, we’ve been over that Ty.” Noah responded dryly, still focusing on the slides.

“That’s awesome! We should include a picture of it!” The idiot added, leaning over to see Noah’s screen.

“Fine.” Noah said, typing away.

“Oh, and did you know they can stun horses?” Tyler continued.

“Tyler… Where are you getting this information?” Noah stopped typing and looked at Tyler, narrowing his eyes.

“Wikipedia.” Tyler answered casually.

“Fantastic. Using the thing our teacher didn’t recommend us to use.” Noah replied sarcastically.

“Yeah, but I’m learning!” Tyler smiled softly.

Noah sighed, but there was a hint of amusement behind it. Tyler was impossible to stay annoyed at for a long time.

By the second hour, they had slides, notes, and a surprisingly good outline of the slides. Noah was starting to think, maybe, just maybe, they could do this.

But, while Noah was indulged in his thoughts…

That’s when it happened.

It happened so fast. Tyler reached for his water bottle, the plastic bottle tipped and water splashed on his desk, directly onto his keyboard.

The monitor flickered, then let out a beep, then went black.

“Oh no…” Tyler muttered under his breath.

Noah froze mid-typing. That wasn’t good. “What was that?”

Tyler looked down at the keyboard with water all over it, terrified. “I think I killed it?”

Noah turned his head to look at Tyler. “You what?”

“I didn’t mean to! It just- I grabbed the bottle and-“

The computer gave one last beep, before shutting down completely.

“Okay, maybe it’s fine!” Tyler said, still holding onto hope. “It just needs a second.” He repeatedly pressed the power button. Nothing. “Seeee? Totally fine!”

Noah exhaled. “It’s dead, Tyler. You electrocuted your own computer. Ironically appropriate, given our topic. Maybe next time, let’s make the topic about fires. Then your computer will burn to its demise.”

Tyler winced. “That was dark. But do you think we can fix it?”

“Not unless one of the eels is an IT specialist.”

“Didn’t you say you know an eel?”

“I was talking about Alejandro. You really need to stop being nosy.”

There was a pause, then Tyler smiled nervously. “Good thing we were saving everything on your laptop too, right?”

Noah blinked. “We weren’t.”

“Oh.”

They stared at the blank screen.

Tyler tried lightening up the mood. “So… how about a redo?”

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “You're the reason humanity is devolving, Tyler.”

Tyler grinned, not caring. “Hey, at least it’ll be memorable!”

“Memorable?” Noah repeated. “That’s one word for it.”

By the time the clock hit midnight, both of them had given up on productivity.

Noah was lying on his stomach on Tyler’s bed with his laptop open, scrolling through pages about eels. Meanwhile, Tyler had somehow migrated to the floor, doodling on a sheet of paper.

“What are you doing?” Noah grumbled.

“Redesigning the project logo.”

“We never had, and don’t need a logo.”

“But look!” Tyler held it up. It was a badly drawn eel with lightning bolts around it and ‘Shocking Science!’ Written in red marker.

Noah stared at it for a while. “I hate that it looks kind of cool.”

Tyler’s eyes lit up. “I knew you’d like it!”

“Don’t get used to it.” Noah rolled his eyes.

Sometime past one in the morning, Noah realised Tyler wasn’t responding.

He looked down to where he saw Tyler last. He was lying on the floor, glasses slightly crooked and his headband adjacent. He was out cold.

Noah laughed quietly, amused. “Stayed awake longer than I thought.”

He saved what little progress they had left, it was only a title slide and a picture of an eel. Then he closed the laptop.

Sleeping over was tempting. He hadn’t planned on staying, but he wouldn’t mind… right? And it was already late, just a minute of rest wouldn’t hurt.

Noah laid back on Tyler’s bed, the red blanket was ridiculously soft, and the pillows were practically made out of cement, but he got used to it.

The bookworm immediately fell asleep.

-

The next morning, sunlight poured through the blinds. Tyler stirred awake first, groaning. He sighed, adjusting his glasses. The first thing he saw was Noah. Still asleep.

His hair was a complete mess, and his phone rested in his hand, buzzing every few seconds.

Tyler mumbled something, rubbing his eyes. For a solid five seconds, he just sat there, trying to remember what happened last night. Then it all came rushing back.

The jock’s brain malfunctioned, maybe even worse than his computer. “Oh man… This is gonna be hard to explain if dad comes home early.” He leaned in closer, squinting at the phone. The screen lit up brightly again, showing notifications from a group chat labeled, “Home Zoo” with 99+ messages unread.

Tyler tilted his head. Noah was a bit right about him being nosy, but the messages were right there!

——————-

HOME ZOO

Jade : Where is he?

Inaya : He probably died :3

Isha : If he did I dibs on keeping his chargers

Nadia : what if he got a girlfriend?

Anya : He can’t even flirt with girl 😒

Nadia : Or boyfriend!

Noelle : Noah r u aliv

Amber : I can’t plan his funeral this young🫩🫩

Vita : bro your litro 20 your unc status

Amber : ?????

Inaya : sigh

————

It just went on, and on. Tyler’s jaw dropped. “Whoaaa…”

At that moment, Noah stirred awake as well. He blinked awake, squinting at the light. “Ughh… Why is it so bright? Why does my neck feel broken? Where am I-“ He froze, recognising the room. “Oh right. Science project. He grumbled.

Tyler stumbled back. “Morning?”

“Don’t.” Noah replied, voice dry.

Tyler pointed at the nerd’s phone. “Your family is freaking out. I think half of them think you're on a secret date.”

Noah groaned, unlocking it, only to immediately sigh and turn it off again. “I have exactly eight siblings and exactly zero peace.”

“They seem to… care a lot about you.”

“They care about chaos.” Noah turned it back on and started typing a reply, muttering as he did. “I’m fine, my heart is still beating, not in a ditch, I don’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend, stop assuming idiotic things.”

Tyler then replied. “You should’ve told them the truth! You know, like us having a project together?”

Noah looked at the jock. “Oh sure, let me just text them, ‘Stayed up all night at a guy's house studying for a project and now I’m in his bed.’ That’ll sound great.”

Tyler smirked. “You also forgot the part where I was on the floor, makes it sound more… you know.”

“Please stop talking.”

There was a brief pause, Noah then tucked his phone into his pocket, murmuring. “I can’t believe your computer genuinely died. That thing looked like it was built before electricity existed.”

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah… sorry about that I guess. We’ll have to do it again another time?”

Noah groaned. “God help me.”

Tyler brightened. “Come onnnn! It’ll be fun, we’ll actually get it right this time!”

“You’re assuming I’ll willingly come back here?”

Tyler tilted his head. “Apparently you came back from the dead, according to your family chat. So anything’s possible!”

Noah glared at him for a moment, then gave in. “Fine. But, if you somehow break something, or yourself, I’m not coming back and we’re doing it at my house.”

