✧・ﾟLimerence・ﾟ✧

          her nose crinkles as, probably, the dorkiest grin pulls onto her features. “crazy, cause i can’t say i’ve seen you around these parts in quite sometime.” margo hugs him tighter, heavy eyes shutting. just taking in the moment, just in case it really was that vivid dream she was worried about. “hey, you never know. a burglar is probably a hungry guy. it’s a hard job.” maybe it was silly, to be this happy to see him home at a decent time for once. afterall, she does see him.  just not nearly as much as she’d like to, or even gotten used to at this point. every now and then, she’d catch herself wondering what he was up to. or what stupid joke he’d say to make her smile. with him gone so much, margo started to realize how many snippets of songs she’d play for him – just to see what he thought about them. never the full song, just parts she wasn’t confident in. she missed those little moments with casey. the parts that she didn’t realize she valued nearly as much as she does.             “whatcha makin’ and will there be any chocolate chips involved?” margo asks, standing on her toes to attempt to look over his shoulder. begrudgingly, she finally lets him go moving to make herself a cup of coffee. the same as usual. the giant beetlejuice mug filled to the brim, chocolate syrup, and a splash of milk. no exact measurements. just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. but, somehow she gets it correct every time. so consistent, she could probably make it with her eyes closed. “so, you’re on a break? or, did today just get canceled?” margo wanted to know whether or not she ought to get her hopes up about him being home for the day.  

“Must’ve been someone else in bed with you last night.” Casey mused in reply. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to him. As much as he missed Margo, going to work was just a part of life. Casey isn’t very hard to crack though. Her arms squeeze him tighter, a bright smile on her face, and then how could he possibly judge? If being home long enough to make breakfast was what made her happy then he’d simply have to do it more often. Early mornings at work were barely productive if you asked him. It was an hour or two of waiting for everyone to show up. An hour or two of hair and makeup. Another hour of rehearsing or changing around the blocking. Another half hour to set up the equipment. He was sure that rolling in at ten or eleven once or twice a week wouldn’t hurt. Especially, if he talked it out with the director. He might’ve been the star, but they didn’t need him for every single shot. “Well the burglar is gonna have to get his own food cause I’m not fucking sharing.” Casey retorted with a laugh, his hand leaving the pan handle to rest gently over Margo’s.

This was their routine. Margo made the coffee and Casey made the breakfast. There had been one day where he tried to do both jobs but it didn’t work out. Too much chocolate syrup, not enough milk. Truthfully, he was just happy he used the right mug. But lately, their routine had changed. Margo woke up alone and Casey didn’t eat or drink anything until the caterer’s came onto set. “I’m making pancakes and the chocolate chips are in the orange bowl-- Actually, if you wanna pass that over here I should probably add those now.” He mused, blinking back a bit of sleep. For someone who loved to sleep in, his internal clock was determined to wake him up with the sun. Raising an eyebrow at her question, a small smirk fell on his lips. “What do you mean? I’m sick. Can’t you tell?” As if to really get his point across, Casey brings his hand up to his chest and fake coughs dramatically. 

merry christmas. - gen ”

Case.

Enjoy you’re gifts, because we know you’re 99.9 percent right in most conversations but also, a cup so when you have hot drinks - you can remember deep down, i’m your favorite ‘sister’

Merry Christmas. 

casey,

you’re super handsome.

here’s an ant farm.

gledelig jul!

