Work Text:
Amanda can't stop. What started as occasional occurrences during videos slowly turned into constant instances in their day to day life. It's gotten to a point where she simply just can't stop. There's just something about calling Angela all these pet names, and have it come out of her mouth naturally. As if the sound of it, towards her especially, was second nature.
It's not as if Angela minds it, if she did she would've said something. Amanda trusts in Angela and that she'd communicate with her if she was ever uncomfortable with any of her actions. It was one of their first conversations they had when they were both starting to become closer. A prompted phone call where they were going over sketch ideas, where it slowly turned into a talk about boundaries. One of which turned into their first promise. A promise to talk if one ever felt uncomfortable with the other's actions.
Then, as if the dam broke, letting the water flow through, physical contact became a part of their normal. Whether it be a hand on a shoulder, or Angela completely laying on Amanda, cuddling into her. It was nice; it was a part of their dynamic and Amanda liked how it was.
A part of their dynamic was pet names, even if it was more so on Amanda's part. It started off as "sweetie," whenever Angela did something warranting some layer of concern. It morphed into "honey," one that people would call each other on some occasions, so it wasn't as if that were out of the ordinary. Rather, it turned into something that was seemingly just for them, when more pet names were introduced and it happened way more often than it should.
Amanda wasn't even sure how she ended up calling Angela so many pet names. It was as if she was opening a book of pet names and was just using one or another at any given opportunity. It's not like Angela reacted anymore, she did at first, her eyes slowly widening, with tight lips sucked in between her teeth turning in a slight smile. Rather, she didn't react, at all, she'd acknowledge Amanda, maybe a smile and then she'd move on. It simply turned into that because they were both so used to the pet names.
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1. Babe
Amanda sat on the couch in one of the empty green rooms, scrolling through a random article on 'people.com.' Her eyes continued to scan the words, only stopping as a familiar figure sat next to her. Angela's knee touched hers as she sat next to her, even if she didn't have to.
"Hey Ange," Amanda said, turning off her phone to acknowledge the shorter girl. A brow furrowed as she looked at her. She wasn't even distracted by her phone, it was open, but the Instagram photo it was on stayed. Her screen shifted into a darker tint as it remained inactive.
"You there, babe?" Amanda asked, the pet name slipping out naturally. "Babe, come on." She nudged her with her knee.
Amanda frowned, putting a hand on Angela's shoulder, leaning her head down to look into her eyes. "Ange, what's wrong?" She squeezed her shoulder, smiling as Angela seemed to react.
"What?" She asked, blinking slowly as she leaned her back further into the couch. "Hi Amanda."
"Hello to you too," she rolled her eyes lovingly with a soft chuckle. She went back to her spot, but still scooted closer to Angela, if that was even possible. "What's wrong, Ange? I tried getting your attention, and you seemed a bit lost there."
"Oh," she paused. "Sorry, I didn't get enough sleep last night." Then, as if on cue, she yawned. She blinked away the tiredness and continued. "No particular reason, I'm just tired.”
"I can make you a coffee," Amanda offered, she moved closer off the couch, her knees touching the table.
Angela smiled, a hand reaching out towards her to grab Amanda's wrist. She looked adorable, her head tilted slightly as she spoke. "Chanse already made me one earlier. Thanks though Amanda."
Amanda glanced down at Angela's wrist, letting the force drag her back to her spot as if she had to. "Then sleep."
"What?" Angela looked at her, almost baffled. "We have a shoot soon."
"In thirty minutes."
"But-"
"Nuh-uh, you're way too tired for this right now, babe." Amanda wrapped an arm around Angela, her hand on the side of her head. "Sleep. I'll wake you up when it's time." She pushed her head down, telling her to use her shoulder. She couldn't control the smile she had as Angela got comfortable, scooting closer into her warmth.
-
2. Baby
A few of the cast and crew gathered at a local nearby bar after a particularly successful week. Chanse was the designated driver this time around, purely because of a date he had the morning after. Amanda in particular, though she'd usually drink, stayed sober the entire night.