“Deal.” Tyler said, offering a hand.

Noah looked at it like it was radioactive. He wasn’t bothered doing handshakes in the morning. “I don’t do handshakes before coffee.” Noah blurted out.

“Then I’ll make coffee too! For you and me!”

Noah finally got out of the bed, muttering under his breath. “Why am I signing up for this again?”

Tyler smiled, leaning close to Noah. “Because you like meeee?” He then quickly added. “Plate tonic way! Or whatever it is!”

Noah glanced back, face unreadable. “No. Because I hate failing classes.”

As the bookworm walked out, his phone buzzed again with another text. A private one.

_____

Jade : So how's the group project with that boy? Is he nice to you? If he isn’t I’ll teach him a lesson

_____

Noah scoffed, he couldn’t stop the tiniest smile from breaking through.

Neither could Tyler.

Maybe another all-nighter wasn’t so bad.

Chapter Text

Saturday was supposed to be peaceful.

Just a quiet, productive day to finish the ridiculous project that had already consumed more brain cells than it was worth.

No all-nighters. No deleted slides. No Tyler-level disasters, especially ones including plastic water bottles and old computers.

That was Noah’s goal for the day.

He stood at Tyler’s front door, his backpack digging into his shoulders, and was still questioning his life choices. Then the door swung open, and Tyler was there. Wearing a plain red shirt, red and white sweatpants, and wearing his glasses. Again.

“Hey! You came!” Tyler grinned, stepping aside to let Noah in.

“I regret it already.” Noah mumbled, walking in.

Tyler stifled a laugh, but was unfazed. “Nah, this time it’s gotta be perfect! No techy failures, no not sleeping, just pure working!”

Noah deadpanned. “You said that last week, and now we have to start from scratch.”

“Yeah, but this time I really mean it!” Tyler said, way too enthusiastic.

Tyler’s house looked just the same as Noah remembered it, well it’s only been a week. It was a mix of comfortable, and chaotic.

Coats thrown over a singular chair in the living room, and weak smell of air freshener, or was it cologne?

His dad wasn’t home, again. Which Noah kindly appreciated. He didn’t have to deal with small talk, just Tyler, his dumb jokes, and some actually stable WiFi.

They settled in Tyler’s room, the exact same as last time, except it was a bit neater. Tyler somehow got his computer fixed, but it still looked ancient.

Both of them sat on the bed, Tyler criss cross (apple sauce), and Noah was perched near the edge, laptop on his lap.

“Okay…” Tyler said, fidgeting slightly. “So how are we starting?”

“By not letting you touch anything that can delete files.” Noah answered, his eyes still on his screen.

“Hey, that was one time!” Tyler responded, a bit offended.

“It was last week.”

“Still counts man!”

Noah groaned. “We’re doomed.”

For a while, it went smoothly. Tyler read from his (Noah’s) notes, while the bookworm typed, sometimes having to correct him when he butchered a word.

“Electrolytes.” Noah corrected.

“Yeah, that’s what I said, ‘Electric-kites’”

“Tyler.”

“Whattt? It sounds cooler!”

“It sounds wrong.”

“Agree to disagree.” Tyler smiled.

Despite himself, Noah laughed quietly. It was hard not to when Tyler was clearly trying. He wasn’t stupid. Just you know, wired differently. Okay, that was a lie. But, he was loud, energetic, easily distracted, but sometimes strangely dedicated once he cared about something.

Or someone…

Noah quickly pushed that theory aside. He focused on the laptop screen instead, purely academic. No distractions.

Then his phone buzzed.

Noah’s phone lit up with what can only be described as an attack of notifications. His sisters, per usual, had found something new to harass him about.

Noah groaned loudly. “Not again…”

Tyler peeked over to look at Noah’s phone screen, but quickly moved away. At least he knows decent respect. “Uh… is it the family chat again?-“

“Yes it is. Unfortunately.” Noah cut him off.

He unlocked it, then immediately regretted it.

The messages were all variations of, “You're going to that dude's house again?” , “He has a social life?” , or just really, REALLY weird things.

Noah stared at the screen. “I hate them.”

“What was it?”

“Nothing. Just family drama.” Noah grumbled, turning the phone off.

Tyler smirked. “Are they teasing you? Do you like someone?”

“Not your concern.”

“Oh, it’s definitely my concern.” Tyler added, “You’re blushingggg!” He continued, pointing at Noah.

“Shut up.”

The jock chuckled. “Cmon, we’re both dudes! Whose the lucky girl- no wait…” Tyler paused, trying to rack through his memory. “Whose the lucky boy?”

Noah froze, then glared. “You’re on thin ice.”

Wait a second, lucky boy? Okay, probably a mistake.

The day passed quietly. Tyler occasionally humming or asking something dumb. Noah ignored half of it, but a few times, he caught himself smiling, before snapping out of it.

He also couldn’t help but notice something else. Tyler was wearing glasses.

Noah had seen him wear contacts most of the time, and he did see him wearing glasses last week but…

The glasses were unfair.

They made him look softer, surprisingly. Less ‘sports jock’, and more, “wow a bit smart and a jock superrr hot”.

Which, objectively, was a terrible thought to have about someone who called him on multiple occasions absolutely ridiculous things. He wasn’t gonna list all of them of course, it would be a long list though.

Noah reminded himself, “Platonic admiration. Purely platonic. Nothing el-“

Right as Noah was continuing his thoughts, Tyler sneezed so hard his glasses almost flew off. The nerd started to then doubt his feelings for the guy.

“Alright, break time!” Tyler said, already standing up.

“What do you mean break time? We’ve barely finished half of the-“

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back!” He said, putting on his sneakers.

“I’ll be fast! Don’t miss me too much!” Tyler smiled, running out the door.

Noah sighed as the door closed. “I won’t.” He rolled his eyes.

He didn’t even get 10 minutes of quiet before the front door opened again. Noah heard footsteps coming up the stairs and the bedroom door swung open.

Tyler appeared in the doorway, looking like a train wreck. His hair was a mess and there was a faint red scrape on his arm.

Noah stared at him for a moment, before asking. “What happened?”

Tyler stood there. “Nothing.” He shrugged like it was all okay.

“Are you sure?”

“Okay ,so maybe I tripped…”

“Over what?”

Tyler hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Air?”

Noah exhaled. “You tripped. Over air?”

“It was uh… Uneven air! There was a crack in the sidewalk and-“

“There’s always a crack in the sidewalk!”

Exactlyyyy! It’s a hazard!”

Noah looked at him in disbelief. “I don’t know how I tolerate you.”

Tyler grinned sheepishly. “Cause you like me?”

Noah didn’t correct him.

Soon, after a bit, they went back to working on the project.

Despite everything that happened beforehand, it was nice.

