TW: Slight sexual content

Phoebe Heyerdahl had always been the sort that worked in the background, never having the spotlight on her.

She had been like this all her life, especially in school. She was the girl that always got top grades and yet no one could remember her name, she was the girl who made valedictorian that shocked the school because a lot of them simply forgot she existed, she was the girl that was always mistaken for a new student because she never stood out. She fit in, but in a sense that she blended into the background. She didn't hang out with any cliques, not even the 'nerds' that she would have gotten along with. Phoebe had a handful of close friends, but aside from that she was the school's ignis fatuus.

Strangely, she loved it this way.

Phoebe wasn't anti-social, but she wasn't social either. No, what she truly was could only be described as entirely focused. She didn't allow herself to be distracted by all the petty and overdramatic qualms of the average teen, she didn't spend her nights partying and her days hungover, the most drama she had ever been involved in was when she was falsely accused of plagiarizing an essay. Phoebe spent her days working, studying or spending time with her few close friends, and knowing that her specter-like status among her peers allowed her to keep this simple lifestyle up brought her immense joy. Phoebe may have been exceptional, but she liked to be exceptional from the background, not needing the validation of a crowd to make her happy.

So, working as a manager for a famous celebrity only seemed appropriate, said celebrity also being her best friend only made it better.

Helga Pataki was an acclaimed actress, despite her young age. Having first started her career on Broadway at the tender age of eighteen, her rise to her current position as an industry supreme was oddly comedic. Her older sister, the significantly less famous Olga Pataki, was the one that dreamed of being an actress, despite her parents disapproving. However, she had always been the favored child, so they eventually relented in their judgement and allowed her to pursue her goal. Olga had wanted to share a sister-sister stage moment with Helga, and when auditions for a production of 'The Wedding Singer' were underway, Olga — with the help of Bob threatening her — had convinced Helga to audition with her. What neither were expecting was for Helga to do such a phenomenal job on both her monologue and her singing, that she was cast for the lead role of Julia, whilst Olga ended up with the supporting role of Angie.

When the musical tour went underway, people were blown away by Helga. The girl had little to no formal training, having only really sung for herself away from curious eyes, and had never been in a production of this magnitude. Yet, she could sing the house down and act so convincingly that you would forget that the character of a grown woman in her mid-twenties was being played by a teenager who hadn't even graduated yet. It was beyond ironic, how the perfect and favored Olga who had given up her stable job to pursue acting was being outshined by her 'troublesome' little sister who was believed to be less capable than her by her parents.

Once The Wedding Singer was over and Helga had graduated, theaters and studios chased after her like lionesses to a gazelle. She kept to stage productions for the most part, mostly because she wanted to finish of college, but once she got her undergraduate degree, she landed the role to changed her from rising star to household name. It was a film called 'Dulce', directed by Marvin Scorheve, that told the tale of a volatile relationship between a ballerina named Dulce Wilhelm and her lover Lewis Averce. Set during the second world war, the film was praised for its breath-taking cinematography, moving narrative, and of course the unforgettable performances of the two lead actors, specifically Helga.

It was almost impossible to believe that this was Helga's first cinematic performance, especially as the lead. Her ability to put on such a emotional and human display, despite only ever being in campy musicals was unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Not only that, but the fact that every bit of ballet performed in the film was done by her as opposed to a double only made it more impressive. The monologue that really took the world by storm had been nicknamed 'the My Mother monologue', in which Dulce spends seven minutes ranting about her confusing relationship with her abusive yet overly protective mother. Infamous for it's ability to move practically anyone who watched it to tears, it was this very monologue that won Helga her first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her first major picture, and solidified her as a force to be reckoned with.

Phoebe had been with her every step of the way, and being a business woman at heart, she had helped her best friend handle her career as an independent act for the years in which they were college students. Now that they were fully independent adults, Helga had proposed Phoebe be her manager. It would be paid of course, even as a best friend she would still be a worker, but Helga just felt more comfortable having someone she trusted who was as intelligent and as efficient as Phoebe on her side.

This ended up being the best decision she could have made.

