Chapter Text
One thing that Deborah hated more than anything was crying.
Despite being found doing it far more often than she would like, she hated crying. She hated being weak in front of people, especially on this film set. She had been in a couple of films now, but Monty's film was different; this was her first supporting role! Playing a very important woman, Jean Leslie! She couldn't blow it by being noted as the girl who cried over nothing! She simply wouldn't have it! But she couldn't always stay as strong as she wanted to when Monty tended to blame her for every little thing that went wrong.
So when Monty taunted her about the fly rig misfire and immediately accused her of causing the malfunction, citing something about not hooking him up correctly, Deborah could feel the emotions bubbling in her chest, warm and bubbling. He had always taunted her, always found it easy to blame the nervous, shy new girl, but he had never called her out in front of her peers like that, and it was completely mortifying! She had never felt so awkward and ashamed in her life. She had kept it together for quite a long time, going to quietly pick up the boom mic and carefully hand it back to the cameraman, but of course, Monty couldn't keep his words to himself.
She had heard the back half of the sentence. “..Except for Deborah, who makes a pig's ear out of everything she does!”
Deborah paused dead in her tracks and turned sharply to Monty, who had half expected her to turn around and storm at him, to chew him out and rip him a new one like most of the women in his life might have. But when he saw Debroah already gearing up to cry, he could only laugh, laugh directly in her face.
“Oh, and here comes the water works. You're pathetic, Deborah!”
That sentence, coming from Monty so easily, without hesitation, is what pushed Deborah over the edge. She felt the hot tears pour from her face, and one single sob came from her chest, the feeling like a thousand knives in her chest, all stabbing her again and again, as a punishment for being so weak. She looked at Monty for one more second, who then shooed her off like she was just some annoyance to him, like a dog that wouldn't leave him alone. A second sob bubbled from her chest, and eventually she was walking, no, striding with purpose off the set, bobbing and weaving through the entire crew as the bell rang through the set for another cut, and to signal they were off to another break.
Deborah stormed out of the current room they were filming in and into an off hallway. She briefly looked around, finding relief in the quietness. She took a deep breath in, pacing in small circles while trying to keep herself together. Monty's words rang in her ears like harsh church bells.
Pathetic
Pathetic
Pathetic
She had gotten far too used to hearing the word, but coming from someone who, when she was hired for the film, she saw as a maverick, someone to be absolutely respected and adored for his efforts in the war, made it hurt even worse somehow. Another soft cry came from her chest as she continued to try to self-soothe, shaking her hands out and taking deep breaths. It seemed all futile, but things only got worse when she saw a familiar, tall, red-headed figure pacing down the hallway. And bounding right for her. Oh god, this wasn't what she needed right now! Tub seeing her like this..again.
Tub and Deborah had gone to theatre school together in London, while she did not know him personally during that time, they had moved in the same social circles and often saw each other..and they had grown quite close since they did a chemistry reading for this film, which now felt like it had been lifetimes ago.
“Deb! I had to find you! Are you alright?” Tub was now standing in front of the crying Deborah, unsure of exactly how to approach the situation without making it worse. His deep green eyes searched hers as she finally looked up from her feet. The shameful look in her eyes made his heart leap into his mouth. The fact that Monty felt that he had the right to make his friend feel like that? It hurt him.
“I heard what he said about you..It isn't true,” He starts, his words careful and calculated. “I don't know what his issue is as of late..But I don't like how he takes it out on you. If it's any comfort, I think you are quite talented..” Tub pauses, mentally kicking himself for sounding like a dork; he was never like this, it was an odd feeling. Perhaps he had been doing too much character study.
“..You think so?” Deborah started, looking for some sort of guidance from her friend.
“Of course,” Tub lends a firm hand onto her shoulder, perhaps more firm than he had intended, he did have a problem with forgetting his size in comparison to others. “I wouldn't lie..to you anyway. To the others? I can't promise the same” He laughs, and in return, Deborah joined him in laughing, her hand reached up and rested on top of his own. Tub could feel his heart jump again, god, why did she make him so..nervous?
