making tapple even worse

preface: i don't own smosh or these people and also this is just for fun because twitter randomly anti damangela so why not have fun w it

if ur waiting on my other fic it is coming i'm just the worst at time management lol <3

Damien x Angela
-

Angela wasn't feeling well.

It had started that morning but was worsening with every passing minute; her body was aching but not cold yet, and her voice was hoarse but not gone yet. Nevertheless, a day of filming lay ahead. While staying home seemed like a nice option, losing out on her day rate didn't. So, she drove to work, unable to turn on the radio for entertainment. Every sound felt like a firework popping off in her ears from being so uncomfortable. She probably would have taken an Uber to work if she had known any better.

When Angela arrived, she could barely imagine having to pay attention in the morning meeting, so she pre-emptively decided she wouldn't. When Chanse sat beside her during the pre-meeting mingling about that everybody so often did, she didn't even turn to face him.

"Angela, you look awful," Chanse stated, placing a bottle of water in front of her. Begrudgingly, she took it to her lips and took a long, painful swig down her aching throat.

"Thanks a lot."

"You know what I mean. Why'd you come to work if you're sick?"

That was less of a simple question and more of an invitation to open a can of worms about Spork and his endless medical bills, so Angela deflected again.

"Just can't get enough board games. They heal me." To that, Chanse rolled his eyes and laughed, and Angela believed for a minute she could get through the day sick and Scott-free from being called out on it. Of course, that meant avoiding Damien all day.

Angela and Damien got along. She wants to think so, at least. Where she could barely bite her tongue and was constantly talking herself into situations, Damien was much more careful with his words but was always the first to reassure her that everybody took her well. The validation, in theory, meant a lot to her- some part of her just refused to accept it as true. She could only wish that his comfort didn't enable her filter-free mind to make fun of him even harder because once she saw how quick he was to play along with her, she could barely get through a conversation with him without calling him a bitch or punching him in the arm or mocking him, or any combination of the three. She would always apologize, he would brush it off or punch up, and the cycle would continue.

The only part of this dynamic that wasn't clear to her, to him, or to anybody else who witnessed them was why, even though she had fun with him, and it seemed mutual to any observer, she would go home after work and mentally beat herself up over their every interaction. Her journal pages about it got dark and sad, and she wondered how he could be so endlessly kind and forgiving despite how she was endlessly annoying.

She had tried her therapist's advice on being proactive on these things and asked him outright one Tuesday afternoon months ago after a games shoot,

"Do I annoy you? Like, really, do I bother you? Because I can stop if I do anything that upsets you." And he said, "You don't annoy me at all. Not ever." She believed it that time, at least enough not to wonder if he was lying until the next day.

So, she had to avoid Damien today. Because ever since she asked that question, he had been unbelievably attentive. He laughed harder at her jokes, texted her saying how much he appreciated her friendship, and even liked tweets by and about Angela. And with each attempt to reassure her, she felt even more like she had burdened him. The idea of Damien knowing she was sick brought up many fears for Angela- the most frightening of all being that he might try to make her feel better. She wasn't sure why the thought of Damien giving her cough medicine and being upset that she pushed herself to work while sick made her anxious. It's normal for friends to care for one another and be concerned. After all, Chanse had done the same, and she didn't feel guilty for taking water from him. She and Chase are best friends, though. Damien is a friend, sure, but is firstly a coworker, and Angela is tired of being a burden.