They shuffled awkwardly around the Ikea store with different furnishings and bedding dragging behind them. Chris, Alex and Ross had gone out on a day trip to buy things for Trott's new room. They stepped into the warehouse section of Ikea, "Trott, Trott mate sit on this." Ross beckoned Chris over to where he had a shopping cart. All of them grinned with mischief as Trott awkwardly flopped into the cart. "Okay right, Smith you push him and see how far he goes." Ross flipped open his camcorder and pointed it at the pair. "Ready?" Smith whispered into Chris' ear. He shivered and nodded in response. "And... Go." Smith pushed the shopping cart and sent it, and Trott, wheeling off into the open space and soon after veering off into the towers of soft furnishings in the surrounding area. Chris pulled back on the shopping cart shouting at it,praying for it to stop before finally crashing into a stack of sheepskin rugs. Ross and Smith stood a few feet behind clutching at their stomachs in hysterics whilst Trott lay face down cursing at them under his breath, "Fucking twats."
"Need some help?" A women's voice rang through his ears. Looking up Chris saw a pretty girl holding out a hand to him. Taking her hand, she helped pull him to his feet. In the background only Ross' laugh could be heard now. Smith just stood watching them anxiously. "Thanks." Trott nodded and smiled. "No problem." Her eyes darted over him quickly. Before letting go of his hand, she produced a pen. "My names Elizabeth." She smiled, writing numbers on his hand, "If you every want to, y'know, meet up call me." Her eyes glittered. Unable to speak, Trott just nodded. Elizabeth let go of his hand and walked away saying a quick bye over her shoulder. Left just staring at the girl, Trott shook his head in shock. "Well done mate." Ross chuckled, clasping his hand on Chris' shoulder. Alex walked over not saying anything but forced a smile when he met Trott's eyes. "Right, lets go pay shall we." Ross announced.
"Shouldn't we pick all of this up first? Or did you forget what happened literally 10 seconds ago?" Alex joked, a harsher tone taking to his voice.
"Well it was someone's great idea to put me in a shopping cart." Trott laughed and picked up some of their shopping. "EAT SHIT!" Ross shouted throwing a pillow at Chris. Smith just stood awkwardly and laughed quietly, a disheartened look on his face. Noticing this, Chris reached out for Smith's arm and began to drag him towards the food section, before shouting over his shoulder to Ross, "I'll pay you back when we get home mate."
Following after Trott a genuine smile slowly began to return to Alex's face, "What's all this about mate?" He questioned. Chris turned his body to face the larger man, "You know in all of my travels I have never tasted the delicacy that is Swedish meatballs." grinning widely Chris returned to dragging Alex to the frozen produce section. Of course that's what this is about Alex thought, mentally kicking himself for ever thinking otherwise.
The two friends quickly gathered as many different oddly named bags of chocolate and meatballs they could hold before making their way back to Ross in the line. "Bloody hell mate I hope you're paying for all of that." Ross joked noticing the bags of food, looking over to Chris, Alex stated, "I've got it mate, this ones never tried ikea meatballs, we need to teach him in their ways. 'Delicacy my ass, Trott." A gruff laugh made it's way out of Ross as they paid for their items. Making their way back to the carpark Ross refused to push the shopping cart and pointed at the flat-pack furniture, "I'll be the one building that shit you can push it." Chris turned to look at his ebony haired friend, "I believe it's a three man job but whatever mate, I get that your little arms can't push it any further." Trott grinned as he darted off in front of the other two men to avoid Ross' oncoming punch to the arm and weird death threats.
Returning home the three of them unloaded Trott's shopping into the spare room. All the way home Alex was unnaturally quite and when they had finished unpacking he retreated to his room leaving Chris and Ross to exchanged questioning glances with eachother. Laying on his bed Smith stared endlessly at the white ceiling. 'I shouldn't care. Act normal.' He sighed and dragged a hand down his rugged face before sitting up straight.
After gathering his thoughts Alex left his bed, burst open his bedroom door and announced himself back into the room, "So are we going to build these Swedish puzzle boxes or not?" Confused, Chris and Ross looked over at one another, deciding not to mention his sudden change in attitude they slowly got up from the sofa and made their way to the room soon to be Trott's.
