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Chanse is sitting behind the camera watching as the cast films the last ever episode of ‘Let's Do This!’.
He'd been told by a producer of the episode that he won't want to miss it, so he stayed for the last shoot of the day.
And while watching Angela and Amanda prank Arasha was funny, he'd known about both of these pranks.
At this point he's figured out that Arasha must have a counter planned, that she's lying about not having anything, but he can't figure out what it could be. What would be so funny that he'd be pulled aside to be told to watch.
“I'm telling,” Arasha says with a smug grin, "Who am I telling? Your moms.”
Chanse feels his heart drop and he sees Angela’s eyes quickly flicker with fear before she pushes herself to look confused like the rest of the cast.
He knows vaguely about her family, more than anyone else, and with the bit he knows he hates them. Most of all her mother.
While he has a little bit of hope that this is fake, that hope is squashed at the look of shock in Amanda's face when who he assumes is actually her mom answers the phone.
Chanse zones out the call, watching Angela intently as she tries her best to act as if nothing is wrong. But he can see that in the moments where the focus isn't on her, she's scared.
He wants to go to Patrick, to stop the shoot, to pull Angela off the set and to her apartment where she's safe. He's looking around trying to figure out what to do when Angela catches his eye and minutely shakes her head.
So he watches the prank continue, dread building as Amanda's mom hangs up and Arasha turns her focus to Angela.
“Let's move on then,” she says with a proud smile, “To Angela's mom.”
Angela freezes as Arasha picks up her phone again. He can see her grasping onto her last bit of hope as she speaks, “My mom's not going to pick up, she's going to be too busy.”
Arasha ignores her, “Send in Angela's mom.”
Chanse can see the second she processes what's about to happen, pushing into denial in an attempt to protect herself, unable to believe what's about to happen.
But in walks Angela's mom.
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Angela was excited for this shoot.
She has funny revenge planned, a project she's worked on for several weeks, and she's excited for it to come to fruition.
And it's great!
Arasha didn't see any of it coming, the cast is laughing, and so is the crew. Which is all she needs to know she did a good job.
But then Arasha mentions her and Amanda's moms, and she feels the intense grip of terror before shoving it down. She can't freak out on camera, especially about her family, so she does her best to copy Amanda's energy.
She's hoping this is all bullshit, that Arasha got someone to pretend to be Amanda's mom, but she can tell by the expression on her friend's face that this was real.
Angela tries her best to keep her fear off her face, zoning out the call and quickly glancing out at the crew to see if anyone's noticed her weird behavior.
Her eyes immediately land on Chanse, his worry for her radiating off of him as he looks around the room for some kind of solution. She gets his attention and barely shakes her head before returning her focus to the phone.
She reacts as best she can as the call wraps up and Arasha turns her attention to her.
As much as Angela's afraid of her mom being called, she also doesn't believe her mom would waste her time even talking on the phone for her.
And she says as much, but then Arasha throws in the twist.
“Send in Angela's mom.”
But her mom can't be here, she would never come to see her ‘meaningless attempt at acting’. Coming to Smosh would be a waste of her time.
She continues to try and believe it's not true, channeling her disbelief for camera and playing it up, but then her mom actually comes in.
Angela doesn't know what to do as her mom comes in and hugs Arasha.
They're in a good place right now, having dinner as a family around once a month, but she can't remember the last time she had a positive experience with her mom without her brother being present.
Playing up anything she can for the video she begins to yell in shock, turning to face the wall to give herself a moment to fully adjust her expression before letting herself fall into character.
A daughter who has a typical relationship with her mother.
She plays along with everything her mom makes her do, letting the humiliation help overpower her fear as she attempts to read her mom.
It takes a minute of her mom holding her arms open for her to understand what's about to happen.
Her mom wants to hug her.
Something she hasn't done since she dropped the first time.
Taking a subtle deep breath she walks into her mom's arms, subconsciously relaxing into her arms as her mom pats her back.