The house was quiet, way more peaceful than at Noah’s house. He didn’t have to fight for a place to sit, or share WiFi with 10 people. Just being here felt oddly comforting.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he enjoyed being here.

He liked being around Tyler.

There was something easy about it. Simple. Maybe.

Even when Tyler uttered something absolutely idiotic, like “Do you think eels have friends?” Noah found himself smiling before rolling his eyes.

“Only you could make marine biology sound like a dating show.” Noah responded.

Tyler laughed. “I’d totally watch a show like that!”

“Of course you would.”

By the time the sun was starting to set, the project was finally done.

Tyler threw his arms in the air, stretching. “We did it! No crashes, no all-nighters, no more broken computers!”

“Low bar for success.” Noah murmured, immediately saving the file.

Tyler smiled softly, “You say that, but you're smiling.”

“I’m smiling cause it’s over.” Noah countered, the smile disappearing from his face quickly.

“Yeah yeah… You know, this wasn’t that bad!”

“That’s debatable.”

“No really, working with you is kinda fun. Your smart, organised, a bit intimidating-“

“Don’t finish that sentence Tyler Kenard.”

“… but in a nice way?”

Noah sighed, shutting his laptop. “You talk too much.”

“You like it.” Tyler clarified. Noah hoped he meant that in a friendly way. He really hoped.

Noah paused at the door, glancing back at Tyler.

“Yeah, maybe I do.” Noah mumbled under his breath.

As the nerd left the room, Tyler froze. Trying to figure out if he heard that right. By the time he could ask, Noah was already gone.

The jock giggled, lying on his bed.

“Man… He totally wants to be friends with me!” He whispered even though nobody was around.

“Maybe even best friends!”

Sure… Best friends.

Chapter Text

If someone asked Noah how he ended up being class president 2 times in a row, he’d say “bad luck.” If they asked why he stayed class president, he’d say. “Revenge.”

Being in charge meant endless announcements, drama, and arguments. Especially between Gwen and Courtney, until it wasn’t. Seriously, Noah thought they were arguing for 20 minutes until he realised it was flirting. Which, frankly, made it worse.

Then there was ‘The drama brothers’ whispering in the back of the room, Bridgette and Geoff being way too close, and Lindsay daydreaming while doodling someone’s name in her notebook instead of paying attention. She should be paying attention.

You couldn’t escape it all.

Through it all, Noah sat at his desk, reading a book while also wondering how his life devolved into… this.

When the final bell rang, Noah was halfway through a sarcastic remark about the lack of brain cells in his class, when a familiar voice called out behind him. He hoped it wasn’t who he thought it was.

Unfortunately, the universe hated him.

“Wait up!”

The voice was unmistakable. Noah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned around to see Tyler had already caught up to him. His red headband was still crooked on his head, he had his gym bag slung over one shoulder, and his smile was brighter than the sun above them.

“Hey.” Tyler said, trying to catch his breath. “Are you walking home?”

“What do you think?” Noah replied dryly, there was a long pause. “I’ve been trying to, but I guess that plan's ruined now.”

Tyler laughed. “Perfect! I’ll walk with you.”

The bookworm stared blankly at him. “Not what I said.”

“Too late, I already decided.” Tyler grinned, walking beside Noah now.

The entire walk to wherever they were going, was filled with Tyler's voice, not that Noah minded as much as he pretended to. The jock talked about hockey practice, how he almost got a detention, and how his dad was still on another trip.

“So, since my dad’s still gonna, you wanna come over again? Just to check on the uhh… project!”

“You do realise we finished the project, right?” Noah shot him a look.

“Yeahhhh, but we could celebrate! We’ll watch a movie, or I’ll make food or-… Okay maybe you can make the food, but still!” Tyler responded, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

“You’re seriously inviting me over so I can cook for you?” Noah raised an eyebrow.

“Only if you want to.” Tyler shrugged.

Noah sighed, pretending to think it over. “Fine. But if you do anything remotely stupid, I’m leaving.”

“Deal!” He exclaimed way too enthusiastically.

Tyler’s house barely changed. It was all the same. Except it was way messier.

Noah slipped his shoes off, murmuring. “You really don’t clean unless you expect company, do you?”

Tyler mumbled. “I only expected people to come over for group projects… I just didn’t clean after you left last time.”

“I can tell.”

They were in the living room this time. Noah was sitting on the couch, rummaging through his bag for a book to read while waiting. Tyler grabbed two sodas from the fridge and tossed one to Noah, almost hitting his face. “You good?”

“Yeah, I hope.”

He sat next to the bookworm on the sofa. “Alright man, what movie are we watching now?”

“None that involve explosions or are made for kids.”

“What about a Japanese game show? I love those!”

Noah side-eyed him. “I’d rather get hit by a dodgeball. In the face.”

Tyler laughed nervously and turned the TV on. There was a comfortable quiet settling between them once the movie started. Too comfortable.

For a while, it was normal. Calm, even. Tyler sometimes made dumb commentary, mostly about how he could do the things they were doing in the movie easily, and Noah just had to act annoyed. He was always annoyed, just not now.

It was strange, but nice.

They were halfway through the movie now, Tyler leaned back, one arm resting on the couch. He wasn’t even paying attention anymore, just zoning out.

Meanwhile, Noah felt his head getting heavier, the exhaustion from school catching up to him. Before he knew it, he was resting his head on something, Noah couldn’t see what, but it felt nice.

Then it shifted, Noah looked up and saw Tyler. Thank goodness he caught himself before actually falling asleep.

There was silence.

The nerd moved away immediately, creating space between them. “That was gravity.” He clarified.

“Gravity?”

“Yes. It exists you nitwit.”

“Are you joking with me?”

Noah was so close to throwing a cushion at him, or even better, suffocating him with it.

But thankfully, right on cue, his phone buzzed on the coffee table.

He already knew what it was. He didn’t even need to check.

But of course, he did.

It was all the same, they all knew about his feelings. God, could they stay out of his business for a single day? Maybe for his entire life if he’s lucky?

It was all of them asking where he was and just teasing him. By now, it was just tiring.

Noah groaned loudly, putting his phone on ‘do not disturb’ and shoving it into his pocket.

“Everything okay?” Tyler asked, tilting his head.

“Yes. Family just being nosy, nothing new.” Noah grumbled.

“You sure you’re not hiding a secret crushhh?” The jock teased.

“We’re not talking about this again.”

“Worth a try…”

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward like with other people though. It felt safe.

For the first time in the while, Noah felt like he didn’t have to interrupt the silence with small talk. Tyler did that enough for the both of them.

And that was fine with Noah.

The next day, during lunch, Noah sat outside on a bench in the courtyard, book open, but too distracted to read. Owen sat beside him.

“So…” Owen began, mouth stuffed with chips. “You and Tyler hang out a lot now, huh?”

