𖦹* rhodes ིྀ

Angela immediately perked up a little, sitting up from where she had slouched on the couch after the last story and tucked her legs up under her and leaned into Amanda, ready to give her full attention to this story, eyes briefly flashing to look at you before they went back to Shayne, “Oh my god, this is goinna be good.”

Amanda laughed beside her and nodded in agreement, “Oh yeah, [Y/N] has shown me some of her favourite stories before, I’m excited for this.” Shayne let out a little laugh and nodded with them. 

“This story comes from r/Relationship_Advice and is from 2020 and is titled ‘I’m in love with my best friend and roommate’”

Amanda and Angela both let out a little aww at the title but Amanda was quick to say “As much as I love a good friends to lovers story, let’s hold off on that because these other stories have been insane, let wait until we hear the whole story.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right, let’s lock in.” Angela quickly steeled her face and you let out a small chuckle from where you sat behind the camera, already knowing what story was coming and as Shayne started a reading, a small content smile made its way to your face.

“Obligatory, this is a throwaway account. I (f 28) am in love with my (m 29) best friend and roommate who we will call Charlie for anonymity. In 2016, I moved to a new city for work and was invited to a party by a friend, where I met Charlie and we hit it off right away. We have very similar tastes in music, videos and games and we spent around 70% of the party talking to each other and swapped numbers and we quickly became close, going out to new movies, finding the most obscure indie movies to watch together and having many game nights at one of our apartments. It was these game nights where our friendship really blossomed, we would talk about anything and everything and conversation would be so easy because we would never run out of anything to talk about and even in moments of silence, it was soft and comfortable. Working in the entertainment industry, I sometimes feel like I’m having to perform when I’m in the office to match the energy of those around me but with Charlie there was no performance needed. We could simply exist in a shared space and enjoy each other's presence, there was no need to perform or entertain, we could just be ourselves.”

Amanda and Angela both melted a little on the couch, sweet smiles tracing their lips and you couldn’t help but smile as well. The early days of your friendship with Spencer were quite englightning, in previous friendships you had always given away parts of yourself, energy and time, but had never gotten anything in return. You were the person people turned to when they needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to vent to or even just someone to stave away the boredom, but when you needed that your friends never had the time and it took you a very long time to learn that it wasn’t healthy. That relationships, even friendships, are a give and a take and you were always giving and giving and giving until it ran you dry. 

But it was never like that with Spencer, if you needed him he was there. Even if he was a country away, the second you text him that something was wrong he was on the phone to talk you through it and support you. He reached out to you as much as you reached out to him, you were the first person he would text in the morning and at night and even if he didn’t have much time he would still take the time to send a silly meme or a funny picture captioned ‘you’ because he knew it made your day just a little bit better. He included you in plans and events outside of your weekly game or movie nights, inviting you as his plus one for things Smosh was involved in and always bringing you to the holiday parties at the office and introducing you to people as his best friend with the widest grin on his face. 

And you would do the same for him, picking up the phone when he needed you and rushing to his place with snacks and shitty movie recommendations that you could laugh at when he had a bad day, supporting him through many late night editing nightmares with corrupted files and bad audio, texting him things that reminded him of you. And when you couldn’t be there in person, you were sending him memes and videos throughout the day, post mating him coffee and kickstarts and sending little reminders to drink water and get up and walk when you knew he would be stuck at the editing bay for hours. Taking him out to cool food spots you found, little unknown family ran businesses that had the best vibes and great customer services, bringing him to movie events and press events for projects you were working on and proudly introducing him to your family as your favourite person when they came to visit you.

One of you never took more than the other, or gave more. It was a mutual comfortable companionship where you never demanded more than what the other could give. It was the foundation of every part of your relationship, platonic and romantic. As Shayne moved on in the story, you tuned back in despite knowing every word by heart.

“Then in 2018, I started workin for the same digital media company Charlie and our mutual friend worked at, as an editor and production assistant. My desk was right next to his, and on my first day he left my favourite snack and monster flavour (despite the many playful arguments we had over monster vs kickstart) alongside a note of encouragement, which I thought was really sweet”

“That’s so cute.” Amanda had raised her hand to her heart and looked like she was starting to tear up a little at the words, Angela nodded her head in agreement and let out a little chuckle as well as she voiced her thoughts.

“I honestly thought that Spencer was the only person who drinks Mountain Dew Kickstart.”

Laughter boomed throughout the room, all of the cast and crew laughing at the comment, including you. Spencers love for the energy drink was a well known thing and a recurring joking argument in your relationship was if monster or kickstart was the superior energy drink. Once Shayne’s laughter had quietened down, he continued with the story.

