Fantasy Two Halves of a Whole

[mon]

Acacia thought Tyler's explanation was stupid. It was so stupid it was actually funny, but it was her fault for listening, and her fault for loving him despite the nonsense which came forth his plush lips. Holding back an eye roll, Acacia laughed at the silly titles he gave himself. Shameless Pillow Prince. Who calls themselves that? Her grin was genuine as she found herself relaxing a fraction at Tyler's tomfoolery (though, it was pretty funny to know that Tyler must've been serious about this). She doubt anyone would expect such goofy thoughts to come out from Westmond High's golden boy.

"Alright then, my book fucking genius, shameless pillow prince," Acacia teased with hints of sarcasm. "Once your leg heals up, we'll talk sex, but for now," Acacia jabbed him on the forehead, "You focus on healing up. I don't need your dads or coach yelling at me for making more dumb mistakes. I get plenty of that from my teachers, thank you very much."

Glancing out the window, Acacia tapped the glass. "Gas station. Pull over. Your tank is running low," Acacia said, noticing the fuel light on red. If it weren't for the opportunity to drive his car for herself, Acacia would've never known. Letting Tyler drive in, Acacia watched herself (since Tyler was inhabiting her body) head over to pump petrol. She did not miss the looks the gas station attendant threw at her, the suggestive leers. Poor Tyler. She wondered how he'd handle things.

He better not try to flirt back, she thought with a small frown. Playing the protective boyfriend role was pretty pathetic when you have a giant cast on.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Maybe women were built with a sixth sense to know when men were staring at their ass, or maybe Acacia got it so much she developed that sixth sense and now Tyler had it too. Whichever it was, Tyler knew that man was eyeing her body without even looking, and it made him want to go up to that loser and start another fight. Not because she was his girlfriend but because no woman should be looked at that way.

"I'm gonna go get a redbull and some chips. Wanna tag? I bet you they have Starbursts." He suggested when the tank was full, leaning down against his car and trying to angle her body not to give the guy a better view of her ass.

She tagged with him to the convenience store and while they were there Tyler decided to browse the aisles a little, craving junk food all of a sudden when all the tempting options were laid out in front of him.

Picking up a ridiculously reduced chocolate bar, Tyler turned it over and held it to the light to see if the expiration date had passed of if the store manager just made a horrible mistake that the boy can take advantage of.

And that's when he saw him.

Tyler froze, then it took him a few seconds to gather the willpower to do it.

"Come here a sec." Tyler told Acacia, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her over to the back of the store, where the fridges were as well as a single stand of post cards.

Tyler went over to the stand and deliberately dropped it, letting it fall to the ground with a loud crash that startled the man standing in front of the fridges, backs to them, picking up a case of beers.

When the man looked to the mess Tyler made then back up at them, Tyler felt the hairs at the back of Acacia's neck stand, and he was overwhelmed with fear. Still, he pushed through, needing to test a theory. So he jumped right into the act.

"Tyler! Not cool!" He turned to Acacia, sounding frustrated, before quickly turning to the man and addressing him. "Sorry for that. My boyfriend Tyler is such a clutz. Hope it didn't hit you on the way down?" He asked, placing a hand to Acacia's back and leaning against her.

Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.

The man looked at Acacia, then back to him, frowning in irritation at the disruption, then he shook his head and muttered a 'nah' before tucking the beers under his arm and going to the register.

Tyler didn't realize he was shacking when he set the stand back in its place. He took the things they wanted and quickly paid for them, not giving Acacia an explanation, before marching straight for the car.

When he was behind the wheel, Tyler slipped in his seat and shut his eyes, pressing his fingers against them to apply pressure. Outside he was on the verge of a breakdown, inside he was beating himself up for ever walking up to him. But he had to do it. He was compelled to.

"Jesus, I want to cry. Why are your tear ducts so fucking dry?" He bit in frustration, before giving himself a chance to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"That was my father. My biological one. He didn't even fucking recognize me. And he's still the pathetic drunk that he was. I could smell the booze on him. Why the fuck did I bother?" He was mostly talking to himself now, ranting more like it.

He'd imagined that moment so many times, walking up to his father and screaming at him for the shitty start of life he had. He thought he was man enough to do it, but Tyler felt every bit the six year old he'd been then right now.

