Teddy had been locked out of his social media accounts and he was trying to be okay with. Rah told him he could earn the privilege back by proving he had more control over his impulses than a child who's just been told by a parent that no they can't run in traffic. Teddy thought it was a bit unfair as he'd never caused any trouble before. Besides it's not like he tweeted anything offensive, he just told the truth and shouldn't the world reward honestly. Rah did not agree.

He could have managed without access to social media if he had been able to play his guitar. He was itching to finally write without having to self censor. Unfortunately he was stuck listening to a group of people plan out his love life like it was a military operation. Both Teddy and Luke were expected to be there for the discussions, but neither of them got much input in the nitty gritty details. They were there to enforce any hard limits but otherwise it was out of their hands. Teddy was kind of happy about that, as he didn't think he could handle planning dates with Luke, but the situation was still rather disconcerting.

Luke spent most of his time skimming through his Instagram feed and showing Teddy anything he saw that made him smile. He was probably trying to be nice but Teddy felt like he was taunting him. Teddy wanted to throw one of the left over pancakes at him. He couldn't do that, not until command control left and everything was official. Teddy had to play nice, not just because Luke was his friend and it was kind of his fault they were in this situation, but also because Teddy needed Luke more than Luke needed him.

Teddy had been sold as a romantic hero since he was signed so the only way fans were likely to get behind the fact that they had no chance of being with him was if they got the fairytale ending he'd been teasing for years. An unrequited crush turned relationship after an epic romantic gesture was better than anything they could have planned. And Teddy, as much as he hated to admit it, knew that being in a serious relationship made him less threatening to the folks that were weary of his sexuality.

Luke's situation was more complicated. While the method had been spontaneous, he'd been planning to come out for a while. It was all part of his rebrand. He was about to head out on a promo tour for his first 'serious' acting role, the role that was supposed to break the action hero mould and force the world to see him as a 'real' actor. Coming out as bisexual was supposed to add depth, but the plan hinged on Luke's sexuality remaining purely theoretical. He was going to have a nice girl on his arm for the premiere to prove that he was very much still into women.

A relationship with Teddy was sure to raise his profile, and there was no doubt in Teddy's mind that they would work it to Luke's advantage, but it was a lot more risky that the original plan. If Luke hadn't been so insistent that he wanted in he probably would have been whisked away before they finished their pancakes. But for reasons Teddy wasn't sure of, Luke had decided to play along and there they were trying to work out the best way for both parties to get exactly what they wanted.

The negotiations lasted four long hours and Teddy's ass was numb by the end of it but everyone seemed satisfied. They'd build the relationship as promo for Luke's movie, then use it to keep him in the news for awards season before finally breaking up in time for Teddy to release the break-up album he knew the fans would eat up. All up it would last eight months. A long time, but a drop in the ocean really considering at the end of it Teddy would finally be free for the rest of his life. Also the fact that he was being forced to spend time with the man he was hopelessly in love with was sure to inspire enough heartbreak songs to fill at least three albums.

He could do this, Teddy said to himself after Luke placed a hand on Teddy's thigh in reassurance because Teddy had been fidgeting anxiously. It was a good plan, he reminded himself over and over.

Before he left Luke took Teddy aside, a move that terrified and excited Teddy in a way he did not want to unpack. He'd given Teddy a light punch on the arm, smiled at him like he'd stolen the sunshine from the grey sky, and asked him if he was sure this was what he wanted. Teddy didn't know what he wanted, not in the way Luke was asking him, but he did know that his career was his life and he'd do anything to save it. If that meant pretending he was in love with Luke while at the same time pretending he wasn't then that's what he'd do. He was still terrified of course. There was a good chance no plan would work, his career would be over anyway and then he would have dragged Luke down with him.

Teddy didn't voice any of those fears, instead he scoffed and said, "I'm going to date you so hard you'll be ruined for everyone else."

"I'm deffo going to date you harder kid," said Luke. "You'll be so well dated you won't have to check a calendar again."

Teddy laughed, Luke laughed, they laughed together and for a moment it seemed like maybe it wouldn't be all that bad. Until Luke left with Rah and Teddy was alone in his unwelcoming apartment with nothing but guilt and regret for company. Clutching his guitar like it was a lifeline Teddy was forced to accept that it was not a good plan and he was not fine... but at least he'd get a couple of good songs out of it.