#anyways i love shayne and trevor :)

[shaynetopps]

shayne & trevor | girl, so confusing by charli xcx

it’s brat summer so y’all know what that means: a charli xcx smosh edit! i was listening to this song on repeat, when it hit me how much it fit smosh’s most unserious beef, so i decided to make this edit! hope y’all get as much of a laugh out of this as i did

[babychosen]

arasha, trevor, and shayne talking about paper mario ttyd in today's games video is everything to me. ttyd is also very special to me and hearing that arasha grew up playing it with her brother too is so heartwarming

[hayleythesugarbowl]

trevor evarts x reader headcanons

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • smosh masterlist ⋆˚｡⋆୨୧⋆

requested by @tarinimenon

a/n: ahh here they are, hcs for trevor. hope you enjoy these love, and thank you so much for this request. enjoy!!

<— trevor fic • another trevor fic —>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

dating trevor would include…

ok so you and trevor met at mythical 

and when he became part of the smosh cast he couldn’t wait to introduce you to all of them 

and once they finally met you, all of smosh loves you 

‘huh, trevor actually has a partner. i owe tommy 20 bucks’

that was shayne

you guest star in smosh videos all the time

trevor is the most attentive bf fr

calls you different variations of short 24/7

he loves picking you up 

and taking you to all of these fun places 

‘and i took the whole day off. my boss can suck it’

…

‘ok i used an unpaid vacation day, let’s hit the beach!’

he agreed to spa day once 

and ended up letting you put a full face of makeup on him 

which he made you promise not to post pictures of

you did anyway

and he took it like a man and commented ‘(y/n)’s pretty little girl. that color really brings out my eyes’

he loves to cook for you  

but he gets really nervous to see if you approve

‘do you like it? it’s ok if you don’t. but do you?’ 

‘yes trev, it’s delicious, as always’

he plays with your jewelry

if you’re upset or having a bad day he can make you laugh immediately nine times out of ten 

he thinks you’re so talented and he’s constantly telling you how your funnier and smarter than him 

‘sup lameo’ 

big spoon obviously 

he plays gordon ramsay whenever you go out to eat

‘i’m just saying, this meat is dry!’

‘it’s bacon, trevor, it’s supposed to be dry’

kisses on the top of your head 

comes up behind you and wraps his arms around you 

‘guess who?’

he came with you when you got your first piercing and held your hand through the whole thing 

everyone can see how happy you make him 

‘might as well make the wedding cake now, the way this is going’

except no one actually would 

because of course trevor is going to make your wedding cake himself whenever that day comes 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you enjoyed this love!! trevor is so babygirl 🥹

[nightwriter357]

Smosh Summer Games:ships part 8

Thank you so much for all the support guys. After this one there's 2-3 parts left and I'm so excited for you to read it and hear you opinions on it!! Hope you guys like this one!

Part 8: Why is everybody afraid of love, LOVE.

Waking up next to him still felt bittersweet. This is temporary, you reminded yourself. Soon, you’d be waking up alone again, the warmth of his body just a distant memory.

His grip tightened, almost like he could read your thoughts, pulling you a little closer. You stirred and turned to face him, only to find his eyes already on you, half-lidded but awake, studying you.

“Were you watching me sleep?” you teased, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked, though there was something softer in his expression. “Caught me,” he said, voice low. “Hard to look away.”

“Smooth.” You smiled, despite yourself. He leaned in, brushing his lips against yours, the kiss soft at first but deepening, almost like he was trying to hold onto every second.

When you finally pulled away, you could feel the weight of the moment between you.

“So... last night really was the last time, huh?” You tried to keep it casual, but your voice wavered slightly.

Damien blinked, his lips parted like he was about to say something, but you cut in before he could respond. “All of this is gonna be over soon,” you said, tracing a finger down his chest, playful but tinged with the uncertainty of what came next.

He sighed, pulling you even closer, his breath warm against your hair. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “I just... don’t want to stop.”

You nudged him playfully. “Then don’t, I'll give you a minute longer.”

He chuckled, his chest vibrating against you. “Is that an invitation?”

“Maybe,” you grinned, feeling a little lighter.

He pulled you back into his arms, the hug lingering a little too long, but neither of you seemed in a hurry to break it. It felt like you both knew that when you did, the illusion would shatter. You thought about asking him if he felt the same way—if this was more than just a fling to him—but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

Instead, you settled for breaking the moment with a nudge. “We should probably head up before someone comes looking for us. Can’t have them questioning why we're always sneaking of”

He groaned, reluctantly letting go. “Yeah, I guess. But if they ask, I'm blaming you.”

“Fair,” you laughed, rolling out of bed with a grin. “Come on, let’s go.”

As you both got dressed and headed up to meet the others, you couldn't shake the feeling of his lingering touches or the unspoken words between you. By the time you reached the group, you pushed the thoughts aside, deciding for now to just enjoy his company.

When you arrived, the others were already gathered, except for Courtney and Shayne, who were nowhere to be seen. You caught a few curious glances from the others, but nobody said anything—yet. They seemed far to invested in their own conversation.

Arasha smirked. "I didn't dominate; I was just... exceptionally prepared."

Angela, raising a fork in her hand, chimed in. "If by 'exceptionally prepared' you mean psychic, then sure."

Arasha raised her mug in silent agreement, her face unreadable. "I'm having a ball, though. Doesn't matter who wins."

Spencer feigned disappointment. "A ball? Really?"

Arasha didn't miss a beat. "Sorry didn't meen to appropriate you culture. A ball is plenty, who needs two anyway?"

Spencer blinked, mock-offended. "Hey, you're expelled for that."

As the group joked around, you couldn't shake the thoughts of this morning. Each glance from Damien seemed to carry more weight than the laughter around you. Are you ever going to be able to not be distracted by him?

Angela snickered. "Is that even something a judge can do?"

"It's usually up to management," Trevor added, nodding sagely.

Olivia leaned in, whispering far too loudly, "Management? So, Rhett and Link?"

Trevor furrowed his brows. "It would be Ian and Anthony?"

She lowered her voic  leaning closer. "Oh, right! That explains why he's been hanging around."

Anthony shook his head with a grin. "You literally whispered that TO me."

Damien chuckled beside you, his hand brushing yours under the table, sparking that familiar warmth between you two. You couldn't help but glance his way, that bittersweet feeling creeping back in.

Chanse playfully nudged Arasha. "We have been trapped on this ship for way to long. We need to meet people, dance, have sex."

Your eyes met Damiens as you tried to supress a smile.

Tommy piped up, wiggling his eyebrows. "So... who do we think is the last person here that got laid?"

Angela laughed, setting her cup down with a bang. "Well, Shayne and Courtney are missing... so I guess it's safe to assume it's at least one of them!"

Everyone chuckled, nodding in agreement. 

Tommy glanced around, leaning forward. "Okay, but who's gonna be the next person to have sex?"

Arasha didn't hesitate, locking eyes with you. "Y/n."

You froze, choking on your coffee. Damien, who had just taken a sip of his drink, nearly spit it out. "Uh, no. Not me. Like how would I even do that?"

You felt your cheeks heat as the group exchanged knowing glances. "Seriously, not me," you echoed, feeling the weight of Arasha's smirk from across the table.

"Oh, really?" she asked, her voice as smooth as ever.

For a second, you swore her gaze shifted to Damien, then back to you. But before you could react, the conversation kept going, leaving you and Damien awkwardly glancing at each other.

Arasha's lips curled into a small, mischievous smile. "But if we were stuck here, Angela would you kiss Amanda?

"No way," Angela scoffed.

Arasha smirked. "But what if you're choking and need mouth-to-mouth?"

"And what if you're doing mouth-to-mouth and you need choking?" Tommy added with a wink.

Amanda, unfazed, leaned back in her chair, a mischievous grin on her face. "I would," she quipped, winking at the group.

Angela eyes looked as is they were going to pop out of their sockets, while the rest of the table erupted in laughter, Amanda elbowed her playfully. 

You smiled along still puzzled by the moment that had just passed. It wasn't what Arasha said, though- that definitely lingered, it was the way she said it. Like she knew something you didn't. 

"Well, at least we know Damien wouldn't be hooking up with anyone," Arasha said with a sly grin. "You know how he is—he's gotta actually like the person first."

Your heart jumped at that, stealing a glance at Damien. What does that mean?

Damien didn't look at anyone else but you, his expression softening. "Yeah... I'm not into meaningless things." His voice was quiet but firm, each word carrying a weight that made your breath hitch.

Tommy, oblivious, chuckled. "No random flings, huh?"

Damien's gaze never wavered from yours. "You could say that," he said slowly, his voice carrying weight. The implication hung in the air, and your chest tightened, trying to read between the lines.

The intensity of his words sent your thoughts spiraling. He means me... doesn't he? It was too much to process, the uncertainty, the possibility. You needed space.

"I, uh, need to... get some air," you blurted, standing quickly as you excused yourself from the table.

You barely registered their responses as you walked away, your heart pounding in your chest. You had to talk to Courtney. Now. As you left them at the dining table you could hear Angela saying, "but she went downstairs? is she getting air inside?

 You weren't sure if barging into the room to talk about this was a great idea—especially with Shayne there. You had told Courtney about you and Damien hooking up, but this? This was a whole different level of confusion. Still, you couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. Talking about this felt... awkward, but you needed to figure out what was happening. 

You burst into the room, barely giving Courtney and Shayne time to process your frantic energy. They both sat on the bed, chatting before you interrupted.

"I need to talk to you... about Damien," you blurted, breathless.

