Archive of Our Own ^beta

Norm sat at the couch, brainlessly watching some old football game that aired a couple weeks ago. He glanced at the clock in the living room, it was nearly 11pm.

Chaz, whatever it’s name was, had arrived and moved in today, as much as Norm hated having them in his house. What made it worse was the fact Janice went out with her friends, leaving him alone in the house with Chaz and Chloe.

He sighed, shutting off the TV and standing up, scratching his lower back before heading upstairs. It was late, he was tired and upset, all he really wanted was a cold beer, but he was stubborn, and wouldn’t drink the beer in the rainbow can.

He made it to his and Jancie’s shared room, opening the door with the hinges whining, continuing until it closed behind Norm. He wasted no time quickly undressing himself and changing into more comfortable pyjamas.

He sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. Uncertainty and anxiety filled his mind and he ran his fingers through his grey hair. Maybe this won’t be too bad he thought to himself, maybe living with Chaz won’t be too bad.

His mind flicked to Charlie, his dear friend Charlie. Who else would he call for guidance? Guidance wasn’t the right word, more like something to distract him from the world around him.

But he couldn’t go to Charlie’s, he was on house arrest. Charlie could come to his house, but did he really want that? Norm looked at the door to his room, eventually he decided on what to do. He picked up his phone, typing in a phone number.

He put it to his ear, letting it ring. He expected to go straight to voicemail, Charlie was sleeping, he shouldn’t have even done this in the first place. The phone picking up cut through his thoughts like a sharpened knife to an apple.

Charlie answered groggily, “Norm, what do you need at 11:27 at night?” he started with irritation clear in his tone that mingled with the sleepiness. Norm opened his mouth but no words came out yet, instead Charlie continued,* “Someone better be dyin’ or something,” he spoke with an audible sigh coming to the other end.

Norm took in a deep breath, “Hey, Charlie, could you maybe, come over?” he spoke quietly, exhaustion clear in his tone. Something about the whole exchange made him nervous, now that he thought about it he’d been nervous around Charlie specifically for quite a while, he never really knew why.

On the other end, Charlie moved out of his room, leaving his wife mostly asleep in their shared bed. Charlie tiredly mumbled out a response, “Fine, but I’m sleepin’ over there if you’re waking me up at 11.” Norm would’ve bet real money that Charlie had rolled his eyes when he said that.

Norm spoke one last time before the call ended, “Alright, see you soon.”

He put his phone on the nightstand, drawing in an unsteady breath. He stepped into a pair of old slippers before quietly making his way downstairs. As he came down, he could see the light of an open fridge coming from the kitchen.

Norm reached the bottom of the stairs, moving quietly to the doorway of the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, it was Chloe digging through the fridge in her pyjamas, she closed the door to the fridge once caught. “Hey, dad,” she started with a nervous smile. She had been caught red handed grabbing a midnight snack.

Norm simply sighed. “Isn’t it a school night? You should be upstairs sleeping, not downstairs getting food.” He left the kitchen without another word, settling on the sofa as a response from Chloe fell on deaf ears. Norm watched from the Sofa as Chloe made her way back upstairs to her room with a handful of snacks Norm didn’t bother to pay attention to, he took a deep breath.

Soon enough a knock at the door snapped Norm back to his senses. He got up and answered the door, Charlie standing grumpily behind it, “What’s bugging you?” He asked immediately, stepping into the house and taking a seat on the sofa. Norm blinked, looking up at the much taller man. “What do you mean, Charlie?” To which Charlie sighed and replied, “you don’t call me at 11pm and ask me to come over for no reason, Norm, what’s going on?” He sounded genuinely concerned, almost like a scolding but concerned parent, it was a tone that made Norm’s heart unexpectedly flutter.

A wave of realization came crashing over him as he sat next to Charlie on the sofa. “Everything’s just, going to shit, y’know?” Sighed, glancing at Charlie who nodded in response, opening his mouth to respond, “yeah, I get it.” There was a silence that stretched over them. Norm put his head in his hands.

“This thing with Chaz, or whatever it’s called, the house arrest, just, everything, Charlie,” his voice trembled, he drew in a sharp breath. Something was on the tip of his tongue, something he couldn’t tell Charlie, or  Janice, or anybody, not even himself. Charlie put a comforting hand onto Norm’s shoulder. Nodding as Norm rambled on about shit Norm wasn’t even processing himself.

A coherent thought cut through the others and bubbled up like lava, hot on Norm’s tongue. “I don’t think I can keep running from this anymore.” No matter how many shots he poured, how many endless nights he spent with Charlie, it lurked, his problems lurked. Or maybe his inability, his unwillingness to address a problem.

Charlie rubbed Norm’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort the shorter man, “maybe you shouldn’t.” He let his words hang in the air, with Norm’s head falling back into hands.

“Let’s get you to bed, Norm,” Charlie spoke up, a soft tone as he stood up, leading an emotional, exhausted Norm back to bed and practically tucking the man in.

Norm mumbled out meaningless thanks, but as Charlie turned to leave, Norm spoke up, “Charlie, thank you. I can’t do this alone,” he admitted, the words hung heavy in the air, and then Charlie left, closing the door behind him.

Norm was left in silence, sighing into his pillow. He was a straight man, why did Charlie make him feel things like that?