Archive of Our Own

"Alright, cut!" Mumbo yelled as the cameras stopped filming. "Griande, I'm going to need more from you in this scene, ok?"

"I'm trying, ok!" Griande rolled her eyes. This was the fifth time they were shooting this scene for the music video to her latest single, "I'm A-Grian With You", and she'd been allowed an almost limitless budget, hiring talent like Mumbo Jumbo to direct, and Scar Goodtimes to star as her love interest. The only problem? Scar Goodtimes wasn't as easy to work with as she'd thought. "It's not my fault he keeps going off script!"

"It's called a creative choice, Ariana." Scar said with a pretentious air. "Real actors make them all the time on movie sets."

"Well this isn't a stupid movie, Scar." She huffed. "You're not playing an action hero, you're playing my boyfriend, and I want you to follow the script!"

Scar looked over at Mumbo, an exasperated expression on his face, but Mumbo just shrugged. "She's the one paying you. Plus, it's her song, mate."

He sighed, and ran a hand across his face. "Alright. Yeah, that's fine. I guess. So, what? I've got to pretend to be all in love with her, and then…"

"Look at the camera and lipsync." Griande snapped. "It's simple, isn't it, Mumbo?"

"It is, really, yeah. Y'know what? Take five, both of you, and then we'll be back on it. But you've got to behave, ok?"

Griande laughed. "When have I ever not behaved?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Mumbo hissed, talking with Griande in her dressing room. "You've paid big money for him, the least you can do is treat him with respect."

"Why didn't you say anything when he was watching?" Griande blinked innocently at him.

"You-" Mumbo took a deep breath. "You know what you do to me, Ariana, and you know how easy it is to sway me. You're lucky I even agreed to this at all."

She laughed, looking at Mumbo with sparkling eyes. "You would've agreed to it no matter what."

"I know." He said defeatedly.

Griande's expression turned softer, taking Mumbo's hands in hers. "I do appreciate this, though. We both know you're the best in the business. Although I might be a bit biased."

In return he squeezed her hands, a small smile forming on his face. "I'd say the same to you, but I don't listen to pop."

Griande gasped in fake shock. "Traitor. Keep this up, and I'm calling off the engagement."

"Shh, keep it down. Nobody's meant to know, remember?" His eyes flickered back to their hands, intertwined, one with a ring, one without. He understood why she didn't wear it; creating rumours would only cause more strain on her, and it was far easier for him to avoid questions about something like this, but still.

It hurt.

At least she wore it when they were alone, without the cameras and paparazzi. That would have to be enough for them, and it was, alongside the fact that the unnamed love interest in almost all of her music was Mumbo. It was special, their secret that nobody else knew.

"You're frowning." Griande murmured, brushing some hair out of Mumbo's face. "What's up?"

"I'm just jealous a hot-shot like Scar is the one playing your lover, that's all." He tried to make a joke, but it fell flat. Even still, Griande kept things playful as she always did.

"If you think about it, he's playing you. Which means you look like Scar Goodtimes. You look even better, in my eyes. He doesn't have your moustache."

"Nah, I don't think he could do anything that compares to my moustache."

Griande shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. He does his own stunts. That's pretty impressive."

Mumbo opened his mouth to say something when his phone beeped, and a second later, Griande's did as well. "They want us back on set. Remember, be nice."

"To him." She nodded, walking towards the door of her dressing room. "Not to you. You're a stranger."

"I am, yeah." He agreed, forcing the hurt out of his voice. "Hey, Ari?"

"Hm?" She turned back around to face him, and all at once it hit him just how gorgeous she was, as his eyes once more flickered to the gold band around his finger. Being engaged to her almost made him the luckiest man alive, but there was a part of it that he would never be fully satisfied with.

"When are we gonna tell people?"

She gave him a small, apologetic smile, and he knew, truly, that she was sorry. "I want to wait until after the wedding, at least. We'll see where we go from there, ok?"

That was different to what she normally said — I don't know if I want to Mumbo, I'm still not sure, ask me later — and she'd said it with such certainty that he couldn't help but believe it. He could hold her hand in public, even be seen with her in public without being afraid, could take her to his movie premieres and in turn make an appearance at her tours. It sounded like the dream, and he couldn't wait to live it.

For now, though, he had a music video to direct, and she had one to film.

"I don't care if I lose money, I want out of this project." Scar snapped, on the phone to his agent. "Ariana is so entitled, and I want nothing to do with this music video!"

"You signed the contract. Legally, if you back out now, she can sue. And we both know she will."

Scar's blood went cold. Just about everyone in the industry knew how assertive Ariana Griande could be when she wanted to be, with a fierce legal team, and a strong will, if someone working with her did one thing out of line, they'd pay.