     elvie’s place in margo’s wedding has been guaranteed for longer than he can remember. casey is the one who’s still scrambling to secure a spot. elvie didn’t need much time to think it over. he wants casey to get it. even though he’s probably never going to be close with the guy, and he thinks that his hair is kind of lame, and he doesn’t really get what margo sees in him, elvie knows that his best friend loves casey. he wants her to say yes to the proposal if it’s what she wants. while he doesn’t think that he can stop him from asking, elvie is quite confident that he can stop margo from marrying casey if he really wanted to. after all, he’s her other half. not girlfriends or boyfriends. not even casey. there is no elvie without margo and vice versa. they’re each one half of a whole shoved into two different bodies.       the thing is, he doesn’t want to stop her from marrying casey. cool. elvie wasn’t sure why it sounded like a question, but he nodded when casey repeated the word. “i mean, look, there’s only one of us who margo absolutely could not live without and quite frankly it isn’t you, so act accordingly. that’s all.” he didn’t want to give casey one of those take care of her and show her respect and never ever hurt her spiels, but he figures that as margo’s best friend, he should make it clear that there are, in fact, certain behaviors he expects from someone who wants the privilege of marrying her. it was something that he didn’t really think that casey needed to be told because he seems like a decent person who would already know that, but with his best friend’s happiness on the line, elvie was absolutely going to make sure that it was communicated clearly.       he was relieved when casey explained that he didn’t want his help with picking out the actual ring. “oh. okay.” elvie doesn’t know the first thing about providing reassurance, either. he folded his arms and bit down on his lower lip. “well, i think that even if you did mess it up somehow, margo would still love it,” elvie offered. he’s almost startled by how easily he can picture his best friend saying yes to casey, even though he knows that she loves him and all. for something that he had managed to go almost his entire life without ever thinking about, the idea of margo getting married has popped up far more often in the last few weeks than he ever expected it to. or prepared for. “so, where are we going?” elvie asked, burrowing his hands into the front pockets of his jacket as he lifted a brow at casey.

Casey is a dumbass, but he isn’t stupid. From the day he met Margo, he was aware of Elvie’s place in her life. It’s only since he started dating her that he understand the depth of their relationship. Three years ago when Ghost Gallery was first premiering and Casey was working on a million projects at once, he thought Margo was just the newest ‘Netflix Girl’. One of the main stars of whatever new show was coming out. The girl that everyone was going to be obsessed with like that one girl from Orange is the new black or the young one from Stranger Things. And Elvie-- He thought that he’d be the wacky sidekick, the one that teenage girls watched for. While his initial guess was... semi accurate, it wasn’t even close to getting the full picture. But that’s the thing. When Casey first saw them at some Comic Con panel, he never realized how their lives would overlap with his own. He didn’t realize how much he needed people like them to come into his world and turn it upside down. Casey wouldn’t be the same person without Margo, but there was no Margo without Elvie.

“I know.” Maybe that’s not the right reaction to a stern talking to or a threat or whatever you wanted to call it. Maybe he should’ve been offended or felt upset or swore up and down that he would protect her. But that didn’t feel right. Margo wasn’t helpless, and while he had the potential to hurt her-- It wasn’t something he would ever consider doing. That being said, if Nix married someone tomorrow? He’d probably say the same thing to them. “I wanna do right by her.” Casey replied. As corny as that sounded, it wasn’t nearly as corny as what he considered saying. Maybe she didn’t need him, but he needed her. He’d never do anything to hurt someone he loved the way he loved her. There’s a million very dramatic responses in his head, all of them could be ripped right from a movie scene. But for the first time in his life, Casey finds himself laughing instead of going for the over dramatic route. “She’s kinda out of my league so any slip ups would mean a One Hit KO for me.” A video game reference that doesn’t have to do with Animal Crossing? Maybe he has been spending too much time with them.

A smile fell on his lips. Elvie probably had no idea what this meant to him. Getting along with Margo’s best friend, bringing him along for the proposal process, even the little sentiment of ‘margo would still love it’ was more reassuring than he probably knew. And in all honesty, Casey liked Elvie. It wasn’t just for Margo. In this important moment of his life, he also felt like maybe he had a friend for the ride. “I want her to. I mean. I hope she loves it.” Almost as if snapping out of it, he drops the smile and collects his thoughts. Where were they going? Ring shopping, sure. But he had about eighteen different ones on his list-- Just incase the first few didn’t have what he was looking for. “Well, I guess we can start with Buchwald Jewelers. They have a 4.8 on google reviews.”

         “someone must’ve lied to you, bud. sorry you had to find out this way,” margo remarks, though her words are peppered with laughter. she’d always find a way to be lighthearted. though, she only teased people she loves. almost as if it were her love language. playful, reserve affirmations. that’s the easiest way to tell how much margo cares for someone. how willing she is to pick on them just a little bit. “i’d still love you too.” she replies, the softest smile setting on her features. margo never liked being that couple. the overly gushy, outwardly showy, grossly affectionate, gen and hal’s of the world. these quiet, moments alone were what really mattered. it always seemed a little more genuine when it was just the two of them. “but, i’d be able to reach the top of the fridge finally so  would i really need to keep you around? no.” she jokes, just to deflate the sentiment a little bit. they didn’t have to be serious right now. 

