Conquest Ch. 02

Over two years, huh? They've flown by right? What can I say, everything happened at once and my time to write evaporated into thin air. I don't really know why I'm continuing with this, I'm going to keep going with my original plan for the story. I can't say there'll be regular updates or even when the next one will be. But for anyone who cares, here's the next bit of Tyler and Thomas. Until a hopeful next time.

*****

Hearing birdsong Tyler awoke rubbing his face groggily, he frowned as he felt a warmth next to him. Opening his eyes Tyler's breath hitched as he watched Thomas sleep, his heart thudded heavily in his chest as last night rushed back. Tyler ran his hand through Thomas's hair pulling softly on the tufts of caramel strands; he knew Thomas would be asleep for a while yet as the alcohol worked its way through his system.

Sunlight streamed through the adjacent window flooding the room with a brilliant white. Tyler noticed a faint scar running down the right hand side of Thomas's bottom lip, the stitch pattern was alabaster standing out against the cherry background. Brushing his thumb over the imperfection Tyler smiled as he was lucidly aware of how lucky he'd been. Thomas could've left but he didn't.

Reminiscing, Tyler thought about how Thomas had stared at him, those gunmetal grey irises permeated through him. He breathed deeply as he wondered how best to tackle the subject once Thomas woke up. Tyler still wasn't entirely sure how Thomas would feel, a lancinating cold gripped Tyler's stomach as he thought of Thomas bolting. Tyler pulled closer to him, invited by the soothing heat emanating from his skin.

Glancing at the clock Tyler realised it was almost midday, he pulled away from Thomas reluctantly and walked towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge Tyler sighed as he was met with empty shelves bar that oddly coloured jar that he suspected was older than himself. He scowled as he tossed an empty milk bottle away cursing Laura's habit of putting empty containers back into the fridge. Breakfast was a whole lot harder to make when you didn't actually have any ingredients to make anything with.

Tyler grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter and rummaged through the laundry pile finding an acceptable pair of shorts to wear. He decided his cum stained jeans might draw some unintentional attention to himself. Slipping on a pair of flip flops Tyler opened the front door and paused taking a final look at Thomas before he left. He smiled gently as he closed the door behind him making sure to make as little noise as possible.

A cooling breeze whipped past Tyler as he made his way to the shops, he squinted looking up at the uncharacteristically clear sky. Stepping through the sliding doors Tyler picked up a basket and headed towards the bakery section. His mouth watered as the smell of delicate wafts of buttery pastry fill his senses; grabbing a healthy selection of croissants and pecan twists Tyler walked towards the chilled section.

Studying different packets of sausages Tyler frowned as he wondered which one would absorb alcohol the best. Settling on a pack Tyler searched for rashers of bacon aware of the hangover Thomas would be nursing. A good old fashioned full English would soak the alcohol up nicely.

At the freezers Tyler snatched up a pack of hash browns as he mulled how he'd approach Thomas once he woke up. Tyler knew he'd have some convincing to do, he didn't expect Thomas to be nonchalant about the night before. Playing the steps through his head Tyler worked his way through the scenarios that might arise; he'd rebuff any denial attempts but expected Thomas to have quite a few questions after the initial shock. Tyler picked up a pack of eggs and loaf of bread taking care not to squash the delicate items in his basket.

Heading towards the tills Tyler stopped and backtracked to the vegetable aisle. His palms sweated as he inspected various packs of mushrooms, in all honesty Tyler had never done this before. Usually after he'd had his fun Tyler would have a loud shower hoping the guy he'd snagged would leave before he got out. He never had any interest beyond a quick fuck but Tyler knew this was different. Placing a pack of chestnut mushrooms in his basket Tyler walked to the self-service aisle and scanned his items.

Scrolling through the bakery list Tyler thought about how Thomas had urged Dylan to go with Shaun when he had hesitated. Thomas obviously cared about Dylan, he genuinely wanted his friend to be happy and Tyler was painfully aware of how rare that was. It added another dimension to Thomas, it wasn't just his exceedingly handsome looks Tyler was attracted to.

Talking about Dylan, Tyler wondered how his night had been with Shaun. Tyler felt a strong sense of curiosity as he realised that he didn't have a clue of how it might've gone. Inserting his card into the reader Tyler fired off a quick text to Shaun asking to meet up later for a jog as he waited for his payment to process.

