Cherish 🤍

"Pedro? We have to go – like 5 minutes ago."

"Yeah, I know. Give me 3 minutes."

You rolled your eyes and nervously tapped your fingers on the surface of the wooden table you sat at.

"You know that Marlene is gonna kill me."

You heard a rustling behind you and saw Pedro peek his head out of the bathroom door.

"Why? It's not like we're late because of you."

"Yeah I know, but remember last time? The look she gave me. I swear to you, she knew what we had been doing before they picked us up."

Pedro softly chuckled, putting a ring on his index finger before raising his gaze to look at you.

"Enlighten me, darling. What had we been doing before Marlene picked us up?"

You drew your eyebrows together and searched the table for something to throw at Pedro, but all you could find was an almost empty water bottle, which you didn't want to risk throwing in case some water spilled on his designer clothes.

"It wasn't my idea, you're aware of that, aren't you? You were the one sneaking up on me while I was in the bathroom and telling me how horny you were and that you couldn't wait until after the premiere."

You crossed your legs and reached for the packet of cashews that was also on the table.

"Mhmm yes, because you were so appalled, right?"

You blushed at the memories from two days ago. To be fair, Pedro had looked absolutely stunning, his hair already styled and his strong chest looming so wonderfully under the bathrobe he had worn. When Coco had come into your room half an hour later to make some final adjustments, she refrained from commenting, but her raised eyebrows had been enough to show that she knew what had caused the mess on Pedro's head.

"Doesn't matter now. The point is, Marlene definitely knew why we were so late last time and now she's gonna think it's the same reason again."

"You wanna make it the same reason?" Pedro dryly said, innocently adjusting his collar while you threw a cashew into your mouth.

"Shut up. You better hurry up now. I'm not gonna wait for you."

"Oh you're not? So you're just gonna take a cab to the premiere? Or do you think the car would take you without me?" Pedro leaned against the doorframe and fastened the belt around his hips.

"You're pretty fucking arrogant, Pedro Pascal. I hope this movie's gonna be successful or it's gonna be a little embarrassing for you."

Of course you were joking and Pedro knew so too. You couldn't be prouder of him and the fact that he was starring as a lead in a Marvel movie – and you definitely let him know far more often than necessary.

"By the way, do you know who texted me today?" you continued, ignoring his wry grin and fishing yet another cashew out of the package.

"No, who?"

"Sam."

"Oh god, really? Our favorite cousin Sam…"

Pedro had met most of your family and knew about all of the internal family gossip, including the drama revolving around your cousin Sam. He lived in London and had occasionally met with you while Pedro and you had stayed in the city during the filming of the fantastic four. He was nice, but a little difficult sometimes, which had become an inside joke between Pedro and you. Sam was the kind of person to talk other people down in order to feel better – selling it as sarcasm, of course. He was condescending, passive-aggressive, and attention-seeking. That's why, at this point, you tried to avoid him, even when you were staying in London for a long time.

"What did he say?" Pedro wanted to know.

You leaned back in your chair and lazily ran your gaze over your phone.

"He asked me what the press tour is like, what Berlin was like and if I don't get jealous of Vanessa and you."

There was a moment of silence and when you raised your head, you saw Pedro's eyes on you.

"Jesus Christ…," Pedro whispered and closed the buttons on his sleeves.

"Yep, I know. This was what I was about to text him back."

"What did you text him?"

"Nothing. I couldn't decide if I'm gonna approach this sarcastically or seriously. I don't want him to get away with this kind of stuff, but at the same time I don't know if I have the energy to fight with him. You know him, we will get all defensive and pretened that he's the victim and that I'm exaggerating and god… I'm definitely too tired for this shit."

Pedro nodded slowly and then straightened up.

"I get it. You don't have to text him back at all, if you don't want to. I'm really sorry, though. I know it's hard dealing with all of these comments all the time. And now even your own family, jesus… I'm sorry you have to go through this because of me."

You frowned at his words, sitting upright and crossing your arms in front of your chest.

"Don't you apologise to me, Pedro. None of this is your fault. Just because some stupid, dramatic people in the media or some fans are unable to distinct between platonic physical closeness and romantic touch, doesn't mean you have to feel bad. I don't care about these comments because all I need to know, I know. I trust you, I trust Vanessa and I know how things are between you two. Holy shit, I can't even believe we're having this conversation right now. This is ridiculous, Vanessa and you should be able to hug each other in public without the whole internet going crazy and accusing the two of you of cheating."

A corner of Pedro's mouth lifted as he tilted his head to spray some perfume on his neck.

"I know. You're right. But I would obviously understand if you're tired of these comments."

"Oh believe me, I am. But I don't wanna give these assholes the power to make me sad or hurt me."

You determindely rose from your chair, straightening up in front of him and softly smiling as his eyes roamed your body.

"You look stunning, baby," Pedro whispered, closing the distance between the two of you and connecting his lips with yours.

"Thank you. So do you."

Heat rose in your cheeks and your fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt – careful though not to tousle it.

"You're finished now already? I can't believe I ever thought I was bad at being on time."