Despite having absolutely no experience in the field, Phoebe proved to be just as exceptional at managing Helga's career as she had been in everything else she set her mind to. Phoebe knew exactly what to say and do to get Helga the most high profile roles, she could swindle her way into increasing Helga's pay and could sniff out any manipulative contract from a mile way. Phoebe was the reason Helga was inescapable in the industry now, she had gotten Helga into many events, rubbed shoulders with legendary names, all while being hidden away in the background whilst Helga took the limelight. Her work didn't go unrewarded however, her uncanny ability to make a star out of a spark was the talk of the industry, soon Miss. Heyerdahl was tasked with managing other stars, actors, singers, models, you name it. Though, Helga was always her top priority.

Helga was of course not without controversy; she was talented, beautiful, and respected, but she was still Helga at the end of the day, with the same attitude and all, now she just had a ton of money and fame to back it up. Phoebe didn't let this get in the way though, she knew how to flip a narrative, if Helga said something too spicy then Phoebe would set up a photo-op to distract people the very next day, or set up an announcement to drop during the rise of whatever controversial discourse Helga started. It was easy to keep Helga out of trouble, and stay relatively unknown by the general public whilst doing so.

That was until Gerald Johanssen came into the picture.

"She was caught with who?"

Phoebe was at home, she lived in a lovely penthouse with a view of the nearest beach from the windows, the home had multiple bedrooms, a pool, and even a sauna. It was a bit much, but managing celebrities brought in a lot more money than one would expect, so she could easily afford it. She was sat on her couch, wearing a simple green tank-top and black leggings, with white socks and beige slippers. Sitting on the other side of the couch was Rhonda Gammelthorpe. A wealthy woman of old money origins, Rhonda was the sort of person who Phoebe never thought she would get along with. Having come from the Wellington-Lloyd lineage, Rhonda was raised in high society and only ever associated with the upper echelon of society. They had met when her and Helga had gotten into a dispute on the set of a film her husband, the enigmatic Thaddeus Gammelthorpe — nicknamed Curly — was directing that Helga played a lead role in. Phoebe wasn't too sure, apparently it had something to do with Helga refusing to do a particularly demeaning scene, all she remembered was having to break it up whilst apologizing to the debutant.

Somehow, this developed into a friendship that Helga eventually found her way into. Rhonda was a lot more formal than Phoebe, this being shown by her wearing Schiaparelli winter wear to casual friendly visit. Though, she was still a busy body who seemed to know everything about everyone at any given moment, and considering the nature of Phoebe's work, she considered Rhonda her little spy drone who brought back information that Helga probably kept from her. Such as the latest bit of gossip.

"Yup, expect it to be all over the tabloids in less than twelve hours," Rhonda said as she reapplied her gloss for the fifteen billionth time, "she was aaaall over him too, I'm surprised they didn't bang in the bathroom."

Phoebe snorted, "okay, but really? Gerald J? Him?" she then rolled her eyes, "he just got out of that lawsuit— urgh, that girl wouldn't know 'good optics' if it danced butt-naked in front of her!"

The manager had ample reason to be annoyed. Gerald J was a well-known musician who had blown up after a performance with his college jazz band went viral, he was quick to go solo, sign with Waverange Records, and mark himself as a star. Phoebe could admit he was talented, a skilled vocalist with exceptional dancing abilities, he was often compared to an early Michael Jackson, with many wondering if his career would reach the level of notoriety as the legend. He had multiple number one hit songs, a song with over a billion streams, and was as attractive and charismatic as someone needed to be to make it in the industry.

However, he was so damn controversial.

The problem with Helga was that despite her fame, she struggled with emotional regulation, which often lead to outbursts and comments that rubbed the general public the wrong way. Whilst she often lost control, Gerald was the opposite, he was calculated. Phoebe couldn't count the amount of times the man had purposeful said something to rile up the public, such as the time he snuck a jab at model Lila Sawyer in a song, alleging he "could whenever he wanted," which caused quite the riot online. Or the many times he'd been caught being a little too handsy and touchy with a taken woman, which had caused him to get into tiffs with many other big names. Or, more recently, when he was sued by his ex-friend after the two got into a heated physical altercation over — you guessed it — a woman. The man lost the lawsuit, but it was still a bad look.

Phoebe could have sworn she was going to rip her hair out, Helga had just barely recovered from her near-cancellation for directly insulting a beloved actress on live television, now she wanted to get together with Mr. Cancelled himself?