“The notes became a recurring thing, if I had a long day full of meetings and preparations for videos I would find a note on my computer screen with either a joke or encouraging words and it always perked me right up if I was feeling down. Charlie also worked as an editor at the time and during long days that stretched into nights of editing we fell into a comfortable pattern of sharing snacks and jokes like they were sacred texts that only existed in the space of the editing bay and only existed for us to know about. We would talk and laugh and help the other when it was needed but somewhere along the way it turned into something more. Our chairs would end up closer together, his hand would find mine to rub soothing circles against the skin to ground me when I got frustrated, mine would be on the base of his neck rubbing at the muscles to relieve the tension and aches in it from sitting slouched most of the day. Casual touching became our normal and what had started in the quiet space of our editing sprees spread outside of it, his hand on my knee when driving, holding my hand when walking through a crowd, my head in his lap when watching movies and his hands in my hair.”

Amandas eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion starting to worm its way into her brain as her eyes scanned the room and landed on your. She wasn’t with Smosh when you started working with them, but you were sure you had heard the stories of how much you and Spencer acted like a couple before you were actually a couple. She let out a little “okay” before turning back to Shayne, but she still looked a little suspicious. 

“I think those were the earliest moments I remember being like ‘oh shit, i like him as more than a friend’ but I truly tried to push it down and push it away because I didn’t think he felt the same and I didn’t want to ruin what we had and risk losing him. So I ignored the feelings, pushed them to the side and just stayed being the best friend I could be. Recently however, I’ve been finding it hard to ignore it. Just before the lockdown started, we moved in together. Don’t get me wrong, I love living with Charlie. He’s a great roommate but being in such close proximity with him, almost 24/7, has made ignoring my feelings difficult”

You remember moving in with Spencer, it was a necessity at the time but one you wouldn’t change for the world. The panic around the pandemic was rising and when the whispers of a lockdown started both of your previous roommates took the chance to go back to their homes while they could, which you fully understood, so not being able to afford rent on your apartments by yourselves, you and Spencer moved in together. It was simultaneously one of the best decisions of your life and one of the most stressful. 

Spencer was a good roommate, more than that he was a fantastic roommate. He took care of his own mess and laundry, was happy to help with chores and understood boundaries and when you needed your own space. He never once complained when you asked him to do something and was always quick to help when you needed a hand, very quickly the two of you moved with a quiet domesticity that was natural and almost seemed inevitable. 

And then the quiet, casual intimacy that was born in the editing bay evolved into something more again. His hand on your waist as he reached into a cupboard above you, how his hand always reached for yours across the couch on movie night only to pull you closer to lay against his body, your legs thrown over his while you worked on scripts and ideas for lockdown appropriate videos and he played games on the tv, how casually he would pull you to sit on to his lap when he wanted you to check something on the video he was editing. 

The most daming one of all that sent you spiraling and triggered the original reddit post was how he looked at you like there was something reverant about you. You hhad been helping him edit a games video, your focus on the screen in front of you and then when you turned to Spencer to tell him it all looked good you caught him staring. Your breath had hitched and your heart pounded hard against your chest, almost to the point of pain and you were convinced Spencer could hear it. The look he had given you was so intimate and vulnerable. It was as if he was seeing deep into the very being of your soul and had seen every part of it, all the good, the bad, the pure and the broken and he had decided that there was something sacred and beautiful about it. Something worth loving in it. And it terrified you. 

So much so that when he reached a hand out to cup your cheek, you quickly made an excuse about needing to finish something for your meeting the next day and practically ran out of the room and into your own where you proceeded to spiral and spill your guts to reddit.  

“Every day it gets harder and harder not to tell him how I feel. We could be doing the most mundane thing like washing dishes together or cooking and I look over at him and I just become so overwhelmed with feelings and emotions that I want to blurt out that I love him. Just tonight, I was helping him edit something and when I turned to tell him that it looked good I froze. He was looking at me like he loved me too and my heart felt like it was going to explode but I didn’t say anything, instead I ran out of the room with the excuse of having work to do and came to reddit instead because I needed to get this out of my system. I have never had anyone look at me the way he did, like they loved every single part of me and they he had already planned our future together in their mind. So reddit, any advice?”

Shaynes voice was soft as he finished the story and you smiled softly to yourself as every emotion you were feeling that night came back with the memories. Angela and Amanda both had tears in their eyes and they were snuggled up together on the couch with Angelas head on Amandas shoulders. There was silence for a few seconds as the pair gathered their thoughts and feelings about this story. Amanda was the first to speak, her throat clearing before she did so she didn’t sound choked up, “Okay, well first of all. Girl, go get your man.” 

Angela and Shayne laughed at Amandas comment and she continued, “You also better tell me there's an update to this one.” She glared slightly and pointed at Sahyne, trying her best to look intimidating and scary and Shayne only laughed but he nodded his head.