“I love you”
Angela's eyes widen in shock and she's unable to respond as her mom pulls away and gestures back to her seat.
With that her mom leaves the video and Angela zones out for the rest of the episode, going through the motions until the outro is done and cut is called.
Almost immediately Amanda has her arm around her waist, a worried expression on her face as she guides her behind the set, but before she can speak Chanse has already rushed over to them with a question of his own.
“Are you-” he starts, but he's also cut off.
“Angela,” her mom says in the same tone as the video, snapping everyone's attention over to her.
She stares at her mom nervously, subconsciously taking Chanse's hand and squeezing it.
“Can I borrow her for a second?” she asks, “I want to say goodbye before I leave.”
Chanse goes to disagree, but Angela shakes them both off and obediently walks over to her mom, following her the short distance away to where they're seemingly alone.
“First, that was all for camera,” she reminds her daughter, tone closer to what she would expect as she dusts off her arms with a look of disgust, “We're not hugging again.”
“Second, this isn't me approving of your job. You could do better if you weren't so useless,” she tells her, “I did this for me, not for you.”
Her mom looks her up and down before starting to walk off, briefly turning around with a final message, “Tell them to not contact me again.”
“I love you,” Angela whispers, finally returning the sentiment while assuming her mom can't hear her, but she can.
“I don't.”
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Chanse doesn't wait for Angela's mom to even make it past him before he rushes to Angela's side, hesitantly wrapping his arm around her in an attempt at grounding her.
“The day's over,” he says quietly, looking over at Amanda as she walks over, “Amanda's gonna grab all our stuff and then we're going to meet her at her car and head home.”
Angela doesn't verbally respond as Amanda quickly turns and rushes off to retrieve all their stuff, or when Chanse starts to guide her towards the parking lot.
He walks with his arm around her, shielding her from anyone attempting to speak to them. Arasha moves to talk to them but Chanse shakes his head and speeds up, angry with his friend even if she didn't know better.
The duo make it to the car after Amanda and he gently pushes Angela into the backseat before quickly rushing around to get in on the other side.
Chanse buckles both their seat belts and Amanda takes off towards Angela's apartment, but his focus is solely on his best friend.
“Angela,” he murmurs, gently cupping her cheek so she'll focus on him, “It's safe now. Just you, me, and Manda.”
His eyes shift from the pain in her eyes, the tension in her muscles, and the strained look on her face, “You’ve gotta let go.”
The switch is almost instantaneous, the tension evaporating from her body as she collapses into Chanse with a loud sob.
He holds her to his chest as best he can with the seatbelts, “I know, baby,” he murmurs, rubbing her back, “It's ok to cry.”
Chanse continues to whisper similar phrases in her ear, not realizing they've arrived at Angela's apartment until Amanda taps his shoulder.
“We're here.” she tells him, exiting the car and grabbing their bags, “Let's get inside.”
He undoes both of their seatbelts and Angela immediately attempts to climb into his lap, whimpering through her cries when he stops her.
“One second, baby,” he says reassuringly as he quickly exits the car, “Chansey will hold you right now,” he assures her, holding his hands out towards her.
She scrambles clumsily towards him, burying her face in his neck the second she's in his arms. He immediately starts towards the door, “I can only hold her for so long,” he says to Amanda, readjusting the little slightly, “Please unlock the door.”
Amanda smiles wryly at him, digging through Angela’s purse and grabbing her key. She quickly unlocks the door and Chanse heads straight to the bathroom without a word, correctly assuming the other woman would follow him without prompting.
Chanse climbs into the bathtub, ignoring his discomfort as he rests his back against the tub, laying the little against his chest, “Here we are,” he murmurs into her hair, “We're in your hiding place.”
She doesn't react so he turns his attention to Amanda who's hovering anxiously in the doorway, “Can you grab her stuffed dog and blanket off her bed and then Spork?” he asks quietly, the woman immediately turning to do just that.
He hums under his breath, running his hand gently along her back as she presses her ear over his heart, clenching his shirt tightly in her fist.
