Tom Levitt

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

#broadwaypianoman #derekwillsnyc

lastblondebombshell:

broadwaypianoman:

Not really…

“I’m sorry, I mean…” Another shrug. “I’m tired and…you know. It’s just…” Oh, god, why can’t I just stop talking?! “…Derek should be the one to tell you. But I can promise — “ Okay, almost promise. “ — that nothing happened tonight that could be considered infidelity on his part.”

This isn’t helping! Ivy bit her lip to keep from screaming. Maybe Tom’s right. Maybe I really don’t want to know —

“So, not tonight, but on other nights, right? He’s seeing someone on another night?”

“I don’t know!” Tom snapped back before this could go any more off the rails that it already had. “I mean, I’m not with Derek 24/7, so I don’t know who he’s seeing — “ It suddenly dawned on him that he was making this worse — if that was even possible — so he abruptly shut his mouth. After a moment to compose his thoughts, he tried again.

“I was with him since this afternoon, almost twelve or so hours,” he said. He rocked up into a sitting position, turned so he could face Ivy directly, and hoped she could tell he was sincere. “And, in that time, Derek never gave any indication that he isn’t absolutely madly in love with you. It’s weird for me...to see him like that, but...I’m convinced it’s real.”

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

#lastblondebombshell #broadwaypianoman

lastblondebombshell:

broadwaypianoman:

It was slightly unnerving with Ivy and her belly looming over him. Is she trying to intimidate me? he wondered. Or garner sympathy? How can I say ‘no’ to a pregnant woman…

“You’ve got a point,” he admitted. “But Derek seemed pretty sincere when he promised to talk to you. And I told him to do it soon, not wait like he did with the Bombshell thing. If he doesn’t, I’ll tell you.” He shrugged as best as he could lying down. “It’s just…the stuff in the past. Nothing that’ll affect you, right? Maybe it’s best if you don’t know…”

Aaaargh!! Why did I say that?! He hastily sat up and tried to backpedal.

“…I mean, you know what they say, ignorance is bliss…”

Ivy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. Maybe it’s best if I don’t know?! “You wanna try that again?”

Not really…

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

lastblondebombshell:

broadwaypianoman:

I doubt that, Ivy thought. You’re just making it more complicated. But why? Why protect Derek? Moving was awkward in her current condition and falling backward on the bed as Tom had was out of the question. So she maneuvered around until she could perpendicular to him. Legs crossed, she stared at him over her pregnant belly.

“Which you know he won’t do,” she said. “So you need to tell me.”

It was slightly unnerving with Ivy and her belly looming over him. Is she trying to intimidate me? he wondered. Or garner sympathy? How can I say ‘no’ to a pregnant woman…

Aaaargh!! Why did I say that?! He hastily sat up and tried to backpedal.

“…I mean, you know what they say, ignorance is bliss…”

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

lastblondebombshell:

“Yeah, I know…” Ivy frowned, trying not to jump to any conclusions…even if the conclusions were pretty obvious. But Tom was right; for better and for worse, Derek came with a lengthy list of prior conquests. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t have much choice of accepting it if she wanted a relationship with him. She sighed and sat down next to Tom on the bed. “So you guess ran into one of his exes tonight — right? Is that why you’re both acting so weird?”

“It’s…” Tom slumped backwards onto the bed and let his legs dangle over the edge. He stared up at the ceiling in hopes there might be something helpful painted up there. There wasn’t. “…it’s a little more complicated than that. But I promised not to say anything on the condition Derek talks to you about it.”

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

#lastblondebombshell #derekwillsnyc

lastblondebombshell:

Well, that was easier than I expected, Ivy thought as soon as Tom started blabbing. She wheeled around and glared, hands on her hips.

“‘Except?’” She raised an eyebrow. “‘Except’ what, Tom? Just what am I thinking?”

“Oh — “ Shit! Why did I say that?! “No, there’s no ‘except.’ I don’t know what I meant. I didn’t mean… I — “

It was no use. He wilted almost immediately under Ivy’s death glare. Shoulders slumped, he walked into the guest room and sat on the edge of the bed.

