#ALSO HE PUTS HIS MONEY IN HIS SOCKS SO LIKE. SORRY NO FUCKIN FOOT MONEY
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every time i draw them i have to go to previously drawn AND RENDERED art i've done to get their colors and it was driving me crazy to open up my csp files, hide all the rendering layers, just to get to the base skintone i use. then i decided to just add little notes about my headcanons that's it have fun
commissions | ko-fi
#hypmic#hypnosis mic#amemura ramuda#yumeno gentaro#arisugawa dice#fling posse#adding some notes i added on twitter too#but afab ramuda and gentaro also go into the theory i currently have that gentaro and his brother are related somehow to the cloning shit#and y'all are gonna get more than i typed on twitter but like the idea is that gentaro and his brother were part of early cloning tests#prior to ramuda's conception. whether that be they ARE clones or they were testing on natural twins#(and then of course the twin theory ALSO isn't confirmed yet so.)#i have 0 trust in this theory but if otome being dice's mom can be real when the original tie was hair color alone then SO CAN MY THEORY#dice i kinda picked up from other interpretations of him that i really liked#also i gave him socks bc i can't in good faith draw someone wear shoes with no socks. that's animal behavior#ALSO HE PUTS HIS MONEY IN HIS SOCKS SO LIKE. SORRY NO FUCKIN FOOT MONEY#also dice has like. 40 official arts with his midriff showing#i know what i'm talking about#oh also i think i took the heart ahoges on ramuda from another artist but idr who ?? i just remember seeing it and going that's cute!!!#ok that's enough rambling
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for @youaremyworldlois ❤️️
ao3
“Do you wanna come stay with me? There’s room.”
“No, no, I don’t wanna get your dad sick on accident.”
“Okay,” Liz said skeptically, “I’m here if you need me.”
“I know, thank you, but I think it’ll be fine,” Alex sighed.
He was huddled in bed, trying not to pout too much about the situation for the last week. Starting Monday, classes would be solely online which sucked since he was a guitar major and there were few things more anxiety-inducing than being in a small apartment and practicing for hours on end. However, it was only made worse by the fact that he was stuck with his stupidly hot roommate that apparently didn’t have anywhere to go home to either.
“Stay safe, love you!” Liz told him.
“Love you too.”
The call ended and forced Alex to see that it was already 2PM and he hadn’t gotten out of bed. He decided to climb out of bed and face reality. He put on pants and a shirt, knowing damn well his roommate would probably be roaming around. He wasn’t even sure that guy even slept.
For the first two years of college, Alex had lived in a dorm with random guys that always made him uncomfortable. He hated living with strangers in just one room with no semblance of privacy, especially when he had no idea what they would do if they knew their roommate was gay. Then, whenever dorms would close, he would have to couch hop since there was no way he could go back home.
So, after his sophomore year, he started looking into off-campus apartments. He had a good amount of money saved up and all he had to do was find a roommate. It proved harder than expected because Liz already lived with her boyfriend and Maria lived back home, so he had to actually look for someone he could be comfortable with.
That’s when he found Michael.
Or, actually, Liz found Michael. He was her boyfriend’s brother and apparently a genius that doubled as a giant puppy. He was in a frat and had lived in his frat house for a while before deciding to move out so he could focus better in school. They’d met and Alex had laid out all his concerns and Michael had taken them all in stride, happily agreeing to whatever as long as he had a place to rest his head.
They’d been living together for about six months by the time schools were beginning to shut down and, the closer it got to when UNM would be closing, the more Alex got anxious. Living together for six months didn’t actually mean they hung out ever. Most days, they never even saw each other and he could count the number of conversations outside of ‘I’m going to the store, you need anything?’ on one hand.
But now, according to the fucking CDC, he was going to be stuck alone with him for the foreseeable future.
“Good morning,” Michael said, not even looking his way when Alex stepped out of his bedroom.
“Is it morning?” Alex asked. Michael looked up from whatever the hell he was doing at the coffee table and smiled.
“For you it is,” he answered happily.
That was another thing about Michael. He was so painfully heterosexual that he didn’t seem to have any idea what the hell that smile could do to someone like Alex who basically fell in love with any guy who gave him attention. It was the worst and it would the main reason Alex had no problem keeping his distance from him.
