Jared answered the door.

"Leave," he said coldly and Travis nearly lost his foot by sticking it out in an attempt at stopping Jared from slamming the door in his face.

"Wait, Jared please just talk to me."

Jared pursed his lips and fixed his gaze on Travis' foot which was still holding the door those four inches open.

He shook his head.

"I don't have anything to say," Jared said. Except, all Travis could think was; liar. You love me. "And I don't want to hear what you have to say."

He kicked Travis' foot out of the way and shut the door. Travis heard the lock click into place and felt his heart sink even further. His head thunked against the closed door and he shut his eyes. It was okay. He would wear him down somehow. Jared was going to hear him out whether he wanted to or not.

Suddenly, the lock clicked again and Travis pulled back just before the door was pushed open again.

His eyes widened when Henry waved him inside silently. 

Surprised, Travis edged through the door even more surprised to see Margaret hovering behind her husband with a mischievous grin.

Henry silently shut the door behind him and leaned forward to whisper.

"He's in his room."

Margaret pointed up stairs and Travis tried not to laugh. Since when were their parents so in on this?

"I just want to tell him--" Travis started but Margaret  hushed him with a finger over his lips.

"Go corner him," she whispered. "We're sick of his moping."

Travis nodded and crept toward the stairs, his heart reeling. This was it. He would make Jared listen. But what if it wasn't enough? What if Travis wasn't enough?

His steps faltered on the stairs and he turned around.

Henry and Margaret were both watching him eagerly.

Margaret gave him a thumbs up and Henry mouthed good luck and Travis realized that he couldn't back down now. He didn't want to. If Jared shot him down, at least he would know he tried. At least he'd have a few less regrets.

Travis crept all the way up to Jared's door. The same one that he'd been pressed up against not too long ago. He shook the thoughts away and after taking a shallow breath, opened the door.

The sneak attack seemed to have worked because Jared was lounging in his bed with a heavy pout on his face and music playing quietly on his phone and when he looked up at Travis, he jumped so hard that the bed smacked into the wall with a thump.

He leaped to his feet and stood there stunned for a moment, face pale and hands trembling and then he rushed forward.

Travis managed to shut the door behind him just as Jared tried to push him back through it. His back hit the closed door and Jared's face fell.

"Get out," he growled.

"No," Travis said and was disappointed to hear how weak his voice sounded. "We have to talk."

"No we don't."

"Look, I meant what I said yesterday--"

"Stop! Just stop, okay?!"

Travis fell silent, watching as Jared frantically started pacing.

"What is your problem anyway?" Jared demanded, swinging around to face him. "I don't want to talk to you, okay? I don't want to hear any of your stupid excuses or that you're sorry! I don't want to hear you saying what a big mistake it all was and that you want to go back to being friends or any of the other fucking things you have to say!"

He finally stopped, chest heaving, staring at Travis with flushed cheeks. Travis almost pointed out that Jared swore, instead he was smart enough to realize that this wasn't really the time for that.

"That's not what I want to say," he said instead and Jared's brow twitched in confusion.

"What?"

Travis took a breath and forced himself to go on.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you--"

Jared looked away, his shoulders slumped, utter defeat written across his face.

"I just said I don't want to hear that," he said.

"Let me finish," Travis sighed. "This is hard enough already."

Jared fell silent. He crossed his arms expectantly.

Travis stared at Jared's stony expression.

He tried to keep talking but his hands were shaking so hard and that stupid lump was back in his throat. He tried to swallow it down but it wouldn't go. Dammit. There was a long list of things that he was supposed to be apologizing for but Jared was standing there waiting and Travis' mind went blank.

Being in Jared's presence was obliterating all other thoughts, because hell, he was finally here, with Jared, and turned out, that was the only thing that he could think of that he'd ever really wanted.

"I want to be with you," he finally said. "I should have got that sooner."

Jared's entire body went tense, frozen. Travis waited and when Jared started to shake his head, the stupid tears at the edges of his eyes started to burn again. He bit his lip, trying to hold them in.

"That's crazy," Jared said in a low voice. "People don't just change that fast."

"I didn't change," Travis choked. "I just realized--"

Jared shook his head furiously.

"I don't believe you," he said. But he didn't sound angry anymore, just lost and Travis realized that if he couldn't convince him now, he might not have another chance.

