⠀⠀★⠀.ᐣ⠀

The knock on the door captured his attention immediately, a tired, but still bright smile on his face greeting exactly the one he was hoping to be. "Hi," he got up, adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "How's everything? ...You?" he added the last bit in a quieter tone, almost as if he was afraid there was still someone, somewhere, who would be able to listen to them. He got a bottle of water from the table and, upon approaching the bodyguard, he handed it over to him. Tom had been working till now, just as well, so he was pretty sure he hadn't had thought of looking after himself, too— knowing him. "Are we good to go?"
            
            
            // ofccc !!!! tysmm as well, love xx

   when they left the stage,  it was security's job to make sure the crowd actually  *left*.  so they'd have to spend an extra hour or so getting people out and checking the area before they could go back.  tom couldn't allow himself to think fondly about jon until the second he was right outside the backstage room,  when he was finally  *almost*  done.  he was still sorta in work mode,  even if jon might tell him to relax a little.  he knocked on the door of the backstage room and poked his head through to see that it was only jon,  and he breathed a steady sigh of relief.  "hi."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE    tysmmmm  <3333 

   he was just calming down.  trying to rationalise all of this,  mutter to himself that it was all fine and normal until the guy picked up that damn poster.  tom took it from his hands and stared at it,  but tried to force a look of nonchalance onto his face.  "i think they probably figured it out."  he folded up the flyer and stuffed it into his pocket,  sniffling to try and calm himself down.  he was gonna have to go around and go back out there.  he couldn't leave them to fend for themselves.  there's still a chance that everyone was okay.  "well.  good luck out there,  man.  i'm headed to the venue.  it was weird to meet you."  
            
            /    @-REQUIEMS   WHY WOULS UOU DO THISSSSS </33333 

Leon didn't answer; there were things the other didn't know about and, to be able to fully understand everything... it was a long story. And they didn't have the time. He allowed the other a moment to process what happened, while he went through their resources. Weapons, ammo, flashlight, tool kit, mix of healing herbs... they didn't have a lot on them, but enough to handle their own till they got to the extraction point. A flyer nearby caught Leon's attention. It was today's date. "Is there a concert in town?" he showed him the pamphlet. "Hope the band got the memo that the city was under attack—" a band Tom knew... way too well...
            
            
            // MWAHAHAAH sorry for the EVIL touch 3:)

   "and that's your call to make?!  you can't just choose when we give up!  what the fuck!"  he knew he was being ridiculous now,  fighting an argument when a part of him knew that the guy was right.  they couldn't fight for people who weren't willing to protect themselves,  it'd only kill them in the process,  but...  well.  tom had never fought like this before,  and it was scary.  he looked back at him,  eyes narrowed and a little frustrated but it was fizzling out slowly.  "shit."  he huffed,  conceding the point without saying it outright,  and nodding his head.  he sent one last glance to the room where the people had been.  "yeah,  fine.  okay."  
            
            /   @-REQUIEMS 

   he laughed at the way jon nudged him and he swayed gently as if to tease him for the action,  still watching the musician with a thoughtful smile.  "think i'd be there for mr clarke,  actually."  tom didn't know about any of those boring old books,  but he was certain that jon would be able to convince him to do many things.  quietly.  just between them.  "think i'd be way more interested in what he has to say than any of those old people." 
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

"Ha! Would you? Become a library nerd? ...Would you be there for Mr. Shakespeare, Mr. Wilde and Mrs. Shelley, or would you be there only for the kisses, sweetheart?" he inquired him teasingly, nudging his shoulder with his own playfully. He fully believed he could get Tom hooked into literature... if he tried really hard to win that *bad boy's* heart, that is!
            
            
            // xxxxx

   tom hadn't felt this good in a long while,  he hadn't felt so at peace in manchester.  he obviously couldn't see himself coming back often,  couldn't see him moving back or visiting anyone else,  but the opportunity to show jon around was exciting.  it was a good bit of this crazy city.  "i bet you would.  i think you'd have too much of an influence over me,  actually.  it'd probably be a bit unfair.  i'd turn into a bloody library nerd."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE   <333 !!!!! 

He laughed at his response, but nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed, I will. You being careful or not, I'm bound to 'steal' your job," he grinned to him, taking one of his hands in his. "Even more now, that I have those self-defense classes under my belt," he joked, winking playfully at him.

   he pulled back to settle beside jon,  watching his face and smiling at his reply from a fairly close distance.  this felt so simple,  and thomas was grasping onto that feeling.  "i can imagine.  you're gonna steal my job off me if i'm not careful,  seeing as i'm supposed to be the literal protector."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

He laughed along with him, "Insane gestures, yeah," he repeated after him, nodding his head as if very much agreeing with his definition.
            "My love language? Interesting question," he never really stopped to think about that from that perspective. "Perhaps... though I tend to be a bit too protective over everyone I care about, I think— it drives my ma and sister crazy!"

