#bella was patient with tom but will mark be??

[sweetnestor]

12 Days | Chapter 8.2

Two guys that lowkey hate each other are forced to walk in each other’s shoes in order to learn a lesson.

***in collaboration with @themarkiplierexperience

lmao soz its not actually x reader we’re just desperate for attention haaaa

previous

“I want to ask what the origin story behind this is, but I think I’m better off not knowing,” Tom typed. He attached a “selfie” wearing a bright blue shirt with the word “Wowie” printed on it in a strange fashion. Then, he sent the whole thing to Ethan.

He did see the other texts from the boy that he received the evening before, but Tom was dying to show this to him now. He finally had a look at what Ethan’s “merch” was like. To say he was not expecting “wowie” on a t-shirt was an understatement. Why “wowie”?

Halfway through editing this video, Tom kind of despised Ethan… and he definitely hated the word “Wowie” with a burning passion. It wasn’t all bad, though. Tom had spent the day with a funny pair of people: Parker and Andrew. He didn’t have to consciously act like Ethan to get along with the pair. They were so graciously weird that seeing their friend act out of character was considered normal for them… if that made any sense. The three of them, along with Amy, made a video together that was about this awful blue t-shirt. A promotional video, and instead of having a whole filming crew complete with camera men and editors, it was all self made. It was impressive, don’t get him wrong, but Tom only thrived when he was on camera, not behind the scenes.

It was a minute and a half long video, yet it was taking ages for him to put it all together. Not to mention, Tom was awaiting an update from Ethan about Zendaya. Earlier, he had said that she wanted to talk, and god knows what that was supposed to mean. On top of that, Bella was getting a little harder to handle.

Tom had invited her to come along to shoot the video, but she had gotten immensely sheepish and timid when she heard about the people who would be joining them. She made an excuse about having emails to answer and business Skype meetings to have. She only returned to his apartment after hearing that Parker, Andrew, and Amy had left for the day, and even then she just stayed in the living room while Tom finished the video. Weird, but whatever.

A few hours later, Tom could say he was proud of what he had created. The video was very sarcastic, and kind of funny, but it got the message across: “Buy this ugly ass shirt.” Really, he didn’t see the appeal, but Ethan’s fans sure did. The shirt had been on sale on Ethan’s merch store all month, and as of today, there were only ten days left to buy it. Tom learned all of this through Parker, who had a hand in running the store. Thank god he wasn’t left in completely in the dark.

Thing is, Tom easily learned about different aspects of this kid’s life. He knew the girlfriend, a good amount of the friends, and just enough about his personality to get by. The hard part was the YouTube stuff, because everyone around him assumed that he knew what he was doing. They all assumed he was Ethan. How bizarre would it be if Ethan just suddenly asked for help on the basics of editing a simple video? How long would it be for someone to figure that this wasn’t Ethan, that it was somebody else? What would they do, besides throw him in an asylum?

A knock on the bedroom door snapped Tom out of his thoughts. He pulled off his headphones and granted access.

Bella came in, an unreadable expression on her face. “Hey…”

“Hi, love,” Tom greeted, turning in his chair to face her.

She stepped in, looking around the room as she tangled her fingers together. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, I’m just…” She sighed. “This is really stupid, like really stupid…”

“Oh, how bad could it be?” he asked, putting on a kind smile, despite how nervous the sudden tension made him.

Bella picked at her nails to fill the silence. But she finally asked in a soft voice, “why didn’t you ask me to be in your video?”

Honestly, Tom had been hoping she had that conversation with her real boyfriend. Even he found it weird that the “talking to women” bit from the video starred Amy. Why not Bella? It probably wasn’t something to fuss about, but the girl’s nerves radiated for miles, it made Tom himself feel like he had done something wrong. He didn’t even know how to respond.

“I mean, you and Parker came up with the video idea like what? Two weeks ago,” she rambled, “and you guys came up with the ‘talking to girls’ thing and your first thought was Amy? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I-I mean she did come up with the shirt design…”

Ah, so that was the culprit.

“I-It’s not that I wanted to slap you - uh, fake slap you for a video,” Bella went on, her voice getting shaky, “i-it’s just you didn’t think to ask me, I don’t know. Am I freaking out over nothing?”

“You freak out over everything,” Tom said without thinking. There was a small pause before he turned back to the computer.

“I know, it’s what I do,” Bella said, not seeming offended by that statement. “It probably wasn’t a big deal. I shouldn’t have bothered you, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Any other thoughts, concerns?” It was half sarcastic, but she took the bait.

