A C T O R S || OS 02

167. Tom Holland | POWER OF THE PRESS (IV)

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

Words: 1.7k

Pronouns: None used.

Warnings: A bit o' angst. 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.

Abbreviation Help - Y/A: Your Age

The rapturous applause was almost deafening as you exited the elevator, smiling and waving at the audience and greeting Jimmy before making your way over to the long, grey sofa. Once you and your co-stars were finally seated, the band finished playing the intro music to allow the host to speak, yet the audience was still on their feet, whistling and cheering while you all laughed at their reaction.

"Welcome! Thank you for coming. You know, this is a lot of excitement." He chuckled as he waited for the audience to quieten down before diving right into the interview.

As each of you spoke about the premiere and who you were bringing, you were slowly becoming hyper-aware of Tom sitting next to you. His arm was stretched out onto the back of the sofa, directly behind you, and it had become a distraction. You were focusing more on his proximity to you, and less on what your co-stars were saying. You scolded yourself at the fact that one simple gesture was pulling you from any rational thinking. Part of you wished he would move it away, letting you pay attention to the show again.

But part of you wished he would move it closer.

"And I believe we have a couple on the couch tonight, folks!" You were caught off-guard by Jimmy's question, although you shouldn't have been surprised that he would bring it up.

The audience erupted into applause, followed by hoots, hollers and the occasional scream, which was only heightened when RDJ snaked his hands behind the two of you and was forming a heart with his index fingers.

"Are the rumours true?" Jimmy prompted, trying to will you into an answer. You smiled politely at the audience before turning to Jimmy, ready with your pre-rehearsed answer, as always. But before you could speak, Tom beat you to it.

"No."

"No?" Kimmel asked inquisitively, leaning back in his chair.

Tom turned to look at you, and you felt your chest tighten yet again. "No, we aren't dating."

For the first time tonight, you could see his forced smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, leaving them empty and seemingly barren of emotion. The camera may not have picked it up, but you certainly did. This wasn't the Tom you had spent the past three years working with, nor the Tom that you had become very close friends with. It wasn't the Tom that would spend hours on FaceTime regardless of the time of day or the Tom that would constantly go out of his way to make you happy.

This wasn't the Tom you were undoubtedly falling in love with.

Jimmy noted the silent exchange between the two of you and thought it best to change the subject before things got awkward. "So, let's talk Infinity War. Does anyone on this couch survive the film? Are there characters that don't make it? I mean it is a war - if everyone comes out of it, it's not that believable."

As the audience laughed and cheered, trying to prompt somebody to spill some secrets, Tom faced the audience, returning to his chipper demeanour - which was clearly strained - and pretended to act clueless about certain characters' deaths.

The interview was in full swing the next time a question came around to you. You had spent the majority of the evening listening intently at your friends' stories and experiences from the set and laughing excessively at the remarks that would be thrown in from time to time. You could see that Tom was easing up, too, being distracted by the charismatic comments from both his co-stars and the show's host.