“There is an update but let's get some comments and thoughts from you guys first.”

Amanda just replied with a “Good” as her gaze softened again, there was still a little look of suspicion in her eyes as she pieced together timelines and the story but she didn’t voice it and when she looked at you, you just smiled. 

“I can see why it’s one of [Y/N]’s favourites, she's a sucker for friends to lovers. I agree with Amanda, go get him OP. Tell him how you feel! If I can tell through this reddit post just how down bad for you that man is, then OP needs to tell him.” 

Shayne nodded along to what Angela had said and rubbed a hand against his jaw, “Yeah, like it definitely seems from what OPs saying that Charlie also has feelings for them as well but as always with reddit stories we’re not getting the full picture,”

Amanda and Angela nodded and agreed but Amanda was quick to jump in with, “Yeah, I get that but I don’t know…Theres something about this post that is so uniquely vulnerable that I can’t help but feel like we’ve got a pretty good look at whats happening. I mean, its a little cliche and like a hallmark movie but we’ve seen things like this play out in real life. Like friends and coworkers who start dating and fall in love, its is a very real possibility” 

“Yeah, it's a very real possibility. I mean we saw it play out with Shayne and Courtney and even though we weren’t here for it, Spencer and [Y/N] as well. They were friends who happened to fall in love and they’re each other's perfect matches.” Shayne nodded along to Angela’s words and quickly glanced at you out of the corner of his eyes.  

Shayne moves on to reading some of the comments, all of them supportive and encouraging you to tell ‘Charlie’ how to feel and reiterating the same thoughts as Amanda and Angela that he was obviously in love with you too. 

As the studio door opens, you smile and scooch over on the sofa, Spencer carefully sneaks behind the cameras and joins you on the sofa his arm automatically wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you against his chest. “Have they got to it yet?”

His whispers into your ear gently and you grin up at him and shake your head, “They’ve just done comments and they’re moving onto the update now.” A wide grin stretches across Spencers face, matching your own and he places a kiss on your forehead before turning back to watch Shayne reading the next part of your story. 

“Okay, so the update was posted literally this morning. 5 years after the original post.” Shaynes eyes scan down the update as he speaks and you and Spencer can’t help but laugh as his eyes widen in shock and he so so slowly moved around to look at the two of you on the couch, the camera following his line of sight and showing you almost doubled over in laughter as Spencer clutches his stomach. Amanda and Angela look between the two of you and Shayne with questioning looks on their face and Angela starts to almost shout, “What is happening right now? Shayne what is going on?”

Shayne shakes his head and turns back to Amanda and Angela who are looking at him with raised eye brows, “Okay, okay lets get into this update. You guys aren’t ready for this”

Despite still being confused about what is happened, Amanda and Angela settle back into the sofa and give their full attention as Shayne starts.

“Hi guys, I know its been 5 years since the last post on this account but I got a little overwhelmed with everything that happened and got swept up into my life with my boyfriend ‘Charlie’. For thos who are new here, back in 202 in the middle of the lockdown I posted about how I was in love with my best friend and roommate Charlie and I received a lot of positive comments encouraging me to tell Charlie how I felt. It has been 5 years since that post but there's been some big developments in the last few months that I thought an update was deserved.”

“Oh my god they're married!” Angela practically jumped out of her seat as she shouted and Amanda placed a hand on her shoulder while laughing at her antics as Shayne laughed along, “Settle down babe” 

“Okay first of all, after posting my story I stayed up until 2am reading the comments on my original post and crying at all the support everyone had shown me, I can’t thank you all enough for the words of encouragement because without it, I think I would have sat and spiralled about how I destroyed any chance of a relationship with the most amazing man alive. Secondly, after reading all the comments I put on my big girl pants and went to see if Charlie was still awake, thankfully he’s a night owl and frequently stays up late playing games or watching movies and I found him in the living room with a movie on in the background. I asked him if we could talk and he said yes. I’m not going to go into the details of our conversation because it got very personal and very vulnerable.” 

Spencers squeezed your shoulder gently and started rubbing soft circles into the fabric of yours (his) jumper, that conversation was hard to have. Vulnerability was always a little foreign to you, showing feelings and weaknesses, something you feared because it had been turned against you time and time again, but with Spencer it was different. 

That night you laid your soul bare to him, every heartache that led you to be who you were today. Every little thing that was said and done to you that made you fear not only being in love, but being loved by another person so wholly and completely. Every insecurity you had and reason you felt you didn’t deserve to be loved tumbled out of you like a tidal wave that just couldn’t be stopped once you had started. You cried, Spencer cried but still he held you in his arms and rubbed your back as he promised you he loved you. You were never too much and never would be too much. He loved how much you cared and how you loved with not just your entire heart but your whole being. He loved everything about you, not despite but regardless. 