“Thank you..” Deborah managed with a weary smile “Sometimes I think you are far too kind to me, I know you want to give me hell when I keep laughing at you during the pitch scene.”
Tub smiled again “Ah..I'd rather have you as a scene partner than anyone else. I'll make sure he doesn't talk to you like that again, not while I'm around.”
He paused, and he could feel Debrah pause too. Oh god, how he wished to be stricken down right now, or to have the floor eat him whole. He wasn't good at comforting words, especially when it was someone he had..
No. No.
He wouldn't allow himself to think about it. He wouldn't set himself up for failure.
But he didn't mind taking these few moments to simply look at her big, deep brown eyes. He could get lost in them..
Tub suddenly cleared his throat, pulling back from her with a faster pace than he had anticipated. He straightened his jacket before trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. He heard the door move just a few feet away, and knew it would be Monty coming to find him once again.
“Right well– you should go and get ready for our scene. And not break this time, yeah?”
Deborah smiled, the kind of smile that could have killed Tub right then and there if he hadn't been more careful when he looked at her.
“Ill try my best, for your sake” She started to go, looking back at him once with a thumbs up and nod before disappearing towards where hair and makeup was set up. Tub watched her go with a little smile, waving once before leaning against the wall, taking a breath to collect himself.
“Youre going to have to tell her eventually” A voice cut through Tub’s mind, causing him to jump just about a mile in the air, when he turned to find the voice. Monty. Of course it was Monty.
“JESUS CHRIST!” Tub clutched his chest “How long have you been standing there man?!”
“That is highly irrelevant” Monty smirked, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I had come to get you for the next scene but..I see the drama unfolding out here was far more interesting..” He elbows Tub with raised eyebrows, dying to pry this information from him.
“Christ man, shes just my friend from school, nothing more”
“Are you sure? You seem to be attached to her like a spore”
“I trust her! Besides, I don't know the half of..wooing and the like”
That made Monty pause in his tracks. It was as if suddenly he was back in that war office, a lifetime ago now. It was like he could see Charles standing right in front of him again, rattling on and on about how long it took to write all of the love letters for Bill's suitcase, and asking him how he did it, how he effortlessly seemed to have others fall for him. He could also see in Tub, the brash and boorish man he was with Charles, the one who had completely missed Charles' queues of feelings, who had brushed off every little moment they shared as nonsense. As just brotherly love. How he had missed his chance..
Monty blinks, coming back to earth.
“Right..” He starts, trying to comb his way through all of the feelings that had just hit him like a freight train. Maybe he shouldn't have casted someone who looked so much like Charles..maybe then he wouldnt have to work through every little feeling he had kept under lock and key for so many years. He suddenly plasters on that award winning smile again. “Right! Uh! You are doing great but– for the next take I'm going to need more abject adoration!”
Tub didn't question his change in demeanor; all he could do was roll his eyes as Monty started to go on about brushing up his performance. “Christ..” He muttered. “If you want it to be perfect, why don't you get him to do it himself?”
“What Charlie?”
“Yes..?”
“Well…he wasn't quite right for the part in the end.”
“The part of himself?”
“Exactly! Not believable!”
“Right..what's he doing instead?”
The room grew cold as the question hung in the air. What was he doing instead? God he was probably miles away from London now, enjoying the quiet after the war, throwing himself into his studies? Maybe he had a family now? He..didn't know. And he hated that he didn't know.
“..That's enough questions for now, Tub. Lets focus on the scene.”
Tub nodded carefully, on edge slightly from his weary tone shift, but knowing it was better not to ask questions than press on further. Monty led them back onto the set, watching as Tub eventually wandered back to hair and makeup, his eyes lit up when he caught up to Deborah, and Monty noticed.
That was it. As Monty watched them in the distance, smiling and chatting, he had decided something. He was going to play matchmaker. He was going to make sure one of them eventually confessed. He..wanted to see them happy.
But most importantly, he wasn't going to let the same thing that happened to him happen again. He wasn't going to watch someone's feelings fester in the name of pride.
Not here, not ever again.