Noah refused to look up. “We’re just working on stuff.”

“You finished the project though?”

“Expanding it.”

“Expanding your time together?” Owen replied, stifling his laughter.

“Do you want me to move schools?” Noah slowly looked up.

Owen giggled. “Not that serious! I’m just sayinggg… You talk about him a bit too much. Kinda sounds like you’ve got a tiny crush or something.”

Noah sighed, then closed his book, trying to sound calm, he responded. “Don’t tell anyone. Not like it’s true or anything.”

Owen grinned. “I dunno, secrets are expensive. Listen, I know you're my buddy, but maybe a snack would help me keep quiet?”

“I’ll buy you a box of donuts.”

“What about a dozen boxes?”

“Six, final offer.”

Owen paused, thinking for a moment, before smiling happily. “Okay! You better not lie about you buying it like last time though!”

“I won't chubby buddy.” Noah murmured under his breath. “This school’s going to kill me before I do it myself.”

Owen continued eating his food. “Let’s just hope love does first! I mean that like… Don’t die please?”

BONUS (I FREAKING HATE THE GC THINGS BUT I GOTTA SO TAKE THIS AS A BONUS INSTEAD OF SOMETHING IN THE ACTUAL FIC!) :

That night, Noah sat at his desk, notebook open, but ignored. His room was quiet except for the ticking of the clock and the not so rare vibration of his phone from his sibling group chat. He just wished he could leave it, but they’d find a way back.

Noah muted it more than 9 times already. It didn't matter.

He was just racking his memories from the current day, until he remembered the words Owen said at lunch.

“It kinda sounds like you’ve got a tiny crush or something.”

He scoffed, fiddling with the pencil in his hand.

A crush on Tyler?

Ridiculous.

Absurd.

Statistically (Im)possible.

Sure, Tyler was loud. And stupid, And annoying, And kind, And amazing.

And had a weird way of smiling when he thought he was being smart, which was 96% of the time. And sometimes he said things that were somehow kind of sweet without actually realising it-

Noah froze, confused by his own thoughts.

Shit.

He put down the pencil and just stared at the blank notebook in front of him.

“This is fine. Totally fine. Admiration… I think. Friendly admiration. Platonic appreciation of… his face.” He said out loud to nobody.

Noah covered his face with his hands and groaned.

He heard his phone buzz again. He took his hands away from his face and glanced at the screen.

___________

HOME ZOO :

Vita : nd thts hw I gt suspnded frm my old skl

Nadia : So expelled?

Vita : nu??

*Noah is now online*

Amber : Okay guys it’s time for questions for our gay brother, who somehow has barely been online on this group chat over the past few days.

Anya : Sooo how was the date Noah?

Jade : Did you sleep over again?

Inaya : He literally came back home from the previous one, I think he didn’t sleep over.

Isha : bruh stop bullying him😕😕😕(no but seriously I’m starting to feel bad)

Noelle : I just wanna know details Isha🫩

Amber : spill🙏🙏

___________

Noah stared at the screen, thinking of how to respond.

___________

Noah : One, it wasn’t a date. Two, stop calling it that. Three, we’re just friends.

Isha : right…

___________

Noah slammed his phone face-down onto the desk and mumbled something about how annoying his siblings were.

He picked up his pencil again, and tried distracting himself with homework. It didn’t work. His brain kept circling back to Tyler, the way his laugh filled a room, the way he tripped over air, the way he ran straight into a wall- What are you thinking Noah?! Cut it out!

But worst of all, the way Noah kind of liked being around him.

It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. He’d hung out with people before, he wasn’t antisocial, but Tyler was different. Made everything a bit more, how do I word this…

Peaceful?

Chapter Text

Luckily, the presentation and project went well. They barely got through it when presenting it to the entire class. Unfortunately, the teacher kept calling them out for using Wikipedia and some false information on the slides. Stupid Miss O’Halloran.

Now it was October, or as others like to call it, “Spooky Month”, which is childish. Well, Noah thought that.

If someone had told him that Geoff’s “Halloween Themed Party Bash!” Was going to be the event of the month, he would’ve stayed home. Unfortunately, Owen was there.

“Noah, c’mon you can’t not go!” Noah was practically on his knees, pleading that afternoon shoving a pumpkin patterned hoodie into his friend’s arms. “It’s tradition! Geoff throws a party every October!”

“You mean every day? Plus, it’s not even Halloween yet.” Noah deadpanned, gently pushing the hoodie back.

“Exactly! Halloween month!” Owen smiled.”

“Right. It doesn’t say that on the calendar though, does it?” He replied, thinking he won whatever that interaction was. Until, Owen came back with a calendar that literally said Spooky Month for October.

Fifteen minutes of begging, three guilt trip attempts, and a promise of trying not to hug too tight, the nerd found himself standing in Geoff’s backyard, wearing a pumpkin themed hoodie. The yard had fake tombstones, a pile of plastic pumpkins, and a whole ton of teenagers trying too hard to look cool.

The speakers blasted music loud enough to wake the dead, and unfortunately, the neighbours.

Noah murmured. “It smells like regret and candy corn.”

Tyler approached him, grinning. “Dude! You came!”

“I regret it a lot.”

He turned to face the jock, Tyler was wearing a red jersey, fake blood on his cheek, and vampire fangs that kept slipping off. It should’ve looked ridiculous, and it did, but the smile basically saved the costume.

“This is awesome! Geoff really nailed it this year. Look, he’s even being WOKE!” Tyler discretely pointed towards Cody and Trent. Oh right, I forgot they were ‘close’.

“Just cause he’s being inclusive doesn’t mean it’s a good party.”

“It’s my opinion!”

Noah sighed. He wasn’t sure if Tyler was allergic to using his brain, or was just incapable of understanding how to use it. Probably both.

Inside the house, things were somehow even worse. Gwen and Courtney were arguing about costume originality, Duncan was pretending to not care but was very much eavesdropping, and Bridgette was trying to get Geoff to not set the water on fire.

Noah sat on a chair in the corner of the room, he was 4 seconds away from telling Owen that he was leaving when Geoff’s voice interrupted the noise.

“ALRIGHT DUDES AND DUDETTES AND DUDETHEMS!”

Oh no.

Geoff was standing on top of a table with a megaphone, he continued. “This party is getting boring! We need to shake it up a bit- No, A LOT!”

“It’s literally been only thirty minutes?” Gwen asked, her tone flat.

“Exactlyyyy…” Geoff glanced around the room, then he pointed dramatically at Izzy. “Izzy! You're the queen of chaos, hit us with something that’s amazeballs!” Is that even slang?

The crowd froze, knowing what was coming. Izzy stood there, her eyes wide, but her menacing smile even wider.

“Ohhh I got something crazy.” She said, standing on a plastic chair now. “We’re doing ,’Secret Treat, No Trick!’”