"I'm finished. No, wait, there's one ring missing…"

He averted his gaze, scanning the table searchingly, then the nightstand.

"Yeah, I know which one is missing…," you mumbled to yourself, but Pedro's head turned.

"Baby."

"It's okay. I'm just teasing. I know we've had this conversation and I totally understand your points."

You smiled to make sure that he actually believed you, but Pedro came closer nonetheless.

"And I understand your points. I do. I wish we could announce this to every single person in the world, but I'm just scared of the reaction of the public. It's so much already and I don't want us and especially you to have to go through another wave of – of hate and envy."

"I know," you whispered, staring down at where Pedro had tangled his pinky finger with yours.

"I know. And it's okay, I promise. It makes sense and I know it's the smartest thing to do."

You smiled to give him additional reassurance, but then took a step back, examining Pedro from his feet up to the hair on his head.

"Okay, handsome. We're done here now?"

He grimaced, helplessly shrugging while tilting his head.

"Darling, you know… the ring…"

"Oh Jesus Christ, let me help you."

In the end you succeeded and found the missing ring in the top drawer of Pedro's nightstand. You put it on his pinky finger with lifted eyebrows and then shoved, rather than leading him to the hotel room door.

"I swear to god, I will tell Marlene every fucking thing that has just happened in here, so she's gonna know why we took so long. And whose fault it was. I love this woman more than I love you and the look of disappointment on her face? I promise you, it's worse than anger."

Pedro's arm slipped around your waist, teasingly poking you in the side as he walked down the stairs with you.

"There's no one you love more than me…," he joked, but your heartrate jumped at his words.

Hell, he was right. This man was your everything and no amount of public pressure could ever make you believe that this thing between the two of you wasn't right.

Five minutes later you were sitting in the black van that would take you to the premiere. You held his hand, just like you always did before events like this one. You wanted to believe that it was merely to calm Pedro – who was excited, and yet a little anxious – but you felt the familiar nervous prickling on your skin as well. And the swell in your stomach…

Who could blame you, though? By now, you had been to some events, but it had only started when Pedro and you had been dating for a longer time and the two of you had been ready to make things public – which had been about three years ago. Prior to this, you had no experience with premieres, press tours, red carpets, movie screens, or award shows. Pedro had introduced you to an entirely new world and although his presence always gave you comfort and you had gained some experience, the fluttering of your heart never fully vanished.

"You good?" Pedro smiled, briefly squeezing your hand.

"Yeah. You?" you replied, removing a dust particle stuck in his temple hair.

"Yes. I'm excited. I think it's gonna be a big one. Lots of fans."

Pedro chuckled at your wry, tortured grin, but then patted your thigh.

"It's gonna be alright. You don't have to give interviews, you know? Anne's gonna be with you at all times and if you tell her at any point you wanna skip press, it's no problem. You can either just go straight into the building or wait at the side. No problem at all."

"I know… We'll see. But you have a great time, okay? I don't want you to feel scared for me or be stressed. You enjoy it. It's your moment, my favorite movie star."

You kissed his cheek, ignoring his low chuckle and then tightening your grip around his hand.

"Sometimes I still can't believe it."

"What?" Pedro leaned back in his seat, an amused smile playing around his lips.

"That you're in a fucking Marvel movie. These are the comics I read growing up. It's crazy. You're unbelievable. But you deserve this so much, baby."

"Thank you. But you better be careful now, I don't wanna get out of the car crying."

You pursed your lips and watched him precisely.

"Okay. Let's talk about something else then. Tell me."

Pedro rolled his eyes before you could even finish the sentence, which made you dramatically exhale.

"Pedro, please. You promised that you're gonna tell me next week."

"Babe, it's Thursday. We got 3 days left."

You sank back in your seat, raising your hands to slam them against your forehead.

"You're killing me, do you know that?"

It had been almost a week ago when Pedro had told you he 'had something for you'. You had no idea what it was, if it was an announcement, a gift or an event he had planned. All you knew was that you were the most impatient person in the world and you couldn't wait another day.

"I can't even say it yet. There're still a few things that need to happen."

"Can you at least tell we kind of thing it is? Just give me something."

Pedro sighed, dropping his hands to your thigh to gently caress you.

"Babe. Patience."

"Don't you come at me with patience. I've been waiting for a week now. Just please –"

"Okay, now I gotta distract you. Tell me about your lunch."

You narrowed your eyes, brows drawing together.

"My lunch."

"Yeah. It looked so good and you wouldn't let me have a bite."

"Yeah because you would've wanted to switch. I told you before that my lunch would be perfect for you, but no, you wanted to have the bowl with salmon," you defended yourself.

"Mine was amazing too. But it's okay, I know you're not a big sharer… And you like to keep your joy all to yourself and not have other people take part…"

You involuntarily burst into laughter, but shook your head.

"That's not true, I share everything with you... but not my lunch. Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you – I hate it. When I order something, I want it all to myself because sometimes I've been looking forward to it for hours and I just don't want someone to come up to me and ask me if they can try it before I even had a bite."

Pedro was about to say something, his mouth already open when the car slowed down.

"Okay we're here, but this conversation is not over yet!"