"I'll show you," he said, coming forward and he sounded desperate even to his own ears. Jared backed away from him, still not meeting his gaze and only stopped when Travis grabbed him by the arms, holding him in place.

"What'll it take?" he asked, crowding close to his friend. "Kissing?"

He pressed their lips together, relishing the softness and the heat from Jared's body, but Jared didn't respond. He didn't kiss him back, didn't even move. 

Trembling, Travis let his hands fall down to Jared's, holding them, hoping for something, but they just hung there limply and at a loss, Travis slipped down to his knees.

Jared gasped when Travis tugged at his belt. He tried to pull away but Travis clung onto him until he stopped moving.

His button came loose and zipper slipped open easily and then Travis was faced with Jared's blue boxers and soft cock behind that. He pressed his face into it and still, Jared didn't move, didn't say anything or give any response.

This wasn't working.

He didn't stop though. His fingers were shaking so hard that it took him three tries to pull Jared's boxers down. Travis wasn't sure if he should take his cock in between his lips or just run away. But Jared wasn't stopping him, so maybe that meant something.

He pressed a kiss to Jared's tip, surprised with just how soft the skin was and how nice it felt against his lips.

Suddenly, strong fingers tangled into Travis' hair, tilting his head back all the way until they were looking at each other.

Jared stared down at him, wide eyes filled with confusion and awe and a little bit of sadness, which made Travis want to scream because if none of this had worked and he was out of ideas.

Jared reached down with his other hand and brushed Travis' cheek gently and Travis realized that it was wet.

"You're actually serious?" Jared asked slowly.

A thrill of hope lanced through Travis and he nodded eagerly.

"I'll do anything," he said raggedly. "Just give me another chance."

Jared just watched him for a moment and then he slipped down to his knees in front of Travis, bringing them face to face, the warmth of his body against Travis like a physical touch. And Jared reached up, gently taking his face in both of his hands. His wide green eyes looked straight through Travis, so close that he could map all the different shades.

He didn't look away though, as much as he wanted to, he faced Jared and let him look and when Jared leaned into him and pressed their lips together it was like a dam broke. Relief flooded Travis so hard that it nearly knocked him down but luckily Jared was there to catch him.

Travis dug his fingers into Jared's shoulders, tangled them into his shirt and then his hair, trying to pull him closer, trying to show him that he was never going to be the one to pull away again.

Jared for his part, didn't seem to be going anywhere either. 

He moaned into Travis' mouth and pulled at his hair and pressed their bodies together frantically.

When he finally pulled away for air it was only long enough to drop his lips to Travis' neck and bite and suck the skin there until Travis couldn't see straight.

"I'll give you a hand job," he said. "Or I'll suck your--"

Jared cut him off with a kiss, sucking Travis' bottom lip in between his teeth and rubbing it with his tongue until Travis felt like putty in Jared's hands.

When he finally got a hold of himself again, Jared had his hands up his shirt, rubbing his nipples while he licked his ear lobe.

"Really," Travis said, trying his best to get Jared's attention. "I want you to fuck me."

Jared's hips bucked into Travis and he drew back with a gasp, wide green eyes pinning Travis.

"You don't have to do anything like that," Jared breathed. But he wanted it, Travis could tell. And Travis wanted to give it. He wanted to make Jared happy.

"I want to," he said. "I want to show you that I'm going to be different from now on."

Jared smiled cheekily.

"This is already different," he said and kissed him, pointedly.

A smile pulled Travis' lips and he buried his head against Jared's shoulder suddenly feeling shy. Why was it so embarrassing, this bizarrely happy feeling buzzing inside him? Did Jared feel it too?

"Let me prove it," he said quietly.

He wanted to be Jared's first and he wanted Jared to love him even more. He was nervous, but if it meant Jared would stay with him longer then he didn't mind.

"Get on the bed," Jared said in a strangled voice.

~

AN: I know; Travis is not necessarily wanting to go the extra mile for the right reasons. >.> poor boy...

Anyway, I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter. YAY! They're mending things! I feel like throwing confetti.

What do you guys think of Travis' new found honesty with everyone? He's unknowingly begun a journey of healing by embarking on this relationship. The first step of course, being to acknowledge your wounds and the reasons for your behavior. Let's wish him well! lol okay, I'll stop playing therapist. It's kind of hard when you're inside someone's head though and know their reasons for everything... (this boy has issues...)