“So, quarantine,” Alex hummed, looking in their newly stocked kitchen for something to eat. He decided on toast and popped two slices of bread in the toaster. “Are you, like, gonna go home?” Alex already figured the answer was no since he didn’t go anywhere to Christmas, but he figured he should ask.
“Nah,” Michael said, “You?”
“Nope,” Alex answered, “So I guess we’re stuck together.”
Michael gave that overwhelming little smirk and licked his lips, cocking his head in Alex’s direction. “I guess we are.”
Alex turned to face the toaster and tried to think of how he was going to survive like this. Why did he have to be so hot and so straight at the same time? It just wasn’t fair.
When Alex had first met him, he’d thought that maybe he wasn’t straight. It was just a vibe he gave off and the way he sat in his chair. However, when he asked Liz about it, she’d basically laughed and said he was the straightest guy she knew. Then, when Alex inevitably let him know that he was gay, Michael just said ‘cool’ instead of coming out as anything other than straight. It was even further confirmed whenever he’d text Alex to make sure it was okay to bring a girl over. Which, that only happened about six times, but still. All girls. Straight, straight, straight.
Not like he’d have a chance anyway.
“What exactly are you doing?” Alex asked, holding a napkin under his toast as he walked towards the living room. Might as well get used to talking to him.
“A puzzle,” Michael answered. However, when Alex got closer, he saw what looked like the base of a miniature house.
“That is not a puzzle,” Alex laughed. Michael laughed right alongside him.
“Yes, it is! 3-D puzzle, it’s a replica of the Neuschwanstein Castle.”
“The what?”
“Sorry, did I pronounce that wrong? I didn’t Google it.”
“I have no fuckin’ idea,” Alex said, shaking his head. Michael gestured for him to sit on the other side of the coffee table.
“Wanna build it with me? Maybe we can actually bond for once?” he suggested. Alex huffed a small laugh and agreed, carefully sitting down across from him and placing his toast on the napkin on the table. “So, Alex, you come here often?”
“Is that how we’re gonna bond? Because I think I might have to go back to my room.”
“No, stay,” Michael laughed, “Help me build this thing.”
So Alex did. It was kind of weird actually spending time with him, but it turns out Michael wasn’t so bad for a straight guy. He was funny and a whole lot better at building than Alex was.
When the castle was halfway built, Alex felt a socked foot graze his calf. Every hair on his body stood up in alert, eyeing Michael in shock only to see him straight up steal the rest of his toast by shoving the entire thing in his mouth.
“Did you just eat my toast?” Alex scoffed. He was actually pretty thankful for the distraction because he would’ve hyperfixated on that little touch for hours. Who was he kidding? He was going to do that anyway.
“You haven’t touched it for five whole minutes,” Michael said, his cheek puffed out and stuffed with bread, Alex laughed, genuinely laughed.
“What is wrong with you? Were you never taught manners?”
“No,” Michael answered innocently. Which, honestly, just made them both laugh harder. “Also I lived in a frat house with, like, 10 other guys for two years. We consume or we die. You’re, like, the cleanest and most respectful guy I’ve ever lived with.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.”
“Want me to make you some more toast?” Michael offered. Alex smiled and tried not to become too obsessed with his charm, shaking his head.
“No, but I will take you up on a pot of coffee.”
“On it!” Micahel said, standing to his feet and showing that he was in nothing but a ratty old t-shirt and tight boxer briefs and socks with little koalas on them. Alex tried—and failed—not to watch him walk to the kitchen area and slide on his socks towards the coffee maker.
This was going to be a long couple of weeks.
-
“Hey, I hate to be that fuckhead, but could you turn your music down? I have a lesson.”
“No problem,” Michael said, turning his music down. Alex gave him a thankful smile and then quickly went to go to his online guitar lesson at his setup in his room.
He had his sheet music in front of him on his stand and his laptop propped up beside it, easily connecting whenever his professor started the video call.
It was weird, trying to take notes and adequately tweak them via video. He was used to being shown in person how to correct his finger placement or his posture. This was just... He wanted to go back to normal.
“Keep up the good work,” Dr. V said. Alex could tell, though, that he was just as irritated with the lack of hands-on teaching. Working with one teacher one on one really created a close bond of trust and familiarity. Alex could fuck up with Dr. V and not even think twice about it. They were like family.
And now it was fucking weird.