"Fine. But this is your fault for getting me tangled up in this."

His agent, Cub, laughed. "I'm sorry, alright? It was a favour for an old friend. Just behave, and I'll try and get you working on something better next time."

The day Cub had been approached about Scar's involvement with the music video, he had arrived at his desk a few minutes early, just before 9 am. Not that long after, he realised that, already, he'd had a missed call.

Who was calling him so early?

He rung the number back and put it on speakerphone, not checking it because if it was a wrong number, he'd just hang up.

"Hello?" The voice was one he recognised, but hadn't heard much in a while. Mumbo Jumbo, a director he'd been very close with back in the day, probably calling about some work with Scar.

"Hey, man!" Cub responded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Sorry I'm only calling now, I've only just seen your message."

"Nah, it's all good, mate. It's, what, eight in your time?"

"Nine." Cub corrected, looking back at the clock. "Must be late for you, though."

Mumbo laughed. "Yeah, it's five over here. Evening, not morning, so I'll be off soon. I'm just calling about a job for Scar Goodtimes?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Mumbo's voice lowered. "So, uh, Ariana Griande's making a music video for her next single, it hasn't been released yet, she's told me to keep it all under wraps, but… She wants Scar Goodtimes to play her love interest in the video. They think it'll do well, so she's been given a big budget, my only worry is Scar won't agree. Could you, uh, pull some strings? For me?"

Checking Scar's upcoming projects, Cub saw that there was a suspiciously music-video shaped gap, one that he was more than happy to fill. "He's a big fan, don't let him say otherwise." Cub joked. "Yeah, I can try and make it work. Just let me know timings, and name a price, and I'll get Scar to sign the contract."

"Cheers, mate. Ari's gonna love this."

"Ari, huh?" Cub teased. Did Mumbo have a small crush on the pop singer? He couldn't blame him; she was quite pretty.

Mumbo's response came out too rushed, and Cub would've bet anything that he was blushing. "Ariana, yeah, what- what did I say? I said Ariana, right?"

"Yeah, sure, you said Ariana."

Later that day, Scar had been called into the office, taking a seat opposite Cub.

"I've gotten you an offer that you aren't allowed to refuse." He pushed a stack of paper towards Scar, information about the music video that Mumbo had emailed to him. "It's a good opportunity, and it doesn't eat into your schedule too much. Filming's taking place in London, so I'll schedule a flight over for you as soon as I can."

Scar's eyes scanned over it, a small frown forming on his face. "This? Sure, I'll do it, but I don't see why it's such a big deal."

"Well, we all know what Ariana Griande's like to work with." Cub said with a sigh. "You've gotta behave, alright?"

Scar laughed. "I always behave, how hard can it be to work with a singer? Pfft, I'll be fine, Cub. And I've worked with Jumbo before, they got him to work on the Hotguy prequel movie, remember?"

"The prequel movie in which you only had five minutes of screen time?" Cub asked dryly. "Later known as one of the best in the franchise?"

Scar's mouth fell open in a comical display of over dramatic shock. "Hey, the original was the best!"

"Not according to the critics. Speaking of, I've signed you up to audition for the next villain in that sci-fi franchise I can't remember. You know the one. It's got Ren Wulf in it? It's been ten years since the last one? People loved it."

Scar snorted. "You want me in the next Gigaverse movie?"

"They want you in the next Gigaverse movie. Your name's getting brought up in almost every conversation surrounding it. The audition's after the music video ends, so focus on that first, and then I'll tell you more info."

Scar stood on set, feeling stupid. Griande and Mumbo still hadn't returned from wherever they were on break, and he'd been back for the last few minutes. He just needed to get this job over with, pretend to be nice, and move onto the next project. That Gigaverse audition was something to look forward to, and he'd heard rumours of another Hotguy movie being planned out, one that hopefully wasn't a prequel this time.

Then, a spring in her step, Ariana Griande walked onto set with a too-bright grin. "Feeling better now?"

C'mon, Scar was an actor, he knew how to pretend to like people, how to hide his frustration towards the prissy pop star he was working with. So he smiled, one he assumed looked natural, and responded with a laugh. "I am, yeah, And you?"

"Oh, I'm feeling great. Can't wait to have you be my pretend boyfriend again, right?"

"...right." God, get him out of there. Or have the cameras start rolling so they could stop talking.

Right on cue, Mumbo walked in, looking almost as cheery as Griande, except it felt less manufactured that time. "Alright everyone, places! We have a music video to film!"

For the umpteenth time that day, Scar and Ariana began bickering on set, and as a result, Mumbo had to cut the cameras.

"He pulled my hair!" Ari yelled, holding a hand to the back of her head.

