Cyrus wasn't proud of it by any means, but over the next week or so he didn't respond to any of TJ's texts.

At first, he had been anxious about giving a late response, about addressing the whole situation with Dylan, about the possibility of having to inadvertently come out to TJ by explaining everything. Eventually, it was because he was terrified of having to face any sort of anger from the boy, and he knew that was pretty much inevitable. He'd made a royal mess of things, and he honestly had no clue how to go about fixing it. So Cyrus did what he did best - he avoided the situation.

He avoided TJ.

He avoided his calls.

He avoided his texts.

He avoided his friends.

He knew it was a bad way of handlings things - Buffy had enlightened him of this multiple times over the past week, but he couldn't bring himself to stop once he had started.

Saturday was a day like any other. He completed his homework, he baked some muffins, he tried not to think about TJ, he tried not to think about TJ, he tried not to - okay, so maybe he hadn't exactly been successful so far. He blamed TJ entirely for being so...him.

When his doorbell rang that afternoon, he reluctantly got up from his couch and wandered over to the door, his hair sticking up in all directions as he casually threw it open.

"You guys could've just-"

Oh.

Oh.

"texted me," he finished flatly, his eyes wide.

The corners of TJ's lips tugged up slightly in an amused smile, but it flickered almost immediately and faded after a moment or two. He was stood on Cyrus' porch somewhat sheepishly, his hands interlaced in front of him and his eyes downcast. There was a dreary sky above their heads that had been lingering there since that morning.

Cyrus' heart was racing in his chest as he stood there, opening and closing his mouth like an idiot, wondering if his hair looked as bad as he thought it did. His eyes subconsciously began roaming TJ's face, taking in every single detail he had tried not to think about over the past week.

"Hi," said Cyrus, his voice much higher than he would've liked.

The boy smiled again. "Hi."

They remained like that for a moment. Cyrus shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"What brings you here?" he asked, and the question sounded so stupid he almost wanted to facepalm.

"Oh - right. Sorry, I um, know you probably don't want me here or just...anywhere near you, but um-"

"I do though!"

TJ seemed genuinely shocked by the words. Cyrus' heart sank at the realisation that he had made the kindest, most unapologetic boy in the world doubt himself.

"That's funny because you kinda ran away from me. And you stopped responding to all of my texts."

Cyrus winced. He didn't know how to explain himself, and TJ seemed to realise this because he let out a heavy sigh.

"It's whatever...that's not why I'm here anyway."

"Oh. Then...why are you here?"

"I was um...I was kind of...." TJ trailed off nervously and bit his lip. "You know what? Nevermind-"

He turned around to walk away, which made Cyrus panic and grab his hand before he could.

"TJ - wait. What is it?"

It was cold out and goosebumps were beginning to rise along Cyrus' skin, but that was the last thing he was thinking about at that moment.

The boy slowly turned back around, looking nervously down at Cyrus' hand in his. He dropped TJ's hand after a moment, blushing slightly.

"I was going to ask if you, Buffy and Andi wanted to come around to my dance studio tomorrow. Amber, Marty, Natalie and I are gonna be practising there," he explained quietly, still looking down.

Cyrus' heart skipped a beat.

"You...want me to be there?" he asked hesitantly.

TJ just smiled and shook his head as though it was obvious. "Of course I do."

"Oh."

Cyrus could definitely feel his face growing red now.

"Cyrus," TJ began with a laugh. "It doesn't matter if you don't like me back. You're still a really good friend."

For some reason, Cyrus felt his heart shatter slightly at the words, but he forced a smile onto his lips anyway.

"We'll be there," he settled on saying, his voice strained.

TJ didn't seem to notice though because he smiled wide. "Great. I'll text you the address tonight."

All Cyrus could bring himself to do was give a quick nod. "Yeah...cool."

He continued to stand there dejectedly as TJ walked away, a horrible pit in his stomach.

"I do like you though," he whispered to no one in particular, feeling stupid for not just walking back inside and closing the door.

TJ was out of sight after about a minute, so Cyrus slowly turned back around and stepped back in, sliding down against the door and burying his face in his hands.

What had he done?

~

Cyrus: Hey! Would I be able to bring another friend today?

TJ: Sure :)

Cyrus hadn't thought twice about inviting Iris along with them upon discovering that Natalie would be there. He knew Amber and Andi would be all over one another, and he didn't exactly want to be sitting alone the whole time because his full attention would definitely be on TJ then. And people would definitely notice.

