Throwing this all the way back to when Tarty exes was super trendy
- I have always pictured Iris, Marty, and the Kippen siblings being childhood best friends. Marty and TJ became super close in school and Iris and Amber were best friends so naturally a little group formed.
- Amber, TJ, and Marty are the bad influences while Iris is along for the ride. The most this amounted to was watching scary movies that were slightly too intense, causing Iris TJ to force someone to follow him everywhere for the rest of the night.
- Marty and TJ would play house and be the dads taking care of a baby while Amber and Iris would be pretending to be rich sophisticated business women.
- All four of them would play basketball together, but TJ and Amber would become super competitive and end up fighting. MEANWHILE Marty and Iris would slowly back away and play somewhere else.
- They all went on a HUNT for dandelions while Iris taught them how to make dandelion crowns. Once they all had one they played prince/princesses.
- TJ just called Marty his boyfriend one day and Marty was like ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ okay. They dated until Marty was like wait I should probably be gay.
- Amber and Iris take a long time to get together. After their falling out they donât reunite until their Senior year of high school, in which they both spend the entire year pining and making up for lost time before Amber finally bridges the gap fully by asking her to prom.
- Sometime after the finale the four of them get together to watch a scary movie and hang out like old times. Iris and Amber cuddle for the first time since they were younger and both of them can hardly breath. TJ just looks over at all of them and how theyâve all grown, realizing that the best things can come back to you when you least expect it.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Andi Mack (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Buffy Driscoll/Marty, Cyrus Goodman/T. J. Kippen, T. J. Kippen/Marty, Amber & T. J. Kippen, Jonah Beck & T. J. Kippen & Marty, Amber & T. J. Kippen & Marty
Characters: Marty (Andi Mack), T. J. Kippen, Cyrus Goodman, Buffy Driscoll, Amber (Andi Mack), Jonah Beck, Andi Mack
Additional Tags: T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Siblings, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Friendship, Exes, Confessions, Dialogue Heavy, no beta we die like this fandom
Summary:
Marty was delighted to be invited to a Good Hair Crew hangout. Sure heâd hung out with them before, but when he and Buffy became official, he wouldnât hang out with them at much.
A Tarty fanfic? In October of 2020? You bet!!! This is a gift for @delicatesleeper who deserves the worldâs most patient person award <3Â Enjoy!
Words: 3068
High school was fun because you saw a lot of different things. Kids chanting Lick it! Lick it! to another kid going to lick a weird stain in the science building. An artsy kid having a break down in the middle of math. TJ Kippen fighting another boy in the locker room.
âTJ is fighting Carson!â Martyâs best friend, Tony, announced to him in one corner of the locker room. There was dozens of voices echoing throughout the stuffy place, and Marty could feel his heart slam against his chest every step he took towards the scene. But by the time he got there, their PE teacher had already separated the two. TJ seemed to get in a good hit as Carson hid his blood nose under his arm, not realizing blood was already dripping down at his chin.
âWhat in the fucking hell were you two thinking?!â their PE teacherâs voice boomed over them. âYouâre both going to get kicked off the basketball team.â
âHe started it!â TJ yelled, looking furious. His face was read. Marty didnât know TJ that well, but he knew he wasnât violent. Sure, he had a temper. But dating Cyrus Goodman for a while had to have done something good to him. Then again, break ups completely reprogram a person. Marty would know. Heâs been through five.
Marty was sitting in detention, leaning back on his chair, balancing a pencil on his nose. It was him and the other kids who were regularly in there. Marty tried not to get detention so much he got kicked off the track team, but he also didnât like doing his homework.
The teacher who looked over detention wasnât in the classroom yet, so everyone in there was just talking and scrolling through their phones. They only looked up when someone came in, but it was usually someone they all recognized or knew pretty well.
Then TJ Kippen walked in and the pencil fell into his hand. Marty watched him walk inside the badly lit classroom, look around, and sit in the desk next to him before realizing he hadnât stopped staring. TJ raised an eyebrow at him, making Marty panic and look away, pretending his pencil was the most interesting thing. He felt like if slightly turning his head would kill him.