Courtney raised an eyebrow, exchanging a look with Shayne.

"Oh, so it's finally happening," Shayne said, smirking.

You blinked. "Wait, what? You knew?"

"Of course," he replied, sitting back. "I've known for a while."

You blinked rapidly, confused. "How? I only just told Courtney!"

Shayne glanced between you and Courtney, his smirk turning into confusion. "You told her?"

Courtney stifled a laugh, sensing where this might be heading. Shayne didn't pick up on it.

"I mean, we already told her that," he continued, clearly thinking you were on the same page.

You threw your hands up, bewildered. "Wait, wait... hold on. How could you know? I never talked to you about... Damien and me."

Shayne grinned, still oblivious. "Come on, he told me WAY before he told you."

You stared at Shayne, dumbfounded. "Wait, how could you know before me? That literally makes no sense. What, did Damien give you like... a rundown of all of it before it happened?"

Shayne, still unaware, gave a confused chuckle. "Well, yeah, obviously he told me about it before you."

Your face twisted in disbelief. "BEFORE?! What do you mean 'before'? I'm pretty sure I was there every time. I would have known BEFORE you?!""

Courtney's eyes widened, "Wait everytime? It happned more than once!?"

You blushed, your voice low. “a.. few times.”

Shayne raised an eyebrow, still not catching on. "Uh, can  ithappen more than once?"

You stared at him, completely lost. "What? Yes, what do you mean, ofcourse if can happen more than once? It's not like you guys have only had sex once?" You looked over at Courtney."

Courtney stifled a laugh as Shayne blinked in bewilderment. "Wait, WHAT?! You guys had sex?"

Courtney burst into laughter, clutching her sides. “Oh my god, this is the best thing I’ve ever witnessed!”

"That IS what we are talking about?!" you exclaimed, rubbing your temples.

Shayne ran his hands through his hair, looking utterly flustered. "Wait, that’s what you’ve been talking about this whole time?!  - So your saying he told you that he's inlove with you and then you had sex?!"

"Yes" You froze mid-sentence. "Wait... WHAT? In love with me?! I'm just talking about the fact that we had sex!"

Shayne looked like he was processing way too much at once. "Hold up. So Damien, who has been in love with you for years, finally hooks up with you... and you thought it was a fling?"

You blinked, trying to make sense of everything. "Oh my god. He likes me? Like, actually likes me? I didn't know he was in love with me! I thought it was just... something that happened."

Shayne let out a half-laugh, half-groan, shaking his head. "Oh my god, this whole time... How did you not see it?"

Your eyes widened.  Shayne facepalmed as you started to ramble. "He likes me? Why? How? When? Oh my god—he's liked me this whole time?"

Courtney snorted, wiping away tears from laughing. "This is such a mess."

"I like him too," you muttered, your brain short-circuiting from the revelation. "I... I need to talk to him."

Shayne groaned. "You better, because I need to lie down after this.."

Courtney had a wide smile on her face, "Oh my god, this is going to be so good."

You dart out of the room, practically skidding around the corner as you spot Damien near the door to your cabin. Your breath’s still catching up, but you launch into words anyway.

“Damien!” you pant, rushing over. “We—we get along, right? Really well?

He blinks, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Yeah, I know.. we do. What’s up?”

You take a deep breath, trying to slow your racing thoughts. “Okay, good, because I want us to still get along when we get back, even after… you know, everything that’s happened.”

“Uh-huh…” he responds, clearly not following where this is going.

“And now that we know all of that, there’s… also a lot of stuff we don’t know! Or, I mean, stuff you don’t know, or that I know but you don’t know—yet!” You’re practically vibrating with energy.

Damien's eyebrows scrunch together, trying to piece together what you're saying. “Wait, what? I mean, I think we know eachother very well.”

“Yes! Exactly!” You pause, realizing how close you’re getting. “Well, not exactly. I mean, yes, but—wait, no, I mean—ugh, I don’t know how to say it!”

Damien’s brow furrows, his confusion deepening. “Waht are you trying to say?”

 You take a deep breath, trying to collect yourself. “I mean, I..

Just as you’re about to blurt it all out, Spencer pops up between you two, practically bouncing with excitement. “Hey, lovers! Time for the game!”

You gape at Spencer as he throws his arms around both of you. “Let’s go!” He pulls you both away before you can get another word out. You glance back at Damien, who’s still looking mildly puzzled, but you’re already being whisked away.

Your chance slips away as Spencer drags you off, and all you can think is: Great timing, Spencer. Great timing.

[heart-of-the-card]

You're the ring master of a circus. Which smosj cast member do you let in as an artist and what do you make them do?

I FUCKING LOVE CIRCUS

Anyways, Smosh

Cast that I would let in as artists: Shayne, Damien, Amanda, Angela, Chanse, Keith and Olivia (because their professional backgrounds)

- Shayne would be our strongman/stuntman (shooting him out of a cannon, fire eating/jumping, physical stuff aka cfm. Also stage combat as the chosen)

- Damien’s our magician/stuntman (sword swallowing, escape artist, cards, illusion type stuff also knife throwing)

- Amanda would be an acrobatic clown (hair hang, Roman ladders, rolling globe)

- Angela would be a clown (but also doing balancing acts, ie plate spinning trampeeze walking and works with animals but we’re also blowing her out of a cannon),

- Chanse is a aerial dancer/acro character (silks, acrobatics, tumbling, hoop diving, parkour, aka jumping over a car)

Keith is a acrobat (tightrope walking, trampolines, stilts, cloud swing)

Olivia aerial (silks, strap, hair hang, does a lot of physical comedy as well)

Cast that later become a performer (some different versions of joined as something of else later became an artist)

Ian: clown (also a knife thrower, rides the unicycle, trampolines)

Anthony: clown/trapeze (also body mod, general tumbling, Contortionist, also hoop diving)

Courtney: trapeze/aerial artist (did the wheel of death with Shayne once, flying/static/duo trapeze , cloud/Russian swing

Arasha: aerial artist (Spanish web, silks, stilts, sometimes trapeze with Courtney, flag spinning and baton twirling)

Tommy (cyr wheel, German wheel, hoops, s stilts, other general acrobatic skills, but also dj and bartender)

Spencer: tech that the cast has banter with throughout the show (idk man)

Trevor: mixed (does trampolining, stage combat, trapeze, general acrobatic and clowing skills, and over all a Jack of all trades guy)

All my circus thoughts, sorry if anything’s inaccurate or I missed someone. I really like circus stuff lol

[heavymetallovrrr]

in light of what would Tommy do what gym leader types do you think the Smosh cast has?

i’m so glad you asked because i have actually thought about this

im also saying what i think their ace pokemon would be

ian: ground type! i feel like there are so many ground types that ian would resonate with LMFAOOO so i have a few options for his ace, such as Donphan, Krookodile, Diggersby and Quagsire (or clodsire)

anthony: dark type naturally. what else would i pick for our 15 year old instagram edge lord (/pos, he’s just like me tbh). his ace would either be Absol, Houndoom, Scrafty, Kingambit or Obstagoon. I’m mostly leaning towards Kingambit or Absol.

courtney: fairy type! i feel like she would run a fairy gym just because courtney is just. :3. her ace would be Tinkaton, Hatterene or Mawile!

shayne: grass type..he gives me calm grass type trainer tbh. his ace would either be simisage (hate these fucking monkeys but shayne would love simisage i fear), Hydrapple or Ludicolo!

damien: ghost type! pretty sure he likes…gengar……..? damien isn’t one of my fav cast members so i wouldn’t know too much. but if he likes gengar then sooo true cause gengar is my fav :) BUT ANYWAYS. his ace could be Sableye, Spiritomb, or Gengar!

keith: rock type! his ace would either be Armadlo or Coalossal, idk what else to say it’s just a vibe

olivia: ice or psychic tbh. For ice, her ace would be Glaceon, Weavile or Froslass. for psychic, her ace would be Reuniclus, Meowstic, or Gardevoir.

tommy: normal type OBVIOUSLY. and his ace would either be ditto or porygon OBVIOUSLY. if not his ace would be staraptor because of the hair LMFAO

spencer: funny enough i also think spencer is normal type! his ace would be dundunsparce, slaking or zangoose

amanda: fighting type! muy thai people don’t play around let me tell you that. i think her ace would be Mienshao! amanda gives me bea from gen 8 if bea had fun and was a silly gal

angela: I actually have two options for angela! i feel like she could either be bug or electric type! i’m more lenient to bug type however. her ace for a bug gym would either be Kricketune or Heracross (it’s kinda giving bug from sword af!). I think for electric she could have Ampharos or Alolan Raichu as her ace. or you could give her galvantula in either scenario

arasha: again, I have two possible ones for her. It’s either fire or poison. If we went down the fire route, her ace would be Ninetales or Braixen. If we went down the poison route, her ace would be Nidoqueen/Nidoking (idc) or Seviper! or you can say fuck it and in either scenario give her Salazzle LOL

chanse: naturally i have to give our dragon loving king the dragon type gym! his ace could be most of the dragon types cause they’re all fucking powerful, but i have like 3 that i think chanse would love. he could go with flygon, kommo-o or dragonite!

trevor: he’s giving me flying or steel! for flying, his ace would be Metagross or Duraladon. for flying, his ace would be Cramorant or Altaria

