#Starlie

[iswallowe]

steven meeks is the biggest and the worst charlie dalton enabler btw. he might draw a line at helping him with certain dumb shit but he sure as fuck is not stopping him

[common-p1ace]

Dude being a multishipper is so fucking great sometimes. It just unlocks so much more content. *slaps Charlie Dalton like he's a car* This stupid motherfucker can slot into so many pairings and I'm fucking here for it.

[the-words-forever-unwritten]

#43 Starlie for the ask game, please <3

HELLOOOOO Hi Jona, this took me awhile but Charlie/Meeks for you!! They overtook something in me I swear/silly, longest fic yet! There is a bit of Meeks and Pitts referenced in the start of this hehe. The polycule!!

43: kiss out of greed

The prompt is from this ask game please feel free to keep sending me prompts and fics! I'm fine with pretty much any ship!

Starlie

Title: Nightmares and late night conversations

Words: 2750

Warning for smoking, nightmares and references to being buried alive

fic under cut:

It was 1:23 AM, a very specific time and not one Meeks wanted to be awake at. It was unfair really, because it wasn’t like he was trying to stay awake. Well admittedly it was true that sometimes Meeks had nights where he would keep himself awake longer than he should– which was usually when he stayed up studying. If Meeks felt like he did not understand a subject well enough he tended to stay awake reviewing it until he felt like he did. If you asked him then Meeks would say it was only necessary. He had to make sure he understood everything, not just for his own grades, but for the sake of everyone else as well. For the amount of times the rest of the group has needed him as a tutor, it should really be his full time job. Where would they be if they needed his help and all Meeks had to say was “I don’t know”? It just wasn’t productive that way. 

Pitts had tried to speak to him about this habit before, which Meeks thought was fair. They were roommates after all, if Meeks was awake that meant either the overhead light or his desk lamp was on. Though to his own credit, Meeks was good at making sure the overhead light was off whenever Pitts was ready for bed. He really didn’t want to disturb his sleep. The desk lamp was really the only issue. Pitts had tried telling Meeks once that even the desk lamp was too much for him, and would disrupt him from being able to sleep. Though Meeks has seen how Pitts was able to fall asleep with the desklamp on just fine; he figured that Pitts was just trying to think of excuses to convince Meeks to go to bed. 

On some nights it's worked and Meeks would put whatever material he had away and he would fall asleep (Uncomfortably). Most nights Meeks found that if he waits for Pitts to fall asleep first and he uses a dim flashlight to see his notes, the other boy would be none the wiser. (He felt bad lying to him, truly he did but sometimes it just felt necessary.)

However, none of that was the issue right now. Meeks had gone to sleep at a proper time tonight. He wasn’t sure when exactly, but he figured it had to have been around 10, the problem was that he woke up at the wrong time. Meeks usually wakes up around 6am, which means he was awake 4 and a half hours away. Not that he was counting

He had a nightmare. 

When Meeks heard about nightmares in stories it usually involved someone twisting rapidly in their sleep before jolting awake to sit up in bed. However, when Meeks had a nightmare he just. Woke up. His eyes would open, and he was sure he had to have been still in his sleep because he was staring at the same wall he was before he dozed off, and his blanket was still in the same position. Along with that he was sure couldn’t have moved due to the fact that his whole body felt heavy, like it was being weighed down by something. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like something had pushed down on his lungs, even though he knew that wasn’t true. 

Eventually the sensation passed and he lifted himself to sit up in bed. He gripped his blanket as he willed himself to take a deep breath, though his heart was beating fast. Meeks didn’t think there was a high chance of him being able to fall back asleep, not now anyways. He needed air. 

He glanced at Pitts sleeping peacefully– at least Meeks hoped it was peacefully– across the room. Quietly, Meeks slipped out of his bed, he didn’t wish to disturb him. Just because Meeks was awake didn’t mean they both had to be. He slipped on his shoes and coat over his pajamas before he crept out of the dorm. However, once he had made it into the hallway Meeks was met with a familiar face who also seemed to be on his way out a bit down the hall. 

“Charlie?” Meeks asked, keeping his voice low so as not to alert anyone to their presence, it was evident from the surprise in his voice that he didn’t expect to run into him right now. 

“Hey, what are you doing up?” Charlie whispered back as he looked back at Meeks, a tired grin spreading across his face after he saw him. 

