SMILE EMOJI

❝ Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will kill my soul ❞

Mette Odden hid her pain behind a smile emoji. Starring in the most popular, yet controversial, Marvel endeavor to date, she found herself caught in a mix of internet love and hatred at every corner, finding an article praising her acting one moment, then a magazine detailing the horrors of Marvel divulging from the comics entirely in another.

Despite the constant support from her co-stars, directors, and random strangers from the internet, she couldn't help but let the words get to her, fueling her once manageable depression, sending her spiraling farther and farther down a rabbit hole she hadn't been in since her early days of Upper Secondary School.

Far from home and dealing with the nuance of an industry out for blood, she tried to make the most of it, forcing away her desperation for help in favor of trying to land more roles and ignore the constant media stream of criticism thrown her way; she started an era of Marvel Netflix specials, yet no one seemed to be in support of her in the slightest.

No one except, of course, Tom Holland, her co-star who, for some reason, never seemed to notice her distant replies and forced smiles, only focusing on her bravery and her passion for acting, constantly gushing about the positive aspects that she couldn't see in herself. He never noticed the negativity, and it was both a blessing and a curse.

As the smile emojis stacked up and her condition worsened, Mette found herself wondering if taking the leap and following her dreams had been worth it; a girl like her didn't belong in the spotlight, especially when no one wanted her there. But as the smile emojis began to crack, so would the lies and, maybe, just maybe, she would find a way to make a real smile of her own.

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CAST

josefine frida pettersen as mette odden

❝ one day, I'll send a selfie of my smile instead of an emoji; today is not that day ❞

tom holland as himself

❝ you're strong enough to wake up every morning, a failure can't do that ❞

chris pine as kris reeves

❝ chin up, kiddo, you've got us, and we'll be right beside you every step of the way ❞

jeremy jordan as romeo hedley

❝ just like your character, you will push through, you just need some help to do it ❞

[ + additional cast ]
rashida jones as nafisa callahan
jack dylan grazer as gilbert trent
lucas jade zumann as rudy heslip
froy gutierrez as trae amador
marvel cast/hero of heroes cast as themselves

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So if you're just stumbling upon me and my works for the first time, then you might be a little confused, so here's the skinny: this story is the celebrity fic tie-in to my Peter Parker fan fiction 'Lonely Hearts' which is a part of a larger Marvel fic series that I've been working on, and this story is the start of a celebrity fic series where they tie-in to the Marvel fics which, in this universe, are Marvel Netflix specials/shows/movies/etc.

Similar to her character Diana Smith, Mette Odden deals with depression and I'm telling you guys this right now, this isn't going to romanticize it in any way. I dealt with and am still dealing with pretty severe depression, and I tend to write from my experiences with it, so just bear that in mind when you read this, as every situation differs, but this is a genuine source I'm working from.

DEDICATED TO:

voidkhaleesi because not only is it her birthday at the time of posting, but also because she's the sweetheart who convinced me to put this up in the first place and listened to me ramble all about this fic and all the others to come, because hoo boy, there are a lot of them, so thank you for being a sweetheart and sticking with us for however many years you've been alive, I'm so proud of you!

tinkertaydust for giving me Lonely Hearts which spurred on the Hero of Heroes series which spurred on this fic which spurred on this upcoming series. Tay, you've kind of changed my life, so thank you

soulofstaars for making amazing graphics that you'll see throughout the fic for this because honestly they're amazing and make me so emotional for a creation that isn't necessarily real, but is real enough to me

lokidyinginside starfragment luminite xWintra snixandstones latte-to-go yoassbutt smolderholders JustSav gilbcrtblythe deathlies and all the people I forgot to tag for being so supportive and wonderful and making me feel safe and loved enough to pursue this really whack idea.

I hope you stick around!