The room went quiet, even Owen’s stomach that was mid grumble paused.

“Sorry for my language, but what the freak is that?” Courtney asked, crossing her arms.

Izzy giggled. “It’s like Secret Santa! But since it’s October, it’s spoookkyyyy! Everyone gets someone random to give a trinket before Halloween!”

“Why couldn’t we just wait until December to do an actual secret Santa? This is just a knock-off.” Noah sighed.

“True that, but it has more ghosts!”

Everyone started murmuring to each other.

Tyler nodded thoughtfully, even though there wasn’t a single thought in his head. “Makes sense…”

Noah turned to him. “It really doesn’t.”

“C’mon man, it’s fun! And Halloween-ish!”

Geoff cheered, “Yeah! Secret Treat, No trick! Let’s gooooo!”

Within seconds,Izzy was running around with a plastic pumpkin basket full of folded slips of papers. While Sierra was quietly helping, or definitely manipulating who everyone got behind their backs.

Everyone gathered in a big circle, laughing and shoving each other.

“Okay… Pick a name! Whoever you get, that’s who gotta give something to by Halloween! No trades, No take-backs, No tricks!”

“Just treats?” Owen asked, his eyes lighting up waiting for an answer as he reached into the basket.

“Exactly big-o!” Izzy answered, handing him the pumpkin. “You can give anythinggg!”

Noah muttered. “This sounds suspiciously sentimental.”

“Shut up.” Eva hissed, but she looked a bit entertained. She was also forced to come here by Izzy, so at least they have something else to bond about at the party.

The pumpkin was passed around the circle, everyone getting a slip that wasn’t their own.

Then came Noah’s turn, he reached in, and pulled out a small piece of paper. He suspensefully opened it and froze, quickly shoving it into his pocket.

Tyler.

Of course, it was like the universe was pulling them together, even though none of them wanted it. Maybe… Okay Noah might enjoy this. Probably Tyler would too.

“Got someone good?” Tyler asked, leaning over.

“Define good.”

“Someone easy to get candy for?…” The jock shrugged nonchalantly.

“Possibly.”

“Nice!”

Meanwhile, near the snack table, Sierra typed furiously into her notes app, whispering, “Operation Success!” Before giggling to herself quietly.

As the night continued, so did the chaos. 

Noah was basically documenting this in his mind, this is all he noticed.

Gwen and Courtney continued flirting right in front of Duncan, if they kept this up some people will actually wonder if they really have true feelings for each other.

Lindsay offered Heather a cupcake, because “sharing is caring”, and Heather turned bright red before pretending she didn’t care, she still took it though. Noah’s not a huge fan of anime stuff, but it seems like she’s acting like a tsundere? He’s not good with these terms, he might have to ask that unhygienic guy, Harold.

DJ was basically setting out cupcakes every few minutes, and Owen inhaled them like a vacuum.

And according to Tyler, as the nerd was outside when this happened, Cody was talking to Trent about how he got him (Trent). Ruined the entire point of the game, utterly ridiculous. Which also resulted in Cody colliding with the snack table? Strange.

Now, Noah was sitting outside on the porch on a bench, finally getting a minute of fresh air.

The air was cool, the laughter from inside was muffled. And he just sat there thinking about whatever came to mind.

Tyler.

Right, he didn’t know what Tyler liked besides sports, energy drinks, and finding new ways to injure himself. What was he supposed to give the jock? A book about being cautious?! Actually, he could accidentally hurt himself with the book somehow.

He looked at the night sky, mumbling. “Maybe I’ll just give him a dictionary, or a thesaurus. He could use one.”

“Who could?”

Noah jumped, startled from the voice. Tyler appeared again, holding two sodas, holding one out for Noah to take. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you or anything.”

“You didn’t sneak up, you frightened me.”

“Same thing. Why are you out here alone bro?” Tyler said, sitting next to him on the bench.

“Noise, people, people like you in general.”

Tyler laughed, opening his soda can. “You hate fun don’t you?”

“I just prefer fun to be quiet.”

They sat there in silence, awkward, but nice silence. The music played in the background, but it was muffled, and the air was cold. “Hard to believe it’s not Halloween yet.” Tyler said.

“Everyone is just pretending it is Halloween.”

“Hey, any excuse to wear fake fangs and eat free snacks!”

Noah glanced at the fake fangs in Tyler’s mouth. “They’re crooked…”

Tyler quickly tried to adjust it. “Better?”

“Maybe.”

“Anywayyyy… Guess I’ll see you Monday?” Tyler said after a while, standing up from his chair.

“Yep.”

The jock smiled brightly, and then walked back inside.

Noah watched him go, then sighed. He reached into his pocket and unfolded the paper again, reading the name one more time.

Tyler.

“Of course it had to be you. This’ll end horribly.” Noah muttered to himself, a soft smile appearing on his face.

After a while, the chaos started to settle. Everyone was split into little groups, whispering and comparing guesses about who they might’ve drawn. It was supposed to be a secret, but this was Geoff’s party we are talking about. There were no rules at these parties.

Noah was leaning against the kitchen counter, acting like he was texting someone so he didn’t have to socialise. But, something across the room caught his attention.

It was Tyler, and beside him, Lindsay.

They were standing near the candy bowl, both holding red plastic cups and talking animatedly. Noah couldn’t hear the full conversation due to the noise, but every few words reached him.

“-Sooo I got her, and I don’t even know what she’s likesss!” Lindsay whined exaggeratedly, twirling her hair. “I mean, I know what she wears, but not what she likes…”

“Who did you get?” Tyler chuckled.

Lindsay giggled, quietening her voice like it was classified government information. “Promise not to tell anyone?”

“I swear!” Tyler said, nodding.

Noah took a small step closer, trying to listen to their conversation a bit more. Lindsay leaned closer, whispering something. Noah couldn’t make it out until she said it louder, “Heather.”

Tyler blinked. “Heather? Really?”

“Yes really! I was freaking out! What do I even get her? A mirror? New clothes? Maybe world peace!” The blonde was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

The jock grinned. “Maybe something small? Something simple. You're good with gift making, I think you can figure it out Lindsay.”

“I just want it to be perfect.” Lindsay admitted softly, looking down.

Tyler smiled at her, like really smiled. “You will, don’t overthink it okay?”

The nerd, who was now pretending to scroll through his phone, tried not to look like he was eavesdropping. Even if he technically was.

Why did this feel… odd?

It wasn’t jealousy. I hope it’s not. It’s just curiosity and mild annoyance. Tyler was nice, but the way he looked at Lindsay, it was different. Brighter.

Plus, Lindsay, she was blushing. Great. Just get a room at this point.

“Didn’t realise this party had a front row seat to a Romcom.” Noah murmured under his breath, taking a sip of his drink.