[hoohoobeanie]

this goes out to @tommybones bcos arthur said he wants a little plts lore drop (and hes right it will help me get the ball rolling on writing again)

so here are little details abt pretty like the sun (spommy college au) to entice you guys and help me with writing again:

spencer is a film major and tommy is a theatre major. they run in different social circles but have lots of mutual friends

spencer has been friends with courtney since high school and they ended up at the same college

courtney and arasha have been dating since the first month of college. arasha and spencer become the most terribly annoying and judgmental duo ever (courtney apologises to every person they torture)

spencer dormed with shayne in their first year and became inseparable after that. they become a little group with alex t, trevor and every now and again kiana (someone has to keep the idiots in check)

tommy shares an apartment with amanda and angela, and suffers through their old married couple bickering

tommy is the president of the theatre student association, which is why he gets to direct the musical. he's the first ever junior to direct instead of a senior.

hes v well known around campus, and depending on who you talk to, people say he's kind of a bitch

the musical they're putting up this year is legally blonde (tommy personally campaigns for it). if anyone wants a full cast list i will give it, but for now know that Jackie is Elle, Damien is Emmett and Tommy is Callahan (ofc my king would direct AND take part, he is so talented)

tommy spends the majority of his time with the theatre people, (jackie, damien, amanda, angela, chanse and kimmy) not just because of all of the rehearsals, but because he loves them

these are bits of information that i feel would be a little extra to mention in the text themselves? ill probably still end up referencing some in there anyway :D

[fallinginaforrest]

Okay, I'm responding to your answer to my comment on the shayne & buffy post (confusing, I know, I'm sorry 😭) but I'm doing it here because I have too many thoughts lol. There's a couple of cast members I could see as several characters so I wanna know your thoughts! I first thought of Damien as Giles, because they're both into studying spooky stuff and I could see damien as a mentor figure. I could see Arasha and Angela as faith. I feel like they could handle that moral complexity really well. But I can also see Arasha as Anya?? I feel like Amanda could play Cordelia really well 💀 maybe it's just 'cause of her character in the zombies dread series, but I could see her in that kind of a role. I could see ian as Xander, idk why, I could just see him saying some of his lines. (And if we're not sticking with gendered casting) I could see trevor as willow?? They're both sweeties and to me that's enough 🫶. One last one I have is Spencer as Oz because to me they have similar energies. Very 🧍‍♂️ chill guy energy.

I could see the cast as a bunch of different characters tho so I'd love to know what you think!! Sorry this was long btw!! 😭

no don't apologise for the length im LOVING THIS. I'm going to ramble for even longer under the cut about why you're so right.

I absolutely agree with so much of this. Angela as faith actually has rewired my brain chemistry a bit so maybe i need to go and draw that huh! I think she'd be able to handle the depth and moral complexity of faith's arc alarmingly well. I mean. She played Lex Foster and I do think that Lex is a very Faith-Coded character so we have evidence that she'd do astoundingly well in that regard.

Arasha as Anya is perfect. No Notes. Not only because I think Arasha's deadpan delivery and committal to the bit give her this absolutely excellent weird girl energy that would lend itself to playing Anya so fucking well- but also because I want to see my fave be a vengeance demon and kill men. And sometimes that's okay!

Now, while i absolutely agree that Amanda would kill as Cordelia (I think she'd give cordy the underlying heart and earnestness that is necessary for her to not just be the "mean girl" initially and to make the audience like her, perhaps Olivia could play Cordelia?) I also could see Amanda playing Tara really well. Tara has this wisdom and ethereality to her that Amanda also definitely embodies. Amanda's also super spiritual and she draws tarot every day i think?? And I think because their spirituality and their understanding of the world beyond what most people experience is something that is so central to them both, Amanda would play Tara in my opinion.

I'm going to Skate past Ian as Xander because i just fundamentally agree with what you're saying and I think Ian would make Xander 100000% more likeable. Same with Spencer as Oz. So chill. Spencer as oz is actually just. Like. They're the same person.

Trevor as Willow is such an adorable thought. It's also so interesting because he wears a lot of clothes that have like plant life or motifs on them. I think it would make sense to connect him to witchcraft in some capacity. Also he would embody willow's excitement (and to an extent, naivete) really well. I also think Angela could play willow for those same reasons, i think how earnest she is and just how fiercely she loves her friends, i think she could also do willow justice.

Now, Damien as giles is an interesting one! Because i would have put him down as angel perhaps (if only to make the joke that He and shayne are ex-lovers LMAO) but he does also have that sort of deep empathy that Angel carries, as well as the social awkwardness and the Emo tendencies.

May i offer though, as a replacement giles, Tommy? I think tommy would EAT as Giles because of how fucking dry and tired he is. Both of these men are perpetually done with everything.

Anyway teehee maybe i'll draw some of these who knows!!

[shesmore-shoebill]

so sorry in advance for how long this is omfg 😭 i am radioactively yappy. anyways...

courtrasha and amangela double dates r too powerful... the town needs days to recover. life is short eat the tiramisu being rural texas to its knees.

you're so right about courtney flustering arasha 😭 but also that live stream where courtney immediately agreed w arasha about fucking your clone like they are absolutely matched once arasha gets used to the courtney charm. and i think courtney appreciates arashas emotional intelligence and her ability to verbalise more than the fluttering eyelashes and southern drawl yk? not that those aren't appreciated but more like they're really *seeing* arasha

arasha and chanse having subtle beef amuses me i and i know it gets sooo messy (affectionate) after court and arasha start dating. your best friends (angela) other best friends (courtney) girlfriend (arasha) and you keep fighting about hotdogs and potatoes. and chanse gets possessed by the spirit of the midwest every once in a while via jerry spruce but generally he takes his job very seriously which i think was a point for shaynse that related to one another shouts

need to chew on how shaymanda r besties. them running a radio show together seems like the obvious answer but maybe amanda is in charge of the local paper and they got to chatting because shayne needs to pick up the papers to stock them in the library for the archives... plus a journalist and a librarian is such a fun friendship like that's oomf! maybe they're also gym buddies i think that would be really fun actually. maybe it's all of these and they still have a radio show where they just gossip together like the southern women they are at their core

as for further world building in my silly little thoughts ian and anthony are mayor and first mayor (i know there is no mayoral equivalent to first spouse but there is Now) just like they're dad and step dad. i think spencer also has something to do w that because i love that moment that angela pointed at him and said "that's why you're the mayor of this town" in happy wheels and really no reason other than that. kiana is the one actually running the town we all know that. i think tommy works at the paper with amanda. tommy and amanda coworkers is not a want but a need actually.

trevor works with arasha in some capacity simply because i think they're so sweet together like arasha is cheering on trevor all the time and they have their mind meld moments which is so cute. i don't want to force trevor into the chef box but him running a local restaurant that arasha supplies some things is SO cute to me. shayne and trevor beef in universe is shayne jokingly calling trevor competition to chanse's saloon.

i wrote that whole thing without my glasses in the dark at 11pm so sorry for anything that is not coherent 😭

hey anon listen no glasses needed your vision is CLEAR AS DAY. in your brain and thru my inbox. also mine. and ppl following my i guess. do NOT apologize its been a delight getting to come into my inbox and finding bits of courtrasha cowboy au here?? for free?? no work on my part??? SLAPS. no complaint. at some point maybe you deserve to be posting these yourself but i mean for now, hey, this is very fun for me LOL.

dont even get me started on the minutiae of the courtrasha dynamic and what i find compelling i could write an essay on it. its so good. youre so right on courtney really appreciating arashas emotional intelligence tho and i think that could fuck SO hard in this courtrasha au. 1000% behind the concept of arasha being loved by many but seen by courtney that really just. 👌👌

Friend+dating circles... charasha has a special place in my heart tbh (see charasha spies au). i love this dynamic for them. yes plz. ugh i love cross oillintation of friends and unique dynamics.

SHAYMANDA JOURNALIST LIBRARIAN FRIENDS??? i love that so much. god. shayne normally being kind of shy and reserved and then around amanda its just Southern Woman City. also gym buddies in a cowboy au is so funny. idk how that would work but i can see it.

i trust u on ianthony and kiana that sounds legit to me . ianthony and spencer in authority roles but kiana is the real glue and admirable force? fuck ye. TOMMANDA COWORKERS. VITAL 2 ME. YES. They sit at their desks and gossip....... tommy roasted amanda so hard for fallling for city gal angela (as if angela didnt almost immediately win him over too).

and unfortunately trevor would he a great chef for cowboy au. i love a trevrasha dybamic... bffs. trevrasha bffs. good vision. thank u for sharing anon. what a delight.

[lumiereandcogsworth]

smoshblr tag game yippeee!!!

“tagged” by @unknownteapot hehe!!

also i have to put this under the cut because uhhh too long 🫣

1. how long have you been watching smosh? WELL i do have very fond memories of watching the boys with my brother back in maybe 2011? 2012? maybe later idk. i specifically remember the pokémon vids, man-spider, the paranormal easy bake oven, and this one where the entire time you thought that he (i cannot remember who. i think anthony) got his dick stuck in a port-o-potty’s door, and he’s like stuck there for days, and the whole time you think it’s his dick that’s stuck, only for it to be revealed at the end that it was the burger that he brought in with him. THAT got stuck in the door 😭 idk why that one lives in my head so prominently, but it’s so stupid LMAO. anyway… then i started watching pewdiepie and eventually got more into shows on netflix (superwholock nation😐✊) than youtube. THEN in like 2019, my brother rediscovered smosh by way of try not to laugh. and showed them to me. and for a couple years that’s ALL i watched. like legitimately just checked smosh (pit) once every two weeks and watched it, then carried on. i loved it and them but i still didn’t have the desire to check out any other stuff lmao. and THENNNNN at the beginning of 2023, i just very randomly decided, in my boredom and unemployment, to check out their other stuff. and boyyyyy did i get hooked. and i’ve been watching everything ever since. so, very long-winded way of saying i’ve known about them for over ten years, but i’ve been DEDICATED to watching ALL of them for about a year and a half :)

2. favorite smosh cast member(s)? shayne’s been my fave since 2019, and since 2023 amanda has very prominently become second fave, if not tied with shayne. i also love courtney and spencer and tommy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND TREVOR AH

3. favorite pairing(s)? well in terms of actual ships i’m sooooooo so happy for shayne & courtney and they’re SO cute :”) in terms of just like, any duos? shayne & amanda (of course), spencer & courtney, amanda & angela, tommy & spencer, and chanse & damien — they have a very underrated dynamic, like when they’re in videos together they’re so wildly in sync. they seem unlikely but i think damien brings out the nerd in chanse the best lol. also i love so many duos gosh!!!!!!! they’re all such good pals with each other it’s rare to NOT have a good duo. ian being arasha’s “dad” is always a fun bit lmao.