“I sent you scans of that more contemporary piece considering it’s less crucial for you to work on your performance pieces. Have fun with it, play around, show me what you come up with next lesson,” Dr. V added before saying his goodbye’s. Thankfully, that was Alex’s last class of the day.
“You’re really good.”
Alex nearly jumped out of his skin when he opened his bedroom door to see Michael loitering a few steps away. He looked like he’d been there for a while.
"Were you standing there the whole time?”
“Huh? No, I, uh, I was gonna ask what you wanted for dinner and then I heard you were still playing, so I was waiting so I wouldn’t interrupt you. And, well, you’re really good,” Michael said, his fingers tapping against his thigh as he rose up on his toes and dropped back down. His curls sprung with the movement.
“Thank you,” Alex said, trying to smile despite the fact that made him uncomfortable. As stupid as it was, he didn’t really like having random people hear him play. It was different when he was actually performing. Whoever was there came to see him and wanted to hear him. But, like this, it felt like he was simply being annoying.
“You know, I always wanted to play guitar,” Michael said, biting down on his lip just a little bit and Alex had to wonder why the hell he deserved that.
“I mean,” Alex started, looking around before being forced to look back at Michael due to the lack of scenery, “Maybe I can show you a thing or two sometime? I don’t just know classical.”
Michael split into a happy grin and bounced on his toes one more time. “Sounds super fun.”
“So,” Alex said, “Dinner?”
Michael blinked a couple times as if suddenly realizing where the conversation had originated. It was the cutest thing.
“Oh, right.”
-
“We need to do this more often, I think it’d help my fucked eating schedule.”
“Well, we can, if you want.”
“Cool,” Michael said all happily. They were making breakfast together like some sort of domestic couple, bustling around the kitchen to concoct something edible. Eggs, toast, and apparently Michael also needed waffles with those things.
Alex got to work on the toast and waffles while Michael made the eggs.
“Don’t put any pepper in mine, please, pepper makes me wanna gag,” Alex mentioned. Michael gave him a bewildered look.
“Says the guy who put, like, an absurd amount of Tony’s on his fried rice,” Michael scoffed. Alex grinned. He remembered that?
“That’s different.”
“Is it? Is it really?” Michael asked. Alex laughed and swatted in his direction. Michael grabbed his arm instinctually and tugged him closer. It caught Alex so off guard that all he could do was stare with wide eyes. Eventually, Michael seemed to realize that was a little fucking weird and let go, taking a step back. “Do you want me to put Tony’s on your eggs?”
“Yes, please,” Alex said, clearing his throat in an attempt to not sound like that was weird. Which, it was weird. And absolutely not at all good for him brain that seemed to think Michael was more and more lovable each day.
A couple minutes later, Michael got his attention again.
“Try this, tell me if it’s enough,” he said, holding up a fork with scrambled eggs on it. Alex looked between it and Michael’s eyes a few times before realizing he was just going to feed it to him. Is this what they did at the frat house? He would really like to know.
But, instead of questioning it, Alex opened his mouth and let Michael feed him the bite.
“Good?” Michael asked, smiling all proud of himself. Alex almost forgot what he was asking about.
“Yeah. So good.”
-
“I’m gonna go insane.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Alex hissed, covering himself with his blanket to try and stifle his words despite the fact that Michael was taking a shower and couldn’t hear him, “He’s so fucking cute and nice. Who allowed him to be both? It’s a goddamn crime.”
“Alex, his niceness is why you let him be your roommate in the first place,” Liz pointed out with a laugh.
“Yeah, so?” Alex groaned, “It’s overwhelming. Do you know what he does for fun? Puzzles. And then, last night I guess he ran out of puzzles, because I woke up at, like, three in the morning to get water and he was building a house of cards. Not just a house, a fucking castle. What the fuck is that? Why am I attracted to someone who builds card castles?”
Liz laughed even louder, “Alex, maybe it’s the quarantine. I mean, you’re stuck with him, so you’re bound to catch some feelings because they have nowhere else to go.”
“Okay, but he’s a straight guy that I once saw wash his hair in the kitchen sink on one side and defrost chicken on the other.”
“Ew,” Liz said.
“I know! And yet I look at him and want to put my head through a wall to stop feeling like a pile of goo,” he groaned, “Sometimes I think he is just instigating it.”
“What do you mean?”