Andi was in the front seat holding a pocket-sized mirror and attempting to wipe away any of her lipstick smudges, while Buffy was looking between Cyrus and Iris pointedly as though trying to say something. Cyrus just couldn't tell what.

"Why'd you invite her?" she mumbled to him.

Cyrus gave her a puzzled look. "Why not?"

Buffy stared at him for a moment as if silently asking him 'really?' before turning back to her phone. Cyrus decided to brush it off; they were friends after all, why wouldn't he want to invite Iris?

After a few days of rain, it was nice to look out the car window and see a clear blue sky. The breeze outside hadn't been particularly cold, which meant they could all break out a few things from their spring wardrobe (it definitely wasn't hot enough for their summer one.) Buffy was wearing the same black cropped sweater that Cyrus had worn briefly, which he couldn't help but smile at.

"Okay Bex, this is it," said Andi, pocketing her mirror.

Cyrus' eyes fell on a modern looking building, that looked like it had about two stories. A large lit-up sign out front reading 'Salt Lake Dance' and the parking lot outside seemed relatively empty. Cyrus supposed Sunday afternoon wasn't a particularly popular time.

"Okay kiddos, have fun! I'll be back at around 7."

Andi rolled her eyes at that, but she leaned over to give Bex a quick hug anyway.

They all stepped out into the warm afternoon air, Buffy lingering by Cyrus' side as though she still wanted to tell him something.

"Think you'll be okay in there?" she asked him.

"After yesterday?" he said with a laugh. "Definitely not."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him, which had him smiling slightly as they began to make their way over to the front entrance.

"I'll be fine. It's just a cute boy, right? A cute, funny, history-loving boy who's good at dancing and who likes shopping at antique stores and oh god Buffy, what's happening to me?"

The girl laughed and wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulders as they walked in through the glass double doors.

"Love," she teased, earning herself a glare.

Buffy approached the front desk and signed them all in as guests - at least - that's what Cyrus thought she did, he was honestly preoccupied with taking in everything around him. It wasn't a typical dance studio by any means, with painted black walls and pink neon lights everywhere. Or maybe it was typical. Cyrus certainly wasn't knowledgeable about different types of dance studies.

"Okay Cy, I know the lights are pretty and all but we're kinda leaving now," Iris teased, linking his arm with hers.

Cyrus couldn't help but smile as he looked over at the girl. "Ready to watch Natalie perform?"

Iris just rolled her eyes. "Ready to watch TJ perform?"

"Short answer - no," said Cyrus with a slight wince.

He had informed Iris of pretty much everything that had happened the night before to avoid any awkward situations, but he was honestly beginning to think there was nothing he could do to avoid the tension he had with TJ at the moment.

"That's fair...but you'll have me!" she said.

Cyrus smiled. "Yeah. That's true."

Buffy and Andi came to a stop in front of them, and Cyrus felt his heart leap into his throat as Buffy turned to face a large black door.

"This is it," she said, sending him a sympathetic glance.

Cyrus laughed nervously. "I'm guessing it's probably too late to back out now, isn't it?"

Andi shook her head and walked over to him, gently taking his hand. "If you really wanted to, then it's not too late."

Cyrus stood there for a moment, his mind reeling, before taking a deep breath.

"I'll be fine. It's just a boy!"

"It is," Andi encouraged, shooting Buffy an amused glance.

She dropped Cyrus' hand and moved forward to push open the door, holding it open for the other three as they stepped inside.

The room wasn't much different to the rest of the building overall, with it's black painted walls, it's pink neon lights and it's high-rise ceiling. One wall, however, had panels of mirrors, and the hardwood floor beneath them was ridiculously shiny.

Cyrus immediately spotted TJ standing with Natalie as they animatedly discussed something he couldn't make out. Buffy sent both Cyrus and Iris a knowing glance as they walked over. Marty was sitting on one of the chairs next to Amber, and when Cyrus' eyes landed on him his heart sank.

He hadn't been responding to Marty either.

TJ and Natalie whirled around immediately upon hearing their footsteps.

TJ's face lit up with a smile as he approached Cyrus, holding out a hand for a bro-hug.

Is this what they've been reduced to? Bro-hugs?

Despite the sad pang that Cyrus felt in his chest, he forced a smile onto his lips and took TJ's hand. The taller boy wasn't exactly in a hurry to drop his hand once they had hugged, and it had Cyrus' heart fluttering as they looked at one another.

"Hey," he said quietly.

TJ smiled hesitantly. "Hey. I'm uh - glad you came."

