A/N – This is a collection of Olitz one-shots. Stay Together is the intellectual property of Noah Cyrus, Emily Warren, and Britt Burton. Bad At Love is the intellectual property of Halsey, Eric Frederic, Justin Tranter, and Rogét Chahayed.
Stay Together
"Fuck." Fitz turned at the feminine voice coming from the beautiful woman standing a few feet away. He watched as she glared down at her phone. She bent, retrieving the slim device from the concrete at her feet. He inched closer, noticing that the glass screen was completely shattered.
"Tough luck," he commented. She shrugged, eyeing the cracks in the screen before sliding the device into her back pocket. She flung the cigarette she had dangling in her fingers to the ground, stomping on it before picking it up and putting it in the nearby trashcan.
"I don't know why I bother with those damn things. I don't smoke," she stated.
"Oh?" he chuckled, pointedly eyeing the trashcan she was still loitering beside.
"That? It only happens when I drink. You'd think my friends would have learned to keep the damn things away from me by now," she laughed. He liked her laugh - it fit her. Taking a leap of faith, he decided to introduce himself.
"I'm Fitz."
"Olivia." Her name suited her - soft, feminine, and musical. So caught up in her name and the melodious sound of her voice, he barely caught her next comment. "So what brings you to Columbus?"
"Is it that obvious I'm not from around here?" She nodded and he raised a brow. He had thought he was blending in.
"I'm not from here, either, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone from Ohio wearing a Wolverines shirt." He glanced down at the shirt he was wearing and sure enough he was greeted by the blue and yellow of the University of Michigan. He hadn't wanted to come on this little road trip with his friends, so he hadn't been too careful about his wardrobe choice. He had grabbed the first clean shirt he had come across and as a University of Michigan alumni, he had plenty shirts touting the fact in his closet. No wonder he had been getting dirty looks all night. They were barely a block from Ohio University and no doubt many students were in the bar.
"Where are you from?"
"Providence."
"What brings a Rhode Island girl to Ohio?"
"Work." He nodded - his work sent him all over the country, too. It wasn't always fun. He liked seeing new places, but sometimes he'd rather spend the time at home. It was hard to settle when he was rarely there.
"What brings you to Ohio, Mr. Michigan?"
"My friends dragged me along for some concert." He rolled his eyes. Matt and Dane had been adamant that he come to this concert. He wasn't a huge fan of music to begin with and definitely not some pop singer that he had never heard of before. Of course, his friends had given him hell over that one. They had concluded that he must be leaving under a rock; claiming that this singer happened to be one of the biggest stars on the scene for quite some time now despite her alternative take on pop music.
"You don't seem too pleased about that."
"It's some alternative pop singer I've never even heard of." She nodded to his statement, a smirk playing across her face. He tried not to chuckle - apparently even she must know who this singer was. "Are you going to the concert too?"
"It's a big reason why I'm here." She didn't elaborate, staring out at the busy street. Cars were still speeding past. Columbus wasn't all that big - it felt more like a town than a city. He liked that.
"Where are your friends?" She asked after a few minutes, causing him to jump slightly. They had been standing in complete silence.
"They met a couple girls and headed back to the apartment. Jake and I, the other guy they dragged along, decided to give them a few hours before we headed back." She nodded, understanding.
"Let's go get something to drink." He nodded, following her into the crowded bar. He hung back a little as she made her way through the crowd to the bar. He wondered how long she had been in the city - various college students were moving out of the way for her, falling to the sides and letting her past. A few here and there stopped her, snapping pictures with her. He could tell she had a great personality - making friends must be easy for her.
"Here you go." She handed him a too-full glass of beer. He sipped at the amber colored liquid - the bartender hadn't filled his glass that full earlier. It had to have been because of Olivia.
"I fucking hate this song," she groaned, making a face in the direction of the DJ as "Happy" blared through the speakers. He nodded - he didn't like the song either. He laughed when she sat her beer down, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting loud enough for the DJ to hear her: "Bro, your shit is boring!"
"Yeah! Play "Bad At Love!"" She laughed out loud when someone behind her yelled at the DJ. Shaking her head, she turned to look at Fitz.
"I'm going to go grab my friend. Grab yours and we'll get out of here." She didn't give him a chance to respond before sauntering off toward the little raised platform that served as a stage. He narrowed his eyes - she was fun, but all over the place. And he didn't understand why the request from the tall, buff younger man behind them had made her decide to leave. Downing the rest of his beer, he headed toward the back of the bar to retrieve Jake. If he was lucky, his friend would still be where he had left him. Jake hadn't seemed too thrilled about the bar scene. Sure enough, he was still sitting at the table, a barely touched glass in front of him.