"I can take her home," Amanda offers to Chanse as both their gazes land on a particularly drunk co-worker.
"Are you sure?" He asked. "I mean I was the one who took her here so I wouldn't really mind taking her home."
"Nah, it's fine," Amanda shrugged. "You already have enough people to take home anyway. Even if some of them are just going to take an Uber.”
"Thanks," He smiled as his gaze faltered to Angela who practically tripped onto an equally as drunk Olivia. He moved quickly towards her, a hand wrapping around her waist as he held her up. "You need help getting her to your car?" He said, still asking the question despite knowing full well the answer. Amanda could very much handle Angela's weight if she had no problem carrying Shayne.
"I should be good." She took Angela from Chanse, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. Angela could only stumble forward, making Amanda catch her as she practically laid her entire body on her.
"You had a little too much to drink, Ange," Amanda chuckled lightly. She maneuvered herself around a few booths and tables, careful to not let her fall over.
Angela in response leaned her forehead against Amanda's chest, drool falling onto her shirt. A slur of incomprehensible words and murmurs heard.
As they finally exited the bar with Chanse holding open the door, Amanda found herself practically holding all of Angela's weight.
"Come on, baby," Amanda uttered. "Let's get you in the car." She trudged forward, adjusting her hold on her as she slipped a hand into her pocket for the keys.
Angela's feet stopped, properly standing on the ground, making Amanda stumble to make sure she didn't fall. "Okayyy, 'm drivin," Angela said with full confidence, smiling up at Amanda.
"Babe, you're drunk," Amanda laughed. "There's no world you're the one driving."
"Heyy, I'm not drunk," Angela slurred in slow words. She propped her head up, looking up at Amanda.
"Yes you are," she said, picking Angela off the ground as she ended up carrying her like a princess. She ignored the passing thought on how she felt nice in her arms.
She continued on, dropping Angela onto her feet carefully, as she opened the door. As soon as it was, she drunkenly fell onto the seat naturally, allowing Amanda to get her seated properly and buckled up.
The drive was as uneventful as it could be with a drunk friend, who was starting to get tired. Amanda's eyes shifted towards Angela, seeing her small form hunched over the side of the car. She continued driving as she did, lowering the music's volume even more to make sure she didn't bother her rest. A speed bump she had failed to notice shook the car, making Angela start to mumble. She shifted in her seat, her forehead accidentally hitting the window.
"Ange?" Amanda called out in concern. "Baby?" She kept one hand onto the wheel, keeping her eyes on the road, as she reached out towards Angela. She found her hand, squeezing it lightly, expecting some sort of response. "Baby, are you okay?"
Another murmur slipped out, almost sounding like a whine. "Am I home?" She asked in a tired voice.
"Not yet, I'm sorry about that, Angela," she apologized. "You're almost home I promise."
Angela lifted her head in an attempted nod as she closed her eyes, letting herself drift off to sleep. Amanda could only let go of her hand as she approached a turn, continuing to drive, this time a lot more wary of anything on the road.
-
3. Love
Amanda was having a stressful day. She was ready to arrive to work and bury it, keeping the heavy emotions that weighed on her separate from her work. That's what she always did anyway, not because she didn't trust those she worked with, she very much did, rather it was a habit she built up. Work was separate from her personal life and she was happy keeping it as that.
Yet, as she saw Angela enter the Smosh office and smile as soon as she saw Amanda's face she could already feel her resolve start to weaken. It was always like this, sometimes when she saw Angela it was incredibly easy for her to break her walls down. There was just something about Angela that made her want to open up, and maybe it was because she knew Angela could help calm her down. She knew Angela would listen to every word she said, say what Amanda needed in that very moment, and just like that they could move on with their day like normal. That’s how Amanda preferred it, especially when at work. If she needed to talk about it more she could always just talk to Angela afterwards.