*****

Pain. That was the first thing Thomas felt when he woke up. His mouth was arid and his temples throbbed. He pinched the bridge of his nose rolling it up and down. Opening his eyes, he stared at the minimal chandelier on the ceiling and studied the light that refracted in crystals. Thomas winced as he sat up on the sofa throwing the blanket off onto the seat next to him.

Burying his face in his hands he rubbed his eyes as he felt the weight of his hangover bear down on him heavily. His body ached as he sat back into the sofa taking a moment to regain himself. Thomas frowned as he looked over his apartment, the table was in the wrong place and the TV had moved from the wall to rest on a stand.

Eyes widening Thomas sat forward as he realised he wasn't home. Swinging his head around Thomas surveyed his surroundings as he felt his heart thumping against his chest. He curled his hands into fists and rubbed them forcefully against his forehead. Thomas reached within his mind but saw nothing but haze and fog. Thomas lay down as he felt his head spin, in his state even a little mental exertion demanded sizeable effort.

Gazing at the blanket he had thrown he traced the silver threads before closing his eyes. He felt Tyler slide his hand agonisingly slowly over his dripping cock as he thrust back and forth fucking his hand as violently as he could.

Thomas jerked upwards at the memory tightly clutching the headrest. His breathing accelerated as he remembered fragments of the night before. He remembered Tyler tenderly kissing his neck; he remembered his own moans as Tyler found spots on his body he had never explored before. Thomas shot up as he felt himself tent in his jeans at the thought.

No, no this couldn't be right. This wasn't real. Thomas grasped at all and any possibility as long as it wasn't the reality. Thomas staggered towards the door grimacing as his splitting headache amplified with his movements. He yanked the handle and burst into the hallway. Slamming the door shut Thomas hurried down the stairs towards the building exit.

He didn't look back.

*****

Midway home Tyler cursed as he realised he'd forgotten to get milk. He'd get an earful from Laura later even though she was the one who finished it and didn't tell anyone. Tyler's phone buzzed in his hand, he grinned as he read Shaun's reply

Yeah sounds good I'll meet you there then. Also my night is none of your concern ;-)

Holding his fob to the entry system Tyler pushed the building door open and walked up the stairs. His phone buzzed again as he reached for his keys in his back pocket

What I really wanna know, was how was your night with 'Mr Grey eyes'?

Tyler shook his head as he twisted the key in the lock, oh Shaun would be hearing all about that soon enough. Stepping inside Tyler delicately shut the door with a soft whump, he tiptoed to the kitchen placing his bag of groceries on the counter beside the fridge. As he packed items away he flicked on the kettle, sure there was no milk but a black coffee would do in the meantime.

Shutting the fridge Tyler grabbed a mug from the drying rack, he rummaged in the cupboards taking out a jar of instant coffee. As the water boiled Tyler scooped a teaspoon of granules into his cup pouring some sugar on top. Taking care to mix whilst he poured Tyler sighed as the fresh smell of coffee filled the room. He stepped out into the living room when he stopped dead in his tracks.

The sound of cars passing filtered its way through the room as Tyler stared at the empty sofa, Thomas nowhere to be seen. Placing his coffee on the table Tyler called out

"Tom? Thomas?... Thomas?"

Tyler searched the bedrooms and bathroom confirming what he'd already known. He collapsed on the sofa as he felt his stomach lurch and churn.

Thomas had left.

Tyler placed his left hand over his eyes rubbing as he done so. Tyler breathed unevenly, he felt as if his lungs had inverted; the pulsing pain in his chest increased exponentially as the new reality cemented around him.

He had fallen for his own fantasy where Thomas wouldn't mind his world had been shaken to the ground. A bitter laugh escaped Tyler's lips as he evaluated his idiocy with awe, he'd deceived Thomas and expected him to have no problem with it.

As another wave of bitterness ebbed from his core Tyler bit down on his lip focusing on the pain to anchor him. No matter what he told himself, that Thomas leaving was inevitable and that it was never meant to be, it was all insufficient to fill the emptiness he felt. Tyler rolled his eyes, he lamented the magnitude of the loss he felt after just one night.

Blood roared in Tyler's head as he heard the door open

"Thomas!"

Tyler flipped off the sofa uncaring how desperate he had just sounded. Scrambling upwards towards the source of the sound he continued

"I thought, I thought you'd..."

