Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

We Meet At Last •|| MARJOREECE + OLIVE ||•

Prompt: Olive gets anxious about meeting her online friends for the first time.

Olive scrolled through her phone, legs curled up on the couch, the familiar group chat pinging every couple of seconds.

Lizzy: ONE MORE DAY, GUYS. ONE!!!

Jer: I'M GONNA CRY WHEN I SEE Y'ALL I SWEAR

Chris: Bet

Ren: I already have snacks packed. Priorities.

Hannah: Aren't we meeting up for dinner???

The usual chaos. Olive smiled, but a lump sat stubbornly in her throat.

Her thumb hovered over the screen as she read and reread their messages. She knew these people. Or at least, she knew their names, their birthdays, their profile pictures, the jokes they shared, the nights they'd stayed up ranting about fandom drama and laughing at each other's memes and idiotic drawings and crazy hilarious stories. It was easy online. Safe.

But meeting them in person? That was a whole other story.

Across the room, Marjorie lounged in an armchair, one leg draped lazily over the side, flipping through a home decor magazine she'd absolutely never follow through on. Reece was in the kitchen, fiddling with something in the kitchen, though Olive had a sneaking suspicion it was a frozen pizza they had bought from the supermarket for times when her dad was too tired to cook (aka tonight).

"Hey... um, Marjorie? Dad?"

Marjorie looked up instantly, the magazine sliding down onto her lap. "Yes, my love?"

"I... can I talk to you guys for a sec?"

Reece turned, arching a brow. "Course you can, kiddo."

Olive sat up straighter, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her jumper. "It's about the meetup. With my fandom friends."

Marjorie's face lit up. "Oh! That's tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah. And I... I dunno, I'm kinda freaking out about it."

Marjorie was up in a second, abandoning the magazine and flopping beside Olive on the couch with a soft oof. "What's going on in that head of yours, my love?"

Olive swallowed. "I'm just... what if they don't like me? Like, they've only ever seen my face in selfies and in calls, you know? I can pick the good angles, the good lighting. They've never seen me like- like this."

She gestured vaguely to herself. Baggy jumper, messy bun, no makeup, socks that didn't match. Just Olive.

"What if they think I'm too quiet? Or they don't like how I dress? Or my... body? I'm not like those other girls who post their outfits and look perfect all the time. And they don't know how I get when I'm anxious. What if it's weird?"

The words tumbled out in a rushed, shaky breath, and Olive hated how small she sounded.

Reece closed the oven - wisely leaving on a timer so that they wouldn't have a repeat of last time- and joined them, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Liv, listen to me. You're not weird. You're brilliant. And funny. And one of the kindest, most talented people I know. Those girls already love you."

"But what if-"

"No," Marjorie cut in gently, taking Olive's hand. "They know you, Liv. Not the filtered version, not some polished version you feel like you have to be. The you who stays up drawing fanart at 2am and sends memes about that creator's skits, and writes those soft little fluff stories that make everyone sob. That's who they've bonded with."

Reece nodded. "And if any of them have a problem with your clothes or your body or the way you speak? Then they can jog on, because anyone worth keeping in your life wouldn't care about any of that."

Marjorie squeezed her hand. "You don't owe anyone 'perfect,' Olive. You just owe yourself the chance to make memories with people who've already proven they care."

Olive felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, but for once, it wasn't fear. It was something warmer. Safer.

She gave a watery laugh. "I'm being dumb, aren't I?"

"Not even a little," Marjorie said softly. "It's scary, meeting people for the first time. Especially after months online. But you're braver than you think, my love."

Reece grinned. "And hey- if it's a disaster, you come home and we order pizza and watch terrible movies, yeah?"

Olive sniffed, smiling now. "Deal."

As Marjorie pulled her into a hug, Olive felt a little of the knot in her stomach unravel. She knew the nerves wouldn't disappear completely. But it was easier, somehow, with Reece's arm slung around the back of the couch, Marjorie's hand rubbing circles on her back, and the promise of home always waiting for her.

"Okay," she breathed. "I think I can do this."

"Of course you can," Marjorie murmured. "You're a Knight. It's in your blood."

Reece snorted. "Poor kid."

Olive laughed, swatting at his arm, and for the first time that evening, she picked up her phone and typed back in the group chat.

Olive: Okay, not gonna lie,, lowkey anxious for tomorrow but I'm so damn excited to see you beyond fucked up idiots

The flood of heart emojis and chaotic responses came instantly. And Olive grinned.

She was going to be just fine.

[A/N: AHHHHHHHH!! I'm so excited, I just have to share it with you guys!!! I know I'm a stranger on the internet for most of you guys, but I don't care! :') I'm meeting my fandom friends in real life for the first time tomorrow!! Eeeeeeeeeek!!! I can't wait to meet them! But I'm honestly still a bit nervous, but we talked and now everyone is fine! 😭 But, yeah! I'M SO EXCITED!!!]

[A/N: Being in this fandom has it upsides! Because through here, I met the most awesome, idiotic, people that I vibe with and love with all my heart!]

[A/N: Also, part 2 of this tomorrow after our meet up? Or...]