after laughter.

       HE’S HELPING SET THE FOOD OUT ON THE COFFEE TABLE when he hears payton comment on his painting, and though his initial reaction is to brush the compliment off, mumbling something about it not even being finished, his attention is brought to the word ‘too.’  ❛ ― you paint, as well? of course you do. ❜ he almost says it like a thought, more for himself, than for her. of course she fucking does. perhaps she’s made it a goal for him to romanticize her.

he takes the napkin from the girl sat beside him and he’s listening to her talk to him about sandwiches, and the close to one hundred that she’s determined to try ― and he’s trying really hard not to look like he’s beaming. but he can’t really help that he’s FOND of her; it’s like her whole aesthetic is just being a ray of sunshine, which was really refreshing considering even atlas got tired of his own omnipresent broodiness sometimes. so, yeah. he tries his best to be reserved of the fact that he’s pretty keen on her, but with the way he looks at her with eyes crinkled & a crooked smile, that facade is betrayed in an instant.  ❛ you’re fucking crazy, payton, ❜ he comments, followed by a chuckle of disbelief mixed with admiration. he wipes his hands with the napkin as he continues.  ❛ i don’t even think there are ninety-nine real variations of sandwiches, anyway. they probably have like, ten actually different sandwiches, and then the other eighty-nine are just ever so slightly different than the first ten. like the number eleven is probably just a number ONE but with like, MAYO instead of mustard or something.  ❜ he’s finished with the napkin now, & he throws it into the empty bag in front of them with nonchalance, officially designating it the bag for their trash.  ❛ ― and anyway, you’d have to go every single day to try them all, and if you do that, then i’m just gonna be forced to start calling you Sandwich Girl. or something equally embarrassing but relevant.  ❜ he gives her a matter-of-fact look & shrugs his shoulders. ❛ i don’t make the rules, okay? and it would literally KILL me to not make fun of you. ❜

he goes for his sandwich again, intent on finishing it, when payton asks him about his day. but he waves that question away, barely able to contain the fact that he’s so pleased that she had one of HIS songs stuck in her head. sometimes, he forgot that they’d met before, a long time before the village was even a possibility to atlas. it meant more to him than he could explain in words when his castmates supported wallows ( and the fans, too, of course ), but it was always a special kind of appreciation when it came to payton because she’d been a listener before she knew atlas personally. music was really important to atlas ( maybe even too important, at times, when it came to budgeting time & attention to other things, like class or work ), and it was nice to have someone who was a part of the same music scene that he was in, and even nicer that she was into his passion project. ❛ literally, nothing, ❜ he responds quickly, shaking his head, in answer to her question. ❛ i am actually, quite literally, never doing anything interesting. that’s just an illusion i like to give people to make myself seem intriguing. ― BUT, i’d LOVE to know what song you were listening to, ❜ he insists, cheekily. 

“atlas, you’re insulting my new best friend, the self-proclaimed sandwich god of new york city, this man would knock you out and spread you like mustard on rye if he heard you right now. back it up,” she was just teasing, holding up her hand, palm staring him straight in the face as if blocking out his statement, void. “perspective –– there’s at least a dozen variations of meat, sliced, or spreadable salad style not to mention meatless sandwiches are all the hype right now, i might not follow the vegan flow but i’m no hater. plus the choice of cheese alone can completely alter what makes a sandwich itself and then add in the veggies and the spreads, hot or cold, i mean C’MON, the possibilities are truly infinite.” payton shakes her head, a grin still ever so slightly attached to her lips before she goes in for another bite. could she continue to ramble about her limitless belief in sandwich fillings, sure, totally ( probably for hours ) but any person besides atlas wouldn’t have even humored her with a response, so for that she was patting herself on the back for choosing her audience wisely when spitting out obnoxious statements. “make fun alllll you want, but when i finish number 99 and they give me the key to city, promise me you’ll come up with a better name than Sandwich Girl. spare us both the embarrassment.”

making a proper dent in the second half of her sandwich, payton looks sideways at atlas, “you quite literally just lied! call me crazy, i think you’re crazy!” she pushed her elbow at him, nudging him in the side, hard enough to make it worth the effort, but not enough to actually inflict pain. “since when does making music not count as interesting? and good music at that, i mean every kid with a laptop these days claims they’re a musician but you’re actually doing it. and you show up on set and kill it and you paint, which heck no i do not share that talent, as if i wish.” payton heard him before when he thought she too was spending her free time painting, but her mouth-full of bread made refuting him one hundred precent the wrong choice at the time. “i’m a one gig kinda girl, but mr. actor, musician, painter...you artistic prodigy you. and you just put away that sandwich like a true champ, i am always being impressed by you, it’s like you’re tryin’ to show off, i swear!” her words were meant only as an overwhelming genuine compliment, she really did admire him. payton put her efforts in one basket and she was more than content with that, but it always fascinated her when others were able to bring art into their lives in more ways than one, and succeed at it like atlas. “ what you described is actually my MO, so hop off that train and embrace the fact that you could literally be doing nothing and you’d still be infinitely more interesting than the person before you. own it but also be humble, kendrick lamar taught me that and he’s a king so.” she adds nonchalantly with a shrug.