 

[mon]

Half expecting her boyfriend to simply pump the fuel and hop back in, Acacia rolled down the windows and raised a brow at his offer. The promise of sweets and gas station junk food seemed worthwhile. She didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around her own body (Tyler) as they walked over to the convenience store after locking Tyler's car up. Her signature, nasty glare was thrown at those who dared to leer at her; the audacity of some people... and she was fully clothed too for goodness sake!

The little charade Tyler had pulled on Acacia confused her, of course. She didn't understand why he'd purposely knock something over in the store, nor did she understand his reason to pin it on her. With a small confused glare, Acacia had hissed out a "What's going on? What are you doing?" under her breath, which went seemingly unheard as Tyler looked hyper-fixated on the grubby man before them.

Seeing how Tyler was lightly trembling in her body, the words of annoyance died on her lips, only to be replaced with concern and more confusion. As they left the convenience store, returning back to Tyler's car with slam, Acacia turned to him with searching eyes.

"Ty... baby, what's going on?" Acacia asked softly, her hand reaching out to lightly touch his arm.

"That was my father. My biological one," Tyler's tone was bitter and heavy. Acacia had heard her voice sink in such a manner multiple times in her life. "He didn't even fucking recognize me. And he's still the pathetic drunk that he was. I could smell the booze on him. Why the fuck did I bother?"

It took a second for Tyler's explanation to sink in and Acacia's expression softened as she tried to find the words to say. "Oh Tyler..." she sighed, reaching over to wrap both her arms around him. It was much easier given how she was in Tyler's body. Her own body felt small and fragile in her arms. "He doesn't deserve to be called your father, Ty. Think of what you have now. Two dads who love you more than that guy over there could ever. You don't need him in your life," Acacia tried to say.

Whether or not those were the right words to say, she had no idea. After all, Acacia wasn't adopted. She would never know what it was like to be in Tyler's shoes, but she saw and experienced the love his adoptive parents had to give him. It was more parental love than she's ever received.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler let himself be pulled into the embrace, feeling the smallest shred of comfort from her warmth, but he was still so overwhelmed, and her words only made him feel more guilty. He knew he had a good life, a great life, but his past and this other life he could've had have always haunted him. And in a way, it shaped him into the man he was today.

"I was five when I got put in foster care." He started, and Acacia's silence prompted him to go on. Seeing his biological father made him want to share this part of himself with her. After all, she deserved to know given their mysterious connection.

"I got adopted pretty quickly. I was a cute kid. Young, quiet, showed no signs of the trauma I suffered being there. But I wasn't young enough to completely forget everything." He explained, then got quiet again, losing himself for a second in the memories. The yelling, the beatings, the fear, the cops coming first for his father then for him. A gentle hand squeeze from Acacia brought him back to the present and he continued.

"Life with the Bays was good. I lived a normal childhood and soon replaced all those bad memories with good ones. But then when I was thirteen we had this stupid biology chapter that was all about genetics. We were taught that personality traits were also genetic and that got the whole class talking about what traits they shared with their parents. It was very awkward for me and Sheila, I don't know if you know her or not but she's like the only other adopted kid in our class. I could tell she was as relieved as I was when we moved on to Punnett squares.

The class got me thinking about my biological parents a lot and I did something very stupid. I went to find them. My records weren't sealed and they lived at the same address and I don't even know what I thought I'd gain from it, but I was angry. Angry because I felt different from all the other kids in class and angry because of what they did to me. The man was high when I went there and he was alone in the house, I don't know what happened to my mom, but I kept trying to talk to him and he just kept saying horrible things. I finally snapped when he called my parents f****ts and said I'll turn out just like them and that I had always been a 'pathetic little b****' for a son. I couldn't take it anymore and I lunged at him. I threw in a couple good punches but I was no match for him. He beat the crap out of me. I even still have a scar from where he cut me with the beer bottle in his hand."

Tyler pulled at Acacia's (his) arm, which was wrapped snuggly around him, and held it up for Acacia to see, rolling up the sleeve of his varsity jacket and pointing at the faint white line running across his forearm, tracing it and giving her goosebumps.

"Some neighbor intervened and pulled him off of me and I ran home. Never looked back. I had to tell my dads and they sent me to therapy for a few months where they told me that I had nothing to be afraid of and that I won't turn out like him. I was always a people pleaser but after that I worked harder to be a good kid. Never smoked, never drank, barely went to parties. Focused on school and volleyball and whatever else my parents deemed to be worth my time, and I became Westmond High's golden boy. I'd rather be anything but him." He finished bitterly, staring at the connivence store, watching the man as he walked out till he was out of his sight. Sharing all of this with his girlfriend almost made him feel worse and he knew he'd regret it. She should know, but he still liked it when she didn't know this part of him. Tyler wasn't as whole as people thought nor as perfect. He was broken and flawed and angry for not being strong enough to get over it.