Mr. Rosas walked in, whistling with a book and paper under his arm like usual. âAlright, people. Phones away. You can take them out after thirty minutes of homework.â He went to the front and put his book at the empty desk for whoever was overlooking detention. The room was in a trailer lot in the corner of their school, and it was hard to find if you never got in trouble. Mr. Rosas started reading the names of the roster, some kids saying here, some kids being recognized by him.
âTJ Kippen?â Mr. Rosas looked up. Marty turned his head and saw that TJ raised his hand. He had a heavy frown on his lips. âArenât you in basketball?â
âNot anymore.â TJ sighed, leaning back into his chair.
âOh. Youâre one of those two basketball players from today, no?â Mr. Rosas asked him. TJ nodded, looking embarrassed that everyone knew. Marty had been hearing everyone talking about TJ and Carson all day long, and it was making him really curious to know what happened. Nobody knows what happened. The two went inside the locker rooms laughing and then TJ threw the first hit.
Mr. Rosas finished taking attendance, and Marty realized that Carson wasnât there. That usually meant an extra two days of detention. Marty forced himself to stop thinking about TJ and Carson and pulled out his algebra homework. Some kids were chatting with their work out on their desks, and Mr. Rosas didnât seem to mind. He was in a good mood that day which basically meant they could do whatever they wanted. He said he always had a soft spot for misfits because he basically lived in detention in high school but had a good director that helped him get into college.
âHey, Marty,â someone called out. Marty turned around the room, looking for the voice. âRight here, dude.â Marty made eye contact with TJ who was holding up a piece of paper. It was their homework. âCan you show me how to do four?â Marty looked at him, in shock for a bit. âYour name is Marty, right?â
âUm, yeah,â Marty said. He cleared his throat and looked down at his homework, trying to remember his steps while a storm brewed in his brain. âI dated Buffy freshman year.â Really? Thatâs what you say? Dumbass.
âI know who you are.â TJ told him. Marty didnât know how to reprogram himself to work, but he cleared his throat again and held up his math sheet to him.
âLet me walk you through it.â
TJ only needed help on two other problems after that, and Marty gladly helped him even when he was done with his homework. His moms had gotten mad at him for not taking AP classes, but he didnât like to be challenged in academics. They werenât interesting enough.
Mr. Rosas stood up and shut his book. âAll right everyone, youâre dismissed for the day. Donât come back.â Without hesitation, everyone scrambled out of their seats and made their way out of the classroom in a line. Martyâs track practice started at 4:30 because his coach knew a lot of the kids on the team had a knack for getting kept for detention or they had other clubs besides sports. Marty just had detention.
He made his way towards the locker rooms by the gym and track field, and after walking for a moment, he noticed TJ was right behind him. Marty decided against walking faster and instead met up with TJ who gave him a head nod in acknowledgment. âWhere are you of to?â Marty asked him.
âIâm not sure. Iâve never left school this early.â
âYou should go to Rita Donuts. She has student discounts on Wednesdays.â
âGood to know.â
âSo,â Marty said. He cleared his throat. He didnât know how else to keep the conversation going. âWhat happened in the locker room.â
âWhat have you heard?â TJ asked him.
âHonestly, everything.â Marty crossed his arms, walking a little closer to TJ who was now heading towards the school gates, opposite of the locker rooms. Instead of saying anything, Marty continued to walk besides him.
âHe said something homophobic. I punched him. Thatâs that.â Marty couldnât figure TJ out. He was stoic and saying everything like he hadnât just gotten kicked off the basketball team- the one he was captain of as a junior.
âWhat?â Marty asked. He had heard many things except that. Something like that wasnât even a possibility at their high school. âAnd youâre both off the team?â
âHeâs suspended and maybe expelled. I just got off the team because of the no tolerance policy. They said theyâll make sure I can play next year, though.â
âWell, I guess thatâs kind of good?â Marty said, still not understanding how the school worked.
âYeah. Honestly, itâs fine,â TJ admitted to him. âI can focus on actually getting good grades for now. Iâm scared Iâm not going to pass algebra.â
âI can tutor you,â Marty said without second thought.
âReally?â TJ smiled at him. Marty blushed crimson and nodded dumbfoundedly. âThanks. I have you on Snapchat, no?â
âYeah,â Marty nodded again. He couldnât say much of anything else. He wasnât even that good at math.
âCool. Iâll hit you up,â TJ told him.