After two hours, 10 misplaced screws, lost dowels, wrong sized allen keys and four broken bed planks the three men eventually gave up on trying to build Chris' bed frame. "I think, just maybe keeping the instructions would've helped." Chris glowered at Ross who was disguising a look of embarrassment with a sly smile, "Well it's not my fault they weren't in English" he retorted before Alex cut it, "It was on the back mate, ENGLISH WAS ON THE BACK. There were also diagrams but who needs instructions right? Not us clearly." he muttered sarcastically whilst gazing onto the wooden mess that shared no resemblance to a bed frame what so ever. "Real men don't." Ross grunted. Chris let out a soft sigh, "I guess that's me on the sofa then, does anyone care to spare an extra pillow? I don't think my bones can take another night of crumbs and stray empty wrappers without one." Trott uttered jokingly, looking into the distance clutching dramatically at his heart. Smith, the only one taking Trott's lack of sleeping quarters seriously decided to speak up, "you can uh, you can sleep in my room tonight if you want mate, I'll take the sofa" Chris looked at Alex in disbelief,
"I was only kidding mate, you need sleep just as much as I do, I'll be fine on the sofa" Trott explained, clearly feeling bad about his previous comments on the comfort of the sofa. "No I insist you've been on that thing for three days, I'll sleep there." Alex insisted, smiling at Trott showing how little sleeping on the sofa bothered him.
"Well God knows I'm not sleeping on there, sort it out and get some sleep you twats." Ross chuckled making his way to his room. Smith and Trott sighed in unison. They both made their way to the empty living room and collapsed on the sofa, showing no signs of moving. "You're so stubborn mate." Chris chuckled grabbing the remote. Alex lay back putting his arm along the back of the sofa whilst leaning over to steal the remote from Trott's unsuspecting hands, "Mate wha-"
"You were channel surfing, Shaun of the dead is on BBC Two at nine lets watch that." Smith argued, 'just like we used to'.
After fifteen minutes of shivering in silence, Chris got up and began to search for blankets, finally locating them he made his way back to the sofa and cocooned himself in them. Smith smirked, turning his whole body to face the smaller man, "Are you planning on sharing those?" He said whilst eyeing up the blankets. At this Trott burst out in hysterics, "not on your life you twat! Get your ow-" Chris uttered as Alex grabbed at the blankets covering Trott and pulling them towards him. Chris sat shocked for a moment before deciding that Alex's actions called for war. Mustering up all of his energy, Chris dived onto his redheaded friend grasping the blankets and falling back, shouting for his victory as Alex reached around him and began tickling at his sides. Squirming around trying to get away Chris clawed at the blankets and jumped for his freedom, but Smith was quicker. Alex reached out and pulled Trott and the blankets back and resumed jabbing at Trott's sides, clutching at his stomach and bright red in the face, Trott gasped, "Mate, okay you- you can have the blankets I give up, you win I surrender." A wide smile spread across Alex's face, "Thought you would eventually." He laughed, picking up the fallen blankets and placing them across both himself and his smaller friend. Glancing over at Trott's awestruck and confused expression Smith explained, "Unlike you I share these warmth givers." Kicking Chris in the process.
After arguing who would be most likely to be the pet zombie who you play video games with (both and neither of them apparently) they began to fall asleep. Trott's head coming to rest on Alex's shoulder and Alex's arm coming from the back of the sofa to around Trott.
It was around 2am when Ross walked in to find the TV left on and his two friends curled up together on the sofa, legs intertwined and Chris covering half of Alex's chest with his body. A knowing smile came across Ross' face as he stood there, "Close friends he said" he silently chuckled, 'Just close friends my ass.' He thought as he made his way into the kitchen, turning off the TV and making his way back to bed.
A/N: Ross ships it
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Making up for lost time ~Hat Films Fan Fiction~
FanfictionA 16 year old crush is nothing right? Or at least thats what they kept telling themselves. Chris Trott and Alex Smith were close friends at 16. A change of his Dad's job takes Chris away to a foreign country, leaving Alex and his hidden feelings be...