 

[mon]

The story he told her felt personal and real. It sparked feelings within her too complicated for Acacia to determine or pick apart, but it bubbled in her chest and she felt like screaming to let it out. When Tyler revealed the scar he got, Acacia's fingers closed in a fist instinctively as the burning feeling inside her grew hotter. She was angry, but it wasn't the normal kind of angry she felt where she'd lash out and throw hands. No, this was a much more tame anger as she sympathized with Tyler. The hurt she saw in him kept her from lashing out and she fell quiet as Tyler recounted the events which made him who he was today.

Acacia was never a person who was good at comforting. Situations like this usually made her uncomfortable. She felt out of her skin and element to help---she had no idea how to even if she wanted to. If Tyler were to break into tears now, that would only make things worse and the fact that they were in each other's bodies at the moment served to further complicate the situation.

Unballing her fist, she backed up to get a good look at herself (Tyler). Letting her actions speak for herself, she placed her hand over Tyler's and looked herself squarely in the eyes. "This would be much more meaningful if we weren't swapped right now..." she muttered under her breath as she pressed her forehead against Tyler's. Her eyes closed and she pictured Tyler, not herself, sitting before her.

She imagined Tyler would be doing the same, foreheads pressed, eyes closed. "You aren't your father, Tyler. You're kinder, sweeter, stronger, braver and far more handsome to ever grow up to be like him. You're you." The hand that wasn't holding his came up to caress the side of his head, fingers stroking into his hair. "And you'll still be you even if you no longer become Westmond's Golden boy," Acacia smirked as she pulled her head back. A strange tingling sensation spread across her body and when she opened her eyes, the change felt more apparent. She was sitting in the opposite seat this time, smaller and now back in her body.

As she watched Tyler opened his eyes, she blinked in surprise but kept the silence as the hand that was in Tyler's hair slid down to rest on his shoulder. "We switched back?" she murmured in confusion. They had never swapped when both of them were conscious before. The swap had always happened at night when both were asleep. As strange and puzzling the situation was, Acacia decided to look at the good side of things. The smirk returned to her face as she looked up into Tyler's warm brown eyes as she shrugged off the shift.

"Well, whatever. This is works too," Acacia's hand snaked back behind Tyler's neck as she pulled him in for a firm and loving kiss. "I love you, Tyler Bay and I don't give a rat's ass about your origins," she said as she pulled away, sounding confident. "But if you're angry at him, I know a way to appease your anger, the Mad Dog way," Acacia grinned as she buckled her seat belt, taking the wheel in her hands. "Buckle up, Bay. I have a place to show you."

----

With the windows rolled down and music playing, Acacia drove without her usual reckless speed. They cruised the night streets until they came upon the seaside. It took Acacia some time to find the destination. It's been a while since she last came down here, though coming here by car was much faster than by her skateboard or bike.

The sun had set and the beach was empty. The waves crashed in a rhythmnic pattern and Acacia pulled over at the side of the road. "We're here," she said, after answering no questions about where they were going---and so late in the night as well.

 

[PlotBrownie]

He felt his own hands, big and calloused from practice and the gym, cover Acacia's own smaller one, as she pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. He followed suit and closed his after taking a shaky breath, but then he opened them again. He had to see it for himself.

Maybe Acacia thought it would've been better if she was in her body to be able to comfort him, but seeing her words come from his mouth, and to be able to hear them in his voice, resonated with Tyler more than it ever would've if it had been her own voice. In a way, it felt like he was hearing it from himself, and while this didn't solve his problems, it did help more than he expected.

He closed his eyes and let her words sink in, feeling a tingling sensation wash over him which he thought was just the after effect of his emotions until he woke up and found himself in the passenger seat, looking down at Acacia.

"Woah." Tyler said with a shiver, the switch feeling like a weird drop in body temperature which they must've experienced before when they were asleep but it never woke them up. Before he could think of all the things he wanted to do, pull an all nighter to experience the switch again, document what was happening, do more research, he felt Acacia pull him in for a kiss and when she spoke he forgot all about the switch, returning back to the here and now.