“A couple mornings ago, he pulled me close to him and fed me a bite of eggs. Like, who does that? The more I think about it, the more I think he’s messing with me,” Alex whined. Liz was silent for a moment.
“Michael isn’t the type of guy to just, like, mess with people. Especially not his roommate,” she said cautiously. Alex didn’t know what to respond. “Maybe ask him not to do stuff like that? Ask him not to lead you on?”
“Okay, but I’m not going to ask him not to lead me on because then he’ll think I like him,” Alex argued.
“But you do.”
“But he doesn’t know that!”
“Hey, Alex?!” Michael called from the other room, very quickly making Alex panic about what he could’ve overheard.
“Yeah?!” Alex yelled back.
“Can you get me a towel from the dryer?! I washed them to take a shower and then I forgot!” he called. Alex gulped hard and looked upwards, letting out a quiet, strained noise.
“Yeah, gimme one second!” he yelled, “Okay, Liz, I gotta go, He needs me to get him a towel.”
“Seriously, Alex, you need to ask him—“
“Nope, bye! Talk to you later,” Alex said, hanging up before she could try to pressure him into having an adult conversation.
Instead, he went and fetched a towel and then knocked on Michael’s bathroom door. The door opened only a few inches, but it was enough to see a soaking wet body that was tanned and covered in chest hair and Alex realized he was beyond help.
Instead of risking saying anything embarrassing, he just held out the towel. Michael flashed a smile, a ringlet already forming against his forehead that dripped water onto his nose. How was he even real?
“Thank you,” Michael said, winking before he closed the door again.
Alex decided then and there that it had to just be hormones. He was going stir-crazy with nothing but hormones and a hot guy. That’s it. Because there was no goddamn way he looked that good. Alex had to be exaggerating in his head.
He just fucking had to.
-
“Okay, you promised me over a week ago that you’d teach me some things on the guitar and you still haven’t.”
“Okay, okay, come here,” Alex said. Michael smiled like a kid in a candy store and bounced on his toes before meeting Alex on the couch.
Alex had been a little bit better about keeping his distance and giving himself a reality check daily after the amount of wet skin he’d seen during the shower incident. That was really only two days ago, but still. He was reminding himself that he only felt so attracted to him because he had no other choice in the moment or something. Now, however, that was hard to remember when he was sitting so close.
Still, Alex handed over his guitar. Michael looked at him expectantly. It was almost too much to handle.
“Okay, so these things are called frets and the strings are numbered one through six going from this end to this end,” Alex said, pointing at what he was talking about. Michael nodded along. “Okay, so put your index finger on the first fret, second string. Middle finger on the second fret, fourth string. Ring finger, third fret, fifth string.”
Michael slowly did just that. When Alex reached to adjust his finger and hand placement, he let him. He listened well and molded to whatever Alex suggested.
“Okay, now strum,” Alex told him, listening to the sound it made, “And that’s C Major.”
“Oh, shit,” Michael laughed. Alex huffed and rolled his eyes.
For the next few minutes, Alex walked him through chords: A minor, G Major, F Major, the basics. He explained how to hold the neck of the guitar so it wouldn’t cramp up his hand and how to not press down too hard, but also not too light to get the best sound out of it. They walked through them and switching chords. Alex explained how it got easier with time and with calluses.
“And now basically you can play 90% of pop songs,” Alex said. Michael’s eyes went wide and he laughed.
“What?”
“Yeah, most pop music is made up of just those four chords or variations of them. Sorry to disappoint,” Alex told him. Michael shook his head.
“Show me another one,” he asked.
“Okay,” Alex agreed. He leaned a bit close again, talking and guiding Michael through the finger placement for D Major. But then Michael moved his hand off the body of the guitar and to Alex’s cheek, leaning.
For a moment, Alex was frozen and feeling more confused than he had in a long time.
“Sorry, do you not want to?” Michael asked after a few seconds of kissing Alex and Alex just not kissing back.
Logically, Alex should’ve explained that he was confused. He should’ve said that he thought Michael was straight and that, if he was indeed straight, he shouldn’t be doing this because this was mean. He should’ve been an adult.
But he had been stuck alone with him for three weeks and all sense of logic seemed to fly out the window.
Alex moved the guitar to the coffee table with one hand and grabbed Michael’s neck with the other. He pulled him in for a much more heedless kiss that the first one. Michael made a soft noise of approval as his hands went to pull Alex closer by his hips.