"Ari, it's a wig." Mumbo said gently, with a bit too much familiarity, just enough to set alarm bells off in Scar's mind. Who called Ariana Griande Ari? Who had the courage to stand up to her? Mumbo, apparently.

Ariana turned red, wheeling around to face Mumbo with a downright furious expression on her face. "It's still my hair! And he-" She pointed at Scar, catching him off guard- "pulled on it! Is this how you treat all of your female co-stars, huh?"

"Ariana." Mumbo said, a bit more firm this time. "Are you hurt?"

"Well- no." She huffed. "But-"

"Nope." Mumbo cut her off. "Keep going. You're not hurt in any meaningful way, alright? From the top. Action!"

Scar ran through the scene again, this time without messing up, whether it be by pulling on Ariana's hair, or one of the many other screw ups he'd apparently done over the course of the shoot. His mind was elsewhere though, as he went through the motions of the wordless scene, where his and Ariana's characters were supposed to be making up after a breakup.

There was something going on between Ariana and Mumbo. That much was obvious. But what was it specifically? Mumbo was in a relationship, last time Scar had checked, but she wasn't famous. It was common knowledge that Mumbo's partner was a well-kept secret, even to those in the industry, so it would make things easier if Mumbo were to become unfaithful. Nobody knew her, so nobody could warn her. But maybe Scar could step in, figure out what was going on, and stop it before anybody got too hurt.

Later, he'd pull Mumbo aside and ask him about it. Really, it made more sense to talk to Ariana about it, but Scar didn't want to spend any more time with her than he had to.

After shooting had wrapped up for the day, Mumbo was heading out, when Scar pulled him to one side. "Hey, I've got a question."

"Yeah, go ahead, is it about the music video?"

Scar looked around, like he was nervous of someone overhearing them. "It's about you. And Ariana."

Mumbo's back stiffened, and Scar noticed him playing with the ring on his finger. Ah. So that's how it was.

"Don't waste your time with her. I can see you're a married man, messing around with a pop star like Ariana will only mess you up."

Mumbo's expression shifted from slight shock to clear confusion. "…what?" He laughed. "Oh! Oh, that's great! You- you think I'm cheating on my fiancée with Ariana Griande?"

"Are you not?" Scar asked, cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "You two were clearly flirting before, and I thought-"

The air shifted, and Mumbo's voice went sharp. "What you think isn't true. And even if it was, you can't talk about it. Understand?"

"Hey, you can't threaten me!"

"Oh, I can." It surprised Scar, just how dangerous Mumbo could be when he wanted to be. The look in his eye sent a chill down Scar's spine. "You signed an NDA, remember?"

Scar opened his mouth to protest, to say that the NDA was only to do with the song itself, but Mumbo was one step ahead of him. "It doesn't specify anything about the song. Anything you find out on this set — or anything to do with the production of the video, for that matter — is under wraps. Anything. You've learned about the song, the dance, the script for the video, yes. And that's kept hidden to prevent leaks. But if you happen to learn something else… Say, a relationship kept under wraps, you can't tell anyone."

"But I could-"

Mumbo cut him off. "Could what? You can't reveal information until it specifically has been revealed to the public. Once Griande herself has announced a relationship, or the song, or the music video, you can talk as much as you want. Understand?"

"I- I understand."

This was nuts. Surely there was something going on, otherwise why would Mumbo want to keep it secret? He seemed so defensive, so insistent that if Scar slipped up, he would pay, which just begged the question… Why?

Ariana wasn't married, as far as Scar knew. But Mumbo was in a relationship. The ring on his finger was enough to convince him of that fact, alongside the way he would lovingly talk about his girlfriend in certain interviews, who was apparently a "private" person, who didn't show up to premieres, or even went out in public with Mumbo to protect his identity, so-

Ah. That made even more sense, didn't it? Ariana was the partner, potential wife, who just didn't wear her ring to keep the relationship a secret. Which… Made sense. Having had a few girlfriends in the past, and the occasional boyfriend, Scar was all too familiar with reporters and paparazzi trying to expose every aspect of their relationship, asking invasive questions that were difficult to turn down.

But Ariana already had plenty of people speculating on her sexuality, and her relationship, and so much more. Why didn't they just tell people?

That question — why didn't they just tell people — was on Mumbo's mind during his drive home, as he reflected on his conversation with Scar. Having talks like that, threatening an actor who he did respect, all for the sake of keeping a relationship under wraps just… Didn't feel worth it.

Sighing as he took out his phone, he dialled Ariana's number, smiling when he heard her voice ring out from the speaker.

"Hey, Mumbo! Did something important happen, or did you just miss me?"