Your face was glowing under the many flashlights and you blinked a few times, still getting used to it. A smile was glued to your face that was only half forced because at that moment, Pedro was still next to you, an arm around your waist and his free hand on his stomach.

"Mr Pascal, here, please!" "To your left!" "Mr Pascal!" "Now a smile, please!"

The shouts were loud and seemed to come from everywhere, but with Pedro's hand stroking up and down your side you were able to blank them out. These red carpet moments were always a lot and you were almost certain that you would never fully get used to this, but with him it was bearable. Just like everything in your life seemed to be.

Still, you were slightly relieved when Anne motioned for you to leave Pedro's side so that the photographers could take pictures of Pedro alone. It was overstimulating after all, knowing that every single gesture or twitch of a muscle was being recorded and posted online.

You were standing next to the photo spot now, grinning at Pedro while your pulse thundered up your throat. Not only did he look gorgeous in his suit, but you once again were speechless seeing him like that. A lead in a Marvel movie, filling the whole red carpet and all of the million spotlights on him. He deserved this more than anyone in the world and you couldn't help but get a little emotional watching the scene unfold in front of you.

"Y/n, we can do some interviews now, if you like…," Anne suddenly whispered in your ear and you turned around, lips thoughtfully twisting.

"Mhmm, alright. Okay, why not?"

She nodded and gently took you by your arm as she guided you across the carpet.

"Great. We don't have to do a lot, but Pedro said you enjoyed doing it in Berlin, so I thought maybe you wanna give one or two interviews again. The press loves talking to you as you might imagine…"

She grinned and pulled you toward the journalists lined up behind a barricade. You were once again overwhelmed by all the cameras and phones, but gave them a kind smile as Anne guided you to a microphone. It was too fast to even notice who was interviewing you when the woman already started speaking.

"Hi, it's so good to see you! You might have witnessed the whole internet going crazy after your red carpet appearance in Berlin two days ago and now I just wanna ask you: What is it like standing there next to Pedro Pascal? Have you gotten used to it yet?"

You smiled, ignoring your racing heart, and tried to form relatively intelligent thoughts in your head.

"Thank you, it's good to see you too. Yes, it was definitely an amazing experience being on the carpet with him and I can already tell, this one's going to be fantastic too. It's obviously overwhelming, all these people, the love of the fans… Even I, as someone who's not in the movie, feel it and right now I just enjoy sucking it all up and, you know, kind of bathing in this surreal, but very beautiful moment."

The woman smiled and you exhaled, feeling some of the tension fall off you. This was going well so far, so could your pounding heart please slow down already?

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but Pedro and Vanessa seem very close on this press tour. Are there any moments in which the jealousy just overtakes? I mean what couple could possibly compare to Reed and Sue?"

You swallowed hard, feeling the anxiety bubble up in your stomach. Not only had she asked a question you had already been tired of for weeks, but she also had thrown you off balance. How were you suppoed to give her a professional and polite answer?

"Well, of course you're right, I think Reed and Sue are couple goals. But you know… I'm really glad Pedro and Vanessa have found such great friends in each other, I really love her, I think she's amazing and I've been a fan of her for such a long time… You know, I remember literally binge watching the crown and just being blown away by her performance… But yeah, I can calm you, there's no drama and we're all getting along very well."

"Thank you so much for talking to me, have a nice day," the interviewer said with a broad smile, which you returned.

"Thank you."

Your shoulders dropped as you took a step back. You looked at Anne with a pained smile and scrunched your nose as you saw her nod.

"Yeah, I see. Maybe we're done now with interviews. I'm really sorry, I didn't expect them to be so unprofessional."

She pulled you away by your arm and brought you to the other side of the red carpet where the first people and groups were walking inside the building.

"Do you wanna wait here for Pedro or already go inside?" Anne wanted to know and soothingly squeezed your wrist.

"I think I'd like to wait here. Is that okay?"

"Of course, yes… And don't bother, okay? These people from the press can be horrible. You handled it wonderfully, seriously. You were professional and still very nice, which she definitely didn't deserve. You did good, really. This question was horrifying."

You took a deep breath, warmth gushing in your center at Anne's kind words.

"Thank you. It's just kinda annoying, you know. But I guess that's the entertainment industry."

The two of you were standing by the carpet for what felt like an eternity. Every single person on the red carpet seemed to want to take a picture with Pedro or interview him or let him sign something and while your feet began to ache after a while, your face was still gleaming with pride.

He was the moment.

These people bursting into tears at his sight, barely able to hold themselves together when they took a selfie with him… Not only did it fill you with adoration and joy seeing these fans live their dream, but you also couldn't stop thinking about how loved and admired your fiance was. You were almost combusting with pride, your insides tingling and dancing as you watched Pedro's every move.

The rest of the event was just as exciting but much less stressful. After Pedro headed toward you, he didn't let go of your arm for another second until he was forced to due to the big press conference. Of course you sat in the front row next to Coco, Anne, Sue and all the others and listened to some very entertaining and fun moments until it was over as well.

Fifteen minutes later, you saw Pedro backstage. He had just taken off his jacket and was pulling at his shirt relentlessly, trying to get some cool air on his skin.