4. favorite reoccurring character? im a chosen girlie for sure 🥹 love that freak.

5. favorite smosh video? oh my goshhh that’s so hard. i love to rewatch shayne & courtney’s tntl trivial pursuit. i love lots of the don’t win mario partys. love when they play werewolf (and blood on the clock tower.) and OF COURSE, love so so so many try not to laughs 🥰🫶

6. first video that got you into smosh? i wish i remembered the first “other” vid i watched last year, but i do not 😔 i also wish i remembered the first tntl my brother showed me, but alas i do not 😔 i can’t even say i remember which early smosh vid he showed me first all those years ago, but i’m going to guess it was one of the pokemon ones. so that’s gonna have to suffice as my answer lmao

7. favorite picture of the cast? i don’t know if i have a favorite favorite but this recent one from the live is very cute and silly <3

8. favorite picture of your fave? i mean really anything this dumbass posts. why is he like this

9. what smosh series do you want to see more of? gosh i’d loooove if they brought let’s do this! back!!! AND IDIOTS PRESENT!!!!!

10. dream guest on smosh mouth? oh my gosh uhhh… i literally don’t know. maybe vanessa lachey just to see amanda resisting the urge to commit murder for a full hour.

tagging: @japhan2024 @hoohoobeanie + anyone else can say i tagged them bc i’m not confident who of my followers are here for smosh adjskdj 💛

[jovenshires]

I know you’re on a break but after that last incorrect quotes I would love it if you could give your thoughts on which glee characters everyone else would get, cuz you were so right with Sam for Spencer

My thoughts are; Blaine for Angela, Quinn for Courtney, Brittany for Olivia, Sebastian for Tommy, Santana for Chanse, and Marley for Kimmy

DLNAFLKNFKLNFKLNRKL this is so funny bc i debated on who to make him for forever and i was worried that sam was my fave so i was just being biased but im glad it went over well xxx i did check in with my bestie before drafting it and she confirmed sam made most sense.

hmmmm excellent q!! i am putting all these thoughts under the cut just so im not raw glee posting on the dash LNSDKNFKLN

this was. SO MUCH harder than i thought it was gonna be okay LKNDNAKFNKL this may be nonsensical and for some of them i simply don't give a concrete answer bc ykw. idk!

olivia is SOOOOO brittany-coded oh my GOD. marley for kimmy just smacked me in the face with how real that is. and quinn-courtney......... yEAH you're so correct. i gotta text my bestie shes gonna freak. her favorite Blonde Girlies. i do love all of these though!! i might personally make some tweaks but i TOTALLY see where you're coming from on all of them

i do like chanse as santana.... but i might switch arasha to santana instead?? just makes sense for the queen of lies imo. the medical examiner feels so santana-coded especially. might shift chanse to kurt bc he can also be a bitch but he's so much more ambitious than that. although it's a Tough call bc i feel like chanse fits both BUT who else would arasha be...

on blaine (and im talking seasons 2-3 blaine bc thats my baby and they cant take him away from me) i do like angela but i am caught between her and damien. it's the Most theater-kid energy of all the glee characters and they are the Most theater-kid energy of all the smosh members. yeah im not 100p sure what Else to do with either of them so that's just a sub note. unsure on that one !

anyway additional thoughts: jackie might be tina-coded?? hopeless romantic, extremely emotional, low-key diva when she wants to be, incredibly talented and they didn't deserve her. again im talking 1-3 tina. they hated her after that for some fucking reason. and on that note shayne is mike im taking no questions at this time. level-headed, smart, not a singer, just here to be a lil guy. yeah.

i think im gonna go with amanda as rachel. lovingly. SO lovingly. all the silliest rachel moments. i could see a couple different people as her (i think angela is also good here but she's too okay with being wrong/the butt of the joke, and then i think my second choice is tommy) but yeah i think amanda is my top pick. and then i might be so controversial as to say ian is finn-coded. just some guy. team leader. everyone's dad. just seems like he would have things to say about grilled cheesus. and anthony is jesse st. james. goodbye. that's all. these three are THE love triangle moment.

kiana is mercedes. why? because i said so. above it all, incredibly talented but underrated. (also im not thinking too hard ab the relationship implications but that does make the samcedes dynamic SO fucking funny.) and keith is artie. it's the 'wheres my hug at' guy of it all. its okay i like artie im allowed to bully him and i Love keith so

i do like sebastian for tommy and ya know what. im tempted to agree and leave it there bc i feel like thats as kind to him as i can possibly be KLNFFKLN but i struggled with placing him anywhere else... he could be rachel i think (and then amanda would move the whole paradigm. i would make her sue for funsies.) but i think that's All i can see him as. and then trevor is. rory. bc i have a hyperfixation on rory and trevor Is the rory in my head. so there.

aaaaand garrett IS mr. schuester. that's all goodbye

[shaynetopps]

Trevor coming hone to find Shayne has cooked dinner and lit candles and its so romantic but as soon as Trevor takes one bite he starts teasing Shayne about the "mistakes" he made, Shayne rolls his eyes and calls him an ungrateful brat (the food is delicious but it honestly doesn't matter because Trevor would have loved it anyway)

exactly, you get it!! bullying each other is how they express their love

trevor: you used way too much salt on this (translation: you did such a good job, babe)

shayne: hope you choke on it (translation: i love you, too)

[angstyaches]

hi! i’m very much missing my StW boys :) may i perhaps have some tidbits about them that we haven’t yet heard? ooh okay maybe everyone from StW? i kinda want to ask about ALL your ocs tbh but i think that’s a bit much to ask for all at once. so we’ll stick with StW for now! I would also love to know more about Mitsuko and Bastian!!

how are you doing btw? 🍄

You're so sweet! You might also be happy to know that I am also working on your request for Rin and Charlie to visit Shayne and have a sleepover at the Aldridges' (I even hinted at it in the last sick Charlie fic). It's just that lots of different ideas keep hitting me and my brain wants me to incorporate all of them lol

As requested, some tidbits:

Charlie's niece's full name is Isabelle Waters-Nowak.

Charlie has five aunts/uncles on his father's side (Simon, Greg, Jane, Mary Claire, Frances) and only one uncle (Graham) on his mother's side. He's closest with Graham because his grandfather (Ingrid and Graham's dad, Benjamin) lived with them for a little while and Graham would often come over to visit them all.

Charlie has eleven cousins, all on Trevor's side; Lucy*, Frank, and Gina (Jane's kids), Stephanie and May (Mary Claire's kids), Tara and Gray (Simon's kids), and Katie, Philip, Jessica, and Nathaniel (Greg's kids). Charlie is the oldest out of all them with, with about six years between him and the next-eldest. (*Not the same Lucy as Lucyverse.)

(Is it obvious that I drew out Charlie's family tree? 🙃)

Madelyn never legally changed Shayne's name to Devine, but even after he finds this out from Ryan, he decides to keep the name anyway.

Shayne continues getting motion sick on public transport, which he has to deal with a lot when Felix is travelling abroad and he has to take the bus to get to the nursing home to see Trish.

Rin doesn't get along with Autumn when Claudette first introduces them. They don't actively hate each other or argue a lot, but neither of them can get a good read on the other. Rin also feels a bit envious over how close Claudette and Autumn are, and how long they've known each other. Deep down, she resents the fact that she's had to abandon 90% of the friendships she's put time and effort into over the past ten years, because they all turned out to be toxic.

As well as spending time with the Pride Society, Rin takes up roller skating and hip hop dancing in college.

Elliott starts writing a detective novel in his free time. He's too embarrassed to let anyone read it as a work-in-progress, but he finds the process therapeutic. He bases a lot of his characters off of people he knew in the past.

Elliott thinks a lot about cutting off and donating his hair, especially when summer arrives.

Elliott used to ride a motorbike before he and Felix started dating. He once brought his bike and "kidnapped" Shayne from school once, while Ryan was visiting Madelyn. They went to a forest (not Mulberry), Elliott did some hunting, and they just kind of hung out. It was one of the last times they saw each other before losing contact for a few years.

(I've been trying to think of something for Felix but the guy wears his heart on his sleeve and I can't think of anything hidden or secret about him right now lol)

CW: mention of disordered eating and body dysmorphia past this point.

Mitsuko has dealt with disordered eating her whole life, in so small part due to her older sister's attitude towards food and appearance. She's been doing well for a while before she meets Bastian.

Mitsuko very often experiences body dysmorphia though, which Bastian thinks is just her messing around when they first start hanging out, but he eventually realises she believes the things she says about herself and it just breaks his heart.

