Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

God, this was nerve-wracking. You stood in the autograph line, practically shaking, excited to finally meet him . Only a couple more steps and you’d be able to see behind the curtain. It had been years since you first saw him in Jericho, and had developed the biggest crush you had ever experienced. Fifth grade had nothing on him.

One step closer. Your heart felt like it was going to pound straight out of your chest and land on the floor. The staff would probably be pretty upset about that. Holding the picture you had for him to sign in one hand, you ran your other hand through your hair, making sure it looked presentable before taking your final step into his sight. With a deep breath, you walked forward and saw him.

Holy shit.

He was even more handsome in person. The first thing you noticed was his hair, lucious and highlighted in the light of the ballroom. And, oh god, your heart jumped when you heard his laugh and saw his grin. If you were in deep before, now there was no doubt you were completely gone. Time seemed to both slow and quicken as you stood there, entranced by the man sitting behind the table.

Finally, it was time.

You held your breath as the handler beckoned you forward. Richard’s eyes fell on you and his face seemed to immediately light up.

“And who’s this?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of you as his handler passed him the picture you wanted signed.

“Y/N,” You stuttered out, blushing far more than you expected to be when you daydreamed the encounter.

“Hmm...I like that,” Richard replied, grinning. “Enjoying the con?”

“Now that I finally met you,” you blurted out.

Richard chuckled and looked away a moment to sign your picture. “I think mine just became much more enjoyable, too.” When he finished, he looked back up at you with a smirk. “When will I see you again?”

You were sure you resembled a fish for a moment while you tried to remember what you had next with him. “Photo op, I think.”

“Well, I look forward to it, Y/N,” Richard winked at you, then turned to the next fan, but you caught him glancing your way as you walked off.

As you got further from him, your breathing felt like it was starting to regulate again, and you replayed the interaction several times in your head before you reached your seat. Sure, it seemed like he was flirting with you, but that’s what he’s supposed to do, right? You looked down at the signed picture and saw that he had drawn several hearts near your name. That was too obvious. He was probably just being extra sweet to a fan meeting him for the first time. You still smiled at the autograph. There was no harm in just imagining there was something there, right?

**

Even though you had already met him once, you were still nervous as hell as you stood in line for photo ops. When you got to the area, there was already a line and you just got in back of it. There were a few people that seemed to want to stay near the back of the line, but you weren’t really sure why. You wanted to see Richard and get your op with him as soon as you could. The line started to move into the room and you were immediately greeted with loud music. You tried to look and see if Richard was already in the room but the only person you saw besides the staff was a tall man in a beanie. Immediately, you recognized the man as Chris, the photographer for the cons. There were more than a few of his pictures of Richard on your phone. It seemed like you had a moment, so you quickly checked yourself. Your badge was stuffed away in your back pocket for your safekeeping, and your hair seemed in place as well. You looked down for just a moment to straighten out your shirt when you heard some commotion coming from the front of the line. Looking up, you saw that Richard had entered the room and was chatting with Chris. Like before, he looked too handsome for words and you could feel your heart getting stuck in your throat. He got settled in front of the backdrop and the line started to move. You were starting to feel the same feelings as you did when you were in the auto line, then you remembered your previous encounter with Richard. He was so sweet and friendly. You felt yourself blush a little as you thought about how he looked at you and said your name. As you got closer, you saw people telling Richard their poses and you couldn’t help but be a little envious of how creative and brave people could be. You suddenly realized that you didn’t have a pose and started to panic a little. A few simple poses ran through your head, but you wanted it to be special and unique. However, you didn’t want to copy anyone either. Soon, you were the next one in line and you just decided to go for the standard hug op. You could always get another op if you thought of another pose later. When you noticed the person in front of you had finished their op, you held your breath. Richard’s eyes fell on you, and his face broke out into a huge grin. He held out his hand and beckoned you forward.

“Come here, Y/N,” Richard offered as you walked forward to meet him. You grabbed his hand on instinct and he immediately pulled you close, causing you to let out a small yelp in surprise.