“You okay?” Angela frowned, looking up at Amanda.
Amanda sucked in her lips as she let out a shaky breath. “You’re way too good at this,” she commented, her voice coming out in a hushed whisper.
“Do you want to go somewhere more private before we start our day?” Angela offered.
“No, no,” she nodded her head as she spoke. “I just need a small moment.”
“What’s up?”
“A lot of things have just been adding up,” she sighed. “The nail in the coffin is the fact that I just hate everything I come up with now. All my sketch ideas just seem like shit.” She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a tired groan.
“I'll check over any ideas you may have,” Angela immediately suggested. “You might just need another pair of eyes on it.”
“Thanks,” she smiled, though it didn't entirely meet her eyes. Suddenly, Angela pulled her closer into a hug, Amanda's arms wrapping around her naturally. It felt nice. It felt like she actually needed this.
“You know that I love you, right?”
“Of course I do,” Amanda said, her voice coming out in an unintentional whisper. “I love you too.”
“Just know that I'll always be there for you,” Angela murmured. “I know you hate talking about more serious stuff here, but you can call me up afterwards.” She pulled away from the hug, stepping back as she awkwardly chuckled. “Or, if you're up for it, you can sleep over at my place?”
Amanda's smile grew to meet her eyes, it was almost silly how one person's words could make her feel better in that moment. Angela has always just had that effect. How someone who she hasn't even known for that long could force her way into her heart this fast was beyond her. Though, she didn't exactly mind it. Things were always different with Angela.
“How about you sleep over at my place this time?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Angela grinned. She stepped away, her arm outstretched towards Amanda. “You ready for work?”
“Not yet,” she mumbled.
She grabbed onto Angela's wrist, pulling her closer towards her. "Thank you, love," Amanda whispered as she pulled Angela into another hug. The height difference caused her lips to hit the top of Angela's forehead. She ignored the light flutter that erupted in her stomach.
-
4. Angel
They were playing another board game for Smosh Games. The small group of five surrounded the table, with Angela, as usual sitting next to Amanda. Things were hitting off with how it usually would. It took a bit, but as the game progressed it was natural for their comedic sides to slip through.
Angela, in particular, fascinated Amanda today. She was just so electric, as if she was an energetic force that shined so bright. One that was somehow also a magnet simply for how much Amanda felt drawn to her. That's what made game videos with her so different, so natural, because it was just a part of who they were as people.
It was easy for her to just appreciate more and more sides of Angela, especially when she was working. Where, in that moment, something she is deeply passionate about and good at shines through in every second. She was truly fascinating. So maybe it was those passing thoughts that made her only bounce off Angela even more in that moment.
"Angel-, Angela," Amanda's eyes slightly widened. "You're literally so many points behind." She had made the pet name seem more like a misheard stumble of words than intentional, as she spoke. It's not like she thought Angela would mind it, if anything it would add onto the list of many other things Amanda calls Angela. Who knows maybe Angela would get a kick out of it because it was one letter off her name.
Rather, she stumbled because that was a new one. It's not like she intentionally did it either, her name just naturally followed as if that's what she always meant to say. Ignoring her stumble, she compartmentalized and moved on. She riffed off a joke Trevor made, smiling as Angela laughed and let herself sink deeper into the video.
She couldn't let conflicting emotions show whilst she was working, especially when the thing that started it wasn't something that should bother her in the first place. It was just a pet name. It was a part of their normal. That was it. Yet, that didn't stop the gnawing thought, on what Angela would think, before she sunk herself back into the real world. She really wanted to see her reaction.
Before, in the starting days of this aspect of their dynamic she always had the most obvious of reactions. She always looked so cute. It made it better that Angela was one of those people who could react so easily over the simplest of things. Every time Amanda couldn't help but feel special whenever she saw one of those particular little reactions directed towards her.
