GalactoseIntolerance:YES!!
SpacePope: And there’s something about the shuttle crashing into a temple (??) and Luke is now in charge of some weird alien cult and has to marry someone? (you’ll be shocked to learn it’s Jonathan)
DeathStarJacuzzi:No no, that’s a different one. This is the fic where it turns out that all along Luke’s parents were ice fey and now he has magic and has to learn to lead this planet of weird little ice guys
GalactoseIntolerance:This fic is one of those where, like, is the author a time traveler? A mind reader? Because they predicted Luke West’s leadership story arc a full year before it even crossed the writers’ minds.
DeathStarJacuzzi:and let’s be honest this fic does a better job with that arc than the show does
HowlsMovingSpaceship:I’m not taking the day off, but I’m working the circulation desk, so if anybody tries to interrupt my reading to borrow a book, I’ll simply engage them in conversation about space boyfriends until they leave.
SpacePope: I love this for you
HowlsMovingSpaceship:♥
Chapter Eighteen
“You have veto power,” Jamie says when Simon answers the phone. “She’s your dog. But you miss her. You’re over there, having a mental health episode or whatever, pining for your dog, and there’s an easy solution.”
“What’s happening right now?” Simon asks, confused. “And I’m not having a mental health episode anymore. I mean, my life is kind of an ongoing mental health episode, but what does Edie have to do with it?”
“Charlie’s flying to New York in a couple days. He got an extra seat, so she won’t even need to stay in her carrier other than during takeoff and landing, and we both know Charlie can probably charm the flight attendants into looking the other way if there happens to be a dachshund buckled into the seat next to his. There’s no reasonable objection.”
Simon feels certain there are plenty of objections, but he can’t figure out what any of them might be. Jamie’s right that he misses Edie. Buying a first-class seat—he doesn’t even seriously consider that Charlie might not be flying first class—for adog, however wonderful that dog might be, is a ridiculous expense. And that’s not even getting into the hassle of finding an airline that will let you buy an empty seat.
“Whose idea was this?” Simon asks.
“Charlie, hundred percent. It would not occur to me to ask Charlie, of all people, to fly your dog around.”
“He already bought the ticket?”
“Yes. Non-refundable.”
Jamie’s probably lying about this last bit, but Simon doesn’t care. If Charlie wants to spend some of his money on Simon’s dog, that’s Charlie’s own business. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Jamie asks, like he wasn’t expecting it. “You trust Charlie Blake to be, like, in loco parentis to Edie for a cross-country flight?”
No objections on those grounds even crossed Simon’s mind. “Yes. Shouldn’t I?”
“Holy shit, Simon, you know better than I do. But you paid some guy to run a background check on Edie’s groomers. Your house is wired like a fucking bank, with drop cams in every room so you can watch your dog while you’re on set. You use preservative-free toothpaste when you brush her teeth.Yourtoothpaste isn’t even preservative-free.”
“You’ve been reading my toothpaste ingredients?” Simon sputters, torn between laughter and indignation. “And you know I turn all the cameras off when you’re there, so don’t act like—”
“There’s nothing wrong with preservatives, you snob.”
“It’s the only brand she likes!”
Now they’re both laughing, and Simon gets to see his dog in a few days, and he thinks he found a perfect present for Nora on eBay of all places, and Charlie—Charlie—
It’s one of those rare moments when everything in his life fits where it belongs, when his skin is the right size and his brain isn’ta total liability. He lies down on the couch and lets himself soak it in.
The only problem is a new flavor of awkwardness when he’s texting Charlie. It’s been two days since their mortifying conversation, and things have pretty much gone back to normal. They text on and off nearly all day and watch a few episodes of the show together.
Simon:Thanks about Edie. I’ll probably cry when I see her and you’ll need to pretend it isn’t happening, fair warning
Charlie:I get to cuddle your dog for five hours so who’s the real winner here
Charlie:I thought about surprising you.