Richard chuckled as he wrapped his other arm around the small of your back. “I hope you didn’t have your heart set on a pose, cuz there’s one I’d like to do.”

“Really?” You asked, a little flabbergasted that Richard had picked out a pose for the two of you.

“Yep,” Richard grinned. “Allow me.” He pulled you close with the arm around your waist so your bodies were flush together. You could feel the heat from his chest as it pressed against yours and you struggled to catch a breath. Richard’s forehead pressed against yours and you were all but helpless when it came to not staring into his golden eyes. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, he stepped away, smirking.

“Was that alright?” Richard asked, already knowing the answer from your obvious expression.

“Uh, yeah,” you stumbled back a little, almost feeling drunk. “That will come out great.”

“Make sure I get a copy, okay?” He winked, then led you to the side to exit. “See you later, Y/N.”

You turned to wave as you were ushered off by handlers and you saw Richard sneak a small wave to you before turning to the next fan. That was it. You absolutely had to get another op. Somehow, your legs walked you out of the photo room and you made it back to the main room, and your seat.

“So, how did it go?” Jenny, the brunette woman seated next to you, asked. Over the last few hours, you had been talking with her, commenting on the panels, and enjoying her company. It seemed like she had come to the con alone as well.

“Really good,” you replied, flushing slightly. “He was super nice.”

“Yeah, Jenny grinned. “Rich is one of my favorite people at con He’s so funny and sweet. A good southern boy,” She winked at you and chuckled a bit.

“I know this isn’t your first con like me, but...how many HAVE you been to?” You asked, kinda curious about how this random person felt comfortable enough to call him ‘Rich’.

“Oh…” Jenny sighed, “around 14 or 15.” She giggled as your eyes grew wide. “I go to about four a year and I’ve been doing this a while.”

“Have you met everyone in the cast?” You wondered, enthralled and excited to hear about Jenny’s experience.

“Not yet,” Jenny sighed. “I never got to meet Ty or Felicia. Never had an op with Ruth either, oddly enough.”

“Well,” you shrugged, “I have an op with Ruth and Richard later if you’d like to join me.” You noticed her eyes light up and felt good, knowing that you made another fan feel that way.

“Yeah, Y/N. That sounds like fun,” Jenny smiled. “Thanks. Can I repay you somehow? Dinner or something?”

You smiled back. “Do you have any fun stories about Richard?”

Jenny laughed. “Oh, do I.”

The lights started to dim and you looked up to see the band starting to come out on stage. “Maybe you could tell me some later. That’d be more than enough.”

“You got it,” Jenny nodded, then turned just in time to watch Richard come back on the stage.

Chapter Text

   You were glad to have your new friend with you this time for your op. It was a lot easier to stay calm and it was nice to have someone there to make sure you looked alright. Like the last time, as soon as Richard came into the room, your heart jumped. He did a few shots with Ruth by themselves that you were sure you were gonna see on Chris’s twitter later, then they started to go through the line. Even though you had seen him earlier that day, you could still feel your heart beating against your chest as you drew closer to the front of the line.

    “You okay?” Jenny asked, placing a hand on your shoulder.

    You looked over at her and smiled. “Yeah. Just nervous.”

    “No worries,” Jenny removed her hand and stuck it in her jeans pocket. “I’ll do all the talking if you want.”

    “Maybe,” you sighed, relieved that you wouldn’t have to worry about babbling something at Richard, this time in front of Ruth and your new friend. In just a few minutes, you and Jenny were at the front of the line and the staff member motioned for the both of you to stand in front of the curtain. You had done this before. You knew what to expect now.

    What you didn’t expect was Richard’s face lighting up the second he saw you. “Y/N!” He stepped in front of Ruth and Jenny to get to you and grabbed your arm, pulling you over to him. “Ruthie, this is who I was talking about.”

    “Oh, really now?” Ruth’s lilted brogue hinted at a tease and when you looked over at her, her mouth was twisted up in a smirk. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. And this is…?”