Things moved fast. If it were a normal circumstance or a normal situation, Alex would’ve thought it was too fast. But this wasn’t normal and Alex couldn’t contain himself. He’d been thinking about this for days. Weeks. Probably even months.
He let Michael kiss down his neck, he helped strip them both down, he happily melted when he was finally being touched by someone that wasn’t himself.
He enjoyed every second.
-
Alex wished his horny brain had warned him that the next morning would feel weird.
He woke up first and laid there, frozen on the couch for thirty minutes because he was too scared to moved. Michael was laying on top of him partially, his head on his chest and his thigh draped against his hips. It was the first time Alex had ever actually seen him sleep and so he was too nervous to wake him.
In that hour, though, he was able to plan what he was going to say. He was going to assure him that it didn’t mean anything and that things happen. It was just circumstances. They could still be roommates. Going down on a guy didn’t make anyone gay. He had it all planned and fully expected a breakdown the moment Michael woke up and realized what happened.
Only, again, he couldn’t have predicted what actually happened.
Michael woke up slowly, shifting a little bit and stretching his legs out. He didn’t jump or scream. He rubbed his thumb all the way from Alex’s nipple to his armpit and made a sweet waking-up sound before raising his head.
“Hi,” he said sweetly, his voice a little deeper than normal. It was jarring and Alex was trying to find the beginning of his speech. He was only more thrown off when Michael kissed his jaw and put his head back on his chest, seeming comfortable in their placement.
“Hey... Uh, maybe we should talk?” Alex said awkwardly. Only then did Michael seem to react, pushing himself up a little bit. He took in whatever expression happened to be on Alex’s face and sat up completely. Alex followed suit. “So, um, I’m sorry about last night. We’ve just been crammed together and stuff happens. I hope this doesn’t make it awkward between us. We can still be roommates.” Micahel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and, with each sentence of Alex’s speech, seemed to become more and more offended.
“What?” Michael asked, rubbing his face.
“I-I mean, don’t worry,” Alex assured, “What happened doesn’t make you gay and I hope you aren’t, like, weirded out by me.”
“Alex,” Michael said, voice matching the offended look as he held his hand up, “What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you acting like I wasn’t a fully engaged participant? Like, I did that on purpose, it wasn’t an ‘oops, tripped and fell onto your dick’.”
Alex gulped, shifting a bit as he began to feel offended. So he wasn’t wrong. Micahel had been leading him on.
“Okay, well, you can’t just act interested in me because you don’t have any girls to hook up with, that’s just—“
“Alex!” Michael said, cutting him off and looking at him with genuine hurt, “Why do you think I’m acting? What the fuck?”
Alex didn’t actually know what to say to that. He stared at him blankly, trying to think of a response that wouldn’t make this situation worse. But he figured he’d already ruined a soft morning by accusing him of things, so he might as well just say what he was thinking.
“You’re straight,” Alex said. Michael huffed a laugh, falling back into the couch and staring up at the ceiling.
“Why the hell do you think that?” Michael asked. Alex sat up pin-straight, looking at him in a whole different light by that one little sentence.
“You... You’ve only brought home girls,” Alex pointed out weakly.
“That’s just not true,” Michael said, looking over at him with amusement rather than anger. Alex relaxed a little. “Ari was a guy, you just didn’t see him, and Dylan was non-binary, you just didn’t see them either—and that’s just since we moved in together. You never saw anyone I brought over, Alex, don’t assume based on names I say and the way I look.”
Alex felt his face flush and he started feeling more than a little embarrassed. In fact, he was so embarrassed, he kind of wanted to cry. Or lay on the floor. Preferably both.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he said, dropping his head into his hands. Michael sighed and shifted closer, his hand pressing into Alex’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’m honestly more concerned with how many allegedly straight guys you’ve hooked up with that you had a speech prepared,” Michael said. Alex laughed a little.
“I was the only gay guy in my high school, I got pretty used to it,” he admitted.
Michael clasped his hand over Alex’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Alex melted into it, hoping that it meant he hadn’t embarrassed himself for life.
“I’m bisexual,” Michael said so confidently that it almost made Alex cry just by that alone. He was so sure of himself.
“So does that mean you were flirting with me?” Alex asked when he got to courage to raise his head. Michael huffed a laugh.