Meeks shrugged a bit “I couldn’t sleep.” he lied, but he looked at Charlie staring at him and he immediately corrected himself ”I had a nightmare.” As he spoke Meeks walked ahead to stand next to Charlie. It felt wrong to lie to Charlie, in fact it felt stupid, useless even. Charlie always had a way of reading him, Meeks was sure he would have been able to pick up on the fact that he was lying. Then where would they be? Charlie couldn’t force him to talk, but if they both know Meeks was lying they would never get anywhere. A sense of transparency had to exist between, Meeks would tell Charlie the truth and just maybe Charlie could make things better. This unspoken agreement never seemed to go both ways though, no matter how much Meeks wished he would, Charlie has rarely ever come to Meeks to help.  

Well, that wasn’t true. Charlie would ask Meeks for small things: For Meeks to help him with latin, for him to throw his jacket down if the poets needed a blanket, for him to lend Charlie a  lighter when they went out to smoke and he forgot his own. All things Meeks has done willingly when asked, accompanied by a chuckle and “Yessir”. Charlie has asked Meeks for help before, but he never asks him for something below surface level. Over the years of their friendship Charlie has beared witness to some of the worst parts of Meeks and had offered to help hold and throw away some of the thoughts that Meeks held on to that hurt him and dragged him down. However, Meeks has never been given the opportunity to return the favor. Any parts of Charlie that exist below his exterior that Meeks has seen was due to him peering through the cracks of Charlie’s performance, not something Charlie had willingly opened himself to. 

Meeks would like the opportunity. The opportunity is all he would ask for. 

Meeks came back to the situation at hand at the sound of Charlie clicking his tongue and nodding his head at Meeks’ words “Well that won’t do, will it?” He spoke carefully–most people wouldn’t describe anything Charlie Dalton did as careful, but Meeks has grown familiar at seeing the car in his voice– Charlie turned forward and stared back on his way out of the building. “I’m going to the courtyard, come on.” Charlie waved forward at Meeks to come along with him, Meeks’ wanted to make a comment about how he was going there anyway, whether Charlie was here and asked him to or not. Instead, in his current state Meeks just nodded and mumbled a quiet “Yessir.” as he followed him. 

—

Out in the courtyard Charlie and Meeks found themselves a spot to place themselves, standing side by side. Meeks took a deep breath once they were outside, the cold air of the night hitting his face and sending a shock to his system. It felt like small winds were blowing away the clouds that currently covered the inside of Meeks’ head. Clouds that kept the thoughts of his dream from before. 

The two of them stood quietly for a moment, Meeks watched as Charlie fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pockets. He pulled one out, took out his lighter and lit it before putting the cigarette to his lips. In the back of his mind Meeks bitteraly mused over the fact that Charlie didn’t need help getting a lighter right now, not that Meeks even had his on him right now. Meeks didn’t understand why it bothered him. Charlie held the box out to Meeks but he just shook his head. Meeks regretted this decision clearly, he really needed a smoke right now. He didn’t say anything. 

“So what was it about?” Charlie spoke as he put the box back in his pocket and brought his hand up to nurse the cigarette he had. 

“Huh?” Meeks blinked.

“Your nightmare, what was it about?” Charlie took a drag of his cigarette. 

“Oh.” Meeks just said. He thought back to the dream, the feeling of suffocation and like everything was closing in on him. Something heavy weighing him down. Meeks ducked his head as he said “I was buried alive.” Meeks spoke firmly, casually. Of course he was casual, it was just a dream. None of it was real, there was no reason for Meeks to be scared, so matter what the shake in his hands proved otherwise. 

Charlie turned his body toward Meeks and in turn Meeks did the same. Face to face now, Meeks could see the slight frown pulling at Charlie’s lips. “Scary shit.” he spoke, though his face was soft. Meeks almost laughed at the difference between his words and his tone, maybe Charlie did that on purpose. “But you’re safe now,” Charlie continued on, like Meeks was ever in any real danger “You’re okay. You’ll be okay.”

Meeks nodded slightly. Some people may have taken the words as dismissive, but Meeks knew that wasn’t the case. It was a promise that things would be alright, even if they aren’t yet. Charlie would make sure of it. They fell into a silence again as they just stared at each other. It wasn’t awkward but Meeks wouldn’t call it comfortable either, it was somewhere in the middle. As they stood there, Meeks finally brought himself to ask a question that had been nagging at him. “Why are you up?” 

Meeks had a feeling that Charlie wasn’t just awake for the sake of it, the two of them were both sneaking out for a reason. Meeks waited for an answer from Charlie, it didn’t have to be anything big, Meeks just wanted Charlie to tell him something, anything. 

