A Chance Encounter (Tom Holland AU) [1]

Nine

Tom looked at me gently as I took a deep breath. "Gwen Stacy is an iconic character." He nodded softly. "And I'm just some college girl who was in the right place at the right time. I don't know if I can do this. Plus, what if they get mad at me because I'm not actually Gwen Stacy, but I'm Stacy Adams?"

"I can tell you right now that no one will have an issue with Stacy Adams. Zendaya as Michelle Jones is getting as much support as Mary Jane would." His voice was reassuring as he calmed one of my many fears. "Besides, I, along with many others, believe you will be great."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Tom. I've never acted before."

"But you've told me all about your experience in musicals. That's acting." He started rubbing my arm gently.

"I was only there because of my dancing," I whispered softly as I looked at him.

"Then think of this movie as a recital. Dancing tells a story, right?" I sniffled, nodding a bit. He gently wiped a tear off of my cheek as he continued. "You're telling the story of Stacy Adams. Just treat it like that. And we'll all be there with you. You're not going through this brand-new experience alone."

"Okay." My voice was soft as I looked up at him. I could tell from Tom's expression that he hated seeing me like this. "Hey, Tom?"

"Yes, lovely?" I smiled gently at his affectionate pet name.

"I don't think I wanna be alone tonight. Can you stay with me?" I looked up at him softly, biting my lip gently.

"Of course, love." He smiled as he rubbed my arm.

"Do we have any ice cream?" I gave him a soft smile, and he chuckled.

"We do. Would you like to come with me?" When I nodded, he smiled as he gently let go and stood up.

I have to admit, I have a soft spot for birthday cake ice cream, so when Tom pulled out a tub of it, I smiled gently. He really knew how to lift my spirits, and I appreciated it. "You're the best, Tom. Truly."

"I try." He gave me a childish grin as he handed me a spoon. We made our way back up to my bedroom, where we sat and ate our ice cream. "Can I tell you something, Grace?"

"Always." I gave him a gentle grin as I brought the spoon to my lips.

"I was just as scared as you are when I found out about Spider-Man." He gave me a kind, knowing look. "Anxiety attack included."

"Really?" He chuckled as I spoke with a huge bite of ice cream in my mouth.

"Yeah. I was so nervous about becoming Spider-Man because literally everyone knows who he is. My mum helped me calm down, and her support helped me get through the process of filming Civil War." He gave me a gentle smile as he raised the spoon to his lips.

"Wow." I let all of that information sink in as I took another bite of ice cream. Tom had gone through the exact same thing I just went through, and he was now one of the favorite actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"You can do this, Grace. We all believe in you." He gave me a polite smile as I blushed.

"Thank you, Tom." I smiled softly, giggling as he nodded while shoving a huge bite of ice cream into his mouth. Once I finished my ice cream, I let out a gentle yawn.

"Let's get some sleep love. We have an early call tomorrow morning." He took my bowl and set it on my nightstand along with his.

"Okay." I nodded as he crawled under the covers. I was so grateful he was willing to stay with me so I didn't get lost in my thoughts again. The mere idea of doing that worried me.

I turned the lights off, soon crawling under the covers with him. A slight blush crept onto my cheeks as he pulled me into his arms. "Goodnight love. You're going to be fantastic." He mumbled softly as he kissed the top of my head gently.

"Thank you, babe." I grinned, kissing his cheek before I closed my eyes.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I was still in Tom's arms, and I smiled to myself as I heard him quietly snoring. I kissed his cheek gently before I gently climbed out of his arms, getting into the shower to wake myself up for our first day on set.

Once I was out of the shower, I went back to my room to see that Tom had woken up and was probably getting ready himself. I saw a piece of paper on my pillow.

You're gonna be amazing, Grace. I just know it.

I smiled as I read it, extremely thankful for him making sure I wouldn't worry anymore. He's the best.

On set, Zendaya and I were sharing a trailer. I was really excited to get to know her more, and I hoped she would be able to help me through some of my feelings. Ali always liked helping, but I didn't want to ask her about some of my current feelings because I could already anticipate her answers. "I saw Tom leaving your room this morning. How was your night with him, Grace?" She asked, giving me a teasing smile.

"It wasn't like that." I laughed, knowing what she was leading too. "He helped me calm my fears about this process."

"And he stayed with you all night?" I nodded, and she shook her head with a smile. "He's really got it bad."

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow gently.

"He's so into you. Hell, I knew before I even met you." My eyes widened, and she chuckled. "When we saw the premiere of Far From Home, it was clear as day. His eyes lit up as soon as he heard your voice."

"Really...?"

"And every time he talks about you, he gets all giggly and smiley. His flirting with you hasn't been for nothing, you know." I mean, I had secretly hoped that was the case, but now that I knew that it was, I was taken aback. He really did like me?

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