Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tyler always liked the night. It gave him time to breathe, to relax as his mom and sister slept for the night.

It wasn't until he went on that trip to Savannah that his nightly peace was ruined, now constantly living on edge and always exhausted. For a while, it was rough. He couldn't relax anymore when the sun went down, always finding himself counting down the seconds until midnight. 

And even after their seven hours were up, he could never lay down to stay down. The adrenaline pumping through his body always kept him up, and even if he did happen to fall asleep, it would only be for an hour until he woke up again for school. 

But, despite their entirely shitty situation, he's grown close to the others. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he hasn't had friends like them since he was in elementary. He hasn't had anyone other than his sister and mother in a long time.

So, he's grown to like the night again.

Especially one in particular.

Ashlyn doesn't remember the moment where she started feeling comfortable around the others. Initially, it was her worst nightmare to have even one teenager that wasn't herself in her house, but now she has five, and weirdly enough, she finds solace whenever they stay over. 

Usually. Usually, she finds solace. But right now, she's finding only annoyance and defeat as she sits in her parents' living room, surrounded by her friends.  

"Orange juice is not better than apple juice. What is wrong with you?" Taylor shrieks, completely horrified. Logan puts his hands up placatingly, a lighthearted smile on his face. "I like both! I just think usually, orange juice is more flavorful-"

"Apple juice is plenty flavorful. Are you crazy?" She says quieter, a disgusted look on her face. 

Aiden raises his hand, his other arm behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling, a knowing smirk on his face. "I'd just like to say, I personally mix the two. Best of both worlds."

A brief pause.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Tyler says first, a scowl on his face. "Who does that? Why would- No, actually. Why wouldn't you do that. Of course you would mix the two like the psychopath you are." 

Ashlyn sighs deeply, rubbing her forehead. "I'm not even surprised anymore, he would probably drink straight up apple cider vinegar if given the chance." 

"Hey," Aiden protests, a grin on his face. "Don't be rude. Apple cider is good."

"Yes, apple cider is good. You drank apple cider vinegar." Ben's phone speaks, so monotone and so flat that Tyler lets out a small laugh, quickly sobering up as he realizes he's supposed to be insulting Aiden.

"It's good!" Aiden argues, finally sitting up with his characteristic smile on his face.

"Yeah, just as good as your ability to not say some dumb shit at one in the morning," Ashlyn snorts, and Tyler loses it. He starts laughing, throwing his head back and arms wrapped around his stomach, eyes shut as he laughs full-heartedly, smile wide. 

Ashlyn blinks at the sudden noise, a little awe-struck as she watches him giggle at some unserious joke she made. She doesn't really register how hard she's staring at how his hair falls over his face, or the small dimple in his cheek as he laughs.

Normally, she'd be repulsed by such a loud sound. But she feels.. entranced by it. By him, for some reason.

Huh.

Taylor snickers, covering her mouth as speaks again. "Okay, okay. We should all go to bed, seriously. No more juice talk" She says, a smile in her voice.

Ashlyn clears her throat, averting her eyes from Tyler as she stands. "I'll go get us blankets."

Tyler sighs as he wipes tears from eyes, coming down from his laughing fit. He stands up slowly, pushing his bangs back and letting them fall again as he follows Ashlyn. "Here, I'll help you."

She turns to look at Tyler, surprised by the gesture, and she could swear on her entire hobby as a ballerina that her heart stops, lodging itself in her throat. Tyler's hair is tousled, leaving a few strands sticking up in certain places, and his face still holds a small smile, the effects of his laughter still lingering. Even his dimple remains there, the small shadow so small but so endearing that Ashlyn gulps on nothing, suddenly warm. 

"'Kay." Ashlyn says, already walking away with her shoulders stiff, unprepared for the sheer amount of fondness she just felt when she looked into Tyler's stupidly brown and stupid and crazy and beautiful eyes. 

A deep breath. Ookay. Many feelings. No need for those right now.

She hears him huff from behind her as they approach the blanket closet. "What's up with you, carrot top?"

Ashlyn risks a curious glance over her shoulder, and he shrugs as their eyes meet. "You look tense."

"I'm not tense." She immediately refutes, opening the closet and standing on her toes as she reaches for the big blue blanket for all of them to share. "It's just cold."

Tyler's hand reaches over her and grabs the blanket, noticing her struggle, and Ashlyn swallows as she feels Tyler's presence looming over her.

"You are," He insists, keeping his voice low as to not irritate her ears by being so close. He holds the blanket in his arms as he leans on the wall next to the closet, staring at her with a flat look. "Your shoulders are hunched like they always are when you're stressed. You look weird"

Ashlyn blinks, instantly relaxing her shoulders. Huh.