"Both?" He said, trying in vain to sound confident. "I just… Scar knows. I think."

There was a moment of silence, and then: "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. He knows he can't tell anyone, I reminded him what the NDA entailed, but Ari, i can't help but wonder… Why are we doing this? Why do we need to keep this a secret?"

"It's for you more than me, Mumbo. You don't know what it'll be like. Some of the reporters out there…"

"I can handle it." He said confidently, despite not really knowing if he could or not. Whatever challenges they'd face, it would be worth it for her. Anything was worth it for her.

"…you know we can't go back from this. You talk about your fiancée- about me with such love, if we broke up, or pretended to break up for the sake of privacy, I think things would be worse for us."

Mumbo frowned. "It's a good thing I'm not going to do that then. Ari, you can't seriously be suggesting that I'd do something so stupid as stage a breakup. With you? I'd deserve all the mockery that comes my way for losing you."

That got a laugh out of her, a small flicker of light in a very heavy conversation. "You're too sweet."

"No such thing."

"Mumbo!" He could almost hear her blush. "Stop it. We'll talk when we get home, ok? Love you."

"Love you too, Ari." The phone line disconnected, and Mumbo's eyes drifted back to his hand with a sigh. Right now, Ariana would probably have her ring on; part of her routine was to put in back on, right after she'd removed her makeup, and separated herself from her pop star persona. At home, she was the Ariana he'd fallen in love with.

The car pulled up in front of his house, and he thanked the driver, stepping out and opening the front door to Ariana pacing in the hallway, waiting for him.

"Mumbo!" She exclaimed, running up to him and giving him a hug. "Hey. Missed you."

"Missed you too, love." He kissed the top of her head, then let go. "We do need to talk, Ari. This is important for both of us."

She nodded, expression hardening slightly, as if mentally preparing herself for what was to come. "Yeah. I know. About this. And I have an idea."

"You do?" Mumbo said, tone puzzled. Just a few weeks ago, she was unsure about revealing their relationship full stop. And now she had a plan? A plan to reveal it, or something else?

Hope battled with anxiety to take charge of Mumbo's mind as she walked him to the living room and sat him down. "So. The music video, right?"

"…right?" He said, unsure as to where this was going.

"It's a love song. I write a lot of love songs, sure, and all of them are about you, duh, but the public don't know that."

Mumbo's eyes widened, finally figuring out what she was getting at. "You announce us with the song?

"Yeah! I'm performing it on some comedy show or something the week it releases, so I've just gotta squeeze in a segment about how this goes out to you, and then start singing. I'm sure my team will approve, they love this sort of drama."

"So in two month's time, it'll be out there? For anyone to know?"

She grinned. "If you want it to, yeah."

He took her hands in his, and kissed her knuckles. "I wouldn't want anything more. Other than to actually marry you already."

The reveal went as expected. Ariana, during the first performance of "I'm A-Grian With You", dedicated the song to her fiancée, who she name-dropped during the bridge. Mumbo was in the crowd, watching, and for a second, the cameras cut to his proud smile. A loud display of just how much they loved each other. The clip was spread across social media like wildfire, and Mumbo received more messages of congratulations than he knew what to do with.

One of these messages came from Scar, who he hadn't spoken to since the music video had been filmed. Mumbo was surprised when he got the call, not thinking it would be about his relationship.

"I knew it!" Scar exclaimed, as soon as Mumbo picked up the phone.

"Sorry," He paused, "what?"

"You and Ariana!" He said gleefully.

Sighing, Mumbo tried to keep his tone polite. "Yeah, I basically told you it had happened. Remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. Congratulations anyway! Ariana Griande's a real catch."

"Don't talk about her like that." Mumbo snapped. Maybe he was being a bit harsh, but he wasn't used to hearing so many comments like that about her.

When Scar spoke again, his voice was quiet. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry. She- she's special to me. So be nice to her."

Then the reporters found out, sinking their teeth into the story and refusing to let go. In every interview, at every red carpet, Mumbo was hounded more than he'd ever been. He couldn't even open his phone without every other video speculating about their relationship. Some were genuine, trying to figure out the love story, making sweet videos of the two as they grew up with some cheesy love song not unlike Ariana's in the background, but some…

Some reporters asked invasive and inappropriate questions about Ariana. Some videos speculated that their marriage was for PR, wondering why "a woman like Ariana Griande" would ever sink to low as to date "a nobody like Mumbo Jumbo". People started asking about the wedding, so they'd intentionally give wrong answers each time. People wanted to know who Ariana was behind closed doors, so Mumbo would say she's the exact same. People noticed the inconsistencies, so they stopped asking.