Yet, with every passing occurrence and the feelings that'd seem to threaten to rise, Amanda could only wonder. She was starting to enjoy calling Angela all these pet names more than she should, more than she ever bargained for. She was never supposed to end up caring this much. It was fine for her to love Angela and their fast-growing friendship over the past couple months. It was fine for her to get close with all of her coworkers and be her usual touchy self. That was all fine.
It was fine with how it was in the beginning, because it was meaningless. It was something she'd do to others in her life if she were that close with them. Something made her hesitate though, because she was enjoying these pet names more than she should. A part of her, and though she'd never admit it, was scared of eventually pushing Angela away, even if she was confident in the bond they shared. Perhaps there should be more lines drawn when it comes to work relationships.
-
5. Beautiful
Angela was taking Amanda to the party, the former being adamant on doing so after Amanda took her home after she got drunk. She could remember Angela's bumbling apology over how she acted, clearly embarrassed over her actions, even if there wasn’t much to be embarrassed over. In general, it’s been about two weeks since then but Angela still insisted on taking her to Tommy’s birthday celebration.
She was just about to finish her makeup, but paused as she heard the doorbell. “Sorry, I’m not ready yet,” Amanda said, as she opened the door. She could feel herself visibly catch her breath as she took in Angela’s appearance. In one word, she was absolutely stunning. The dress, though simple in design, complemented her appearance. The transparent black stockings affected Amanda more than she’d ever admit. She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Angela was both incredibly cute and hot at the same time.
“It’s fine,” Angela said, bringing Amanda out of her thoughts. “We’re still pretty early anyway.” She did a look over Amanda’s look. “You look beautiful.”
“I haven’t even finished my make up yet.”
“My point still stands.”
Amanda affectionately rolled her eyes. “Well, you literally look absolutely stunning.”
“I try,” she shrugged. “You finish getting ready, I’ll just wait over here.”
Amanda went back into the bathroom, taking her time to finish getting ready. Despite saying she’d wait by the entrance Angela ended up in the bathroom, with the two making idle conversation as Amanda applied her makeup. It was hard not to admire her whilst she was talking. There was just something different about her that drew her in to admire her so much more. A part of her couldn’t help but wish for this moment to last for even longer.
In general, the situation felt different, it felt more like Angela picking up Amanda for a date than the former driving her to a party. Maybe it was the fact the feelings Amanda buried throughout work were starting to show themselves. Maybe it was pure wishful thinking. Maybe it was the fact that Angela looked absolutely beautiful as she stood at Amanda’s front door. Her thoughts in particular towards the shorter girl were becoming a lot more intense in the past few days.
She finished up her makeup, putting the final touches on her lip gloss just as Angela finished animatedly telling her about a character idea she had. She pushed the thoughts from earlier aside, exiting the bathroom to gather her stuff as Angela followed in her steps.
She put on her heels, Angela even helping attach the ends, as she double checked her belongings. "Come on, beautiful, we have a party to go to." Amanda smiled down at Angela, exiting the door that Angela held open for her.
Okay, that pet name made Amanda internally cringe. She couldn’t help but compare it to those sleazy guys who’d cat call women on the street. She was just about to joke about that, but the words died in her throat as she saw Angela’s reaction. She had a tight-lipped smile on her face, a visible flush coating her cheeks as she shakily breathed out.
Oh. This was bad. This only made Amanda want to tease her even more. To see every reaction to multiple various pet names. To find out what was going on in her head everytime Amanda flirted with her. Those thoughts alone extended to other ideas and hopes that Amanda didn’t exactly want to fully process right now. It was okay to be playful with Angela. It was a part of their dynamic. But maybe just maybe like most things there was a limit to it. She definitely needed to start showing some restraint on all these pet names.
-
6. Angela
"Angela, we have an hour before the meeting, it's fine." Amanda said, as Angela took another bite of her sandwich. She was chewing faster than usual, determined to finish her food so her and Amanda could go over character ideas. Yet, the thought of that seemed to fade as Amanda said her name.