“We might have been apart for a short time. Not very long at all.” Okay, it was almost an hour. “I know a few things, but I promised I wouldn’t tell you and Derek will kill me if I do. It’s not… It’s not bad.” He was babbling and making it ten times worse. “I mean, you know he comes with a past, right?”

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

lastblondebombshell:

broadwaypianoman:

“Uh, yeah…” Tom was still in the kitchen and now slumped down against the counter, trying to will himself to disappear. “Or I can sleep down here on the couch. It’s okay…”

“Not a chance,” Ivy said and her tone was one that dared anyone to cross her. She crossed to where Tom was trying to hide and placed her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from slipping away. “Come on. I’ll show you up. We’ve redecorated recently, but I think the room is still set up.”

“Uh, really, it’s no problem,” Tom stammered, even though he knew there would be no arguing with Ivy. He could feel Derek’s eyes on him — half threatening, half pleading — and he tried to muster a resolute, ‘I won’t say a word’ look in return as Ivy ushered him towards the stairs. He followed her to the second floor and remained ready to catch her should she topple backwards down the stairs. Ivy seemed to move surprisingly fast for a very pregnant woman.

“Derek and I really just spent the evening drinking and chatting,” Tom heard himself say. “Nothing happened, I mean, not really.” Oh, shit! Stop! “I mean, nothing like what you’re thinking happened. He wasn’t out of my site except — “

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

derekwills:

lastblondebombshell:

Had Derek not outright dismissed her concern, had he shown the teeniest bit of empathy — like a normal human being would’ve — she wouldn’t gone with it. She was tired, he was drunk, so not much would happen, but it would’ve been nice to just fall asleep in his arms. The way his voice sent a shiver down her spine, it was tempting…But no. She deftly wriggled out of his grasp.

“But what kind of hosts would we be?” she asked, mock indignant. “Go on up. I’ll get Tom settled in the guest room.”

“Tom knows where the guest room is.” A somewhat panicked glare and a nod. “Don’t you, Tom?”

“Uh, yeah…” Tom was still in the kitchen and now slumped down against the counter, trying to will himself to disappear. “Or I can sleep down here on the couch. It’s okay…”

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

lastblondebombshell:

derekwills:

“Right,” Derek jumped in, cutting off Tom’s babbling with a glare before turning to Ivy. “So, you see? No need for you to worry.” An eyebrow raised in concern as he sauntered over to her. “You weren’t worried, were you? Because you’re not supposed to worry…”

Oh, give me a break! Ivy wanted to scream. You stopped answering your phone, you didn’t call, you — Maybe it was woman’s intuition or some heightened sense developed from impending motherhood — or, more likely, because both Tom and Derek were terrible liars — but she knew they were hiding something. It was obvious, but, as confident as she was in it, she knew she wouldn’t get them to own up to anything. Not when they were together. As any good interrogator knew, it was best to question suspects separately and then compare stories.

And go after the weakest one, she thought to herself. Which would definitely be Tom. As painful as it would be, she couldn’t imagine Tom hiding infidelity from her. So what were they doing?!

For tonight, it wasn’t worth arguing over, worth making something out of nothing — if it really was nothing. With a sigh, Ivy met Derek as he sauntered over towards her. She reached for him and didn’t resist when he pulled her into his arms.

“Of course I was worried,” she pouted. “I thought something bad had happened, like you’d been in an accident or — ” You’d ‘accidentally’ fallen into bed with some random woman. “ — or something.”

I promised I wouldn’t say anything… I promised. Tom rolled his eyes when he was cut off, but he managed not to scoff out loud. Well, not too loud.

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

derekwills:

lastblondebombshell:

Ivy knew it wouldn’t do her any good to say she hadn’t heard Derek and Tom come in or that she hadn’t noticed how late they were. Her frantic text history would counter any claim of disinterest on her part and, besides, Derek knew her too well. That they came in together reassured her somewhat, but not entirely. If Derek wan’t to chase some pretty young thing that caught his eye, he wouldn’t be dissuaded by Tom’s presence. She shrugged, ignoring the question, and gave both men a withering glare.

“Where were you all night?”

