#elizabeth x victoria | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mygif2u · 2 years ago

Text

i care (a lot)

Pairing: Elitoria Character(s): Elizabeth Gillies/Victoria Justice Rating: T Warnings/Tags: Alternate Universe, Screen Test, Chemistry Read

Elizabeth opened her eyes.

And froze.

For who had just walked in but Victoria Justice.

Victoria. Fucking. Justice.

The woman she hadn't seen in so long, the woman she hadn't been in the same room with in even longer. The woman she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about in over 10 years.

OR, the universe in which Liz Gillies and Victoria Justice are cast as Marla and Fran in the movie I Care a Lot.

Read it below, or on AO3.

A/N: Basically as the summary suggests – I took a few liberties with what was written in the script and what was shown on screen, but then again what fanfics don’t, right?

Also this is just for fun, it’s not to imply anything about either Liz or Vic, it’s just a big what-if scenario that I thought sounded neat. Hopefully by the end of this, you’ll think so too. In any case, enjoy!

“Alright, we’ve got one more to go through then we are done for the day. Take 5 everyone.”

Elizabeth sighed internally as Jay left the studio, leaving Jeanne and Angela at the casting table, heads still bowed together and deep in conversation. They had been running through the same scene for most of the afternoon in a bid to find her co-lead for her latest movie, I Care a Lot .

When her agent had sent her the script, Elizabeth knew she had to take the project on. The story of a high-flying businesswoman running her ethically questionable guardianship empire, then having it inevitably crumble down around her was too compelling to pass up. Marla Grayson had the right kind of single minded, unapologetic ruthlessness she never knew she had been looking for, and was just the kind of character she wanted – needed – to play.

The film also had a good mix of drama and action – Elizabeth’s experience in similar past projects would lend itself well to the performance she would need to put on, but this one was just different enough to make for a fun challenge. What really made her seal the deal though was that for once the obligatory love interest was another woman.

Her audition for Marla had gone swimmingly, almost too easily Elizabeth realised in hindsight, as the hard part now was finding her Fran, the girlfriend-soon-to-be-wife of Marla.

The team had gone through three other actresses at this point, all of whom had been worthy contenders for the part of Fran, but none of whom she just had that spark with.

This next and final woman was going to be their last hope. Or rather, Elizabeth’s last hope - it was possible that the other actress the casting crew had been considering for Marla had hit it off better with one of the Frans Elizabeth had already acted against that day.

Elizabeth brushed that thought aside as she rummaged through her bag for her water bottle. She took a swig and shut her eyes, trying to will away the tension headache that was starting to brew between her eyes and at her temples. She had the part of Marla – she did – so now they would just have to find her a Fran.

“OK, we’re all back. Angela, can you send Victoria through please? Liz, when you're ready.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes.

And froze.

For who had just walked in but Victoria Justice.

Victoria. Fucking. Justice.

The woman she hadn't seen in so long, the woman she hadn't been in the same room with in even longer. The woman she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about in over 10 years.

The woman who had now caught sight of her as she stood before the casting panel, her signature sweet smile in place faltering for a moment, before -

“Liz!”

The smile melded into something warmer, and her eyes grew softer and -

“Vic.”

Elizabeth found herself enveloped in Victoria's arms, and found her own wrapping around Victoria's waist. The solid feel of the other woman pressed up against her was so familiar, as comfortable now as it had been when they were sixteen - Victoria always had given the best hugs.

All too soon, they moved apart, and Elizabeth’s heart leapt in her chest at the beaming smile on Victoria’s face.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“Oh you two know each other?”

The sudden intrusion of Jay’s voice ripped Elizabeth’s attention away from Victoria and back to the situation at hand.

“Yeah, we used to work together years ago,” Victoria said.

All three members of the casting panel perked up.

“Oh nice! That should make this screen test run a bit easier then, huh?”

“Hopefully, yeah!”

Elizabeth gave a half-hearted hum of assent - knowing what a screen partner was like to work with was one thing, but when said screen partner caused anxiety to roil in one’s stomach – well, familiarity wasn’t much use.

“Well ladies, take your places and we can get this train going.”

Elizabeth nodded and moved to take her now customary place by the window of the studio, steeling herself for the scene she was about to launch into for what felt like the upteenth time that day. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Victoria settle into the armchair at the centre of the room.

Elizabeth shut her eyes and breathed in a deep breath, trying to quash the twisting and turning of her stomach, a discomfort which hadn’t been there at any of the other attempts she’d made with this scene. She could do this - she knew the lines back to front, and she knew Vic, knew that they would be able to play the scene off well against each other.

She breathed out.

“Action!”

Elizabeth opened her eyes and felt Marla settle over her like a second skin, the character slipping onto her like a glove as she raised her phone to her ear.

“We should close the office. Hang tight for a while, OK?”

Elizabeth looked over at Victoria, who was now leaning over in the arm chair, resting her elbows on her knees, fidgeting with her hands while meeting Elizabeth's gaze. Elizabeth noted the sudden wetness brimming in her eyes, the quiver of her lower lip, and the bob of her throat as she swallowed thickly. It was all pretend, just Vic channelling the character of Fran, and yet it made Elizabeth’s heart squeeze in her chest anyway. Victoria was good.