     “Jenny,” your friend replied, breathless that Ruth was speaking to her. “I’m Jenny.”

     “That’s a lovely name, dear,” Ruth smiled and Jenny blushed all the way down her chest. “So, what are we doing?”

     “Y’all can do what you want,” Richard grinned, not taking his eyes off of you. “I’m gonna give Y/N a kiss on the cheek.”

     “Don’t I get a say?” You asked, a little surprised at your own courage to argue.

     Richard leaned in close and you could feel his breath on your ear. “You get a say in where I’m taking you to dinner tonight.” He pulled away and you were completely speechless.

     “Guys…” Chris urged, shaking his camera in the air.

     “Right,” Richard sighed, moving you into position and kissing you on the cheek like he promised. You weren’t sure how you managed to smile and seem normal after being told you were going to dinner with Richard fucking Speight later, but you did it. Once the picture was taken, you went to leave, but felt an arm pull you to the side. You looked up and saw Richard, guiding you over to the snack table.

    “What--”

    “Sorry, I just…” Richard groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not great at this so I’m sorry if I was too forward.”

    “It’s okay,” you smiled, blushing. “I just really wasn’t expecting that.”

    “So, will you?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow. “Join me for dinner, that is.”

    “Yeah, of course, but how will I--”

    “Oh, I just need your seat number,” Richard shrugged. “I’ll have my handler work out where we’re going with you.”

    “Rich!” Chris called.

     Richard looked over, then held up a finger. “I’ll see you later, Y/N.” He swooped in and gave your cheek another quick peck, then grinned and walked over to his handler. He whispered a bit, pointed at you, then went back over to Ruth. You stood still, unsure of what else to do. Did you need to be dismissed? Where the hell was Jenny?

     “Y/N?” Richard’s handler, a well-dressed, long-haired and sharp-eyed woman, had made her way over to you and was holding a clipboard. “I’m Hillary. If you give me your seat number, I can come get everything sorted out with you during the last panel.”

     “Oh, sure,” you pulled your lanyard out of your back pocket and showed Hillary your number. She jotted it down and nodded.

     “Sounds good,” Hillary smiled, and it put you at ease. “I’ll be over there later.”

     She turned away and you took it as your cue to leave as well. You walked out of the op room in some sort of trance and, luckily, Jenny was right there waiting for you.

     “What happened there?” Jenny immediately interrogated once you got close enough. “Last thing I know, Rich is pulling you to the side and then you’re giving Hillary your seat number?”

     “I, um…” you blushed, unsure if you wanted to tell her yet. “It’s a little complicated.”

     Jenny raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Alright, alright. I’ll let it go for now.” As you walked down the hell with her, she pointed at a separate room. “Hey, let’s check if your op from earlier is out.”

       “They print them?” You asked, a little amazed.

       “Yeah,” Jenny chuckled. “Did you think Chris just hoarded pictures like some sort of con photographer dragon?”

       “No,” you scoffed. “I just figured you had to order them. That’s how it works at concerts and such.”

       “Not here,” Jenny pulled you into the room and there were rows of tables with ops laying out and several people looking for theirs. “If Creation is good for one thing, it’s Christopher Schmelke.”

         You took a look around and spotted a group of pictures with only Rich in them with other people. After a few seconds of looking, you spotted yours and your eyes widened as you picked it up to take a closer look. Like you remembered, Rich’s hand was around your waist and your foreheads were touching, but what really made it was the look on both of your faces. Quickly, you pulled the photo close to your chest so that no one else would look. It was weird, but for some reason, it seemed personal and intimate, like something that was only meant to be seen by the two people in the photo.

        “So, did you find it?” Jenny asked, holding on to a couple of her own photos from earlier.

        “Yeah,” you cautiously held out the picture to show her and once you heard her gasp, you pulled it back to your chest.

        “Y/N…” Jenny looked at you with wide eyes. “No wonder he pulled you to the side. Do you see how he's looking at you? Does he--"

        “I’ll explain,” You grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of the op room, not stopping until you found a private place.