"See, now, you just relaxed because I pointed it out." He huffs, and Ashlyn can literally hear the unsaid i-told-you-so, and proceeds to give him an unimpressed look. 

"No I didn't," she lies, because he doesn't need the satisfaction of being right. The satisfaction of knowing Ashlyn's little mannerisms that even she didn't notice. 

Yeah. Zero way she would let him have that. 

"I'm just relaxed because this is a relaxing night. I'm relaxed. Are you not?" She rapid fires, stacking a few more blankets onto her arm. Tyler. without saying anything, takes them off her hands, holding them in his own. 

"Relaxed with Aiden here to stress us out? Yeah, right." He rolls his eyes, and Ashlyn takes the moment to smile knowingly. She shuts the closet door and holds her arms out expectantly, staring at Tyler's face.

A beat passes.

Tyler tilts his head, his brows furrowed. "What?" 

Ashlyn presses her mouth into a firm line, repressing the urge to smile at his lost face. "The blankets, idiot. Give them to me."

"Oh," Tyler says, then lifts the blankets to readjust his grip. "Nah, I got it."

Her eyebrows furrow. "Tyler, just give them to me. I said I'd get them." 

"I said I'd help, didn't I? Chill out, carrot top. I'm not gonna break from a few blankets." He bites back, already walking past her with several big blankets in hand.

She rolls her eyes, turning to follow him back to the living room. "I won't break from a few blankets. Give some to me."

Tyler pointedly ignores her, already making his way towards the others. Ashlyn sighs, digressing as she goes to sit on the couch. 

"Hey!" Aiden yelps as Tyler throws a blanket in his face, in comparison to how he gently sets down the other blankets on the floor for others to grab. 

Tyler holds out a blanket to Ashlyn, and she briefly notes how it's her favorite camo blanket, but continues to stare at him, silently trying to pry an explanation out of him. 

He sighs, throwing the blanket at her. She doesn't react as it hits her square in the face and falls into her lap, only staring at him with a flat look. He scowls at her. "What? You like that one, don't you? Geez." 

Ashlyn blinks, looking down at the blanket in her lap. Yeah, she does like this one. A little more than the others, at least. 

She wraps it around her shoulders and over her body, immediately relaxing as warmth envelops her, and she tightens her grip around the blanket. It felt weird that Tyler somehow noticed and remembered that she liked to use this blanket, mainly for its comfort, but also because she's just always used this specific one. While she did note it as odd, she did find it nice to know that despite Tyler's very normal blunt behavior, he did notice the small things. 

Ashlyn remains in her little cocoon as everyone starts knocking out for the night, the noise of chatter dying down and being replaced with evened-out breathing and soft snores. While Ashlyn felt tired, she didn't feel sleepy, her brain still running through random thoughts as she rests her chin on her knees, zoned out. Briefly, she wonders what she must've done to deserve so many friends who didn't feel off-put by her bluntness, or her attitude whenever they pushed too many of her buttons. But then she remembers their whole deal with the phantom realm, and stops thinking about it. 

Still, it was a little weird having people try to understand her, even if they kind of have to, given that they spend time in a deadly universe together and all. For her whole life, the only people who bothered to understand her were her parents and the occasional classmate. But even those classmates came and went, realizing that they didn't want to commit their time to accommodating Ashlyn's sensitive hearing, and even going as far as to gossip behind her back about how demanding she was. Or how mean she was, give or take. 

She supposes she's always had a scary face by default, since she got tired of acting friendly towards people who always stabbed her in the back in the end. Still, she knew to keep some decorum. She always let people down easy and politely rejected people's requests to socialize or become friends. It was all in good intention, really. No one could betray her if they didn't get a chance to gain her trust. And besides, she didn't like people all that much anyway. Even when she was actively trying to make friends, she never saw the appeal behind talking 24/7, nor the idea of drama and gossip. Eventually, her efforts to effectively make everyone leave her the hell alone succeeded, and by age 8, people stopped bothering her. 

In retrospect, that's a little sad. A young girl not having any friends since third grade is an objectively sad thing to confess. But Ashlyn was different than most, she knew that. 

When Ashlyn came to her senses again, everyone was asleep, even Aiden, to Ashlyn's surprise. She supposes even he gets exhausted, despite his unstoppable crazy energy. She turns her head to him, cheek smushing into her knee as she resists the urge to laugh at his drooling face. 

With her head now turned, she catches eye of some movement and her eyes instinctually flick towards it. A hand cards through Taylor's hair, softly and gently, and Ashlyn looks up to see Tyler, looking down at her with his head resting on his hand, zoned out as his fingers idly comb through her hair. 