While her sobs have quieted in the time it took to get home, Angela is still crying heavily when Amanda returns with everything.
Amanda places the stuffed toy between her and Chanse before carefully draping the comforter over them, “I'm gonna put Spork on the blanket behind you,” she explains as she places him down, not wanting him to get jostled by accident, “And I'm gonna get water,” she adds quietly before leaving the room again.
Angela’s crying slowly tapers as time passes, her grip loosening from his shirt as she slowly drifts to sleep.
“I love you, Angie,” he coos, moving his other hand to run through her hair, smiling softly when she melts further into him.
It doesn't take much longer for her breathing to even out, her fingers unconsciously drifting into her mouth. Once he's sure she's asleep he turns to look at Amanda again.
“I doubt she'll sleep long, but I'm not moving either way,” he tells her, rolling his eyes when she lowers herself to sit beside the bath, “I was going to say you don't have to stay, but I know you are.”
“I'm not leaving two littles unattended, especially with one being panic dropped,” she says firmly, cutting him off before he can counter her, “I don't care if you're big right now, you know panic drops are like dominos sometimes.
Chanse huffs, accepting the water he hands her gratefully, “I can't believe they got your moms to be in a video,” he mumbles, “Seems like an HR nightmare.”
“I doubt it'll happen again,” she says angrily, “Even if I can't explain exactly what happened, I'm pushing that pranks like that need vetting. Even just asking you would've been better than nothing. I was ok with my mom being called, but they didn't know that.”
He nods in agreement, continuing to rub her back both to soothe her and comfort himself, “Until she's big again, we've just gotta let her do her thing. I doubt she'll eat, but we can try some of my tricks.”
The two continue to talk for a bit before Amanda takes Spork out and feeds him. “Alright,” she murmurs as she returns him to the bathroom, “What is she most likely to eat?” she asks, pulling out her phone, “Groceries or delivery?”
“If we don't care about nutritional value, she'll almost definitely eat candy.” he explains fondly, “I would usually try something substantial first, but with a panic drop I doubt she'll be interested.”
Amanda hums, pulling open her delivery app and changing the address, “What do you want then?” she asks, “We need to eat too.”
They talk quietly as they fill their cart and order, but when Amanda places her phone down they fall into silence, the duo watching the peaceful rise and fall of Angela’s breathing.
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Angie wakes up slowly, drowsily enjoying the feeling of warmth as a hand slowly runs up and down her back. She lets out a low whine, pulling her fingers out of her mouth to rub at her aching head.
“Good morning, Angie,” Chanse coos from beneath her, “Manda got you some water, can you open your mouth for me?”
She cracks open one of her eyes and sees Amanda holding a bottle of water with a straw. Appeased, she lets her eyes close fully again and opens her mouth, gratefully drinking the water.
“Good girl, Ang,” he murmurs, brushing her hair away from her face, “You're doing so good.”
Angela lets the straw fall from her mouth, replacing her fingers in her mouth.
“Do you know how old you are, baby?” Amanda asks quietly, smiling when the little's eyes flutter open.
“Duh,” she mumbles, blindly reaching her empty hand up to play with Chanse's hair, “Eee.”
Chanse chuckles, adjusting her so she has better access to his hair, “That is Manda,” he says happily as he sits up, “And I'm Chansey. Where's Angie?”
“Me,” she mumbles, looking back at Amanda and tilting her head. Finally decided, she pulls her fingers out of her mouth and holds two of them up to her.
The woman grins proudly, “You're so clever,” Amanda coos, chuckling at the blush on Angela's face.
The little smiles shyly at her before finally taking in her surroundings, looking around in confusion when she realizes she's in the bathroom.
It takes a while for her little mind to put all the pieces together. The headache, cuddling in the bathtub, being little with people.
She panic dropped, but why? What-
Her thoughts stall as she feels Chanse start rubbing her back again, “You're ok,” he whispers, “It's safe.”