Knowing that she didn't care did comfort him, and Tyler managed to relax a little as he slid further into his seat and let the tension slip away from his muscles, reaching out to keep a hand on Acacia's leg as she adjusted her own seat because he showed his love through touch, a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Leave it to Tyler Bay to take Acacia's words seriously and reach for the seatbelt the moment she said 'Buckle up'

---

"Wow, babe. This is exactly what I needed." Tyler said sarcastically as he got out of the car, taking a look around before he went over to his girlfriend. "So.. um, what exactly do I need and how does this help? Not that I don't like it. The view is nice." He added with a shrug, though he couldn't hide his confusion. Especially seeing that she wouldn't tell him where they were going the whole way there. That got him coming up with his own crazy theories and he wasn't sure if this beats an airport where they catch a random plane and go somewhere far on a crazy romantic adventure.

 

[mon]

The part of the beach they arrived at was empty, if not deserted-looking. Granted it was late at night and the seaside was freezing cold at such a time, it made sense why no one would be around here. The isolation was exactly what drew Acacia back to this place in the rare low moments of her life. Taking a deep inhale of the biting cold wind, she felt her mind clear and her skin pricked from the cold. Goosebumps formed on parts of her exposed skin but the feeling of which just made her giddy.

She looked over at Tyler's remark as she shut the car door behind her, locking it up with a button. Rolling her eyes are the sarcasm, Acacia walked over and slipped her hand into his. "You cold?" she asked, as she guided him to the beach, towards the crashing waves.

Maybe it was because it was the dead of night. The ocean waves was a booming sound each time it crashed against the sand and stone. Letting go of Tyler's hand, Acacia fished out for things in her pockets (now that she was back in her body). Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find what she was looking for and thus frowned in disappointment. Grabbing a stone from the beach, she set it in Tyler's hand.

"Normally I'd write something on a stone, something that makes me very angry, and then toss it but I don't have my sharpie with me so just make do, okay?" Acacia explained with a small smirk. She grabbed a rock for herself, walked up close to the sea and shouted as she threw the stone into the ocean as far as she could.

"Fuck you creepy knife guy!" she had yelled, referring to the stranger she had encountered which had trigger this whole drive out in the first place.

Because there was no one around, she could yell as much as she wanted. Her voice drowned under the sound of the wind and the waves. It was the perfect, out door vent box.

"Now you try," Acacia said to Tyler, gesturing to the rock in his hand.

It seemed like a crazy thing to do. Two teens throwing rocks into the ocean, shouting at the top of their lungs; but crazy was exactly what Acacia was.

 

[PlotBrownie]

He seemed sceptical as he examined the rock she'd handed him, turning it over in his hands. It was an ordinary rock with no special features that would make it stand out from among other rocks. Hard to imagine it can carry the weight of his frustration, not to mention he was never good at therapeutic activities. He either bottled up his emotions or talked it out. But it was worth a shot, and they did come all the way here.

When Acacia had thrown her rock, Tyler gave her one last glance, seeing if there was an extra step he had to take or if she'd say this was a joke. When she gave an encouraging nod, Tyler turned to the ocean again. Big and dark and much stronger than he was.

"Fuck you, David!" Tyler yelled while simultaneously throwing the rock.

Huh. Well, it kind of felt good.

It was technically Acacia's turn, or maybe they weren't doing turns, but Tyler scanned the ground for a bigger, heavier rock and picked one up, weighing it in his hands.

After seemingly deciding it was heavy enough, Tyler held onto it, focusing on its weight as he stepped a little nearer to the water. He closed his eyes in meditation, and tried to focus on all the weight he's been carrying around, channeling it into the rock.

There's the burden of his past, his bloodline, the fear of genetics getting the better of him.

The rock got heavier.

There's the self conclusion he came up with at thirteen that he wasn't good enough and had never been good enough since then. The good he was trying to accomplish was a barrier between him and David, and a reason to deserve the Bays.

The rock got heavier.

There is all the stress from school.

The rock got heavier.

There's the body switching, a phenomenon that was probably ground work for a huge scientific breakthrough, something much bigger than him and Acacia. And yet here he was jerking off and messing around with this whole thing, not taking it seriously enough.

The rock got heavier.

With a deep inhale, Tyler raised the rock high over his head, for an instant feeling its actual weight which felt lighter, but he didn't linger for two long and he threw it as forcefully as he can, yelling at the top of his lungs: "FUCK YOU!"