Charlie stared at Meeks silently for a moment, like he was examining his options. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” is all Charlie said after that, his voice was low. Like what he was really saying was ‘This isn’t about me. Don’t make it about me.’ which really meant ‘Don’t ask about me.’.  It was forceful, but it wasn’t cruel. It was still careful. 

Still, Meeks felt something vile boiling in the pit of his stomach at the answer. It was a mix of anger and greed, a selfish longing to know what Charlie was thinking. Not just what he was thinking, he wanted Charlie to open himself up to him, he wanted Charlie to break down the walls that surrounded him. It didn’t have to be all of them, and it didn't have to be for everyone, just one wall. One wall with a big enough gap in it that Meeks could see the inside easily. He was sick of just trying to look through the cracks in those walls and hoping he caught something. It wasn’t fair that Meeks had made the space for Charlie to know him but Charlie wouldn’t give Meeks the same courtesy. 

Meeks must have been silent for too long, because Charlie spoke up again “What about your dreams? What do you dream about?” as he spoke he held the cigarette away from his mouth. 

Meeks blinked at the question, and narrowed his eyes at Charlie “What?” 

“It's a pretty simple question, Meeks.” Charlie spoke with an airy laugh. “What do you dream about? What lives in that head of yours besides the nightmares?” 

Meeks still eyed him carefully, trying to piece together what Charlie was trying to achieve from this. Still, it was a question. Charlie may have dismissed his question but Meeks doesn't have it in him to do the same. The space he carved for Charlie in his life wasn’t reversible like that. “My dreams aren’t that exciting,” he started “sometimes I dream about my family and my sisters when I’m here, then when I’m home I dream about my friends.”

Charlie nodded at Meeks’ words “And what do you think about that?”

The gears were turning in Meeks’ head as he thought about where this conversation was going. “I know what you're doing.”  

“I’m not doing anything.” Charlie spoke, an ever present smirk on his face. 

“You’re trying to distract me.” Charlie wanted Meeks to stop thinking about his nightmare, of course he did. He wanted to make things okay. 

Charlie just shrugged, even though they both knew that Meeks was right. “Forget about the dreams, just tell me what you think about.”

“Can you be more specific?”

Another shrug “What are you thinking about right now?” Charlie said, and then took another drag from his cigarette before turning his head and blowing the smoke away from Meeks face. Charlie’s turn talking was done, it was Meeks’ turn.

Meeks wanted to be done talking though, because the only think he could think of right now was the emotions still bubbling in his stomach, the fact that Charlie wouldn’t talk to him, and the fact that he still needed a fucking cigarette. 

Charlie watched Meeks and tilted his head playfully to the side, before he held his arm out and he offered Meeks the cigarette he had. It was like he could read his mind, Meeks wished he could read peoples minds. At least, he wished he could read Charlie’s mind. These things just made the emotions he was feeling worse. Meeks took it from him, inhaling the smoke and turned his head and blew the smoke away from Charlie. The same courtesy Charlie offered him. After that Meeks held it away from his face as he looked up at Charlie. He figured Charlie was expecting him to just hand it back to him, but in the moment he just paused. Does Charlie still expect an answer? His mind is still running with the want to understand Charlie, for Charlie to tell him one significant thing about himself. Charlie. He was just thinking about Charlie. 

It wasn’t calculated, and maybe it was stupid. But with the greed in him building up Meeks found himself reaching his free hand up to the back of Charlie’s neck. They just held there for a moment, staring at each other. Meeks was waiting for Charlie to move away, Charlie was waiting for Meeks to move forward. Once the moment had past Meeks leaned up while pulling Charlie down by his neck and their lips met in the middle. Meeks had half missed his mouth, but Charlie had brought his hands up to hold Meeks’ face; he moved his head and corrected the position. It was like everything else tonight was, careful. 

Eventually they pulled away and once again they just stared at each other. There was a shift in the air around them yet at the same time it felt like nothing had changed. 

“Why were you up?” Meeks asked again, this time he whispered it. The question felt more poignant this time, and like if he said it too loud then everything would fall apart. What that everything was though, Meeks wasn’t even sure. 

Meeks watched as Charlie eyed him, before he reached out and grabbed the cigarette back from him, turning slightly “I’ll tell you tomorrow, right now we should get some sleep.” 

Meeks’ mouth opened slightly, wanting to object “Wh- Charlie!” 