Ashlyn frowns. Why wasn't he asleep? Was he having trouble sleep lately? She thinks back on all her interacts with him and comes up blank with reasons. He didn't seem to be any more irritated than he already was by default, so why was he still awake?

"I can see you thinking, y'know." A voice interrupts, making Ashlyn jump. 

Tyler's figure sits up a little straighter, head coming off from his hand. "What'cha thinking about?"  Ashlyn stares at him, a little lost from the sudden conversation. Tyler doesn't falter though, just staring at her patiently.

"Nothing," Ashlyn answers automatically. Tyler gives her a blank face. She sighs.

"Nothing important," she continues, eyes still staring into his, green meeting brown in the peaceful quiet of the night. 

Ashlyn peels the blanket off of her body, stretching her legs into the cold air. She stands slowly, ignoring the way she feels Tyler's eyes watching her as she rolls her shoulder. She turns to him briefly. "I'm gonna make hot chocolate, you want?"

Tyler doesn't say anything, an unreadable look on his face as he looks up at her. Slowly, he nods his head silently, and Ashlyn hums as she walks to the kitchen. 

Opening a cabinet, she grabs two mugs, careful of the way she extracts them, not wanting to clink the ceramic too loudly and disrupt the others. As she gently sets the mugs onto the counter, she perks up, hearing shuffling behind her. She turns around at the sound of footsteps, and makes eye contact with Tyler, scratching the back of his head as he walks in, obviously a little tired.

Ashlyn frowns. "You could've stayed in the living room,"  she says softly, turning back to another cabinet to grab hot chocolate packets. 

Tyler hums, grabbing the mugs but saying nothing else. Ashlyn huffs, watching as he approaches the fridge, before pausing.

He turns to Ashlyn. "Do you use water or milk?"

Ashlyn squints at him. "Water," she says before asking hesitantly, "You can use milk?"

"Are you for real?" Tyler stares in disbelief, setting the mugs on the counter and opening her fridge. "Your mind is about to be blown." 

The ginger scoffs, rolling her eyes as he pulls out the milk jug. "How different could it taste? It turns into hot chocolate anyway." 

Tyler shushes her as he pours the milk into the mugs, glaring at her. "Don't disrespect the milk, carrots. It tastes way better, trust me." He juts his chin to the mugs, twisting the cap back onto the jug. "Put those in the microwave for thirty seconds."

Ashlyn rolls her eyes again, but complies, heating up the milk as asked. "Stop calling me carrots." She comments idly.

Closing the refrigerator gently, he raises an eyebrow. "Why should I?" 

"Because," she starts, crossing her arms. "I don't want you to."

Tyler tsks, crossing his own arms as well, leaning on the refrigerator. "Not a good reason. Try again."

"Wh-" Ashlyn sputters, eyes flicking towards the microwave to check on the countdown. "How is that not a good reason?"

"Just isn't, carrots."

"Stop it."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want to." 

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Ashlyn grumbles, opening the microwave door at the last second, preventing its loud beeping sound. "You're unbelievable."

Tyler shrugs, opening the chocolate packets and pouring them in the mugs. "It's not my fault you don't like my nicknames." He says grumpily, shaking the packets to get all the powder out. Ashlyn stares at him, not quite sure what to respond with. She really didn't like his nicknames, but in all honesty, it was a little endearing, knowing he was the only one to call her 'carrot top' and 'carrots' and literally anything containing a carrot in the name just because of her orange hair. 

She didn't like it. And yet...

Ashlyn narrows her eyes at him, opening a drawer to grab spoons. "I don't have an issue with the fact you have nicknames, I just don't like carrots." 

"Okay?" Tyler says, taking one of the spoons and stirring the chocolate powder into the milk. "I'm not saying you have to like carrots just because I call you that." 

Ashlyn gives him a flat look, and Tyler represses a smile, keeping a scowl on his face. 

"Well, can you at least call me something else?" Ashlyn asks. "If you really can't bother to call me by my name."

Tyler slides a mug to her, rolling his eyes. "I call you by Ashlyn plenty. Let me have fun, would you?"

Reaching for the mug, she glares at him. "Since when were you all about having fun?"

Ashlyn blinks as she feels a hand on top of her own, and she looks down automatically to find Tyler's gently placed on top of hers, mid-reach towards her mug. Looking up at him, Tyler stares at her, giving her an unreadable look. Not removing his hand, he says softly, and simply, "Careful, it's hot."