He turned toward the back door, choosing fresh air over watching whatever that was.

Behind him, he heard Tyler laugh at something Lindsay said, and for some reason that sound followed Noah all the way out.

He sat down on the steps, putting the empty soda can down next to him. “Get a grip.” Noah told himself. “You shouldn’t care, you don’t have to care. Especially not about him.”

The problem was, he did. He rubbed the back of his neck, watching the night sky like it could help him.

It wasn’t jealousy, right? Lindsay was… Lindsay. She was kind, funny, and fit the beauty standard. And she deserved to have people look at her like that. But still, a part of him couldn’t help but think. If Lindsay truly did like Tyler, and honestly, who didn’t? Then what chance did he have?

He scoffed, almost laughing at his idiotic thoughts. “Not that it matters, it’s not like I’m competing for anything.” He whispered.

When Tyler came outside a few minutes later, still smiling about whatever he and Lindsay chatted about, Noah felt something in his chest tighten that he couldn’t name.

The jock tried handing him another soda. “You good man? You just disappeared out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, I just needed a break from the sugar rush inside.” Noah replied quickly.

Tyler chuckled. “There’s a rush of sugar inside?- Ohhhh…” he then continued, “You know, you sound like a grandpa sometimes.”

“Thanks, I’ll start carrying a cane next.” Noah rolled his eyes.

Tyler giggled and sat down beside him. “I got someone pretty cool for the secret thingy!”

“Oh yeah?” Noah asked casually, trying not to sound interested. “Who?”

“Can’t say, it’s a secret remember!” Tyler answered.

“Right, I forgot we’re acting like this is meant to be suspenseful.” Noah crossed his arms.

Tyler nudged the bookworm with his elbow.“Don’t be such a partypooper! It’s Halloween… almost.”

“It’s the fourteenth.”

“Close enough!”

Noah smirked, he didn’t know who Tyler got, and he really didn’t want to care. But as he remembered the slip of paper that said Tyler’s name on it, he knew his next week was going to be more complicated than needed.

Chapter Text

Noah groaned as Owen dragged him through the automatic doors of Wawanakwa Mall. The smell of pumpkin spice lattes, grease, and extremely strong cologne hit him. He’d never admit it aloud, but malls were loud, disastrous, and full of people way too enthusiastic about Halloween, or just October in general.

“Noah, you know you love this stuff!” Owen exclaimed, pulling him along.

“I love peace and quiet. This is neither.” Noah muttered.

“Yeahhh… But, the chaos makes it cool, and worse in a good way!”

“Exactly! So why are you dragging me along?!” The bookworm countered.

“Because of tradition Noah!” Owen clarified.

“This is literally the first, and only, time we’re doing this stupid thing.” Noah pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Don’t be a party pooper Noah! I even made the pumpkin sweater I forced you to wear yesterday!” Big-O gestured proudly. Noah stared at the bright orange hoodie with a smiling jack o lantern. He swore the pumpkin was looking straight back at him.

“Thanks, I hate it.” He murmured, slipping the hoodie over his head.

“Perfect!” Owen cheered, and then dragged Noah (by the arm) into the shopping centre.

Meanwhile, Tyler was already inside the mall with Lindsay, clutching his shopping list. The name “Noah Mudaliar” was scribbled at the top of the list, surrounded by doodles of ‘friendly’ hearts, stars, and a few question marks.

“I think we should start at the bookstore, something small, thoughtful… Maybe not a basketball for him though?” Lindsay told Tyler, looking at the basketball in his hand.

The jock quickly put the ball down, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I was so close to buying a basketball… For me! Not him!”

“For him? Isn’t he the class president, he’s literally only known for that and reading books!” The blonde clarified, smiling like she just figured something out.

“Yeah? I thought maybe he wanted it or something…”

“Cmon I wanna buy something for Heath- I mean my secret person!” Lindsay groaned.

They went into one of the stores, Tyler’s eyes immediately glanced towards the keychain aisle. There, side by side, were two tiny charms that caught his eye. One read, ‘ dumb nerd’, and the other ‘smart jock’. He grabbed the one that read Smart Jock, and gripped it tightly.

He got it so that it would remind the person he got of him. He wasn’t smart, but he was a sporty guy.

“Hmmm… that’s so cute! I should get Heather one of those!” Lindsay grinned, inspecting the keychains. “You know, I think it would be really funny if you got it for Noel, or whatever his name is! He’s not a jock like you, but he’s smart!”

“Whatttt? I didn’t get him- Well who knows?” He smiled sheepishly, fiddling with the keychain in his hands.

Across the mall, Noah was trying to find something small, clever, and definitely not too obvious for Tyler. He wandered into the same store the jock and the blonde were in just earlier. He entered with Eva and Izzy, mainly because Owen thought of a better gift idea for his secret person and went home.

The nerd walked around the store and froze in the keychain aisle, the ‘Dumb Nerd’ keychain was right there. Just waiting for him to take it. And he did.

It was almost the complete opposite of Tyler, he wasn’t a nerd, but he was dumb. “Brilliant.” Noah thought.

Tyler with Lindsay, hit the arts and crafts store. As they were paying the cashier (who looked too similar to Sierra) said, “Young man, it’s your lucky day, you and your girlfriend get a 15% couples Halloween discount!”

He paused. “Girlfriend? No no no, we’re just friends, really.”

“Very cute friends!” The cashier added, handing them the receipt.

Lindsay rolled her eyes as they left the shop. “Relax Tyson! Wouldn’t he want you to take advantage of the discounts?”

“Heather is really rubbing off on you isn’t she? Also, Noah would not want me to take ad- wait how do you say it again?”

“Advantage!”

“Yeahhh…”

At the same time, Noah was in a bookstore, scanning books for Tyler. That jock really needed to practice reading and writing. History, Sports trivia , but a dictionary caught his eye. Perfect, kind, but also a bit rude. That’s fine though, not like Tyler would take it in a bad way.

“Ugh… The only thing I think he would read other than sports books are dictionaries.” Noah muttered, grabbing it from the shelf. “Remember, these are just gifts, nothing else.” He told himself.

Later, Tyler and Lindsay ran into Gwen and Courtney nearby a costume store.

“Fancy seeing you guys here.” Gwen smirked before Courtney nudged her, her smirk quickly faltering.

“Hi!” Tyler waved awkwardly, he tried to look casual. But the way Courtney’s eyes flickered to his bag of carefully chosen items made his stomach churn.

“What if she knows?! No, she doesn’t… BUT WHAT IF SHE DOES?!!?!?!” Tyler wondered, before snapping out of it.

“You two look… cute together?” Courtney said, she seemed like she was trying to sound nice.

The jock’s eyes widened. “Adorable? Me? With Lindsay??”

“Yep. And by judging by what’s in that bag, you're buying that for Noah. Aren’t you?” The Type-A grinned.

