Leading Us Home

To Need Somebody

Taylor petted Olivia as she watched Friends with an iced chai latte on top of her blanket. She picked up her phone and saw Joe calling her.

Joe was calling from London. He was finishing an acting job, and coming home in a few days. Taylor had missed him so much, so she did anything to distract herself from it.

"Hey."

"Can you talk?" Joe asked.

"Sure."

"I'm lost, Taylor. I feel so much pressure to do everything right. What if I screw it all up like I normally do" Joe's voice broke, and Taylor had to hold back her own tears. She had always been the emotional wreck. She didn't know how to be his rock.

"You won't mess up. Trust me. No one is perfect." Taylor couldn't think of anything else to say. She took deep breaths.

"Take deep breaths." She told Joe. She heard the sound of his tears stopping,

"I want to come home early. I'm done with my job, but my flight isn't for a few days."

"Come home. I'll book you an earlier flight."

"Thank you." Joe hung up, leaving Taylor worried. She was always a mess with her constant anxiety. Joe had always been there for her. She didn't know how to be there for him.

        She booked him a flight for the next day, hoping she would be home from tour before him. She sat back down on the couch, pressing play on the tv remote. Meredith came to the couch and sat next to Taylor. Cats somehow knew when something was wrong.

        The next day, Taylor performed reputation on stage. It was opening night, and she couldn't have been more excited. There was nothing like crowds screaming her songs. As she made a speech, she saw Joe in the audience. He was supposed to come the next night.

         She waved at him a few times and pointed at him during Gorgeous. She could tell he was happy, and that was all she ever wanted. She also saw him crying during Delicate.

         After the tour, Taylor didn't even bother changing. She had to find Joe. She ran all over, trying to find him. She started to wonder if he had come, or she had hallucinated him.

        Then she saw him. She ran at full speed, yelling along the way.

        "I couldn't find you and I got so sad!" She hugged him. He kissed her forehead, whispering how amazing she did. They walked away with their arms around each other.

A/N:
I saw this video where someone captioned the yelling and it sounds like what Taylor said

Taylor and Joe got in the armored car, and were silent on the way home. They had known the taxi driver for a while, but not everyone could be trusted. When they got home, Joe went up to their bedroom. Taylor followed.

She was about to ask Joe how he had made it to tour when she heard him crying. He had turned around. She ran up and hugged him from behind.

"I love you. You're going to be ok." She told him. He let go of her, and began to unpack his things. He didn't seem to be in a mood to be talked to, so she left him alone, leaving the door open so she could hear if he needed help.

This was how it went for a few weeks. They would travel to the next tour location, and Joe would hardly speak. Taylor would perform and feel happier than ever, but wonder how Joe was doing.

One day, she decided to go talk to him. He was sitting on their bed, staring at the wall. She sat down next to him carefully. The shape of him was jagged and weak. But she stayed anyways.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Tay, I've been looking up the symptoms of anxiety. I've been exhibiting all of them. I can't exactly go to a therapist without them asking about my girlfriend. What do I do?"

Taylor thought for a moment. She trued to remember how he had helped her through her eating disorder.

Flashback

"Why haven't you been eating?" Joe asked her calmly. Taylor's pulse quickened. He didn't know.

"Um, I've had an eating disorder for a while." Taylor looked up at him. She had never admitted this to anyone before. Not even herself. Her stomach growled.

She expected him to get up and leave. To say she was a wreck. She didn't want to ever see him go.

Instead, he hugged her. They sat there for a long time. Taylor felt safe in his arms.

"Love, we're going to get through this. I'm going to get you part of a banana to eat. Let's start slow." Taylor nodded. She tried to block out the negative thoughts in her head telling her how many calories the banana was and how ugly she would be if she ate it. Joe gave her the banana, and sat there until she finished it.

End of flashback

"Joe, it's been a while since you called me, not knowing who you are." Taylor proceeded to tell him the clean speech from the 1989 world tour. He broke down crying by the end.

"Thank you." Taylor hugged him. She made a promise to herself that she would help him.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I'm sorry I rely on you too much."

"Stop. You're a mess, but you're the mess I wanted. Everyone needs someone to talk to." Joe looked up at her, nodding.

"You're the mess I wanted too." Taylor hugged him, not even realizing they had just quoted her song. Olivia and Meredith jumped on the couch. Meredith sat next to Joe, and Olivia sat next to Taylor. Taylor got out the cat food.

Joe smiled at her for the first time in weeks as he refilled the water bowls for the cats. He warmed up some water and put ice in a bowl, making a cold chai latte for both of them. They sat on the couch, watching Friends.

A/N:
I've seen a couple of Renegade oneshots where Taylor is the mess, so I thought it would be interesting to do one from Joe's perspective

Pls vote and comment

Comment ideas for other oneshots based on songs

They don't have to even be Taylor's as long as love is involved

-whereveryoustray 🧣🧣🧣🧣

Joe crying when Taylor gets home
Taylor hugging him
Renegade