Until Mumbo was taking part in an interview dedicated to his latest movie, something a bit more low-budget, centred around the theme of love.

"There's a certain joy to working in a smaller group." He explained, after being asked why he'd work on something with such a small budget. "You get to know your crew better, and it means you don't have to explain things to as many people. I get to the point, and we get to work. I guess it makes parts of the process quicker."

"Wonderful." The interviewer smiled, looking down at their list of questions. "So you've said before one of the main ideas you wanted to explore was love. Can you elaborate on why you chose this theme, and what parts of your life have supported this part of the film?"

"Ah, well." He laughed. "It's not just one type of love. It's about… A certain familiarity you have with those you love. The main characters go on such a journey of, like, overcoming hardships, and that just solidifies their love more, and in a sense that reminds me of my own relationships, especially with my fiancee."

The interviewer's eyes lit up, and Mumbo had the feeling that they'd been hoping for the topic of discussion to shift to Ariana the whole time. "Tell me more about that."

"What, our hardships? Well, we've known each other since we were teenagers, so we've been through a lot together. I'm the first person she went to for anything. Always. And I think, with the characters being so young, it immediately makes me think of the late nights we'd spend just talking about nothing."

He called Mumbo, in the middle of the night. When Mumbo picked up the phone, it sounded like he'd been crying. "Can I come over? I- I can't be at my parent's right now. I just need somewhere to stay the night."

His mind ran a million miles an hour, figuring out how to make this work, how to keep his friend safe without getting into trouble himself. "I could try and sneak you in. Through the backdoor. Are you alright trying to climb the fence?"

"Yeah." The reply came so fast, a desperate sound that only worsened Mumbo's worry. "I can do that. I'll be there in ten minutes."

The longest ten minutes of Mumbo's life ended as he saw a shadowy figure jumping over his fence. He opened the back door, as quietly as he could, taking note of the tears streaming down his face. "Grian," he kept his voice to a whisper, "are you ok?"

"Don't call me that. Please?" He wiped his eyes, voice equally quiet. "Sorry, I just need to talk. With you. Can we go up to your room?"

"Yeah." Was all Mumbo could say, struggling to think of an explanation for what was going on. They crept up to Mumbo's room, and sat down on the bed, his breathing still shaky.

"I'm not who you thought I was. Not who I thought I was. I need you to support me, Mumbo. Please. You're my best friend, I can't-" He cut himself off. "I'm not a guy. I don't think I am, anyway."

Very slowly, the pieces began to slot themselves together in Mumbo's head. "Don't call me that." "I'm not who I thought I was." … "I'm not a guy."

There was a moment of silence, too long, until Grian said: "Say something. Don't just- just sit there."

"What do you mean?" Mumbo asked, trying his best to keep his voice gentle. The last thing he wanted was to scare him off, especially when he seemed to be in so much distress.

"I'm a girl. I think. No, I- I know. I'm not Grian. That's not my name."

"What is, then?"

He — or was it she now? — shrugged. "I've always sort of liked the name Ariana."

Mumbo smiled, taking Ariana's hand in his and giving it a squeeze. "Then that's what I'll call you, until you find something better."

It was a good memory. Not at the time; Ari had been kicked out by her parents, and she'd stayed with him until she got a place of her own, but she'd later tell him that his unwavering support helped her realise that she was in love with him. And it wasn't a memory he'd ever share with the public, not wanting to out Ariana. She always had enough rumours surrounding her at any given point, and since most didn't know about that part of her, Mumbo thought it was safe to assume that if anyone let it slip, they wouldn't give her a fun time.

"A childhood romance, how sweet!" The interviewer said with a grin. "Is there anything else you could let us know about your relationship? You must be very lucky."

"Oh, I know. I still don't know how I did it, I'll be honest with you. It feels like just yesterday she asked me out, and now we're getting married."

"Oh, yes, it happened at that Bond premiere?"

Mumbo had finished directing his first big movie, a James Bond movie, no less, and was enjoying the premiere, talking to the actors he had worked with closely over the past year or so.

There was one face in particular that he was looking out for, the one belonging to "Ariana Griande", who had written the titular song for the movie. It was a face he hadn't seen in years, after the pair had drifted away, going to different Universities and meeting new people.

Searching the crowd of familiar and not-so-familiar faces, he finally spotted the back of someone's head, someone in a baby pink dress and a large poof of brown hair. That was her.

He squeezed through the celebrities and reporters alike, until he was right behind her, and he tapped her on the shoulder.

In a whirlwind of glitter, she turned around and gave him a bright grin, one that morphed into something more intimate as recognition flashed in his eyes. "Well, if it isn't the esteemed director Mumbo Jumbo. Fancy seeing you here."