"Hi baby," you said and pulled him in for a hug.

"Hi there… You're alright?"

"Yes. I'm good. You did so amazing out there. Did you have fun?"

Pedro hung the jacket on a chair and fanned himself.

"Yeah. It was just very hot… Would you be down for grabbing a bite with the others? Ebon just asked me."

You grabbed his hand and ran with your thumb over the back of it.

"Sure. Right now?"

"I think so, yes. Vanessa just needs a few more minutes and then we would take the car to a restaurant Ebon picked."

You smiled and reached up to him, brushing a lock out of his face.

"Okay. Sounds good. Although – only if he didn't choose another italian restaurant. I love the italian kitchen, but I feel like Ebon always picks the same."

Pedro's lips curled and he shook his head while pulling you out of the room with him.

"He said it's Indian this time. He was in the mood for something else tonight."

Pedro guided you to the underground car park, which you were grateful for because you had lost every sense of orientation. You briefly met with Pedro's costars who all looked happy, but a little exhausted and then entered the black van again. The air was stuffy and too hot, but Ebon had shared the location of the restaurant with you and you knew that the car ride wouldn't be too long.

"I'm so proud of you," you whispered once you had fastened your seat belt and leaned in to kiss Pedro next to his ear.

"Thank you, babe. Really. You wouldn't believe how much you being here means to me."

"Can I just… I feel like I should tell you what happened on the carpet today."

His eyes popped open, and concern spread across his face instantly.

"What do you mean, did something happen? You're alright?"

"Yes, yes," you calmed him, taking his hands again and forcing a brief smile upon your lips.

"I'm good. It was just… I gave an interview because I felt like it. I felt good and happy and I didn't think anything could go wrong, but then this woman asked me about Vanessa and you."

Pedro's face tensed, but he didn't immediately answer. He just looked down to where your hands were holding on to each other and then furrowed his brow.

"What did she ask?"

You sighed, shoulders dropping.

"She asked if I sometimes get jealous. After seeing the two of you on the carpet together."

Pedro's head dropped backward and he let out a painful whine while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"God… Baby, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this… Did you answer her?"

"Yes, I kinda said that I'm happy you two are such good friends and Reed and Sue are like superior and that there's no jealousy. But my heart, jesus Pedro, I thought I was gonna die. How do you handle all these interviews? And the bad questions especially?"

Pedro softly chuckled, but it didn't sound very enthusiastic.

"I pray for good questions. It's always a surprise because there are people that ask genuinely nice and interesting things and make me see the characters from a different perspective, but then there are people like that who completely invade our privacy and just try to get a good headline. I'm really sorry, baby. But I'm proud of you for the way you handled it."

He took you in his arms, pulling you to his chest and pressing a kiss on your hairline.

"Thanks. I don't wanna think about it anymore. I'm just glad I didn't give her a good headline."

Pedro held your hand the entire car ride to the restaurant. It was getting late, and the sun was setting, but the streets of London were still busy with people rushing around to the many restaurants and bars.

You gulped hard when the car approached the place chosen by Ebon.

"Shit, there're many paparazzi and fans…," you mumbled and glanced at Pedro.

"Yeah… But if we're quick we can just hurry inside. They won't get in."

He averted his gaze from the tilted window and gave you an encouraging smile.

"You just hold on to my hand, okay? We'll be quick."

Now that the car had parked, you could see a wave of enthusiasm sweep through the crowd. People held up their phones and photographers had their cameras ready to capture the scene. Fans waved to your fiancé even though they couldn't see him yet.

"Okay. Okay, we got this," you inhaled and closed your eyes for a moment, gathering your strength.

"Yeah we do. Stay close to me and just try to ignore them," Pedro gave you one last piece of advice and then pushed the door open.

The noise was overwhelming, it rang in your ears.

The contrast between the silence inside the car and the chatter and shouts outside took your breath away and for a moment, you tightly clutched Pedro's wrist so you wouldn't lose your balance.

"Mr Pascal!"

"Look here!"

"Y/N, what is it like being here today? Do you feel like the third wheel between Pedro and Vanessa?"

"Fuck off, he's supposed to be with an actress not some random…"

Tears welled in your eyes. You had promised yourself you wouldn't listen to the words coming out of their mouths, but there was nothing you could do. You stumbled out of the car behind Pedro, knees weak and your view blurry. You wanted to sink into the ground and never come back. The walk to the door of the restaurant seemed so long all of the sudden, how were you supposed to make it without falling to the ground and embarrass yourself even further? Perhaps you would make Pedro trip as well.

"This is his girlfriend? She looks so much prettier on social media!"

"Look over here, Pedro! Camera's here!"

"Why are you even with her? She's not a good fit for you!"

"Pedro, is there anything between Vanessa and you? Have you left y/n for her?"

You couldn't breathe. The tightness in your chest was almost unbearable and you felt like you were about to faint. Your gaze was lowered, but you still didn't see where you were going, mindlessly walking behind Pedro.

Until he suddenly stopped.

