A C T O R S || OS 02

166. Tom Holland | POWER OF THE PRESS (III)

By : peter-is-the-best-avenger | Tumblr

Words: 1.1k

Pronouns: None used.

Warnings: A little angsty. Some Infinity War spoilers may be hinted at? But if you're still avoiding spoilers at this stage then I really don't know what to tell you.

"It's Infinity War week at Jimmy Kimmel Live, and boy do we have a lineup for you! Tune in this afternoon where I'll be chatting with Robert Downey Jr, Tom Holland, Y/N Y/L/N, Zoe Saldana, Pom Klementieff and Paul Bettany; right before the world premiere of Avengers: Infinity War. Plus, music from A Perfect Circle! All that and more, here on ABC. See you then."

The day had finally arrived for Infinity War to be released for the world to see, including the cast themselves, and while a part of you was nervous to see people's reactions to the film, that part of you was significantly overshadowed by the sheer excitement of it all. That after months of travelling, shooting and reading fake scripts, the veil would soon be lifted and the Russo's safely-guarded secrets would finally be revealed. You couldn't wait to see what your final CGI costume looked like, who you were sharing scenes with that the Russos couldn't tell you about, and who else would meet their untimely demise at the hands of Thanos.

You were currently backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live, waiting to be called for the beginning of the show. You could see the crew setting up through the television screens mounted on the wall opposite as you neared the thirty-minute call. This wasn't your first time being on the show, so you felt rather familiar with the backstage aspects of the studio, especially the lavish greenroom that celebrities resided in before airtime - which was actually bright red.

You had just exited the dressing room areas wherein the hair and makeup team worked their magic, and you were now lounging on the plush sofas, taking slow sips of your complimentary drinks as you conversed with your co-stars about tonight's premiere.

Your publicist paced back and forth at one end of the room in the midst of a phone call as she confirmed the final arrangements and details of the premiere. Which of the journalists had been promised a carpet interview; how much time was allocated for press photographs; and who you would be seated beside once inside the theatre.

Tom was at the other end of the room, engaged in a lighthearted game of pool with Paul Bettany, while his brother, Harry, stood in the corner with a cola bottle in hand. You found yourself staring at the brown-haired English boy on more than one occasion as he smiled and laughed with his fellow Brit. Every so often, you would catch his gaze, but he would look away almost immediately, avoiding any prolonged eye contact.

Two days had passed since that day in the hotel, which was evidently the last time you had spoken to Tom. The hype hadn't died down from the interview incident, and now the press were reeling from the 'testimonies' that some of your cast members decided to give on Twitter.

It was due to this that Feige had spent the past two days frantically swapping people around to ensure that you and Tom were in the same interview together, ultimately deciding that it would be best to put you in the 'pre-premiere' group with him. "That way," You recalled him saying over the phone the day before, "He won't have seen the movie yet and can't let anything slip."

You also recalled what he uttered afterwards, in a hushed undertone, and clearly not meant for your ears, rather to somebody else on the other line.

"Besides, he'll be too distracted by Y/N to spoil anything, anyway."

You didn't really know what to say to Tom after the 'Twitter Moment Travesty'. In the moment, you had just brushed it off and pretended that you didn't hear what he said, the two of you leaving your room shortly afterwards, going down to the lobby separately to avoid being seen together by reporters. He seemed distant after that, and tonight he appeared to be ignoring you. Was this just his way of proving to everyone that you weren't together? Or was it because of something you did?

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Those words had been echoing in your head non-stop since they fell from Tom's lips. A simple question at first glance, but it made you doubt everything you thought you knew about your friendship. More-so, it was causing feelings to stir that you didn't even know you had.

You felt your chest tighten again, just like it did when you were watching your interview with Tom. The more you thought about his playful jokes, cocky smirks and flirtatious expressions, the more they seemed genuine and sincere. The more you remembered his longing expressions, the more you realised that he wasn't playing it up for the fans. He was an exceptional actor, but he couldn't fake that.

A question had been bubbling under the surface for a while, and it felt like it was high time it was addressed. Did Tom want something more from your friendship?

Did you?

"Trouble in paradise?"

You tore your gaze away from Tom to turn your attention to Downey who had seated himself in the empty space beside you and was swapping the empty glass in your hand with a full one, holding your empty one out for a member of his entourage to take back to the bar.

"Huh? No, we aren't togeth—" You began, stopping short as Robert interrupted, in usual Robert fashion.

"—I know, I know, that's what you're saying. But come on, between us? What's going on?"

You looked back to Tom to find his eyes on you, his lips slightly parted as if in a daze. You were the first to look away this time, suddenly finding the carpeted floor very interesting. "Honestly, Robert," You sighed as you threw your back against the sofa and took a large, ill-advised gulp of the alcoholic beverage in your hand, feeling it burn as it ran down your throat. "I have no idea."

As much as you would have loved to down the rest of your drink and allowed the buzz to carry you through the rest of the day, you knew it wouldn't have been a wise decision, and it wasn't long before you were being fitted with a lavalier while the makeup team freshened you up. You were all ushered to the fake elevator, and were prompted to strike a pose for when the doors opened.

As everybody got ready in their positions, one of the producers moved you to the middle of the group formation, placing you directly beside Tom.

"Hey." You smiled, nudging him with your shoulder.

Tom returned your smile with one of his own, nudging you back. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" You tried to gauge if he was upset with you or not.

"Of course I am. W-why wouldn't I be?" He grinned back in a slightly uneasy tone. His whole energy was off, and he seemed a lot less like himself. You had no time to respond, however, as you heard Kimmel introduce your group and the crew began to pull the elevator doors open to reveal the talk show set.