He laughed, the room suddenly going warm. "Yeah. Yeah, fancy seeing me, am I right?"

"You've changed," she commented, expression turning thoughtful. "You've got a moustache now, Mumbo."

"Don't act like you've stayed the same. If anything, you've changed more than I have. You look good. More comfortable in yourself."

"I'm glad. I've spent far too long trying to maintain this appearance of, like, feeling good in my skin. I thought it was so obvious that I'm not."

Concern found its way onto Mumbo's face. "What? Why not? You look… Really pretty. It's nice."

"I don't mind being pretty, but, my God, Mumbo, I can't take a break sometimes with these reporters. They don't leave me alone!" She laughed, but Mumbo's expression didn't change. "It's not that bad. People normally laugh when I say that."

"Well, it's not something to laugh about."

Ariana fell silent, and Mumbo followed suit, not really knowing what to say to that. "So, uh," Mumbo tried to fill the awkward silence, "what did you think about the movie?"

"I'm not the action type." She shrugged. "It was good though. That leading actor's quite handsome, don't you think?"

"Oh- Oh, yeah, he is. He was great to work with, and it was a brilliant opportunity."

This time her laugh was more genuine, a sound he hadn't heard in years. It sounded fresher, nicer. Just how much had she changed in their years apart? "Between you and me, there's someone else at this premiere who I think is… Quite handsome." Was it a trick of the light, or did she look Mumbo up and down?

"Who is it?" Mumbo cleared his throat, taking a sip from the drink he'd got just to have something to do with his hands. This could either go amazingly, or awfully.

"Well, he's an old friend of mine. Tonight is the first time I've seen him for a few years, and he looks more handsome than ever."

"You think so?"

She grinned. "Oh, yeah. He looks so cute in his little tux, and he's got this stupid blush on his face that I don't think I'll ever get enough of, and-"

"Ok!" He cut her off, feeling too flustered for his own good. "I get the point. Do you, uh, want my number? We can reconnect later."

"Sounds good." She wrote it on his hand, then walked away, ponytail bouncing as she moved through the crowd.

After she'd left, Mumbo stood there for a few seconds, grinning like an idiot, until the producer of the movie dragged him into a conversation with someone he didn't know, and didn't care to know.

"I think that movie changed my life. Not only was it the project that hurled me into the limelight, so to speak, it was where I reconnected with her. She's been so good for me, I can't imagine life without her."

"That must be nice. And to think, you're getting married now. Does it feel good to be able to tell the world?"

"So good. We didn't even think we were going to tell people, really, when I proposed. It was super quiet, just us, and I imagine the wedding will be similar. Ari's never liked the crowd, and it's supposed to be the most important day of our lives."

They were on holiday. Somewhere tropical, somewhere Ari had talked about going to for years. It had taken so long for both of them — Mumbo more than Ari — to have a free schedule at the same time, long enough to warrant this trip. He'd slipped the ring box into his suitcase, attempting to keep it hidden from her.

The beach was private, and Mumbo had spent as much time and money as he could to make it as perfect as he could. She was laying on the sand, looking at the sunset, whilst Mumbo tried to not let his nerves show.

"You've been quiet all night." She said, sitting up and giving him a look. "Everything ok?"

The ring box was in his pocket, weighing him down. What if she said no? Laughed in his face? They'd talked about marriage before, but… Never properly. All she'd said was that she'd wanted to get married at some point, and told him what type of ring she wanted. What if it was the wrong time for this?

"Wanna go on a walk?"

She stood up, a small frown etched on her face. "Why? You're not going to ruin my holiday, are you?"

Mumbo laughed. "I wouldn't dare." He took her hand in his, hoping she didn't feel his sweaty palms. "The sunset's nice, isn't it?"

"It is, yeah. This beach…" She sighed. "You've put effort into this holiday." Something close to realisation flashed on her face, and Mumbo realised it was either now or never. He stopped in his tracks, and fixed his gaze onto hers.

"Ariana." He took a shaky breath, kneeling to the ground and taking the ring box out of his pocket. "Ariana Dreamslayer. You mean the world to me. You have changed me for the better, given me a life I couldn't have even dreamed of, and every day I just fall more in love with you."

Eyes blinking away tears, she covered her mouth with her hands. "Mumbo-" She whispered, starting to nod.

"It would be my honour to make you my wife." Trembling, he opened the ring box, and he heard her audibly gasp when she saw it. It was a gold ring, with a pink diamond in its centre, specifically designed for her. "Ariana, will you marry me?"

"Oh my god, yes. Of course I will. Of course I will, Mumbo."

He put the ring on her finger, and stood up, going in to kiss her. And there, in her arms, on that beautiful beach with the sunset behind them, he felt like the happiest man on Earth.

