Hoodies

Sitting on his bed and waiting for him to get ready, Mel glances around the familiar bedroom of Gortimer, one of her two best friends. She, Gortimer, and Ranger were planning to head to the movies soon to see some generic action movie they'd been raving about (Code Black or whatever it was called), and since he tends to get sidetracked trying to help someone and show up late, she's taken it upon herself to make sure that he's on time for once. She's about to yell for him to hurry up when he finally emerges from the bathroom. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I should've brought a jacket, it's probably going to be cold in there," she says, noticing the garment he has draped over his arm.

Gortimer shrugs his shoulders. "Probably." He pauses for a second and then walks over to his closet to rummage around while she stares curiously at his back. Something soft hits her in the face, and after taking a second to shake off her surprise, she grabs the cloth and holds it up to get a better look at it. "Isn't this your lucky hoodie?" she asks. The sleeves had been mended where he'd torn them three years ago, but other than that it looks exactly the same as the last time she'd seen it.

"Well, I can't wear it anymore. Besides-" He takes the jacket from her hands and puts it on over her shoulders. "Now it'll always be close to me."

She feels strange because 'always' sort of implies 'forever' and the fact that he'd trust her with something so precious to him makes her cheeks grow warm. "Well, if you don't mind."

"Of course not. Who better to inherit it than my best friend?" he asks, looking affronted that she'd even imply it was a problem.

She slides her arms into the sleeves and smiles up at him, performing a quick, ironic spin. "How do I look?"

He grins back and puts his arm around her shoulders. "Like my new good luck charm. I think it fits you better than it ever fit me."

She discreetly raises a sleeve to her nose and takes a deep breath. It smells like him, which is surprisingly comforting. In a way it's like he's giving her a warm hug while she's wearing it. "Thanks, I'll cherish it forever."

"Or at least until you outgrow it."

Mel shakes her head. "I'll keep it even after that. Maybe I'll pass it down to my children."

"Good idea, keep the luck in the family." He blinks and removes his arm from her shoulders. "Uh, I meant-"

"I know what you meant." She grabs his hand and puts it back around her shoulders. Her blue eyes meet his brown ones, and then they fall to his lips. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't wondered once or twice whether there was something more to their friendship, whether the way she felt towards him wasn't perhaps a different kind of love then either of them thought.

"Hey guys, I-what are you doing?" Ranger asks, staring at them from the doorway.

"Nothing," they mumble simultaneously, taking a very conspicuous step away from each other.

He raises an eyebrow and glances between the two of them, his eyes eventually landing on the jacket Mel is wearing. "Isn't that Gortimer's lucky hoodie?"

"Yep," Mel replies.

He looks over at Gortimer curiously. "You giving it to her?"

"Yep."

After a very long, very awkward few seconds, Ranger shrugs. "Cool. Let's go, the movie's starting in ten minutes." He exits the room without a second glance, leaving the two of them alone again.

"So...shall we?" Gortimer asks, holding out his arm for her to take. Mel rolls her eyes at the gesture, fighting to keep her face from breaking out into a grin. He can be such a dork, but he never fails to make her smile.

And it's in that moment that she realizes it. There was no need to complicate it with overthinking; that was Gortimer's department. As long as he's in her life-even as friends-she's happy. More than happy. Sighing inwardly, she loops her arm through his.

"We shall."

AN: Just a quick one, slight Gortimer/Mel but overall about friendship! This was written like a year before the show ended (sobbing), but it still roughly fits into the universe after a couple of modifications. Just think of it as Gortimer visiting from the city as a high schooler!