And weirdly, Ashlyn feels something knot in her chest. Something foreign, she's sure. Never in her life has she felt this type of tightness in her chest. It was different than the tightness of anxiety she felt when they had to perform a dangerous plan in the phantom realm- it was different than the stress she felt whenever she was having a particularly bad day. No, this was different. 

God damn it. 

Tyler felt warm. Warmth, in fact, bloomed through his chest, spreading throughout his limbs, spreading over his arms and crawling up his neck and burning her face. Tyler bites the inside of his cheek, feeling overwhelmed by so many feelings at once. So many feelings he can't - he won't figure out. He can't spend time thinking about this. About her.

He flinches his hand away from hers as if he's been burned, and embarrassment burns in his cheeks. "Sorry, I- You can drink it."

He misses the flicker of confusion in Ashlyn's expression as he stares at the floor, refusing to look her in the eye. In the uncomfortable silence, he hears the soft shuffle of Ashlyn moving, and the scuff of the mug dragging against the counter. 

Tyler risks looking up at the noise, and finds Ashlyn staring at him intently with the mug's handle in her grip. He blinks at her, silently asking her to speak first. 

She gets the hint. "Why are you up?" She asks, tilting her head curiously, bangs falling over her eyes. 

Tyler licks his lips, looking down at his hot chocolate. "Dunno. Couldn't fall asleep." 

Ashlyn keeps staring. "Why?"

Tyler suddenly feels very aware of his heartbeat, thumping wildly against his chest at the close attention. "Just couldn't."

He watches Ashlyn's face as it scrunches, obviously displeased by the unsatisfactory answers. She sighs, picking up the mug and bringing it to her lips, only to immediately pull it away with a grimace, fanning her face with her other hand. 

Tyler snickers. "I told you, it's hot. Don't you have sensitive hearing?"

Ashlyn glares at him, still breathing through her teeth to cool her burned tongue. "I heard you, jackass. I just didn't expect it to be so hot." 

Tyler hums, grabbing his own mug and bringing it to his mouth, blowing air on it briefly before looking off to the side. "Should've listened to me then, carrots."

And then he proceeds to drink the hot chocolate, right in her face, the same drink that just burned her tongue.

Ashlyn's glare sharpens. "Seriously?"

"Hm?" Tyler hums, feigning innocence. He swallows as he pulls the mug away from his mouth. "What?"

"You just yelled at me for burning my tongue!" Ashlyn argues, pointing an accusatory finger in his face. 

Tyler rolls his eyes. "It's not my fault."

"Geez, what happened to you?" She grumbles, holding the mug back up and blowing air onto the liquid, mimicking Tyler. "You're never like this."

Tension fills the air, thickening around them as Tyler's eyebrows furrow, and his mouth turning into a frown. He didn't care about what people thought about him, evident through his explosive attitude and standard rudeness to almost everyone for most of his life. He had an attitude, and he knew as such. Tyler couldn't spend time caring about other people, not with his sister and mom needing him.

But after being stuck with four other teens his age in a deadly realm for some unknown reason, he's been forced to tolerate them. To understand them to a certain leve. And while he initially went into it planning to keep himself distant, he's cracked. His walls have broke just a little, and he allowed himself to relax, to have fun.

So, hearing Ashlyn say in his face that his attitude while he was- for lack of better term - comfortable, he felt a little... off-put. 

He sobers up immediately, gripping his mug a little tighter now, turning his head away from Ashlyn. If she didn't like him when he was trying to be... well, him, she doesn't have to like him at all.

"Whatever," he says, and instantly, knows he screws up, because even he can hear the coldness in his voice as soon as the word leaves his mouth. While he knew Ashlyn was just as lost in the social department as he was when it came to picking up unsaid words, and noticing social cues, he's sure even she would notice his sudden aloofness. 

As expected, he hears the clink of the mug being placed on the counter. "What?' Ashlyn asks, and she sounds so confused, Tyler almost feels bad. Under all his petty anger and pride, he knows there's a part of himself that feels bad for snapping at her. But he couldn't be bothered to voice that. It was too foreign, he knew just as well as the others that soft, heartfelt apologies were not his thing. He was an angry person. He knew that. So, he responded the only way he knew.

"Nothing," He grumbles, still refusing to turn his head. "Just didn't know you preferred me being an asshole over just being me." 

He can envision the way Ashlyn's staring at him so well in that moment, it almost feels scary. Without looking, he just knows she's blinking at him slowly, her eyebrows furrowing as she tries to formulate a proper response with the little amount of social skills she already has. He can sense the way she's probably opening and closing her mouth right now, wanting to say something but stopping herself, correcting herself in real-time. 

"I..." She says slowly, and Tyler knows she's licking her lips during the pause she takes, struggling to say the right thing. "I don't."