"So it'll be a quiet wedding?" The interviewer asked.

Mumbo shrugged. "Yeah. I've always preferred the simpler side of romance, and so has Ari, so we'll just be inviting our loved ones. We've figured out our venue already, but she's making sure it's all kept secret." He laughed. "It's something for us. And it'll be perfect."

He finished the interview and gave the person conducting it a handshake, not thinking much about it. It was just more promotion for his movie, that was all. And if he got to talk about Ariana while he was at it, why would he complain?

Later, Mumbo would find out that the interview was a big mistake.

One night, Mumbo walked into their room, footsteps stilling as he heard Ariana's shaky sobs. She was facing the wall, back to him, and it pained him that he hadn't been able to help sooner.

"Hey," he said gently, sitting next to her and placing a hand on her back. "Are you ok?"

"N- no." She choked out, wiping her eyes. "I- I don't- They found out, Mumbo."

Mumbo's frown deepened, heart sinking. This wasn't good, whatever it was. "Found out what?"

Wiping her eyes, Ariana began reading out an article on her phone. "A- Ariana Griande? More- more like-"

"Hey, it's ok, you don't have to say it." Mumbo rubbed her back.

She shook her head. "It's fine. It- it's fine. Yeah. Fuck…" Taking another shaky breath, she continued reading the article as Mumbo's frown grew. "A- after director Mumbo Jumbo's recent interview, t- talking about his new movie, he- he mentioned his fiancée, the- the singer known as Ariana Griande. G- Griande, who has been-" She sniffed. "Has been posing as a woman."

"What?" Mumbo asked, concern and confusion clear in his voice. "How did they find that out? I didn't give it away, Ari, I swear, that wasn't me."

She nodded, wiping her eyes again. "I know. I know, ok? It- it was some bullshit Instagram post. With us in it. I don't even know how they- what the fuck do I do?"

"What do you always do? Sue them into oblivion."

Her eyes softened, giving Mumbo a small smile, but it felt off. Almost like she thought he was being naive. "You really think that would work?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"It'll spread. First it's a shitty gossip magazine, next it's someone on social media, then it's interviewers, and then what? I can't sue the whole world. And fighting back just makes me look more guilty."

"No, don't say that." Mumbo said, locking his gaze onto hers. "You aren't "guilty" for doing anything other than being yourself, which isn't a crime."

"They weren't meant to know." She said quietly, wiping her tears. "Nobody was meant to know."

"Well…" Mumbo said, struggling to find the words. "They know. And as you said, it'll spread. Until everyone knows. Gosh, reporters are probably drafting up articles about it as we speak."

She glared at him, the anger taking over long enough to stop the tears. "How is that supposed to help me?"

"Come out. Publicly."

"…what?"

"You heard me." He sat down next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "It'll spread anyway, why not do it by your own hands?"

Ariana nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. I think. I'll speak to my manager, get him to help me draft something. He'll try and tell me to, I dunno, cover it up? Launch a smear campaign against it, or claim that the image wasn't me? But you're right, I've got to do this on my own terms, haven't I?"

She called her manager, who immediately said: "I've seen it. What do you want us to do about it?"

"Nothing." She said quickly. "Don't- don't mess with them, I don't want to fight back. It's not exactly like the rumours will stop, is it?"

"But we can silence them-"

"By making it so they aren't rumours." Ariana finished for him.

"Wait… wait, it's true?"

"It's true." She confirmed. "Get someone to draft a post or something that I can use to officially come out. And quick. The longer it takes for me to address this, the more it'll get out of hand."

Half an hour later, on Ariana's story was the following:

I've seen an article circulating the Internet concerning myself, and speculating on my gender identity. Instead of waiting for this to blow over, I've decided to clarify the situation myself.

I am a trans woman. I have been since I was born, and I transitioned as a teenager. The only people who were supposed to know were the people that mattered most to me in life. My close friends, my family, and my fiancé. Instead, people have decided to dig into my private life and resurface photos they shouldn't have.

I will not change who I am. I will not hide who I am anymore. If your first reaction to this news is to stop supporting me, then I sincerely hope you do some self-reflecting, and figure out why exactly you have decided to hate on an innocent woman just for being herself.

And to the people standing by me, I love you lots,

Ariana.

"There we go." Mumbo said once the post was out in the world. "Do you feel better now?"

"Not really." She admitted quietly. "I just wish nobody had found that stupid photo."

"People will stand by you. I promise." He squeezed her hand. "Even if they don't, I'll stand by you."

"Thanks." She said quietly.

They thought there were under attack when they'd announced their relationship. Little did they know, they hadn't seen anything yet.