Cyrus returned the smile, despite the guilt he could feel clawing at his insides. He dropped TJ's hand, painfully aware of the fact that hand-holding used to be a casual thing for them before this whole mess.

"So, do you have any Ariana Grande lined up?" Cyrus teased as they walked over to the rest of the group.

"You know it," came the equally teasing response.

Oh man. Cyrus missed this. A lot.

Marty stood up the moment he saw Cyrus approaching, and he braced himself for an angry outburst of some kind.

It never came.

In fact - all Marty did was pull him into a tight hug.

"You okay?" he asked him, and Cyrus felt his heart melt into a puddle.

Thinking about it now, both TJ and Marty were some of the most forgiving people he knew, and somehow that managed to make him feel even more guilty.

"Yeah," he smiled as they separated again. "You?"

"I'm okay," Marty shrugged.

Cyrus shifted hesitantly from one foot to the other. "That Liam thing..."

"It hasn't really changed," the boy responded with a sigh. "But it's okay. I'm getting used to being...out."

For some reason, Cyrus' throat began to close up at the words. Tears were pricking his eyes, and it all came so suddenly he had to look away to avoid embarrassing himself.

He hadn't been there for Marty. All because he was trying to avoid TJ.

"I'm so sorry," he managed, shaking his head and pulling the boy back into a hug.

"Hey, hey, you're okay," Marty assured him, wrapping his arms and him and rubbing circles onto his back.

"I'll never do it again," Cyrus mumbled, his voice muffled slightly by Marty's hoodie.

The others had moved to a different corner of the room by now, most likely to give the two some space, and Cyrus couldn't have been more grateful.

There was concern written all over Marty's face as he drew back again, clearly noticing the tears that were threatening to fall down Cyrus' cheeks.

"Cyrus...is there something you wanna tell me?"

Cyrus fell silent for a few long moments.

"Um...kind of, actually," he stammered.

Marty nodded slowly, sending the others a conscious glance. "Would you prefer now or another time?" he asked gently.

"Maybe another time," Cyrus mumbled, averting his gaze to the ground.

"That's fine. Think you'll be okay for today?"

Cyrus couldn't help but think it was a very valid question. There tears beginning to roll down his face now, and he couldn't imagine that puffy red eyes would be a very good look.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Are there bathrooms around here by any chance?"

Marty smiled and nodded. "There are. Want me to show you?"

"Yes please," Cyrus breathed out.

Marty jogged over to Buffy and exchanged a few words with her. She frowned and looked past the boy at Cyrus for a brief moment, biting her lip as though she was tempted to walk over. TJ was right by her side, sending Cyrus the same worried glances.

He greeted Marty with a faint smile as he jogged back over to him.

"Let's go," he said, wrapping an arm around Cyrus' shoulders.

He could feel TJ's eyes on them as they left the room, which only served to intensify the nervous butterflies that were currently fluttering around in his stomach.

Even the bathroom looked similar to the rest of the building - there was a pink neon light above the mirror, and the stall walls were all painted black.

He spent a few minutes in front of the mirror fixing his hair and splashing cold water on his face, trying his best to get rid of any visible tear streaks. Marty was stood by his side, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"You look fine, I promise," he said.

Cyrus sighed heavily and nodded. "Thanks. I just don't wanna dampen anyone's mood. Especially TJ's..."

"Nothing could dampen TJ's mood when Ariana Grande is playing," Marty joked.

"Okay - that's true," Cyrus conceded with a fond smile.

Marty averted his gaze then, biting his lip as though he wanted to say something more. Cyrus gave him a puzzled look but decided against asking about it.

The bathroom was a quiet contrast to the bustling room they had been minutes earlier, and Cyrus honestly wasn't sure if he was ready to face the music again (quite literally.)

Seeing TJ's face alone was enough to create a guilty pit in his stomach, and it downright sucked because Cyrus was so used to feeling nothing but comfortable around the boy.

"I think we should probably head back," he said, somewhat reluctantly.

Marty nodded in agreement, and soon enough they were standing outside the room again. He gave him one last questioning look, which Cyrus just answered with a smile and a shrug.

Cyrus really shouldn't have been surprised to hear 'into you' by Ariana Grande blasting from a portable speaker upon entering. He winced slightly at how loud his footsteps were against the hardwood floor, garnering the attention of pretty much everyone right away.

TJ's movements slowed right away, his gaze curious as he looked over at the pair. Marty just smiled and walked over to them.