                        PAYTON JAMES WAS ENTHUSIASTIC, HE would give her that without a second’s hesitation — even better, she was a scene partner who could have cared less about what the media, what the public had to say about him. it was evident, when they first shook hands, and still, when she smiles at him, calling him harv, a nickname his parents don’t even use. “ well, even if you were, i wouldn’t blame you. sometimes they’ve got some surprisingly good cookies, ” he smiles — he supposes he owes it to her to be equally as POSITIVE, at the least. she calls matti adorable, and all he can do is nod and smile. mattison james is good, he’s righteous, he’s liked, and likely hasn’t made a dozen mistakes like harvey has. it almost feels wrong to don the colorful socks, the white high tops, the jean jackets that matti wears in the show. it went without saying that harvey would never have the confidence to pull off HALF of matti’s wardrobe. “ yeah — yeah, i think they’re just shooting some of the university scenes today. i think we’ll be in the clear, ” he adds, stuffing his rolled-up script in his back pocket. “ planet harvey ? hmm … i mean, not much. got breakfast the other day, trying to just settle into the apartment, i guess. ” nothing about dodging paparazzi, navigating the tense channels he shares with some of their other co-stars, fending off the tabloid rumors his parents had to bring up at breakfast. “ what about you, what about planet payton ? you meet everyone properly ? some of the crew seem pretty cool. ”

                      “they do recommend breakfast every day but,” payton shrugged. she was joking of course, again, the tease in her tone as obvious as her ( silly? ) statement. his vague response was deserved of her vague, though wide open question. making mental note of his effort to emphasize her peculiar choice of words, payton keep up with the theme anyway, “ i would say overwhelmed is the current weather, but in the best way. i meet a new crew member every day, or at least it feels like it. but i’ve been trying to explore a little too. i wanna get to know new york city while we’re here, when i’m not getting to know harper of course!” a chuckle, an attempt to draw the focus away from her overshare, part of her got the feeling harvey didn’t care for the small talk or the advance of it. but somewhere in payton’s personal, mostly mental, handbook on acting, there was a page dedicated to the attempt to connect with one’s screen partner to bring ease to the performance and well because every person was an asset, be it to industry or simply just the rollercoaster that is life. of course this practice was only a suggestion considering acting with no connection is also an appreciated challenge in itself. but payton always tried anyway, reciprocated or not, it was just who she was. 

         HE ENTERS THE HALLWAY FOR THE TOP FLOOR ― his floor ― of the apartment building and he experiences a split second of pure elation when, as he approaches his door, he realizes that one of his favorite people is waiting for him just outside it. and he almost LAUGHS, too, noticing that she’s talking to him through it like he was waiting on the other side. but he has to stifle it because the reality of the situation is that atlas was using his day off to pick up an extra dose of adderall. he’d run out, as usual, before his next ACTUAL prescription would be ready, but luckily he’d gotten pretty good at falsifying doctor’s notes. OF COURSE, no one would notice that this was his second dose in one month, but it was the principle of the act itself; a shameful topic that he’d rather not touch. ( he quickly shoves the pills in the pocket of his black denim jacket. )  ❛  hey, STALKER, ❜  he says as sneaks up behind the girl, tugging her light brown waves. you can hear the smile in his voice.  ❛  so you think you can just show up to my place of residence unannounced and BRIBE me with ―  ❜  he pauses to peek at the delicious-smelling bag the other was holding, ❛ ― sandwiches to do a favor for you?  ❜ his voice is laced with mock offense, a feigned expression of shock on his face. of course, he ( very carefully ) takes out his key from his jacket pocket and unlocks his door, anyway, shaking his head.  ❛ ― you must really think i LIKE you, or something, payton,  ❜ he teases, a smug smile on his face knowing she’d probably object, and he holds open the door for the girl to walk in first. 