“Wow, thanks for noticing.”
Alex groaned, “God, I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Just, you know, head’s up, next time we hook up, I’d prefer to have the speech be at least an hour after I wake up,” Michael said. Alex groaned louder. “What? No cute remark about me saying next time?”
Alex held back a smile and glared at the boy in front of him.
“I already know there will be a next time because we are still going to be stuck alone in this apartment for at least a couple more weeks. It’s after that that I’ll have questions,” Alex said.
“So confident for someone so embarrassed,” Michael teased. Alex raised an eyebrow that said ‘am I wrong?’ He got a kiss instead of a response. “Here, to balance out your embarrassment, I’ll admit a thing. The only reason I brought that many people over was because I wanted to see if you’d get jealous and make a move.”
“I don’t get jealous, I just get confused.”
“Noted,” Michael laughed, nudging his nose against Alex’s. It was so much touching, so much affection. Alex couldn’t remember a time anyone had done that to him in a non-platonic way. “Point is, I liked you the moment I met you.”
“Liz insisted you were straight so I kept my distance until I couldn’t because I didn’t wanna catch feelings.”
“Oops.”
“Yeah, oops.”
They both laughed for a few seconds before it slowly died down through Michael giving him full heart eyes. It made Alex’s heart go a little haywire.
“Okay, so now that we talked, can we have a redo of last night where you don’t think you’re getting head from a straight dude?” Michael asked. Alex flashed a smile and nodded.
Who knew something good would come out of this?
#malex#malex fic#michael guerin#alex manes#roswell new mexico#my fic#i chose to leave out the part where all classical guitarists have really long right thumb nails#because while that would be accurate it's kind of a weird attribute#i knew one classical guitarist who bit all his nails except the right thumb#that bitch was like 2 inches long#he was a DAMN good player tho
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Unexpected Guest (Part 1?)
Unexpected Guest
“Hello, love! Sorry for the late call, but I wanted to let you know I landed safely and Monkey met me at the airport. Wanted to check-in with ya. Everything OK at the house? Have you found the wine we left you yet?”
“Yes. Tom, everything is amazing! Thank you so much for letting me stay here. And yes, I found the wine. Currently selecting the bottle for this evening, if you must know. The house is beyond perfect! Are you absolutely sure that the studio doesn’t mind?”
“Not one bit. Jakey is on vacation for the holidays with his family and Charlie and I are here in London with the boys through the New Year. Shooting doesn’t resume until the second week in January, so the place would just be sitting empty. My favorite camera operator needed a place to stay; and in all seriousness, love…they know better than to fuck with Venom.”
“You are such a dork. But again, thank you so SO much. It means more to me than you know.”
“You’re welcome, love,” he said sincerely. “Happy holidays to you. Shoot me or Charlie a text if you have any questions or problems. Just remember to try and relax. You’re not working for the next 2 weeks; so don’t spend all your time watching Jaws and working on your dolly tilt.”
“Fuck you, Tommy,” I said, laughing out loud. “You know very well that it’s called a dolly zoom. And it’s one of the single greatest camera shots in cinema history. I need to be ready when Spielberg calls.”
I could hear his laughter on the other end of the line. This man just loved busting my balls.
“Oh, Tom! Before I forget. I can’t find the number anywhere for the security company. I wanted to call them and have the gate code temporarily changed while I’m here. Just to make myself feel safer.”
“I don’t think we have it up anywhere. Let me find it and I’ll text it to you in a bit.”
“Got it. In all seriousness, thanks again, Tom. Love to you guys and to the boys!”
As I ended the call and searched for a corkscrew, I again marveled at just how amazing and bizarre this whole chain of events had been.
********************
Flashback
I’d been lucky enough to meet Tom Hardy and Jake Tomuri working as a camera operator on The Revenant two years ago. It was one of my first long-term jobs, and it had been a particularly brutal one. All the accounts of how difficult and exhausting the shoot had been were totally true. That said, I was there from the first day of shooting until the last; and you don’t go through that much with a group of people without making some good friends. After The Revenant had wrapped, everyone scattered to their own far-reaches of the globe, but a core group had kept in touch. Tom shot Taboo and the fourth season of Peaky Blinders in Europe for most of 2017 before beginning his prep for Venom; but as soon as he knew the starting date in Atlanta, he recommended me to the director. And the rest, as they say, was history.