"Started without me I see," he teased, which earned him a playful shove from TJ.

Grateful for the distraction, Cyrus moved over to where Iris was sat beside Amber (who had Andi sitting on her lap.)

He gave the pair an alarmed look as he sat down, but they didn't seem to be fazed at all so he could only assume they were out to everyone in the room.

The dancing turned into a competition somewhat at one point, with Buffy and Natalie constantly trying to one-up Marty and TJ and vice versa. Cyrus couldn't help but notice that the banter between Marty and Buffy had officially lost all of its heat, and eventually, it got to the point where the pair were just downright flirting with one another.

"Buffy Driscoll, did you just try to trip me up?" Marty gasped, twirling gracefully around the girl.

Buffy laughed, spinning around with him, and Cyrus gasped as he watched her twirl a strand of hair around her finger.

"So what if I did, Marty from the dance party?"

"Hey - you promised you'd never speak of that again!" Marty spluttered, smiling wide when the girl just laughed again.

Cyrus leaned over to Iris, unable to contain a smile of his own. "Are you seeing this right now?"

"I am," she nodded. "And speaking of flirting..."

The girl pointedly nodded her head in TJ's direction, and Cyrus' heart skipped a beat as he looked over. TJ had barely been trying to hide the fact that he was looking at him, but as soon as Cyrus' gaze had met his he shook his head and turned away again.

"He's so into you," Iris whispered.

"I think we've kinda established that already," Cyrus responded with a laugh.

"So go up to him! Tell him he's cute and kind and funny and a beam of sunshine and - what else have you said about him? I've lost track at this point," she said.

Cyrus just rolled his eyes, smiling slightly as he gave the girl a playful shove.

Over the next hour or so, Buffy kept shooting him pointed glances that he honestly had no clue how to interpret, and could only respond to by shrugging. It was becoming more and more apparent that TJ was struggling to concentrate on his movements, and at one point he nearly tripped over his own feet. Cyrus frowned at that, giving both Andi and Amber a worried look. He had never seen TJ this off his game, and his heart sank at the possibility that it was because he was there.

At one point Iris declared that she was tired and leaned over to rest her head on Cyrus' shoulder. He pulled her in with a smile, and Buffy shot him a warning look.

"I um - I'm just gonna go to the bathroom real quick guys. I'll be back," TJ declared suddenly, rushing toward the door before anyone could say anything.

Cyrus looked after him in confusion, and Buffy looked as though she was on the verge of face-palming.

"Cyrus," she whispered, her tone exasperated as he approached the boy.

"Yeah?"

"It looked like Iris and you were flirting!"

Cyrus' eyebrows furrowed at that. "We weren't though. Iris was teasing me about...oh."

"Yeah. Oh," said Buffy.

Iris' face fell, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Cyrus had already stood up.

"I'll be right back guys!" he announced, before rushing toward the door in a very similar way to TJ.

Cyrus made his way down the hall, his hurried footsteps echoing slightly and his heart racing in his chest as he reached the bathroom door. He didn't do anything to prepare himself, even though he probably should've - he just walked straight in without a second thought.

TJ was leaning up against the sink, his head bowed, and Cyrus felt his face fall.

"TJ?"

No response. The word settled uncomfortably in the air around them, blanketing them in a tension that had Cyrus shifting uncomfortably.

He swallowed thickly and took a hesitant step forward. "I'm sorry," he stammered.

TJ hesitated for a moment. "What for?" he asked quietly, still not turning around.

"...I don't know," said Cyrus, nervously biting his lip. "I just...feel like you were messing up because of me."

Silence fell again. Cyrus let out a heavy sigh.

"Okay - I'm sorry for not responding to your texts. I'm sorry for running away from you. I'm sorry if I made you worried. I'm sorry I've been acting so weird lately. You just mean a lot to me and I was afraid of messing things up between us because...I like how it is now. That probably doesn't make up for it. I'm just sorry."

TJ's tense shoulders visibly relaxed at that. He slowly turned around, his expression soft, and Cyrus felt another guilty pang in his chest.

"You mean a lot to me too," he whispered, the corners of lips twitching up the slightest amount.

Cyrus hesitantly opened his arms, and TJ gladly walked into them. He could barely put into words how much he had missed hugging TJ, and now that he was again he never wanted to let go.

He knew he still wasn't being entirely truthful. He knew there were still a lot of things TJ didn't know. He knew this didn't make everything right between them, but he couldn't bring himself to care when they were wrapped up together like this.