“Wait, you can tell?!” Tyler clutched his bag tighter.

“Oh please, he’s a walking, talking, bookworm.” She snatched the shopping list from Tyler’s grasp. “You’re buying him a history book too. And he loves history books.” Courtney added, pointing at the piece of paper.

Tyler quickly defended himself, even though his face was pink from embarrassment. “How- What?- Ugh! Fine yes , maybe it’s for him. So what? It’s just for the Halloween thing. And even if it wasn’t, it would count as bromance!”

“Sureeee! Keep it up Tylenol!” Lindsay whispered, elbowing him.

Gwen, who had been listening in on the entire conversation, side-eyed Tyler with that look. You know the one where they’re just confused as hell cause they heard something so stupid? Yeah. That’s the look she had.

“Don’t make me tell Heather before you do!” The jock quickly told Lindsay.

Around the same time, Izzy and Eva had brought Noah into the art store. There weren't many things that Noah thought Tyler would like though.

“Okay, we need to know who you got.” Eva said, crossing her arms.

“No.” Noah answered.

Izzy leaned in, whispering. “Do I detect stress about your secret individual?”

“No!” The bookworm snapped.

“Relax. I got someone too. Guess who?” Eva said, smirking. It wasn’t really a smirk, more of a frown.

Izzy gasped. “Is it meee?”

The strong girl groaned and nodded slowly.

A few minutes later, Izzy had dragged Eva to a kid’s toy store. Leaving Noah by himself in the shop. The nutjob and the iron woman had given him ideas on what to buy for Tyler, but they were either ridiculous, terrifying, or both.

Back with Tyler, he had managed to grab a history book for the nerd, a book Noah had already read. The jock didn’t know that though, and maybe that was for the greater good. He added the keychain and the book to the bag.

“Okay, he’s going to like this… I hope he likes it… I really like him.” Tyler whispered to himself.

“Tylerrr… I know you like guys and girls and stuff, but people are watching!” Lindsay nudged him.

“I’m not talking to anyone.” Tyler immediately responded.

The day ended with people finally leaving the mall. Tyler and Noah’s bags were heavy, but their hearts were heavier.

At home, Noah walked into his room and dropped his shopping bag into the bed. He sighed, sitting on his bed and zoning out.

He had about seven minutes of peace ,before his door creaked open. Noah turned his head to see who it was.

Vita leaned against the doorframe, her mischievous grin wide,”What's in the bag? Is it candy?”

“It’s confidential.”

“Is it for someone special?” She teased.

“Yes, it’s for myself. I deserve nice things too.” Noah replied flatly, grabbing a roll of wrapping paper that was hidden behind his desk.

She raised an eyebrow. “Righhtttt, cause you always buy matching keychains and dictionaries you don’t need.”

Noah froze “How did you?-“

“I peeked, you really shouldn’t trust this stuff around me.” Vita said casually. “So, who's the unlucky person? Duncan? Sierra? Tyler? Ohhh, maybe that ‘eel’ Alejandro!”

Noah glared at her. “You're getting colder, and also more annoying.”

She giggled. “You blushed when I said ‘Tyler’!”

“I did not!” Noah defended himself instantly, even if it was true. “My face is just… Naturally red when I’m annoyed.”

His sister completely ignored him, scrolling on her phone now. “I’m texting Sierra to ask who got who.”

“Don’t you dare do that!” The nerd reached for her phone, but Vita was quick with her reflexes.

“Relax! She’s not typing anything yet! But Sierra did post that she was the supposed ‘Puppet master behind the Halloween mystery’. Which means she rigged it, correct?”

“Stop reading into everything like it’s a conspiracy theory.”

“But it is a conspiracy theory!” She grinned maliciously. “You totally like that sporty guy!”

Noah sighed. “I do not, he’s just Tyler. Loud, nice, kinda stupid… Okay, who am I kidding, extremely stupid. But-“

Vita gasped dramatically “But?”

“But… he’s nice to me. Which is apparently all it takes for my brain to malfunction. Like his computer.” Noah admitted, before instantly regretting it.

“Awwww you like him! You're blushing!”

“Out. Get out.” Noah grumbled, pointing to the door.

“I wanna help you wrap it though! This is the only time I’m being a civilised woman!”

“First of all, you're never civilised. Secondly, your 14, your not even a woman.”

“Pleaseee?”

“No.”

“I’ll tell Mama and Dad that you're dating Tyler.”

“Fine.”

When Tyler got home, he kicked his shoes off and held the bag like a prized possession. His dad, Mr Kenard, was watching TV in the living room.

“Hey dad!” Tyler greeted, trying to sneak past.

“Hey champ, whatcha got there?”

“Nothing! Just stuff.”

“Stuff? For who?” Tyler’s dad blinked lazily.

The jock froze. Think, think, think! “It’s for my boyfriend?”

Really? That was the best excuse?!

There was a full three seconds of silence. Then his dad replied, super calmly. “Oh cool. Should’ve told me sooner though.”

“Wait what?”

“Yeah, I mean… I figured you’ve been smiling at your phone a lot lately.”

Tyler’s face went redder than the tracksuit he had on. “Wha- I don’t smile at my phone at all! My face just does that!”

“Sure son. So, what’s his name?”

“Noah…” Tyler answered quietly.

His dad nodded. “Nice name. Is he the one with the sarcasm problem?”

“Yeah!- wait a second… Dad, how do you know that?”

“You talk in your sleep sometimes.”

“WHAT.”

“Mhm, I gotta say, you really are in love. You describe him using the word ‘cute’ a lot though.” His dad replied nonchalantly.

“DAD. That’s not-“

“Relax. I really don’t care much.” Mr Kenard chuckled.

Tyler responded, his face still tomato red. “Can we not do this?”

“Fine, fine. Anyways, let me wrap it for you.” Tyler’s dad said, standing up from the couch.

“No offense, dad, but I can wrap my own gifts. I’m not a little boy anymore.” Tyler grabbed the wrapping paper from the bag.

“You sure? Last time you tried, and you stapled your thumb to the ribbon."

“That was one time!”

“That was your uncle’s birthday. Last week.”

“Fineee. But don’t look inside.”

“Sure thing, sport.” His dad said, snatching the roll of wrapping paper from Tyler.

Chapter Text

Everyone was back at Geoff’s house to have another “Halloween” party, and exchange their gifts. They could’ve done it during school, but were afraid their presents would get confiscated.

Music blasted, glow sticks littered the floor, and Geoff stood on a chair yelling into a megaphone he didn’t need.

“WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE HALLOWEEN GIFT EXCHANGE!!!”

Everyone cheered, especially Owen, who cheered so loudly some people thought there was an earthquake. “WOOHOO! DOUBLE CANDY!” Owen yelled, diving towards the snack table followed with a loud crash.