On most location shoots, especially when it was a studio with money, the crew stayed in hotels near the set. Being a Marvel production, the crew received very nice accommodations on Venom, but Tom and Jake had reservations about me spending Christmas and New Year’s alone in a hotel room…even if it was a Marvel-funded hotel room. He and Jake had rented a house in Atlanta. Although, to call it a “house” was a bit of a stretch.
It was a big, beautiful, furnished mansion with a large pool out back and seven bedrooms. While it may have seemed a bit extravagant to the casual observer, it was important for them to have somewhere to stay that would provide not only security, but also space for their families to visit. Both men had significant others and four kids between them. Plus, to be perfectly honest, Jake and Tom were like two giant toddlers when left alone…and the boys needed space to play. You only had to take a look at Tom’s Instagram to see how much fun those two could have together. Hell, I didn’t even know they made Care Bear onesies in sizes large enough for an adult male. Tom and Jake each had two.
I knew that spending Christmas Eve alone sounded depressing, but I’d been on my own since 17 years old. Yes, I had some extended family, but no one that I considered close enough to spend the holidays with. I had always possessed an eye for camera work and managed to pay my way through film school by working on commercials. I got the job on The Revenant simply because I was able to do it conflict-free. I didn’t have a family or many close friends that would take me away from the arduous shoot. I could be there day in and day out and keep my focus. The director loved it; and since it was my first major Hollywood shoot, I set out trying to impress from the moment I walked on set. It worked.
I was on set for about a month before I started really meeting the cast. Tom and Jake had immediately taken me under their wings. They treated me like big brothers and were always supportive and encouraging.
I’d do dinners and movies and sing-a-longs with the boys after filming. Tom, Jake, and Paul were endlessly entertaining and it really made the months bearable. Each of them was in a happy, committed relationship and the thought of ever getting romantically involved with anyone on set was laughable to me. Camera work was my passion and what I had always dreamed of doing. I’d never let something as stupid as an on-set romance get in the way of my perfect job. Did I get lonely? Sure. Who didn’t? But there are worse things in life than being lonely.
I genuinely didn’t mind spending time on my own and would have been perfectly fine in my little hotel room for 2 weeks. But the boys had other plans.
After we finished shooting for the day, they cornered me as I was putting equipment away. Jake had a small present in his hands.
“Hey guys! We wrapped for the day almost 2 hours ago. What are you two still doing on set?”
“Well,” Tom said, “We knew that you planned to stick around and stay in the hotel for Christmas, but we have a better idea. We both have flights home tonight and our rented place will be empty. We want you to stay there. We’ve already cleared it with the necessary folks and it’s good to go. All you need to do is say ‘yes’. Now open your present!”
Inside the box was a small silver key and keychain shaped like a house. Tied around it, was a red ribbon.
“Pleeease!” Jake begged. “We decorated, and cleaned, and everything!”
Looking at my two smiling friends, I realized that I had no choice.
“Boys, there is only one outcome here, isn’t there?” I asked, smiling warmly at their expectant faces.
“Fuckin’ right there is!” Jake affirmed, scooping me up in a crushing bear hug.
“It’s good you said ‘yes’,” Tom chimed in. “Jakey stole your car at lunchtime. It’s already back home in the garage.”
After getting the security code for the house and giving both boys hugs and kisses goodbye, I found myself being dropped off at the main security gate by one of the production assistants. I wished him happy holidays and made my way inside.
They had really outdone themselves.
Turning on the stereo system and sending music throughout the house, I gave myself the grand tour.
In the living room was a huge, decorated Christmas tree. While we were on The Revenant set, I had shared my deep love for Christmas decorations. They were my favorite part of the holiday; and it seemed that the boys had remembered. The scene was something straight out of a catalog and I found myself deeply touched at how much they had done for me. And to make the gesture that much more beautiful, I knew that they did it simply because I was their friend…and never expected a thing in return. How I’d gotten so lucky, I’d never know.
The kitchen, which looked like it hadn’t been touched, was spotless. Opening the fridge, I found it stocked with water, snacks, and a lot of wine. The guys knew I liked to cook and bake, and they had definitely ensured that I wouldn’t go hungry during my stay. I could probably cook a family meal each night and still not run out of food before they got back.