“I’ve been… having dreams…”

Ethan was supposed to know that tone, what that particular phrase meant. Tom, on the other hand, was clueless.

“Naughty dreams?”

“No.” Bella’s tone was serious now. She paced around the small recording space, still picking at her nails. “Bad dreams. I’ve had dreams like this before… Ethan, please don’t make me say it.”

It had been five days since the switch, five days of being this girl’s boyfriend, and Tom was getting more and more impatient.

“Don’t talk about it then,” he said with a shrug. “If it’s really that scary, or disturbing, or whatever it is... then you don’t need to speak of it.”

Again, it was silent. Tom definitely said the wrong thing, but he didn’t know how to handle a girl with anxiety. He could barely handle Zendaya, even though he hoped to fix things with her.

“You’re probably right,” Bella spoke at last. She turned on her heel towards the door. “No one wants to remember that time, especially me.” She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him. “Oh, and I just figured out why I was freaking out over Amy. It’s been almost a year since Mark left me for her.”

Whoa. What would Ethan say to that? What would Ethan think about his girlfriend mentioning her ex?

Speaking of the ex, Tom’s phone dinged on his desk. Mark had texted him. Admittedly, Tom wasn’t really texting anyone consistently apart from Ethan. He had also ignored Mark’s texts from the other day, so there was a chance he wasn’t on good terms with the boss.

“Hey look man, I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, but I need an answer. Are you going to be returning to work anytime soon? Or do we need to make a public statement that you don’t work for me anymore? I’m not trying to put pressure on you, or anything with malice. I just need to know what’s going on business wise.”

Public statement? So the fans knew Mark had editors? And there had to be something said publicly when something changed behind the scenes? Is that how YouTube works?

“I think my girlfriend is hung up on you, you’re the last person I need to see right now,” Tom typed for literally no other reason except to see if it sounded like something his other half would say. He chuckled to himself after deeming that it was too ridiculous and out of line and went to delete it…

You know when you mean to do one thing but instead do another? Yeah, Tom somehow mixed up the ‘send’ key and the ‘backspace’ key, and well…

“Fuck!” he snapped, sitting up in his chair, watching as the angry text sent. “No, no, no, no! Shit!”

Oh god, Ethan was so fired.

~

Tom didn’t have the heart to tell Ethan about the wonderful conversation he had with Mark following that text. He read through the messages he received while he was editing over and over again just to avoid telling him what went down. Ethan seemed excited to be in Montreal.

“So guess I have a workout tomorrow morning? Wish me luck bc I’ll actually die.” That’ll be fun to hear about, but it didn’t settle the knot in Tom’s stomach.

“I’m almost ok with the switch if it means getting to stay in this house dude it’s so nice?? I’m never leaving.” Tom was not okay with the switch. He wanted to be in that house right now, leave Ethan with the mess that he made.

“I finished the wowie video. I hate the word wowie. Please never say it again,” he typed and sent before reading the rest of the texts. He noticed that Ethan will either be completely silent, or send multiple texts at once. No in between.

“Also,,,,, fuck kinda friendship you got with Harrison? You give each other lap dances???” Ethan asked. Oh no. Oh god. “Not judging, just wish I’d known you were rejecting zendaya for ur best m8 lolol.”

Tom literally groaned out loud and palmed his forehead. Then, he frantically sent, “IT WASNOTHING WE DONT SPEAK OF IT SHUT UP.” No way he was getting into that with this guy. He wouldn’t understand.

The next message didn’t help very much. “Speaking of Daya, we talked today. She asked abot how you feel and what you thought you 2 had going on. Made it clear it was her choice what happened, but that you’re just friends? Idk man how DO you feel?”

“Anyway, the videos were good. Much better than Tyler’s first edits for sure. Good job, I’m impressed.”

“Shooting starts tomorrow so I’m off to learn everything there is to know about acting…….. By watching some movie wiht the guys, gn.”

Tom sat there for a few minutes, trying to word any of the thoughts in his head. Why couldn’t have Ethan made the Zendaya decision for him? He seems like a nice guy, he’s had a girlfriend for six months, and she didn’t seem tired of him!

“I’ll deal with her when we switch back… by the way when are we gonna switch back??? Anyway, have a good night mate, have a pint for me!”