Bastian is covered in tattoos. Some of them have religious symbolism, because he chose them at a time in his life where religion was a big deal, and while he isn't sure he believes in them anymore, he still accepts them as part of who he is. Physically, at least.

Mitsuko loves roller coasters. Bastian hates them because they make him feel so sick. But he's a sucker for her, so he goes on them anyway.

Bastian finds it hard to be civilised around Yumi, knowing how bad she makes Mitsuko feels about food and her body, and it's been the cause of arguments (between him and Mitsuko) on several occasions.

After he eventually finds out that Mitsuko can shift into wolf form, he gives her the pet name "Puppy", which she hates* (i.e. *gets very flustered by and feels very cute afterwards).

I think that's all I've got in me for now!! Thank you so much for the ask 🖤

[angstyaches]

Go To Him (Part Two: Charlie)

Part One (Shayne)

Okay, I’m probably going to end up writing one or two more parts for this accidental storyline, because I want Shayne to be a little better for the scene where Charlie talks to his parents about the Charlie Two stuff.

Also, this is about 50% sickfic, with the other 50% being pure self-indulgence on my part (i.e. the stuff with Charlie interacting with his parents). Anyway, hopefully it’s not terrible.

P.S. I’m sure the Goonies references make me seem older than I am but it was already an old movie when I first saw it, okay?!

CW: sickness, anxiety, tension between family members, touch aversion(?), otherwise just a lot of fluff. No emeto, sorry!!

___

Charlie leaned down hard on the door handle, grunting under his breath as he found it locked. He knocked gently, though the last thing he felt was gentle. His mid-drive coffee – made necessary by the mere two hours of sleep he’d gotten – was sending shockwaves through his limbs, and he was regretting not taking the time to eat anything. His head was light and his eyes were killing him from focusing on the road.

“Morning, son,” Trevor mumbled as he opened the door for him.

“Morning, Dad,” Charlie shot back, edging directly towards the stairs as he was let into the front hall. The whole place smelled like fresh wood and polish, but Charlie wasn’t interested in finding out what had been built or replaced since he’d last been there.

“He’s in the room we used at Christmas?”

“Your room, yes – Charlie,” Trevor sighed gruffly, making Charlie pause on the second stair. “Aren’t you at least going to say good morning to your mother?”

“I –” Charlie glanced towards the landing, and then through the bannisters, towards the kitchen. “Dad, I have to –”

“Shayne was dead to the world the last time she checked on him. A few more minutes won’t hurt.”

Charlie rubbed at a knot in his own shoulder as he slumped back down into the hallway and headed towards the kitchen. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Love you, Dad.”

“Mmhmm.” Trevor followed closely behind Charlie. “That’s what I thought.”

Charlie grimaced as his mother looked up from the newspaper, propping her reading glasses near the tip of her nose. “Morning, Mum.”

“Morning,” she said stiffly, rising from her chair. “Coffee?”

“Oh – no, I’m okay. I’ve already had some,” Charlie said, taking that moment to consider how said coffee seemed to be burning a hole through his stomach. Or maybe it was stress. The pinching pain seemed to amplify as Ingrid positioned herself at the far side of the kitchen island, laying her palms down flat and pinning him with a look.

Charlie gulped drily. Yes, definitely stress.

“Why’d you tell Shayne you were living here with us?”

“I-I didn’t,” Charlie said, rubbing his palms on his jeans. “I just… never clarified that I didn’t live here.”

“Why not? You two are close friends.” Ingrid lifted one eyebrow. “Closer than close, from what I can make out…”

Heat moved in a wave up the back of Charlie’s neck, enveloping his entire head. “Mum, seriously.”

“Is it about the Mulberry house? ‘Cause he used to live there?” Trevor folded his arms. He was oblivious to the very different inquisition his wife was about to administer, circling back to the housing situation. “Is he upset about some of the work we did on the house? So you wanted him to think you’d moved out?”

“No,” Charlie said. “No, Shayne loves what you guys did to that house. It’s nothing like that, it’s…”

A different sort of concern began to spread across Ingrid’s face. She lifted her hands from the countertop. “Charlie, are Shayne’s foster parents, are they… Are they dangerous people? Is Shayne worried about you living close to them?”

Charlie swallowed thickly.

“Should we be worried about you?” Ingrid pressed.

Well, fuck. She had put the pieces together a lot more easily than he would ever have expected, and he didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed.

“This is the point where I would’ve hoped you’d jump in and say there was nothing to worry about,” Trevor grumbled.

“Yeah, I know, I –” Panic tore at Charlie’s throat. If he was going to lie, it was going to have to be good. Best to play the anxious card and buy himself some time. “Look, I – I promise I’ll explain everything, I just – I just really need to see him…”

Ingrid broke eye contact, sighing and picking up some used mugs from the countertop.

“Alright, love,” she said as she took the mugs to the sink. “Take his temperature, and try to get him to drink some water while you’re at it. He hasn’t eaten anything, but there’s soup in the fridge for when he’s feeling up to it.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Charlie said, mentally logging the handover notes like a doctor on a ward.

“I’m free all afternoon, so if Shayne needs to see a doctor, we can do that. Okay?”

“Thank you, Mum, that’s –”

“But we’re not finished talking about this.”

“Right. Not finished.” Charlie nodded at both his parents as he backed towards the hallway. “I love you guys?” he said, not intending for it to sound quite so much like a question.

The last thing he heard from the kitchen was, “I swear, he’s gotten cheekier since he started hanging out with that boy.”

___

The sun was almost fully up, only entering the room in thin beams along the top and down the sides of the curtains. The half-darkness, the stillness in the house, the warm air that only settled around beds and sickness, all reminded Charlie of his own sick days as a child. He fought back a swell of some heavy emotion as he approached the bed.

Charlie lay on top of the duvet, curling his body gently around the shape laid out by Shayne’s. His dark hair smelled like rain and warmth, except that Charlie had never thought that rain smelled beautiful until that moment. 

The world that had felt so loud up until a moment ago suddenly fell into blissful calm.

He knew he was supposed to give Shayne water and take his temperature, but he couldn’t bring himself to wake him straight away, when he seemed to be sleeping so heavily. Part of Charlie was relieved that what he’d said on the phone hadn’t been turned into a lie; now, he really was here, and would be here when Shayne woke up.

Somewhere between ten and twenty minutes later, Charlie heard a slightly sharper intake of breath. He lifted his head to see Shayne struggling to open his eyes, frowning as he became aware of the fact that he was in a strange bed, and that there was someone there with him.

“Hey,” Charlie whispered, his stomach knotting at the glazed look in Shayne’s eyes. “Good morning, lovely.”

Shayne’s fingers gently grazed the side of Charlie’s leg. His eyes were glassy and heavy as he peered up from the pillow. “You’re... here.”

“Course. I told you I would be,” Charlie grinned. “Are you okay?”

“Mmm.” Shayne sucked in a deep breath and winced, his hand struggling to reach his chest under the tangle of sheets and duvet. 

Charlie sat up and reached for the water on the nightstand. “You want to sit up a little and take a drink?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but he did move slowly. He brought a hand to the back of Shayne’s head and helped him tip it forward enough so that the glass could be brought to his lips. Charlie heard him sip at the air, clearly trying to drink a lot faster than he was being allowed to. He took the glass away when he heard Shayne’s breathing hitch, his body tensing and shuddering with the effort of holding back coughs.

“Shayne, you don’t have to stop yourself from coughing...” Charlie fumbled for the thermometer. “You’re sick. You’ve probably got a cold.”

Shayne just hugged his chest and dropped his head against the pillow, the wetness in his eyes spilling over now.

“What am I going to do with you?” Charlie sighed, brushing Shayne’s hair back from his face. “I need to put this under your arm, okay? I’m sorry if my hands are chilly.”

Shayne didn’t protest as Charlie pulled the duvet back and reached up inside his hoodie. Charlie liked to think they’d reached a certain stage of trust, but also wondered if Shayne was just too dazed and sick to be anything other than compliant.

“That should beep when it’s done,” Charlie said softly, pulling the duvet back up a little. He couldn’t help touching Shayne’s face again, his insides melting as Shayne’s eyelashes fluttered. “God, you’re so pretty.”

Shayne shook his head weakly.

“Yes, you are,” Charlie laughed, though that sinking feeling was already making a comeback. He shifted his weight on the mattress. “I’m… I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. The people who bought Mulberry asked if someone could live in it for an extra few months to look after the garden and everything, and – and I was so happy, because it meant I didn’t have to move away from you…”

“Mmm.”

“Unfortunately, that all happened on the same day that you left town with Felix.” Charlie felt a familiar, sad pang in his belly. “I... I couldn’t reach you in time, to let you know.”

“Oh,” Shayne whispered, though he flinched at the pain in his throat.

“I know.” Charlie gave a pained smile, stroking a thumb across Shayne’s cheekbone. “I should have told you at Christmas, but I knew you’d be worried, and I didn’t want you to give up living with the Aldridges. They seemed to be helping you so much… Well, until now, I guess, seeing how you hauled yourself to my parents’ house when you weren’t feeling good.”

Shayne found enough energy to give a pitiful roll of his eyes.

“You know what, though? Everything’s been absolutely fine. Me and CT have been chasing the demons away, and there’s no sign of – of the vamps knowing anything’s up.” Charlie shook his head slightly. “I’m just so, so sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.”

They looked at each other in a letting-everything-sink-in kind of silence, until the thermometer beeped under Shayne’s arm. Charlie kissed him on the head before retrieving it and tucking Shayne in again.

