Chapter Text
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Nick Nelson was not a morning person by any means. However sunshine-y and cheery he was around people was a stark contrast to him before the sun came up, or even an hour later. His bed was comfortable! That morning, however, was a very special day. Him and Charlie were going to the beach together! So, instead of his normal course of actions in the morning (groaning, getting up then immediately falling back in bed, etc.), he sat up with a grin on his face.
Coming out to all of his classmates had been… difficult. Nick was confident in his identity and confident that his close friends would still love and accept him, but that didn’t mean it was easy. He’d spent so long in a shell, being the perfect, straight rugby player that everyone liked. It was hard to do something he knew would make some people judge him, or even dislike him. Stepping out of his comfort zone had never been his strong suit. Nick liked to be liked by people! He liked making everyone happy. It was always a goal of his to make everyone around him feel good. Of course, there were some expectations. Nick didn’t and would never give two shits to what Harry and Ben felt, much less what they thought.
Besides, now that both him and Charlie were out and officially public with their relationship, they could be much less careful around others. Having Charlie by his side while coming out was amazing. His boyfriend had been so kind and supportive through his entire journey of accepting himself for who he was. He only hoped Charlie was as thrilled to be public as Nick was. He hoped Charlie was happy in general.
When he’d passed out in Paris, it had been one of the scariest moments in Nick’s life. To see someone you love so much just go down right in front of you was terrifying. Nick was worried, remembering what he’d looked up the previous night. He’d spent a lot of the night combing through websites and memories, thinking back to times he’d actually seen Charlie eat. Nick knew his perspective might be warped, after all, he was a rugby player and definitely ate more than the average high schooler. Still, the amount of food left on Charlie’s plate always seemed to be way too much for him to actually be full. He knew he should mention it to Charlie, and have a serious sit-down discussion with him.
Nick sat up and got ready to face the day.
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Charlie Spring was also not a morning person. Luckily, he didn’t have to face the struggle of getting up, because he hadn’t managed to actually fall back asleep. Every time he closed his eyes for longer than 3 seconds, all he saw was the disappointed face of Nick. Speaking of him, Charlie remembered that Nick was taking him to the beach today. At first, Charlie was excited. The beach would be a welcome distraction from his brain for the day. The excitement quickly shifted to dread as he remembered his thigh. Saltwater was going to sting like the devil on the cuts, even if they’d scabbed over. He decided to see how it was looking, and rolled down his pajama pants.
On his thigh laid what seemed like hundreds of fresh, red lines, all of varying lengths and depth. It seemed like the most he’d ever done at once. A sick sense of pride curled up in his heart, telling him that he did good. This was what he deserved. Charlie both loved and hated how much he agreed.
Sighing, he rolled his pants back up. How was he supposed to explain to Nick that he couldn’t get in the ocean? Although… The saltwater couldn’t sting that badly. It might even be a good reminder to not be an idiot and make Nick worry about him again. Besides, he would far rather have his stupid boo-boos hurt than see Nick be sad. He checked his phone: 6:00 in the morning. Nick said he’d stop by at around 8:00 to pick him up. He’d already packed his beach bag yesterday, so Charlie racked his brain, trying to think of something he could do to fill those two hours instead of his regular pastime, which was spiraling. Breakfast was not an option today, it never was after cutting nights. Even if it was, his stomach felt much too nauseous to even handle cereal. Who knew not sleeping for more than 3 hours could make you feel bad?
Scanning the room, his eyes found his drumset. He hadn’t been able to practice at all during Paris for obvious reasons (he almost chuckled at the image of Mr. Farouk’s seeing Charlie wheel in his drumset to the coach), and it would be nice to get some stress out. So, he picked up his drumsticks and started to play.
If there was one thing Charlie excelled at, it was getting in the zone, whether that meant the freaking out zone or just playing the drums. What he felt like minutes of playing turned out to be two hours, which he found out when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, startled. Looking back at him was the smiling face of his amazing boyfriend.
“Are you ready for the most amazing beach date of your entire life?” Nick asked, with a big dumb grin on his face.
“Yes!” Charlie responded, taking off his headphones and stretching. His stomach didn’t feel much better, but the drums had significantly helped in reducing his anxiousness, and he truly did feel ready to spend the day with Nick. He always did.
Nick’s grin got wider, and he cheerfully said “Great! Last one to the door is a rotten egg!”
He bolted out of the room, and Charlie raced after him, barely grabbing his bag.
Charlie yelped, shouting down the hall. “No fair! You got a head start!”
Both of them were smiling and laughing hysterically as they rushed to the door. In the end, Charlie did win, even if his thigh was burning. He pushed it aside, determined to be positive. Maybe today would be a good day after all.