“Brooklyn,” Derek replied with a shrug. “Or maybe Queens. I can’t really tell the difference. Tom and I had a few things to sort between us — “ A sideways warning glance in Tom’s direction. “ — right? It took awhile, but we’re good now.”

He had nothing to gain by calling Derek’s bluff, he’d given his word not to, and, besides, it was mostly true. Up to a point… So Tom simply nodded. “Yep,” he said. “That’s it. We had some guy things to talk about.” Okay, that sounds weird. “I mean, things to talk about as guys.” Aaand that’s not any better. “I mean — “

3AM // Ivy, Derek, & Tom

#derekwillsnyc #lastblondebombshell #// sorry i was late!

derekwills:

lastblondebombshell:

It’s nothing. It’s nothing. Ivy stole another glance at her phone. He’s fine. Everything is fine. Just… fine.

Derek hadn’t responded to her texts or answered his phone for hours. The last she had heard, he was at some pub in Brooklyn with Tom. Had Tom himself not confirmed the alibi, she never would’ve believed it. And, while it had been age since Derek had checked in, Tom was also incommunicado. So maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought.

But… that was hours ago. Surely they aren’t together still!

Derek might ignore her texts if he was with someone — !lthough, to be honest, unless he’s on set or in rehearsal, he’s been good with responding lately — but Tom wouldn’t ignore them.

Unless he’s hiding something from me, in which case he totally would. She lay in bed, trying to get comfortable, alternating between not checking her phone and browsing Broadway Twitter for any mention of — No. I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to think like this.

Sleep was impossible and she didn’t even try… but, at some point, she thought she’d managed to drift off because she heard Derek’s voice and there was no way he was home. Ivy sat up and, then, not only did she hear Derek shouting, but Tom, as well, and the *ding* of the elevator.

So much for sneaking in, she thought and, for some reason, that brought her comfort. She climbed out of bed and picked up bits of the conversation — and she felt that ineffable uneasy feeling creep over over. Ivy stood at the bottom of the main stairs, arms crossed over her chest — which was not an easy feat considering how pregnant she was. She stared at Tom and Derek for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and asked, “‘We don’t tell Ivy’ — what?”

“Darling!” Derek immediately put his glass down and smiled as brightly as one could at 3am. He gave a quick, pointed ‘I told you to be quiet’ look to Tom and then said, “I hope you weren’t waiting up.”

At the sound of Ivy’s voice, Tom cringed. He imperceptibly but furtively looked around for a way to escape, but, finding none, slouched down, trying to make himself smaller, less noticeable. He caught Derek’s glare and muttered, “I wasn’t the one shouting…” He didn’t look at Ivy, thinking if he didn’t make eye contact or acknowledge her, she wouldn’t notice him.

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

#derewillsnyc #lastblondebombshell

derekwills:

Derek smiled, trying to hide how relieved he truly was. Tom could’ve stormed out, could’ve left him in limbo, left him without a confirmable alibi when he faced Ivy. Or, worse, he could’ve made Derek beg — again.

And I would, he thought. I would’ve gotten on my knees and bloody begged him to stay and give me an alibi. But none of that would be necessary. He tapped his glass to Tom’s and the gesture tacitly solidified their agreement.

“We don’t tell Ivy.”

“We don’t tell Ivy.” We don’t tell her tonight, Tom thought. Not tonight. But you have to tell her soon. However, he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he clinked his glass to Derek’s, nodded, and took a drink.

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

derekwills:

“Gladly.” Derek said with a nod. He was more than happy to let that particular subject go unacknowledged. He topped off his own glass and then poured a few inches of Glenlivet into a second glass. He glanced up at Tom. “So…”

Tom took a moment to interpret Derek’s gesture. The drink wasn’t exactly proffered, but he recognized that it had been poured for him. He didn’t know if it was conspiratorial or conciliatory, but obviously all the other stuff he’d babbled was going to be ignored. Derek wanted them to be on the same page regarding Ivy and what had happened earlier.

“So.” He gave a nod and reached for the glass, held it up.

derekwills:

broadwaypianoman replied to your photoset: Collaboration.

Right…So that’s the secret?!