"Hey, let's get out of here."
"I thought we were giving Matt and Dane a few hours?" Jake yelled over the music, an inquisitive look crossing his face.
"I met a girl - she wants us to hang out some with her and her friend. Doesn't seem to enjoy this bar, either though." Jake nodded, standing and following Fitz to the entrance. Olivia hadn't mentioned where she would meet them at, but Fitz assumed she would eventually make her way to the green door and, sure enough, after a few minutes, she showed up with a tall brunette. They exited the crowded bar together and she headed toward a silver Mercedes parked on the curb. She leaned across the passenger window, talking with the driver before announcing to the group that it was the Uber she had requested. She, her friend, and Fitz piled into the back as Jake took the passenger seat. Inside the car, she introduced her friend, Danielle, to the other two.
"What was up with that song request back there?" Fitz questioned as she gave the driver a location, requesting that he take the long way.
"Huh?" She turned in her seat to face him, looking into his blue eyes.
"Bad Love?"
"It's just a song - by that pop singer you aren't too happy about hearing." She winked and he shrugged. So this singer they were seeing tomorrow really was popular. She seemed to be thinking for a moment or two before she asked the driver for the aux cord. Snapping the cord in place in her phone, she scrolled for a moment or two before music filled the car.
"Got a boy back home in Michigan
And it tastes like Jack when I'm kissing him
So I told him that I never really liked his friends
Now he's gone and he's calling me a bitch again
It's a guy that lives in the garden states
And he told me that we'd make it 'til we graduate
So I told him that the music would be worth the wait
But he wants me in the kitchen with a dinner plate"
Fitz tilted his head, listening to the music and wondering why Olivia was giving him such a quizzical look. He wrote it off quickly - she loved music, had said so earlier, and was probably watching him for his reaction to the singer that he had so quickly written off. The voice was oddly familiar, but he couldn't place it and didn't know why. This was his first time ever listening to this particular artist. He was a classic rock guy.
"I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe that we're meant to be
But jealousy, jealousy, jealousy, jealousy get the best of me
Look, I don't mean to frustrate, but I
Always make the same mistakes, yeah
Always make the same mistakes, 'cause
I'm bad at love
But you can't blame me for tryin'
You know I'd be lyin' sayin'
You were the one
That could finally fix me
Lookin' at my history
I'm bad at love"
He nodded in Olivia's direction - hoping that she would take it to mean that he liked the song. It was different, but the voice was pleasing. If only he could place it. Part of him wondered if she was trying to tell him something with the song lyrics - maybe that she wasn't ready for a relationship? He was either, honestly. He liked her, but neither were from the area and long distance relationships never worked.
"Got a girl with California eyes
And I thought that she could really be the one this time
But I never got the chance to make her mine
Because she fell in love with little thin white lines
London girl with an attitude
We never told no one, but we look so cute
Both got way better things to do
But I always think about it when I'm riding through"
They listened in silence as the chorus repeated one more time before the song ended. Olivia was quick to grab her phone, pressing pause as Fitz watched. Her screen was completely shattered. There wasn't any saving it at all. She unplugged the aux cord and slid her phone back into the pocket of her jean shorts.
"Still not very good?" she giggled, looking at him.
"It's okay. Not really my thing." He watched as she smirked, nodding her head and looking past him out of the window. They were stopped at a red light. A gaggle of girls were standing on the sidewalk, eyeing the vehicle - listening to the song that had just ended in the car, the now familiar beat drifting in through the open windows. Olivia unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning over Fitz and sticking her head out of the window.
"Nice song," she shouted, waving at the girls. Fitz watched as grins broke out across the girls' faces and they shouted greetings. He shook his head as the vehicle started moving once more. Olivia sure had a lot of confidence. He liked it. He glanced at the clock as they pulled up at some park. 4:30. It was more than past the couple hours they had agreed to give their friends. Exiting the car, Danielle pulled Jake to one side of the large park with her as Olivia and Fitz walked toward the other end.
"Have you ever watched the sun rise?" Olivia questioned, rubbing her arms. The thin tank she was wearing didn't do much to ward off the chill of the late summer night.
"It's been a while," Fitz answered, deciding to make his move and slowly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He tried to keep the goofy grin off his face when she leaned into his body heat.
"It's one of my favorite things to do."
"When do you sleep?" he wondered, looking up at the sky.
"Sleep is for the weak." He laughed - he knew without a doubt that she really did believe that. She seemed like the kind of person who cared more about making memories and having fun. He liked that about her.
"So Miss Never Sleeps, what do you do in your freetime?"