        “When were you gonna tell me?” Jenny asked, practically bouncing.

         “I—I don’t know,” you groaned. “I didn’t even know it was real until, like, ten minutes ago. By the way, I have to cancel dinner plans.”

        “You,“ Jenny tried to keep her voice down but was having a difficult time of it. “Are going to dinner with Richard Speight Jr—established actor and award winning director—tonight?”

        You bit your bottom lip. “I mean, when you put it that way…”

        Jenny straightened up and feigned seriousness. “I accept your cancellation of our dinner plans of delivery pizza and will keep your place in line for the low, low price of details .”

         “Well... ” you jokingly considered the proposition for a moment. “Deal.”

Chapter Text

        Sure enough, in the middle of the last panel of the day (Ruth), Hillary came over and worked out where you wanted to go for dinner. You didn’t want to seem too presumptuous, and you had heard of this sushi place nearby that a lot of the attendees had been talking about. When you remembered that, you voiced your concern to Hillary about there being fans there, but she assured you that she would make sure you got a private table.

        “I’ll come back and get you when Richard’s ready,” Hillary said, turning to leave.

        “Wait!” You held out a hand to stop her. “What if I’m not ready? I’ve been wearing these clothes all day. I haven’t even had a chance to go back to the hotel.”

        Hillary smirked. “Richard told me that if you said that, to remind you that you’ve looked amazing all day and he’d rather have dinner with you as you are.”

        You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks. “O-Okay. Thanks, Hillary.” She nodded and walked away, sneaking back behind the stage.

        “Uzami, huh?” Jenny grinned, finally breaking her façade of not listening. “A private table, too? Romantic!”

        “Shut up,” you nudged her shoulder a little. “It’s just dinner.”

        “Just dinner with you-know-who!” Jenny bounced a little. “Sorry, I can’t help it. I’m already shipping it. While I’m in line, I might even write fanfic.”

        “Oh my God,” you buried your head in your hands. “Please don’t.”

        “I will don my Captain's hat and go down with this ship!” Jenny declared quietly.

        “I’m going to kill you,” you hissed back, trying to hide your smile as much as you could. Internally, you could feel your stomach doing backflips and you were trying your best to contain your excitement. What would he be like? You knew that his personality on stage was mostly a persona, but you were pretty sure it couldn’t be that far from the real thing.

        A couple hours later, you noticed Hillary walking your way, and your heart started to race. It was time.

        “Alright, let’s go,” Hillary nodded in the direction of the stage and you stood up, grabbing you bag. You looked back at Jenny, who gave you a thumbs up, then followed Hillary back behind the stage. It was relatively deserted and the table that you presumed usually had water on it was filled with half-empty bottles and a few crushed ones. She walked you through another door that led to what looked like a service hallway, then turned and opened a side door for you. Your eyes widened when you realized where you were. The illustrious green room.

        “Can I go in?” you asked Hillary, who chuckled a bit.

        “Yeah, go on,” she smiled. “They won’t bite…much.” You took a deep breath and crossed over the threshold carefully, as if there was some invisible barrier that was going to stop you. There weren’t many people in there, but as soon as you came in, a bearded man lounging on the couch looked up from his phone.

        “Oh hey! Are you Y/N?” Jason--freeking--Manns asked, sitting up.

        “Uh, yeah,” you walked over and shook his hand. “Does everyone know my name?”

        “Well, it’s not hard to remember considering Rich has been talking about you non-stop,” Jason grinned. “Don’t worry. It’s all good things.”

        “Oh,” you smiled back at Jason. “I guess that’s okay, then.” You looked around a bit and shifted your weight. “Hillary said he was ready. Do you know where—“

        “Y/N!” Richard basically burst through the doors, then quickly grabbed your hand. “Come on. Let’s go before they come back.”

        “Before who—“

        The doors opened again and the entirety of Louden Swain walked in, headed by Stephen. “Rich! Are you headed out for dinner?”