"They looked good together though," Rhonda giggled, "I mean, really good, I just know their couple editorials are gonna be so hot; him shirtless and her in like a bikini or something, he's looking down at her all lustfully and she's smizing at the camera..."

Phoebe scoffed, rolling her eyes, "not as hot as Twitter's gonna get when they hear about this, are you sure there was paparazzi?"

Her friend nodded vigorously, "oh absolutely, the second they started making out it was like those people appeared out of thin air, I just know they took thousands of pics," Rhonda then kicked her legs as her head leaned back, "don't stress, it's probably just a sexy fling, it'll be over by the end of the month."

"Well, for that month they're together he better not be up to his usual antics," She grumbled, "dealing with Helga's bad enough, I don't need Gerald's bad behavior reflecting poorly on her too."

"He's not that bad Phoebe, I mean his mouth is reckless, but he's just doing what most young men who get famous do, be stupid."

"He assaulted a man Rhonda."

"Because the man attacked him first, that's why lost in court," she then shrugged, "then again, I might be a bit biased, admittedly his Anhedonia album has been on repeat for the past week, girl, it's soooo good."

Phoebe only hummed, she wasn't going to disagree, even if she wasn't a fan of the way Gerald carried himself, she too had more than a few of his songs on different playlists. He may have been an insufferable person, but the man knew just how to make a generational hit, "so is that all you came over for? To tell me Helga's fucking Gerald J?"

Rhonda perked up, "oh goodness no! I wanted to know if Helga was going to be attending the Met Gala next month? I won't have her out-dress me again so if the answer is yes then I will absolutely have to begin planning my look earlier!"

The other woman could only laugh, Rhonda was still miffed about the previous Met Gala the year prior, the theme had been 'Horror: A Fear in Fashion', and Rhonda had attended in an extravagant and carefully constructed gown that had many horror icons carefully embroided on, her hair was styled to look stained and her face was drenched in fake blood as a reference to Jennifer's Body. However, Helga had arrived at the Met Gala in a costume of Emily from Corpse Bride. From her custom Mugler wedding gown and Vivienne Westwood veil, to her special effects makeup, and her dramatic walk and expressions on the red carpet, she would end up being the most talked about attendee that year, something Rhonda had never gotten over. The theme this year was 'Literature in Vogue', and Rhonda was certain she would be the best dressed.

With a nod, Phoebe said, "yeah, she will, I know that her and Johnny have been discussing this year's theme, he's going to style her though so I have no clue what the two are planning."

"Johnny? As in Stitches?" When Phoebe nodded in confirmation, Rhonda grumbled, "uuuurgh! Whatever, I guess I'll be relying on Tammy Spumoni this year!"

"Spumoni? They actually got married?"

With a slight giggle, Rhonda nodded, "I'm shocked too, but hey, Tammy Spumoni is a much cooler name than Tammy Baxter, so maybe this one will actually last."

The two shared a laugh, knowing Dino Spumoni couldn't keep a marriage afloat if he were forced to at gun point, before Rhonda then stood up, "well, now that I know I actually have competition for the Met Gala this year, I'll be promptly on my way to go and plan out how to crush Helga for good."

Shaking her head in amusement, Phoebe could only snort, "you do that Rho, thanks for letting me know about Helga by the way, we'll definitely be having a conversation about this..."

With a hug and a wave, Phoebe walked Rhonda to the door before the woman soon left the property. Finally letting off an annoyed sigh, she turned around to go and get her laptop — maybe it was time for another charity photo-op.

Gerald never thought he'd wake up in Helga Pataki's bed. That wasn't to say she was too good for him, there wasn't really any woman too good for him, even the beauties of Hollywood, however she was known for being as stiff as a plank when it came to relationships. She had only ever publicly dated one man, and that was Harold Berman, a linebacker for the Hillwood Hyenas. The two only lasted two months, and had reportedly never even had sex, with Harold alleging that her reasoning for leaving was his flagrant stupidity, even claiming she directly said, "it's clear that whatever CTE you're suffering from has made you beyond dull in the brain, and I cannot continue dating someone who's sense is leaking out of their ear by the day."