Yes, that’s the secret. You have to work well with others. Take note, Tom, as it’s always been a problem area for you.

I’m the one everyone complains about being an insufferable, narcissistic asshole?

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

derekwills:

I’m too sober for this, Derek thought in response to both Tom’s fawning and the potential confrontation with Ivy. He hastily retreated to the kitchen and his private stash of booze to remedy the situation. The liquor cabinet was unlocked — it usually was and he knew this was a habit he’d need to break in the name of childproofing — and he quickly retrieved a bottle and a cut-glass tumbler. He poured and sipped, only peripherally aware that Tom was still going on about… Well, not something Derek wanted to give actual thought to. He waited for a break and, when one didn’t come quickly enough, interrupted.

“Are you done babbling now?”

Did he even hear a word I said? Tom wondered. Was the interruption prompted by a desire to stop the conversation from veering into uncomfortable territory or, more likely, just Derek’s usual short attention span? Tom decided it was probably the latter, but it was best if he pretended that he hadn’t suggested he had ever entertained any non-platonic thoughts about Derek. This was weird enough already. What more is there to say?

He shrugged and then crossed his arms. “Yes.” A beat and, then, because he couldn’t stop himself. “Just ignore everything I just said….”

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

#derekwillsnyc #// ugh sorry for the repost but lost the format in the edit

derekwills:

She’s in bed, he thought. Good. Or maybe bad… I don’t — And then Tom was pressing up behind him, trying to wrestle him to the ground. What — ?! Instinctively, he reached for the door frame and managed to stop the forward momentum just in time. The thought of going face-first into the marble foyer floor was bad enough, but doing so with Tom on top of him would be beyond mortifying. As soon as he was steady, he turned and shoved Tom away.

“What the fucking hell are you doing?!” He didn’t wait for a response. “No! Ivy’s right upstairs.” Oh, yes, Ivy…. He turned and headed into the apartment, towards the kitchen and his bar, muttering, “I said be quiet.”

What? It took a moment — and a hard shove — for it to sink in, but when he did, Tom’s first reaction was to laugh. Loudly. He caught himself and pointed out, “I’m not the one shouting.” He smirked even though Derek was already halfway down the hall. He followed, still giggling over the rather ludicrous — Well, maybe not so — No! — idea that Derek assumed the clumsy step was some kind of seduction attempt. Homophobic, narcissistic ass… Why does Ivy bother? And why do I?

“Seriously,” he said, heading for the kitchen because that was where the bar was — and inevitably where Derek had gone. “As if. Even if I had no other choice whatsoever, even if we were the last two humans on the planet. I wouldn’t.” I would. Maybe. Probably.

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

derekwills:

The chime of the elevator door jolted Derek out of the drowsy state he’d lapsed into during the ride up. It seemed louder than usual, almost echoing throughout his dark apartment. He turned to glare at Tom out of habit and then unlocked the front door. He stepped in and then abruptly paused just inside. There was a lamp on in the living room and he listened for any sound, any indication, Ivy was still awake.

Off of Derek’s undeserved glare, Tom’s mouth dropped open, indignant. “It’s your elevator! I don’t control the — “

But Derek was already gone. Tom started to pursue, assuming he would continue on into apartment….so he didn’t expect him to stop right in the doorway. He realized it a moment too late, stumbling and catching Derek’s jacket to keep both of them from toppling into the foyer.

“… Why’d you stop?!”

Car Talk || Tom + Derek

derekwills:

“Right then…” Derek managed to smile, but he wasn’t exactly reassured. He didn’t think Tom would intentionally blab to Ivy the moment they walked in, but… He’s horrible at keeping secrets. Maybe she’ll be asleep…. Maybe… He glanced over his shoulder as he walked to the garage’s lift. “Don’t forget to be quiet.”

“I am being quiet,” Tom grumbled, following Derek into the elevator. Fancy building with its parking garage and private elevator… He didn’t know why he was complaining. While his building lacked the modern aesthetic, but it was just as luxe as where Derek lived. But not was big, I suppose. The elevator arrived on the top floor and the door slid open with a *ding.* And I don’t live in a penthouse….