TNT Short Fics

Family that I chose - Part 1

She's taking it all in. The overwhelming lights and sounds and people. God, all of the people. The wall of joy that is 90,000 people singing together is beyond anything she's experienced. And in the middle of it all-commanding it all-there is Taylor.

Tay.

The woman who has stolen her brother-in-law's heart and who confessed over too much wine on the deck that Easter evening that Kylie intimidated her to which she said right back at you. It had left them laughing and erased any lingering hesitancy between them. And now here she is seeing her in her element as THE Taylor Swift but all Kylie sees is Tay. Singing the same song that she'd goofily danced around the kitchen singing with Wyatt that spring day.

Tay who is looking over across the sea of fans with a familiar look Ky saw peering out nervously onto a football field, across a crowded suite of people cheering, and over her own dining room table. A look all for her sweet, goofy, overgrown kid of a brother.

Ky shifts her focus to the man beside her and she almost stops singing. The look on Trav's face. God she's seen look. He looks close enough to his brother to know that look.

Fireworks.

And it's all directed right back at Taylor. Kylie smiles softly and glances to her left, planning to point it out to Jason. But instead, she catches the eye of Tay's mom. Andrea smiles, tilts her head towards Travis with a nod, and mouthes one word.

"Endgame."

******

Travis's crew is being rowdy as usual. She smiles though because sometimes things never change. She's happy to hear them both because she and J are upstairs on the other side of the house and also their rowdy banter reminds her of every football gathering she's ever been to. She finishes grabbing a water and thinks about heading to bed when Trav walks in from the hall leading to the master bedroom.

"Hey, Ky. You hitting the hay?" he asks, reaching into the freezer for something which turns out to be ice packs. She looks at them quizically.

He shrugs, "You know the routine post-game, yeah?"

Oh duh. She really never thought about performers after a concert, how like a game it would be. Taylor is an athlete as much as her own husband was. She definitely knows that after witnessing the work it took all the performers on that stage tonight.

Another cheer goes up from the living room. She and Travis share a look.

She reaches for the ice packs and says, "How about I take these and you go rein them in? You know better how to settle them down I'm sure. And find Jason while you're at it. Remind him he has to get up for the pod in the morning and still has another show."

"You are sending me in?" he says skeptically.

"Yes," she responds. "The irony is not lost on me. But I know you won't leave her too long."

He smiles the bashful smile J calls Trav's lovesick puppy face. "Nah, I'll just make sure none of them are standing on the furniture or thinking about running through the streets of London or anything, then I'll be back."

He heads towards the living room and she hears the yells of "Big Yeti!" as he walks in. She shakes her head before grabbing some towels and heading towards the bedroom.

Taylor is sitting up in bed, hair wet and wearing an oversized Chiefs shirt, scrolling her phone as Ky knocks on the doorframe.

"Hey, I thought you went to bed!" she exclaims, swinging her legs towards the ground. "I would have stayed up."

"Absolutely not, do not move," Kylie orders with her hands out in front of her. "You have like 7 more hours of shows this week. I brought you the ice packs. Trav is on friend wrangling duty."

Tay arches a brow at her.

"I know but I'm hopeful," she replies as she hands over the ice and towels. "Mainly because Jason is somewhere in there and needs extracting."

Taylor laughs and puts one ice pack on her left shin and the other on the top of her right foot, sighing when the cold hits her skin. "Thanks, Ky."

"You need more? Sometimes J was covered in them after a game."

"Yeah, I got good at balancing them all over Travis last season. But no. I just get cramps sometimes after," she shares. "Want to stay a minute?"

"Sure."

She sits down at the end of the bed. Then, remembering the tipsy familiarity they forged in Philly, she flops back on the bed, heaving a tired sigh.

"Jesus, I'm tired. How the fuck do you do all that, lady?" she asks.

Taylor shrugs, "Training, no jetlag, and no littles to chase around after day after day like you do.

Kylie laughs before teasing, "True, unless you count the big kid in the other room."

Tay looks confused and then catches on. She laughs but then says, "You'd be surprised. He's one of the steadiest things."

Ky looks at her. Her cheeks pink and face serious. It prompts Kylie to clarify, "You know, I actually don't think I would be. He's...he's different now. Calmer. I mean he's still Travis so that is relative. But you even him out-in a good way. He's always been a good guy. One of the best. But you bring out the man we all knew was in there somewhere."

"He does the same for me," Taylor responds quietly. She looks down and fiddles with the duvet on the bed before continuing. "I...I get in my head, get lost in there, or caught up trying to do everything, be everything. He pulls me out."

Kylie smiles. Taylor has that same look from earlier. The one she had that was so loud across a sea of 90,000 people.

"Finding that person is great isn't it?"

Taylor smiles and looks down again, nodding.

"Jas, I mean he blew our first date. But after, I remember just knowing I had to give him a second chance for some reason. And he showed up big time the next date. And made me laugh. God did he make me laugh. I'm...I don't like being the center of attention. But something about him, I wanted to be the center of his. And that was it...fireworks."

Tay leans back against the headboard smiling and nodding. "They never went away."

"No they don't, do they?" she levels back at Tay.

"No," Taylor says with certainty-as a fact. Kylie can feel herself grinning at her. She's so happy to see these two sweet, gregarious, talented, goofy people find each other.

"I'm glad you're here, Tay," she says, looking at her steadily, hoping she understands she means with Trav. With this family.

"I am too," Tay returns warmly. "I'm glad Trav came and got me. I'd hate to have missed out on all of you."

Kylie grabs her hand a squeezes, knowing she has a new family member. Being herself, she has to joke, "And thank you for evening things out. I am tired of being outnumbered by those two assholes."

Tay throws her head back laughing before adding, "Let's team up. They won't know what'll hit them."

At that moment, Travis appears at the door, and they look at him before looking at each other, snickering.

"What am I missing in here," he asks curiously. He has a beer in one hand and the cat in the other.

They smile at each other and Kylie stands up, "Secret girl stuff, Trav." she states with a stern look.

"Who is being sneaky now, Ky?" he says with a roll of his eyes as he plops Benji at Taylor's side and sweeps down to kiss her cheek.

"You two are grossly adorable, you know that right?" she can't help but ask.

"Yeah," they say in unison which starts them giggling.

"Ugh, at least tell me you found your brother in the living room rave?"

"I did," Trav says. "I think the jet lag hit him. He and Benji were in a staring contest. I'm not sure who looked more annoyed at the other. I pushed him towards your room."

"Perfect," Kylie turns to head out, "Night, you two. I'm going to go tell Jason Prince William is gonna give us a royal breed of cat to take home just to fuck with him."