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Ty mustn’t cause Cyril any grief.
Ty can’t stomach the thought of losing Cyril.
Ty is still gazing at the mattress above his head, waiting for his friend to wake up. The iron frame groans, interrupting the slow swirl of his thoughts and Cy’s head pops over the edge. A sleepy grin lights up his ruggedly gorgeous face. The hem of his pillow is printed on his left cheek, the red mark fading into his ridiculously thick stubble.
Looking at him, Ty almost chokes because Cyril always has a smile for him. From the moment he opens his eyes, it’s just them. Cyril rises like the sun. His warmth keeps Ty’s world spinning even when he has no idea why or what is about to happen next.
Ty shakes his head at his own musings. Cy is still grinning at him, and Ty chuckles – he looks way too happy to be awake at four in the morning.
“Rise and shine Tyger!”
Ty scoffs. “Fuck you! Don’t start with this bullshit.”
Cy cackles, “My bad Tyler.”
“Asshole. And look at yourself. You need to shave dude. How the hell do you have so much facial hair? Fucking sasquatch,” Ty teases him.
“You should see my balls,” Cyril deadpans.
Ty snorts a laugh, even though he has heard this line roughly one hundred times by now.
Ty rolls his eyes, still grinning. They both get out of bed and shuffle to the bathrooms, encountering only a handful of people. They shower and Ty shaves next to Cyril.
It’s hard not to compare himself to Cyril when they are side by side, just a towel around their hips. Ty’s gotten big, but he’s got more to go if he wants to catch up to his beast of a friend. Cyril is easily six foot five, just a few inches taller than his six-two. He is broad and solid, cut like a goddamn fitness model, with his narrow waist and perfect V pointing down his groin. He looks ridiculous, with his chiseled chest dusted with a smattering of hair, his abs on top of … more abs, and giant biceps. Those guns Cy is sporting are fucking outrageous. Not only is Cyril a beast of a man, but he is also incredibly attractive. His presence is charismatic. When he talks, people stop what they’re doing and soak up every word that comes out of his mouth. It’s like witnessing fucking magic.
Yet there is not a modicum of vanity in him. If Cyril is aware of how breathtaking he is, he doesn’t show it, nor does he use his looks to his advantage.
Ty can appreciate him for the exceptional man that he is, but the love he has for Cyril isn’t sexual. Never has been. He can’t explain it really. It’s not like he has a type.
Watching pornography and checking out other guys during training as discretely as possible has given him some clues. For the most part, he’s getting by with the little he has figured out about himself, a lot of imagination, and spit.
Tayida’s eyes linger on his own reflection. Even as he thinks to himself,not bad, he blushes because he isn’t one of those self-absorbed losers who postures like a peacock. However, he can’t help but be proud of how far he has come in his physical transformation.
Under the watchful eye of Cyril, and with a lot of tough love from his friend, he has gained nearly twenty pounds of muscle. His body feels alert, and his reflexes have improved tremendously. Long gone is the skinny shy boy who used to be too scared to look people in the eyes or stand up for himself.
The more he works on himself, the more he learns about his strengths and builds on those, while simultaneously striving to overcome his weaknesses. Like his fear of drowning, his panic attacks, his severe trust issues, and above all, the fear of abandonment.
Cyril simply never tires of reassuring Tayida of his worth. Somehow, Cy knows when his thoughts go down unsavory paths and catches him before he can ever begin to spiral.
I’m proud of you!
You’re fucking killing it, dude!
Nailed it, bro! You fucking got this!
They’re smirking at each other in the mirror when Sebastian Scott walks in. Ty stiffens immediately as the massive creep glares at him in the mirror, pointedly taking the sink next to him to antagonize him.
This fucking asshole.
Ty follows Cy’s lead and ignores him completely.
One can never be too careful with guys like Scott. He sniffs people out. He has the uncanny ability to sense weakness of any kind. He knows exactly where to push to get someone to crack wide open and fall apart. He is a goddamn truffle pig for insecurities.
Ty has seen him do this to others time and time again.
Ty has been close to giving into his torment.
Ty is lucky he has never had to face him alone.