You didn't have the courage to look up, meet with his eyes or let alone allow the paparazzi to see the stress written all over your face, but your fiance didn't seem to want to address you anyway. You clung to his hand, shoulders pulled up in tension and eyes pinched shut, as if you could escape the situation this way.

"You let her alone right now," Pedro shouted over your head and yanked you a little closer.

"I'm so serious, I don't wanna hear another comment about her or our relationship or anything like that. Fuck off, I mean it… Jesus Christ."

A rough tug pulled you inside the restaurant and only when you were embraced by the silence inside did you become aware of your pounding heart and the sweat pooling on your forehead.

"Baby. It's okay, honey, come here," Pedro instantly comforted you and hugged you once he had made sure that the people outside couldn't see the two of you. You immediately broke into tears, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and sobbing into his shirt.

"Shhh… I know. It's alright, I got you, baby."

Your heartbeat was still thundering up your throat, lips dry and hands trembling, but your mind gradually began to understand that you were safe now. Pedro held you firmly as if it was the only way to protect you from the cold-hearted photographers outside and he did so until your crying started to die down.

He gently cupped your head, drawing your backward and swallowing at the state of your face.

"I'm so fucking sorry, baby, I don't even know what to say…"

He traced the area under your eyes with his thumb, tenderly removing a few remains of your tears.

"Do you wanna leave? We can go back to the hotel and order food to our room. And we can take the back entrance, no one's gonna bother us."

You cleared your throat, your weak hands grabbing his sleeves to hold on to him.

"No, it's fine. I don't – I don't wanna let them win," you stuttered with a raspy voice, lashes fluttering as Pedro kissed the tip of your nose and then your cheek.

"Okay… But just know that we don't have to stay because of me. The others would get it too, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," you nodded, weakly running your hands over his shoulders just to feel him.

"I love you, y/n. So much. And please, don't ever think about what they said for another second, we – "

Pedro was suddenly interrupted by the growing noise from outside. Vanessa opened the door and stepped inside, her face drawn with confusion.

"Everything good?" she wanted to know and put a hand on your shoulderblade.

"Papparazzi," was all Pedro said, but she sighed, nodding and soothingly caressing your back.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry, hon. Is there anything I can do? We don't have to stay here, if you don't feel like it. Or we let the guys have dinner and do something fun just the two of us somewhere else."

Vanessa gave you a soft smile that caused a comfortable warmth to spread in your chest.

"Thank you," you breathed, blinking away some tears and turning around with your whole body to hug her.

"But I think I wanna do this. Have dinner here. As long as we're safe in here at least."

"We are. They're not gonna let them enter. And once Joe and Ebon are here they're hopefully gonna fuck off. But you tell us at any point if you wanna go home. It's okay to feel exhausted after a day like this one."

She gave Pedro and you a pained grin, then pointed to the door that led from the hallway into the restaurant.

"Should we go in and wait by the table?"

Pedro's arm slipped around your shoulders and he gave you a squeeze while waiting for your reply.

"Yes, thank you. Seriously," you added, glancing in Vanessa's direction. She just made a dismissive gesture and then entered the place behind you.

Although the evening was peaceful and quiet and you felt more than cared for by Pedro, Vanessa, Ebon and Joseph, your good mood just couldn't entirely be restored. Too big was the ache, too recent the memory of the pushy journalists and too large the shock.

Pedro had told Ebon and Joe about the incident – after checking with you, of course – and while the smiles you gave them were almost all forced, you were also filled with an infinite love for these people. Everyone was so attentive, so lovely and kind to you that you threatened to burst into tears again toward the end of the night. It was a strange combination of hurt and adoration, something that always had you on the brink of crying.

First and foremost, it was Pedro of course who just radiated comfort and protection with the arm around the backrest of your chair or the hand on your thigh. He didn't seem to let you out of sight for once all throughout the night; even when you excused yourself to go to the toilet, his eyes were on you until you had closed the door to the bathroom behind you. It was the simple gestures, the way he pulled your chair back, how he never made you feel excluded from the conversation, even when the four of them were talking about the days on set or how he touched your arm or leg whenever you were silent for a longer period of time.

After Pedro had paid for the whole group, the five of you stood up after a while, straightening your clothes and watching each other.

"Well," Joseph started, turning toward you and pulling you into a firm hug.

"I know it's been a hard day, but I hope you had at least some fun… You know we're all on your side, right?"

You nodded against his shoulder. "Thank you, Joe. Seriously."

Next up was Ebon, who wasn't any more shy when he draped his arms around you like he had known you for decades and briefly swayed you to the side.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? You're gonna make yourself a nice evening, look out for yourself and Pedro's gonna take good care of you, mhm?"

He darted at Pedro, who gave a nod and patted his friend's shoulder. Vanessa was the last one to say goodbye and took her time as well as she kissed your cheek and leaned in to brush your hair behind your ear.

"You did so well today, babe. I know it might not feel that way right now because of all these terrible journalists, but you were so strong and tough and handled it amazingly. Don't let it all get to your head, okay? Distract yourself and believe us instead of these papparazzi."

She briefly stroked up the side of your face and then withdrew. "Pedro's really lucky to have you."

"Thank you, Vanessa," you murmured, tears once again welling in your eyes.