Tyler looks up at that, glaring at her through his bangs. "Yeah? Well, it feels like it."

"I don't," She says more sternly, voice still low as to not disturb the night's peace. "I don't prefer you being an asshole."

"Then why did you say that?" Tyler snaps, nails digging into his side where he had his arm wrapped around his torso, his other hand holding the mug. 

"Say what?" Ashlyn huffs, throwing her hand up in frustration. "I don't know why you're mad, Tyler. Use your words." 

"You're the one who started it," He snarls, standing straighter. "'What happened to you?' What, is me being anything other than-" He gestures vaguely towards himself. "-this such a crime to you?"

Ashlyn blinks. "Tyler, I was joking." She stresses. "I don't mean that I preferred you when you were always mean, I just.. wanted to make fun of you?"

Tyler continues glaring at her and she grimaces. "Yeah, that didn't come out how I wanted to, but you know what I mean, Tyler."

"Do I?" Tyler snaps automatically, ignoring the way his chest curls in at the fact that; yes, he knows what she means. Hell, Tyler made fun of her all the time to stop being so uptight, so who was he to be mad when she was actually trying not to be? He knew that Ashlyn just thought that was how Tyler joked around, and it was. 

He sighs. What was wrong with him?

Huffing, he relaxes his frame, staring down at the chocolate in his mug as it swirls. Silence envelops the two, awkwardness accompanying them. Tyler was never good at apologies. He never had the time of day to ever properly apologize to people whenever he was out of line, outside of his teachers. For everyone else though, he simply ignored the issue till it went away, or until whoever he wronged forgot about it. Take your pick.

It was different with Ashlyn though. She never forgot anything, and she sure as hell would hold Tyler accountable for his actions one way or another. In addition, he couldn't really ignore the issue if the issue was stuck with him for seven hours every night as the leader. 

So, he swallows his pride. Just for once. 

"Sorry," he says quietly, and he isn't sure if Ashlyn can hear it, but her head perks at him, so he takes it as a sign to continue. "I didn't mean to... you know." 

Silence follows. Then, "It's fine," Ashlyn says, and Tyler's heart feels a little lighter. "I didn't mean to make you mad, I just..."

Ashlyn sighs. He looks at her.

"I'm not good at this," She continues, leaning on the counter. "This whole... people thing."

Tyler snorts. "Me neither. Most people find me too scary to talk to anyways." He says softly, feeling weirdly vulnerable. But at the same time, he feels comfortable knowing it was Ashlyn hearing it, instead of anyone else. Hm.

He hears the faint huff of laughter from Ashlyn, and Tyler can't help but wonder.

"Except you,” Tyler starts, staring curiously at her. She looks up at him, confusion clear in her features. He swallows, a little nervous to hear the answer. “Don't you find me scary?”

Ashlyn pauses, tilting her head, seemingly in thought.

“No,” she says after a beat. “you’ve never been scary to me.”

Tyler's chest feels warmer at that, feeling a soft sort of relief flow through him as her words register. He chuckles, looking down at his mug. "Seriously?"

Ashlyn shakes her head. "I found you more idiotic than scary, really." And Tyler can't help but bark out a laugh, caught off guard.

"Idiotic?" He parrots, a grin still on his face while Ashlyn rolls her eyes, smiling. 

"Yeah, you were an ass, but I don't think I've ever found you intimidating. Don't you remember the first phantom night?" She snorts, and Tyler does a quick scan of his memory, trying to file through all the hell-filled nights to find their first chaotic night together.

He scowls when he remembers it, eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, for the record, I was stressed." 

Ashlyn holds a finger up, waving it. "Doesn't mean I didn't absolutely destroy you even though I barely knew you."

And Tyler can't help but huff at that, a smirk on his face because despite everything, she was right. And he realized that, now. From the very beginning, and even now, Ashlyn didn't take any shit from anybody, not even him, despite all of his rudeness and blatant attitude.

"What about you?" Ashlyn asks, and Tyler raises an eyebrow. "Aren't I scary to you?"

And Tyler's answer is immediate. "No."

Ashlyn gives him a look. "You didn't even think about it."

"Don't have to," He says easily, staring at her. "You know how to be stern, yeah, but you're more special than scary."

He clears his throat, looking down at the ground. "To me, at least."

Tyler hears nothing but the sound of his heartbeat thumping in his ears, beating steadily and nervously, chest tight as he waits for her response.

A shoulder bumps into his. It's hers.

"Yeah," Ashlyn says softly- cautiously, afraid to break the moment. "You're special to me too."

Tyler feels his cheeks warm instantly, his palms sweating as the weight of her body leans against his. 

Oh, god.