It wasn't hypocritical. Tom had his reasons, it wasn't because Jon didn't know said reasons, that it wasn't valid! He had every right to be private about his life, the musician wouldn't ever hold it against him (it may seem that he did, that he did hold it against him, once— but it wasn't true. It was all part of *that night*, that regretful night... where he used all and every weapon at hand, unfairly, to try and push him away— unjustifiably).
            "Yeah? Nice," he stood up, holding out a hand to help him up, too— and, also, as an invitation for him to come with him. "You coming?"

  his nodding felt frantic,  because of course he wanted to know jon better than those stupid magazines and articles did.  he wanted to know him personally,  to look him in the eyes and be trusted with things nobody else was.   it was hypocritical,  maybe,  to be so private,  but it just felt safer.  he wanted to let go of the guilt he'd been holding onto for so long now.  he wanted to let himself feel the light that jon made him see,  somehow.  "yeah."  he agreed,  before realising he'd turned into some sort of robot that could only give half-answers somewhere along the line.  "yes,  i like that idea."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

He felt like he could have fainted— at every word Tom spoke, he had to resist the urge of pinching himself to know if he was dreaming, because this felt way too surreal. All that fear both of them seemed to have been feeling, just to learn that they were, both, equally, madly in love for each other? This had to be a dream! ...Although, Jon knew it, his dreams weren't ever this good...
            He nodded to him, eventually, as if snapping back to reality— that would be a privilege. "I want you to know me, too. The real me," not whatever was written periodically on a generic tabloid. He brought Tom's hand up (the one he's been holding, all this time) and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Should we... get ourselves another bottle, have a few more drinks?" he thought that it could help them... to ease some of the tension that followed their confessions, perhaps—

   tom was getting a little too addicted to  *looking*  at him,  and it was getting embarrassing.  but once he let himself acknowledge how beautiful this musician was,  he had no idea how to make himself pay attention to anything else with the same focus.  no other sight compared to him,  so why waste his time?  yes,  he could google anything he wanted—  but that wasn't personal.  he wanted that part,  even if he didn't deserve it.  sure,  he got a little distracted by trailers and posters when he wasn't working if they had jon's face,  he was hilariously unsubtle when he was invited to watch the band practice and his eyes were on jon the whole time.  he was  *doomed*.  "yeah.  i mean—  cool,  yeah.  s'cool."  he nodded,  a little strongly,  before clearing his throat and trying to control himself a little.  "plenty of opportunity to learn anything you want to about me then.  i might even get to learn a thing or two about you,  huh?"  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

When he was steadied with that curious look, he almost went on a rambling on how he totally didn't have to say anything, if he didn't want to... his previous *fragile* courage was now gone and, thinking better about it, he totally shouldn't have asked that... but before he had a chance of apologizing, and dismissing himself, the bodyguard began to answer him... and he couldn't help but listen intently, because damn! He absolutely adored him, and just wanted a chance of hearing more about him! It wasn't like he could just go ahead and *Google* him, like Tom could do him, and he was at a *disadvantage* here, alright?! ...Although probably more than a half of the things he could found online about the musician was wrong... it doesn't matter. He was just trying to be dramatic and funny in his head as to prevent himself from freaking out! And... hell, the more he listened, the more he melted... "Really? I... I'd love that. For real."

   when he heard the question,  he steadied him with a curious look as if he wanted to ask  'why'.  but that'd be a stupid question,  and instead the stunt man was trying very hard to think of something that wasn't  'you don't know how much i like you'.  that probably isn't the kind of thing jon was talking about.  "that's a difficult question."  he laughed with a little embarrassment,  feeling like he was so boring and uninteresting that he had nothing to say.  he didn't want to talk about his family,  he didn't want to talk about his adoration for jon.  was there anything to him outside of that?  "fuck,  man,  i dunno.  i used to cook for groups of people and i kinda miss that,  i guess?  at a push?  i'd always get really stressed out and it'd piss me off but then that meant everyone had to compliment me for the rest of the evening to make up for it."  he joked,  trying to not make it obvious that this wasn't the first thing he wanted to share.  "i could cook for you.  just you and me.  off the clock.  sometime.  if you wanted."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

   "yeah,  well,  *you're* evil."  he retorted weakly,  waving his hand as if he was trying to stop the reply before it even came.  it was a bad reply,  he knew it!  he also thanked the waiter when their drinks got their,  and thomas leaned his elbow on the table and studied jon's face for a few seconds.  "i take it back,  anyway.  at least until it's your turn to pay for the round."
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE   dont worry about it <333  tysm xx 

"Heeyyy! That hurts!" he kept his *dramatics* up, pouting playfully while bowing his head down. "You're eviiil. I can tell why you're all known as Red *Devils* now," he grinned, then politely thanked the waiter when he brought over their beers.
            