âYeah,â Marty said. He looked at the time on his phone. âIâm gonna head to practice now. See you.â
âLater.â Marty smiled at him once more and ran towards the gym with his heart slamming against him like he wasnât a trained runner. Math just got interesting.
-
Marty didnât know what he was doing, why he was nervous, or why he even had a brain if it wasnât going to work and save him from humiliating situations. TJ was going over to his house on Saturday to get help for their test on Monday, and Marty wasnât exactly a wizard. He got in his shower after his six mile run from that morning and dressed in eight different things until deciding to wear a track shirt and jeans.
He didnât have time to do his hair when his mom called from downstairs that TJ was there. He slid across the second floor in his socks and ran downstairs, TJ waiting for him at the door. He was smiling and talking to his mom, wearing a plain white shirt, basketball shorts, and slides. Marty definitely felt overdressed.
âHey,â Marty waved at him.
âHey,â TJ said, bringing his backpack higher on his shoulder.
âYou can wait in the dining room,â Marty said, pointing at the entryway. âI need to get my backpack.â TJ gave him a thumbs up and walked over as Marty ran back upstairs, his heartrate a complete mess even when he ran back down.
âDo you run everywhere?â TJ asked him when he sat down in the chair next to him. Marty nodded, taking in counted breaths.
âItâs faster. You should try it.â
âMaybe when Iâm back in shape.â
Marty stifled a full laugh. âYouâve only been out of basketball for like four days.â
âI breathe hard when I go up the stairs now. Four days was all I needed.â
âI run at least six miles every.â
âYouâre addicted to track.â
âSounds about right,â Marty smiled. He took out his binder and homework.
He didnât know how he did it, but he got TJ through the course work and got him ready for the test. Marty had never studied that much on his own before since math was just a regular subject to him. Studying with TJ was fun, though. Whenever he tried to study with Tony, they ended up messing around and playing video games because they got bored.
But everything about TJ kept him grounded, like he was scared he would miss years of his life if he looked away for even just a second. It was too much for Marty to try to process sometimes, and he often tried to rub the heat away from his cheeks.
-
Marty and TJ hung out more outside of tutoring. TJ had a lot of time on his hands, and his friends were still going to basketball games so Marty would invite him to hang out with Tony and a few other boys. Tony raised his eyebrow one time when Marty was sad TJ wouldnât make it to bowling, but when Marty asked him what, Tony just laughed and shook his head. Thatâs how Marty knew he was fucked.
TJ was in that stage months post breakup where he wasnât gloomy about it anymore and he was back to functioning like normal again, but you could tell he had put a barrier up. There were times when TJ would almost talk about his home life or his family or even how he felt about certain things, but there always something blocking him. Like if he remembered he would only talk about those certain things to a certain someone who broke his heart.
Marty approached TJ with as much caution as much as he threw himself at him. He felt delusional and crazy, but there were times he felt like TJ was starting to like him, too. The proximity in which they would walk side by side seemed to close in even closer every week, and Marty wasnât the one inching next to him. But even though they were becoming good friends, Marty knew there was going to be a lot more walls to break down.
One day at the park, Marty broke down the first obstacle and asked TJ why him and Cyrus had broken up. âWe just didnât click anymore,â TJ said. âHe broke up with me, and I just said ok.â Marty watched TJ fiddle with the basketball in his hand for a moment, about to speak up before TJ started talking again. âI wish I wouldâve asked him to stay, though. But⊠I could tell that he just didnât want me anymore.â Marty didnât know what to do with that, so he just patted TJ on the back.
âSorry, bud.â
âThatâs just the way it is.â TJ threw the ball at Marty, and they got up for another game. The entire time Marty wondered if TJ would go back to Cyrus if he could.
Marty figured he had nothing to lose and asked, âAre you over him?â In that moment, TJ stood still with the basketball in his hands. He stared at Marty, making his breath hitch for a second as those green eyes looked for something. âYeah. I basically am.â
Basically. Basically am. What does that mean? Marty asked himself that over and over that night, and it was starting to drive him insane. So much, he just gave in and called Tony at one in the morning.
Tony was half-asleep when he answered. âHello?â
âOkay,â Marty jumped right into it, âyou know how I like TJ right?â There was a few seconds of silence.