He chuckled, man, she could be real mean. Since Harold she'd been on a few dates with some men, but nothing official, and she harshly turned down any man that approached her. So when the two first met a few months prior at a party hosted by Lorenzo Sinclair, he had not expected her to be so extremely receptive to his obvious flirting. He wasn't ashamed of it; wearing a simple, yet perfectly fitted little black dress that hugged every single one of her slim but defined curves, with makeup that included a dark smokey eye and red and glossy lips, only to be complimented by her hair, which was styled into Marilyn-esq Hollywood waves, she looked incredibly tantalizing, and he wanted to see if he could have a taste.

She wasn't easy, far from it, as receptive as she was to his flirting she refused to let him touch her or even get too close. She told him that if he really wanted to 'get to know' her, then he had to get to know her. Usually he avoided the hard to get ones, but she was a prize among their community, one of those women that if you could pull, you were a god among men, so, he took the challenge and spent the next few months attempting to seduce her.

After almost half a year, he had finally succeeded. Their dinner date had been extremely heavy, by this point the sexual tension between the two had reached its boiling point and it was clear that they were eventually going to give in to their very obvious desires. After a night of innuendos and sweet nothings, it was Helga who eventually broke, pulling him into a rough kiss as they waited for their limo to arrive. He found it amusing how despite her rejection of him sexually, it was her who ended up faltering, but he still found himself thoroughly enjoying the moment. The two couldn't keep their hands off each other, with the only thing stopping them from getting straight to the point in the limo being the driver who could see and hear everything. Once they got to her place, the two had practically thrown their clothes all over the home, and spent most of the night going at it like rabbits.

Just thinking of it made him chuckle, she was intense in bed, with stamina he'd yet to come across. By the time they had finished they were both beyond exhausted, but he was sure that the only thing that stopped her from continuing was his personal lack of energy. Was it worth the wait? Hell yeah, she was probably the best lay he'd had in a long time, and as she began stirring under him, he thought about how he planned to do that again and again and...

"Mhm, what's got you laughing this early?"

"Early?" he said with smirk, caressing her cheek with a thumb, "it's eleven Miss. Pataki."

"Like I said, early," she snapped back, before cuddling into his side, "your skin's so soft, thank you."

With a chuckle, he tilted his head curiously, "why are you thanking me?"

"Because I remember Harold used to come to bed shirtless and holy shit, dude's skin felt like gravel to the touch so cuddling was the worst, I don't even think he knows what exfoliation means," she mumbled, "poor Patty,"

"Aw, leave his WAG alone, I'm sure she can handle him, even if he's got sandpaper skin."

Helga continued to cuddle into his side, something that Gerald just sat back and let happen. It wasn't until her cuddling became soft kisses to his chest and neck, her wandering hands rubbing his bare torso. He playfully smiled, his eyelids lustfully low, "hey, I'm more than just my body Miss. Pataki."

With a giggle, she pushed herself up and rolled over, until she was laying on top of him, "well, if it wasn't so beautiful, I wouldn't want to touch it all the time..."

He felt a shiver as she rocked her lower half on his groin, a coy grin making its way onto face when he bit his bottom lip, his hands reaching up to grab her hips. Still, he played along with the joke, "my, I'm feeling quite objectified Helga, how could you?"

Instead of responding, the blonde leaned in to finally kiss him deeply on the lips. Gentle, barely audible moans filled the spacious bedroom; Gerald's grip had become looser, with him choosing to sensually rub her hips instead, something that he remembered turned her on the night before. Helga's hands travelled further down his body, before making his way to his groin, which was sadly constrained by his boxers. Reaching over to his bulge, her limber fingers graced it, and as she pulled her lips away from his, she held back a laugh at the very obvious twitch, "are you gonna stop me?" Helga said, her forehead still on his, noses touching, lips only a few inches apart.

He wanted to respond with just as much snark, but couldn't hold in the shiver and small groan when she grabbed his semi-hard length and began massaging with her thumb, "haha, n-no..."

"That's what I thought," she smiled, "I've got nothing to do today, so I expect you to spend most of it doing me." Her voice was soft, husky.

Letting on hand go, he brought it to her cheek and pulled her close enough for their lips to touch, "if you insist, with pleasure."

And that was Chapter One of Managing! I love me a good dramatic romcom and what is more dramatic than Hollywood? Don't expect most of the beginning pairings to be end game, obviously, you read the fic tags be patient :(

Also yes, within this AU, most of the character's didn't grow up together, it's more fun that way hehe

Review if you can! Love those :)