“Well, looks like you’re not burning up anymore, which is good.” Charlie half-frowned, half-smiled as he put the thermometer away. He cleared his throat. “Apparently, you said some wild stuff to my parents when you arrived yesterday. Stuff about demons, and your foster parents –”

A low whimper escaped Shayne’s throat. The voice that followed was a wrecked version of his own. He didn’t say anything that Charlie was expecting him to say; instead, he asked, “Are they mad?”

Charlie’s heart tightened. “No. Not at you. Of course not. You’re the favourite around here right now. It’s me everyone’s mad at, for lying to you about being here.”

“You’re my favourite.”

“Still?”

Shayne nodded frantically, tears settling in his eyes as Charlie lay down and curled up next to him again. Charlie ran his fingers through Shayne’s hair again, frowning when Shayne winced and leaned further into the touch.

“You okay? Does your head hurt?”

Shayne sighed. “Yeah.”

Charlie cuddled up closer, letting Shayne rest his head against his chest. They usually did this the other way around, and it would be Charlie listening to Shayne’s heartbeat, and he was suddenly self-conscious of his own. He swallowed and tried to relax.

“Mum says there’s soup I can heat up for you if you think you’d be able to eat it.” Charlie was choosing his words delicately since food was often a distressing subject. “What do you think?”

Shayne gave a small groan. “Throat hurts.”

“I know, genius. That’s why it’s soup, not steak and chips.” Charlie rested a hand on Shayne’s stomach, feeling him flinch and then almost immediately relax. He wondered if he was trying to comfort Shayne or ease his own anxiety, but hopefully indulging the little habit would do both. “Nobody wants you to go hungry, you know?”

“’M’okay for now.”

“Okay.” Charlie kissed Shayne’s head and kept his hand on his belly. “I won’t keep nagging you, but you have to promise to tell me when you need something.”

Shayne nodded without another word. His eyes showed no signs of opening again for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve got you, lovely.” Charlie scooped his arm around Shayne’s waist to keep him from sliding or rolling away. Almost instantly, Shayne’s head shot up from Charlie’s chest, he leapt up onto his knees, and his hands jerked forward to push Charlie’s arms away.

Charlie bolted upright, too, his stomach clenched and swirling with hot guilt. Adrenaline shot through his limbs and thumped against the inside of his skull. How, how had he let himself try to restrict Shayne’s movement like that? His mouth stretched open, though he couldn’t think of anything to say. Apologising usually just made Shayne feel worse for reacting like this

A strangled whimper escaped Shayne’s throat. He pressed his hands to his head, squeezing his eyes shut as though his headache had gotten a lot worse. “I-I-I’m… I’m sorry, Charlie –”

“Hey, you’re okay,” Charlie whispered. “I promise. Everything’s good, you’re safe. We’re both safe.”

“Mmm.” Shayne nodded as he crawled forward and pressed his head against Charlie’s belly. Again, this was a position the two of them usually did the other way around, with Charlie using Shayne’s stomach as a pillow. Charlie was happy to lie back and let Shayne get himself settled though.

In fact, he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather be doing than acting as Shayne’s pillow. Apart from anything, it meant that he wouldn’t have to go downstairs and face his parents again for a while. It was a conversation he’d almost known he’d have to have with them eventually, but that fact didn’t make it any easier.

How, exactly, does one come out as half-demon?

___

Shayne only slept another half hour before he began to get restless. Staying awake mightn’t have been too much of a hassle, if he’d been able to talk to Charlie without his throat hurting, but his two options seemed to be sleep, or lie there quietly. The result was that he kept shifting around, groaning low in his throat, and looking up at eyes that pleaded for… something. Those heavy eyelashes made Charlie’s heart flutter as they always did.

“How about we watch a movie downstairs, on the couch?” Charlie suggested, feeling bleary-eyed from when he’d drifted off himself for a bit. “The change of scenery might be good.”

After considering it for a few seconds, Shayne nodded in agreement, and twenty minutes later, the two of them were settled on the couch under a blanket that had been crocheted by Charlie’s aunt. Charlie scrolled through their options on his phone, head resting on Shayne’s as it rested on his shoulder.

“Feel like watching anything in particular?”

Shayne gave his small, usual headshake, but then Charlie heard him clear his throat.

“The Goonies?”

“The Goonies?” Charlie laughed softly, navigating to the search bar. “Let’s see if it’s on here. God, I haven’t seen that since I was tiny.”

Shayne might have responded if he hadn’t coughed just then, prompting Charlie to stroke the side of his arm.

“They’ve got it,” Charlie said. He cast the movie to the TV.

He was uncertain if Shayne stayed awake throughout the first half, until the scene where Data had to cross a log to escape one of the villains; Charlie suddenly felt Shayne tense with laughter and whisper past the ache in his throat;

“Slick shoes? Are you crazy?”

Charlie let out a giggle, pressing his face into Shayne’s hair to try to suppress it. 

___

Somewhere towards the last ten minutes of the movie, Shayne actually did fall asleep, but not before turning to lie the other way, with his head at the other end of the couch. Charlie didn’t try to stop him; after a lot of cuddling, Shayne needed his space. Charlie put on an episode of Friends with the subtitles on and the volume turned low, and ended up falling asleep himself, upright with his chin resting in the palm of his hand.

He was stirred by his mother’s voice. “Charlie?”

He jerked his head up, eyes opening blearily. Ingrid was standing in the doorway to the living room, her gaze darting between the two boys on the couch.

“How’s he doing?”

Charlie glanced at Shayne, a mild pain in his head spiking at the lurching movements of his neck. “Uh, he’s okay, I think. Sleeping a lot.”

“How about you, sweetheart? Will you come and have some lunch?”

Charlie hesitated, some strangling emotion stopping him from nodding. His hand rested unconsciously on Shayne’s leg when he twitched in his sleep.

“Nothing’s going to happen to him in the next few minutes,” Ingrid assured him. “And you must be getting hungry.”

The mention of food had reminded Charlie that he hadn’t eaten anything since his dinner of chicken nuggets and beer the night before. He didn’t exactly want to admit that out loud to his mother, so instead he just gave her a nod. She ducked around the door, and Charlie got up to follow her. 

First, he positioned the crocheted blanket around Shayne’s shoulders. He thought about placing a kiss on his cheek, but decided against risking waking him.

The house wasn’t exactly cold, but he shivered on the way to the kitchen. He was practically sulking when he approached Ingrid, who was gathering the butter, cheese, and cold meat from the fridge. A packet of white bread already sat on the countertop, along with two plates. 

“Where’s Dad?”

“He had to go into town for some papers.” Ingrid took a butter knife from the top drawer. “Ham and cheese?”

Warmth curled through Charlie’s chest. It was a different kitchen, in a different house, but it felt like a school morning, as he watched his mother preparing to throw some sandwiches together for his lunch box. 

“Sounds good.”

“Great, because that’s all we…” Ingrid stared at the wrapper on the block of cheese. “Actually, this is out of date. It’s just ham, okay?”

“That’s okay, Mum.” 

“I need to go shopping,” Ingrid sighed. “I never realised how many little favours you did for us, Char, until we started living without you.”

Charlie crept up beside his mother and hugged her. “Can I help?”

“No.” Ingrid tilted her head against Charlie’s cheek. “Sweetheart, you’ve had a long day. And you drove three hours to get here. Can you let your old mum make you one sandwich?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Charlie slinked away to the table, sitting sideways with one knee pulled up under his chin.

He watched and waited, feeling oddly self-conscious now. He’d only been living away from his parents for a few months, yet the nostalgia he felt at being taken care of by his mother was so intense that it might as well have been ten years. It hit Charlie in the centre of his chest that maybe he’d stopped accepting his mother’s attempts to take care of him a lot longer ago than he’d realised.

“So,” Ingrid piped up, drawing the word out nice and long. The tone of her voice instantly brought Charlie out of his gloomy thoughts and made his stomach pinch. “What’s the story with you two?”

Charlie groaned under his breath, embarrassment rising up to swallow everything else. “Do we have to do this now, Mum?”

“Well, when else are we going to do it?”

“Never? I’m almost twenty years old.”

“So, what?” she exclaimed, buttering the bread with a little more intent. “My son is twenty, so I don’t get to know anything anymore?”

Charlie picked at a tiny hole that was starting to form in the side of his sock. He wondered if it had ever bothered her, that they’d never had a conversation about anything like this. He’d innocently blurted out that he had crushes on boys a long time before he learned the words “gay” and “straight”, and so his six-year-old self had saved his older self from having to formally come out to his parents. 

“I really like him.”

Ingrid grinned at him. “Knew it.”

Charlie scoffed. 

“There, was that so hard?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said. “That was pretty much traumatising, Mum.”

“Oh, shut up with that.” She clicked her tongue and winked. “Do you want mustard on your sandwich?”

“No, thank you.”

“Good, because we... we don’t actually have any.” 

Charlie stifled a laugh.

“Can I interest you in some dubious-looking fat-free mayonnaise?” Ingrid asked, picking up the white bottle she’d carried over from the fridge.

“Absolutely not.”

“Yeah, good call.” Ingrid started to walk over to the table with the two plates of sandwiches. There was a glint in her eyes that told Charlie she wasn’t finished with her interrogation. “On a more serious note...”

Oh, god. Charlie hesitated before reaching for his food.

“You’re being careful, aren’t you?”

Charlie almost choked without even taking a bite. 