        “Yeah, where are you going?” Mike piped up.

        “We are going for sushi,” Richard replied, nodding his head at you.

        “Oh, that sounds awesome,” Billy grinned, walking toward the two of you.

        “Yeah, I could go for sushi,” Rob shrugged. “Let’s go.” The band walked past you and Richard and out the door into the service hallway.

        You looked over at Richard and saw his shoulders sag. He looked back at you and shrugged. “Sorry. I tried to stop them.”

        “It’s alright,” you gave Richard a soft smile. “It’ll still be fun and it kinda takes the pressure off, you know?”

        Richard perked up and squeezed your hand a bit. “Well, as long as it’s alright with you. Plus, if they start telling embarrassing stories, I have more than enough of my own about them.”

        You chuckled. “I think I’d love to hear those.”

        “Really?” Richard chuckled as you both turned to follow the band. “Well, this one time, Mike, of all people…”

        As Richard told his story, you couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. He was so animated and had no reservations about gesturing with the hand that wasn’t holding your own. Mike had hung back, once he recognized the story and started making corrections or calling Richard out on over exaggerating. You laughed along with both of them and you were surprised how comfortable you felt with everyone. All that nervousness from before seemed silly now that you were getting along so well with Richard and his friends.

        The group reached the parking lot where a van was waiting for you. Richard volunteered the two of you to sit in the back, and Stephen smirked and raised an eyebrow at you as you past him. You could feel yourself blush a bit at the implication, but was glad when you took your seat next to Richard.

        “Alright, Y/N?” Richard asked, leaning back and stretching his arm so that it was resting on the back lean behind you.

        “Not even gonna try and be sneaky about that?” You smirked.

        Rich grinned. “Do I need to be?”

        “No, I guess not,” You grinned back, then shifted your weight to lean up against his chest. It was so comforting being in Richard’s arms that you almost forgot that you were in a van full of guys that people paid hundreds of dollars to see for just a few minutes. You could feel Richard’s chest rise and fall with his breathing and relished in the heat that radiated from his body to yours. The short ride was filled with lighthearted joking and reminders of the setlist for the following night. It only took a few minutes to get from the hotel to the sushi place, but once you were expected to step out of the car, you had a hard time separating yourself from the comfort of Richard’s arms.

        “You two can cuddle later,” Stephen joked, holding the van door open. “I’m starving.”

        “Coming!” You assured him, finally pulling away from Richard and stepping out of the vehicle. Richard followed behind you and patted Stephen’s stomach as he passed.

        “Shouldn’t you be watching that anyway, Norton?” Richard teased.

        “Hey,” Stephen threw up his hands in surrender, “I’m just in the band.”

        “There’s no shame in rocking the dad bod look,” Billy chimed in. “Very in right now.”

        “And what about your Buddy Holly look?” Rob asked, holding the door to the sushi place open for everyone.

        “That’s a classic,” Billy winked, then walked into the restaurant. You stayed near the back as the rest of the group piled into the entryway, and you felt Richard’s hand wrap around your middle. On instinct you looked at him nervously, and saw him smiling back at you.

        “Still a date, right?” He asked, tightening his grip and pulling you closer.

        You felt yourself flush--God, you really had to get a handle on that--and nodded. “Yeah. It’s just hard to believe I’m here...especially with you.”

        Richard’s eyes widened a little, then he relaxed back into a smile. “Well, I’m prepared to take you on as many dates as you need till you do believe it.”

        “I think I could handle that,” you smiled back, then followed the band as they started to walk to your table. As you arrived there, you remembered that Hillary had only made reservations for the two of you, and the band started chuckling when they saw it. There were only two place stettings in the secluded booth, several candles that lit up the room, and a centerpeice of orchids. It honestly was the most beautiful date you would have been on. You looked at the band and sighed, but reminded yourself that Richard himself had guarenteed more dates. 

        "Yeah, I think we can all fit!" Mike announced, squeezing into one side of the booth. You raised an eyebrow and chuckled a little. This was definitely going to be interesting.