Laura stood in the doorway shocked by Tyler's unexpected outburst. Tyler froze as he realised his mistake, avoiding Laura's gaze he threw himself back onto the sofa as his heart contorted brutally in his chest

"Tyler what happened to you?"

Keeping silent Tyler simply stared at the ceiling, Laura closed the door and walked over to take a seat next to him. He didn't resist as Laura pulled him into a hug, Tyler didn't do anything

"Great I'm gone for just one night and this happens to you. Talk to me Ty, what happened?"

Laura squeezed him tighter as she asked

"Who's Thomas?"

The hammering sensation returned to Tyler's head as he returned the pressure of Laura's hug, it was good to have her back. Tyler didn't quite know how to respond

"I'm an idiot Laura."

He broke off the hug sitting sideways on the sofa, Tyler watched as Laura waited patiently for him to continue. Closing his eyes Tyler focused on the ticking sound of the clock hung on the wall, he welcomed the rhythmic disturbance of silence

"I fucked up. Really, really badly."

Tyler couldn't help his voice cracking when he talked, he willed himself to get his shit together. Laura considered her response before speaking. She'd lived with Tyler since their second year at University and she had never once known him to be in such a state. What surprised her more was that this 'Thomas' was the cause of all this. Tyler never got attached to anyone, Laura had seen the aftermath of more than one-night stand but this time it was Tyler who was in a mess

"Well you can start by explaining who Thomas is, whose nuts do I need to kick in?"

Another tart laugh escaped from Tyler as he shook his head. He ran his hands through his hair still looking at the ceiling

"I can't really talk about that right now Laura. To be honest right now all I wanna do is forget."

Appreciating her friends request Laura squeezed his knee and got up. She noticed the barely touched coffee on the table

"Have you had lunch yet?"

Tyler looked at the time and scoffed, "Haven't even had brekkie."

Laura frowned internally scolding Tyler, she marched to the kitchen finding it well stocked to her surprise. She paused as she realised Tyler must've bought groceries this morning to make for his mystery guy. Tyler could cook but he never did, the only times he'd ever cooked for Laura was on her birthday and once when she'd broken her ankle and was high on opioids.

She whistled as she drizzled olive oil into a frying pan putting it on the stove. Cracking eggs into a bowl she salted them before whisking them into a minimally viscous liquid. She popped two slices of bread into the toaster setting the timer so they'd come out lightly golden.

As she poured the eggs into the pan she thought about what could've happened to Tyler. Whilst she wasn't going to ask him she did need to satisfy her inquisitiveness. Bringing out her phone she popped a text to Shaun; surely he'd know what'd happened

Hey douchebag, do you know what's up with Ty? Came home and he looked like a kicked puppy. Worried about him xxx

Laura flipped the eggs applying force with her spatula. She turned on the vents drawing the smell away from the kitchen. She opened the fridge and brought out the packets of sausages and bacon. She raised her eyebrows at the prospect of a full English, it'd been a long time since she cooked one and an even longer time before they'd had the ingredients in the house to make it.

Getting plates Laura placed a slice of toast on each and shovelled her eggs on top. She threw the sausages into the pan and went about searching the freezer. If Tyler bought ingredients for a full English, there'd be no way he wouldn't buy his hash browns. Sometimes Laura truly wondered if the flat caught fire whether Tyler would save his beloved potato treats over her.

She sliced the bag open shaking its contents onto a baking tray. Preheating the oven, she turned her attention back to her stove as her phone pinged. Quickly turning the sausages, she looked back at her phone

Oh crap, I don't think Ty's the happiest person in the world right now. I'll see him later, remind him to meet me - I hope *you* enjoyed your night by the way :-P

Rolling her eyes at the text Laura scooped the sausages out placing the bacon in the pan. She popped open the oven and winced as the heat flared outwards. Placing the hash browns in Laura looked into the living room as Tyler hadn't moved. Her mouth twitched as she decided against quizzing him, he probably needed some space right now.

Flicking the kettle Laura reached for two mugs plopping a teabag in each. She finished off the bacon draining the excess oil onto kitchen towels. Reaching inside the fridge she frowned as there wasn't any milk

"Hey, Ty! Did you forget to get milk?"

There was a short moment of silence before Tyler responded

"Don't hey me you're the one who finished it!"