            
            // sorry this is late, lovee !! <\333

   "shut up,  you know what i mean."  he rolled his eyes at the musician,  that being the only way he could act naturally when jon was smiling at him like that,  and going as far as to wink at him on top of that.  "i hardly tease your football club!  they do it to themselves,  not my fault they're shit."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

   "...  you're thanking me for not being an overwhelming piece of shit?"  he chuckled a little,  but the heartfelt additions made his nonchalant exterior visibly crumble for a moment.  "you're...  a lot more sweet than people give you credit for,  aren't you?"  he leaned over to ruffle jon's hair and rest his hand on the musician's shoulder for a long moment.  "i'm glad you feel that way,  jon.  i like hearing the things you have to share.  you're a smart guy."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

He laughed, throwing his arms up in mock surrender. "All right, all right. Sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like riddles. It's just..." he looked down at the guitar by his side, so he could try and organize his thoughts. Tom's eyes were far too distracting! "I feel safe when I'm with you... not that I don't feel like that around Eva and Alex, they're awesome. But it's different with you." he shrugged, looking back at him and smiling sheepishly. "You've seen my worst, and... f*ck, I don't wanna ruin the mood. I just want to thank you— for being you. I feel like you try to understand, that you don't judge. I can show you how things come from my heart and be open to you, in ways I often can't be with others, however close, however long I know them... so... that."

   "oh,  really?"  it was not clever to ask more questions about it,  because it wasn't like he wanted to know and torture himself over the details of it.  jon didn't care about him in a way that was beyond friendly!!  and even that was a stretch!  the way jon added onto it,  though,  with that look and that tone,  and tom took a steadying sip of his beer.  "your tone is telling me i'm missing something.  you can't speak in riddles to me,  i'm not a musician!  i don't get all this stuff." 
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

@-HEAVYLOVE   /  in every universe fr

@failedangels // HAHAHAHAH
            Jon has heroes <3333 his own 'Avengers' team ((':

   /   AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT  let them at that AMERICAN TOO 

   tom knew all this.  he knew he would've pulled away ages ago if he was sober.  hell,  he wouldn't have gone in for the hug in the first place.  but there he was,  holding onto him like his life depended on it,  and perhaps tomorrow he'd feel bad about it.  he probably would,  actually.  he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about this.  about him.  "you made that up."  he laughed,  as unguarded as the last few had been,  and it totally was not a good thing that he felt so safe here.  in the arms of this infamous musician.  his hands were settled on his back,  occasionally rubbing up and down when he remembered they were still holding onto each other.  it felt so natural.  "just a question of having a favourite client,  i think.  which i totally don't have."  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE 

He laughed at his 'complain'; his own arms tightening around him, in a playful way of 'apologizing' to him.
            He could spend forever, like this, in his hold... the thought should be scary, for he knows they... would never be a *they*, or better saying it, an *us*. Tom was drunk, *he* was drunk— they wouldn't hug like this and be openly affectionate towards each other if they were sober... it's a fact.
            And that hurts.
            But he always knew it, and it wasn't fair to Tom all those— listen, he has a *girlfriend*. And in the few months working together, he never got even a *hint* of him being gay or bi or— he's straight, full stop. So he shouldn't nurture such feelings for him, because they would never...
            Ugh. Who cares, though— if that's an one time thing, to get to hold him like this, he's going to be just a little bit selfish and let himself daydream about this, enjoy this... and then forget to think about him like this in the morning... it was a problem for sober Jon, not tipsy Jon.
            "Ssshhh... the client is always right. Right?" he joked, chuckling softly.

   in terms of emotions and things like that,  perhaps tom really was defenseless and weaker than anywhere else.  he could protect himself and others in physical danger and things like that,  but it was the emotions part where he was truly lost.  he had no direction with things like that,  he didn't know how to feel things without the guilt coming along with it.  so they complimented each other in that sense,  and it'd be quite funny to think about it like that.  "whaaaat."  he pretended to complain,  arms tightening around the musician and smiling against his shoulder.  this was insane.  this felt unreal.  why did he  *still*  smell so good?  why did he always know where to put his hands?  why did he have to be so charming?  it was all so needlessly difficult.  "traitor.  yet if i thanked  *you*  for anything,  you'd tell me to shut up.  how's that fair?"  
            
            /   @-HEAVYLOVE