“Meeks.” Charlie spoke, turning back to him “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Meeks wanted to argue more, but there was something in Charlie’s face and voice that made him stop: sincerity. Charlie was being honest with him, the way Meeks wished he would. At least a start to it. Charlie was making a promise. 

Tomorrow. Meeks would learn something new about Charlie Dalton tomorrow. Meeks nodded slightly “Okay.” 

The two of them turned to start their walk back to their dorms, they walked in silence with the knowledge that tomorrow there would be a shift in their relationship. As they walked, Meeks didn’t think he was going to have any more nightmares tonight.  

[suzumiart0]

⭐💿 and you smell like calm, like silence in your head; you are like ten hours of continuous sleep; you are thursday, you are 4pm, you are chamomile tea and peace; i always cry, and you smell like those shampoos without tears; like care, like home, like ability seriously; and love for a long time, love endlessly

[clericallyinsane]

im going insane would anyone read a dps big time rush au

[peepatode]

this one goes out to the 4 people and ball of lint that enjoy these guys

[g--shadows]

rip charlie dalton, you would've loved sending the most insane instagram reels to your friends

[si-nemo-me-reminiscetur]

i know that cheeks as a shipname exists. i am fully aware of it.

but ... starlie? (batting my eyes at the dps fandom)

[finneystaggs]

my dps ships but they get increasingly more chaotic/niche

anderperry - the beloved fandom ship, very few don't ship it

starlie - most people i've seen prefer meeks x pitts and knarlie, but there is a fandom for this one

stick x pitts - i can count in one hand the people who ship this

[iswallowe]

dead poets society (1989)

[froggiesir]

starlie u will always be famous

[octaviasdread]

Dead Poets Date Hc’s

Meeks x Charlie - Paint Twister

Initially, Charlie’s looking for subtle ways to get his boyfriend away from his work desk.

Meeks is obsessive - hunched over, glassy eyed, and forgetting to eat until Charlie (lovingly) shoves the straw from a protein shake between his lips.

It needs to end.

So Charlie turns to Youtube.

Sports aren’t Steven’s thing, but Charlie reckons stretching counts as exercise, and spirals into a rabbit hole of sappy couples yoga full of poses Meeks would never do.

But he needs to do something. Dinner is cold (again) by the time Steven leaves his desk.

He’s an hour late and squinting through a screen headache, but his eyes hold so much love that Charlie opens his arms wide as his boyfriend stumbles into their kitchen.

His phone, like the search, lays forgotten.

Three days pass with similar, fruitless efforts.

It’s an accident when he finds it. He’s scrolling mindlessly as his algorithm finds a game that’s dumb enough to be his idea, yet simple enough to entice his boyfriend’s too generous nature.

It’s perfect.

He hardly spends five minutes annoying pouting sweetly before Meeks abandons his work with a deep sigh.

It takes three successful poses and two spilled paint cans for that dazzling grin to displace the tense set of Steven’s shoulders. 

The arrow whirls again and again in haze of tangled limbs, laughter and rainbow paints.

But there’s one thing Charlie hasn’t counted on - how much he appreciates the sight of his handprints stamped boldly across his boyfriend’s body.

His manager might not know it, but Meeks doesn’t return to his desk until breakfast.

In Charlie’s eyes that alone is worth the clean up.

[ghostthewriter09]

DPS boys and their non canon nicknames

Todd: in my head I refer to him as The Toddster but none of my fics use (or will ever use) a nickname for him

Neil: Ginny calls him Nellie as a joke and to her parents

Charlie: Steven 100% calls him Char and I do not accept criticism (they are dating)

Steven: Stevie from Charlie. Meeksie from Pitts.

Pitts: Pittsie from an annoyed or drunk Charlie. Gerald from half the people in his life cause they cannot get his name right and he will not correct them.

Cameron: Cam from Steven, Pitts and Neil.

Knox: Charlie called him Ox as a kid because that’s all he heard and it stuck.

Bonus:

Ginny: Gin from Chris

Chris: Christine from Ginny

[suzumiart0]

just a teenage dirtbag baby

[cowboylexapro]

charlie: ohhhhhhh meeksie! look! mistletoe! you know what that means!

meeks:

meeks: charles im not kissing you under a parasite

[daveys-sister]

Meeks: I'm trash. Charlie: As someone who's environmentally conscious, it's my duty to pick you up. Does 7 work for you? Meeks:

Meeks: *squeak*