        something of a scoff leaves her, a little too genuinely amused. “you think so?” this wasn’t the first time she was told she looked like her mom. but, looking at a photo of cheryl just a few years older than margo is now.. the likeness is uncanny. though, she still takes after barney. just enough. though, arguably, her worse traits come from her mother. the parts of herself margo tends to work incredibly hard to hide. though, like freudian slips those traits of her’s have definitely shown through. she has cheryl’s temper, her silver tongue, and.. some of her worse  habits. her dad mentioned her ability to sing comes from her too. but, margo finds it hard to associate anything good with her mother. margo hardly knew her mother but that didn’t stop her from wishing she could’ve.  maybe she did miss her. she missed the mother she could’ve been, the moments they could’ve shared. “i don’t know. sometimes.” she sighs. it’s been awhile since she has talked to anyone about her mom. normally, she doesn’t have to. elvie already knows the story. logan and astrea knows it’s best to stay off the topic. “she calls me sometimes.. don’t tell elvie that, he’ll get all extra about it.” her best friend rightfully thinks she shouldn’t be speaking to her mother. yet, when has anything elvie suggests ever stopped margo? “it’s hard to miss someone you don’t know that well.”

Everyone seemed to have a different opinion on their relationship. But that’s only because their relationship shifted in little ways depending on who they were with. Casey didn’t notice it at first, but over time he’s come to enjoy their little secrets. When they were with the monster squad, it was more toned down. Margo would enjoy her friends and Casey would enjoy her happiness and usually Elvie’s company as well. He was the one that got along with him best. Although, he considered Logan’s silence a step up from the glaring she did the first month or two. When they were with Casey’s friends like Nix or Addie, the atmosphere around them was still toned down but there was definitely a playful element to it. Probably because those he was closest with both found an interest in his relationship. Nix liked to mess around and Addie liked to ask a million questions. 

With her family in Salem it was a very proper relationship. He would often compliment her or hold her hand but nothing else. Barney probably would’ve loved to see them goofing off but secretly Casey’s nerves still got the better of him when family was around. They weren’t around his family enough to have an “atmosphere” except maybe Willow but he hardly counted that. As for fans-- It was a mixed bag. Some thought they were deeply in love based off 1 tweet or 1 Instagram caption. Others thought they were faking it because they weren’t gushing all over the internet 24/7. Some thought they were together, but wouldn’t last because Margo was into Elvie or Logan and Casey was in to any of his co-stars at any given moment. But all of those shifts didn’t quite matter as much as when they were alone. There was no need to put on a show. If they said something sweet, it was just for them. If they kissed, it was because they wanted to.

And when they talked about things like this... It never left the room. It didn’t matter if some people knew about her mom, this was a sensitive subject. This was something that was only brought up with her consent and never pushed. At the very least-- That was one relationship mistake that Casey never made. After all, he had plenty of secrets of his own. Ones that Margo already knew and ones that he would eventually tell her. Nothing was off limits to her. If she asked, he’d answer. And he hoped that she felt the same. But once again. A big rule was not to push. So if she wanted to talk about her mom, he would listen. And if she didn’t, then he would drop it. “I think there’s a lot of little things.” He replied softly. Okay, she was open to talking. His eyes flickered across the page before landing back on her. A gentle smile graced his lips as he allowed himself a moment to just study her face. As if he hadn’t looked at her like this a million times before. “You have her eyes. And maybe her chin. But your smile is one hundred percent Barney if you ask me.”

There’s a small huff of air remnant of a laugh. Maybe one day he’d feel comfortable enough to say something like that in front of Margo’s family. Although she’d probably die on the spot if he ever said something as corny and weird as ‘thanks for giving your daughter the best smile in the world.’ Even if he thought it. Doesn’t mean he had to say it. Still. It was nice to see the similarities in the old photographs. “I won’t tell.” His smile fades slightly, painfully familiar with these complicated feelings she must be having. “You don’t have to miss her to miss having a mom.” And perhaps he felt that sentiment far too much. And perhaps he shouldn’t be giving her advice. Especially because his way of dealing with his parents was to just... ignore them completely and pretend as though they weren’t even a part of his life.  “But if you want to talk to her, you should. And if you don’t ever want to talk to her again then, you don’t have to. Do whatever you need to do. And if it hurts then I’ll be right beside you.”