Elizabeth rattled off the rest of her lines before she mimed hanging up her call and putting her phone in her pocket.

There wasn't much else in the script in terms of stage direction now until her next line - each of the last few times she had gone through this scene she had done something different, working with the energy and flow she had cultivated with the other actress. Whether it was to wrap an arm around her screen partner’s waist, squeeze her shoulder, or cup her face with her hands, she would find what worked for them, though it could take a few tries to decide on how to approach this part of the scene.

But with Victoria looking at her like that, with barely restrained despair and soft longing in her gaze, Elizabeth knew exactly what she had to do next.

With three swift, fluid strides, she crossed the room to place her hands on Victoria's shoulders and settle across Victoria’s lap, drawing her into her arms. She noted the slight widening of Victoria's eyes, surprise flitting through them before they blinked rapidly, a silent tear trailing down a defined cheekbone. Her arms slipped around Elizabeth, the weight of them warm and reassuring. Victoria tilted her head away, attempting to avoid her gaze. A tightness flared in Elizabeth’s chest then, and an overwhelming need to comfort the woman before her took over.

She tilted Victoria - Fran’s - face up to meet hers, a quiet ‘Hey’ falling from her lips to brush against Vic - Fran’s - own. A quiet sigh filled the air between them. More tears fell from glassy brown eyes, and Elizabeth ran the pads of her thumb across the delicate skin just under them.

It was the tug on her heartstrings at seeing such quiet desperation that made Elizabeth do what she did next. Reeled in by the beseeching look in Victoria's eyes, Elizabeth closed the distance between them, lips slotting gingerly just over Victoria's.

Salt lined the inside of her upper lip from where she had missed an errant tear on Victoria's mouth, and the sudden hint of it along her own made Elizabeth pull back. Elizabeth fought to hide her surprise at her own actions, and tried to shield Victoria's from the casting panel. No kiss had been scripted for this scene at all, and yet no call of “Cut!” interrupted them. Elizabeth couldn't explain otherwise, but it had just felt right .

Trying to buy themselves more time, Elizabeth traced her nose along Victoria's. The puff of her breath against Elizabeth’s cheek kept her grounded enough to say her next line.

“I’m sorry.”

They were supposed to be Marla's words, but Elizabeth couldn't help the hitch of her voice at the end of the line, and she gazed imploringly at Victoria, hoping she would get the apology was just as much hers as her character’s.

The feel of Victoria relaxing slightly in her arms, and the small nod she gave Elizabeth made her breathe a little easier. Still, Elizabeth felt the remnants of guilt lingering inside her, and she rested her forehead on Victoria's, repeating herself in the air between them.

“I'm so fucking sorry.”

Elizabeth shivered as Victoria rubbed her back gently, silently revelling in her touch as Victoria ran her own nose down hers.

“It's OK.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest that it was not OK - it was not - when Victoria pressed her lips to hers.

The kiss was chaste, just as chaste as their previous one, so much so that Elizabeth’s lips remained parted even when Victoria drew away. It was absurd, but Elizabeth found herself missing Victoria’s mouth on hers, but she didn’t have to wait long before it was back. Deeper, firmer, and longer, just long enough for Elizabeth to savour the gentle slopes of Victoria's lips, and the sliver of her tongue running on the inside of her mouth before she pulled away again.

Any trace of uncertainty disappeared as Elizabeth met Victoria’s eyes.

“It’s gonna be OK.”

Elizabeth nodded - that line was supposed to be Marla's not Fran’s, and yet, still, no abrupt call of “Cut!” stopped them.

Elizabeth felt herself be pulled against Victoria’s chest once more, not daring to look across at their audience on the other side of the room.

“Everything's going to be OK.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes, and silence descended between them again when -

A single slow clap rang out around the room.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and drew back. She looked towards where Jay was still clapping, and saw the grins that lined both Angela and Jeanne's faces.

“Amazing job, ladies! That was the best screen test we've had yet.”

Elizabeth looked towards Victoria then, and her heart swooped at seeing the burgeoning smile spread across Victoria's face.

“Really?”

“Yeah! If the others agree, I don’t think we need to deliberate anymore.”

Jeanne and Angela voiced their assent.

“No we don't Jay.”

“I think we've just found our Fran to our Marla.”

Elizabeth felt her own grin cross her face, but faltered as she looked at Victoria once more. Turned out she had been wrong - the problem of finding herself the right co-lead wasn’t going to be the hard part of this production, but rather the problem of her long simmering feelings for Victoria – whose lap she was still seated across, she remembered with a mild panic.

Elizabeth scrabbled off Victoria's lap inelegantly and shot a smile to everyone in the room, before collecting her bag and all but bolting out of the room.

Their weird frenemy dynamic from Victorious all those years ago allowed her to somewhat keep a lid on her feelings at the time, but the dynamic of actual lovers, along with the scenes they would need to shoot to fully portray that intimacy, was going to be her greatest acting challenge yet.

A/N: This was originally meant to be a much bigger piece, but then so do all of my WIPs XD At least posting sections of them means they get to see the light of day (and so they’ll stop haunting me lol.)

Let me know what you all think :)

#elitoria #elizabeth gillies #victoria justice #elizabeth x victoria #victoria x elizabeth #victorious rpf #writing

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