He heard it make a splash and finally exhaled before turning around and walking over to Acacia. Without any words he placed his hands on either sides of her face and kissed her passionately, almost with frustration at first before it melted away and his kisses got softer. He pulled her in for a hug, tucking his chin over her head and stealthily rubbing his eyes dry as he collected himself.

He held her for a few more moments, letting her ground him, before pulling back, looking better, feeling better.

"Thank you." He whispered to her, but with the weight behind his words he might as well have been yelling like they had.

 

[mon]

As crazy as it looked to be throwing rocks and cursing the sea at 2AM in the morning, Acacia couldn't care less about what others may think. She watched with hopeful expectation as Tyler threw his first rock, checking for signs of relief she felt when she did the same. It was miniscule but it was there. He didn't judge or mock her for the strange suggestion; nor did he try to talk himself out of it. The fact that it seemed to work for him, made her all the more relieved.

When he picked up a rock, much larger than Acacia expected, that was when she grew somewhat concerned.

With a might hurl, the giant rock was soon swallowed up by the waves and before Acacia could even get a word in, the brunet's lips were on hers, kissing her with a passion that could rival her own. Taken by surprise, all Acacia could do was succumb and for once, she relented, allowing Tyler to take the comfort that he needed.

As the broke away breathless, Acacia said nothing as her arms wrapped around his torso, hugging him back, pressing herself to him to share her warmth and heart with him. At his whispered words, her arms tightened around him, giving him a small squeeze before she finally pulled back. Her breath regained, she smiled wryly up at him.

A hand moved to gently caress his cheek and instead of words, she let the rare tenderness in her eyes speak on her behalf. Sharing a silent moment together, Acacia gave him a cheeky peck on the lips and grinned wide, seeing Tyler to be in better spirits.

"You wanna go back now or do you still want to chuck some rocks?" Acacia smirked, the hand at his cheek moving to ruffle his hair.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"I think I've done enough rock yeeting for the day." Tyler replied, smiling as he looked down at Acacia.

She showed him a side of her tonight that he didn't think was in her. She was so grounded in contrast to his tornado of emotional mess, and more gentle than he'd ever saw her be, or even thought she was capable of. Tender in a way that made him feel safe to just breakdown and pour his heart out to her and unconsciously trusting her to hold him together.

He didn't think it possible, as teenagers fell in love hard and quick and with all their hearts, but tonight he fell in love with her even harder.

"I just want to go home. Let's go back to my place." Tyler suggested, sounding a little tired. He brushed his thumb against her back as he talked, "No creepy knife guy, no one from the past. Just us. Maybe cuddling. Totally PG rated though. I'll even keep my shirt on." He joked and gave her side a teasing squeeze.

 

[mon]

With a grin on her face, the corners of her lips only grew wider as Tyler suggested they finally turned in. It was pretty late and the thought of them having school the next morning made Acacia want to groan with dread. For now, she thought of better things, like cuddling in bed. Maybe Tyler would let them sleep in. She knew if she was alone, she definitely would've skipped the morning classes.

Rolling her eyes at his teasing, Acacia nodded as she helped Tyler back into his car and they drove back to his place. It was a peacefully long cruise and the both of them were tired by the time they got back. It was a long day after all and they were pretty much in the wee hours of the early morning. Without much else, Acacia, not bothering to change into more comfortable clothes, flopped over Tyler's sofa with a rare desire to sleep immediately.

She was far too lazy to even make it to his bed, which Acacia was sure Tyler would've wanted.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Acacia led the way into his house, Tyler lingering behind only to lock the door and then double check that it was locked, giving her enough time to crash onto his sofa, much to his annoyance.

"Oh no, Cia. Come on." Tyler groaned when he found her. "The bed's so much comfier." He whined, standing over her. It fell on deaf ears as the girl didn't even move an inch, and Tyler contemplated just throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs. Any other day and he would've gladly done so. But not with his leg in a cast.

It wasn't even that bad, the doctors were overreacting, but Tyler knew not to push his limits, and he wanted heal up in time for the next season.

Finding no other option, Tyler nudged his girlfriend to the side and scooted in beside her, half laying on top of her because the couch couldn't fit them both without some sacrifices being made. It wasn't uncomfortable, however, and after a few minutes he fell asleep curled up around her.

His phone vibrated in the back pocket of his jeans the next morning at seven, and for the first time Tyler actually contemplated skipping class.

He pressed snooze and sacrificed his morning cup of tea. They'll grab breakfast on the way over. But it would take more than that to get Tyler Bay to skip class.