_____

tag list: @beardedsteveslut @marie-is-in-the-dark @ohsnapitzmoony

_____

next

[river-bottom-nightmare]

bruce wayne week day 2: gala rated T, no archive warnings apply, tagged: past bruce wayne/harvey dent, implied/referenced violence, brief suicide mention

how was it, bruce thought to himself, that he could withstand torture both physcial and mental without any lasting damage, but the one thing that had him trembling and ready to crawl out of his own skin was an itchy suit?

he’d grown out of them, was the thing. when he was young, alfred had ensured that he’d always dressed properly for any occasion, be that a wedding or charity event or board meeting. before that, his parents—well. they had made sure bruce was presentable enough for their friends to pinch bruce's cheeks instead of awkwardly patting his shoulder.

but now, newly returned to gotham with a thousand new scars and a hardened grip, bruce realized he had lost his tolerance for finely pressed and ironed fabric. none of his old suits had come remotely close to fitting him, and alfred had manhandled him in front of a mirror to take measurements, sending them off to his favourite tailor. bruce thought he'd cried out all the tears his body had left to give the day he came home, hugging alfred's frail body far too tight, but his eyes still managed to get all hot and uncomfortable when alfred's fingers hesitantly mapped the broad expanse of his shoulders, trying so hard to ignore the slashes, the stabs, the burn marks, the brands.

his shoes were too loose, the pointed style apparently a new trend in the gotham elite. bruce and alfred had worked on a pair of dress shoes together, ones that wouldn't fall off the minute bruce moved at anything more intense than a brisk walk, but bruce still longed for the comfort of his thick-soled boots.

those same shoes were tapping on the ground, making far too much noise, but bruce forced himself to take a breath and let the flower-scented artificial spray calm him down. logically, it made no sense at all, but bruce had always placed gotham on pause in his mind. he'd expected to come back older and harder and fiercer to find gotham exactly the same, waiting patiently just for him.

instead, bella revero had cut her hair and dyed it blonde, and was wearing a long, flowing, glittering pantsuit instead of a long, flowing, glittering gown. tom thompson's hair was a healthy salt and pepper when bruce left, but now the man was two tufts away from being completely bald. thicky-applied makeup somehow accentuated wrinkles instead of hiding them, no manner of well-cut suits could hide a growing potbelly, none of the waiters that had given bruce snacks and orange juice were working anymore, and most everyone bruce remembered being roughly his age had moved far, far away from this wretched hole of a city.

there were times when bruce slapped himself upside the head for the absolutely moronic decision to come back to gotham and announce ta-daaa! not dead! he should have just been batman and let bruce wayne's useless name and dishonored legacy be swallowed up by gotham.

footsteps behind him. bruce had tuned out most of his training, knowing that it would only hinder him as brucie wayne, only make him look suspicious. but he'd kept a basic background awareness, unable to turn that off, and these thuds were heading right for him. bruce tensed, his false smile probably turning brittle, two seconds away from whirling around and grabbing his attacker's arm so hard, the bone would shatter.

a heavy hand slammed down onto his shoulder, but right before bruce made a move, a voice spoke right next to his ear, smooth and low and capable of making his entire body relax without any input from him whatsoever.

"what the actual hell are you doing here, you motherfucker?"

"harvey," bruce sighed, turning around to give the man a relieved smile. "thank god. i thought i'd have to go through this all by myself. you didn't tell me you were coming?"

harvey's mouth pulled into a painful grin, one that didn't look the least bit friendly, and there was a bulging vein on his temple, a nervous tick that bruce knew he didn't have before.

"you alright there, harv? you're looking a little—," bruce gestured vaguely to harvey's face, "—red."

harvey's grip on bruce's shoulder tightened, fingers digging into muscle and sending painful twinges up bruce's shoulder, and bruce tried not to show his surprise. he was two seconds from shoving off harvey's hand himself, but just decided to grit and bear it. harvey wouldn't ever hurt him.

"you have been gone," harvey said, enunciating every word, "for years. i didn't know where you were. i didn't know if you were ever coming back. then i hear that you're home from a goddamn newspaper, and you just showed up to this party without telling anyone."

"i was on the guest list," bruce pointed out, automatically putting up a simplified version of his brucie wayne facade. he widened his eyes, putting a little cluelessness into the fluttering of his eyelashes, just enough to keep his cover in case anyone was recording him, just enough so harvey believes him.

"what the fuck are you doing with your eyes," harvey said flatly.

so apparently harvey knew him better than he thought.

"look, harv, i was gonna call you, i really was—"

"i thought you were dead," harvey hissed, and his best friends eyes have more lines on them than bruce remembered and he doesn't have to tip his head up just to see harvey laugh anymore and there's too much broken love in harvey's voice for them to be standing in between a gilded trash can and a spiked bowl of punch.

