#notvictim

             CUT TO : post -  ‘ That Party ’  /  ‘ That Kiss ’  ( If you know you know, you know? )  Everyone’s in agreement though that things were like ... fine three days ago, right? Leads properly getting along, filming moving smoothly, Johnny only getting annoyed at crew members mildly for hitting him in the back of the head with the boom  ( and he didn’t call anyone names ... the second time )  , wrapping early on Friday for a nice, long weekend -- all good, everyone’s happy. Now it’s Monday again, they haven’t spoken since Friday night, and one can just imagine what that means for when they see each other on set ...

              Johnny steps out of his trailer on the studio lot, dressed and holding his shoulder holster costume piece in one hand. He pulls the door closed behind him and starts to walk toward the soundstage, just as he sees Jordan come out of her own trailer, costume and all. He slips the leather holster over one shoulder, then the other, before he angles his head down slightly, sunglasses slipping down his nose just so he can look over the frames at her. And ... they make eye contact  ( only a tiny bit awkward )  but she doesn’t keep walking -- just looks at the ground for a second. If this is her being shy or something ... it’s damn cute, that’s for sure. 

              Excuse the slight half-smile as he quickly catches up to her, just in time for them to walk to the soundstage ... together.  ( This ... weird tension could totally be worse ... right? )  “ So ... Nice weekend? ”  It’s his attempt at a normal conversation for a few seconds before he inevitably brings up the elephant in the room  ( doesn’t matter that they’re outside )  . Because he has to bring it up ; something like that happens they can’t just not talk about it! And the little back-and-forth that follows pretty quickly devolves into exactly what everyone else could have guessed it would. It started with a  “ you know, we should probably talk about it ”  from Johnny and it didn’t get better from there. And then, just as they’re reaching the soundstage -- Camera rolling? Sound speeding?  ( Action! )  ‘ Oh, for heaven’s sake, it wasn’t that good of a kiss anyway! ’  ( Print! )

              Whoa, whoa, whoa! His footsteps halt and he turns to look down at her, making a face.  “ Seriously? ”  Now, he takes off his sunglasses, for the dramatic effect, and rests one hand on his hip.  “ That was totally a winning performance from me and it wasn’t  ‘ that good ’  ? ”  He scoffs and rolls his eyes.  ( Diva, much? )  ‘ Exactly! Performance! We’re actors. We were acting! ’  You know, he might be inclined to agree with her there -- they were playing the part of the happy couple, the young couple totally head over heels for each other ... for about two seconds. Come on, he can’t be alone in feeling like it just turned into something else after that.  “ I’ve won Best Onscreen Kiss before -- ”  His brows pull in toward one another and he smirks slightly, leaning down toward her.  “ -- No one’s that good. ”

                   ‘how’d you guess?’ the auditorium is dark, dim lights casting long shadows from the stage to the back of its seats. billy knew she’d be there, observant enough to understand that people had comfort spots, and places that made them feel safe. in times like these, maybe it was good to have somewhere to hide. if only they knew what billy did. palms lay flat against the stage, staring up at jordan as she walks out from behind the curtains. his smile does not reach his eyes, but it’s convincing, nonetheless. ‘what’re you doing in here all alone? don’t you know there’s a killer on the loose?’

PRE - ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME .

send a ♡ and i’ll fill this out for our muses !  i’ll bold what i want for their relationship, italic what i could see and strike out what i don’t .

FRIENDS.   childhood friends  /  work friends  /  family friends  /  recently friends  /  turning antagonistic  /  turning into something romantic  /  stable  /  falling apart  /  friendship of need  /  friendship of circumstance  /  pen - pals or internet friends  /  coworkers  /  partners  /  other .

ROMANCE.   childhood sweethearts  /  newly entered  /  soulmates  /  skinny love  /  unrequited from my muses side  /  unrequited from your muses side  /  friends with benefits  /  awkward  /  fading  /  turning  toxic  /  toxic  and  destructive  /  other .  listen whatever happens? happens  👀

FAMILIAL BOND.   sibling bond  /  older sibling figure to your muse  /  younger sibling figure to your muse  /  parental figure to your muse  /  parental figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal  guardian  /  other .

                  ‘ bullshit! ’ single word reverberates loudly off of the walls, down the hall until it fades, but the anger behind it lingers between them. john bender has never been someone. all of the adults, all of his peers, they’ve taken every opportunity to tell him so. he would never make it anywhere, let alone out of high school. they said he’d be flipping burgers, dealing drugs ; he’d be just like his father ( no one knows that that’s his biggest fear ). fire filled eyes move toward jordan. where once softness lingered, fury burned instead. he knows he’s going to say something he’ll regret, but he can’t close his mouth.