âYes.â
âSo, I asked him if he was over Cyrus, and he said he basically was. What does basically mean? Like he doesnât want to say he is because heâs lying or he is in the process of fully forgetting him?â
âUm.â Tony yawned into the mic, hurting Martyâs ear with the buzz. âBoth?â
âTony thatâs not helping.â
âDude just tell him you like him.â
âI canât do that.â Martyâs head was filling with air at just the thought of doing that. âItâd just ruin our friendship.â
âHmm, I donât know, man.â Marty knew that tone.
âWhat do you know?â
âWhat do you mean?â Tony repeated back. He was cornered.
âWhat are you keeping from me?â
âNothing,â Tonyâs voice got louder which meant he was lying.
âJust tell me and you can go to sleep.â Marty heard Tony sigh. It didnât take that long to get him to crack. âHe told one of the guys who told me that he thinks youâre⊠cute.â
âCute?â Marty didnât know what to do with the information.
âYeah. Goodnight.â Marty didnât even get to say it back as Tony hung up, leaving Marty with the most explosive words he couldâve left him with.
-
TJ always asked Marty to hang out before he had gotten the cute bomb dropped on him, so Marty told himself not to act any different or to pick apart every little thing TJ did like a fetal pig. Doing so was starting to give him a heartache. But when him and TJ were doing homework in Martyâs kitchen, there was just too much gut to not pick at.
TJ had lightly bumped his foot into Martyâs and then just kept it there. He told Marty he had nice handwriting (a lot of people told him that, though). He told Marty his hair looked nice, and Marty didnât know how to react so he just ran his fingers through his hair and accidentally ruined it so TJ could jokingly say never mind. And at one point, TJ took the ring he had on his hand and slipped it on Martyâs finger, his race redder than it had ever been. TJ noticed it.
âWhy is your face so red?â TJ asked, still holding Martyâs hand on the table. Marty looked between TJâs face that held a sneaky smile and their fingers that were grazing on each other.
Marty hid his face with his free hand and said, âI think itâs just allergies.â Dumbass! Dumb! Dumb! Dumb boy. Allergies?!
TJ chuckled and pulled his hand back slightly. âI didnât know allergies did that.â
âYeah,â Marty tapped his ringed hand on the table. âMy moms say the doctors donât know what to do with me.â
TJ looked Marty in the eye as he whispered, âI donât know what to do, either.â Marty looked at TJ with his eyebrow raised. It was his turn to make him spazz out.
âAre you trying to kill me?â
TJ raised an eyebrow, a smile twitching on his face. âWhat kind of doctors are you doing to?â
âI think theyâre vampires. It works out so I donât have to miss track practice during the day.â TJ rolled his eyes but not in a rude way. In a youâre not that funny way. But he was still smiling warmly. Marty looked at TJ, realizing how close he had him and how his green eyes were just diamonds on his face. His face was full of sharp features, and he wanted to run his finger on all of them. He reached out and touched TJâs hand again, making him look at him with wide eyes. Marty was about to retreat his hand, when TJ grasped it, fully holding it and tapping on of his fingers on his ring.
âDo you like me?â TJ asked him. Okay so this is happening now!
âWhat do you think?â Marty said, showing him their hands. TJ laughed a little.
âI think you do,â TJ said quietly, looking at him with a small smile.
âI know you think Iâm cute,â Marty couldnât help but say. âA little birdy told me.â
TJ had a victorious look on his face. âI knew those two would snitch. I planned it out like that.â
âWhat?â Marty asked. âYou told someone you thought I was cute so that they would tell Tony to tell me?â They both laughed after Marty tried to piece it together in the air.
âI donât know how Tony got involved, but yeah. Something like that.â
âWhy not just tell me?â
âJust in case you didnât like me.â TJ shrugged. âCanât really know if someone really wants you despite their words and actions that say they do.â Martyâs heart seemed to sigh as he realized what TJ was talking about. Marty stood up and go closer to TJ, leaning down to kiss him. TJ kissed him back, his hand squeezing his harder.
Marty pulled away and pressed his forehead against TJâs, their eyes in each otherâs worlds. âWell I definitely like you. A lot. And if youâre willing to, Iâd like to take you out sometime.â TJ gave him a small kiss.