"harvey,,," bruce started, not knowing exactly where to go from there. he'd taught himself to prepare for any possible attack, any possible conspiracy or unmasking or targeted hit, but he'd completely forgot about his own friend. he'd forgotten he had a friend.

luckily or unluckily, harvey interrupted him before he had the chance to fumble his words. "i thought you were dead, i thought my best friend had finally fucking followed through with what i tried so hard for years to stop."

it hit bruce like a punch to the gut. he wasn't aware harvey had ever been trying.

"and now,,, what? you're just fine? you're dressed like a poser and your hair's all neat and trimmed and you're smiling at people like the only thing you care about is getting into their pants. plus, that's the fourth glass you've had tonight."

"we're already an hour in," bruce replied automatically.

"we're only an hour in," harvey said.

there was a pause. not an uncomfortable one, because it had been years since him and harvey were ever uncomfortable with each other. it was like harvey couldn't decide whether or not to reach out and strangle bruce for worrying him or break down for hurting him or hug him for coming back home.

bruce couldn't tell him. harvey worked too closely with commissioner gordon; daring bruce to steal mary jane from the principal's stash and shotgunning it out of his mouth was leagues away from keeping the secret that bruce was a dangerous, trained vigilante from everyone he knew.

"it's okay, harvey," bruce said, his voice completely sincere for the first time this night. "i found other ways to cope."

"i don't like those other ways," harvey sneered, eyes the glass in bruce's hand.

"other ways," bruce said. "you don't have to worry. i'm fine."

the photographer for the gotham gazette had snapped a picture of him entering, and no one would notice if he left now. bruce wayne couldn't be beating up pedophiles in the narrows if bruce wayne was getting drunk at a high-class gala. he'd planned to leave three hours in, a respectable amount of time, but meeting harvey had thrown him off balance.

he brushed past harvey, heading towards the butler's exit in the back of the ballroom. "enjoy the party!" he called behind him as he left, eyes wide again, clueless and fluttering and oh-so blind to the devastated way harvey watched him leave.

tag list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan @subtleappreciation @screennamealreadyused @catxsnow @pricetagofficial @bikoncon @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption @capricorn-stark @batshit-birds @comics-observer @buticaaba @brucewayneweek

[rosesastrology]

Pluto

Pluto:

- Rebirth

- Transformation and evolving

- Sex, death, and other hard to grasp topics.

Pluto in the signs

Aries:

• You want to get what you desire and will go to great lengths to achieve your goal.

• Optimism brings you power and insight to make new beginnings.

• You are quick to change your life and yourself, you want to keep your inner child and have a tendency to be impulsive.

• You have a tendency to be impatient

• You go about obscure situations in an energetic and explosive manner, whether those are emotions or words.

• Celebs with this position: Jules Vern, Thomas Edision, Alexander Graham Bell, Jessie James, John D. Rockefeller, Helena Blavatsky, Alexander the Great, Friederich Wilhelm Nietzsche, René Descartes, Leo Tolstoy, Elizabeth of Bavaria, Mark Twain

Taurus:

• You are attached to your personal values like boundaries and emotional bonds

• You are very persistent about things you desire and won’t let others persuade you into thinking differently

• In contrast you have a difficulty with letting go of the past

• You have a knack for networking and spotting opportunities

• You make slow but steady progress in your life

• Celebs with this placement: Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, Julius Caesar, Oscar Wilde, Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gemini: • You interact well with others on an intellectual level

• You jump on new ideas and use your knowledge to your advantage later on when it’s needed

• You’re very curious

• You like to solve complex issues with simple solutions

• You are interested in the secrets of life and death and other hidden things.

• You may have influence with film, telepathy and other forms of communication.

• Celebs with this position: Ernest Hemingway, Cary Grant, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joan of Arc, Bob Hope, Adolf Hitler, Mère Teresa, Charlie Chaplin, Isaac Newton, Salvador Dali, Coco Chanel, Walt Disney, Katharine Hepburn, Anaïs Nin

Cancer:

• You find your power through emotional intensity and deep relationships • You’re very protective towards people you love • You have an ability to be manipulative towards people’s emotions • You feel everything very intensely and have difficulty with letting go • You feel a deep need to have your own home • You may develop compulsive emotions due to not having met your needs during childhood • Celebs with this position: Sylvia Brown, Martin Luther King, Neil Armstrong, Shirley Temple, John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, 14th Dalai Lama, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Nelson Mandela, Charles Manson

Leo:

• You grow by taking positive actions • You have a tendency to take the lead and help other • You want to be appreciated for your efforts and you want to be remembered • However, you often miss the bigger picture because you’re obsessed with expressing yourself • You may come across as egoistic • You may enjoy gambling, romance, entertainment and other forms of pleasure • You may reach the midst of self discovery during a creative process • Celebs with this position: Bill Gates, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Bill Clinton, Elton John, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Alan Rickman, John Lennon, Vladimir Putin, David Bowie, Leonardo da Vinci, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Morrison, Bruce Lee, Robin Williams, Paul McCartney

Virgo:

• You find it difficult to leave things alone if you think you can improve on it

• You’re very inventive and often find your own way to communicate

• You’re good at organizing but may become obsessed with it

• You may be interested in health and work

• You are content with knowing you did your best, however you secretly want to help a lot of people and believe you can make a difference in the world.