Angela whines, but lets the thoughts float away. She puts her fingers back in her mouth and starts playing with Chanse's hair again, not seeing the relieved exchange between the two adults.
“How about we move to the couch?” he offers hopefully, shifting uncomfortably beneath her, “We can watch a movie and have some snacks.”
“I heard there may be a surprise waiting for you at the front door,” Amanda adds with her voice full of faux excitement.
The little turns to Amanda in confusion as dread slowly envelops her.
She can remember now.
Her mom was at her work. What if she's here now, at her safe space? What if-
“Angie,” a voice cuts through her thoughts, “You've gotta breathe, sweetheart.”
She takes a shuddering breath, doing her best to copy the breathing coming from below her. “There we go,” Chanse murmurs, “You're doing so good.”
Angela looks up at him, “Mom?” she asks almost silently, her small voice shaking heavily.
“Oh, baby,” Amanda whispers sadly, reaching out to cup her chin and wipe away a stray tear, “We would never bring your mom to your apartment. Chanse and I bought you candy and garlic bread.”
She blinks a couple times, looking up at Chanse for reassurance. “It's just groceries,” he confirms, “Can't have a gremlin without candy.”
“Dee?” she mumbles, placing her fingers back in her mouth with a sniffle.
“Lots of candy for the sweetest little girl,” he coos, “Do you want to go together, or have Manda bring it to us?”
Angela reaches up to pat his cheek with her empty hand, “Ow?” she asks quietly, frowning when the two adults look at her with a mix of confusion and concern.
“We would never hurt you,” he whispers, but before he can continue she cuts him off.
“Ee,” she attempts to explain, shifting in his lap before tapping the side of the tub, “Ow?”
Amanda lets out a relieved chuckle, “Chansey will sit with you in the bathtub as long as you need,” she affirms, smiling at his immediate nod, “Everything is up to you, honey.’
She hums, resting her head against his chest again, “ ‘et Go?” she asks hopefully, “Dee.”
Chanse smiles softly, “As soon as Manda picks up Spork we can go watch Frozen and eat some candy.” he tells her, “But Chansey needs to put you down to stand up.”
Angela slides off of him with a huff, picking up Spork and climbing out of the bathtub.
Chanse slowly follows her, limbs slightly numb, and they head towards the living room.
“Let's see what Manda bought you,” he says as he opens the front door to reveal a single paper bag. He picks it up and hands it to the little, non-verbally encouraging her to open in.
With a bit of hesitation she does, focusing in on the candy and pulling it out, letting the paper bag and its remaining contents fall to the floor.
She looks between the two adults again, holding the bag of candy out towards Amanda, “ ‘elp eeese,” she chirps, looking up at her.
Amanda coos, taking the bag and ripping it open. She pulls out a mini Reese's cup and unwraps it, holding it out to the little, “There you go, sweetheart.”
Angela pops it into her mouth with a small smile, “ ‘anks oo,” she mumbles through the candy before climbing onto the couch. She looks up at them and pats the seats beside her, a hopeful expression on her face.
Chanse scoops the abandoned bag off the floor and looks in at the remaining contents, “We got some ingredients to quickly make pasta and garlic bread for dinner,” he explains, passing the bag to Amanda, “You don't have to have any,” he assures her quickly, “But Manda and Chansey are hungry.”
She pouts and pulls Chanse to sit beside her, immediately curling into his side.
“Manda will make dinner and bring it in here,” Amanda tells the duo with a small smile, “I'll be back soon.”
Amanda turns and heads into the kitchen, leaving Chanse to start the movie for Angela. The little is immediately enraptured, leaning heavily on her best friend as her fingers hang loosely from her mouth.
Eventually Amanda quietly returns, handing Chanse a plate. It takes her a few trips to get everything to the coffee table, bringing herself a plate as well as a small one for Angela, a plate of garlic bread, and a bowl of unwrapped miniature Reese's cups.
“You don't have to eat anything,” Amanda murmurs to the little as she sits, “Just know you can.”
