Mainstream

Awards

The alarm beeped near Waylon's face.

Eddie snarled in his sleep.

There was something about the alarm. Waylon reached for his phone to shut it off. Surely, it could wait.

Except then Eddie's phone rang on the nightstand, humming across the surface as it vibrated. Eddie's eyes opened with another loud growl. He groaned as he grabbed his phone.

"Tell whoever it is to fuck off," muttered Waylon, turning over and tucking into Eddie's side. "I'm ready for a repeat of last night..."

"Darling, you're insatiable," muttered Eddie, holding his phone in front of his face and staring at the screen for several seconds before accepting the call.

"The fuck do you want this early..."

Waylon reached for his own phone, leaving Eddie to his phone call. The voice on the line was unmistakably Andrew.

The alarm. Andrew. Puzzle pieces fell into place.

"It's TODAY!"

Eddie frowned as he stared at the bedspread, ignoring Waylon's outburst.

"You're joking," said Eddie, into the phone.

Waylon unlocked his phone with urgency, rushing to bring up Google.

Oscar Nominations, he typed. On the second time, he even typed it correctly.

The day had finally arrived.

Mainstream opened just inside the cutoff for being considered for the upcoming Academy Awards. The film continued to earn accolades and gleaming reviews. There were more than a few rumors swirling that the film would be considered for at least one category—if not several.

The critics praised Eddie's range in the movie. The fans cheered that their hero had finally returned to a real movie role that showcased exactly how passionate Eddie could be on screen.

There was little surprise when Waylon brought up the website and scrolled down to the nominees for Best Actor.

Eddie Gluskin for Mainstream.

Waylon squealed. It was an unbecoming noise he hadn't realized he could make, but he made it, loud and terrifying. Waylon launched himself at Eddie next to him in the bed. Eddie barely reacted.

"Eddie! You made it! You got nominated! Oh my god, you're going to fucking win! Eddie, can you believe it? Holy shit, finally, another nomination, and this time you're a shoe-in, you're going to win, it's going to happen, baby, oh my god. I'm so happy for you!"

"I'll call you back," said Eddie, ending the call. He turned, slowly, his face pale and slightly clammy despite the cool room.

"I thought you'd react a lot differently to finding out you got nominated," said Waylon, grinning. "You look ill."

"Where are you getting this information, darling?" asked Eddie.

Oh shit. Waylon quickly brought his phone back up and double-checked, afraid he had clicked on some parody news site. Had they been making fun of Eddie? "The Hollywood Reporter, no, this is legit..."

Further down the nominee's list continued, and there it sat.

Waylon Park for Mainstream.

"No," said Waylon.

"Yes," said Eddie, a shy smile creeping onto his face.

"It's...it's impossible, it's my first movie."