• You rather stay in the background than in the spotlight

• You’re willing to sacrifice your own desires to serve or please the community

• Celebs with this position: Princess Diana, Julia Roberts, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama, Jesus Christ, Michelle Obama, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Madonna, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Keanu Reeves, Kurt Cobain, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey

Libra:

• You are a bit compulsive and quick to act • You want to appear as if you have it all together and under control • You may have a passion for art • You think that equality, patience, and justice are of great importance. • You don’t like conflict • You are good at compromising, when it is a strict A or B question you may become immobilized and do/say nothing. • Celebs with this position: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Monica Lewinsky, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé Knowles, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, Kim Kardashian, Heath Ledger, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West

Scorpio:

• You’re very good at sensing the emotions in room • You’re very in touch with your feelings and can predict other people’s feelings as well • You have a deep interest in the hidden, mystery, secrets, and the unknown. You like to unravel these so-called puzzles • You may be interested in the occult, sex, the mind, death, mental health, genetic engineering and cloning • Your subconscious is generally more pessimistic and you may come across as secretive, in contrast you may become overly positive in order to compensate these feelings

• You’re very helpful and have a weak spot for the underdog • You have a high possibility of becoming famous at and with your passion (this position is quite common with people who are involved in the music industry and youtubers) • Celebs with this position: All members of EXO except D.O, all members of 5 Seconds Of Summer, Daniel Howell, Jackscepticeye, Crankthatfrank (Frank Gioia), Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Scarlet Johansson, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Megan Fox, Emma Watson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande, etc. (like I said there are a lot of stars with his position) Sagittarius:

• You have a need for exploration • You value your freedom and are friendly as long as this is not hampered • You are enthusiastic about reaching your goals in life • You may have difficulty with people who have different beliefs than your own • Eduction, experiences, and learning are very important to you • You’re freethinking and cannot handle boredom, you have a knack for philosophy • You come across as positive • You tend to act foolishly at times and later be embarrassed about it, which can be your downfall • Celebs with this position: Mozart, Kylie Jenner, Nostradamus, Marie Antoinette, Lorde, Chloë Moretz, Zendaya, Jaden Smith, Paris Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Bella Thorne, Maximilien Robespierre, Willow Smith, Austin Mahone, Camila Cabello, Bella Hadid, Sophia Turner, Alexander Hamilton, Lauren Jauregui, Brooklyn Beckham, Zara Larsson, fun fact: The 9/11 attacks also had Sagittarius in Pluto

Capricorn:

• You are ambitious yet patient • You like discipline • You are a born organizer and are great at creating structure, even in a chaotic situation • You like practicality and are very down-to-earth • You always reach your goals through slow but gradual significant changes • You may have a strong heart for politics and justice • Celebs who had this position: D.O from EXO, Napoleon, Beethoven, Prince George of Cambridge, Jane Austen, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, and a lot of cities, earthquakes, tsunamis, and provinces like: Nepal, Amsterdam, San Francisco, 2016 Central Italy earthquake, 2011 eruption in Grimsvötn, etc

Aquarius:

• You have original ideas and may be erratic • You are usually nonconformist, so some people may perceive you as strange or compulsive • However, you know what you are doing and why • You feel as if your own beliefs and ideas overpower others • You are fascinated by the idea of equality and liberty • Celebs with this position: Queen Elizabeth the first, Lord Byron, Arthur Schopenhauer, Frank Schubert, Gioacchino Rossini, Davy Crockett, Jane Grey, Thomas Moore

Pisces:

• You spend a lot of time thinking about how your actions will affect others • You attempt to understand every human emotion in order to predict how people will feel when you say certain things • However you become manipulative and secretive when you take this too far • You may live too much in a fantasy world and get out of touch with reality

• You are impressionable and can be inspiring as well • You can easily feel alienated • You can be empathic and may have psychic abilities • Celebs with this position: Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, Frédérick Chopin, Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Darwin, Queen Victoria, Galileo Galilei, Richard Wagner, Charles Dickens, Louis Vuitton, the United Kingdom