sweet nothing
tucker pillsbury x fem!reader
faceclaim olivia rodrigo
summary you came back to keep working while tucker still on tour
a/n hehe sorry for disappearing,,,, turns out now i’m important at work and have A LOT of work to do🥲 but i let y’all this little gift
i had to go back from the tour to the apartment since i had to keep working, my promotion came with real responsibilities, and even if being on the road with tucker was fun and romantic, real life had a way of creeping back in.
my relationship with tucker was still so good. we hadn’t seen each other in person for a month, but we stayed in touch: facetimes every night, voice memos during the day, shared playlists, stupid selfies, always checking in.
i wasn’t the jealous type. truly. i’d never had reason to be. tucker had always made me feel so seen and safe and… chosen.
but then i made the mistake of opening twitter.
“freya langerman was seen at the role model concert today. remember they were a couple three years ago?”
as soon as i read that, i slammed my laptop shut like it had burned me.
i don’t know why it hit so hard. it wasn’t even about her. it was the idea of her. the ghost of their past. the fact that she’d once been where i stood now.
so i did the stupid thing. i ignored it. instead of spiraling, i buried myself in work.
meetings. back-to-backs. emails. calls. spreadsheets. i even covered for someone else's shift. i ignored my phone, even when it buzzed, even when it rang, even when i knew it was probably tucker.
i couldn't let myself think about it. if i thought about it, i'd imagine things that weren’t true. i knew that. and i hated feeling this way.
it wasn’t until around 2am when i finally dragged myself home, still in the clothes and makeup from earlier. i plugged in my phone: dead, of course, and collapsed on my bed, exhausted in every way. sleep took over before the guilt or doubt could.
bang bang bang
i startled awake, my lashes stuck together, mouth dry, heart racing. the pounding on the front door wouldn’t stop.
i stumbled out of bed, still wearing yesterday’s jeans and a now-crumpled blouse, eyeliner smudged to oblivion. i barely checked the peephole before opening.
there stood tucker.
“…what are you doing here?” i asked, my voice hoarse, both surprised and disoriented.
“you didn’t answer the phone,” he said, walking in before i could even process anything. he looked tired. upset. concerned. he had a backpack slung over one shoulder, his hair messy like he’d been traveling all night.
“i know, i—” i shut the door behind him, heart thudding. “i’m sorry.”
“i thought something happened to you.”
“nothing happened,” i said quickly, guilt crashing into me. “i just—i didn’t wanna look at my phone. i couldn’t.”
he turned to me, searching my face, like he already knew. “was it about freya?”
i exhaled slowly, eyes closing for a second. “i saw a tweet.”
he nodded, jaw tightening. “i messaged you about it. i didn’t even know she was there, sof. she didn’t come backstage, i didn’t talk to her. twitter found it first.”
“i know. i know that,” i said, running a hand through my tangled hair. “i just didn’t wanna… think about it. i knew if i talked to you, i’d cry or sound insane or say something that made no sense. so i worked. like all day. just… non-stop.”
he stepped closer, his voice softening. “you could’ve told me you were upset. i would’ve understood.”
“but i didn’t want to be upset!” i blurted. “i didn’t want to be that girl. i trust you, tucker. i really do. but i read it and suddenly i felt so stupid and insecure and i thought if i didn’t think about it, it’d go away. like if i could bury it under enough emails, it wouldn’t matter that she used to kiss you or wear your shirts or—”
“hey.”
his hands found my arms, grounding me.
“she’s not in my life. you are. you’re the one i want. the one i love. i didn’t even know she was in the crowd. if i had, i would've told you immediately. i don’t hide things from you.”
i looked up at him, feeling tears sting my eyes despite how hard i was trying not to cry.
“i know,” i whispered. “and i’m sorry i shut you out. it wasn’t fair. i just didn’t know what to do with the feeling. it caught me off guard.”
he smiled, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “next time something catches you off guard, just tell me. even if it’s messy. especially if it’s messy.”
“okay,” i nodded. “i promise.”
he pulled me into his arms and i melted against him, the tension dissolving. i hadn’t realized how much i needed this until now—just him, here, holding me like nothing had changed.
“you’re still wearing yesterday’s makeup,” he whispered with a grin.
“i look like i’ve been hit by a truck,” i laughed into his shoulder.
“nah, you look hot. in a chaotic, kinda sexy way.”
“mm, thanks babe.”
“so, what do you say we get you a shower, some food, and then you can yell at me for whatever fake scenarios your brain invented last night?”
“sounds perfect.”
he kissed me again, slow and reassuring. and just like that, the air cleared, and i remembered exactly why i never needed to doubt it in the first place.