Laura decided they could survive on water for now, but what civilised human didn't have milk for tea? Opening the oven, she grabbed the blisteringly hot tray with silicone grips, her stomach rumbled as she was greeted with golden triangles crisped on the edges. Laura snatched cutlery before bringing out the plates and cups out setting it in front of Tyler

"I don't care what's happened you've still gotta eat."

She nudged Tyler as he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling

"Don't get all loopy with me, if you go nuts I won't come visit you if they put you away."

Tyler frowned at her picking up his fork, he muttered something akin to 'thanks' before wolfing his breakfast down. Laura was starving, she hadn't eaten since last night and felt as if she could devour the world. She let Tyler eat before asking him any questions

"So, can I ask why you called me 'Thomas' earlier?"

Laura watched as Tyler chewed, he looked at her taking a swig of water. He put his fork down and wiped his mouth as he considered his response

"Like I said I don't wanna talk about it."

Rubbing his hands Tyler looked out of the window and traced the wisps of clouds with his eyes

"Can we just talk? Keep my mind off things."

Laura stabbed her bacon curling it round her sausage, glancing at her improvised pigs in blankets she sighed as she took a bite. Tyler wasn't budging no matter how much Laura pushed

"I landed that internship so I'll have my hands full this summer; I'm actually looking forward to it."

Outside a seagull screeched as it descended on the streets followed by two more in quick succession

"Hey that's awesome, you've wanted it for a while right?"

Laura nodded her head as she sipped from her water

"Yeah I went out to celebrate last night. We got a bite to eat at that new Japanese place, it was pretty cool."

Tyler returned to his plate savouring the crunch of his hash brown, if there was one thing in this world he loved he was damned sure it was a crispy hash brown. He frowned as he chewed

"Wait who did you go with? Who's 'we'?"

Tyler watched as Laura's eyes widened as she choked on her food. She swiped air towards her face as she recovered

"No,no, no did I say 'we'? I meant me."

Shovelling in a huge mouthful of scrambled eggs Laura avoided Tyler's probing eyes

"So you meant to say 'Me got a bite to eat'?"

Laura swallowed hard as her cheeks reddened. She looked at Tyler whose face of incredulity made her redden further

"No I mean... I mean... I meant..."

"So how is Ryan doing?"

Laura stared as Tyler casually mopped up the last of his eggs with a slice of toast

"It's Ryan right? The nerd who doesn't know he's got this whole cute but sexy thing going on."

Laura's mouth flopped open and closed like a flailing fish but no words came out

"I thought you just wanted to bang him once, didn't know you had a taste for geek dick."

A squeak escaped from Laura as she recoiled at Tyler's abrasiveness

"TYLER STOP RIGHT THERE."

Rolling his eyes Tyler relented. In truth he was afraid if he continued Laura's cheeks would sear themselves off of her face. He finished up his remaining bacon smiling at Laura, the little rascal went back for more after all.

He remembered waking up one morning to find a stranger standing in the kitchen wearing nothing more than batman boxers. Tyler remembered ogling his package shaking his hand as Ryan introduced himself. Tyler didn't blame Laura for wanting to go back for some more of that

"He's... he's nice alright? I know he isn't steaming hot or anything but he makes me laugh."

Tyler looked at Laura to find her staring straight back at him. He thought about how he wouldn't get to find out what made Thomas laugh. Shaking his head Tyler pushed the thought from his mind

"You know he's better than you give him credit for. He's not a model or anything but he's easy on the eyes."

Letting out a slight whistle Tyler continued, "Besides I saw what he was packing." Tyler grabbed his crouch motioning to Laura, "I'd jump right on and..."

Tyler yelped as Laura smacked him around the head

"Jeez you big perv there's more to someone than just how big their cock is you know."

Picking up their plates Laura prepared to head towards the kitchen. She stopped as she walked behind Tyler who now sat on the couch. She threw her arms around his chest and gripped him tightly

"Feel better?"

Nodding his head Tyler squeezed Laura's wrist gently. Continuing on her way Tyler laughed as Laura whispered

"For the record, you have no idea just how much he's packing."

Tyler rubbed his arms as he relaxed into the sofa. Closing his eyes, he thought about Thomas, he replayed Thomas's laugh that sounded like liquid honey in his head. He focused on the piercing grey irises making his stomach churn. Tyler scrunched his nose as he willed himself to move on, it'd only been a night after all. A night where Tyler had never been so attracted to another guy.