guilty as sin? (tayvis)

i'm the mess that you wanted

Taylor woke to the quiet hum of October morning light. The Eras Tour was on her mind. She had been deep in planning mode for months—setlists, costumes, transitions, all the intricate details that would soon make it her biggest tour yet. But today, her mind wasn't consumed by the usual creative rush. Instead, it lingered on Travis.

The weight of her career was always present. She was twenty days away from releasing Midnights, an album that felt like baring her soul all over again, but in a new way. She knew what was coming: the interviews, the anticipation from fans, and the pressure of delivering something monumental. There was always pressure.

And Travis... His birthday was in four days, right before the NFL season really started to pick up. He'd be traveling soon, his schedule as chaotic as hers. It was something they had both accepted—being at the top of their respective fields meant sacrifices. But for the first time, Taylor wondered if they could balance it all.

She rolled over to face him, still sleeping soundly beside her. His presence felt steady, a calm in the storm of their worlds. She reached out, her fingers tracing his jawline lightly, and he stirred, his eyes slowly opening, locking onto hers.

"Good morning," he mumbled, his voice deep and groggy, a lazy smile spreading across his face.

"Morning," she whispered back, her heart fluttering in a way she wasn't used to. It wasn't nerves—it was something more certain. Something that felt like home.

Travis pulled her closer, his hand resting against her back, but as her mind drifted, she thought of the next few weeks. "You know, we're about to be really busy," she said softly, as if the admission carried weight she wasn't ready to fully confront.

He nodded, already aware of where her thoughts were headed. "Yeah, we are. Football's going full swing, Midnights is about to drop... And you've got the tour coming next year"

Taylor bit her lip, her fingers drawing small circles on his chest. "It's just... it feels like the calm before the storm. I don't want us to lose this—what we have right now—once everything gets crazy."

Travis shifted, propping himself up slightly so he could look at her. "Tay, we both have careers that demand a lot from us. That's never been a secret. But we've made it work so far. And if there's anyone who can handle juggling a million things at once, it's you."

His words were reassuring, but she couldn't shake the feeling of how delicate it all seemed. "But it's not just about me. You've got your season, I've got this massive album release, and then the tour... I don't want us to get swallowed up by everything."

Travis cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over her skin. "We won't. You know why? Because we both want this. And we're not just gonna let it slip away because we're busy. We'll find time, even if it means I'm flying out to see you at midnight on my off days, or you're calling me between set rehearsals."

Taylor smiled at the image of him sneaking into her tour rehearsals just to steal a few moments together. "It's not that I don't believe we can make it work. I just don't want us to lose sight of us in the middle of everything else."

"We won't," he promised, his voice firm. "We're building something, Tay. I'm not walking away from that because of football, and you're not walking away because of music. We'll figure it out, like we always do."

She rested her head on his chest, taking in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "You're right," she admitted quietly. "I just... I care about you, and I don't want anything to mess this up."

Travis kissed the top of her head, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. "We're good, Tay. We've got this."

For a moment, the weight lifted. She believed him. They had both fought so hard for their careers, and now they were fighting for each other. It wasn't going to be easy, but maybe the best things never were.