Chapter Text
Alice, you might know her as Nan, always wakes up early on Christmas Day to make breakfast for the whole family. Usually Harold will also get up with her and he’ll make the eggs while she makes the sausage, working one skillet at a time and bumping their old hips together, but this year is different. And it’s hard. She loved that old fart, even when he was always sneaking snacks in his underwear drawer and trying to cut the grass on a broken mower. Harold was her Charlie. They complimented each other the way Nick and Charlie always had and fifty six years later, she’s all alone again. Maybe that’s why Alice likes to spend more time with her daughter and her grandsons now–because it’s easier than being alone.
No one prepared her for this. No one tells you how hard it’s going to be after you become a widow until you become one. She never thought about it much, even when both of their healths were so sporadic. If she had any idea, she always thought she would be the one to go first because Harold was just so stubborn that neither God nor the Devil would want to deal with him. But evidently they made their choice because it’s Christmas morning and she’s alone.
She emerges from the guest room and walks down the hallway, peeking in on David who is still fast asleep with an arm thrown over his eyes. Sarah is snoring happily with the cover thrown off of her, so Alice pulls the cover back over her daughter, reminded of simpler times when she was just a mum and she did this all the time. It doesn’t matter that her daughter is in her forties now. She’s still her baby girl.
She questions whether or not she should check on Nick and Charlie. She knows she made those jokes last night, but they really are a committed couple and she isn’t sure she’s ever going to be ready to see her grandson that vulnerable—but the door is cracked and surely Nick isn’t an exhibitionist (she’s old, not dead). He blushes far too easily, so she takes the risk and peeks in on the couple.
A smile warms up on her face as she notices the boys cuddled up with each other. Charlie is resting his head on Nick’s chest and Nick has his nose in Charlie’s hair. They’re both tangled in the covers and snoring loudly, and Nan is undeniably happy for them. It reminds her of how she and Harold used to sleep back in their youth. She misses sharing her space like that with another person. She’s glad Nick gets to experience a love like that too.
She closes the door as quietly as she can behind them, heading down to make Christmas breakfast, unaware that the sound has startled Nick out of slumber.
Nick sniffles, raising his nose out of Charlie’s curls and a warm smile falls on his face. His head turns to the alarm clock that reads it’s just past eight in the morning and he can’t help tracing his fingers down Charlie’s back, cognizant of the fact that he’s probably stirring his boyfriend from his slumber, but that’s just it–Charlie is his boyfriend now. His real life boyfriend. Like he can kiss Charlie anytime he wants now and it doesn’t have to be part of some big conspiracy. He gets to wake up next to Charlie like this for the rest of their lives, or at least until Charlie gets tired of him.
Charlie hums, rubbing his nose on Nick’s chest. “Mmm.”
Nick whispers, brushing his fingers through Charlie’s bed head curls. “Hey. It’s Christmas.”
Charlie blinks his eyes open, resting his chin on Nick’s chest and looking up at him. “Happy Christmas, love.”
“Yeah,” Nick smiles, kissing Charlie’s forehead. “Should we go down?”
Charlie groans. “Five more minutes. You’re warm.”
“No, come on. It’s Nan’s first Christmas without Granddad. I wanna help her make breakfast.” Nick says, gently nudging Charlie off of him so he can get up. Charlie whines, but gets up anyway.
“I should punch you for making me get up this early, but I’ll let it slide just this once.” Charlie grumbles, getting off the bed to pull his jumper back on while Nick slips on his pyjama pants.
“C’mon, grumpy. I’ll make you pancakes.” Nick chuckles, grabbing Charlie’s hand and pulling him down the steps to join his grandmother who is already starting on the eggs.
Nick sneaks up behind his grandmother and wraps his arms around her waist, placing a wet kiss on her cheek. “Happy Christmas, Nan!”
Nan smiles even as she rolls her eyes. “You know, you are the loudest stepper I’ve ever heard, Nicholas. But Happy Christmas, darling. Now, where’s my favorite grandson?”
“Here, Nan!” Charlie exclaims with a grin as he goes in to hug Nun, ignoring Nick’s adorable pout that he knows he’ll be kissing off later.
She hugs Charlie tightly before she lets go to flip the eggs. Nick has moved to her side to start up the bacon and sausage. “Oh, honey. You don’t need to do that. I can do it myself.”
“Let us help, Nan.” Nick looks at her gently. He doesn’t want to upset his grandmother, but he knows how strong she tries to be for them. It’s the first time she’s doing this all on her own, but that doesn’t mean she has to do it alone.
“Okay, but if you burn the bacon, I’ll have Charlie hit you.” she scolds her youngest grandson.
Charlie laughs from the other side of the counter where he’s making coffee. “I don’t need a reason to do that.”
Nick pouts. “Do you see the way he treats me, Nan?”
Nan smiles. “Reminds me of your granddad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, He was always causing trouble. I can’t even count how many times I hit him. You’re a lot like him, you know.”
Nick raises a brow. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”
Nan nudges his arm. “It is. He was an idiot, but he was my idiot.”
Charlie chimes in, pushing Nick’s coffee cup towards him with a peck on the cheek. “And you’re mine, Nicky.”
Nick blushes a pale pink and begins setting the bacon in the skillet. Charlie mostly makes small talk with Nan while they cook and Nick takes a few minutes here and there to stare at his boyfriend like pure adoration. He always knew Charlie fit in this family from the moment they became friends, but actually seeing the way he fit in made that feeling just warm his insides a bit more. He could just see every year looking like this, and even more years in the future in their own home hosting it with a dozen kids running all around the place. He had so many dreams for their future–many of which included a band on Charlie’s ring finger and a couple kids that share their name. But he also knows that he needs to separate the dreams he had before they got together to what they are now–and what they are now is a new couple. It was far too early to be thinking about marriage or kids. He can still dream about it, though. He’s certain they’ll get there someday.
Sarah joins them in the kitchen once the food is finished. She kisses her son’s cheek and hugs Charlie. “David is gone to Stephane’s this morning, so no worries, boys.”
“Is it bad to say I’m relieved?” Nick asks his mother. She shakes her head.
“He drains us all, darling.” Nan answers.
Sarah claps her hands together to break the conversation. “Now, let’s eat Christmas breakfast.”
There’s small talk about what their plans are for the new year when Charlie’s phone vibrates on the table and he checks it, his face turning pale immediately. Nick notices quickly and leans over to check on him.
“Are you okay? Is it your food?” Nick is always worried that he’s giving Charlie too much to eat and it’s freaking him out.
“No, no,” Charlie shakes his head. “Uh, it’s my mum.”
Nick raises a brow. “What did she say?”
Charlie hands him the phone and he reads the message, Tao told me you two are dating. I expect you for New Years, young man.
Well, fuck. Here we go again.