Grabbing my bags, I headed upstairs. All of the bedrooms had been cleaned and linens had been changed, so I had my pick of accommodations. One caught my eye. The king size bed was plush with cream colored blankets. It wasn’t the biggest bedroom in the house, but it had a beautiful stone gas fireplace at the foot of the bed and a window overlooking the backyard. In my suitcase, I found a pair of old yoga pants and the tank top that Jakey had gotten me for my birthday. He had convinced me to do yoga with him one day after shooting. I hated it and informed him that I preferred to drink for stress relief. Not only did I never have to do yoga with him again, but I got a killer shirt out of it. Completing the look with a pair of fuzzy pink socks, I made my way back downstairs to check out the rest of the house.
Downstairs was a game room, complete with pool table and bar which led to the coziest home theater I had ever seen. The overstuffed couches were made for snuggling up in front of the screen and I knew that I’d more than likely spend at least a few nights dozing off in there.
I strolled back upstairs and into the kitchen, intent on taking a closer look at the wine in the fridge, when my phone started to ring. It was late, but I knew immediately who’d be on the other end. I made Tom promise that he’d call once he was home. We chatted for a few minutes; and after thanking him profusely and sending my love to Charlie and the boys, I hung up and got ready to start my evening.
End Flashback
***********************************
I had two weeks off and I planned to make the most of every second. Just as I was about to uncork my bottle, I heard it.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
My heart jumped into my throat.
The house was supposed to be empty. Tom, Jake, and the producers were the only ones who knew I’d be here and I was the only one with the gate code. How could anyone have gotten to the door?!
Immediately, I grabbed my phone and began to dial 911.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Before I could complete the call, my screen lit up.
‘Hardy calling’ was displayed on the screen.
My panic increased by the second.
“Hello! Tom! Tom, someone’s at the door! They’re pounding on it. I need to hang up and call the police!”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The disturbance at the door continued as I got more and more scared and tears began to fall. My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest.
This was not how the evening was supposed to go…
“Tom! Tom, I’m scared! I’m hanging up now. I need to call the cops! Whoever is out there bypassed the security code. I’m alone here. Please, let me call for help!”
“Pet, calm down! Listen to me! You’re OK. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Tom, you’re on the other side of the ocean. I need help here NOW! I’m hanging up!” I yelled as the knocking at the door continued.
“Wait! Please! Did you see The Drop?” He asked.
“Excuse me!?”
“The Drop. My movie. Did you see it?”
“Hardy, I swear to fuck, if the last thing I do before I die is chat with you about your filmography, I’m going to haunt your ass for-fucking-ever.”
“Love, go open the door.”
“No! Have you not heard a single thing I’ve said?! There. Is. Someone. Out. There.”
“Yes. And I know who it is.”
Then he was gone.
In the silence that followed, I heard a phone ring outside and a muffled male voice.
“Hey man, glad you got my text! I’m right outside! Come let me in!”
Of course, I could only hear one side of the conversation, but quickly putting two and two together, I knew that whoever was out there was currently speaking with Tom.
I silently tiptoed the door, still on high alert, but starting to calm down.
“Yeah bro. Yeah. OK. Should I just leave? I feel like an asshole. Do you think she’d let me apologize?”
I recognized the voice. The Drop. That’s why Tom had asked.
“Yeah. Yeah man, OK. Love to you and Charlie! I’ll give you a call in a bit. Yep. OK, bye.”
All was silent for a few moments. I leaned my head against the wood and waited.
And then I heard the voice again from the other side.
“Ummm…hello? Tom said you were probably on the other side of the door by now waiting. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise. I’m a friend of Tom’s. He gave me the gate code a few weeks ago. I was shooting in New Mexico and was going to try to make it out here before he left to head back to London. But apparently, I missed him. I sent him a text when I got here…and then he called you to try and warn you in time. Which I guess…didn’t happen. I really never meant to scare you. And I really hope you are on the other side of this door like Tom said…or else I’m going to feel especially stupid for royally fucking up and then apologizing to a door.”
I smiled despite the aftershocks of fear still pulsing in my veins.
Slowly, I unlatched the door and pulled it open.
The unexpected guest was standing in the light of the front porch with his hands in his pockets. When our eyes met, he smiled softly.
“Hi. I’m Matthias.”
Note: I have NO idea where this story came from and I’m not exactly sure what to do with it. Part 2?
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