“With - with...” Ingrid rolled her eyes and stammered, realising how her question must have sounded. “With what you’re sending him. Texts and pictures and whatever -”

“Oh, my god, Mum,” Charlie begged. He bit into his sandwich now, suddenly in the mood to stress-eat.

“I worry about you, Char. After Mikey...”

“Mikey was different. Shayne and I are...” He shook his head. “We are taking it way slower than that.”

“Mmm. I see,” Ingrid murmured, with what was probably a healthy amount of suspicion. “And he’s... Shayne, he’s -”

Charlie chewed.

“He’s good to you?” Ingrid asked softly. Less than a second later, her voice dropped. “Even though you lie to him?”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “God, am I the innocent one being taken advantage of, or am I the villain here? Which is it?”

“You’re my son. You’re both.” Ingrid wagged the end of her sandwich. “You’re complex.”

“Oh, wow, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What the hell are you grinning like that for?”

“Nothing,” Ingrid laughed. “Just... I’m not glad that poor Shayne is so sick, but I am glad to have you here.”

Charlie half-smiled.

“And if there’s ever anything you need to talk to me about,” Ingrid said, suddenly feeling the need to lay her sandwich down. Charlie couldn’t help but feel that her gaze became pointed. “You know there’s nothing you could tell me that’d make me stop loving you. Don’t you?”

“I... Yeah, I know, Mum.” Charlie swallowed around a lump in his throat. “There is some stuff. I... I’d rather have Shayne here, too, to help me explain some of it, if... if you don’t mind waiting until he’s feeling better.”

“Okay, sweetheart.”

Part Three (Shayne)

[angstyaches]

oh AND i forgot to say this earlier because i was a mess, but can you tell us what happened after trevor and ingrid found charlie? what did he tell them? did they think it was charlie who broke the window? (you don’t have to write a whole fic, i know its an old story, but i would love to know!) 🍄

Sorry, friend, it has been days. My brain is weirdly messy this week and I kept looking at this, meaning to answer it, and then forgetting about it three seconds later. Thank you for always showing such an interest in what I write 🖤

So, 🍄 anon is talking about something that takes place during the Prologue Arc, in case anyone's reading this and feeling lost.

CW: mentions of bullying, medication, mental illness, nightmares, guilt, parents not dealing with their kid's mental illness very well.

NB: Never, ever, take yourself off your medication without seeking a doctor's advice.

___

After his breakdown over the Mikey incident (in which an ex-boyfriend allowed compromising photos of Charlie to cycle through his old school), Ingrid and Trevor had come to expect everything and anything when it comes to Charlie. He had already been diagnosed with depression before all of that, and was still taking his meds when they moved to Mulberry House, but when he started at his new school, Charlie said he wanted to stop taking them. Trevor and Ingrid allowed him to make that decision for himself. They're both smart people, but undereducated when it comes to mental health issues and treatments.

They sadly became a little too used to Charlie's mood swings, his down days, his crying in the night when his nightmares were too much to handle. They took care of them in the ways they knew how, holding out hope that as soon as the withdrawal period ended and he settled into his new life, he'd be fine.

Charlie was such a mess the night they found him on his bedroom floor with his window shattered. He'd just seen Watson in quasi-bat form, an image that haunts him for years after the incident, and had no idea if Shayne was going to be alright, so you can probably imagine how distraught he was. He could barely get a word out to them all night, and they didn't really press him for an explanation; he's their poor, shattered boy, and the window breaking had probably been done in his sleep anyway, so they resolved to put it down as a bad night and move on. That sounds terrible, but it was kind of an unspoken "second last" straw thing. If something like this had happened again, they would have taken Charlie to get more help, but after this point (basically, after he builds on his relationship with Shayne and discovers how to coexist a bit more healthily with Charlie Two), he actually starts to get better.

The point, I guess, is that parents can be wonderful people, but sometimes still fall short of being good parents.

[angstyaches]

first of all, hi! found you today and i’m obsessed! for a christmas or general drabble, what about a character just absolutely overwhelmed by the holiday snafu? i’m imagining charlie, but whoever you think it most fits - on top of an already anxious tummy & mind, the lights are too bright, the chatter too loud, it’s too crowded, it’s too hot and too much. cue overstimulation, a sick belly, and lots of sweet, grounding comfort (of ofc getting whisked out of there). tysm for your stories! 💖

I would have LOVED to write this for Charlie, but Shayne is so much more likely to react like this. And I pushed it to New Year’s, since I ran out of time for the Christmas drabbles. Thank you so much for the adorable prompt 🖤

CW: anxiety, alcohol mention, self-deprecating thoughts, mention of homophobia, overwhelmed character, emeto

_

“Shayne?”

My relatives are noisy, but they’re sweet, for the most part, Charlie had said.

“Hey, Shayne?”

I haven’t even come out to them, so they’re probably not gonna ask if you’re my – well, they’re not gonna ask anything like that, Charlie had said, before getting embarrassed and looking away.

A gentle hand touched Shayne’s arm, making him jump on the spot. Shayne blinked at it, and then at Charlie. His blue eyes were shiny with concern.

The look made Shayne’s stomach feel funny; it was like a hundred weights had just been released from under his ribs, and they were all dropping through his belly at the same time. The more he thought about it, the more he realised this feeling had been lingering for a while, waiting for the right moment to make him feel like the ground was swaying beneath him.

Charlie nodded towards Trevor, who was standing just in front of them. “What do you want to drink?”

Gathering the will with some effort, Shayne looked up at Trevor, who was waiting patiently with a hand over his wallet. Shit. How long had he been spaced out for?

“Sorry, um – can I just get some water, please?”

“’Course,” Trevor nodded. “And a Fanta and rum, Charlie?”

“Yep! Thanks, Dad. We’ll grab a table.”

Shayne pressed a hand to his stomach as he followed Charlie across the room, despairing quietly at the fact that the sinking feeling wasn’t going away. His legs felt a little shaky too, and he couldn’t wait to sit down and try to calm himself.

They passed so many tables – all complete with piles of paper coasters and little “no smoking” plaques – that Shayne couldn’t figure out what Charlie’s criteria could possibly include. The place was empty for now, but soon it would fill up with the members of Charlie’s family – from Trevor’s side, Ingrid’s side, and Trevor’s ex-wife’s side. Shayne couldn’t picture how many people would be there, but there was seating for at least sixty.

Finally, Charlie located a suitable table, and they both sat close to the wall, on the cushioned bench.

Charlie shrugged off his coat, which was light denim on the outside and white fake fur on the inside. There was an artificial heat in the hired function room, but Shayne didn’t want to relinquish the layer of protection that was his own jacket; it was just synthetic leather, but he knew he’d feel even more anxious if he took it off.

What he wanted was to put his head down on the table and wait for the awful feeling in his stomach to pass, but the thought of drawing attention to himself, or making Charlie worry about him, kept him from doing so.

He also resisted the urge to try and work the tension out of his body by cracking his jaw, and settled for slinking a little lower in his seat and putting his hands in his pockets. Charlie’s silence was freaking him out a bit; Shayne wondered if he was dwelling on their earlier conversation as much as he was. Maybe it was just him, but it felt like everything they’d never discussed was hanging around them like a heavy cloud.

His stomach did a little flip as he worked himself up to ask; “You okay?”

Charlie’s gaze diverted across the room, and a sick-looking grimace crossed his face. “I was better about ten seconds ago. My great-aunt Ursula just got rolled in.”

Shayne hesitantly turned his head. At the entrance to the function room, an old lady in a wheelchair was, indeed, being pushed through the pub, surrounded by a group of people ranging from early twenties to mid-fifties.

“Wildly homophobic,” Charlie sighed. There was a hint of resigned humour in his voice, but the statement still made Shayne’s stomach turn over again.

Several groups seemed to have arrived at the same time and were still greeting each other; some were kissing one another on the cheek and hugging, and every one of them was emitting a noise of some kind. A few had small children pulling at their legs, while the older children were glued to phones.

“You wanna meet everyone in one go? Get it over and done with?” Charlie asked. “Baptism of fire?”

Shayne’s stomach dropped so hard that he felt a slight retch pull at the back of his throat. He couldn’t, in that moment, think of anything he wanted to do less, but he couldn’t exactly voice that to Charlie. In the same way, he couldn’t have turned down the invitation to the party, not while he was the Waters’ guest. It seemed he couldn’t do anything without coming across as cold and rude and grumpy and...;

“Or you can stay and guard our table,” Charlie half-laughed.

“Would that be okay?” Shayne knew it was the wrong answer, and he gave it anyway.

“Sure, don’t worry about it.” Charlie slid off the bench and circled around to the front of the table. “I’ll be back in a few. Dad should be over with the drinks soon, too.”

Shayne sank a little lower on the bench as he watched Charlie go. He wanted Charlie to glance back at him on the way, but he didn’t, and anyway, he was being such an asshole he didn’t deserve it. Didn’t even deserve a glance. Probably didn’t deserve the water he’d asked for, or the warm food Ingrid had served up before they’d all left for the party.

Looking like the moodiest, most out-of-place person in a room that suddenly held about forty, Shayne wished he could be in any mindset but the one he was currently in.

Unfortunately, mindsets didn’t quite work like that, and this one kept him on edge for the duration of the party. Although for Shayne, it was less of a party and more like a prolonged, torturous countdown to the new year. He hung out with Charlie when he could, but as the night wore on, he saw less and less of him. Between brief introductions to people whose names went right over his head, and short encounters with energetic little kids who had clearly been given too many fizzy drinks, Shayne was positive that he’d met more people in those few hours than he had in the past entire year of his life.

