#th e m...

yeah okay sO I wrote a drabble bc I loved this idea so much so,,, here u go 

also ive got no idea what made me write this almost entirely from Vee’s POV but I hope i did him justice bfdhfbhfd

--

The sound of laughter split the night, turning what had previously been an attempt at a quiet operation into a fast one. The voice unmistakably belonged to Charlie; bright and loud and potentially obnoxious if you didn’t already have an affinity for it. Vee moved to try and hush him, but the porch lights flickered on and he decided the better option would be to chuck what remained of the paper roll in his hands towards the yard and make a run for it. Before he could even think to turn and check if Charlie was following, a hand was grasping at his jacket sleeve and dragging him further into the night. As always and without fail, they were falling perfectly into step, exactly on the same wavelength with one another. Vee didn’t know if soulmates existed, but if they did, he’d certainly found a platonic one in Charlie. 

Breathlessly, Charlie slowed to a walk and tipped his head back towards the sky with another bright laugh. Even with the low light coming from a nearby lamppost, it was easy to see that his grin remained plastered over his face. “Holy shit. I didn’t think anyone’d actually come outside.” 

Vee felt himself raise an eyebrow. Thoughtless and bold- that was Charlie. “You didn’t think they’d check to see what was going on outside their house?” 

“Well, I- I dunno. I wouldn’t- Oh, shit.” His grin fell away. He reached out to grab Vee’s shoulder and pulled it back enough just to turn him around so he faced the way they’d come from. A pair of flashlights scoured the road behind them and no doubt were looking for the assholes who’d TPed their home. Charlie gave his shoulder a small squeeze to catch his attention and looked at him with an absolutely mischievous smile. “You up for some more runnin’?” 

“Is that how you plan to spend the entire night? Running aimlessly?” 

“I mean-” 

“I’m joking. Actually, I.. have a better idea. Come on.” Vee spared their victims another glance, then started in a new direction. And without any fuss, Charlie followed. 

One street, a couple of yards, and an easy climb over a fence later, they’d found their way into the nearest cemetery. It probably wasn’t any less of an offence than TPing to be sneaking in, but it was atmospheric for the time of year. He heard Charlie’s feet hit the ground behind him and turned to offer a smile. “Well?” 

“Well?” Charlie mimicked. He laughed softly and shoved his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, glancing around at what he could see of the grounds. He raised his eyebrows and looked to Vee again. “How long d’you think we’ve got to explore before my dad or yours knows we’re gone?” 

“I guarantee yours already knows. But he’s nice, so he’s giving you time to screw around and get in trouble.” He couldn’t help but smile when he noticed the sheepish expression grow on Charlie’s face. He was right, and they both knew it. As long as they weren’t out getting hurt, Trent didn’t seem to mind if Charlie snuck out now and again. And neither of them wanted to get hurt, considering the plau they’d been working on for the past few months was debuting in a couple of weeks. Getting hurt and not performing was the worst case scenario, so they were at least a little careful. “I wouldn’t even bother sneaking back in, if I were you.” 

“Shut up.” Charlie started past him and elbowed him gently in the side, though he was struggling to hide the smile on his lips. Vee snorted. 

“What? You won’t get in trouble.” 

“Yeah, well.. I’d still rather him not know if I was out. ..Hey, look at that. How far back do these graves go?” 

“A few centuries?” Vee trailed after him, watching as Charlie crouched down to peer closely at a headstone and hum thoughtfully. t’d probably  be smarter for neither of them to pull out a phone and use it for light, but eventually, curiosity got the better of them. 

The cemetery was one of the largest and oldest around; Vee only knew that because of the family that was buried here. There were a few generations of Spardas hanging around somewhere, and it was easy to tell they were straight from a rich family. He remembered seeing an obelisk or two to mark their graves, and the oldest of them were in their own, fenced-in plot of land. He’d wondered idly if he and Charlie would find them as they explored, reading off interesting epitaphs and pointing out the symbols on certain graves, but they didn’t. Instead they wandered aimlessly for a good half hour and traded idle banter, never straying too far from one another’s side. It was cold out and nearly midnight- separating would just be plain stupid. They walked with their shoulders brushing and talked softly enough that only they could hear. There wasn’t anyone else around, but they were in a graveyard. The both of them knew how to be a little respectful to the dead. 

At least, until Charlie was mocking names and reading inscriptions in a dramatic, terrible British voice. 

It was nearing one in the morning by the time they finally decided to take a break. Sitting together against on of the few trees that were scattered around the area and idly scrolling through their phones, they’d fallen into something of a comfortable silence when Vee felt Charlie lean over and drop his head on his shoulder. He looked down to meet a warm grey gaze and furrowed his brows. “You know, I don’t think this is the best place to sleep.” 

“Why not?” Charlie asked, his lips pulling into a small smile. He always rose up to the challenge of meeting a tease. That was how they’d ended up friends in the first place; Charlie could never seem to resist firing back when someone spoke to him. “D’you think Mr. Henry Dankworth is gonna give me nightmares for makin’ fun of his name?” 

“I don’t know, Charlie. He might not have taken that accent lightly.” 

“If he can’t take a joke, he shouldn’t’ve been named Dankworth.” Charlie grinned. Vee was suddenly glad for the lack of light around them, or else the way his cheeks warmed at the sight might’ve been visible. Or maybe it was just warmer outside than he’d anticipated. “Honestly, I’d take bein’ haunted. How fuckin’ cool would that be?” 

“Hm. You’ve got a point there. But what if you got possessed? What if it killed you?” Vee leaned over against Charlie in return, letting a dramatic note slip into his voice. “What ever would I do? No one to steal my lunch or cheat off my homework.. a meaningless existence.” Hearing Charlie’s laugh, his lips quirked up into a smile. “You’d best not get haunted, Charles Reimes.”

“Are you kiddin’ me? If I die, then I get to haunt you. Imagine, every waking moment a’ your life, and you can’t get rid of me.” Charlie laughed again, shifting a little closer to Vee. “You’d be totally stuck with me. How’s that sound?” 

Perfect. The thought came unbidden, making Vee’s cheeks warm even further. He quickly brushed the thought away with a giggle of his own. “Absolutely terrible. So my point still stands.. don’t get haunted.” 

“Fine.” Charlie rolled his eyes, relaxing a little further against him. They’d be leaving soon, he figured, but he wasn’t quite ready to get up. “I’ll make an effort not to.” 

“No, you won’t.” Vee glanced down at him. “You’ll actively try harder now.”