"I write." Like everything else that night, she didn't elaborate and he didn't ask. If she wanted to tell him, she would. The strolled through the park, talking, until the first rays of sunlight began tinting the sky. He smiled at her as he caught her staring into his eyes. She reached a hand up, brushing his curly hair out from his forehead.
"I should probably head back to my hotel before the rest of my crew begins to freak the fuck out," she laughed. He nodded, sad that the night was ending as they headed in the direction of Jake and Danielle.
"Maybe we'll see each other at the concert tonight," he suggested.
"Maybe."
"Damn, we're late," Matt complained, tapping his foot impatiently as the security guard eyed their tickets.
"Chill," Fitz commented, "I don't know why you're so eager to be here." He tried to act like he wasn't just as eager to be entering the arena - he was hoping to see Olivia again. The prospect looked grim, it seemed like the whole city was packed into the tiny arena, but he wasn't letting that deter him.
"She's my favorite singer," Matt answered, "And she's hot."
Fitz rolled his eyes as the security guard led them down the aisles to their seats. Matt had insisted on buying front row tickets. He swore he had to be as close to the stage as possible. As they filed down the row toward their seats, Fitz's head whipped toward the stage when he heard an all too familiar voice.
"So, this is a new song that I wrote early this morning. I hope you guys like it." He couldn't believe his eyes as he fumbled for his seat. Standing there on stage, her hands wrapped around the microphone in front of her, was Olivia. Her was messy - chaotic, intentional messy that he thought made her look even more beautiful, and she still wore the same outfit she had been wearing that morning complete with a pair of black converse. He watched her intently as she began singing:
"I drank straight to my head
I went outside to smoke a cigarette
And I shattered my phone on the cement
But I don't give a fuck
Now I'm not making sense
I'm laughing at a joke that I don't get
I'm acting like these strangers are my friends
But I don't give a fuck"
He smiled to himself as he listened. The song was so very...her. Everything she had told him the previous night was starting to make sense. The concert was a huge reason why she was in Columbus...of course it was - she was the reason for the concert. She hadn't liked "Happy" and that made sense too. Her music was best described as alternative - of course she wouldn't like a typical pop song. And she wrote. Her own songs. That alone impressed him.
"Yelling at the DJ, "Bro, your shit is boring"
Doing things that I will not regret until the morning
I'mma make it rain down, another round is on me
I'm just here for the fun and I don't care about the money
Hey, hey
Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?
We can do whatever
As long as we're together then we're gonna be alright
Don't leave, just wait
You can tell your friends that you're staying out late
Singing, oh oh oh
Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?"
He found himself smiling and nodding along to the song. All the college kids at the bar taking pictures with her last night - well, that made sense too. He happened to catch Matt's stare out of the corner of his eye. Matt was dancing along as expected, but it was obvious that he hadn't expected Fitz to dance along.
"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," he grinned.
And Fitz was.
"Alright, alright, finish your G&T
The Uber's here, so now it's time to leave
Hey driver, could you pass the AUX to me?
Go ahead and turn it up
Head out of the window
You could call me shameless
Waving to my people now I'm acting like I'm famous
Tell 'em, "Take the long way"
We could see the sunrise
Damn, you look so pretty when the sunlight hits your blue eyes"
He smile widened until his cheeks were hurting. She was singing about their night. It was an amazing feeling knowing that their night had been special enough for her to write an entire song about it. His friends, and the rest of the audience, began clapping and staring at him. He narrowed his eyes in confusion until he noticed that Olivia had sauntered to the front of the stage, microphone in one hand, as she held the other out to him. Matt shoved his back, propelling him forward from his seat to take her hand and clamber onto the stage. He gave up on hiding the happy look on his face as she stared into his eyes, singing the rest of her song.
"Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?
We can do whatever
As long as we're together then we're gonna be alright
Don't leave, just wait
You can tell your friends that you're staying out late
Singing oh oh oh
Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?
For the night, oh yeah
I drank straight to my head
I went outside to smoke a cigarette
And I shattered my phone on the cement
But I don't give a fuck
Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?
We can do whatever
As long as we're together then we're gonna be alright
Don't leave, just wait
You can tell your friends that you're staying out late
Singing oh oh oh
Nothing lasts forever
But wouldn't it be nice to stay together for the night?"
He laughed as she finished, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her lips on his. She tasted like sweat and whiskey. Like everything else he had learned about her, it fit. He chuckled more when she leaned toward him, whispering in his ear, "One glass of whiskey before a show is my tradition."
"Everyone, meet Fitz. He's with me." His face turned red as she introduced him to the whole arena and he wondered what her intentions were. At this moment, he was willing for just about anything as long as she was involved.