All sorts of insults were hurled at Ariana, and as much as she swore they didn't bother her, Mumbo knew. The people who had once insulted Mumbo for not being good enough for Ari changed tune, instead suggesting that Mumbo had proposed to her out of pity, which Mumbo hated more.

People shared "hot takes" online, fans attacked each other, and more often than not, he'd catch Ariana reading articles and mocking posts when she didn't think he was looking. She was hurting, and he didn't know how to stop it.

The night before his new movie was supposed to premiere, Ariana said. "I don't want to go tomorrow."

"Why not?" Mumbo asked with a frown. "Your outfit for tomorrow's really good, and-"

"It's not about the outfit." She snapped. "I don't know who's going to be there. What they think about me. What if they- they say something? People will say something, and the night won't be about your movie, and I don't want-"

He cupped her cheeks. "If you're not going, I'm not. That's not me trying to guilt you into going, that's me saying I will stand by you. If you feel it'll be unsafe for you there, then that's not somewhere I want to go."

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do." He smiled at her. "What sort of guy would I be if I went out and had fun while my fiancee was hurting? Seriously. It's your choice. I don't mind. And we're flying out for the wedding the day after. If this puts a damper on our day…"

"It won't." She shook her head. "Yeah, I'll do it. You're right, my outfit's good, and if anything, the wedding will lighten my mood. We can shut down any questions we don't want to answer, and enjoy the evening. It's your film. Let's go and celebrate it."

Mumbo hated red carpets. The flash of the camera lights in his face, the fake smiles, and the pretend pleasantries all gave him a headache, and normally he'd hate it even more, forced to go alone.

That night, Ariana was on his arm, never leaving his side, always touching him somewhere just to keep herself grounded. He wore his biggest grin, struggling to tear his eyes away from her for more than five minutes. They'd receive the occasional annoying question, like "did you know Ariana was a trans woman when you started dating?" yes, duh, "why did you keep it hidden?" none of your business, and "Mumbo, are you transgender as well?" no.

It was annoying, and for once, Mumbo was more grateful for the reporters who cared about what they were wearing, or wanted to gush over Ariana's ring with her. When they talked to her like normal, he saw the way she lit up and raved about her stylist, and how she'd matched her nails to her dress to her ring, and he took notice of the way her shoulders slumped when these people left, only to be replaced with the worst type of reporter.

"It's alright." He murmured, keeping his hand firmly on her back. "It'll be over soon. And then we're flying out tomorrow morning."

"I know. It's the only reason I'm smiling right now."

He laughed. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Two days later, they were getting married. Ariana had insisted that Mumbo wasn't allowed to see her dress until the day itself, and Mumbo was nervous beyond belief.

He didn't know why, but he'd felt anxious all morning, as if preparing for the worst. This day was supposed to be perfect, the chance for them to declare their love for each other in front of all the people they valued most. But the past few weeks had him on edge and worried that paparazzi was going to swing in out of nowhere and capture the whole moment for the world to see.

When he expressed these thoughts to Ariana the night before, she'd suggested that they just elope, but he knew how important it was that she got her fairytale wedding. He wouldn't have abandoned that for the world.

They were getting married in a beautiful forest, on a warm, sunny day. The trees above him cast some shade, and the setting looked almost magical. Mumbo could see the photographer stood near the back, silently taking shots of everyone and everything. Good money had been spent on this day, and Mumbo thought it couldn't have been better.

He stood at the altar, wearing a custom tailored suit with a pink tie, as per Ariana's request. She'd done most of the planning, including the outfits and he couldn't wait to see what she'd done for herself.

The music began, and the bridesmaids came first, friends that Ariana had met in the industry, who she trusted with her life. Her makeup artist, Gem, and her stylist, Pearl. They'd been working for her for nearly a decade, and he knew that she wouldn't have anyone else to do that job for her.

As they took their place standing by the altar, Ariana mad her appearance.

The dress took Mumbo's breath away, it was simple, yet elegant. A bright white dress with lace sleeves in a flower pattern. The train of the dress had pink flowers embroidered onto it, and the flowers in her bouquet matched the design.

Her hair was done up into a bun, and she'd opted for a simple makeup look; nothing like what she wore on stage. But the most striking detail to Mumbo was her smile. She wore a beautiful grin, wide and genuine, and Mumbo didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy. Despite all she'd been going through, she was spending her day with the man she loved most in the world.

After the wedding, they were to go on their honeymoon, at a resort that prided itself on keeping its guests a secret, making it a hotspot for celebrity holidays. They'd arranged for a week to unwind and simply exist together, before returning to the public eye once more. Truth be told, Mumbo was worried about what would happen once they did return, but that was something he could handle for another day.