Taylor x Travis: In Every Life

you've got this

Travis' POV

I could tell that something was off as soon as I saw Taylor take the stage for the first Lover song. The crowd was going nuts, probably not spotting the tiny change, but I knew my girlfriend inside and out and there was something wrong. Her smile was a little too forced, her voice going up a fraction higher than it normally did at the end of lines. She'd seemed a little quiet today, sure, but when I'd asked, Taylor had just told me that she was saving her energy for the show. But now she seemed like she was drained, pulling the smiles and the passion with so much effort.

Knowing that there was something wrong, I left the VIP tent immediately. A few cameras followed me as I did so, maybe thinking I was going to appear on stage again, but I just smiled kindly at the fans and didn't stop. I was let through backstage automatically, walking easily through the tents I knew off by heart after so many times attending Taylor's shows. No one questioned me since they were so used to having me around, and I made my way beneath the stage to Taylor's quick change corner. The two young girls that helped her quick change were hanging around chatting, waiting for the transition of eras.

"Oh hey Travis!" One of them - Tara - said while Harriet just nodded with a smile. "What's up?"

"I just need to talk to Taylor for a second." I murmured.

"Is this a private thing?" Harriet asked. "Because we can go and give you two a second if you want to help her change."

"Yeah, actually that would be great." I smiled gratefully. Taylor knew how to get herself through quick changes easily and all I would have to do was help. "Thanks."

The girls smiled, staying until the last song before the transition, and then they went off so I could have some privacy to talk to Taylor. I got her Fearless bodysuit ready, unzipping her boots so it would be easy for her to change into them, and waited until she came down. When she did, she blinked in surprise to see me waiting for her.

"What's going on?" Taylor asked, immediately moving to step out of her boots. I knelt to help her and she rested her hands on my shoulders for balance.

"Baby I came to check if you were okay." I told her as I straightened up, pushing her boots aside and unclasping the necklace she wore. Taylor frowned, shrugging out of her bodysuit. "You look like you're forcing it tonight and I thought I'd see if there was something wrong I could help fix, or if it's just one of those nights."

"It's just one of those nights." Taylor whispered as I helped her into her Fearless bodysuit, doing it up before crouching to help her with the boots. Her eyes were full of tears when I stood up and she took my face in her hands. "I think I can push through it, but thank you for coming to see me Travis." She said quietly. "You don't know how much it helps."

"Well how about I be your quick change for tonight huh?" I offered. "I'll see you every change and we'll get you through this." Taylor nodded, taking a deep breath as she wiped her face clean of emotion, putting on her stage smile.

"Okay." She kissed me quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too." I murmured, watching as she rushed off to meet her mark for the next era.

I knew how much Taylor struggled through shows when she was having a bad night, but she always pushed herself to her limit and got herself up as high as she could to do it. She'd be exhausted with the extra effort, but luckily this was the last night of this weekend's shows and I could help her through her recovery days with no obligations for either of us to step out of our hotel room. All I had to do was keep her spirits up for a few more hours, and I could get her through it. I knew she'd punish herself if she thought she didn't give the crowd a good show, which I'd been working on trying to avoid.

But she was really struggling. I could tell it was harder for her than usual. Taylor was just absolutely exhausted, her body worn down from the nights of shows, energy levels dropping every time she came to change. I tried my best to keep her smiling and remind her that she could do this, but I knew she was beating herself up for feeling unwell.

"I'm sorry." Taylor sniffed, a tear running down her cheek as I helped her into her TTPD outfit, zipping the dress up the back.

"Hey baby, oh it's okay." I hugged her, wiping the tear away. "You're so tired, and you're allowed to be. Don't push yourself."

"I need to." She scrubbed at her eyes. "They're all here to see me and I just can't bring them the show I usually would."

"They love it baby, listen to them." I gestured to the crowd we could hear still cheering for her. Taking Taylor's face in my hands, I kissed both of her cheeks and then her lips. "You love this album remember? You love these songs, and you love doing surprise songs. Throw your heart into this set and I'll be right here to help you through the last one."

Taylor nodded, and I rubbed my thumbs beneath her eyes before kissing her again. She managed a smile as she ran off and I sighed, wishing I could make it all easier for her. She was just exhausted, trying to push herself too much and I was going to be there to help her realize she needed to pull back. 

She pushed through the last bit of the show and I was there the second she came off stage. Taylor fell into my arms, sobbing with exhaustion, but I knew she was glad she'd done it. I held her close and hugged her tightly, rocking back and forth the way I knew comforted her. Taylor clung to me, crumping her weight against my body, but I held her up so she didn't have to. She was exhausted.

Taylor didn't speak as I helped her out of her boots and jacket, and I just picked her up and carried her the back way out of the tents so no one would be able to see her. She all but fell asleep against me as we drove back to the hotel, and I made sure to shield her from cameras as security helped us to rush inside. 

"Mhm." Taylor groaned when I walked into our hotel room, frowning as she buried her face in my shirt.

"I know baby." I crooned. "I know. Let's get you into some comfy clothes and into bed yeah?"

"No!" She moaned. "Just sleep."

"Baby..."

"Sleep." Taylor insisted, so I sighed and moved over to the bed. She crawled beneath the covers in her bodysuit and tights, burying her face in the pillow.

I walked over to the bathroom, finding Taylor's makeup wipes in her bag and taking out one. She grumbled as I rubbed her shoulder, rolling her onto her back, but she let me start to wipe gently at the makeup on her face. I knew she hated to sleep with it on, so I wiped it gently away before planting a kiss on her nose. 

"Sleep now?" Taylor mumbled. 

"In a minute." I put the makeup wipe aside, moving to help her out of her costume. Taylor grumbled but let me change her into one of my shirts, and she fell asleep almost instantly when I tucked her in. "Good night my angel." I whispered, brushing my lips against her cheek.

short and sweet bc i couldn't make the writing flow any longer, but yeah it's something