"Awww, none of that, babe," she chuckled, letting go of you to follow Joseph and Ebon into the hallway.

Pedro and you left the room as well, his hand gripping your arm, as if he was scared you would slip away. Or maybe it was to support you. Either way, you appreciated the gesture.

"You wanna head to the hotel now?" he whispered in your ear, breath tingling on your skin.

"Yes. And sleep for 12 hours please," you smiled.

Pedro guided you to the private parking space behind the restaurant where the black vans were already waiting.

20 minutes later you finally lifelessly dropped onto the hotel bed, sprawling out across the soft mattress and listening to your own panting. The day had been tough, an odd mixture of up and downs and now all you wanted to do was to sleep and let your stressed mind rest.

But before you could do that, you really needed to get rid of the ache in your stomach that was disturbing your peace of mind. So, you were glad when Pedro sat down next to you after you brushed your teeth in the bathroom. The tiredness was clouding your head, but you knew that you wouldn't be able to drift off to sleep with the heaviness weighing down on your heart.

"How are you feeling?" Pedro wanted to know, reaching for your hand and toying with it while you searched your head for words.

"I don't know… I wanna say that I'm good, but… I don't know, it was bad, Pedro," you breathed, heartrate shooting up as you remembered the scary scene with every sense of your body. The panic that was making it impossible for you to breathe, the dizziness, the fear of doing something wrong, the worry that everyone in the world might think the way these paparazzi did.

"That's okay, babe. It's absolutely natural and okay for you to feel overwhelmed and strained. And it's healthy to get it out."

He shifted in his seat to get closer to you until your knees were touching.

"I just want you to know – and I hope it's actually unnecessary for me to say that – but none of what they said is true or even worth thinking about for another second. It was bullshit, absolute nonsense and the dumbest stuff I've heard in a while. Please just promise me that you won't take it to heart. These are paparazzi that have no idea about what's going on between us and our relationship and Vanessa and they literally just said anything to get any reaction from you that they might be able to use for a headline or maybe they just wanted to hurt and unsettle you because they can. Either way, it's bullshit."

You glanced down at the bedsheets, lids closing while you savoured the fresh air entering the room through the open window. You hadn't even realised how much you had missed clean, cool air all day.

"I know. You're right. My brain understands it, but right now… right now I'm just not able to keep it out of my head. It was just too much."

Pedro nodded in understanding and placed both palms on your thighs.

"Okay. That's normal and natural, but it's important that you remember not to let it consume you. That you won't start to believe it, honey. I love you. I love you so much and I couldn't care less about anything they said. I don't care that you're not an actress, I don't care that you're not famous. If anything, I'm grateful that you don't go on press tours multiple times a year and I don't have to share you with the public."

He smiled and trailed with his finger up your arm.

"Call me selfish, but I prefer it that way."

You felt the butterflies flutter in your stomach and for the first time in hours, the grin you gave him was genuine and came from your heart.

"Yeah?" you mumbled, watching his hand rub over your bicep.

"Yeah. I think I would combust seeing the whole world thirst over you."

"Well, then just think about how I'm feeling right now," you whispered, cheeks turning pink as Pedro grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it.

"No, no, no, we're not starting this… You know how down bad I am for you, babe. You know that you literally have me on my knees for you. You want me to prove it? You want me to – "

You stopped him before he could finish the sentence and took hold of his face with two hands, rolling the two of you over to lay on your sides.

"I only wanna see you, y/n," Pedro whispered, faces inches away from each other. "I only see you. You know that I would give all of this away for you? Don't get me wrong, I love this job, I love acting, but you… You're everything to me. It's scary sometimes because I don't think I've ever felt that way, but sometimes when I'm with you, everything else becomes so meaningless that I start to think I wouldn't mind changing my whole life, moving to a different country, having a different job, just waking up in a completely different place as long as you're with me. You're everything, baby. Everything I need to survive."

You swallowed hard, throat tightening as you one by one, processed his words. And the weight of them.

"I love you so much," you replied, thumb trailing along his jawline.

"But you're making it sound like I demanded that you give up acting," you giggled.

"That was a metaphor," Pedro growled in response and flipped the two of you over, so he was lying on top of you, your hair spread out on the pillow.

"Well excuse me, sir. I'm not an actress, so I don't know a lot about metaphors or stylistic devices."

"Yeah I can see that…," Pedro sighed and gently brushed with his lips over your chin.

"You said it beautifully," you admitted and draped your legs around his hips. "And I feel the same way about you. But still, I would like to make sure that you know, I don't want you to quit acting and I will never ask this of you."

"Good, then," Pedro chuckled and dropped his head to your collarbone.

"You wanna sleep like that?" you asked into the dark after a while, body vibrating with laughter at the way he clung to you.

"Yes," was all he answered, stubbornly pressing his face against your shoulder.

"No. There's no way in hell I will be able to find some rest like this."

You could feel him glance up at you, but you remained unwavering.

"Sorry, babe. But you can be big spoon if you want."

He unwillingly raised his head from your body and dropped onto the mattress right next to you, bed lightly creaking under his weight.

