Enough
Chapter One

-

(Set a few weeks after Under Control)

The music is loud. Elena recognizes the song, it's by Jeremy's favorite band, who's name she's long-forgotten. It's metal, and it's on full-blast, something about 'spinning out of control' is being yelled by the lead singer. Elena's ear is pressed against Jeremy's door, trying to make out if he's alone or not, and that's when she hears the stifled moans. She's worried, it's only natural. He is her younger brother and he had just found out that the girl he'd convinced himself he was in love with was dead, and that would drive anyone to do ridiculous things. She has her own problems, but nothing will ever stop her from being there for her brother. "Jeremy?" she calls out his name, frozen next to his door.

She hears low voices, and then a gradual lowering of the music. "Elena?" he asks, and his voice sounds petrified.

"Can you open the door? I want to talk to you."

"Um...give me a minute."

She hears the volume return to it's former, higher, level. There is some obvious shuffling going on in the room, and the creaking of a closet door, and then hurried feet, before the door opens. Jeremy's obviously sweating, and his hair is matted against his forehead. His shirt is inside out but Elena doesn't ask him why. "Hey. You, uh, you needed something?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to talk."

"No. Not really. Is that all?" and he looks all too eager to close the door in her face.

"No. Can I come in?"

"Uh," he looks back at the closet, "Sure. Make it quick."

She takes a seat on his bed, noticing the messy sheets. "I know the past few weeks have been hard on you."

"Yeah, they haven't been amazing," he replies.

"I just want you to know that you can talk to me."

"I know."

Elena sighs, and glances at the floor. She rolls her eyes, and picks up the discarded condom wrapper, "Really, Jer, I'm trying not to notice all of this, but isn't this a bit obvious?"

He swears under his breath.

"If you have someone in here with you, you don't have to hide them from me."

"Right. Sorry. Can you leave now?"

"Who is it?"

"I'd rather not discuss it."

"Jerem-,"

"Elena. Please. Leave."

-

Tyler is horny, and he is stuck in Jeremy Gilbert's closet, while Jeremy discusses the proper use of a condom with much sarcasm in his voice.

"No, Elena, I don't need you to 'demonstrate anything' -,"

"I'm just saying, there are a lot of helpful videos online."

Tyler almost laughs out loud. It's rather comedic, and he would've found this situation a lot more amusing if it wasn't for his raging hard-on. Just moments before he had been buried inside Jeremy, and now he's contemplating becoming better friends with his left hand. Elena finally leaves, and Jeremy brings the volume back up to max, before locking the door, and opening the closet door.

"Fucking hate your sister right about now," he mutters, stepping out, shirtless.

"I'm not too fond of her at the moment, either," Jeremy replies, smirking.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No."

Tyler nods, "Looks like I'm going to have to undress you again."

"I don't mind," he whispers.

Tyler eases himself back onto Jeremy's bed, in the midst of messy sheets, and pulls Jeremy onto his lap, his fingers digging into those perfect, hips, he tilts his head up so that they are kissing. Jeremy holds onto him, as long as possible before breaking apart from him. He presses his lips against Tyler's collarbones, and drags them up to his neck. The taste of so much naked Tyler Lockwood flesh against his tongue is almost too much.

"Beautiful." Words are whispered, clothes discarded, moans subdued, and Tyler wonders if Jeremy's ever been in love.

-

Tyler leaves almost half and hour later, taking care not to fall down, as he scales the large tree by Jeremy's window. Jeremy watches him until he disappears around the corner, his hood pulled over his head. Jeremy takes a cold bath, and is tempted to see how long he can go without air, but decides against it. Still drying his hair off with a towel, he makes his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Elena is sitting with Aunt Jenna. Jeremy wonders when she got home, but isn't bothered by it. He swings the refrigerator open and searches through the contents, finally pulling out a cup of yogurt, and fetching a spoon.

"Do you want to tell me something?" Aunt Jenna asks, expectantly, turning to him.

Jeremy rolls his eyes. It's funny, how Elena can hold out on telling him all those things she's written down in her diary but she can't keep his secret for more than five minutes. And how they just expect him to spill on demand. "Nope." He pops the p, removing the tin foil lid with his teeth.

"Jeremy."

"What? What do you want me to say? Did I have someone in my room? Yeah. Did we have sex? Yeah. We used a condom, and they're gone. I'm not twelve. I know what I"m doing. If you wanna chastise someone then give Elena the sex talk - not me."

He leaves with the yogurt, and the damp towel. Elena and Jenna are gaping at him. He slams his door closed, and locks it for good measure. Then, he collapses onto his bed, sobs wracking through his body. He wonders when he got so screwed up, and realizes he can't remember.

-

Tyler Lockwood is not gay. He's not bisexual either, according to him. He likes girls. Or as he likes to tell himself, he likes girls, apart from Jeremy.

Or maybe he is. He doesn't know, and he's partially sure that he's in denial. But he's not going to admit anything. He likes having sex with Jeremy, and he thinks Jeremy is gorgeous (especially when he blushes), but he'll never admit that either. It's just an outlet, he says, for pent up sexual desires.

Jeremy goes along with it, because as much as he knows Tyler is full of shit, he doesn't want to tell him that he likes him. That he savors the rare kisses, and the taste of his skin, and their even rarer conversations. He knows it will just scare Tyler away. He asks Tyler why once, and Tyler just replied by telling him that he wasn't 'a fag' and sex was just sex, regardless. Jeremy knew it was bullshit, but he was too infatuated with him to call him out on it.

-

"You're late," his father tells him, as he walks into the empty mansion.

"Sorry, dad. I was hanging out with Matt."

"Isn't Matt working today? I saw him at the Grill. Why are you lying to me?"

"I was with a girl, dad. Okay?"

"Why haven't I met her?"

"Because every time I get a girlfriend, you meet her, and you tell her she's trash. Then she dumps me."

"Well, stop dating trash," Mayor Lockwood suggests. "And get home on time from now on!" he calls after him.

"Yeah. Sure," Tyler replies. He's been out of sorts with his dad since the Founder's Day Event. His dad's hit him before, it's nothing new. He wasn't expecting it though. And he'd never been so pissed, not since he was fourteen and he called his aunt a 'fugly bitch'.

-

Tyler sees Jeremy alone, in the courtyard when he's skipping third period calculus. "Hey," he says, taking a seat next to him.

Jeremy glances at him, and Tyler notices how red his eyes are, the streaks of dried tears along his cheeks, and how tired he looks. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asks him.

"No," his voice is stuffy, "Not really."

"What's up?"

"I miss my parents. I miss Vick."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tyler asks, in a rare moment of actual concern.

"Kiss me?" he whispers the plea, his eyes boring holes into Tyler's face.

"Someone could see us."

Jeremy nods, numb, as he turns back to stare at the landscape of dying trees.

On impulse, Tyler kisses him, securing his face with both hands, one buried in his hair. Jeremy is taken aback, and cries into the kiss. He just wants someone to fix him. All he's ever wanted is for someone to take the time to put him back together.

-

A/N: I know this is a little different from my usual way of portraying Tyler/Jeremy, but I'm facing massive writer's block, and these scenes of them keep coming up in my head, and so I decided to start another Jyler fic, though I have every intention of finishing the last one as well. Please, please, review.