He was grateful that Charlie didn’t seem to expect him to hang around anyone for too long, but he was also disappointed in himself for taking every escape that was offered to him. Charlie was so bright and happy and social, and his family all seemed to adore him so much; meanwhile, Shayne was his weird friend wearing all black and slinking off to the corner at every opportunity.

He also let Charlie drag him out to dance a couple of times, but it was nothing like the little dancing sessions Felix sometimes held at the townhouse; Shayne could barely bring himself to dance in private, let alone here, in front of so many strangers. In front of Charlie.

Feeling out of place was bad enough, but even worse than that was that his belly had stopped dropping, and had started to hurt quite a lot. The very last thing he wanted was to end up locked in the bathroom throwing up, but between meeting so many people and navigating the now darkened, disco-light-laden function room, it was getting hard to control the nausea. A DJ had set up in the room a few hours ahead of the midnight countdown, and the music was so, so loud. Shayne couldn’t understand why it needed to be so fucking loud –

“Got you a Sprite!”

He looked up from the table to see a blue light cast over Ingrid’s face as she sat in a chair opposite him.

“I’ll get you something stronger, if you want it!” she yelled over the music, leaning over the table a little. “I’m the designated driver, but I’m happy to drink vicariously through you.”

Shayne tried for an amused hum and shook his head as he took the glass of sparkling clear liquid from her. “I’m good, thank you.”

“It’s shit, isn’t it? The party.” Ingrid rolled her eyes at herself as soon as the words were out. “I can’t wait to get out of here, once the countdown is done. If we can both hang in there until then, we’ll grab Charlie and make our escape. How’s that sound?”

Shayne nodded, sipping gratefully on the drink she’d brought him. Leaving right after midnight sounded wonderful. The cold bubbles settling in his stomach felt good, too, and so did knowing that he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wait to leave.

As Ingrid flashed him a smile over her own glass, he wondered if this was the point where Charlie would tell his mother he was feeling sick, and sad, and overwhelmed. He wanted to tell her. He wanted her to take him home, and let him stay there forever instead of sending him back to the Aldridges.

He was broken out of his thoughts when the woman at the next table, who was holding a baby, reached over and tapped Ingrid on the shoulder. Ingrid turned in her chair and exclaimed the woman’s name – which Shayne immediately forgot – and the two of them started chatting close to each other’s ears.

Shayne finished his drink and sat back in his seat. With nothing else to focus on, the music seemed to blare even harder from the speakers, drumming through his head like something was physically beating against either side of his skull. The heaving sounds seemed to rattle his insides too, and the lyrics he couldn’t quite make out hurtled dizzyingly through his head.

Suddenly, the DJ was speaking too, his voice booming through the microphone; as impossible as it seemed, his words were louder than the music itself.

“Alright, folks, we’ve got ninety seconds until midnight.”

Shayne looked up, instantly needing to close his eyes for a few seconds as coloured lights swung over the table – purple, then red, and then a sickly-bright yellow – before scattering across the small dancefloor area.

The handful of Charlie’s relatives who were dancing ranged from pre-teen cousins attempting to perform a routine in-sync, and aunts and uncles swaying over glasses of alcohol. Everyone else was standing by the bar or lingering near tables, leaning in and tucking hair behind their ears as they tried to have conversations over the music. They all started to gather a little more tightly now that the countdown was imminent, and the excitement in the room was almost electric.

Shayne didn’t feel excited. He felt like he wanted to cry.

Ingrid raised her eyebrows as he got to his feet and got out from behind the table. He paused and leaned back over to tell her;

“I’m going to find Charlie.”

“Alright, hon!” Ingrid winked and gave a little wave. “See you in the new year, eh?”

_

He found Charlie in the lobby, where some of the younger party guests were pulling at his legs and trying to tackle him to the ground. He had a girl of about six years old in his arms, balanced against his hip. Shayne wasn’t sure how Charlie’s relatives had so many children, or how Charlie seemed to have become a babysitter for the duration of the party.

“Hey,” Charlie grinned as he lowered the little girl to the ground, letting her tear away after her brother. Or cousin. Shayne didn’t have a good grasp on how all of these people were related. “Go find your mammy for the countdown, okay?”

The kids pushed at each other and laughed as they ran back towards the function room, shoes slapping hollowly on the carpeted floor. They didn’t even glance at Shayne as they rounded him, as though he was just a statue.

“Sorry, I was going to come and find you, but I completely lost track of the time,” Charlie laughed. He gave a deep sigh and his smile faltered. “You been doing okay?”

The hollow, sick feeling in his stomach made Shayne hesitate. Even here, where the air was a little cooler and everything was a little quieter, nothing was calming down in his head or in his belly.

Charlie’s face was falling, and he was coming closer. Shayne had to decide if he was going to lean in or pull back, and all of the possibilities of how each of these options would play out went hurtling through his head.

“I…”

Voices began chanting from the function room.

Ten, nine –

A sharp pull of some dark, twisting emotion in his tummy made him wince, and in a last-bid attempt to escape everything, to just disappear, to cease existing, he lifted his hands to his face and just covered his eyes.

Eight –

He didn’t disappear.

Instead, he felt Charlie embrace him gently, without wrapping his arms all the way around. He held him through seven, six, five –

“Charlie?” Shayne whispered, nausea and tearfulness causing his voice to come out sounding deep and slightly hoarse.

Four –

“I - I can’t.”

Three –

Charlie nodded. “Let’s go outside.”

Shayne was pretty sure he had never gripped Charlie’s hand as hard as he did now. He was definitely sure that he’d never wished harder that he could be someone else. Someone who wouldn’t get completely overwhelmed by a roomful of people who were literally just yelling out numbers.

Two –

Someone who wouldn’t have burst into tears by the time they got to the front entrance of the hotel, where glass doors opened out into a streetlight-hazed carpark. Where the chaos from inside seemed to fade away into nothingness, as though the party – as though New Year’s Eve itself – had suddenly been cancelled.

Charlie let out a small noise of confusion as Shayne’s hand slipped free of his. He let out a slightly louder noise as Shayne turned towards one of the prickly, waxy-leaved bushes and doubled over, coughing up water and Sprite and whatever he’d eaten of Ingrid’s casserole before they’d left home.

He cried harder the more he retched, and he began to choke on the sobs as the heaving stopped and the crying continued.

He was shivering and hugging himself by the time Charlie took him by the arm and guided him to the edge of the curb by the taxi pick-up point. Even after being sick, he still had that dreadful feeling, like he was falling from a hundred stories high. He buried his head under his arms as they sat down, pulling his knees up to his chin.

“Shayne.” Charlie moved a little closer, so that their shoulders brushed slightly against one another. “I’ve got you. I’m here.”

The sound of Charlie’s voice should have been soothing, but it only seemed to add guilt on top of everything bad he was already feeling.

“I promise, everything is fine,” Charlie whispered. His fingertips began to work their way through Shayne’s hair, searching for the warmth of the nape of his neck.

The touch was light, but made it a little easier to focus. Shayne managed to close his eyes without frowning.

“Everything’s fine,” Charlie said again, tracing tiny circles just above the collar of Shayne’s jacket. “Did - did you just start feeling sick all of a sudden?”

“Mmm, no.” Shayne shivered as Charlie stroked his neck, hating himself for enjoying something he didn’t deserve. “My stomach’s been feeling weird since we got here. Nervous.”

Charlie gave a light sigh. “It’s okay. A lot of people don’t do well with crowds and noise.”

“It’s not just that, though. I’m not –” The swirling emptiness was creeping up into Shayne’s chest now, and his arms and legs felt impossibly heavy. “I’m not… I’m not enough for you, Charlie.”

“For me?” Charlie chuckled softly, resting his forehead against Shayne’s shoulder. “Lovely, I – I think about this all the time. I always think that I’m never going to be strong enough, or brave enough, to be worthy of you.”

Shayne gulped back a sob and picked up his head, even though Charlie’s face was still hidden against his shoulder.

“That’s –” Shayne sniffed and blinked tears from his eyelashes. The sobs in his throat melted into something that felt like low, wobbly laughter. “That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”

Charlie was grinning when he lifted his face, tiny creases outlining the corners of his eyes. A light blush coloured his cheeks. “See what I mean?”

Shayne shrugged as he brushed tears away with his sleeves. His brain was firing all the wrong things in all the wrong directions. The epiphany wasn’t happening, and he felt that somehow, he was letting Charlie down yet again.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I even made us miss the fucking countdown.”

“That’s okay. It’s not important.” Charlie shrugged, fingertips tracing down Shayne’s forearm before gliding into the palm of his hand. “We can have our own countdown, if you want.”

Shayne glanced away, at nothing in particular. “What, now?”

Charlie nodded. “From three, okay? Three.”

He looked at Charlie again, noticing how intensely he was watching him. He tightened his fingers around Charlie’s, brushing his thumb back and forth across a knuckle. “Two?”

Charlie’s eyes darted downwards before his lips parted. “One.”

“Happy New Year, Charlie.” Shayne was just thinking how he wished he hadn’t just thrown up; otherwise he might have maybe considered thinking about –

Charlie’s lips closed over Shayne’s, the movement careful and slow. Each of their breaths pulled sharply, and then Shayne jerked back, covering his mouth with the back of his hand that wasn’t tangled up with Charlie’s. He looked at Charlie’s shy smile and realised the new feeling rising up in him wasn’t quite nausea or anxiety, but something a lot softer. Fluttery. Happy.

“Happy New Year, lovely,” Charlie whispered.