he walks in after her & he’s suddenly acutely aware of the state of his apartment.  ❛ sorry about the mess, by the way,  ❜ he interjects immediately. the truth was, his apartment wasn’t that bad. atlas actually typically kept his apartment pretty spotless. it’s just that his eclectic choice of decorating, which included walls covered in a diverse variety of artwork and albums, kind of always made things look messy. that & he had an unfinished painting he was working on sitting on an easel in the corner of the living room in front of the large windows that gave him a romantic view of new york that he was trying to encapsulate on the canvas. then there were the issues of his disheveled bed ( currently on display through his bedroom door left ajar; he hadn’t had the energy to make it with having to ration his adderall over the last couple of days ), as well as the bag of half-eaten, day-old bagels frankie had left him sitting on the island counter, which were sadly the closest thing to a real meal he’d eaten. 

he follows payton to the living room area and helps her unpack the food on the coffee table in front of them before plopping himself down on the couch next to her. he’s got his sandwich in hand & takes a huge bite of it. chews. waits a second. and then nods eagerly. he’s not sure what’s in it, exactly ― he thinks there’s avocado in it ― but it’s good.  ❛  WOW, p, you must have connections with the sandwich gods, don’t you?  ❜ he asks, his mouth full. he finishes chewing, puts the sandwich down on the paper wrapping in front of him, & turns to face the girl next to him, his elbows resting on the back of the couch & his face resting in his palm.  ❛  so, what’s up? you’re not gonna ask me to read lines with you, are you? it’s sunday.  ❜  mother’s day, actually. but atlas didn’t really celebrate it in the typical way, anymore. 

        “mess? far from it. you made the place feel so homey & lived in already! mine could literally still be the show unit.” she contrasted, payton wasn’t one to start a full wall to wall investigation of someone’s space when she walked in, but as she made her way into the living area her overactive sense of observation brought a smile to her face as she picked up on the little things that highlighted exactly what she adored about the boy beside her. “ i didn’t know you were a painter too!” she mused, eyes unable to ignore the painting just begging to be finished against the window as she started going through the bag of food in front of her. “ forever in awe of you, really.” payton always considered herself an artist, but she was dedicated in one direction and she proud to be, yet it impressed her beyond belief when she found others that excelled in multiple ways and atlas was always surprising her, in the best way.

* CLOSED STARTER FOR @pcytons​ !

                      MATTI JAMES IS NOTHING THAT harvey strathmore is — and everything he wants to be. he’s cool, CONFIDENT in his own skin, he’s fun, not the grouch that harvey has become as a result of being pigeonholed into a career he never got to choose. each and every day, though, he’s reminded that he’s lucky, it’s what gives him the drive and the fuel to pick up the script every week and put on a performance. one episode in, though, and it’s getting easier to slip into matti’s shoes. “ payton ! ” he calls out, putting a bit of PEP in his step to catch up to her. “ want to run lines ? i’m trying to figure out some more of matti’s … mannerisms. ” the way matti feels comfortable dancing and pouring coffee at the same time, putting smiley faces on coffee cups with a charming wink — let’s say they didn’t cast him because their personalities were at all SIMILAR. 

DISTRACTION...the word of the day, unprovoked and painfully unwanted. as payton tried to focus her mind on the lines and empty space on front of her, a task that would usually leave her in-tune with the world on the page and not the one around her, today she simply couldn’t. blame it on the sunlight seeping through the cracks in her blinds, taunting her to leave the confines of her apartment, or the song incessantly looping in her head making it hard to speak anything aloud that wasn’t part of the clever lyric. whatever it was, payton wasn’t one to force the motions so she closed the binder that housed this weeks scripts, changed her clothes and set out in search of some fresh air.

of course she found herself strolling though the crowded greenwich village, the muse on the page wasn’t hitting her today so why not surround herself with the common setting anyway. so payton. the avenue was bustling with people heading to sunday morning bunch and other new york city endeavors. she watched families file into the little restaurants, pointing out the obvious that today wasn’t just a normal sunday but that of a holiday. she didn’t stick around the area long as the street crowds started to grow, instead she stopped at what was easily her favorite local place so far, a tiny nyc deli that made the foodie in her heart sing, grabbed two sandwiches and headed back to the cast apartments. so the world was throwing her distractions today, she figured she’d pay it forward and toss one in the direction of another who might actually need it. payton knocked twice on the door she stopped in front of, hoping her friend was inside. “atlas...hellooo” she sang, tapping her fingers against the door almost annoyingly in the tune that was still drifting in her mind. “it’s payton, i need a favor and i have food, really good food. let me in...” she pleaded as she waited for him answer.

and to the important things, time to learn about payton, she’s great but im biased. pls love us