the stars in your eyes | t.s. one shots

unbelievable

Taylor snuggles up against Travis as she looks at him, eyes wide. "The Super Bowl... wow. That's... huge. We had dreamed about it all season, and I can't believe it's actually happening." She pauses. "I mean, I can. You worked so hard for it and-"

"Tay," Travis cuts her off, "I know what you mean. It feels so surreal. You can work your ass off all season and still not make it. And we were the underdogs this year. Nobody thought we'd end up here, for real. Even all of us on the team, we were putting on a brave face, but we didn't really think it."

He doesn't have to say this for Taylor to know it. It was a whispered confession, words spoken only in the dark of the night between the two. She knew how much time he had spent grappling with the expectations for the team, being the reigning Super Bowl champs, versus how their season had actually gone, on many days. It was why he'd thrown his helmet to the ground in a fit of rage during their game on Christmas day. It was weeks and weeks of frustrations, worries, and buried anxiety, all compounded on top of each other. He was like a volcano, bound to explode at one point or another. Though Taylor had wished he'd found a healthier way to take out his anger, having seen what happened behind the scenes, she understood where the actions had come from. Being the person who he confided in after every practice and every game, she couldn't be mad at him. He was the leader of the team, and more than anything, he just didn't want to let people down. Not his teammates, not his coaches, not his family, and not the fans.

It's something that Travis and Taylor have in common. With every step Taylor takes, she thinks about who will be proud of her, or who she could possibly be letting down. Though their respective careers couldn't be more different, all eyes are on both of them as they're expected to be leaders who pave the way for others to follow behind. Neither of them take that responsibility lightly.

That's why victories mean so much to them. It's why Taylor takes it so hard if she doesn't get a nomination for album of the year, in the same way that Travis would take it hard if they had lost any of the playoff games and not made it to the Super Bowl.

But this year, neither of them are dealing with those hardships. They're both on top of the world. One weekend, Taylor will attend the Grammys. The next, Travis will play in the biggest game of the season.

It's not lost on them, the way that their lives seem to be straight out of a movie scene right now.

"You want to come?" Travis asks her. "If you don't, I get it. I mean, you've got shows that weekend and it'll be hard to get back and you'll be completely exhausted and all... so if you don't want to come this time around, I completely get it. But if you do... I'll pay for the suite. Because it would be the honor of my life to have you there."

Taylor feels her heart melt at that comment. He wants her there. He wants her to show up, wants to show her off as his girl.

And she loves going to his games for that reason exactly. There, in that football stadium, she's just his girl. She's a part of the team, a group of people in which she's found a family over the last few months. Her career can be isolating sometimes, on days when it feels like she's climbing alone to the top of the ladder. Sure, she works with collaborators, but that can only take her so far. She's the smiling face that represents all of it. Jack and Aaron, they can stay in the shadows, live their quiet little lives and come out when they want to. Taylor doesn't have that choice, doesn't have a switch she can flip to turn it on and off. That's why she's loved being around the Chiefs so much, she thinks. They're a team. They do it all together. And now, she's a part of that team.

So, of course she wants to be at the Super Bowl.

"Trav," she tells him, placing her hand on his stomach and lightly rubbing it, "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll have plenty of time to make it back after my concert and I can sleep on the flight. I'll be there."