Noah fiddled with his sleeve, muttering under his breath. “Geoff throws parties like it’s his full-time job…”

“Maybe it is. But he’s definitely not getting paid though.” Eva added flatly, leaning against the wall.

Izzy, who was beside her, was balancing a candy corn on her nose. “You know, my spirit animal might be a Halloween seal! I can balance this on my nose like a seal can with a ball!”

Noah didn’t even look at her. “That explains everything, yet nothing.”

Meanwhile, across the chaos, Tyler was eating a cupcake and already losing his voice shouting over the music with Geoff and DJ. He wasn’t really sure what they were yelling about anymore. Something about “brotherhood” and “pumpkin spice nachos?”

Lindsay appeared out of nowhere and stood beside him, waving her phone in his face. “Tyler! Picture! Now! Smile!”

He blinked, caught mid-bite of his cupcake. The flash went on, nearly blinding him.

“Cute! Posting this on my story!”

“Don’t post that!”

“Fineeee… Only because you're a good friend!” Lindsay smiled, deleting the photo.

Tyler let out a sigh of relief. If anyone, especially Noah, saw that. He’d never hear the end of it.

Now it was time to actually exchange the gifts.

Courtney handed Gwen a leather, black sketchbook, the goth had a genuine smile on her face. “Aww, thanks Court!” Gwen said, hugging Courtney tightly, catching both of them off-guard and quickly put space between them.

Gwen had gotten Duncan as the person she had to gift, of course she had to get him something. So she got him a lock pick. Easy, simple, and stupid.

DJ gave Owen a massive bag of homemade snacks, which Owen immediately ate within minutes. After finishing the snacks, Owen handed DJ a bag of his own homemade cupcakes. They were decent and edible, but they were made with love which was all that mattered.

Izzy gave Eva a toy hammer that squeaked when you hit something. “For stress relief!” Izzy declared, handing it to the strong girl. Eva stared at it, unamused. She grabbed it and held it tightly, making it break.

Lindsay had given Heather a pink mirror and hairbrush that were shaped like hearts. While Heather gave Lindsay a simple slip of paper. Surprisingly, the piece of paper made Lindsay nearly explode with excitement. Which was strange compared to how Heather reacted to Lindsay’s gift to her. The blonde didn’t let anyone else read it, there is something going on between them. Definitely.

It seemed like everyone had exchanged their gifts. Everyone except Noah and Tyler.

A while later, Noah was sitting on Geoff’s couch between Izzy and Eva. He was trying to read peacefully until Izzy nudged him.

“Whatcha reading bookworm?”

“It’s a book. Revolutionary concept, I know.”

Izzy gasped dramatically.“Ooohhh! Words, dangerous!”

Eva sighed. “She’s been trying to eat glow sticks the entire time you’ve been reading.”

“I was testing science!” The crazy girl corrected.”

“I might be the only sane person here.” Noah groaned.

Suddenly, Owen popped up with a tray of cupcakes. “CUPCAKE FIGHT!”

“Don’t-“ Noah started, but it was too late. Frosting flew, one splattered against his book, another hit Izzy on the forehead.

“This is a crime against literature.” The nerd gripped his book tightly, staring at where the cupcake landed on it.

Outside, Tyler was trying to get back inside the house to give his gift to Noah. But Geoff dragged him into another game.

“You can’t go yet! We need just one more player for cup pong!” Geoff insisted.

“I really gotta-“

“Cmon dude! For the brotherhood!”

“For the brotherhood…” Tyler sighed.

Just five minutes later, he was cheering, spilling soda, and forgetting the reason he came here in the first place. To give his gift to Noah.

Lindsay passed by, confused. “You’re definitely pro-creasing!”

“What’s pro-creasing?”

“Like when you wait till the last second to do something silly!”

“Ohhhh… So that’s what it’s called! … But I’m not pro-creasing at all!”

“You are!”

He frowned, but she was right. Every time he got close to Noah, something, or someone, got in the way.

Noah and Tyler crossed paths at least four times that night. Once at the snack table. Once by the door. Once when Izzy swung from the ceiling light and landed between them. And once when Geoff started a conga line.

Every time one of them tried starting a conversation, and every time, something interrupted.

It was starting to feel like the universe was mocking them.

Around midnight, Noah slipped outside onto the porch for air. The cold hit his face, and it was much more quieter since everyone moved back inside.

“So stupid.” He muttered.

“Hey!” A voice spoke up.

Tyler. Of course. Tracksuit sleeves half-rolled, hair messy, and holding a small bag.

“Are you avoiding people too?” Noah asked.

“Kindaaaa… Geoff tried to make me dance again.”

“Tragic.”

They stood for a moment or two, awkward, but calm.

Tyler fidgeted with his fingers. “So, uhhh… I actually still have your gift. Been meaning to give it to you.”

“Same here.” Noah replied, reaching into his bag and pulling  out another medium sized gift bag.

They exchanged their gifts.

Tyler unwrapped his first. Inside, the “Dumb Nerd” keychain was there. 

He stared at it for a second. “Hehe… Wow. That’s uhh…”

“Accurate?” Noah asked dryly.

“You really nailed it man!” Tyler laughed.

Then the nerd opened his. The “Smart Jock” keychain looked back at him. “Seriously?”

Tyler shrugged. “You know… opposites or something.”

For once, Noah didn’t have a sarcastic reply ready. Just a  quiet, “Thanks.”

They both looked away at the same time.

Tyler fiddled with the keychain in his hand, smiling.

It was dark out, but if you looked closely, there was a faint pink on Noah’s cheeks.

The jock’s chest felt weird, tight. But in a warm way. Something heavy and light all at once.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no no no.

He liked him.

He really liked Noah.

Before Tyler could say anything, Geoff’s voice echoed from inside the house. 

“HEY GROUP PHOTO IN FIVE!”

The party was finally winding down. Tyler sat on the couch, holding the keychain in his hand. Lindsay sat next to him.

“You look happy!” She teased.

“Do I?”

“Yup. You got that look, the one where it’s obvious they have a crush on someone.”

Tyler blushed. “I don’t-“

“Sure you don’t. Anywayyyy, I’m gonna go check on Heather!” Lindsay said, walking away.

As she walked off, she spotted Heather leaning against the stair railings. The two exchanged quick glances before sneaking down the hallway, unnoticed by anyone.

Heather smirked once they were alone. “Do you think anyone suspects?”

Lindsay giggled, leaning closer. “Not yet!”

Heather turned her head toward the living room, looking at Tyler and Noah.

“Good. Because if people can’t tell we’re together, how long before they figure those two out?”

“Hopefully not too long. They look so cute together!” The blonde smiled softly.

“The thing is, we need to devise a plan. Just in case anyone really does think we’re together. And I’m sorry Lindsay, but it includes Tyler.”