She had been calling her either Angela or Ange for the past five days. Not a single pet name had come out of her mouth once and it felt weird. It's not like Amanda always used them, at the end of the day she'd call her Angela more than she'd say some pet name, but the sudden lack of them seemed weird. Especially, during filming where she'd particularly end up calling her more pet names.
On the first day, she didn't even notice it, yet by the second in the late afternoon it was a passing thought. By the third it was more of curiosity, but by the fourth she was actively waiting for Amanda to call her a pet name. It seemed almost stupid how things progressed. There have been days where Amanda wouldn't utter a pet name, but it seemed purposeful this time around because Angela knew Amanda. She knew how she was and sometimes it just felt like she was holding herself back.
"I know I pointed it out but you don't have to eat that slow," Amanda laughed. She lightly pushed the cold bottled water against her hand.
Oh. Angela hadn't taken another bite after swallowing for over a minute. She took another bite of her sandwich giving Amanda a pointed look.
"Oh, come on, what is it?"
"What do you mean?”
"You know what I mean," Angela replied, as if defending herself. She feigned innocence, as the thought of what she was actually about to complain about fully occurred to her.
"I don't, sorry Ange," Amanda sighed. "What is it?"
Angela hated the fact she was starting to get sick of her own name on Amanda's mouth. She hated it even more knowing that feeling would immediately disappear if Amanda just called her babe, honey, or any other pet name she has for her. It was silly. This was entirely Amanda's fault and even though she wasn't mad at the girl whatsoever, it still felt like her fault for getting her so used to the many pet names.
"Try again." Angela tried, at this point she was stalling. She wasn't exactly comfortable with lying to get out of this situation, especially when Amanda looks so concerned.
The truth was hard, it was something that didn't always come easily. Especially when the truth was that Angela was acting like a sad puppy who got no treats over something as silly as no pet names for five days. If Amanda would let her live this down, Angela herself wouldn't.
"What?"
"Repeat your question," she reiterated, hoping that Amanda would somehow catch her hint. Nevermind the fact her hint was extremely minimal.
Amanda sighed. "I don't know what you mean, Angela. What is it?" The repeated question, despite sounding more gentle, also sounded more forced if not robotic. She waved her hand in the air as if further proving her point.
Angela.
Not even Ange at this point. Angela was starting to get tired, she just wanted everything to go back to normal. Normal being Amanda calling her multiple pet names willy nilly whenever she saw fit. This was such a ridiculous issue in the grand scheme of things. Especially, when they were at work and had a particularly busy schedule this past week.
Angela groaned, pushing aside her plate slightly to place her elbow on the table. She was truly at her wits end, just wanting to get this over with. Plus helping her ever so slightly in this situation was that if there was anyone she could talk to it was Amanda.
"Just call me a pet name already!" Angela relented, looking up to meet Amanda's gaze. "You've been doing it just fine for however many months, don't stop now."
Amanda paused, not speaking a word as she just sat there. She blinked, unmoving, the sounds of their chattering coworkers at another table disappearing, even if for a moment. Then, as if a switch was flipped she leaned forward, moving to the edge of the chair, her feet keeping her grounded as she seemingly loomed over Angela.
Angela could only gulp, bracing the table as if it could offer her some support. She wanted nothing more than to burst up in that moment and turn the tables on Amanda, but felt almost too stunned to do so. Her voice was practically a whisper, a share of words meant only for her and her alone. Her voice dropped in tone, making a shiver rush up Angela's spine.
"Aw, did you miss it, babygirl?"
And as Angela expected she already regretted bringing it up. Wholeheartedly, with every fiber of her being, she felt so embarrassed. More so when her heart fluttered and she felt nothing but relief after hearing her call her a pet name.
Angela only scooted closer, grasping onto Amanda's wrist, making their eyes meet after Angela's gaze faltered.
"Yes," Angela answered. "I did miss it, and it's your fault in the first place." She bit her lip out of habit alone. "So take responsibility, will you?”