"You know how it ended last time…," he growled, but opened his arms, so you could lay with your back against his front.

"I was really warm," you defended yourself, slightly smirking at the memory of his disturbed expression after he had realised you had peeled his hands off your body in your sleep.

"Mhmm," Pedro scoffed, but after a few minutes of having you snug against him, he began to hum in satisfaction.

"That's nice," he murmurated, hands pressing down on your stomach to keep you close.

"Yeah, it is...," you answered, but you were already almost far gone in the land of dreams.

"You okay?" was the last thing you heard Pedro say. Although your head was spinning and your body was sleepy, you managed to move your lips.

"Yes."

And then the room fell silent, the only sound being the rustling of the curtains in the wind along with your heavy and steady breathing.

You woke up when Pedro moved to your right. You hadn't been able to stay in the same position all night, and now you were lying splayed out on your back, your hair hanging in front of your face.

"Mhmmm…," you made lashes trembling as sleep still had a strong grip on your body. You weren't supposed to wake up that early, that much was true, and the longer you thought about how tired your bones felt, the more you started to think that Pedro's movements had woken you up.

"Baby…," you hummed and opened one eye to see what he was doing.

"Good morning," he grinned, sitting upright with his back against the wall.

"Are you crazy? What's the time?"

"8:58."

You groaned, turning on your stomach and burying your face into the pillow.

"No, no, no…," he objected, grabbing your shoulder and trying to get you to face him again.

"Pedro, it's 9. When did we go to bed last night? I surely didn't get more of 7 hours sleep tonight and I need my 8 hours."

You felt him trace patterns on your shoulder blades, unwavering as he gently rocked your body from side to side.

"I know baby, but we need to have breakfast. And then we have a flight to catch."

You grunted in dissatisfaction, but allowed your fiance to turn you on your back again.

"Just think about Syndey, babe…," he whispered, toying with strands of your hair and brushing over your cheeks.

"Yeah… I know. I'm excited for Sydney," you admitted and slowly sat up on the bed. You felt dizzy, eyes stinning and struggling to stay open, but you had to accept the fact that Pedro was right and it would be clever to eat something before your flight to Australia.

"I'll go take a shower," you mumbled and were about to climb off the bed when Pedro grasped your wrist.

"Just wait a moment, okay?" he smirked and planted your hand on the mattress.

"Mhm?" you unelegantly hummed and then frowned as he reached behind him and presented you your engagement ring.

"What?" you said, body vibrating with laughter, but Pedro gestured you to be quiet and cleared his throat.

"Y/n. My darling. You know that I love you more than anyone and anything in this world. Will you – " "Babe, do you have a stroke or something? And when did you get this by the way? Did you take it while I was asleep?"

Pedro's eyebrows playfully drew together and he snatched your arm as you tried to reach for your ring.

"No. Just wait, okay?"

You sighed, but complied, crossing your arms in front of your chest and challengingly observing him.

"I… Listen, I woke up early today and I couldn't really sleep… and I just thought about this whole thing. And I made a decision."

Pedro gently grabbed your hand, stretching your arm toward him and watching your ring finger.

"Would you like to announce our engagement to the world? Will you marry me and let the world know about it?"

Your heart skipped a beat and blood rushed into your cheeks.

"What?" you said, short of breath and the ends of your nerves prickling.

"You wanna – Are you sure, baby?"

He laughed out, the cold surface of the ring against your finger now. It felt so cool to the touch, so smoothe and sleek.

"I'm asking you right now, aren't I?"

"Y-Yes, but… I always thought you wanted to avoid going public with it for this very reason. Because you know how disrespectful and rude the press can be."

You let Pedro slide the ring onto your finger, even though you could still feel the uncertainty coiling in your stomach.

"I know. But after yesterday… I'm just so angry and – and over all of this shit. I don't care what they're gonna say, and if they're unable to accept our relationship like this, then why not tell everything?"

You bit down on your bottom lip, thoughts swirling in your head like bumblebees.

"I already have an idea," he claimed and reached to the nightstand to get his own ring.

"What idea?"

"We're gonna announce it – if you're okay with it, of course – and then we're gonna get off our phones for the next week. Of course there's work stuff and we might wanna stay in contact with your families, but we'll avoid social media. Instagram, Tiktok, the news… We'll just enjoy ourselves and the moment without finding out what other people have to say about it."

The corner of your mouth involuntarily lifted. A comfortable warmth spread throughout your body, reaching your toes and even your pinky finger. All you wanted was to sink into bed with Pedro, tangle with him and the sheets, and melt until you forgot there were other people in the world besides the two of you.

"Yes," was what you whispered in the end, causing Pedro to grab your hand and kiss it while tilting his head.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Of course I want this."

He nodded, unable to wipe that grin off his face.

"Yeah? You wanna do this?"

You playfully punched him in the side with an uncontrollable laugh and threw yourself on top of him until your limbs were tangled up in a mess with no top or bottom.

"I want to do this! I want to do this!" you repeated over and over until you and Pedro were breathless from laughing so hard. With his face pressed against your nape, Pedro groaned softly.

"We're gonna miss our flight if we stay here any longer."