That night your living room changed from simply a shared living space to a sacred sanctuary where the first chapter of your love story was etched into your bones and souls and the cosmos as you promised to show up for each other and love each other through the hardest moments of life. 

“But we did talk and realised we had both been harbouring feelings for each other for a while and we began dating. The last 5 years have been absolutely incredible. I won't lie and say that it's been all sunshine and rainbows and that it's been easy the whole time, because it hasn’t. Like any couple we’ve had fights and arguments and stressful situations but one of the things we both value in a relationship is open and honest communication so we’ve always been able to work through these things even if it does take a few days to actually sit down and talk. Because that's what love is, it’s showing up and trying even when things are hard. Now onto the real meat of the update and the reason I decided to post an update, don’t worry its a good thing. Charlie and I recently got engaged!”

Amanda and Angela both smile widely as Shayne reads and lets out a “yay!”, clapping their hands together while Shayne side eyes you and Spencer on the couch before he continues, “It wasn’t a big surprise or out in public, but quiet and intimate and perfect. I had been cooking dinner for us with some music playing in the background when he got home from work (I had left earlier because of a doctor's appointment) and he came into the kitchen, kissed me and started a normal conversation, I was none the wiser. Once the food was done and I removed it from the heat he pulled me back into his chest and started swaying me gently to the music and we danced like that for a few minutes just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Charlie then spins me and when I turn to face him, there he is down on one knee with a beautiful ring. Through tears, I said yes and now we are happily engaged. It was perfect. Thank you reddit so much for your advice and support, I wouldn’t be here without you and yes I will post a picture of the ring.”

As Shaye finished the story, anxiety shot through you because you knew Amanda and Angela would want to see the ring, it was the whole point of this story being in the video but still you couldn’t help the nerves that bubbled up inside you for your friend's reaction to your engagement. Amanda and Angela wipe small tears from their eyes as they immediately ask Shayne for the iPad to see the photo and you brace yourself. Posted at the bottom your reddit story is a photo of you and Spencer one of his arms wrapped around your chest while he places a kiss to your check and your left hand on his bicep, showing off your engagement ring. 

The response is immediate shouting of “what the fuck!” from both Angela and Amanda, followed by both their heads winging round to you and Spencer on the couch. Your anxiety slowly being replaced with happiness and you both laugh at their outburst, they look to the iPad and then back to you and then the iPad and back to you multiple times as the shock settles, the cameras following their movements. “I can’t believe it!” “You gotta be kidding me??” 

They both start shouting over each other, questions of how, what, when and where all flying at once and your’re still laughing, tears forming in your eyes, when Angela barrels across the room in what seems like rage but it actually pure joy as she tears you up from the sofa and engulfs you in a tight hug that has the air leaving your lungs. 

“Oh my god you guys. This is incredible. Congratulations!” She lets you go and hugs Spencer in the same way as Shayne and Amanda make their way over and hug you too, offering their own congratulations. Though Amanda whispers in your ear, jokingly, about how sneaky that was and she was suspicious that it was you from the first story while also saying how happy she was. After a few minutes of hugs and congratulations, Bailey calls them back onto the set to finish off the video and as everyone settles in again your shout to Shayne “There’s another photo!” 

He looks confused for a second before scrolling on the iPad again and coming across the final photo, his jaw dropping open completely as he turns it to Amanda and Angela. This one he doesn’t share with the audience, immediately dropping back into his host persona as he does the outro for the video while Amanda and Angela freak out on the other couch. 

“Thank you for watching and let us know how you feel about the bomb that just dropped”

As soon as the cameras are cut, Amanda and Angela aren’t even bothering to get their mic’s off as they run up to you with the iPad and shove it in your face almost accusingly, the photo of the ultrasound staring back at your face and making you smile, both shouting at the same time “ARE YOU PREGNANT?”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Relationship or Relation-No | Reading reddit stories

@ userone: always knew [Y/N] was a reddittor ↳ @ usertwo: they're with spencer, are we sure they're a redditor by choice? @ userthree: YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT! WHAT WAS THE OTHER PHOTO ↳ @ userfour: no literally. that was just...evil @ userfive: the look on shayne's face as he read ahead on the update absolutely sent me ↳ @ usersix: i was in tears, he has the best facial expressions

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

yourusername

yourusername forever grateful to the universe (and court) for bringing me to you (p.s scroll to the end to see what the second photo was 👀)

liked by spennser and others

co_mill forever grateful for you my love ‪‪❤︎‬ and i can't wait to meet smoshs newest member!

userone another smosh baby has hit the timeline

↳ usertwo and its a baby chosen 😭

angelagiovanagiarratana still not over you telling us in a REDDIT VIDEO