BRANCH

a Covenant One-Shot by .writer

A/N: For prompt #6 (branch) of my Covenant prompt table (see my website, link in profile). My first ever genuine slash story. Reid/Tyler. Tyler doesn't know how to kiss, so Reid shows him. Sweet and fluffy. The itching powder thing is a reference to Supernatural and the season one episode “Hell House”. Amy Brandywine's last name is a reference to Lord of the Rings, which my brother keeps watching over and over. Review please, and tell me what you think of my first foray into slash fic. I hope you like it!

Being the youngest of a group of guys tended to suck. Tyler's case was not helped by his shyness, or by the fact that his best friend was so far from shy that no one besides them understood why they were friends.

Tyler's current problem was another one caused by his lack of boldness, and it was another issue that Reid did not have. Baby Boy had spent the last week debating whether he should ask Reid for advice. This was a difficult question, since Reid had a spotty track record. Half the time, his advice helped Tyler out in a big way, but the other half resulted in failures of the monumental sort. Tyler had actually come up with a list of topics that were dangerous to consult Reid on. Included on the list: School. Family matters. Dealings with the older pair of Sons. Anything involving safety.

Reid Garwin's attitude towards such things could be summed up in one phrase: screw it.

However, after much mental ping-pong, Tyler finally decided that this issue was one that Reid might actually be able to help with.

“So what's up?”

Tyler took a moment before answering to reposition himself on the branch of the old oak. He didn't look down as he wondered when Reid was going to get over his obsession with tree-climbing. Never, he answered himself. Not as long as there were tall trees with long falls that kept life risky, or almost risky.

The sarcastic side of Baby Boy, which he usually kept locked in a closet, clamored for the chance to tell Reid that climbing trees was something eight-year-olds did, not teenagers.

When he was certain he wasn't going to splat onto the manicured grass on the Garwin lawn, Tyler answered Reid's question.

“I've got a problem, and I think you'll be able to help me with it.”

Reid lounged back against the tree trunk, his feet swinging freely twelve feet above the ground. He had spent most of the summer growing his hair as long as he could, mostly to annoy his mother. It wasn't a long-term thing, since he would have to cut it before starting Spenser in the fall, but for now he let the white-blond strands fall into his eyes. “What's your deal?”

Tyler hesitated. This was the part that sucked. He took a breath and decided to get it over with. “I've never kissed a girl.”

Reid looked at him for a moment. Tyler waited for the inevitable teasing, but surprisingly, his friend just shrugged. “So?”

“I'm going to the fireworks show with Amy Brandywine, from Mrs. Park's class,” Tyler replied. “And...I dunno...do you think she'll want me to kiss her?”

Reid smiled like a cat. “Do you want to kiss her, Tyler?”

Tyler felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks. “I don't know! I've only talked to her a few times. The date was all Kate's idea.”

With a quick movement, Reid stood up, one palm against the tree trunk for balance. With the other he pushed his uneven bangs out of his eyes. “Doesn't matter, Baby Boy. Do you want to kiss her or not?”

Now Tyler was scowling. He had a feeling this was how it would go. “Reid, stop messing around. That isn't the point. Even if I do want to kiss her—and I'm not saying I do,” he added, “I wouldn't know what to do. I mean, I haven't kissed someone before. What are you supposed to do?” He looked up Reid, knowing how desperate he probably looked.

Uh-oh. Reid had the look on his face, the one that usually led to broken bones and month-long groundings. Tyler watched apprehensively as Reid let go of the tree and stretched his arms out, balancing on the branch. Tyler waited patiently for Reid to reveal what he was thinking.

“So you want to know how to kiss someone?” Reid asked after a minute. He looked down. Tyler nodded.

“How badly do you want to know?”

This was what he had been waiting for. Standard operating procedure for Reid: offer advice or assistance in exchange for whatever. Last time Reid said that, Tyler had spent an hour putting itching powder in Caleb's clothes.

He sighed. The date with Amy was in two days, and he really didn't want to look stupid in front of her. Freshmen year was coming up, and he didn't want to be known as Baby Boy forever. “Badly, Reid. What do you want?”

A mischievous smirk. “To show you how to kiss, Baby Boy.”

While Tyler was pondering this confusing statement, Reid hopped from his branch to land next to Tyler. He swayed for a moment, then regained his balance. He sat down next to Tyler.

“Ready?”

Tyler looked up a bit; Reid had grown a few inches lately. “I don't get it. How are you going to show me?”

For a moment, Reid's eyes shifted from devil-may-care to serious. “You trust me, Tyler?”

Tyler couldn't stop staring at Reid's blue eyes; seeing them look so serious was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing, and he felt compelled to remember how they looked, like you would the northern lights or a perfect sunset.

The question was also different. Usually it meant trouble, but now, it sounded different. Still, Tyler gave the same answer he always did. “Yeah, I trust you.” And it was the truth.

Reid smiled. “Good.” Then, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against Tyler's.

Tyler froze. He had not expected this. He wondered what he should do, if he should push Reid away. Then Reid's hand touched his shoulder, and Tyler remembered what he had just said. He trusted Reid.

So, he closed his eyes, and stopped thinking. He started feeling.

It was different than anything he had ever felt. Reid's lips were soft and warm, and he smelled like sunshine and fresh cut grass. Tyler's other side said that was because the gardener had mowed under the oak just two hours ago, but the rest of him knew that Reid always smelled like this.

This kiss was simple, just the easy pressure of lips, but it stirred up a strange sensation, like when Tyler spent too much time in the sun and got dizzy. But this was a good feeling. Tyler never wanted it to stop.

A minute, or maybe an hour later, Reid pulled away and rested his forehead against Tyler's. They both opened their eyes and for a while, just looked at each other without speaking. Then, Reid smiled his lazy smile. “That, Baby Boy, is how you kiss.”

Tyler smiled back.

THE END