You rolled your eyes, but then finally climbed off the bed, feet dragging over the floor as you headed to the bathroom. It would be a pity to miss your flight to Australia after all, and now you had two reasons to hurry up.

"We can still back out, you know?" you whispered, captivated by panic like a cold hand gripping your heart, but Pedro took a deep breath and determindely shook his head.

"No. I promised you this. It's gonna be fine. And you won't have to do anything. Either someone's gonna address the ring or I'll bring it up myself in an interview."

You nodded, but continued to restlessly tap your feet on the car floor.

"But you could also make a post on instagram, you know? Just saying…"

Pedro suddenly grinned and pulled you in for a hug.

"Baby. We got this. I wanna do this. Just trust me, okay?"

You agreed in the absence of any words, but you couldn't deny the way sweat pooled in your palms as you left the car. Fortunately, Pedro was still there, having promised not to leave your side today.

As always, you were greeted by bright lights and camera flashes, but you shrugged them off. After your traumatic experience at the restaurant, nothing could scare you anymore. And despite your doubts, there was also an undeniable confidence in Pedro and yourself. You were here today to give the press something; something that they would hopefully eat up and celebrate instead of dragging you for being the girlfriend of the internet's most wanted man.

The next few minutes were nothing but a fever dream, lights blinding you as Pedro guided you across the red carpet. You stopped occasionally to take photos for the paparazzi and then, as if you had been in a dream, your eyes popped open once Pedro and you had passed the photographers and you were heading to the press.

"It's all good," he whispered through his teeth, squeezing your hand twice and carefully pulling you with him.

"Yeah, it's all good," you repeated like a mantra, focusing on not stumbling in your high heels. That was easier than thinking about the possible consequences of the upcoming announcement.

"The man of the hour, Pedro Pascal! And y/n as well, what an honour to be talking to the two of you," a red-haired woman said, giving you a broad grin.

"Thank you, very nice to meet you," Pedro answered and tightened his grip around your hand, as if he knew exactly when you needed a little extra support.

"I heard that this is your first time in Sydney, is there anything on your bucket list that you would like to do?"

"Oh gosh…," Pedro sighed, bringing a finger to his lip and forming a thoughtful pout.

"Is there anything on my bucket list… I mean does 'seeing Sydney' count? I've always wanted to come here and it's so amazing to finally be able to. I love it, I really do. We arrived here three days ago and I literally just texted someone from the publicity team to thank them that we got here a little earlier to see more of the city. But do you have any recommendations what should be on our bucket list?"

The woman nodded. "Oh I could give you a list with restaurants. And you should go to the Royal Botanic Garden, it's so beautiful, especially in this kind of weather."

Suddenly her eyes landed on you and your throat instantly dried up.

"Now that I also have you here in front of me, may I ask you if you have any favorite project of Pedro's? Something that just really stood out to you and you can't stop rewatching?"

You inhaled and only now realised that you had held your breath during her question. You could answer that one.

"Oh god… That's difficult to say because there's so much I love… But I guess if I had to choose one, I would maybe say the Mandalorian. But Fantastic Four is a very close second."

"Of course she chooses the one project were you don't see my face," Pedro chuckled and grimaced, watching your profile. "She's just tired of seeing my face."

You joined, but shook your head. You were about to disagree, but the interviewer took up the topic and started talking before you could.

"Your face can be seen in a lot of projects this year from the Last of Us and Materialists to Fantastic Four and Eddington. What are your plans for the next months, are you gonna go on a 24 months vacation after that insane movie run or can you already tell us something?"

Pedro grinned. "24 months vacation actually doesn't sound too bad, but please someone sort that out with Disney… No, I mean you're obviously not getting rid of me so quickly - I'm really sorry world - but yeah... I guess let yourself be surprised."

He gave a mysterious wink and then smirked as the interviewer thanked the two of you and Pedro was guided to the next one.You followed along, thinking that things hadn't gone too badly, even though he hadn't had the chance to make the special announcement yet. Maybe he would with this next one, though.

"Welcome to Sydney!" the black-haired woman greeted you and then her eyes almost immediately dropped to your intertwined hands and you knew what was about to happen.

The light from the countless cameras reflected off Pedro's engagement ring. You chewed on your bottom lip while the interviewer knowingly lifted her eyebrows.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice the shiny little things on both of your gorgeous hands. Is there something we can congratulate you on?"  

Pedro exchanged a look with you, then smiled contentedly.

"I guess you could say so, yes."

He raised your hand, pressed a kiss on its back, and instantly elicited a number of "Awww"s from the journalists.

You barely registered the following questions from the interviewer, standing next to Pedro with sparkling eyes. Soon, your cheeks hurt from all the smiling. When the woman said goodbye and you stepped away, you couldn't help but grab Pedro's face and kiss him, regardless of the dozens of cameras filming you.

"I love you," you whispered against his lips, nail scraping over his beard stubble while Pedro palmed your waist.

"I love you, too. Did I do well?" he asked, ignoring the waiting journalists and his agent completely. For the moment, it was just the two of you, embraced by a hazy bubble that no one could break through.

"Yes. You did. More than well."

"Good."