The two adults eat their dinner as they all watch the movie, both keeping an eye on Angela.
Her focus drifts between the food on the table and the movie, occasionally glancing up at the adults for approval.
Their lack of reaction as she slowly reaches forward is enough for her to swipe a piece of garlic bread off the table, hesitantly nibbling on the edge while she waits for a reaction.
But there isn't one. Neither of them acknowledge her movement, emboldening her to take a bigger bite.
A small smile grows on her face at the food and she returns her focus to Frozen, giggling as Olaf appears on screen
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By the time the movie is over, Angela has eaten a piece and a half of garlic bread and half a dozen Reese's cups.
Chanse considers this a success, especially because the little is laying against him half-asleep, her second piece of bread clutched in her fist.
“I think it's bedtime,” he murmurs, taking the bread from her hand without resistance. Angela yawns, not even trying to stand up as Chanse does.
Rolling his eyes, he lifts her into his arms, smiling softly when she immediately rests her head on his shoulder. He takes her to the bathroom, helping her get ready and change her clothes before tucking her into bed.
“Ee,” she whines quietly, holding her arms out towards him with a small pout.
“Do you wanna cuddle?” he coos, chuckling when she grabs his hand and starts pulling him towards her, “Chansey needs to change first you little gremlin,” he adds teasingly.
She whines again, but drops his hand and turns her attention to Amanda, “Duh?” she calls out, reaching towards her now that Chanse went to the bathroom to change.
Amanda walks in from her place in the hallway and gently cups her face, “Do you want me to stay too?” she whispers, both honored and shocked at the request.
Angela nods, whining when she doesn't immediately climb into the bed with her.
“I've gotta change too, baby,” she reminds her gently, “Chansey and I will swap places and then we can cuddle.”
They stay like that until he emerges from the bathroom, Amanda caressing the little's cheek with her thumb. Chanse walks around them and claims his usual side of the bed, chuckling fondly when Angela immediately turns around and crashes into him.
“I'm not going anywhere,” he assures her, running a hand down her back, “I'll be here when you wake up.”
He continues to mumble similar affirmations until Amanda exits the bathroom and turns off the lights, sliding into the other side of the bed.
It's a tight fit, but both adults are happy to have a slightly uncomfortable night if it makes Angela feel better.
The little looks up at the pillow above her and kisses Spork, lazily petting him as she looks between her two closest friends.
“ ‘ove?” she whispers nervously, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to brace herself.
The two adults feel their hearts break, both immediately reaching out to give her physical comfort with Amanda gently touching her face while Chanse reaches for her hand.
With a nod from Amanda, Chanse speaks first, “I love you more than anything,” he assures, squeezing her hand, “You're my best friend and nothing can change that.”
“We're soulmates, sweetheart,” Amanda says, quickly joining in, “I love you so much. Don't tell Chanse, but you're my favorite little.” she adds with a bit of humor.
He just rolls his eyes fondly, “I can't argue, she's my favorite too.”
Angela slowly opens her eyes, a tear slowly running down her face. “ ‘ove,” she chokes out, leaning into Amanda's hand and squeezing his, “ ‘anks oo.”
Chanse hums, gently pulling her into his arms, “You never need to thank us for loving you,” he tells her, kissing her brow, “We just do.”
Amanda starts rubbing her back and her eyes flutter shut as she slowly melts into the mattress.
“Goodnight, angel,” she whispers, “We'll see you in the morning.”
She doesn't answer, her fingers returning to her mouth as her breathing slowly evens out, leaving the two adults alone.
“Thank you for staying,” Chanse says, letting his eyes close as his own exhaustion catches up to him.
“I'm always here for both of you,” she promises, “Not just Angela.”
He smiles at her sleepily, “Thanks Manda,” he mumbles almost inaudibly, his voice a weird mix of little and big, “Love you.”
Amanda smiles as she watches the two sleep for a while, taking in the contentment on both of their faces.
She finally closes her eyes and lets herself drift off, dreams of a happy future floating through her head.